by Ric Nero
I stand up and exit the truck closing the doors behind me. I walk through the corridor and into the security room and see everyone congregated once again with Auron sitting on the table on the opposite side of the room. “Did I miss something?” I ask the room.
“No, we were just finishing up, Thomas,” Bazz says.
“Glad you could join us, Soldier Boy.” Jessie says in a sarcastic tone.
“I was explaining to the others, how it’s God’s will to find the president and answers in the west and find those who desire to find their way with God. Nothing more than what I discussed with you on the elevator earlier. Nothing more. Everyone has a job, so let’s bed down early tonight and rest up for tomorrow’s early departure,” Auron says.
I was tired, so that was pretty much my plan anyway. I find a spot out of the way of the door in the far corner, lie down in a curled position and close my eyes for the night.
The next day comes and I’m awakened by the nudge of Jefferey’s boots. He looks at me briefly awaiting my response. I nod in return as he walks away and I push myself off of the ground. Rising up, I bump my head against the bottom of the table that holds the monitors. I remember I chose to sleep under there, seeing as how it was the only space available. I hold the throbbing area on the back of my head as it aches. Looking around, I see everyone moving so fast, kind of reminds me of the early stages of deployment the way they scurry around grabbing miscellaneous things that really won’t matter before long. Everyone had duties to do; Jefferey was obviously the wake-up call, Bazz and Shane gather and load all food and medical supplies into the rear of the S.W.A.T. truck, Jessie and James gather comms equipment, Dana and Julie gather the cots and blankets. I see Jefferey grab the weapons and ammo cases even though Auron openly frowns upon it. With everything being loaded in the rear of the truck, Auron felt it was necessary for us to have multiple vehicles, seeing as how all the room was being taken up with everything we were loading in the S.W.A.T. truck. So it was up to me to arrange transportation. I quickly get to the elevators and search the upper floors with three things in mind: Is it large enough to carry multiple passengers, does it have a full tank and is it road worthy?
On the second level, I found a black Tahoe with keys in the sun visor and a full tank. It’s a 2007 and it’s clean on the inside with a third row seat. I guess we get the opportunity to ride in style. I put the key into the ignition and listen to the smooth purr of the engine. I notice strawberry aroma and white paper floor mats. The words printed on the mats read Jay’s Auto Beutification, which makes it evident that it was recently detailed. It’s a smooth ride down the ramp to the lower level and I park next to the S.W.A.T. truck. I watch as Julie gets in on the passenger side of the S.W.A.T. truck and Auron on the driver’s side. I observe him through the windshield as he ducks down and I hear the engine trying its best to turn over with the instructions I gave him on how to hot wire cars. I realize it isn’t working out the way I expected, so I hop out and run over to him. Auron, looking flustered and frustrated, looks at me.
“I’ll take this one and you drive the other truck,” I tell him.
Relieved, he hops down and I hop in, as he jogs to the Tahoe along with all the others who just come out the security corridor. I wanted to drive the Tahoe, but then again, I rather not deal with strangers and crowds. I lean down and rub the wires again and tie them together once the engine starts. The Tahoe pulls off and Julie and I follow their lead to the metal garage door, where I see red brake lights illuminate ahead of us. The rear passenger door swings open and Dana gets out and runs over to the side of the door and presses a red button that says “open” on its surface. I hear a humming mechanical sound while gears grind together to raise the metal door. In the distance, I see the black streak going high into the sky as if it was a black pillar with nothing to hold above it. But it seems more vast than before. I try my best not pay it any mind and watch as Dana returns to the Tahoe and the brake lights no longer illuminate. But I can’t, I can never get used to seeing that reminder of destruction we as humans do to one another.
