“Nonsense. I know you’re new and all, but you’ve got to get over being nervous about praying in public. Give it a shot.”
“Yeah, go ahead,” Lee said with a smile.
“Okay.” She folded her hands and closed her eyes.
Judd felt a twinge of guilt listening to the girl stammer. He wanted to punch Luke for suggesting it. All they needed was for her to slip and pray something to lord Carpathia and the whole Global Community would come down on them. When Brooke finished with, “I pray to Jesus, amen,” Judd heaved a sigh of relief.
Two hours later, Luke handed Brooke and Lee a radio and asked them to follow. He placed Tom at a spot near the river, then left Lionel a few hundred yards to the south in a marshy area.
“We’ll leave you two together by the fence there,” Luke said. “You’ll have the best view if anybody comes up the road.”
“Let’s hope it’s your friends, the believers,” Lee said.
“Exactly,” Luke said. “Judd and I will walk west toward that field. That’ll give us a better view of the air in case the GC decides to join us.”
“Got it,” Lee said.
Judd and Luke jogged west through the tall grass. A faint orange glow shimmered on the horizon as the last of the sun played through the trees.
“How far do the radios reach?” Judd whispered when they hit the tree line and headed north.
“Two, maybe three miles. Far enough that when we get out of range, there won’t be anything those two can do about it.”
Judd hustled after Luke. They had left Tom near the river because of his bad leg. He was closest to the meeting point.
Judd stopped when he heard a creaking sound. “Is that a helicopter?”
Luke shook his head. “It’s just cicadas. Come on.”
Tom checked in on the radio and the others answered. Luke had been careful to place everyone out of sight of Lee and Brooke.
“Nothing here,” Lee said into the radio.
“Check,” Luke said. He turned to Judd. “I’ll bet a hundred Nicks they’ve called their GC comrades. You could see the gleam in their eyes when we dropped them off. They’re out for blood.”
“It’s sad, really,” Judd whispered.
“What do you mean?”
“You know the GC had to brainwash them. Who knows what would have happened if Nicolae’s goons hadn’t gotten to them.”
Judd’s mind played back the scene in Israel where he had injured a Morale Monitor. Judd had never heard whether the boy had lived or died, but he knew they were in a war. Nicolae Carpathia would stop at nothing to wipe out his enemies, and Judd was in that group.
“All right, we’re in place,” Luke said when they had run to the back of the property. “Everybody check in.”
“Everything’s quiet over here,” Tom said.
“Same here,” Lionel said.
Luke stared at the radio, waiting for Brooke or Lee. Finally, Brooke’s voice cut through the static. “Nothing over here. Luke, where did you and Judd go? We lost sight of you.”
“See that little copse of trees on the knoll? We’re about a hundred yards farther to the west.”
“Wave to us.”
“Something’s not right,” Judd whispered.
Luke nodded and keyed the microphone. “I don’t want to give our position away. What’s wrong?”
“It’s just that we can’t see any of you, and we don’t want to get separated. You know, in case the GC come,”
Brooke said.
“I should have thought of this,” Luke muttered. He keyed the mike again. “Okay, how about I come back to you and Lee goes with Judd?”
“Are you crazy?” Judd whispered.
“That’s good,” Brooke said. “I’ll head toward you now.”
“What are you doing?” Judd said. “You can’t switch places—”
“You head toward the meeting place, and I’ll stall these two,” Luke said to Judd.
“How?”
“I don’t know, I’ll think of—”
“Hold your positions, guys,” Lionel said over the radio. “I see movement. Brooke, Lee, do you see something moving this way from the road?”
“No, there’s nothing … wait. Yes. Now I see it.”
Two clicks sounded on the radio, the secret signal for everyone to run. Luke took off into the brush and Judd followed, his heart racing. The soft light of the sunset had given way to a creeping darkness, and Judd found himself at Luke’s heels, dodging trees and crashing through the underbrush. Had Lionel’s report about movement been true or a ruse to keep Luke away from Lee and Brooke? Had the GC moved in to arrest the small band of the Young Tribulation Force?
