by Mark Goodwin
Everett tapped Ali on the shoulder. “Let’s pull the satellite dish and the solar panels from the surface. We should have just enough time to get that done before sunset in Jerusalem.”
CHAPTER 21
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Revelation 16:17-21
Everett placed the hammer and chisel in his backpack. “You should go ahead and put your helmets on.”
Ali and the rabbi complied without question.
Courtney continued packing her own pack. “I’ve got six MREs, a gallon of water, plus my canteen. Do you think that will be good enough?”
“I hope so. The important thing is that the four of us not get separated when the shaking starts.”
Rabbi Hertzog put his arms through the straps of his pack. “We have food and water inside the city, Everett. Even if we get trapped inside, we’ll still have our supplies.”
Everett slipped his gloves on his hands and positioned the tactical goggles on his helmet. “Theoretically, you’re right. But the city is made of soft, porous rock. Sections of the walls and ceilings could collapse. We could get trapped in some corridor or stairwell without access to supplies. I want to make sure we have enough for at least forty-eight hours while we dig ourselves out.”
“Is it not better to stay outside until the quake passes?” Ali quizzed with a nervous voice.
“If we knew the quake and the seventy-pound hailstones weren’t going to happen at the same time, that would be a fantastic plan. But, given the threat from above, I think this is our best option.”
“You said the destructive waves of the quake should stay on the surface.” Courtney also sounded worried.
“In theory.” Everett stuck a second flashlight in the side pocket of his cargo pants. “But like I said before, this quake is unlike anything the world has ever seen.”
“Would we be better off on the second level?” Courtney fastened the chin strap of her military helmet.
“Not if we have to dig our way back to the surface.” Everett clipped the waist belt of his assault pack.
“What about all of the food and water buckets here in this room? If walls begin to give way, this would be the best room to be stuck in.” Hertzog motioned toward the eight buckets of supplies lined up on the back wall of Everett’s living space.
“That’s why I have them here.” Everett positioned the dust mask on his helmet behind his goggles. “But if this ceiling starts crumbling, we’ll leave. We’ve pre-positioned food and water buckets on each level.”
“And where will we go if ceiling cracks?” Ali loosely adjusted the shemagh around his neck.
“Either up or down. It will depend on what’s happening and what possibilities are available to us.” Everett looked at the rabbi’s single crutch. “How’s the leg?”
“Much better. I’ve been getting around with just the one crutch.”
“If it comes down to it, could you move faster if you had both crutches?”
“In an open field, yes. In these tight passways, no. It’s why I’ve been using only one.”
“I’ll be in front, Courtney will be behind me. Ali, you follow the rabbi and give him a hand if he needs it.”
Everett looked at his watch. “Jerusalem is one hour ahead of us. It’s 6:40 there. The sun will be setting on the Holy City in the next five minutes.”
“But the quake could come anytime in the next twenty-four hours.” Courtney fidgeted with the straps of her backpack.
Everett nodded. “It doesn’t even have to come then. It’s just that the last six vials have begun at sunset on the past six Fridays.”
Rabbi Hertzog pulled his goggles down over his eyes. “I fully expect that it will occur in the next twenty-four hours.”
Ali put on his gloves and checked the headlamp on his helmet. “If it does not happen by ten o’clock tonight, we can take shifts sleeping and keeping watch.”
“Good idea, Ali.” Everett took hold of Courtney’s hand.
She squeezed his fingers tightly. “Can we at least listen to the radio while we wait? I’ll lose my mind if I simply wait here to be buried alive.”
Everett reached over to the bucket where the small AM/FM radio was and passed it to her. “Keep the volume low. I want to be able to hear the rumblings when the quake begins.”
“Is it okay if we sit down?” She took the radio.
“Sure.” Everett watched as the others found seats on the buckets containing the dry-storage food, but he remained standing.
The radio came to life. The female GRBN reporter with a French accent spoke softly. “I am coming to you this evening from the GRBN studios in Marseilles. If you are just tuning in, I am sorry to inform you, but the GRBN headquarters in Jerusalem has been rattled by another terrible earthquake.
“There has been some speculation by the Global Republic Ministry of Geology that we may continue to experience a few mild tremors, which could be triggered by the unprecedented nuclear explosions all around the planet. The amount of force imposed upon the Earth by such awesome weapons has the potential to vibrate tectonic plates in such a way as to release energy stored at the convergence of these plates. While we can see seismic events set off by the bombs anywhere on the planet, the most vulnerable areas continue to be in the ring of fire, which runs along the west coasts of North and South America, China, and north-eastern Russia.
“The positive news is that The Holy Luzian Empire has annihilated Chinese-Russian Alliance forces in northern Israel and dispersed troops into Iraq. Today’s decisive battle in Megiddo will prove to be the single incident future historians will look to when marking today as being the end of this final world war.
