“It’s me!” Sammy and Kaz had ducked against Sarah’s unexpected reaction. “Quick, follow us! There’s a way out over here!”
Sarah grasped Sammy’s hand and the four darted toward a far corner which looked clear of assailants. They were almost to the door when Kate and John rushed up.
“Right behind you,” John shouted, as he scooped up the frightened, lagging Tolu.
“Stop that group,” rang out a voice.
In the lead, Sarah ran as fast as she could toward the door, but jumped back at the last second, as it opened from the outside. Her heart jumped to her throat. They were trapped! But in the next second, she saw coming through the doorway the last face she ever expected. It was James, his eyes full of terror as he realized what was happening.
“Stop!” demanded a voice behind them; but James, goaded by the need to protect his family, rushed forward toward them. As if in slow motion, Sarah saw a subtle movement in the corner of her eye. A hooded man was squaring his feet and straightening his shoulders; then he raised his gun. There was no doubt as to what was coming next.
“No!” Sarah cried as she leapt toward her husband. She heard the shot from behind her as she threw herself into her husband’s arms. An instant later, she felt the pain. James held her tight, unsure of what had just happened. Then he felt the blood streaming from her back and felt her body fall limp. Struggling to hold her up, he sunk with her to the ground.
“You idiot!” shouted the deeply-accented voice of a big man running toward the shooter. “Do you know what you’ve done!?”
“Sarah? Sarah!” James panicked. He tried to push away Tolu who was clinging to his shoulder from behind, but had found he suddenly lacked all strength. Tolu’s face changed from curiosity to shock to horror in a split second, as she took in her mother’s wilting form and the blood pooling on the floor. With a reverberating scream that affected all around her except her father who had become numb, Tolu pushed forward and kneeled at Sarah’s side.
“Mommy!”… “No!”
She frantically stroked her mother’s hair and cheeks, cooing reassurances beneath her tears. “You’re going to be okay. Don’t worry. You’re going to be fine.”
Dumbfounded, James cradled his wife against himself, feeling the warm wetness of her life draining away. He stared at her in disbelief.
“Why…” he choked out between sobs. “Why would you…?”
A soft whisper came from Sarah’s mouth. “Because I love you... and I know you. You're not ready to meet the Lord...”
“Sarah, please. I’m so sorry. What can I do?”
Sarah’s eyes closed, as she fought to hang on for a few moments more.
“Mommy..!” Tolu cried, trying to call her back. She shook her shoulders. “Wake up! Mommy, wake up!”
James wrapped an arm around Tolu’s middle and pulled her back, though he was barely strong enough to stop the ravages brought about by his daughter’s breaking heart. Sarah’s eyes opened once more, and her lips slightly rose attempting a reassuring smile.
“Don’t be afraid, honey,” Sarah spoke with peace. “I’m going to meet Jesus in Heaven, and will see you…again.”
“No, Mommy! Don’t leave me! I need you. Please!” Tears poured down Tolu’s face and soaked into her mother’s shirt below.
“We will be together again soon, I promi—” A gasping cough shook her frame. She recovered, but the light was fading quickly from her eyes. “James,” she called softly.
“I’m here.”
“I want to see both you and Tolu in Heaven. Use this time… Use time…for…” Her voice faded away and her head eased back against his arm.
“Sarah!”
“Mommy! Stop!”
But the anguished cries of her loved ones never reached her ears. Sarah’s eyes had closed. She had gone to her final rest.
Chapter 100
“No!” Tolu’s heart-wrenching scream of pain filled the warehouse like the shriek of a banshee.
“What’s that noise? What’s going on!” The shrill voice coming through Ivan’s earpiece finally snagged the man’s attention from the scene. “Ivan, report now!”
“Several squatters down…I think…the wife—”
“What!?” Cyndi’s voice exploded over the line; but Ivan wasn’t paying attention. His body suddenly tensed and he automatically braced himself against the enraged man now flying in his direction.
“You killed her!” James screamed, racing toward Ivan.
