She had enough medical training to know what she might be experiencing but didn’t want to believe it could be that. “You just overdid it today, old girl.”
Resting her head back, she slowed her breathing and focused on calming herself. Thoughts again rushed about what might be happening, but she quickly dismissed them.
After several minutes and with no respite from the chest pain; she began to think about what this truly meant. Was this how she would die? Was today the day? How coincidental and oddly sweet to die on her birthday.
Another deep and sharp pain struck, this time causing her to tense her entire body. She couldn’t talk herself out of what was happening anymore. It was real and sitting in the chair was not where she wanted to die.
She struggled and got to her feet. Each labored step towards the bedroom felt like she was wearing forty-pound shoes. She focused on her breathing and kept it slow and shallow.
“Almost there,” she mumbled. Sweat poured from her brow and down her face. The blouse she wore began to cling to the wet skin on her chest.
She hadn’t prepared for this day and now in the midst regretted she hadn’t.
She entered the bedroom. Her bed was only a half-dozen steps away, but it might as well have been a hundred feet. She stopped and braced herself for further sharp chest pains, but none came. Instead all she felt was an immense pressure on the center of her chest. “Just a few more steps,” she said and pushed away from the door jamb. On her way to the bed, she saw Devin’s cologne on the dresser and grabbed it. She now stood above the bed. It had taken most of her energy to make it this far, so she allowed gravity to help and fell into the soft plush mattress. Her pain had increased, telling her that it wouldn’t be long. Death was coming and fast. She shifted her weight and with a trembling hand sprayed his cologne on the pillow then rested her head. She grimaced from more stabbing pain. Closing her eyes, she inhaled slowly, taking in the scent. Memories of Devin and their life together rushed forward in her thoughts. Clutching the other pillow, she drew it in and hugged it, pretending it was Devin. Tears then came; there was no need to resist. All the years of being alone began to flow. In her thoughts she saw him like he was those many years ago, young, lean, handsome. He reached out for her and she took his hand. Her body relaxed further into the soft bed. A final jolting pain struck her. Like a hot air balloon leaving the ground, she could feel herself lifting. In her mind, Devin was still there, his hand in hers. They walked together towards a bright, peaceful and warm light.
Cassidy lay in a state of half consciousness for another minute before she let out her last breath. No one would ever find her body, because there was no one left to find her. In the years she had crisscrossed the country looking for Devin, she had wondered if she might be the last person alive. She never had confirmation of this, but as the last breath left her body, it would be the last breath a human being would take on Earth. Her species and many others had become extinct from the planet because of Horton’s plan. He had succeeded in eradicating the human race as well as all mammals. With his dark vision fulfilled, the age of man came to an end.
Time, that was all Earth needed. Time and zero influence from a species like man. After several millennia, many of man’s physical and material achievements were wiped away, overtaken by Mother Nature. If someone were to fly over the planet, they’d see some ruins but mostly piles of what were once mega-cities with towering buildings. The cities were gone; the skyscrapers that had once reached towards the heavens had all crumbled and fallen.
A few thousand millennia later, the planet began to truly heal from the pollution, carbon emissions and environmental damage done to it by the former master species.
Man rose quickly on the planet, and within a millisecond of astronomical time, he had dominated the planet and set it on a course for destruction. If one were to measure the Earth’s life using a clock, the human species would represent seconds out of twenty-four hours. Modern man would only represent milliseconds. However short man’s time was on the planet, his influence had been mighty. He had accomplished much for an animal. He not only created and built great things and had the ability to ponder and ask the great questions, he had also been one of the most destructive forces on the planet. In the brief time of man’s existence, he had come to represent beauty and ugliness, but where man would fail ultimately was due to the fact that his morality was not equal to his intelligence and creativity.
In the mere blink of an astronomical eye, humans came and went. The promise of enlightenment would never happen. All snuffed out because of a single man’s hubris and desire for power over his fellow man.
THE END
A Note From The Author
First let me thank you for reading THE DEATH TRILOGY. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it and will continue to read other books and series I write.
I was asked a long time ago what apocalyptic scenario scared me the most. It took me all of one second to give the answer, pandemic. For me personally, I find the prospect of a deadly virus with no cure ravaging the world the most frightening situation there is. When I look at my own life and the possible apocalyptic scenarios that could befall us, I figure I can manage most of them. Whether it’s EMPs, nuclear war, cyber attacks, asteroid strikes, etc. I find the event occurs, then I’m left dealing with people; that is if I survive the initial event. What gets to me about a virus is that it’s silent, it’s invisible. You can be the most skilled and prepared survivalist, but you will never know if you are coming into contact with a deadly pathogen. You can’t see it, smell it or taste it. Yes, of course, most viruses that exist have hosts, and if you stay clear of them and wear protective gear, you’ll be safe, but still I fear a virus that will one day mutate or evolve and spread like wildfire without us being able to identify the host as contaminated.
