by Mark Goodwin
Everett breathed a sigh of relief. “The Reaper has deployed all of its weapons. We need to get out of here.”
Tobias came back over the radio. “We can’t do that. We’re in a convoy of slow-moving military trucks, in a remote location with no foliage for cover. This is the optimum environment for drones. Best case scenario, they’ll launch another drone from Ankara, Turkey. It could be over us in an hour and a half. It’ll take us three hours to get home. We’d lead them right to Batumi and end up dead anyway.”
“Worst case scenario?” Everett asked.
“They’ve already got a backup drone in the vicinity. It could be on us in fifteen minutes or less. We can’t lose them on this road, Everett.”
“If we sit here, the next Reaper will seal off the other end of the tunnel.” Everett let go of the talk key on the mic and waited for Tobias’ reply.
“We’ve got munitions. We can eventually blast our way out. Courtney has the staff, so we can get water from the river right now. We’ll get enough to hunker down for a few days, then after they think we’re dead, we’ll blast our way out and go home.”
Everett shook his head and pressed the talk key. “Bad plan. I hate it.”
“What’s your plan?”
Everett held the mic to his mouth, expecting words of wisdom to spill forth. They did not. He sighed, dropped his head, and let the mic dangle from its cord.
“Should we start looking for containers to store water?” Courtney put her hand on his shoulder.
“Yeah.”
Everett walked back toward Tobias’ location near the beginning of the tunnel.
Courtney retrieved the duffle bag containing Moses’ staff and followed him.
Everett picked up his pace when he saw Ali sitting inside Tobias’ truck with his head bandaged. “Ali! How are you?”
“Alive! Praise be to Jehovah.” Ali’s face and clothing were singed and covered with soot from the explosion.
Tobias handed a canteen of water to Ali, then looked at Everett. “What do you think?”
Everett walked to the edge of the tunnel entrance and looked up at the sky. “The longer we wait, the better chance they have of getting a shot at us while we’re collecting water.”
Tobias followed him to the entrance. “Then we should get started.”
Everett walked back to Tobias’ truck and picked up the mic. “Everyone, find as many containers as you can that will hold water. We might be here for a long while.”
Courtney stood near Everett. “What if we’re unable to blast our way out?”
Everett didn’t want to think about that. “Then this is where we die.”
Ali looked up. “I hear more explosion.”
Everett stood perfectly still and listened. “I heard it too, in the distance. It’s too late. We’ll have to ration the water we have. Get everyone back away from the tunnel entrance.”
Tobias’ voice sounded panicked. “We need the ordnance from the disabled vehicles outside! We may not have enough in these trucks to blow our way back out once the drone collapses the entrance!”
Everett grabbed Tobias by the back of his shirt to restrain him from walking toward the entrance. “Forget it. It’s too late.”
“Courtney, start this truck and move it deeper into the tunnel. It’s still too close.” Everett escorted Tobias away from the danger zone, and what could be their last hope of getting out of the tunnel alive.
Courtney drove the Typhoon another fifty feet inside the tunnel, parking it inches away from the bumper of the next to last vehicle.
Doruk and Sadat walked up from deeper in the tunnel. Sadat hugged Ali when he saw that he was alive.
The rumbling Everett had heard only moments ago got closer.
Sadat turned to him. “What is the plan?”
“You won’t like it.” Everett informed Sadat and Doruk of the situation and their likelihood of being buried alive.
“You’re right. I don’t like it,” Sadat said grimly.
Yet another loud boom echoed from outside the tunnel. This one was even closer than before.
“What are they shooting at? It sounds like it’s on the other side of the mountain.” Courtney asked.
“Maybe Tariq’s men came to look for him and the drones are bombing them.” Sadat listened for more explosions.
It wasn’t long until the next clamoring noise came. Everett listened with one of his eyebrows cocked higher than the other. “Wait a minute!”
“What?” Courtney asked curiously.
“Stay here for a second.” Everett dashed toward the tunnel opening.
This time, Courtney did not follow his directive. Instead, she sprinted behind him. “What are you doing? Everett!”
Everett slowed his pace at the mouth of the tunnel with one finger in the air as a sign to be quiet. Yet another rumbling came. He turned to her with a look of hope. “I don’t think those are explosions.”
“Thunder?” she guessed.
A faint smile formed at the corners of Everett’s mouth and grew wider. “I think so.”
She nodded—a slight grin manifesting on her face as well. “Reapers usually operate at an altitude above rain clouds. They’d have a very slim chance of locating and targeting us in inclement weather.”
“One man’s thunderstorm is another man’s sunshine. Come on, let’s go tell the others.”
Fifteen minutes later, the wind was blowing and the first heavy drops of rain were falling. Everett led the convoy of military vehicles out of the tunnel, stopping long enough to load the salvageable weapons from the disabled vehicles into those which were still running. By the time that was finished, the rain was pouring. Drenched, Everett jumped into the cab of his MRAP and sped away. He pressed the talk key. “Everyone, drive as fast as you can but leave at least two truck lengths between yourself and the driver in front of you. We don’t want to make it easy for them to take out two trucks with one missile, in case the weather clears up and they get a shot at us.”
