Michelle and Terry Jackson were aghast at the splendor they found when Sandra Alexander led them into the stunning halls of the Grand Lodge.
The place had clearly been welcoming to begin with when it was no more than a gathering place for campers at this now disheveled resort. It was wide open and cozy, a massive stone fireplace at the heart of the main room casting waves of joyous warmth through the cold as it invited chilled guests in from the ravages of the elements outside. The rustic roof was held high on the arms of expertly finished beams of white oak that sang a song of comfort in the Earth. The space seemed regal, now, in contrast to the grim world outside its doors. A fantastically appetizing aroma of heartiness filled the place, supported by the perfume of fresh flowers decorating the walls throughout.
Large paintings of the camp hung on the walls in celebration of the good times the resort had brought to so many, highlighting family events that had apparently been a staple of this escape. Hunks of wood bearing messages burnt into their surfaces in various styles of handwriting were positioned all around, each conveying a message of appreciation of the place.
'Thanks for the memories.' One began. 'From the Jones Family, united again.'
'We loved everything about our stay' Said another. 'Especially the delicious meal Jessica prepared for us. Thank you, Alexanders - for a wonderful time.'
Terry examined each plaque closely, the Alexander family name mentioned on several in terms of praise.
"Misses Alexander." He called to the exquisitely dressed woman as she walked towards a massive table in the center of the room. "Did your family own this place before --"
"Before the opening of the seventh seal?" She continued when the words escaped him. "Yes. My husband Jonas and I bought it when it came up for auction the seventies. It was dilapidated, then; the previous owners were hippies, subjecting this land to their excesses and dragging it with them in their downward spiral until virtually nothing of value remained. They were drug addicts; sex addicts. They were void of anything that resembled business sense."
"Clearly," Michelle said as she examined the wealth that was evident in this lodge. "You and your husband turned the place around well."
Sandra pulled out one of the heavy wooden chairs at the finely set table and beckoned Terry's wife to sit. She obliged, taking in the multitude of fine sterling silverware that adorned the maroon cloth napkins on either side of a beautiful china platter before her. The table was draped in a decadent flowing cloth that would've been at home in any mansion or castle furnished for royal tenants. Heavy candelabras fashioned of what appeared to be solid gold held it in place, dozens of candles lighting the surface in a brilliant hue of home.
"Living in the Lord served us well." Sandra explained. "We prayed daily for him to bless us and this place; the people that it served. We transformed the place into a Christian retreat, hosting Bible camps and recovery coves for those who walked in Jesus' light or had become lost in the darkness of evil."
The woman pulled out another seat and motioned to Terry, sitting him next to his wife near the head of the table.
"He looked down on us and smiled." She continued. "Contributions from the wealthy allowed us to prosper while welcoming all comers who sought the word of God regardless of their economic abilities. So long as they agreed to submit themselves to his love, all were welcome."
"You must've seen your share of undesirables, then." Michelle remarked.
"Oh yes, the worst of the worst." Sandra agreed. "But we changed them... through the power of Jesus!"
"We had been told," Terry chimed in. "That you claimed this place after a conflict in which a man was killed trying to claim a fallen deer."
The woman chuckled with false pretense of common hood in her pampered guise.
"That's a myth. I'm not sure how it started, but everyone out there seems to buy it. If it suits them, I'm happy to have them believe it... whatever keeps them in line is fine by me." Sandra positioned herself at the head of the table, settling in daintily as they talked.
"In line?" Terry wondered.
"Surely you see that the people we're hosting now are the scum that lines the bottom of the barrel..." She responded. "They're dangerous. Unsettled and unpredictable. Thank heavens for the reasonable among them that I drafted into my service... my army is all that preserves us."
"Now wait a minute," Terry objected. "These are regular people out here -- no different than any one of us! Clearly they've fallen on hard times, the world is in shambles. They're just surviving as well as they know how. I know the feeling, I've fallen once before as well. You've taken them in, but beyond that they have nothing out there."
"They have everything they need out there, Mister Jackson." Sandra suggested. "The fountain sustains them, the word offers them eternal life."
"The word doesn't put meat on their bones, Misses Alexander. Starvation is a powerful force; have you ever felt its strength?"
"Greetings, guests." A man dressed in a fine tuxedo said as he entered the room. "Welcome to our home!"
