by Goodwin,Mark
“What? I didn’t say anything.” She now had an ear-to-ear grin.
He put his arms around her neck and pulled her in for a quick kiss. “No, but you thought it.”
“Let’s try to get the stuff in the apartment before the hooker completely sobers up and starts eyeballing our gear.” Sarah headed toward the door.
Everett, and Courtney followed her while Elijah and Kevin finished putting the final touches on the booby trap.
All of the gear was in the house in one trip, since there wasn’t much. Everett broke open one of the packs and began handing out MREs. Between what Kevin had brought from Tennessee and several cases stashed by John Jones, the group had plenty of them. Everett and Courtney sat at the small table in the kitchen. The others sat on the stools at Everett’s breakfast bar.
Over dinner, Everett explained what he’d learned about the smugglers passage along the river bank and it was decided that they would wait until nightfall and sneak past the checkpoint in the early morning hours rather than risk being detained for not having the Mark. They still had one more week of the amnesty period, but this was the belly of the beast, literally.
As they were discussing the plan to get past the beltway, there was a knock at the door. Everett pulled his pistol and got up to check the peep hole. He shook his head. It was Vanessa again. She was cleaned up, dressed and evidently ready to go to the club where she worked. He opened the door. “Hey.”
“I forgot to mention. We keep our curtains closed at night. Light is a good signal that there’s something worth stealing. They won’t turn your electric service back on until you get registered and take your Mark, but even candles will let looters know you’re here. And where there’s people, there’s probably stuff worth robbing. Anyway, be safe, and pop by tomorrow night if you can.” She waved as she turned to leave.
Kevin pulled his shirt tail back over the handle of his pistol. “She’s got street smarts. I’ll give her that.”
“Hmm.” Everett locked the door. “I suppose people like that have been operating on a more surreptitious level for years.”
“Says the guy from the CIA.” Sarah smiled. “It’s true, certain people are able to adapt to a covert lifestyle faster than others. The girl in our group who disappeared, Cassie, she saw all of this coming. We listened to enough of her crazy conspiracy theories to drop out of the system just in time.”
Sunrise was around six-thirty, so they’d leave the apartment at three. That would give them time to find a good spot to stash the car and work their way up the river bank in the dark. The group stayed in the apartment and rested until just before the time they’d decided to leave. They took turns keeping watch while the others slept.
Everett got a few hours of sleep, which was better than nothing, but his mind wouldn’t turn off. Even as he slept, he was haunted by the anticipation of sneaking into DC and the ghosts of the past which came roaring back with his visit to his old apartment. He remembered his days at the CIA, the clandestine meetings with John Jones, who’d warned him of the coming tribulation and the New World Order.
Finally, it was time to leave. Everett got up from the couch, laced up his boots and tapped Courtney on the shoulder. “Let’s get rolling.” Everett walked back to his bedroom to tell Elijah it was time to go. He opened the door to find the old man lying face down on the floor. “Elijah!”
“What is it?” The old man turned over quickly.
“Oh, I thought . . . I thought something had happened to you.”
“No, no. Nothing will happen to me until the appointed time.”
Everett helped him up from the floor. “What were you doing on the floor?”
“Praying.”
“With your face on the ground?”
“Yes. I want to make sure I am ready to confront Luz when I see him.”
Everett was somewhat confused. Both by seeing Elijah praying like that and by wondering how the man intended to get an audience with the supreme leader of the New World Order. “Okay, well, it’s time to go.”
Elijah brushed the front of his shirt and pants to straighten them. He grabbed his jacket and said, “Then let us go.”
Half an hour later, the team was in the car and driving down Georgetown Pike, which was quite rural.
“How far til we hit the beltway?” Kevin asked.
“It should be about two miles from here.” Everett continued to observe the roads on the left, looking for a good place to leave the car and access the river bank.
“Then we need to be finding a spot quick. Headlights can travel a long way, especially if the GR has an observation post up high. The last thing we want to do is run out of space and have to turn around. That would be very suspicious.”
Everett dropped his speed so he could get a better look at the signs as they drove by. A white split-rail fence ran along an open pasture for horses. “Madeira School, it looks ritzy. I doubt that place is up and running yet. Even if it is, there shouldn’t be anyone there this early.”
Courtney leaned forward from the back seat. “But if it’s open, we might get towed when the administrators show up and find a car with no parking pass.”
“Good point.” Everett began to drive on by.
Kevin pointed down the side road which displayed the sign. “Why don’t we take a spin down the road and see. I’m sure we’ll be able to tell if it’s open. If it’s full of broken windows and the grass hasn’t been cut since the collapse, it’s probably safe to say it’s not functioning.”
