Once Christianity was outlawed, and all beds and cots were taken, an insulated tent on the inside of a safe-house property would be better for persecuted Tribulation Saints seeking shelter than anything on the outside—especially during winter months...
The more Mulrooney perused the specs, the more excited he was. It felt good to be excited again.
If they were extremely lucky, no, not lucky—Brian corrected himself, blessed—and they ended up purchasing all 500 properties, perhaps only a minor overhaul would be necessary.
Certainly, there would be a pest control problem in the beginning. When humans no longer inhabited places, animals, rodents and bugs often invaded, claiming it as their own.
Even so, having property that needed work was far better than having no property at all. Therefore, within reason, it didn’t really matter what the property looked like.
For whatever reason, something deep inside told Brian this might be the first ETSM property. If so, he would beg to be the one chosen to manage it. He loved Ann Arbor, but if selected, he would leave Michigan in a heartbeat, no questions asked. After all, if God wanted him in Pennsylvania, who was he to disobey?
Even if it meant leaving his old life behind, he was mentally prepared for it. While the thought of having no contact with his family saddened him, amazingly, there was no pain in his heart with the thought of cutting ties with Renate McCallister. How can I love someone who worships the Antichrist?
Brian and Renate were unequally yoked. And this meant, if chosen to manage an ETSM property, she could never know his whereabouts. Brian would fully comply.
But he couldn’t say the same about Jacquelyn Swindell. If chosen to go to Pennsylvania, he would want her by his side. As they both drew closer to Christ Jesus, Brian’s love for Jacquelyn had grown to the extent that he couldn’t live without her.
He wondered if she felt the same way about him. All he could do was hope and pray.
Brian refocused. If chosen, only he and a handful of others would become full-time residents at the outset. Travis Hartings said many months could pass before others eventually joined them there. Even so, once purchased, they would need to get busy and stay busy, as soon as the keys were handed over to them.
There was a knock on the door. Brian panicked. He wasn’t expecting anyone, including Renate. Then again, if it was her, she wouldn’t have knocked. She had a key. He quickly dismissed her.
How did, whoever it was, manage to get through the security gate downstairs? Brian gathered the printed sheets of paper and stuffed them in the top drawer of his desk and locked it. He turned off the printer, even as it was still spitting out page after page.
If the End Times Salvation Movement were to occupy any of these 500 locations in the future, no outsider could ever know about it. Privacy would be paramount to their overall survival. He had to guard this new discovery with his life.
Mulrooney put the screen saver on his laptop computer and tiptoed to the front door. His heart was pounding wildly inside his chest. This is ridiculous, having to tiptoe in my own apartment!
He looked through the peephole. It was Jacquelyn Swindell. Relieved, Brian unlocked the main lock and the two deadbolts he installed last month for added protection and opened the door.
“Hi, Brian!” Just one look at him and the smile on Jacquelyn’s face evaporated.
“How’d you get in, Jacquelyn?”
“The gate was open. I wanted to surprise you.”
“You’ve succeeded.”
Seeing the beads of sweat on Brian’s forehead and fear in his eyes, Jacquelyn said, “Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea, after all. Are you okay?”
“I am now.” Brian stuck his head outside the door and looked both ways. Satisfied that no one else was there he breathed a sigh of relief. He closed the door, locked all three locks, then apologized for his sudden paranoia.
Jacquelyn understood completely. Every believer needed to be paranoid from here on out.
Grabbing both of Jacquelyn’s shoulders, Mulrooney looked deep into her big, blue eyes, “You gotta see what I just found!”
“Wow! Good to see someone’s excited for a change. What is it?”
“I think I may have found our first property,” he exclaimed.
“Great! Where?”
“All over the country, actually. Place I’m looking at is in Pennsylvania.” Brian led her into his spare-bedroom-turned-office.
“Pennsylvania?”
“Yep. Place called Chadds Ford. Not too far from Philadelphia. I’m curious to see if it lines up with the dream you had.”