Judd gasped for breath as they plunged deeper into the woods. He hoped they would find Lionel and Tom at their meeting place.
14
JUDD ran as fast as he could through the thick brush. They passed a swampy area, and Judd made sure he followed Luke’s exact steps. He hoped Lionel would catch up with Tom, who knew the area well.
Brooke’s voice cut through the songs of crickets and grasshoppers. “We think that’s a deer moving on the road. Luke, are you on your way?”
Luke stopped and tried to still his breathing. Judd bent double, his hands on his knees.
“I’ll just come over there and you meet me,” Brooke said.
“Negative,” Luke said. “I thought I saw headlights coming this way. It could be our people.”
The radio was silent for a few moments, and then Brooke’s excited voice came again. “Okay, tell us if you see anything else.”
“Maintain radio silence until I give the word,” Luke said, then clicked the radio twice.
Luke started running again at an even pace. Judd was beginning to think their plan would work. When they reached the clearing, Judd helped Luke pull out the hidden backpacks, and they both put one on. Luke knelt, his eyes darting back and forth at the scene. The moonlight cast an eerie glow through the trees.
“Where are they?” Judd whispered.
Luke put a finger to his lips. “Somebody’s coming.”
Tom crashed through the brush and fell into the clearing. He held his injured leg and gasped for breath. “Didn’t think I was going to make it.”
“Where’s Lionel?” Judd said.
“Didn’t see him. I thought he’d catch up with me before I got here.”
Tom reached for a backpack, but Luke waved him off. “You don’t need the extra weight on that leg. I’ll carry it.”
“You don’t think he’s back there waiting, do you?” Judd said.
Luke stood, concentrating on the sounds around them. “I hear something.”
The three squatted and Luke grabbed a large stick. Luke’s muscles tensed as he got a firm grip. Footsteps sloshed through water behind them, and then Lionel ran in from the west and plopped down in the middle of the group. “I went too far,” he gasped. “Tried to find Tom … then got turned around … sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Luke whispered, pulling out a compass.
“Did you really see something on the road?” Judd said.
Lionel pulled his backpack on, shifted its weight forward, and shook his head. “Thought you guys could use some help. Brooke was about to come your way.”
Luke pointed northeast. “Tom sticks with me and you two bring up the rear. We’re headed two miles in that direction, then—”
Tom held up a hand and glanced into the brush.
“What is it?” Luke said.
“I don’t know, I thought I—”
The brush crashed around them as Lee and Brooke hurtled into the clearing. Judd’s first thought was to run, but when he saw Brooke reach into her boot, he knew he had to stop her. He lunged, but Brooke stepped back, avoiding him, and Lee’s sharp kick to Judd’s stomach crushed air from his lungs.
Before Brooke could push the button on the phone, Luke threw the extra backpack and knocked the phone into the brush.
Brooke fell back. “You Judah-i
tes are dead!”
“So you’re not real believers after all,” Tom said. “What a surprise.”
“All four of you on the ground. Now!” Lee yelled.
“You’re forgetting something, GC boy,” Luke drawled. “There’s four of us and two of you.” He grabbed Lee by a wrist, turned his arm behind him, and the man went down hard. Brooke screamed, and Judd clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Hand me some duct tape, Tom,” Luke said.
Luke taped their mouths, hands, and feet. Lionel found the phone and gave it to Luke, who dropped it on a rock and smashed it with one stomp.
“How many are coming for us?” Luke said, ripping the tape from Lee’s mouth. “And no yelling.”
“I’m not telling you anything.”
Luke knelt beside Lee. “I know a big snake pit not far from here. You two should feel right at home.”
Brooke’s eyes widened, and she shook her head violently.
“I don’t know how many exactly,” Lee said. “Enough to flank the road and capture as many Judah-ites as you said were coming.”
