The Days of Elijah, Book One: Apocalypse: A Novel of the Great Tribulation in America

by Goodwin,Mark

  “It went well; it was very informative. The words on the page, they seemed to jump out at me and . . . wait, when did I tell you I was reading the Book of John?” Everett recollected everything they’d talked about since they arrived at Elijah’s.

  “Ah, no matter.” Elijah led the way into the living room. “Let’s get this show on the road. I’m sure you two lovebirds have more important plans for your wedding night than sitting around here, gabbing with some old man. Did you want a long ceremony or a short one?”

  Courtney blushed at Elijah’s comment. “We enjoy your company very much, Elijah. We’re probably going to have a lot of questions -- about the Bible and about what’s coming on the earth, you know, the tribulation and all that.”

  Elijah found three candles and lined them up on his fireplace mantle. “Yes, well, I’ll teach you what I can. And the Spirit, he’ll guide you and show you everything you need to know. He’s the best teacher of all.” Elijah lit the center candle. “But for now, let us rejoice, both for your wedding to each other, and more importantly, for becoming part of the family of God.” He stuck his finger in the air for emphasis.

  Elijah slid the coffee table out of the way to make room for them to stand near the mantle. “Now, short or long?”

  “We don’t want to put you out,” Courtney replied.

  Everett winked at her. “And like you said, we do have other plans.”

  She slapped his arm playfully. “That depends on whether Everett wants to embarrass me anymore this evening.”

  Elijah snickered as he retrieved his Bible. He turned to Ecclesiastes 4 and began reading. “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

  Elijah closed the book and set it on the coffee table nearby. He handed Courtney and Everett the two unlit candles. “It is good that the two of you have each other to help you through the terrible times that are about to fall upon the earth. You’re going to need all of the help you can get. But don’t be deceived. The enemy has long perfected the art of planting seeds of division in the hearts and homes of even God’s most devoted. To keep your marriage strong, you need that threefold cord which is not quickly broken. If the two of you will weave your lives around your relationship with God, dedicating time each day to prayer and reading his Holy Word, you will have a three-strand cord that can withstand all trials. Everett and Courtney, place the wicks of your candles to the lit candle which represents the Spirit of God and your willingness to be bound to each other through him and this covenant you are committing to, here before God today.”

  The two of them lit their candles.

  “Everett, do you take Courtney as your wife, forsaking all others?”

  “I do.”

  “And Courtney, do you take Everett as your husband, forsaking all others?”

  She looked at Everett. “I do.”

  “Then I pronounce you man and wife. The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Kiss your bride, Everett.”

  Everett placed his candle on the mantle as did Courtney, and the two of them embraced in a long, passionate kiss.

  Elijah cleared his throat as a sign that the kiss had lasted long enough. “I’ll make a special meal tomorrow, and we can have a little reception if you want to come around about noon tomorrow. I would have prepared something today, but it was short notice.”

  “Thank you. You really don’t have to. We should make lunch tomorrow and invite you down,” Courtney said.

  “I insist. You two enjoy each other. Make a little time to read your Bible. Write down any questions that come up and I’ll do my best to answer them.” Elijah led the way to the door.

  Everett shook Elijah’s hand as they walked out the door. “Thank you so much, for everything.”

  Everett and Courtney got in the car and headed down the mountain. Everett let the BMW idle slowly down the hill, with his foot gently tapping the brakes. He looked from side to side out the windows for game.

  “Are you doing this to torture me?” Courtney bent over the seat and put her hand on his leg.

  Everett chuckled. “What am I doing?”

  “Going so slow. You know I want to get you home.”

  “You’re the one who said we couldn’t afford to miss the opportunity to get a deer.”

  “That was before we were married. I don’t know what I was thinking. Let’s just get home.”

  “If you say so.” Everett smiled and took his foot off the brakes. Just then he looked down the hill at their cabin. There was a truck in the driveway. “Now who could that be?”

  Courtney looked down the hill. “I don’t think it’s well-wishers, wanting to congratulate us on tying the knot.”

