Canticum Tenebris (Wrath of the Old Gods Book 2)

by John Triptych

  Pastor Erik paused once more as he took a short sip from a glass of water that had been placed on the podium. He needed to spell out a few more matters and that would be the end of this truly historic speech. With so many other things to do, he needed to make sure that the entire state was in agreement and loyal to him. So far everything was going according to plan. That only meant that God was on his side for the proof was now undeniable, he thought.

  “As to the seat of our new country, the Rock of God Church compound here in McPherson County will serve as the temporary capital of our new government for the time being. Depending on how long it takes for our Lord Jesus Christ to return from heaven to guide us back to eternal salvation, we may reopen the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka in the near future. Our new government is racing against time to make sure that the local power stations as well as every water and sewage treatment plant remains functioning and will be fully nationalized under government control in the next few days. Our church membership over the past few months has now grown close to almost three million and we will start to bus a number of our constituents over to the once abandoned areas of Wichita and Topeka in order to ease overcrowding here in the church compound. I can assure all of our current church members that there will be ample housing that will be found, you can trust us on that. While I understand that the oil shortage has been acute these past few weeks, we will be taking steps to bring our supply of oil and gas back to normal levels, but I still must reiterate that our citizens to only use electric power as well as gasoline for their cars in the most conservative of manners as possible in order to safeguard what we have. Also, instead of just sitting by in an idle conduct, I ask each and every citizen of our new country to volunteer your time and your services. We have great need for engineers, carpenters, mechanics, electricians, and doctors. So if you have any spare time, do not let it go to waste for the Lord hates slothfulness. At the same time, if you have any previous experience as a member of the US armed forces or police force, please volunteer and sign up for the Soldiers of the Lord, we need all the able bodied men we can get. As you well know, we are surrounded by evil but our faith and our leadership will guarantee our victory over the forces of darkness in the times to come.”

  Neda Mallory was the governor’s wife and she was wearing a silvery white dress for this occasion. She stood beside her husband along with Janet Clancey as they continued to watch, mesmerized by the extraordinary events occurring all around them. Pastor Erik took one last breath, needing to finish the speech.

  “To those on the outside looking in, the new sovereign country of Christian Kansas is not a threat to you. As I said before, all we want is to be left alone. We ask that the Federals weigh any military option against us carefully for we are more than prepared to give up our lives in the service of the Lord. As to the rumors of what happened to the President of the United States, I can now admit to all of you that he is a guest here in our compound along with Admiral Charles Zimmerman, the commanding officer of NORTHCOM. The two men will remain for the time being until we can get full and written assurances from the US government that they will recognize our country’s sovereignty, and they will take no steps to forcefully invade us. It was a sad decision that led to this, but it was a justified one. As the new President of Kansas, I have an obligation to protect my citizens by any means possible. Also, I would like to add that if there are any true Christians left in the other parts of the country to go ahead, and come and join us here in Christian Kansas. Our immigration policy is open to anyone who is of the European race and of the Christian denomination. As for other races, we will either accept them as new citizens or reject them on a case by case basis. While I admit that the Lord does not discriminate between people of skin color, we must be pragmatic since we feel that those of European descent would be best suited to becoming productive citizens of our new country. That is all I can say for now. Thank you and God bless our great new holy nation of Christian Kansas!”

  As soon as the director yelled cut the small crowd erupted in cheers and made a thunderous applause. Neda Mallory wiped away the tears from her eyes as she embraced Pastor Erik the moment he walked off the stage as the crowd surged around him and shook his hand. A few more minutes of hugs and hearty congratulations commenced before the crowd slowly began to disperse as there was still a lot of work to be done.

  Janet Clancey kissed Pastor Erik on the cheek. “That was an amazing speech, Pastor.”

  Pastor Erik smiled back. “Thank you, Janet. My only regret is you weren’t there to share the limelight with me. Everybody knows you are my co-host on our daily program so it was rather awkward for me to be there on that stage all by my lonesome.”

  Janet nodded. “I just wanted to ask you, Erik. About the country’s official stance on atheists that you just mentioned. You see, my brother in law is here and he’s served us wonderfully as a volunteer doctor over at the hospital in Topeka. I introduced him to you a few years back.”

  Pastor Erik continued to smile as he shook hands with the remaining well-wishers. “Yes, I remember him. What about him?”

  Janet shrugged in mild resignation. “Well, you see, he has been outspoken in his atheism and well, after this speech you just gave, I mean, is it possible I could get a deferment for him to prevent him from being thrown out, I mean?”

  Neda Mallory had been listening as she placed her hands on her hips. “Oh come now, Janet. After all that’s happened, your brother in law’s still an atheist? Why, he ought to be one of the first people getting baptized as a Christian right now. I don’t know how anyone could still profess a disbelief in gods with all these other evil gods out there.”

