by Justin Price
“And what of Britain?” asked Adnan.
“It won’t require as much to cripple them, but I have the same plans for them. London will burn to the ground”, said Assad.
“How do you think the world will look at this?” asked Adnan.
“It doesn’t matter”, said Assad. “Anyone who is loyal to me will support the cause.”
“What do you think of Israel?” asked Adnan. “There have been some questions raised about their loyalty to us.”
“I think that they will remain loyal”, said Assad. “Their temple will be completely finished in two weeks and I have blessed it. The only peace that they have experienced in their history is because of me. They know that every surrounding country could wipe them off the map if I chose to let them.”
“You are right”, said Adnan. “We have nothing to worry about with Israel. Most of them believe that you are Messiah.”
“Rightly so”, said Assad arrogantly.
“What about your messengers?” asked Adnan. “Are they going to be ready soon?”
“Yes”, said Assad. “They are gaining strength in the physical realm and they will soon be ready to appear to everyone on earth. Once they come, most of the remaining holdouts will believe that I am god.”
“What will they look like”, asked Adnan.
“Like angels of light of course”, said Assad. “Their true form would scare people. We don’t want to do that. We want to guide them to belief in me. I am counting on you a great deal to make sure that the people in every country are giving me proper worship. You will be charged with overseeing every temple leader. Everyone will worship my image.”
“The artificial intelligence is quite impressive”, said Adnan. “It is an experience unlike anything that any religion has ever had before. It is truly groundbreaking and I am proud to be a part of it.”
“That’s why I have called you to be my prophet Adnan. You are unwavering in your faith in me and you carry that passion into seeing others believe in me. When I reveal myself for who I truly am, then you will be reaping the rewards.”
―――――
Charles had a few days to process the situation with the daughter he never knew he had. He had already explained the situation to his two girls and they seemed to be alright with it; even excited. That was partly due in part to her being an up and coming country music star who was touring with a big name act. Abbie had already left New York to head to the next city on the tour, which just happened to be Knoxville, Tennessee.
With all the stress that had been on him lately, Charles decided that he needed to take a sabbatical from work. He was confident in Nick’s ability to continue operating in his absence. He even dared wonder to himself if he would ever go back. His work just wasn’t as important to him as it used to be. There were several other pressing issues in his life right now that needed attention.
He found himself with his daughters, Caitlin and Raelynn, at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville. The invitation had been extended from Abbie for them to come see her play anytime. After around a week to let everything sink in, Charles decided it was time to go see her and maybe even get to know her a little bit.
As Charles and his girls walked through the terminal, Abbie was running to get to their meeting spot. She arrived just in time to see them walk out and wave at her. The girls all hurried toward each other and embraced. There was no awkwardness at all. It was as if they had known each other all of their lives.
Charles on the other hand, was a little more awkward. He walked up just in time to try and figure out whether to go in for the hug or the weird handshake. He opted for the handshake just as Abbie held her arms out for a hug.
“Oh”, Charles said embarrassed. He pulled his hand back and obliged with a hug. “It’s good to see you”, he said. “Thank you for the tickets and the hotel. The girls and I really appreciate the kind gesture.”
“It’s my pleasure”, said Abbie. “I’m so glad you all could make it.”
They all walked together through the airport until they came to the limo waiting outside. All of their luggage had been loaded for them before they even got there.
“Wow. That’s impressive service”, said Charles.
“I know right”, said Abbie. “One of the best airports I have ever seen… and my driver isn’t too shabby either.”
They got into the car and headed down the road towards the hotel to check in before the show started later in the evening. The conversation started as small talk, but soon moved to major topics such as spirituality and politics.
“So, you basically work for Assad now?” asked Abbie.
“I guess you can say that”, said Charles. “Although, I don’t think I am going to continue along that path.”
“Well, it sounds like a great job. What’s keeping you from it?” asked Abbie.
“I have seen Assad up close and what I see just doesn’t set well with me.”
“That makes two of us”, said Abbie. “Ever since I had an experience with …”
Abbie stopped herself because she wasn’t sure what Charles would think of her faith.
“Your experience with what?” asked Charles.
“I’m not sure that I can say”, said Abbie. “I just have certain beliefs about things that aren’t widely accepted and certainly not by your boss.”
“Assad is not my boss”, said Charles. “Besides, you can tell me anything. I won’t hold it against you or think any less of you.”
“Are you sure”, asked Abbie apprehensively.
“Absolutely”, said Charles. “You are my own flesh and blood.”
“Okay”, said Abbie. “I will tell you. I have had a conversion experience. I am a believer in Jesus Christ.”
“Uh…wow”, said Charles. “Definitely not what I expected, but to each their own. I can’t judge. You know that’s dangerous these days right?”
“Oh, I know it very well”, said Abbie. “Imagine trying to hold these beliefs while being in the spotlight.”
“I couldn’t imagine”, said Charles.
