The Great Thirst Boxed Set

by Mary C. Findley

  “There now,” she said. “It’s in God’s hands. You’ll go see what can be done for Joshua tomorrow, I’m sure. In the meantime, we’ll try to rest in the Lord. Easier said than done. Is there any word about your search for those testaments, and the way to spread the word once they’re all found and translated?”

  Talia told her what they had heard from Naddy and Sophie. “

  “I believe Eva was a good woman,” Grandma Bradley sighed. “But she listened with her heart to a sixteen year old boy, someone raised by drug dealers and murderers, and look where it got her. I’ll be praying for her, too, and for the work that needs to be done. Here. Take this. I never used it anyway.” She picked up one of the tablets from an end table and handed it to Keith. “Lock it in the safe with the others, I suppose. Mercy on us. To think it’s not even safe to destroy an evil thing. They laid their plans well, didn’t they?”

  Keith and Talia stopped at the school to lock up the tablet. Keith was very glad he had a spare set of his father’s keys. He half-expected the building to be under guard but they saw no one. Keith drove back to the Bradley house and stopped in front of the driveway. Lynette and Ruan Holden stood in front of the garage, blinking in the headlights. Talia jumped out as they moved aside and Keith pulled the car into the garage.

  “What are you kids doing here?” Talia exclaimed. “Do you know how late it is? Your parents must be going crazy wondering where you are.”

  “I don’t think so,” Lynette said. She hugged her brother. “They’re too busy screaming at each other. Can we stay with you? We have noplace else to go.”

  “Let me call your house,” Keith said as they led the pair into the garage.

  “They won’t answer,” Lynette said. “Ruan tried to talk me out of this the whole way over here and we’ve called both their cell phones and the house phone at least ten times. Our phones are both dead now. Maybe mom and dad killed each other.”

  Ruan started to wheeze sharp and shallow.

  “Where’s your inhaler?” Lynette demanded. “You’re such a baby, Ruan.”

  “My inhaler’s empty,” Ruan gasped. “It was such a long walk.”

  “I’m going to take Ruan to the drug store and see if he can get an emergency inhaler,” Keith said. “Get inside, lock the doors, and keep trying to call somebody. C’mon, Ruan.”

  “Come inside, baby,” Talia invited. Lynette followed her into the kitchen. “What about friends or neighbors?”

  “Our only neighbors are the Sheldons,” Lynette said, starting to sob. “Please don’t call them. They’re worse than my parents. I can’t believe I called Ruan a baby. I didn’t know his inhaler was empty. My mom looked down her nose at everybody except the Sheldons and the Gregorys.

  “We were never allowed to have any kids over so we haven’t got any friends. Maybe you could call my grandma. She’s 300 miles away, so she won’t be able to come get us. But if you’re worried about somebody thinking you kidnapped us, she’ll understand why we couldn’t stay at home. She calls my dad at least once a week, and they always end up yelling at each other about why we moved here.”

  “Do you have a charger for your phone?” Talia asked. Lynette shook her head. Talia managed to find one that fit it and got the list of numbers up. She tried calling the numbers for the Holden house and cell phones but only got voicemail. Finally she searched the listings again.

  “This one? Grandma Holden?” she asked. Lynette nodded, hugging herself. Talia ran to grab an afghan Grandma Bradley had made off the back of the couch and wrapped the girl in it. Talia dialed the number and it rang four times. The voicemail started to pick up when she got a response. “Hello? Lynette? What’s wrong?”

  “Mrs. Holden, my name is Talia Bradley,” Talia said. “I’m a teacher at your grandchildren’s school. I’m so sorry to call you at this hour, but your grandchildren showed up at our house and said their parents were fighting. They came to us for help, but I don’t really know what to do. My husband is Keith Bradley, the science teacher, and his father is the principal.”

  “Are Lynette and Ruan all right?” Mrs. Holden demanded.

  “I’m not sure yet,” Talia admitted. “Lynette is shivering, and Keith went to try to get Ruan another inhaler. They walked all the way here, about three miles, I think.”