"Terry, Michelle," Sandra said. "Meet my husband, Jonas."
"Truly a pleasure, folks!" Jonas greeted them. "I hope you're hungry, our daughter Jessica has been slaving over a beautiful roast for hours -- just for this occasion."
"A roast?" Michelle inquired. "I thought all of the food was gone? The real food, I mean."
"No no." Sandra answered. "We have adequate stores. Meat, vegetables, fruits and desserts... we have everything we could ever need. Keeping it all cold has been a challenge, but we've managed through the grace of God."
"Adequate stores?" Terry recoiled as well. "How much food are we talking about?"
"Tons... the commissary was stocked to feed thousands of visitors before the world came undone. Some has spoiled, but we're still well prepared for the future."
"Yet you let the people outside starve?" Their guest cried, a deep anger and resentment for his hosts boiling over within him. "How can you be so cold and selfish?"
"Yes, how?" Michelle added. "You say that you walk in the light of the Lord, yet you turn your back on your brothers and sisters? That isn't very Christian of you at all!"
"But it is!" Sandra retorted. "The men and women outside of this lodge have become depraved maniacs! They sin endlessly, despite the gift of survival that we have given them in allowing them access to the fountain! They fornicate without prejudice, rob and murder each other over simple squabbles and spend their days strung out on Crimson Ash! We hoard what we have through divine right! The righteous must survive this apocalypse to carry the word of God on to what comes next! If we opened our doors to those sinners they would loot the place! Tell me -- would you have me feed the men that attacked you? That tried to kill you for your jewelry? Evil is their nature... how would we sustain ourselves in the face of their voracious appetite for destruction?"
"By your own account, you would turn to the Lord!" Michelle declared. "He rewards the charitable among us greatest of all! You can't really believe that he would approve of what you're doing here!"
"We know he does." Jonas said as he took a seat next to his wife, planting a gentle kiss on her aged cheek. "He told us himself."
"Yes." Sandra continued. "He appeared to our daughter, Jessica, and told her that we were right to oppress the people... that they were fodder to feed the fountain; nothing more."
"What?" Michelle couldn't believe her ears; a lifetime of familiarity with Christ told her everything Sandra was saying was blasphemy, but the woman claimed to be acting at his direction now. The Lord had appeared to her, Terry, David and Jennings; it wasn't a stretch of the imagination to assume that he had visited this Jessica Alexander as well. What Sandra claimed he had said to her daughter, however, seemed to contradict what the one-eyed priest had told them God ordered them to do with this community.
"But," Terry began. "You said the fountain sustained them. Why would it seek to feed them
if they were damned?"
"It keeps them alive." Jonas explained. "But only enough so that their blood can power it when their time has come."
"What is the purpose of this fountain, then?" Terry wondered. "Why do you bother to feed it? Why not close the place off and leave them to find their own way?"
A young and vibrant woman entered, dressed to the nines in a scarlet nightgown. Her hair was as red as her clothing, neatly groomed and full. The luscious and heavy makeup that decorated her face set her apart from the others, making her seem like the Madame of the ball in her elegance.
"Because it staves off the infection." She said sweetly.
Raising her hands she revealed a heavily jeweled opaque atomizer, spraying an aromatic mist across her face as she squeezed its bulbous bellows. She reveled in the scent, inhaling deeply with a look of pleasure and indulgence with her eyes tightly closed. Her parents had described her as slaving over an oven all day, but her appearance made that hard to believe.
"Oh my, Jessica!" Sandra praised. "You look marvelous! Ladies and gentlemen," she continued as though addressing a crowd of people. "Please say hello to our daughter, Jessica Amber Alexander!"
"Why hello." Michelle tried to paint her words with warmth. "How do you do, Jessica?"
"Lovely, my dear -- lovely." The belle responded as her father Jonas prepared a seat for her at the table. "I see you have questions about our magical pharmacy."
Terry stood out of habit until the woman was seated, always chivalrous in his manners. Sitting down again and looking across the table at her, he continued.
"I'm afraid I don't understand." He said. "Are you saying the fountain has medicinal qualities?"
"It's what keeps us clean of the plague." She explained. "Its mist cleanses sin through the offering of the blood of sinners."