“His High and Most Prepotent Majesty Angelo Luz was expected to make a public statement this evening declaring the empire victorious over our adversaries, but due to the quake, the Ministry of Media Relations is rescheduling the press conference for the first thing tomorrow morning.
“Pope Peter spoke from the Vatican only minutes ago issuing this statement. I quote, ‘With our opponents subdued and a host of global cataclysms behind us, we can now begin to rebuild. So many inherent vulnerabilities were built into our old social structure, infrastructure, and shared worldview that such a devastating series of calamities was necessary that we might clear away the fallacies, mistakes, and malignant ideas of the past in order to recreate a world made in our own image.
“‘We can now look forward into a future bright with potential and possibility. A clean slate; a fresh start; a true genesis has been afforded us by the goddess Shiva who destroys so she might create again anew. As the prophet Isaiah spoke, the bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.
“‘My children and fellow worshipers of His Majesty Angelo Luz, your faith has brought you this far, and now we are on the cusp of a new beginning. Do not lose hope in the one who sustains you through his mercy and love. We must persevere, showing ourselves to be worthy of his compassions and his eternal care.’
“These healing words spoken by the pope remind us to stay true to ourselves and in so doing, stay true to His Majesty and the seven heads of Dragon which constitute the Image of Angelo Luz.
“I leave you with these final words of encouragement from GRBN, the worst is behind us and it
always seems darkest just before the dawn.”
“Turn it off.” Everett raised his hand.
Courtney quickly complied. “Tell me about it. I thought I was really going to vomit this time.”
“No.” Everett stood with his arms stretched out and his hands lifted. “Did you feel that?”
The walls, floor, and ceiling vibrated. Microscopic bits of dust fell from tiny holes in the porous stone.
Ali pulled his goggles over his eyes and lifted his shemagh pulling it tightly over his mouth to act as a dust mask.
Courtney stood up and put her goggles on also. “It’s happening!”
The rabbi lifted himself up and placed his weight on the single crutch.
The low rumbling grew in intensity, shaking more dust from the ceiling and walls.
Holding Courtney’s hand, Everett stepped into the hallway and walked over to the stairwell. He looked up to see a small crack in the wall grow. As the fracture increased in size, silt poured from the fissure onto the floor, forming a dust cloud. He looked down at the second level and saw no movement. “Come on, let’s go down into the chapel.”
Courtney pulled away. “I’m just going to grab the radio.”
“There’s no time! Ali, help the rabbi down the stairs,” Everett directed.
Courtney emerged from their living quarters with the radio as the dust cloud began to fill the air and drastically reduce visibility.
Everett pushed her toward the stairwell behind the rabbi. He saw the form of three other security team members in the hallway and yelled out. “Quick! Get down to the second level.”
The four of them rushed down the stairs to the landing of the second level. Everett looked down the shaft to level three, then back up at the first level. The other soldiers were filing down the stairs.
Everett addressed his team, “Stand up against the wall so the others can get by.”
When the IDF troops reached the second level, he instructed them, “Go to the chapel. I’ll let you know if this level looks like it’s not going to be safe.”
The shaking became more intense. “Stand back, get away from the stairwell,” Everett said to his team. He continued to observe the structural integrity of the floors above and below. Another crack shot like a bolt of lightning from the stairwell on the first floor above him to the corridor which led to the entrance. Rock, and sand, and dust, and silt crashed down from above, billowing into a cloud of haze and grime, filling the air.
Everett led his team past the chapel and called out to the security personnel, “The first level is collapsing. We need to move lower!”
Everyone followed him to the rear stairwell where they descended to the fourth level. Once there, Everett could no longer feel the earth shaking, but he could still hear the activity echoing through the ceiling.
“Where to now?” Courtney stayed close to her husband.
“The tunnel to Derinkuyu on the fourth level. If the first and second level both collapse, it will be easier to travel through the tunnel and use an exit in Derinkuyu than it will be to dig out of Kaymakli.”
“You’re pretty calm considering we were just buried alive.” The rabbi hobbled briskly behind Everett.
Courtney took the liberty of responding to Rabbi Hertzog’s comment. “As sad as it sounds, this isn’t our first time being trapped underground by an earthquake.”
Everett pressed his back up against the wall allowing all those who’d followed him four stories below ground to pass by. He remained near the rear stairwell, listening to the ground rumble far above him and waiting for it to stop.
“How long can it last?” Ali assisted the rabbi in finding a spot out of the way of the other people streaming orderly down the staircase.
Everett glanced at his watch, then back up toward the surface. “It’s been going for five minutes.”
Courtney pressed her backpack against the wall and her shoulder against Everett’s. “And it’s still going strong?”
“Yep.” Everett ducked out of the stairwell as several pieces of rock dropped down from the first level.
