Armageddon Darkness

by David Pollitt

Chapter 11

  The Marking

  Jeff watched the road from Sal's apartment window as hundreds of people walked towards the Vanderbilt Census Station. He kept rubbing his hand where he knew the chip would be inserted, not saying a word. Sal came out her room just long enough to get a coke and a bowl of Frosted Flakes, her favorite snack. He knew her silent treatment was a form of protest against his insistence for her to get marked. He knew he was right. It would be safer if she did; but deep down, he felt that her considering becoming a believer would win, then it wouldn't be safe anymore. They would be like two magnets pushing away from each other because of the Lord—while all he wanted was for them to be together—somehow, somewhere, sometime. She kept telling him it wouldn't happen, and he kept his sisterly promise but always hoped.

  "A guy could hope, couldn't he?" he asked himself.

  "Sal," he said quietly as she started to return to her room. "You don't have to get marked if you don't want to. I'll still be your friend, Sis."

  She stopped and looked over her shoulder at him, "Thanks, I'd like that." She turned towards him and sat down on the couch while motioning him to sit with her and pointing to the other end. He felt forgiven. His sister was back, and that was better than a silent, ignoring sister.

  "I'm going to go get marked today. The deadline is noon, two days from now. Anyone and everyone who isn't marked by then will be in big trouble. The news says that there will be a street-by-street, house-by-house search. I'll hide you. Don't worry."

  "I don't know if you can successfully. I heard the radio talking about new devices that can detect body heat of humans through walls. Not exactly what I would call an easy thing to avoid."

  "Maybe we'll find an iron closet to put you in," he laughed, not really knowing where they'd hide her.

  "What about the communes? Can't I go to one?" she asked while scooping up Frosted Flakes with a large spoon—she hated small spoons.

  "Sure, but they don't advertise for a reason, and how would you know if there was a bus leaving for one even if they did? Most of the time, people just sneak off with their families. I heard that there were hunting clubs using escaping believers as target practice."

  He moved closer to her, and she stopped with a mouthful, then put a palm up facing him, a warning to keep his distance. He moved back unfazed, having gotten used to it by now. "I just wanted to make sure you heard me. I'm afraid to speak too loudly. This place might have ears. Anyone passing in the hall can hear everything we say from here. It's like not having walls at all."

  "You're right. Keep it down. Either that or we move to the kitchen away from the door next time. Come on down," she motioned with an apologetic smile.

  Jeff smiled and scooted himself a foot from her, then lowered his voice in a quiet whisper. "Do you remember what you told me about that angel, the one in your dream?"

  "Oh, you mean, Caleb?" she asked.

  "Yeah, Caleb. Well, if he was real like you said, do you think he could help you? After all, you told me that he said you were important to something God wanted to do. Do you think he'd help?"

  "I don't know. But it sounds logical. How would I go about finding him?" she asked while putting her empty bowl on the coffee table.

  "Not from here. You need to get out. You're the only one who knows what he looks like."

  "Out. You mean out there?" she replied while pointing to the street.

  "Sure. Go with me when I get marked. You can wait for me to finish and keep your eye out for him. He can't be that hard to spot. Do you think you'd recognize him?" Jeff asked as he lowered his voice even more with his hand over his mouth to block the hall side of his face.

  "Are you kidding? There can only be one hunk like that. Do you realize that we're both talking about an angel when neither one of us is a believer? Doesn't that sound a little irrational?" she laughed while putting her hand over her mouth at how ridiculous it sounded.

  "More irrational for me than for you. Remember, you're the one thinking about becoming a believer."

  Jeff got up and walked slowly to the door after hearing a noise outside. He opened the door a little and noticed a man from across the hall was going into his apartment. He looked back at Jeff, and then put the back of his hand up in a salute to him.

  "Are you getting marked too?" asked the man who brushed a little blood from the insertion area around the chip, and without waiting for an answer and seeing Jeff's “yes” nod, went inside. Jeff heard multiple locks and chains from the other side of the door. Jeff thought that this mark was more about fear than anything he'd ever known. Everyone was scared to death.