Luke glanced at Tom. “That changes things. Get on the phone to our people and tell them to hold their position. We’ll head to the—” Luke stopped, then pulled Tom to the side, whispering something in his ear. Tom nodded and walked several yards away and held the phone to his ear.
“You’re not going to get away,” Lee said. “If we don’t get you, the bounty hunters will.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Luke said. “Maybe we’ll get caught. But when your Global Community crumbles, remember we told you what would happen. You’re on the losing side.”
Truck brakes squealed in the distance. Lee started to call out, but Luke slapped the tape back on his mouth.
Judd looked back as they headed east toward the river. Lee and Brooke lay squirming on the ground like earthworms. Judd had caught his breath from Lee’s kick, but his heart pounded like a jackhammer. The GC were at the house and would be searching for them.
After they had run a hundred yards east, Luke pointed left and they switched directions. A few minutes later, he held up a hand. “I’m hoping they think we’re headed for the river and that we’re trying to meet our group downstream. They shouldn’t find Lee and Brooke for a while, so it should give us some time. You guys ready?”
Everyone nodded and followed Luke. A series of explosions erupted, and Judd wondered if the GC was destroying the house or if the blasts were Carl Meninger’s work. The four slogged through a marsh and onto dry ground. With Global Community troops nearby and bounty hunters ahead of them, Judd smiled. He was finally going home.
Vicki stayed up the entire night with Shelly, Janie, Darrion, and Tanya. The five prayed for Judd and the others, asking God to protect them and the rest of the southern Young Tribulation Force. Vicki was amazed at how quickly the time passed as they prayed, read passages out loud, and talked. Cheryl tried to join them but couldn’t stay awake.
Marshall Jameson had given Vicki an old road atlas he had found, and Vicki turned to the South Carolina page. She held the map as they prayed, wondering if Judd and Lionel were on any of the small roads she saw.
The angel’s words came back to her. Was it possible that something would happen to Judd on the way? Vicki prayed silently, not wanting the others to know her fears.
At 5:30 A.M., after hours of prayer, the phone rang and Vicki beat the others to it. “Hello?” she said.
“It’s Judd. We made it.”
Vicki fell to her knees, tears welling in her eyes. The others crowded around and tried to listen, hugging each other and thanking God.
“We made it to Walterboro about fifteen minutes ago,” Judd said. “You won’t believe where we’re holed up. It’s an old Baptist church the GC thinks is condemned. There’s a basement with an underground hideout.”
Vicki ran a finger over the wrinkled map in her hand and found Walterboro. She flipped back to the main page and tried to judge the distance between Wisconsin and South Carolina. It was such a long way. When she could speak, Vicki said, “How’s Lionel?”
“Good. We’re both tired and scratched up. I’ll write and tell you all about it.”
Vicki hung up and thanked everyone for staying up with her, then went to her bunk. She thanked God again for keeping Judd and Lionel safe and fell asleep asking him to bring them back soon.
Over the next few days, Judd and Lionel planned their trip north, contacting Chloe Williams about the different safe houses along the way. Judd found out that Carl Meninger had indeed set explosives inside the plantation house to destroy materials left behind.
“They weren’t meant to hurt anybody, but I’m not going to cry if GC soldiers lost their lives.”
Judd furrowed his brow. “We’re not here to kill people. The GC will label us terrorists if we start—”
“Look,” Luke said, “we’re in a battle. You don’t think there are casualties in war? They’re chopping off the heads of believers every day.”
“But why stoop to their level?” Judd said.
Luke stared at Judd. “If we’d have taken care of those two back at the house, we’d probably still be there.”
“Right. Kill all the GC we can,” Judd said, throwing his arms in the air.
One of the Walterboro believers came in to quiet them, but they still argued.
“Tom and I are going out tonight on a little mission,” Luke said. “We could use the help.”
Lionel shook his head. “If you’re going to do something violent, we can’t support you. We’ll pray for you and ask God to protect you, but we don’t see this as the answer.”