“Shoot!” yelled the man who had fired on the group. “Ivan, shoot him!”
Ivan raised his weapon and took aim.
From behind James, Tolu watched her father’s charge with horror. The world stopped as through her pounding ears she heard the drawn-out echoes. “Shoot him!” Fear and shock blanketed her brain making everything sluggish and barely coherent. She saw the huge man raise his gun in one hand, as if in slow motion, saw his hand second grip the first supportively as he took aim. A frantic scream rose to her throat. But her voice suddenly stopped short as a bright glow burst into her eyes. It was coming from her mother! In an instant, a golden hue of liquid light enveloped the body. It shimmered and shined brighter and brighter until Tolu could no longer look. Then, as fast as it had come, the light was gone; and so was Sarah! Tolu heard the gasps of her friends around her and intense fear assailed her again. Then, she felt it. A warm heat growing upward from the bottom of her feet; and the same golden light that was on her mother began sinking into her skin. Immediately, her terror was gone as an overwhelming feeling seemed to completely fill every facet of her being: Love.
It was stronger than anything she had ever felt for her parents, stronger than she had ever had the capacity to feel. Then, as if binding locks were all of a sudden broken off her, Tolu felt all hindrances fall away. Fear was gone, shock, anger, confusion—gone. She was weightless. And then she heard it. A voice sweeter than her mother’s. More tender than her father’s. It called down to her in strength and joy:
“Come up here.”
Tolu’s heart responded in equal joy and she reached up toward a point of light shining brilliantly above her, feeling suddenly pulled from one world to another. Her eyes immediately adjusted, comprehending the light and comprehending the face now before her. It was His face—a face she had known her whole life, yet had never seen before. He reached out His hand in welcome; and as she confidently placed her hand in His, she noticed the deep gash laid in His skin. As if awakened from a slumber, Tolu’s mind raced to receive the knowledge, the depth of the understanding behind the scar—it was all for her. Wrapped in that Love, and the understanding behind it, Tolu did not feel overwhelmed, but simply perfect. Perfectly Loved, and perfectly at Home. Jesus, the Messiah, laughed in joy with her before spreading His arm in a wide gesture, inviting Tolu. She had not seen anything else but Him, yet now, as she knew there would be, others came forward to them.
“Mommy!” Tolu’s voice rang out soft, clear, and beautiful as she ran to Sarah. Clothed in a shimmering, radiant garment which moved and flowed like in an aura around her, Sarah embraced Tolu; and they marveled at themselves and their appearances. Their hair, faces, and hands looked familiar, yet all felt different. There was no weight of gravity pulling, no resistance against their movements; everything was effortless and enjoyable. And Sarah no longer held her matronly features, but was blooming with youth and vibrancy. Beside her came a similar-looking woman, just as young and beautiful.
“Gramma Sophia!” Tolu knew her at once, deeply recognizing that this had always been her grandmother’s true form.
All around, faces and embraces came. Family, friends…there was John and Kate, Sammy, a tall man Tolu instantly knew to be someone named Pierre Moreau, and others. As she moved outward into a sea of millions more—a human tapestry of beautiful colors offset by radiant light—Tolu felt connected to them all. There were no strangers here, only family. Suddenly, she looked back toward Him; and no sooner had she done so when Jesus was right there bes
ide her again. With a voice as strong as a lion, yet, as warm and gentle as a lamb, He spoke to her. He spoke to all. “Welcome Home.”
Chapter 101
The instant flash of blinding light forked in and out of the warehouse like lightning. James immediately turned and froze in shock, oblivious to the sudden shouts of confusion and fear of squatters and assailants around him. Sarah? Tolu? The others? What had just happened! Where did they go? Where was Sarah’s body! A young man who had been standing near Tolu just moments ago had jumped in panic at the flash, tripped over his own feet, and was scurrying out the door without looking back. An inexplicable panic and sinking feeling began to fill James’ heart; but before he could think, a loud crashing sound like metal colliding with metal tore into the air. Ivan—his sights still fixed on his target—and James looked toward the sound just in time to jump out of the way of an oncoming SUV which had smashed into the building.