  “God have mercy on that b– that woman my son married,” Mrs. Holden hissed. “Excuse me. Thank you, my dear, for taking care of my grandchildren. I am so sorry, but I don’t even own a car anymore. I will call my other son and make arrangements for the children to be picked up a soon as I can in the morning.”

  “Mrs. Holden, I have to tell you that there’s been some trouble here at the school,” Talia said. “I don’t want you to find out about it and have it give you more cause to worry for Lynette and Ruan’s safety. Keith’s father was arrested tonight for –”

  “Please, Mrs. Bradley, I’m familiar with the situation there, in spite of the fact that they’ve tried to keep me in the dark. I may have failed to pass my faith on to Tim, but his brother George is a man of God, and he told me about what he learned when those Bible study materials started crumbling. I understand your husband was the one who tried to convince my pig-headed son of the danger. As usual, he let his wife do his thinking for him, and this is the result.” Mrs. Holden took a deep breath. “Please let me speak to Lynette.”

  Talia handed the phone to the girl.

  “Grandma …” Lynette started crying all over again. Talia couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation, but Lynette alternated “yes” and “no” numerous times when she was able to speak again. Finally she said, “I love you too. I can’t wait to see you and Uncle George.” She handed the phone back to Talia. “She wants to talk to you again.”

  “Mrs. Bradley –”

  “Please call me Talia.”

  “Very well, then. I’m Arlene. I know this is already a difficult time for you. I am going to try to protect you by calling a lawyer and having some sort of paperwork drawn up so that my daughter-in-law does not try to get you in trouble over this. George will bring copies. What is the number of the local police there?”

  Talia looked it up on her phone and told Arlene Holden. “Will it cause a big fuss if I call them and tell them I’m authorizing you to care for my grandchildren – that it’s an emergency, and their parents can’t be reached?”

  Talia hesitated, then remembered that Clark Johnson was at the desk. “That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Talia said. “Thank you so much.”

  “No, thank you,” Arlene Holden said, and hung up.

  Chapter Seventy-eight –Early Risers

  Keith’s phone rang at six in the morning. He groaned and put it to his ear. An automated message reported that Bradley Central would be closed until further notice due to ‘administrative issues.’ Keith pushed the end button and rolled over to embrace Talia.

  “Snow day,” he muttered. “We don’t have to play hookey after all.”

  She managed to giggle. “I need to get up and get those kids some breakfast.”

  “No teenage kids get up this early. Relax. Besides, they had breakfast. Last night. For supper,” Keith replied.

  “Yes, they had cold cereal when their teeth were chattering,” Talia scolded. “The pharmacy … are they going to call the Holdens? What if they still try to claim we kidnapped their children?”

  “Clark called my cell while I was at the pharmacy, after Mrs. Holden called him.”

  “Arlene.”

  “Arlene. Right. Clark made me hand my phone over to the pharmacist. I think Clark communicated the situation with great clarity. The pharmacist said she was going to bill the Holdens for the inhaler, so they’ll figure out something happened eventually. Who chases their own kids out of the house and doesn’t answer the phone like that? Those people are crazy.”

  “I can’t get up,” Talia said. “I am sooo tired.”

  “Don’t get up, then,” Keith said. “We can’t go anywhere until George Holden comes
for the kids. I’ll call Brad Shannon later and see if there’s any news before we leave to see my dad.”

  Talia snuggled up against him. “I should be worried about your dad, but maybe God was actually able to break me down and let me accept His peace.”

  “I feel the same way. God knows all about this, and whatever happens, my dad will be okay.”

  Eventually they both got up and made pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Ruan and Lynette appeared as soon as the smells started filling the house. While they were eating, Talia’s phone rang.

  “Mrs. Bradley, this is Adam,” a voice said.

  “Hi, Adam. No school today. Why are you up so early?”

  “Can I come over to your house?”

  “What? Why? Adam, what’s wrong?”

  “Ummm … can I talk to Mr. Bradley?”

  Talia handed the phone to Keith, who was playing chess with Ruan.

