Stung

by Jerry B. Jenkins

  “That means they’ll release Judd,” Nada said.

  “What the potentate says in front of the cameras and what happens in a Global Community jail cell are two different things,” Jamal said.

  “What if we reach him?” Nada said.

  Lionel looked at Samuel. “Know anyone you can trust who works with your father?”

  Samuel pursed his lips. “A lieutenant who knew my mother might—”

  Jamal interrupted. “It is too great a risk. You will not make the call from here.”

  “What are we supposed to do?” Lionel said. “We have to let Judd know—”

  “Pray that God will intervene,” Jamal said.

  Vicki yelled, “Is anyone hurt?”

  “My leg’s broken!” Janie screamed. But when the kids moved the branch, Janie only had a scratch.

  Conrad found an old newspaper in the next room, lit a match, and set the paper on fire. The wind blew it out. He stepped into the hallway and lit it again. “Grab anything that will keep you warm and follow me!” Conrad yelled.

  Vicki helped Melinda to her feet. Flakes of ice clung to the girl’s eyebrows, and she shivered violently.

  Phoenix bounded away from Janie and down the stairs toward Conrad. “It’s gonna be colder down there than it is up here!” Janie whined.

  Mark helped Charlie to his feet, and they stumbled down the stairs. Vicki hated to admit it but Janie was right. As they moved farther underground, the temperature fell.

  “Trust me,” Conrad said.

  Vicki was the last through the underground entrance. She closed the door. The icy wind no longer whipped at her clothes, but she could barely stand the freezing cold.

  Conrad and Mark brought wood stored in the tunnel and piled it on the earthen floor. “If we can get a fire going, the wind won’t be able to blow it out.”

  Janie picked an icicle off the side of a wall. “We’re all going to wind up human Popsicles.”

  “Stop it,” Vicki said.

  “At least there aren’t snakes and bugs,” Shelly said.

  Vicki bundled Melinda in blankets and rubbed the girl’s arms and shoulders.

  “I can’t feel my feet,” Melinda said.

  Smoke filled the room when the fire started. The kids gasped for air. Conrad opened the entrance to the tunnel. “This will work as a flue.”

  Smoke floated through the opening, and the kids breathed easier. “It’s going to take a while to warm up,” Conrad said.

  In the corner, Darrion and Shelly prayed softly. Janie cornered Phoenix again and dragged him as close to the fire as he would go.

  While Mark stoked the fire, Conrad joined Vicki. “This is the only place I could think of. Any other spot in the house and we’d burn the place down.”

  Vicki nodded. “It was good thinking.”

  “I’m sorry about turning off the generator—”

  “You were trying to conserve energy. It’s not your fault.”

  “I keep thinking about Eli and Moishe. I wish we could have seen what happened. Do you think they killed Carpathia?”

  Vicki shook her head. “It’s not his time yet. Tsion says the witnesses will die before Nicolae. I just hope God puts a stop to this judgment soon.”

  Melinda moaned and complained about her feet. Vicki carefully pulled the covers back and helped take off her shoes and socks. The right foot was pale but looked okay. When Vicki took off Melinda’s left shoe, she gasped. Three of her toes were turning a dark blue.

  “That’s frostbite,” Conrad whispered.

  Judd sat in an interrogation room at the Global Community precinct. Only a few officers were at their desks when he was brought in from the cold. He rubbed his wrists where the icy handcuffs had been. At least the station is warm, he thought.

  Judd hoped Nada and the others had gotten away without being seen. He wondered whether the GC would track them down. He kicked himself for putting Nada in that situation and resolved that no matter what the GC did to him he would never tell them about Jamal’s apartment building.

  Judd’s thoughts turned to the kids in Illinois. What would Vicki say about this? Judd figured she had the generator going and the schoolhouse warm. He smiled.

  Without thinking, Judd began to pray. It was as natural as breathing. Just speak to God. He knew the Bible said believers should pray continually. That was something his mother had quoted when he was younger. He had laughed at her. He used to think it meant you had to be in a church service your entire life. Now he knew it meant just giving your thoughts and concerns to God.

