by S. E. Meyer
“Me? Why would you want me to go back down there?” cried Jenny.
“Because, it’s the last place he’ll be looking for you,” replied John.
“Back down where?” asked Nathaniel.
“To the Annunaki stronghold. Their very own underground city,” answered John.
“Well if the rest of them are anything like that guy we ran into at the church, I don’t know if that’s a very good idea,” replied Nathaniel with a wrinkled brow.
“At this point it’s the only option we have if any of us are going to live past a few more days,” said John.
“Do you even know what you’re going to do down there exactly?” James asked.
“No, I have no idea, but I have to trust that I will be able to figure it out. I can go alone. I’m not asking you to put yourself in harm’s way, but I have to do this. Look, it’s not just everyone here that’s counting on me, it’s also the souls locked away down there, including Jake’s. Their painful screams trouble my mind all day and haunt my dreams at night. And I’m the one who led Jake down there. I have to figure out a way to fix it,” John explained.
“Well, we better get ready then,” said James as he dropped the tailgate of the truck and retrieved two pails of wheat. “You don’t have to do this alone John. I just hope you know what you’re doing, we’re going to lose a lot of food on this trade,” cautioned James.
The group unloaded half the food they brought from the church and then loaded up several drums of diesel fuel. James disappeared to the storage room and came back with an armload of additional supplies. He dropped them into the truck next to the food. “Heads up,” he said as he threw an apple towards Jenny. She caught it in mid air and took a bite.
“Wow, I never though an apple would taste so good. I guess when you haven’t had any fresh fruit in a while it really hits the spot,” said Jenny.
James handed apples out to everyone and then smiled. “That’s the last of them, so enjoy.”
By the time the truck was packed and ready to go, Ben had made it back from setting up the trade. James made preparations to have Pete, Eric and Jason also come along. They got two extra vehicles packed with weapons and ready to go. James thought it was a good idea, as a show of force, in order to keep the other group from trying anything. “We don’t want to go in there looking like an easy target,” he said as they got into the vehicles and prepared to leave.
The three-vehicle convoy headed out of the compound towards the west side of Chicago. The pick-up loaded with supplies was in the middle, driven by Pete, while James took the lead in an SUV with John, Jenny and Ben. Ben was directing James on how to get to the predetermined meeting place. Jason took up the rear with Eric. The convoy slowly picked it’s way through the cluttered dark streets and within a few hours they had reached the outskirts of the main part of the city. It was eerily quiet and they didn’t see anyone as they drove, making everyone wonder how many people were still left in the city, and on Earth.
“How much farther Ben?” James asked as he viewed their surroundings.
“Not too much farther now,” replied Ben. “We’re going to meet at a warehouse just up ahead.”
James maneuvered the vehicle several more blocks until Ben pointed to a three-story building off to their right. Its outline was just barely visible in the near total darkness. “Right over there James, that’s where we’re going. They said to pull up in front of the main loading dock,” directed Ben.
The convoy slowly crept inside the warehouse yard and around to the back of the building. “Where’s the dock?” asked James. There was no response as everyone searched the area.
“Over there,” said Ben pointing to an area between the main warehouse and another building. James drove to where Ben was pointing and as they neared the dock they realized that the opposite end was closed off by another part of the warehouse making a large ‘U’ shape. James pulled up alongside the large building’s dock.
“Okay Ben, now what?” James asked with a nervous look in his eye.
“They’re supposed to meet us right here,” Ben said as he scanned the area around them. “But I don’t really care for where we’re parked. We’re all boxed in here. In the marines we had a name for that. It’s called a kill zone,” explained Ben. “And we’re right in the middle of it.”
James caught a flash of movement on top of the smaller warehouse and he swallowed hard. “Let’s get out and make sure everyone is holding a weapon,” James instructed. “I’m sure they’re just as afraid of us as we are of them.” The group exited their vehicles and everyone spread out around the loading dock area. The sound of an engine suddenly roaring to life behind them made everyone turn around. An SUV slowly drove towards them. As it got closer a man dressed in camouflage and holding an assault rifle appeared through the open sunroof. The vehicle stopped within shouting distance and the driver turned off the engine.
