by Goodwin,Mark
“Okay, put me down for one of each, also. Cup of coffee, and a round of training.”
Everett turned on the radio. “I want to see what the propaganda machine has to say about the end of the amnesty period. Today’s the fifteenth.”
The broadcast was mixed with heavy static. Between the distance and the weather, the signal wasn’t strong, but they could make out what the reporter was saying.
“. . . midnight tonight, all persons will be required to be implanted with the Mark. Those who are found to have not yet registered will be escorted to the nearest census station to be implanted. Please be advised that any such person will be responsible for getting themselves home after they have been implanted. This one-way-ride policy is designed to create a significant inconvenience to those who have still not complied with the mandatory program. Census administrators hope this inconvenience will be an adequate deterrent to keep people from continuing to procrastinate their civil responsibilities of taking their pledge and getting their Mark.
“Despite the many benefits that go along with a person’s new Global Citizenry status, some are still holding out. Prime Minister Alexander has made a temporary provision for what has been termed conscientious objectors. For the present time, they will be relocated to personal betterment facilities where they’ll be educated about the new policies of the Global Republic and have opportunities to be part of society through work programs such as manufacturing, and farming.
“The conscientious objector program is only available to those who are caught without the Mark and refuse to be implanted or take the pledge of citizenship in a non-violent manner. Violent offenders as well as those caught with contraband, such as firearms, illegal currencies, unregistered food, or goods bought on the black market will be incarcerated at high security camps and held until they have served their time for their particular offence. At that time, they may be reintegrated back into society through a personal betterment facility.
“As His Prepotent Majesty, Angelo Luz has stated many times before, the Global Republic will, at all costs, seek to bring the lost sheep into the fold, but those who continue to hold bigoted notions that those who believe differently than them are somehow evil, will not be tolerated. All branches of the GR government have confirmed His Majesty’s executive order authorizing euthanasia for those who will not renounce these tremendously dark convictions, such as those held by the cult-like offshoot sects of Christianity.
“Former megachurch Pastor, and recently appointed Minister of Religion, Jacob Ralston stood side by side with His Holiness Pope Peter at a press conference in New Atlantis today. They issued a joint statement to professing Protestants and Catholics, reminding them that hatred was never a teaching of Christ.
“In Ralston’s speech, he read from Romans 13 reminding attendees that those who stand against Angelo Luz are standing against God himself and pointing out the scriptural authority for the Global Republic to institute its euthanasia policy.
“Pope Peter reiterated Ralston’s comments, and warned followers that rebels of the Global Republic risked being cut off from the mercies of God.
“In their respective speeches, both Ralston and Pope Peter individually cautioned listeners against keeping company with those who are still spreading the pernicious rumor that the disappearances were caused by the mythological rapture. Both religious leaders spoke to the absurdity of such poisonous hearsay, pointing out that had Jesus came to steal away all Christians, neither of them would be present.”
Sarah had come out of the back bedroom while the others were listening to the radio. “Aren’t there any country stations?”
Everett shut off the radio. “I’m afraid not.”
Courtney sat next to Everett. “Are you sure you guys should go back to Winchester? You’re going back for a meeting to find out if the guy is even going to be able to set something up. Then you’ll have to leave again to hit the supply truck. Don’t even get me started talking about all the things that can go wrong with that.”
Everett put his hand on hers. He wished there was another way, also. “I know, but you heard Elijah. It’s not going to get any easier than it is now.”
“We’ll be safe. And I don’t think we have that much to worry about just yet. The GR is going to have their work cut out for them, getting the cities locked down before they can start allocating resources to patrolling the boonies.” Kevin walked back into the living room to check the coffee.
Courtney huffed and pursed her lips. “I just don’t like it.”
Kevin returned with the coffee and served four cups. “You guys grab your gear and empty out some magazines. We’ll drink our coffee and do some training. Nothing quells the anxiety quite like being prepared.”