In a world that has been ravaged by a virus, how will you know what you touch or ingest isn’t contaminated? You don’t because you can’t see it. When it comes to dealing with marauders or evil government officials, I feel I have a chance. I have training and resources to combat them if need be, but a virus that can quietly lie dormant, waiting for me to come into contact with it and bring it home scares the hell out of me.
Personally, I feel it’s only a matter of time before something truly horrible breaks out and causes great death. For my sake and yours, I hope it’s in the far distant future.
In THE DEATH TRILOGY, I created a group called THE ORDER; they are nothing more than a cabal of powerful and influential people from both the private and public sector. They hold the keys to power and have visions of total and absolute control. Sound like any groups you know? Fill in the blank, as there are several.
I know this idea is not new and I’m sure there are groups in existence who selfishly try to influence the lives of others. What I decided to do with this trilogy is give you that group but marry them to a set of principles that exist inscribed on a mysterious granite structure in the countryside of Georgia. This mysterious structure is called the Georgia Guidestones. Below I have taken information found online and put it together as a sort of reference guide. This structure does exist, that is a fact; however, what they mean is unknown. It is fascinating and scary at the same time.
All the best –
John W. Vance
The Georgia Guidestones
The Georgia Guidestones is a granite monument erected in 1980 in Elbert County, Georgia, in the United States. A set of ten guidelines is inscribed on the structure in eight modern languages, and a shorter message is inscribed at the top of the structure in four ancient language scripts: Babylonian, Classical Greek, Sanskrit, and Egyptian hieroglyphs.
The monument stands at the highest point in Elbert County, about 90 miles (140 km) east of Atlanta, 45 miles (72 km) from Athens, and 9 miles (14 km) north of the center of Elberton. The stones are visible from Georgia Highway 77 (Hartwell Highway) and are reached by turning east on Guidestones Road.
The structure is sometimes referred to
as an "American Stonehenge". The monument is 19 feet 3 inches (5.87 m) tall and made from six granite slabs weighing 237,746 pounds (107,840 kg) in all. One slab stands in the center, with four arranged around it. A capstone lies on top of the five slabs, which are astronomically aligned. An additional stone tablet, which is set in the ground a short distance to the west of the structure, provides some notes on the history and purpose of the Guidestones.
In June 1979, an unknown person or persons under the pseudonym R. C. Christian hired Elberton Granite Finishing Company to build the structure.
The land was apparently purchased by Elbert County on October 1, 1979, although the Georgia Mountain Travel Association's history says the monument is located "on the farm of Mildred and Wayne Mullenix".
The monument was unveiled on March 22, 1980, before an audience variously described as 100 or 400 people.
In 2008, the stones were defaced with polyurethane paint and graffiti with slogans such as "Death to the new world order". Wired magazine called the defacement "the first serious act of vandalism in the Guidestones' history".
In September 2014, an employee of the Elbert County maintenance department contacted the FBI when the stones were vandalized with graffiti including the phrase "I Am Isis, goddess of love". On September 22nd (after a tip on September 11th), local blogger Van Smith reported that a granite cube inscribed with the numbers "20" and "14" had been installed in a square notch in the corner of the English language stone. Smith noted the notch's appearance in 2009. The cube was later removed and destroyed by somebody who appeared to be an Elberton official, as recorded in a video, which showed additional markings of "8", "16", "MM" and "JAM".
Inscriptions
A message consisting of a set of ten guidelines or principles is engraved on the Georgia Guidestones in eight different languages, one language on each face of the four large upright stones. Moving clockwise around the structure from due north, these languages are English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, and Russian.
Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
Guide reproduction wisely — improving fitness and diversity.
Unite humanity with a living new language.
Rule passion — faith — tradition — and all things with tempered reason.
Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
Balance personal rights with social duties.
Prize truth — beauty — love — seeking harmony with the infinite.
Be not a cancer on the earth — Leave room for nature — Leave room for nature.