  Janet frowned as she acknowledged the governor’s wife before looking back at Erik. “Well, he hasn’t made up his mind yet and if you could just give a deferment for a few more days so that I could convince him, Erik? I’ve never asked a favor from you before but I would just like a little bit mercy and patience if that’s alright.”

  Pastor Erik placed an assuring hand on his co-host’s elbow. “Janet, I’m afraid Mrs. Mallory here is right. There’s no reason for your brother in law to hold off on being converted to Christianity now. I’m sorry but these new laws will take effect immediately. We have to secure our spiritual power in order for the entire country to protect ourselves from the multitude of devils that are slowly surrounding us.”

  “But…”

  “Janet, now is not the time for this and I’ve made my decision. I’m very busy, so let’s talk later,” Pastor Erik said as he started to walk towards the other members of the Holy Committee that were standing near the exit.

  General Ken O’Neill along with Governor Lloyd Mallory shook Erik’s hands as soon as he joined them. Steve Van Dyke saluted them all just as he walked in through the studio exit. Neda started to walk towards them but was waved away by her husband. She quickly realized that it wasn’t her business to butt in on their conversation so she quickly turned and started to offer more advice to Janet who ignored her out of spite. The governor’s insufferable wife then latched onto one of the stage hands and started another conversation.

  “Follow me, gentlemen, I think it’s better we talk while we head to the guest rooms,” Pastor Erik said as he started walking towards the exit.

  “I’m sorry I missed most of your speech, Mr. President,” Steve said as he walked alongside. He was dressed in military fatigues with the new flag of Christian Kansas that was stitched on its side. “But things have been very hectic lately.”

  Pastor Erik laughed. “You are absolved, Steve. I regret that I can just only congratulate you right now on a job well done. It’s a pity that we’ve both been so busy that this is our first face to face meeting in weeks. And please, just call me Erik. You are part of my inner circle of advisers now.”

  “You did a fine job, Steve,” General O’Neill said as they all rounded a corner and were now along a glass walkway overlooking the inner compound. “General Teller has been telling me that even thoug
h you requested to be included in the boot camp for new recruits in SOL because you were formerly a SWAT officer instead of a soldier, he assured me that you don’t need to take that course at all. In fact, you are putting some of our veteran soldiers to shame with your skills.”

  Steve smiled. “Thanks, General. I owe it all to the Lord’s grace and mercy.”

  Governor Lloyd Mallory took off his cowboy hat as he tried to keep up with the fast paced walking. “So I take it that since we have now played our hand with this declaration of independence that we have all our defenses in place now?”

  “Yes and no,” General O’Neill said. “The north is pretty much secure. Iowa and Nebraska are getting snowed under and nobody wants to make a move- too many weather problems for any large scale maneuvering. The east is a bit more chaotic, there’s plenty of riots in Missouri so we’re still trying to get a clearer picture and that’ll take some time. In the south, Governor Bierly of Oklahoma wants to secede too, but he’s hampered because just below him in Dallas is one of the main staging areas for US Army North and he doesn’t have the full loyalty of his National Guard troops. All he can do for now is act as an early warning asset in case NORTHCOM attempts to make a move against us from what’s left of Texas, but I doubt they would since they need all the troops they have to protect against the Aztec gods below them. The real question mark though is over to the west. Our little stunt in Colorado Springs hasn’t gone unnoticed. While the US Government is still in shock over what happened, there would be a flashpoint over there if they start massing troops along the border with us.”

  Pastor Erik nodded as they all started to walk down a flight of stairs into the building’s bunker level. “What worries me is that the Feds might retaliate using their own nukes. Could they do that?”

  General O’Neill answered almost right away. “It’s possible, depending on who they put in charge. The President of the United States was still in the process of selecting his vice when we grabbed him and we got the ‘football’ as well so to speak because they were with Admiral Zimmerman when Marine One went down.”

  Pastor Erik arched his brow. “Football?”

  “The nuclear launch codes,” Steve said. “It’s in a small briefcase and is close to the president at all times when he travels. They call it the football.”

  “Exactly,” General O’Neill said. “We have the case and all the current codes. With the confusion in their government right now, we have ample reason to believe that the codes have not yet been changed since nobody knows who’s in charge right now. The Speaker of the House is in Virginia but he hasn’t done anything beyond diverting some troops in Colorado to find out what had happened. And since Zimmerman is or was the commanding officer of NORTHCOM then we still have the advantage in that both their military and civilian leadership are in a state of confusion.”

  Governor Mallory was trying to catch his breath from the non-stop walking. “So now it all depends on the Speaker then, I hope he isn’t a hardnosed sonuva bitch or else our independence might be very short-lived.”

  General O’Neill chuckled as the group was waved through an underground guard post. “I’ve met the Speaker of the House a few times. I can tell you the guy’s a fence-sitting political wuss. He’s probably crapping in his pants right now trying to figure out what’s going on.”