“Fine,” Luke said. “Just remember who rescued your nervous hides.”
Judd checked with Chang Wong, who said there were three reported injuries at the plantation house but no troops killed. Chang said he felt more and more isolated in New Babylon and longed to escape.
For the next three nights, Luke and Tom slipped into the darkness with supplies and blackened faces. News came over GCNN of fires deliberately set in South Carolina. All were said to be the homes of bounty hunters.
“Maybe they’ll get the message and stop what they’re doing,” Luke said.
But a week later, Luke and Tom failed to return from a night mission. Everyone assumed they had gone to
Barnwell to join their other friends, but no one was sure. Judd and Lionel made final preparations to leave, though they didn’t want to until they found out about Luke and Tom.
The next afternoon, the Global Community made a startling announcement. The Walterboro group surrounded the television in their dark underground as Commander Kruno Fulcire held a press conference.
“I will allow questions, but before that I have an important message and directive for all citizens of the Global Community,” Fulcire said. “We have conducted a pilot program, a test for the entire world. I’m pleased to say that our bounty hunters have had great success in ferreting out our enemies. There have been hundreds of people in the southern region of the UNAS delivered to GC headquarters.
“We want to thank those who have participated, some at great personal cost and peril. I have communication from the highest levels who say they appreciate your efforts.”
Fulcire looked at his notes. “However, with recent terrorist actions taken against GC forces and especially targeting bounty hunters, we have an alternate plan we hope will be instituted not only in the southern region, but in all the United North American States, and eventually, throughout the entire Global Community.”
Fulcire held up a shaded map of the southern region. “I have authority from the very top to issue this proclamation. If you are listening to my voice and you are in this shaded area and still have not complied with taking the loyalty mark to our risen lord, you have forty-eight hours to receive that mark.
“After the forty-eight-hour period, we will observe a zero tolerance policy and institute a vigilante law. This means any loyal citizen with a valid mark may kill an un
marked resident on sight. There is no longer any excuse to have neglected your duty. You must come forward at once.
“Citizens who exercise their rights and eliminate lawbreakers will be rewarded. Simply bring the body to the nearest GC facility for processing.”
Judd couldn’t believe what he was hearing. They had escaped the GC and bounty hunters, and now ordinary citizens would be their enemies. People in the room clucked their tongues and tsk tsked.
“Sir, what happens if a citizen mistakenly kills a person with a valid mark?” a reporter said after Fulcire finished his remarks.
“The murder of a loyal Carpathianite is punishable by death,” Fulcire said. “Anyone, no matter what the intentions, must be sure the person they accuse of being an enemy does not have the mark here or here.” He pointed to his forehead and right hand. “I suggest caution, but if you know someone is a Judah-ite or simply doesn’t have the sense to take the mark, your action will be rewarded.”
“Is there a preferable way to execute enemies of the Global Community?” a female reporter said.
Fulcire smiled. “A dead traitor is a dead traitor. The weapon is up to the loyal citizen. Personally I would like to see these people suffer, but that is up to the vigilante.”
The crowd of reporters laughed, and Lionel turned to Judd. “What does this do to our plans about heading north?”
“If we’re ever going to leave, now is the time,” Judd said.
15
JUDD and Lionel crammed supplies into backpacks, and one of the Walterboro group gave them a solar cell phone. They had mapped out a series of safe houses and campsites through South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and finally Wisconsin. Judd checked with Chloe Williams to find Co-op flights or trucks headed in that direction, but Chloe confirmed Chang Wong’s fears. Some Co-op drivers had been caught, while others had cut down their routes and had trouble just getting supplies to needy groups.
Judd had not only mapped out their travels but also tried to estimate the time for each leg of the trip. On some days, if someone gave them a ride, they could travel as much as fifty miles. Other days, when they were hiking through mountains, they could go five or ten miles at most. They planned to hike through the night and hide during the day, either at a safe house or somewhere in the woods.
Hunted Page 10
