The Days of Elijah, Book Two: Wormwood: A Novel of the Great Tribulation in America

by Mark Goodwin

  “When you try to be made right by the law, you are no longer putting your faith in the blood of Messiah. It is admirable to want to please God, but it is important to remember that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God. The just shall live by faith.”

  Sarah put more food on her plate. “I never learned that growing up. I always thought you had to abide by the rule book to please God.”

  Elijah smiled. “He does require repentance. And he has given us directions on how to live godly lives, but it is now a free life in the Spirit, not one that must adhere to the precepts of the Old Covenant.”

  Everett pointed toward the front window. “Everyone should go look out toward the east. The sky is turning black. I hate to be melodramatic, but it looks downright apocalyptic. Yom Kippur starts at sunset, and I have a really bad feeling.”

  Kevin walked out onto the porch first. Everett, Elijah, and the girls followed him.

  “What’s the next shoe to drop?” Sarah stood behind Kevin as if she were spooked by the menacing sky.

  Everett pulled Courtney close. “The Seven Trumpets. Preceded by thunder, lightning, and an earthquake.”

  “And what happens with the first trumpet?” Sarah asked.

  “Fire burns up a third of the trees on earth.” Everett’s voice was somber.

  Kevin turned to Everett. “Should we maybe load up some critical gear and move it to the cave?”

  Everett thought about the suggestion. “The only problem is the quake. When the angel throws the burning censer to earth, we get another shaker. I wouldn’t want to be trapped in the cave when that happens. Nor would I want all of our gear to be in there. It could take a while to dig it out.”

  Courtney said, “Why don’t we get everything loaded up. Then if we get the thunder, lightning, and a quake from the censer being thrown to earth, we can move the gear to the cave right after.”

  “Will we have a window between the censer and the first trumpet?” Sarah asked.

  Everett looked at Elijah. “What do you think?”

  “I didn’t get a better schedule than you did. I have exactly the same book. There is a sentence in between the censer and the trumpet being sounded. ‘And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.’ Now, does it take the angels five minutes to prepare or five weeks to prepare? Your guess is as good as mine.”

  Everett looked at Kevin, Courtney, and Sarah, who were waiting for him to give the command. “Okay, we’ll load up and move to the cave as soon as the quake comes. Elijah, sorry to ruin your dinner. Will you be coming with us?”

  “Of course I’m coming. And dinner isn’t ruined. We’ll eat it at the cave. Also, I’ll be bringing Samson and Delilah.”

  “Who’s that?” Courtney looked curious.

  “My two favorite goats. I can’t stand to leave them behind. They won’t be much of a bother.”

  Sarah pursed her lips. “Two goats, a cat, and a dog in a cave. At least we won’t be bored.”

  “We’ll load up the truck and come back to your place to wait out the quake. Maybe we’ll still get to enjoy your nice dinner.” Everett smiled at Elijah as he led the way to the vehicle.

  Everett delegated jobs to everyone on the way home. “Courtney, get our guns, ammo, some clothes, and valuables out of the loft. Kevin, get your guns and ammo. Sarah, you’re in charge of getting Danger and Sox ready to roll. I’ll unhook the ham radio and get it packed.”

  When they pulled into the drive, everyone exited the vehicle and darted into action.

  Everett could hear the thunder getting closer as he quickly disconnected the radio. His first move was to unplug the antenna. The last thing he wanted was to have it struck by lightning. That wouldn’t be healthy for himself nor the radio. Everett secured the components of the radio in large plastic bins, wrapping them in towels to protect them from the bumpy ride to the cave.

  Kevin walked into the back bedroom, where Everett was working, to retrieve another load of military ammunition cans. “Anything that’s not waterproof, I’m stuffing into trash bags to protect it in case it rains, but you mentioned fire falling from the sky. Hefty contractor bags are high-quality trash bags, but I doubt they’ll offer much protection if it starts raining fire.”

  “Hmm.” Everett grimaced. “What if we pull a few panels of the metal roofing off of the back storage shed?”

