Hunted

by Jerry B. Jenkins

  But Vicki tried not to think of what could have been. Dealing with reality was a full-time job. Baby Ryan had become toddler Ryan, and while the boy’s laughter and play habits brought joy to everyone in the camp (especially Charlie and Zeke who made him wooden blocks and toys), more tension had arisen between the Fogartys and Ryan’s mother. Cheryl had become moody, staying in her cabin for days at a time and lashing out at anyone who tried to help her.

  Vicki grew frustrated, running out of ideas. Josey and Tom Fogarty became fearful that Cheryl might do something careless with the boy when she had him in her cabin. While Ryan was with her, she seemed to become more cheery, but when he returned to the Fogartys, a cloud came over her.

  Vicki prayed nonstop for Cheryl, but the Fogartys called a meeting with Vicki and a few others and asked that Cheryl not be able to see the boy alone. “We’re too scared she might take off with him,” Josey said. “We love Cheryl, and she’s given us the greatest gift we could ever receive, but she’s just not stable.”

  “I’ve noticed the same thing,” Mark said. “She’s telling Ryan mean things about Josey and Tom.”

  “What’s she saying?” Vicki said.

  Mark sighed. “I was walking by her cabin while she was out at the swing Charlie rigged between the trees. She told Ryan over and over that she was his real mother, that the Fogartys were only taking care of him, and that she was going to take him away as soon as she found a place to go.”

  Vicki shook her head. “I agree that’s terrible, but if you don’t let her see him anymore, she could get worse.”

  “We’re going to have to take that chance,” Tom said.

  Cheryl flew into a rage when Vicki tried to talk with her about the situation. Marshall, Tom, and Zeke came inside when the girl began throwing things. They tried praying with her, but finally Marshall gave her something to make her sleep.

  The next few weeks were some of the most difficult Vicki had ever lived through. There were shrieks and cries at night, and Cheryl would show up at the Fogartys’ door, asking to see Ryan. It reminded her of the time at the schoolhouse when the locusts had stung Janie and Melinda.

  Finally, Marshall and the others decided they would either have to find a new place for Cheryl or move the Fogartys and Ryan. Everyone felt sad for Cheryl but agreed something had to be done.

  Vicki tried one last time to talk with her and explain the situation. Cheryl had been so sweet and had learned so much about the Bible, but now she didn’t show up at their regular meetings and seemed hostile when they talked about Scripture.

  Cheryl sat in a dark corner of the room, her hair hanging in front of her face while Vicki spoke. “Is there something going on you want to talk about?”

  “Yeah, they’ve taken my baby away.”

  “But you wanted the Fogartys to have Ryan. Remember?”

  Cheryl ran a hand through her hair. “I’ve changed my mind.”

  Vicki scooted closer and put a hand on the girl’s arm. Cheryl recoiled and pulled both feet into her chair.

  “Cheryl, we’re really concerned about you. The way you’re acting … this is not you. I know the kind and gentle person you are, and what you’ve become lately is somebody different. Please talk to me.”

  Cheryl set her jaw and didn’t look at Vicki. “Get out. And don’t come back until you bring my baby.”

  Vicki wept as she left. Marshall and the others looked for a safe place for Cheryl.

  Sam rushed to the communications center when he heard news about something strange in Petra. He found Naomi Tiberius with Abdullah Smith and several of the leaders, including Dr. Tsion Ben-Judah and Chaim Rosenzweig.

  Sam had heard from Chang Wong in New Babylon that something was up with Carpathia. Chang had overheard a conversation between Nicolae and his staff lamenting the fact that people in Petra had clean water to drink while the rest of the world suffered. Chang was worried that the GC might try something drastic to tap into the same spring that nourished Petra.

  Sam stood in the back of the communications center, close enough to hear the conversation. A missile was fifteen minutes away, and by Abdullah’s calculations was headed for a spot where the Global Community had been drilling for water.

  Sam went outside to an area overlooking the desert. Sure enough, the GC workers had pulled back. Sam wiped his forehead and looked at the sun. Was it just him or had it gotten hotter? It was almost ten in the morning, but the heat felt like the hottest part of the afternoon.

  The leaders and Abdullah walked onto a ledge and looked at the work site. A few minutes later a bright speck moved toward Petra. The missile struck the desert and raised a huge cloud of sand and soil. The explosion roared like thunder, and the ground shook. But no water or blood geyser spouted from the missile that must have cost millions of Nicks. Sam shook his head at the foolishness of the Global Community and wiped his brow again.

  Chang’s first inkling that something was wrong came as he secretly listened to a conversation coming from Carpathia’s office. He had become more and more bold with his listening habits, wearing headphones at his desk so he could follow news of the missile.

  Carpathia was upset that their weapon hadn’t produced anything more than a crater.

  A knock on the door and Krystall, Nicolae’s secretary, entered. “Begging your pardon, sir, but we are getting strange reports.”

  “What kind of reports?”

  “Some kind of a heat wave. The lines are jammed. People are—”

  Suddenly, shouts came from Chang’s office mates. He closed his computer program and took off the headphones. He noticed Rasha by the window with another man named Lars. They were pointing to the street, obviously upset.

