Shaken

by Jerry B. Jenkins

  Vicki and Shelly made dinner. While they were eating, Mark turned on the computer to check e-mails. He let out a whoop as he pulled up hundreds of messages from people who had seen Vicki during the satellite school transmissions.

  “Some of these are from the first broadcast,” Mark said, “but most are new.”

  Conrad pointed to a message that didn’t list the sender’s return address. The subject line simply said “Phoenix.”

  Mark clicked it and the kids read: Do not reply to this. I just wanted you to know long tail is safe. We found the truck and are searching the area nearby. Hope you are all out of range by now. Will be in touch soon. N.

  “That’s Natalie,” Vicki said. “When did she send it?”

  Mark checked the e-mail and said, “Late last night.” He found another e-mail that was sent only a few hours earlier.

  The GC has suspended all search due to the Gala. Praise God! I was assigned to question several farm owners this morning. I was exhausted but happy to see our friend C with the farmer and his wife. They told me what happened. C is doing well but says he misses you all. Long tail and I are okay for now. Will send you a safe address to write as soon as I can. I may need directions to your new place soon.

  N.

  Vicki climbed into the loft and fell into bed. Darrion had found enough sheets and pillows for everyone. It felt good to sleep and not have to worry about the Global Community breaking in. Vicki thought of Charlie and Natalie and thanked God they had all made it through safely. She thought of Judd in Israel and wondered what he was doing. Would they ever see each other face-to-face again?

  Judd followed Mr. Stein as they waded through the crowd at the Wailing Wall. Sam and Lionel weren’t far behind. The crowd was huge, but Judd knew by morning more would cram into the site. Millions around the world would watch and prepare for the evil celebration.

  Some shouted at Eli and Moishe, who didn’t speak or move. Others simply watched the two, wondering when they would preach again. Mr. Stein struggled to get close to a few who knelt next to the fence, their heads bowed. Mr. Stein joined them and Judd stood close to him.

  Finally, Mr. Stein spoke softly to the two and Judd strained to hear. He was reciting Psalm 23: “ ‘Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.’”

  Mr. Stein recited other biblical passages. Eli and Moishe didn’t move, but they seemed to breathe in the words of Scripture.

  “ ‘I am the resurrection and the life,’” Mr. Stein continued. “ ‘Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish.’”

  Through the night Mr. Stein whispered verses to the witnesses. He prayed quietly for them, thanking God for sending them to warn the world of judgment. “And now we pray the same power you have given them to do miracles among us will be present,” Mr. Stein said. “Empower Eli and Moishe to live for you and do your will until the due time.”

  Judd awoke to shouts and screams. The sun was up and dew covered the blanket on top of him. Someone had covered Lionel and Sam too. Judd rubbed his eyes and saw Mr. Stein still kneeling at the fence, now singing softly the words to an old hymn someone had recently taught him.

  Judd stood and pushed his way to the back of the crowd to find one of the many portable toilets. Not far away, loud bands rehearsed for the party that would begin when Carpathia was finished with the witnesses. On his way back, Judd heard a group talking about the funeral service for Peter the Second.

  “I heard they canceled it due to lack of interest,” a man said. “And that new woman, D’Angelo or whatever her name was, she’s out too.”

  “Who needs those two when we have Nicolae Carpathia?” a woman snickered.

  Judd shook his head. Enigma Babylon One World Faith had been popular with people around the globe. Now with its founder dead and the world under the spell of Carpathia, it looked like it would fade away without anyone noticing.

  Judd wondered how Peter Mathews had really died. Did Carpathia shoot him? Did a hit man take out the pontiff? Judd shuddered as he elbowed his way back to the front. Eli and Moishe stood like statues, just as they had done for hours.

  When he made it back, Sam and Lionel were sitting up, blankets draped around their shoulders. GC Security moved through the crowd, telling people to back away from the fence.

