2021

  Eventually though, they managed to call out to an American man who was driving a large pick up truck a short distance from the airport.

  ‘Can you take us to San Diego?’ asked Tom as he talked to the man through his apparently smashed passenger window.

  ‘You must be joking kid, have you seen those Migrator things in the news? They’re all heading in this way’ he warned.

  ‘I’ll pay you dollars!’ replied Tom holding up the large wad of dollar notes one of the Vatican men had given him.

  Upon seeing the dollar notes the man’s face suddenly lit up.

  ‘I’ll sell you my truck?’ the man now suggested.

  ‘How much?’ asked Tom.

  ‘I don’t know kid, how much have you there?’ smiled the man.

  Tom quickly counted up his wad of money.

  ‘I’ve fifteen hundred dollars’ Tom told him.

  ‘Done!’ replied the man ‘here are the keys, kid, it’s all yours’ and he pushed the keys to the truck into Tom’s hand, grabbed the money and then quickly climbed out, grabbed a bag off the back and then just ran for it!

  Then just as Tom started up the truck and Alec climbed in next to him, the man suddenly poked his head through the passenger window and made them both jump!

  ‘Sorry, kid!’ apologised the man ‘I just felt a little guilty’ he smiled. ‘I just wanted to wish you both good luck, because if you’re heading that way, you’re really gonna need it!’ he told them both before he quickly disappeared again.

  ‘Bloody hell, Tom, what on earth are we even doing here? We don’t even know where we’re going’ complained Alec.

  ‘I do!’ smiled Tom as he began to grind in the truck’s first gear.

  ‘How exactly do you know where you’re going then? You’ve never even been to America before, let alone bloody Mexico?’ puzzled Alec.

  ‘I just do’ shrugged Tom as he began to drive off through the crowds of people all now heading towards the airport.

  ‘Don’t stop for anything or anyone!’ warned Alec.

  ‘Don’t worry, I don’t intend to’ smiled Tom as he quickly sped away.

  A little way up the road Alec seemed to be looking over at the truck’s gauges.

  ‘Did you give the man all your money?’ Alec asked curiously.

  ‘Yes, why?’ puzzled Tom.

  ‘For a bloke who works all day as a mechanic, you sure bought us a pile of crap for that kind of money!’

  ‘It’s not that bad’ smiled Tom ‘maybe a little rustic’ he laughed.

  ‘Rustic?’ laughed Alec ‘more like rust heap and you obviously haven’t even noticed this’ stated Alec pointing down at one of the gauges ‘the bugger has even left us almost out of petrol!’

  ‘Oh yeah, sod it!’ cursed Tom.

  Around ten miles further however, they discovered an old fashioned looking petrol station, but it looked all locked up and completely deserted.

  ‘Maybe the pump still works?’ shrugged Alec so he tried it.

  Fortunately it did, so he filled the tank right up.

  ‘That was handy!’ Alec smiled as he got back into the truck again. ‘I guess money didn’t matter to the owner as much as getting away from here’ he laughed. ‘Mind you, doesn’t that make you a little nervous about us being here?’ pondered Alec.

  ‘Not really’ smiled Tom. ‘Let’s get going now, Alec, we’ve no time to lose’ Tom told him.

  They managed to drive for miles like this, every now and again finding completely deserted shops and petrol stations and gradually there seemed fewer and fewer people still around.

  ‘Christ this is creepy, Tom, it’s like one of those films you see when it’s the end of the world and there is no one left still alive’ commented Alec.

  Just around the corner however, they found some people and a very rough looking bunch they were.

  They had blocked the road and one man was brandishing a large handgun and now pointing it straight at them!

  ‘Oh Christ, Tom’ commented Alec in panic ‘this doesn’t look good.’

  The man with the gun moved around to Tom’s side.

  ‘GET OUT! WE’RE TAKING YOUR TRUCK!’ he ordered.

  ‘No!’ replied Tom defiantly.

  ‘No?’ uttered Alec now beginning to panic ‘just let him have the keys for Christ’s sake!’

  ‘No!’ Tom uttered again.