  He closed the door, locked it, slammed the deadbolt in place, and hooked the chain. "It's that guy across the way. I thought I saw him wearing a minister's collar the other day. He had a mark on his hand. You see, Sal, not everyone is stupid. He's got the right idea."

  "Oh, thanks, now I'm stupid again. He's a left behind just like we are. He never had what it took the first time; and if there ever is a next time, he'll be left behind again. I have more confidence in a slug using a salt shaker than those kinds of people."

  "I'm sorry. You're not stupid. I'm just worried about you. That's all." His head dropped in a moment of real sadness, then Sal reached over and patted his hand just where the chip would go.

  Jeff jumped again as if she was going to hurt him, then smiled and said to himself. "I'm getting a pat. I'm getting a pat."

  "Actually, I think your idea isn't that bad. Since I'm so convinced that he really was an angel, I better put my actions where my mouth is. It doesn't seem like things are going to get really hairy until the deadline is over, a couple days from now, right?"

  "Let me get a change of clothes and brush my teeth. Got to look my best for my angel, don't I?"

  Sal ran excitedly into her room. In an afterthought, she went to one of Nikki's dressers. In a small drawer, just under some clothes was a silver, Celtic cross necklace. She pulled it out, and for luck, kissed it and put it on and stuck it under her t-shirt. She looked in the mirror and noticed that she could barely see the cross from under her shirt. She shrugged, thinking it would be okay.

  As Sal and Jeff walked closer to Vanderbilt, the crowds swelled to enormous proportions. Far ahead of them, on the backside at the tent exits, could be heard a lot of yelling and screaming. It would only happen occasionally, but neither of them could tell what was going on. They noticed groups of three and four already marked individuals standing under the best shade trees while closely watching people. It made Sal nervous; she felt naked from their stares, and Jeff moved between them, trying to fend off their looks. They smirked at him, turned other directions for a moment, and looked back at her when he wasn't looking.

  Sal took Jeff's hand in a protective manner and moved close to him. He was elated and took advantage by moving her arm around his waist and doing the same to her, then hung a thumb in her belt loops. She didn't resist. This whole situation was making her sick with fear; she felt like everyone could read her mind.

  "This was a bad idea. These people, especially those guys under the trees, give me the creeps. What am I going to do when you go get marked?"

  CE's came walking through the crowd, and those under the trees walked away to the other side of the tents. Sal felt better, and they waited in a line with several thousand. CE's came by giving out cups of water to prevent dehydration and stopped to chat with folks from time to time.

  "I feel better with them around," she remarked and did a spin, unwinding herself from Jeff's belt-loop grasp that twisted his thumb painfully in her loops as she did.

  "Slow down, Sal. I give. I give."

  "Shussh, will you? Don't you ever give up?"

  "Sometimes. It was just convenient. That's all."

  "Well, it's not convenient anymore, is it?"

  "No, it's not, ouch!"

  A CE saw them sparring and came up. "You two act like old married weds. Don't forget about the awards for turning in those who defraud the gov
ernment." The CE stared at Sal's t-shirt, then was distracted by one of his comrades.

  "Sam, we have a thunderstorm coming. We need to get this line moving. Warn everyone to take cover in the tent, not under the trees. Everyone up to here can stay. The rest need to go home and come back tomorrow, unless you can find shelter."

  The CE stood in front of Jeff and Sal and put a line in the dirt in front of them, "Come back tomorrow, kids. You heard the lieutenant." Sal realized that this CE was staring at her cross under her shirt. She quickly turned her back on him and pulled at Jeff's hand while trying to get away.

  She kept saying to herself, "It won't matter now. It will in two days. Not now. Not now," while crossing her fingers. The CE followed them for a minute, then it started raining.

  "Come on, Jeff. Let's get out of here!"

  "What's your hurry? Your afraid of a little rain?" She didn't say anything to him but continued to pull him away from the crowds past the tree watchers.