  Judd asked God to give him the right words to say to the GC. As he prayed, he wondered if God had placed him in the hands of the Global Community for a reason. His friend Pete had talked about God to a GC officer. It was a stretch, but there might be someone here who needed to hear the truth.

  A man entered the interrogation room, then quickly retreated, leaving the door open. A nearby television showed a report about the two witnesses and Potentate Carpathia. Judd couldn’t believe what Nicolae was saying about the Trib Force and the followers of Tsion Ben-Judah.

  Mr. Goldberg entered with a tall man. Judd looked down at the small wooden table and shifted in his seat. The tall man riffled through papers, then stared at Judd. When he spoke, Judd thought he recognized the voice, but he couldn’t place it.

  “I am Deputy Commander Woodruff,” the man said, looking at Judd’s fake papers. He read the information aloud and said, “Is that correct?”

  Judd stared at the man.

  “Are you a follower of Ben-Judah?”

  “Have the things the rabbi predicted come true?” Judd said.

  Deputy Commander Woodruff folded his arms.

  “Even the brilliant Chaim Rosenzweig has said we should look to the rabbi for wisdom,” Judd said, “so I guess the answer is yes.”

  Mr. Goldberg jumped from his chair. “You’ll be sorry you talked that way!”

  The deputy commander calmed Mr. Goldberg and turned to Judd. “We have reason to believe you know where Ben-Judah is hiding. If that is the case, we will get the information from you.”

  Judd leaned close and lowered his voice. “Why would you need to know the hiding place of someone who is not wanted by the Global Community?”

  Woodruff frowned. Judd repeated what he had heard Nicolae Carpathia say on the news report. “I’d say you are in direct violation of an order given by the potentate himself. And if those two witnesses at the Wailing Wall hear you’re holding someone simply because I agree with the rabbi, things are going to stay cold for a long time.”

  The two men stepped outside the room. “I didn’t hear that the potentate had lifted—,” Mr. Goldberg said as they closed the door. A few minutes later a guard escorted Judd back to his cell.

  27

  VICKI helped Melinda through the night. Mark had learned first aid in the militia and grabbed a pot from the kitchen to melt snow. When the water was warm, he soaked Melinda’s foot and rubbed the darkened toes.

  “Can’t make this water too hot or it’ll hurt her,” Mark said.

  When Melinda moaned, Vicki found aspirin in a bottle and gave her a drink. When morning came, Melinda’s toes were blistered but she could move them slightly.

  “Normal,” Mark said. “The color looks better. We have to make sure they don’t freeze again.”

  While Melinda, Charlie, and Janie huddled by the fire downstairs, the others headed upstairs. The kids removed the tree limb and nailed boards over the windows.

  “That should keep the wind out,” Conrad said.

  While Darrion and Shelly built another fire upstairs, Conrad and Mark inspected the generator. Vicki found the canned food, but it was frozen. She placed several opened cans of soup directly on the fire. When the soup was warm, Vicki brought it downstairs. Janie complained but wolfed it down and asked for more.

  Melinda wore four pairs of socks and shivered under several blankets. “What’s going to happen to us?” she said.

  Vi
cki patted her shoulder. “We’ll take care of you.”

  Lionel and Samuel prayed for Samuel’s father and Judd. Nada and the rest of her family remained behind closed doors. Late in the morning, Lionel heard a report from the Wailing Wall. The two witnesses, Eli and Moishe, had spoken out against the Global Community again.

  “Woe to the leaders who make promises but do not do what they say,” Eli wailed. “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth.”

  Moishe picked up the message. “This judgment shall not pass until those who are sealed are released from their bondage.”

  Vicki found Mark and Conrad working on the generator. The sun was out, but the light was weak and the temperature hadn’t risen much. The two blew into cupped hands to stay warm.

  Mark shook his head. “This line won’t thaw anytime soon.”

