Stung

by Jerry B. Jenkins

  Lionel told Nada about the money they were expecting. She closed her eyes and frowned. “Are all three of you leaving?” she said.

  “We hope to take Sam with us if he wants to go,” Lionel said.

  As the two talked, Jamal walked in. “Father, I’m going with Lionel to retrieve a wire.”

  Jamal looked at Lionel. “She goes nowhere with you.”

  Lionel held up both hands. “I didn’t ask her, sir.”

  Jamal ordered Nada to her room and turned to Lionel. “This is the final warning. If you talk to my daughter again, I will ask you to leave.”

  “Understood,” Lionel said. “Can we borrow your car to pick up—”

  Jamal shook his head. “It’s too dangerous now. I can’t let you out with my vehicle.”

  Lionel and Sam left through the back entrance and found a bus that ran close to the bank. Before they reached it, Lionel and Sam split up. Lionel sat in an outdoor café across the street and watched.

  As the plane touched down in Bamako, Judd thanked Immen and offered to pay him.

  “Do not insult me,” Immen said. “Besides, I believe you will need all of that cash to get back to Israel.”

  Immen gave Judd the name of another believer he could call on in case he had trouble. Inside the airport Judd discovered that many flights had been cancelled because of the dark cloud. The only airline that offered flights to Israel wouldn’t get him there until Monday. Plus, the airfare was more than Mr. Stein had given him.

  Judd tried to bargain with the ticket agent, but he wouldn’t budge from the listed price.

  Great, Judd thought, what do I do now?

  At the outdoor café, Lionel asked for a glass of water. The waiter scowled and said something in another language. Lionel pointed to a soft drink, and the waiter frowned and took his menu.

  Sam entered the bank. Lionel could see him through a row of windows in front. The boy stopped and said something to a security guard, then got in line. So far so good, Lionel thought.

  As Sam moved forward, Lionel noticed two men in a car scanning the bank with binoculars. As Sam reached the teller the men quickly exited the car and headed for the front door. They didn’t wear GC uniforms, but Lionel knew they were probably working with Sam’s father.

  Lionel stood. He wanted to get Sam’s attention, but he couldn’t. If Lionel didn’t act now, Sam and the money would be gone. He glanced up the street for any other suspicious cars. Nothing.

  Lionel crossed the street. Someone behind him shouted. It was the waiter holding a soda. Lionel shrugged and kept moving.

  Sam signed something at the teller window and waited for his money. Lionel moved past the two men at the door and reached the security guard. He asked where the men’s rest room was, and the man pointed to a hallway.

  “There’s a couple of suspicious guys out front,” Lionel said. “Looks like they’re about to jump somebody. Thought you oughta know.”

  The guard thanked Lionel and spoke into a walkie-talkie.

  That ought to keep them busy a few minutes, Lionel thought.

  Sam stuffed a wad of cash into a pocket and turned. Lionel called out and motioned for him. Sam looked around nervously, then followed. When they were inside the bathroom, Lionel said, “Give me the money. There are two guys outside waiting for you.”

  “My dad,” Sam said, handing over the money.

  Lionel looked for a window but found none. “The security guard may keep them busy for a couple of minutes. Is there a back way out of this place?”

  Sam nodded. “An alarm will sound.”

  “Good,” Lionel said. “Stay right here.”

  34

  AS LIONEL exited the bathroom door, he saw the two men still outside in a wild conversation with the security guard.

  Lionel crept down the carpeted hallway and hit the door, sounding the alarm. He rushed back to the men’s room and shoved Sam out of sight.

  Keys jangled outside. People ran past. “Okay,” Lionel said, “follow me.”

  Lionel and Sam calmly walked into the lobby. As Lionel suspected, the two men had rushed out the back door. The security guard wasn’t in sight.

  Lionel and Sam didn’t run until they left the bank and turned the corner. They stayed out of sight until they reached the bus stop.

