Overthrown The Death of America...Book Five

[day late]

I thought I was through with this. I guess The Lord has different ideas. As usual if anyone has comments please start a seperate thread.

Overthrown,
The Death of America
Book Five

The Occupation

by Travis O. Dean


Chapter One


"Mom it's getting kind of late. Is Dad home yet?"

Sue wished her fourteen year old son, Sean, hadn't mentioned that. She knew it was late and the sun was getting quite low in the sky. Curfew would begin soon and her husband was still out there somewhere. She had warned him not to go to the disbursement center today. They still had enough to get by for a few days, and after what happened yesterday she didn't like the idea. People leaving the center with what they had been able to get from the government were attacked by a roving gang of thugs and had everything stolen from them. Most were simply beaten half to death. A few of them who had resisted were killed on the spot. Even those who had willingly turned over what they had were beaten or threatened to remind them to hand over everything they had the next time the gang came through. There was no reason for Larry to take such a risk. But his reasoning was his own.

"Honey, those hoods got what they wanted yesterday. So they won't be out there today. Besides, I heard that new deliveries were made last night. You know how it is. The first in line get the most and the best of what they have. Don't you worry. I'll be safe, but even more important I have The Lord watching my back."

He always had to bring God into things. How he could believe such nonsense was beyond her. Still, he was a good husband. Before everything fell apart he had always been a good provider. He had never been abusive to her or Sean. She actually did love him very much, and knew he felt the same about her. He had never given her any reason to doubt that and had proved it on more than one occasion. She honestly believed the man would step in front of a bullet for either her or their son and count himself lucky to have had the privilege.

"Mom?"

"I heard you, Son. I know. It is getting late. But what can I do about it? Your father has the car, so I can't go out looking for him. We just have to wait."

"But Mom, he could be in trouble."

She slapped down the knife she was using to prepare the evening meal.

"Don't you think I know that? But you heard your father. He just had to go and he is certain that God will protect him. I couldn't have stopped him with a hammer."

Sue also knew what her son was thinking, Even though he wouldn't say it. Things were turning ugly. This used to be a nice neighborhood. People knew each other and would lend a helping hand when asked. Now it was as if everyone was afraid of their neighbors, and people barely even spoke to one another any more. She had seen how people she had once considered her friends now eyed her suspiciously whenever she stepped outside. And it wasn't just her. They looked at everyone that way. Of course the number of break-In's and home invasions that had happened recently didn't help matters. The police couldn't do anything to prevent them and the fact they seemed to have even less interest in solving the crimes didn't help at all. Nobody was invited into someones house any more. People were afraid that their neighbors would see what they had and come back later to steal it. At least that's why Sue didn't invite anyone over. And she was convinced that's why nobody
asked her to drop by like they used to do.

As if to confirm her dark thoughts, in the distance she heard what sounded like an explosion. She had no idea what it might mean, and wished that Larry would hurry home. She didn't feel safe without him around. What if those thieves came here? She wouldn't be able to do anything to stop them. What would they do to her son? For that matter what would they do to her? The thought chilled her to the marrow. It was then that Sean spoke again and surprised her.

"Mom? You heard about what happened to the Fraser family, didn't you?"

She'd heard. They had been the most recent victims of a home invasion. It had been brutal. Mr. Fraser was shot as soon as the invaders came through the door. His wife and their two daughters were bound and held in a back room while the thieves ransacked the house. Then one at a time they had been raped and tortured, repeatedly for the rest of the night. By morning, only the older girl was alive. Being traumatized by the abuse, she was of no help to the police. The girl was taken to the hospital, the house was sealed and nothing more had been done about it. That had been only a few days ago.

"Yes, I heard about it. But I'm sure the police will find whoever did that. You don't need to worry about it."

She had lied to Sean. She had little faith that the police would do anything. They were too few and spread much to thin to spend much time working on things like that. They were more concerned with protecting their own families and the disbursement centers.

"What if they don't catch them? What if they come here?"

"Sean I'm sure those people got what they wanted and they would be foolish to do something like that again in this neighborhood. People will be watching for them."

"People may be watching, Mom. But what can they do to stop them? As far as I can tell they pretty much do what they want now a days."

The maturity of his statement caught Sue off guard. She looked at him. He shouldn't be thinking like that at his age. He should be thinking of getting good grades in school, sports and, even though she hated to admit it, girls. He shouldn't have to be concerned about the crime rate.

"Well, I'm sure they won't come here. And if they do, your father knows what to do. he will take care of us."

"Mom, I was thinking about that. He isn't here right now. Shouldn't we get Dad's gun out? Just in case I mean."

"SEAN. You know how I feel about those things. I've asked your father to get rid of it a thousand times. And I don't want you anywhere near the thing. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good. It's bad enough that he keeps it around. The last thing we need is for you to get your hands on it and maybe shoot yourself or somebody else. So we'll have no more talk about it. "

Sue turned once again to getting the food ready, as Sean left the room. She realized she would need to keep an eye on him for a little while. If he was talking about it, she knew he was thinking about it as well. He just might decide to educate himself with the weapon when no one was looking. And that would lead to disaster. Glancing up through the window in the kitchen she could see the sun beginning to go down below the horizon. In twenty minutes or so it would be all the way down and curfew would begin again. If Larry didn't make it home soon, he would have to seek shelter some place for the entire night. Again the Fraser family came to her mind and a chill once more ran down her back. She was so engrossed with her gloomy thoughts that when a knock came on the front door, she jumped at the sound.

"I'll get it." Sean yelled from another room.

"No you won't. I'll get it. You stay where you are."

She really didn't even consider that this might be someone trying to break in. That happened at night and besides, those people didn't knock. But Sean was still young and might open the door too far or invite someone in. There wasn't any point in allowing others to get a look at what they had. They just might be tempted. She opened the door, slightly and stood in the gap blocking whoever was outside from seeing much of anything. She found Danny, their next door neighbor, standing there. A look of concern on his face.

"Hi Sue. Is Larry here?"

"He's out at the moment. But he should be back soon. I'll tell him you are looking for him." She wasn't exactly cold, but she didn't want to give Danny a better chance at looking into their home. He seemed okay, but these days you never knew.

"I was afraid of that. Sue, look I'm sorry to be the one to say this, but He might not be coming home."

"What are you talking about? Of course he's coming home."

"Look Sue. I was coming back from down town a little while ago. There was some kind of trouble over near the center. I don't know exactly what it was but there was some shooting and something happened to a car over there. It was burning and then it just exploded."

"What does that have to do with Larry?"

"Like I said. I'm not sure. The car was burning and pretty badly messed up by the time I came past it. And I have to tell you I wasn't going too slowly either, There was still a lot of stuff going on, but it looked like it might have been Larry's car."

The words hit Sue like a tone of bricks. It couldn't be true. Larry was always such a careful man. Everyone liked him and he wouldn't do harm to anyone.

"I don't believe you. That couldn't have been Larry. He's just late getting home. You're lying to me."

"Sue, believe me. I wouldn't wish this on anyone for all the world.

"You said it LOOKED like his car. You didn't say it was his car. Tell me exactly what you saw."

"Sue, do you really want to discuss this right here on the front porch? Why don't we step inside so we can talk in private?"

Again something brought Sue up short. Danny had a reputation. There had never been any proof, but people said he thought of himself as something of a Don Juan. He would use any excuse to get what he wanted from a woman. And being their neighbor she had noticed him giving her the eye. More than once. What if this was a trick? but how could it be? At this time of day everyone was home because of curfew. Danny knew that. That meant that he knew if Larry was coming home he would be there soon. Surely he wouldn't try something in a situation like that. Then she thought better of it.

"Sean is home. If you are wrong, I don't see the point in getting him upset over nothing."

She could see the look of disappointment in his eye. Whatever had happened, he had been planning something. He just needed to get into their house to pull it off. Well that wasn't going to happen. Not today.

"Really Sue. Don't you trust me? After all these years of living next door to each other? I wouldn't lie to you. What kind of a man do you think I am. I'm trying to help you." He reached out and gently laid his hand on her shoulder

"Help me?" She answered as she pulled his hand loose from her. "How? By telling me my husband is dead when you don't even know? That's not helping me. Then you try to talk your way into my home, I guess to offer me a shoulder to cry on if I needed it. Danny I think you had better leave."

Again, he looked disappointed but he stepped back from the door and told her.

"I admit it. I could be wrong. If I am, I'm sorry for having said anything. But if I'm not, well you know where to find me if you need me."

And with that he turned and left. Sue closed the door behind him and went back to the kitchen. While she didn't want to show it to Sean, she was completely rattled by what Danny had said. It wasn't like Larry to be this late. She was very concerned.

Sue managed to get the meal on the table, without burning anything. The sky outside was rapidly turning black. There still was no sign of Larry.

"Aren't we going to wait for Dad?" Sean wanted to know.

"Son, sit down. We have to talk."

He did so but didn't even look at the food on his plate.

"Where's Dad?"

"I don't know, Son. Maybe something happened to the car and he had to stay in town tonight. His church is near the center, maybe he is staying with them tonight instead of doing something that might get him arrested."

"Why didn't he call then?"

"You know how bad the telephone service has gotten. He might not be able to call us and let us know he's alright."

"Do think he is okay?"

"I'm sure he's fine. And I know he wouldn't want us to sit around going hungry just worrying about him. Now we will eat our dinner and then play a few hands of cards. Then we'll make an early night of it and I'm sure he will be back in the morning. Alright?"

"Well, okay. But I still think we should wait."

"Sean tomorrow is still a long way away. If he doesn't get back before then you are going to be very hungry. Now, eat your dinner and let's act like your Dad is in bed and asleep already. Tomorrow will be here before you know it and he will come walking through the door like nothing ever happened."

"Yes, Ma'am."

The rest of the meal was eaten with almost nothing said between them. And the attempt at playing card games failed miserably. Neither of them had their mind on the game. Before long Sean announced that he did still have a little studying to do that he wanted to get done before bed. Sue said alright and off he went to his room.

Sue sat in the living room trying to read, but after she realized she was reading the same page for about the eighth time, she gave it up. Looking at the clock she realized the it was almost nine, and Sean needed to go to bed. Quietly she moved down the hallway to his door and listened briefly to see if she could hear him. She could tell by the lack of light from under the door that the lights were out, and if he was already asleep she didn't want to wake him. She did hear something. It sounded like Sean was talking to himself. Gently she opened the door.

"Sweetheart. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine Mom."

"I thought I hear you talking to yourself. What's going on? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No. Really Mom, I'm okay."

"Who were you talking too?"

"I wasn't talking to anyone."

"Son I heard you."

The boy sighed and answered. "I was kind of praying."

"Praying! Son tell me you don't really believe in all that silly nonsense that your father does."

"Mom, I don't know what I believe. I just figured it couldn't hurt. I mean if Dad is right and there really is a God, then He can help Dad come home. If not, then it doesn't really matter anyway. Does it?"

She smiled at his question. "No. I guess it doesn't hurt. Just try not to put too much faith in something that isn't there."

"I won't. Good night, Mom."

"Good night sweetheart."

With those words she closed the door and returned to the living room. One thing she knew for certain. When Larry came home in the morning, the two of them were going to have a serious talk about this. She would not have him impressing his superstitious beliefs on their son. It was fine if he wanted to believe like that, but her son was going to be raised believing in science just as she did. Not stories written by ignorant sheep herders from centuries ago.

Sue continued to try to find something to occupy her time, until much later that evening. There was little point in going to bed. She knew she would be unable to sleep. Before she realized how late it had gotten, the clock showed it was a little after eleven. Sue had run through every excuse that she could imagine for Larry to not have come home. Yet every time she did she could still hear Danny telling her of the burning car. What if it had been Larry? What was she going to do? How could she provide for the two of them?

"You know where to find me if you need me."

Danny's words ran through her mind. What about him? What if all the stories were just that, stories? If they didn't have a shred of truth to them she may have misjudged him. That wouldn't be fair to him. Maybe he was just trying to be helpful. After all they had lived next to him for years and he had never tried anything with her. Yes, he gave her that look, but then so did other men. While she wasn't conceited about it, she knew that she was better than average looking. Many men felt it only reasonable to give her a second look. What if Danny were only doing the same thing, only more often because they lived next to each other.?

Sue made up her mind and quietly checked her son to be sure he was sleeping and then silently let herself out the front door. She knew it was illegal to be out at night, but she was only going next door and was hardly likely to be caught doing that. As she walked across the yard she saw the lights were still on in Danny's house. She stepped up onto the front porch and almost timidly knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Danny's challenge filled voice came from inside.

"Danny, it's me. Sue from next door."

"Sue? Just a minute." She heard him moving around inside and soon the lights behind the door went out. Once it was dark there Danny opened the door. "what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to apologise for the way I behaved earlier. It was rude of me. But can you tell me why you turned the lights out to answer the door. The seems a little strange."

"Not at all. With the lights on it's easy to see when someone opens the door at night. With them out it isn't so obvious. Please, come in and we can talk in the light where we can see each other."

"Thank you."

Sue stepped inside and when the lights came back on she could see that Danny's house was about what she had expected. Clean but cluttered and unkempt. Typical of a man living alone.

"I can't stay long. I don't want Sean to wake up and find me missing. He's already upset that Larry didn't come back from the center today."

"That's alright. I understand. I mean it's not like I was giving the best news in the world. I'm just one of those people that thinks knowing something is better than knowing nothing. I'm sorry if I've made you worry over nothing."

"I suppose you're right. At least this way I can prepare myself if Larry doesn't come home tomorrow. That will be a help in dealing with Sean."

"You know that I'm fond of the two of you. You've been great neighbors. If there is anyway I can help with him either, you just let me know. Alright?"

"That's a comfort. I just hope I won't need to get you involved with something like that."

Danny again laid his hand on her shoulder. "Just remember what I said, because I mean it. I'm here if you need me. I'm here for Sean as well."

"Thank you. You are too kind." Sue moved foreward and briefly hugged Danny. For a moment, it felt like his hug in return was a bit more than it should have been, but when she pulled back he released her willingly.

"Would you care for a cup of coffee or something?"

"No. Thank, you but I really need to get back home before Sean knows I'm missing. Again let me apologise for my behavior."

"Don't worry about it. There is nothing to apologise for."

"I'd better leave."

Let me turn out the lights first. We wouldn't want a passing cop car to take you down town."

The lights went out and Danny returned to her.

"Let me help you. Wouldn't want you to trip over something in the dark."

His arm went around her waist. It seemed to her that he held her a little closer and tighter than was necessary, but she accepted the help without comment. She stepped outside and was on her way back home feeling somewhat better. If something had happened to Larry at least she had someone to help her get her feet back under her.

For his part, Danny stood in the doorway, watching her go. The smile on his face was unseen by Sue, but clearly showed he was enjoying what he was looking at.

[day late]

Chapter Two


Despite the comforting words of Danny, Sue still found it difficult to sleep that night. She continued to roll around in the bed until quite late. The clock next to the bed read three ten A.M. the last time she looked at it before finally drifting off to sleep. Her dreams did nothing to help her rest. She would see Larry in a ditch somewhere wounded, bleeding and barely alive. Then see would see what was left of him still behind the wheel of the burned out car. She saw him in a hospital bed with all manner of tubes going into or out of his body and electrical wires connected to machines of which she had no idea what they were for. Once she even saw him in the arms of another woman. That dream brought her out of her sleep briefly, and she immediately dismissed the thought from her mind. Larry just wasn't that kind of man. As a result, she over slept in the morning. It wasn't until Sean burst into the room, shortly before ten, shouting at her that she
awoke.

"MOM! Dad's coming."

"What? Son are you sure?"

"Yeah. Listen. You can hear the car."

Sue sat up and turned her ear to the outside. Their car had an annoying squeak in the front end that Larry hadn't been able to find and eliminate. It only happened at slow speeds, and she heard it now, growing ever closer to the house. Quickly she jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes. Honestly she didn't know if she should be happy at his return, or angry he was only coming home now. He had some explaining to do, that was for sure.

Before Sean reached the front door, Larry parked the car in the driveway and got out. As he walked past the front end of it he looked at it and said more to himself than anything else,

"One of these days I'm going to find you and fix it."

"DAD!" Sean shouted as he ran to his father and threw his arms around him.

"Hey. Son. Good to see you. Did you miss me"

"Boy, I'll say. We thought something happened to you."

"Well, something did. Otherwise I'd have been back last night. Where's your mother?"

"I'm here." Sue said from the front porch. "What happened to you? Do you know what a fright you gave us?"

Larry turned to his son. "Sport, I think your mother and I need some alone time. Do you mind?"

"Sure Dad, I understand." With those words he turned and went back into the house.

"Honey, I'm sorry about that. But there really was no other choice. I would have called but the phones at the church weren't working. Please forgive me."

Sue had walked down the steps of the porch while he was speaking and now stood in front of him.

"So what happened? Do you have any idea how worried we were? Why didn't you let us know?"

"Sweetheart, there wasn't any way to let you know. The phones weren't working and nobody is allowed on the street after dark. I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I know you must have been worried, but there was nothing I could do."

"So what happened? Why are you so late"

Larry looked sheepish. "Believe it or not, I got a flat. When I had to change it almost in the dark. But I was lucky. I was trying to get it changed while the sun was going down, and a cop car came up on me. They stood there watching me change the tire. Then they gave me an escort to the church. If it wasn't for them I would have probably been arrested for violating curfew."

"Why didn't you call us? We were worried half to death."

"I spent the night at the church. I don't know about this area last night, but their phones weren't working. I know, I tried several times." Larry sighed and held his wife. "Honey, I'm really sorry, but it couldn't be helped. If I tried to get home, they would have arrested me for curfew violation. I thank God the cops that found me were feeling reasonable and let me change the tire and at least go to the church for the night. But it wasn't a total loss. I got to work in the kitchen, feeding the homeless and other stranded travelers."

"Oh no. Don't tell me you gave away our food."

"No. Of course not. The pastor wouldn't let me even if I tried, considering the number of times I've done volunteer work. No, I just worked passing out food to people and doing the dishes. The good news is I made a couple of contacts that might just be helpful in the future. Honey, I know you were worried about me and I'm sorry about that. I really am."

"You don't know how scared I was. Danny came over last night and told me he thought our car had been blown up and burned. I didn't know if you were dead or alive."

"He did? I can't believe that. Yeah, a car got blown up and burned. It was even a model similar to ours, but it wasn't the same and it was a different color."

Sue wondered about that. Why would he say something like that? How could he make a mistake like that and scare her like that? What was he up too?

"I guess I'll have to have a talk with him. Right now could you help me getting our stuff from the car?"

Together they went to the car. Larry opened the door and moved the seat forward to reach the boxes in the back. It was then that Sue remembered his comment.

"So who and what are these useful contacts you made?"

"Their names are Joe and Charlie. Joe is a plumber and Charlie is a carpenter. I've agreed to help them out in exchange for their services from time to time."

"Larry, you're an electrician. How do you think you are going to be able to help them?"

"Both of them use electronic equipment. I can repair it when it goes bad. That will be a lot less expensive than buying new equipment. As a matter of fact after we ate last night I took Charlies skill saw and fixed it by taking it apart and doing a little work on the brushes inside it. So he already owes me one."

"It seems to me that fixing a saw can't be worth much."

"But you are mistaken. For a carpenter, that saw is vital. Just as important as a hammer or nails. He has to cut the boards to the right length. Otherwise nothing will work out right. By fixing the saw, I helped keep him working."

"If he's working, what was he doing in the churches overnight shelter?"

"He is working, it's just that there isn't much work going on right now."

"And how do you think he is going to help us?"

"I've been thinking, especially after last night, about what happened to the Fraser family. I'm sure he can come up with a way to re-enforce the doors on the house to make it harder for someone to break in. Maybe he can even come up with something to protect the windows."

Sue thought about it. She too had been thinking about doing something to make it harder for anyone to break in the door. But she hadn't even considered the windows. Clearly, Larry was thinking ahead and as usual thinking about her and Sean before anything else. Then something else came to mind.

"How are you going to get the wood he's going to need? Shouldn't he bring his own wood and things?"

"If times were normal, he would bring his own supplies, and then he would charge us for them. But times are anything but normal. I've got a line on how to get the wood. That's through the pastor. The church has always been involved in helping build homes for those in need, or refurbishing existing homes. So I'll do some electrical work for him and he will get the wood for me."

"Well, if you ask me since you are fixing this guy's equipment he should bring his own wood."

Larry looked at his wife. He never could understand how she could evidently believe that the world owed her a living. She was a lovely woman and she couldn't be touched in the kitchen. She could give professional chefs cooking lessons in his opinion. She was a good and loving wife and mother. But her opinion of herself was much too high. Humility wasn't something she was familiar with.

"Honey, fixing his saw is worth something, but it isn't worth him going into debt over it. This is a case of bartering. I have to put something into the pot. You can't expect to get something for nothing."

"I'm not. But I think you let people take advantage of you, and that costs us. That's not fair to us. You should stand up for yourself more. You just said that without the saw he couldn't work at all. You are keeping him in business so he should be more willing to do something for us."

Larry sighed. "Honey, be reasonable. All I saved him was the cost of a new saw. That might be worth a little work, but not everything you think or want."

"We'll talk about this later. Right now let's take care of this food."

As they had been speaking they had walked into the house and into the kitchen. They set the boxes on the table and together began to put things away. Larry thought about what Sue had said about Danny. It didn't make sense that Danny had said such a thing. Maybe there was a reason for it, but he needed more information.

"Honey, what exactly did Danny say last night about me?"

She paused for a moment to recall what he had said.

"Well he did say he wasn't sure. But he thought the car that was burned was ours. He did say that he was in a hurry to get out of there. I guess there was some trouble still going."

"That wouldn't surprise me. The rioting went on until well after dark. But I still want to have a word with him. He shouldn't have scared you like that."

"Don't be too hard on him. I think he believed you were dead. He was just trying to prepare me for the worst. I mean imagine how difficult it must have been for him." She paused for a moment, then asked him. "What was the riot about?"

"Oh, the usual thing. People are hungry and scared and think the government should be doing more for them. But I'll never understand their reaction to this situation. I mean what do they expect? The economy is almost non-existent. Unemployment passed record levels a long time ago. Nobody but the big corporate farmers can afford to raise food in anything like meaningful amounts, and even they can't keep up with the demand. Naturally, that means people are going to have to get by with less. Even those who are blessed by still have a job. So, what do they do? Do they pick themselves up are keep on trying? No. They blame the government and start making trouble and when the police come to stop it, they target them like they are responsible. They take out their anger on them. I just don't understand people anymore."

"I think you already have your answer. You just don't want to accept it. Larry you are a good man, even though there are times I'd like to hit you with a hammer. You aren't like most people these days. You believe in personal responsibility, while most people think someone else is responsible for taking care of them. When that care fails, they get scared and then angry. After that they become violent. But you just keep on trying no matter what happens. I've never understood that about you, but I am grateful for it and love you all the more because of it."

"Oh, that's just a matter of my faith. The Bible teaches;

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

There's no doubt these are evil times. I believe that Satan is the one responsible for all of the bad things that are happening. So I have to wrestle with him, and then do all I can to stand against him. All is a pretty broad term. It covers a lot of ground. And it always seems there is one more thing I can do, so I do it. The funny part is that when I do, The Lord always opens another door for me. So I just do what I can."

"I think it's just a matter of your stubbornness. You don't like to fail and just keep at it. And you've been lucky, if that's the word for it. Because you work so hard at achieving what you want you always find new opportunities. God has nothing to do with it. It's all you."

"I know how you feel, but God willing one of these days you'll see things the right way."

"Larry, we've been over this before. So let me just say that one day I think you will see things in the right way and leave it at that."

"Alright, for now. Tell me something. Did Sean hear anything that Danny had to say?"

"I don't think so. I kept Danny by the front door and we kept our voices low. Sean was in his room, so I don't think he heard anything."

"I think I'll go check. No need for him to be upset about anything."

Larry left his wife and went in search of his son. He found Sean sitting in his room with a book in his hands. He smiled.

"You know that's one thing I'm glad about with the power problems we've been having lately. You actually sit down and do some reading. How are you doing Son?"

"Hi, Dad. Yeah I'm alright. I was just looking for something to do and this seemed like a good idea. Nobody ever goes out to play baseball or basketball anymore. Funny thing is, I kind of like it. It's like you're going places in you mind that you never will never get the chance to see for real."

"I've always felt that way. What are you reading?"

"It's one of your books. I hope you don't mind." Sean closed the book and handed it to his father.

Larry turned it on edge and looked at the binding. It was 'The Odyssey' by Homer.

"I don't mind as long as you take care of them. But don't you think this is a little out of your usual reading?"

"Maybe a little. But it is exciting. I can't wait to see what happens at the end." Sean got quiet for a moment and looked as if he had something on his mind. Larry decided to wait for him to bring up whatever was bothering him. "Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Anything Son, you know that."


"Well while I was reading this one, they talk about all of the gods and goddesses and how they are supposed to be so great. But the more I read about them the more they seem to be just really big people with super powers. Is that what your God is really like?"

"Oh no, Son. God is nothing like the false gods you read about in these books. For one thing His Son came to earth to die for our sins. You don't see any of these pretend gods doing anything like that, do you?"

"No."

"For another, in The Bible, God tells us over and over again that He loves us. The so called gods you read about in here don't love people. They consider them to be servants at best. At worst, people are an annoyance to them. And as you have noticed yourself, those supposed gods act like spoiled children most of the time. The real God doesn't do that. He cares for those who worship Him."

"Don't the old gods do that too?"

"Not really. They might show favor as long as they were worshiped, but as soon as they felt that humans did anything that might be insulting to them they would do terrible things to punish them."

"What about your God? Isn't He doing the same thing now? I mean with everything that's going on."

"This might be a little hard for you to understand, so bare with me for a moment and I'll try to explain. You see those false gods demanded obedience and worship. The one true God doesn't do that. He lets us all make our own choices. Do we want to follow him or not?"

"If that's true, why are things so bad now. I mean if He lets us choose what we want to do?"

"He does let us choose, Sean. But He also holds us accountable for what we choose to do. Remember when school was still open all the time and you were told to do your homework? Now you knew what you should do, but if you didn't do it, you had to pay the price for being disobedient. Do you remember what happened to Jenny down the street a few years ago?" Sean nodded. "She knew not to run out into the street without looking both ways first. But she didn't do it. So she ended up in the hospital after that car hit her. Thank God she didn't die, but she still walks with a limp, doesn't she?"

Again he shook his head and continued. "So if we choose to do the wrong thing God lets bad things happen to us?"

"Not always, but quite often, yes He does. He doesn't cause them to happen, but because we chose to do wrong He doesn't stop them from happening either."

"Oh. I think I see. That is different from those guys." He pointed at the book.

"Well I hope you understand. just remember, if you ever have any questions don't be afraid to ask. That's what I'm here for."

"Okay. Thanks Dad." Once more he paused. "Dad? Last night when you didn't come home, I prayed for you. Was that wrong?"

"No Son. Praying for other people is never wrong. You just have to make sure the One you pray to is listening."

"How do I do that?"

First you have to believe there is a God. Then you have to ask Him to save you and agree to follow Him."

"Is that what you did?"

"Yes it is. What about you?"

"I don't know. I mean sometimes Mom makes a lot of sense with the evolution stuff she talks about, but sometimes it just doesn't make sense. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes, I do. And your right. Sometimes it does make sense. Sometimes it doesn't. But God makes sense all the time. Tell you what. We'll talk about this more later. Right now just think about what you've learned and see if it makes sense to you. I'm always here for you." Larry started to leave. He stopped at the door and looking back at Sean he said, "By the way. Thanks for praying for me. I appreciate it."

Sean just smiled at him as he walked out and closed the door behind him. Larry called out to Sue as he headed for the door to let her know that he was on his way to speak with Danny.

His main concern was he scare that Danny had put into his wife. While he hadn't directly asked, Sean seemed to know nothing about the incident, so that wasn't a reason to bring it up with him. But still it bothered Larry that his neighbor could play fast and loose with the truth like that. He walked across the front yard and up to Danny's front door. While he didn't exactly pound on it, he knock was loud and insistent. Soon Danny answered him.

"Larry! Man it's good to see you. I was afraid something had happened to you."

"So I heard. What did you mean telling Sue I was dead?"

"Now Larry, take it easy. I didn't say you were dead. I said I thought you might have been in that car near the center. Believe me I'm happy I was wrong. I just thought that it was a good idea to let Sue know things might not be very good. I mean better to hear it from me than from some cop who doesn't even care about her, Right? Shoot, for that matter these days the cops might not even tell her. She'd be left wondering what happened to you."

Larry thought about it. It seemed reasonable in a grisly sort of way, but he still didn't like it.

"I feel like Mark Twain."

"What?"

"Once, when he was on one of his many travels the story got started somehow that he had died. It was in all the newspapers of the day. He sent a message to the people who first reported him dead saying, 'the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated'. Now I know how he must have felt. Alright. I believe you meant well, but next time you want to pronounce me dead, ask me about it first."

"Thanks for being so understanding, Larry. I really did mean well. And it's hard to tell your friends wife that you think he's dead. Maybe I should have done it differently, but this was my first time doing it." Danny stopped for a moment and then continued. "Listen Larry You work in the construction field don't you?"

"Sort of. There isn't much of that going on these days. Why do you ask?"

"I've been thinking about what happened to that family down the street."

"You mean the Fraser's"

"Yeah, them. Anyway I started looking at my place like I was someone who wanted to break in and I realized that there are a lot of ways that could be done, even if I had all the doors locked. So I was wondering if you might know someone who could help me make this place a little more secure."

"As a matter of fact, I have someone coming over to my place for the same reason in a day or two. I can ask him to look at your place. But you realize he isn't going to work for free."

"How much do you think he will charge?"

"Are you kidding? with the way the dollar is dropping like a rock, I don't think he is going to be interested in money at all. But I know he will barter his skills. Do you have anything to trade?"

"Not really. Anything of value I have I want to hang on to for now."

"You are in the food service business, right?"

"Yeah. I take orders from restaurants hotels and places like that and make the deal with suppliers."

"Does anyone owe you a favor?"

"Yeah. there are a couple of people who owe me one. Oh! I get it. You think that if I can come up with some meat or something like that he will work for it."

"That's the idea. I think maybe it would be a good idea to call in a favor or two and see what kind of arrangement you can work out with my carpenter."

"That's a good idea. I'll get started on it right away. Thanks Larry. Let me know when your guy gets here. You say I have a day or two?"

"Maybe more than that. He's going to do my place first, then he will see about yours."

"Sounds good to me. Excuse me. I have to talk with some people."

Danny turned and went back into his house, looking for his car keys. He knew he didn't want to talk with someone over the phone about this. Assuming that they were working today. It was better to speak face to face. Besides, if the guy Larry was talking about were available, and he probably was, he might be willing to work for his contacts. That would be a favor he could call in later when he needed it. This could just work out in his favor. If so, he might not have to hit on Sue again. A lot of these people had cute secretaries working for them. Not they would order them to do anything, but they should be able to put in a good word for him. The false reporting of Larry's death already forgotten.

"Larry. Could you come here for a minute?" She asked as he came into the house.

"Sure. What do you need Honey?"

"I thought I heard you talking to Sean about your God earlier. Is that true?"

"Not really. He's reading Homer's 'Odyssey'. He was asking about the difference between the old Greek gods and what I believe."

Sue eyed him suspiciously. "Are you sure you weren't preaching to him? You know we agreed we wouldn't do that one way or the other. We would let him make up his own mind."

"I wasn't preaching, just answering questions."

"You don't need to do that."

"Yes I do. How can he make his own choice if he doesn't have any information?"

"Maybe. But I don't like it."

Sue then left him in the living room and he had a scripture run though his mind.

1Cr 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

He prayed once again that his son would come to The Lord by following his example.

Larry had returned home wondering if he had done the right thing by Charlie. True, like everyone else he could use the work, but was Danny the right person to work for? He had heard things about him. He'd heard that sometimes Danny would manipulate events and people to his advantage. He could only hope and pray that Danny would do the right thing. Still, all in all things were looking up. He was getting needed work done with only an investment of his time, and very possibly helping out someone else with jobs that he needed. He also had the possibility of getting more work for himself which would place him in a better position later on. In truth he was beginning to like the idea of bartering skills for necessary things. It was beneficial and low cost.

For now he needed to get his tire fixed and see the pastor about working around the church or in the homes they had worked on. Now if only the mechanic needed some electrical work done.

[day late]

Chapter Three

It was three more days before Charlie showed up at Larry's home. But that didn't bother him. As it turned out there was a little work for him in one of the refurbished homes that the church was sponsoring Larry set to the work with a will, and had it done within two days. But as fast as he was, by the time he was finished, after a day and a half, the Pastor was waiting for him beside a truck in the church parking lot.

"Brother Larry, I can't tell you how happy I am that you finished this job so quickly. I only hope that this load is enough to meet your needs." He waved his hand at the back of the truck. "This is what was left over from the last house we built. Do you think it will be enough for you?"

Larry looked into the back of the truck. He saw sheet after sheet of heavy duty plywood and quite a few 2X4's and even some pieces of trim that would normally be used as base board and cabinet trim.

"Pastor, I have to ask if you want some of this back. This should be far more than I need."

"No, son. You take it. If it stays here someone is going to throw it on a scrap pile and burn it. There's no point in that if you can use it. Besides if you ask me, you've earned it. Now why don't you head on home and the men in the truck will follow you there and help unload it."

Larry decided not to argue about it further and lead the truck home. Once there he opened his garage and the lumber was neatly stacked inside. He offered to pay the men, but both refused, citing the fact that they felt they owed him for work he had done at their homes. During the process, Sean came out of the house and in spite of his best efforts, was helpfully unhelpful, getting in the way more than doing anything actually useful. But Larry and the men praised him for his assistance and they were soon on their way. After the job was finished, Sue came out and looked at the supply of materials.

"Do you mean it's going to take all of that to secure our home?" She asked.

"I doubt it, but the extra material can be used to barter for other things."

"Like what?"

"What do you need?"

"You said that someone else you met was a plumber, didn't you?"

"Sure. That's Joe."

"Well just today the faucet in the kitchen started to leak. Do you think that this Joe person would be interested in the extra wood?"

"Next time I see him, I'll ask. That is if something more important doesn't come up first."

"What about the leak in the kitchen?"

"We can always shut off the water by using those little spigots under the sink. Don't worry. The faucet comes first as long as nothing else needs to be done."

"Well, as long as the kitchen comes first."

The next day Charlie came by the house and Larry met him in the front yard. The two men walked around the house inspecting it as if they wanted to break in themselves Charlie already knew what Larry wanted and viewed the house very critically. Once they finished he asked Larry simply.

"Want do you want first? The good news or the bad?"

"Lets get it over with. What's the bad news?"

"There's a lot to be done. The good news is that none of it should be to difficult. And you even have a few options on what you get done. For example, those windows. The most secure thing you could do is to install burglar bars. Now most of them are put up on the inside of the window so someone outside can't remove the bolts and take them down. But even if you have the kind that can be removed quickly in case of fire or something, they have to be maintained. The next option is to put up a swinging panel to cover the window. Now you can put one up on the outside and maybe even decorate it like an awning. That way it won't look too bad. But being outside, it's possible that it can be ripped down or pulled loose.

The other option is to put them up inside so they swing down from the ceiling. Not exactly eye pleasing for the people inside, but a lot safer, since nobody can get at the hinges or get leverage to pry it down. You have to choose. One thing I'm glad to see is that you have solid doors without those decorative side lights. Since the doors are solid they should hold up alright, but you major concern will be the lock. The door frame is wood. With enough effort not even the best lock is going to hold forever. The choices there are a little different. The first is you put in a jamming device on the door, near the bottom. Then even if the lock is destroyed, the door still won't move. The other choice is just a good old fashioned bar laid into hooks that are bolted to the wall, on either side of the door. Again, not eye pleasing but it should hold up against anything short of a battering ram. The question is, what do you want to do?"

"Right now, I want you to repeat all of that to my wife. I've got a feeling she isn't going to be too happy with your ideas."

The men went into the home and Larry called Sue into the living room. Charlie went over the options once again and answered Sue's questions. It turned out that she did ask the right ones, and accepted Charlies answer when she saw the logic behind it.

"So why wouldn't panels outside be as safe as ones inside?"

"Because if they are outside, someone could slide a crow bar or something like that under the edge and pry them loose or right off the wall."

To Larry's surprise, Sue wanted the house to be made as secure as possible. If that meant having wood panels about the windows on the inside of the house then so be it. When he asked her about her choice later Sue's answer was short and to the point.

"I don't want us to end up like the Fraser's. Besides, when things get better we can always take those things down and have someone patch the holes."

Charlie got started on the work at once. Sheets of the heavy duty plywood were attached to the ceiling above each window by hinges, which would allow them to swing down to cover the opening. The barrel bolts were screwed into place so the panel could be secured. I rope was attached to each of them and fed through w pulley set in the ceiling, so they could be easily pulled back up after the need for them was over.

