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  “I’m sorry,” Vicki said.

  The old man turned back to his coffee, and the cook stepped from the kitchen. He wore a soiled apron and a chef’s hat. He studied Vicki carefully and said, “What can I get you?”

  “A cup of coffee would be great,” Vicki said.

  As the cook poured the coffee, Vicki said, “You haven’t been stung?”

  The cook shook his head.

  “Why not?”

  “Lucky, I guess. Why do you ask?”

  Vicki leaned over the counter. “Can you pull that hat back a little?”

  The cook smiled. He tipped his hat and revealed the mark of the believer. “How about something to eat? It’s on the house.”

  Vicki moved to the end of the counter, out of earshot of the old man. “I’m looking for a group of believers that meets somewhere in town. Can you help me?”

  The cook squinted and pointed toward Vicki’s face. “No offense but can I make sure that’s real?”

  Vicki nodded and the man ran a finger across her forehead. “OK,” he said, reaching out his hand. “Name’s Roger Cornwell.”

  Vicki introduced herself and asked about the believers again.

  “It’s funny—about a half hour ago these two unmarked vans pulled up. Tinted windows. My boss stays inside his glass booth over there. I’m the one who goes outside since he thinks locusts don’t sting people who work in the kitchen.” Roger snickered.

  “The people in the van were believers?” Vicki said.

  Roger shook his head. “Don’t think so. The driver talked to me through this little speaker mounted by the windshield. Told me to fill up the vans and slid some money through a slot by the door handle. I started to clean the windshield and get a look inside, but the guy told me not to bother. I did see a stack of guns near the side door.”

  “There were two vans?”

  Roger nodded. “And locusts were buzzing around the things like bees to a hive.”

  “They were GC,” Vicki said.

  “That’s what I thought,” Roger said, “but I couldn’t figure out why they were way out here. We don’t have any militia—”

  “It’s not about the militia,” Vicki said. She explained what they had learned about the GC plan.

  Roger nodded and looked at his watch. “The GC must know where we meet. It’s a bowling alley on the other side of town. People might already be there praying.”

  “Can you contact anyone and call the meeting off?” Vicki said.

  Roger scowled. “We’re talking hundreds of people. Some have e-mail, but mostly we pass along information at the weekly service.”

  “What about a phone?”

  “Phone lines are down out there.”

  Roger scribbled directions on a napkin. Vicki grabbed it and ran to the truck.

  The departure time for Judd, Lionel, and Sam was changed to late afternoon in Israel. Yitzhak drove the boys to the airport and prayed for them. Judd was surprised that Nada hadn’t come, but she said she didn’t like good-byes and would see Judd when he returned.

  The names Pavel gave them were called over the loudspeaker, and Captain Mac McCullum met the boys in a VIP room. He was all business until the door closed and they were alone. Mac shook their hands warmly and told them what to expect once they boarded the plane.

  “Our space is a little limited with all the materials we’re carrying,” Mac said. “The cargo hold is full, so we’re putting some of the boxes of pamphlets in the main cabin.”

  Judd led the way onto the tarmac when the time came to board. He had never seen a plane outfitted with so much leather.

  The last of the materials were being loaded as Judd and the others were seated. “I’ll call you to the cockpit once we’re in the air.”

  The takeoff was flawless, and as Mac said, he called the boys into the cockpit after the plane reached its flying altitude. Judd and Lionel were full of questions.

  Mac explained that he had taken over flying the plane from Rayford Steele. “Ray knew it was only a matter of time before the potentate had him killed. He decided to bolt during the Meeting of the Witnesses, then came back and flew Tsion and Chloe home.”

  “What about Buck?” Judd said.

  “He’s still stuck in Israel,” Mac said. “And it’s a shame. He needs to get home to his wife.”

  “That’s right,” Lionel said. “Chloe’s having a baby soon.”

  “It’s still a few months out, but we’re working on a plan that’ll get him back in time for the delivery.”

