Times of Tribulation: Christian End Times Thriller (The End Times Saga, #7) (13 page)

“Those two men are beginning to make me think of my eternal life, especially with all the power they show. But, I’d kind of like to have someone help educate me about all this stuff in person before I make a decision,” replied Janet, turning off the television.

“I’ve been thinking the same thing, Dear. These disasters are definitely convincing me that the Patriarch has no power at all, too bad the low info types out there will never see that.”

“Pete, we’ve picked up six people outside near here. They look like they’re gathering firewood, since it’s gotten colder out there in the last few minutes after being over 110 degrees thirty minutes ago. What do you want to do?” interrupted Miles O’Hara, who was currently one of four men on security detail.

“Thanks for telling me, Miles. Please tell Brandon to keep monitoring the situation, while I round up a few others to go to the surface, while being armed, that way we’re prepared for whatever they might pull. Janet, could you prepare for new visitors if we determine they’re safe to bring into our community?”

“Sure, right away.” Janet rushed off to prepare.

Pete gathered ten men, made sure all wore combat gear, and equipped each with working weapons. They went through the blast doors near the surface and quietly approached the group, who were now sitting around the fire they’d made.

“All right, don’t anyone move. Who are you?” ordered Pete, pointing his rifle at the group.

To say the six hikers were startled was an understatement, some jumped practically out of their skins, while others clung tightly to each other. The six were definitely afraid of the men in black clad combat gear. One man rose up, put his arms in the air, and said, “Hi, I’m Josh Harrison. We’re searching for group called the Big Bend Preppers. I thought they were around here, somewhere,”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

Pete sighed, rolled his eyes, and replied, “Why are you seeking that group?”

“Well, I thought they might offer a safe haven for those of us who are trying to escape the tyranny of the Union of United Earth. All but two of us are new believers in Christ and would prefer to keep our heads,”

“I see. What makes you think they’ll make you feel welcome or even offer to let you into their community?”

“I don’t know. Um, maybe because they don’t trust this government any more than we do and they might feel strongly about people being executed for their beliefs,”

“These guys aren’t going to help us, whoever they are, they’re just messing with us.” complained Bill, but Josh ignored him.

Pete pondered what to do next, but saw these six as harmless. It also helped that none of them had either of the marks indicating they followed the Patriarch. He also thought that if this Harrison fellow said he was a follower of Christ, maybe it would help Pete eventually make a decision. So, his decision was made. “Mr. Harrison, I’m Pete Robertson, leader of the Big Bend Preppers, you’ve definitely found us.” Pete extended his hand to the man and Josh shook it.

“Thank God we found you! I was getting worried that we wouldn’t. So, what next, Mr. Robertson?”

“You’ll come with us and we’ll get you settled. Later on, whenever it’s appropriate and I’m comfortable with the idea, you’ll have to tell us about Christ, why you believe why you do, and if any of these disasters will end if the Patriarch ever gets kicked out of office,”

“I think I can do that, Mr. Robertson. I don’t want to push you into making a decision you’re not ready for, and I figure it’s up to you to know when you’re ready to accept Jesus as your Savior. Anyway, thanks for accepting us.”

“You’re very welcome.”

While they were being escorted inside, Pete glanced over at the Holland’s, who were obviously not happy with this situation. Stopping Josh, Pete asked, “Are they going to be a problem?”

“I don’t think so. Mostly, their attitudes reflects the fact that they rejected Christ and both of them have had surly attitudes ever since the disappearances. We were friends with them before all of this happened, but we didn’t know anything about Christ until we came across another group of Christians that led us to the Lord. This was right before Administrator Davis decided to start rounding up believers, so we decided to find a safe place, and I thought it would be here. Anyway, they’re all talk, I don’t think they’d attempt to sell us out, since they don’t have the slightest idea how to get out of Big Bend on foot,”

“Do either of them know how to use shortwave?”

“Not that I know of. Do you have internet access?”

“Any access we do have requires one of us with the security codes to do that, so the internet is secure.”