  Everett pulled to the side of the road and stopped the car. “Somebody just came out the front door and put something in the bed of the truck. We’re getting robbed!”

  Courtney took her heels off and tossed them in the back seat.

  “What are you doing?” Everett asked.

  “We have to slip around through the woods and hit them from the back.”

  “You can’t run through the forest barefoot. You’ll get frostbite or cut yourself on a branch. And you sure can’t run an ambush in a white dress. I’d see you on the other side of a crowded nightclub dressed like that, forget about going through the woods and not being spotted.”

  “We have to do what we have to do. We need our supplies if we’re going to get through this.”

  Everett put the car in reverse and started driving back up the hill slowly. “I’ll find a spot up on the hill where I can get a good shot from cover. You take the car back up to Elijah’s. See if he has some shoes and clothes you can borrow. Send him to back me up if he can.”

  “I don’t want to leave you.”

  Everett got out of the car, retrieved the rifle from the back seat, and handed Courtney his pistol. “It’s the only way. I’ll be all right. Go. Drive slow until you’re out of earshot so you don’t alert them.”

  “Okay, I love you.” Courtney moved over to the driver’s seat.

  “You, too.” Everett blew her a kiss as she steered the car backwards, up the mountain, and out of sight.

  Everett checked the chamber of the Mini 14 to make sure it was loaded. He stuck the spare 20-round magazine in his back pocket and stepped off the road into the tree line. Immediately, his foot slipped on a wet patch of decomposing leaves. He grimaced as he looked at the bottom of his shoes. “Horrible shoes for the woods. But I don’t really have any options here. I’ll just have to move slow,” he whispered.

  Everett carefully moved between the trees and down the hill to a position where he could see the cabin. He took small steps and tried to keep one hand on low tree limbs to help balance himself and prevent another slip. Soon, he found a large rock formation jutting up from the forest floor. It was almost too far away, but if he could hold the rifle steady enough, he was sure he’d be able to hit a man-sized target down by the cabin. Everett lay prone on the ground at the side of the rock and took aim. He could see the pickup truck and the cabin, but none of the burglars. He waited, taking careful aim at the path between the vehicle and the porch. Seconds later, a man appeared carrying a cardboard box. Everett waited for him to reach the truck to load the box in the back. When the man paused, Everett pulled the trigger.

  Pow! The shot rang out through the forest, and the man fell, spilling the contents of the box. “Ahhh! I’m shot! Greg! Help me!”

  Another man ran to his assistance -- Greg, Everett assumed. When he bent down to help the injured man, Everett took another shot. Pow! The shot echoed off the side of the g
ranite mountain and Greg fell motionless. Everett had a clear shot of the injured man. He could have easily put him out of his misery, but the man was proving to be an effective lure for the other hostiles.

  “Johnny! I need help man! I’m bleeding real bad!” the injured man called out.

  Everett couldn’t see the next man, but he heard his voice call out, “Just be still. I’ll help you in a minute. Where did the shot come from?”

  The injured man replied, “I don’t know. But I need to stop this bleeding. I’m going to die!”

  “I have to find the shooter, or he’s going to kill us both. Just stay calm.” The voice was insistent.

  Finally, a third figure emerged from the side of the porch. Everett could see the man clearly. He wore a camouflage ball cap, jeans, and a brown jacket. The man had a sandy-colored beard and was looking straight in Everett’s direction. Everett lay still with his head down and the rifle flat on the ground. He peered up and waited to see what the man would do. The man racked a shell into his shotgun and continued to scan the woods where Everett was positioned.

  Everett’s mind raced and he whispered to himself, “I’ve got range on this guy. There’s no way he could hit me from that distance with a shotgun… unless. Unless he has a deer slug and gets off a real lucky shot.” Everett watched as the man began walking up the hill in his direction. Evidently, the man had figured out the angle and direction of the shots that had killed Greg and injured the other man.

  “I’m hurting over here, Johnny! I need help.” The injured man’s voice was filled with pain and fear.