Everett turned sharply to avoid missing the entrance. They saw no signs of other people as they proceeded down the long path. They passed the school grounds and Everett saw yet another sign. “Camp Greenway. It looks like a separate summer camp. I’m sure that place won’t be up and running. Plus, it puts us closer to the river. I’d say we’ve found our spot. Elijah, what do you think?”
“It’s your car and you’re driving. You make the decisions.”
Everett did not want to be responsible if something went wrong, but there was no use having the same conversation over and over with the old man. As badly as he wanted to remind him that it was Elijah’s mission, he simply found a secluded spot at the end of the road to park the car.
They quietly got out of the car, and began working their way down toward the bank of the river.
Sarah took a long drink from the jug of water they’d brought. “Everybody hydrate. We’ve got some water and we have a good filter so we can resupply straight from the river, but that’s pretty suspicious activity, so we don’t want to, unless it’s our only option.”
Courtney took the jug next, had several drinks then passed it to Everett.
Kevin looked up at the sky. “We’ve got a crescent moon, so not much light. We really have to avoid using flashlights unless we absolutely need them. I’ve got one light with a red filter, which won’t travel as far, so if we get stuck and have to use it, I’ll lead the way then shine the light for each of you to follow over to me.
Everett and Kevin carried two small packs with food and water for the trip. While they had less than two miles to the beltway, they’d still have another twelve miles into DC proper.
The first leg of the journey was fairly smooth. Sarah walked next to Kevin who was accustomed to helping her navigate uneven terrain. Many places they had to traverse were rather steep. They approached a small water fall which required using rocks for stepping stones. Sarah used her walking stick to support her weight with one hand and Kevin steadied her with the other hand. Soon, they could see the I-495 bridge crossing the Potomac and moved deeper into the tree line. The checkpoints were only on the exits, but they did not want to be spotted by a chance patrol that might be on the beltway.
They passed through without incident.
“We made it!” Courtney whispered excitedly.
Everett gave her hand a squeeze. “Let’s celebrate when we make it back out.”
It had taken more than an hour to traverse the rough terrain. They had onl
y another couple hundred yards before they would hit the Potomac Heritage Trail which would allow them to follow the river, cross over Chain Bridge to the Chesapeake Tow Path and finally connect with the Capital Crescent Trail, a paved foot path which would take them straight into downtown DC. It was roughly a thirteen-mile trek, but having an even walking surface would greatly speed up their time.
Moving at a slow steady pace which allowed for occasional breaks, they reached Washington circle at 10:30 AM.
Elijah lifted his arms in the air. “And here we are. This very spot marks the lower left point of the pentagram formed by the streets of Washington DC.” He pointed down K Street. “The convention center, fourteen blocks down, marks the lower right point.” He pointed toward the northeast. “Connecticut Avenue and Vermont Avenue converge at the White House, to create the lowest point, or the mouth of the Goat of Mendes. Quite fitting if you think about it.”
Sarah looked around the circle and pointed toward a red brick building. “Wouldn’t a street have to intersect Washington Circle right here to make a pentagram?”
“Very astute.” Elijah laughed and nodded his approval. “Rhode Island Avenue terminates at Connecticut Avenue, leaving the only opening in the perfect inverted star.”
“So it’s not a complete pentagram.” Sarah looked at Elijah as if he were making up something that wasn’t really there.
“In deep pagan mysticism, the pentagram, which represents the star, Sirius, is a gateway for summoning vile spirits. The single broken arm, acts as a door and allows them to leave the control of the conjuror, free to enter into our world, unrestrained.” Elijah waited for Sarah’s reply.
She shivered and turned away without challenging his explanation.
“Come. Let us find this malignant creature that we might not weary ourselves in this God-forsaken city any longer than need be.” Elijah began walking south on 23rd Street.
Everett held Courtney’s hand as they followed. He was pleased, both because Elijah was taking the lead and telling them where to go, and because he seemed determined to get this field trip over with. Everett felt a sense of nostalgia and loss as they continued down 23rd, past the buildings of George Washington University, where he’d attended college. He considered what he’d learned about the world during his time there and how wrong most of those notions were.
Elijah turned toward the left, and followed Virginia Avenue. The elderly man seemed to have found a renewed source of energy, marching steadfastly in the direction of the Washington Monument.
Everett was in good shape, as was the rest of the team, but they all found themselves breathing heavily to keep up with the much older man.
Once they reached Constitution Avenue, Elijah headed east, quickening his pace to almost a jog. He finally slowed down when they reached 14th Street, but kept walking toward the new GR Ministry of Religion Building, which was being erected on the National Mall, directly across from the Washington Monument.
