by Ric Nero
“I’m not going for this!” Jefferey says grabbing the Bible and turning with frustration to that exact scripture. He pauses and gets quiet as he reads the scripture, slowly closes the book, bows his head and sheds tears down his cheeks.
“What do you mean rapture?” the blonde waitress asked him, pushing me out of the way. She was already a wreck since the dinner.
“The term Rapture is God’s merciful rescue of those who were true to his word and will. Those he had chosen based upon their actions in their life of faith and service unto Him, Julie,” Auron answered.
“No.” Jefferey sniffles as I still see tears come down his face. “No, it’s not possible. I don’t believe it,” he says.
I see Auron lift up his head and look at Jefferey. “Dear boy, then how do we explain the vanishings of people all over the world?” Auron’s face becomes red with frustration as he directs his hand at the door. “Or the vanishings at the diner of people we saw with our own eyes one second and only a pile of garments the next. Do you believe in this so-called reenactment of this so-called Croatoan that the news and media suggests? Or did Houdini come back to life and pull one last vanishing act?” Auron yells over the room with such anger in his voice. “C’mon, we are actually in the prophetic events of the book of Revelations. We… are the people of the last days.” He concludes in less dramatic tone.
“So we all have basically fallen short of being loved enough by God that we’re gonna die here?” Julie asks Auron with a sinister grin almost.
“Wait, you came straight from the Roman Catholic church, why are you left behind instead of on that swinging low chariot?” Shane asked him.
Auron began to have the same calculating look on his face from before as he drops his head low.
“Rapture?” I ask myself feeling my heart almost fade into nothingness as I try to grasp the concept, but more importantly, why was I left as well.
Feeling like crying out, I close my eyes and grind my teeth, but no tears will fall.
“What can we do to convince God to come back and get us?” Jefferey asks opening the Bible once more, turning pages as he looks for a specific answer.
Auron stands up placing a hand on Jefferey’s back, and the other he reaches out for the Bible in Jefferey’s hands. “It doesn’t work like that,” Auron says. I continue to pay attention to the two, we all are. “So how does it work?” Jefferey asked. Auron looks at all of them, bows his head for a second and then looks Jefferey in the eyes and says, “We pray and ask God to have mercy on our souls.”
“No, there has to be a trick to it, it has to be.” Jefferey continues on.
“Is there really?” Auron asks him. “Or are we just tricking ourselves believing that.”
“Yes, I am here as well as you, but we were left behind because we did something wrong or we had wrong beliefs,” Auron tells the room.
“Believe?” Shane bursts out. “I don’t believe in God, the Rapture or anything that you try to tell me without any proof!”
“Ah, yes! Shane the believer of what only falls before his own eyes!” Auron has obviously become aggrevated. I can see the veins pulsate in his forehead. “You’re quite the strong one, aren’t you? Never fell for any fool’s ransom, have you? You just answered your own mystery haven’t you?” Auron asks, rhetorically focusing his attention solely on Shane. “You simply choose not to believe in God. What’s the saying you combat vets use? If you survive war you either thank God or war’s evils show you there is no God. It is written, ‘Whosoever confesses my name unto man his name will I bring to my Father’.”
Shane becomes pale in the face and shuts down in Auron’s scold-filled lecture. The pulsation in Auron’s forehead slows down suggesting he’s calmed down as well. “Listen, everyone, I will hold nothing back any longer. We have a journey unlike any other we’ve ever faced before in life. Nothing, I mean absolutely nothing, has nor can prepare us for what awaits us in the next coming of days. Nothing but our faith, prayer and the grace of God. So if you ask will it get harder? I answer yes. If you ask will we be attacked and harmed? I answer yes. If you ask will we…” Auron pauses and I see his jaws flex as he grinds his teeth as his eyes scan over the room. “Die. I will answer yes. But, death was always the crossroads in life, wasn’t it?” Auron asks us.