  Mr. Stein continued to whisper a few verses to the witnesses. GC officers grabbed him and pulled him away, but one look from Moishe and the two security officers fell to the ground, stunned. Mr. Stein finished what he was saying and looked at Eli and Moishe. The two glanced at him and nodded slightly.

  Mr. Stein helped the two guards up and joined Judd and the others. Judd said, “What were your last words to them?”

  “I quoted Psalm 121. ‘I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth! He will not let you stumble and fall; the one who watches over you will not sleep. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never tires and never sleeps.’”

  Judd wondered what was going through the witnesses’ minds. The “debate” with Carpathia would begin in a little more than two hours. Would they stand up to him and speak the truth? No matter how they responded, this was the 1,261st day. The Bible said they would be overcome today.

  35

  AS THREE GC helicopters flew over the Wailing Wall, Judd looked at his watch. It was 9:59 A.M. The choppers landed and various dignitaries exited. Judd noticed there was no representative from Enigma Babylon.

  Finally, Nicolae Carpathia stepped out and waved to the cheering crowd. A black box poked out of a pocket of Carpathia’s expensive sport coat. There was a flurry of activity with the potentates, Fortunato, camerapeople, and lights, but Judd couldn’t take his eyes off this evil man strutting toward the fence and the two witnesses of God.

  A woman dabbed makeup on Carpathia’s face as he hurried by. His lapel microphone picked up the woman saying, “You look wonderful, Potentate.”

  Carpathia ignored her and approached Eli and Moishe. They stood ramrod straight and stared ahead. Carpathia flung his sport coat onto the fence and rolled up his sleeves. The crowd responded with claps and cheers.

  Judd had seen the two witnesses silence Carpathia before. They had breathed fire and consumed their enemies. But now they were up against the meanest man on the face of the earth.

  Carpathia had a gleam in his eye as he stopped next to Eli. “And what do you gentlemen have to say for yourselves this morning?”

  Vicki sat in her pajamas in the Wisconsin vacation home of Darrion Stahley. Everyone was gathered to watch the live coverage from Israel. The huge screen built into the wall made it feel like they were right there. Vicki could tell that the GC had paid attention to every detail. Carpathia’s voice was clear. The scene had obviously been lighted by professionals. Even the crowd seemed to applaud on cue.

  “You have plagued the world with your magic for too long,” Carpathia said to the witnesses. “You have boasted about the suffering you have caused.”

  “That’s not true,” Conrad said.

  “Why don’t they say something?” Shelly said.

  Vicki stared at the screen. “When Jesus was brought before the leaders what did he do?”

  “He didn’t say anything,” Darrion said.

  Vicki nodded. “That’s what they’re doing. They’re like lambs going to the slaughter.”

  Judd thought of Kasim and the laser sword. He closed his eyes and imagined slicing through the metal fence and going after Carpathia himself. But more shouts from the evil man brought Judd back to reality.

  “What is wrong with you?” Nicolae shouted, pacing before Eli and Moishe. “Cat got your tongues? The water in Jerusalem tastes cold and refreshing today! Run out of poison?”

  Judd was among a group of believers who didn’t shout or even speak. S
ome silently moved their lips in prayer.

  But the others around them shouted at Carpathia. “Arrest them.” One man screamed, “Just kill them and get it over with!”

  Carpathia toyed with the silent saints. “Was that rain on my window this morning? What happened to the drought? Say, does anyone see locusts? horsemen? smoke? Gentlemen! You are impotent!”

  Mr. Stein grabbed Judd by an arm and fell to his knees. “Pray with me.”

  Judd knelt too and bowed his head, but Carpathia’s voice boomed through the speakers around them. “I proclaimed this area off-limits to you two years ago! Why are you still here? You must leave or be arrested! In fact, did I not say that if you were seen in public anywhere after the meeting of the cultists that you would be executed?”

  Judd glanced up as Carpathia turned to the crowd.

  “I did say that, did I not?”

  “You did, Potentate!”

  “Yes! Execute them!”

  “Kill them now!”