Elijah pointed out the newly erected replica of the archway to the entrance of the Temple of Baal which sat near the base of the Washington Monument. “Yet another passage way for every unclean spirit. And what a fitting place, at the bottom of an obelisk, the ancient phallic symbol of sun god worship.”
Everett looked over the archway and then turned around. He stared at the new Global Republic General Assembly Building, which now occupied the field that he’d once looked across for an unobstructed view of the Capitol Building. It seemed surreal. He’d always thought of the National Mall as sacred, a place no one would dare construct a building, particularly this hideous architectural nightmare. The thirteen-story building was stepped as it ascended toward the sky, like a ziggurat from a lost city of ruins, deep in the jungles of South America. There were few other buildings in DC which clashed with the other buildings of the city which were modeled after Greek or Roman temples.
Courtney seemed to know what he was thinking. “They have a glass pyramid at the Louvre. It’s not really any worse than that.”
Everett pursed his lips. “It’s worse.”
Kevin was less concerned with the heinous crime against aesthetics and pointed at a trench where the footer of the new Ministry of Religion building was being prepared. “Look at those.”
Everett turned his attention to where Kevin was pointing. “Giant rubber separators, why would anyone put those under a building?”
Kevin continued to stare at the devices being installed in the footer. “Those are called seismic isolators. They’re layers of rubber and layers of metal with a lead cylinder core. The lead is soft, so it can bend without breaking if it needs to. When a quake hits, the ground can move independently of the rest of building, so less destructive energy is transferred into the structure. The isolators basically act as shock absorbers for the building.”
Sarah crossed her arms as she looked at the series of devices which were mounted with heavy steel plates on top and bottom. “So the Antichrist and the designers of this building actually believe what the Bible says about the coming earthquakes, yet they’re going to keep fighting against God? That makes no sense.”
Everett said nothing as he looked at Sarah, wondering if she saw the irony of the statement she’d just made.
Sarah looked up from the area being prepared for the foundation of the building. “I don’t believe it!”
Everett turned to see what she was looking at. His heart nearly stopped. Angelo Luz was walking with an entourage of his staff, including Former President Clay, the new Minister of Religion, Jacob Ralston, and a host of other dignitaries, flanked by several GR elite guards wearing their black helmets with the red shield and black dragon insignia. The group seemed to be looking over the progress of the new building.
Elijah stared at Luz with a piercing glare. “You there, son of hell, offspring of perdition, thou child of damnation. Hear what the LORD thy God will say to you and the judgment which he has pronounced against your unholy kingdom.”
Luz turned slowly and looked at Elijah as if he recognized him. “A foolish old man who thinks he hears from God, I’m always looking for some comical amusement. Go on then, let’s hear what you have to say, you troubler of Babylon.”
Elijah pointed at Luz with disdain. “I have not troubled Babylon nor the earth, but it is you and your father's house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and have followed in the footsteps of your father, to exalt your throne above the stars of God to say that you are the most high. To you, man of iniquity, God says ‘Thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? Thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.
“And to the kingdoms and people over whom you rule, God says, ‘You have waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then you forsook God which made you, and lightly esteemed the Rock of your salvation. You provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked you him to anger. You sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom you knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
“‘And now a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon you; I will spend mine arrows upon you. You shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon you, with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin.
“‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive;
I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live forever. If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.’
“And now wilt the LORD shut up the heavens over this place that there be no rain over your throne until the times are fulfilled.”
Luz laughed hysterically. “Old prophet, the number one rule of comedy is that you have to be quick on your feet. The sky is turning black; it’s getting ready to pour at this very minute.”
Everett looked up at the clouds that had formed since Elijah began his speech. They had completely blocked out the sun and darkness was falling on them as if it were night.
“If a single drop of rain falls from these dark clouds, then I am no prophet at all.” Elijah turned and walked away.
Suddenly lightning struck the Washington monument, and was followed by a tremendous clap of thunder which made Everett duck his head. Courtney clasped his arm.
Just then another lightning strike hit the archway from the Temple of Baal. That was immediately followed by yet another lightning strike which hit the new GR General Assembly Building. Two loud booms of thunder trailed the lightning.
“Rain or no rain, we need to take cover, that was really close!” Kevin held Sarah’s hand as he began walking very quickly back towards the Smithsonian.
“No. Not that way, follow me.” Elijah walked in the direction of the Washington Monument, cutting across the lawn towards Virginia Avenue.
Everett held Courtney’s hand as they followed Elijah. Kevin and Sarah trailed along behind.
Luz yelled as Everett and the others ran, “You should take heed of the book the old man so zealously espouses, bad company corrupts good character. And the companion of fools suffers harm.”