  Kevin nodded. “That might buy us some time.”

  The team completed their preparations, loaded the truck, and drove back to Elijah’s.

  Everett got out of the passenger’s side of the truck to find Elijah loading his old pickup. “Need some help?”

  Elijah looked around. “I think I’ve got everything I need. The goats will ride in the cab of the truck with me.”

  Everett looked at the various boxes and bins in the back of Elijah’s old truck. “We put sheet metal from the roof over the back of our truck. If you want to pull a few panels off the top of your smoke house, I’ll give you a hand.”

  Elijah nodded. “That might be wise.”

  A gust of wind swept through suddenly, stirring up a cloud of dust and leaves. Danger began barking and whining.

  Sarah covered her eyes with one hand and held the leash tight with the other. “Elijah, can we take the animals inside?”

  “Yes, yes. Go ahead.” Elijah turned to Everett. “We should move quickly.”

  Courtney carried Sox in the makeshift carrier and followed Sarah into the house.

  Kevin assisted Everett and Elijah in removing a couple panels from the smoke house. The wind grew stronger, blowing dust and debris. Everett and Kevin stood on ladders to remove the first panel, handing it down to Elijah to carry to the truck. As they removed the second panel, a violent gust grabbed it and whipped it out of their hands. The metal sheet blew across the backyard, stopping only when it reached two trees, which it could not fit through.

  Everett checked his hands for cuts, then looked at Kevin who had been holding the other end. “Are you okay?” He had to speak loudly to be heard over the wind.

  Kevin held up his palm, revealing a small trickle of blood. “I got a scratch, but I’ll be okay,” he yelled.

  “You go inside and take care of that cut. Elijah and I will get the rogue panel and secure it to the truck. When was your last tetanus shot?”

  Kevin folded his ladder and laid it on the ground so it wouldn’t blow away. “Not long ago. I got one back when the economy started melting down. I figured things might get bad. Of course, I never guessed anything like this would happen.”

  “Okay, get that cleaned up. We’ll see you inside.” Everett helped Elijah get the sheet of metal roofing to the bed of the old pickup. They used a combination of bungee cords and ratchet straps to secure the panel over Elijah’s belongings. Next, they retrieved the runaway panel and secured it to the bed of the truck as well.

  Elijah led the way into the house. “Come, come, Everett. The sky is growing darker.”

  Everett looked at his watch. It was 6:30. Sunset was more than a half hour away, but it was already pitch black outside. As Everett walked inside, he had to fight the wind to close the door.

  A loud clap of thunder broke out, rattling the windows and shaking the entire house. Danger, who was next to Sarah, barked and whined.

  “It’s okay, Cupcake. It’s just thunder.” Sarah petted him and tried to console him.

  Courtney sat at Elijah’s table, where a single candle glowed. She held the raccoon trap being used as a cat carrier for Sox, in her lap. “Elijah, do you have a towel? I think if I cover the cage, Sox might not be so afraid.”

  “Yes, yes. Let me get that for you.” Elijah lit two more candles to further dispel the darkness. He carried one with him as he left the kitchen.

  Kevin emerged from the bathroom with a bandage on his hand. “Sounds like it’s getting nasty out there.”

  A bright flash of lightning preceded another loud roar of thunder, which rattled the dishes inside Elijah’s cupboards
, and left a trailer of vibrations for several seconds.

  Elijah returned with the towel. He gently covered the cage and whispered to Sox. “You are in very capable hands. I’m certain Courtney will take good care of you.”

  “Could we turn on the radio?” Sarah asked.

  “Yes, yes.” He picked up the small radio from the kitchen counter and turned it on.

  The radio came to life. “. . . severe thunderstorm warning. The Global Republic is asking everyone within listening distance of this station to seek shelter. Listeners are urged to stay away from windows as gusts of up to 70 miles per hour have been reported. Additionally, golf-ball-sized hailstones have been reported in the New Atlantis metropolitan area. With the heavy winds, the hail becomes more dangerous as it can break windows and potentially injure those inside, vehicles, homes, and buildings.

