“What’s the matter?” Josey said.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever lied to my partner. A relationship like that is built on trust. Now I’ve violated it.”
“What did he want?” Josey said.
“He wanted to make sure I was okay, and that I understood what would happen if I didn’t comply.”
“Comply with what?”
“His new tattoo. He got it on the back of his hand.”
“Oh no,” Vicki said.
“Memo came down saying we had to take the mark this afternoon.”
“Is that why you came here?”
“I felt a little conflicted, yes. My wife tells me I’ll be selling my soul and flushing my eternal existence if I do this, and the Global Community tells me they’ll chop my head off if I don’t comply.”
“What did you tell Cal?”
Vicki felt like an intruder on the conversation, but she stood in the background and listened.
Tom’s face twisted and turned red the more he talked about his situation. “I told him you haven’t been feeling well and I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“Why did you lie?”
Tom stood and pushed his chair back. “Maybe I was scared of losing you. Maybe I was scared of losing myself, and I came back here to …”
“To what?” Vicki said.
Josey sat forward. “You don’t want to take that mark, do you?”
“I don’t know,” Tom said, running a hand through his hair. “I had it all planned. I was going to convince you to take the mark and we’d be okay. I figured you’d leave this Christian thing behind, but it’s clear you’re serious.”
Vicki went to the living room and found Josey’s computer. As she logged on to www.theundergroundonline.com, Vicki contacted Mark and briefly explained the situation.
“Would it help if Colin talked to Mr. Fogarty?” Mark said.
“Give him a few more minutes,” Vicki said. “But be ready.”
“Vicki, we need to get moving,” Colin said.
“Just a few more minutes.”
Vicki noticed an e-mail from Claudia, but she didn’t dare open it at such a critical time. A war was raging in Tom’s mind, and the only question now was who would win, the true God or Nicolae? Vicki asked to see Tom in the living room.
“One of the things we wanted to do with our Web site was lay out the truth of the Bible so anyone could understand it.”
“I’ve seen this,” Tom said. “We read your Web site and Tsion Ben-Judah’s to look for clues.”
“But you haven’t looked at it since you asked God to open your eyes, right?”
Tom nodded and sat. Vicki pulled up different Old Testament prophecies that pointed to Jesus Christ. As she explained, she noticed Tom trying to concentrate, rubbing his forehead, and perspiring.
“I understand what you’re saying,” Tom said when Vicki was through. “I understood it when Josey explained it a long time ago. I’m just not sure I can believe in something just because it gets me to heaven. I don’t want to face any more of the judgments you talk about, but I don’t want you to scare me into a decision.”
“The point isn’t escaping judgments or not getting stung by some evil creature, it’s choosing to follow the true God. You have to decide whether you’re going to follow the one who gave his life to save you, or the one who threatens to cut off your head if you don’t follow him.”
Tom scratched his head. “I hadn’t thought about it that way.”
Vicki pulled up an Old Testament verse Tsion Ben-Judah had used on his Web site. “At a crucial time for Israel,” she said, “a leader named Joshua challenged people to follow the true God instead of the fake ones they had worshiped. He wanted to make sure they understood how important their decision was.”
Tom read the verse aloud. “ ‘So honor the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. … But if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. … But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.’ ”
Vicki prayed silently. She had given Tom the truth, backing up her beliefs with the Bible. Josey had lived the truth before him the past few years. Now it was Tom’s decision.
The phone rang and Josey looked at the caller ID. “It’s from work.”
When it stopped ringing, Tom took a breath. “So what happens if I decide like you want me to? We go on the run? Try to hide for the rest of our lives?”
“Honey, if you choose him, God will take care of us.”
Tom nodded. “I asked him to take off the blinders. I can see this is the only sane decision I can make, but I feel like I’m choosing more against Carpathia than for God.”
A car pulled up in front of the house. Josey ran to the window and gasped. “It’s a GC squad car.”
“Cal said they’re sending officers to pick up off-duty people to give the mark.”
“No,” Josey said, “tell them you’re not going.”
A car door slammed.
“You need to pray,” Vicki said. “Just ask God to forgive—”
“I have to stall them. Josey, pack some things.”
“Don’t put this off,” Vicki pleaded.
Someone knocked on the door.
Tom lowered his voice. “Do your people have enough room for two more in their van?”
“We’ll make room,” Vicki whispered.
“Go upstairs, get on your radio, and have your people drive to the end of the cul-de-sac—”
Thump, thump. “Officer Fogarty? Global Community Peacekeeper. Open up, please.”
“Don’t let them go down this street,” Fogarty said. “Have them park on the next street, just west of us, in the same part of the block.”
Vicki sprinted to a room at the top of the stairs. She pushed the door almost closed as Tom opened the front door. Out of breath, Vicki listened to the man outside.
“Officer Fogarty, we’ve been instructed to bring all Global Community personnel to the station for the loyalty mark application.”
“Yeah, I know. I was headed back that way as soon as I checked on my wife. I told my partner she’s not feeling well—”
“You’ll need to come with me, sir.”