  “I have been remiss!” Carpathia continued. “I have not carried out my duties! How can I have allowed this crime to go unpunished? I do not want to be shamed before my people! I do not want to be embarrassed at their party today!”

  Lionel bent beside Judd and whispered, “He knows.”

  “What do you mean?” Judd said.

  “I think Carpathia’s been studying. He knows the prophecy says he’s going to win this round.”

  Carpathia walked a few paces away and shouted for Eli and Moishe to come out from behind the fence. “Challenge me! Answer me! Climb over, fly over, transport yourselves if you are able! Do not make me open the gate!”

  Carpathia stood about twenty yards away from Judd. It was as close as he had ever been to the man. Even in the midst of this confrontation, Nicolae was charming and suave. Some, no doubt, followed him because of his good looks. Others had been convinced by the command he had over the devastating world situation. The only thing about Carpathia that caused anyone to wonder was his impotence in front of Eli and Moishe.

  Carpathia turned to the crowd again. “Should I fear their very breath? Will these dragons incinerate and slay even me?”

  Some laughed nervously, as if they had just remembered the power of the two witnesses. But the two didn’t move, and they barely seemed to breathe.

  “I am at the end of patience!” Nicolae scolded. A uniformed man handed him a key. He unlocked the gate, and the crowd fell silent.

  Carpathia flung the gate open and ran behind the two. “Outside!”

  Eli and Moishe stood still. Finally, Carpathia shoved them like they were animals. Eli bumped into Moishe as they stumbled toward the gate.

  People near Judd gasped and moved back at the sight of the two. Carpathia grabbed Eli and Moishe by their robes and slammed them against the fence. He turned to the crowd and smiled. “Here are your tormentors! Your judges!” With a sneer he said, “Your prophets! And what do they have to say for themselves now? Nothing! They have been tried and convicted and sentenced. All that is left is the rendering of justice, and as I have decreed it, I shall carry it out!”

  He grabbed their robes again and pulled them away from the fence. “Any last words?”

  Eli and Moishe looked at each other. The two were loved by believers the world over. They had been God’s representatives on earth for more than three years. They had spoken powerfully and had never backed down from the Global Community. Now, however, they simply lifted their heads to heaven.

  Judd stared at their shining faces as Carpathia walked away. He had heard about the look on missionaries’ faces as they faced death, but he had never seen such peace.

  Carpathia kept his back to the crowd, walked over to the fence, and pulled something from his coat pocket. He stepped back until he was ten feet away from the witnesses. Carpathia pointed a high-powered handgun at Eli. Judd reached to cover his ears, but the blast came quickly. The gunshot knocked Eli off his feet and into the fence. He crumpled to the ground in a pool of blood.

  Judd bowed his head in horror, unable to speak. He felt short of breath, like someone had punched him in the stomach. Mr. Stein looked at Moishe and whispered, “May the Lord of peace give you his peace no matter what happens.”

  Moishe knelt and covered his eyes. Judd had no time to prepare for what happened next. Carpathia quickly aimed the gun and fired. Moishe’s body crashed into the fence and crumpled to the ground also, his arms and legs flopping clumsily.

  Lionel fell to one knee. Sam looked like he was about to faint. They were all shocked at the violence they had just seen.

  Carpathia put the gun away, slipped on his jacket, and bowed to the crowd. Suddenly people erupted in shouts of praise for their leader. They laughed and shouted, slapped each other’s hands and danced, happy that their troubles were now over.

  Mr. Stein helped Judd to his feet. The crowd surged forward, pushing them toward the bodies of the two men of God. Judd watched Carpathia and the other dignitaries get into the helicopters.

  “You’ll get yours,” Judd muttered.

  Vicki and the others sat in stunned silence as the camera zoomed in on the dead men. Newscasters couldn’t hide their glee at what had just happened.

  “You can understand why the people watching this here and around the world will want to celebrate,” one anchorman said. “The potentate promised to take care of those two, and he has.”