  Chang heard an explosion, then another, as people crowded around him.

  “Get back!” Chang’s boss, Aurelio Figueroa, shouted as he burst into the room waving his arms. “Get away from the windows!”

  It was too late for Rasha and Lars. The window in front of them gave way, sending shards of glass flying about the room. Both were struck by the broken glass and crumpled to the floor as others screamed. Hot, steamy air blew into the room. A woman tried to help her fallen friends, but her hair curled, then burst into flames from the heat.

  “What is this?” someone shrieked. “What’s happening?”

  Chang had the same question. Was this something Nicolae had planned, or was it God’s work? And would believers be affected like those with Carpathia’s mark?

  Judd awoke to a phone call from an excited Chang Wong. Judd felt groggy and missed the first few words from his friend. Something about heat and people dying.

  “Slow down,” Judd said, wiping his eyes. “What’s going on?”

  “The fourth Bowl Judgment from God,” Chang said. “I’ll explain in a moment, but you must be prepared.”

  “You mean we’re in danger?” Judd said, suddenly awake.

  “I don’t think so. I think believers will be spared, while this will be a nightmare for unbelievers. But this may be our chance to move much-needed supplies to you and your friends.”

  Judd’s heart raced. He was excited about the prospect of food and supplies for the Ohio group. But the thing that excited him most was that if they could move supplies more easily, he might be able to move, and that meant he might get to Wisconsin. Back to Vicki.

  31

  JUDD Thompson Jr. pressed the phone to his ear and walked to a private place in the Ohio hideout. Chang had called from New Babylon to tell Judd about something weird, what he called the “fourth Bowl Judgment.” Chang seemed excited about what this might mean for believers.

  “Has Dr. Ben-Judah said anything about this?” Judd said.

  “I haven’t heard anything, but you know he’ll come out with something soon.”

  Judd flipped on the television as he talked, but the only local station was off the air. “Back up and tell me exactly what happened.”

  Chang took a breath. “I had been listening to Carpathia when his secretar
y said there were strange reports about a heat wave. Then I heard shouts near my office. Everyone ran to the front window, and my boss warned them to get back. That’s when the glass exploded and Rasha …” Chang stopped for a moment.

  “Who’s Rasha?”

  “She worked near me. We had several conversations about Judah-ites and all the miraculous things going on. She was a Carpathia follower, but she was really scared that something bad was going to happen to her. I wanted to tell her the truth so many times, but there was no way. She had Carpathia’s mark.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “She was at the window when it shattered. Shards of glass flew everywhere. Rasha and another man were cut and fell to the floor as the hot air blew into the room. People went crazy, screaming and running over each other. One woman tried to help Rasha, but her hair burst into flames.”

  “If that was going on inside, I can’t imagine what happened outside.”

  “It was awful,” Chang said. “A woman was walking her dog below us. She let go of the animal and tried to get inside a car, but she burned her hands on the door handles. The dog ran in a circle, trying to find some shade or relief from the heat, but it finally turned into a dog torch.”

  Judd shuddered. “And the same thing happened to people?”

  “They fell out of their cars. Tires exploded. I saw windshields melt. My boss ordered everyone into the basement.”

  “Could you feel the heat?”

  “It was a bit warmer, but I wasn’t burned. I pretended it was hurting though.”

  “What happened to Rasha and the other guy?”

  “They turned into human fire. It was awful. The others ran for the elevator, but I said I would catch the next one. I wanted to run to my quarters and alert the Tribulation Force and you.”

  As soon as he was off the phone, Judd logged on to Tsion Ben-Judah’s Web site. Judd couldn’t imagine what the last five years would have been like without the spiritual direction of this man. His Web site alone had helped millions come to know God, and the 144,000 evangelists God had raised up had reached more. Judd noticed a new posting from Tsion and downloaded the file so Lionel and the others could read it. Tsion wrote:

  My dear friends in Christ, I want you to know that we have reached another terrible milestone. For those of you in the former USA and other places where the sun is yet to rise, the deadly fourth Bowl Judgment has struck, as prophesied in the Bible, and every time zone in the world will be affected.

  Here in Petra, by ten in the morning, people out in the sun without the seal of God were burned alive. This may seem an unparalleled opportunity to plead once again for the souls of men and women, because millions will lose loved ones. But the Scriptures also indicate that this may come so late in the hearts of the undecided that they will have already been hardened.

  Burned alive. Judd couldn’t imagine such horror. He had seen scary movies where people had been burned, and the images had stuck in his mind.

  Tsion included the Scripture that mentioned the judgment:

  Revelation 16:8-9 says, “Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.”

  Tsion’s message continued, explaining as much as he could, but the man admitted he did not know how long the heat would last. Judd read the brief message again. He had so many questions. Was Chang right about being able to move around during daylight? If cars had exploded in New Babylon, would the Humvee they had hidden near the hideout also explode, or would God somehow spare believers’ vehicles?

  Judd wished he could talk with Tsion himself, but he knew that wasn’t possible. He recalled a conversation with Rayford Steele, who gave his secure phone number and offered to help in making decisions. Judd glanced at his watch. Before he called Vicki with the news, he had to talk with Captain Steele.