“I feel like I am trying to live a lie. I have this fire inside of me and I am getting tired of trying to contain it. I just want to let it out and let the whole world know.”
“That would be the last thing you ever did”, said Charles. “You know that they would put you away for the rest of your life or even end your life.”
“I know what the risks are but I also know that this wasn’t meant for me to keep to myself. It’s the truth…plain and simple”, said Abbie.
“To be honest, I have considered it myself. I know enough to be aware of the forbidden book and much of what it predicted. After seeing Assad in his true form, it makes me wonder if he isn’t evil incarnate.”
“He is the Antichrist and that would make him evil. He is an agent of Satan himself and I’ve seen his demons. Something is going on in the world right now that will harm and deceive a lot of people.”
“Hold on”, said Charles. “Demons? What did these things look like?”
“I have seen them twice. I saw a group of them flying when I was on a plane and then I saw one again at a concert. They had wings and glowing eyes, but they almost looked like shadow figures.”
Charles’ heart sank when he heard that. He thought back to the opening of the portal and what he saw. These were in fact Assad’s creatures. He began to connect all of the dots in his head and realized that they were going to try and deceive the world into thinking that they were heavenly beings or aliens that have come to save the world.
“It all makes sense now”, said Charles. “Once they have full strength, he is going to use them to back up his plan to deceive the world into thinking that he is God.”
“You have to stay away from Assad”, said Abbie. “He is dangerous and he can deceive almost anybody. Those that he can’t, he gets rid of.”
“I don’t know why I didn’t see all of this before”, said Charles. “The Hebrew God of the bible really is God isn’t he?
”
“Yes! His Son Jesus is the one we are waiting for. He will return for us and defeat the Antichrist and all who follow him. We just have to make it to that point.”
“What do I have to do to be a part of that?” asked Charles.
“You just have to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and that He died for your sins and rose again the third day to give you new life; eternal life.”
“I never let me heart overrule my mind, but in this case I just can’t help it. My heart and mind are both telling me this is the truth…I believe.”
CHAPTER 17
Somehow, the East Coast believers had arrived unscathed in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The place had been a tourist attraction for years before things got bad in the economy. It was now a place like any other attraction that had been long forgotten. There were empty businesses and cabins scattered throughout the mountains that had grown up and started to fall down.
Still, the Smoky Mountains were as beautiful as ever and a sanctuary for the believers in Christ who had to flee from the larger cities across America. It was like the place that time forgot. Many of them lived like it was the twentieth century; with very little current technology.
‘Maybe it is better this way’, thought Maggie as they descended into a valley.
“Where are the believers located?” asked Chaim.
“Oh, they are all over the place down here”, said Commander Murray. “Our contact gave me specific GPS coordinates if we should ever need to come here and stay.”
He typed the coordinates into the built in GPS in the van and it showed they were only seven miles away. As they made the twists and turns through the mountains, Maggie couldn’t help but miss John. If she really thought about it, she had only known this group of people for a little more than a week. So much had happened in that short span of time.
After about ten minutes of winding through the Smokies, they arrived at a large cabin that was on a very small gravel road. It stood out from many of the ones they had passed on the way in. This was looked like it was being lived in. It had been well taken care of.
The grass was cut short and all of the hedges were perfectly trimmed. A man stepped out on the front porch with a shotgun as everyone got out of their vehicles about thirty feet away.
“Who goes there?” he asked.
“We are the believers from the East Coast”, said Commander Murray. There are several more just down the road waiting to be placed in cabins. I am Commander Chad Murray; the leader of the group. May we come in?”
“Who is your leader Chad?” asked the rugged man.
“Jesus is my leader”, said Chad. “He is my Lord and savior and I am one of his followers.”
“Right answer”, said the man.
“May I ask your name?” asked Chad.
“You may”, said the man. “My name is James Cook. Most folks around these parts call me big Jim.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you big Jim”, said Joshua as he walked up slowly and extended his hand.
Jim shook his hand firmly; his grip surprisingly strong for a man that was obviously pushing sixty. He wore a pair overalls with no shirt underneath and a red bandana on his head. His arms were huge, but his kind, dimpled smile softened his image a bit.
“Welcome home y’all”, said Jim. “Come on in. I’ll dispatch my team out to lead all of your folks in and get them settled.”
“Thank you so much for your hospitality.”
The four of them all went inside the large log cabin. His family was waiting inside getting ready to have supper.
“Come on in!” said the wife. “Y’all look like you’ve had a long trip. Take your shoes off and join us for supper!”
“Thank you”, said Maggie. “We appreciate your willingness to take us in. You have no idea how much that means. What’s your name?”
“Oh, I’m Theresa”, she said. “It’s good to meet you hon.”
“I hope you like breakfast for supper”, she said. “I’m making biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage, eggs, and hash brown casserole.”
“That’s quite the spread”, said DeShawn. “Some home cooking would do me some good.”
