“I don’t know much about it but we have people who are able to fix it. The church would not be able to operate in secret without them.”
“Can you tell us more about the safe haven?” asked Sanjay eagerly.
“I went there when I was a new Christian,” Michael paused and looked beyond them for a moment, “you will learn so much there. It is completely different to the city. It is hard to describe what it is like. There are woods that go on and on and fields and rivers. It is a farming area. You will hear bird song. I learnt to ride on a horse while I was there. The landscape is beautiful. When you are on the back of a horse, trekking through woods, the animals and birds do not seem to mind you so you can get really close to them.
“You will meet lots of people there. There is a team who stay there. Then there are people like you who go and stay. Some go for a short time, others for longer. You might have felt this was a holiday here, but the safe haven is beyond anything you have yet experienced. Often the Lord reminds me of things I saw there. You will love the fellowship and the worship times. You will love so many things about it.
“My advice is: take all you can from the experience. Spend time with many different people. Everyone there has things to share. They will help you seek the Lord as to what he wants you to learn.
“Now, excuse me because I have lots of things to do and I need to check that all the arrangements are being made. We’ll talk later.”
They did not protest when he took away the breakfast and left them to talk over the meeting last night.
Sanjay suggested they spend the morning searching on the gift of tongues and then share what they learn at lunch. The other two agreed.
Mark showered and dressed. He explored some teaching about the gifts of the Spirit. He found that there are many types. He wanted to know what the reason was for God giving this gift. He learnt that Jesus had promised the first Christians that the Spirit would teach them and guide them.
He listened to songs with the word ‘Spirit’ as he pondered.
Michael brought them lunch and left them to chat. They were excited about the next stage of the adventure. They had never been outside the city. They had only seen the countryside in images and in films on the screen.
Later on Michael and Sebastian came to them. They sat together with cups of tea and tasty cakes.
“Everything is ready,” said Sebastian. “I am going to take you to the depot to rendez-vous with the cargo vehicle, which will take you to the rail head. The driver is called Jack. You will recognise him from the meetings. He will hand you over to the train guard. The train takes supplies across the country. There is a carriage for passengers. It has sleeping compartments. You are the only passengers tonight. Take these bags. They have your supplies - some food, water, nightclothes and toothbrush. Keep them.”
He handed them each a backpack. Mark had seen Workers wearing these packs when he had worked on observation.
“You will be met at the destination station. The guard is called Matt and he will make sure you meet the transport to the camp.”
“Where are we going exactly?” asked Sanjay.
“The camp is located in Northern Scotland. The name of the area is Nairnside. It’s a farming commune. The station where you will be met is called Nairn. It is about twenty-five kilometres East of a regional centre called Inverness.”
“What about all the observation cameras?” asked Mark.
Sebastian answered, looking directly at him then the others.
“On the way over, we will blend in with the crowds,” he said. “We will not walk together but you will follow each other in a string, with me leading. I will brief you at the necessary places. After I hand you over, Jack and Matt will look after you. There are very few cameras outside the city and none on the train to worry about.”
“We have briefed the camp leaders about you,” said Michael. “I have been in touch with them and so has John, so they know a bit about you and what you have experienced in the last week. They are really looking forward to meeting you tomorrow.”
Sebastian looked at the clock.
“We should go in five minutes to coincide with the end of the afternoon session.”
“Michael, Sebastian, we cannot thank you enough. This has been an incredible few days for all of us,” said Johnson. “We will never forget what you have done for us. May the Lord bless you mightily for helping us.”
Mark and Sanjay agreed.
“It has been an honour for us to serve you,” said Sebastian.
“May you experience the love of the Lord in many ways,” said Michael.
They made a huddle as Michael prayed for them briefly. He asked for protection and safety on the journey, and for healing and blessing at the camp.
He brought out the scanner and they took it in turns to scan out.
“You will report to Transport Depot 122 immediately,” said the familiar voice.
They said their farewells to Michael and embraced him. Michael smiled broadly and told them that he would hear news of them.
The door closed behind them as Sebastian led them along the corridor to the main lifts.
“Keep about 10 metres between you and the person in front,” he said, as they waited for the lift to take them down to the street level. “Walk and act like you are a Worker in your old unit. Don’t look around. Remember when you were instructed to go to the Sick Bay? Walk like you walked on your way from the unit to here.”
They left the Hospital Complex and headed towards the North. The streets were busy with Workers on the move. Mark kept his gaze on the ground ahead, glancing up regularly to check on Sebastian and Sanjay in front of him. He walked at the pace he had used for countless days in his block. He could feel his heart was beating. He kept his breathing steady.
They boarded a crowded tram, standing separately in the same carriage. They disembarked after six stops and walked across the street and into Transport Depot North.
They followed a route around to Bay 122. A black vehicle stood in the bay. From a side office, a figure beckoned them in. Mark gave a fleeting smile as he remembered the face from the church meetings. Jack greeted them.