The next thing was to secure the front and back doors. Larry found some left over pieces of metal pipe from when he had a chain linked fence put up around the back yard. It took both men and a bit of time, but the pipe was bent into four S type shape hooks. Then using a metal cutting blade on the newly repaired skill saw the long end cut off. After that, large holes were drilled into the pieces and heavy bolts called wall anchors were screwed through the holes and several inches into the door frame. The result was an upward pointing hook in which a 2X4 was snugly placed. Even with the doors unlocked, they wouldn't move an inch. Charlie had been right. Nothing short of a battering ram was going to get the doors open now.

While all of this was going on, Danny had come over to speak with Charlie about doing the same for his house. Charlie agreed to have a look at it after he finished, but told him that before any work was to be done, some kind of payment would have to be agreed upon And, of course there was the matter of materials. Was Danny going to supply them as Larry had done, or would Charlie have to bring his own? Unfortunately for him, Danny had planned on getting the left over materials from Larry. For some strange reason Danny felt he had a right to them. Or at the very least be allowed to trade for them. The men nearly came to blows when Larry refused. He was able to eventually make Danny see reason, when he explained about bartering for the services of Joe.

Danny wasn't completely without resources to get what he needed, but still felt like he had been unfairly denied what he needed by his neighbor. He left early during the work to see what he could do about finding the supplies. He was however wise enough to get an estimate of the amount of things he would need before he left.

It was during a break for lunch, which Sue had made for them all, that Larry got some news he wasn't expecting.

"It looks like by the time you're done we aren't going to have anything to worry about. This place will be a fortress."

"You're wrong, Larry."

"What do you mean? I thought this place would be burglar proof by then."

"There's no such thing as burglar proof. With enough men and equipment you could break into Fort Knox. But, with an entire armored division guarding the place you would pay a high price for it. Just listen for a minute. You mentioned a fortress. Why do you think they invented catapults? To knock great big holes in the walls of a fortress so they could be invaded, that's why. No. There is no such thing as burglar proof. What we are trying to do is convince people that there must be an easier target somewhere else. If we make it not worth the time and effort to break in here, they won't. But that doesn't mean you can walk around with your head in the clouds and not be concerned about it."

"I see. Well just how secure can we expect to be after all of this?"

"Oh you will be well protected. The windows are high enough off the ground that it would be very hard to get at the panels to break them in. And the doors are going to be as solid as they can be. It's unlikely that anyone would try something unless they had a lot of people with them. But then that turns out to be self defeating. Any loot they might get from you would have to be divided between them. By the time that was done there wouldn't be enough for anyone to make it worth their while. But never believe that behind these walls you will be untouchable. You won't be. Again, look at the castle ruins in Europe. Most of them have walls that were eventually breached."

"Well, I just hope that whoever decides to pass us by doesn't go after my neighbors."

"There's nothing you can do about that. So try not to worry about it. But that does bring up another point you have to think about right now and decide what you are going to do later."

"What's that?"

"Before we are done today I'm certain a number of your neighbors are going to figure out what's going on. Now, let's say there is widespread rioting and looting. How many of those people are you going to allow into your home so that they can remain safe? Bare in mind they will be begging and pleading for you to let them in. They will beg you to at least take the children into your home. Of course as soon as you open the door to do so, they will rush you and be inside with you. How are you going to handle that?"

"I hadn't thought of it."

"Then think about it now. When the time comes, and it well may, it's going to be too late to start thinking about it then."

"What would you do?"

"If anyone asks, I'd suggest that they do the same thing you are. If they don't, just keep your mouth shut. Don't even join in one of those 'what if' conversations at work or the church. The fewer people who know about this, the smaller your problem is going to be."

"So you think there will be a problem."

"Convinced is more like it. I've seen this kind of thing happen before. When things like Hurricane Katrina happen, those that haven't prepared believe it is the duty of those who have to protect and otherwise care for them. After all you are the one who has what they need. They will try to force you to give it to them or at least share what you have. The problem with that is if you do try to help others, then more people find out and they will come by to visit as well. Pretty soon you are being forced to take care of everyone in walking distance of your place. I don't think you are ready to do that, are you?"

"Not hardly."

"There you go. You need to decide now what you will do then. To do less is to invite disaster."

Larry thought about how Danny had reacted just such a short time ago, and realized Charlie was right. There had already been major riots in some of the larger cities as various social services began to break down. In some cases the violence had gone on for days and was only ended when the National Guard was called in. While there hadn't been anything as big as that going on around his town, there had been some rioting for the same reasons and it didn't look like it was going to get better any time soon. If anything like that were to happen here, they would very likely be on their own. In a smaller town like this, the Guard wouldn't be sent in until they had completely pacified the larger cities. He and Sue needed to talk about this, and they needed to do so tonight. Then he thought about Sean. How could he explain that his friends wouldn't be allowed into the house with something that bad going on? maybe he should be a part of the conversation as well.

"Larry, those doors aren't going to take care of themselves while we sit here and talk. Let's get back to work." Charlie said.

They returned to the job at hand and by working together they managed to finish up by mid-afternoon. Charlie was packing his tools back into his truck when Larry came to him.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you've done here today. I feel like I've been overcompensated for fixing your saw. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"You already have done something. Thanks to you, I have another job next door before the end of the week, and he is promising me a box of frozen steaks. He also said he might be able to hook me up with some other people who have the same idea as you. I'm fine. Don't you worry about it."

"Well, thank you for coming here. It takes a lot off of my mind."

Charlie finished packing up and left the family to discuss things between themselves. It was just after supper that evening that the three of them sat at the table to talk about it. Larry did his best to explain to a very reluctant Sue the wisdom of keeping things quiet and if things went bad, of looking out for themselves first.

"Larry how can we turn away our neighbors if they need help? That would almost be like murdering them."

"Sue, if you were on a ship that was sinking and you already had a place in a lifeboat, and that boat was already filled to capacity, would you try to bring more people on board with you, knowing that too many people would swamp the boat? It's the same thing here. This house is our life boat. If and when people try to get in, they aren't going to come with a car load of food and water. They are going to come in a blind panic trying to escape whatever is happening. How much of our food are you ready to give away to people who have done nothing for themselves and arrive with only an empty stomach?"

"I can't believe things would get that bad. This is America, not some backwater third world banana republic. People are more civilized here. That wouldn't happen."

"Mom, I think maybe Dad is right. Remember when they had the riots in New York last month? It took them more than a week to get things under control, and that was with the Army helping them."

"Sean, you're not really old enough to understand things like this. Don't believe everything your father says. Sometimes he can get, well, a little over protective of us."

"You mean like the work that guy did today? I thought you said you wanted him to do it."

"That's different."

"How? Isn't that the same thing Dad is talking about now?"

"Not exactly. This isn't New York. We don't have as many people here for that kind of thing to happen."

"Mom, we don't have as many police to stop it from happening either."

"Sean has a point, Honey. We don't have as many officers, city and county put together to stop that kind of thing. The only reason the riot from the other day wasn't worse is because a lot of people just stayed inside and watched it happen. I think it is only a matter of time before there are too many people on the street to stop in without a lot of people getting killed. And you can bet the military won't be sent out here. Not until things are under control in the cities. There just aren't enough of them to be everywhere at once."

"Then that's all the more reason we have to help our friends."

"Now we are back at the lifeboat. How many do you think we can care for with what limited supplies we have?"

It took a little time, but Sue was finally forced to admit that Larry was right. After all they couldn't take care of everyone on the block. And as soon as people in other areas found out there was food or shelter at their house they would come as well. They simply couldn't care for everyone. Openly she finally agreed to the idea, but inwardly she still held out hope of having some of the people she knew join them. Especially Danny. He had already committed himself to look out for her and Sean. If something happened to Larry, she didn't want to drive him away.

It was less than twenty-four hours before Joe showed up to work on the leaky kitchen faucet. After inspecting it, he announced it was a simple fix.

"I just need to re-pack this thing."

"What's that mean? It sounds painful." Sue observed.

Joe smiled. "Not at all. You see inside the faucet there is what we call packing. It's kind of like a gasket. As lot as it holds out, there's no problem. But when it gets worn enough it lets water seep through and you have a leak. All I have to do is shut off the water, open the faucet and remove the old packing, then put in new packing and put it back together. It should take about an hour, give or take."

Joe got to work and soon had everything taken apart. He was working on putting the new packing in when Larry stopped by.

"How's it going? Need any help?"

"I've got it. No problem." Joe glanced around quickly and then spoke to Larry in a hushed voice. "I see you have some serious security around here."

"Yeah. Charlie came by and installed it for me after I fixed his saw."

"I see. Tell me, do you happen to have any scraps left over to trade for my work? I think I'd like to have Charlie do something like this for my place."

"I've got plenty. But you realize that what I have is probably worth more than a leaky faucet."

"I'll take your word for it. So what do you have in mind?"

"I don't know. What do you have to offer?"

Joe looked at Larry for a long moment before answering. "Tell me. How serious at you about defending this place?"

"Can't you tell?"

"That's not what i mean. I asking if you are going to be satisfied by sitting inside while the mobs are outside or are you ready to be more aggressive in defending yourself and your family?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to protect my family. Why? Do you have something in mind?"

"Let me finish with this, and then come out to my truck and I'll show you."

Larry left him to complete the job, which actually was done in about an hour. Then the men met outside by Joe's truck.

"So what were you talking about?"

"This." Joe reached into one of the many boxes on the back of the truck and pulled out something that at first Larry thought was a pipe bomb. When he asked, Joe set him straight.

"No! It's not a pipe bomb. It's more like a miniature cannon. You see one end is open. You put your propellant in that end and then put in anything else. Small rocks, pieces of broken glass, nails, anything that will do damage. When you set off the propellant, it all blows out the open end like shotgun pellets. And God help anyone who is on the wrong end of this thing when it goes off."

"How do you set it off? Blasting caps? They are kind of hard to come by."

"Believe it or not, you use a sparkler. You just push the sparkler into the bag holding the propellant, and attach two wires to it. Then when you want to use it, you plug the wire into the wall or use anything that will generate enough juice to start the sparkler. Those little generators that people use to power the head light on their bicycles would probably be enough."

"Isn't this illegal?"

"Yes. And if you ever tell anyone you got this from me I'm going to look you in the eye and call you a liar. That's why I asked how serious you are about this. Now do you want a couple, or should we just forget about it?"

Larry thought about the possibilities.

"Can I get two? I need one for the back door as well."

[day late]

Chapter Four

"So how do you reload these things?"

"YOU don't."

"What do you mean? Are they only good for one shot?"

"No. They can be reused, but You don't reload them. It's best to leave that to people who know what they are doing. If you do it wrong, you could lose anything from a couple of fingers to your life."

"I see. So who does the reloading?"

"Don't ask. Some things are better left unsaid. And you can't tell what you don't know."

"Alright, I won't ask, but I want you to tell me something. Why all the secrecy?"

Joe studied Larry for a moment before answering. "Larry, since we met at the church, I know you are a believer. The question is, what exactly do you believe is happening right now? Biblically speaking, I mean."

Now it was Larry's turn to study Joe before he spoke.

"You know, I've been waiting a long time for someone to ask that question. Joe, I've been a student of Biblical prophecy and modern prophecy for longer than I care to admit. I've never been able to talk with anyone about it without them looking at me like I'm crazy. Since you've asked, I'll tell you. I believe this nation is under God's judgment. I believe that what has happened so far with the earthquake that hammered California, the drought that has hurt the fruit and vegetable producers so bad, and everything else, is just the beginning."

"How far do you think this punishment will go?"

"The Book of Revelation says,

Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

I don't know about you, but given the description of Babylon the Great it can't be any place but America. If that is true, then this nation will not survive."

"I see we are of a like mind. Larry, if things are only going to get worse, then we need to be ready for it. That means we need things, each other and to know when to ask and not to ask questions. This is one of those do not ask times."

Larry decided not to install the devices right away. First of all it would be a bit obvious in the middle of the day, and secondly he really didn't want to explain this to Sue at the moment. Sean he felt he could trust. He was mature for his age and getting more so every day. He was certain that there would be no problem with Sean. He could explain about them and he would leave the explosives alone.

He once more walked around the house, thinking where he would place the devices. Joe had told him that while they were devastating things, they were also rather short ranged. It wasn't that they couldn't still do damage at longer ranges. But with an opening so large, the projectiles would scatter widely after a short distance, making them virtually useless at greater ranges. He stood at the back door looking across the yard. It was wide open and anyone approaching the house could come from any direction. He stood on the back step and tried to figure the best way to point the device. As he did so, he noticed something that disturbed him.

On the next street over there were some people who clearly didn't belong in the area. It was a comfortable middle class neighborhood. Many of the homes had swing sets in the back yard. A couple of the homes had a pool. Whoever these guys were, and there appeared to by five or six of them. their clothing and attitude was completely out of keeping with the area. If anything they looked like the kind of people he would cross the street to avoid. They were tough looking and seemed to have no regard for anyone except themselves. They casually walked down the center of the road, looking at the homes in the neighborhood with an unusual interest it seemed to Larry.

He also noticed that from time to time one or another of them would point at a house and then they would all scrutinize it. It made him uncomfortable. He watched them until they had moved out of sight and then he walked around to the front of his home to look for a place to put the second device. He noticed that Charlie, who was at Danny's house, was just coming out to go to his truck. He threw his tool belt in the back and turned to get in. That's when he saw Larry. Smiling he walked over and shook his hand.

"Good to see you again. I just wanted to say thanks again for the line on these jobs. It's working out pretty well. Including your house I've already done three and have people lined up for another five."

"I'm glad it's working out for you." He pointed at Danny's house. Is everything alright over there? You looked like you were upset when you came out just now."

"Oh, your friend in there needed to be reminded of how much he agreed to pay me. He thought that recommending me to a few other people was worth a sizable discount."

"Oh. I see. Did you hurt him?"

"No. Nothing like that. I just pointed out that since I put everything up, I knew the fastest way to take it down again. Once he realized I was serious, he paid what he promised. Funny how that works, isn't it?"

Larry smiled. He was about to answer when he noticed the same group of young men walking down his street. They were acting just as they had when he first saw them. He began to feel even more uncomfortable. Charlie saw the change on his face and turned to see what he was looking at.

"Now THAT, looks like trouble." He said to Larry. "I'm glad we got your place done first."

"You think they might be looking for something to get into?"

"Some place, yeah, I'd say so. Those guys just don't belong here. I think they are scouting out the area."

"I kind of got that feeling myself."

"Larry, you don't have to tell me, but have you got anything more than that wood to keep these guys out of your place?"

"I've got a pistol."

"I hope you know how to use it. Because you may just have to."

As the two were watching them walk down the street, one of them noticed they were being observed and Challenged the men.

"What do you think you're looking at?"

"Strangers that don't belong in this neighborhood." Larry told him.

"Yeah? Well we belong anywhere we want to go. So you can stop looking at us."

"When you leave, I'll stop looking. I've got a family to watch out for."

"I said stop looking at us, or I'll make you stop."

By this time the other men were listening to the exchange. The one who had been speaking started to move in Larry's direction, when another one caught his arm and stopped him. Larry could by no means read lips, but it was obvious to even him the second man said quietly, "Later. We come back later."

The hot headed man didn't like what he'd heard, but it appeared that the second man must be in charge, because he stopped in his tracks. At first Larry thought the guy was going to argue about it, but he seemed to think better of it and continued on with the group after first pointing at his own eyes and then at Larry. The meaning was clear. The group continued down the street as before. Like they owned the area.

"I don't think you won a friend today. But I think you sure influenced someone." Charlie told him.

"I think you're right. But what else was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know. If you backed down, there's no telling what he might have done. Maybe he'll just forget it."

"I hope so."

"One thing for sure. If I were you, I'd start making sure your place is sealed up tight at night from now on."

"Already part of the plan."

"Well, I've got to get going before my pay starts to thaw out." Charlie once again shook hands with Larry and added in parting, "Good luck, and may The Lord watch over you."

"And you."

It was shortly before dark when Larry went through the house putting down the panels over the windows and bolting them shut. He also put the bars in place on the front and back doors. When Sue found out what he was doing she was more than a little up set.

"What are you doing? You can't tell me you're that paranoid already."

"You don't understand, Sweetheart."

"You're right. I don't understand why you are so scared."

"Honey, listen to me. There were some people in our neighborhood today that didn't belong here. I think they were looking around for some place to break into. So I think it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Oh come on. You want to box us in because you THINK those people don't belong around here? How many times have we cut through an unknown neighborhood? People didn't act like this because we did that."

"Times were different then, and you didn't see those guys. They looked like gang members if you ask me."

"I can not believe you."

"Look just humor me for the next couple of nights. Besides why else did we put these things up?"

"Fine, fine. You want to be afraid, go ahead. But you will see, just watch."

As it turned out, Sue was partially right. Nothing at all happened that night. On the following night she again gave Larry a hard time about things when he closed them in for a second time. And again nothing happened. On the morning of the third day, she was barely speaking to Larry because of what she thought of as his obviously unfounded fears. It was after they went to bed on the third night, once again securely sealed in their house, that they were awakened by the sound of gunshots nearby.

Larry jumped out of bed and grabbed his pistol. Then he went to Sean's room and got him into the bedroom with Sue. He told them to close and lock the door behind him, just in case. He then went to the living room, but with no way to see what was happening outside, he pressed his ear against the door and tried to figure out where the noise was coming from.

He could tell it was close by, but exactly where it was coming from he couldn't say. He thought about his neighbors and who's house would have been the easiest to break into. Then he remembered the Mr. and Mrs. Simmons. They were retired and she was really into plants and gardening. When they bought their home a few years back they had done a lot of modifications to it in the form of adding more windows so the plants could get enough light while inside. That home would not present a challenge at all. Larry didn't know if Mr. Simmons owned a weapon, but he supposed it didn't matter. The gang members would have brought their own.

He could hear the sound of people outside. It sounded like someone was doing their best to totally destroy the Simmons house. When he first got up, he'd heard a woman's scream, but now there was no trace of a female voice. Only men both laughing and cursing. He stood in the dark wishing there were something he could do. But his pistol only held six bullets. Even if the attackers were just the ones he had seen before, he couldn't afford to miss even once, and he had never spent very much time at the shooting range. Not to mention they would be shooting back at him, and there were more of them than there was of him. He wasn't a coward, but he wasn't foolish either. He could do nothing and he knew it.

Suddenly he heard a mans voice shout.

"Yeah that's the one. Now I'm going to show him. Grab that and come on."

Larry didn't have to wait long before he found out what the voice was talking about. He heard the glass in the living room window shatter, and saw the wooden panel shudder as something heavy hit it from the outside. He backed away from the front door and placed himself just in the hallway leading to the bedrooms in the back of the house. From that position he could cover the front door and the window with his weapon, if he had to do so. The panel shuddered again as it was struck a second time. Then a third and a fourth. Then someone said,

"Forget it. Try the door."

The door too vibrated with the impact of something heavy. Whatever it was, Larry couldn't tell. The one thing he did notice oddly enough was that all of a sudden his mouth was incredibly dry. He licked his lips and prayed that the door would hold up against the assault as the window panel had. After what seemed like forever and an uncountable number of blows to the door, someone called out.

"Man, forget this. Let's get out of here before the cops show up."

The sounds outside became less and less until he could hear nothing more, except what sounded like a fire. Larry waited for a long while and the quietly pulled back one of the bolts holding the panel closed over the window. He pried at it gently and peeked through the narrow opening, only to have pieces of broken glass tinkle down onto the floor. Across the street the Simmons house was completely engulfed by flames. He eased the panel closed again and secured the bolt.

Larry picked up the phone to try calling the fire department only to find, that as he expected, it wasn't working. There wasn't anything he could do, except return to his wife and son. He knocked quietly on the door and said,

"Sue. It's me. It's alright, open up."

He heard the door unlock and he stepped inside. Sue was clearly frightened, and Sean was also visibly upset.

"It sounded like someone was trying to tear the house down out there. Are they gone?"

"I think so. I took a peek, but I didn't see anyone."

"What's that smell?" Sean wanted to know.

"Whoever it was, they set the Simmons house on fire. I tried to call the fire department, but the phones aren't working again."

"What do you mean you 'took a peek'? They could have broken in when you did that."

"Don't worry. I waited until things quieted down. I didn't take any chances with our lives. That's why we got the house boarded up, remember?"

"I still don't think you should have done it."

"Look, it's late. We're safe, and it's still several hours until dawn. Let's try to get some rest. I get the feeling it's going to be a long day tomorrow. Sean, do you want to sleep in your room or in here with us?"

"I think I'll sleep in my bed Dad. That's got to be better than all three of us in one bed."

"Alright. Just remember if you feel uncomfortable, you can still come back in here."

Sean glanced at his mother and answered. "I think I'll be more comfortable in my bed."

While Sue had missed the look, Larry didn't. "Alright, Son. Sleep well."

Larry returned to bed and laid quietly next to his wife. She was silent for a while and then said, "He's quite a young man. It takes something special to go back to his room after this."

Larry smiled. "Yes, he's quite the young man."

The idea that it was going to be a long day was the right one. Once the front door was unbolted Larry and Sean stepped outside and looked around. Debris littered the street in both directions, and the Simmons house was nothing but smoking ash by this time. They found a bench in the front yard that Larry knew used to be in the Simmons front yard for the couple to sit on and enjoy the late afternoon and early evening hours. He wondered about it and then got an idea. Turning around he could tell by the marks on his front door that it had been used to try to break the door down.

There were a few similar marks on the panel from the bench as well. It was clear that Charlie had been right again. The bottom edge of the window was high enough that the bench had to be lifted above waist level to be able to hit the panel. That made it difficult to use the bench against it. Now he knew why the thugs had given up on the window so easily. But that hadn't stopped them from breaking every piece of glass in the window. Shards of glass were everywhere.

"Dad, wasn't Mom saying that you were kind of scared that something might happen?" Sean asked.

"Yes, she did."

"I guess she was wrong and you were right. How did you know?"

"I believe The Lord warned me. Your mother doesn't."

"I guess it's a good thing to get warnings like that, isn't it?"

"I think so. Let's get busy."

He warned Sean to be careful of it and try to only pick up the larger pieces of glass, while he checked the rest of the house for any additional damage.

He didn't find any physical damage, but he found that the gang members had brought spray paint with them. He also learned that they were both obscene, and poor spellers. He wondered how he would ever get his house repainted in a situation like this. As he came around the house, he found Danny doing the same kind of inspection on his own home.

"Quite a night, wasn't it?" He asked Larry.

"Yeah. quite a night. Did they try to break into your place too?"

"No. But like you, those artists used my place for a canvas."

"Have you got any idea what happened to Mr. and Mrs. Simmons?"

"The cops came knocking on my door this morning, asking questions. They say that those people broke in and shot Mr. Simmons as soon as they made it through the door. It seems Mrs. Simmons was beaten unconscious and left for dead. When they found what they wanted, they burned the rest. Mrs. Simmons was taken to the hospital."

"Do you know if she has any family?"

"A couple of kids on the other side of the state from what I hear. I guess the cops will notify them."

"Looks like we got hit pretty bad last night. What do you think? Will the police step up patrols in this area?"

"How? They don't have enough men now. Things have gotten pretty bad out there."

As the men had been speaking they had moved between the houses and back into the front yard. Sean called for his father's attention as they reached it.

"Hey Dad. Look at that." He pointed to a police officer who was tacking a notice to one of the trees lining the street. Together the men walked towards him. He turned to leave just before they reached him and Danny called out.

"Hey Officer. What's going on?"

The Officer looked at them, then hooked his thumb at paper and said, "Read it for yourself."

They looked at the paper and read.

NOTICE!!!

Due to the increasing levels of lawlessness in the United States, and due to the increased threat this lawlessness poses to the general population, the President of The United States and the Governors of all States and Territories have declared a State of Martial Law now exists within the boarders of all States and Territories. A dusk to dawn curfew in now in effect. No person shall be outside their homes after sundown. Anyone found in violation of this curfew is subject to immediate punishment up to and including the use of deadly force. No person shall leave their city, county or state without express written permission of the military governor of the area in which they live.

To better effect these measures for the sake of the American people, The President has requested additional military forces from our allies around the world. Also in order to stem the rising tide of violence, all residents and citizens are required to report to the nearest law enforcement agency and turn over any and all firearms in their possession.

By Order of The President of The United States.

Larry turned to Danny. "I think things have just gotten worse."

"Yeah, I guess so. What are we going to do living under a total lock down like this?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to be spending a lot of time in prayer."

[day late]

Chapter Five

For the first few days after the notice things quieted down quite a bit, which was a relief to everyone. However no troops, either foreign or American, were seen on the streets. It turned out they learned later that the soldiers went to the larger cities and towns first. The immediate lack of troops was all that was needed to convince the gangs that it had all been a bluff. By the fourth night they were once again out in force, taking what they wanted from whoever they wanted to take it from. They had seen how many people gave immediate obedience to the edict and began to turn in their weapons.

After all, if they used them to protect themselves, they would end up going to jail for not turning them in. That meant there wasn't anyone who could possibly stand against them. They began to take advantage of the situation. When trouble started some place and the police responded, they wouldn't hesitate to open fire with the weapons they had no intention of handing over to the police.

The law enforcement community responded by sending what they thought of as overwhelming force to calls of a disturbance of any kind. The gangs had an answer for that. They began to set up ambushes for the officers. The first time they had one person call in a fist fight taking place in the street. Six officers in three cars answered. They found two men in the street appearing to be really going at it with one another. The officers got out of their cars and began to move in on the men, when suddenly both men dropped to the ground. At first the officers believed they were going to surrender. They didn't have time for a second thought as they were gunned down by other gang members hiding in the shadows.

By the time the officers were missed and more sent to the scene, their side arms were missing, the shotguns carried in the front of each car were also gone and the cars themselves had been striped of every weapon they, in both the front and in the trunk, as well as every round of ammunition contained in the vehicle. Anything and everything of value to the gangs had been taken by them. That included police radios, which gave the gangs an advantage in future confrontations.

By the end of the week, many places in town were a virtual war zone. Gangs roamed at will and with police radios in their hands they always knew when and where the police would be. With such victories to encourage them they had little fear of any military forces that might be sent against them. They were certain that they would know they were coming long before they got there. What they didn't count on was that the foreign troops were using frequencies that their stolen police radios couldn't pick up. They were equally certain that the soldiers would behave like the American National Guard soldiers did. They were equally wrong on both counts.

The first encounter between the two groups happened on about the tenth day of martial law. The gangs were having a field day in one section of town when the eastern European forces arrived. When they showed up it was in force with heavy weapons and armored vehicles to back them up. They were first noticed by the rampaging gang members when a voice cut through the noise of the near riot via a loudspeaker mounted on one of the vehicles.

"This is an unlawful assembly. Lay down your weapons and leave."

At first the gang members couldn't believe what they'd heard and nobody moved to comply with the demand.

"I repeat This is an unlawful assembly. Lay down your weapons and leave. NOW!"

One of the gang members who was more than a little the worse for the various substances he had taken earlier shouted back at the troops.

"You want them. Come and get them."

He leveled his pistol at the soldiers and fired one shot. The man it struck staggered backwards from the impact, but remained on his feet and unhurt because of his body armor. That was all it took. The commanding officer gave the order.

"Company, clear the street."

Machine guns mounted on two different vehicles opened up and cut a swath through the crowd of thirty to forty gang bangers. At least ten of them were on the ground either dead or dieing. Not prepared for such firepower, the gang bolted as one, headed away from the terrifying weapons. Again the had underestimated their enemy. The foreign commander was used to having crowds run once his men showed up. He had plans to deal with that. The gang soon found that he had divided his force, and half of the soldiers were now behind them. These men never asked the gang to surrender. They simply began to fire into the mass of humanity.

With soldiers in front and behind them the gang took the only option open to them. They dove for cover in and between the buildings on either side of the street. Some of them were fatally disappointed when they found the doors to some of the buildings locked from the inside. Others broke through the door or broke out windows to gain entry. Most of the shooting was over within minutes.

However the commander had his orders. He was not to allow any of the criminals to escape if at all possible. He ordered his men to first seal off every building on either side of the street. Then the men were to begin a room by room search of every building. At the first sign of resistance they were to use whatever force was necessary to overcome it.

That is where the surviving gang members made yet another mistake. They were used to the idea of taking hostages and negotiating a way out of almost any situation. Since the troops weren't American, they cared just as little for the hostages as the gangs. When one or two gang members warned that if the troops got any closer they would start to kill the innocent bystanders, the nearest soldier would pull the pin from a hand grenade and toss it into the room. After the explosion any still alive were shot without mercy or any attempt to find out who they were. The thought being that if they were so innocent, they should have fought harder against the hostage takers. Besides these were Americans. They had it coming.

After that first encounter with the foreign soldiers, the few gang members who had managed to escape let it be known far and wide what kind of an enemy they now faced. The result of that was an immediate and dramatic drop off in the amount of crime in the streets. Given what they had just been through, many people hailed these troops as their saviors, and welcomed them with open arms. People were no longer afraid to go out into the streets by day. But they did still remain indoors at night.

Sue was among those who saw the strange men with odd accents as people to be welcomed by every law abiding citizen. She no longer feared going to bed at night, since she would hear from time to time what she felt was a most comforting sound. She listened for the sound of the troop carriers driving down her street, and then slept soundly after that. She had even begun to suggest that the panels and bars that had been put up were no longer needed and should be taken down. Larry on the other hand told her that they should stay.

"Larry, we're safe now. Not only do they have men in trucks patrolling the streets, but I've even seen small groups of them on foot, walking down the road."

"Honey, those soldiers aren't going to be around forever. Once they leave we may need this stuff again."

That made her think and she backed off on the idea. Another of things she was very happy about was that after a week, it was announced that the schools would once again be open on a regular basis. True, they wouldn't be open as much as they used to be. That would come after things were a bit more pacified. But starting the next day they would reopen and attendance was mandatory for all students.

To be sure, there were some stories that started to get around that these men would sometimes break into a house, take the occupants somewhere, but none knew where. Then they would help themselves to whatever they fancied from the house they had attacked. But the news always came out either the next day or a day later that the people taken away were in violation of the law in some way, and had been placed in custody pending a future trial. Sue also found the idea that these men would be so very concerned for the safety of everyone very comforting as well. Larry wasn't so sure.

One of the things that first caught his attention was when certain members of the church started to come up missing. No explanation was given as to why they stopped coming to church. Without exception they were all good honorable people. Nobody knew what had become of them. He also noticed that most of the people who had disappeared were veterans that were still young enough to serve if they were called up. And, of course, their families were gone as well. It wasn't anything conclusive, but to him it was disturbing that these people of proved loyalty would just go away and nobody knew anything about it.

He doubts didn't diminish any when Sean came home from school one day. He happened to be in the front yard as his son came walking up the driveway.

"Afternoon, Son. How's it feel to be back in school?"

"It's okay I guess. But it's kind of weird."

"How so?"

"Well, you know how the school always had a police officer or two around for safety?"

"Yes. What's the matter? Don't they have them anymore?"

"They have more now. But not the police. They have one of those foreign soldiers in every room."

"REALLY?"

"Yeah. And it was really weird when they started taking notes when we were talking with the teacher in class."

"Taking notes? What kind of notes?"

"I don't know. I mean they didn't show them to us or anything."

"When did they take notes? What were you talking about when the started writing?"

"Oh. That was in civics class."

"So you're saying they took notes on your knowledge and opinions about the law and society."

"Yeah. I guess so. I did notice that they seemed to like it when somebody didn't know too much about the subject. They didn't act like our teachers at all." Sean thought about it and then said something that took his father totally by surprise. "You know Dad, whenever our teachers corrected someone, the soldier in our class didn't seem to like it very much. It was like he didn't want us to learn anything."

Larry immediately had a scripture run through his mind.

Hsa 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

He also remembered from his study of history that those who conquered another nation always tried to eliminate the true history of the conquered people. It made them easier to control when they were unsure of their past. The concept of patriotism was slowly wiped out. He snapped back to the present and questioned his son one last time.

"Did they take notes on you?"

"Yeah, they did."

"Do you know what kind of notes?"

Sean looked down, as if he were ashamed of himself. "The soldier smiled when he took notes on me."

"Why? I thought you did pretty well in civics class."

"It made me feel a little creepy the way they were acting. So I acted dumb. I said the capital of Florida was Miami. I don't know. It just seemed to be the thing to do. Are you mad at me?"

Larry smiled. "No Son, I'm not mad. I think you probably did the right thing. But let's just keep this between us. I don't think your mother would understand."

"Yeah. I saw how she seems to really like these guys. They make me feel like I should hide or something."

"Oh, just to be sure, what IS the capital of Florida?"

"Tallahassee."

"Alright. Why don't you go on inside and let me get finished with this yard work?"

Larry noticed one other thing that was brought home to him in a personal way. He and some other men were talking at church one day when a man named Gus, who was also an electrician, brought a subject from out of the blue.

"So have these foreign guys asked any of you to work for them yet?"

"What are you talking about?" Larry asked.

"You haven't heard? Those guys are hiring people with certain skills that they need. Doctors, nurses, electricians, carpenters, all kinds of people. They aren't paying much, but I know a few people who figure a small pay check is better than no pay check. They've been taking the jobs."

"I haven't heard anything about that. How do you know?"

"They asked me to work for them."

"Did you take the job?"

"No. Actually I didn't. Maybe I should have, but something doesn't feel quite right about it."

"Like what?"

"For one thing the people I know who have accepted the jobs won't talk about what they are doing. It's kind of like it's all hush hush secret. It makes me uncomfortable. So I turned them down."

The conversation went on discussing the advantages and disadvantages of working for the foreigners and questioning what they must be up to that had to remain so secret. Larry took his thoughts home with him, but didn't share them with Sue. He became even more concerned when Gus and his family were absent from church the following Sunday. Once he noticed that, Larry really looked around for the first time. It shocked him when he found that the size of the congregation had shrunk by about thirty per cent. He knew people had stopped coming, but for the first time realized just how many people had gone missing. These observations he also took home with him but again didn't feel led to share with his wife.

It was a month after the occupation had begun that Charlie happened to stop by one afternoon.

"Hey, Charlie. How's it going?"

"Not bad, Larry. Not bad. I just wanted to make sure you were happy with what we did to your place. Any problems?"

"Not a one. You did a good job. Did you hear what happened out here?"

"Can't say I have. Anything important?"

"It sure was to me."

Larry went on to describe what had happened the night the gangs attacked his neighborhood and how the work that Charlie had done had saved them all from who knew what.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. A lot of people weren't as fortunate as you. They didn't take precautions and suffered because of it."

"You sure saved our bacon. I can't thank you enough for that. So, what are you up to these days?"

Charlie suddenly got a serious look on his face, glanced around as if to see if anyone was listening and then quietly asked.

"Have you heard anything about these foreigners hiring people to work for them?"

"I've heard a few things, yeah. Why?"

"Do you know what they are doing?"

"No. Nobody has said a word."

"Larry, I shouldn't say this. I could get into real trouble, real fast. But you have always been good to me, so I'll tell you. BUT you have to promise that you won't say anything to anyone else. Agreed?"

Curious, Larry answered. "Alright. I won't say a thing."

Again Charlie glanced over his shoulder as if looking for someone. "Larry, they are building camps. I mean barbed wire, guard towers and all."

"Are you serious?"

"I was working on the towers. We were installing mounts for machine guns after the towers were built. Does that sound serious enough for you? I mean I've seen the pictures of the Nazi concentration camps during WW II and these things are a lot like them. Including the furnaces for getting rid of the bodies."

"But how can they get away with something like that? For that matter who are they building these camps for?"

"Washington has told them that 'measures' need to be taken to keep the peace. And from what I hear the camps are for anyone that the government decides is a threat to them. That could be anyone. Me, you, or anyone who says anything against what is going on. They call them 'disruptor's' and they are being singled out for collection and imprisonment in the near future."

"They can't do that. This is America."

"I'm sorry to say, yes they can. A while back a bill was signed that allows the President to decide who is a threat and what should be done with them. Those people can be imprisoned, without charge, held without trial and for as long as the President views them as undesirable."

"I can't believe that."

"Believe it. It's the law."

"Then the law is crazy."

"I won't argue that. But listen to me. You keep a low profile. Believe me, the last thing you want is to go to one of those camps. The only way you will leave them is as a cloud of ash carried on the wind."

Larry was stunned. He couldn't have felt more lost if he'd been hit in the head with a brick.

"If all this is true, why are you working for them?"

"I didn't know what they wanted at first. When I found out, I also found out that if I quit, they would kill my family first, right in front of me, and then I would die. Look I can still get in lots of trouble for telling you this, but like I said, you've always done right by me. I couldn't let this happen to you without warning you first. You stay low and keep your nose clean, or join the resistance."

"Resistance? What resistance? I haven't heard anything about that."

"There are some people who are against what's happening. There aren't many, and right now they can't do much. But their numbers are growing. I can't recommend that you do that. Because whenever they are caught, they are shot on sight. But if you choose to go that way, you won't be alone."

"Thanks for telling me. I think. What are you going to do?"