“You all need to get back in your vehicles and head farther down, but leave the pick up where it is. We’ll take a look at what you brought and see what it’s worth to us,” the man instructed. They did as they were told and moved the other two vehicles forward while about a dozen men appeared from the loading dock. They were all holding automatic weapons and they began inspecting the content of the pick-up.
“I don’t like this,” said John. “I’m getting a bad vibe here.” He nervously rubbed the back of his neck and continued to watch the armed men in the side mirror of the SUV. John noticed James was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white. Within a few minutes three of the armed men walked up to the SUV where James, John, Ben and Jenny were all fretfully waiting. John rolled down his window to get a better look at the man.
“Looks like we can work something out here,” the man grunted and then lit a cigarette. He offered one to John, and then waved to a group of men near the loading docks.
“No thanks, I quit,” John politely replied.
“When did you quit?” Jenny asked him as the men disappeared inside and then came back carrying two crates and several smaller boxes.
“When all of this started,” replied John. “I just didn’t feel like I needed it anymore.”
Two more men shuffled over to them with another larger crate. “Just stay in your vehicles. I’ll go over what we have here,” the man ordered. The guards removed the lid on the two smaller crates. “Grenades in this one and several small arms, along with ammunition,” he explained and then pointed to the other crate. “That one has over two thousand rounds for these,” he continued and tipped the larger crate while another man aimed a flashlight so everyone could see inside. “These are fully automatic military issue and there’s ten of them,” he explained. “Now there was something else on your list.” The man reached into a pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag. “Here,” he said as he handed the bag to James through the window. “C-4. Not much there, but it’s all we’re willing to part with. You’ll find the detonators in there too.” The man paused a moment as he studied James and then glanced at the rest of the group. “Now, get this loaded up and get out of here. Oh and you’re leaving your pick-up as part of the trade.” The man dropped his cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his boot. He smiled for a second. “Good luck,” he said, then turned and walked back to the loading dock.
“Well, you heard the man,” James exclaimed. “Let’s load this up and get the hell out of here!” Everyone got out and placed the crates into the back of the SUV. They got back inside and James turned the vehicle around. Everyone except for John was feeling slightly relieved at the thought of the trade being over and that they would be heading back home in a few minutes.
“Something’s wrong James, I can feel it!” John said. “Step on the gas, hurry! There is someone here. I can read his mind James.”
“Who? Who is here?” asked James as he pressed the accelerator to the floor. John was looking around wildly as the two vehicles headed back out of the loading area.
“I do
n’t know who it is, but I know he’s not going to let us leave.” A bus pulled out from behind the building on their right and crashed into the building on their left directly in front of them.
“What the hell?” James yelled as he pulled the steering wheel to the right in an effort to go around it. As soon as he did another bus crashed into the back of the first one, completely blocking their exit. James slammed on the brakes and stopped the SUV just in time.
“Oh no,” Ben whispered. “It’s a trap!” His eyes were wide with fright.
“What do we do Ben? What do we do?” James asked him frantically.
“We have to get out and take up positions behind the vehicles. Hurry,” he urged as he grabbed his rifle and opened the door. Everyone got out and did the same. Ben looked up at the rooftops through the dim light and counted about forty dark silhouettes on each side of them with weapons aimed. “It’s too late,” he yelled out as he slowly spun in circles holding his weapon to his shoulder. “They have us surrounded.” The armed men that delivered the weapons moved towards them from the rear and John noticed several more taking up positions on the roof of each bus.
The man that had first made contact with them slowly moved forward with his rifle pointed at James. “As you can see, you are completely surrounded and outnumbered!” the man shouted. “Drop your weapons.” John was trying to figure out a way out of the mess they were in. He glanced over at Frank and whispered. “There’s too many of them. I don’t think there’s anything I can do.”
