Story Time

by Linell Jeppsen

  “We were forced to step over the dead bodies of the Tatulori scientists, too. They were tough customers, but even they couldn’t withstand the onslaught of bullets, knives, and arrows that assaulted them when they decided to stand and fight. I couldn’t help but smile, even though the children wailed with fright at the sight of them.

  “I think we were very lucky that day. There were about five Tatulori doctors, but there could have been many more. I think that most of the guards and soldiers were outside already, taking part in the rape of the planet, and killing every man, woman and child they could find.” Engle cringed again and gasped. I found out later that he was riddled with cancerous tumors.

  Thirty years ago on earth, Dwight Engle would already have passed on to his maker. Here on Harmony however, he was still alive and kicking. When I thought of all the good people who had died in the days before our leaving, it made me tremble with grief.

  A medi-bot adjusted Engle’s armband again and flew to its place by the wall. After a few minutes, Engle opened his eyes and looked at me. “Having fun, fairy-queen?” he muttered.

  I shook my head and said, “No sir. I don’t like to see anyone suffer…even you.”

  Engle let out a short guffaw of mirth. “Well,” he wheezed. “At least you’re honest…hee hee!”

  “Why don’t we finish up, sir? Then I’ll let you get some rest,” I offered.

  “Yeah,” he sighed. “I’m getting tired. Where was I? Oh, yeah…the swarm. Well, we made our way safely to the top floor. After all the deaths downstairs, we were down to a little less than a hundred souls. This made things easier, in one way, but made us pretty vulnerable to attack, too. I think I held my breath the whole way up to the top level.

  “Everything was going fine until the tremors started up. We were running by now, as fast as we could go with the children scattering this way and that like quail. My scouts had told me there was a way out on the far south side of the top corridor, so we headed that way. Then the ground started shaking and bouncing up and down like a carnival ride. Far in the distance, I saw a bunch of kids and some huge nigger standing at a doorway. I pulled my gun out and let off a shot. To be honest, I can’t tell you to this day why I did it. I just wanted him to stop, and let us out that door!

  “Anyway, all of a sudden, I heard a low, buzzing drone. At first, I thought it was some sort of alarm; it sounded almost mechanical. Then I glanced back over my shoulder, and saw the Lord’s host coming up on what was left of the ‘Angel’s Sword.’

  “It was bees, a billion of them. I don’t know how they got so deep underground, or why they hatched so late in the year; it must have had something to do with the heating of the earth’s core in those final days.

  “Anyway, turns out that it wasn’t locusts that cursed the planets inhabitants with God’s wrath, but bees, stinging, biting, and burning everything in their way with an early taste of the devil’s fire.”

  Chapter 21

  The crucible is for refining silver and the smelter for gold, but the one who purifies hearts by fire is the Lord. 17:3 Proverbs

  Naomi and the New World Order –

  “What do you mean?” I asked Michael.

  Michael grinned. “Just what I said, Naomi. The Tats left a piece of shielding behind when they left. I think it’s in place over the barn and that big building next to it. Is that a greenhouse?”

  I nodded, and turned to stare at Stevie and David. Their eyes were as wide as mine as we processed the possibilities.

  “Can we see it?” I asked.

  Michael shook his head. “Well, you can’t really see it, but you can feel it. Do you want to go and check it out?”

  “Yes!” I exclaimed. My God, I thought. If Michael Anderson was to be believed, my people and I actually stood a chance of surviving! We could hide from alien attacks and be protected from enemy fire!

  We all stood up except for the doctor and his friend, Steven. They sat side-by-side on the floor, staring up at us. I could tell by the sudden shyness on Steven’s face that he was dying to tag along, but wasn’t sure whether he was welcome.

  “Well,” I demanded, “are you coming or not?” A sunny smile answered me.

  Steven said, “Come on, Andy, I want to see this!” He reached out a hand to help his friend up off the floor, but the doctor shook his head.

  “No,” he said, glancing at my brother, Zack. “I need to stay here. I have a patient to attend to.” Turning to me, he asked, “Miss, are there any other people here on the ranch that need medical attention? I could make myself useful while I keep an eye on your brother.”