"The same thing I have been doing. Making a living." Once more Charlie glanced around before speaking. "Listen to me close, Larry. If you ever find yourself in one of the camps I've been working on, take a good look at the southeast corner."

"What's that mean?"

"Just do it. Alright?"

"Southeast corner, I got it."

"I have to get moving. They don't watch me every minute, but they know about how long it takes me to get home from work. When I get there, someone will know. You take care. God Bless you."

Charlie turned to leave and heard Larry behind him.

"God Bless you too."

With his confidence shaken and his internal peace gone, Larry went into his home, wondering if and how much of what he had heard he should share with Sue and Sean.

[day late]

Chapter Six

"So what's the matter with you tonight? You seem a lot quieter than usual." Sue wanted to know, as she and Larry sat in the living room that night.

"I'm just wondering about how things have been going since these foreign soldiers have arrived."

"Much better, I'd say. We don't have to be afraid to sleep in our own beds for one thing. For another, we can walk down the street without being afraid of being mugged or worse."

"Well, that's true I'll admit. But what is going to be the cost when everything is said and done?"

"What ARE you talking about? Those men are here to help us. What kind of cost could there be? And isn't it worth whatever it might be to be safe?"

"Is it worth it? Benjamin Franklin once said that those who give up security for safety get neither. You say we are safe. What about all these people that keep getting taken away? Doesn't that bother you? And why do they always seem to do it in the middle of the night? Why are they afraid to let people actually see what it is that they are doing? That sounds pretty fishy to me."

"There you go, being paranoid again. You know as well as I do that every time that happens they always announce why the people were arrested."

Larry let the 'paranoid' comment slide for the moment. "Don't you find it strange that the excuse for arresting them is always one of the same two or three reasons? Either they are planning some kind of terror attack, they are hiding weapons, or they are helping someone that is planning a terror attack. Why aren't they arresting people guilty of fraud at the disbursement centers?"

"I guess because fraud isn't a violent crime like the others."

"Isn't it funny how the people arrested haven't actually done anything? They are always in the planning stages. I just find it unsettling. And by the way. I guess you could say that I'm just as paranoid as when I had Charlie put up those panels. Maybe I'm not so much paranoid, as I just have God given discernment."

"Oh. You have to drag religion into it again. Alright I'll admit you were right about the panels. But that wasn't 'God given' anything. That was just a combination of luck and foresight."

"So I have the foresight to protect us once, but I'm paranoid to be concerned about something else. Is that what you are saying?"

"Larry, I love you, but you are impossible sometimes. Like I said, these soldiers haven't done anything to us and they aren't going to because we aren't doing anything wrong."

"Honey, neither were the people at church that have suddenly come up missing. And that brings up another point. If they want to arrest these so called violent people, why are they taking their children as well?"

"Well they couldn't leave small children at home alone. I'm sure they are sending them to family members or putting them in some kind of juvenile facility. They aren't monsters after all. They take the kids so they can be looked after."

Sean had been in the other room listening to his parents. He now spoke up.

"Mom? If they are taking care of the kids like me, why don't they ever come back to school? I mean they are the ones who made sure everyone knew attendance was mandatory."

"They probably have a school for them where the are being taken, that's all. And it isn't polite to listen to other peoples conversations."

"I'm sorry, but you guys were kind of loud. That makes it sort of hard to miss unless I go outside."

Sue flushed red. She realized that she had been the one getting louder. As usual, Larry was the one who had kept his voice down. But she wouldn't admit that to her son and lose respect in his eyes.

"We're sorry Sweetheart. We didn't mean for that to happen. But this is an adult thing and you really shouldn't have to worry about it."

"Why not?"

"What do you mean, 'why not'? I told you already, this is an adult thing. You don't need to worry about it."

"I think I do."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because when one or two of the kids at school stop coming, we aren't allowed to ask about it. no matter how many times it happens. If anyone tries to, the teachers make them stop. And if they don't, the soldiers do. Mom, there are a lot of people at school that are getting scared. That's why I need to worry about it."

"Sean, nothing like that is going to happen to you or us. As I told your father, we don't do anything to be arrested for."

"Neither did they."

"How can you know something like that?"

"Do you remember my friend Sharon?"

"Yes."

"Her father works in the kitchen at the hospital. She disappeared last Tuesday. All he did was cook. So why is she gone?"

"I'm sure there must be a reason. Did you hear anything in the news about them?"

"They said just what Dad was talking about. That her father was planning to do a terrorist attack some place."

"Well, there you go. He must have gotten into something he shouldn't have. Violent people like that need to be arrested."

"Mom. Her father is a conscientious objector. He wouldn't do something like that."

"I'm sure you're mistaken about that."

"No, I'm not. He came to speak at our school about it last year. He talked a lot about how war and violence were wrong and nobody should be involved in them."

Sue was lost. She knew her husband and son had to be wrong. These soldiers had done so much to secure the country. But she had no arguments to bring to the table.

"Well, you two just wait and see. You'll find out how wrong you are."

With that she left the room and went into the bed room to read. Larry and Sean looked at each other. Sean shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.

"You never told me kids were missing from your class."

"Sorry, Dad. Before tonight I thought you would have said I was crazy or something. You never said anything about it either."

Larry smiled at him. "Parents are like that. They want to protect their children from everything. Maybe we're wrong, but that's the way we are. I guess you've been growing up faster than I realized."

"I think things have changed and I'm not going to have a choice."

"I hope you're wrong son. But things are changing. That's for sure."

"Dad, what do you think we should do?"

"For now, I think we should just keep doing what we have been doing. We need to protect ourselves. And I'll be praying about it."

Sean stared at his father for a couple of minutes before speaking.

"Dad, would you teach me how to do that?"

None of the trio knew anything about the patrol of ten troops walking down their street. Even if they had known, they wouldn't have understood the language they were speaking.

"What do you think, Sir? Are there any places on this street that need to be pacified?"

"Maybe. But this area isn't as rich as the others we've been in."

They continued to patrol the area for a few more minutes before another man spoke up.

"Sir? There's one thing I don't understand. How can these Americans be so blind about what is happening to them?"

"Didn't you go through the indoctrination before we came here? These people believe whatever their government tells them. They've never had an invasion in this country. So they think they are safe."

"Then why don't we just get it over with and take control of everything?"

"Simple. These Americans may be ignorant, but they are not stupid. If we tried to just take over they would fight us. And there are a lot more of them than us. So we do it quietly and slowly. The plan is that by the time they realize what is happening, it will be too late. But don't count on that. Some of them know what is going on."

"Sir, I'm sorry if I ask too much but how can they fight us? Their government has already taken away their weapons."

"You can't believe that. If it were true, then those criminals wouldn't have been shooting at us. You must understand. Before the start of the collapse, there were more unregistered weapons in this country than registered ones. It was only the registered ones that the government could find. Be sure there is probably at least one weapon in most of the houses in every city and town in this country."

"Then why didn't the government here just go house to house collecting them, like they would do back home?"

"Because this IS America. The government here knows if they tried that there would have been civil war. They didn't want that. They might have lost. They know that most American soldiers won't fire on their own people. If anything they would join them. That's why we are here. But with so many weapons out there, we have to be cautious and move slowly. Part of that has been the rounding up of those the American government thinks will fight against them and us. Those people would be leaders. If we take out the leaders, then there is nobody to follow, so the rest of them won't fight. Are you sure you had indoctrination? All of this was explained there."

"I'm sorry Sir. Hearing it and seeing it happen are very different things. It's hard to be believe they would fall for something like this."

"Trust me. The day will come when they begin to fight back. When they do, we will have our hands full."

"Why? They couldn't have anything like the weapons we have."

"You know why. They may not have automatic weapons, but it only takes one bullet from a sniper or an ambush to take anyone of us out of the fight. Then whoever shot you, will have an automatic weapon. YOURS. Now stay quite and and keep your eyes open for anything that might be useful to us or worth something. Then we come back later."

"Does that include the women?"

The officer smiled. "Of course. Soldiers a long way from home need their comforts."

The men laughed softly and continued down the street.

During the next few weeks, things began to settle down into something of a routine. Everyone who wasn't part of the occupying force was off the street by sun down. After that, only the foreign troops were out. A few of the braver souls did actually venture out at night, but never further than a house or two from where they lived, and only just after the latest foot patrol had passed by. The logic being that if they had just been through the area it would be a little while before they came back.

Most people tried to ignore the situation, which as it turned out wasn't that hard to do. Most people were inside by nightfall even before things went bad. During the day the foreign troops might once in a while stop someone for an identification check. Usually this was just a formality and people would be allowed to continue on their way. However upon occasion it would be more than that. The person showing the I.D. would be arrested and detained. Later that night, a search of their home and the detention of their families would take place. The neighbors of that person would remain inside, no matter what they saw or heard. They feared being arrested and taken away themselves and did nothing to help those who were so unfortunate.

Larry couldn't help but notice that more and more often the people being taken away were the ones who had publicly voiced their displeasure over the situation and their distrust of the alien occupiers. He learned that while he held the same feelings, it was proving to be wise to keep them to himself.

Sue went on day to day remarking how much better things were with the friendly foreigners. No longer was there a problem with going to the government disbursement center to collect their rations. She even wasn't afraid to go alone since there was almost no danger of being attacked by someone wanting what food and other items she had been able to get. She was disappointed that she was still unable to go out for an evening stroll as she and Larry had done from time to time in the past. But some sacrifices had to be made to make sure they all remained safe.

Sean found that other classmates still vanished from time to time, and had learned not to question it. He continued to present himself as just a good, but not too bright, kid. He also noticed that kept the guards at the school from watching him too closely. His grades fell off somewhat, but he still managed to keep them from falling too far. When questioned by his mother he told her that he was trying, but all the soldiers were a distraction. His father was told the real reason why his grades had fallen. That provided an opportunity for the two of them to spend more time together as Larry 'coached' Sean in his school work.

It was during these 'coaching' secessions that Sean asked more and more about God and His plan for people like them in times like these. Larry provided all the information that he could, and could tell that Sean was coming closer to a decision, which pleased him immensely. Sue was quite displeased when one Sunday morning Sean announce that he would like to go to church with his father.

"SEAN. Don't tell me you believe all of this superstitious nonsense."

"Mom, I just want to find out more about it. You always said that I should get all the information before making any kind of decision. Well, to do that I have to go to church. That's where they have the information about how we got here."

"Son, I told you about 'The Big Bang' and how evolution works. You don't need to go to church to know where we came from."

"Mom, you said that there was some kind of mass that exploded and it all became the planets, stars and everything else, right?"

"That's right. That's how it all started. Before that there was nothing."

"If that's true, then where did that big mass come from?"

"Nobody knows."

"Maybe they know at Dad's church. I'd like the chance to find out for myself."

The argument continued for a while, but in the end, Sean went with his father. Sue sat at home and fumed over it. It was bad enough that Larry believed this tripe, but there was no way that Sean should be persuaded to swallow it as well. And she couldn't believe how he had turned her arguments around and made her look foolish for what she believed. Time after time he asked questions based on her teachings that she couldn't answer. It made her furious.

After a time she decided that sitting inside wasn't going to do her any good. She walked out back and began to tend what was left of the little garden they had put in over the summer to help out with their food supply. A lot of the food had already been gathered, but there were still a few beans and pea pods left yet to bring in. They had decided to allow them to grow until they were mature or the weather would kill them off and make them useless.

"Bringing in the last of the crop?" A voice called to her.

Looking up she found Danny peeking over the top of the fence. She smiled and answered.

"There's no point in letting it go to waste. How are you set?"

"Well, you know me. I'm all alone over here. I didn't put in a garden. If I wasn't working, I was looking for work. I didn't have time for something like that."

"Oh you poor, poor baby." She laughingly chided him. "All dressed up and nowhere to go, is that it?"

"Something like that. You know, with the way you were going at it, I'd say it's a good thing you already got most of your crop in."

Sue stopped smiling and became angry again.

"It's Larry. He's got Sean believing all of that Christian mumbo jumbo now. Or at least he's trying real hard. Do you know Sean actually asked to go to church this morning?"

"I thought I heard some loud voices earlier. So that's what it was all about?"

"Yes. And I don't know what to do about it."

"There's not much you can, for right now. Later maybe. But not now."

Sue put the remainder of the vegetables in a basket she had brought for the purpose, and leaving it where it was sitting, stood and walked over to Danny.

"What are you talking about?"

"Sean wants to find out about these things, right. Well he's what? fourteen or fifteen now? That's normal. Learning about life is part of growing up. You can't stop it. And to tell the truth, the harder you fight against it the more you will drive Sean into it."

"So what are you saying I should do? Ignore it?"

Danny reached between the slats on the fence a placed his hand on Sue's shoulder. He looked her in the eye and spoke sincerely.

"Just like with so many of these things. You have to let nature take it's course. You can't change the seasons. You can't stop kids from playing doctor, and you can't stop a curious young mind from learning. What you need to do is wait. Sooner or later Sean is going to pray about something, or expect God to do something and he is going to be disappointed. When that happens you step in and tell him again that Larry is wrong about all of this and you try to help him out. THEN he will listen to you. But not before. I know. My parents tried to get me to believe all of that stuff, but I just couldn't buy into it."

Sue didn't remove Danny's hand. She found it comforting that there was at least one rational mind that understood her concerns. She placed her hand on top of his instinctively.

"Thanks for the advice Danny. I guess you're right. If you don't mind, I'd like to discuss it a little more with you at a later time."

"Not a problem." He agreed. "Anything I can do to help, I will. I hope you know that."

"Yes, I do. It would be nice to have a chance to discuss things with someone who understands." She smiled at him and took a step backwards. "I guess I'd better get those things in the house and get started on cooking. Those two should be home soon and I don't want to keep them waiting. They might start talking about that nonsense around the table. I'll see you later."

"Any time."

Sue walked to the remains of the garden, picked up the basket and started into the house. At the door she stopped and looked back. For some reason she thought that the remains of the garden reminded her of her marriage. It had started out growing and full of promise. It had produced many good things. A nice home, a wonderful son, security over the years and so forth. Now it seemed to her that like the garden, her marriage was dieing and there was nothing that could be done about it. It was as Danny had said. Nature had to take it's course. Maybe it could be saved. Plants could be sometimes if they were brought inside and protected from the weather. But it was a lot of hard work that as often as not failed to pay off in the long run. Maybe nature was taking it's course with her and Larry as well. In which case, was she willing to put in the time and effort to save something that might be beyond saving? She sighed and went in, so engrossed with her
thoughts she never noticed how Danny was watching her every move.

Sean was full of questions and even a touch of excitement as he and his father made their way home. They hadn't driven the car, since it was now fairly safe to walk the streets again. Also the fact that gas was becoming almost impossible to fins and the price was simply out of reach for almost everyone. So, as many others had done, they had begun to walk where ever they needed to go.

"You know Dad, things make a lot more sense the way the preacher explained them. I mean I always wondered if evolution was right, why did things stop evovling. Now I see where they never did evolve, they were made that way."

"It does me good to hear you say that Son."

"Dad? Why doesn't Mom believe?"

"I wish I could tell you. She has seen how The Lord has always taken care of us, but refuses to admit it. I think she just can't accept anything over which she has no control."

"That's a shame. Even I can see some times you just can't do that. I mean like our garden. We can't control what happens to it over the winter. We just have to accept it."

"I know, Son. But believe me if she thought she could control what happens to it, she would. Some times things just have to take their course."

[223shootersc]

thanks for the new chapter

[day late]

Chapter Seven

As time passed the words of the patrol commander proved to be almost prophetic. It started out in the country side. Patrols would be sent out in an effort to 'persuade' the farming communities that more needed to be done to supply the needs of the country. However the soldiers were kept ignorant of what the farmers knew. It was standard practice for the farmers to take their products to market. So when they were suddenly told to take it to ports and other places where it could be loaded onto transports that were headed out of the country instead on into it, and there was no increase in the ration allotments, it became obvious the the food wasn't being distributed in America. Being pushed as they were to do more, and all of their effort was being sent abroad, that made them angry.

There were no meetings, no conspiracies or anything of the sort. Without anything other than a communication between farmers warning of what was happening, the general feeling was that they would not allow this. They were willing to work hard with little to show for it, as long as it was for Americans. The idea of providing for foreigners when their own people were going hungry could not be tolerated.

With things going as easily as they had since they had arrived in America, the foreign personnel had relaxed quite a bit. Officers sent out to survey the farms had at first gone out with a lot of protection. Lately it had been decided that such measures were not necessary. The guard details had been curtained to only one or two men. That changed on the day that three of the survey teams didn't come back. The reprisal for the missing teams was swift in coming. People living on the farms they were to inspect that morning were all killed within a week. It didn't matter if they had seen the inspectors or not. And without exception they all denied seeing them prior to their execution.

The occupying force didn't even consider contacting the civil authorities before acting. They simply behaved as they had always done. It turned out they should have. Soon after when the next survey teams were sent out, what they found was the last thing they expected. The farmers and their families were gone. There was no way to find out where they had fled to, because there was nobody to watch them go and report on their movements. The animals they once so carefully shepherded had been slaughtered and left lying where they had fallen. Scavengers had been working on them for a couple of days before they were found. Nothing could be saved.

Barns, silos, and even farm houses were little more than smoldering ash. The countryside for many miles around had been denuded of anything and everything that could be of use to the enemy, as the 'peacekeepers' were now being thought of. It took weeks before anyone could think of something to do about the situation. It was eventually decided to take anyone who knew anything about farming from the cities and repopulate the farms. Temporary shelters were put up for the new farm families, and every assistance was given to them. They were even promised an increased food allotment out of what they could raise, as well as title to the land they worked. What they were not told was the identity and number of infiltrators that had been placed there with them.

For a while the occupiers could see that things were going well. The rebuilding was progressing smoothly. They even were receiving regular reports from their spy's verifying the progress. It was starting to be believed that the exodus of the original farmers was an isolated incident. Then about three weeks into it, the reports stopped coming. This time they didn't take very long to investigate. It was less than twenty four hours before the first reports about this incident were came back to headquarters. The new families were gone. Their temporary homes burned and the infiltrators were all found. They were all hanging in the same group of oak trees. The farmers hadn't gone very far it seemed, even though they hadn't been found.

Some of the infiltrators were from the ranks of the invaders and spoke perfect English. However, without anyone who could vouch for long time acquaintanceship, they were soon rooted out. Of the actual traitors among them, most were known for what they were before the families arrived. They too were dispatched rather quickly. The people in the headquarters now knew what was happening. A core of resistance had formed and must be eliminated as quickly and ruthlessly as possible if they were to seize the upper hand again. And it must be done as soon as possible before that resistance could become both organized and effective.

When it came to tracking down these resistors, they found they had yet another problem. They didn't have enough men to secure the populated areas and still scour the countryside. They also lacked a working knowledge of the terrain. That meant they had to enlist the aid of local military and law enforcement to help them with the job. Here the problems became worse. It seemed that most of the locals didn't want anything to do with the task. For one thing they lived in the area. The resistors knew them, they knew their families and worst of all, they knew where these people slept. They considered the risk much too high to take. While they did go out on patrols, they could never be found doing their duty. No resistors were ever reported by the men, and only long after the people living in an encampment had left did they report finding the encampment in the first place. Even if they had been patrolling the area for quite some time. Only a very few of them
were willing to do the bidding of the occupation forces.

Finally the occupiers turned to the government for help with the problem. A new directive was issued.

From The America Emergency Recovery Office

Subject: Resistance To Allied Forces Aiding In Recovery Efforts.

It has come to the attention of the Government of The United States and this office that certain persons are actively engaged in resisting the recovery efforts being preformed by our valiant allies. While their numbers are relatively few, they have been hampering recovery efforts. Recently this resistance has turned violent resulting in the unnecessary deaths of recovery workers. Therefore it is the order of this office that all such resistance will cease immediately. Failure to end all resistance will be dealt with harshly. The measures to be taken are listed here, below.

1. Anyone caught with a firearm actively seeking to kill or injure a recovery worker is subject to immediate punishment. Up to and including execution.

2. Persons actively supporting any such resistance will be subject to arrest and imprisonment of not less than twenty years.

3. Any persons actively supporting the resistance and that support leads to the accidental or intentional death of a recovery worker will be subject to arrest and imprisonment of not less than twenty-five years to life or execution.

4. Any persons found to be concealing knowledge of the resistance and or their plans will be subject to imprisonment of not less than twenty-five years, and if that concealment leads to the injury or death of a recovery worker the sentence may be increased to include execution at the desecration of the local area commander.

These orders take effect immediately upon posting in the area concerned.

The orders didn't have the desired effect. Instead of convincing people it was in their best interest to turn in anyone thought to be a resistor, they garnered support for them in untold numbers. Many Americans still placed a high value on what little freedom they still had. They viewed this as an attempt to turn the nation into a totalitarian state. They simply couldn't allow that, and began to aid the resistance whenever and however possible.

Stores of hidden supplies such as fuel, food and medicine were broken out and freely given to the members of the resistance. Weapons that had been carefully hidden away were also turned over. The movements and numbers of enemy soldiers were monitored and the information passed on. Before long the occupying forces had no choice but to go on patrol in armored vehicles. Men on foot just filled body bags. The commander of the forces was highly frustrated when he was told the the use of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons was forbidden. The land and the food it could produce was of a far greater value than he and his men. If he wanted to pacify the area, then he had to do something else. However since he was having so much trouble, additional troops would be sent. And if he knew what was good for him he would make the best use of those men and get the land in production again.

Larry, Sue and Sean heard about the troubles, of course. For once they all had the same thought. What would happen if the trouble continued? Larry was more concerned about what if the fighting came too close to their home? Would he have what it took to help the resistors throw out the foreigners? Sue was more worried about having the uneasy peace that they had enjoyed taken from them. Sean, as many young men his age, wondered if they would accept him in the resistance and let him fight. Of the three, Sue was the only one who gave unhampered voice to her concerns.

"I simply can't believe that people would act this way towards the very persons that are actually doing something to help us. I mean at least you can walk down the street now. These soldiers are the ones who made that possible. They've taken care of the gang problems we had. They even provide protection for the disbursement centers and the people who go there. Do you know I even had one of them offer to escort me home last week?"

Larry was startled by that. "No. You never mentioned it. What happened?"

"Oh he was a nice young man. He couldn't have been more than twenty or so. He was really trying to give me a hand with things. You know I believe that if his officer hadn't ordered him back to his post, he would have seen me all the way to our door."

Larry had an idea of just how helpful this soldier wanted to be, and whom he really wanted to help. While Sue wasn't vain about it, she was a beautiful woman, and that soldier was a long way from home.

"Maybe from now on I should go to the center. We wouldn't want you to get any of those guys in trouble, would we?"

"It's nice of you to offer but I'm sure I can handle it. He was insistent, but he didn't have the chance to help me. As I told you, his officer or Sgt. or whatever wouldn't let him."

"Just the same. From now on I'll pick up what we need. I mean if one of them got in trouble, he might blame you."

"Alright. Suit yourself. But I still don't think there would be a problem."

Ever since Sean had first gone to church with Larry, Sue had spent a lot of time thinking about their relationship. If it was going to work she would have to give him his way on some things. And she would be able to take care of something important to her without him underfoot. The thought brought something else to mind.

"Larry. Are you and Sean going to the church like you were talking about?"

"We were planning on it. Why? Do you want to come with us? They can always use another hand in the kitchen and the food isn't half bad."

"Oh no. You two go without me. But didn't you say that it might be late before you get home?"

"Yes, I did. Since these new troubles have started there are more homeless to feed than ever. Why?"

"I was thinking that like you just said there have been a lot of new problems. I wouldn't want the two of you to get into any by being out after curfew. Do you know if you are going to make it back before then? I need to know how many to cook dinner for."

From the first time that Larry had been forced to spend the night at the church rather than risk curfew violation, they had come to an agreement. If he didn't show up by half an hour before curfew, it wasn't likely he would. So Sue would fix something for herself and Sean and not worry, knowing where he was and that he was safe.

Now that Sean was going to church with his father she had spent the night alone on a couple of occasions. If that was going to be the case tonight she wanted to have a word with Danny. So far Sean wasn't showing any sign of being disappointed with all of that God stuff and she was becoming worried that he would be lost to her and common sense. She also wondered how to overcome the simple questions he asked for which she had no answers. He was the only one she knew who might be able to help her.

"It's possible we might have to stay overnight. The number of people seems to almost double every day. There's a lot to do. Are you sure that you don't mind Sean staying with me overnight?"

"I have to admit that since he has been going with you to that place, he has become a different person. And the change is for the better. he used to talk about what we don't have. Now he is much more grateful for what we do have. Maybe he is just growing up, but he is certainly maturing into a better young man than he was becoming."

"I'm happy to hear you say that." Larry paused and made an effort once more. "You know, you are more than welcome to join us. There is a lot of satisfaction in helping people like that."

"At the church? No thank you. I'd feel like a hypocrite. You two go ahead. If you aren't back in time, I'll just grab something and make an early night of it."

"You're sure?"

"Yes I am. You go ahead, but try to make it back early if you can."

"Alright. We'll try."

Larry and Sean left for the church later that day. Sue watched them leave and then went about her business for the rest of the day. She waited until the sun had completely set before doing anything else. Once she knew she was going to be alone for the night, she actually did do at least part of what she had told Larry. She fixed herself a simple meal and ate before putting on a light jacket against the chill of the evening. After that she waited until the local foot patrol passed, right on schedule, then she slipped out of the house and went next door to speak with Danny.

She gently knocked on his door and as before the lights went out before the door was opened.

"Hi Sue. What can I do for you?"

"Do you remember when we talked about Sean? I'd like to get your advice on what to do about him. Do you mind?"

"No. Not at all. Come on in."

The two of them spent an hour discussing Sean and his increasing belief in God. Again Danny told her that all she could really do is wait for something that Sean was counting on to fail and then point out that there is no sense in praying to someone who isn't there. Eventually he brought the conversation around to what he was interested in.

"So, how are things with you and Larry? I mean this has to have a effect on your relationship."

"I don't know. It seems like he is trying to put more distance between us. Everything is God this and God that. I almost can't talk with him any more without God being brought into it."

"Does he know how much it bothers you?"

"Yes. But he does seem to keep it to a minimum, but he just can't help it. He always ends up saying something." Sue stood and got ready to leave. "Danny, I want to thank you for being here for me. It helps having someone to talk with."

Danny stood and came to her. He put his arms around her and one of his hands moved downward and began to touch her in an intimate way. looked her in the eye.

"Sue, I'm always here for you. Even if Larry isn't."

Surprised at his touch, Sue started to back away and said. "Danny. I'm a married woman. Larry is your friend. This isn't right." Even as she spoke she was flattered by the attention. Because of Larry putting so much distance between them, it seemed to her, they hadn't been like this in months. Even though she'd not been in the mood to allow it. "I really should be going."

"Okay. Just remember. I'm here for you at any time. And I won't do anything that you don't want me to do. Let me get the lights."

Sue walked out the door, and at the bottom of the front porch steps she turned and looked back. Danny was still standing there, smiling.

"What are you looking at?" She asked.

"A thing of beauty. Good night, Sue." He went back inside and closed the door.

Once back at home, Sue got something to drink and sat thinking about what had just happened. She also thought of what she considered to be her problems with Larry, and now Sean. She spent a lot of time thinking about how she and Danny had so much in common. Then she wondered if she could possibly be serious in her thoughts. Larry was a good man and she cared for him deeply. How could she even consider having thoughts like these? He mind was in such turmoil it kept her awake until late in the night.

Larry and Sean worked late that evening. They help with passing out meals to a seemingly never ending line of people who were down on their luck. As they worked they were not always working together, but no matter where they were or what they were doing the conversation around them was always about doing The Lord's work. He heard many things that night and when he asked about them he would always get an answer coupled with scriptures. Two that stuck in his mind were,

Jam 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.


1Pe 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight [thereof], not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

1Pe 5:3 Neither as being lords over [God's] heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.


There were many other scriptures he heard and he began to see why his father was the way he was. It all made sense to him now. He knew why his father did so much volunteer work. He went to bed that night with a new respect for him.

Larry woke Sean early in the morning so they could get started on breakfast for the people in the church. As with the night before there was much talk about doing for others without any thought of repayment. He was beginning to like the idea of such service. It was just after the meal when things went bad.

The front door to the hall where everyone was being fed crashed open. heavily armed soldiers came storming in and surrounded the people there. Before anyone could say or do anything the commanding officer came into the room and made an announcement.

"New workers are needed to help with the farms around this district. Since you people have nothing better to do, you will be taken from here and sent to your new job assignments. There will be no exceptions. Now everyone on your feet and get on the trucks outside."

[sssarawolf]

Sorry

[Rabbit]

//////////////////////////////////////////////////

[day late]

Chapter Eight

In a moment there was chaos. People who had hoped to simply get a nights rest and a meal before starting out on a new day hadn't planned on being drafted into farm work. Some of them made a break for one of the doors in the meeting hall. They were stopped by the 'peace keeping' soldiers at gun point and beaten unmercifully back into the crowd, which was being forced out the front door. The pastor moved to the commanding officer and urgently talked to him.

"Son. You can't do this. These men are here for help, not this."

"Who are you?"

"I'm the pastor of this church."

"Priest, eh? Alright you stay. The rest of these go."

"But you can't do that. These are free men. You can't just come in here and drag them off somewhere."

"Yes I can. Recovery work needs to be done. It needs men. These men have no work of their own. They work on the farms instead. Don't make problems for me, or you will join them."

Men tumbled out the door and were quickly herded into waiting two and a half ton military trucks. Larry took hold of Sean and pulled him to one side. As he tried to keep his son from being taken by the soldiers. Soon he found a chance to talk to the commander.

"Sir. You can't take my son and I. We aren't homeless like these other men. We have a home. My wife is there now, waiting for us."

"I hear this before. Get in truck. Both of you."

"But we are just volunteers here at the church. We are just helping out. We have a home to go to."

"What you do?"

"I'm an electrician."

"Farms need electric to work too. And you already say you volunteer. Thank you for volunteering to work on farms. Get in truck."

Larry was roughly shoved in the direction of the nearest truck, and Sean with him. He thought, briefly, about trying to break free and make a run for it. But having Sean with him stopped him before he even made the first move. The armed men were all business, and he had no doubt they would do their best to gun him down if he tried to run. It was possible that they would hit Sean. He knew he would never take such a risk with his son's life, so he reluctantly climbed into the truck and helped his son up to sit next to him. They could hear the protests of the other men from the hall. All of them received the same answer.

"Get in truck."

A few of the men did try to fight their way free and get out of there. It was useless. The soldiers were accustomed to forcing crowds to do as they were told. The beatings these men received were brief, but brutal. It took less than twenty minutes to empty the meeting hall of all it's occupants, loading them into the trucks and get them on their way. Larry was certain that more than one man had the idea of jumping from the truck at the first opportunity, just as he did. However two armed guards next to the tailgate of each truck made sure the chance never arrived.

The trucks rolled down the road in the chill of early morning hours. the men were unable to tell where they were going, other than the general knowledge that they were going to work on one of the farms close to town. Larry looked at Sean. The boy sat, looking grimly ahead of him. He shouldn't be here, but the guards didn't even ask his age. It was the same with him as it was for everyone else.

"Get in truck."

Larry placed his hand on his son's shoulder.

"I'm sorry you're here son. I wish I could have gotten you home."

Sean looked up for the first time. "It's okay Dad. At least we are together."

"True. But I am concerned for your mother. She doesn't have any idea of what has happened to us."

"You never know. Maybe she can get someone to listen and get us out of this."

"Maybe. But don't hold your breathe. From things some of these guys have told me, once you get put on one of these trucks, well nobody ever comes back from the ride."

Sean paled slightly. "Do you mean they kill you?"

"No. I mean it's more like slavery. You have to work on the farm until they let you go. And they aren't letting anyone go."

Sean thought about it for a few moments. "Dad, didn't slaves always try to escape?"

"Many of them tried. A lot of them made it. A lot of them didn't. Some paid with their lives for the attempt. But Son, they had some place to run too. We don't."

"Are you saying we have to get used to it?"

Larry looked at the guards. Even though they kept their eyes on the men, they seemed to be almost bored by the whole thing. Doubtless they had done this many times before. He turned back to Sean.

"Let's just say that I'm not going to make any hasty decisions. We need to know where we are going and what our chances are before doing anything. Maybe we can improve on those chances if we are patient."

It was a slim hope, he knew. Still, it was something. He also knew that being in the country, he and Sean would more easily be able to disappear. For some reason a scripture went through his mind.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.

What good all of this could possibly be, he didn't have a clue. Now was a time for trust. But he was also glad that even if it was recently, apparently The Lord had called Sean for his purpose.

Because she had a hard time getting to sleep the night before, Sue slept late the next morning. Normally she would have been up and moving by seven in the morning. This day she jumped from the bed when she realized it was nearly nine. At first she was upset that Larry had allowed her to sleep so late. Then she remembered Larry hadn't returned last night. She relaxed and began to make preparations for return of her husband and son. She also once again thought about the night before. One the one hand she knew she should be offended by Danny's advances. She had never even considered separation from Larry, let alone something like that. Danny had made his intentions clear, but he had no right to be thinking as he was.

On the other hand she remembered her thoughts on the garden. It was dead now, but was her marriage just as dead? Because of all of that God stuff, Larry put more and more distance between them daily and didn't seem to care for her feelings at all. How could she remain with a man who was so callous towards what she believed? True, he never said a word against her beliefs in science. But at every opportunity he was trying to talk her into believing as he did. Now that he had Sean hoodwinked it made her even more determined not to accept anything he had to say on the matter.

Her thoughts remained gloomy right up until she realized it was almost ten thirty, and there was still no sign of Larry or Sean. She began to get seriously concerned. Just before eleven o'clock she decided against her better judgment to use the car and it's limited supply of gas to go to the church and find out what had happened to them. If they were just hanging around doing nothing, Larry was going to pay a heavy price indeed, for making her worry.

The trip to the church took a little longer than expected since she wasn't entirely sure of it's location. However she found it and became immediately more worried at what she found. She could see by how the ground was so torn up, that many trucks had recently been in the area. She could also see the front door of the meeting hall had been broken in. Sitting in the car, she looked through the bashed in doors and could see tables overturned and chairs scattered everywhere inside the hall. It was then she noticed a man sitting on the sidewalk out front of the church with his head buried in his hands. Sue assumed he was the preacher there and got out of the car to speak with him.

"What happened here? Where are my husband and son?"

"They took them."

"They who? You aren't making any sense. Who are you talking about?"

"The 'peace keepers'. They broke into the church this morning and took everybody. I'm sorry Ma'am, I don't know who you are looking for, but if they were here, they are gone."

"What do you mean gone? They can't be gone. They haven't done anything wrong. Why would anyone want to take my husband and son?"

"The 'peacekeepers' need people to get the farms back in operation. That means need men for that. They are taking everyone who can use a shovel at this point. I'm sorry, but they have probably taken your husband and son."

"But they aren't like those other men. They aren't homeless. We have a house. Larry paid it off a couple of years ago."

"That doesn't matter to the 'peace keepers'. They are taking every warm body they can find."

"But we aren't farmers. They can't take them."

"They did. The 'peace keepers' don't care. As long as you can work, and can't show that you have a job they will take you. I'm sorry."

"What can I do? My husband is the one who supports us. There must be some way to get them to let him and our son go."

"None that I know of. Once they take someone to the farms, they stay there. They aren't even allowed to visit their families and if someone from their family goes to visit them, they end up working on the farms as well. As far as I know, there isn't anything you can do except join them."

"But this is crazy. How can they do that? This is America. You can't just grab someone off the street and do what you want with them."

"Maybe not in the old America, but this is the new America. They have passed laws and done things the founding fathers would have started a second revolution over. The state of emergency gives the President a wide range of powers that nobody ever dreamed he'd use like this. I'm sorry, Ma'am but I need to see what I can do to help the people that are left and keep them safe from the 'peace keepers'."

The Pastor stood and walked into the meeting hall to try to figure out what he was going to do next, and spend a great deal of time in prayer. As he walked away, Sue watched him. She could tell by the way he walked, he was a man who was already defeated and broken. There was no sign of hope within him.

Sue was beside herself with worry. What was she to do now? She couldn't even think clearly after what she had learned. Larry was gone. So was Sean. She was totally alone. There was no way she could take care of herself without help. She now was ashamed of how she had recently been treating Larry. If nothing else she could always depend on him to do his most for her and Sean. And now they were both gone. She got into the car and drove home, but honestly couldn't remember doing it. She didn't remember how long it had taken her to get there, but it took longer than it did to get to the church. She didn't even know how long she had been sitting behind the wheel in the driveway, when Danny knocked on her window.

"Hey Sue. Is everything alright?"

Startled she looked up at him. "They're gone."

"Who's gone? What do you mean?"

"Larry and Sean. The 'peace keepers' took them. I don't know where they are. Danny, what am I going to do?"

"Whoa. Slow down. What do you mean they took them? No wait a minute. Sue get out of the car and come sit down. I'll get you something to drink and then you tell me about this. Come on. Let's get you out of the car."