From the next room came a shriek and a sob that sent chills down Vicki’s spine. “Tom, I need you!” Josey wailed. “Hurry!”
Vicki peeked through the crack in the door. As Tom started toward the stairs, the officer grabbed Fogarty’s arm. “I’m sorry, sir. I have orders.”
“And I have a wife in pain! Surely the Global Community has enough compassion to let a man comfort his wife.”
“Your wife can come with us if she—”
Josey wailed again and Tom shook free of the man. “She’s in no condition to be moved.” He pushed past the officer and ran upstairs.
“I’ll give you five minutes,” the officer said, stepping outside.
Vicki pressed the Talk button of the walkie-talkie and whispered instructions for Mark. Mark clicked his radio twice, the signal that they had heard and were on their way.
Vicki joined Tom and Josey in the next room and quietly locked the door. Tom had the window open and a duffel bag filled with clothes lay on the bed. He threw the bag out the window, and Josey climbed onto the lattice that ran to the bottom of the wall.
“Quickly,” Tom whispered.
As Josey carefully climbed down, Vicki helped push a dresser in front of the door. Then Tom helped her through the window and onto the lattice. It felt rickety, and Vicki wondered if it would hold her weight.
When she was almost to the bottom, a voice yelled from inside the house. “Officer Fogarty, it’s time. Come down immediately or I’ll come up there and get you.”
20
VICKI and Josey hopped over a fence and ran between two houses toward the next street. Vicki glanced behind them as Tom dropped to the ground and picked up the duffel bag.
Vicki spotted the van about three houses away. She put a hand to the front gate when Tom whispered,
“Get down!”
Vicki fell behind a bush, breathing hard. She glanced at the Fogartys’ house and saw the GC officer at a window. “The window’s open and I think he’s making a run for it, sir!” the officer said into his radio. When he moved away, Tom raced forward.
“I see him now, sir,” the officer said. “He’s running toward the next street. I’m giving chase.”
Vicki opened the gate and waved wildly at Mark. The van pulled forward and Vicki, Josey, and Tom jumped in as Mark floored the accelerator. Colin grabbed the duffel bag as Tom struggled to get the door closed.
“Take a right at the stop sign,” Tom said.
“Was that officer alone?” Josey said.
“I think so, and he followed us on foot, so we’ve got a chance.”
Mark turned right and Tom directed him to an unpaved road that cut across a field. A few minutes later, with Tom’s help, they were headed north to the Wisconsin border.
Josey stared out the window, holding a scrape on her arm from the lattice. “I can’t believe we’ve just left everything behind. I only had a few minutes to decide what to take and what to leave.”
Mark glanced at Tom, then glared at Vicki in the rear-view mirror. “What were you thinking?” he mouthed.
Vicki put a finger to her lips. She introduced Mark and Colin, then turned to Shelly and Conrad. Finally, Cheryl leaned forward and held Josey’s hand. “I’m very glad to meet you, ma’am.”
Josey teared up, turned in the seat, and hugged the girl. “And I’m glad to meet you.”
Tom listened to his GC radio and watched for any activity. When they reached the Wisconsin border, he seemed to relax.
“What would they have done with you if you stayed?” Mark said.
“I guess they would have made me choose. Everybody was required to take the mark at some point today.”
“And why didn’t you?” Mark said.
Tom sighed. “The truth is, I’ve been having second thoughts all along. I didn’t want my wife to know it, but the whole GC system was bugging me. I kept hoping things would get better, but they didn’t.”
“So you want to pray now?” Vicki said.
Tom looked around the car at the others. “I guess this is as good a place as any.” He put his hands together and leaned forward against the back of the seat in front of him.
Josey put a hand on his back and asked if he needed help. He nodded. “Just tell God that you’re sorry about your sin and that you want to receive his forgiveness. You believe that Jesus died on the cross and paid the penalty for what you’ve done. You also believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and wants to give that new life to you. You receive his gift right now, and you want him to guide your life from this day on.”
Tom nodded again and began. To Vicki’s surprise, he prayed aloud. “God, you know what a mess I’ve made of my life and how long I’ve rejected you. I’ve done some bad things, things even Josey doesn’t know about. So I’m asking you right now to forgive me. I want to receive that gift you’re offering. I do believe you died for me, and that you rose from the dead. Give me a new life, and change me.”
“Amen,” Josey said softly.
When Tom looked up, Josey touched his face and smiled. Tom looked at her, then at Vicki and the others in astonishment. “I don’t believe it. You guys were serious about God giving you a mark.”
After everyone had congratulated Tom, Josey pulled out a tattered photo album from the duffel bag. “When you have to pack in five minutes, you realize what’s most important.”
Josey flipped through pages of photos, memories, ticket stubs, and important events. She showed Vicki the last pictures she had taken of her two boys, Ben and Brad, before the disappearances.
Mark turned the van east, toward the kids’ new hideout, with a brand-new believer, Tom Fogarty.
Judd awoke early after a good night’s sleep and joined the others in the basement for breakfast. Lionel had come in late, so Judd tried to keep quiet and let him sleep.
