Frantic

by Jerry B. Jenkins

  Rather than bother Mr. Rudja with questions, Judd and the others let him grieve his loss. At dinner the night before the funeral, Mr. Rudja seemed upset. Judd asked what was wrong.

  “I guess I’m having doubts,” Mr. Rudja said. “I believe in God with all my heart, but how do I know for sure where Pavel is?”

  Judd nodded. He had tackled the same questions after Ryan’s death. Where was his soul? Was it somewhere waiting in limbo? Could Ryan talk with Bruce Barnes or God anytime? Could Ryan see what was going on with the Young Trib Force?

  Lionel excused himself from the table and went to Pavel’s computer. He returned with a printout. “This is from Tsion’s Web site. This section deals with the most frequently asked questions about death and what happens to people.”

  Lionel handed the paper to Mr. Rudja, but the man waved at him. “You read it.”

  “OK,” Lionel said. He spread the pages out before him on the table and read.

  “For the believer in Jesus, heaven is a place of rest from sorrows. We are told that God will swallow up death forever. Isaiah writes, ‘The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people.’

  “This is a wonderful thing to look forward to, no matter what way we experience that home going. We will find there a total happiness and joy. We will know each other there. We will have work to do. And there will be a place for us.

  “Jesus himself said, ‘Don’t be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. . . . When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.’

  “That is such a comfort for those who have had loved ones disappear or know believers who have died. We are told in God’s Word in 2 Corinthians that if we are absent from our bodies, that is, when we die, we will be at home with the Lord. So take comfort in this if you have lost someone who is a believer. They are in a place of beauty and splendor.

  They are with God right now.”

  Mr. Rudja put up a hand and asked for the pages. He hugged Lionel and carefully folded the paper and put it in his pocket.

  Nada called Kweesa and discovered the girl hadn’t been stung. Nada told her she was staying with friends from Israel and wouldn’t return to Kweesa’s apartment.

  Nada and Kasim stayed at Mr. Rudja’s place when it came time for Pavel’s funeral. Judd followed the others into a secure area of the Enigma Babylon Cathedral. Soft music played through speakers. Several of Mr. Rudja’s employees attended, many on the tail end of the effects of the locust stings. Judd kept his head down and stayed out of sight.

  Judd glanced at Pavel’s body and wondered if he and Ryan were together talking about the Young Trib Force. Judd wiped away a tear as a GC technician came into the room and opened curtains revealing a giant screen. The man adjusted several controls and focused a camera on the small gathering. Whoever was on the other end of the video link would be able to see the entire room.

  Mr. Rudja leaned toward Judd and the others and whispered, “When I give you the signal, go as quickly as you can back to the apartment.”

  “What are you going to do?” Judd said.

  Mr. Rudja put a finger to his lips and sat back.

  A woman dressed in a long, colorful robe came forward. She wore the emblem of Enigma Babylon One World Faith. Judd noticed a welt on her neck. She smiled as she talked about Pavel and his father, but the smile seemed fake.

  “As I understand, it wasn’t long ago that the Rudja family faced a similar tragedy with the disappearance of Pavel’s mother,” the woman said. “Many in the same situation simply gave up. But not Pavel and his father. They persevered. They moved on with their lives. And now, with the loss of Pavel, we all face a similar choice.

  “The loss of a child, one taken so young, tears at our hearts. We long to know what Pavel would have done in the future. We ponder the contributions he could have made to the Global Community.”

  Judd glanced at Mr. Rudja. He thought the man was going to be sick.

  “She never met my son,” Mr. Rudja whispered to Judd.

  The woman gave a signal to a man in the back. “And now, if I’m correct, we have a very special guest joining us via video link. None other than the Supreme Commander of the Global Community, Leon Fortunato.”

  Leon Fortunato sat in front of a black cloth, his hands folded. Judd ducked his head and listened. Even though Judd had grown a beard since seeing Fortunato at Nicolae High, he didn’t want to take a chance being recognized.