  ‘No? Tom, are you crazy? Just give the man the bloody keys to the truck, before he kills us both!’ uttered Alec now giving Tom an incredulously glance.

  ‘He is right! I WILL kill you both if you do not do as I ask!’ the man told Tom forcefully and with that he wrenched open the driver’s door and tried to violently pull Tom out of the truck!

  The moment he touched Tom though, the man just froze.

  He then just fell back as he instantly dropped the gun as he began to grab his head as he started to just scream in terror!

  Soon all his gang were doing the same as Alec just sat there looking quite terrified himself!

  ‘Right, this is scary!’ he muttered.

  ‘MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!’ the men were now all pleading.

  ‘ALL RIGHT!’ shouted Tom ‘BUT REMEMBER, THIS FATE IS AWAITING YOU IF YOU DO NOT CHANGE YOUR WAYS!’

  With that, all the men stopped screaming, but they all looked very fearful now and quickly all removed their hats and bowed their heads as they now allowed Tom to just drive on passed them.

  ‘What the hell was that all about?’ queried Alec now looking completely astounded.

  ‘I’ve just realised who I am, Alec’ Tom smiled as he looked over towards him.

  Alec just threw up his arms.

  ‘I give up! Who the hell are you then? I thought you were my old mate Tom, but apparently I’m with this madman driving me in around in the back of the beyond!’

  ‘I’m the Prayerman’ smiled Tom calmly.

  ‘You’re the Prayerman?’ puzzled Alec ‘what the hell is that supposed to mean?’ but Tom just kept on driving as he smiled away to himself.

  ‘But hang on! How did you make those guys almost shit themselves? I mean, that scared the hell out of me and I was just watching?’ puzzled Alec.

  ‘I showed them what may become of them when they die if they fail to change their ways that’s all’ answered Tom casually.

  ‘That’s all? But how exactly could you do that anyway?’ puzzled Alec.

  ‘I don’t know, Alec, I think it was through him touching me’ pondered Tom as he thought it over.

  ‘But you only touched one of them or at least, he touched you?’ questioned Alec.

  ‘Don’t ask me how it worked, Alec, I’m just grateful that it did’ smiled Tom.

  ‘So am I’ nodded Alec as he thought about it some more ‘I mean, did you see the state of that bloke’s teeth? Blimey, they were scary on their own’ commented Alec as Tom just smiled and then burst out laughing.

  ‘Oh I thought you was scared of his gun, no, not you, you were just scared of his teeth!’ chuckled Tom as he drove along.

  ‘Well you must admit they were bad’ commented Alec quietly.

  ‘Maybe we should have asked him to give the Migrators a love bite?’ smiled Tom.

  ‘They’d run the other way!’ laughed Alec.

  After they had been driving a while Tom noticed Alec looked deep in thought.

  ‘What’s up?’ he asked.

  ‘Oh, I was just thinking, remind me never to even bump into you ever again. You’re just weird you are’ commented Alec as he deliberately kept his distance and then after a while they both just burst out laughing again.

  ‘Is this all to do with the Catholic Church, Tom, I mean, they’re always threatening me with hell fire and stuff? I think I’ve already paid a down payment on a small plot there according to Father Mathews’ suggested Alec.

  ‘No, it’s nothing to
do with any particular church’ replied Tom.

  ‘Then why did we go to see the Pope?’ puzzled Alec.

  ‘Because he had the painting, you know the unknown last painting by Vincent Van Gogh’ answered Tom as he continued to drive the truck. ‘It could as easily been another religion or no religion, it just happened that The Vatican had the painting’ explained Tom.

  ‘Well none of this makes any sense to me’ pondered Alec.

  ‘It doesn’t make much sense to me either to be honest’ nodded Tom.

  ‘Then why the bloody hell are we even here?’ puzzled Alec.

  ‘I keep telling you, it’s a holiday’ Tom smiled as he tried not to laugh as Alec now just stared back at him.

  ‘A bloody holiday?’ puzzled Alec ‘I can’t wait to see where we’re going next year then’ he complained as Tom just looked over at him and couldn’t help laughing.

  They now reached an area with increasing crowds and began to witness the huge lines of defences running as far as the eye could see.