They finished their coffee and the rest of the afternoon was spent doing maneuvers and learning to change magazines faster.
The next three days were spent monitoring the ham radio to listen for reports of GR patrols. A few single GR Humvees had been spotted in the area but there were no reports of checkpoints or heavy activity, except for in the immediate vicinity of the various census stations.
Everett listened to the small AM/FM radio Friday morning as he finished his breakfast, with Courtney, Kevin, and Sarah. “So I guess the mission is a go.”
Kevin nodded. “I’ll listen in on the ham while I finish getting ready. It seems like we should be able to pull it off if we act now, but the window is closing.” Kevin slid a hand-drawn map to Sarah. “This is a copy of what Lloyd drew for me, so it’s not very accurate, but this is the place where we are supposed to meet Tommy.”
Courtney looked over Sarah’s shoulder. “This is the exit, where Gander Mountain is?”
“Yep,” Kevin answered.
“Okay, I think I can find it if I have to.” Courtney stuck her hands in her pockets.
“Good. If we’re not back by morning, there’s a problem. Either Tommy double crossed us or we got picked up by the Global Republic.” Kevin looked at Courtney. “If you have to come looking for us, follow Sarah’s lead. Trust her, she knows what she’s doing.”
Courtney frowned as she nodded. “Okay. But you guys be safe, and don’t get into trouble in the first place.”
There was a knock at the door. Everett recognized it as Elijah’s, so he wasn’t startled by it. Also, Danger would have never let anyone else make it to the porch without barking. Everett opened the door. “Good morning.”
“Good morning to you my friend. I see you haven’t left yet.” The prophet removed his wide brimmed hat.
“Yeah, the people we’re going to meet aren’t exactly early risers.” Everett raised the left corner of his mouth.
“Very well, very well. Call the girls. I have a project to keep them busy today so they don’t spend all of their time worrying.”
“Thanks, Elijah. That was nice of you.” Everett put his hand on the old man’s shoulder.
Courtney walked into the living room. “So, you’ve planned some busy work for us today?”
Sarah followed her in. “Good morning, Elijah.”
“Good morning. Yes.” He put one finger in the air. “Today, we will build an outdoor stove. I’ve brought some bricks and a steel grate. It will soon be too warm to be cooking over your fireplace comfortably. And the stove we are going to build is very efficient. It’s called a rocket stove. It channels the air flow to burn your wood or kindling more quickly, producing the maximum amount of heat for cooking, and the least amount of smoke. Which in these dark times, is of utmost importance.”
Courtney gave him a hug. “Thank you, Elijah.”
“I’ve also brought some materials. Plywood, cardboard, aluminum foil, and a plate of glass from an old window to build a solar oven. I fear it may not be of much use when the sky is darkened, but you’ll have it if by chance you do have a few sunny days.”
Kevin emerged from the back bedroom, carrying his pack and his weapons. “Good morning, Elijah.”
Elijah waved him over. “You and
Everett come. Let me put my hand on your shoulder.”
Both of them complied and the old prophet bowed his head. “May the Lord keep you and bless you and make his face shine upon you.”
Everett waited to see if he was finished then looked up. “Thank you.”
Elijah patted him on the back. “You boys hurry back. Next Saturday begins Passover and the following Tuesday is the Feast of First Fruits. We’ll have a special time of worship and celebrate the death, and resurrection of Messiah.”
Courtney tilted her head to one side. “But isn’t Easter in April this year?”
Elijah sighed patiently. “Yes child, but you are not a pagan that should be celebrating Easter, which is named after the Babylonian goddess, Ishtar. Christ was crucified on Passover and resurrected on the Feast of First Fruits, not Easter. God has an important symbolic message for us through the celebration of Passover. The Jews had to slay a lamb without blemish and smear the blood on the sides and the tops of the wooden door frame, so the angel of death would pass over them. Likewise, Christ, your Passover Lamb was slain, and his blood smeared on the wooden beams of the cross, that you might live and be spared from the angel of eternal death and separation from God. It’s a real tragedy if we miss that, due to celebrating on the wrong day.