  “My friends and loyal servants of the Global Community and Nicolae Carpathia, it saddens me to have to join with you at a time such as this.”

  Mr. Rudja tensed when he heard Leon’s voice. The man bit his lip and seethed with anger. Judd put a hand on the man’s arm to calm him.

  “Pavel Rudja will be remembered as a fighter,” Leon continued. “He fought the disease that eventually took his life. He fought the good fight and kept the faith in the ideals of the Global Community. There will always be a place in our hearts for this courageous young man.”

  He showed more courage than you’ll ever know, Judd thought. And he told more people about the true God than you’ll know.

  Fortunato held up a piece of paper. “I have here a certificate of merit honoring Pavel Rudja that is signed by none other than the potentate himself, Nicolae Carpathia.”

  Audience members around the room oohed and ahhed. Leon nodded knowingly and smiled. “This will be given to you as soon as possible, Anton, as a keepsake.”

  As soon as you come out of your underground bunker, Judd thought.

  “Our greatest natural resource in the Global Community is our young people,” Fortunato continued. “I am pleased to see teenagers in the audience, and I hope you will all try in your own way to take Pavel’s place.”

  Fortunato said a few more words, then closed by recognizing Mr. Rudja and the work he had done for the “cause of world peace.” Mr. Rudja restrained himself and gave a sigh when the screen went blank.

  The woman with Enigma Babylon One World Faith stood and welcomed Mr. Rudja to the podium. “I know this is a very difficult time for you, but we would love to hear any thoughts you have about your beloved son.”

  Mr. Rudja hesitated, then walked forward. Judd glanced around the room. Except for Lionel, Sam, Mr. Rudja, and himself, no one had the mark of the true believer.

  “I want to thank you for coming to this memorial for my son. I have struggled with what I should say to you. What I am about to share is something you may not be ready to hear.”

  Judd shifted in his seat. What was Mr. Rudja up to?

  “The supreme commander’s words were very nice, as are all the words coming from the leadership of the Global Community,” Mr. Rudja continued. “But just because something is nice, doesn’t mean it is right. The supreme commander and our representative of Enigma Babylon One World Faith would have us believe that once this life is over, that’s it. Pavel is no more. When he died, he simply ceased to exist.”

  Mr. Rudja scanned the room. “Do you really believe that this life is all there is? Isn’t there something deep inside that tells you this is not all there is? “Our spiritual leader with us today speaks of Pavel as

  if we will never see him again, but that’s not true. Pavel is more alive today than he has ever been.”

  A few shifted in their seats and whispered to those around them. The woman from Enigma Babylon still smiled, her hands clasped as if in prayer.

  Mr. Rudja took a wrinkled piece of paper from his pocket. “Pavel wrote this a few days ago. He asked me to send it to certain people he hadn’t been able to contact. I did that, but I think what he wrote fits here. If you will indulge me.”

  Mr. Rudja opened the paper and spread it before him on the podium. “‘Dear friend,’” he read, “‘if you’re reading this, it’s because I’m dead. Believe me, I’m in a much better place now, tho
ugh I know I’ll miss you. That’s why I’m writing this. I want you to know the truth.’

  “‘The truth is, God is real and wants to know you. He created us to be with him. But we all sinned and a holy God can’t allow that. So God gave us his Son, Jesus. He lived a perfect life and paid the penalty for our sin by dying for us.’

  “‘The terrible things happening in our world are designed by God to get our attention. Don’t let anyone fool you. If you’ll ask God to forgive you of your sins, he will. And you can be as sure of heaven as I am. I’m not living with God because I was a good person, but because I asked Jesus to forgive me.’”

  The woman from Enigma Babylon One World Faith stood. Mr. Rudja put up a hand. “I’m almost finished.”

  “Yes,” the woman said nervously, “but you need to hurry.”

  Mr. Rudja kept reading. “‘I prayed a simple prayer with a friend of mine over the Internet. Wherever you are, you can do it right from your seat.’”