  Everett quickly calculated his odds. “His chances of hitting me are getting better and better with every step.” Everett pictured the shot in his head before he popped up to take aim. Then he mustered up the courage and made his move. Everett raised his rifle, still in the prone position, and took aim.

  Immediately, the man saw the glint of light from the moving rifle barrel and prepared to return fire. Everett pulled the trigger. He heard the sound of the shot from the Mini 14 ring out and the blast from the shotgun in quick succession. Everett quickly rolled behind the cover of the rock and examined himself. “No blood.” He took a deep breath and exhaled his relief. Everett peeked around the side of the rock. The man -- Johnny, he assumed, lay face down on the forest floor.

  “Johnny! Where are you? Johnny?” The injured man continued to call out to what seemed to be his last hope for rescue.

  “If there was anybody else in the cabin, I’m sure he’d be calling to them, since Johnny isn’t responding.” Everett talked through his reasoning to keep his racing mind in focus.

  Everett heard the BMW coming down the road. “I’ve got to make sure the guy doesn’t have a gun before Courtney gets down there.” He circled around the fallen body of Johnny, keeping his sights trained on him, in case he still had some fight left in him. “God, forgive me, but I have to keep my wife safe.” Pop! Everett put another shot in the back of Johnny’s head for good measure.

  He continued working his way down the hill, being careful not to slip. In addition to the sleek-bottomed shoes, Everett now had shaking legs to increase his risk of falling. He made it to the truck and slowly worked his way to the corner where he could see the injured man.

  The man was lying in a growing puddle of blood. “Johnny?”

  “Johnny’s gone. Let’s see your hands.” Everett called to the man.

  “Where’s Johnny?” The man rolled over, placing his hand near his stomach.

  Everett had a split second to decide if he was trying to hold his wound or if he was going for a weapon. “Rats!” He couldn’t take the chance. Everett gritted his teeth as he fired the rifle once more. POW! The man fell limp.

  “Everett! Are you okay?” Courtney’s voice called out from the road.

  “I’m okay. Stay where you are. I’ll come to you.” Everett surveyed his surroundings before moving slowly in the direction of Courtney’s voice. He reached the car where Courtney and Elijah stood with guns drawn. Elijah held an aged-double barrel shotgun with what looked like an old Civil War-era haversack, filled with shotgun shells, slung over his shoulder. Courtney stood behind the car with the Sig grasped in both hands, wearing her short white dress and knee-high green rubber boots.

  “You’re going duck hunting?” Everett couldn’t resist laughing.

  Courtney voiced her annoyance. “Shut up, Everett! The boots were right by the door and easy to put on. I had to get back here as fast as possible. Are there any more intruders down there?”

  Everett looked back toward the cabin. “I don’t think so, but I haven’t cleared the house.”

  “Then let’s get it cleared.” Elijah stepped forward.

  “Okay, we’ll stack up to enter. I’ll go straight. Courtney is behind me. She’ll go right and Elijah, you’ll be behind her and you’ll go left when we get in the door. Just give her shoulder a squeeze to let her know you’re ready to go. Once the living room is cleared, we’ll stack back up and clear the kitchen. Courtney, you’ll watch the ladder coming down from the loft, and Elijah and I will clear the back bedroom. Once the lower level is clear, we’ll clear the loft.

  Elijah chortled. “What are you? A CIA secret agent?”

  Everett looked at Courtney. She looked like she was thinking the same thing Everett was. Could Ken have told Elijah more than he was supposed to? There was no way to know. Everett gave Elijah a silly grin as if it were intended as a joke. “No.” After all, he was a low-level analyst, far from an active field agent like John Jones had been. Nevertheless, Everett had seen his share of classified footage of forced entries and knew a thing or two about what to watch out for. “I just watched too many movies.”

  Elijah smiled, like he knew better.

  Everett said, “Elijah, I know you’re a man of God, so I don’t want you to have to take a human life, but if it comes down to it, you have to be prepared to kill. Otherwise we’re all at risk. If you can’t do it, tell me now. Courtney and I can clear the house on our own.”