  ‘Blimey, Tom, will you look at that!’ commented Alec in amazement.

  ‘DRIVE THAT WAY! KEEP MOVING WILL YOU!’ ordered a soldier directing Tom where to drive.

  Tom though, pulled up the truck next to him instead.

  ‘WHAT ARE DOING? I SAID KEEP MOVING!’ ordered the soldier again.

  ‘I urgently need to speak to the person in charge’ Tom told him.

  ‘Take up minor matters with the Red Cross. Their station is over there’ ordered the soldier.

  Tom now turned round to Alec.

  ‘I’ll ask where we have to go when we’re further inside’ he conceded as he just drove on again.

  Inside the Red Cross station that was basically a large marquee, set up to treat any number of wounded soldiers they might eventually have on the site, Tom made more enquiries.

  ‘Hi, I wonder if you know who is in charge here?’ he asked a nurse politely.

  ‘In charge of the Red Cross Centre?’ the nurse asked.

  ‘No, I mean, in charge of the whole thing?’ Tom asked again.

  ‘Well, that’s General Iram’ replied the nurse looking puzzled ‘but you’ll never get to see him he’s way too busy.’

  ‘Oh, he is, is he? Well we’ll see about that’ smiled Tom. ‘Where can I find him?’ he then asked.

  ‘He’s way over there somewhere, but I tell you, you’ll never get to see him, he has an entire international army to organise now’ she insisted.

  ‘Come on, Alec, we’ve got to go and see this General Iram’ Tom smiled.

  ‘Tom, have you gone completely nuts? He’s hardly going to see us is he? If we had any sense we’d be turning this truck around and going straight back home again’ insisted Alec as he just stared back at the huge defence walls and crude looking weapons mounted in different lines upon them.

  ‘Na, I just get the feeling somehow that I should be here’ smiled Tom as Alec just shook his head at him.

  ‘I sometimes think I don’t know you at all’ moaned Alec.

  Tom though just looked very deep in thought now.

  ‘You know what it’s like when you wake up from a dream and you can’t quite remember it, well it’s like that, Alec’ Tom explained.

  ‘A Dream?’ commented Alec in dismay ‘looking around here it looks more like a nightmare! Tom, let’s just go home I’ve had enough of this game now’ insisted Alec.

  ‘No, I’m going to see this General Iram they have in charge here’ insisted Tom as he then just drove off again.

  A little way ahead they came across a whole series of army checkpoints where they were instantly halted.

  ‘Whoa! Son, this is a restricted area, what’s your business here?’ the soldier asked.

  ‘I’m looking for the man in charge’ Tom explained and before the man could say ‘no’ Tom just lifted up his hand.

  ‘OK, I’ll get on the radio’ the soldier suddenly nodded.

  He then got through to his sergeant.

  ‘He’s here!’ he told him.

  ‘He’s here?’ puzzled the sergeant ‘who’s here?’

  ‘The man we are waiting for’ replied the soldier.

  ‘What are you talking about, man, have you been drinking or something?’ replied his sergeant angrily.

  With that though, the soldier on the checkpoint just raised the barrier and let Tom through, as did the next soldier, and the next.

  ‘Blimey!’ laughed Alec ‘these aren’t the droids we’re looking for, move along!’ he chuckled away.

  ‘Not quite that’ smiled Tom ‘but close!’ he laughed.

  ‘How the hell are you doing all this stuff?’ marvelled Alec as he just stared at him.

  ‘I don’t quite know, Alec’ smiled Tom ‘I just seem able to do this now, somehow?’

  Arriving at a complete dead end, Tom pulled up the truck just as an army officer opened the door for Tom to get out.

  ‘The General is this way’ he informed Tom politely.

  ‘What is this? We’re being treated like royalty’ Alec just laughed as they followed the army officer as he led the way.

  General Iram was just pouring over a collection of maps he had in front of him laid out all over a large table. He looked up at the army officer as he led the two teenage boys inside.

  ‘But this can’t be him? He’s just a skinny teenager?’ uttered the General in surprise.

  ‘It’s him, Sir, we’ve checked!’ nodded the army officer.