Sue let Danny help her out of the car, but instead of taking her inside her house, he escorted her into his. She was in such a state that while she noticed, she didn't protest. Once in the house, he seated her on the couch and went to the kitchen to reheat her a cup of coffee, left over from his own breakfast. Returning quickly he placed it on the coffee table and took a seat next to her.

"Here. Try this. And tell me what is happening."

She accepted the drink with thanks and began to explain thinks to him.

"Larry and Sean went to that church last night to feed the homeless. I guess they had to stay late and couldn't make it home before curfew. Anyway they stayed all night. When they didn't make it back this morning, I went looking for them. The preacher told me that this morning the 'peace keepers' broke into the church and took everybody away to work on the farms. They got Larry and Sean as well. They are gone. Danny, what am I going to do? How can I get them back?"

Danny had also heard about the trucks. The story was they got about twenty workers to the mile. No one was sure what happened after that. All that was known was once someone went to the farms, they didn't come back. Maybe they were still there working. Maybe they had managed to run away. maybe they had been worked to death. There were all kinds of stories, but no one knew for certain.

"Sue. Was Larry working any jobs lately? Especially any government jobs? If we can show he was working on one of them, we might be able to get him released. Sean too, of course."

"No. Nothing like that. Not lately. He's been trying to find work but hasn't gotten anything. Danny, he's an electrician, not a farmer. Why would they take him?"

"Farms use electricity too. They probably want him to make sure it keeps working. That would be my guess. And you don't need a degree to use a shovel. From what I've heard since they don't have skilled labor they make up for it by using lots of labor."

"How can they do that? It's kidnapping. Kidnapping and forced labor. That's illegal, they can't do that."

"Sue, listen to me. because of the national emergency the President can 'draft' anyone to do work for the greater national good. They passed those laws years ago. But nobody ever thought they would do it. The government even came out and said that just because they had the power didn't mean they would use it. Everyone believed them and nobody said anything. But that's how they can do it."

"I can't believe that. It's wrong! I refuse to believe it."

"I'm sorry, Sue. But that doesn't change anything. It doesn't matter if you believe it or not. It's true."

As they had been speaking, Sue's eyes had begun to fill with tears. Not they began to spill down her face.

"You mean I really have lost my husband and son? Danny there must be SOMETHING I can do."

"I honestly don't know what it would be. Why don't we try to calm down and think about it. Maybe we can come up with an idea."

The two of them remained together for the rest of the day. Every time Sue would suggest something, Danny would point out why it wouldn't work. For the government, raising food was the most important thing these days. As evening drew near, Danny got up and began to prepare a meal for the two of them. Sue protested that he had already done enough by trying to help her. He smiled at her and asked the question.

"Sue, do you really feel like going back to an empty house for dinner? Or would you like some company?"

She allowed herself to be talked into staying for dinner, and was surprised to learn that he was actually a fairly good cook. During the course of that day and evening Danny had turned the topic of conversation from how to get Larry and Sean back to what was Sue going to do now that she was alone. Without realizing it, Sue had begun to think along those lines. Accepting that the two were gone and not coming back, she started to wonder what would become of her. She hadn't held a job since she and Larry had gotten married, years before. She had no real skills, and as Danny had pointed out, the 'peace keepers' even took women to work for the national good. Although some of the stories of what they were required to do were very unsettling. Then she remembered something.

"Danny. I've been here all day and my house is wide open. I need to get back there."

"Of course, of course. I understand. But you know that if you are uncomfortable there you can just lock it up and spend the night here."

She hesitated. "I don't know if I should do that. It doesn't sound right."

"Sue. It's not like that. I told you before, I won't try to make you do anything you don't want to do. If you want to spend the night alone, don't let me stop you. I just wanted to make the offer of some company. That's all. Dinner will be ready soon, so why don't you go home, lock up and by the time you get back, It'll be on the table or almost."

"I'll be back in a few minutes. And thank you. I don't know if I would have even felt like cooking tonight."

Sue returned home just before dark and closed up the house. She considered what Danny had said. It was, she decided, unlikely that Larry and Sean would ever be back. But did she really want to spend the night in Danny's house? She finished locking up and was on her way out when she thought of Larry's pistol. If there were nobody here, did she want to leave it for someone to find if they broke in? She decided against that. Sue picked up the weapon and put it in her purse. Then also decided that she might as well accept Danny's offer and get something to wear to bed. Staying with him would be safer, and she wasn't promising him anything. She soon was back in his house and put her things in the room he offered her.

The two of them had the evening meal and then sat to talk more about the future and what Sue should do. It was nearly ten o'clock when it was decided it was bed time. It was about ten-thirty when Danny got what he wanted from Sue. He decided he was right. Dressed or not, Sue was a beautiful woman.

As the sun went down, Larry and Sean looked back over their day. When they arrived at one of the farms they were questioned about their skills and when Larry told them he was an electrician, he also said the Sean was learning the trade from him. He reasoned that the two of them would be kept together that way. He was right. After the days work, they were assigned to a set of bunk beds with what were mattresses in name only. They laid down and tried to get comfortable, when Sean began to question his father.

"Dad? What about Mom? Do you think she's alright?"

"I hope so, Son. I hope she has found out what happened to us by now and is finding a way to get us out of here. Maybe the pastor can help her, I don't know. For now, all we can do is wait and pray. Let's hope she finds some help quickly. Try and get some rest. Work starts early on a farm. Even I know that much. I just hope your mother gets some rest tonight."

"Me too. Good night, Dad."

"Good night, Son."

[sssarawolf]

gads sorry

[day late]

Chapter Nine

Larry and Sean were awakened early the next morning for the first of their two meals for the day. The only good thing Larry could say about breakfast was that the so called food was plentiful, if not very good tasting. He encouraged Sean to take as much as he could, and anything that could remain unspoiled during the day and more than what he could eat was to be put in his pockets for later. It was going to be a long day he knew. After eating everyone was herded outside and into a loose formation where they were addressed by the man in charge. He wore everyday clothes, but his attitude was that of an military officer who expected instant and complete obedience to his orders.

"Everyone listen to me. Those of you who already have your work assignments will report to them as soon as we are done here. This next is for you new people. You have been sent here because you are a burden on society. You have no jobs, no place to stay and are feeding off of the efforts of the rest of us. Given the current emergency the government has ordered that you will begin to earn your keep, and stop living like leaches off of the rest of us.

I don't want hear any excuses about how you don't deserve to be here. I don't want to hear sob stories about your wives and children. Nothing about mom, home or apple pie. You are here because you have been total failures and now we are going to teach you how to put in an honest days labor for your bed and board. If you have any questions, keep them to yourselves. I'm not here to coddle you. I'm here to make sure you work. And believe me you will.

Now. Each of these columns you are in has been assigned a section leader. You will be questioned to determine what skills you have, if any. Should you have a useful skill, you will be assigned work accordingly. You will do what he tells you, if you know what's good for you. That's all."

The file of men that Larry and Sean were in reported to a large tough looking man. He was all business and the pistol belted to his waist was all the proof they needed to convince the two of them to do as they were told. The first man in the line didn't take the hint.

"Sir, you can't do this. I don't belong here. I don't know anything about farming."

The man looked at him coldly. "What's you job?"

"Before all of this I was an office manager."

"Your name?"

"I'm Fred."

"Come here, Fred."

He stepped forward, expecting that he would be separated from the group and sent back to town. When he got close enough, the section leader slammed a scarred fist, that seemed the size of a mallet, into Fred's face. Larry was sure he heard something break and Fred fell to the ground. His face was covered with blood.

"You broke my nose." He cried between his hands with which he now held his face, as he started to rise.

"I was trying too. Now get over there and pick up a shovel. You're going to the fields."

"But why? They have a tractor."

The section leader cuffed him brutally in the side of the head and Fred once again went to his knees.

"DON'T question me." He glared at the rest of the men, then shouted at them. "Just so you know, shovels don't use gas, tractors do. And there are lots of you here but only a limited supply of gas." He looked down at Fred. "Now get moving."

The section leader helped Fred on his way with a swift kick to his back side, which sent him down yet again. Fred scrambled to his feet as quickly as he could and moved to get his shovel.

"Next man. What's your job?"

"I was a salesman."

"Grab a shovel."

So it went as the men were called in front of the section leader. But after the example of Fred, nobody chose to try to talk to him any more. Finally Larry stood before him with Sean at his side.

"Your job?"

"I'm an electrician."

This caught the section leaders attention. He looked closely at Larry.

"What kind?"

"Mostly residential."

He turned his attention to Sean. "What's with the kid?"

"He's my son. I'm teaching him the trade."

"Does he know anything?"

"He's only fourteen, and just starting out. But he can strip a wire and knows which end of the screwdriver to hold."

"Anything else?"

"You can ask me." Sean spoke up. His mind racing to remember things he had heard. "I know the black wire is the ground and the red one is live. And Dad always says not to work on any line unless I'm sure the power is off first."

At first the section leader looked disturbed that Sean had spoken. Then oddly enough he smiled at the boys audacity.

"Maybe he does know something. Alright you two report up to the main house. Find the man at the desk outside. Tell him you are from section four, what you do and then do what he tells you." He then turned to the rest of the men and began shepherding them out to the fields, cursing them all the way.

Larry put his arm around his son and said to him.

"We'd better get moving."

They started towards the house. As they walked Sean wanted to know something.

"Dad? Did you notice they aren't asking us our names?"

"I know, Son."

"Why do you think that is?"

"They don't care Sean. To these people we are property, and nothing more."

"But we're people, not things."

"They don't see us that way. They only value us for what we can do for them. That means for now we have to make ourselves as valuable as we can and not rock the boat."

"You mean like Fred?"

"That's what I mean. Okay, we're getting close to the house. Keep quiet and let me do the talking. Maybe we can find a way to improve our chances of getting out of here."

"Sure thing Dad."

They got to a desk sitting under an old oak tree, which would provide shade later in the day. Sitting there was a man who had small eyes that seemed to miss nothing, yet he looked like he was bored to death.

"What are you doing here?"

"We were sent here by the section leader of section four. He told us to talk to you."

The man's eyes widened slightly at the announcement.

"Section four, you say. You must be something special. He never sends anyone up here. What's your job?"

"I'm an electrician. This is my son and apprentice."

"Electrician. Oh ho. Now it makes sense. Wait here."

The man stood and quickly walked into the main house. Only to return shortly with another man.

"What kind of electrician? If you do computer work, you can haul yourself back to your section and pick up a shovel."

"I've done mainly residential wiring. But I've also had a few commercial jobs. Tell me what you need and I'll tell you if I can do it."

"Hmmm. You might do. What do you know about electric fencing?"

"That's not too hard. Mainly it's just a line on the posts that you have to keep from getting grounded out. Then run your current through it and you're done."

"That's all?"

"No. I said mainly. If you don't insulate the line from the posts you can ground out the line, or even set the posts on fire if you are using enough juice."

"Well now. You DO sound like you know what you are talking about. Come with me. Both of you." He turned without looking to see if they were following him and went to the back side of the house.

Once they came to a stop spread before them were hundreds of acres of pasture land. Most of it had men digging furrows for planting, which given the time of year Larry knew was useless, but wisely decided to not say anything. On the rest of the land he could see a number of animals. Mainly cattle, but there were a few horses and some smaller animals. Maybe sheep or goats. At that distance he couldn't be sure. The man asked Larry without looking at him.

"How long will it take you to electrify the fence around this?"

"I have no idea."

"You're supposed to be an electrician. Why can't you tell me?"

"There's a number of reasons. First of all, how many acres are we talking about? That determines how much of what I'm going to need in the way of materials. Secondly, are you wanting the fence electrified or a couple of line attached to the fence? If you want the fence electrified, I can tell you right now it would be a waste of time."

"Why?"

"Look over there." Larry pointed. "Do you see how some of those fence posts are wood and others are metal? You can run power though the fence up to those metal posts, but because the post is in the dirt it is just going to ground out whatever power you sent out there."

The man looked closely. While he was no electrician he could see the logic in what Larry had told him. "So what do you recommend?"

"That depends on what you want. If you are having a problem with smaller animals getting into the fields, then a single strand a little above the ground should handle it. If the animals are larger, you'll want to run two or three lines. Depending on what you are having a problem with."

"The problem is man sized."

Larry knew immediately what he meant. "Then three lines. One to keep them from crawling under, one to prevent vaulting over and one to split the difference."

"So how much material are you going to need?"

"You didn't tell me. How many acres?"

"I can't say in acres. The fence is about a mile long on each side."

"I see." Larry's mind was already working on the problem and he could easily see that he and Sean were going to need lots of help. "Sir, let me explain this. One mile is five thousand,two hundred, eighty feet. Now roughly figuring, if the fence posts are ten feet apart, we are going to need nearly five hundred thirty posts per side, to do this right. Then if there is one hundred feet of wire per spool, that works out to about one hundred sixty spools per side. On top of that we will need three insulators per post. That comes to one thousand five hundred ninety insulators per fence line. Multiply all of that by four to do the entire square."

Clearly the man wasn't expecting those kinds of numbers to do what he wanted. But he had his orders. He had to keep the fields safe from thieves. His life depended on it. If those over him wanted it done, then they would have to come up with the materials he decided.

"I'll get what you need. How long to get it done?"

"I'm not finished. I'm going to need a truck to haul all of that, and a crew of men to help out with the labor. That is unless you have a couple of years to waste waiting for my son and I to finish the job."

"Are you sure you will need all of those materials?"

"No. I have to go out and check what we have to work with. As I showed you. Some of those posts have already been replaced. So we can cut back on that, maybe. I also don't know if the former owner of this place had and electric fencing in place when you took over. If he did, that might just cut down on what we need. But i won't know a thing until we go out there and look. That should give you a week or so to start getting in what we are going to need."

"Alright, you and a guard can get started right away. The boy stays here to make sure you come back."

"No Sir. The boy goes with me. He needs to learn the trade. Besides your guard will have a rifle or something. And even if we gave him the slip and tried to run, where could we run too?"

"What are you going to teach him? How to count fence posts?"

"No, Sir. I'm going to be teaching him how to make sure if any of the insulators we find are still any good. Some times they crack and fall to pieces. I'll teach him what to look for when he wants to run lines over a depression in the ground. Things like that."

The head man thought about it for a moment. This man clearly knew what he was talking about. He had offhandedly mentioned things that he hadn't even thought about. And the guard would be armed. If they tried to run, they wouldn't get far.

"Alright, the boy can go. If you need anything to take with you get it now and wait here for the guard."

With that he turned and walked away.

Sue woke with a start in the morning. At first she didn't recognize where she was. Then she remembered the night before, and what had happened. Danny had been so very persuasive. She had been so sure that he was her best, if not only, chance to continue living anything close to a secure life. Still, she felt ashamed of what she had done. There was no proof that Larry wasn't coming back. How could she do this to him? She got out of bed and began to move through the house. She found Danny in the kitchen, fixing breakfast. He looked up at her arrival and spoke to her.

"Hey there sleepy head. I'm almost ready. Take a seat and we'll have something to eat. The coffee is already done. Why don't you get yourself a cup?"

Sue did so, while being only formally polite to Danny. She was at a loss of what to say. After about a half a cup of coffee she found some of the words she wanted.

"Danny. About last night. We were wrong. It shouldn't have happened."

He looked at her. "Sue, you know I didn't force you into anything. And honestly speaking, I was under the impression you enjoyed yourself as much as I did."

She flushed red. "That's not the point. What happened last night shouldn't have. I'm married. For all we know Larry and Sean could come back today. I know I was kind of lost and alone last night. I needed some comfort and you were there. I know it sounds strange, but in a way I really appreciate it. But it can't happen again."

"Sue, I understand what you are saying. But what if they don't come back? Do you really want to give up what you have for that tiny of a hope? Nobody EVER comes back from the farms. I'm sorry. I truly am. But if they don't come back and you tell me to stay away, what will you have left?"

"But Larry is my husband."

"I know, but he is gone and he's not coming back. You have to face that. I'm here and we have a lot of things in common, not to mention something between us. If you tell me to stay away, I will. But if you change your mind later I can't promise I'll still be available. Do you really want to risk that?"

Sue was beside herself. She wanted to believe Larry and Sean would come up the driveway at any moment. But with what she had learned at the church, and then from Danny, she knew it wasn't going to happen. But if Larry was alive, how could she do something like this to him?

"Danny, I need some time. This is all just too much. I have to think."

"I understand. Have something to eat and then go home for awhile. take all the time you need. I'll be here for you when you make up your mind."

"You sound like you already know what I'm going to decide."

"Sue, you and I are practical people. Not like Larry and his holier than thou lifestyle. We recognize facts as facts. The fact is, I'm here. Larry was taken to the farm, and you are alone now. I think you will accept the truth sooner or later. When you do, I'm here. At least for now anyway. But you can't expect me to wait forever."

Sue and Danny ate in silence after that. Once again she was amazed to find out how good of a cook he really was. In the back of her mind one more thing they had in common was chalked up on a mental score board. When she had finished, Sue thanked him for the meal, collected her things and went back to her house. She unlocked the front door and went into the living room. She just dropped her clothes and purse onto the couch and dropped into an easy chair.

She couldn't help but mentally compare her husband and her lover. Lover? Did she really say that? Yes, she admitted to herself, she had. Didn't that mean that even if Larry came home right now she would still see him on the side? No. People make mistakes and this was one of them. If Larry came home, they were still married. She didn't have to keep this going on behind his back. Larry was a good man and didn't deserve that. How could she even think of doing that? But could she tell him about it? And if she did, could he forgive and forget? She spotted his Bible sitting on a table next to the chair. She knew he was always reading that book, even though she was never tempted to pick it up herself. She knew a lot about what happened with Christians. She had heard somewhere that the divorce rate among them was the same as it was in the rest of the population. COULD he forgive?

It would be different if he was the one who needed forgiveness. She expected people to behave in a natural way. Isn't that what she and Danny had done? But these Christians weren't supposed to behave like that. Of course the statistics told a different story. They were just as bad as everyone else. No different at all that she could see. It was then that a disturbing thought came to her mind. What if Larry were no different? What if he was just like the rest of them? After all, it had been a long time since he had even touched her. To be fair she had been upset with him over taking Sean to that place and didn't really feel like doing anything with him. But he was still a man.

What if he was just like other men? Since he often went to the church alone, who was to say he actually went to the church? Every time she had refused him, he SAID that as a Christian he wouldn't force her to do anything and would honor her choice. Hadn't Danny said the same thing? Maybe there was some other woman who would be glad to be with him. He was a good looking man and one that people respected. She could easily see how another woman might be willing to be with him. The fact that he and Danny said the same things didn't help her at all.

Sue picked up The Bible and stared at it for a long time. Finally she came to her decision. She spoke aloud to the book saying,

"You're no different than the rest of us. You just put on a show to make yourself look better, but you are just the same. I don't need you."

She threw The Bible across the room with all her might. It slammed into the wall and fell open. For some reason stopped to look at where it had fallen open and for the first time read something written there. The passage read,

Pro 25:19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble [is like] a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

To her it was simply conformation of what she had been thinking about Larry. She no longer cared if he came back or not. She left the living room to pick up a few more things and head back next door. Besides, Danny was right. Nobody ever came back from those farms.

[day late]

Chapter Ten

Larry and Sean spent the rest of the day walking along the fence line, checking things. Their guard was alert and watched them constantly, but was relaxed enough to allow them to occasionally walk off into the brush to go to the bath room. But only one at a time. And when he and Larry were the ones alone together he never got very close to Larry. That was fine by him. He didn't feel like becoming very friendly with a man who held a rifle on either him or Sean. He also made sure that the work progressed slowly. Checking each post for signs of decay on the wooden ones and signs of rust on the metal. He also made sure that Sean learned about the insulators on the fence line. It turned out the former owner of the property did indeed have a single line running around the upper most portions of the fence to keep the cattle he was raising from breaking through the fence and wandering off.

It was clear that the fence was in a bad state of repair, but Larry didn't feel it wise to let the man in charge of the farm now, to know that much of the damage to the insulators was done on purpose. He simply pointed out to his son how the insulation was ineffective and would have to be replaced. It took most of the day for the three of them to cover almost the entire east side of the fence line. Once they returned Larry and Sean went to get their evening meal, only to be interrupted by one of the section leaders telling them to report to the man in charge of the farm.

Larry knew what to expect, and Sean quickly followed his fathers lead. When they got up to go to the commander, they both took their food with them. They didn't believe they would have anything left by the time they returned. Plate in hand, they walked into the commanders office inside the main house.

"What are you doing? I said I wanted to speak to you. I don't expect you to come in here feeding your face. Put that down."

"Sir, I apologize for this. We just didn't have a chance to eat yet and there isn't much chance the kitchen will still be open by the time we are done."

"I don't care. That's your problem. I need to know what happened out on the fence line today. Why didn't you report to me as soon as you got back?"

Larry put down the plate, followed by Sean, and spoke to him. "I'm sorry Sir. No one told us that we were supposed to report to you every day. I was given to believe you wanted a report when we were finished."

"I want regular reports. What have you done, what are you planning on doing, everything. So, REPORT."

"Yes Sir. But I have to ask, how regular? So far we have gotten most of the way down the east side of the fence line. I've found that about half of those posts were replaced by the previous owner of the property. However a number of them should be replaced in the near future. The wood is quite old and beginning to rot."

"So that means we can reduce the number of posts requested by fifty percent."

"No Sir. That means we can reduce the number of posts on that side by forty percent, at this time. We still haven't checked the entire east side. If we assume that what we have found is true for the whole thing, then you can reduce the request by that much. But I'm not saying that. I haven't checked everything yet, so I'm not ready to lie to you and tell you that."

"What about the electrified fence? What have you found out about that?"

"It seems that at one time the fence had one line on it. It's high enough off the ground it must have been for cattle. To keep them from breaking through the fence and wandering off. From what we've seen so far the line is still good, but a lot of the insulators are either damaged or missing. So far, it's looking like we can reduce the number of insulators and posts we are going to need. And with that one line still up and more or less intact, we will be able to reduce the amount of wire by a third. But at this point, it's just a guess."

"You aren't supposed to guess. You are supposed to know."

"When we finish the survey, then we will know. Until then it's only an estimation. That's the best I can do at this time. If you have someone who can do better, I suggest you get them out here."

Larry knew he was really pushing his luck by talking as he had been. But he also had noticed that up to this point he seemed to be the local expert. That gave him some leverage and he decided to use it at every opportunity to gain every edge he could. So far there was no one to challenge his authority, he planned to make the best of it.

The head man looked at him disgustedly. He didn't like being talked to in this manner. He did recognize that to make good decisions, accurate information was required.

"Alright. How long is it going to take for you to complete the survey?"

"We should be done by the end of the week. You must understand that every post must be checked. Once we have done that, then we will know exactly what will be required for the job."

"Can you make an estimation of what you will need?"

"Yes Sir. I can. But may I make a suggestion?"

"What would that be?"

"Sir, you obviously aren't going to get everything at one time. Mainly because you don't know what you will need, until the survey is done. So I would suggest that you inform your superiors that the survey is underway but not complete, and that at this point you need these materials for certain. Whatever they may be. As the survey continues you can request more materials as needed."

The farm commander looked pleased.

"That's not a bad idea. Alright. You keep on doing the survey. Make sure it is done by the end of the week. I will start getting the necessary items here for you to finish the work as soon as possible. How long before you can finish the job?"

"Sir, if it is just my son and myself, a couple of years. If I can get a crew to help me do the job, a month, or maybe a bit less."

"How many men will you need to get this done as soon as you can?"

"I think a ten man crew and a truck, with a driver, to haul what we need should be enough."

"When will you need them?"

"After we finish the survey. Say the beginning of next week."

"Alright. You get back to work at first light tomorrow. I'll have the men for you by next Tuesday."

"Thank you, Sir." Larry paused for a moment. "Sir? If I might ask one thing."

"What is it?"

"Sir, by the time we will get finished each day it is going to be late. May I ask that the kitchen remain open until my men and I have a chance to eat?"

The man smiled. "I am sure that can be arranged."

"Thank you, Sir."

Early the next morning Larry and Sean, along with their guard were once again checking the fence line. They continued to find wooden posts the absolutely had to be replaced, but Larry claimed that many of them, which were still in good shape, had to be replaced. His thought was that since the commander had said the his problem was 'man sized' he wanted to give those men as much of a chance as he could. It was on the third day of checking the line that he was contacted. For once it was the guard who had to go to the bathroom while he and Sean were working. An unknown voice came to him out of the brush where it came near the fence.

"What are you doing?" It asked.

"Staying alive." Larry answered without looking up.

"Yeah. Okay. But what are you doing?"

"They want me to make this fence line electrified. They don't want anything taken from these fields. So who are you?"

"I used to work these fields. I don't like the idea that somebody else is working them and sending the stuff overseas."

"Neither do I. But I can't do anything about it. And you need to know something."

"What's that?"

"I think they plan on running enough power through the lines to fry anything that touches it."

"Maybe you can leave an open space in the fence."

"Maybe. But that would take some doing."

"Think about it."

"I will. Quiet! The guard is coming."

Larry never heard the man who spoke to him come or leave, but by the time the guard returned everything was normal. But just in case he might have heard anything Larry said,

"I think this one will be alright for awhile, Son. Let's check the next one."

Sean walked with his father to the next post, which was only one short of the corner of the field. He decided to not ask any questions about the brief conversation between his father and the unseen man.

"About time you finally got here." The guard said to them. "I hope it isn't going to take as long to get the rest of this done. I've got plans for the rest of my life."

"It's going to take as long as it takes. You want it done right, don't you? Besides, from what I hear I'm going to be here for the rest of my life."

"So how long do you want that life to be? Or your boy's life for that matter?"

"As long as possible, of course. But how long do you want yours to be?"

"I'm the guard. You're the inmate here. What are you talking about?" He said with a sneer.

"Just this. If you rush me to get this done and it isn't right, you know as well as I do that your boss will hold BOTH of us responsible. So do you want to let me do my job or keep interfering?"

The guard clearly hadn't considered the possibility that he might be in trouble if anything went wrong. He didn't like the idea.

"Just get it done."

"That's what I'm trying to do. Come on, Son. Let's check the corner post."

Larry had noticed how his words had shaken up the guard. It looked like they were not treated much better than the men who had been drafted to work on the farm. That just might give him an advantage at some point.

They continued the inspection for the next few days and finally reported in to the commander. Together they entered the main house and went to see him.

"Sir. I'm ready with my final report on the inspection."

"So, let me have it."

"Yes, Sir. As you suspected the total amount of materials can be reduced by one third. Most of the posts out there are in good shape and can still be used. The single strand of electrified wire has a couple of breaks in it from fallen tree branches. This can be easily repaired and there is no need to replace the entire thing. Most of the insulators on that line are still in good condition and have a lot of life left in them. All in all, I'd say you've pretty well nailed it, Sir. Total materials needed to do what you want can be reduced by one third over the original estimate."

He smiled at the commander. In truth, Larry felt like he should throw up by buttering up to the man who was holding them captive. But he also knew that staying on this man's good side would put him and Sean back out in the field and give them a chance to slip away. If he had you do this to have that chance, then so be it.

"Very well. I knew it couldn't be as bad as you thought at first. This was a working farm for a long time before we were given the job. Now we will improve on what they have done in the past." He smiled broadly, believing his own self promotions. "You should listen to me more often and not be such a pessimist."

"I certainly should have paid more attention, Sir."

"Well start paying attention now. I've put together a ten man crew to help you get the fence problem taken care of. The materials have begun to arrive and will be taken out into the fields as you need them by the pick up truck that was here when we took over." He smiled at himself again. "The materials we ordered were exactly one third less than what you first suggested, by the way. I am not going to allow you to keep the truck out there in the field. What materials you need will be ferried out each day. I'm not so stupid as to let you have a vehicle you could use to run away."

"Sir, I wouldn't try to run away. Obviously, with you in charge I wouldn't get far. Then what would happen to my son if I didn't make it back?"

The commanders smile broke into a toothy grin. "Clever man. It wouldn't go well for the boy, I assure you. Now on with business. Where do you plan on starting? We can have the first load of materials out there by first light so there is no further delay."

"Sir, It seems to me that the corner of the property that is closest to the house is the best place to start. From there it will be a simple matter of just following the line until we get all the way around. Also it will be the easiest to connect the power to when you are ready to do it."

"That seems reasonable. Is there anything else you need?"

"Well Sir, it isn't exactly a need, but it would be of great value to you and me."

"What's that? I've already promised to keep the kitchen going until you eat. What more do you want?"

"Sir, it's not like that. Obviously there are going to be guards watching me and the crew working with me. I would like to ask that the man who was watching me to begin with be placed in charge of those guards."

"Why do you want that?"

"While we were doing the survey, that man asked a lot of questions and they were always the right questions. More importantly he seemed to understand the answers. Since he already knows what we will be doing and why, that will make things easier when the work actually starts. For example, he can let the other guards know why someone has to stand outside the fence line to help pull the wire tight, while we are stringing it. That will help the work progress smoothly and a little more quickly."

The commander thought about it for a moment. When he spoke again it wasn't what Larry had thought he would say.

"Do you know why that man was picked to keep an eye on you?"

"No, Sir."

"I've known him for quite a while now. He has always proved himself to be trustworthy and reliable. I think he deserves a chance to take on more responsibility and perhaps get a promotion. Very well. He will be in charge of the guard detachment. You will report to him and he will report to me. But I want you to understand something. If anything goes wrong, it is going to be your head on the chopping block. Not his."

"Sir, I never thought anything different."

"Very well. Report to the supply shed. Tell the man there what you need and where to have it delivered. You begin first thing in the morning. Your work crew will be waiting for you."

"Yes Sir. Thank you Sir."

Larry left the meeting. Unknown to him, both men were feeling pleased by it's outcome. The commander was pleased that this electrician knew his place and treated him with the proper respect. He always deferred to the commander and admitted when he was wrong and the commander was right. He enjoyed having his ego stroked like that.

Larry was pleased because he had finally proved to himself that the commander was a person that was overly confident in himself. He bought the line about the guard that had been watching he and Sean. Largely because of Larry's compliments to the man. In truth he had asked many questions, and Larry had entertained himself by filling the man with tons of misinformation and outright lies, but the guard had never caught on to what was happening. It was only later that Larry realized that such a person could be fooled without much of a problem and give he and Sean the chance he had been looking for.

In the weeks the followed the disappearance of Larry and Sean, Sue had spent a great deal of time worrying about them and their fate. At the same time she and Danny had more or less set up house together. Danny wasn't pleased by the concerns that Sue was always talking about, but he waited. He knew that in time she would think of them less and less. Soon enough she wouldn't even mention them any more. After that she would be totally his and that was worth waiting for. In any account the two of them together were having a better time of it than they ever had when Larry was around.

Sue never told the people at the disbursement center that her husband and son were missing. So she continued to receive an allotment for three people. Danny having never been married got his allotment for one. The result was they had far more than they needed and lived a good life, considering the situation. With more food and other supplies than they needed, Danny was able to make trades with other people for the things they wanted. They soon had a very comfortable lifestyle and every prospect of continuing it into the future. Sue would go to the center once a week and collect everything she could get. She had long known that by playing the game just right, she could get more of what she wanted without giving up anything. Or at the very least she could get the best of what was available to them. It worked out well in their favor.

One thing she didn't notice was that her once a week trips to the center had attracted attention. Not that she was in trouble, but she was a beautiful woman, even without make up. The soldiers guarding the center couldn't help but notice that as well. Her trips there made them want more than what she was willing to give, not that it mattered to them. They would take want they wanted and not care what these Americans had to say about it. Their main problem was they had to stay at their posts. They didn't know where this woman lived. But it was only a matter of time before they found out. Then the games could begin.

It was during this time that an event that would effect everyone involved came to pass. Without warning the fault line known as the New Madrid let loose. The shaking was felt hundreds, if not thousands of miles away. Sue and Danny had been at home in bed when it began. The entire house shook and things crashed from shelves and the walls to the floor. They were both reasonably frightened by the event, but with everything crashing down around them, they remained in bed and each others arms during the event.

Larry was shaken out of his bunk by the earthquake. Once he hit the floor, he looked up and found that Sean was already there. The two of them hundled together until the quake was over. It was as they laid there listening to the crys of men trapped in fallen buildings all around them, Sean spoke.

"Dad? How bad do you think that was?"

"I don't know, Son. I guess we are going to have to wait for first light to find out."

[day late]

Chapter Eleven

By the morning after the great New Madrid earthquake, everything was in chaos. Cities which once stood tall and proud where now nothing more than crumbling and smoking ruin. All of the towns and cities which once stood next to the Mississippi River were now either gone or underwater. As the Great Lakes began to drain into the Gulf of Mexico the river widened unbelievably. The war in America which had gone largely unnoticed by the people in that portion of the country up to this point, became amazing front page news as they reported how the invading armies along the river had been mostly wiped out as a result of the quake. Being in the bread basket of the country, they had been largely immune to attack. Both sides in the war wanted to save this part of the country for their own purposes.

But along the river, millions were now dead or missing. Many of them were members of the invading forces. But nearly half of them were residents of the areas within five miles of the river. It was now that the real face of the 'peace keepers' began to show. Before this they had used the pretense of enforcing the law and maintaining order. But secretly they had been supplying information to the Russians, Chinese, Mexican and Cuban military forces invading America. Now it looked to them as if any reward they had expected to get for their service was in danger, since there was no longer a guarantee that their allies would win the war. On top of that they were not as powerful as they had once been. Just before the war had started, many of them had been pulled out to save them from the attack. They knew that if they were to maintain control in this new situation, they would have to use more extreme measures.

They did have one advantage. With so much of the country in distress, they began to simply take what they wanted. The problem was made worse for the American population by the fact they were being ordered by what government now survived to comply with the foreigners since every available military and law enforcement person was either engaged in fighting on all fronts, or doing what could be done to assist those who had lived through the earthquake. Oddly enough they believed that the excuse would work. Strangely, it did work with many people. They accepted that the situation was dire and more sacrifice would be required if America was to have any chance of making it through this. They still believed that one day things would return to normal.

The 'peace keepers' took full advantage of the situation. Many people who once felt safe walking down the street with them on duty, now eyed them with suspicion at first. Things that happened did so at night, so there was no proof who was doing what. But they did wonder why if these men were here to help and protect them.

Sue learned about the problems the day after the earthquake. She and Danny had remained in bed that night. Danny had told her that there was little point in going outside since he wouldn't be able to access any damage until daylight. Also with everything that must be going on right at that moment, he was convinced that the foreign troops would have been called out in force to maintain order and insure compliance with the curfew order, earthquake or not. She thought he was probably right and less than half an hour later the sound of gunshots reached them in the night.

"Danny. Those shots were close."

"Yeah. Maybe a block or so away. Why?"

"They usually tell someone to surrender before they start shooting. I didn't hear that this time. Do you think it was the 'peace keepers' or someone else?"

"Unless someone has gotten their hands on automatic weapons, that was them alright."

"But they didn't warn them."

"I know. That's why I don't want to go outside and check for damage right now." He pulled her tighter to him. "Try and get back to sleep. I'm sure whoever it was tried to do something stupid and paid the price for it. So let's not be stupid."

They both tried to go back to sleep, but between the occasional aftershock and the even more occasional gunshots, it was almost impossible to do. Both of them were exhausted by the time the sun came up and they could get outside to check for damage.

Danny's home wasn't doing too badly. Some boards had been shaken loose on the outside walls. The fence around his back yard was still mostly standing, even though it did lean very badly in a few places. A check of the home once used by Larry, Sue and Sean, now both boarded and locked up, showed no signs of damage at all. After a complete inspection of both places Danny came to Sue with a request.

"Honey, do you feel up to going down to the disbursement center?"

"I can manage it. Why?"

"I want to get these loose boards back up and I don't have any nails. Could you go down there and get some six penny nails for me? One box should be more than enough."

"Alright. But why don't you go, since you know what you need?"

"Have you noticed some of these people wandering the streets? I don't think I would trust them to stay away from here if I go. But you will be in the car, going both ways. You should be safe enough. And I wouldn't like the idea of leaving you here by yourself." He smiled at her. "Besides, with those legs of yours, you can always get a better deal than I can."

She smiled back at him. While Larry had never starved her for affection, there was something about Danny's crude compliments that pleased her. Larry had always been a gentleman, but she enjoyed knowing that Danny saw her that way. And he was right about one thing. She would be safe in the car with the doors locked nobody could get in. For the most part she didn't plan on stopping anywhere. But even if she had to, if someone tried to get into the car she could always hit reverse and get out of there. If someone happened to be standing behind her, she hoped they were quick enough to get out of the way.

"I see. Okay, I'll go. But you be careful while I'm gone."

"Careful as I can be."

