“Shut up!” Fulcire ordered. “Try the truck lights.”
“Come on,” Vicki whispered to Judd. “Let’s get out of here.”
But before they could move, the lights on the truck blazed, lighting up the street. The soldiers sighed with relief.
Fulcire radioed someone and received a report from Teddy Kollek Stadium that their lights were all working and there was nothing to worry about. He turned to Judd and Vicki.
“Do you see that, Commander?” Vicki said, pointing at the sky. “That’s part of the prophecy. God said the sun and moon will be dark on this day. He’s going to punish the world for its evil. This is happening around the world, and you’d better get ready for the next thing he’s going to do.”
Scores of verses from the Old and New Testaments flooded Vicki’s mind. All spoke of the wrath of God poured out on the earth. She wanted to spill the verses out one after another.
The commander smirked. “The moon goes behind a cloud and she claims it’s a miracle of God.”
Soldiers laughed, but not very hard, Vicki thought. They had seen enough in the last few years to make them wary.
“We’ve heard your prophecies of gloom and doom,” Fulcire snapped. “Show us the entrance to—”
“You may have heard enough, but obviously you haven’t seen enough,” Vicki shot back. Her words appeared to stun him.
“Babylon the great has fallen, just like God said it would,” she continued. “And soon you will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. He’ll be on a white horse, and he will make war with you and will overcome you and your armies.”
“Yes, Jesus will show up by and by, pie in the sky, and then we’ll all die,” Fulcire mocked. “But you won’t be around to see him, will you, Judah-ite?” He pulled a pistol from a holster around his waist and aimed it at Judd’s head. “Now point the way to one of the tunnels, or I’ll send your precious husband to be with Jesus where he can ride all the white horsies.”
Vicki looked at Judd, his face lit by the truck’s lights. It struck her as strange that it would end this way. They had survived seven years of disasters, only to be killed a few hours—maybe a few minutes—before the return of Christ.
“I love you,” Judd whispered. There didn’t seem to be a hint of fear in his voice. “I’ll always love you.”
“Your choice,” Fulcire said, cocking the pistol.
Conrad had jumped to his feet and cried out with the others when the early afternoon sun disappeared from the sky in Palos Hills, Illinois. The temperature dropped, and the world turned pitch dark.
But it was the roaring, whistling sound that spooked everyone the most. It sounded like a jet coming in for a landing, engines screaming. Conrad looked up and saw a fiery trail behind something—maybe a spaceship, airplane, or falling star. He didn’t know what it was, but he wasn’t about to stay and find out. He grabbed Shelly’s hand, and they ran for cover.
“Don’t be afraid!” Enoch yelled. “This was prophesied. It’s all part of God’s plan.”
The object crashed on the other side of the mall, and everyone rushed to it. Streetlights popped on as Conrad and Shelly ran, hand in hand. They found a ten-foot-wide hole in the road, smoke billowing, and heat so intense they couldn’t get close.
Tom and Josey Fogarty darted across the street, heading for safety with their little boy, Ryan.
“Here comes another one!” Ty Spivey shouted.
The falling object roared overhead. Flames licked at its edges as it plunged to earth, and people screamed. Conrad took Shelly’s hand again, and they bolted toward the Fogartys.
“You can come to our house,” Shelly said to Conrad.
“I believe we’re protected!” Enoch yelled behind them. “None of the judgments from heaven harmed God’s people! We bear his mark, his seal! He will protect us!”
But Conrad and Shelly continued to run, with the screaming meteor falling. When a terrific explosion lit the darkness, Conrad looked back. This meteor—at least twice as big as the first—slammed into one of the large stores at the mall.
“Wonder how the GC is going to spin this,” Shelly said.
“They’ll probably tell everybody they shouldn’t be afraid,” Conrad said. “After all, it’s just the sky falling on them.”