We follow at closed intervals as they pull into the street and quickly speed up to avoid the dangers of the city. I apply more pressure to the accelerator to keep up with them, it takes a while to catch up to their speed, but once this thing gets enough open road it can easily keep up with the newer SUV ahead of me. Riding down the Miami streets at a high speed, I look around. It is early in the morning, maybe somewhere around 9 a.m. when the city should just start coming alive and there’s nothing but leftover destruction in the streets. Vacant cars, broken glass and debris congest the streets as we avoid them. I look on the walls of old buildings and stores and see countless missing persons pictures. As I look at the bottom of some it reads, “Is this person a victim of the Croatoan Theory?” I guess the posters were put up in hopes that the person in the pictures were actually runaways, or anything else that may allow them to return home instead of vanishing like the others. We head clear out of the city and use Intestate seventy-five, then on to Interstate ten headed west. I know what Auron said, but I doubt he had an actual specific plan. Or maybe it was just the fact of not knowing his entire plan that makes me curious.
“Does any of this God stuff make sense to you?” Julie asked, breaking the awkward silence. At this point we had already driven a few hours and it was inevitable for either of us to spark a conversation, but I didn’t expect to hear that.
“What do you mean, like do I believe in Him?” I asked her trying to get a better understanding.
“No, I mean like… do you think we’re God’s people now?” She continues on in curiosity. I begin to hear a whimpering sound in my right ear, which in turn drew my attention from the long open road to Julie.
She sits there with one leg hiked up on the dashboard, with her elbow on her hiked leg and forehead bowed and cradled in her palm. Her cheeks turn red as she refrains from letting even a single tear fall down.
“Hey, please don’t do this. It’ll probably be better if you talk and get it off of your chest,” I say as I reach over and place my right hand on her shoulder. I turn my eyes back to the road as we trail behind the Tahoe, but keep my attention focused on her.
She inhales and releases a breath. “What I mean is we’ve all been overlooked for different reasons because of our own faults and disbeliefs. She sniffs. “I mean, Bazz was under the wrong religion just like Auron.”
“And you?” I ask Julie, bringing her back to remembering she is on the bandwagon with us all.
“Yeah, and me… I guess I’m the lowest, huh? Even though I was raised in the church, I still chose not to believe in anything at all, right?” she says in a self-pitying tone. She slightly drops her head.
I start to regret that I did that to her, all she was trying to do was express herself. “Hey, that wasn’t what I was trying to get at, I’m just trying to listen and help if I can.” I try to explain to her. I guess I’m not the right one to talk to about this situation, so I chose to direct her to the right one. “Hey, you got a radio right? Talk to Auron, he’ll be better at this than me.”
She gets quiet and sniffles once more. “You really put your trust in him, huh?” she asks me.
I look at her, she has a certain look on her face. I can tell that she wants to believe and that she does mainly, but there seems to be a small amount of a “What If” factor.
“Yes, I trust him, but I don’t have faith in anyone other than God. It’s probably a good idea that you do the same and remember that.”
She sniffles one more time, sits back and drops her leg down off of the dashboard and unclips the radio from her waist. “Auron!” she says into the radio. It takes a while to get a response.
“Yes!” Auron’s voice says over the static of the radio.
“It’s Julie …”
“Alright, go ahead, Julie.” Auron’s voice comes through with a little static in the radio.
“It’s about what you told us before about being saved.�
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“Okay, what about it?” Auron asked over the radio.
“We strayed so far away from Him, and all we do is pray and confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior and that’s supposed to be enough?” she asks Auron.
“So, do you doubt now, Julie?” he asked her.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I mean… My father was a Pastor since I was born, even had his own church. He was always busy and always doing for God and the church.” She sniffs again. I turn and look at her surprised to know her father was a man of God himself. Her mood changes as she thinks of her father. “He was always telling me that we had a job to do and that we should work and keep busy for the church. I always thought the church to be a building with four walls, row of pews and a cross in the sanctuary until he sat me down and explained to me the church is the body of Christ and that we as believers are a part of that body. So, I dunno. I just feel we should do more, ya know? Like something that says we’re doing this just to show our allegiance, ya know?” Julie says into the radio.
