Hunted Read online

  A few minutes after rain began pelting the roof, the ceiling started dripping in a steady stream. Carl Meninger brought in a bucket. “We still have a few holes to plug, so this is our emergency backup system.”

  From Vicki’s e-mails, Judd knew Carl had worked for the Global Community and had helped the kids while they were living in the schoolhouse. He had escaped the GC after Vicki’s final satellite transmission to young people.

  “How’s Tom doing?” Lionel said.

  Carl winced. “His leg’s pretty nasty, but we have a lady here who used to be a nurse. He should be fine if he takes care of it.”

  Carl explained that they had moved from a different hiding place on a small island to this plantation. “What the GC meant for evil, God used for our good. We have lots more room here and it’s even safer. Plus, we’ve learned we have to be more careful about who we trust.”

  “Not an easy lesson to learn,” Lionel said.

  Judd slept through the night and went downstairs after the group meeting had started. Tom sat in the center of about twenty people with his leg elevated and bandaged. Luke introduced Judd and Lionel to those who hadn’t met them the night before. The oldest people were a couple in their fifties Luke had met on an excursion before leaving the island. The couple had become believers after Luke encouraged them to read Tsion Ben-Judah’s Web site.

  The youngest members were a little younger than Judd. Luke and Tom had found them on an island not far from Beaufort. Their ancestors were African slaves, and though they were glad to be safe, the kids felt strange living on a plantation.

  “You all know the developments and the new danger we’re in,” Luke began. He pulled out a sheet of paper. “This came from Judd’s friend Chang just this morning.” Luke handed the message to Carl, who read the text of Chang’s warning about the new bounty hunter scheme.

  “Over the next few days we’re going to figure out our action plan,” Luke said when Carl finished.

  “What do you mean?” a girl said.

  Carl stood. “There are a number of things we can do. We can play it safe and hide, we can concentrate on Internet outreach and plan small trips—like getting Judd and Lionel back north—or we can go on the offensive. Try to beat the GC at their own game.”

  “We’re looking for as many ideas as you can come up with,” Luke said. “Everybody will be heard.”

  Lionel raised a hand. “About Judd and me, how are we going to get from here to Wisconsin?”

  “That’s a good question,” Carl said. “Chang is supposed to send us some more detailed information about the bounty hunters and where they’re being used. I’d like to wait until we have that and contact the Co-op before we commit.”

  Judd nodded. “You’ve risked your lives for us, and we both appreciate it. We’d be lying if we said we wanted to stay, but we’ll wait as long as we need to.”

  Vicki worked at the cottage the next day with a feeling she couldn’t describe. Everything seemed lighter. Her heart felt freer, and she hummed as she painted. She had always hated the chores her mother gave her. “When you live in a small space you have to keep things clean,” her mother would say.

  “Then let’s live in a real house like other people,” Vicki would say. These conversations usually became heated arguments that wound up getting Vicki grounded. Now she wished her mother could see her efforts.

  Maybe Mom can see me, Vicki thought. I wonder what she thinks of Judd. And what does Dad think?

  Vicki imagined a conversation between Judd and her parents. She had always thought of Judd’s family as high-class, from a different income level with expensive cars, houses, and friends. But the disappearances had leveled the playing field, both for those left behind and those taken. There was no difference now between Vicki’s parents and Judd’s. All four were in heaven where even the poorest person on earth was rich.

  I wonder if Mom and Dad have actually talked with Judd’s parents.

  Shelly arrived with more paint and asked Vicki why she was smiling.

  “I’d never be able to explain it in a hundred years,” Vicki said.

  Vicki had asked Maggie Carlson to sew curtains, and the woman had them completed later that evening. Conrad helped secure them over the windows, and Maggie fluffed the corners. “Do you think she’ll like them?”

  “She’ll love it,” Vicki said, slipping an arm around the older woman.