“What the…?” Ivan shouted, firing off his gun at the vehicle. He ran to the car and threw open the driver’s door, expecting a body full of holes to fall to the floor, but none did.
“Sarah! Tolu!” James was shouting as he ran to the spot where Sarah had just died in his arms. Ivan spun to look. Only a moment ago, the corner had held a handful of people cowering on the floor. Now, it was completely empty, except for James pacing back and forth frantically amidst smears of his wife’s blood on the floor.
“Boss! I…what’s happening?” asked the thug nearest Ivan. He looked pale and extremely frightened. “They’re just…gone!”
“Mode!” Ivan strode to James and forcefully grabbed his collar. “What is this?”
James’s eyes were wide, as he looked into Ivan’s, but not, the big man detected with fear of him. “Rapture,” James sputtered out. “It’s the rapture! I never thought…They’re gone. I…I didn’t…” Bands like iron tightened around James’ chest, as breath by rapid breath he realized the extent of his loss, and the extent of his folly. He hadn’t thought, hadn’t understood…hadn’t deemed possible the utter and total devastation of this moment. They had gone. And he was left. They had been snatched from danger, from judgement. And he…he had rejected this salvation. He had turned aside; he had let his pride and need for gain push away the truth. Like a torrent of raging sea-water forcefully filling the lungs of a drowning man, James’ mind forced him to see his choices one by one—the abandonment of his faith and family, the affair with Cyndi, the bribes he accepted, the blackmail he dealt—and confront the consequence of them. Overwhelmed with grief, regret, and horror, he opened his mouth, and a loud, pain-filled cry surged from his throat, burning every part of him with agony.
Ivan immediately let go of James and jumped away, the haunting, animal-like wail unnerving him. Stepping back several paces from the man inexplicably racked with pain from some invisible torture, he adjusted his earpiece which had fallen out in the commotion.
“You’re not going to believe this,” he spoke into the line.
“Ivan! Where have you been? Something’s happened, and Maximos demands you get here now. Disperse your men except for a few and get to HQ in Brussels immediately. There will be a jet ready to leave in 30 minutes. Be there!”
“What about Mode? Hello? Hello!”
The line was dead. Throwing out several obscenities in Russian, Ivan shouted the order for his men to abort the mission and get back to the rendezvous point. Snagging his two closest wingmen, he walked past James, now crumpled on the ground and weeping shamelessly like a lost child.
“We’re just going to leave him?” whispered one of the men.
Ivan thought about it and pulled his handgun out of his shoulder holster. He should just kill him now—retribution for the trouble the whole family had caused him. He stepped closer, holding the gun in James’ face, wanting him to be afraid, wanting him to beg for his life. But James did not even notice. His gaze was looking past the gun, past Ivan, past even the building walls to something they couldn’t see—something that was causing him great anguish and pain. Ivan sighed and put the weapon away. Not for pity, he told himself gruffly. For the satisfaction of not putting him out of his misery…whatever that misery is…
“We’ll leave him,” Ivan sneered. He silenced any questions with a menacing look and jerked his head toward the door. His wingmen exited and Ivan followed, throwing one more disdainful glance at James before slamming the door behind him.
Chapter 102
Silas Maximos sat in his GED office and stared at wall with as calm a demeanor as he could muster. He had changed the surface in front of him into several large TV screens and was watching the different news stations in ecstasy. Shot after shot of frightened people testifying about their disappeared loved ones came and went, briefly interrupted by the chief reporters in the newsrooms who relayed the lines they were given. He turned the volume up on one reporter.