“That’s great, so see, there’s no need to worry about either of the Holland’s.”

“Well, we’ll see.” They walked through the blast doors and Pete shut them.

A few hours later, the world would hear the explanation about the light being cut in third from the Patriarch. Before the world leader came on, Pete said sarcastically, “This ought to be a doozy of an explanation.”

The Patriarch appeared on screen with a smile on his face, and began, “Greetings, citizens of the global community. I’m sure many of you have been wondering about the cooler weather we’ve been having and why the sun’s power seems to have been reduced. Scientists have assured me there’s nothing to worry about, it’s just a local space phenomenon that’ll subside in a few weeks or so. It’ll get colder for a little while, but should warm right back up soon after the phenomenon disappears. Just like with their earlier declaration about no more rain, it’ll start raining again soon.

“As to the rumors about those two gentlemen in Jerusalem who claim that they were the ones who cut one-third of the sun, moon, and stars light, well, that’s just not true. The two must’ve known that this was going to happen, through telescopes or some other technological means, just like they seem to have the technological ability to make it stop raining. They made a big production out of it and then make the claim that their God was the one responsible. Like many of you, I wish to see the two gone from this planet, so we can have our peace, harmony, and unity, but that time has not yet arrived. Dear citizens, please continue growing and planting like you’ve always done, as clouds and rain will return once the problems in space subside and we can neutralize the two’s technology. I wish peace and blessings on you and yours.” The Patriarch’s face vanished from the screen, replaced by the anchor from UETN.

“I think the Patriarch is out of his mind.” Pete declared.

“No, he isn’t. The Patriarch knows precisely what he’s doing, but I’m sure he will be out of his mind in a few more years. We’ll just have to pop some popcorn and watch as he tries to blame everyone but himself for the world falling apart around him.” Josh replied.

In Puerto Rico, Administrator Davis complained to his staff, “We’re in the Caribbean, it’s not supposed to be cold here. If I wanted to wear a winter coat, I’d move to the North Pole! I wish Karimi would do something about those two in Jerusalem, before they figure out how to destroy the planet itself,  and there’s nothing left but rocks and debris where a planet use to be. Without rain and proper sunlight, how are we supposed to grow anything so the region can be provided for?” Then he turned to the head of his security, and ordered, “I want more of those malcontents who believe in Jesus and the Hebrew God rounded up and executed. Maybe when all of them are eliminated, those two troublemakers will finally disappear for good. Well, what are you waiting for?”

“I will get my men to begin more roundups right away, sir. Do you require anything else, Administrator?”

“No. Before I’m done with them, those haters will wish they had never met me. If they don’t recant their silly beliefs, they will pay dearly for refusing to join us!”

Chapter 14

“The drones we had that were investigating the remaining volcanic activity coming from the Yellowstone have somehow become inhabited by some kind of alien presence and now we’ve lost control of them. They’ve transformed into some kind of beasts that are hurting people at random. We don’t know how to proceed, Your Excellency,” Clint Jamison, the head of the team investigating Yellowstone, was telling the Patriarch, who he was speaking to via video conference.

“Are you sure it was nothing that you did to cause this to happen? You know how I feel about failure, so you better give me the right answer,”

“We followed the appropriate procedures as we investigated the Yellowstone and other volcanoes. This was a totally random incident that we could never foresee. If you feel you should punish us, then that’s your right, as the sovereign leader of our planet. However, I would prefer you wouldn’t take such an action, since we could be useful elsewhere with other projects,”

Karimi pinched his nose and rubbed his eyes, these events were starting to give him constant headaches, and the failure of those around him didn’t help matters. Sighing, he replied, “Punishing you and your colleagues won’t do much good in this case, but you are on a short leash, so I want you to do better. I want you to keep investigating ways of disabling these drones, because the damage they’re causing is worrisome, especially since the ones hurt by these drones don’t seem to die. That’s also something else I want to know – how come no one is dying when these possessed drones viciously attack people,”

“I honestly can’t explain that, Your Excellency. It’s like death is taking a holiday, so we’re subjected to all sorts of horrific ways people who should be dead are still living. I’ve managed to avoid being harassed by these drones, but it’s not easy,”

“Okay, seems like we’ll just have to deal with it the best we can. Thank you, Mr. Jamison, for briefing me on what’s going on. I’ll let you get back to work. Peace and blessings on you.”