There’s a sudden pause on Auron’s end. “Pull over.” I hear Auron say. I look at Julie, who looks at me while holding the radio inches away from her face. I see the brake lights of the Tahoe come on once more as it pulls over onto the gravel shoulder. We park behind them as they all get out.
We walk to the others who all watch as Auron walks off into a field.
“What’s going on?” I ask Dana, her being the first person I come in contact with.
“I wish I knew,” she answered. Then Bazz and Shane walk up and with the twins behind them, never too far at all.
“I don’t know, but then again it’s Auron we’re talking about.” Bazz takes it upon himself to answer the question.
“Yeah, you never know what he’s got in mind.” Shane follows in answer after Bazz.
I look up and see the sun blocked by dark rain clouds. Thunder echoes in the sky suggest a storm is coming soon, and we were going to be caught in the middle of it.
“ARE YOU COMING?” Auron shouts out. Having everyone’s attention, we all walk into the field together. We stood on the summit of a hill and looked down at a grassy field and a winding river bend maybe twenty feet away. Then out of the water emerges an unclothed Auron. He stood there perfectly calm as he exposed his hairy chest and his overlapping pale bosom. Thank God the water came halfway up his stomach or we probably would see too much.
“Eeee!” Jessie screeched out. Dana and Julie attempt to walk back to the vehicles. I was too stunned to say anything, as I’m sure Shane and Bazz were as well. But Jefferey was the only one able to muster up enough sense to say anything aloud. “Seriously, Auron, where are your clothes?”
Auron points to the side bank and we see shoes, shirts and socks, meaning he remained in the water with pants on. “You didn’t think I was completely naked did you?” Auron asked waving his arms back and forth in the water like a child inside a swimming pool.
Feeling relieved and a bit salty I answered, “I guess it did cross our minds. I mean, with the torpedo nipples being exposed.”
“Well, the water is a bit colder than I expected, I apologize,” Auron answered.
“Auron, what is this? You choose to go swimming at a time like this?” Bazz asks Auron with frustration in his tone.
“Jerome I assure you, playing in a kiddy pool is far from my mind,” Auron replies.
“Well, what’s this about, then, Auron?” Shane asks before Bazz had the opportunity to, but with a more patient voice.
“Baptism!” Auron yells over the short distance.
“What!?” Julie says curiously.
“Julie you were my inspiration to do this,” Auron explained. I look at the others who all have locked their eyes on Julie. Julie stands at the top of the hill with eyes wide open in shocked, slightly stunned at Auron’s answer. “Me?” she asks in a voice just as surprised as the look upon her face. She begins looking at the rest of us for an answer, but the only one that can give her the answer is Auron.
“Yes, you! Julie, you hold on to your father’s memory for dear life, as you should. But, with that your father’s morals are deeply instilled in you as well. It was made evident in our short conversation,” Auron says still only answering half of his answer. He had a knack for doing that. “Remember you said you felt like you should do more to prove to God that you want to be accepted…to prove your devotion. That’s what your father showed you by example. But, even with everything he’s taught you, your desire for your Father in Heaven is something that no one can install in you. But your desire is a gift for God, it is what makes you one of God’s chosen. I’m not asking you to do this with me, but Julie, I feel the same as you, so I’m doing this to show my allegiance. I pray you will be just as filled with the desire I to carry-on on this path.”
Auron’s words always weigh heavily upon my heart, but they were moving as usual. I’m sure everyone feels the same.
“Will there be one?” Auron asked, but no one moved. As we look at one another to see who would go first, it’s as though a surge of hesitation goes from one person to the next. A speechless conversation clarified that none of us wanted to go first until there was a break in silence.
“I’ll be the first!” Julie shouted, running down the steep hill with back slightly leaned to keep her balance. She quickly removed her socks and shoes throwing them to the side and into the water she went, clothes and all. I start removing my shirt and shoes as well following Julie’s lead. My shirt came off next then I shuffled down the rest of the hill into the river.
