Stung Read online

  Hasina smiled. “Then you are no friend to the Global Community. Nicolae Carpathia has tried to postpone the conference many times.”

  “Dr. Ben-Judah will not stand for another delay,” Mr. Stein said.

  “There is a rumor that the potentate himself will make an appearance,” Hasina said.

  Taylor sat up straight. “Where’d you get that info?”

  “Increased security at the largest airport in the city,” Hasina said. “My sources say Carpathia will be here tomorrow.”

  “Why would Carpathia do that?” Taylor said.

  Mr. Stein took more pita bread and smiled. “Perhaps he is on our side. Or he may foolishly think he can gain more followers.”

  “Tsion would never let Carpathia speak,” Judd said.

  “What if he’s trying to kill the witnesses?” Lionel said.

  “Where will you be staying?” Hasina said.

  “God has brought us here by his own will,” Mr. Stein said. “We are trusting him to provide.”

  “Your God will have to work a miracle if you hope to find hotel rooms,” Hasina said. “Even Tel Aviv is booked.”

  Judd gave Mr. Stein a knowing look.

  “Then we will have to pray,” Mr. Stein said.

  Hasina made a phone call and scheduled a driver. “You will stay here tonight. The driver will take you to Jerusalem in the morning.”

  Vicki watched the trapdoor open. Conrad stuck his head inside. At first, Vicki thought someone had forced him to betray the group. Then she saw a long-haired man with tattoos standing behind Conrad.

  “Z!” Vicki shouted in relief.

  Z knelt and peered into the dimly lit space. “Incredible.” Then he laughed. “You guys don’t have to hide from me. I use mouthwash.”

  Melinda pushed her way past Vicki and slammed the door at the top.

  Vicki explained the situation to Z.

  He frowned. “Having a GC Morale Monitor in your hideout’s probably not the best idea I’ve heard all day. If she finds out who I am, that’s worse.”

  “There wasn’t much we could do,” Vicki said. “I don’t think she’ll be a problem.”

  Mark scratched his head. “It’s a pretty big risk.”

  Vicki rolled her eyes. He’s just like Judd, she thought.

  Vicki led the kids and Z upstairs. “What’s that place down there?” she said.

  “We’ve been looking for that a long time,” Z said. “Let’s unload and I’ll tell you.”

  The kids eyed the huge truck parked in the front yard. On the side of the trailer was a Global Community insignia. Z explained that the gas station was nearly full of supplies. “My dad found this trailer a couple weeks ago. You should see everybody get outta the way when they see it coming.”

  “How’d you get past the logs in the driveway?” Conrad said.

  Z pointed to the chains hanging on the front of the truck. “Took me a while, but I got through.”

  “What’s in there?” Shelly said.

  “Food mostly. And a couple surprises.”

  The kids spent the rest of the day unloading, organizing, and storing the canned food. They filled the storage area on the main floor and then moved to the basement. Z had them put water and fuel in the shed.

  In the back of the truck, there was a stack of furniture. There were beds, mattresses, and even a kitchen table. Vicki was excited to see two couches. “I know exactly where those are going, but why did you take such a chance? Somebody could have followed you.”

  “I made sure they didn’t,” Z said. “The truck not only has a Global Positioning System—you know, those satellite things that can show you which turn to make—it also has something like radar that helps me watch for cars behind me.”

  “You can tell if you’re being tailed,” Mark said.

  “You got it,” Z said. “Plus, I knew you guys could use the stuff. This is basically a trial run. If things go okay, I’ll be back every few weeks. You’ll need to figure out where to stash it all.”

  Conrad showed Z the generator. Z looked impressed. Melinda locked herself in her room. When evening came, they all ate heartily, then set up the couches in the room with the fireplace. They talked late into the night.

  “What are you going to call this thing where you move food around the country?” Mark said.

  “I have no idea,” Z said. “I’m just getting the materials in place. Doesn’t matter what we call it as long as it works. The way I figure it, there are believers all around the world who will need what we have. I just pray God brings the right people together.”