  Judd phoned Immen’s friend and explained the situation. The man asked which airline he had chosen and told Judd to wait fifteen minutes, then return to the ticket window. Judd got back in line and a half hour later was talking with the same ticket agent who had turned him down earlier. Judd gave his information and said, “I’ve made arrangements with a friend.”

  The ticket agent scowled and tapped his keyboard. The man raised his eyebrows. “It looks like someone has made up the rest of the price of the ticket.”

  Judd handed the cash to the man and signed a form. “When will that flight leave?”

  “They’re talking about Sunday evening. Perhaps Monday morning.”

  Judd shook his head.

  “It’s the weather phenomenon,” the agent said. “If you’d like a refund, I can—”

  “No,” Judd said, “I’ll take it.”

  Judd took the ticket and went to his gate. He called Lionel, but there was no answer. He found a restaurant that had e-mail access and typed a message to Lionel, then sent one to Vicki and the others back in Illinois.

  Mark wished he had brought Judd’s laptop with him. Late Sunday evening he watched the GC coverage of the cloud. He clicked to other channels and found psychics and fortune-tellers. Viewers wanted to know the future, and they were willing to take answers, even if the answers were wrong.

  Flipping through more channels, Mark landed on a movie and thought of his cousin John. They used to love watching action flicks together. This one had some bad language, but he overlooked it because he was so interested in the plot. But things on the screen got worse. He reached for the remote and turned off the television.

  Mark shook his head. Before he had become a believer in Christ he had watched things he knew were wrong. The images had stayed with him, even after becoming a believer. Now he felt ashamed that he had been drawn in. He unplugged the television and opened his Bible.

  The phone rang. It was the guard, Kolak. “Boss wanted me to tell you that transport plane is supposed to get here between 8:00 and 9:00 tomorrow morning.”

  “Do you know if Carl is on the flight?” Mark said.

  “Don’t know anything other than that the flight’s due in the morning. I’d be here if I were you.”

  Judd ate an overpriced meal at an airport restaurant. He had saved a few dollars to get him to Israel, but his money supply was down to almost nothing. His flight number was called over the loudspeaker. An airline representative said the flight had again been delayed. They hoped to get off the ground at some point Monday morning.

  Judd groaned and settled into a chair in the waiting room. He propped his feet up and watched the television monitors. The continued effects of the worldwide cloud were the top story. Scientists speculated that the falling object had created a volcanic disturbance underground. “We should see this cloud cover dissolve within the next few days,” one scientist said.

  The news switched to a statement from Peter the Second. The man was wearing his full clerical outfit. “The Global Community may have an agreement with these religious terrorists, the followers of Rabbi Ben-Judah, but the time has come to enforce the law. Enigma Babylon One World Faith is the accepted religion for the whole world. I have read the rules listed in the Global Community charter, and I believe it is now within my power to punish offenders.

  “So that all may be clear, I consider the intolerant, one-way-only beliefs as a threat to true religion. Therefore, Enigma Babylon must go on the offensive.

  “To be an atheist or an agnostic is one thing. Even they are welcome. But it is illegal to practice a form of religion that opposes our mission. Followers of Dr. Tsion Ben-Judah will suffer.”

  Judd felt a chil
l run down his spine. So much for being able to live your life in freedom, Judd thought.

  “As a first step to rid the world of intolerance, it shall be deemed criminal, as of midnight Tuesday, for anyone to visit the Web site of the so-called Tribulation Force. The teachings of this cult’s guru are poison to people of true faith and love, and we will not tolerate his deadly teachings.”

  Several people in the airport clapped and cheered. Judd looked around for someone with the mark of the believer but saw no one.

  “Technology is in place that can monitor the Internet activity of every citizen,” Mathews continued, “and those who visit this site after the deadline shall be subject to fine and imprisonment.”

  Mark awoke early Monday morning, checked out of the hotel, and drove to the airport. He parked his motorcycle a good distance away from the GC post. He had seen and heard very few planes land at the airport and wondered whether the flight might again be cancelled.