  “No tornadoes have been reported yet, but conditions are favorable for their formation. If you have a basement or interior room, that is the best place for you to shelter.”

  Kevin crossed his arms and looked at Everett. “Golf-ball-sized hail. If they’re getting it in DC, it’s headed this way. We can’t drive in that. It could break out the windshield. Do you think we should head to the cave now?”

  Everett threw his hands in the air. “We’ve still got a quake coming. I’d rather take my chances driving in hail than risk being buried alive in the cave. Elijah, what do you think?”

  Elijah opened the plastic containers in which he’d placed the leftovers. “I think we should eat. Everything is cold, but it still tastes wonderful.”

  Courtney peeked under the towel to look at Sox. “How can you eat with such a horrible storm coming?”

  Elijah made himself a small plate of food and sat next to her. “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. Of whom or of what shall I be afraid?”

  Courtney looked perplexed; as if she didn’t know if that was a rhetorical question or if Elijah expected a response. Either way, she didn’t answer.

  Everett envied the faith of the prophet. He wanted to be like Elijah, but he just wasn’t there yet. He did find some comfort in being near the old man with the storm raging outside. At least until the hail began to pound the metal roof.

  Samson and Delilah, the two goats who were tied up near the front door, bleated their protest to the noisy clamor from above.

  At first, the hail sounded like large raindrops, but Everett could hear larger pieces of hail hit the metal roof. The wind howled outside the small cabin with the wretched voice of some fiendish thing from another realm. Soon, the sound of hail pounding the roof was deafening. Everett could still hear Danger barking over the booming roar, but the radio was drowned out completely. He stood close to Courtney’s chair with his hand on her shoulder.

  Elijah sat at the table, eating his food as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening. Everyone else, including the pets, appeared to be on pins and needles. The storm raged on for several minutes. Lightning periodically lit up the inside of Elijah’s home like a strobe light. Thunder shook the walls and the very foundation of the little cabin. The sound of the hail beating against the metal roof ebbed and flowed in waves. Just as the hail sounded like it might let up, another assault of the large ice stones would batter the roof. Two of Elijah’s front windows were cracked from the hail, but none were completely smashed out. Everett doubted that the trucks had faired so well.

  Finally, the hail subsided. Everett nervously waited to see if the storm would send one last volley of ice to pummel the roof. He glanced at his watch. “7:30. Yom Kippur has begun.”

  Courtney looked up at him. “Is the storm over with?”

  He ran his fingers across the back of her neck. “I hope so.”

  Kevin walked cautiously toward the door. “I didn’t feel any quake.”

  Sarah held Danger’s leash tightly as she and the dog followed Kevin to the door. “The house was shaking from the thunder. How would we even know if there was an earthquake?”

  Everett looked at Elijah who was still eating. He decided to get a bit himself. He took a piece of Elijah’s homemade pita bread and spread some of his herbed hummus on it. Everett sprinkled a few sliced black olives from the can on the counter then took his snack out on the porch where Kevin, Sarah, and Danger stood looking out over the mountains. “How are the windshields?”

  Kevin walked out into the yard and shined his flashlight from vehicle to vehicle. “Elijah’s has two small cracks. One in the middle and the other on the passenger’s side. Ours has three holes, all surrounded by spider web cracks. We’ll either have to kick out the windshield or stick our heads out the window to drive.” Kevin shined the light down toward the ground which was white with hail.

  Everett could hear the ice crunching beneath Kevin’s feet with each step. “Be careful. That’s probably slippery.”

  No sooner had Everett issued the warning than Kevin’s foot slipped on the balls of hail. He caught himself before falling. Kevin walked with care, keeping one hand on the truck as he made his way back to the porch.

  The wind grew quiet. The thunder and lightning ceased. Everett finished his snack as he peered into the dark sky.

  Courtney joined them on the porch. “Is it over?”

  Everett was hesitant to respond. “For now.”

  “That was unconvincing,” Sarah said.

  Everett snickered. “If I had more conviction, I’d sell it a little harder.”