  "You don't understand, Jeff. I made a mistake. Look at my t-shirt," she replied without pointing.

  Sal was already getting drenched, and the cross became a beacon of silver through the wet, white shirt. The wetter she became, the more obvious it was. She knew that they were being watched by too many for her to get away with pulling the cross off. It would attract too much attention.

  "Normally, I'd enjoy looking at you in a wet t-shirt, but it's making me sick right now. We have to get out of here," he remarked but still took time to study her shirt.

  Sal turned to him in panic, "Stop the drooling, Jeff! Let's get out of here!"

  Their sudden exit attracted some attention; and with a couple of signal whistles, they were followed down Hillsboro Road past the old Peabody Educational Buildings. There seemed to be only three rough-looking men following them.

  Within another half block, the three had almost caught up with them and started shouting, "Hey, you two! Stop! We want to ask you some questions!"

  Sal turned instinctively with an "oh no" gesture and heard, "I told you, Butch. She's wearing a cross. She's not marked yet. Hey girl, we have some pre-education for you."

  Sal didn't wait to be caught, and they both sprinted at full speed; but were headed off by another two they hadn't seen before. Sal yelled at Jeff, "If they catch me, it won't be fun, or I'll be dead."

  She was talking to air. Jeff had turned to the three following them, and she looked back at him plowing through their ranks like a human freight train. He had great moves but not enough to handle all three. She jumped over the sidewalk wall and rolled on the ground. The two who had been in front of them followed her, but she knew she could handle them.

  She let them get near, and then turned suddenly with artful, practiced moves shoved one man's Adam's apple back down his throat with a powerful hand-heel move. She swung around with a sidekick and knocked the other guy violently in the head. He got up and rushed her, and she knuckled him with a punch to his temple. He was dead before he hit the ground.

  She had practiced for years without a chance to use her fine-toned skills. There was no remorse; she was being attacked; it was justified. Three more jumped over the wall behind her, and she out ran them and left them behind while they tried to help their friends—she knew they couldn't.

  Near another Peabody building was a tall brick wall; she noticed a drain facing the common area. That meant that the drain was probably bigger on the other side. She used a tree to get halfway up the wall and did a balanced jump to the top and over. She found the drain opening and slipped into it so she could see into the common area where the others were coming from. No one could see her peering over the grates, and the drain was long enough by four times her height. Even if they saw it, they couldn't see her. She had to stay close for Jeff. She knew he might even be dead now, but she had to stay to find out. He tried to save her life. The sounds of fighting stopped suddenly, and those who had been following her turned back immediately.

  She still didn't move but waited hours that seemed like eons. It was getting dark now, and she backed her way out of the drain, then moved towards the street wall. She walked down to where she figured Jeff's battle took place and peered over the top to see if he was around. He wasn't. She slipped over the top and landed quietly on the sidewalk, which was covered with small pools of blood. She still didn't see Jeff, but something moved in the gutter still trickling with rainwater from the short storm. Sal moved carefully towards it, and then noticed drag marks on the ground in five different places. Someone was dragging their friends. She knew two of them were because of her. The other three must have been because of Jeff.

  "Jeff is a better fighter than I thought," she whispered to herself. There was another rustle of leaves in the gutter and a moan. Sal recognized the moan; it was Jeff. She ran to him and was in shock. He only had a black eye but nothing compared to what he should have looked like.

  "Jeff, Jeff, where does it hurt? Jeff, are you alright?" She had his head in her hands and leaned over him trying to get his conscious attention while he seemed to be fading in and out.

  "I'm okay," then reached up and pulled her to him, then kissed her hard on the lips. She held herself to him for a second, not knowing whether she enjoyed it, then decided not.

  "Ouch, you bit the fire out of me. You just tore my lower lip off. What are you some kind of vampire?"

  "You jerk, you never miss a chance, do you? I was actually worried about you," she replied as she dropped his head in the gutter, then got up and brushed herself off.

  "What happened? The last time I saw you, you were acting like a human bowling ball."