  Kolak came to the fence and gave Mark a thumbs-up sign. “Ten more minutes!” he yelled.

  A few minutes later the jet engine screamed overhead. The plane descended through the dense cloud with a roar. Through the noise, Mark heard a voice. He turned, thinking someone was behind him. There was no one there.

  Monday afternoon in Israel, Lionel and Sam said goodbye to Jamal and his family. Nada came out of her room and hugged Lionel. She began to speak, then looked at her father and stepped back. Her mother put an arm around her and pulled her close.

  “I can’t thank you enough for taking us in,” Lionel said. “I don’t know what we would have done.”

  Jamal nodded. “If I had come to your country, I’m sure you would have done the same for me.”

  Jamal drove Lionel and Sam to the airport and dropped them at the terminal. “May God protect you, my friends,” Jamal said before he drove off.

  Lionel checked the monitors inside and found the right gate. His heart sank when he heard an announcement that said all outgoing flights had just been cancelled. Lionel rushed to Judd’s gate and talked with the attendant.

  “That flight is already in the air,” the attendant said. “It should be here within the hour.”

  “Why is everything being cancelled?” Lionel said.

  “Radar shows that the cloud mass is increasing,” the attendant said. “There’s a good chance of severe weather ahead.”

  Lionel sat with Sam in the waiting area. The boy was quiet.

  “Want to talk about it?” Lionel said.

  Sam looked out the huge windows. “It’s my dad. I want to talk with him.”

  Lionel nodded. “You know if you reach out to him what’s going to happen. Those guys at the bank showed you that.”

  Sam stared out the window.

  Announcements were made over the loudspeaker about cancelled flights. People hurried back and forth. Some shouted at attendants.

  Lionel closed his eyes and put his head back. He heard a voice that sounded like it was right next to him. He opened his eyes and stared at Sam.

  “Did you hear that?” Lionel said.

  “Yes,” Sam said, “it was perfect Hebrew.”

  “Hebrew?” Lionel said. “I heard it in English.”

  Others around them had heard the voice as well. Some women ran screaming into the rest room. A businessman carrying a briefcase fell to the floor and scampered under some seats. A woman at the gate got on the loudspeaker. “Please stay calm!” she shouted.

  “What was it?” Sam said.

  “The angel,” Lionel said. “It’s sounding the next judgment.”

  Judd sat on the crowded airplane. The seats were small and the plane seemed ancient. He thought of the trip with Mr. Stein and what he had learned. Once again he ached to share the experience with someone close to him. Then he fell asleep.

  He awoke suddenly, thinking another passenger had said something. The man next to him shrieked, unbuckled, and jumped into the aisle. A woman in front of Judd did the same, and the two ran into each other.

  “What’s happening?” a woman yelled behind Judd.

  The plane descended into the thick cloud and was enveloped in darkness. Those who weren’t screaming or crying whimpered in fear.

  Judd thought of Mr. Stein and the kids back in Illinois. If he could hear the voice of the angel in an airplane, could everyone on the ground hear it too? Judd sat forward and looked around. He was the only one with the mark of the believer. He was the only one who knew what was about to happen.

  Vicki asked the group to come together in the study room early Monday morning. Melinda was walking with only a slight limp now, her foot almost back to normal. Conrad couldn’t wait for Z to come so he could show him the gold coins. Thankfully, Tolan’s temperature was normal. Janie complained about the meeting but showed up anyway.

  Vicki turned on a light and ran through the changes that had been made downstairs. “We’ve made it as airtight as possible. I don’t think it can be any more secure.”

  “Why’d you guys do all that work?” Janie said. “Doesn’t make sense.”

  Vicki put her hands on her hips. “We did it for you. And for the others here who don’t believe what we’re telling you is true.”

  Janie rolled her eyes.

  Vicki began the teaching for the day. Tsion Ben-Judah’s latest teaching concerned the next judgment. She called up notes on the computer.