The heavy rain persisted for two and a half hours, only letting up slightly for the final leg of the journey back to Batumi.
CHAPTER 10
And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Revelation 16:8-9
Friday afternoon, Everett and Courtney took a dish to Dinah, Gideon’s widow. When they arrived at the house, Tobias and Ali were there. Dinah’s sister and her husband were also present to console her.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Everett couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eye when he offered his condolences. He felt responsible for the lives of everyone who accompanied him on the mission.
“Thank you.” Dinah didn’t look up anyway.
Everett felt sure Dinah blamed him in some small way. “Courtney made a casserole.”
Dinah nodded and pointed to her sister. “That was very kind. You can give it to Batya.”
Courtney handed off the dish and took a seat next to Dinah on the sofa. She put her arm around her and hugged her close.
They’d been unable to locate any recognizable remains at the attack site, so Dinah had only pictures of her husband over which to mourn.
Everett excused himself and walked out onto the porch. Tobias followed him.
“She’s taking it hard.” Everett looked out over the otherwise-scenic vista of the Chorokhi River running red with blood.
“She’s tough. She’ll mourn, then she’ll do what needs to be done.” Tobias took a seat in the wooden chair Gideon had often sat in.
Everett remained standing but leaned over putting his elbows on the rail of the porch. “What did the rabbis say about the move to the underground cities?”
“They agree with us. It’s too dangerous to attempt unless we can figure out a way to evade detection by the drones.”
Everett said nothing for
a while. Finally, he glanced over his shoulder at Tobias. “Have you thought of anything?”
Tobias leaned back in the chair, putting it against the wall, with only two feet on the porch. “Not for such a massive movement of people.”
Neither man said anything for several minutes. Tobias broke the silence. “We could move at night which would help some, but it won’t hide us if there are drones looking for us. Rain is really the only thing that could possibly provide that much cover.”
Everett stared blankly. “Rain in the central part of Turkey is nearly an unheard-of event in August. To get a storm that would cover our entire path would be nothing short of an act of God.”
Tobias added, “Well, He has been fairly active in these last days, so there’s always the chance of that.”
Everett sighed. “Sure, but even if He sent a miraculous rainstorm, how would we know? We don’t exactly have a weather radar that covers the five-hundred-mile stretch of road we’ll be traveling.”
“You’ve got a point.”
Ali came outside to join them. “Tobias tell me that we might not be leaving after all.”
Everett nodded. “I can’t justify dragging all of these people out to the middle of nowhere only to watch them be blown-up by drones. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel.”
“Moses did not hesitate to take the children of Israel through the wilderness even though he knew Pharaoh’s army would pursue them.”
Everett gritted his teeth. Ali’s faith had a way of annoying him at times. “Moses isn’t here. And from the looks of things, he won’t be coming anytime soon. We turned on the television a few minutes before we left to come over. GRBN had some footage of Moses and Elijah on the Temple Mount. I guess Luz has finally had enough of them telling everyone that he’s the devil. Luz sent a platoon of fifty peacekeepers to arrest the two of them and the entire platoon caught fire. It was like all fifty of them spontaneously combusted. The peacekeepers burned to ashes, in a matter of seconds.
“I couldn’t believe the GRBN would even air the footage of it, but they’re spinning it to make Elijah and Moses look like the bad guys. Luz is claiming this proves they’re operating under the power of demons. I think it shows just the opposite. But then again, Luz’s followers are deceived, by definition.
“All that to say, Moses has his hands full in Jerusalem. I don’t think he’ll be leading anyone else to the Promised Land.”
“Perhaps it is you who are to lead the people, Everett. Do you not serve the same God who split the Red Sea for Moses? Are these not also the children of Israel?”
Everett clinched his jaw in expectation of Ali’s next comment. He was sure Ali wouldn’t be able to resist a statement about that stupid stick. Wait for it, he thought.
“Everett, do you not carry even the same staff that was given to Moses when he led those people through the sea on dry land?”
Everett wanted to lash out, to tell Ali how faith doesn’t work like that, how you have to be practical about these matters. But he couldn’t. In none of those stories about the Jews coming from Egypt did Moses exercise practical wisdom or worldly rationale. Yet, in every one of those stories, Moses had stepped out in faith, doing things that only made sense because God had told him to do so. And Moses had done them because he possessed that same annoying faith, just like Ali’s.
“You know what, Ali? Fine. You win!” Everett turned around with a half-scowling face. “If God speaks to me through a burning bush, and tells me to drag everyone out into the desert, I’ll do it. But if He doesn’t, you’ll drop the subject. I already got Gideon killed. And look at you, you’re all cut up from the explosion. Only by the grace of God, you escaped with your life.”
“Exactly, by His grace.” Ali was calm, unrattled by Everett’s outburst. “I went yesterday because I believe God has chosen you as leader. Gideon went for same reason. And if he were here, he would tell you that he’d do it all over again.”