I look at Dana who returns the look for a split second before she asks Auron, “What do you mean crossroads?”
“What I mean is death is the inevitable factor in these bodies… with these vessels there is a date of expiration. The crossroad is the point afterwards that our lifestyles will lead us.”
Shane asks in a low tone, “So heaven and hell are real, huh?”
Auron leans back and places hands on knees and lets out a deep breath. “For it is written, ‘Enter by the narrow gate for broad is the path to destruction.’ Heaven and hell is very much real and it should be obvious now at this point.”
“So where do we go from here, Auron?” I asked.
A voice butts in and says, “We clearly have two missions at this point.” It was Bazz who’s leaned against the door beside me. “One, we all have something God holds against us that we need to individually realize and spiritually fix. And two, we need to stay alive long enough to do that.” The room gets quiet, but even in the silence a lot is being said. Fear is an emotion that speaks best when no words are being used. I know everyone feels the same even now more than before, I mean, our worlds have all come to an obliterating crash in this present reality that we are now living in.
“So let’s start off with this. Who doesn’t believe in God?” Auron asks.
Julie raises her hand. “My family was always in church, that’s where I met James when were little kids. Sniff! We did everything together, but when I grew up I stopped going to church and just believed if you were a good person that anyone could make it to heaven,” Julie said, sitting Indian style in the far corner.
“For it is written, ‘No one is good except for God the Father in heaven.’ My dear,” Auron says softly to her. “I used to believe that, too.”
Jefferey said squatting directly in front of me, grabbing and wrapping himself in a cover on the floor.
“Me, too,” Dana says in agreeance to what Julie said. I see her rocking back and forth just staring off into space like she’s losing it.
“Bazz, what about you? You’re a United States Chaplain, a servant of God. Why aren’t you a pile of clothes right now?” Shane asks.
I look up at Bazz who still leans against the door beside me. He looks down at me and with one finger pushes his glasses higher up on his nose. “I’m a Chaplain but there’s a chaplain requested for every religion. I’m a Chaplain for Muslim soldiers, so I … guess I simply put my faith in the wrong religion. So much dedication and discipline devoted to a…” His body begins to tremble and he slides down next to me and all his emotions begin to flare out through sobbing and tears. He tries to cover his face with his large hands but it’s clear he was in an angry state of pain right now. All this time I knew Bazz I never would’ve thought he was a Muslim chaplain.
“For it is also written, my friend, ‘I am the Lord thy God, thou shall have strange gods before me,’ the beginning words of the ten commandments.”
I look around the room and see the twins who look confused. It’s hard for grown ups to handle and accept so they must be even more clueless than us. “What about them!” I aim with an open palm and extended my hand towards James and Jessie. “You sit there all knowing Auron quoting scripture and text. Isn’t there a scripture in there that says God loves the little children, or something saying he won’t hold the young accountable?” I ask Auron. “These two are only ten years old!” I continue on with a loud voice.
“I understand your concern and what you are trying to say, but even in Proverbs 20:11 it is written, ‘Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right ,’ these children are children in age, but they amaze me how intellectually advanced they are. Even you
see that.”
“Everyone is counted for except for the two you,” Julie says with her head down in her chest. She lifts it and points with both hands, one at me the other at Auron saying, “Auron and Thomas, it’s down to you two.”
“I guess I’ll go first I have to be just as honest with myself as you all were.” Auron throws his head back hiding the tears in his eyes from the others but I see them trying to fall from the corners of his eyes. “I was at one point in time a priest of the Church. Catholic, until I saw my so-called brothers in faith… kill a child. Sacrificed her at her own will. But that fact that underneath the Vatican streets by high level church officials these type of sacrieledgous actions take place have brought me to the light that this was not just actions made by individuals, but the will of the Roman Catholic ambassadors. That’s when the present existence of secret societies controlling this world was revealed to me. I came to the conclusion that this was a trick of the enemy a way of using religion to control the people of the world. Ever since then, I sought out the one true religion and fancied Christianity. But the fact that Jesus Christ was so much more than a prophet…Well, we know the truth now don’t we?” Auron asks rhetorically.