  Andy Grossman looked like he could use a long nap and a few good meals, but I nodded and said, “Sure, there are a few I know of. Why don’t you come out to the mess tent? I want to introduce you to our pastor, and some of the folks who are sick and injured.”

  We moved to the front door and I noticed how dark it was outside. I figured an early winter storm was sailing in on gusty, northerly currents from Canada. The minute we stepped out on the porch, however, I knew something else was happening. The sky was a roiling, black storm of ash and soot. Forest fire, I thought, and looked around in alarm. It had honestly never occurred to me that Trumble’s army would resort to burning us out. Why, when it would destroy the very thing they coveted?

  I could taste fire in the air. I saw that many people within the ranch’s perimeter fence had stopped what they were doing and stood still, staring up at the darkening sky with expressions of fear on their faces.

  Michael stood as if frozen. After a moment, he reached into his jeans pocket. Something about his demeanor gained our attention. The four of us gathered around him in silence. He pulled out a large silver coin and as we watched, he threw it into the air.

  He threw it high but when it came back down, it stopped in mid-air and began to spin in place. Then it stopped, and a large black eye appeared within the disk’s surface. I gasped as a tinny voice spoke. My jaw dropped at what it said.

  “Michael Anderson, the inevitable has occurred. Your caldera erupted at approximately 1:22, Central Time. My associate and I are sympathetic to your plight. You have been instructed as to what to do. We must hurry now. We will not be able to help you from where we are going, but perhaps we can assist you later if time allows.”

  I had no idea where the Tatularian were, but it sounded like they were on the other side of the planet or for all I knew, the other side of the moon. The voice faded away and we stared at Michael.

  “What’s it talking about? Is it the Yellowstone caldera?” Fear made Stevie’s voice tremble.

  Michael shook himself like a big dog. He snatched the silver disk out of the air and turned to face us. “Not to be rude, sir, but the Tat is not an It, but a she, and her name is Auntie.” He looked so offended that Stevie stammered an apology.

  Michael’s glare faded, and his huge shoulders slumped. He wiped a hand over his eyes. I saw that he was trembling. “It’s okay…sorry. I’m just upset right now.”

  Within the last few minutes, the sky had gone from gray to black. I started to cough. Suddenly, we were all bent over, choking and gasping in the toxic air.

  Michael rasped, “Tell everyone to get inside the barn! Now, Naomi… hurry! I’ll explain what I know later.” He mumbled something under his breath that sounded like, “if there is a later.” I wanted to ask him what he meant, but there was no time.

  Steve started yelling at the top of his lungs for everyone to get inside the barn. He did a good job too, until he doubled over, coughing. Then I started ringing the dinner bell. Two rings…then three. The agreed upon warning bell.

  People ran toward the barn, in twos and threes at first. Then hundreds of people were sprinting as quickly as possible toward the barn’s big red doors. Pastor Edgington and his wife appeared at the door of the mess tent with small children in their arms. I saw Dr. Grossman and his friend, Steven, hurry out of the tent with a stretcher between them.

  My heart lodged in my throa
t, and I ran back in the house. “Josh…everybody, where are you?” I yelled. Then I heard a thump and a faint shout from the basement. The air was so thick now my eyes burned and tears trickled down my cheeks.

  Lori appeared at the kitchen door. “What’s going on, honey? I saw everyone running. Is there a fire?” She stopped speaking when she saw me and her eyes went wide.

  “Naomi…you’re all black!” Her face turned red. I saw that she was starting to shake.

  “I’m okay, Lori, but we need to get everyone out of here and into the barn!” Panic made my voice harsh. I wiped cold sweat off my brow. “Where are Josh and the kids?”

  “I’m here Nay,” Josh was halfway up the stairs. His eyes were as big as saucers as he studied me. “What’s happening now?”

  “I don’t know, Joshie, but we need to get everyone into the barn. Quick!” He turned and sped down the stairs with Lori fast on his heels. I went upstairs, calling out as I ran down the hall. A little boy opened the bathroom door, and stood staring at me as I came to an abrupt halt.