  The next morning at breakfast, Vicki could barely contain her excitement. Almost everyone in the group knew what Vicki and Shelly were up to, but all had kept the secret. Before the morning meeting, Marshall asked Colin and Becky Dial to accompany him outside. Vicki glanced at Shelly and giggled as they followed.

  When Colin and Becky arrived at the cottage, Marshall turned. “One of the qualities of believers who are maturing is self-giving love. People see a need or become aware of another person’s pain and they decide to help, not because they are going to get points in heaven or pats on the back, but because they know it’s something Jesus would have done.”

  Colin cocked his head and looked around as others joined the small group. “What’s this about?”

  Marshall smiled. “You two lost your house and everything in it. For men that’s a hard thing, but not the end of the world. A house is a roof and a place to sleep. For wives, it’s different. Becky, you lost a home and all the ways you tried to turn those four walls into a place of refuge for your family and friends.”

  Becky nodded and wiped away a tear.

  “We know it’s been hard on you, so a couple of younger people suggested we try to make the transition a little easier.” Marshall motioned for Vicki and Shelly. “Will you do the honors?”

  Vicki stepped forward and opened the door. Though the outside of the cottage had remained the same, the inside had been transformed with the paint, curtains, and cleaning the others had done.

  When Becky looked inside, her mouth opened in amazement. She glanced at her husband, who simply smiled and nudged her inside.

  “It won’t replace your old home,” Vicki said, “but we hope you like it.”

  Becky sat on the bed, put her face in her hands, and wept. She reached out a hand to Vicki and squeezed, then did the same to Shelly.

  Then everyone but Colin and Becky moved outside.

  Charlie furrowed his brow and squinted at the newly washed window. “Doesn’t she like it?”

  “More than she can say,” Vicki said.

  4

  JUDD and Lionel met with Carl and found he had some of the latest gadgets and phones from the Co-op. “Sometimes they deliver supplies, food, and clothes, and other times they have stuff like this.” Carl held up a tiny phone about three inches square.

  “How do you punch in the numbers on something that small?” Lionel said.

  “You don’t. It’s all voice activated. And look at this.” Carl removed a soft plastic piece from the back of the phone and placed it in his ear. “You talk and listen through this without using your hands. You can look at the display to see who’s calling, but you never have to hold anything. Some are so small you can actually fix the transmitters to one of your teeth.”

  Carl handed Judd and Lionel separate phones and told them to put in the earpieces. “Now watch this. Intercom. Twenty-one. Twenty-two.”

  Instantly a tone sounded in Judd’s ear and Carl’s voice came through the tiny speaker. “You can communicate with anyone in the group at a moment’s notice from anywhere, as long as they have their earpiece in. With the heightened alert, we’re asking everyone to wear these at all times.”

  “And the intercom works how far?” Lionel said.

  “The technology is global, so you could be anywhere in the world and still talk to each other without ever dialing.”

  “If you can spare some of these, I’d like to take them to Wisconsin with me.”

  “Just tell me how many you need,” Carl said.

  The group talked excitedly over meals about their next move. Some took turns at the
computer typing out suggestions, while others used pen and paper.

  Luke coordinated lookout assignments. One man was a carpenter and had built a small observation tower atop the plantation house accessed through an upstairs room. The land was flat, and anyone could see clearly with the help of high-powered binoculars.

  Judd and Lionel took a four-hour shift in the tower the next afternoon, and Judd used the time to call Vicki. He told her about the group and that their trip north was on hold until they heard from Chang Wong. Vicki said she understood, but Judd could hear the disappointment in her voice.

  “There’s something I haven’t told you,” Vicki said. “When the angel Anak warned us to leave Colin Dial’s house, he also said something that’s been bothering me.”

  “What did he say?”

  Judd heard pages flipping. “I want to get this right. Here it is. Just before he disappeared, he stood right next to me and said, ‘You will see your friends again before the glorious appearing of the King of kings and Lord of lords. But one you love will see much pain and will not return whole.’ What do you think that means?”