  When they were back inside, Conrad asked about Melinda’s foot.

  “It blistered some more and she’s in a lot of pain,” Vicki said, “but I guess that’s good.”

  Mark nodded. “If we can, let’s get her back up here so—”

  “Already done,” Vicki said. “Charlie and Janie, too.”

  Vicki led them to the three, who were huddled close to the fire. Janie held tightly to Phoenix. The room flickered in the firelight.

  “How much wood do we have left?” Vicki whispered.

  “We’ve gone through it faster than I thought,” Mark said. “If we stick with one fire, we might be able to keep this room warm for another week or so.”

  Judd’s cell was chilly, but he wasn’t affected by the cold like some of the other prisoners. They moaned and cried for more blankets. One man hadn’t moved in hours. When guards carried him out on a stretcher, Judd realized he was dead.

  On Friday evening Judd noticed a flurry of activity in the jail area. Several times a guard walked near Judd’s cell to check on him. Finally, Judd was led to a room where Mr. Goldberg met him.

  The man fidgeted with a pink piece of paper. “We have reviewed your file—”

  “You have no reason to hold me,” Judd interrupted. “The potentate said followers of Rabbi Ben-Judah are free to move around.”

  “The deputy commander has spoken with New Babylon about the meaning of the potentate’s statement.”

  “The meaning?” Judd said. “Seemed pretty clear to me. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

  Mr. Goldberg leaned close. “You have taken my son away from me. You brainwashed him with your religion. You are a dangerous young man.”

  Judd paused. Instead of hating the man, he felt pity. “My parents and my whole family were taken in the disappearances. Before that, my mom and dad tried to get me to go to church and listen to the same things your son believes. I wish I’d listened to them. I wish you’d listen. You don’t have to be separated from your son or from God.”

  A guard opened the door and motioned for the man. Mr. Goldberg left. A half hour later, Judd was returned to his cell.

  Later that night, Judd noticed an older, dark-skinned man in the next cell. The grizzled man scooted his cot close to the bars and said, “American?”

  Judd was cautious but moved closer. “Yeah.”

  “I tell you something important. In return, you give me blanket.”

  “What could you possibly tell me that—”

  “You get out soon,” the man said. “Heard it from guard. But I tell you something else. First, blanket.”

  Judd folded a blanket and shoved it through the bars.

  The old man wrapped it tightly around him. “When you leave before, guard came. Take coat from bed.”

  “They took my coat?” Judd said. “What would they want with—”

  “They bring it back. Did something to it.”

  Judd felt his coat. Nothing was different. “What would they have done?”

  The man shrugged. “Heard something else. You must be important person.”

  “Why?”

  “New Babylon say you get released. Others like you.”

  Judd nodded and told the old man about Rabbi Ben-Judah. The man turned and pulled the covers over him when Judd explained the message of the gospel.

  “No God,” the man mumbled.

  Judd tried again, but the man yelled and others nearby awoke. Judd thought about what the man had told him. If the GC had planted a tracking device somewhere in his coat, he would lead them straight to Jamal and the others. Later in the night, Judd woke the old man and proposed an even exchange: the old man’s coat for Judd’s. “All you have to do is keep quiet about the coat for a few hours.”

  The man handed him an old coat about the same color as Judd’s. Judd wrapped it around his shoulders and fell asleep.

  The next morning keys jangled Judd awake. He could see his breath in the frosty jail. A guard opened the door and motioned Judd outside.

  Judd stood up. “What’s going on?”

  “Bring your coat,” the guard said. “You’re free to go.”

  The guard led Judd to the front of the station, where he signed for his wallet and fake ID. Judd shoved them into a pocket.

  Judd looked around for Mr. Goldberg or the deputy commander. Neither was in sight. Outside the station he quickly pulled out his ID and money and threw the wallet in a nearby trash can. If there was a transmitter in his coat, they might have planted one in his wallet as well.

  Judd ran a few blocks until he came to a familiar street name. He was at least an hour’s walk from Jamal’s apartment building. He passed several bodies of those who had frozen to death.