“Hi, you guys! Welcome to the Depot. This is a big day for you.”
Mark recalled the voice. He had heard that voice speak some prayers during the previous nights. He was able to relax: they were safe again.
Jack scanned them in. It was time for Sebastian to leave them. He gripped their shoulders in turn.
“The Lord be with you always,” he said with fierce feeling.
They boarded the cab of the vehicle and Sebastian watched them move away, waving his last farewell.
Jack swung the vehicle onto a wide street and they drove to the North side of the city in the fading light. The buildings were not as tall as in the centre. Jack explained that they were passing accommodation blocks for Supervisors. Further on, they went through a heavy industry sector. Before long they turned into the Rail Terminus.
Mark was taken aback at the size of the vast shed with ranks of trains standing patiently. There were strings of lights high up under the roof structure. Jack pulled up in a space next to a platform and left them for a few minutes.
He came back with another man and gestured for them to join them.
The huge space was full of the sounds of throbbing engines and cargo being loaded.
“This is Matt,” Jack had to speak over the din. “We will show you your carriage.”
The train stretched for over 300 metres. There were all sorts of sections: enclosed goods trucks, open sections with vehicles and several low bed trucks with new tractors and machinery. There was a crane that straddled the train so that it could move the length of the train and load any of the trucks.
They followed Matt along to a carriage near the front. You could tell it was for passengers from the windows. They boarded and the heavy door slammed behind them, shutting out the noise outside. They were shown three compact sleeping compartments and a
shared sitting area. It had a small kitchen to one side. They were surprised to find there were shower rooms along the narrow corridor.
“There are a few things I need to load with Jack, then I will join you here,” said Matt. He checked his screen. “We are due to leave in twenty-three minutes.”
They thanked Jack and he gave them a last wave.
The door slammed shut.
Mark, Johnson and Sanjay looked at each other.
“I am glad we are in this together,” said Johnson.
“Me too,” said Mark. “I don’t think travelling on my own would have been much fun.”
They chatted about their experiences since leaving the Sick Bay.
“It was strange to be among Workers heading back to their units,” said Sanjay.
“Did anyone look at you?” asked Mark.
Johnson told them about one man on the tram that he thought was looking at him keenly. It made him feel uncomfortable but he had not said anything.
Before long, Matt came back. He was with two others. He introduced the driver and second guard. The driver was a big, stocky man with a chin covered in ginger bristles and a wide grin.
He shook their hands and said with an accent, “we are chuffed that we have the honour to take you lads North. Anything you need, just tell ‘uz like, alright?”
They left, as it was time for the train to depart.
“Let’s have a cup of tea and some supper,” said Matt. He disappeared into the kitchen and came back with steaming cups and some food on a tray and set them on the table.
With a lurch, the train started to move forward into the night.
They dug into their backpacks and pulled out metal tins with insulated covers. The bottom layer had rice, the next layer had curry in a creamy brown sauce, and the top layer had a spicy vegetable mixture.
They sat around the table and Matt told them about his work on the railways as they ate. Their regular route was to the North but sometimes they went over to the continent. They had been to many of the megacities of Europe like New Hamburg, New Berlin and New Lyon, but only to the rail termini. He said that all the cities were built to the same design. Sometimes it was hard to spot the differences.
“When the train is fully loaded we do not reach high speeds. We will average about 60 kilometres an hour on some sections because we are heavily loaded. We have to stop at several stations to deposit cargo and take on other stuff. I will wake you at seven thirty in the morning so that you can get a view of the Scottish Highlands on our way up to Inverness. We are due in at Nairn at ten past nine.”
“How did you get to join the church?” asked Johnson.
“It was those guys up at Nairnside. We met some of them when unloading there. They were praying for us before we knew anything about it. One day we were pulling into Nairn station and the engine just died on us. We had a stopover while we had to wait for the repair team. They invited us to a meeting in Nairn. As soon as I walked in the door, I fell flat on my back! The Spirit just knocked me over. Then I laughed and laughed. I’ll never forget it. When I was just about able to stand, they explained what was happening and they asked if I wanted to receive Jesus. We all got saved that night. The beauty of it was that we are a team so we have fellowship on our travels and the Lord uses us in many different ways, like ferrying you guys tonight.”
Mark looked out of the window next to him. He had never seen the night like this. The landscape was a smudge of darkness with splashes of light passing for moments, then gone.
“Does it not get lonely?” he asked slowly.
“It used to, but not now.”
Matt looked out of the window for some moments before he continued,
“When you are with the Lord, you’re never alone again. We meet and pray together. The cool thing is that we visit churches all over the place. In every city, there is a church. The haven you are going to is not the only one. There is another in Wales and one in Ireland, and more in Europe. We are seeing the Lord add to our groups. It’s brilliant.”
The driver and the other guard returned.