“I wish I knew whether the hailstones were dropping. I’d like to know what’s happening in Jerusalem.” She gently tugged on his arm to get him further from the falling rock above.
Everett stepped away from the threat only slightly. He was mesmerized by the duration of the mega-quake going on overhead. The last of the occupants of the second and third levels cleared from above. The remaining security personnel found safety near Everett and his team on the fourth tier. Most of the others continued lower.
After a significant length of time had passed, he checked his watch again. “Ten minutes and it’s still shaking.”
According to his timepiece, eight more minutes passed before the steady reverberations finally ceased.
“Is it over?” Courtney still held his arm tightly with her hands.
Everett craned his neck to look up the stairwell and listened intently. “It seems to be. But we could have aftershocks. We’ll hang out down here for at least an hour before we go back up to inspect the damage.”
CHAPTER 22
And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Revelation 18:1-3
Everett cautiously ascended the staircase with Ali and Courtney behind him. He’d had to insist to keep the rabbi from coming along. “Keep some distance from each other. If a section of the stairs give way and takes us all down at once, there will be no one left to go for help.”
“Yes, Everett.” Ali slowed his pace, putting half a flight of stair between them.
Everett reached the second level where the chapel was. A few pillars had cracked and some had fallen into the hallway, but the ceiling appeared to be sound. He stepped over several large stones, pieces of the wall that had cracked and fallen, but none were larger than two feet in diameter. As he passed the chapel, Everett paused to look inside.
Courtney caught up to him and took a gander as well. “Hardly any damage at all.”
“Yes. It looking pretty good.” Ali surveyed the ceiling and the walls of the large open room.
“Since this is one of the areas with the most rock excavated from within, it should have been the weakest room on this level.” Everett toured through the chapel area, inspecting the cracks in the walls up close. “If it didn’t cave in, the rest of level two should be in fairly decent shape.”
“Do you think our area is still livable?” Courtney stuck the blade of her knife in one of the larger cracks to test the depth.
“We can check it out, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you.” Everett led the way out of the large open room, down the hallway, and to the front staircase. It was more difficult to maneuver. A three-foot tall stone blocked the passageway, forcing Everett to crawl over it. Once on the other side, he assisted Courtney and Ali in getting over it. Then, the three of them made their way up to the first level.
“Could be worse.” Ali slid his foot along the floor, piling up a quarter inch of sand and gravel with the sole of his boot.
Everett saw no major cave-ins as he glanced down the hallway toward their living quarters. However, when he looked up toward the entrance, it was filled with rock and rubble.
“Let’s just take a quick peek at our room.” Courtney stepped around a large boulder from a collapsed wall and headed up the hall.
Everett kept close behind her. When they arrived, the room looked to be in acceptable condition. The back wall had a huge crack running floor to ceiling but seemed to be structurally sound. Like everyth
ing else, all their belongings were covered in dust, but that would be easily remedied by a good cleaning.
“I know it will be a lot of work to dig out, but couldn’t we give it a shot?” Courtney dusted off her rolled-up sleeping bag. “We’ve got less than two months until the New Millennium, and I’m really tired of moving.”
Everett took a deep breath and looked at his wife with care. Being a man, he was more of a hunter-gatherer, and she was more of a nester. Still, even he was sick of the constant relocation; he could only imagine what it must be like for her. “I’ll put an exploratory team together tomorrow morning to assess how hard it will be to get out. But we have to make sure we at least have some ventilation shafts open. Otherwise, we only have a few days’ worth of air for so many people. If we can’t verify our air source, I’ll have to move everyone to Derinkuyu.”
She hugged him. “Thank you. You’re a good husband.”
He gave her a kiss.
Ali cleared his throat to remind them that they were not alone in the room.
Everett slowly pulled his lips away from hers and looked around the room. “We’ll have to get the solar panels set back up as soon as possible also.”
“I wonder if radio stations are still broadcasting?” Courtney retrieved the AM/FM radio from her pack and began scrolling through.
Everett looked on as she did so, but he was certain none would be on, at least not this soon after the mega quake.
The three of them organized cleaning tasks and promptly had their living space cleaned up enough to sleep in that evening. Afterwards, the three friends swept and dusted the silt and grime from the rabbi’s room on the second floor. Once that mission was completed, Ali assisted Rabbi Hertzog back up to his room where the four of them enjoyed a meal together before bed.
Saturday, Everett determined that it was worth a shot at trying to dig out of Kaymakli. Like Courtney, he’d grown accustomed to his space and really hated the thought of relocating to Derinkuyu, which had many more people than Kaymakli. However, he was only able to recruit a small number of people from the security team to assist him in the chore. Most assured him that they would join in after sundown, but for the time being, they would keep the Sabbath.