“So what you’re saying is that you failed to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior?” I ask Auron in a slightly cynical tone.
“Yes, I have to say I did make that grave mistake,” he answered almost reluctantly.
I stand up and walk over to the monitors and pick up the Bible that was next to Auron. I study the gold lettering on its black covering, Holy Bible. With Bible in hand, I look at Auron. “Is it not written, ‘If there comes any unto you and brings forth not this doctrine, welcome him not’,” I say almost mocking Auron. He sits upright in his chair catching on to my aggravated mockery of him.
“Yes, it is,” he says. “And now let’s see why exactly are you still here, Thomas?” Returning the same judgment I showed him. His question had me at a loss for words. I didn’t understand the reason why I was not one of the chosen few. “It is clear you’re no stranger to the Holy Bible, Thomas. So, why are you so misfortunate?” he asked me.
I had no clear answer. Not for Auron, everyone else or me. I went to church, I prayed daily, tried to follow his commandments and teachings. I feel a gasp come out of my mouth then another and another. I begin to shake and become overwhelmed with emotions. My eyes begin to burn and I find it harder and harder to breath. “What did I do wrong, God?” I ask while fiery tears rain down my cheeks. It’s so hard to breathe now that I find it almost impossible to stop trembling or close my mouth. All I can do is hurt. Hurt in every member in my body asking myself why God? What did I do that was not according to your will? What did I do wrong that separated me from Your grace? I slowly crumble to my knees.
Auron stands to his feet, grabs my arm helping to stand as well just to hug me. Hugging me tight he says in my ear, “I need you to go to God in prayer.” I cried and cried like a child to the point where I fell asleep.
It’s dark and I’m cold. So cold, that I feel only half of my body and that half shivers. My eyes crack open slowly and I find myself back in the same world that frightened me once again as before. With the same crowded streets and pedestrian congested sidewalks. The same ghastly figures contained in or attached to their bodies. I know it’s a dream but I was past the stage of hopelessness, I became mad. Mad at the people bumping into me as they walked passed. Mad at the hissing sound the ghastly figures made towards me I was mad, just so damn mad. I began walking down the sidewalk and the direction I was going seemed to be the exact opposite of the others. It seemed as though everyone else was fixed on going the other way but I paid it no mind. I was so infuriated, I even began talking to myself aloud. “For God so loved the world, huh? Well, God, what about me?” I asked aloud in the middle of this strange world that used to scare me so much. I was too mad to think about anything but my anger. “Why was I left? Why was I so insignificant?” I shouted even louder as if I hoped my words would actually reach God’s ears. But it was a dream I was walking in and nothing more. “Have I not prayed to you enough? Did I not have enough faith? Huh, What is it, what did I do wrong, or are you just too high and mighty to answer me?” Feeling odd, something inside tells me to stop. So, I did and turned around. All the people I had passed had stopped and looked at me. Everyone and everything had stopped as if time stopped and just watched me. My heart began to pump rapidly as I grew even madder. The sensation of rage almost felt comfortable as I began shouting threatening things at the others. Then the clouds parted as they did before and there sat the red beast with the staff and chains. His face was still covered but the ten horns still came from under the hood.