“…thousands of accounts of people just disappearing in this nation alone. Reports have begun circulating that the cause is none other than extraterrestrial activity. Though disclosure of the existence of alien life forms has never been made public, several governments, including the United States government, have released documents confirming their awareness of the existence of life beyond this earth as well as proof of their claims. Why this disclosure was continually held back from the public has not yet been addressed by officials, leaving us to beg the question: if the public had been made aware of this discovery, could more have been done to prevent this abduction of millions, and what is the next step? The Prime Minister of—”
“Ha!” Maximos mocked the image malevolently. “You have no idea.” He muted the sound and spun back to his desk where his eyes fell upon a Bible resting in the center of the surface. “No idea,” he continued speaking to himself with glee as he stroked the book’s leather. “The prophet is on his way and the ritual is at hand.
“The time of the seven moons has begun.”
Chapter 103
Fiery rays from a red sunset filtered down from the high warehouse windows to the floor, adding an eerie, shimmering flourish to the drying spots of blood. James watched the ruby light, lost in a daze, having no idea how much time had passed since the gunmen had left. Could have been minutes, hours, or days….it all felt like an eternity, and eternity of being lost. He was alone now. Completely alone and afraid; though he had never quite believed it before, he knew exactly what was going to happen now. The world was to be given over to judgments, cataclysmic and horrifying - with comparatively few survivors. He shuddered at the thought, and the fear and hopelessness that accompanied it. He wished that that brute who pushed a gun in his face would have just killed him, and spared him the agony of meeting with a far more terrible death.
“You’re not ready to meet the Lord.” Sarah’s soft, calm voice reached out from the edges of his mind like a warm caress, ebbing and flowing soothingly over his thoughts and trickling down into his limbs. His legs, he suddenly noticed, felt very sore and he broke his hunched-over position to stretch them. The rushing flow of blood through his stiff body pricked and stung. Adjusting himself even more by stretching his arms out behind him and straightening his back, James was surprised to feel the tips of his fingers bump against something on the floor. He craned his aching neck into a rather painful position, and felt his heart beat thunderously against his chest, as he spied a small keychain lying on the floor. Hastily, he snatched it up and brought it round to get a good look. Tears began to streak down his face as he cradled the small wooden ark in his palm and remembered, remembered his own ark gifted to him for his work and the pride he took in it. To him, it had represented his own sacrifice, struggle and determination to save the world from itself; his drive to do what he thought was right in order to try and stop all the wrongs, his means of bringing salvation and peace to the forgotten, suffering citizens of this earth and help create a safe, secure, and prosperous future for all mankind, just as Noah had done…
But Noah hadn’t done it… The words rang ou
t clear and strong in his mind. Noah was not the savior. Like the beginning trickles of fresh rain into a parched, dusty streambed, realization poured through the channels of his thoughts, re-nourishing and re-shaping: Mankind was never meant to save mankind nor to bring perfection upon this earth—that position has always been held in reserve for One.
“And the rapture was a part of that plan,” James spoke lowly to himself, “a part of that redemption.” He looked up to the ceiling of the warehouse, wondering at the marvel he had been witness to. “Father,” he prayed out loud, “I let you down. Nothing can change that, but You saved my wife and daughter and left me for a reason. I was used as an instrument of darkness; now, let me be an instrument of light. I pledge my life, body, and soul to You until You take me or your Son returns, as has been promised. Forgive me of my sins, and give me the strength to go forth as a witness and a sign to this time. Let all that I do bring glory to Your name. Amen.”
“Amen.” A voice answered from the shadows. James jumped in surprise, dropping the small, wooden keychain. Before he could snatch it up, a slender, olive-toned hand reached out and gently picked up the object.
“Forgive me. I’m Faaiza.” James looked into the tear-stained face before him, reading trust and sincerity in the eyes.
“Faaiza, I’m James.”
“I know. I mean, Mrs. Mode and Tolu spoke of you often.” She pressed the little ark into his hand. “They were waiting eagerly for your return.”
James pondered her phrasing before finally nodding in agreement. “Thank you. I’m just sorry I was too late. I would never have wished their last days on this earth to be so filled with trouble and fear…But I guess, at least, they are safe now.” With regret, he thought back on how he had left them, how he put his career above them. He thought of how easily he had been trapped, how stupid he had been to trust Cyndi or Maximos…Maximos! A gear in his mind all of a sudden clicked into place.
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