  “I’ve told you what Dr. Ben-Judah thinks about the cloud that’s covering the earth. Tsion says the things that come from it will not be part of the animal kingdom at all, but actual demons that—”

  Vicki stopped when she heard the noise. It sounded from the heavens, reverberated outside, but they could all hear it clearly in the room.

  “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

  Phoenix barked at the voice of the angel. Charlie’s eyes widened. He grabbed the dog in fear.

  “What was that?” Melinda said.

  Janie shook her head. “You think we’ll fall for anything. That came from the computer.”

  Conrad stared at Janie. “No, it didn’t.”

  “She had it on a timer or something,” Janie said. “You guys can’t scare us into believing.”

  “We wouldn’t do that,” Conrad said.

  Vicki held up a hand. “These judgments are going to get worse and worse. The only way to survive is to ask God to forgive you.”

  Before anyone else could speak, Janie said, “If you’re so smart, tell me what’s going to happen.” She snickered and looked around the room. “Is it going to be a Godsized tornado? Is that cloud going to spew out a bunch of little green men? Sounds like I’m not the only person here who’s smoked some weed.”

  Darrion got in Janie’s face. “These are going to be the scariest things you’ve ever seen in your life. I wouldn’t make fun of them if I were you.”

  “We may not have much time,” Vicki said. She and Shelly helped Lenore carry the baby and his crib downstairs. Melinda and Charlie weren’t far behind.

  Janie stayed in the room. “I’ll ride this one out with the religious weirdos!”

  35

  AS JUDD’S plane descended into the cloud, the captain of the flight spoke on the intercom, first in French, then in English. “Do not be alarmed by the voice you just heard. We believe there was some kind of interference with the plane’s sound system.”

  Judd shook his head. These people will never believe, he thought.

  The announcement by the pilot seemed to calm people. Those who had gone into the aisle made their way back to their seats. Some laughed nervously, as if they hadn’t really been frightened.

  The pilot came back on the intercom. “We’re descending into the cloud. Don’t be alarmed by the darkness as we prepare for landing.”

  Judd sat in the middle seat and craned his neck to see out the window. “You want to move over here?” the man beside him said. “There’s nothing
out there but pitch-black.”

  A flash of lightning lit the cloud. In that split second, Judd looked past the man and saw something swirling, almost like a tornado, inside the cloud. “If you don’t mind, I would like to switch seats.”

  “Suit yourself,” the man said.

  Judd moved over and peered out the window. A flight attendant instructed everyone to put down their window shades. Judd dutifully followed orders, then lifted it slightly and bent to see outside.

  Another flash of lightning revealed an incredible sight. In the swirling blackness, small pieces of the cloud were breaking off. The pieces scattered and flew through the air. At first, Judd thought it was an actual tornado. He had heard how fierce winds could lift pieces of wood and stone into the air thousands of feet. But these bits of debris seemed to have a mind of their own. They flew in all directions.

  “Close that now!” the attendant yelled from the aisle.

  “Sorry,” Judd said. He put the shade all the way down and sat back.

  The man in the middle seat snickered. “She really told you.” He patted Judd on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll be out of the cloud in a few minutes and you can look all you want.”

  “Flight attendants, prepare for landing,” the pilot said over the intercom.

  Suddenly, the plane was splattered with small objects. It sounded like hail. The plane dipped and veered to the left, as if trying to avoid something. The pilot came back on the intercom. This time he sounded out of control. “Please do not look out the window! We’re experiencing some kind of weather phenomenon.” Judd heard someone scream in the cockpit. The captain turned off the intercom.

  People around Judd began to whimper again. The man in the aisle seat nervously fidgeted with an in-flight magazine. He turned to the man in the middle. “I’ve been through hail in a plane smaller than this one. This shouldn’t be a problem.”

  From three rows behind Judd came a piercing scream. Then another. Someone had ignored the captain’s order and had looked out.