Shaken Page 3

  Woodruff gasped and tried to speak. Before he could utter a word, a horse moved toward them and turned, its tail crashing into Woodruff’s back. The man flew into the air like a child’s toy and crashed into the building. His limp body fell to the sidewalk.

  Judd shuddered. How could the horses strike with such force when they weren’t physical beings? He and the others had walked directly through them!

  Lionel reached the deputy commander’s body and checked his pulse. He shook his head.

  “Let’s go,” Mr. Stein said.

  Vicki started to run, but Conrad grabbed her arm.

  “Stay right where you are!” the man in the truck said. Vicki noticed a gun rack in the rear of the pickup. The man stepped out and walked in front of the headlights. He was thin and had a long face with a stubbly beard. His arms were gangly, and he walked with a slight limp. He cocked a pistol and held it out as the car arrived.

  “How many are there?” the woman said as she stepped out of the car. She was short and wore a leather jacket. She waved the shotgun as she talked.

  “Three,” Long Face said. “Two girls and a guy.”

  The driver of the car was a man in his mid-thirties. He was stocky with curly hair. He got out and eyed Vicki and Shelly. Something didn’t seem right about him.

  The woman threw a bag in front of Conrad. “Put all your Nicks and valuables in there and step away from the van.”

  “We don’t have much,” Vicki said. “This isn’t even our car—”

  “Shut up and do what you’re told!” the woman screamed.

  Conrad turned to Vicki and said, “Give them what they want. Main thing is getting out of here alive.”

  “Why didn’t you think of that back on the road?” the woman yelled.

  “Yeah,” the man by the car whined. “You almost scratched my car.”

  Conrad shrugged. “The stuff’s going to be hard to get. Van’s all smashed and—”

  The woman pointed the shotgun at Conrad. “Shut up and get out of the way.”

  Long Face crawled inside the van and rummaged around. He threw out Vicki’s notebook, and papers flew everywhere. Vicki started to retrieve them, but Conrad held her back.

  “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Shelly whispered.

  “Hey, look what I found!” Long Face said from the van. He handed a metal box to the woman.

  “So, you were holding out on us!” the woman said. “Where’s the key?”

  Conrad pulled a key from his pocket and tossed it to her. She tried to catch it, but it pinged off the side of the car. The curly-headed man glared at him.

  The box held enough Nicks to get the kids back to the schoolhouse, but not much more. The woman stuffed the money in her jacket pocket.

  “Van’s torn up,” Long Face said. “Probably couldn’t drive it even if we got it out of the ditch.”

  The woman kicked the van and cursed. “We could have sold it, no problem. Now it’s a hunk of junk.”

  “Better make ’em pay for their mistake,” the curly-headed man said. He stepped forward and reached for the shotgun.

  The woman pushed him away and waved the gun at the kids. “If you hadn’t tried to get away, we’d have let you go.”

  “We won’t tell anybody what happened,” Shelly said.

  The woman frowned and pointed to the field. “Start walking.”

  “What are you going to do?” Conrad said.

  “Move,” Curly Hair said.

  “You think we should make a run for it?” Vicki whispered.

  “I don’t think we have much choice,” Conrad said. Shelly gasped. “Wait. They’re back!”

  Vicki’s mouth dropped open when she saw the horses and riders. A herd was moving effortlessly across the field behind them. Fire blew from the horses’ nostrils, and great clouds of black and yellow smoke came from their mouths. Vicki guessed they were a half mile away.

  The woman glanced behind her when Shelly gasped. The men did too. Both turned and laughed.

  “You’re not going to get us to fall for that,” Long Face said.

  “You don’t see them?” Vicki said.

  “Real cute,” Curly said. “Just keep moving.”

  “If I were you, I’d get out of here fast,” Conrad said.

  “This is far enough,” the woman said. “I’m tired of your games. Let’s get this over with.”

  Vicki looked at the horses. They were right behind the three bandits, hovering over the field. Vicki cringed when she saw their faces. The locusts had been hideous, but these horses and their riders were even scarier.

  “Whoa, what’s that smell?” Long Face said.

  Curly took a deep whiff of air and coughed violently. One of the horses blew a plume of smoke toward the three, and it engulfed them. The woman dropped the shotgun and fell to her knees. She grabbed her throat with both hands and gasped.

  Long Face ran toward the kids, his face turning blue. He nearly knocked Shelly over as he pushed past them. One of the horses followed and snorted a blast fire. Long Face burst into flames and went rolling headlong onto the ground.

  Curly ran toward the road and jumped in the pickup truck. He gunned the engine and shot past several horses. One turned and flicked its snakelike tail and smashed the windshield. The truck went out of control, ran up the side of an embankment, and hit a tree. One snort from the horse’s nostrils and the pickup was engulfed in flames.

  The woman tried to stand but couldn’t. Finally, she cried and stretched out on the ground. Her body twitched and jerked for a moment; then she lay still.

  Shelly put her head on Vicki’s shoulder and cried. “I never dreamed it would be this awful.”