  “Hey, what’s up, Adam?” Keith asked. “What? You’re not serious. But Adam, your parents ... What? What do you mean, they’re gone? Where are they? Wait … hold on.” Keith put the phone on mute and stared at Talia.

  “Something just clicked in my brain. Adam’s last name is Gregory. He says his parents weren’t home when he got up, but they left a note for him, saying he had better not have gotten rid of his tablet. They didn’t say where they went, or when they would be back, but they want to see the tablet when they do. He’s scared and wants to come over here. Talia, he has a little brother, Stephen, who’s only five.”

  “We can’t …” Talia trailed off. Lynette and Ruan were staring at her. “Keith, taking in these kids – it could make things worse for you dad. It will give these parents more ammunition to attack him. And Adam took his tablet back, remember? He didn’t want to give it up, so it’s not like he doesn’t have it to show his parents.”

  “Are you going to throw us out?” Ruan asked, breathing a little harder.

  “No,” Keith said. “Take it easy, Ruan.” He put the phone back to his ear. “Adam, listen to me. Do you have any aunts or uncles – any grandparents? Can you call them to come stay with you, or come get you and your brother?”

  Keith listened and rubbed the back of his neck. Talia chewed her lip. Finally Keith said, “Give me his phone number, Adam. I’ll talk to him and call you back. Yeah. I have your number. I promise I’ll call you back as soon as I hear from him.”

  He hung up and fixed Ruan and Lynette with a stern look. “You two; Mrs. Bradley and I need to have a conference about a student. A private conference. Go hang out in the guest rooms for awhile, please.”

  They disappeared without another word. Keith turned to Talia. “Adam said his parents never slept in their bed. They came home from the school board meeting, told him and Stephen to go to bed immediately, and when he woke up this morning, they were gone, and he found that note. He gave me the number of an adult cousin who doesn’t live too far from here but said he’s probably at work and can’t answer his phone until he has a break. That kid was terrified, Talia, and he says his brother is crying and asking where their mom and dad are. What is going on here?”

  Keith left a message for Adam’s cousin and next called Brad Shannon.

  “Okay, Keith, I just want to prepare you for what you’re going to see when you go visit your father,” Brad said without any preliminaries. “You know he’s in the state facility at the capital, right? Your dad was attacked last night. When people hear a school principal has been arrested they assume he’s a child molester. Or at least, that’s the story I was given. He was hospitalized but his injuries are not considered life-threatening. He will recover. I know I’m just saying this like it doesn’t matter to me. It does. I just had to get through it the best way I could.”

  “I understand,” Keith replied, forcing the choke out of his voice. “Thank you for letting me know.”

  “Five other school administrators around the state were jailed in the same sweep, over the last few days,” Brad continued. “All of them got a beating, and some … some got worse. They’ve been placed in a secure hospital wing, segregated from the general population, but that’s temporary. I spoke to your dad very early this morning, and I …” Brad’s voice broke “… I can’t believe how full of joy he sounds. They all do. It’s like Paul and Silas at Philippi. I’m just waiting for the warden to step forward and get baptized. Anyway, I’m working on briefs and stuff and there’s supposed to be a hearing for all six administrators, but they keep making up delays and pushing the scheduling around.”

  “Brad, I know this probably isn’t part of your normal service, but I needs some advice on some missing parents.”

  “Missing parents?” Brad repeated. Keith explained. “Oh … the Holdens, Sheldons, and Gregorys. Man, this really hits home. They all consulted with the CRDA, before they ever moved to your town. I kind of buried that as part of all the memories of things I wish I’d never been involved in. Naturally, it would come back to haunt me.

  “Yeah, those three wives, with Mrs. Sheldon as the leader, came to our office quite openly. They are part of that organization Relief from Belief. They needed advice on how to insert themselves into a small, conservative, public school with strong religious leadership in the community and … well … hindsight wording, but they wanted to know how to rip the heart out of the school so it would be in conformity with secularism.”