Passover is determined by the Jewish calendar. Easter, however, comes on the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring solstice. The first full moon after the spring solstice was a day to celebrate the Babylonian goddess, Ishtar. This queen of heaven was worshiped throughout many different cultures using many other names, like, Eastra, Astarte, Aphrodite, and Venus, but she is always the goddess of love, sex, and fertility. Her sexuality and fertility are represented by rabbits in pagan cultures, and celebrated by the coloring of eggs, a common theme for Easter, even today.”
Courtney threw her hands in the air. “Then why have churches been celebrating Good Friday and Easter instead of Passover and First Fruits?”
Elijah pursed his lips. “This insidious Babylonian system has been working its way into the Church since the reign of Theodosius. When he made Christianity the official religion of Rome, the pagan practices and gods, most of which stem from Babylon, were mingled together; the holy and the profane.”
Sarah crossed her arms. “Didn’t Constantine make Christianity the official religion of Rome?”
Elijah shook his finger. “No, no. Constantine legalized Christianity, ending the persecution. That wasn’t what forced together the abominable practices of the pagan with the pure worship exercised by God’s saints.”
“Thanks for opening our eyes to that. I never knew. Not that I ever went to church on Easter anyway,” Courtney said.
Elijah winked. “At least we won’t have any bad habits to break.”
Kevin looked at his watch. “Everett, we need to get going.”
Everett nodded, kissed Courtney on the lips and gathered his gear. After a quick round of good-byes, the two young men were on the road. They took the back road rather than I-81, in hopes that it would reduce their odds of coming across a GR patrol. And indeed, they reached the small farm on Cedar Creek Grade without incident, or encounter. As they pulled up to the small farmhouse Everett spotted three armed men. He made eye contact with the one nearest the house and the man waved. “I suppose Tommy told them to expect us.”
Kevin surveyed the surrounding area before opening his door. “I doubt we would have received such a warm reception if he hadn’t. Still, let’s save the celebration until they let us leave.”
Everett smiled at the guard and waved as he stepped out of the truck. “Hey, we’re here to see Tommy.”
The man motioned toward the door. “Go on inside.”
“Thanks.” Kevin gave the man a wave, also.
Everett locked the door to the truck and followed Kevin up the stairs to the quaint front porch. The old two-story farmhouse was very well kept. It had a newer metal roof, and had been painted recently. The landscaping was well-maintained, and a wooden swing hung from the roof of the porch. It was not at all what Everett had expected Tommy to be hiding out in. “Think they’ve relocated the bar in here?”
“Nope. He’s probably running his bar in that barn, back by the woods.” Kevin tilted his head to the left, indicating that Everett should look that way.
Everett turned to see what Kevin was referring to. A rugged old barn sat on the other side of an open field, butted up to the tree line of heavy woods. “Hmm.” Everett knocked on the door.
Tommy’s voice rang out from inside. “You boys come on in here.”
Everett opened the door and let himself in. He walked into a beautiful living room with country lace curtains, wood floors, crown molding and thick baseboards. The furniture was new, built for comfort, with several antique pieces scattered about.
“Y’all come on in the kitchen. We’re tryin’ out Lloyd’s latest batch.” Tommy was sitting at the raised counter with Lloyd when they walked in.
Everett looked around at the kitchen. It had all high-end appliances, granite countertops and glass paneled white cabinets. He noticed the gas stove. “Nice place.”
Tommy stood to grab two short glasses. “You like the stove?”
“Yeah. I wish we’d had time to get a gas stove and put in a tank. That would have made things a whole lot easier.”
Tommy smiled. “You boys look like you’re gettin’ along better ‘n most. Come on over here and have a shot.”
“No thanks,” Everett said politely.
Lloyd pointed at Kevin and Everett. “They think like Preacher; reckon Jesus is the one who made all them folk disappear.”