Lionel reached the defense perimeter of Petra as the moon darkened and GC troops lit flashlights and high-tech lanterns. When the first streaks of light crossed the sky, the Petra rebels oohed and aahed. Then the first meteor fell several hundred yards from Lionel’s position, and the Unity Army panicked. Horses reared and soldiers screamed orders.
The next meteor slammed into a mass of tanks and transport vehicles, causing a huge explosion. Soldiers flew into the air. The front lines of the army withdrew—how far Lionel couldn’t tell.
Rocks nearby shook with the crashing of each meteor. While the Unity Army was struck again and again, Petra remained safe.
Someone turned on large searchlights near the camp and pointed them straight up. The light allowed Lionel to see the edges of the Unity Army and the clouds above that bubbled and churned like boiling macaroni. There was a flash in the distance. Then came a low rumble.
Something big was happening. Lionel felt chills. He wondered if Judd and Vicki were seeing the same thing. Or if Judd and Vicki were even alive.
Vicki covered her eyes as Commander Fulcire leveled the pistol at Judd. She heard a whooshing sound, and something approached overhead. Several men yelled and Vicki looked again, surprised to see Commander Fulcire with his gun at his side, staring into the darkened sky.
“Incoming!” someone shouted from the truck.
The soldiers hit the dirt before a fiery sphere hurtled to earth. The impact shook the ground, and Judd nearly fell down from the shock.
Radios blared, soldiers ran, and everyone seemed confused.
“What’s going on?” Judd whispered.
“God’s show is starting,” Vicki said.
Fulcire motioned to a nearby soldier. “Get these two back in the truck!”
The soldier hustled Judd and Vicki to the back of the vehicle and told them to climb inside. Vicki tried to help Judd, but he had trouble lifting his injured leg. Judd grasped a handle on the side and tried to pull himself up, but before he could, another meteor flew overhead and the soldier hit the ground. In the confusion, darkness, and roar of the explosion, Vicki grabbed Judd’s hand and pulled him to the side of the truck, out of sight. The soldier whimpered on the ground.
“Get down and crawl under,” Vicki said. “They might not see us.”
They scrambled underneath and watched soldiers rush for safety. But where could they go? The meteors looked like they were as big as cars, so the craters they left behind had to be huge.
“Did you know this was coming?” Judd whispered.
Vicki nodded and inched closer to the edge of the truck so she could see the sky. “In Isaiah, I think. There’s also supposed to be a sign in the heavens.”
“What kind of sign?”
“I don’t know what form it will take, but that’s supposed to happen before Jesus comes back.”
“Maybe the clouds are the sign.”
“Could be.”
Judd pointed across the street. “You know there’s an entrance to the tunnels about half a block away?”
“I wasn’t going to tell them.”
“You were just going to let me die?” Judd was smiling.
“That’s what you said to do. And that part about loving me forever was nice.”
“Everybody in the truck!” Commander Fulcire yelled. “Now!”
“Sir, the prisoners … they’re not here!” a soldier at the back said.
The soldier tried to defend himself, but Fulcire wouldn’t listen. A gun fired and the soldier fell, his face looking straight at Judd and Vicki. A red stain pooled around his body.
Vicki clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Soon, more meteors fell, and it appeare
d that Fulcire was more interested in getting to safety than finding Judd and Vicki.
The soldiers piled into the truck, and Judd and Vicki rolled to their left into the darkness. The truck sped through the gate as they limped to the entrance to the tunnel. Seconds later a meteor slammed into the earth, just past the gate, shattering windows. Judd and Vicki went inside, gingerly climbing to the next floor where they could see the scene. Fulcire’s truck had tried to stop before a huge crater, but it teetered on the edge. Fulcire shouted commands as he climbed out the passenger-side window.
Soldiers began jumping from the rear, in spite of Fulcire’s orders. The commander made it out of the truck’s cab and climbed on top. But when several more soldiers leaped out the back, the truck tipped forward. Fulcire grabbed for something to hold on to, but the truck’s top was too slick. He tried to jump to a concrete walkway but didn’t make it. His screams echoed as he and the truck plunged down.