The trip to the center was uneventful, but surprising. No one tried to stop her, but there were times she had to go a different way than she usually took. Sometimes buildings the were of older construction had collapsed in the earthquake and their remains now blocked her path. In two other instances the route was blocked by fire fighting equipment as they tried to bring fires caused by the quake under control. It took much longer than she thought it would, but she eventually found herself at the center. Everything that a person needed or wanted was there. Food, clothing, tools, or anything else was somewhere inside the building. All she needed was a box of what Danny had called six penny nails. Certainly that shouldn't be too hard to find. They had an entire section dedicated to just the purpose of working on your own home.

Sue was wrong. She hadn't considered that since the earthquake some of the people who worked there might not show up for work, being busy with other things. Inside the center, without the usual people to keep things orderly it was a mad house. People were running everywhere trying to get what they either needed or thought they needed. Twice she had to work her way around the crowds surrounding two people fighting over something or other, just to get to the section she needed.

There were actually very few people in that area which made moving through the center easier. That is where she found she had made a second mistake. There wasn't anyone there to help her find the nails that Danny had asked for.

"Excuse me Ma'am. You seem a bit lost. Can I help you find something?"

Sue looked over at the man who had spoken. He wasn't a worker at the center, but he seemed pleasant enough.

"My husband said he needs some six penny nails to fix some of the damage to our house. I'm afraid I don't have the first idea where to look. I was reading labels on these boxes trying to figure it out."

"Six penny? They are right here." He reached out and picked up a box holding a hundred nails. "Do you think that will be enough?"

Sue looked at him. He reminded her of Larry. Not that he looked like him, he didn't. It was just that helpful attitude that Larry had said all true Christians had.

"He said it should be. Thank you very much."

"My pleasure. Take care out there and God bless." He turned and walked away before she could say a thing.

Sue worked her way back to the check out area where her card for the center would be scanned. She noticed that while one of the fights had ended, one was still going on and two more had started. She could see no sign of anyone willing to put an end to them and decided to avoid being caught up in them. Once she had reached the check out area she showed her product and her card. The clerk seemed totally disinterested in the nails, but took the card and swiped it through the register. Nothing happened. He tried it again. Still nothing.

"This stupid thing." He said to no one in particular. "That quake has really screwed up everything." He looked at the box, and for the first time at Sue. Then he looked her up and down. Finally he spoke again. "I guess this isn't something they are going to miss. Just take it and go."

Sue thanked him and went out the front door. Considering the fighting going on inside, she was surprised to find a number of guards standing there. Well, she had what she needed and decided to just go to the car and get home to Danny before anything could go wrong.

"Please Miss. Let me help you." The voice came from behind her.

Sue looked around and found the same young soldier that had tried to be so helpful before.

"Thank you. But this isn't much. I'll be fine."

She again headed for her car.

"Miss. Please. Things out there so good are not. We are told to help people to their house get. Let me help you."

She smiled at his broken English and youthful helpfulness.

"I'll be fine. I only have to get around a couple of fires and then I'll be home."

"You must pass fires? Then we must help you. Commander order it. Please Miss. Not get me into trouble. Let me help you."

"Well, I guess we can't have you getting into trouble because of me. Do you have a car?"

"Yes Miss. We have vehicle. You here stay. I be back."

He nearly ran away to find the vehicle he had spoken of. Sue did as he asked and waited for him to return. When he did, she got in the car and began to drive to the house. Twice during the trip the men in the military vehicle pulled out in front of her to clear the way through the areas where the buildings were still burning, then they once again allowed her to take the lead.

It wasn't long at all until Sue pulled into the driveway of Danny's house. He had heard her pull into the driveway, thanks to that annoying squeak in the front end of the car, and came out to meet her. The soldiers were clearly somewhat surprised to see him, and while they had started to get out of the vehicle, they stopped and returned to their seats. Danny waved to them in a friendly fashion and went to Sue.

"I knew you'd get a good deal, but an armed escort? That's something else."

"They said they had too because of a couple of fires between here and the center."

Sue also turned and waved to them. One of the men waved back and then they pulled away to resume their duties.

"I'm just glad you're safe and sound. Did you get the nails?"

"Right here." She told him and handed him the box from the front seat.

"That's great. Hey, do you think you could find something for lunch? I'm about starved."

"Give me a few minutes. Then I'll fill that hollow leg of yours."

"Sounds good to me, sexy legs."

Danny spent the rest of the day getting the walls to his house patched up and put back together. He even made some serious progress towards getting the sagging fence back to what it should be. He was tired at the end of the day, but pleased with himself by what he had accomplished. The two of them sat down to a rather lavish meal as a celebration for having survived the earthquake with so little damage. True, Danny had salvaged quite a bit of his materials from homes that had been abandoned or their owners taken away by the foreign troops. But to his mind it was as Darwin had said. It was simply a matter of survival of the fittest. If he hadn't taken the materials, someone else would have. He was just faster and smarter than the rest. That was their problem, not his.

They decided that because there was little else they could do today they would make an early evening of it and go to bed. Only to continue their celebrations of just being alive there. They had been in bed about fifteen minutes when the knock came on the door.

A knock wasn't the right way to put it. Someone was pounding on the front door, very forcefully. Then they heard a loud angry voice ordering them.

"In the name of the government. OPEN THIS DOOR."

"What's this all about?" Sue asked.

"I have no idea. You stay here." Danny got up and quickly slipped on a pair of pants. He moved to the door shouting as he went.

"I'm coming. I'm coming. Wait a minute."

The pounding stopped and from where she was Sue could here Danny unlock the door. She heard voices. Some of them were loud and angry, but she couldn't make out what was being said. Then she heard the sound of men fighting. She didn't have the first idea of what was happening. When she heard the shot, she became truly frightened. Why would these men shoot Danny? He hadn't done anything wrong. He wouldn't do anything wrong. He had always treated her well. She was still in bed when the first soldier came through the door. She screamed at him and started to get up to run. He grabbed her and threw her back onto the bed. When she started to struggle he slammed a fist into the side of her head. She saw stars and fell back, all the fight gone out of her.

Once her head cleared enough for her to realize what was happening to her, Sue again started to struggle. Once more, she was knocked nearly unconscious. Sue didn't know how long the assault on her took. She didn't know how many men had abused her. She only knew that it seemed like every time she looked up, there was a different face in front of her. Finally she was left alone briefly. Her entire body hurt. While she couldn't be certain, judging by the pain, at least one of them had abused her in an unnatural way. She knew what had been done to her and didn't want anything more of it to happen to her. Anything was better than this. Alone in the bedroom she reached for the drawer on the night stand next to the bed. Opening it, she found Larry's pistol. Before the next man could come in, she used it on herself. It was only then that they left her alone.


"Come on Son. Time to get up."

"I don't want to go to school."

"That's the least of our problems. Come on. Up and at them."

"But DAD. We had an earthquake last night. They can't really expect us to go out and work today."

"Sean, that's exactly what they expect. Someone has to clean up the mess. In their minds, that's our job. Let's go."

Sean groaned and rolled out of his bunk. He really didn't feel up to a days worth of work after the shaking they had, had all night long. Nobody had gotten a decent nights sleep. Why couldn't they put all this off for at least a couple of hours and let a person get some rest? Still, because his father asked it, he crawled out of his bunk and got dressed. Before long he and his father were waiting in line for their morning meal. It was, what he considered, the usual slop. Not fit for human consumption, but better than nothing. That was it's only recommendation.

After eating, or choking down Sean thought, the morning meal the two of them started to head towards the corner of the fence line where they had first started. As promised there was a pile of materials and a ten man crew waiting for them. Larry gave a brief description of what was going to be required of them and then went on to to say.

"Men. We have to get this wire up and ready to go. Some of these fence posts have fallen down because of the earthquke. Now I don't want any of you to hurry this job. I want it done right. If that means you need to take a little longer to get it done, then so be it. Besides. You can be working with me, or working in the fields. Which one do you want?"

The men all agreed that working on the fence was better than working in the fields. Even though the earthquake had done damage to the standing posts, it was a small matter to reset the posts or replace them. The work progressed well the first day. As they reached the far end of the line, Larry once again heard a voice coming from the brush.

"You're still here."

"Yeah I am. I still have to stay alive. What about you?"

"I'm staying alive. You think we can work together?"

"Maybe. I'm interested in that. Especially when it concerns my son."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning neither one of us wants to be here. We'd like nothing more than to check out of this hotel."

"That can be arranged. But have you thought about what will happen if you get caught?"

"I don't think they'll even try to catch us. They'll just kill us."

"So you have thought about it. Alright. Down the line. You see where the brush comes really close to the fence?"

"I see it."

"When you get there, make a break for it. We'll cover you."

"We?"

"Don't ask."

"Got you. We'll be there in a few minutes."

"Right. Good luck."

Larry and Sean worked their way to the appointed spot, checking posts as they went. They got to the post closest to the brush when they heard a guards voice.

"HEY! You two. Get back here. I don't like you being so far away."

Larry looked up and waved at him. Then he said to his son. "That's just too bad. HIT IT!"

The two made a dash for the brush. Just as they reached it shots rang out and they could hear men running in their direction. Then from around them there were more shots and two of the guards went down. They never saw who fired them. They didn't really care. They were just grateful for them. They just kept moving deeper into the brush.

[day late]

Chapter Twelve

Larry and Sean kept moving though the bushes as the gunfire began to quiet down. They had made about fifty yards when Sean called to his father.

"Dad, I've got to stop."

"Son, we need to keep moving if we're going to get away." He looked at Sean. He was shocked to see that his face was almost white.

"I can't."

With that Sean fell forward onto his face. His back was covered in blood. Larry jumped to Sean's side. He was at a total loss for what to do. He had never faced something like this before. He was trying to figure out what to do when a man came crashing through the brush.

"Come on. We've got to move. We slowed them down some, but they won't wait forever."

"My son is hit."

The man looked down and dropped to his knees on the other side of the limp figure. Reaching out he ripped the back of the boys shirt open and examined the wound. A bullet had cut a furrow across Sean's back, leaving a very bloody wound, but it wasn't deep or serious.

"Pick him up and get moving. We'll see the doc when we get to camp."

Then he was on his feet again and starting to head off through the woods.

"Hold on. Let me get him up." Larry called after him. At first he started to cradle him as he did when Sean was much smaller. Then he realized that wouldn't do under these circumstances. He pulled the boy onto his back and then began to run after the unidentified man. Without his hands and arms to help, the branches and twigs lashed at his face but he didn't care. What was a few scratches compared with Sean's life?

They continued to move as quickly as possible through the woods. With the extra load, Larry was becoming winded, but kept moving. Suddenly, at one point his guide stopped and signaled Larry to squat down. At first he thought he was being given a breather, but it wasn't true. The man was peering through a bush in front of him and paid no attention to Larry or Sean. After a few quick moments he spoke over his shoulder.

"The road's clear. Let's go."

He was off again, moving at a trot to cross the road as fast as he could. Larry was surprised because he didn't even know the road was there. He shifted the weight of his son into a more comfortable position and got across the road as quickly as he could. It took another half an hour before Larry asked a question about something he noticed during the forced march.

"How many times are we going to go in a circle before we get to where ever you are taking us?"

The guide looked back at him.

"What makes you think we are?"

"When we left the farm we were headed east. Since then I've had the sun shining over my shoulder at least four times."

"Very good. Most people either take longer to see it, or never notice at all. To answer your question, none. With your boy bleeding I decided to to cut it short. We're here."

He pulled aside some brush and the men entered a well hidden clearing. Larry saw there were several shelters around the edges, all made of natural materials and nearly invisible even at close range. The guide lead Larry to one of the larger shelters and entered without any warning to it's occupants.

"DOC. You've got a customer out here."

A middle aged man came into the room. His movements were quick and precise, yet unhurried. He took a look at Larry and immediately noticed Sean on his back.

"Bring the boy over here to the table." He ordered and Larry did so. He laid him down gently on his face and tried to arrange him comfortably.

"What happened?"

"Shot while attempting to escape." The guide offered.

"I see. Who are you?"

"I'm his father."

"Well father, it looks like you and the boy are fortunate. He was just grazed. Does he have any allergies or conditions I should know about?"

"Only an aversion to homework."

The doctor smiled. "I guess we can just forget about that one. Alright, I'm going to give him something for pain and then we'll see about closing that wound. I need you to make sure he doesn't move while I'm working. He might come out of it and get scared. Having you here will calm him. Do you have a problem with blood?"

"I'm fine Doctor."

"I meant his blood."

"Oh. Sorry. I just want you to stop him from bleeding to death."

"Little danger of that. Actually most of the bleeding has stopped on it's own. I think we just need to close this and keep him out of trouble for awhile. Here we go."

Just as Larry had noticed before, the doctors movements were sure and certain. He made no unnecessary moves and lost no time in his work. Soon Sean's wound was sewn shut, his back cleaned and covered with antibacterial cream and the doctor was applying a bandage. It was then that Sean finally woke.

"Dad?"

"I'm here son. Stay still. You've been hurt."

"My back feels funny. It's kind of numb."

"That's what the doctor gave you so he could work on you."

"Oh. Dad? Am I going to live?"

"You're going to be fine, Son. Now just stay still and try to rest."

"Sure Dad. I'm kind of tired anyway. You're going to be here when I wake up, right."

"If I'm not, I won't be far away. You just give a shout and I'll be here."

"Okay. Thanks Dad."

Larry and the doctor walked out of the room and left Sean to his rest.

"You know, I think you can tell a lot about a person by their kids. That's quite a son you have there. He took it all in stride." The doctor commented. "I'm Mac, by the way. I didn't get your name."

"I'm Larry. My son is Sean. And thanks, I'm very proud of him. I thank God for him every day."

Mac glanced at Larry, but made no comment about his statement.

"So what now, Larry? I know you must have come from the farm. That's how most of these people have gotten here."

"To tell you the truth, I haven't had a chance to even think about it yet. I'm completely in the dark about what The Lord would have me to do."

"That's the second time you've mentioned God since we left your son. I take it you are a Christian."

"Yes. We both are. Why?"

"Oh, it just adds another piece to a theory I'm working on. You see everyone here is a Christian or ready to become one. I think The Lord is setting this place up as one of His places of refuge for His people."

"So you think we are in the end times too?"

"I do. By the way, speaking of being in the dark, it's fortunate that you two showed up when you did. I hate having to work with flash lights and a camp lantern."

Larry was puzzled. "Excuse me, Mac. I saw lights back there in your 'office', if you care to call it that. Why wouldn't you use those?"

"Lights we have. Power we don't. I'm no expert in such things, but our generator quit working a few days ago. Nobody can figure it out. The engine runs but there isn't any juice coming down the line."

Larry stopped and said, "Where is it? Maybe I can do something."

"You know about that kind of thing?"

"I'm an electrician. Maybe I can do something. It depends on what's wrong."

Mac Stared at Larry for a long moment. Then he said, "Another piece falls into place." He looked around and called out loudly. "DONALD. I need you over here."

Before Larry had a chance to wonder what was going on, the man who had guided him to this place was standing in front of the doctor.

"What do you need, Mac? This fellow giving you trouble?"

"No, but I think he can give us some help. This is Larry. Take him to the generator. He thinks he might be able to do something with it."

"Sure thing, Doc." He turned to Larry. "Come with me."

As they headed for a different portion of the camp Larry decided to get as much information as he could.

"So, what's wrong with the generator? The Doctor tells me it runs but it doesn't put out any power."

"That's about the size of it. The engine works fine, but nothing comes out."

"Have you checked the circuit breakers?"

Donald nodded his head. "Yep. Checked the lines running to the outlets on the thing as well. Nothing wrong there. The problem is inside somewhere."

"Well, do we have any tools?"

"A few. I hope they are what you need."

"That depends on what's wrong."

"Here she is." Donald declared with a wave of his hand.

The generator was relatively small. It was only 5,000 watts, but was more than enough to handle the needs of a camp like this. He set to work looking over everything before reaching for any tools. Once he decided that the problem wasn't external he grabbed a few hand tools and set to work taking the housing which covered the armature off of the the machine. He carefully checked the connections there and found no problems. Next he removed the armature it's self. After a careful inspection he announced his findings.

"Here's your problem. The solder joint on the winding of the armature is bad. It looks like someone wasn't very careful when they put this thing together at the factory."

"Can you fix it?"

"Maybe. Let me have a look at your supplies."

Donald showed Larry what few supplies they had, but he was pleased to find what he needed at first. Then a problem came to his mind.

"I might be able to do something with this. Tell me. Can you make me a fire. I mean a really hot one."

"Sure. We can make them hotter than you can stand. Why?"

"You have the solder I need to fix that connection. You even have a soldering iron. The problem is that the iron works on electricity. I'm going to need a fire hot enough to melt that solder and fix the connection."

"Not a problem." Donald turned and shouted. "Jimmy! Irene! I need you all over here."

Shortly a couple was standing in front of them.

"Guys, Larry here says he can fix that generator, but to do it he needs a hot fire. I want you all to make one."

Irene looked at Larry. "How hot?"

"Blue hot if you can do it."

"We can do it. We pulled out some coal from the farm houses before those murdering slave masters took over. It'll take about an hour. Are you good with that?"

"Looks like I have to be."

"Then we'll get started. Come on Jimmy. Let's make some sparks."

Before long a large metal bowl was sitting near the generator and a fire started. As it got hotter, lumps of coal were added and a billows was used to increase the heat. In a little less than an hour, Jimmy was bare chested and Irene nearly so, from the intense heat.

"Think that will do it for you?" Irene asked.

"That should do fine. Thanks."

Larry opened a small container filled with a paste like material and began to put very small amounts of it on the armature. Watching him, Donald had to ask.

"What's that?"

"It's called flux. It helps the melted solder go exactly where I want it to go. I just have to be careful to not use too much and ruin everything."

"Then I'm going to stay out of your way."

Larry got a small piece of low temperature melting solder and placed it on top of the flux. Then he took a steel rod and put it into the hottest part of the fire. As he waited for it to heat up, he signaled Jimmy and Irene and they again used the billows to increase the heat. Larry picked up a pair of pliers and once the steel was about ready to melt, he picked it up and applied it to the solder. He was rewarded with a sizzling sound as the solder melted and followed the path made by the flux and it flowed smoothly into the exact areas he wanted it to go. He removed the rod and the solder at once solidified, yet remained extremely hot.

"That should do it." Larry said. "Now we let it cool, smooth it down a bit and put everything back together. Thanks for your help, you two."

"Pleasure." Jimmy said. Larry realized it was the first time he'd heard him speak.

It didn't take long for the solder to cool. Larry then used a pocket knife to scrape off the rough edges and make certain the solder wouldn't come into contact with the housing once the armature was reinstalled. Within an hour everything was reassembled. Larry unplugged all of the cords attached to the generator and started the engine. One at a time he plugged the cords back into the generator and was rewarded by lights coming on all over the camp. The last one even offered him some music as a radio came to life. A cheer went up from the entire camp.

"Looks like we got it right." He told Donald.

"Thank The Good Lord for that. And you too, if you know what I mean."

"I do. No offense taken. Now I want to check on my son."

"I'll take you."

As the men made their way across the camp, people came up to them. They shook Larry's hand and clapped him on the back with many thanks for his efforts. Larry also noticed that while people were glad for the power, they weren't wasting it. Almost as soon as they had come on, lights were turned off again. being the middle of the day there was no point in using up gas on lights that didn't need to be on.

Larry entered the doctors shelter and found Sean resting on one elbow. He smiled as his father came in.

"Sounds like you made some friends today."

"So it would seem. How are you doing Son? Are you feeling alright?"

"It hurts a little, but Julie is here to keep me company."

"Julie?"

"That's my daughter." Mac said.

"Really. Sean is there anything you want to tell me?"

"DAD! It's not like that."

"I believe him, Larry."

"You do?"

"Yes. First of all I trust my daughter. Secondly if he tried anything he shouldn't have, all she would have to do is pat him on the back and he would lose all interest in anything else."

"Well, he has always made me proud. I guess I need to trust him more. I just see myself in him and I know what I was like."

"I take it there have been improvements over the years."

"A few."

"Your son has benefited from those improvements. He isn't like you were."

"I guess your right. Doc."

"Of course I am. Doctors orders."

Larry smiled at the joke. Then Sean broke in.

"Dad? What about Mom?"

"I was thinking about her Son. Don't worry I have a plan. Mac? Can we talk privately?"

"Step into my office."

The two men walked outside of the shelter the doctor was using.

"What's on your mind, Larry?"

"Look, I know I don't have any right to ask this. You people don't even know me. And I can never repay you for taking care of Sean. But I have to ask. Is there any way you can get me into town? My wife is still there and I need to get her out."

"Larry, you've done more for us than you know just by getting the power back on. The injury your son has isn't life threatening, so I did very little. If anything, we owe you one." He looked around. "DONALD!"

Moments later the answer was heard.

"I'm here Doc. What you need?"

"Donald, I am going to ask a favor. BEFORE you say anything I want you to hear me out. You don't have to do this. It could be risky. Larry here needs to get into town and get his wife out. Think you can do it?"

Donald looked at Larry. "What part of town do you live in?"

"We live on the east side."

"Sure thing Doc. That's all houses and stuff. The goons are downtown near the center and out on the west side near the factories and such. We shouldn't have no problem."

"Very well. When can you leave?"

Donald again looked to Larry. "You ready?"

"I am."

"How about now, Doc?"

"Alright. Just be careful. We don't need to lose anyone."

"You got it."

Before long Larry and Donald were on their way. The town was easily five miles away, but the going wasn't too rough and the men made good time. Once they got to the edge of town Donald insisted that they move more slowly and carefully so they wouldn't be noticed. Larry was surprised to find that unnoticed didn't mean the same as unseen. He learned that as long as he looked like everyone else, nobody noticed him, because he looked like everyone else.

They carefully made their way through the east side of town. Unfortunately Donald's information was out of date. Many of the houses that were in the residential district had been attacked and looted. It made them move more carefully between the houses in the area. Slowly they made their way to Larry's home. Since the great quake, the 'peace keepers' had been looting everywhere and anywhere they could. The area where Larry lived looked like a war zone. Larry began to feel real fear as they got closer to his home.

Once they had reached it, Larry was surprised to find the house locked up tight and with no apparent damage. The front door was locked but from long practice they had kept a key in a flower box outside on the front porch. Larry got the key and told Donald.

"Stay here. I'll check it out."

He entered the house and noticed at once that 'dead' feeling of a house long unoccupied. He walked through the house calling for his wife, gently. His voice was answered only by the brief echo's of a near empty house. He noticed the furniture had a light coating of dust. That was something that Sue would never tolerate. He stepped outside, wondering what had happened to Sue. Donald greeted him with an unexpected comment.

"Larry. Were you very good friends with your neighbor?"

"We were friends. Not best friends, but we were friendly. Why?"

"Looks like he hasn't had a good time of it. Take a look." Donald pointed to the house next door.

Larry looked and saw Danny lying in the front yard. He was obviously dead, and the house looked like it had been ransacked.

"Larry, if you think your wife could be there, well, I'll check it for you if you want."

"No. You don't know what Sue looks like. I'll check it."

"Just thought I'd offer."

"I appreciate it."

Larry entered the house and carefully made his way through it. It seemed that every drawer and every cabinet had been opened and emptied onto the floor. Fearful of what he might find, Larry made his way to the bed room. He found Sue, just as she had died. He looked at her for a long time. Her dried blood wasn't only on the bed by her head. It was also on other portions of the bed, and her body, which told him what had happened. He looked at the open closet. Sue's clothes were hanging there. There could only be one reason for them to be there, and he knew it.

Larry turned and started to make his way out of the room, when his foot hit something. Looking down he found his pistol. He picked it up and checked it. Only one round had been fired. In his mind he could draw the line between cause and effect. He pocketed the weapon and went back outside to join Donald.

"Is your wife joining us?"

"No."

"Anything you need to do here?"

"Just one thing. Wait a minute, will you?"

"Sure."

Larry went into the garage of his home. He found the roadside flares he kept there for emergencies. He grabbed a few of them and reentered Danny's house. He went to the bed room and ignited one of them. He dropped it on the carpet next to the bed. He lit the rest of them and dropped them as well on his way out of the house. Donald was waiting for him as he emerged.

"Are we done here?"

"We're done. Let's go."

[day late]

Chapter Thirteen

At the time Larry had grabbed the flares, he remembered the launchers that he had gotten from Joe. He put them and a few other items, including his Bible, into a back pack and then he and Donald left the area before the smoke from Danny's house could be seen at the end of the street. It was silently decided between them that being any place else was better than being observed at the scene of the fire.

As they began to make their way back to the camp, Larry pondered just how much of what he had learned to share with Sean. Obviously he would have to let him know that Sue was gone, and that she wouldn't be coming back. But beyond that, should he tell his son that his mother had moved in with the man next door while they had been gone? Could he handle that hard truth and not blame either Larry or himself? Would he think badly of his mother? Larry had certainly lost a great deal of respect for her, but did he want to make Sean feel the same way, or let him keep at least any fond memories he had of her intact?

"Larry?" It was Donald breaking into his thoughts.

"Yeah."

"Look this is none of my business, and you can tell me to shut up and I will. But I think you shouldn't tell your boy everything right now. He's going to feel bad enough as it is. He don't need to know what your wife was doing."

"How do you know what she was doing?"

"You've been talking to yourself. Out loud. It ain't too hard to figure things out from what you've been saying."

"I have been?"

"Yeah, you have. Maybe you can tell him later if you think he's old enough to handle it and he asks you. Otherwise I'd keep it to myself. That is if it was me. Besides, The Bible says something about hiding things like this if I remember it right."

"You do. It's in Proverbs.

Pro 17:9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth [very] friends.

Thanks. I think maybe you're right. Every boy deserves to be able to think well of his mother. Especially if she's doesn't deserve it and is gone."

"That's what I was thinking."

They continued on in silence for a short time before Larry spoke again.

"Donald. You're a lot more than people give you credit for, aren't you?"

"Well now Larry, it seems to me The Bible says something about thinking too highly of yourself. Don't it?"

"Yes. It does.

Rom 12:3 ¶ For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

It was Paul who said that."

"Well, I have to tell you. I ain't never seen nothing that makes me believe I'm anything special. I'm just a man"

Again they walked along quietly for a while. Larry thought about his companion. He came to a decision.

"Donald. You've been testing me. Haven't you?"

He didn't deny it. "It seemed like a good idea. Man ought to know where he stands with other folks. Don't you think?"

"I think you're right. It is a good idea. So where do we stand?"

"So far, you seem alright to me."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Me too. I don't think I'd care to shoot you."

"You'd do that?"

"If it meant saving the other folks back at camp, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I don't think I'm going to have too. I think you are one of us."

"Well, I'm even more glad to hear that."

They continued on, and Larry noticed it didn't take nearly as long to get there this time as it did the first time. It made him believe that Donald was satisfied with the results of his tests. He remembered Donald's advice as he went looking for Sean, finding him sitting near the shelter where he had been treated, talking with a couple of other young people about his age. He dreaded what had to do now. As he got close to them, one of the youngsters pointed at Larry and said something. Sean looked around and smiled at his father. The smile faded as he looked for his mother and didn't find her.

"Where's Mom?"

Larry didn't answer. Instead he spoke to the other young people.

"Can we have some privacy?"

Somberly they nodded and walked away. Larry sat down next to Sean.

"I'm sorry, Son. Your mother didn't make it."

Sean's face fell. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Still he tried to put on a brave face and asked his father.

"What happened to her? Was she alright when you found her?"

"No Son. Your mother had already been shot by the time we got there."

"But I thought our neighborhood was supposed to be safe."

"Sean, I don't know for certain what happened. It looked like after the earthquake people just went crazy. There were burned out and looted houses everywhere. A lot of people have died. I'm so sorry that Sue was one of them."

"You said she was shot. Could you tell who did it?"

Larry balked at answering the question. Then he said,

"I think the 'peace keepers' were responsible for her death. We found a lot of empty shell casings from military rifles all over the place. I think they went just as crazy as everyone else. Fear does that to people."

"But Mom wouldn't do anything to them. Why would they kill her?" He buried his face in his hands.

"I don't know if they shot her or not. I can only tell you that she is gone and we have to get along without her now." Larry noticed Sean was doing his best to fight back the tears. "Son, it's okay to cry if you want too."

"Men don't cry."

"Sure they do. Do you know what the shortest verse in The Bible is?"

He shook his head.

"It's,

Jhn 11:35 Jesus wept.

That happened when Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus after he died. Son, Jesus was certainly a man as much as He is the Son of God. If He cried, do you think we are any better than Him?"

"I don't see you crying."

"You didn't see me on the way back here. It's alright Sean. Believe it or not, it will help you to feel better. Grieving over a lost loved one is just the way The Lord put us together. Nobody will think any the less of you."

Sean flung his arms around his father and began to weep uncontrollably. Larry held him tightly and began to instinctively rock him back and forth as he did when Sean was a small child. Larry didn't know or care how long they stayed that way. He was more than willing to take as long as was necessary to help his son. Somewhere during that time, Sean stopped crying, but continued to hold his father tightly. It must have been hours, but seemed like a much shorter time when Sean spoke again.

"Dad. I want to kill those guys. All of them."

Larry had expected such a reaction and was ready for it.

"Sean, I know how you feel. Believe me, I really do. But Son, you have to understand some things. First of all, there are a lot more of them than there are of us. They have every military weapon you can think of. I have a pistol with five shots left. You have a pocket knife. We aren't going to get very far with that. And on top of that, I'm sorry but the truth is you are too young to be involved with something like that."

"Do you mean you aren't going to do anything?"

"No. I don't mean that at all. I mean that whatever happens, I need to pick my battles so I have a chance of winning them. Right now all I would do is die. I also mean that The Lord will handle the punishment of those responsible for what happened to your mother. I just pray that He will let me have a hand in punishing them. Maybe that isn't right, but it's the way I feel."

"So what are we going to do?"

"Right now, we grieve over the loss of your mother. That is only right. Then we wait for The Lord to show us what to do after that. Understand?"

"I guess so. But I still want them dead."

"For now, just think about your mother. Remember what she means to you and ask God to have mercy on her."

"Okay."

The two of them sat together all through the rest of the afternoon, and into the evening. They cried together and spoke of their memories of Sue as they talked. It was getting on towards dark as Mac came to them.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. I know you have some things to think about. But almost everybody has eaten and we were wondering if you wanted something for yourselves."

"I don't think I can." Sean said.

"Son, we need to keep up our strength. Come on. Let's at least try. These people have cooked it for us. We should have something."

"Alright. But I don't think I'm going to have much."

"That's okay. Just try to get something down."

Larry and Sean entered the area set aside for feeding the people of the camp. Larry was surprised by the greeting they received. It seemed everyone was grateful for the lights and other things that were once again provided by the electrical power they had. The servers behind the serving line wanted to pile their plates high with food and insisted that they take as much as they could. As they sat to eat what they could person after person came by to shake Larry's hand and thank him for what he had done for them. There were so many that eventually Mac had to turn people away.

"Folks, you've got to let these two eat. We are all grateful for what Larry has done, but that doesn't mean they have to starve so you can shake his hand. They are going to be around for awhile. Let them eat in peace. Besides. I'm told that Larry has lost his wife and Sean lost his mother. They need some time alone. I'm sure you understand."

The line of well wishers began to thin out and people left them alone. It wasn't until after they had eaten that Sean thought to ask his father about something.

"Dad? Where are we sleeping tonight?"

"I don't know, Son. I haven't had a chance to think about it."

"I have an answer for that. At least a temporary one." Mac said to them.

"What's that?" Larry asked.

"Spend the night in my office. I know it's not exactly home, but it'll keep you out of the weather until you can work out something better."

"We wouldn't want to put you out."

"We don't have any patients right now. I don't think we're going to get any overnight. You two stay in my office and we'll see what can be done tomorrow."

"Thank you. I guess we'll stay there for one night anyway."

"You're more than welcome."

Larry and Sean continued with their meal undisturbed for some time after that. Eventually Larry noticed an old man looking at him. He seemed to have something on his mind. Finally, as they were almost finished, the man stood and walked over to them. He spoke in a plain and unvarnished way.

"I hear you are some kind of electric whiz kid or something."

"I'm an electrician."

"That's what I said. I also hear these folks want to hear about what's going on in the world."

"I've heard that as well."

"So how good are you, whiz kid?"

"Good with what?"

"Radios."

"I can usually make them work."

"What about old ones?"

"I can usually make them work too. Why?"

"How old are you used to dealing with?"

"Is there a point to this?"

"Can you work with tube radios?"

"If I can get replacement tubes, yes, I can make them work."

"I hope so. You come to my place tomorrow and we'll see."

"Excuse me." Mac interrupted the exchange. "Larry, This is Ira. He's been around for a long while. Ira! Larry was taken to the farm, and just learned that he has lost his wife. I think you should take it a little easier on him."

Ira looked like he had been hit with a hammer. "You just lost your wife?"

"I found out today."

Ira held out his hand. "My apologies. I didn't realize. Please take your time. But I got some old radios that you just might be able to make work. When you feel up to it, have someone bring you to my place. I've got some work for you, if you want it."

"I'll see what I can do. But later. Not today or tomorrow. I hope you understand."

"I do. I lost my wife a while back. I know it takes some time. Again, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Ira turned and left them without a backward glance. Mac came forward and spoke to Larry.

"Please forgive him. Ira can be a bit crusty at times, but he means well."

"I understand. But I hope he doesn't think we are going to be the best of friends after this."

"I'm sure he doesn't. But I'll make sure he does before you meet again."

Larry and Sean spent the next two days morning for Sue. In spite of everything Larry found that he really did wish that things had turned out differently for them. Sean wasn't very good company for anyone during those days, but by the third morning he was seen to be in the company of Julie and they seemed to be getting along well, if not having a good time. The thought crossed Larry's mind, 'time heals all wounds'. It seemed to him that having someone of his son's own age to talk too, couldn't be a bad thing. Who else would have a better idea of how he felt? He also was feeling a little better and asked Mac if there was someone who could take him to Ira's home. The job, of course, fell to Donald.

"So what can I expect when we get there?" Larry asked him.

"Ira don't like company much. There ain't many he's invited out to his place. Not that he's a bad man. He just don't have time for many other folks. I guess since this all started he figures that if he can help, he should. But that's just my guess."

"I'll trust your guess over a lot of things other people will swear too."

"Well, I guess we're about to find out. That's his place up ahead."

Larry looked up and was surprised. He had expected a ramshackle old place that was just barely standing. He was wrong. Ira's place was a relatively modern place, with large windows to allow the light in and it seemed not only to have all the modern conveniences, but they were also powered by solar panels on the roof of the house. Yet at the same time there was a picket fence that had seen better days as well as a sign warning them to beware of the dog. That caused Larry some concern, but Donald assured him.

"Don't worry about old Brutus. He knows me, so he won't hurt you. At least as long as you don't take a swipe at him. You just stay with me and don't mind him and he'll leave you alone."

No sooner than they had reached the gate than a massive Rottweiler dog came bounding across the yard, barking loudly with each step. It seemed to Larry that the animal was going to have both of them for lunch. Donald hollered at him.

"BRUTUS! You settle down boy. You settle down now, if you know what's good for you."

To Larry's amazement the animal became quiet and meekly walked up to Donald and licked his outstretched hand. He then looked and Larry and gave a low growl but made no move towards him.

"Brutus. You be good." Donald said.

The dog looked at him and then turned and headed back to the house. In his mind the confrontation was over. As long as Larry behaved himself. Donald called out from the gate.

"Hey Ira! You home?"

They waited briefly and Ira showed up at the front door.

"Donald. How's it going boy? I see you got company. Why don't you all come on up here?"

"I'm ready, but I think Brutus isn't too sure about our friend here."

"Don't worry. I'm here, so he'll be good."

Donald opened the gate and the men walked through. Brutus, who had laid down near the front steps of the house, remained where he was. But his eye's never left the two men. He seemed to relax slightly when Ira came down the steps and greeted the men cheerfully.

"Donald, Larry. Glad you all could make it. Come on inside and sit for a bit."

The three men went inside and sat down in the living room. Larry noticed through the open door that Brutus had moved to a position near the door and laid down once again. He seemed to be watching both the living room and the front yard at the same time. He was a good dog and very protective of his master. After a short period of chit chat, Larry addressed the issue that brought him here.

"Ira, not to put too fine a point on it, but you said you had some old radios you wanted me to take a look at."

"That I do. I've got three of them. They are older tube type short wave radios, but I think they should still work."

"Do you have any idea what's wrong with them?"

"When he was moving away from home my son knocked over the cabinet they were stored in. When I picked them up I could hear broken glass inside them. Over the years I picked up some extra tubes to fix them but I never got around to it. Now, my eyes just aren't up to it."

"Let me have a look."

Larry was escorted into another room where the radios were already sitting on a table with a set of screw drivers and a box full of old tubes. It didn't take long for him to open them up, and as promised, broken glass poured out as he lifted the casing off. He set to work carefully clearing the pieces and then removing what was left of each tube. Once that was done he began to match up the broken tubes with the ones in the box. He found that Ira had an eye to the future when he picked up the tubes. He had several of each kind. Spares for future use, he reasoned.