Tommy opened his fridge. “How about a Coke then.”
“Sure. You’ve got electricity?” Everett was happy to be getting a cold soda.
“I’ve got a generator for my fridge, water pump, water heater; just the essentials.” Tommy handed them the sodas.
“Thanks.” Everett marveled at the home and all its modern conveniences. Six months ago, it would have been a very nice home, but nothing to write home about. But now, it was comparable to a king’s palace.
“Have a seat.” Tommy motioned toward the bar stool next to his, at the counter.
Kevin sat down. “Were you able to line anything up?”
“Yep, I did. I wished I’d had some way to get in touch with you boys.” Tommy poured a couple ounces of crystal clear liquid from a Mason jar into a short glass.
“I can give you a radio frequency if you have access to a ham radio.” Everett sat next to Kevin.
“I could probably find one if I needed to.” Tommy sipped his glass.
“So, what did you find out?” Kevin seemed anxious to get down to brass tacks.
“There’s been a slight change of plans.” Tommy looked at Kevin as he said it.
Kevin turned to Everett. He said nothing, but his face showed his displeasure.
Everett’s face also showed his concern. He didn’t comment, but hoped things weren’t getting ready to turn south.
“Now don’t you boys go getting’ your feathers ruffled. Just hear what I have to say. If you’re in the position to accept the bargain, I believe you’ll be much happier with the new arrangement.”
“Okay, let’s hear it.” Everett was pretty sure that Tommy wasn’t going to try to kill or rob them, so barring that, the worst case scenario was that they go home empty handed.
“The good news is, I’ve found a delivery driver who is going to let us blindfold him, drive his truck over to Lloyds’ and unload the truck. Afterwards, we take him back to the position where he was and set him free with his truck.”
“Okay, so no risk of a firefight. That’s good. Now what’s the bad news?” Everett inquired.
Tommy took another sip of Lloyd’s finest. “Bad news is, we’re gonna have to rough him up a bit, make it look good. Even so, he may lose his job over it, so we have to make it worth his while.”
“And what is the fine gentleman requiring for this ve
nture?” Kevin ran his fingertips over the small beads of water on the outside of the Coke can.
“Hundred ounces of silver. And it needs to be somethin’ recognizable.” Tommy finished the glass in one large gulp. He winced, closing his mouth and eyes tightly. Afterwards, he slammed the glass on the counter, took a deep breath, and blew as if he were trying to cool his throat.
“So the silver is instead of the guns?” Kevin asked.
Tommy’s face slowly lost the reddish color and returned to normal. “In addition to. Guns and ammo are my cut for lining it up, silver is the drivers.”
Kevin crossed his arms. “So you get the guns, ammo, and depending on the size of the trailer, way more than half of the supplies.”
Tommy shook his head. “Don’t get greedy boys. Y’all get first dibs on which supplies you want. You get two pickup truck beds full of food, which is exactly what you asked for. More than that, you have no risk whatsoever. I’d think a hundred ounces of silver would be well worth the price of not risking your lives. That’s fifty ounces a life. Don’t tell me you can’t see the value in that.
“As for us, I’m taking the guns and ammo, might do a deal with the driver for one of the shotguns for some silver, but that’s between us. Y’all get the first two loads of food, then I’m splitting the rest between me, the driver and Lloyd here. After all, it’s his barn we’re usin’. He’s got to get something out of the deal.
“I understand that it might seem like a high price, but the Piggly Wiggly’s done been closed for a good while. I ain’t tryin’ to be a hard nose, but times is tough. Y’all let me know what you want to do. It don’t make me no difference, and ain’t gonna be no hard feelins, least on my end of it.”
Everett looked at Kevin. “What do you want to do?”
“I don’t have a hundred ounces of silver. Maybe twenty-five, tops.” He was too close to Tommy to avoid being overheard, but Kevin still spoke low.
“I’ve got the silver, and it’s not doing us any good sitting in the safe.” Everett just hoped they weren’t being set up.