“All’s set,” said the driver, “if I need to get back to ma’ cab, I get an alert. Now, will you tell ‘uz about your stories. We heard you joined only a week ago.”
They shared their testimonies, starting with the units they were in and how they had met Sebastian, and ending with the leading to go North.
The crew listened closely, sometimes asking questions. When Sanjay told them about their encounter with Hansford in the bowels of the Hospital Complex, they chortled heartily.
Later on, the driver returned to the cab before their first stop. The train pulled into another large shed and the guards left them to oversee some loading, with more trucks shunted into position. It was getting late so they showered and got ready for bed.
Mark put his things in his berth then joined the others back in the lounge.
The train moved off again and the crew returned.
It was their turn to ask the crew about the day they came to salvation and about the different church groups they had met with in other cities.
Eventually, Matt suggested that they might want to get some rest. They would talk again over breakfast.
It was strange for Mark to have his own berth. Most of his life, he had slept in dormitories, surrounded by ninety-nine other boys. Sanjay and Johnson were the same. The berths had interconnecting doors so they opened them and locked them in the open position so they could chat before falling asleep. They took it in turns to pray. Sanjay went first, then Johnson.
“Lord, thank you for what you have done. Thank you that you have placed me with my brothers. You are so good to us and I love you for it.”
“Father, I bless you for the amazing things you have done. I feel so grateful I can hardly put it in words. I trust you with whatever happens.”
Mark felt relaxed. The stress of the day lifted.
“Thank you Lord that we are safe. Thank you for sending us away like this. I am really looking forward to tomorrow. Thank you for Jack and Matt and the others. You provide so much for us. Bless you.”
The gentle swaying of the train was somehow comforting. They were like small children rocked to sleep in their cots. They slumbered peacefully and did not notice the many stops during the night: the shunting of more trucks; the cranes lifting off heavy cargo and depositing more bulky items.
Mark dreamt of a group of people: he could not see their faces. He felt very secure as a part of the group. They were standing and waiting for something. There was an extraordinary sense of unity. There was a moment when the waiting was over and they all knew what they were going to do. The feeling was a beautiful thing in itself: purpose, unity, destiny, readiness, and a sense of coming together to serve the Lord.
19 April 2035
DAY 8
Matt woke them at 7.30 as he had promised. Mark opened his eyes. He got up and released the thick blind over the window. At first, he was dazzled by the intensity of the morning sunlight.
He gasped, wide-eyed.
He had never seen a sight like this before. There were smooth hills rising up from a wide valley in an earthy mixture of greens, browns, oranges and purples. The water in the river was a dark brown colour. He was looking at open moorland spreading out for miles. The morning light was crisp and pure.
The train had passed the high point of the Drumochter Pass in the Cairngorm mountains. There were only a few buildings scattered among tall pine trees along the widening valley. Mark had never seen open land before with his own eyes. He blinked and struggled to accept that it was real.
Sanjay and Johnson had opened their blinds. The effect was profound on each of them. They stood in silence at their windows, gazing out.
Music started playing, filling their cabins. Matt had chosen a worship song with some deep Celtic undertones. What his ears heard and what his eyes saw combined so that it touched Mark deep down in his soul. He could not put it in words. Perhaps his soul had yearned for yea
rs to perceive the beauty of creation.
The realisation that God had created this landscape with such beauty was overwhelming. Tears welled in Mark’s eyes. He had to keep wiping them because they made the landscape melt into a blur.
Two silent tears streaked down Sanjay’s face. Johnson let the tears drip from his jawline.
Then a haunting song started playing.
It was about someone saying farewell to their homeland, to obey the call of God to a far away land:
“Here I am, on the edge of the world with you.”
The tears flowed freely now for all three of them.
The song matched the feeling they each had that they had left forever all that was familiar and secure. Their lives in the units had been all they had known, and here they were on a journey into the unknown. They had heard that same quiet voice inviting them to move out to the far away. To put their trust in someone they could not see. For them, it was the edge of the world.
Matt opened the door.
“I just love that song. I have got breakfast ready. Just come in your pyjamas if you want to, guys.”
Mark splashed water on his face. Each berth had a sink with a hinged cover, under the window. He rubbed his face with a towel and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He studied himself like he was seeing himself for the first time.
His hair was still short. His skin was pale from lack of exposure to sunlight, but his eyes had a clarity and brightness that he had not noticed before. There was calmness in his countenance.
“Welcome to a new day in your new life,” he said to his reflection.
Matt had cooked eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms. The table was laid and there was toast already buttered and cups of milky tea. The driver and guard arrived and sat down.
“How did you sleep?” asked the driver.
“Like a baby,” said Johnson.
“Rocked to sleep!” added Sanjay.
This breakfast smells delicious,” said Mark.
“What do you make of the moors of Scotland?” asked Matt.
“Beyond words,” said Sanjay. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
2035 Revelation Page 7