“Yea, you look like you’re wasting away”, Chaim joked.
Within a few minutes, the food was all ready to eat and the table was being set. All of them sat around the long table and prayed.
“Dear Lord”, said Jim, “We thank you for this food and everything else that we have here. We know that we have been blessed by your hand and we are grateful. Thank you for our new friends from New York and for your hand of protection on them. We pray for all of those who are still being persecuted around the world. Come quickly Lord Jesus. Amen.”
As they dug in to their food, there was only a couple of minutes of silence before Maggie decided to start the conversation.
“How long have you all been out here?” asked Maggie.
“We have lived out here all of our lives”, said Theresa. “In fact, we are the fourth generation to live here in the Smoky Mountains. It was still a big tourist attraction when our great grandparents moved here from Illinois.”
“We’ve had very little persecution in this area”, said Jim. “We just try to stay away from the larger cities like Knoxville. Most of them don’t ever come out this way, so we don’t have to worry about much.”
“We couldn’t even imagine a life of peace”, said Joshua. “We have had to live like a para-military group to protect innocent lives. We never attack first of course, but we have had to kill to protect our own; especially the women and children.”
“I couldn’t imagine that Commander Murray”, said Jim.
“Oh please just call me Chad. I wouldn’t mind having that title dropped to tell you the truth. We all just want a normal existence. Well…as normal as one could have in this day and age.”
“You’ve come to the right place”, said Jim. “We grow just about everything we eat and even raise our own cows, chickens, and pigs out here for meat. Deer and other wild game are plentiful and the streams provide plenty of clean drinking water. We are very fortunate. We have to plan well for winter, but living off the grid here is well worth it.”
“That should come in handy when Assad starts administering the mark.”
“Yes it will Joshua. We just hope that they don’t come looking for us here”, said Jim.
“You can never be too careful”, said Chad. “You never know where the World government could plant a spy to infiltrate us.”
―――――
President Cain sat in a wheelchair behind his desk at the Oval Office much like FDR had years before. It wasn’t disease that caused his time in a wheelchair though. It was an attempt on his life right when he was announcing that the United States was pulling out of the World Council.
He was sure that news had gotten around to Assad somehow before the press conference took place. It was obvious that they had used one of their memory wiped soldiers to carry out the act, though the rest of the world was oblivious to it. They even gave the man a Christian background to try to incriminate him so that people wouldn’t turn on Assad.
The camera crew was finishing up with Cain and Bernhart with some makeup and sound tests when Vice President Donnelly walked in the office.
“Mr. President”, he said. “I implore you not to pursue this futile endeavor. You’ve done enough damage to this country as it is. There is no way that we will be elected to a second term now.”
“Well if that’s all you care about Jay then you probably don’t need to be in the White House. You aren’t an American. You are a traitor to your country, much like I was. This dictatorship needs to be stopped. Anytime that one man has gotten many to follow him instead of following the ideals of freedom and liberty, well let’s just say it hasn’t ended well.”
“Liam, this won’t end well for the United States.”
“That may be true Jay, but mark my words. As long as I am still breathing, there will at least be a United States; not just
another feather in the cap of Assad and his so-called World Council.”
The Vice President clinched his fists in anger as his face got red. He walked toward President Cain and was blocked by two secret service agents.
“Take him out of here”, said Cain. “We have a press conference to do.”
Each agent grabbed an arm and escorted Donnelly out of the oval office. “You will be sorry Cain!” he screamed. “I will see to it that you rot in prison or lose your head for this!”
“I’m looking forward to it!” said Liam sarcastically.
“Mr. President, are you ready?” asked the cameraman.
“Yes. Let’s do it”, he said without hesitation.
Everyone got in place as Liam looked intently into the camera. A man to the side motioned with his fingers “three, two, and one.” The red light came on the camera and Liam began a speech that he dreaded giving.
“My fellow Americans and citizens of the world; It is with deep regret that I must inform you that the United States is now at war with the World Council. After unsuccessful attempts to secede from the world government peacefully, we must now use the power of our military to fight for our freedom once again. My deepest sadness comes from knowing that my own vain choices in the past have placed us here in this moment. But, the truth is that we would have ended up in this same place no matter what. The ideals that I now hold and are also held by a portion of our populace are time tested and do not coincide with the ideals of Assad and his regime. Samyaza al Assad, the self-proclaimed savior of the world has made it clear to us that we cannot go peacefully. The man who became famous for creating peace all over the world is now promoting bloodshed because someone was big enough to stand up to him and his questionable practices. We have suffered some hits as of late, including an attempt on my own life by a World Council assassin. This was not a plot by any believer in Christ, but a charade by Assad to frame those that he hates. In fact, he has a deep hatred for the believers because they know the truth. They know that evil is something that exists in this world and that Assad is at the center of that evil. Citizens, I know this because I have become one myself….”