  “You think he was talking about me?”

  “I don’t know. I guess somehow the angel knows about us.” Vicki paused. “But I don’t know if he meant love in the regular way or the special kind of love … I have for you.”

  “Maybe it’s some kind of warning. Or that could have been fulfilled when Tom hurt his leg. If the infection gets worse, there’s a chance he could lose it.”

  “Yeah, it could be, but I had the impression he meant somebody in our original group.”

  After Judd said good-bye, Lionel put the binoculars down. “What’s your gut feeling?”

  “I honestly don’t know if we should try to move now or wait and—”

  “Not about that, about Vicki. What’s going to happen with you two?”

  Judd looked out the tower window. In the distance he saw the river moving peacefully through the countryside. Large trees dotted the unused fields toward the south. He could imagine a hundred people working them, hot and sweaty, harvesting, planting, tilling the soil. He turned to Lionel. “You know me as well as anybody. What do you think?”

  Lionel shook his head. “I’d say you’re pretty gone on her, and assuming we can get back, I’m going to have to find some fancy clothes to wear to the wedding.”

  Judd smiled. “If it happens, would you be willing to be my best man?”

  Lionel cackled and stomped his feet. “I was hoping you’d ask.”

  Sam Goldberg put the finishing touches on another edition of his Petra Diaries and read over his words in the computer building. Sam had included excerpts from the latest message of Dr. Tsion Ben-Judah, who had focused that morning on the words of Jesus. Tsion repeated parables and gave an explanation of each story. Dr. Ben-Judah said he would review the Sermon on the Mount tomorrow.

  Sam had begun to notice something strange going on in the crowd as Tsion and Micah spoke. Most people at the site were believers, but every day new people came forward to pray and Sam rejoiced as they received God’s forgiveness. Still, hundreds and perhaps thousands were undecided. Another smaller group disagreed with Tsion and Micah and said Jesus was not God.

  Sam wrote in his Petra Diaries:

  As Tsion or Micah begin to speak, these defiant ones and those who are not sure about Jesus often fall to the ground as if in pain. They struggle and cry out, tear their clothing, and throw dirt in the air. If you have ever read the story of Jacob when he struggled with the angel of God, this looks exactly like that. They are fighting the very God who has died to save them and calls to them even now.

  The Bible talks about this kind of spiritual warfare. I have never seen it so dramatic as here in Petra. The people can’t walk away from the teaching. It is right in front of them every day, and they cannot escape the voices of truth speaking so clearly.

  If you are reading this and you feel this same wrestling in your soul, do not resist God. He loves you and wants to come into your life and forgive you, change you, and make you a new person. Allow him to do that today and end this fight with the God who loved you enough to die for you.

  Sam hit the send button and prayed that someone outside Petra would respond to the words. When he opened his eyes, Naomi Tiberius walked into the room. Naomi had become the main computer person at the site, helping train and coordinate communication with Chang Wong in New Babylon. Naomi was a little older than Sam, but he felt attracted to her. Though she had helped Sam become part of her computer team, she hadn’t shown much interest outside their work together.

  Sam had decided this would be the day he would talk with her about his feelings. He motioned for her and she smiled. A blip on Sam’s screen showed he had a new batch of e-mail, but that could wait.

  “Do you need help?” Naomi said as she walked up to him.

  Do I ever, Sam thought. He glanced at the floor, took a breath, and looked into her eyes. “I have something to ask you that’s pretty important.”

  Naomi sat and stared at the computer. “The monitor looks fine. Is something wrong with one of your programs?”

  “No, this is not about computers. It’s about us.”

  “Us?” Naomi said, raising an eyebrow.