  Conrad checked, but the woman was dead. He found their money in her jacket and walked toward the road. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  4

  MARK Eisman and the others at the schoolhouse sat in front of the small television their friend Z had recently sent. Mark usually monitored the computer for the latest news, but everyone wanted to see the local coverage. Darrion had alerted Mark about the horses and riders. Now they all sat before the flickering television.

  “Reports from Rockford to downstate Illinois have officials concerned,” a nervous reporter said. “But it’s not just the Midwest that’s being affected. We’re hearing about fires and deadly fumes from around the globe. As of yet, there is no explanation for this lethal outbreak that has killed thousands. We have no word yet on the exact number of casualties, but some experts believe hundreds of thousands might lose their lives.”

  “Try millions,” Darrion said.

  Charlie sighed. “I’m sure glad I got the mark before any of this happened.”

  Someone handed the reporter a piece of paper. “We’re going to join live coverage from the international headquarters of Global Community Network News.”

  The feed switched to a newscast already in progress. The anchor was better dressed than the local reporter but equally baffled at the unfolding events. “Emergency medical professionals are at a loss, frantic to determine the cause. Here’s the head of the Global Community Emergency Management Association, Dr. Jurgen Haase.”

  Dr. Haase looked composed, almost too calm for the situation. He spoke slowly and with great poise. “If these deaths were isolated, we might say they were caused by a natural disaster, a rupture of some natural gas. But they seem random, and clearly the fumes are lethal. We urge citizens to use gas masks and work together to put out the fires.”

  The news anchor asked, “Which is more dangerous, the black smoke or the yellow?”

  Haase said, “First we believed the black smoke was coming from the fires, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. It can be deadly, but the yellow smoke smells of sulfur and has the power to kill instantly.”

  “Has the Global Community considered the possibility of terrorist action?”

  “It’s very early,” Haase said. “We’ve ruled nothing out. We do know there is a group of religious zeal
ots who would love to create more suffering, but I won’t speculate on that. To be honest, we simply don’t know what we’re dealing with.”

  “Great,” Darrion said. “Now we’re being accused of germ warfare.”

  The reporter put a hand to his ear, then read from a bulletin. “This just in. While there are pockets in which no fire or smoke or sulfur has been reported, in other areas the death count is staggering, now estimated in the millions. His Excellency, Global Community Potentate Nicolae Carpathia, will address the world via radio and television and the Internet inside this half hour.”

  “What do you think Carpathia will say?” Lenore said. Mark shook his head. “He’ll find a way to look good. He’ll probably get more people to worship him because of this.”

  The report switched to a feed from Jerusalem. Smoke rose from the old city, and fires were everywhere. Another report came from New Babylon, where Nicolae Carpathia was about to speak. People lay motionless in the street. Once sparkling buildings were shrouded in black and yellow clouds. Fire and smoke appeared on every continent, in every major city, but no one knew how it was happening. People throughout the world panicked. Airplanes filled with passengers plunged from the sky after choking pilots radioed their Maydays.

  “They even have power to affect airplanes?” Charlie said.

  Melinda walked in, rubbing her eyes. “What’s going on?”

  Lenore stood and let the girl have her seat. “The next judgment is here. Nicolae’s about to put his spin on it.”

  “How do you know this is from God?” Melinda said.

  Lenore showed her the passage in Revelation. Melinda read it and glanced at the television. “If this is supposed to be caused by horses, how come they haven’t shown any?”

  Mark said, “My guess is they’re not visible. But believe me, they’re real. And we don’t know how long they’ll be here. You could be in danger.”

  “Just me? Why wouldn’t you guys be worried?”

  Darrion turned down the volume. “When things like this happen, those who believe in Jesus are immune. The locusts didn’t sting believers, just unbelievers. It’s the same with this.”

  Melinda seemed in a daze. She stood and walked up the stairs to the balcony. Mark followed. The moon was bright, but there was no sign of horses and riders.

  “You’ve heard the message every way we can think of telling you,” Mark said. “We’ve all been praying for you.”

  “I want to talk to Vicki. I trust her, and I don’t want to do something simply because I’m scared of dying.”

  “I understand. The problem is, we have no idea where she is. We haven’t been able to reach her.”

  “I’ll wait.”

  Darrion yelled that Carpathia was about to speak. Mark and Melinda sat just as the potentate was being announced. Carpathia looked into the camera and did his best to calm viewers.

  “I want to assure you that this situation will soon be under control,” Carpathia said. “We are working around the clock and using every resource to stop the fires and smoke. Meanwhile, I ask citizens of the Global Community to report suspicious activity, particularly anyone who is making or transporting toxic chemicals. Sadly, we have reason to believe that religious rebels may be behind this massacre of innocent lives. We have extended every courtesy to these people, and this is how they react.”

  Carpathia bit his lip. “Though they cross us at every turn, we have defended their right to dissent. Yet they continue to see the Global Community as an enemy. They feel they have a right to maintain an intolerant, close-minded cult that excludes anyone who disagrees with them.

  “You have the right to live healthy, peaceful, and free. While I remain against war, I pledge to rid the world of this cult, beginning with the Jerusalem Twosome, who even now express no remorse about the widespread loss of life that has resulted from this attack.”

