He pointed over to the ramp. “You may not have recognized it upon entering the city, but you have already passed through several of the original gates which once stood here.”
The pile of stones and rubble provided a glimpse of Megiddo’s former glory. Though only stone walls on either side of the path remained, one could imagine how great arches would have connected them, allowing chariots, horses, and people to pass into the city.
“These security gates,” he went on to say, “along with a strongly fortified wall that surrounded the city helped protect Megiddo from unwanted visitors. And as the word Armageddon originates from this particular place, I can assure you it has seen more than its share of hostilities.”
Alex did find the tour interesting but kept his attention towards the ruins rather than to the tour guide. Rocks, rubble, and dirt surrounded him. An occasional palm tree livened up the monotonous scenery, but otherwise, there was not much more to see.
An aerial view of the city didn’t seem to offer much more help. Alex had been examining the layout from the satellite pictures provided on his videre lens and was at a loss to find anything of significance.
Did the city layout represent some hidden message? Was it somehow meant to guide them to a different location? The more Alex pondered these questions, the more frustrated he became. Thousands of archeologists had excavated Megiddo in the past and there was never any mention of any hidden code or a strange artifact being found.
“The city was ruled by many of the great superpowers of their day,” Hillel said. “From the Egyptians, Canaanites, and Assyrians to the Israelites, Megiddo has been occupied by many different civilizations.”
They walked farther into the city as the tour continued while Guri and William relaxed next to a shaded wall.
Alex turned back and gave William a look as if to say, What are you guys doing?
With a loud, boisterous voice William pointed to a pile of rubble next to him. “Guri said he found something rather interesting within these rocks. I thought we should stay back and give it the proper inspection that it deserves.”
Guri squinted and pushed back his glasses. “I said nothing of the sort.”
Alex kept on with the tour as the two squabbled between themselves while he left. After seeing how exhausted they both looked, he knew letting them rest a little was probably the best thing to do.
Marissa whispered to Alex, “You find anything interesting around here yet?”
Alex looked towards Marissa. Seeing her in tight blue jeans and a white halter top that revealed a hint of her midriff made him think he was standing next to the most interesting sight the city had offered in years.
“Not a thing,” he finally said. “And the rocks are beginning to hypnotize me. It looks like there’s nothing here.”
Jonathan overheard their conversation and leaned towards them, “Do not be discouraged. Sometimes one will find what they are looking for in the most inauspicious of places.”
“Does the Bible code give us any specifics as to what we are looking for around here?” Alex asked, trying not to sound overtly skeptical. “Because everything’s starting to look the same.”
“As I have told your companion, Mr. William Fowler, it only points us in the right direction. The rest is up to us.”
Though Alex believed Jonathan, he had begun to become a little doubtful about the authenticity of this Bible code. William Miller was wrong about the code almost three hundred years ago. Could Jonathan be wrong about it now?
While contemplating this possibility, Alex began to examine a raised circular structure about ten meters in diameter.
Noticing his interest, the tour guide Hillel said, “I see you found the ancient pagan altar here at this site. You know, when they first excavated it, archeologists found remnants of animal bones and ashes, leading us to believe it was once used for sacrifices.”
“Or a good pig roast,” William commented a little too loudly, bringing scowls from the tourists.
“How nice of you and Guri to join us again,” Alex said. “I guess you didn’t find anything interesting in those rocks back there?”
Though prone to complaining, William did feel as if he were letting everyone down by relaxing under the shade. Alex had brought him here for a reason, and he certainly didn’t want to disappoint him or somehow hinder their overall mission.
“Just needed a quick break,” he finally admitted.
Their conversation was interrupted by four long-haired, bearded men wearing tie-dyed shirts and bandanas accompanied by two similarly dressed females hitting bongo drums without any semblance of rhythm.
“The world is going to end!” shouted one. “The Disease is going to kill us all!” yelled another.
They also held signs with a peace symbol painted on it and slogans such as “Make Peace not Death” or “Let’s All Make Love Before We Die” written poorly underneath.
Hillel gestured over to a few rows of stone and said in a loud voice, hoping to speak over the interference, “If you would look over to the pillars in front of you, it is believed that this section of the city was once used as a stable. Those stones with circular holes at the top are thought to be where the horses were tied while the others that look like bathtubs were considered to be the troughs where the horses ate and drank.
“So rude!” Marissa said, referring to the group wearing the tie-dye shirts and making the commotion.
“Focus,” Jonathan reminded.
He was right, but Alex found it increasingly difficult to concentrate the more he heard those drums beat and the mindless chants. He grew even more frustrated when he noticed a new pack of eight more men wearing tie-dyed shirts congregating around one of the stone pillars in front of them.
Does it ever end?
Alex picked up a rock and pantomimed as if he were going to throw it at one of them. Marissa smirked and nodded in agreement.
Fortunately, the new group of eight men sitting around the pillar boasted no musical instruments nor brandished any annoying signs. They were quiet and seemed to be peacefully partaking in some type of sit-in event.