Since food production was so important to the government, they had done the best they could to make sure that working farms had the electrical power they needed. Larry plugged in the radio and turned it on. Being a tube radio it took a short time to warm up and begin to work. Larry set it for short wave rather than AM or FM and started to play with the dial.

Soon they began to hear broadcasts from all over the world. Unfortunately most were not in English. They did find one program that was in English and talking about the situation in America. Larry had never heard of Director Claire, so the fact he had been replaced meant nothing to him. Nor had he heard of Director Ives. That meant just as little. But he was concerned to learn that invasion forces had not been totally wiped out by the quake. He and they others sat at the radio for hours after that. The longer they listened the more concerned they became.

It seemed that this new director had called upon every able bodied man to step up and go to war. He showed no concern for those who would be left at home. The idea of leaving those they loved to fight this war was contradictory to them. They didn't want to leave their families unprotected, but they didn't want to abandon the defense of their coutry either. It was a problem.

[nancy98]

Crap! Sorry I posted a reply here.

Mods please remove it.

[day late]

Chapter Fourteen


The men sat and listened with disbelieving ears to what was being said. Of all the men being called up to serve in the war, only the farmers were exempt to the order. Their job was already vitally important to the war effort. The radio went on to say that brave and courageous men being called up were told that they needn't worry about their wives and children. Keeping civilians safe was what the 'peace keepers' were here to do anyway. No mention was made of the crimes they had committed against those same civilians, except to intimate that any of they who had suffered at the hands of the foreign troops were only getting what they deserved for working and even fighting against them.

It went on in glowing terms how both the government managed and privately owned farms were doing everything possible to aid in the war effort and were producing more food than they had in years, thanks largely to governmental controls and assistance, and were happily donating it to the cause. It further went on to say that the government was certain that all the privately owned farms would also be happy to do what they could as their crops came to fruition. Also the owners of private farms were asked to give all assistance to the government workers who even now were on their way out to the countryside to survey what was available and what could be expected in the future. Their cooperation would be greatly appreciated.

Donald turned down the radio, without turning it off and spoke to Ira.

"You know, sometimes I just can't believe those folks. Don't they know that people are on to them yet?"

"They are just doing what Hitler used to say." He answered. "You tell a big lie and tell it loud enough and long enough and sooner or later folks will believe it."

"Sometimes it doesn't take that long." Larry offered. "Before she was killed, my wife used to believe everything the government said about those murderers. I'm sorry to say she learned the truth too late."

"I reckon that kind of puts you and Donald here in the same boat."

"What do you mean?"

Donald took up the story. "My folks, two sisters and I used to live on a place not far from here. It wasn't much. We raised corn and a few other crops and had a few head of beef. We did okay, but we weren't going to retire rich. On day I was in town when the troops came by. They had contacted us once before saying they were going to do a survey. Dad told them no they weren't. The people who lived on the other side of the road saw what happened. They told me when I got home.

When they came, Dad went out to meet them. Probably to tell them to leave. They didn't say a word. They just shot him on sight. They left him laying where he fell and went inside for my mother and sisters. The people across the road said there had to be fifteen or twenty of them, so they couldn't do anything to help. They told me they could hear my women folk screaming and crying for a long time after that. When they finished with them, the cowards shot them and left them for dead.

That was about a year ago and the day I joined the resistance."

Larry was stunned. "I'm sorry. No one should have to go through that."

"It's okay. You didn't know. And now, well The Bible says that a man has a God given right to defend his family and property. My family is gone, and those murdering people have my property. But God willing, one day it will be mine again."

A thought flashed through Larry's mind. He remembered the first time he had spoken with Donald. "So where is your families farm?"

"You know. You used to work there."

"Donald, if there is anything I can do to help you get your land back, I'll do it."

At this point Brutus raised his head and gave a muted "Woof."

Donald looked through the open door at the sound, as did Ira. Donald looked at Larry.

"You know what they say. 'Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.' We have company."

The men stood, walked outside and down the front steps to the house. Just outside the gate was a car. Two men had gotten out and moved to the gate. One of them had a look that screamed 'government official' while the other wore a uniform of the 'peace keepers'. They obviously had eye's for Ira's property. The men walked to the gate, with Brutus next to his master.

"You fellas lost or something?" Ira asked.

The official answered. "That depends. Is your name Ira?"

"It is."

"I'm from the office of Agricultural Cooperation. We're here to do a survey of your land and what you can contribute to the war effort."

"Fella, I contribute to my church. Everything else is for sale. If you're buying, then we can talk. Otherwise you need to head on down the road."

"Now Sir, I'm sure you wouldn't want our service men and women to go hungry while they are making such valiant sacrifices for our country."

"No, that ain't the case at all. But you can't expect me to give up everything I've worked for without some kind of payment. I'd be out of business in no time that way."

"But our service people need that food."

"Fine. Then let the government pay fair market value and it's all yours."

"Sir. You don't understand. I have authorization from the government to do this survey, and take what we need. You must comply."

"I don't have to comply with nothing. This is my land and you ain't doing nothing here without my say so."

"We'll see about that."

The government man reached for the pistol in his belt. Larry was closer to him than either of the other men and moved to grab his arm before he could bring the weapon into play. He fired two shots wildly, neither of them coming close to hitting a target. It was then that Donald stepped forward and with a twisting motion, stripped the pistol from his hand. He then used it on it's former owner, striking him once in the chest. The impact knocked the man backwards and out of Larry's grasp. For his part, Larry then drew his own revolver and fired a second shot into the torso of the government agent. He toppled backwards and lay motionless on the ground.

That was when they heard the most unpleasant screams coming from the foreign soldier. It seemed to them that when they moved against the
government man, the 'peace keeper' had drawn his weapon and leaned over the gate, trying to get a clear shot at either Larry or Donald, without hurting the man he was with. After all, that would be difficult to explain. As he held his arm out over the gate he suddenly found one hundred and ten pounds of black and tan fury with very sharp teeth hanging on to his forearm. Brutus, being bred for fighting, held onto his arm and began to shake his head. His teeth tore through the man's flesh and the amount of blood spilled was shocking. The guard dropped his pistol and was doing his best to get away from Brutus. That was when Ira pulled an old M-1911 A-1 .45 caliber pistol from his back pocket and shot once. As man fell backward, and Brutus released his grip. He hit the ground, and then he started to get up, but fell once again, never to rise.

It was all over in seconds, but Larry found himself standing there shaking. That is why he jumped when he felt something leaning against his leg. Looking down, he found Brutus pushing against him with his massive body, looking back up at him with deep brown eyes. Larry reached down and scratched the dog on the top of his head, between his ears. Brutus accepted the gesture and then pulled his head back slightly and licked Larry's hand. Then having given Larry his sign of approval, he went and sat at Ira's side.

"Ira. It looks like these guys don't never learn." Donald said.

"I reckon not. Think you can handle them while I take care of the mess?"

"Sure thing Ira. I got Larry to help this time."

"Help with what?" Larry asked.

"We need to get rid of these two. Their car as well. You up to it?"

"Let's do what we have too."

"Good man. Come on. Let's get them into the car. Ira, you going to be okay?"

"Sure. Me and Brutus here will clean up the mess. You just get them out of here."

"Alright. Same place as last time okay with you?"

"Why not? They didn't find them."

"Alright. Larry, lend a hand."

The men each grabbed a body and dragged them to their car. Donald stopped, laid his body down and retrieved the keys from the ignition. He moved around and opened the truck of the car. Then he and Larry dragged the bodies to that area and unceremoniously dumped them into the trunk. The two of them got into the car and pulled out. Larry noticed that Ira already had a watering hose in his hand and was spraying down the blood soaked ground.

"So what does that mean? Same place as last time."

"This ain't the first time these kind of fellas have come around here. The last ones were just as unfriendly as these two. So we are going to put them in the same place as the last ones to come around."

"Where is that?"

"A place I know."

That was all Donald had to say on the subject until they reached their destination. To Larry it looked like a deep hole in the ground, but he could not discern anything else. Donald got out of the car and looked over the edge of what seemed to be a cliff overlooking a deep hole.

"This used to be an open pit mine. They were mining limestone I think. Anyway the mine played out and they left us with a big hole in the ground."

"So how is that going to help us?"

"You see that water down there?" Donald pointed at it. Over the years the bottom of the mine had filled with rain water, run off from farms and roads and even from ground seepage.

"Yeah."

"The surface of that water is at least twenty feet above the bottom of the mine. If we drop this car down there, it's unlikely they will ever find it. Even if they do, by the time they pull it up there ain't going to be anything like fingerprints that they can use. That means as long as you say you don't know nothing about it, they can't prove any different. I hope you're game."

"These are the some of guys who are responsible my wife's death. What do you think?"

"I think you are going to help me with what I have to do."

"I think you're right."

"Alright. Let's get the jack."

Larry wondered why Donald wanted the car jack, but didn't ask any questions. He helped him move the bodies in the trunk around until he could get the jack out. Then together they jacked up the back end of the car, until both wheels were off the ground. Donald started the engine and put the car into gear. He then placed a stick against the gas pedal and wedged it against the front seat. The engine began to race wildly. At Donald's signal the men pushed together, until the car fell off the jack and lurched forward. Soon it was racing down the incline it had been parked on, and sailed off into the air above the open mine. It splashed down into the water and sank quickly. Donald picked up the jack and threw it as far as he could into the water.

"I take it that the others you were talking about have already seen the bottom of this lake." Larry said.

"Only a couple. They wanted Ira's stuff as much as these two." Donald watched as the truck of the car sank from view. He paused "Larry, I hate to say this, but by the time we get back to camp, it's going to be kind of late. We got twenty miles or so to walk."

"I'm sure it will be alright. At least I know I'll have a bed and a meal when I get there."

They shook hands and began their trek. Donald was quite right. With nearly twenty miles to cover it took the two men several hours. When the returned to the camp, Donald insisted they get something to eat. Larry had another idea.

"We've been gone awhile longer than we expected. I want to let my son know I'm okay."

"Let the boy grow up some. A little worry never hurt no one."

"I know what you mean, but he has recently had to handle a lot. I don't want to over do it just for the sake of a meal."

"Yeah. I guess you're right. Just don't baby him to much. You can ruin a kid like that."

"Don't worry. If anything he's going to ruin me. He's already showing an interest in girls."

"Well, The Lord help you with that one, because I sure can't."

The two parted and Larry went to find Sean. It didn't take long. He found him sitting near Mac's office, chatting with a young lady. Sean was facing him as he walked up. He smiled at his father and said,

"Dad! I was wondering where you were. Did it take longer to fix the radios than you thought or something?"

"Or something. Who's your friend?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Dad, this is Julie. Julie this is my father."

The young lady looked around and smiled up at him. She held out her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Sir."

"The pleasure is mine, I'm sure. I hope you'll excuse us but I need to speak with Sean."

"Oh, sure." She jumped up from her seat and turned to Sean. "I'll see you later. How about breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me. Catch you later."

Julie smiled and left the two of them alone.

"What's going on Dad?"

"Son, I've had a long walk. Have you eaten yet?"

"Yeah. But I'll be happy to keep you company."

Larry smiled at him. "Sounds good to me. Let's go, I'm starving."

They headed to the kitchen area. Sean waited as Larry got something to eat and a cup of coffee. They walked a short distance off to one side and sat down.

"So what's going on, Dad? Why did you want to talk to me alone?"

Larry suddenly found that he was at a loss for words. He thought carefully for a minute before answering.

"Son, you remember how you wanted to punish the people responsible for your mothers death?"

Sean turned serious. "Yeah. Why?"

"You have two less to worry about now."

"What do you mean?"

Larry gave a brief description of what had happened. Sean listened carefully to his father, asking nothing. He even waited patiently when Larry would pause briefly to take a bite of his food. After he finished telling Sean about the death of the men, Larry said nothing at first and waited. Finally he had to find out what Sean was thinking.

"Cat got your tongue, Son?"

"No Sir."

"So you don't have anything to say?"

"I don't know what to say."

"Try whatever is on your mind."

"Well, don't get me wrong. I mean I'm sure those guys deserved what they got. I'm not sorry at all about what happened to them. But, well, I thought I'd be happy about it."

"And you're not."

"No. I can't say I am. Not happy at all. I'm just...I don't know. I don't have the words to describe it."

"Would you say empty?"

"Yeah. I guess that's a good way to put it. Is there something wrong with me?"

"No. I'd say not. You're just growing up. Son, the only people who really enjoy death and killing are the ones who are really sick inside. It's okay to admit that you are glad they are gone, but if you enjoyed it, I'd be really worried about you."

Sean smiled at Larry's vote of confidence in him.

"Alright, enough of that. What's this about breakfast with Julie?"

Sean smiled shyly. "She's really nice, Dad. I like her a lot."

"Son, you heard the doctor. He trusts his daughter. I guess I'm going to have to trust you. I just wasn't ready for this. But you understand me. I expect you to behave yourself honorably. You don't do things that you know you shouldn't. You hear me?"

"Yes Sir. Don't worry, I won't. Can I get you anything else to eat?"

"Are you sure you are feeling up to it? I don't want you to wind up back in the doctors office."

"I'm okay. What do you want?"

"Honestly, no more food, but if you could get me another cup of coffee I'd appreciate it. Just one teaspoon of sugar."

"Sure thing. I've got it."

Sean took Larry's plate and cup. Then he headed off to the kitchen area. Larry had noticed that Julie had gone the same direction and he expected the cup to be almost cold by the time he got it, if Sean found her there. He sighed to himself. There was nothing like young love. But he still wanted to keep an eye on the boy. He couldn't forget how he had behaved at that age. But that was before he had found The Lord. Maybe that would make the difference as Mac had suggested. He certainly hoped so. He smiled at himself. Here he was in the middle of all this. Possibly on the very verge of entering the Great Tribulation, and he was still worried about his son turning out as a good man.

That brought something else to mind. He couldn't understand how at this late date some people held out hope for a pre-tribulation rapture. He supposed they simply hadn't done as Paul told Timothy.

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

He had made a study of prophecy since he had come to Christ. To him it was only logical to know what he could of the future according to what the scriptures said. He also had used the Biblical test to make sure that any modern day 'prophet' was truly speaking for The Lord. He had found that many of them weren't. The ones who had passed the test never spoke of a pre-tribulation rapture. They warned the church to prepare against the hard times that were coming. He thought of his knowledge of The Bible.

There was not one time where God had taken His people out of the trouble that happened. He simply preserved them through it to show the world His power. Yet there were so many who believed that they were somehow special and would escape what was happening. He once had a man tell him that God had given an escape to the Children of Israel out of Egypt. Somehow this man didn't take into account the four hundred years of slavery before that. He shook his head. He guessed that a lot of people were in for a rude awakening in the near future.

He sighed once more. It was beyond him how so many people were convinced of so much, when The Bible never said it. He remembered having a conversation with a pacifist who was convince the Jesus changed everything when He came. The woman ignored the fact the Jesus had said "I and The Father are one." The Father said men had a right to use deadly force if necessary. Not that they were to look for trouble. But if it came looking for them, they should be ready. He never failed to marvel at men's imaginations.

[day late]

Chapter Fifteen


"2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation."

Larry was teaching Sean.

"You know Dad, I hate to say it, but that kind of sounds like Mom. All except that 'walking after their own lusts' part. Mom never did have anything good to say about God. I mean she was always there for us, but she wouldn't ever believe in anything that wasn't scientific. She would want to see proof that God is real." Sean said.

It had been a little over a month since Sue had died, and Sean was once again willing to talk about her. Larry was surprised with the way he spoke about her.

"Yes, she was always there for us. And I'm sure you've heard it before. For those who don't believe no proof is enough. For those who do, no proof is needed. Son, you have to understand that this is kind of a general statement." Larry answered. "She was there for us, but as you pointed out, she also was a scoffer about things that apply to God. You know that the priests and scribes in the time of Jesus expected His kingdom to begin the moment he showed up. When it didn't happen the way they expected, they decided that He couldn't be the Messiah. And that has always been the problem. People try to put God in a box and want Him to be and act like they want Him to do. But God is much bigger than that."

"How much bigger?"

"Tell me, Son. Did they ever teach you in school what a pulsar is?"

"Yeah. That's a star that gives of a blast of energy every so often. Like every second or two. Or maybe every couple of minutes."

"That's right. That blast of energy we see as light. Now here is the thing. The Bible tells us that it is God who made the stars. It is God who decides where they will be, and sets their courses. It is God who decides how often that pulsar will give off that blast of energy. But the pulsar we see today, is so far away, that the energy it is giving off happened about the time Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden. It took that long to get here. Now you tell me how you can make our God, who is that big, fit into a box that some people have made for Him?"

"I guess we can't."

"You guess right. But people still try to make Him fit into their box and when something happens that is outside of their box, they can't explain it."

Sean was thoughtful for a moment. "What about us, Dad? You told me that everything works together for good for those who love God. How can everything that is happening to us be for our good?"

"Son, I wish I could tell you, but I can't. Truth is, I don't know what is going to happen in ten minutes from now. But God does. I don't know where I will be in a year from now, but God does. Your mother wasn't a believer, but I loved her very much. Maybe The Lord has something for me to do that couldn't be done if she were here and trying to stop me because she didn't believe and couldn't see the sense in it. Maybe the reason is something else. I don't know, but God does. I just have to trust Him to do what He said He would do."

"I think I see what you mean. But I don't know if I agree with it."

"Sean, many of us don't agree with what God says. But He is always right. Think about Noah. God told him to build a boat. This was at a time when it had never rained on Earth. That must have made no sense to him at all, but he did it. It took him, they say, 120 years to finish it. But he believed God. In the end it DID rain. It rained so much that Mt. Everest was under water. Now, the top of Mt. Everest is 29,029 feet above sea level. That takes a lot of water to cover. But Noah believed God, and not himself, and did as he was told. It took him over 120 years to see the answer of why, but he did see it. He saw it because he trusted God. I don't know why your mother had to die. But I know that one day I will know. I just have to wait to find out."

"So you are saying that God let Mom get killed because He has something for you to do?"

"It's possible. But The Bible also teaches how The Lord will separate believers from non-believers. It says,

Mat 25:31 ¶ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats:

Maybe that is the case here. And again I, well we, just have to wait on The Lord and He will show us the reason."

"Dad, you said that in the last days there will be scoffers. Does that mean that these are the last days?"

"I believe so."

"Cool."

"Cool? What do you mean by that? Don't you understand just how bad things are going to get?"

"I think so. The Bible says that a whole lot of people are going to be killed, one way or another. And I'm not happy about that. I mean a lot of those people are going to meet God for the first time when they are face to face with Him and it won't be good. I really feel sorry for them. What I think is cool is that as I read The Bible, I see how God showed His power to the Children of Israel when Moses was bringing them out of Egypt, and things like that. I've never gotten to see those kind of things. It ought to be pretty neat to see it happen for myself."

Larry marveled at his son. How could he argue with him? The Lord had said that He would take care of His own. Sean was right, if a little over enthusiastic over the matter. But he still mourned inwardly over the loss of souls that would take place. A scripture came to mind.

Psa 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

"I understand what you mean. And you are right. It is going to be amazing to see God's hand in action. But let us never forget that we still need to try to reach those who are willing to accept The Lord and be granted eternal life. Even if we think they don't deserve it. Only He knows what is best for who."

"I guess that you mean the people in the government."

Only recently had word reached them that while the government hadn't actually banned Christianity, because certain people who had been fighting against the government were Christians, the government had decided to close all churches or any other meeting place of the religion. People, for now, could still follow their beliefs, but meetings or church services were now banned because they were seen as a meeting place for radicals.

"Yes I do. But not just them but anyone who wants to become a follower of The Lord."

"Dad, I've heard that sometimes people from the government try to get into churches so they can report them to the authorities. What do we do about people like them?"

"Son, that isn't hard to understand, but it can be hard to do. In The Bible it says,

1Jo 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

So, if someone wants to be our friend, but won't confess that Jesus is The Son of God, he is either a fake or deceived. Either way that person is not to be trusted."

"What if he hasn't heard about God?"

"Then we try to teach him, but he is not to be trusted until he becomes a Christian."

"You know Dad, that is one of the things I used to hear about in school. Kids would say that Christianity was exclusive and so it couldn't be right. They'd ask how could a loving God send people to hell."

"Sean, that shows the first two mistakes they are making. Christianity isn't exclusive. Anyone can become a Christian. God wants everyone to come to Him. The second thing is that God doesn't want to send people to Hell. They volunteer to go by rejecting Him."

"I never thought about it that way."

"You're not alone. Most people don't think about things this way. But here's the point. This way is in agreement with The Bible. The way they think about things is only in agreement with what they want. They aren't God. So what they want isn't what He wants."

"But what do we do about those government people who want to get rid of us?"

"Son, the first thing you have to understand is that they don't really want to get rid of us. They want us to deny our faith. For them, that is much better. It proves that God isn't God. If we do, then we can live, at least for a while. If we don't, THEN they want us dead. Because by living in and with our faith, we prove that God IS God. They can't stand that and will do anything to destroy the very idea."

"But I thought we were supposed to have religious freedom and all that."

"We ARE supposed to have religious freedom. And many other freedoms as well. But that has all changed. At one time a man would feel naked walking down the street without a pistol in his pocket or on his hip. Now you would be arrested for it even though you hadn't done anything, or planned to do something. Just having the weapon is enough to put you in jail. Yet the Second Amendment says we have the right to keep and bare arms."

"So what happened? How did we lose that kind of freedom?"

"I believe it happened for two reasons. First men, and in my opinion evil men, of whom many were and are controlled by Satan, got into power and started to chisel away at those freedoms, a little at a time. Until they got everything they wanted, or at least most of it. Secondly, we, the American people, got lazy. We didn't really check into the people we were voting for. Somewhere along the line we stopped voting for statesmen and started voting for politicians and parties. That was our mistake, and now we are paying for it."

"But how did it happen? I mean it couldn't have all gone bad at once. Wasn't there some kind of warning?"

"There were signs of how bad things were getting. I know this is hard to believe but society had changed so much that if you stood up for the old ways of doing things, people thought you were strange. People thought that anything someone did was fine as long as you didn't kill anyone. For example, this happened before you were born. The Constitution allows Congress to remove a President for high crimes and misdemeanors. There was a President who got caught fooling around with a woman that wasn't his wife. Congress impeached him, by they refused to convict him. I couldn't believe it when people who were on the news simply forgave him and started putting out the idea that America should just let him get on with doing his job. It was only a matter of days before I started hearing the same exact words from people I knew."

Sean's mouth was hanging open. "They let him get away with something like that? What about his wife?"

"She stayed with him."

"Why? Mom would have left you, if you had done that."

"Personally I think it was because she loved power so much she would do anything to keep it. Including staying with him if she had too. But you see Son, most people didn't want to be seen as narrow minded, so they just over looked things like that. And of course I believe that Satan had his hand in all of it too. He was softening us up for what is happening now." Larry paused for a moment and went on. "Looking back at it now, I can see how some of it was done. People were made to believe everything was okay no matter what it was. Television had a lot to do with that as well."

"How was that?"

"I remember a show from when I was just a young fellow. Not much older than you are now. In the show there was a very liberal woman married to a conservative man. One time she invited a gay author to spend time at their home while he was in town. The husband didn't like this guy. He told his wife about it and she accused him of being prejudiced. It all came to a head when the three of them were sitting in the living room and the husband spoke with the author. He told him something like,

'Look. I don't like you. It's not because you are gay. It's because I find you to be an obnoxious, conceited, bore. Can you believe that?'

The author answered him. 'Yes I can.'

The wife was outraged. 'What are you talking about? Obviously, my husband is prejudiced.'

The author responded to her. 'Oh there is someone who is prejudiced, and it's you. Your husband doesn't like me because of who I am. And at least he's honest about it. You on the other hand want to prance around and show all of your friends how liberal you are because you have a gay friend. You are the bigot, not him.'

So you see Son, not one word was said by either side that homosexuality is wrong, according to The Bible. They just accepted it and argued about personalities."

"So are you saying that God hates gays?"

"Not according to what I read."

"Dad it kind of sounds like you are saying two different things at the same time."

"I know it does. But do as Paul told Timothy. STUDY The Word. The scriptures say that God wants all men to be saved. If you carefully read The Bible, God never says he hates homosexuals. It says He hates homosexuality. If gay people were to give up their lifestyle and turn to Him, He would forgive them. It's not them that He hates. It's how they live. God always hates the sin, but loves the sinner. It all gets back to what I said before. For the sake of their own earthly lusts, people reject God. By doing that they choose their own eternal fate."

Sean thought about things before speaking again.

"You make it sound like it is a battle between God and the Devil and we are just caught in the middle."

"I'm sorry you think that. It's not true. God created us, so He cares for us very much. Satan didn't create anything, so he cares for nothing. But Satan will use every skill and deception at his command to use us against God, to prove that God isn't in control. If he can prove that, then he doesn't have to go to Hell."

"If God cares for us, why would He let these things happen to us?"

"Because of something He gave us. Free will. We get to choose whom we will serve. He won't make that choice for us. But He will honor that choice AND hold us accountable for it. That's why I said that people choose to go to Hell rather than Heaven. They either don't believe in God, or give up on Him because He doesn't fit in their box."

Sean thought about it all some more.

"Dad. Why didn't anyone do anything before it got this bad?"

"Son, I'm sorry, but the reason is that people fell asleep and trusted their elected officials. They thought that those people had the same values that they did. But they didn't. Many of them have sold out to Satan and their values are far different than ours. They are only out for their own benefit. They don't realize that Satan is lying to them as well as us. They believe he will reward them for their service. They don't even think that he will betray them as he has done to everyone else that has ever trusted him. But again, when it comes to why things have gotten this bad, it's our fault. Not yours. You are too young to have been able to vote. It's people of my generation that are at fault. We are the ones who fell asleep at the switch."

"So should I be mad at you?" Sean smiled at Larry.

"Maybe so, Son. But let me say in my defense that I have only voted for the people that I thought God would approve of, for over a decade. They always lost, but when I face The Lord, at least I can have a clear conscientious on that matter."

"I'm just joking, Dad. You know I'm not mad at you."

"I know son. But there is some truth to what you say. I've often wondered if there was anything more I could have done to prevent this from happening. Then I remember the prophecies."

"What prophecies?"

"Start with The Bible. Daniel, Isiah, The Book of Revelation all talk about the end times. Other books do too. Then there are some of the more modern prophets. People like A. A. Allen, Henry Gruver, and Dimitru Duduman all had revelations from The Lord. They told us what was going to happen, but I'm sorry to say that most people just aren't listening. They just don't believe that The Lord will hold us accountable for our sins. But He does. God wants us all to follow Him. But most people don't."

"Dad, what does God have against us? I mean it seems like we must have done something to wind up in a situation like this. But I don't know what we did."

"Oh, Son. You've got that all wrong. We are blessed."

"BLESSED? How do you figure that?"

"Think about it. Ever since Jesus went back to Heaven people have been waiting and watching for his return. How many people have come and gone in the last two thousand years? And all of the Christians have been watching and hoping for His return. But The Lord chose us to live in this time when Jesus will come back. But don't be mistaken. It won't be a walk in the park. The Bible says,

Zep 1:14 ¶ The great day of the LORD [is] near, [it is] near, and hasteth greatly, [even] the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

Zep 1:15 That day [is] a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

Zep 1:16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

Zep 1:17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

The days ahead of us are going to be hard. They are going to be painful. But we have The Lord on our side, so even if we die, we will return with Him when He comes in His Glory."

Once more, Sean thought long and hard before he spoke.

"Dad. I'm glad God is on our side. Otherwise I don't think we would have a chance."

"Son, on that you are exactly right."

[day late]

Chapter Sixteen


Over the next couple of months life continued on for Larry and Sean, much as it had been during the previous time they had been in the camp. Sean 'went to school' courtesy of a home schooling woman who taught him, as well as a few other children. He continued to have an aversion to homework as did most of the young people his age. However, he also had the distraction of being near Julie. Still, he continued to increase in knowledge and learning. Larry was pleased by his progress.

Larry continued to handle any and all electrical problems encountered by the camp. His life became easier after the Russians had set off an EMP bomb in the atmosphere. Once the electromagnetic pulse had fried many electronic devices, there was no way to repair them short of a complete overhaul, for which he didn't have the parts. The good thing was that both Donald and Mac had prepared for just such an event by putting certain electronic items, like a couple of shortwave radios, into metal containers that had been insulated on the inside and buried the cans in the ground. These things had survived the EMP attack and the people of the camp were able to keep up on things happening in the world because of it.

It seemed incredible to Larry that as each day went by the Christian community as a whole was receiving more and more of the blame for what was happening. Very learned professors and other such people were brought onto the air, one after another, to denounce them. It was no longer a matter of people scoffing at them. Whoever was running things was obviously using these most learned people to turn them into villains. They would then begin to explain how man kind had to 'get back to nature' if they were to have any hope of saving the world. They assured everyone that 'Mother Earth' could and would repair herself if they just gave her the chance. And somehow all of the damage caused by the war was the fault of the Christians.

One of the general thoughts was that if they hadn't placed so much faith in an old book, written by a bunch of shepherds and tent makers two thousand years ago, then this wouldn't be happening now. The exact connection between this theory and the present situation was never fully explained, and by judging what they got from the radio responses, many people were buying it. A scripture came to Larry.

Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Rom 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

These self same wise men and women also held the Christian community responsible for the odd weather. It was winter now. Yet, while some places had gotten snow, especially along the Canadian border, most of the country remained snow free in the mildest winter on record. In some way which Larry couldn't understand the Christians were the cause of this as well. One announcer said, as a joke, he thought that the reason for the mild winter was because of all the hot air coming from the mouths of Christians as they prayed.

Of course, 'in the interests of fairness', Christian leaders were invited to come on the air and tell their side of the story. In practice they were scape goats who were shouted down when they even tried to speak. Whatever they said was twisted by their supposed host and the other guests on air at the time. They were not given a chance to correct any misstatements made by the others and were ridiculed if they even tried.

It reminded him of another scripture.

Rev 16:8 ¶ And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

Rev 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

Of course, that would take place during the Great Tribulation, and he knew they hadn't made it that far yet. Still it could be a precursor of things to come. And these men certainly hadn't been scorched, but they also weren't repenting and showed no signs of doing so. Sean, who had recently turned fifteen, had been sitting by his father as they listened to the radio one evening and surprised him.

"Dad, I think I know what you were talking about a while back, a little better now. We learned something yesterday in school. We were in 2 Timothy. I mean the whole chapter sounds pretty bad for Christians but I remember one part.

2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

That's what's happening here. These guys don't have a clue, but act like they know it all. Isn't that true?"

"Yes, Son. It is. And the more they listen to each other the more they believe each other rather than The Bible. The funny thing is they used to worry about another ice age coming, now it's just the opposite and the same ones who said the first thing are now saying the second. None of them are willing to admit that God is in control."

It wasn't long until the so called news began to repeat it's self and Sean and Larry left for their shelter. Their new home was a far cry from their previous life. But the shelter was surprisingly warm and dry. It had been built by the people in the camp out of gratitude for what he had done for them. It was only one room. An area had been found where the back wall of their home was nothing more than earth. Against this wall had been built a crude fireplace. Most of the two side walls were of earth and logs. The front wall was entirely made of logs, with an opening that served for a door. It was covered by a piece of very heavy cloth that was weighted at the bottom to keep it from blowing open with every breeze. The roof was also made of logs and that was overlaid with mud, which dried as hard as cement between the logs, which in turn was overlaid with more dirt, and then branches of local trees to keep the rain and snow off.

It was surprising just how warm the home was. It was only later that they learned how good of an insulator earth actually is. While the surface may be frozen, even down to a couple of feet below the surface, everything under that level stayed at about the same temperature. Having a fire in the earthen room simply increased their comfort level. As long as they didn't allow the room to fill with smoke. But on the odd occasion that it did, they could clear the room by just opening the door.

Being just one room their beds were on opposite walls. Both were roughly made of wooden frames, and the mattresses were basically cloth bags stuffed with everything from pine needles to straw. However once covered by a thick fabric they were quite comfortable and warm. Larry smiled as he thought of it. They had arrived with only the clothes they were wearing, and Sean's were blood soaked from the bullet that had grazed his back. Now they each had several changes of clothing, a place to live and to sleep.

Sean was getting a better education than he ever would have back in town. And while he wasn't being paid in cash for his services, Larry was making a good living for the two of them. He was still concerned about the relationship between Sean and Julie, but both of them seemed to be well behaved and he knew nobody could stand in the way of that first young love. If anyone tried the two of them would simply find a way around it. Young people in love were instinctively good about things like that. That brought to mind something else. Her name was Fong.

She was stereotypically Chinese. Fong was small in every measurable way, with the typical round face, slanted eyes and coal black hair that cascaded down her shoulders and onto her back, reaching nearly midway before it stopped. She was also typically soft of speech. However that in no way meant that she didn't have opinions of her own or that she was afraid to share them with others. She simply spoke softly and her words carried all the weight that was needed. Also to Larry it seemed that the woman couldn't make an ungraceful movement, and as with many people of her race, her age was something you would have to ask her about to be certain.

Larry had startled himself when he realized for the first time that he had been staring at her from across the clearing in the camp. He had always believed that Sue was the one and only woman he would ever care for. Now he wasn't so certain. Especially after the two incidents that had made him realize that he was still a man and still alive. Neither were that earth shattering, but both set his head to spinning. The first was the one with Sean. They had been discussing something or other when Fong had appeared out of nowhere and walked across the clearing to see someone on the other side. Larry had watched her as she went to her destination and suddenly realized that Sean was tapping him on the arm.

"Dad? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Son. Why do you ask?"

"You stopped talking in the middle of a sentence and seemed to go somewhere else for awhile."

"I'm sorry. What was I talking about?"

"How you were able to fix the generator when we got here. You said I should know what the signs of that kind of problem are."

That had been embarrassing. And while what had happened with Fong wasn't really anything, it shook him up even more. He had been working on some piece of equipment or other. Sean had asked if the would be eating together. He told him that he was unsure when he would be finished and that Sean should just go ahead and eat without him. The boy did so. Larry was alone when he entered the tent used as a make shift mess hall. He prayed over his food and began to eat. That was when Fong had walked in and gotten something to eat for herself. She sat at a table not far from him and likewise prayed and then began to eat. It was when she looked up, several minutes later and found Larry looking at her, that he realized he had been down to the last bite of his meal for the past fifteen minutes. Their eyes locked briefly, then she smiled at him and then went back to her meal. Larry finished the last bite and for some reason, left the mess area without saying a word.

It was later that evening when he went to his hut and found Sean already in bed and soundly asleep. He had planned on doing some reading in his Bible, but rather than wake his son by increasing the light he choose to make an early night of it. He undressed and got into bed, only to find that sleep eluded him. Every time he closed his eyes, an image of Fong came up before him. It was ridiculous. He had to be twice her age. It was unseemly for a man like him to be attracted to a girl like her. Still, he couldn't get her out of his mind. After a seeming eternity Larry turned to prayer.

"Lord, you know I'm lonely. You know that I want another wife. But this girl is far too young to be for me. I ask Lord that You give me peace in this matter. Show me Your will and let me get some rest this night. I ask it in Jesus' name.

Amen."

Satisfied that he had laid his problems before The Lord, he rolled over and went to sleep.

The next day Larry was at work in the hut provided for him for that purpose. While the EMP attack had killed most things electronic, it hadn't killed everything. He spent his days trying to take care of the things that were unaffected by the EMP attack. At present he had a radio in front of him. It had worked fine after the attack, but it had been dropped by it's owner and stopped working at that point. Larry had opened the back of it and found that one of the connections inside had been broken by the drop. It was a simple matter of re-soldering the connection to fix the radio. Since the generator was still working and could provide power for his soldering iron, the repair would be simple.

Once he had done that, he reached for the back plate of the radio and the screws that held it in place. He found the back plate and screws, but couldn't find his screwdriver. Then he remembered that he had left it on a bench on the other side of the room. He was about to get it when he heard the door open behind him. He was expecting Sean to come by after school, so he didn't even look up when he said,

"Hey. Do me a favor. Grab that Phillips head screwdriver and hand it to me, will you?"

In moments the handle of a screwdriver appeared over his shoulder. Then a voice said to him,

"Is this what you wanted?"

Larry had expected to hear Sean, so the female voice took him by surprise. He looked around and found Fong holding the screwdriver.

"Yes, it is. Thank you." He answered her.

Larry took the tool and put the cover plate back onto the radio. Once he was finished he turned to her.

"Thanks for your help. Can I do something for you?"

"I hope so."

"What do you need?"

"An explanation."

"Excuse me?"

"I'd like you to explain something to me."

Larry was puzzled. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Larry, why haven't you talked to me?"

He was still confused. "What do you mean?"

"Larry, a girl would have to be blind not to notice how you have been looking at me. So why haven't you said anything?"

He took a deep breathe and let it out in a sigh.

"Fong, I want to be completely honest with you."

"I wish you would."