  He got up slowly and staggered a second. "I did okay for a minute, then they got me down. Just as they started to work me over, some black guy in a red shirt came up. I heard them say, 'It's the crazy road walker, and then I saw them flying backwards through the air. I started crawling away and made it as far as the gutter and stayed. I threw leaves over me to hide. I didn't get a good look at the guy, just his red shirt, but I think I know the guy they were talking about. You know the guy that bows to everyone. Man, he threw all three of them over 20 feet right into that wall. Their heads cracked like melons. The others on the other side heard the commotion and came back to help. I saw them dragging five guys away by their feet. I think they were all dead. Did you kill those other two?"

  "Just self defense. That's all I'm allowed. It was justifiable," she replied flatly.

  "No doubt. Next time, let me pick out your jewelry, will you?" He continued to brush off and opened his arms to Sal, "Sisterly hug, just one."

  "It better be sisterly!" she answered as she went to him and hugged briefly.

  "I still got to get marked, Sal. I guess I'll go back tomorrow. I don't think you'd better go this time. I don't think those guys who were left saw me. They came later and ran right past us after you. The others had me on the ground about that time."

  "Man, what a shiner! I don't have any steak, but I have a thawed out chicken breast. Think it will work?" replied Sal laughing.

  "I'll try anything right now."

  They started walking towards their apartment and working their way away through the back streets to avoid the main drag.

  "Sal, do you see how bad it is? Imagine what it will be like when the census is over. You've got to get to a commune. I'll take a chance and try talking to people about it tomorrow after I get marked. Maybe I can find a group going that way. By yourself, you'd never make it."

  Caleb moved back in front of Sal's apartment and felt satisfied about his recent encounter. He had been watching them after following on the other side of the street. When he saw Sal and Jeff running, he knew there was trouble. He threw three guys off Jeff in one-hand movements; and after hearing them crash into the wall; he knew they weren't getting up. He didn't waste any time looking over the wall for Sal. He didn't see her, just two bodies and three guys heading back towards the street. From that, he knew she was okay. He couldn't get a message from heaven lik
e before to find out for sure. The appearance of those others, and Jeff's gutter hiding let him know it was okay to leave. He continued to walk up and down the streets until almost midnight; he'd be back in the morning.

  The next day Jeff made it all the way to the front of the marking lines. In front of him, was a young woman with her newborn. He didn't recognize her at first; but when she received the mark on her forehead and exited onto the street, he recognized her voice. This time it was the same voice as the lady he gave slices of pizza to, but in screams as two gangs fought over her.

  Her screams echoed in his head, "I believe in Jesus! I believe in Jesus! I believe in Jesus!" Someone snatched her baby from her as a gang dragged her off to a van and drove away.

  Jeff felt sick. That could have been Sal. He couldn't let that happen. He'd rather die than lose her. Jeff felt that his life was crumbling; and as he exited the tent with his hand bleeding slightly from the insert, others held theirs up to him in a backhand salute, and he saluted back and nodded in acknowledgment. He felt a terrible weight on his heart for Sal. He couldn't take a chance like he promised and expose himself with questions about the communes.

  Caleb saw Jeff walking towards him and thought this was the guy who saved him, but he was unsure. He noticed that he was wearing the same red shirt. As they slowly approached each other, Caleb bowed to him and threw imaginary flowers towards him. He sang a little song in a cracked, crazy voice, "If I were Sal, I'd leave tomorrow. If I were Sal, I'd help her go. If I were Sal, I'd find a way. If I were Sal, I'd hitch a ride. If I were Sal, I'd look for farmers. If I were Sal, I'd look for watermelons. If I were Sal, I'd go to Woodbury."

  He kept repeating it as he walked past Jeff while completely ignoring him as he did. Jeff turned back towards Caleb after he heard the song the third time and stared at Caleb's back as he continued to bow and accept imaginary applauds from an imaginary traffic audience. He remembered what Sal said about the angel. She had called him Caleb.