Explanatory tablet
A few feet to the west of the monument, an additional granite ledger has been set level with the ground. This tablet identifies the structure and the languages used on it, lists various facts about the size, weight and astronomical features of the stones, the date it was installed and the sponsors of the project. It also speaks of a time capsule buried under the tablet, but the fields on the stone reserved for filling in the dates on which the capsule was buried and is to be opened have not been inscribed, so it is uncertain if the time capsule was ever put in place. Each side of the tablet is perpendicular to one of the cardinal directions, and is inscribed so that the northern edge is the top of the inscription. At the center of each tablet edge is a small circle, each containing a letter representing the appropriate compass direction (N, S, E, W).
The complete text of the explanatory tablet is detailed below. The tablet is somewhat inconsistent with respect to punctuation and also misspells "pseudonym". The original spelling, punctuation and line breaks in the text have been preserved in the transcription which follows (letter case is not). At the top center of the tablet is written:
The Georgia Guidestones
Center cluster erected March 22, 1980
Immediately below this is the outline of a square, inside which is written:
Let these be guidestones to an Age of Reason
Around the edges of the square are written the names of four ancient languages, one per edge. Starting from the top and proceeding clockwise, they are: Babylonian (in cuneiform script), Classical Greek, Sanskrit, and Ancient Egyptian (in hieroglyphics).
On the left side of the tablet is the following column of text:
Astronomic Features
1. Channel through stone
indicates celestial pole.
2. Horizontal slot indicates
annual travel of sun.
3. Sunbeam through capstone
marks noontime throughout
the year
Author: R.C. Christian
(a pseudonym) [sic]
Sponsors: A small group
of Americans who seek
the Age of Reason
Time Capsule
Placed six feet below this spot
On
To Be Opened on
The words appear as shown under the time capsule heading; no dates are engraved.
Physical Data
On the right side of the tablet is the following column of text (metric conversions added):
PHYSICAL DATA
1. OVERALL HEIGHT - 19 FEET 3 INCHES [5.87 m].
2. TOTAL WEIGHT - 237,746 POUNDS [107,840 kg].
3. FOUR MAJOR STONES ARE 16 FEET,
FOUR INCHES [4.98 m] HIGH, EACH WEIGHING
AN AVERAGE OF 42,437 POUNDS [19,249 kg].
4. CENTER STONE IS 16 FEET, FOUR-
INCHES [4.98 m] HIGH, WEIGHS 20,957
POUNDS [9,506 kg].
5. CAPSTONE IS 9-FEET, 8-INCHES [2.95 m]
LONG, 6-FEET, 6-INCHES [1.98 m] WIDE;
1-FOOT, 7-INCHES [0.48 m] THICK. WEIGHS
24,832 POUNDS [11,264 kg].
6. SUPPORT STONES (BASES) 7-FEET,
4 INCHES [2.24 m] LONG 2-FEET [0.61 m] WIDE.
1 FOOT, 4-INCHES [0.41 m] THICK, EACH
WEIGHING AN AVERAGE OF 4,875
POUNDS [2,211 kg].
7. SUPPORT STONE (BASE) 4-FEET,
2½ INCHES [1.28 m] LONG, 2-FEET, 2-INCHES [0.66 m]
WIDE, 1-FOOT, 7-INCHES [0.48 m] THICK.
WEIGHT 2,707 POUNDS [1,228 kg].
8. 951 CUBIC FEET [26.9 m³] GRANITE.
9. GRANITE QUARRIED FROM PYRAMID
QUARRIES LOCATED 3 MILES [5 km] WEST
OF ELBERTON, GEORGIA.
Guidestone languages
Below the two columns of text is written the caption "GUIDESTONE LANGUAGES", with a diagram of the granite slab layout beneath it. The names of eight modern languages are inscribed along the long edges of the projecting rectangles, one per edge. Starting from due north and moving clockwise around so that the upper edge of the northeast rectangle is listed first, they are English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, and Russian. At the bottom center of the tablet is the following text:
Additional information available at Elberton Granite Museum & Exhibit
College Avenue
Elberton, Georgia
Astronomical Features
The hole in the central column runs diagonally up through the stone and points directly to the North Star.
The four outer stones are oriented to mark the limits of the 18.6 year lunar declination cycle. The center column features a hole drilled at an angle from one side to the other, through which can be seen the North Star, a star whose position changes only very gradually over time. The same pillar has a slot carved through it that is aligned with the Sun's solstices and equinoxes. A 7/8" aperture in the capstone allows a ray of sun to pass through at noon each day, shining a beam on the center stone indicating the day of the year.
About the Author
John W. Vance is a former Marine and retired Intelligence Analyst with the CIA. When not writing, he spends as much time as he can either with his family or in the water.
He liv
es in complete bliss somewhere where the waves meet the shore.
The Death: The Complete Trilogy Page 61