  Mr. Rudja read the prayer, then told anyone who had prayed it to read material on Tsion Ben-Judah’s Web site.

  Judd glanced around the room. Some people were sniffling. Others seemed angry. Judd counted four other people in the room who had received the mark of the believer.

  “My son concludes with this,” Mr. Rudja said. “‘There is one king, one ruler who deserves your devotion and loyalty. His name is Jesus. May my life praise him and him alone for all eternity.’”

  Mr. Rudja folded the paper and looked at the audience. When he saw those with the mark on their forehead, he smiled. “Amen,” he said. He looked at Judd and nodded.

  Judd, Sam, and Lionel rose and followed Mr. Rudja out a side door. The audience watched them leave, clearly stunned.

  “We have to hurry to the airport,” Mr. Rudja said. “I’ve chartered a plane. You’re getting out of here.”

  It was late when the truck pulled up to the schoolhouse. Vicki jumped out and hugged Lenore and Tolan. The others came out to greet the kids and Pete.

  “Where’s Charlie?” Vicki said.

  “Asleep,” Mark said.

  Pete found a place to rest. Conrad and Shelly sat in the kitchen and told everyone what they had been through. Vicki grabbed a sandwich and met with Mark in the computer room. She typed an e-mail to Omer in Tennessee and asked him to call their secure phone.

  “If it hadn’t been for him,” Vicki said, “we would have brought that Traickin guy right here.”

  “How much did you guys tell Traickin before Omer caught up to you?” Mark said.

  Vicki shook her head. “Too much. I can’t remember everything Pete said, but the GC knows a bunch of us are working together.”

  Mark opened a file of e-mails and Vicki shook her head. Kids from around the country had read what the Gowin brothers in South Carolina had written about the Young Trib Force’s teaching. As Vicki read the e-mails, the phone rang. It was Omer.

  “I’m glad you made it home,” Omer said.

  “I can’t thank you enough for helping us. We heard there were some arrests.”

  “Yeah, I was up on the hill when they came for my mom. There was nothing I could do.”

  “I’m so sorry, Omer.”

  “They got that guy at the gas station too.”

  “Roger?”

  “Yeah,” Omer said. “When I get over the sting, we’re going to get them out, one way or another.”

  “What do you mean?” Vicki said.

  “I believe what you said about the GC being mean and all. A few of us are here at the house making plans. We’re getting them out of there.”

  “Omer, they’ll kill you,” Vicki said.

  “Maybe, but it beats sitting around like scared rabbits.”

  “What about the other stuff I told you?”

  “I don’t see how a God who’s supposed to love his people could allow them to be hauled off to jail like they did my mom.”

  “Please,” Vicki said, “you have to listen—”

  “No, I have to go. I’ll let you know how we make out.”

  Vicki hung up and told Mark what Omer had said. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. . . .”

  Mark held up a hand and nodded toward the door. Charlie stood in the darkness. Vicki ran and hugged him.

  “See anything different about me?” Charlie said.

  Vicki shook her head.

  Charlie stepped into the light. “I finally got that old mark,” he said, beaming.

  Vicki stared at Charlie’s forehead and couldn’t hold back the tears.

  28

  JUDD and the others rushed to pick up Kasim and Nada. They went straight to an airfield on the outskirts of New Babylon.

  “Where are we going?” Judd said.

  “I didn’t want to tell you my plans before the funeral,” Mr. Rudja said. “I made arrangements before Pavel died to find a pilot and get you back to Israel.”

  “You’re going to be an enemy of the GC now,” Judd said.

  “Yes,” Mr. Rudja said as they pulled onto the tarmac and sped toward a private jet. “Pavel’s last wish was for his funeral to tell the truth about God. I couldn’t let him down. And you saw there were at least four people who became believers.”

  “But if Fortunato or Carpathia hear about what you said—,” Lionel said.

  “I have friends who still need this message. I’ll be careful, but if it means I am arrested for my faith, so be it.”