Brian took a seat at his desk and removed the screen saver, allowing Jacquelyn a sneak peek of the property, while he fumbled with the key opening the drawer holding the already-printed specs.
Jacquelyn pulled up a chair next to his and plopped down onto it. Perusing the paperwork, she said, “It looks vaguely familiar, but hard to say for sure.”
“Let’s go to Pennsylvania for an up close and personal view of the place.” It came out of nowhere, surprising even Brian.
Jacquelyn shot Brian a sideways look, “Really?”
“Yep. At least then we’ll get to see if it’s the place you saw in your dream, and if it’s even worth buying.”
A smile broke across Jacquelyn’s face. “Wouldn’t that be something. When do you wanna leave?”
“Since I’m off the next few days, I’m thinking tomorrow morning. Can you handle four a.m.?”
“Yeppers,” came the reply. “Will the interstates be okay?”
“I think it’s safe to assume we’ll encounter a few minor problems and delays along the way, like we did driving to Chicago last month. But we’ll make it. After all, we’re doing God’s work, right?”
Jacquelyn smiled. “Amen to that!”
“Let’s do it then. I’ll be at your house at three fifty-five a.m.”
“Aye, aye, captain,” Jacquelyn said, saluting him like a soldier would her commanding officer. “By the way, what’s the asking price?”
“Not sure. It’s part of a huge package deal. We’ll find out soon enough.”
“Sounds good. Well, time for me to go home and get packing,” Jacquelyn said. “Four o’clock comes awfully early in the morning.
“Try to get plenty of rest. We’ll both need it.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“See you in the morning, Jacquelyn.”
“I look forward to it.”
“Me too.”
At that, Jacquelyn left for home...
31
AT THREE FIFTY-FIVE sharp, Brian called Jacquelyn’s cell phone to inform her of his arrival.
Jacquelyn grabbed her jacket, a thermos full of hot coffee and a bag full of snacks for the long trip.
Brian was waiting outside the car with the passenger front door open for her, “Good morning, Jacquelyn!”
“And a fine good morning to you, too, sir. Or, what’s it you Irish say, ‘Top of the morning to you’?”
Brian chuckled. They embraced. Jacquelyn’s hugs always felt good, especially this early in the morning. Her just-washed hair filled his nostrils with a pleasant aroma. He didn’t want to release his grip on her, but they needed to get a move on.
Jacquelyn climbed inside the vehicle and Brian closed the door for her.
“Is that coffee I smell?” Brian asked, fastening his seat belt.
“A whole Thermos full. Would you like a cup?”
“I’d love one!”
“I also brought lots of goodies in case we get stuck in traffic or stranded for any other reason.”
“Very thoughtful of you,” he said.
“Just happy to be taking this road trip with you.”
Brian smiled.
Jacquelyn poured two cups of coffee into lidded cups. After adding the right amounts of cream and sugar, Brian sped away, sending gravel spinning beneath his rear tires.
Almost immediately Jacquelyn joked, “Are we there yet?”
“Clo
se. Only six-hundred and fifty miles to go.”
Jacquelyn laughed.
They drove east on Willis Road until they reached U.S. 23, then headed south on 23, past Toledo, Ohio, to the Ohio Turnpike, and headed east.
Three hours later they reached I-76, Pennsylvania’s Turnpike. According to the GPS inside Mulrooney’s car, they still had six hours of driving time left.
At 7 p.m., they reached the DOWNINGTOWN EXIT, paid the extremely high toll and proceeded to route 100 southbound.
Forty-five minutes later, Brian pulled into the hotel parking lot of the Best Western Hotel, in Concordville, Pennsylvania.
Jacquelyn was sleeping.
Mulrooney quietly got out of the car and paid for two separate rooms for two nights. When he returned to the car, Jacquelyn was awake. He gave her the key to her room. “Hungry?”
“I’m starving,” she exclaimed.
“You’ve never starved a day in your life!”