“We had a deal!” James shouted back. “What the hell is going on?” he asked.
“Well, at the last minute the boss changed his mind, so I guess we don’t have a deal. Now drop your weapons,” the man demanded.
“Then let us go. You can keep the food and weapons. Just let us go, okay?” James asked.
The man just smiled. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.” He fired his weapon into the air. “Now drop them or the next rounds will find meat and bone.”
James looked around at everyone. “Put the guns down guys. There’s no way we’re going to win a firefight here,” he said. Everyone dropped the weapons they were holding. The armed men instructed everyone to fold their hands together behind their necks as they were escorted back towards the loading docks. They were placed in single file in front of the main loading bay door. “I just don’t understand what’s going on here,” James shouted as he stared at the man in front of him. “Why aren’t you keeping your end of the deal? You already gave us the weapons.”
The men surrounding them remained silent while the loading door began to open. The roll-up overhead door slowly retracted to reveal someone standing behind it. As soon as the door cleared his head the man stepped out into the open air and took a deep breath. He briefly glanced at the group before resting his gaze on James. “Why aren’t we keeping our end of the deal?” the elderly man repeated James’ question and then paused. “Because the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away,” the man said, and then smiled broadly. He turned his head slightly to one side and James noticed a gruesome scar running the length of his face in a long arc from his temple to his chin.
Message From Above
Lucas leaned back in his chair away from his computer and glanced over at Hosea. They had been feverishly trying to translate the language that the Ark had been mumbling for hours. “I’m not sure what else to do Hosea,” said Lucas, and then let out a sigh. “I’ve tried all the tests I can think of to translate the words, but it just seems like gibberish.”
“Well, maybe the computer will come up with something. The program Dennis wrote is supposed to look for other patterns in the message, correct?” asked Hosea.
“Yes, but it will be a while yet before the program is finished,” Lucas replied with a yawn, rubbing his eyes. “Maybe we should get a few hours of sleep Hosea.”
The door burst open and Dennis ran inside. “I’ve got it,” he exclaimed excitedly. Dennis placed a piece of paper in front of Lucas and Hosea. “See that?” He pointed to lines of numbers in rows on the page. “I found an underlying number system pattern, hidden within the phonetic sounds from the recording. See what they are?” he asked with a broad grin.
“Oh!” responded Lucas with a thoughtful expression. “It looks like it’s suppose to be translated using every other phonetic sound. I never tried that.” He turned to Hosea. “Can you play the recording back again?” he asked.
Hosea pressed a few buttons and the low whispering began to emanate from the speaker in front of them. “I think this is going to work,” said Lucas. “I’m going to need a little help stopping the recording and restarting it so I can write all this down, but it’s starting to make more sense now. Hosea can you give me a hand here and stop the recording when I tell you,” Lucas asked.
Dennis looked up from his screen. “I have a better idea, why don’t I have the computer just play every other phonetic sound?” he suggested.
“You can do that?” Lucas asked excitedly.
“Sure,” replied Dennis and walked to where Hosea was sitting. He typed several commands into the computer and hit he enter key. “There, that should do it.” The trio sat silently, waiting for the computer to begin relaying the sounds through the audio equipment. When they finally came, Lucas began scratching words onto the paper in front of him with a pencil. “This is great, I can translate it now,” he said, continuing to scribble. “Okay, pause it for a minute.” Dennis stopped the playback while Lucas continued to write. “Okay, you can start it again.” Dennis once again started the playback. He and Hosea watched while Lucas filled half a page before setting his pencil down. He picked up the piece of paper and stared at it intently.
“What does it say?” asked Hosea. His eyes were wide with excitement as he leaned closer to Lucas. Lucas began to read.
‘The son shall die for all, on the cross.
To wash away sin, transgression and loss.
Three days of darkness there shall be.