  Judd ducked into a crowded coffee shop and sat on a stool by the window. As he sipped a warm drink, he listened to the conversations around him. People spoke of the cold and the two crazy men here in Jerusalem. A few minutes later, as Judd suspected, GC squad cars raced past. He stood up and pushed his way to the front. Before he could get to the door, something stopped him in his tracks.

  The sun.

  At 10:30 A.M. Jerusalem time, the bright, yellow sun appeared. People who had been inside for weeks ran into the streets and lifted their faces toward the sky. Crowds blocked traffic, but no one seemed to mind. The earth had broken out of its icy spell.

  A monitor inside the coffee shop showed a replay of the entire conversation between Nicolae and the two witnesses. Commentators praised the work of the potentate. Judd smiled. He knew God had been looking out for him and other believers.

  Early Saturday morning, Vicki awoke and noticed something different. She stumbled to the kitchen. Brilliant sunshine streamed through the windows. She let out a whoop, and the other kids came running.

  Mark and Conrad quickly got to work on the generator. The others helped pull food from the frozen storage area. Melinda stayed inside with her foot still wrapped. Color had returned to her toes, and Mark thought she would be okay in a few days.

  Vicki boiled drinking water and thawed enough food for dinner. She wanted to resume classes on Monday and had planned a worship service to celebrate the end of the judgment.

  Vicki noticed Janie was missing. She found her walking by the river. Vicki wanted to scold the girl or punish her in some way but decided to let it go.

  “I’m glad that’s over,” Janie said. “Feels like spring again.”

  “It’s not over,” Vicki said.

  “You mean it’s going to get cold again?”

  Vicki shook her head. “The judgments get worse and worse. That’s part of what we’re learning in our classes. See, God wants us to come to him now while there’s—”

  Janie patted Vicki on the shoulder and interrupted. “Just wait. When the guys get the computer working, I’ll bet it shows Nicolae had something to do with getting things back on track.”

  Judd walked into the crowded streets and made his way toward Jamal’s hiding place. He watched for any sign of a Global Community squad car. Once, a siren blared behind h
im and Judd darted into an alley. Later, he found they were headed to an accident scene.

  Judd waited near Jamal’s building until dusk, scanning the street for anyone suspicious. When he was sure no one was watching, he slipped into the underground garage and found the back entrance. He knocked on Jamal’s door. Someone opened the peephole and closed it. A few seconds later, Lionel let Judd in.

  “Man, it’s good to see you,” Lionel said, leading Judd to his room. Samuel greeted Judd.

  Judd told them his story. Samuel quizzed him about his father.

  “He seems closed to the truth, at least for now,” Judd said.

  “I’ve been praying for him ever since I received the mark of the believer,” Samuel said. “I don’t understand.”

  “It took you a while to come around,” Judd said. “Maybe it’s just going to take time.”

  Lionel took Judd aside and apologized for not waiting at Samuel’s house. “I didn’t have a choice. Jamal said I had to follow him closely or he wouldn’t let me in the garage.”

  “What about Nada?”

  “Basically he’s keeping her locked up,” Lionel said. “Samuel and I have been working with people in the building since the sun came out. We’ve been helping Jamal get them back into their apartments, but the guy is as cold as ice toward us.”

  “Doesn’t he know it was Nada’s idea to—”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Lionel said. “He blames you for what happened. He said she could have been killed.”

  Judd shuddered. “It could have been a lot worse, but everything turned out okay.”

  Lionel pulled out a sealed envelope. “I don’t think so. I haven’t seen Nada since we got here. She slipped this note under my door last night. She said to make sure you got it when you returned.”

  Judd opened the envelope and scanned the note.

  Judd,

  Remember when you asked me if I had feelings for you? I said I didn’t, but that wasn’t the truth. Lionel was right. Since you came, my feelings for you have increased. I pray you see this note and that we will be able to talk soon. Don’t let my father scare you. Please write me as soon as you can.