  “How are you getting us into the country without anyone being suspicious?” Sam said.

  “Pavel’s dad worked it out,” Mac said. “He’ll pick you up and drive you to his place. I’m off to deliver some more of the potentate’s pamphlets.”

  Mac laughed. It was wonderful to hear someone laugh again. “I’d like to see old Nicolae’s face when he finds out what his personal plane was used for.”

  “They know the stuff is getting out there, right?” Lionel said.

  Mac nodded. “Leon and Peter the Second are furious about all the stuff that’s flooding the globe. Those of us who are believers are really in a tight spot. There have been executions already.”

  “What?” Lionel said.

  “A couple of Peter Mathews’s staff mentioned something Peter thought was private. They were killed the same day. Carpathia sent Peter a note of congratulations.”

  Judd shook his head. “No telling what they’d do if they found out you’re a believer.”

  “Exactly,” Mac said, “and it might be soon that I have to reveal myself.”

  “What do you mean?” Lionel said.

  “Leon doesn’t think we need religion anymore since we have Nicolae to worship. He wants to pass a law that people have to bow when they come into Nicolae’s presence.”

  “That’s crazy,” Lionel said.

  “Just shows what kind of trouble we’re in,” Mac said.

  “Which is why I don’t understand why you’d take this kind of chance with us,” Judd said.

  “I argued with Pavel’s father about this little joyride,” Mac said, “but this one goes all the way to the top. Some people heard about his son and the condition he’s in. They OK’d it so I couldn’t say no.”

  “What condition?” Judd said.

  “You didn’t hear?” Mac said. “Pavel is . . . well, let’s just say the disease that put him in that wheelchair is winning.”

  “He’s going to die?” Judd said.

  “I’m sorry you had to hear it from me,” Mac said. “I thought you knew.”

  Vicki told Pete and the others what she had learned. Pete punched in the location of the meeting place and shook his head. “We’re about forty-five minutes away if we take my rig.”

  “Roger showed us a back way,” Vicki said.

  “I’ll get a bike,” Conrad said.

  Pete ran inside the truck stop and returned with Roger. Conrad rolled a motorcycle down the ramp and gassed up.

  “You stick with Pete and help him navigate,” Vicki said to Shelly. “We’ll see who gets there first.”

  Vicki grabbed the directions and hopped on the back of the motorcycle with Conrad. Pete and Roger unhooked the trailer.

  “What’s he doing?” Vicki shouted.

  “Maybe he can get there faster without that big load,” Conrad said.

  Vicki pointed the way as Conrad weaved through back roads. As Vicki suspected, they passed few cars. Some were parked in ditches along the main highways. Vicki guessed these were people who had been driving when the locusts attacked.

  “It should be on the other side of this mountain,” Conrad said as he turned onto a dirt road that seemed to go straight up.

  Vicki held on tightly as they climbed the rutted road, bouncing their way to the top. The only thing more frightening than going up was coming down. Conrad rode the brakes, but it felt like Vicki’s stomach was doing flip-flops.

  When they neared the bottom, Conrad slowed and
turned off the engine. They coasted the rest of the way and came to a stop near a paved road.

  Vicki stood on the backseat and craned her neck. She saw the long, white building with a bowling pin on the front.

  “Hide!” Conrad whispered. “We’ve got company.”

  Conrad pushed the cycle behind some bushes. Two white vans slowly passed and moved toward the bowling alley.

  “They’re going the wrong way,” Vicki said.

  The vans drove about a half mile and parked overlooking the bowling alley. “They’re probably going to wait until everyone’s inside, then spring their little trap,” Conrad said.

  Vicki and Conrad walked closer to the vans, making sure they kept out of sight. Locusts swarmed around the windows. Every few minutes the drivers activated a spray that sent the locusts scattering. Moments later, the locusts were back, trying to get inside.

  From this spot above the valley, the GC could see every car and person who walked inside. Fifty cars lined the parking lot and more were coming every minute.