Lightning flashed, casting eerie bursts of light on the Old City.
“What do you want to do?” Vicki said.
“Let’s see how far we can get through the tunnels,” Judd said. “Maybe we’ll find someone who can help us.”
“I don’t want to be in here when Jesus comes,” Vicki said.
“Me either, but with this busted leg, they’ll catch us outside.”
Vicki found Judd a place to rest. “This time let me find someone and bring them back to help,” she said. “Stay right here.”
39
LIONEL sat with Sam on Petra’s perimeter and watched God’s light show. Lightning flashed through the deepening clouds, thick streaks of gold firing overhead. He remembered watching a tornado years before the Tribulation began, but that didn’t compare with this.
Lightning increased, with hundreds and thousands of bolts crashing to the desert floor every second. It was like the end to a terrific fireworks display, only this one was a million times brighter and stronger. Thunder shook the ground, and Lionel tried to cover his ears.
Sam pulled out his tiny television and cupped a hand around the screen so they could see it. The Global Community News Network treated God’s light show as a nonstory. Instead, their coverage focused on the war effort. Unity generals reported troops heading toward the Valley of Megiddo.
Nicolae Carpathia was shown getting onto a huge horse. “I am pleased with the reports from the South and from the Northeast. And now we are about to embark on one of our most strategic initiatives. A third of our entire fighting force will advance upon the rebel stronghold cowering in Petra. Intelligence tells us that a paltry defensive unit has rung the city round about, but they are hopelessly outnumbered and have already offered to surrender.”
“Did you know we were ready to surrender?” Sam said.
Lionel shook his head. “I’m glad we’re on the side of the one causing this lightning and thunder.”
Carpathia answered questions, lying about his contact with leaders in Petra. “We made peaceful overtures to the leadership, offering amnesty for any who would voluntarily leave the stronghold and take the mark of loyalty. Our understanding is that many wished to make this move, only to be slaughtered by the leadership. Many will recall that it was this very leadership who assassinated me, serving only to give me the opportunity to prove my divinity by raising myself from the dead.
“Well, this time around, there will be no negotiating. Loyalists to our New World Order have either been murdered or have escaped, so intelligence tells us Petra is now inhabited solely by rebels to our cause, murderers and blasphemers who have thumbed their noses at every attempt to reason with them.”
Carpathia waved a sword for the camera and continued. “I shall personally lead this effort, with the able assistance, of course, of my generals. We shall rally the troops as soon as we arrive, and the siege should take only a matter of minutes.”
Carpathia raced off on the horse, and a reporter called after him, “All the best to you, holy one! And may you bless yourself and bring honor to your name with this effort!”
“Won’t be long now,” Lionel said.
Conrad and Shelly huddled together on the front porch of the house where Shelly was staying. Conrad had a Bible open and could read by the lightning strikes. Enoch had shown Conrad many verses about what was to come.
Conrad turned toward the end of the Old Testament to Zephaniah and read some verses to Shelly. “ ‘That terrible day of the Lord is near. Swiftly it comes—a day when strong men will cry bitterly.
“ ‘It is a day when the Lord’s anger will be poured out. It is a day of terrible distress and anguish, a day of ruin and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, of clouds, blackness, trumpet calls, and battle cries. Down go the walled cities and strongest battlements!
“ ‘Because you have sinned against the Lord, I will make you as helpless as a blind man searching for a path. Your blood will be poured out into the dust, and your bodies will lie there rotting on the ground.’ ”
He closed the Bible, and Shelly scooted closer. Houses crackled and burned not far away. The acrid, smoky smell of the meteors filled the air.
“What do you think all that means?” Shelly said.
“I guess it means your life is worthless if you fight against God,” Conrad said. “He’s going to win every time.”
Suddenly the lightning and thunder stopped. The sky was pitch-black, and Conrad wondered how long God would wait. Soon Jesus would return—but would he be seen just in Jerusalem or everywhere?