"The disease that's spreading here." Sandra continued. "It's the mark of Cain! It starts as simple boils on the flesh, but quickly progresses to a systemic affliction that rots the body from within. They lesions the people wear on their bodies; it's the rot of death -- the death of their souls."
"It's born of sin." Jonas jumped in as he took his seat once more. "I guess you could say it's the physical manifestation of God leaving the body. When a person partakes in the evils that unfold outside of this lodge, it takes root. Jesus told Jessica that it would spread even to the innocent if not tempered by the blast of the geyser. Sin is contagious; an insidious force upon the Earth!"
"So that's why you sacrifice people to it?" Michelle asked. "To purify yourselves?"
"Exactly." Jessica commented. "The Lord wants me clean; he wouldn't have his bride covered in sores!"
Terry and Michelle exchanged astonished glances, unsure if the woman was really saying what they thought she was trying to emote.
"Excuse me," Michelle said politely. "I'm afraid I must've misheard you -- did you say his bride?"
"She did indeed!" Jonas exuded in a shining pride. "When the Lord came to her, he expressed his interest in taking her hand in marriage!"
"Imagine that!" Sandra exclaimed, her face beaming as well. "The Lord Jesus Christ taking our daughter as his wife! Isn't it splendid?"
"There is none more deserving than her." Jonas continued. "She's daddy's girl! A shining gem!"
The guests were dumbfounded, a fact they figured must be evident in their countenance. The Alexanders seemed oblivious, however, so they tried to play it calm to avoid incident.
"You must be so proud." Michelle remarked in a forced and phony glee. "What an honor!"
"Come, let us celebrate!" Sandra exclaimed. "Bring on the dinner!"
Several guards entered suddenly carrying steaming trays of food, looking glorious in their presentation. They laid the bounty out on the table before them; a hearty roast marinating in meaty juices, succulent looking mashed potatoes ready to be dressed in the gravy. There was corn, peas and baby carrots that looked heavenly to the Jackson's hungry eyes. The grand finale was a tray of piping hot rolls, fluffy and inviting.
They were eager to dig in, and their hosts made it clear they were welcome. After a quick round of grace The Alexanders ate and ate until their stomachs could stand no more, each bite more delicious than the last.
The meal was fully satisfying, though Michelle and Terry felt uncomfortable partaking in the feast. They simply watched, their mouths watering at the sites they beheld.
How could these people sleep at night knowing that so many suffered just beyond the walls of this building? How could they reconcile the faith they claimed to cherish with the evils that they carried out? Who was this man that sought Jessica's hand in marriage? Could it truly be the same divine presence that had saved them from the horrors of the airport?
"Eat!" Jonas beckoned as the Jacksons watched crumbs fall from his lips. "Dig in, there's plenty to go around!"
Still, they couldn't do it... Michelle took up one of the rolls and blessed it with silent words of communion, tearing a morsel from it and feeding it to her husband before following suit.
When the food was gone the guards collected the soiled dishes and swept them away, leaving just the five of them in the massive room once more.
"You see," Sandra said as she patted the corners of her mouth with the fine linen napkin. "The Lord watches over us... provides us what we need."
"At what cost?" Michelle inquired. "The suffering of the innocent at your hand?"
"These people are not innocent." Jessica gave as her opinion. "That's why they wear the mark. If they accepted the Holy Spirit and abided by the things he commands of them, the sickness could not take root."
"Now that we've eaten, it's time to give our thanks." Sandra added. "Claudius?" She called to someone in the wings of the place.
"Yes?" He answered.
"Are we ready to proceed with the ceremony?"
"We are, Madame... five have been selected."
"Perfect!" She declared. "That should suit the fountain nicely."
The sounds of hundreds of feet marching outside the walls filled the place, having built up from a hushed noise to a roar now as they spoke.
"What's happening?" Michelle asked the hosts.
"It's time!" Sandra declared. "Come -- behold the majesty of The Blood Fountain!"
With that the Alexanders rose, stuffed to the hilt, and walked towards the back of the lodge. Jessica shot a spray from her atomizer across herself again, then signaled for the Jacksons to follow.
They were endlessly apprehensive about what they might see, but obliged with a prayer for protection from the lord.
Chapter 24
Unholy Advent: Deception Of The Christ Page 23