  ‘OK, that’ll be all I guess’ muttered General Iram as the officer then left.

  General Iram now sat down and lit a large cigar as he then just looked curiously at the two teenage boys.

  ‘I just heard from the President’ he uttered ‘he told me to expect you, though God knows why?’ stated the General staring at them both.

  ‘Oh, he’s probably heard from the Pope’ replied Tom.

  ‘He heard from who?’ puzzled General Iram.

  ‘The Pope’ repeated Tom as the General just stared blankly at him ‘you know? Pope Paul?’ Tom smiled.

  ‘Yes, I know who the damn Pope is kid, I just want to know what he’s got to do with anything?’ puzzled the General.

  ‘It’s a long story’ uttered Tom not really sure where to start.

  ‘Well it’s already too long for me son’ grumbled the General. ‘Look, we must have got our wires crossed or something. I received a phone call from the President telling me a young man fitting your description was coming here to help us fend off these damn monsters we now have marching ever closer towards us?’ the General stated angrily ‘and now you turn up!’

  ‘Don’t be fooled by my appearance, General’ smiled Tom.

  ‘Well, I’m a bit busy here, son, so what have you got for me, a new weapon, a new insecticide or germ bomb, something that can actually kill these things? Have you brought me some kind of Kryptonite that’ll kill them? Something that actually works on these creatures, tell me what?’ insisted the General forcefully.

  ‘No, nothing like that’ Tom replied shaking his head.

  ‘Then why is the President so keen on sending you here?’ puzzled the General ‘because it sure in hell beats me?’

  ‘As I say he might have heard from the Pope’ repeated Tom.

  ‘The Pope?’ repeated General Iram ‘I’m here fighting God knows what, from God knows where, and all he sends me is some damn Bible basher! SERGEANT!’ he screamed ‘GET THESE NUT JOBS OUT OF MY SIGHT!’

  Just then though, Tom leaned across the table and just touched the General’s hand.

  ‘If you could just write me a note asking for people to do just as I ask’ smiled Tom.

  General Iram just stopped what he was doing.

  Just then some soldiers came in to drag Alec and Tom away, but the General now stopped them.

  He just stared at Tom now.

  ‘Who the hell ar
e you?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m no one’ smiled Tom ‘but I need a way to reach the very centre of the Migrators, General, is there any way I can get there?’

  ‘You’ll need to speak to Professor Keys and his friends, I’ll scribble you a note’ replied the General as he quickly wrote on a piece of headed notepaper before he handed it to him.

  Just as he went to leave, Tom suddenly turned back again.

  ‘Oh and you’ll need to strengthen the western defences, they’re a bit short of guns there’ he smiled.

  ‘What? Are you some kind of military strategist too then?’ queried the General.

  When Tom didn’t reply the General just stared at Alec who just shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘Don’t ask me, I’m an accountant!’ Alec grinned.

  The General just huffed.

  ‘OK Sergeant, if you could show these two out please I have work to be getting on with’ he ordered as he immediately continued marking out the maps in front of him again.

  After they had been shown outside, Alec looked at Tom and just laughed.

  ‘I don’t know what’s come over you, you’re just acting really, really, weird!’ and then he laughed.

  ‘We need to find these people able to get me in there somehow’ muttered Tom as he just stared at the mass of people all around them.

  ‘But how are we to find them in the middle of all this lot?’ queried Alec as he stared all around him.

  ‘We’ll just have to start asking people I guess’ smiled Tom as he began to stop people as they rushed around.

  After half an hour of having no luck though, Alec just shook his head.

  ‘This is just hopeless!’ he uttered ‘I’m going to ask the soldiers, one of them must know surely?’

  ‘Good idea’ smiled Tom and after ten minutes they struck lucky.

  ‘Oh yes, Professor Keys and the others are in one of the large army tents over there somewhere’ an older soldier informed them.

  ‘Brilliant, thanks!’ Tom beamed as he immediately headed in the direction the soldier had pointed.

  Alec then quickly scurried after him.

  ‘I don’t get this, Tom, why do we need to get anywhere near these creature things? Surely if we had any sense we’d be rushing precisely in the opposite direction like all the sensible people?’