"Fong, I think you are a very attractive woman. I would like nothing more than getting to know you better. But I mean, look at us. You are a beautiful young lady, and me? Well I'm a middle aged man who has no right to think about someone like you in that way. My son is fifteen. You're what? Nineteen or twenty? You could be his older sister. You deserve someone better, or at least younger, than me."

She stared at him quietly for a long time.

"So that's it? You think there is too much of an age difference between us? That's why you haven't spoken to me."

"That's about it. Fong, I'm quite attracted to you, but I'm forty-three. I have to be twice your age or more. I can't think of many things more foolish than a man of my age chasing around after a lady half his age."

Fong continued to stare at him. Her eyes seemed to bore right through him. For several minutes she said nothing. When she spoke, she shocked him.

"Larry, you are an idiot."

"What?"

"You're an idiot. I have, what I call, a family curse. Everyone in my family looks much younger than they really are. I know I look young but Larry, I'm thirty-five. I may not be old enough to be Sean's mother, but I'm much too old to be his sister. And I'm certainly old enough to know when a man is interested in me. Even if he is stupid about it."

Larry was stunned. "You're thirty-five?"

"Last time I checked."

"That, uh, that changes things."

She took his hand. "I hope so."

"Um, Fong. I know there isn't much entertainment around here, but are you doing anything tonight?"

"Yes, I am."

"Oh."

"I'm going to be feeding you supper at seven o'clock tonight."

"OH!"

"Larry, I have to warn you about something."

"What's that?"

"In spite of many lessons and a great deal of effort by my mother, I'm really bad at Chinese food. I hope you like Italian."

"I love it."

"Good. I'll see you at seven then."

"Count on it."

Fong smiled at him, and the entire world seemed to brighten for just a moment. She then turned and left him to his work. Larry continued to stare at the closed door for several minutes. He was shaken out of his thoughts by a voice coming from behind him.

"Well, it looks like things are getting better."

He turned. "Sean! How long have you been there?"

"I got here about the same time that lady did."

"So you heard everything?"

"Yeah."

"And what do you think?"

"Dad, can I talk to you man to man?"

"Of course."

"Well, this is what I think. I know you and Mom were in love. You two always showed it every day. I also know that for the last couple of years before she died, you two weren't as happy as you used to be when I was a kid. And now Mom is gone. Dad, I love you, but these past few months living with you has been a real pain in the butt. It isn't your fault, I know. But I'm the one who has to live with it. Now, for the first time, I see you have a chance to be happy again. That lady is really nice, and not like Mom, she is a Christian. I think you have the chance to be happy again and maybe even happier than you were before. Maybe I'm wrong, but you would be even more wrong not to take a chance and find out. That's what I think."

Larry was stunned at Sean's maturity.

"Thank you, Son. Thank you for your words and your honesty."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to have an Italian meal at Fong's place."

"Sounds like a good idea to me."

Larry spent the rest of the day lost in thought and making an absolute mess of everything he came into contact with. He couldn't believe himself. He was acting like a school boy who was in love for the first time, unaware and uncaring about what the future might hold. Finally he gave up and went to speak with Mac.

"So what's the problem Son?" Mac asked.

"The problem is that I'm a widower. I loved my wife. How can I think about another woman? Sue has only been gone for about six months,"

"Son. Is your wife here?"

"No."

"Would you be cheating on her?"

"No."

"Then there isn't any problem as far as I can see."

"But Sue was my wife."

"Son, I'm sorry to say this, but she is dead. You are alive. The Lord never meant for men and women to go through life alone. I know you loved her, but she isn't here any more. Do you want to tell me that God said you have to be alone for the rest of your life?"

"No. He never said that to me."

"Then shut up and live your life. Memories are fine, but the aren't the same thing as a warm body in your arms. Go out and live, Son. Don't just stay alive."

[nancy98]

Thanks

[day late]

Chapter Seventeen


Larry had shown up, promptly at seven. Fong greeted him at the door of her hut. Like his, it was built to be a one room dug out and log cabin combination design, but obviously someone had taken the time to put up dividers that separated the room into different compartments. Each one was small, but it would work fine for a person living alone, or perhaps one roommate. He didn't learn anything about Chinese food, but he did learn that Fong certainly did know Italian. The chicken was almost falling apart, the sauce rich and red and the pasta was some of the best he'd ever tasted. The entire area both inside the hut and outside was filled with it's aroma.

Surprisingly, the conversation went well for a 'first date' situation. They spoke easily and over a wide range of subjects. Some personal, some not. Some that turned out to be both.

"So what's this about a family curse? Looking as young as you do is something I'd think you'd be happy about."

She smiled at him. "You'd be surprised. It'd difficult to explain. When I was at school, my folks would come to visit me. I was always happy to see them. But I remember one time we were walking around the campus and Daddy got separated from us for a minute. He went to get drinks or something. The next thing I knew, there were guys hitting on my mother."

Larry almost choked on the pasta he had been eating.

"You're kidding. Your classmates were trying to pick up your mother?"

"It's true. They thought that she was their age, 0r close enough anyway. Mom handled it with grace. She would say, thank you young man, for his attention but she would inform them that she was quite married, thank you very much. It took no time for the word to spread, I guess. After a few of them, they stopped coming around."

"Unbelievable. You say you were at school. Were you studying or teaching?"

She smiled at Him. "At that time I was studying. I'm a CPA. Or at least I was until all of this started. You were asking about looking my way being a problem. Imagine you have an important client who invites you to lunch. It's a very nice place by the way. Then once you are seated the waiter asks your host, if he should bring in the child's menu? You wouldn't believe how many meetings started with me having to prove my age. It can make a client smile or make him wonder."

"Were you any good?"

Once more she smiled at his simple honesty. "I had my own office for about ten years. Does that say anything to you?"

"Sounds like I wish I'd known you years ago. My taxes were always a mess."

"Well, I would have given you a special rate."

He laughed and thanked her. Then he turned serious for a minute.

"You already know about me. What about you? How did a pretty little thing like you wind up out here?"

A brief smile flashed across her face at the compliment, then she became somber.

"I wish I could give you the whole story, but I only have part of it. Mother, Daddy, my two brothers and I were near one of the disbursement centers when there was some trouble. Because of the time of day, we were forced to try to find shelter anywhere we could. My two brothers went one direction, Mother, Daddy and I the other. We were supposed to meet back at the car in ten minutes. I never saw my brothers again. I have no idea what happened to them."

"I'm sorry. I've heard of a few cases like that. But I've never been with someone who was involved before."

"That was the beginning of our troubles. The three of us managed to get the car out of sight and with no other choice, we spent the night inside. Until, about four thirty in the morning. There were flashlights and loud voices. We were loaded onto a vehicles and taken away. By noon the next day we were all working on one of the farms."

"I've been on one."

"I know you have. That's why I can say this. Larry, I had no part in what happened next. DON"T say anything, It just happened. I'll have to leave it to you to judge. We were in the fields. The guards would often laugh at us and apologize for not having rice paddies for us to work in. We were beaten. But we made it through each day, because we stayed together. One day there was a loud noise. I looked and there were men shooting at the guards. The guards were starting to shoot back. And someone had blown a great big hole in the fence. Men on the outside were signaling us to run. Three people did try it. One was killed. The others made it to the woods.

I turned to my parents, hoping for instruction. Mom was lying down, cradled in Dad's arms. She had a hole in her chest and was bleeding badly. I started to go to them. Mother pointed and said, 'The fence'. Daddy looked up, saw everything, then he and Momma pushed me towards the opening. Daddy was shouting for me to 'GO!' and 'RUN!' so I did. I don't know what happened to them after that. And I've always felt guilty about it too. I shouldn't have left them."

"You shouldn't feel guilty. They pushed you towards the break in the fence. They wanted you to leave and save yourself. I'm so sorry about your loss. I know what it means to lose someone close to you. I lost my wife a while back."

"Yes I heard. I'm sorry. I guess we just have to learn that sometimes we have to burn our bridges and our pasts behind us and live for The Lord the best way we can now. So much for guilt."

The statement hit Larry in two ways. He remembered setting fire to Danny's house with his wife's body still inside. He didn't kill her, but he had surely burned everything behind him. At the same time he recalled the advice of Mac. 'Go out there and live. Don't just stay alive.' The combination was something to think about, and to be prayed over. The one thing he had to be certain of was not repeating his earlier mistake in getting involved with a non Christian woman.

"If I'm not being too nosy, what happened to your wife."

Larry had thought long and hard on how to explain everything to Sean. He now used it with Fong.

"It was similar to yours. Sean and I were feeding a homeless group when they showed up and took everyone away to the farms. So like you I only have part of the story. Sean and I escaped from the farm. He was hurt so I left him here and went to get his mother. She was dead when I got there. I didn't see them, but there were a lot of things that said 'peace keepers' to anyone who looks. N.A.T.O. shell casings, boot prints of a standard issue military boot. It doesn't take a lot to figure it out. They had looted the area. They killed my next door neighbor, too."

"Then maybe it's God's will that there is some thing to be done by you here."

"Maybe. I couldn't say." He drew a heavy sigh. "I do know one thing. If I don't get another piece of that chicken, I'm going to be very disappointed."

"Well, we can't have that. Help yourself."

And so it went. Casual, comfortable, but with its moments, until late in the evening. Normally he would be in bed by about nine. Now here it was nearly eleven and he was just getting home. He hoped that he wouldn't wake Sean as he undressed for bed. He did so as quietly as possible, and gently eased his way into bed. He soon was settled into a comfortable position and was fast on his way to sleep when Sean said.

"I guess this means we need to put alarms on the door. Never can tell what might come in late at night."

"Have you been awake all this time?"

"Yeah."

"And you want to know how things went?"

"Yeah."

"We had a very pleasant evening. We talked and got to know each other."

"What about, you know. Did you make it to first base?"

"Son! If you are suggesting what I think you are, then you can stop it right now. We ate, we talked and we learned about each other. I don't know what your friends might be saying about it, but that's the way these things should go."

"Okay, okay. I didn't say anything. So what do you think of her? She seems nice to me."

"She seems to be very nice. You never know, this could turn into something. But in the mean time, it's late and I want to get some sleep before we have to get up. Good night, Son."

"Good night, Dad."

It was during the night that the announcement was made for the arrival of our 'brothers from other worlds'. All man had to do was to stop the wars and they would help the world. More information and irrefutable proof of their arrival and their relation to human kind would be provided once and for all.

Being a bit isolated it took a few weeks for the people in the camp to hear about what had happened. But that did have the benefit of more information coming out at one time, instead of hearing something every day or two. As best as it could be understood, the creatures called 'the space brothers' claimed to be coming to Earth to save us from ourselves. They weren't going to force anything on us. The people of this planet had to decide they wanted the help. If a nation or nations choose to remain at war, that was their right, and they wouldn't be bothered. But the nations who were at peace and asked for help with their problems, they would receive all benefits that come with that choice.

At first a few of the smaller nations south of the Equator accepted the offer. Being poor and struggling with everything from failed crops to failed governments not much was expected.

Then early reports over the following weeks, which were made readily available, showed vast numbers of people being helped. People near death would be taken by them aboard their ships, and then returned in full health, soon thereafter. Although there were stories of how these people were not quite the same as when they went to the ship. The 'brothers' work was haled as miraculous. Famines were stopped in their tracks. New crops had been brought in by the 'brothers'. These matured quickly and had many times the nutritional value of their earth counterpart. Until the first crop had a chance to mature, from planting to harvest about three weeks, they would be helped in their plight by their 'brothers' to get on their feet and make this a better place.

It took only three months for a number of things to both happen and then to be made clear to all parties. During the first harvest in the third week, raids were carried out by bandits in out laying regions of these small out of the way countries. It was the way it had always been. But now that humans were growing a crop they could use, that give them an interest in what happened. After the first attack, it was made known as far and wide as possible that the 'brothers' didn't like people attacking their convoys. Doing so in the future would be much different.

Of course, someone had to try. There were three trucks carrying one of the first loads of the valuable crops to market when the man in the last truck noticed the cab portion of a semi-truck in his mirror. It seemed strange to him. With fuel as expensive as it was, nobody drove one of those things without a trailer. He reported it to the convoy leader, and was told to ignore it, for now. It was soon after that the convoy leader got conformation of what he feared. They were being hi-jacked. In front of him was a road block of trucks that he wasn't going to be able to break through, and he knew it. He still half a mile from them when he reached for the box on the seat next to him and pushed the lighted button.

Then, as ordered to do, he began to slow down. This was no surprise to the bandits or their leader. They had the trucks trapped and would have them sooner or later. If they noticed a little earlier than planned and slowed down, so what? It was already too late. The leader was already dividing up the loot in his mind when the air strike hit.

The three trucks blocking the road were the first thing to go up, as missiles fired from a couple of nearby helicopters slammed into them. At least people called them helicopters for lack of a better word. Clearly made from an unearthly design, they did have a rotor on top to keep them in the air. After that most similarities ceased to exist. They could carry more people or cargo than any earthly helicopters and made almost no noise.

The helicopters were close enough they couldn't miss. Yet because of flying in that near silent mode they normally used, they weren't seen or heard until they fired. Once they had done so, the entire area around the remains of the trucks was riddled with bullets from machine gun and cannon fire. Nothing survived.

The semi truck behind the supply trucks skidded to a halt. With the road before them now blocked, the supply trucks had to back up. One helicopter flew in low near the road and put a burst of gunfire into the road in front of the semi. He didn't have to be told twice. He put the truck in reverse and backed as fast as he could to the first place he could turn around. He did so and was last seen leaving the area at a high and increasing rate of speed.

The trucks made it to their destination without further incident. In fact all of the vehicles of any sort that could be associated with 'the brothers' was given a wide berth. As more and more people saw this they were attracted to the idea of having some protection for the first time in their life. They soon found that 'the brothers' were more than happy to help us out. That was why they were here. Before long many people were wearing clothing that clearly showed they worked for 'the brothers' in some way. That made them untouchable. There were stories about those that tried. Crime rates in these areas began to fall at once. People felt safer for the first time in years. And as long as they didn't do anything stupid, the government wouldn't even touch them. They couldn't touch any who worked for 'the brothers'. They could live free.

And it seemed that 'the brothers' could use a lot of helpers. Especially if you are oppressing these people. So why not stop now? You can be for us or against us. You've seen some of the things we can do for people who are for us. But there are more things, IF you are worthy.

With an offer like that, many in power soon found themselves in the same old jobs, but with new bosses. And these guys paid well.It was only a short time before these countries started to fall in line. And since not many here were part of that phony Christianity thing, it won't hurt too ban them. They haven't liked 'the brothers' since we got here.

Because of the benefits the people had gotten, everything 'the brothers' asked for was given to them by a grateful nation. Before much longer, nations with border disputes would agree to stop fighting and accept whatever answer they were given. That way both could enjoy the benefits of the friends from space. The whole thing began to snowball. country after country was trying to end all acts of war in their countries in exchange for the gifts offered to them.

It started in the southern hemisphere, with many of the lands that had no real Christian population. Of the few Christians who protested, they were accused of trying to hold back the rest of the country for the sake of an old worn out religion. Couldn't they tell a good thing when they saw it? In the end they all had to either betray their beliefs for the sake of their lives and lifestyle, or keep their old religion, someplace else. You have property and you won't give up your religion? Fine. Thank you for the property, now get out of the country.

Many Christians left to find some place where they could worship as they chose. A surprising number, a majority really, denounced their faith and were paraded as people who had come out of some kind of mind control cult. They were to be pitied and cared for while they recovered their wits. Then, they will have their share in everything 'the brothers' have done for the rest of them.

Within a period of five months the 'space brothers' went from being friendly visitors from another planet to their latest claim of being the creators of man kind. Of all the things heard in the camp, that was the one that caused the most stir. Even here, there were those who almost took the aliens at their word about it. From a practical stand point it made some sense to them. They had all seen at least the still photographs showing the gestation tubes on the ships. Most of the tubes contained what appeared to be people in various stages of development. Some were little more than infant sized. Others were physically, fully mature and ready to ,as they had put it, 'take their place among humanity'. and help us progress onward to the next level of man kinds evolution. As laid out for them by their creators, or so they said.

The camp was starting to become divided on the issue of the authenticity of the 'brothers'. One of the simplest argument in favor of God was this.

"Okay. say they are telling the truth. Say they made us. Fine. Who created them?"

"They say they've been here all along. They've always been around."

"Always been around? Isn't that the same thing that God tells us in The Bible? That He has always been here. What makes these 'space brothers' more believable than God?"

"I don't know. Maybe because they showed up."

"But God never left."

During this time, Larry and Fong had become quite close. Having suffered similar tragedies in their lives helped to cement the relationship. Sean had been instructed to address Fong only by her name. And their relationship grew close as well. Fong could often be seen playing various games with Sean. The two of them became almost inseparable. It was the night after the 'space brothers' had stated that they had created man kind that the three of them got together.

"So what do you think, Dad? Did they create us or not?"

"I see it this way. These aliens have and seem to require large amounts of technology. That is what gives them claim to being called god. At least that's what they want. But I have to ask one question. Why does God need a space ship? If God created everything, then why would He need a ship to get Him through the spaces between planets?"

"Larry, you are too much of a skeptic. Don't you know that the 'brothers' are here to help us?" Fong asked jokingly.

Larry scoffed. "Like you really believe that."

"I don't and you know it."

"Yeah, I know it. But it's still nice to hear."

[day late]

Don't ask me how I posted the same chapter twice.

[day late]

Chapter Eighteen


"So what do you think is going to happen next, Dad?"

"I think that no matter what we do, we are just going to be getting deeper and deeper into trouble. Even if we just sit here and do nothing. The Bible says that in the end times we will be persecuted."

"I know you are right about what The Bible says, but I had always hoped that I'd never live to see it." Fong said.

"How do you think they will do it?"

"Son, I can't tell you exactly what is going to happen, but history and The Bible both give us plenty of examples. In Revelation is says;

Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

So we know that we at least have more war coming."

"More than that." Fong said. "It also says that all countries will give the Antichrist all of their power. And Sean, we are also told that those who believe in those days will have to flee to the mountains and forests to be kept safe."

"At least we don't have far to run."

Fong smiled at him. "Maybe so, but maybe not. You've seen how some of the people around here have reacted to the aliens. When this country finally falls into line with the rest of the world, we will be given a choice. Give up our faith, or our lives. I'm sorry to say it, but all it will take is just one of those doubters to turn himself in and we are going to have to leave this place. We couldn't afford to be here when the people from the government show up to arrest us."

"Yeah, I guess you are right." He thought about it briefly. "I don't suppose there is anything we can do about."

"The only thing I can think of is to be ready to leave at a moments notice. And begin to think about where we can go from here."

"That's an easy one." Fong said. "Remember something else it says in Revelation?

Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

So you see, God has already prepared a place for us to go. Now all we have to do is wait for Him to lead us there."

"I'd forgotten about that. You're right. He will take us some place when the Tribulation starts."

"Dad? Don't you think we are there already?"

"Think about the verse Fong just quoted. It says the woman will be cared for, for a period of a time, times and half a time. A 'time' is a year. So you could say a year, years and half a year. A year is one, years are two, and a half a year is half a year. That equals three and a half years. The Bible says;

Dan 12:11 And from the time [that] the daily [sacrifice] shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, [there shall be] a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

That is the time of the antichrist. One thousand, two hundred and ninety days is three and one half years. It all ties together."

"Now wait a minute. You said that the antichrist was going to make war with us. How's he going to do that if we aren't here?"

"Most of us will be, but God always has a remnant. We don't know and can't tell which group we will be in. Maybe in both, who knows? But no matter what happens The Lord is always going to have some of His people here."

"Wow. I was just thinking of how glad I'd be to be out of all that. Now I find out that I won't be. Bummer."

"Well, Son just think about this. If you had been taught to believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, what are you going to do when the antichrist actually shows up and sits on his throne in Jerusalem? Maybe have some doubts about what you've always believed. It will be a hard pill to swallow when they realize the truth. I'm afraid not all of them will be able to do that. Look at what is happening now. About twenty percent of the people in camp are ready to walk away right now, based on nothing more than news reports and a few photographs. I don't think we have long to wait before someone leaves."

"Twenty two percent."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. That's the CPA in me coming out. I noticed the same thing and it just came natural to me to break it down into numbers. I did some quiet checking of my own, it's not that big of a camp. I came to the figure of twenty two percent are taking all of this seriously."

"I SHOULD have had you as my CPA."

She smiled at him but said nothing. Sean stood and stretched.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm getting kind of dry. I was thinking of hitting the mess tent for something to drink. Can I get anything for you?"

"No thank you Sean. I'm fine."

"If it's not to much trouble, I could use a glass of water, Son. I don't mean you have to run back here with it. You can spend at least a little time if you run into one of your friends and want to chat."

"Okay. I'll be back soon."

Fong waited until she was sure that Sean couldn't hear her.

"Did I just miss one of those parenting things?"

"Yes, you did."

"What happened?"

"He may be fifteen, but he's still a growing young man. And Julie is on duty in the mess tent tonight. I didn't want him hanging around her and getting them both into trouble. Her for not working and him for stopping her. By asking for the water, I make sure he gets in and gets out, but leave him enough time to chat with Julie."

"What if he runs into someone else along the way?"

"Then he has to decide which is more important. To cut them short, and he has the excuse in his hand, or keeping me waiting."

"And that helps to do what, exactly?"

"A couple of things. It teaches him time management for one. For another it teaches responsibility. He did make the offer. Now he has to keep up his end of the stick."

"Well, I'm glad he's out for a few minutes. I wanted to ask you something privately."

"Anything."

She smiled again and told him.

"Remember what it says in Isaiah?

Isa 4:1 ¶ And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

Larry I know you, now. You are a good man. When that day comes, if we are not married, I'm telling you now, that I want to be first in line. So, will you marry me?"

Larry was glad in that moment he didn't yet have his water. He would have choked on it.

"Isn't it is customary to let the man do the asking?"

She smiled in that way that he found so delightful.

"I'm serious and I'm not. I am not trying to push you. I'm just letting you know that when that day comes, I would like to be wife number one."

"I like a girl who thinks ahead and is self confident. But I have to tell you that you had me there for a moment. And it would have been pretty awkward too."

"Oh, I am so disappointed. You would have said no?" Her words were harsh, but one look in her face and he could tell she was playing with him.

"Well, all things considered, I would have said yes. But now I have to thank you for telling me all of this. It makes my job easier. It takes out all the worry. It would have been very awkward if I couldn't do this." Larry pulled a small box from his pocket. Opening it, he held it out. "Will you marry me?"

Fong looked at the ring briefly and then flung her arms upward around his neck. She held on to him without speaking, but she was that way. It was difficult for her to speak while sniffing back tears of joy.

Finally Larry said, "Does this mean yes?"

She released her hug but held on to his arms. She held him out from her and answered.

"Are you serious? Of course I'll marry you. Are you sure?"

"As sure as I can be about anything. I've been seeing this coming since that first Italian meal. You had me then."

"Ah ha. You discovered my secret weapon. But it won't do you any good now. Does Sean know?"

"I think he suspects. He was asking me just a little while ago why I was acting funny lately."

"Why were you acting funny?"

"I had to do a few things to get this ring. Go ahead, try it on. I hope I got the size right."

She did, and it was the right size. How he got it she didn't know. But it didn't matter.

"When do you want to do it?"

"I don't believe in wasting time, how about this Saturday? I know you might want to do some things, so that isn't a hard and fast date, just what I was thinking."

"That sounds fine to me. Larry? After we marry, would you mind moving in here?"

"It doesn't bother me a bit. Why?"

"Honestly, I've worked hard to get this place as fixed up as I can. I've seen your place. I mean no offense, but while that might be good for two men living alone, it's not the kind of environment I would choose."

"Too much of a bachelor pad for you, huh?"

"Something like that. Do you mind?"

"Well Sean has gotten to a point where he has to be trusted with some responsibilities. I guess as long as he knows I'll be coming by from time to time, he won't let the place fall apart. And I'm sure he would jump at the chance to have a place of his own."

"You always think ahead, don't you?"

"I try too."

They were both surprised when Sean knocked at the door.

"Can I come in?" He asked.

"Come ahead, Son. We have news for you."

Sean entered the hut, handed his father the glass of water and spoke to them.

"What news is that?"

"I managed to fool Fong into saying yes. We're going to be married."

"Congratulations. It's about time. And it's good timing too. I'm afraid have news for you both."

"What might that be?" Larry asked.

"I was listening to the radio at the mess tent when I heard it. It's the 'space brothers' again. They have come out with a new offer. It affects you at least, Fong. Maybe both of you."

"So what is it?" Larry asked.

"The 'brothers' have offered to help repopulate America after the losses we've had because of the war. They are wanting every unmarried woman between the ages of sixteen and forty to come to them and they will make sure she gets pregnant and that the baby is born in less than half the usual time. They also say that these 'kids' will become adults in a much shorter time than it usually takes. And the government is supporting the idea."

"You've got to be kidding." Fong said.

"I wish I was. On top of that, the government has issued an order that requires all eligible women to report to different places where they will be made ready for what comes next. If the ladies don't show up, it is a crime. Punishable by imprisonment and then FORCED pregnancy. If the man, say, stops his daughter from going, he can be shot."

"Tell me again. Exactly what are they calling qualified women?" Larry asked.

"Any woman of child baring years that is unmarried, or if she and her husband don't have any children."

"So they will even take a mans wife?"

"As long as she isn't pregnant, or already a mother. They seem to only want women who have never had children."

"Larry, what do you think this is all about?" Fong asked.

"It's Genesis six, all over again."

"What do you mean, Dad?"

"It that Book, fallen angels mated with human women. Before it was all over with, the only people left without the fallen angel blood in them were Noah and his family. That's why God sent the flood. To get rid of them. Now Satan is trying out his old tricks again."

"What kind of tricks?" Sean questioned.

"If Satan can eliminate pure blooded men and women from the Earth, then that proves God isn't in control. If God isn't in control, then Satan doesn't have to spend eternity in Hell. He'll do anything to avoid that."

Fong firmly gripped Larry's arm. She gulped and said.

"Instead of Saturday, how about doing this tomorrow? And I think we really need to talk about children."

"Why would you need to talk about that?" Sean wanted to know.

"Sean, I believe like your father does. These aliens are actually fallen angels. Fallen angels almost wiped out mankind once before. Now they want to try again. I WON'T have one of those things growing inside of me."

"Uh, okay. Guys, I think we have reached a point of too much information."

"What's the matter, Son? I may be older than you, but I'm still a man."

"Yeah, I know, Dad. But it's just the thought of it. I mean...that's so gross."

Larry and Fong laughed at the statement.

"Alright, we won't talk about it in front of you." Then Larry turned to Fong. "I was trying to give you extra time to get ready. But if you want to do it tomorrow, I'm not going to complain." He turned to Sean. "How about it Son? Want to be my best man?"

"What do I have to do?"

"Keep me from either fainting or running away."

"I don't think either of those is going to happen. Alright, you've got it."

They actually ended up getting married on the Saturday that Larry had suggested.

It took no time at all for the latest information to spread throughout the camp. Even those who were on the fence about to stay or leave were offended. They didn't understand how or why women should be handed over to the 'brothers' for impregnation. Wasn't the old fashioned way good enough? Alright, the old way took nine months to produce a child and their way only took weeks. So what? And the idea that these 'star children' would reach adulthood in a much shorter period of time seemed to rob the men of time they should spend being fathers. It didn't sit well with them. In fact the edict helped to push some of the fence sitters over into God's side. This wasn't what He intended. So these guys must be something else.

It was two days after the news had been broken, and a day before his wedding, that Mac came to see Larry.

"Have you got a minute?" Mac asked.

"Sure. Any time. What's on your mind?"

"In a word, Julie."

"I don't get it."

"Larry, your son and my daughter have become quite close, I'm sure you'll agree."

"Yes. That much is obvious. But Mac, they are only kids. This probably won't last. It almost never does."

"I understand that. But I'm thinking about the latest government edict. Right now, Julie is underage for them. But that won't last for much longer. I know this might sound a bit medieval, but I was thinking that maybe we could arrange something. I think it might be a good idea for them to be betrothed. That way she won't have to go to these creatures."

Larry was stunned. He had realized the possible problems for Fong, but the idea of younger female members of the camp hadn't crossed his mind.

"Mac, This is a big step. You are talking about arranging a marriage between our children so that your daughter doesn't have to go in for impregnation. What if those two decide that marriage was a bad idea about two or three years from now? Christians are supposed to marry for life. That's a long time to live with the mistake somebody else made."

"It's not a marriage just yet. Just a betrothal for now. They won't be obligated to anything, unless they choose to go through with it. And either one of them can break it off at any time. But in the mean time, it might just be enough to keep Julie out of their hands."

"Mac, I understand where you are coming from. And I do sympathize. But we are talking about the lives of two young people who don't even know what it means to be an adult. How can they possibly make that kind of decision? I had a girl friend when I was fifteen. I barely remember her name now. But you want me to commit Sean into something that will last for the rest of his life? I think at the very least we need to have those kids here before we go any further. Besides, do you really think that is going to help? They want any girl or woman that hasn't already given birth. And they don't care if she is married or not."

"Larry, I know you're right. But I'm a father who is very concerned about his little girl. She isn't old enough just yet, but it won't be long. God forgive me but, I would rather have her in an unhappy marriage to a man, than the mother of one of those things."

"I still say we should talk to them. You know how kids are. What if they had a fight today and decided to never talk to each other again?"

"You're right, and I admit that. But I still have to do whatever I can to take care of my little girl."

"Alright. Let's pick a time for all of us to sit down and talk to each other about it. And remember, I'm getting married on Saturday. Don't expect me to be available for a few days after that."

Larry wasn't surprised at all when a week later he, Fong, Mac, Sean and Julie sat down to have a talk. With his new bride standing by him he launched into a description of married life for the youngsters. He didn't pull his punches. He let them know right up front that there would be times they would not like anyone else to know about. Both good and bad. If they decided to marry, there would be times of unspeakable joy between them, which could not and would not be shared with others. There would also be times when each of them would be convinced they couldn't live with the other one for one more day. Strange as it might sound, that was normal in a relationship. But either way, they were not obligated to do anything.

They were both old enough to have a good idea of what marriage was about. They were also old enough to understand that marriage wasn't all one way, on either side of the marriage. Each of them would be expected to do their share of give and take. It lasted longer than he had intended, but after he was finished both of the young people looked suitably impressed. It was Sean who spoke up first.

"Dad, I think I know what you are saying. And I know why you and the Doctor are so worried. But do you think Julie and I can have some time to talk about it?"

"Of course, Son. I wouldn't expect anything less. It's a big decision."

"Thanks, Dad."

The older people left what had now become Sean's home, and left he and Julie to talk about things.

"What do you think about all of this?" Sean asked her.

"It's kind of weird. My father was always on me about being pure until marriage. That much I understood. But now, this. It's a little weird."

"Yeah, I know. Dad was never on me about being pure, but he made it clear that some things are to be reserved for marriage. Now they want us to be engaged or something like that. You do know that means that you can't see other guys, don't you?"

"I know. Right now. I don't want to see anybody else besides you."

"Me too. Should we call them back in and say okay to this?"

"I think it will be alright. Let's call them in."

[day late]

Chapter Nineteen

Larry was proved correct in his estimation of some of the people in the camp just two days after the wedding. He and Fong were awakened that morning by a loud banging on the front door of their hut. Larry got up and went to the door.

"Who is it?"

"Larry, it's Mac. Can we talk? It's important."

"Hold on a minute."

Larry had already put his pants on, now he went back to the sleeping area and grabbed a shirt.

"Who is it and why are they here so early?"

"It's Mac, and I don't know. He says it's important."

Fong pulled the blanket a little more tightly around her and said, "It's chilly this morning. Try to hurry back and keep me warm."

He smiled at her. "So, that's why you married me. To keep the bed warm for you. It's good for a man to know his value."

"Of course. But you have other redeeming qualities."

"I would ask what they are, but I'll have to think about that one. Let me see what Mac needs."

Larry let Mac in and seated him in the living area.

"Larry, I'm sorry for waking you this early and this soon after the wedding, but we have problems."

"That's alright. What kind of problems?"

"It looks like several of the people from camp have decided to give up and give in."

"That could cause a problem. Is there a chance we could talk with them. Maybe get them straightened out?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Why not? Who are they? Maybe I can talk with them."

"Larry you can't talk with them because they left somewhere in the night. They aren't here anymore."

"That is a problem."

"It gets worse. Donald is out there right now trying to get some men together to go after them."

"And do what?"

"Bring them back. By force if necessary."

"What if they refuse to come? Even with the threat of force."

"I don't think Donald has gotten that far in his thinking. Right now his major concern is not letting the authorities know where we are at."

"Then I guess I'd better have a word with Donald."

"I'd appreciate it."

"Let me tell Fong, and I'll be right with you."

"Thanks, Larry." Mac stood and walked out the door.

Larry went around the divider back into the sleeping area, only to find his new wife already dressed. She held out his jacket to him.

"It's still a chilly morning. You're going to need that."

"You heard?"

"Every word. What are we going to do?"

"Right now, talk with Donald. Then see if we can do something about the people who left."

"What can you do?"

"I don't know. Mac said they left last night, so they already have quite a lead on us. IF we can catch up with them, then we still have to talk them out of this."

"That doesn't sound like it's going to be easy."

"I don't know if we can. We've been talking to them for weeks now, but they still left."

Larry had shrugged into his jacket while they had been talking. Now Fong surprised him. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out Larry's pistol. She handed it to him.

"You might need this."

"Let's hope not."

"Better safe than sorry."

They left home together and found Mac waiting just outside.

"Hello, Fong. I wish I could say 'good morning', but it isn't. I'm sorry to have to disturb you two this early, and especially when you are still on your honeymoon."

"Hello, Mac. It's alright. Sometimes life gets in the way of what we want. Don't worry about it. So how bad does it look?"

"Donald is pretty worked up about it. I'm just hoping that Larry can make him and the others see sense, if they can catch up to the others, before anything bad does happen."

"How worked up is Donald?" Larry asked.

"Take a look for yourself."

There was a group of twelve to fifteen people in the central clearing of the camp. Donald was addressing them with great enthusiasm. He saw the trio coming towards him and turned to speak with them.

"Larry, Fong. What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be setting up house and getting to know each other better? I didn't plan on disturbing you two with this. Why don't you just head on back to your place? We'll handle it."

"Donald, this is something that affects us all. We should be involved. Have you decided what you are going to do?"

"What else can we do? We've got to go get them folks and bring them back."

"What if they don't want to come back? It looks to me like they have already made their choice."

"Now Larry. You know as well as I do, once they get back to town it's only a matter of time before one or more of them start singing like a bird. The government don't care none about us. And they aren't going to care about them. They will find a way to make them talk. Are you saying we should just sit around here and wait for the government to show up and take us all away? I'm not about to sit here and wait on them."

"Neither am I. But Donald, if they choose to go there is nothing we can do to stop them."

"We have too. If we don't then we men are dead and the ladies around here will be forced to be a host mother to one of them 'star children'. Is that what you want for your wife?"

"Obviously not. I say, yes. Let's try to catch up with them."

"Now you're talking."

"I'm not finished. First we find them and then we try to talk them out of this."

"And if we can't?"

"Then we get them to give us at least twenty four hours to move on. They are our friends after all. They should be willing to do that much."

"MOVE ON? Now why should we let these folks make us move on to someplace else?"

"What are you going to do Donald? If we force them to come back they will just leave again the first chance they get. We don't have the means to lock them up, and we can't put guards on them twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The only way this will work is if they come back of their own free will."

"There are other ways of making sure they don't talk."

"Donald, I'm not even going to ask if you are saying what it sounds like you are saying. I'm just going to ask one question. Are you willing to pull the trigger on someone that you called a friend just yesterday?"

"They pull a gun on me and I don't care who they are. I'll shoot them."

"No doubt. And in a case like that you would be justified. But what if they don't pull a weapon? Are you willing to shoot that former friend if he refuses to come back here, in cold blood?"

Donald looked at Larry hard. He scratched his chin and answered.

"You don't play fair. No, I reckon not. But that still leaves the question. What do we do?"

"The best we can and ask God to step in for the rest."

"Alright, I'll go with that for now. You coming?"

"Try to stop me."

"Good. Next to the preacher I don't think there is another man in camp that knows The Bible as well as you." He smiled at Larry. "And you can be pretty persuasive when you put your mind to it."

"Well, we better get moving. They might not have gotten too far in the dark. But now that the sun is up, they will make better time." He turned to Fong. "There's no telling how this will play out. Would you get Sean ready to go, just in case we have to leave? And talk with Mac. Are He, Ellen and Julie going to be traveling with us or strike out on their own?"

"Don't worry about a thing. I'll handle it. You just go talk those people into coming back."

"I'll do my best."

He kissed her good bye and joined Donald plus eight other men as they began to make their way out of camp. Larry fell in beside Donald and began to question him.

"Do you know how many and if they are in a group or each traveling on their own?"

"Our numbers aren't even. Ten of us and twenty of them. About half and half, men and women. They seem to be traveling together and I don't think they got far last night. None of them are the real woodsy type if you know what I mean."