  Pastor Erik turned to look at them as they stood in front of a metal door. There were two armed soldiers standing guard beside it. “Let us remain vigilant, gentlemen,” he said before gesturing the guards to open the door with their keys. “The US Government is still a very dangerous beast and we must play our cards carefully lest we slip up and lose this golden opportunity.”

  The guards unlocked the door and they swung it open. The room inside was much larger than an ordinary cell block. It had a metal table and chair which were bolted onto the bare concrete floor. The President of the United States had been lying in a cot along the side of the cell but he immediately sat up as soon as the door was unlocked. They had taken away his coat jacket, shoes, belt and his tie but he still had his button dress shirt that was partly torn and wore his wrinkled trousers.

  Pastor Erik walked over to him and held out his hand. The president merely turned away and crossed his arms. A flash of anger raced over the pastor’s face but he soon realized that their guest had every right to be in a bad mood so he let the wanton act of disrespect go as he sat down on top of the table while Governor Mallory placed himself on the chair with a groan. Steve and General O’Neill merely leaned on the walls of the cell as they motioned the guards to leave the room.

  “This is a blatant act of treason,” the president said softly. He'd barely had any rest in the past few days as he was thoroughly searched and examined by medical personnel before being shuffled off into this cell and placed on a twenty-four hour watch. “Do you know what the penalty for that is?”

  Pastor Erik wiped off a speck of dust from his suit coat. “We have declared our independence so your government has no jurisdiction over us. I’m sure the guards allowed you to watch from the TV set in this room. I am here to ask you to be reasonable and not to let your emotions get the better of you. Both sides are in a precarious situation as you well know…”

  “Only because you put us there! You committed a terrorist act against not one, but two US military bases, one of which was a detonated a nuclear device detonated. You’ve also kidnapped me, the head of state for this country! You have just royally screwed everything up and you’ve just about opened the way for those Aztec gods to overwhelm the United States.”

  Pastor Erik stood up and glared at him. “No, Mr. President, it is you and your lack of leadership that is the true cause of destroying this country! All you godless people in Washington and Virginia and your embrace for these blasphemous values that separate church and state and the oppression of the one true faith is what caused these minions of Satan to rise in the first place! What I am doing now is saving as many good Christians as I can since you have so clearly failed in this task. So do not take this tone with me!”

  The president shook his head and sighed. “You are clearly insane, do you know that?”

  “How dare you!” Pastor Erik growled. “Can you not see that the reason why these demons have come forth is because the apocalypse is here? Don’t you realize that your very actions of supporting the homosexuals and these horrific and godless liberal values are what’s actually causing God to punish the world right now?”

  “I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”

  Pastor Erik wagged a disapproving finger. “I can’t believe that you’re still denying the truth! I have been vindicated by this apocalypse! I was on air making this very prediction all those years ago and now it’s come true! This is the evidence that you refuse to believe in and this is why the state of Kansas has seceded and is now a blessed bulwark of good against the forces of evil.”

  The president said nothing as he merely stared back at him.

  Pastor Erik took a deep breath before continuing. “If you do not believe, that is your choice for it will be your soul that will be damned in the end. Neither myself nor my followers will go to hell because we are faithful servants of the true Lord, Jesus Christ. Now, all that I ask you is that we need to begin negotiations and we need to do this right away. You are well aware that we have a stockpile of nuclear weapons. We regretfully had to use one of these nukes in order to make a statement—”

  “You made a statement alright. You’ve proven to the world just how crazy you all are.”

  “If you don’t wish to believe what we believe in, that’s your choice,” Governor Mallory said. “But we have nuclear weapons now and we will defend our newly independent country should any US military forces make any attempt to invade us. I hope you realize that.”

  The president looked at them one by one before answering. “I represent the US government, a body that was elected by the people of this entire country. And I will tell you all this, the United States does not give in
to terrorists. There is nothing to negotiate here. I demand you let me and Admiral Zimmerman go, and surrender unconditionally. I'll give you my sworn promise that you all will be given a fair trial. That is all I have to say to you.”

  Pastor Erik made a slight smile. “You still cling to this outdated notion that what you do as a secular head of state somehow matters, as if all this is just a temporary crisis and everything will be back to normal once it’s over. But guess what? The world has changed irrevocably. Mankind isn’t alone anymore. We are not the Lords of this Earth after all. There are other, more powerful beings than us out there. The gods are real and we need to choose sides. Are you with the devil or are you with us?”

  “Let me go first and then we’ll talk,” the president said.

  Governor Mallory chuckled as he put his cowboy hat back on. “Gosh darn it, you are one hell of a stubborn mule.”

  “Seems that the President of the United States is still not convinced that this apocalypse is happening,” Pastor Erik said as he stood up. “Well in that case, he shall remain as our guest until he decides to finally face reality. Mark my words, Mr. President. We will fight back with everything we’ve got if your forces attack. Only you have the power to prevent the destruction of America but like Lloyd said, you’re too stubborn to realize it. Let’s go, boys.”