Yitzhak and Mr. Stein were leading the others in prayer for the events of the day. Though Mr. Stein said he knew what Nicolae’s ultimate plan was, he confessed he did not know exactly how things would take place.
“You must remember that Nicolae wants to set himself up as a divine being. He is intent on the destruction of all of God’s creation, both human and otherwise. From my reading of Scripture, his persecution of the Jewish people will begin soon.”
“Many people do not want to take Carpathia’s mark,” one man said, “but they do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah. How can we persuade them?”
Mr. Stein nodded. “We must continue to pray that God will reveal himself and convince them. The fact that they do not recognize Carpathia as a god is very encouraging. But simply seeing the truth about evil is not enough. They must believe the truth about Jesus.”
Though Judd knew what would happen would probably disgust him, he still felt a sense of excitement about the day and prayed God would protect him. He prayed for the others in the Young Trib Force and decided to check with Chang before he left.
Chang answered the phone and explained that he was at his computer in the palace, monitoring the complex number of pilots, planes, drivers, and vehicles that would help with the mass departure of people from Jerusalem.
“I still don’t understand how they’re going to slip by the GC,” Judd said.
“As long as the GC believes what the Trib Force is doing is one of their own exercises, Operation Eagle will continue.”
“How did they come up with that name?”
“It comes from a passage in Revelation 12. ‘She was given two wings like those of a great eagle. This allowed her to fly to a place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time.’ Tsion believes the woman represents God’s chosen people. The two wings are land and air, and her place is Petra.”
“How long are people supposed to stay there?”
“Dr. Ben-Judah teaches that ‘a time’ is one year, so ‘a time, times, and half a time’ would be three and a half years of protection.”
“And the dragon is Nicolae?”
“Yes, Antichrist.”
“Any news about the GC finding anything in the plane crash?”
“They are still combing the wreckage. The four are presumed dead, but there’s no final report.”
Something in Chang’s voice bothered Judd and he asked if the boy was all right. When Chang paused, Judd said, “I know you’re under a lot of pressure, but I might be able to help.”
“I have talked with Dr. Ben-Judah this morning about … my problem.”
“The dual marks?”
“Yes. He understands how alone I feel, and he tried to help me, but I still can’t look in the mirror. This mark of Carpathia mocks me.”
“What did Tsion say?”
“He assured me that I have the seal of God and that I did not voluntarily receive the mark. But in Dr. Ben-Judah’s own writings, he says the mark of the beast condemns me.”
“The Bible says you can’t take both marks. You didn’t take it—they forced it on you.”
“Which is exactly what he said. But I keep thinking about the brave ones who stayed faithful to the end. God gave them the ability to face the blade without fear. What did I do?”
“You’ve stayed in the den of the lion,” Judd said. “Don’t tell me you’re chicken. You’re in the most dangerous place on the face of the earth.”
Chang was silent a moment. “I appreciate you trying to encourage me, but even Dr. Ben-Judah admits my problem puzzles him. The only thing I can do is stay at my post and fulfill my duties until he contacts me again.”
Vicki and the others were given a hero’s welcome when they arrived safely in Wisconsin. Becky Dial greeted her husband warmly, and Phoenix went wild when he saw Vicki. Charlie had to put him in another room so they could hear the story of what happened.
Janie
hugged Vicki and told her she’d been praying for her. The kids all welcomed Josey and Tom Fogarty, but with all of the new people added, Vicki wondered if there would be enough room.
Darrion pulled Vicki aside a few minutes after she arrived. “I know you have to be tired, but I’d like you to look at Claudia’s response.”
Vicki nodded. “I saw that she’d written, but I haven’t had time to look at it.”
Darrion pulled up the response, which had Vicki’s message pasted at the front of the e-mail. Claudia wrote underneath:
Dear Young Trib Force,
I totally understand how you might think this is a trap. You probably get that a lot. I have visited your Web site many times and I decided to pray the prayer, but nothing happened. I don’t see a mark on my forehead or on anyone else’s. We only have another day to comply with taking Carpathia’s mark. What should I do?
Claudia
Vicki took a breath and sighed. “It’s not what I expected.”
“What did you think she’d do, write some nasty note admitting she was a Carpathia follower?” Darrion said.
Vicki looked hard at Darrion. “What if she’s telling the truth? What if she’s really a believer and we just let her hang down there? I thought she’d ask for a face-to-face meeting, but she didn’t.”
“If she’s a true believer, don’t you think she’d have the sense to get out?”
Vicki squeezed her forehead with a hand and pulled her hair back. “I’m too tired to think straight.”
“Then do this,” Darrion said. “Write her back and tell her to get out of there as fast as she can. When she’s a safe distance away, write us again and we’ll try to help.”
“Sounds good.”
While Darrion worked on the return e-mail, Vicki talked with Jim Dekker and the other new arrivals. Ginny and Bo Shairton nearly cried when they saw Vicki, and Maggie Carlson wept as she talked about Natalie’s sacrifice for them.
Vicki found Manny Aguilara a shy young man, with multiple tattoos on his neck and arms. He said he felt out of place but very welcomed.
Deceived Page 14