“You’re right. I’m very hungry. Is that better?”
“Much,” Brian said.
Jacquelyn smiled.
After taking their suitcases up to adjoining rooms, Brian and Jacquelyn ate at a restaurant next to the hotel. The food was delicious. After dinner, they went back to their rooms.
Almost immediately, Brian called Jacquelyn: “Whatcha doing?”
“Nothing. You?”
“Wanna come over and watch TV?”
“Sure.” Perfect! It had been a long drive, and Jacquelyn needed a break, a mental release. It had been a long six months for that matter. Besides, she felt lonely and didn’t want to be left alone in her room.
Five minutes later, they were channel surfing, looking for something decent to watch for a change. As vile as Hollywood was prior to the Rapture, with children and the salt of the Earth temporarily removed, zero discretion was used in monitoring television programs and movies. Not that much discretion was used in the past, but it was so much worse now.
The former rating system that had been in place for decades—G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17 or X—warning parents of a movie’s possible foul content was lifted. With children temporarily gone, vile, evil, vulgar shows exploited the airwaves.
These new movies, sitcoms and documentaries made the shows of old look like Barney the Dinosaur. All were full of nudity, vulgar sex, foul-language and extensive drug use. Some shows actually taught viewers at home how to properly insert needles full of heroin in the veins. Absolutely nothing was hidden from them.
The more they aired these lewd programs the higher the ratings shot up. The end result was that society decayed all the more.
But not all was bad. Excessive violence in movies was way down. Thanks to Salvador Romanero and his promise of peace for all, anti-violence was now a cause worth championing.
Hollywood executives promoting anti-violence in their movies were cheered as heroes. But they more than made up for it by filling that void with excessive amounts of drug use, sex and nudity.
One Hollywood executive was quoted as saying, “Sex and drugs should be celebrated in our society. Unlike violence, they make the body feel good. We need to love our neighbors, not hurt them!”
In short, the theme in Hollywood was vastly becoming, “As long as a TV show or movie isn’t too violent, everything else is permissible.”
Brian and Jacquelyn were both thrilled to find a Three Stooges marathon airing on TV. A little laughter was just what they needed.
During a commercial break, Brian dashed to the vending machine down the hall and purchased a bag of microwave popcorn and soft drinks. With unspeakable trouble lurking on the horizon—especially for God’s people—relaxing moments like this would soon become a thing of the past.
Brian pushed that thought out of his mind. He didn’t want to ruin this precious moment by thinking negative thoughts.
Not tonight. He was grateful to have no other plans except to watch the Three Stooges and eat popcorn with Jacquelyn Swindell.
There was no other place Brian would rather be.
If Renate could see me now…
32
AT 8 A.M. THE next morning, Brian called Jacquelyn’s room. “Wake up, sleepy head.”
“Sleepy head? I’ve been awake for more than an hour, thank you very much,” she countered, teasingly. “Been reading the Bible.
“Oh yeah, which part?
“Daniel. What a confusing Book!
“Yeah. Difficult to comprehend the Book of Revelation without it. Not to change the subject, but there’s a continental breakfast downstairs. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”
“Are you kiddin’! I’m…” Jacquelyn was going to say “starving” like she did the night before but thought better of it. “Me too.”
“If you wish, we can discuss the Book of Daniel over a bite to eat.”
“Sounds good.”
Brian met Jacquelyn outside her room and they rode the elevator down to the lobby together.
After breakfast, they drove to the property for sale. Brian and Jacquelyn couldn’t contain their excitement.
Brian pulled into the parking lot, “Here we are...”
Seeing the maroon wooden fence stretched out in both directions, Jacquelyn’s mouth was agape. “This is the place I saw in my dream!”
“How can you know for sure? We haven’t seen the inside yet.”
“I can just feel it.”
Brian silently rejoiced. If chosen to manage this property—if purchased, that is—the fact that Jacquelyn had dreams about it would greatly increase her chances of joining him there. Perfect!