Everett felt bad about being so harsh with Ali, but he wasn’t ready to apologize yet. He turned toward the bloody river down the hill and across the road.
However, Ali wasn’t finished talking. “You do not need a burning bush, Everett. You have the Holy Spirit of the living God. All you need is to be quiet and listen.”
Everett kept his back toward Ali and Tobias as a wave of emotion washed over him and the tears streamed down his face.
Later that evening, Everett and Courtney sat at home, alone on their couch, listening to the GRBN radio to see if they’d announce anything to indicate that the Fourth Vial had been poured out. The radio offered additional analysis about the two evil men who were occupying the Temple Mount, but nothing hinted that the next wave of judgments had started.
Courtney held Everett’s hand. “I guess if the Fourth Vial is scorching heat from the sun, it would be odd for it to start at sunset.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” Everett rested his head, still contemplating the brotherly admonition he’d received from Ali earlier that day.
The next morning was a different story. Everett couldn’t wait to turn on the radio when he woke up. Courtney was still sleeping so he carried it out to the back porch to listen as he heated water for his morning tea.
A female reporter with a middle-eastern accent spoke. “The Global Republic Ministry of Health has issued a warning for all citizens of the Holy Luzian Empire to stay indoors during daylight hours until further notice. GR scientists have identified a strange phenomenon with the sun. The sun’s magnetic field is experiencing an unprecedented period of flux which is allowing its surface area to pulsate. Calculations estimate that this activity has allowed the sun’s surface area to grow as much as two percent at certain periods, which scientist are calling solar engorgement.”
Courtney walked out onto the porch. “Solar engorgement. I wonder how long it took them to come up with that one?”
Everett held up his hand as a signal that he was trying to listen to the broadcast.
The reporter continued. “Typically, such an event would not have such a catastrophic effect on the Earth. But, two note-worthy occurrences have dramatically changed how this event will disturb our environment. First, our thermosphere was severely affected by the recent bombardment of space objects such as the Wormwood comet, the Apollyon comet, as well as the smaller asteroid fields we’ve encountered in the past seven years.
“The thermosphere is the Earth’s first layer of protection against excessive heat from the sun. Until it regulates and heals, more of the heat that is normally filtered out will pass through to the surface of the Earth.
“Second, along with man-made climate change, the assault on our planet by the space objects just mentioned has devastated the ozone layer in the stratosphere. Without a proper amount of ozone to filter out harmful ultraviolet rays, people exposed to direct sunlight could potentially get first-degree sunburn in less than a minute under these conditions. Symptoms include reddening of the skin and increased sensitivity.
“Depending on complexion and skin type, three minutes of exposure may result in second-degree sunburn which can cause blistering of the skin and headaches.
“As little as five minutes of direct sunlight can cause third-degree sunburn which will result in peeling skin and may send the victim into shock. More than that could cause death.
“It is unclear how long the phenomenon will last, but during this cycle, outside temperatures could reach 120 degrees today. However, the real threat is going to be from the intense ultraviolet rays.
“This is very serious and His High and Most Prepotent Majesty himself has urged all of his citizens to heed this warning. Do not, I repeat, do not venture outdoors during daylight hours for any reason.”
“You should put out the fire and come in. The sun is coming over the mountains.” Courtney gazed toward the east.
“Maybe I better.” Everett covered the rocket stove and brought his teapot inside. “We should probably keep the blinds closed.”
&nbs
p; “The others might not know. I’ll close the blinds, you call everyone that you can on the radio.” Courtney pulled together the curtains over the kitchen window.”
“Okay.” Everett retrieved his small walkie-talkie and called Tobias, informing him of what was happening and asking him to put out an alert over the Ham radio which had much more reach than Everett’s small handheld unit.
Once Courtney had finished closing the blinds, she asked, “You don’t think this could damage our solar generator, do you?”
“I hope not.” Everett peeked through two slats of the Venetian blinds. “We can’t do anything about it now anyways. The sun is up.”
Courtney watched over his shoulder as the sun edged over the mountains. “We were supposed to have a memorial for Gideon at the chapel today.”
Everett pulled his fingers out from between the blinds. “It will have to wait until after dusk.”
The next few days would be spent doing little more than sleeping, eating, reading the Bible, listening to GRBN radio reports, and waiting for the scorching power of the sun to cease.
Everett and Courtney watched through their front window as the sun set behind the mountains Wednesday evening. The ritual of waiting for the sun to retreat with its harmful rays became a daily custom repeated by everyone living in the Goshen Valley.
“All clear. Let’s go.” Everett opened the front door and led the way across the street to Tobias and Ali’s house.
Courtney walked beside him. “You don’t know what a blessing it is to go outside until you can’t.”
“I’m worried that I’m adjusting a little too well to staying up late and sleeping in all morning. It will be hard to get back to my normal routine when it’s safe to go in the sun again.”
“If,” she said. “If it’s ever safe to go in the sun again.”
Everett knocked on the door when they arrived.
“Come in, come in.” Ali held the door open and motioned for Everett and Courtney to enter.