  “How are they going to get all those people into custody?” Vicki said. “There’s no way these two vans can hold them.”

  “Maybe they’re bringing in buses once they bust them,” Conrad said. “Or maybe they don’t plan to take them into custody at all.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Conrad looked at Vicki. “Maybe there won’t be believers left alive after they’re through.”

  Vicki shuddered. “That guy at the truck stop said he saw a stack of guns inside the vans.”

  “Come on,” Conrad said, “let’s cut across the field.”

  Vicki nodded and they made their way down the hillside.

  Judd reeled at the news that his friend was going to die. Why didn’t Pavel tell me?

  Mac’s information about the Global Community brought Judd back to the conversation.

  “That’s why those of us who are believers have to stay together and look out for each other,” Mac said. “Carpathia and Leon are plotting against Mathews. I’ve heard the whole thing and it’s ugly. It’s just like Tsion said in one of his e-mails. This is not just a war between good and evil. It’s also a war between evil and evil.”

  Lionel asked Mac how he became a believer and Mac quickly told the story. Rayford Steele had been there shortly after he had prayed.

  “We’re heading for some dark clouds up ahead,” Mac said. “Maybe you guys had better head to the back and buckle up. We’ll talk after we get through this.”

  Lionel opened the cockpit door and gasped. “I don’t believe it. Judd, you’d better come see this.”

  Vicki and Conrad rushed inside and saw people sitting in chairs and even in the bowling lanes. One by one they took turns praying over the sound system. A man came up to Vicki and looked at her forehead.

  “If you’re a believer, you’re welcome,” the man whispered, “but the meeting won’t begin for another hour. We spend this time—”

  “You have to get out of here,” Conrad said. “The GC are onto you.”

  “What?”

  Conrad pulled the man inside what used to be a bar. He pointed out the window. “Two vans are filled with Global Community guards. They were sent here to arrest you, or worse.”

  The man smiled. “Even if there were GC guards up there, the locusts would take care of them.”

  “They have special suits to keep the locusts out,” Vicki said.

  The man checked their marks again and said, “You kids aren’t from around here, are you?”

  Vicki sighed. “Illinois. But we’re wasting time. Who’s in charge?”

  The man stiffened. “Listen, I know you mean well, and as I said, you’re more than welcome—”

  Vicki ran for the front of the building. A woman was at the microphone in the middle of her prayer. She stopped when Vicki jumped over the front desk.

  “Amen,” Vicki said. She looked out over the audience. People were streaming through the front door. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but you have to listen.”

  Vicki’s heart beat furiously. “A friend of ours told us to warn you. There are two vans filled with GC guards on the hill. They’re waiting—”

  “That’s enough!” the man with Conrad said, grabbing the microphone.

  “Let her talk,” another man said, stepping forward. He looked at Vicki and Conrad and asked their names. Vicki told him, then explained what Carl had told them.

  People hurried for the doors. The man put a hand in the air and said, “Hold on. If those are GC, we can’t leave all at once.”

  “What do we do, Pastor?” a young man yelled from one of the lanes.

  Others echoed, “Yeah, what do we do?”

  “First we’re going to pray for those people in Maryland. Then we’re going to ask the Lord to show us exactly what we should do.”

  Judd pushed Lionel aside and walked into the cabin of the airplane. A box of pamphlets was open, and a few pieces of paper littered the floor. Someone knelt to pick them up.

  Judd’s heart sank.

  “Hi, Judd!” Nada said.

  Vicki wiped away a tear as the pastor finished his prayer. A few more people entered the bowling alley and asked what was going on. The pastor asked everyone to sit.

  “I don’t think we have time to wait,” Conrad said.

  The pastor nodded. “We need to do something fast. That’s true. But if we—”

  The alley fell silent. Vicki shuddered at the sound outside. Rumbling. Air brakes. The noise shook the building.

  “They’re here,” Vicki said.