"Well let's hope you're right. I want to find them before they have a chance to get to town."

The men put in a solid two hours of walking after that, with little said between them. Each was busy with his own thoughts after hearing what Larry had to say. Could they shoot people they once knew as friends? Would they do it? It was something every man of them wrestled with as they walked through the brush.

At the end of that second hour, they did catch up with the people who had left the camp. Donald's words proved to be quite accurate. None of them were the outdoors type of person. Out of the twenty, three were already injured. One man had his arm inn a makeshift sling after he had tripped over something in the dark. It was believed the arm was broken. Another man had one ankle tightly bandaged after he had taken a misstep in the dark and badly twisted his ankle. He clearly wasn't going to be moving very fast for some time to come. One woman had chosen shoes that were quite fashionable for her triumphal return to civilization. It was a bad choice. The bottoms of her feet were now rubbed raw and beginning to bleed.

A rushed conference among the men decided that since the ones who had left didn't appear to have any weapons, they would simply announce themselves and then have Larry and Donald join them for a little talk. The rest of them would hang back and provide covering fire if it proved necessary. Larry and Donald would be basically on their own. The men got into position and Larry called out.

"HELLO THE CAMP. May we come in?"

Every head turned towards them, and then they looked at each other. Clearly there was no one leader in the group. Finally one man called back.

"Who are you?"

"Friends, I hope. I'm Larry. You guys all know me. Can we come in and have a talk?"

"Okay, Larry. Come on ahead. But don't expect much. We've already made up our minds."

Larry and Donald made their way towards the people. It was obvious that they hadn't had an easy time of it the night before. Both men made a mental count of the people there. All ten were present and accounted for. As they reached them, Larry spoke first.

"Thanks for letting us talk with you."

"You want to talk, then go ahead and talk. It's not going to do you any good. Like I said. We've made our choice."

"Maybe so, but will you at least listen to me?"

"Do we have a choice?"

"Sure you do. You can tell us no and we will leave, right now. But I was hoping you would have an open mind on the matter."

"HA! You say we have a choice. But if that's true why do you have men over there with guns pointed at us?"

"They are just watching our backs. They aren't here to start trouble. Will you listen?"

"Listen to what? Are you going to stand there and try to convince us that your all-knowing, all-loving God is going to take care of us? How good of a job has He done at that so far? Larry we are all tired of living like animals out in the forest. We want better meals that we don't have to go out and kill ourselves. We want hot showers. Is this God of yours going to wave his hand and then we all of a sudden have them? I don't think so."

"No. He isn't going to do that. But He has better things in mind for all of us if we just stay faithful to Him."

"Yeah. Pie in the sky in the sweet by and by. We've heard it all before. We don't buy that line any more. We need things NOW. Not later, now!"

"Look I can't promise you that everything is going to be perfect. I'd be lying and we both know it. But what do you think you're going to get from the government?"

"You've heard the radio. They promise that if we turn ourselves in and give up this phony religion then all will be forgiven. We'll have jobs. A bed and a place to sleep. Good HOT food. You can't offer anything like that."

"What makes you think they will keep their word?"

"What reason do they have to lie? The war is all but over. Now they need people to rebuild the country. We can be a part of that. Our families will be warm safe and dry. You've got nothing to offer us."

"You're wrong. I've got two things to offer. One is real true freedom. You and you alone will decide what you want to do or believe. You won't have to toe the government line and do whatever they say. The other is eternal life through Jesus Christ. A life that will be without pain or hardship. Yes, we will have to go through some tough times to get there, but in the end it will all be worth it."

"Freedom! Freedom to do what? Live in a hole in the ground. To have to always have to scavenging for food. That's not what I call freedom. And if that's the best your God can do for us, then you can keep Him."

"What about the freedom to decide when a woman gets pregnant? What about a woman's right to decide who the father is going to be? The government isn't going to give that to you, and you know it."

"We talked about that. We decided to take our chances in town rather than out here. Most of these women are already mothers anyway. They don't want them."

"Maybe not now. But what about later. You know they won't keep their word. Do you really expect that they are going to welcome you with open arms and just let you go where you will. In their eyes they have no reason to trust you. I'll tell you what's going to happen. If they don't have a reason to just shoot you on the spot, you men will be used as slave labor to rebuild the areas that have been torn apart by the war. And it will be worse than the farm ever was. And things won't be any better for these ladies. Any of them that meet the qualifications will be pregnant by weeks end. Those who don't will be used as labor if they are too old. The younger ones will be used for the pleasure of the soldiers. You can't want that."

The discussion went on for nearly half an hour, to no avail.

"Look Larry. We know your heart is in the right place. But we just don't think your head is. We appreciate it, we really do. But we can't live like that any more. And we sure don't believe that God is taking care of us. We are going to take the chance that they are telling the truth. If not, we'll just have to make the best of it until we can get out of there."

Larry looked at the rest of the group.

"Does he speak for all of you?"

A general sound assent went through the group.

"Alright. Nobody can say I didn't try. I just want to ask that you don't tell them where we are at. Since we do believe in The Lord, they have sworn to either kill or imprison us."

"Larry you don't have to worry about that. We won't tell them anything."

"Thank you. We appreciate it."

"Listen, Larry. We have a few injured people here. Can you give us a hand?"

" No."

"No? What about all that Christian charity?"

"It's still there. But we didn't bring any medical supplies with us. About the only way we could help you would be to help you carry them. We're not going to do that. It would be suicide. I'm sorry, you'll have to care for them yourselves. There's nothing we can do."

"Alright. I understand. Just thought I'd ask."

"Good luck to you." Larry looked over the group. "Good luck to you all. You're going to need it."

With that he and Donald turned and left them. As they made their way back to the rest of the men, Donald spoke.

"Larry, we've medic's kit with us. You know that. Why didn't you tell them?"

"Two reasons. First we don't have anything that is really going to help them except maybe something for that ladies feet. They already splinted that guys arm and we can't do anything for that twisted ankle. The second reason is that carrying their wounded will slow them down. We're going to need that time to clear out of camp."

"So your thinking they talk."

"Sooner or later, if they want to or not. They aren't going to be given a choice. We need to be gone before that happens."

The continued walking quickly back to the camp, in silence. They had reached the edge of the camp and each of the men went their own way. Donald spoke again.

"Larry, I wish you all the best. I'll pray for you too. But I'm not coming with you."

"Why not? You'd be more than welcome."

"I still have a farm to get back. I'll see if Ira can use a farm hand as a cover. Then do what I can as I can."

"Donald, you are just one man. There's a lot more of them than there are of you."

"I know. But it's my land and they are on it. I'm staying."

"I don't suppose there is any way I can talk you out of this."

"Nope."

Larry held out his hand and Donald took it.

"Take care and God bless you."

"And you."

The two men parted. Larry went first to the hut he and Fong shared. Stepping through the door he was amazed at what he found. Fong had always kept the place neat and tidy. Now it looked like a tornado had blown through it. It seemed nothing was in it's proper place. Worried he ran to Sean's hut. He didn't bother to knock, he just burst in. There was Fong stuffing clothes into a back pack, while Sean was doing the same with another one. They both looked up at the noise. Fong spoke.

"You're back. Do me a favor and hand me those cloths on the table next to you."

"What's going on?"

"We're getting ready to leave, of course. Or were you able to talk them into coming back."

"No, I couldn't."

"Then you better get started packing. How long do you think we have?"

"A day or so before they get there. Then maybe another day before our secret is out. How did you know about this?"

"You said you like a woman who thinks ahead. Since they left in the night, they didn't want to be seen or found. That makes it unlikely you would be able to talk them into coming back. So I thought we should get a jump on it."

"I see. Have you picked out a destination yet?

"Julie's dad says he knows a place." Sean said. "We thought it might be a good idea to go with him."

Larry looked at the two of them.

"Are you two sure I'm even needed around here?"

"Of course we need you. Who else is going to warm my bed?"

"Yeah, Dad. And you still have to finish teaching me how to drive."

Larry grinned and shook his head. "Come on. Let's get busy."

A couple of hours later they met up with Mac, Ellen, his wife and Julie. Everything they could carry was in back packs that each of them wore. The men shook hands and Larry asked.

"So where are we headed?"

"There is a place I know about twenty miles from here. We should reach it by mid day tomorrow."

"Since you know the way, we'll follow you. But I think a prayer first would be in order."

"Couldn't agree more. Will you do the honors?"

The prayer was short and received an 'Amen' from everyone. Mac set off with Ellen close behind. Sean walked next to Julie, holding her hand. Fong and Larry came behind them, but Larry paused briefly to look back that the camp. Nearly everyone was gone now. So much had happened since he and Sean arrived. He'd lost one wife, and found another. His son had been shot and he had helped to kill two men to keep things safe around the area. He turned and caught up with Fong as they continued on their way.

[day late]

Chapter Twenty

The group made good time on the first day. They managed to cover about fifteen miles. They were blessed at about two o'clock to find a spring of fresh water to refill their canteens, which by this time were growing far too light. While the route had been slightly uphill since they had started, it wasn't too difficult for them. Not even Sean and Julie complained. To them it was all more like an adventure than anything else. They continued to push on until about four o'clock in the afternoon. At that time, Mac called a halt to the march and suggested that they set up camp for the night. They would reach their destination before noon the next day he said.

"I found that spot while hunting a few years ago. It's a nice little valley, with a few caves for shelter, fresh water and plenty of game for the taking."

"Sounds pretty nice. All the comforts of home." Larry commented.

"All the comforts if you don't mind sleeping in the dirt. Unlike the camp, this place doesn't have anything like beds or huts. It's all the way God made it."

"I'm not going to criticize Him. But I'm sure it will be okay to make something to sleep on for the night. Where are the caves?"

"There are three of them over in the ridge, that I know of. There might be more."

"What do you think are the chances are that something else already has made it's self at home in them?" Fong wanted to know.

"Not much. I call them caves, but the deepest one isn't more than ten feet deep. Most animals that would make a cave a home want to be a little more out of sight than that." Mac answered.

"That's good. I'd hate to find something four footed trying to join us in the middle of the night."

"Not much danger of that. Coyotes are the biggest threat. As long as we have a guard on duty, that shouldn't be a problem." Mac assured her.

"Let's check them out and pick one for each family." Larry suggested.

"This way." Mac lead them towards the ridge. Soon they were all standing in front of what Mac had called his caves. They actually looked more like areas that had been eroded over many years, but as he promised none of them were more than ten feet deep, and two of them were actually tall enough to stand up in. These two were chosen for obvious reasons. Larry turned around and looked at the way they had come. There were a few trees, but mostly low scrub and tall bushes.

Larry wasn't disappointed. The thickness of the brush would make it difficult to spot them at a distance. Additionally, it would make it almost impossible for anyone to sneak up on them. While he never expected it to happen, it would also make it impossible for their trail to be seen from the air. It was a good spot.

"Well Son, let's see what we can do to make ourselves at home."

"How do we do that?"

"We need two things. First we have to cut a lot of that short brush to make a sleeping pad. A word of warning though. Don't cut too much from one area. That might give away from the air, if someone flies over looking for us. next we are going to need fire wood for tonight. It's going to get cold."

"Larry, Julie and I can get started on getting the firewood. That is if You and Sean would be so kind as to cut some brush for our beds. You know how it is. Division of labor makes for light work."

"Sure, that's no problem." Larry turned to Fong and Ellen. "Would you ladies see what you can do about making these places a little more livable while we are out?"

"Don't worry, Larry. Mac and I used to do a lot of this kind of thing when we were younger. I know what to do and I can show Fong." Ellen said.

"What do we do?"

"The first thing is to try to level the ground where we will be sleeping tonight. You don't want to sleep with your head pointed down hill or roll out of the bed in the middle of the night. Let's find something we can use to try to shovel it out."

Mac and Julie left to start bringing in the wood and Larry and Sean grabbed a couple of hatchets out of the combined gear and set off looked for their bedding material.

"So what are we looking for?" Sean asked.

"Any kind of plant material that will give us some cushioning and keep us off the ground. Cushioning for comfort and off the ground for heath reasons."

"What? Is that to keep us away from the bugs?"

"No. It's to keep us from getting sick. You see when you lay on the ground, it just sucks the heat out of your body. In weather like this you could end up with a cold or worse. If it was wet, you could end up with hypothermia."

"What's that?"

"Hypothermia is when your body loses so my of it's natural heat that the body begins to shut down things like blood flow to all of your extremities. Your arms and legs. The more heat you lose, the more the body tries to keep the main trunk of you warm to keep you alive. When it goes too far, you freeze to death. If you don't die, you could well lose hands, feet, arms, legs, and that's if you can get to a hospital. If you can't, well, those parts of your body become just so much dead meat. As they decay what's left of you dies from being poisoned by that decay."

"That sounds pretty bad. How much brush do we need?"

"Honestly, six inches would be great. But we can get by with less if we have too. But remember, we don't want to give away our position."

"I'll make sure we have enough."

On the first trip back to their overnight camping spot, the two of them found that by using a branch, Ellen and Fong had already gotten a fairly large sleeping area leveled in one of the caves. There was also a pile of wood for the fire lying near a spot halfway between them with a circle drawn on the ground next to it. The ladies were at work started to level the second cave went Fong spotted them.

"Start with the other cave first. We aren't ready with this one yet." She told them.

Larry and Sean did as they were told and found what they had brought back wasn't enough to do the job on even the first cave. They laid out the brush evenly as far as it would go and then returned to their task. When they returned the second time, the second cave was still a work in progress. Larry also noticed several medium to large stones near the mouth of the cave. He guessed, correctly, that they had been removed from the second sleeping area and the ladies were in the process of filling the holes they created in the ground with dirt and sand which had already been removed. The stack of fire wood had grown larger.

They finished with the first sleeping area and left what they had remaining near the mouth of the second cave. Once again they walked off into the brush for more padding. By the time they came back the leveling was finished and what little brush they had left before was now spread thinly over the area. They added to the make shift mattress with what they had, and sat down for a break. Larry noticed that the fire wood pile had grown even more. He wondered just how much wood Mac and Julie were going to bring in.

"It looks like you guys have gotten enough for both beds." Fong told them. "After you rest a little we could use some help digging a fire pit over there where Mac drew the circle."

"Why bother with that? We're in the middle of nowhere." Larry wondered aloud.

"Because a fire above ground can be seen a long way off at night." Mac said as he and Julie brought in the latest load. "If you dig a hole, the fire can only be seen from above."

"Wouldn't that also stop the fire from keeping us warm?"

"Not if you stand close. And before you ask, the trick to sleeping warm is to stand close and heat up your blanket just before going to bed." Mac paused. "I used to love reading about the old west. One of the things I learned by doing that was why the soldiers always had a hard time finding the Indians. The Indians had a saying.

'White man make big fire and stand far away. Indian make small fire and stand close.'

It seemed to me that this is a reasonable compromise between the two. A big fire for warmth, placed below ground level. It should do the job, yet it won't be seen."

"That's a good idea. I'm going to have to remember that one." Larry told him.

After a short break, Larry found a flat stone about the size of both of his hands and used that to begin digging. At first, he carelessly threw the soil to one side or the other. Then Mac spoke up.

"Why are you making things harder on yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

"Instead of just throwing the dirt around, use it after you get the hole a little deeper. What you do is use the dirt to build up around the sides of the pit. That way you don't have to dig as deep. You'll save yourself a lot of work that way. Believe me, I know."

"I feel like you should be doing this."

"You know what they say. You learn by doing. For what it's worth, I would have used a branch or something. But that flat rock is a good idea too."

"Thanks."

As Larry went back to his digging, he noticed that both Fong and Ellen now had blankets spread over the brush he and Sean had laid down, and now looked like they were just having fun rolling around on the beds.

"Fong, what are you doing?"

"Checking for sticks pointed the wrong direction. I can stop if you don't mind finding them in your sleep."

Larry shook his head and looked at Mac. "I've got a lot to learn, don't I?"

"Don't feel bad Larry. Everyone has to start somewhere."

But by the time the sun was going down the group had a snug little place to stay for the night, or even for several nights if it was necessary. As it turned out that, and the bulk of wood brought in by Mac and Julie, was a good thing. That night everyone huddled around the fire and they spoke of things that had happened and talked about things they wondered about if they would happen. Another topic of conversation shared only by Larry and Mac, was the weather. They had both noticed the clouds, looking big and heavy, gathering just before the sun went down. They were both concerned that the weather would turn bad before sun up. If it did, they knew they would have to remain where they were until it cleared and they could move on.

"Well Mac, what do you think? Is it going to rain or not?"

"It very well may, Larry. As long as it doesn't get colder. If it does rain, we are going to need to keep some of this wood under shelter and dry. That's going to be our best chance of getting a fire started in the morning if it does rain."

"Whatever we put under shelter won't last long. There's barely enough room for us and it's too dark to go out and try to find more."

"Think about it Larry. As long as we have enough dry wood to get a decent fire started, any wet wood we put on top WILL dry out and begin to burn soon enough. At least as long as we don't have a constant rain at the time. We just need to make sure we bank this fire when we go to bed tonight."

It turned out that it didn't rain. The weather suddenly became very cold and they got snow. Then they got more snow. It started during the night and continued well into the next morning. While it prevented them from continuing their journey, Being close to knee deep in places, they were totally unaware of other things that were happening.

The people who had left camp finally did make it to town. At first they were welcomed, even if it wasn't that warm of a greeting. Still they were fed and their injured were treated. One at a time they were interviewed by the officer in charge of the towns security and his men. When they were satisfied that these people were in fact former Christians, they had more questions. Questions about where they had been, about why they hadn't come in sooner and were there any more somewhere out there.At first the former Christians kept their word and said nothing about the others who they believed were still at camp.

That was things became unfriendly and the questions more insistent, and painful. Clearly these people, who couldn't make their way into town without some of them becoming so severely injured, were not accustomed to living on their own in the woods. They had to have had help. The men in charge of the towns security wanted to know where they were and how many were left. To their credit, most of the ones who had turned themselves in in fact kept quiet for a very long time. But they couldn't hold out forever against men so adept at administering pain.

In the end it took, about eighteen hours, the death of three people and the permanent crippling of four more before they couldn't wait to tell their interrogators everything they knew.

"Sir? I've got the final report."

"What is it?"

"The final count of people coming in was twenty two. They say there are about three times that number of die hard Christians in a camp out in the woods."

"Where are they located?"

"They couldn't give us an exact location, but the best information we could get from them places the camp somewhere about six miles to the east of the farm outside of town." The Lieutenant moved to a map on the wall. "They have indicated the camp should be somewhere near here." He pointed to a spot on the map.

"How confident of this information are you?"

"We're fairly sure of it." He smiled at his commander. "We were very insistent about having them identify any landmarks they could remember."

"Insistent, huh. How many did you kill this time? We have a quota of workers for the rebuilding to fill you know. Not to mention pleasure girls for the supervisors of the workmen."

"We knew that, Sir. Only three of them died trying to escape."

"Only three out of twenty two? You and your men are getting better."

"Thank you, Sir. We've had a lot of practice."

The commander looked at the map again.

"There's too many of them for the guards at the farm to handle. We are going to have to take care of this on our own. Lieutenant, I want a strike force of forty men in full kit, ready to move at first light. We'll recon the area by helicopter and they should be ready to either land or repel in, depending on terrain, when we find them."

"Yes Sir. Do I understand that you are coming?"

"Everyone is entitled to some fun, Lieutenant. Assemble your teams."

"Yes Sir."

The snow storm that blew in so unexpectedly delayed the search by two days. Pilots were unwilling to risk their choppers or the men they would be carrying in such a heavy snow. By the time the camp was finally found, after an equally sudden warm up, the melting snow had erased all traces of what direction any of it's former occupants had taken. That didn't please the commander. It didn't please his superiors to whom he had already reported this matter. He realized he had been over confident and had been hoping for recognition for taking care of so many of those Christians at once.

To avoid their wrath, he wrote a very persuasive report pointing out how the camp was much closer to the farm than the town. Therefore it should have been handled by the farm commander long before the camp ever reached the size it had been. To his relief, his report was looked upon with favor and those above him agreed with his conclusions. The farms director was ordered to report to the headquarters. He was never seen again.

Looking at the sky before most of the others had wakened, Larry spoke quietly with Mac.

"What do you think? Are we going to be able to get moving again today?"

"Good Lord willing. We can't stay here much longer, that's for sure. We can melt snow for water, but we need to get to an area where we can do a little hunting and fishing."

"We WILL move today. and you shouldn't worry about food."

The two men were startled at the sound of Sean's voice. Neither of them had heard him get up.

"What makes you say that Son"

Sean somehow managed to look unsure and yet totally confident at the same time.

"Dad, do you know who Michael is? I mean in The Bible."

"Son there is more than one of them. Even King David had a wife named Michael. Can you be a little more specific?"

"This one is a big guy. White robes, and a sword."

Then that would be the Arch Angel Michael. The commander of The Lord's army. Why?"

"I saw him last night."

"You what?"

"I had, don't know. It was like a dream, but it was so real. I saw him I guess you could say in a vision."

Larry at once thought of end time scripture.

Joe 2:28 ¶ And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

"Did he speak to you?"

"Yes, Sir. He said we have to leave here today. He said we need to head to the northwest. We still have a long way to go, but we will get help when we need it. He also said that until we get to where we are going, our food won't run out."

Larry remembered the story of Elijah and the widow. When she did as the prophet had told her.

1Ki 17:14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day [that] the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.

"Then I guess we better wake the ladies, get things packed up and ready to move out."

"You believe me?"

"It's happened before. Let's get started."

Once the ladies were awakened, a quick meal was made and eaten. After that the camp was packed up and they began to move. While the ground was wet, it wasn't as soggy as they had feared. The traveling went well and before long they were making good time. It was when they stopped for lunch the truth of Sean's words came to them. Fong had opened a container with some dried meat in it and said,

"I'm sorry this has to be it for lunch. But it's about all we have left and it's going to be a light meal at that."

As she reached in, she intended to go to the bottom of it. But her hand was stopped by a nearly full container. She looked at it, and then at Ellen.

"Wasn't this thing almost empty this morning?"

"Yes, it was."

"Look at it now."

Ellen looked into the container, then both women looked at Sean. He shrugged his shoulders and said,

"I just told you what Michael told me."

[day late]

Chapter Twenty One


Over the course of the next several days, everyone began to doubt less and less what Sean had said to them. Julie never doubted at all. During the first days movement, Mac had spoken to Larry.

"You know, if it weren't for the food suddenly appearing, by now I would be trying to convince everyone we are headed the wrong way. The place I had in mind was further to the southwest, not northwest."

"So you're saying the food thing convinced you?"

"No. But I do admit it gave me pause to think. Then I remembered something.

Isa 11:6 ¶ The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

It looks to me like that is what is happening here."

"Sean isn't exactly a small child anymore."

"No, but he and Julie are the only children we have with us. So I figured to go along with it unless or until something happens to prove him wrong."

"And if nothing does?"

"Then I thank The Lord that He has shown me I'm stupid in my own conceit, but wise enough to listen when it's important."

After lunch that day it was decided that since Sean was the one that had been spoken to, he should be the one to set the path on which they would travel. At first he wasn't comfortable with the idea. He talked it over with Larry and Fong that evening.

"Dad, what if I take us the wrong way?"

"Sean, your father and I have full confidence in you."

"I wish I did."

"Son, let me ask you something. Are you sure you spoke with an angel?"

"Oh, I'm certain of that. It was unbelievable what happened."

"Do you believe that this angel was speaking for God?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think that God would lead us the wrong way?"

"NO WAY!"

"Then you have your answer. Why The Lord has chosen you to take the lead, I couldn't say. But I know this much. If He is leading you, I'd be pretty stupid not to follow. Don't you think?"

"I didn't think about it that way."

"Well, think about it."

Sean was silent for several minutes before he spoke again.

"I guess you're right, Dad." He then stood and announced, "Julie and I were going to take a walk this evening. Do you mind?"

"I don't but you better check with her father first. And whatever you do, don't stray too far. We really should make an early night of it and get an early start in the morning."

"We won't. Besides, i don't think her father would like it if we stayed gone too long. See you later."

With that he walked over to speak with Mac. They watched him go and then Fong spoke to Larry.

"You know, he is one of the main reasons I agreed to marry you."

"What? You wanted your own son without all the hassle of raising one?"

She smiled at him.

"No, silly. You have a fine son there. That says a lot about you, I think. How could a man who is less than desirable bring up a boy like him? As they say, the fruit never falls very far from the tree, and he is a fine young man. He convinced me as much as anything else."

Larry put his arms around her and pulled her close.

"And here I thought it was my natural charm and wit. I guess you never know."

"Stop fishing for compliments. You know how I feel."

"Yes, I do. But that brings up another subject. You were talking about children of our own a while back. Now I know that was because of the aliens, and you were scared. But I have to ask. Have you given it any more thought?"

"I have."

"And?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"Can't make up your mind if this is going to last? It's going to, you know. I'm not going anywhere without you."

She smiled again and snuggled closer to him.

"That's not it. I mean it's still to early to tell."

"You lost me."

"Larry the answer to that question may have already been taken out of my hands. Like I said, it's still too early to tell, but I think I just might be having a baby. I have some of the signs of the early stages of pregnancy. But so have a lot of other women and it meant nothing. That's way I haven't said anything. But since you brought it up, it seemed like a good time to tell you that it's possible."

The whoop that Larry let out suddenly startled everyone. Sean and Julie who had just begun their walk thought something was happening and turned around to run back to the camp. Mac and Ellen were also startled and hurried over to find out what was wrong.

"Larry, are you guys alright?"

"Better than alright."

"Fong Dear, is Larry going to be okay?" Ellen asked, worried about her friends.

"Well he might be premature in celebrating. But I just told him that I think I'm going to have a baby."

"That's wonderful. Are you certain?"

"Not yet, but it looks that way."

"Looks what way?" Sean asked as he and Julie joined them.

"Fong tells me she thinks your going to have a brother or sister by this time next year."

"Oh. That's great Dad. Congratulations to you both. Now can I ask that you don't scare us like that again? We thought something had bitten you."

"I'm sorry kids. I didn't mean to disturb your walk. Just ignore me. I'm walking on clouds right now. I was like this when your mother told me that you were on the way."

"Sean, I have to tell you like I've told everyone else. I'm not sure yet. But I do have the signs of it. Only time or a doctor can tell. Since we don't have any way for Mac to examine me, we just have to wait."

"Fong, I hope you are. That would be great. Can I sit with the baby sometimes?" Julie asked.

"Let's just wait and see. This could all be for nothing. I don't want anyone to be disappointed. But if I am expecting, then yes. I'd be happy to have you stay with the baby from time to time."

That night was much longer than usual. Everyone was filled with thoughts of what it would mean if Fong were indeed pregnant. As a result it took much longer for everyone to get to sleep and their start in the morning was later than usual. Being tired, they all slept much later than they normally did.

Once they did get underway, it would have been almost comical to the casual observer from the outside. Everyone wanted to make sure that Fong didn't over do anything. At one point Fong thought that if Larry could go to the bath room for her, he would. She finally gave in to all the arguments and allowed the load she had been carrying in her back pack to be divided amongst the rest of them. She felt almost guilty as they headed out. She was carrying an empty back pack while everyone else had increased loads. But Larry let her know how it was going to be.

"Honey, maybe you are expecting, maybe not. But if you are I'm not going to let you do anything that might cause a problem. If you're not then just sit back and enjoy the ride. It may not happen again."

A little after noon that day Sean stopped in his tracks and didn't move. Concerned over the obvious change in behavior, Larry walked up next to him.

"Anything wrong, Son?"

"No. Not really wrong, but I suddenly get the feeling that we need to go a different way."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't explain it, but I think we need to go that way." He pointed off to the southwest.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I don't know why, but I'm sure."

"Then lead on."

They set off in a southwesterly direction and continued on until it started to get late. Larry was beginning to become concerned. They needed to set up a camp for the night. If they kept on moving it would be very difficult to do so when they did stop. His concern was heighten even more when, for a time Sean seemed to be talking with himself. They came to a road and Sean turned to follow it. Again he moved up next to Sean and spoke with him.

"Sean, following a road like this isn't really a good thing to do for us. What if a military convoy comes by? We've all had it."

"Dad, I know it doesn't make sense. I don't even want to do it. By Michael spoke to me about half an hour ago and said we should follow this road. We're going to meet someone who will help us."

"You're sure of that? You don't want to just take the easy path? I didn't see him."

"Yeah, I'm sure. What do you mean you didn't see him? He was walking beside me for about twenty minutes."

"Son I didn't see anyone next to you. It looked like you were talking to yourself."

"No. I was talking with Michael. He said to go this way down this road and not to get off it for any reason."

"Alright. We will follow you."

They continued to walk for another hour. As he had done from time to time, Larry looked over his shoulder down the road behind them. On this occasion what he saw disturbed him. There was a convoy of what looked like military vehicles fast approaching from behind them. He called out to the others.

"Convoy! Take cover."

"NO! Don't." It was Sean. "Everyone get together and pray."

"What?" Mac said.

"Get in a circle, hold hands and pray. That's what Michael said to do."

Following Sean's advice the group gathered in a circle, held hands and prayed for protection. What happened next was beyond belief. The convoy slowed down and then stopped on the opposite side of the road from them. A man got out of the lead vehicle and stormed down the line, paying no attention to the group standing there.

"Alright Corporal. What is your major malfunction?"

"I'm sorry, Sir. But I think we blew a water hose."

"Well find out and fix it. We've got to be in Carson by the day after tomorrow."

"Yes Sir."

The group remained in silent prayer as the officer in charge of the convoy set out sentries to watch each side of the road. One of the sentries walked up to within a few feet of them and seemingly didn't see them. He was so casual about it that at one point he lit a cigarette and smoked it down to the end before crushing it our under his heel. They continued to pray and still remained unseen. It took about half an hour before they heard anything.

"Sir. I think I've got it fixed temporarily. I've taped up the hose and added water, but that hose needs to be replaced A.S.A.P."

"Will it last until we get to the stop for tonight?"

"Maybe, Sir. But if we go through a town with an auto parts store, it wouldn't hurt to check."

"Alright. Get back in the truck. If we find a place that can help, we'll stop. Otherwise you're going to be doing this all over again. And if you make us late, I'm going to have your hide."

"But Sir. This isn't my fault. Sometimes hoses fail. you can't help it."

"SHUT UP and get back in the truck. Lieutenant. Bring in the sentries."

The guards were called in and they remounted their vehicles. Then the entire convoy set off once again, headed westward. After they had gone everyone said 'Amen' to their own silent prayers and looked at each other.

"I can't believe what just happened." Mac said. "There was no way they could have missed us."

"But they did." Larry offered.

"But How? We were in plain sight."

Larry looked up and then back at Mac. "Considering all of that praying, do you really have to ask?"

"No. I guess not."

Larry turned to his son.

"Okay Sean. What's next?"

"We were waiting for that."

It was nearly dark by now. Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing. Coming down the road, following the convoy was a set of headlights. At Sean's insistence, they waited for the vehicle. Soon a large flat bed truck pulled up next to them and came to a stop. The man sitting next to the driver leaned out the window and asked them.

"You folks need some help?"

Sean caught his fathers eye and nodded. Larry answered him.

"We could use a lift."

"Alright. Climb up on the back."

"Friend before we do that, I have to tell you we're Chris..."

"DON'T SAY NOTHING. I don't want to know anything about you. That way I don't have to lie if someone asks me. Just climb on, or walk. It's your choice."

"We'll get on. And thanks."

"Not a problem. My brother and me got an empty truck and we ain't going to leave people stranded out here in the middle of nowhere if we can help it."

They climbed onto the truck and got settled in. Again the passenger leaned out his window.

"Where you folks headed?"

"Northwest."

"That's all? Just northwest."

"For now that's the best answer I can give you." Larry said.

"Okay. Well let me tell you. We're headed down the road to an intersection and then we turn southwest. That's about forty or fifty miles from here. I guess you folks will be wanting off about then."

"That will be fine. You've saved us for that much walking. Thank you very much."

"Alright. Hang on. Betsy gets a little jerky on the start up."

Larry sat down as the truck began to move. True to the mans words, 'Betsy' was jerky at the start. However once they began to move everything settled down and they had a smooth ride, subject to the potholes and bumps in the road. The ride lasted for more than an hour before the truck came to a halt at the promised intersection. Once again the man leaned out of the window.

"Alright, folks. This is where we part company."

They all climbed off the flat bed and stood at the side of the road. Larry walked up to the man in the window to thank him.

"We really appreciate the ride. You've helped us out a lot."

"well now, maybe we can help just a tad bit more. It's getting kind of late and you ain't said nothing about where you'll be spending the night. So I'll tell you that there is an old abandoned motel about half a mile down the road, in the direction you're headed. I figure you folks could probably sleep there tonight and ain't no one going to bother you."

"Thanks again. We owe you one."

"Yeah, well. We're just doing like our dear old sainted Momma taught us to do. You folks might want to get along. This is a busy intersection. I'm surprised there aren't any trucks coming through here right now. But they will be by and truckers get a reward for turning in people that the government is interested in."

"We're moving. Half a mile you say."

"Give or take."

"Thanks."

The group turned and began to walk down the side of the road. It was getting late and they wanted to find some place to get out of the cold. The idea that there might actually be a factory made bed waiting for them sped their steps.

It was very nearly a half a mile when they saw the building sitting there in the dark. They had almost walked up on top of it before it was seen, but even so it was a most welcome sight. It was decided that the rooms facing the street should be left untouched, since anyone passing by might notice. So they went around to the back of the building and found a pleasant surprise. Whoever had built the place had put the best and most expensive rooms back there to keep the noise from the road to a minimum, for those guests willing to pay for it. Three of the rooms were unlocked and they soon had all settled in for the night, everyone in a real bed.

In the morning, they rose early and after a meal, Sean directed them on a route across country.

"It won't be long. We've got another ride." Was all he would say about it.

They set off walking at a comfortable pace and soon left the motel far behind them. Larry noticed that the weather in front of them was looking very bad. There was a heavy rain front moving towards them and he knew that they would be soaked. But as it got closer, the rain before them parted to the left and right. Off in the distance it was still quite heavy, but seemed to be stationary. As they walked along they spotted an old horse drawn wagon coming at them. The man on the seat was reading a book as the horse walked along of it's own accord. Suddenly the man looked up and then quickly set his book aside. As the wagon got close he pulled on the reins with a 'Whoa' to the horse and waited for them to get to him.

"Howdy folks. I'm here to give you a chance to sit a spell."

"Who are you and how did you know we would be here?" Larry asked.

"My name's Rusty. And this fella Michael said I ought to give you a hand like the others."

Rusty reached out to shake Larry's hand. As he did so the book he had set aside was knocked to the ground. Fong stooped to pick it up and found it to be a Bible.

"You're a Christian?"

"Ma'am I don't rightly know. That belongs to a friend of mine and I promised I'd read it."

"What do you mean give us a hand?" Mac asked. "And who are these others?"

"Others like yourselves. Running from the government. I'm here to take you to a place where you'll meet more of your kind. We really ought to get going."

Soon, as the wagon turned and started moving, Larry saw two things that made him wonder. The rain storm that had parted to reveal Rusty's approach, now closed behind them. Conversely the storm in front of them never got any closer. In fact it parted after about an hour of riding to display the Rocky Mountains. He didn't know what to think. There was no way they could have covered that amount of distance in that short of a time. Did that truck ride last longer than they thought? No, he'd looked at his watch went they boarded and when they had gotten off. It had only been an hour. Yet there was no doubt they were at the Rockies. After a while, he gave it up as hopeless. Before he knew it, Rusty pulled back on the reins and stopped the wagon.

"Folks, I was told you know who Michael is, so I'm just going to tell you that you need to head up that pass yonder and you'll be met by someone you need to go with." He stopped momentarily. Then he looked at Fong. "Ma'am, I was told to tell you that he will say something you haven't heard in a long time."

"What would that be?"

"I don't know. But he'll say something. That's what I was told anyway."

"Thank you."

The group climbed down and said their goodbyes and began making their way into the mountains. As they walked they all tried to guess what Rusty had been talking about. Two hours later they were surprised to hear a commanding voice shout at them.

"HALT!"

They froze in place. It looked like a bush suddenly stood up and walked over to them. A face under the camouflage, spoke to them.

"Alright you look like the ones I was shown. Your name is Larry?"

"Yes. This is my wife and my son. Who are you?"

"I'm Major Ferguson. Michael said all of you need to come with me." He looked at Fong and said something in Chinese.

She smiled at him and spoke back to him in the same language. He smiled at her and signaled them to follow him.

"What was all that about?" Larry asked.

"That is what Rusty was talking about. I haven't heard Chinese since I got separated from my parents. He said that from now on we have nothing to worry about. We've made it to a place of refuge."

"You mean it's over?"

"No. But we don't have to run any more."
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Once again we have arrived at the beginning of the Book of Revelation. This is where I get off the bus for reasons I've stated before. I hope you have enjoyed the ride.

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