  “Tell us about the tunnel,” Vicki said.

  “Like I told you, this land’s been in my family for years. The first house was built in the 1850s. The boarding school came along after that. My grandfather always said this was part of the Underground Railroad.”

  “Railroad tracks ran by here?” Charlie said.

  “No,” Darrion said. “I studied this. The Underground Railroad was a network of safe houses and paths that slaves used to escape.”

  “I didn’t know Illinois was part of that,” Shelly said.

  “A lot of slaves from the deep South went through Ohio or Pennsylvania,” Darrion said, “but a lot came through Illinois. Usually, the safe houses were near rivers—”

  “Which has got to be why the tunnel ends near the water,” Conrad said.

  “My dad and I searched for hiding places,” Z said. “We found a door in a wall upstairs that led down to that cellar, but we could never find any outside entrance.”

  “They must have hidden down there and escaped to the river,” Vicki said.

  Conrad pulled the piece of cloth from his pocket and handed it to Z. “I found this in the tunnel.”

  Z held the cloth like it was a work of art. “This looks like a dress for a rag doll. I always heard that women gathered to sew clothes for the runaways. They’d make dolls for the kids to make them feel better. One of the children must have dropped this on the way out.”

  The kids sat, stunned. Vicki thought of the brave men, women, and children who had been through the house, searching for freedom.

  Finally, Z said, “My grandfather also told us he thought there was a safe hidden in or near the house. We never found it, but this makes me think he was probably right.”

  Early the next morning, Judd awoke and found Hasina in her office. Mr. Stein and Lionel agreed that someone should talk with her about God. Judd volunteered.

  Hasina turned the volume of a news station down when Judd walked in. “Did you sleep well?”

  Judd nodded. “I’m anxious to get to Jerusalem. And I’m curious. Did Taylor really ask you to marry him?”

  Hasina smiled. Judd thought she looked a little sad. “Taylor Graham will never marry. I suppose I came as close as any woman ever has.”

  Silence followed. Judd bit his lip. “Taylor mentioned something about your father.”

  Hasina closed the book she was writing in and sat back. She put both feet on the desk and looked squarely at Judd.

  “I worshiped my father,” Hasina said. “I was very young when my mother died. He could have shipped me off to any number of relatives, but he chose to keep me. He had great status as a pilot, but he gave that up to become a maintenance worker so he would have regular hours. He sacrificed everything for me.”

  “What happened?”

  Hasina looked away. “Is your father still alive?”

  “He was taken in the disappearances,” Judd said.

  “I’m sorry,” Hasina said. “My father joined the Egyptian resistance. He helped plan the attack that led to World War III. He was shot down by Global Community planes near London. He called me the day before the bombings and told me he loved me. Over and over he said it. I never heard his voice again.”

  “And that’s why you’re against the GC?” Judd said.

  “With every ounce of strength I have, I will avenge my father’s death. That is what I live for.”

  Judd let the
words sink in. After a few moments he stammered as he tried to tell Hasina about God.

  “Whatever it is, just say it,” Hasina said.

  “We’re here for the meeting, and its purpose is to teach people to tell everyone how much God loves them. It would be awful if nobody talked with you about how much God cares for you.”

  Hasina smiled. “In the years before the disappearances, I worked as a guide in Israel. I came into contact with many Christians who tried to convince me of God’s love.”

  “You didn’t buy it?” Judd said.

  Hasina shook her head. “I have seen the meteors, felt the earthquake. Most of my friends are dead. Whether there is a God of love out there somewhere, I do not know. I have never seen him. But I know you are against Nicolae Carpathia.” Hasina looked at Judd without blinking. “Never get in my way. I will not rest, and I will let no one keep me from the sacred pledge of avenging my father’s death.”

  Vicki was tired. She handed Z a pillow and some blankets.

  “That’s okay,” Z said. “I sleep in the truck. Probably more comfortable anyway.”

  Mark said, “What about the surprise?”

  Z stood and headed for the kitchen. In the doorway he turned. “How do you keep up with the news?”