  “It won’t be the first time.” Elijah showed no emotion in his response.

  Courtney looked shocked by his answer. “Oh?”

  “Not even close.” Elijah motioned forward. “Come on, let’s get going.”

  Everett was glad Elijah was willing to do what was necessary to clear the house, but the old man was becoming more mysterious by the moment. Everett led the way down the road to the front door. Everett stood by the entrance, Courtney stood behind him, and Elijah was last in the line. Everett gave a nod to signal that he was ready to enter. He felt Courtney’s hand squeeze his shoulder, and he quickly moved in the open door. No one was in the living room. Everett moved to the doorway leading into the kitchen and waited for Courtney and Elijah to stack up behind him. They cleared the kitchen, and Courtney covered the ladder from the loft while Everett and Elijah cleared the back bedroom, checking under the bed and in the closet. Everett exchanged weapons with Courtney before climbing the ladder into the loft. This was certainly the most dangerous room to enter because of the slow access and total exposure while entering. Again, Everett found no one in the loft. “All clear,” he said after checking every possible hiding place.

  Courtney sat down on the bed and pulled her rubber boots off.

  “I wanted some wedding pictures of you in those boots. Why did you take them off so fast?” Everett chided.

  She smirked. “I’m done being the laughing stock of the mountain. And I don’t want any reminders that we had to take out hostiles on my wedding day. It’s not the best sign.”

  Elijah smiled. “But you must be grateful that God has delivered you from the hands of your enemies. I’d say that’s a pretty good sign.”

  “Here’s your boots.” Courtney handed the green rubber boots to Elijah. “Thanks for letting me use them.”

  Everett sat down on the mattress and hugged his wife. She’d been through a lot for one day. Her best friend had disappeared; she’d repented of her unbelief in Jesus; th
ey’d gotten married, and been robbed. Any one of those things would be enough to qualify for a very emotional day, but all together, it took a strong woman. He admired her strength, but it was obvious that it was taking its toll on her and she needed comforting.

  “Well, you’re safe now. I’ll be going back to my home.” Elijah laid his shotgun near the entrance to the ladder and began descending.

  Courtney dried the single tear that was running down her cheek. “Can you stay for a little while? The joint statement by the pope and Luz is coming on the radio at five. Why don’t you hang out and we’ll drive you back up the mountain after it’s finished.”

  Elijah looked at Everett. “I don’t want to be a bother.”

  Everett shook his head. “None at all. We’d appreciate your commentary on what the two of them have to say. Lisa told us something about them -- Luz being the antichrist and the pope being his false prophet, but I didn’t take her seriously until now.”

  Courtney brushed the leaves and dirt off the front of Everett. “Your jacket is ruined. And there’s not a cleaner around for miles. Why don’t you change and we’ll try to clean up that mess outside before the speech. I’ll put on some work clothes if you guys want to wait for me downstairs.”

  “I’ll be in the kitchen.” Elijah continued down the ladder grabbing his shotgun when he’d reached a point where he could bring it down.

  Everett pursed his lips as he found some jeans and a t-shirt.

  Courtney must have seen the disappointment in his eyes. She whispered, “I’ll put my little white dress back on later if you want.”

  His pulse quickened as he grinned. “Okay.” He kissed her, swiftly changed into his jeans and t-shirt, and climbed down the ladder.

  “I really appreciate you coming over. You didn’t have to help us,” Everett said to Elijah.

  “You would have done the same for me,” Elijah replied politely.

  Everett nodded. It was true, now that he’d come around to the truth, there was nothing in the world Everett wouldn’t do for the old hermit, but prior to the disappearances, Everett had been very skeptical and standoffish to the man. He regretted that he’d not been more kind. And now that he was about to go through the Great Tribulation, he was even more remorseful that he’d not listened to the old prophet’s exhortations to be reconciled to God earlier. Everett sighed. There was no use beating himself up over the matter. That was water under the bridge.