Jacquelyn got out of the car. Her flesh was covered in goosebumps.
The property was completely surrounded by huge, leafless, 100-foot oak trees. They didn’t offer much camouflage now, but with spring fast approaching, as surely as the daffodils and tulips were starting to pop up here and there, leaves would soon grow on the trees, offering a natural canopy of camouflage in the spring and summer months. They were already budding, in fact.
Normally this time of the year, the major league baseball season would be in full swing. As a huge New York Mets fan, Brian seldom missed watching a game on his laptop computer.
But not this year. The season was canceled. He wondered if a major league baseball game would ever be played again. He wasn’t concerned either way. It was no longer important to him.
Brian and Jacquelyn pressed their faces up against the eight-foot picket-fence to catch a glimpse through the cracks. As expected, with the absence of people for so many months, deer roamed the grounds looking for food like they owned the joint.
As they were still looking through the fence, the Realtor pulled up, right on time.
Brian and Jacquelyn were as excited as two kids on Christmas morning. Not good!
“Whatever you do, try to remain calm at all times,” Brian said to Jacquelyn. “Let her earn her commission.”
“Okay.”
Rhonda Kimmel approached them at a very brisk pace, her right arm already extended for a handshake. “Mister Mulrooney?”
“Hi Rhonda. I’d like you to meet my good friend, Jacquelyn.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Jacquelyn.”
“Likewise.”
The two women shook hands. “Shall we?” Kimmel said.
“By all means.”
Rhonda Kimmel opened the lock box and retrieved the key that opened the gate. With a slight flick of the wrist, the gate swung open and the property unfolded before their eyes.
Jacquelyn was rendered speechless. What was more of a gut feeling when they first pulled onto the parking lot now felt like full-blown confirmation. This really is the place!
Brian glanced at her and knew what she was thinking. He smiled.
They walked the grounds. Off to the right was the swimming pool area. It would be useful, but not for swimming or lounging.
They checked out a few of the cottages. Unlike most traditional campsites where everything pretty much looked the same, these cot
tages and bungalows all had their own personalities, so to speak, varying in size and color. Some were brown. Some were gray. Some were blue. Some were yellow.
They would all need to be repainted in camouflage colors. The more they blended in with nature the better off they would be. As nice as everything looked, if purchased, it would all have to be changed. What mattered most now was survival, not beauty.
But one thing was certain: this place had unlimited potential. If purchased, the first thing they would do is tear down the picket fence encircling the property and build a brick and mortar wall at least 15 feet in height. Even a limited view from any outsider could do irreparable harm.
The cottages were built approximately 20 yards away from the fence line. Much like the trees and shrubbery, they followed the fence everywhere it went, until finally coming full circle.
It reminded Brian of a fortress from days long gone.
A gravel road encircled the entire property, obviously for vehicles. And a few badly chipped, cement walkways were scattered about for bicycles, skateboards, strollers and pedestrians.
At the back of the property was a daycare center, general store and large cafeteria. These things would surely come in handy. What they didn’t see was a hospital. They would have to build one.
Smack dab in the center of the property, Brian noticed what appeared to be a church steeple with a cross at the top. Which, of course, made perfect sense. After all, they were Christians.
Why wasn’t this mentioned online? Brian wondered. There was some mention of a general meeting place, but the word “church” was never mentioned.
Brian went off in that direction, doing his best to contain his excitement. Jacquelyn and Rhonda Kimmel followed closely behind.
Sure enough, it was a church. Brian glanced over at Jacquelyn and saw that she, too, was bubbling over with excitement. They did their best to remain calm. They would high-five each other later.
“This is where the wackos worshiped before they were vaporized!” Kimmel said, with a healthy dose of sarcasm. Getting no response from her clients, not even a chuckle, she thought, Maybe they’re wackos too? Ah, who cares? Stay focused, Rhonda! Make the sale, girlfriend. Don’t lose a huge commission because of your big mouth.
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