  “Honey, I need you to go downstairs and wait for me there, okay?” He nodded silently and padded down the stairs in his bare feet. Lindsay stood at the end of the hall and whispered, “I’ve got a couple of babies in here with Levi. Can you help me carry them?”

  I stepped into the room and saw that Lindsay had two fully stocked diaper bags sitting by the bedroom door. Three little babies were curled up, sleeping together on a mattress on the floor. I scooped two of the babies up, while Lindsay draped the two bags on one shoulder, and her baby boy on the other.

  We headed down the stairs in time to see Wendy, Lori and Josh herding the new kids out the front door.

  “Go into the barn! Hurry now….” I yelled.

  Then, Michael was there. He placed an afghan over the babies in my arms and said, “Go!”

  I hesitated, “Where’s Zack?”

  “He’s already out in the barn. Now go!” The air inside the house was filled with soot. I saw Michael bend at the waist, hacking and spitting gobs of black saliva into his hand.

  “Come on, Michael! The house is clear. You’re going to get sick if you keep breathing this stuff!” My words were strained, and my eyes ran, but I saw Michael nod and lift three kids in his arms. Then we were out the door and running.

  It was a black as night outside, although it was only about two in the afternoon. The air was thick with smoke and billowed in toxic plumes. I felt disoriented and realized that I was running toward the greenhouse rather than the barn. I stopped with a cry of fear, realizing that I couldn’t even see the barn through all the ash and soot in the air. I turned in place, peering through slitted eyes, and felt a large hand grip my arm.

  I followed blindly, and soon found myself standing inside the barn and handing the kids over into waiting hands. I bent over double, heaving clean air through constricted nasal passages and spitting tar out of my mouth, until I gagged. I fell to my knees and vomited.

  Vaguely, through the ringing in my ears, I could hear many other people in the barn. Some were retching like me; some were coughing, or weeping. Finally, I sat back on my heels and peered through the darkness. Inside the barn was even darker than outside and I could see human shapes standing by the barn doors. Now and then the door opened to let more people in. I got to my feet.

  As I got closer to the door, I saw that Michael was still trying to help, although he couldn’t stop coughing. I touched his arm and said, “You need to go sit down.” He looked as though he was about to argue with me and I snapped, “Now!”

  He nodded and walked slowly into the gloom of the barn’s interior. I heard the sound of engines approaching in the ashy gloom. I peered through the falling sky at what was approaching.

  I couldn’t see much, but I knew it was Trumble’s army. They were trying to breach our perimeter, seeking shelter from the inferno earth’s atmosphere had become. And there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. I could hear car horns honking, panicked shouting, and gunshots. Then I was yanked back into the barn.

  Michael stood in front of me and raised his right hand. I watched as his hand began to glow and a moment later a shiny, blue light shot out from his palm. Suddenly I could see the surface of the protective dome that surrounded us. It was translucent, and seemed rubbery as the breach was sealed. It rippled, warped and snapped taut.

  Then it was quiet. The car horns still shrilled, but it sounded as though they were far away, like a dream of some traffic jam from a distant city. I could hear the cries and rasping coughs of the Harmony members, and the snuffling of pigs that rooted around in my fallow cornfield.

  I turned around and faced Michael. “The stock!” I cried. “We have to try and bring the stock in!” He nodded as I ran past. “Help me!” I shouted. “Help me with the cattle!”

  Sixty beeves were penned up in the paddock outside the barn. Three hundred more were in the inner pastures. Over 200 head of cattle had been left to roam free. I had no illusions that any of those were still alive, but I would be damned if I let what was left of my herd suffocate.

  It was hard to see, but Josh raced ahead of me like a rabbit. “Come on,” he shouted. “Give me a hand with the bar!”

  Bodies rushed past me. The closer I got to the back of the building, the more I could hear the frantic, bawling of stampeding livestock. Then I heard a chorus of triumphant shouts. The two back doors swung open.

  Again, Michael fought his way to the doors and lifted his hand. The cattle were trapped between the paddock fence and the force-field barrier. I saw two young calves get knocked down and rolled over by their bigger brethren.