It leaned forward on its serpent throne, almost as if it was looking at me specifically. I look at the others that I had passed earlier and it became apparent it was staring directly at me. It tugs its staff, and the tension in the chains tighten, and everyone is almost dragged and pulled to the ground. It was as if he was studying me. Like he was curious as to why I wasn’t affected by his chains. It leaned in closer and I saw in the darkness underneath its hood fire erupt onto a city set before it in the sky. The city was so unfamiliar I couldn’t make out anything except for a white building and an American flag above it. Next thing I knew, everyone around me was awake and still looking down and depressed as they moved about, as if there was no tomorrow because they can’t see past yesterday. I felt the same as well, how can we feel any different after finding out all hope was lost yesterday? I stand to my feet and look around the room for Auron. I wanted to talk to him about yesterday, for many reasons, but mainly to apologize for mocking him and I’m in the same bout almost. I wasn’t really just confused and hurt. Not that anything had changed, but I shouldn’t have directed any of my pain towards him, it was just the flare of the moment. Looking around I notice everyone pretty much had walked out, the only ones in here with me are James and Jessie sitting in the two computer chairs by the monitors on the far side of the room. James was diligently watching the computer monitors, next to him with one hand digging in a bag of Ruffles potato chips twirling in his chair. They certainly possess intelligence far beyond their age, but they are still children none the less. I still don’t think they grasp the actual perplexity of the current devastating news. Honestly, I don’t think I do either.
I walk over and lean on the back of James’s chair. “What’s going on today, fellas?” I asked the two.
“Running a supply mission, Soldier Boy.” Jessie answered still twirling in his chair. “I’d of sent you, but you didn’t wake up.” He continued on as he tilted his head back opening wide as he inserted a chip into his mouth.
“SENT ME!?” I asked surprised as usual at the things coming out of this kid’s mouth. “I didn’t know you were the commanding officer.” I tell the little tyke. I chuckle it off and look on one of the three monitors I realize each monitor shows four split screens of the entire parking garage. I focus on the middle screen with surveillance of the lower level parking lot on the lower right half of the sceen and still see the S.W.A.T. truck.
“Wait a minute, supply run?” I ask curious as to what methods they took to get supplies. “The trucks still here, what did they do, walk with shopping carts down the street?”
I watch as James leans in toward the monitors and says, “Here they come now.”
I look at the lower right screen and see no one. “Where?”
James points to the above screen of the roof where to my surprise a small helicopter hovers over the roof and ready for landing. “The Hell!?” I shout out amazed at what was going on.
Jessie stops twirling in his chair and looks at me with a serious face. “Hey, watch your mouth we’re only kids. A lil’ respect is all I ask for, geez.”
I look at him, and even though he was a smart mouth brat he was right. I turn my attention back to the screen, the helicopter has already landed and I see Bazz, Shane and Julie wait at the elevator door. “What are the wai
ting on?” I ask the two.
“Jessie!” James calls out.
“I’m on it!” Jessie replied hopping out of the compute chair. “Come on, Soldier Boy, you might learn something. Curiosity urged me to follow him. We went through the large door into the hall and he opens the door directly across from us. We step inside and I see the room to be exactly the same as the other in terms of size. But the left half the room was congested with boxes on top of small wooden pallets. There were a few blankets and cot’s in front of us, beside them a light colored gray fuse box mounted on the wall.
“When we’re not using the elevators we switch them off to keep anyone from coming in on us,” Jessie says as he walks over and swings the cove open and flips a switch then closes it.
“Monitoring everything coming and going, huh?” I asked him.
“Plus, we don’t wanna give some yahoo working for the power company heads up someone’s staying here, they might cut the power or give away location,” he continued.
“What about this stuff?” I asked him as I walked over and nudge at the light weighted cardboard box with my foot.
Sigh! He exhales and walks over and opens up one of the boxes showing me an orange and white pack that reads, “Ramen.” “All these boxes were accumulated as a stock for kind of like a food pantry. Ever since Auon gave us the word we moved on it,” Jessie said.
“Auron?” I asked him. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, how’d you meet Bazz and Auron?”
He throws his head back and makes a gesture with his hands. “Questions, questions, always with all the questions,” he says sitting down on one of the cot’s. “We met Auron a few weeks ago on the phone, he told us where to be and when. But we only know him though Bazz. He was the one who gave us his contact information.” He explained.