  The kids hugged Mr. Rudja and got on the plane. Their pilot was a believer named Hank Keller. He had known Mr. Rudja from previous military service and was the newest member of the Commodity Co-op organized by Chloe Williams.

  As they flew toward Israel, Hank told his story of becoming a follower of Jesus shortly after the disappearances. “There were so many theories about what had happened. My father drove a cab in New York and was working the late shift. He’d just picked up a couple from a club in Greenwich Village when it happened. The car went out of control and slammed into a store window. The couple lived. I tracked them down from a news story I found.”

  “What did they say?” Judd said.

  “It was just like all the stories,” Hank said. “My dad was there one second and gone the next. He was talking to the couple about God. I guess they were pretty drunk and just laughed at him.”

  “When did you put it all together?” Judd said.

  “I went through his stuff at his apartment. He and my mom had been divorced for about fifteen years. I found notes he had made and letters my mom returned without opening. He said he was sorry for messing up their lives. He had found God at some big church in town and wanted the rest of his family to find the same kind of peace.

  “The scariest part was finding the place where my dad made a prediction about what was going to happen. He wrote something like, ‘One day Jesus is going to come and take his children away. I just want the rest of you to be there with me.’”

  Kasim became quiet as they neared Israel. Nada held his hand.

  Lionel asked Hank what the chances were of getting a ride back to the States.

  “I might be able to take you at some point, but I’m not headed that way for a few weeks.” Hank gave them his card and told Lionel to contact him.

  When they landed, they thanked Hank and rented a car. Only compacts were available, so the five squeezed into one and headed for Jerusalem.

  Nada helped them navigate the streets. Finally, they found Yitzhak’s house. Kasim took a deep breath.

  “You’re not the one who needs to be worried,” Nada said.

  Kasim smiled. “They’ll be happy to see us all.”

  Kasim knocked on the door. Someone peeked through a side window. Finally, Yitzhak opened the door and hurried them inside.

  “Where are my parents?” Nada said.

  “We had to move them,” Yitzhak said. “Neighbors were becoming suspicious about the number of people staying with me.”

  “Who’s been here?” Judd said.

  “Many witnesses from
around the world. We have a network of safe houses now.”

  Yitzhak took them to a downstairs room filled with cots. Three men slept soundly. “These arrived two days ago and have told us extraordinary things. I want you to meet them when they awaken.”

  “We need to find my parents,” Nada said.

  Yitzhak wrote an address on a piece of paper. “Would you like to call before you go?”

  “No,” Nada said. “I want to surprise them.”

  Vicki met with the others at the schoolhouse while Pete drove to meet with Zeke at his gas station. Pete said he would be in touch before he made his next supply run.

  Lenore took Vicki aside and asked to speak privately. “Thank you again for taking care of Tolan and me. I’m learning so much that I’m afraid I’m not doing enough to earn my keep.”

  Vicki smiled. “Mark says you’re the best thing that’s happened to us since we found the schoolhouse.”

  “I appreciate that, but I’m wondering if I could do more.”

  “Such as?”

  “Have you seen the girls downstairs?”

  “Melinda and Janie? I was going to but . . .”

  “You put it off,” Lenore said. “You’re just as scared as the rest of us are to go down there and see what they’ve become.”

  Vicki nodded. “I’ve heard them moaning and screaming. Gives me the creeps.”

  “Well, I felt the same way for a long time. Had to make myself go down there. Then a strange thing happened. I felt drawn to them. I felt God calling me to talk with them. I think I gave them a little hope in a hopeless situation.”

  “So, what do you want to do?”

  Lenore leaned closer. “I feel like God wants us to open this place up to anybody who’s hurting. I know it’s a risk. But once people see how much we love them and try to help them, maybe they’ll believe our message.”

  Vicki blinked. “You mean, make the schoolhouse like a hospital?”

  “We could keep the teaching area separate from the people who’ve been stung. If they show an interest in God, we’ll teach them. If not, we help them get better and let them go.”