  “Michael, hurry!” I shouted. Then the blue light etched a hole in the shield and cattle streamed in the opening. “Watch out! Move aside!” I screamed, as the cattle swept into the barn, along with a cloud of black, stinking ash. I couldn’t hear a thing over the sounds of the herd, and I stared through the haze to see if everyone was all right. Suddenly I heard a low buzzing drone, which grew louder and more insistent by the second. I stared around in bewilderment, turning to face the big double doors.

  Some of the ash within the shield had settled on the ground. I saw cars parked every which way outside of our perimeter fence. I saw Trumble’s soldiers jerking around, slapping themselves, hopping and dancing in long, black cloaks. I heard shrieks of agony over the steady, insistent drone of millions of bees.

  I squinted through the haze of smoke and hay chaff and tried to get my mind around what my eyes were seeing. The buzzing sound was enormous now—all encompassing. I pressed my hands to my ears and screamed.

  Then the soldier’s deadly cloaks shifted, gathered, and swarmed toward the barn.

  Chapter 22

  The following excerpts are compiled from interviews and written accounts of Dwight Engle and his followers (CHURCH OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST) and the faction group (THE ANGEL’S SWORD).

  By no means do the statements reported in the following reflect the opinions of the writers or reporters of the facts herein; furthermore do we note, that most of the accounts recorded here were given by war criminals and enemies of the state prior to EX 2022. Steven Cummings, reporting for The New World Chronicle.

  Lydia Spence – October 8th, 2015

  I was thrilled to be done with my scheduled interviews at the New London prison. I stepped outside and breathed deeply of Harmony’s warm, perfumed air. Over the last couple of days I’d felt submerged in an evil smelling, primordial soup of hatred, bigotry, and foul memories; like if I didn’t escape, and soon, I might drown in the sick, sticky ooze.

  I travelled 300 clicks away to the small village of Cape Hope. The town was nestled amongst tall trees on the shore of our largest ocean, Paridisio. The town of Cape Hope was considered a tourist destination; a jewel that shone brighter than any other on this chest of gems called Harmony.

  We did not have pine or fir trees on Harmony, but gigantic flowering trees, called Poppywoods (for their dinner-platter-sized red blossoms)
and Whistleberry trees (their long, cone-shaped seed pods sparkled in the sun and emitted a high-pitched warble that attracted birds and insects.) Black sand shimmered on the beaches, and the purr-grass sometimes sang in the twilight.

  I was excited because Andy was going to meet me there for a long-awaited and well-deserved holiday, and I was going to get the opportunity to meet up with one of the heroes of EX 2016, Lydia Spence, who was also an old friend of mine. Yes, she traveled with the “Sword” for a while, but in the end, she helped save many people (mainly children) from Engle’s rage-driven rampage.

  The only problem I faced was my fear of flying. I watched as the taxi shot in over the horizon and came to a landing, nearly at my feet. I took a step back and studied the contraption that whizzed me to Lydia’s house.

  It looked like a teardrop with a clear, plastisine propeller on top. It was really tiny… not much bigger than the Smart cars that were so popular during earth’s final days. It was almost completely translucent, and looked like it might shatter at the flick of a finger.

  Andy always told me (after rolling his eyes) how tough they were. The plastisine was stronger than steel, and more pliable than rubber, but that didn’t stop my heart from pounding with dread, or keep my stomach from living in my mouth whenever I had to travel in one.

  I gulped and clambered aboard. The taxi driver looked like he was about twelve years old. He grinned at me. “Going on holiday then?”

  It never ceased to amaze me how even thirty years after leaving our home planet, many dialects, accents and customs were as strong, if not stronger, now on Harmony. This was New London, thus the British accents, high tea, and scones of old. It was the same in Numerica… football, apple pie (well, Razzle-bean pie, but close) and an argumentative, arbitrary government, just like on earth.

  I laughed out loud and winked at the kid, who blinked back at me in wonder. He must have thought that his fare was a Looney-bird, but the sun was shining, the air was sweet with promise, and for the first time in days, I felt happy.