  “Naomi, I don’t know how to say this … I’ve tried not to let my feelings get in the way of our work together, but—”

  Naomi put a hand on Sam’s shoulder and smiled. “I have sensed that you felt something more than friendship for me.” She glanced away, then turned her chair toward him. “I think you’re very sweet and kind, and you work very hard at everything you do. You have a heart for God. You’re handsome, easy to talk with—”

  “Okay,” Sam said, sensing bad news, “just get to the point.”

  Naomi bit her lip. “I don’t have the same feelings for you that you have for me.”

  “Is it my age?”

  “Partly perhaps, but—”

  “You just said how great I am, handsome, a heart for God. Why can’t you like me?”

  “I do like you. You’re a great friend, and a friend is to be treasured. But friends are always honest with each other. And I would be lying to say my feelings go beyond friendship.”

  Sam paused. “Do you think you ever … you know … would your feelings ever change?”

  “Again, I must be honest. I don’t believe so.” Sam looked away, and she grabbed his chair and turned it. “I’m very flattered that you are attracted to me. I’m honored that you’ve talked to me in such a straightforward way. But you don’t want me to lie, do you?”

  Sam held up both hands. “It’s okay. I won’t mention it again.”

  “Sam—”

  “And you don’t have to worry about this affecting my work. I’ll keep going as long as you need the help.”

  “Sam, look at me.”

  Sam sighed and looked at the floor. “I feel like a fool.”

  “Don’t. You’re very brave. You were honest with me and you risked getting hurt. I admire that.”

  “Yeah. I’ve got a lot of great qualities, but nothing that interests you.”

  “Sam—”

  “It’s okay. I understand what you’re saying, and I thank you for trying to let me down easy. Now, I have some work to catch up on.”

  “Sam, don’t be upset.”

  He clenched his teeth. “I’m not.”

  Sam clicked on his e-mail box and pulled up several messages. Some were in response to recent editions of the Petra Diaries, and others were from kids in the Young Tribulation Force. As Naomi walked away, Sam put his head on the desk. No matter what she said, he still felt awful inside and knew he wouldn’t be able to concentrate. He started to turn the computer off when he noticed a message from someone whose last name was Ben-Eliezar.

  This is it, Sam thought. I’ve been waiting for so long.

  Vicki was elated about Becky Dial’s reaction to the spruced-up cottage. The gesture had helped the woman’s depression. Vicki had a chanc
e to talk with her a few days later.

  “It’s not so much the cottage that helped,” Becky said, “but to know you guys went to all that trouble and were thinking about me really means a lot.”

  Judd had called Vicki the day after, just as he had said, but news of his possible return didn’t come until a few days later. Vicki took the call in the meeting room and rushed to her cabin to talk.

  “I don’t know how to say this,” Judd said, “but travel right now doesn’t look good.”

  “Is it the bounty hunters?” Vicki said.

  “Yeah, I talked with Chang late last night. The GC response to the bounty hunters is positive. The guy in charge of the Rebel Apprehension Program—”

  “Kruno Fulcire,” Vicki said.

  “Right. He’s expanding the program throughout the whole United North American States. Chang says that means bounty hunters will be everywhere. Think of it, Vick—with the GC or Morale Monitors, at least you can spot them by their uniforms. Bounty hunters won’t be wearing any identifying clothing. And with the kind of money the GC is offering, you can bet these people will target believers and look for as many as they can find.”

  “Any word on the two who were after you?”

  “Chang got into the database and found out they were questioned. They’re scouring the countryside for us, so we’re on heightened alert. People are keeping watch all day.”

  “I know what that’s like.”

  Judd paused. “I can’t tell you how disappointed I am.”

  “Me too. But you’re safe, and at least we’re on the same continent now.”

  “Part of me wants to forget what the others are saying and just grab a couple of motorcycles and drive up there.”

  “Sounds exciting but not very safe.”

  “We also talked about finding a Co-op driver, but with the bounty hunters on the loose, the Co-op will be affected too.”

  “What was the meeting like? Is everybody in agreement?”