  Vicki Byrne hadn’t slept well the past few nights. Cheryl’s moods swung like playground equipment, but the truth was, the situation with the Fogartys had eased a little. Cheryl had said she didn’t need to see Ryan much anymore, and Marshall and Zeke were trying to find her another place to live.

  But Vicki had to admit that Cheryl wasn’t the only reason she was losing sleep. Members of the Young Tribulation Force had grown frustrated. Some wanted to take more chances to find people without the mark of Carpathia. Mark had talked about leaving the group and traveling, but Zeke had convinced him to stay.

  The newest members of the group, Ty and Tanya Spivey, along with the others who had broken away from Tanya’s father’s group, had thought the camp in Wisconsin was the next best thing to heaven when they arrived. Now they felt disappointed at the conflict.

  “I know we’re all human,” Tanya had said to Vicki when they were alone one morning, “but the stuff with Cheryl and the fighting between Conrad and Shelly upset me.”

  “I’m just as disappointed as you,” Vicki said, “but when we become believers we’re not promised that everything’s going to be easy. In a lot of ways, things got worse when I became a believer.”

  “That doesn’t seem fair. If God loves us, wouldn’t he help us solve our problems?”

  Vicki couldn’t think of a Bible passage that addressed the subject, and she had to admit she felt the same way. She wanted God to fix things. The world’s troubles had united the kids for a time, but each day brought new struggles.

  Something moved outside the cabin, and Vicki sat up. The moon shone through the curtains, casting an eerie glow. She strained to hear, but all was quiet.

  Vicki closed her eyes and prayed for her friends, especially Judd. If God would bring him back, she could put up with any problem.

  Judd dialed the number to the hideout in San Diego and took a deep breath.

  “Steele,” Rayford answered.

  “I hope I’m not bothering you, Captain. This is Judd Thompson.”

  “Not a problem. What’s up?”

  Judd explained what Chang Wong had told him, and Rayford said he had just gotten off the phone with Dr. Ben-Judah. “I wanted to ask him if those with the seal of God would be immune to the heat.”

  “My question exactly,” Judd said. “What did Tsion say?”

  “He said they feel some extra warmth there in Petra and some people are a little tired, but like Chang, they’re not feeling the effects like unbelievers.”

  “Then it’s true. I could go out tomorrow morning without the GC knowing about it.”

  “It’s likely. I told Tsion this could mean a lot to the Trib Force. As long as we hide before GC officers come out, we’re okay.”

  “Which means you can move supplies around the country.”

  “Exactly. And with the way the groups are begging for food, this comes at a great time.”

  “I’m trying to get to the Wisconsin hideout. Do you think it would be safe to drive there tomorrow?”

  “You’re talking about Avery, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “And what’s your location now?”

  Judd told him.

  “I don’t know if I’d chance it unless you have some place to ditch for the night. Wait and see what happens tomorrow. I’ll be talking with our people about flights to various groups. Maybe you could tag along.”

  “Great. But will planes be able to fly in the heat?”

  “I hope so. You have to understand we have no idea how long this will last. It could be a few hours, a few days, or weeks. Tsion cautioned that God has never been predictable with these plagues. We know the order they come in, and we used to think that when one ended the next one began. Now we know they can overlap. Tsion just doesn’t want to see us caught in the open when the thing ends.”

  “Me either. But you know the Global Community has to look at something like this as another nail in their coffin.”

  “The world’s in bad shape. People are scrounging for f
ood and the bare necessities. There’s no law except survival. Everybody who’s smart goes out with a gun.”

  “Sort of like the Old West.”

  “Right, except the good guys are the evangelists. Yesterday I got a report about two who preached to a small town in Germany. There were still a few holdouts to Carpathia’s mark, and these evangelists found them, but before they could finish speaking, a group of armed men broke into the meeting. They took all the valuables and Nicks the people had and then separated the men from the women.”

  “I don’t like the sound of this.”

  “Neither did I, until I heard what happened next. It was clear this gang of thieves was up to no good. But as they were leading the women outside, an angel appeared at the door, and with a couple of words the robbers all fell dead.”

  “What happened to the others?”

  “All of them believed the message and received the mark of God.”

  Judd shook his head. “I’d almost given up about any undecided. It seems like everybody’s chosen Carpathia or God.”

  “This is the greatest rescue mission the earth has ever known. On the video reports about the wrath of the Lamb earthquake, people dug through collapsed buildings for days, even weeks, looking for just one survivor. In one hospital, they found a baby alive fifteen days after the earthquake. I like to think our mission is the same. We have to keep digging, keep praying, keep hoping that we’ll find someone who’s ready to hear the message.”

  “I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Judd said.

  “People have lost faith in the GC and its leaders. If there’s anyone out there without Carpathia’s mark, and we can get to them, I have to believe they’ll choose the light instead of darkness. They’re going to be suffering as the sun rises every day.”

  Judd paused. “But hasn’t Dr. Ben-Judah said God is actually showing mercy with these judgments?”