  Vicki wept. Moishe and Eli lay in ugly heaps, their leathery skin and bony hands exposed. They had been untouchable, unbeatable. Now people danced and sang as the helicopters lifted off, taking Carpathia and his group to the party site.

  The camera switched from Carpathia’s helicopter to Eli’s face. His eyes and mouth were open, and dark red blood spread on the ground beneath him. Moishe’s body was an indescribable mess of blood and bone.

  “Now the party starts,” Mark said grimly.

  Judd and the others slowly made their way back to General Zimmerman’s house. They passed people dancing and singing, moving to the beat of the music that blared from blocks away. Some people gathered around TVs and cheered each time GCNN replayed the murders of Eli and Moishe.

  A drunken man handed Mr. Stein a drink as they passed. Mr. Stein glared at him.

  “What’s the matter?” the man slurred. “We’re done with those crazy preachers. Celebrate!”

  Mr. Stein pushed his way through the crowd. At General Zimmerman’s house he called a meeting of the believers. Those from Yitzhak’s house attended there as well, including Jamal and his wife.

  “Evil will flood the streets for the next few days,” Mr.

  Stein said. “Those who do not know God won’t be able to resist Carpathia’s schemes.”

  A man in the back raised a hand. “Will we continue our meetings?”

  Mr. Stein shook his head. “I did not know it would be this ghastly. The murders and the sinful actions of those on the street are unspeakable. Let us stay here and pray. We will have another opportunity this week to tell the truth. May God give us the strength to seize it.”

  Judd found Jamal and asked if he had talked with Kasim. Jamal shook his head, and Judd told him what had happened the night before.

  “I was afraid he would do something like that,” Jamal said. “Thank you for saving my son’s life.”

  Judd nodded. “I’m scared of what he might do next, now that Carpathia has killed the two witnesses.”

  Jamal put a hand on Judd’s shoulder. “Please help me find him and bring him home.”

  “I don’t think Mr. Stein wants us to go out—”

  “Please,” Jamal said.

  Lionel pulled up the Global Community’s Web site and looked for any news about Vicki and the others at home.

  He found two stories about fugitive kids in Illinois, but nothing about them being caught.

  He wrote Vicki an e-mail and asked for an update. He told her about being at the Wailing Wall and all he had seen. The whole spectacle seemed like a bad dream, but it wasn’t,
and the world would never be the same for anyone.

  After sending the message, Lionel checked out the kids’ Web site and discovered new material that could only have been written after the deaths of Eli and Moishe.

  Don’t be surprised at the murder of the two witnesses, Lionel read. He guessed Mark had written the update. Just remember that the week is not over.

  Lionel smiled. Carpathia may have won one battle, but he would not win his war with God.

  Judd left General Zimmerman’s house later that evening and walked to Kasim’s apartment. Along the way he passed hundreds of people celebrating the deaths of Eli and Moishe. Drunken men and women danced in the streets.

  When Judd reached the plaza where the opening ceremony had been held, huge crowds were gathered to listen to musical acts. The noise was deafening. Judd found a schedule of events and noticed that Z-Van had been added to Friday’s event.

  Judd followed a drunken man and woman inside Kasim’s building and took the stairs. Judd listened at Kasim’s door, but he didn’t hear anything. He jiggled the doorknob and was surprised when the door swung open.

  Judd entered, shut the door, and found Kasim sitting on a wooden chair looking toward the plaza. He didn’t turn when Judd entered but kept staring at the stage.

  Though the windows were closed, Judd could still hear the booming music.

  “Why did you leave your door unlocked?” Judd said.

  Kasim had recovered well from his wounds, but his face was badly bruised. “I’m waiting for a delivery.”

  Judd shook his head. He didn’t want to know what kind of delivery. “I’m here to take you home. Come with me.”

  Kasim turned, his eyes flashing with anger. “Did you see what Carpathia did to them? Those people out there are celebrating because two men are dead.”