  “Who’s he talking about?” Melinda said.

  “Jerusalem Twosome must be his new nickname for the two prophets, Eli and Moishe,” Mark said.

  Carpathia pushed a button, and a video of Eli and Moishe appeared. They were speaking in unison near the Wailing Wall. Words flashed across the screen underneath the video clip.

  “Woe to the enemies of the most high God!” they said. “Woe to the cowards who shake their fist at their creator and are now forced to flee his wrath! We beseech you, snakes and vipers, to see even this plague as more than judgment! Yea, it is yet another attempt to reach you by a loving God who has run out of patience. There is no more time to woo you. You must hearken to his call, see that it is he who loves you. Turn to the God of your fathers while there is still time. For the day will come when time shall be no more!”

  Carpathia turned off the video and smiled. “The day will come, my friends, when these two shall no longer spread their venom. They shall no longer turn water to blood, hold back rain from the clouds, send plagues to the Holy Land and the rest of the globe. I upheld my end of the bargain negotiated with them months ago, allowing certain rebels to go unpunished. Now this is how we are repaid for our generosity.

  “But the gift train stops here, loyal citizens. Your patience and steadfastness shall be repaid. The day will yet come when we will live as one world, one faith, one family of man.”

  “Yeah, one big happy family,” Darrion said. “What a loser.”

  Carpathia continued. “We shall live in a utopia of peace and harmony with no more war, no more bloodshed, no more death. In the meantime, please accept my deepest personal condolences over the loss of your loved ones. They shall not have died in vain. Continue to trust in the ideals of the Global Community, in the tenets of peace, and in the genius of an all-inclusive universal faith that welcomes the devout of any religion.

  “Just four months from now we shall celebrate in the very city where the preachers now taunt and warn us. We shall applaud their demise and revel in a future without plague and disease and suffering and death. Keep the faith, and look forward to that day. And until I address you again, thank you for your loyal support of the Global Community.”

  “What does that mean?” Melinda said.

  “Tsion has taught us all along that the two witnesses will one day be killed by Carpathia. It looks like Nicolae has done his homework. The 1,260 days of their preaching ends in four months.”

  Mr. Stein led the kids inside the Global Community police station. Many of the officers had rushed outside when Mr. Stein began to speak. A few were still inside now, coughing and sputtering.

  “Where’s Sam?” Judd said.

  “Outside with his dad,” Lionel said. “I’ll get him.”

  Mr. Stein pointed to a locked doorway. Judd found the keys on an officer’s desk. Inside, they heard more coughing and wheezing.

  “Can’t breathe!” someone shouted. “We need air!”

  Judd found Nada’s cell. She was huddled in the corner with her mother. “Thank God you’ve come!” Nada said. She hugged Judd and pointed toward the back of the building where her father and brother were being kept.

  As they rushed past the cells, several believers called out from behind the bars. Judd freed those with the mark of the believer on their foreheads. Most of them believed because Sam had given them the gospel.

  Judd opened the last door on the corridor and found a guard on the floor, gasping for air. Kasim and Jamal cried when they saw Nada. She took the keys from Judd and released them. They had bruises on their faces, deep circles under their eyes, and they looked like they hadn’t eaten for days.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Jamal said weakly.

  “Wait!” someone said as he rushed through the door.

  Judd turned and spotted the jailer pointing his gun at them. “Stop or I’ll shoot!”

  Vicki crawled into the van and handed Conrad and Shelly as many supplies as they could pack into the sports car. The cell phone had crashed into the windshield and was fried. The sports car was a tight fit for the three of them, but they were grateful to have something
to drive.

  “I feel guilty taking this car,” Vicki said.

  “They’re not going to use it anymore,” Conrad said.

  “I know, but they probably stole it.”

  Shelly pointed out the window at another cavalry of fiery horses and riders. They were moving north along an abandoned railroad track. As they ran, they breathed great clouds of black and yellow smoke over rows of homes and ranches nearby. In some homes, lights came on and people burst through the front doors, falling on lawns and rolling. In other places, the horses snorted enough fire to send whole blocks up in smoke. Conrad pointed to the other side of the road where another herd stood perched on a butte overlooking a small town.

  “There doesn’t seem to be any method,” Shelly said.

  “They’re just putting that smoke and fire wherever they find people.”

  “I’m glad they came when they did,” Conrad said. “I feel like a cat who’s just used up two or three of its lives.”

  “How long will it be until we get home?” Vicki said.

  “Before the roads were torn up during the earthquake, we’d have been able to do it in less than twenty hours,” Conrad said. “Now it’s going to be at least two days, and that’s if we push it.”

  Vicki sat back and watched the herds run. She had no idea how long they would stay, but when they were through, the world would never be the same.

  Judd held up his hands and begged the man not to shoot. The others stood back, waiting to see what would happen.

  The guard choked and gasped for air. “If they find prisoners missing from here, they’ll have me shot!”

  Mr. Stein moved forward and knelt beside the man. “Many of your fellow officers are dead or are dying because of this judgment.”

  “You’re one of those crazies!”

  “I bring you good news. You don’t have to die. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”