  “Did … did you advise them?” Keith asked

  “I was present at some conferences with them. And you know I came with the Holdens to bully your dad. But I’m not sure exactly what their whole plan was, or what this new phase means. They claim they’re in it to make things better for their kids, but they abandon them and take off somewhere? You have two of them there at the house? Why’d they come to you, when their parents must have been spewing hate your way for almost two years now?”

  “I’ve talked to their dad a few times, and he’s not that way. At least he isn’t now. If I understand it right, he didn’t know about this overthrow plot. He said his wife told him they moved here for a required job transfer.”

  “Oh, wow. Our office was mostly dealing with the wives. I didn’t imagine their husbands wouldn’t know what was up. Anyway, you said two of the kids are already there, at your house, and another is begging to come? What about the Sheldon girl? She’s the one who went crazy in your class?”

  “Yeah. I don’t know about her.” Keith explained the legal arrangements the Holden grandmother was trying to make, and their attempts to contact Adam’s cousin. He also mentioned Clark Johnson’s help.

  “That’s good. That’s great. The grandmother’s got her ducks in a row. You need to have something similar in place before you accept any other foundlings, no matter how desperate they might sound. These are high school kids. They can be by themselves for awhile, and that kid, Adam – he’s a senior, right? He’s got to be able to look after his brother for a few hours.

  “Talia’s right, too, that we don’t want any more trouble while your father is still in this much trouble. Good that you have local law enforcement on your side, too. Not sure that will help as much as I wish it would, given the steamroller of special cops this Dr. Williams seems to have at her disposal.

  “Keith, I’ll let your dad know you’re coming to see him as soon as these kids are taken care of. He’s more worried about you two than he is about himself. I am too, because those three parental groups seem to have been summoned for some kind of activation. I need to check into other parents the CRDA advised. And I may just put on my aluminum foil hat. Conspiracy doesn’t seem like too strong a word, if parents are disappearing and kids are begging for help. In the meantime, we all need to keep the prayer cover up.”

  Keith sat motionless after he hung up. Suddenly the glass in the living room window shattered and the curtains flew inward. Keith flattened behind the couch. Talia had gone into the kitchen, and she dived for her purse and got out her gun.

  “Was that a shot? Did somebody just shoot out our window?” Keith shoute
d.

  Lynette and Ruan came out of their rooms but retreated immediately when Talia waved them back and slid by the hall with her pistol pointed toward the window.

  “Get down on the floor, behind something solid,” Talia said. She squinted as she reached the wall beside the window. “It’s Gail Sheldon. She’s got a revolver. She’s standing in the middle of the street. Oh, no. That’s her older sister – Lisa – the one who graduated last year. I think Lisa’s trying to talk her out of – Keith! She’s turning around toward her sister, and she’s pointing the gun at her.” Talia ducked under the window and headed toward the door.

  “You cannot go out there!” Keith hissed. “Please, Talia, don’t!”

  Another shot sounded outside. Keith and Talia both bolted for the door. Talia wrenched it open and dove into the shrubbery just outside the house, pulling Keith in after her. They could see Lisa lying on the sidewalk and Gail still standing in the middle of the street, the gun now pointed at her own head.

  Keith dialed 911 and was told half a dozen people had already reported the situation. “But I don’t know how fast we can get someone there,” the dispatcher admitted. “You’ve got Clark Johnson on desk duty and there’s only one other officer to send. It’s volunteer paramedics, too, and I …”

  “I get it,” Keith said through gritted teeth, and hung up. Talia thrust her weapon at him.

  “You know how to shoot, right?” she asked.

  “I took a hunter safety class at camp one summer,” Keith hedged.

  “This is the safety,” she said. “Push it off like that. Hold the gun steady. Aim carefully. Take a breath. Pull the trigger. Don’t jerk.”

  “Wait,” Keith said, but Talia had already stood up.

  “You want to protect me, right?” Talia said. “Stay here. I’ll stay as clear of her as I can and try to get to Lisa. Shoot Gail if her gun even changes direction.”

  “Okay,” Keith said.

  Cara Townsend suddenly appeared from around the back of the house. “Talia, get back. Let me handle this,” she said, holding a rifle on Gail.