As Alex walked past them, he noted that although they donned tie-dyed shirts, these men all had short hair and wore black marching boots.
Something did not seem right. Also uncharacteristic was the fact that most appeared cleanly shaven. Plus, they all looked as if they were a copy of one another. Even the tie-dyed stains on their shirts were identical.
Before Alex could alert anyone in his group, one of the men turned and looked his way.
He instantly recognized the man’s face. The cold, calculating eyes and finely trimmed mustache made his identity undeniable. SattAr had found them.
“It’s the piece of crap!” William shouted at the top of his lungs while pointing directly at him.
Believing William had discovered something interesting, the tourists all began moving toward the direction he pointed. Their enthusiasm became instantly tempered when one of the men in the group arose, brandishing a semiautomatic machine gun.
Well I guess a subtle retreat is out of the question now, Alex thought. In disbelief, he quickly determined that the UAA had somehow once again uncovered their location. Options were limited.
Alex took the rock already in his hand and threw it directly at the UAA soldier with the gun. The man’s head violently jerked backwards upon impact as he fell limply to the ground in a concussive state. His body jerked a few times, but otherwise, he lay motionless with blood dripping profusely down his brow.
The other seven, including SattAr, immediately began to rise in unison. Also with machine guns, they were certainly not going to let this injustice go unpunished again.
Chapter 20
The bodies within the morgue lay dormant no longer. Nesting within them, necroids feasted, devouring their prey. The cold air preserved the bodies’ flesh and created the ideal temperature for the necroids to proliferate.
No longer restricted to consume only simple amino a
cids from their original, terrorist host, they now incorporated complete proteins from these bodies into their system.
The first casket snapped ajar, exposing it to the morgue’s stale air. Within minutes the others clicked open in a sound reminiscent of falling dominoes.
Like Frankenstein rising from the dead, the newly created necroids flowed out from the caskets. No longer a centimeter in length like their predecessors, they were now at least four inches end-to-end, which made their protruding fangs, spiked body, and red eyes that much more terrifying.
As they escaped from the cabinets, the original necroids also slowly followed. Like in some type of macabre parade, they marched in line up the walls to the ventilator shaft at the top of the room. As if programmed from their parents, they knew where to go and what mission they were created to accomplish.
Because of Neurono-Tek’s power grid failure, the fans and dehumidifiers had not been working, leaving the air in the dark shaft damp and stagnant.
The necroids had no need for ambient light. With their glowing eyes and internal radar they were able to negotiate through the dark unhindered by any obstacle.
They all continued scurrying through the shaft in a straight line. Although there were many branch points along the way, they all headed in the same direction like ants marching to a feast.
They climbed vertically towards the top of the building. A single fan at the very end of the shaft lay dormant, and the necroids crawled between the blades to freedom.
It was a clear night. Because of the nonfunctioning lights at Neurono-Tek the stars shone brightly, unhindered by any man-made florescence. The glow from the bugs’ eyes cast a faint, yet eerie shadow on the rooftop like a red beacon of death.
The necroids all congregated at the top of the main science building until they numbered a few hundred. Their eyes blinked as if in Morse code, signaling to one another their next plan of attack.
Below, police vehicles, fire trucks, and a full bomb squad regimen had assembled. After an exhaustive search of the premises and the power grid, they found nothing out of the ordinary. The electrical failure and the deaths of the maintenance workers were deemed accidental, and the conclusion was that there had been no unusual activity at the Neurono-Tek complex.
Unbeknownst to them, the necroids that originally destroyed the power grid had been charred beyond recognition during their assault. Their small bodies were unable to compensate for such high voltage and had been destroyed as a result. Their remnants were considered pieces of the power grid and eventually discarded as unwanted debris.
The only reason both a police and fire department presence still remained at Neurono-Tek was due to Samantha’s urging. Despite their conclusion that the blackout was due to a simple electrical failure, she insisted they refrain from leaving, stating the trouble had just begun.
Samantha would not take no for an answer. With her high-pitched voice and persistent manner, she forced them into submission. Plus, because of Neurono-Tek’s continued financial benefit to both the local and state economy, they could not deny one of its top executives.
The law enforcement and fire department staff all stood outside their vehicles. Most drank coffee or ate a late night snack while others laughed with one another. There was certainly no sense of foreboding or belief another terrorist attack could be imminent.
Because electrical power had not returned, the hospital and entire complex had been fully evacuated. Samantha remained as the sole Neurono-Tek employee. Even Gill was forced to leave.
The necroids began crawling down the building. Their eyes, which once boasted a red glow, had turned black like the rest of their bodies to help keep them camouflaged in the night’s darkness. The sound of crickets and other wildlife drowned out the noise of their legs clicking against the windows and metal façade of the main science building.
Upon reaching the ground, the bugs began to scatter. They had a full oasis of modern technology in front of them and did not wait to devour their unsuspecting prey.