Conrad put an arm around Shelly. “Enoch says he’s going to find a way to get to Israel as soon as possible. He’s even going to try and raise money for his people to go there.”
“I’d do anything to see Jesus start setting up his kingdom,” Shelly said. “Let’s go together.”
Conrad smiled, pulling her close. “We could stay with Judd and Vicki.”
Vicki limped through the deserted tunnel, listening for rebels. The pain in her leg had gotten worse, and it was difficult to walk. She tripped and fell over a dead rebel, and her wound opened again.
She found medical supplies and bandages and stumbled back to Judd. She guessed his leg was broken, so there was nothing she could do except put a blanket over him and try to make him comfortable.
When she got her own bandage off, the sight turned her stomach. The rock had torn away her skin, and the deep gash was now a sickly color. She poured in some antiseptic and thought she was going to pass out from the pain. After rebandaging the wound, she crawled up the stairs and peeked outside. The thundering of the guns had stopped. A few scattered shots were fired every now and then, but the battle seemed to be over. The GC had overtaken Jerusalem just like the Bible said.
She returned to Judd and lay down beside him. She remembered the words of her Little League coach: “Leave everything on the field.”
She smiled, thinking they had done just that—they’d used all their energy to help people. Whatever happened next would happen without their help.
Lionel and Sam sat in the stillness of Petra, darkness covering the land. Rebels with weapons seemed restless, waiting for something to happen. Sam gave Lionel a canteen of water, and he took a long drink.
“Carpathia’s on the move,” Lionel said. “We might see him tonight.”
“I’d like to see him get thrown into the lake of fire where he belongs,” Sam said. “I can’t wait until—” He stopped in midsentence.
Lionel had tilted his head back and taken another drink from the canteen. Suddenly a light flashed in the sky and something buzzed, like the sound of a light saber in one of those old Star Wars movies. Sam pointed, mouth agape, and Lionel pulled the canteen from his mouth, water spilling.
A yellow streak of light—like lightning, only it wasn’t—pulsed in the sky. It started near the horizon and went straight up miles into the sky. Two-thirds of the way up, another yellow streak intersected the first one, forming a huge cross.
Lionel was so overcome he dropped the canteen. He could only
imagine what was going through the minds of the Unity Army soldiers.
Conrad shielded his eyes from the blazing cross and couldn’t help smiling. A warm feeling surged through his body. He and Shelly stood and stared in awe.
“He’s really coming back,” Shelly whispered, full of emotion. “This is the sign of the Son of Man Dr. Ben-Judah wrote about.”
“Amazing,” was all Conrad could say.
“Let’s find Enoch,” Shelly said.
On the way, Conrad stopped outside a house and peered in the front window. A huge television stood against the far wall. People inside screamed and pointed. On the screen was the yellow cross, blazing for the whole world to see.
Judd opened his eyes and noticed a glare shining through a tiny hole in the brick wall. A bomb must have exploded, he thought, and created the crack there. He glanced down and noticed Vicki on his chest.
She shifted slightly and looked up at him. “You’re awake. How do you feel?”
Judd put a hand in front of his face. “Fine except for that annoying light coming from over there.” He gestured at the wall. “You think the Unity Army’s put up floodlights?”
“If they have, they’re yellow,” Vicki said. “Listen.”
Judd sat up quietly, straining to hear a hum coming from outside. “It’s weird that we’d hear it down—”
“Shh,” she said. “Can you feel it vibrating?”
Judd listened a few more seconds. “It almost sounds like the light in the aquarium back home. Only a million times louder.”
Vicki’s gaze darted left and right.
“What is it?” Judd said.
“I don’t know. Maybe we’ve missed it,” Vicki said.
“Jesus?”
“Yeah, maybe he’s already come back and we were down here. Or maybe …”
“What?”
She rolled to her knees and stood, peeking out of the crack in the wall. “There was supposed to be a sign in the sky. …”
“No way I’m going to miss this,” Judd said, racing her up the stairs.
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