The logo of the U.E. appeared on screen, indicating to Jamison that the Patriarch was through talking. The Patriarch seemed to have a shorter fuse with each passing month since he had been in charge and with each disaster, he seemed to be ordering more people executed, and not just the so-called haters.
I hope I can come up with a solution to this problem before too long, otherwise, he’ll have me and everyone on my team executed. Well, back to work.

Jamison wasn’t sure anything could be done to stop the drones. When they ended up possessed, the physical structures of the drones were changed and the tools on board were utilized to hurt unsuspecting people. Jamison and his team could only watch as people tried to fight off the drones, but were completely unsuccessful. Those that were badly hurt couldn’t be treated, because some who should be dead weren’t. There was one example of a full passenger plane that crashed and was brought down by a group of drones. There should have been no survivors, but everyone on board had survived. The scene was gruesome. Some had major burns over their entire bodies, others had limbs that were partially detached, heads pointed the opposite direction or almost decapitated, and were hurt in every imaginable way a human body could be hurt. The badly injured begged to be killed, but there was nothing anyone could do.

“Okay, team, the Patriarch’s tasked us with figuring out a solution to this problem, and if we don’t, it’ll be our heads. Let’s get to work.”

Priestess Joyce Edwards had felt like she’d been stuck in her house for ages because of those annoying drones, even though it had only been five days this time out of the three months so far the drones had been actively harassing people. Although she could do a lot of her duties from home via telecommuting, she preferred being in the office or helping people get the marks and guiding them the way the Patriarch wanted. She also wanted to go outside so she could tend to her garden, which was technically illegal in the U.E., because individuals weren’t supposed to grow their own food, it was supposed to be a community ritual, to bring everyone together in peace, harmony, and unity.

Edwards didn’t want to share her garden with anyone. She paid lip service to sharing and sacrificing for your fellow man, but in practice, she hated the whole idea. Her house was her house, her garden was her garden, and she wasn’t about to let some uneducated half-wit into her yard or home. What did she care if people were starving to death or taking to cannibalism because they refused to obey the government? She couldn’t be held responsible for people’s stupidity. Edwards had her own personal garden and intended on keeping it that way.

Having not seen a drone in a couple of days, she called up her second-in-command, “Dylan, have you seen any reports on drone activity?”

“I have, Priestess. Would you like me to email you the current report?”

“Sure, if you don’t mind. I have yard work I really need to take care of and I want to make sure that no drones are in the area,”

“Okay, I understand. The file will be in your email in a minute. Do you need help with anything else, Priestess?”

“No, thank you. Peace and blessings, Dylan. Bye.”

Edwards opened her email and read the report. As far as security could tell, there were no drones anywhere near San Antonio today.
Thank the Patriarch! Now I can tend to my garden in peace.

Even though it was too chilly and too dry for most people to even attempt to grow a garden during this period, Edwards did it anyway. She made sure to water as much as she could and put heat lamps on certain temperature sensitive vegetables to make sure they continued to grow. Stepping into the fenced-off garden, Edwards could see parts of it needed weeding, so she went to work.

Before too long, a familiar sound began approaching, but Edwards was listening to music through earbuds from her digital music player and wasn’t paying the slightest attention to anything but pulling the weeds from her garden. So startled was she by what came next, that she practically jumped out of her skin when the first drone used its lasers to target her, and then others began using their own weapons. She tried running, but fell as six drones attacked her. The demons knew exactly who she was, so they attacked her more viciously than most others they attacked, and laughed at her though the video screens they used for virtual faces.