  The silence was soon replaced with a gentle patter of rain falling on the metal roof. Everett listened closely to see if he could hear any signs that the storm was returning. He heard nothing but the hypnotic rhythm of the light droplets coming down.

  Sarah sat down in the old rocking chair on Elijah’s porch. “It sounds so peaceful compared to the hail.”

  “Yeah, I could go to sleep listening to this.” Courtney stuck her hand out from beneath the cover of the roof to let the soft rain fall in her palm.

  Against his better judgment, Everett allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. He let the muscles in his face relax and tilted his neck to the side. The tension was fading away.

  “Ahhh!” Courtney yelled.

  Everett was immediately raptured out of his easy state by Courtney’s piercing scream. “What is it?” He sprang back to attention.

  Her hand and wrist were covered in blood. She continued to scream as she held her bloody hand toward Everett.

  “What happened? How did you cut yourself?” He quickly took off his shirt and wrapped her hand. He wiped off the blood and inspected her wrist for an injury. He found no cuts.

  Courtney regained her composure. “It’s not my blood. It’s the rain. It’s raining blood!”

  Everett turned to see Kevin shining his light out into the yard. Only seconds ago, the ground had been clean, clear crystals of white, but now it was dark crimson. The yard was covered in blood, like the floor of a slaughterhouse.

  Elijah came outside. “The First Trumpet has sounded. We should go to the cave. We should go now.”

  Kevin stood near Sarah. “I’m not sure we can drive in this. The roads are slick with ice from the hail and our windshield is busted out. We wouldn’t be able to see to drive at night, even if it weren’t raining blood.”

  “Better to drive when it’s raining blood than when it’s raining fire.” Elijah clapped his hands. “Come now, let us go while we can.”

  Sarah stood up. “Now there’s a man who knows how to put things into perspective.”

  Elijah looked at Everett. “I’ve got a shirt that you may wear. I’ll blow out the candles and bring it to you. After that, we must go.”

  “Thanks.” Everett waited for Elijah to return with the shirt.

  “I’ll be right back.” Courtney went inside to retrieve the cat carrier.

  Elijah returned with the shirt. “I’ll take the lead to the cave. My windshield wipers work v
ery well. We’ll travel slowly to be safe. I’ll tap my brakes two times when we approach any areas of the roads which were heavily damaged by the great quake. If you see my lights flash twice, you’ll know to be careful.”

  “Got it,” Kevin replied.

  “Do you have an umbrella?” Sarah sounded hopeful.

  “Sorry, child.” Elijah shook his head as he watched the steady stream of blood rolling off the edge of the roof, over the porch. Then, he stuck his index finger in the air. “Aha! What about trash bags? We could make ponchos!”

  “Brilliant idea!” Sarah exclaimed.

  Elijah quickly went back inside and retrieved large black trash bags for everyone. They all made small openings for their faces and put them over their heads.

  Everett looked at Courtney. “On three. I’ll run to the back-passenger door and open it for you. You follow me with Sox. Once you’re in, I’ll close your door and get in.”

  Kevin looked at Sarah. “Same plan, but driver’s side.”

  “Roger.” Sarah nodded.

  Everett and Courtney executed their plan without incident.

  Next, Kevin ran to the door and opened it for Sarah and Danger. Danger wouldn’t budge.

  “Cupcake! Come on!” Sarah tugged his leash. “He won’t walk in the blood.”

  Kevin yelled, “Just carry him! Come on!”

  Sarah grabbed Danger and hoisted him to the vehicle. Kevin closed the back door and got into the truck.

  Everett felt sorry for Elijah as he watched him wrestle to get the two goats in the cab of the other truck. “It would be funny if it weren’t raining blood.”

  Courtney tore the trash bag off of herself and dried her face with her shirt. The few drops of blood that had landed on her face while she got in the vehicle left red stains smeared across her light blue shirt. “Nothing about any of this is funny.”

  Finally, Elijah was in the truck with the goats. He started his truck and pulled out of the drive. Kevin stayed close behind Elijah.