“Ah, yes! And then one led many,” Auron says with extended arms welcoming Julie. I came up and stood next to her and I watched as one by one all the others followed us down the steep hill and stood waist deep in the water, even the twins. “To God be the glory,” Auron says with his head tilted back looking into the sky. Lowering his gaze upon us he smiles and I can tell he’s touched at the sight.
“I know,” Jessie says to his brother.
“Shhh.” James tries to quiet his counterpart.
“Alright,” Jessie says.
Chatter from the twins captures Auron’s attention as he peers through the crowd of us that stand before him and see’s the twins in the rear. “Boys,” Auron calls out to them, bringing their conversation to an abrupt halt. The blank suspicious look on their faces resembles a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
“Is everything okay?” he asks them.
Jessie and James both look at one another, seeing who would answer the man they both respected. James takes the opportunity upon himself to be the braver of the two this time and comes out and says it. “Well, we know what a baptism is, but… what is it for, really?” James asks Auron.
“Hmm hmm.” Auron chuckles under his breath. “Baptism is a symbolic adoption of Christianity through dedication of God the Father, the son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Think of it as an initiation in a way.” Auron explains. “Was there anything else, boys?” he asks them.
“Yeah.” Jessie chooses to answer this time.
“Go ahead, ask me whatever you like.” Auron instructs him. “Um, just a few minutes ago you kinda laughed, but what was funny?”
Auron laughs again. “Ha ha ha! I laughed because I find it ironic that you sometimes always ask the right questions that another may be too afraid to ask,” he says, looking at Jefferey. “Now, shall we proceed on?” he asks looking for any other questions from anyone. “Please hold hands.” He instructs us. “With heads bowed and eyes closed, we will pray. Dear marvelous and gracious father, we stand in united agreement and desire to take steps to prove our dedicated admiration for you. We ask that you will look down upon this baptismal and see how much we just ask that you would be pleased at this sight in these perilous times. Please accept our hope and faith in you that this baptism symbolizes, oh father. Amen!” Julie is the first to be baptized. Auron instructed her to cross her arms against her chest as he proceeds on with these words, “Julie, I baptize you wi
th the power invested in me, in the name of our Father God, the son Jesus and in the name of the Holy Spirit. He then covers her mouth and leans her back until her entire body is submerged.
Then one after another, we all do the same. I went last for some odd reason. Afterwards, as I began to walk away, Auron stopped me as I began to start up the steep soil hill. “Thomas!” he calls out. I turn around and look to find Auron still in the water. Now, this time with his arms folded across his chest. “We have one more baptismal, if you will do the honors,” he says.
Surprised at the thought that I may be thinking what he couldn’t be implying, I had to ask him. “Wait, you want me to baptize you now?”
“That’s the idea I had in mind,” he answers.
I try to grasp the whole theory of why he chose me. What makes me special enough to do a baptism? But, I learned that nowadays anything is possible. But still, I wanted a clear answer from him, without him answering the question by hiding his true intentions as he’s so known to do. “Why me, Auron? I’m not invested enough in God like you tell us before you dip us in the water, so why me?” I ask him.
“Why not, you. You stood by my side memorizing the words as I dipped the rest. And you already have a relationship with God. So, I know you know that John also baptized Jesus. Jesus who is the messiah and I’m just…well, me I guess, but in some small dismal way, I can see how you and John both felt similar in your hesitations. For different reasons of course,” he replies. Looking in my eyes I can tell that he sees I still feel reluctant about it. But, I understand he wants to please God by being baptized like the rest of us. So, I walk to his side and nod. He nods in return I commence with the same words I memorized him using on us. “Auron, I baptize you with the power invested in me, in the name of our Father God, the son Jesus and in the name of the Holy Spirit. I then cover his mouth and lean him back, supporting his weight as I cradle his shoulders in the crevice of my forearm until his entire body is submerged.