The warm engines of the fire and police vehicles were the first to garner their attention. In the dark night, most of the devilish bugs began racing to these cars and trucks. A feast awaited them.
The assault went quickly and silently. The necroids scurried by the unsuspecting police and fire officials without bringing any attention to themselves. The stealth and rapidity of their attack would have impressed even the most elite of warriors.
Within minutes, the twenty running vehicles on the premises had been secured by the necroids. Another hundred necroids chose not to join the assault. They remained preoccupied at the base of the building in search of an even greater power source. They could feel its presence oozing out from underneath them, deep from within the earth.
A few of the necroids scurried around the building looking for the source but to no avail. It seemed to be well hidden and without a viable entrance.
A flashlight from one of the policeman suddenly bore down upon the bunch. The necroids all stopped moving and turned each of their four eyes to the light source.
“What the--?” the policeman gasped. Stunned by his discovery, he could not utter another syllable.
His partner turned and also caught sight of the ghastly view. This was no cockroach nor did it appear like anything they had ever seen before. The necroids’ red eyes suddenly came back to life. Their glow shocked the two interlopers and made them jolt slightly back.
“What are they?” one asked.
“The spawn of Satan!” the other responded. “Go get the spotlight while I keep my light on them.”
The necroids again began blinking their eyes in unison but remained still, seemingly hypnotized by the flashlight.
While the one policeman brought the spotlight, his other colleagues all congregated around it in disbelief at what they saw. Overpowering the flashlight’s meager light, the spotlight bore down upon the necroids, illuminating them so brightly that they almost seemed to glow.
The police and fire officials mumbled to one another, unsure of how to handle the predicament. Though their training and manuals encompassed a vast variety of situations, there was certainly nothing written about how to properly approach a bunch of frighteningly large insects.
One of the policemen stepped out from the group. Holding a broom in one hand and a bucket in the other, he thought capturing one of these creatures would be the most logical first step.
“Be careful, Todd,” urged one.
“You have your life insurance paid up?” joked another.
With the utmost caution, he approached the necroids. Though both physically and mentally strong, he was certainly spooked by these bugs. He felt as if the red glow was somehow boring down on his soul and sucking it straight out of him.
Todd knelt down on one knee and carefully extended his broom and bucket towards the nearest necroid. He did not breathe or blink, believing the slightest shudder could bring out an ill-fated response. The broom tediously made its way to the necroid. In what seemed like an eternity to Todd and his onlookers, he methodically pushed the bug into the bucket.
With a big sigh of relief, Todd cautiously began to stand with his captured prey. Moving as if he were in slow motion, he turned and started to walk back to his vehicle.
Before taking a full step, he could feel a searing burn run down his left calf. This pain was followed by another in his buttock and then in his back. Within seconds, he could no longer localize the burning sensations as they inundated his whole body.
Todd suddenly fell to the ground, paralyzed by the pain as a swarm of necroids began to devour him. They gnawed into his body and ripped with their protruding jaws big chucks of flesh right out of him.
It occurred so quickly that Todd’s colleagues had no time to react. When they finally realized what was occurring, the necroids had completely covered the officer.
Todd tried to scream, but the pain became so severe that death enveloped him before he could utter a sound.
Shots ra
ng out in the night as the police immediately began to open fire on the necroids. Bits and pieces of the bugs flung up into the air as bullets pulverized their bodies. Instead of attacking the officers, the remaining necroids decided to retreat. Sensing a large electrical source of power underground, they began to bore into the earth and dig. With their cadre of siblings already secure in the police and fire vehicles, they now sought out the only remaining power source left at Neurono-Tek: Samantha’s bunker.
Chapter 21
The people in the Megiddo tour group began to scream and flee in terror. Most were a few pounds too heavy and their escape proved both slow and awkward. Some tripped over the rocks while others bumped haphazardly into each other.
The tour guide, Hillel, also sprinted away from the trouble. After witnessing Alex knock out one of the soldiers with a rock, he wasn’t that curious to see their reaction. Unlike the others, he ran like an Olympic triathlon out of Megiddo and down the ramp. Today was certainly not the day he would meet his maker.
Amidst the commotion Jonathan threw a cherry-shaped object towards the soldiers. It exploded upon impact, and the air around it rippled like the surface of a pond struck by a pebble.
The soldiers fell to their knees, confused and momentarily dazed by the blast. Alex had passed these concussive mini-grenades out to everyone prior to their arrival at Megiddo, stating they may be useful in a time of crisis.
Alex immediately grabbed Marissa by the hand and yelled to the others, “Let’s go!”
Though not necessarily needing Alex’s guidance, she did not shudder at letting him hold her hand.
Instead of running towards the ramp by which they had entered the city, Alex led them over to an area in Megiddo where the rocks and stones still piled over eight feet in height—tall enough whereby the soldiers could not get a straight shot at them.
Plus, Alex already noted in his contact’s satellite view of the area that a few soldiers stood ready at the end of the ramp. They must have been hiding in the gift shop and got into position when the group entered the city.
The New Reality Page 13