  13

  VICKI Byrne heard rumbling outside the bowling alley and desperately wanted to make a break for the motorcycle. But she couldn’t run. At least a hundred people inside needed her help.

  She and Conrad had seen Global Community guards nearby. Demon locusts buzzed around the specially equipped vans. The guards inside wore protective clothing.

  People whimpered and cried as the pastor tried to calm them. “No matter what happens, we trust in the Lord!”

  Conrad ran to the front of the building. “I don’t see anything in the parking lot!”

  “They must be around back!” someone shouted.

  Vicki took the microphone and explained what the kids had heard from Carl Meninger, their friend working as a Global Community Peacekeeper. “The GC has discovered where believers are meeting. They want to make examples of us and a group in Maryland.”

  “Are they going to kill us?” a woman said.

  “We don’t know,” Vicki said, “but we have to get out of here.”

  Someone banged on a metal door in the back.

  Conrad shouted, “The white vans are still on the hill.”

  “Then who’s at the door?” Vicki said.

  Someone shouted and pounded on the door again. Vicki thought she recognized the voice.

  Judd Thompson Jr. couldn’t believe his eyes. Lionel Washington and Sam Goldberg stood by an empty box in the airplane. Beside it stood his friend Nada.

  “How did you get here?” Judd said.

  Nada stared at him. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”

  Judd glanced at Lionel and Sam. “Of course, but—”

  “I stowed away in a box of pamphlets,” Nada said. “I wanted to be with you when you meet your friend in New Babylon.” Nada explained how she emptied a box of pamphlets and marked it “Main Cabin.”

  The plane dipped and lightning flashed. The pilot, Mac McCullum, spoke through the intercom. “Better buckle up and hang on.”

  Nada sat by Judd. “You look angry.”

  “I’m not! I’m just concerned. You’ve put us in a bad situation.”

  “How?”

  “This is Nicolae Carpathia’s plane. We were only cleared for three people in New Babylon. When four of us get off, we could be in trouble. Or we could put Mac in a tight spot.”

  Judd explained what Mac had said about Judd’s friend Pavel. Their visit had been cleared because “it’s his last wish t
hat I visit him.”

  “Pavel is dying?” Nada said.

  Judd nodded.

  “What’s going to happen when we get there?”

  The plane dropped suddenly and Judd felt his stomach surge.

  “Sorry about that,” Mac said on the intercom. “This is a rough one. Stay in your seats.”

  “I have to talk with you,” Judd said.

  Mac came on the intercom. “Wait till we get out of these clouds, Judd.”

  Judd looked at Nada. Could Mac hear everything they were saying? Could he also hear Nicolae Carpathia when he was on the plane?

  “I’ll let you know when it’s safe,” Mac said.

  Lightning flashed again. Nada whispered something. “What did you say?” Judd said.

  Nada turned. Her eyes were red. “There’s another reason I had to come with you.”

  “What?” Judd said.

  Nada put a hand to her forehead. “I can’t go home. I’m running away.”

  Vicki ran to the back door. Conrad and the pastor told her to stop, but she ignored them. The door wouldn’t open.

  “What are you doing?” Conrad shouted.

  “Hang on!” Vicki said, finally opening the door.

  Sunshine poured in and Vicki saw her friend Shelly. Behind her was Pete’s huge truck and trailer. Pete ran to meet them.

  “The GC are on the hill behind us,” Vicki said.

  “I saw ’em when I drove in,” Pete said. “How many people you got in here?”

  Vicki showed him, then started to introduce the pastor. Pete cut her off. “No time to chat. That guy back at the gas station, Roger, told me on the radio that there’s a couple of huge transport vehicles headed our way.”

  “They’re going to arrest us?” the pastor said.

  “Not if I can help it,” Pete said. “I’ll back the truck up as close as I can to the door and you get the people in a single file. If we work fast, we can get everybody in without them knowing what’s going on.”

  Conrad raced up. “The vans are pulling out. Coming our way.”