Then risen again for all to see.
Unto the heavens through clouds he’ll ascend.
Marking the final Age at an end.
Those who have ears let them hear and be saved.
Go to the places where Gods are engraved.
Fire-breathing ships of the air will descend.
Escape to Eridu and give the key time to mend.’
There was a moment of silence before anyone spoke. “That just doesn’t make any sense,” said Hosea. “A lot of those things already happened. The son dying on the cross and washing away sin. Then rising again after three days. Is this message thousands of years old or something? I don’t get it.” Hosea shook his head in frustration. “And here I thought there was going to be some information regarding our current situation. I guess we’re back at square one.”
“No, not necessarily Hosea,” answered Lucas. “This reminds me of something I studied a few years ago.” Lucas rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “Hmm, that is interesting.”
“Why? What are you getting at Lucas?” asked Hosea.
“It’s interesting because the ancient Mesopotamians and Sumerians used to say that the sun, spelled s-u-n not s-o-n, would die on the cross. They were referring to the Sumerian sun-wheel here, which represented the four seasons. It was a circle with a cross through the middle of it. At the spring equinox they celebrated the fact that there were now more hours of daylight than darkness in a twenty-four hour period. So, they would say that the sun died on the cross, then rose from the dead and would once again ascend high into the heavens. This refers to the difference between the sun being directly above one’s head in the summer, and much lower in the sky during winter. They would pray to the ‘Most High’, meaning they would pray to the sun at noon when it was in it’s ‘most high’ position in the sky. It was a springtime festival. It was a celebration of the sun and the bounty that it would bestow on them throughout the summer. The observance was always held on Easter Sun Day. The word Easter actually comes from the Mesopotamian w
ord Ishtar, but our ancestors pronounced it Easter, the same way we pronounce it today. This is where our Easter celebration comes from. It’s actually a tradition that goes back millennia, to the very beginning of civilized man,” explained Lucas.
“I always thought it was a religious holiday,” Dennis replied. “You know, bake hot cross buns and go to church. That’s what I remember as a kid growing up. After that, eat a ham dinner and then have an Easter egg hunt.” Dennis smiled. Lucas smiled right back with a broad grin and a twinkle in his eyes.
“Yes, most people do think it is a religious holiday, but it’s not. It’s much older than that. It’s a holiday that recognizes the resurrection of the sun from the darkness of winter. The ancient Sumerians would bake round bread, marked with crosses, signifying the Sumerian Sun wheel. They would hide, and then hunt for eggs, to celebrate Tammuz the great hunter. He was the god of fertility and it was believed he brought new life to nature in the spring. It was also said that he loved rabbits, so the rabbit was always held sacred. This is where the ‘lucky rabbit’s foot’ folklore comes from, and it is also why we have the Easter Bunny. The Sumerians would also slaughter a pig at Easter, and eat a ham dinner, just like we do today. They ate ham, once again as a tribute to Tammuz. It was said that Tammuz was killed one day by a wild boar while hunting, so people would eat ham in honor of his death. Tammuz was supposedly forty when he died and the ancients used to fast, or give up certain foods, for forty days leading up to the Easter feast. One day for every year that Tammuz lived. This is where the forty day tradition of Lent comes from.” Lucas explained.
“Now wait a minute Lucas. Lent is the observance of when Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness. It doesn't have anything to do with some Sumerian folklore God,” replied Hosea.
“Is that so, Hosea? What most people don't realize is that Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness leading up to the Passover, not Easter. So if Lent truly is about Jesus, then why is it centered around the Easter holiday? No guys, listen, Easter was celebrated thousands of years before Jesus, and in exactly the same way we celebrate it today,” Lucas finished. Dennis and Hosea just stared at him. “I apologize. I hope I didn’t offend anyone. I just find this stuff absolutely fascinating. I enjoy learning about the origins of things and why we do them, instead of just doing them because people always have,” he added. Lucas only received more silence in response.