  “We don’t have a TV,” Mark said. “We get some stations on the Internet. That’s our main link to the outside world.”

  Z returned with two boxes. As he opened the first, he said, “I got to thinking about the meeting and how much you will want to see what’s going on.” Z pulled out an ultrathin computer. “This oughta be faster and more powerful than what you have.”

  “The screen is so big!” Shelly said.

  “Got it from a GC shipment. It’s connected to the Internet by satellite. You don’t have to dial up anything. Just turn it on and you’re connected. And the best thing is, it’s secure. The Global Community can’t trace it.”

  “How’d you get it?” Mark said.

  “Can’t tell you,” Z said. He pulled out a smaller box and handed it to him. “This is the phone that goes with it. It’s hooked up to Carpathia’s Cell-Sol system. They can’t trace it. You should be able to keep in touch with the outside world. And the best thing is, they pick up the tab.”

  The kids laughed.

  Shelly rushed into the room and grabbed Vicki. “Come quick! Melinda’s gone.”

  6

  VICKI rushed to Melinda’s room. Cool air blew through the open window. Vicki grabbed Phoenix by the collar and let him sniff at the blankets. “Go get her, boy!”

  Phoenix jumped through the window and bounded across the wooden walkway. Vicki followed. Phoenix headed toward the road, then turned and ran into the woods.

  Mark caught up to Vicki. “If she gets away—”

  “Let me handle this,” Vicki said.

  Mark threw both hands in the air. “I was just trying to help.”

  Vicki looked for Phoenix. He sniffed and ran through leaves in the distance. Someone whimpered. Vicki found Melinda near Felicia’s grave. Phoenix licked the girl’s hand. Vicki sat beside her.

  Melinda spoke through tears. “When you heard that truck, you assumed I had told someone. I can’t stay here.”

  “I’m sorry,” Vicki said. “Mark thought you’d alerted the GC.”

  “You did too! Admit it.”

  “I don’t know what I thought,” Vicki said.

  “I have to get out of here. I can’t live with you people.”

  Conrad ran up the hill. Vicki waved him away.

  “Who’s the guy with the truck?” Melinda said.

  “A friend with supplies,” Vicki said.

  Melinda started to leave, but Vicki grabbed her arm. “It’s not going to be easy for us, but we have to admit we need each other.”

  Melinda wiped her eyes and stared at Vicki. “What do you mean?”

  “We need you to keep quiet about us, and you need us for protection. From the GC and the judgments on the way.”

  “Protect me?”

  “We saved you from the poisoned water,” Vicki said. “I just wish we could have gotten to Felicia before she drank it.”

  “I’m out of place,” Melinda said. “I feel guilty for staying with you and not turning you in. At the same time …” Melinda’s voice trailed off.

  “What?” Vicki said.

  “There’s something I haven’t told you.”

  Judd tried to talk more with Hasina, but her hatred for the Global Community kept her from listening. Lionel rushed in. “You should see this.”

  Mr. Stein watched a report about Nicolae Carpathia. The news conference was held at the main airport in Tel Aviv. Leon Fortunato, Carpathia’s right-hand man, stood dutifully in the background as Enigma Babylon’s Peter Mathews introduced the potentate.

  “I cannot tell you what a pleasure it is to be back in Israel,” Carpathia said with a broad smile. “I am eager to welcome the devotees of Dr. Ben-Judah and to display the openness of the Global Community to diverse opinion and belief.”

  “Right,” Judd said sarcastically.

  “I am pleased to reaffirm my guarantee of safety to the rabbi and the thousands of visitors from all over the world,” Carpathia continued. “I will withhold further comment, assuming I will be welcome to address the honored assembly within the next few days.”

  “Surely Tsion won’t let him,” Judd said.

  Mr. Stein stroked the stubbly beard he had grown. “I’m wondering how the witnesses will respond.”

  “The people in the stadium?” Lionel said.

  “Eli and Moishe,” Mr. Stein said.

  Taylor Graham walked into the room and flipped off the television. “You guys want a little company at that meeting of yours? I hear the big guy is making an appearance.”