  Just about the time Caleb was too far away, Jeff shouted to him, "Are you Caleb?"

  Caleb was caught totally off guard. He turned instinctively, stopped all his antics, and just stared at Jeff. He nodded "yes," turned, and started singing again. He wasn't sure if Jeff would be quite that astute, but he hoped. He loved it when a plan came together and hoped that no dark angels heard it. They wouldn't put it together right away, but how many people are called Caleb. Jeff was the only one on the street, and he breathed a sigh of relief while continuing to walk away.

  Jeff smiled and thought about the verses. He sang the jingle over to himself to help him remember. As he walked up the apartment stairs, several men passed him, and he held his hand up in a salute, which they returned immediately. He reached to open the door and found it unlocked. There were scrape marks around the doorsill, and he panicked. When he entered, he didn't see Sal anywhere. Where was she? He went to every closet in the house—no Sal.

  He remembered something about those men he passed. One was carrying a stolen scanner. They were the vigilantes. They were starting a little early, he thought. Sal wasn't with them, but where was she? He returned to his door, locked it, and put the security chain and dead bolt in place. He noticed mud on the rug, then thought. Those guys were looking around his place. But why? How could they know about Sal? How could they know she had decided not to be marked? He turned off the TV, stood in the middle of the apartment, and listened. Slightly, just above a whisper he heard a sniffle. It was Sal, but where was she? He moved towards the sound; and as he entered her bedroom, he saw a four-foot redwood chest at the foot of the bed. He dived for it. When he opened it and pulled off a blanket, he found Sal curled up in a ball trying to keep her crying quiet. When she saw it was Jeff, she jumped out of it and into his arms, crying hysterically.

  "They came here. They said they were CE's from the other side of the door, but I knew they weren't. CE's start tomorrow. They cracked the door open with something. I heard them. I also heard them take the safety off a gun. I hid here. They opened the chest, but I was praying to the Lord for help. I could barely keep my crying down. They never found me. I think they heard you down stairs. How did they know? How did they know? They said to each other that they would come back tomorrow. They thought I had jumped out the window."

  "Oh, Sal, they didn't know. It was just bad luck. They're looking for easy marks. They'll be back tomorrow for any number of reasons. They probably saw that Bible on the dresser. You've got to get out of this town! You've got to get away." He held her tightly until her sobbing stopped.

  "I saw Caleb today. You didn't tell me he was a crazy black man."

  "What are you talking about? He's not. He's a beautiful white guy with blonde hair. He's gorgeous!"

  "Not anymore. He's a black man who sang this tune." He repeated it twice, and Sal just stared at him.

  "He's talking about getting a ride to a commune, isn't he? Are you thinking what I'm thinking, a farming commune, right? A truck loaded with watermelons? A ride to a commune in Woodbury?"

  "It's 50 miles from here. It has to be tomorrow. I really believe those guys are coming back. The census ends at noon tomorrow. All hell will break lose."

  "Listen Jeff, you don't have to go with me if you don't want to."

  "Are you crazy? I'm with you, girl, whether you want me or not," he replied and thinking how goofy it sounded. "I mean whether you want me to go or not."

  "Actually, I think you mean both. It's okay, Jeff. I overheard some people walking by on the street talking about the communes. They said that they wouldn’t let those with chips in their hand get in the communes. What are you going to do?" she asked while looking up and down the street from her bedroom window.

  "I don't know. Take it out, I guess."

  "Jeff, do you know the punishment for removing a chip? I heard that you'd go directly to prison. It's against the law. They said the reward was double for people caught like that. It would be too obvious."

  "I'm not leaving you, Sal."

  "You're not my boyfriend, Jeff. I'm sorry, but I just don't feel that way about you. I don't think I ever will. Are you still willing to put your life in danger for me?"

  "Just call me an idiot, a hopeful idiot, but an idiot. I'm with you either way, like it or not."

  "You're a friend then. You really are. Thanks, I'm going to pack, and you start watching for the watermelon ride, will you?"

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