  Judd knew from reading Tsion’s views of the book of Revelation that Nicolae Carpathia would be killed. But Judd thought it was too soon. They had just passed the two-year mark of the beginning of the Tribulation, and from what Judd could remember, Nicolae wasn’t supposed to die for another year and a half.

  While Lionel and Mr. Stein talked with Taylor, Judd slipped into Hasina’s empty office and pulled up Tsion’s Web site. Judd gasped when he saw Tsion’s travel schedule. Everyone, including the Global Community, could see it!

  Between Tsion’s directions to the witnesses and what Buck Williams wrote in his Web magazine, The Truth, Judd couldn’t wait for the meeting to begin. One thing was sure. Buck’s days as the editor of Nicolae Carpathia’s global magazine were over. Judd wondered whether Buck would attend the conference with Tsion or play it safe.

  Later, a car pulled up outside. Judd and the others thanked Hasina for her kindness. “Perhaps I’ll see you before you leave?” she said.

  The drive to Jerusalem went quickly. Judd pointed out some of the historical sites as they drew closer. It was as if they had gone through a time warp. Tel Aviv was modern and fast paced. But as they neared the old city of Jerusalem, it looked thousands of years old. Mr. Stein watched in amazement. “I feel God has me here for a reason.”

  Tens of thousands crowded the streets. Many were no doubt converted Jewish witnesses from around the world.

  “Can you drive us by the Temple Mount?” Mr. Stein said.

  The driver wound his way through the jammed streets. “You should see it at night,” the driver said. “It is spectacular.”

  The new temple gleamed in the morning sun. The Global Community had spent millions creating this structure to honor Nicolae Carpathia. Judd figured when the Dome of the Rock was moved to New Babylon, animal sacrifices wouldn’t be far behind. He was right. Peter the Second had welcomed the Orthodox Jews into the Enigma Babylon faith. Tsion Ben-Judah wrote in disgust about the structure. He said the new building and the sacrifices were an affront to the true God of Israel.

  The driver of the car turned and, in a heavy Israeli accent, said, “I will not be able to get you close to Teddy Kollek Stadium. Too many people.”

  �
��We can walk,” Mr. Stein said. “We are looking for a room for the week. Can you help?”

  The driver shook his head. “If you do not have a place to stay, may God help you.”

  Mr. Stein smiled. “He will.”

  Mr. Stein paid the driver, and the three began their walk.

  “Who is Teddy Kollek, anyway?” Lionel said.

  “I believe he was the mayor of Jerusalem for many years,” Mr. Stein said. “He helped develop the city.”

  “How many people will the stadium hold?” Lionel said.

  Mr. Stein looked around. “Not this many. Tsion’s Web site said they would transmit the signal to other areas, but I must be where Dr. Ben-Judah is.”

  Global Community guards patrolled the area around the stadium. “The meeting starts tomorrow night,” a guard said. “Come back then.”

  Judd pointed out several hotels as they continued, but all were booked. Mr. Stein pleaded with manager after manager, offering several times the amount of a single room. Each time, they were turned away.

  “Does it strike you funny that there’s no room at any of these inns?” Lionel said with a smile.

  Melinda sat like a statue next to Felicia’s grave.

  “You want to go inside?” Vicki said. “It’s late, and really cold.”

  “You asked about my mother,” Melinda said.

  “I figured you didn’t want to talk about her,” Vicki said.

  “I didn’t. But now …”

  “What is it?”

  Melinda took a deep breath. “My mom believed what you do.”

  Vicki couldn’t speak.

  “Not always. She used to be as wild as my dad. Even wilder. They’d go to cocktail parties and come home blasted. When my dad was on the road, she’d sneak out. She thought I didn’t see her. I never told my dad, but I saw.

  “I was out late one night. I came home and found her crying in the living room. There was a woman with her. We called her the preacher lady. She said my mother had something to tell me.

  “I thought my mom had gotten some kind of disease the way she was crying. But that wasn’t it. She said she was sorry for being a bad mother.