Chapter Nineteen: The Tenth Plague

 ~~/*\~~ Ryder ~~/*\~~

“Dad, it’s me.” Ryder said into his phone. “I’ve been trying you all morning, and keep getting your voicemail. I’m not sure if that’s because the phones are down, or if you’re dead.” He gripped his phone tightly. “Who knows, maybe you’ll actually check your voicemail this time. It’s the end of the world, after all.”

Beep. His time was up.

Ryder redialed, got voicemail again, and kept going from where he left off. “And it is the end, isn’t it? I know you were listening to mom all those years. So was I. And if we weren’t, we still got those pamphlets, right?” His voice was hard. “I’ve been in warzones, I’ve covered famines. I’m as jaded as they come, especially about God. But I remember this. Peace and Security, an attack on all Religion, until there was only one left-”

Beep. His time was up.

Ryder redialed, got voicemail again, his voice getting hard and angry. “The Coalition is broadcasting the addresses of anyone who doesn’t have a Renouncement displayed.” He glanced at his laptop. “You know how easy it is to get a background on people these days? Especially for the Press? The Coalition is calling for a full scale assault on private homes where the Witnesses live. Dion’s rewriting the copy because legally we aren’t meant to tell one group of ‘illegals’ from another. But-”

Beep. His time was up.

Ryder redialed, got voicemail again, yelling into the phone now. “Y’know, I almost went with mom. When you decided you had to ‘draw a line’ and forced the issue for me and Nate? He went with mom, so I stayed with you. We wanted to be loyal to you both. LOYALTY! You hear me? What were you ever loyal to? Your job? You drop clients when they get too risky. I know, because I was there for an interview with Bishop-”

Be-Beep. His phone battery had finally died.

~~/*\~~

Karla was searching for ways to recharge her phone, when Ryder started screaming. She ran to find Ryder screaming curse words in near-hysterics. He was smashing things in her kitchen, tearing apart shelves.

“Ryder!” She screamed over his antics, panicked.

He froze, startled, and she got a look at his face. His eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open. He wasn’t enraged. He was terrified. She looked around for some sign of what had set him off. There was nothing, and she stared, clutching at her robe, stricken by his fear.

With effort, he got himself under control enough to explain what he’d spent his morning doing. “The addresses they’re broadcasting are all Witnesses.” He summed up when he was done. “At least so far.”

Karla blinked slowly, processing that. “People you know? People your mom knew?” It hit her. “Your brother?”

“That’s not what I mean!” He hissed, tears growing in his eyes. “This is exactly how mom said it would happen. Exactly how they said it would play out in all the… If they’re right about everything else-”

“Stop!” She pounced forward and covered his mouth. “Ryder.” She was almost begging. “I can’t handle this if you lose it on me. The world’s falling apart, and if you lose it too, then I am alone.”

He got himself under control, sank into the couch, missed the edge and slipped to sit hard on the floor. She slid down next to him, unwilling to break the moment. He didn’t say anything for a long time, staring at nothing. She stared at him helplessly for a few minutes, before she got up, returned to her room, and returned with the crushed pamphlet from her garbage. “I pulled this out of the garbage and read it again. How sure are you about the addresses?”

“As certain as I can be without going over and knocking.”

She leaned against him, blood draining from her face. “If you know that, so does the Coalition.” She said quietly. “Why are they calling for reinforcements?”

“According to Dion, social media has footage of the Coalition going after the ‘illegals’ that are still refusing to sign.” Ryder said, looking at nothing in front of him. “They ain’t dying like they’re meant to.” He handed her his phone. “When I saw some of the clips…”

“You felt obliged to start trashing my apartment?” Karla slid in next to him on the floor, watching a few clips herself. Then watching them again. And again, eyes going wider. “Well… it could be something else, right? I mean, we’ve faked weirder stuff than that for news reports, let alone...” She trailed off. “You think the Coalition is… superstitious?”

“It’s only a superstition if it’s not true.” Ryder groused.

She wrapped her arm in his, burrowed in close, feeling strung out. “I do not believe in ghosts.” She said clearly. “I don’t believe in elves, or aliens, or voodoo, or Pyramid Power. I am not afraid of this either.”

“Right.” He nodded, but he knew they were both lying. “I need to go find my brother.”

She jumped up as he collected his keys, and caught him at the door. “Don’t leave me alone, Ryder. Please?!” She was outright begging.

He looked tormented by it too. “So come with me.”

Karla looked around her apartment, barricaded, picked clean, with debris here and there; and imagined being alone in it until… Until what? She asked herself. “You think you still have a chance of…” She held up the crumpled pamphlet. “Of surviving Armageddon? Because this pamphlet says ‘no’. If your brother gave this to you then you have to know he won’t let you in. And you’d have to get across town and past the Coalition to even…” She trailed off. “You do believe it.”

Ryder was sick to his stomach, unwilling to admit it, unwilling to deny it. “Come with me.” He said again.

And then the sky went dark. With the power so unreliable, the streetlights had been dark in many places, including the street they were on. But even at night, they noticed instantly. The stars had gone dark. The moon was gone from the sky. Both of them looked out the window in shock.

“A… a storm front moving in or something? Cloud cover?” Ryder offered. “We’ve seen storms come in fast before…”

“No.” Karla said faintly. “No, it’s not a cloud.” She gestured at where the moon had been a moment before. “The moon shines because it reflects light from the sun… What if everywhere is… like this?”

Long, chilly silence. Over a distant loudspeaker, they could hear the Coalition Commander barking orders, getting his people back to the task at hand. Karla shut her eyes for a minute, and went still. Ryder was stunned to realize she was praying. “Okay.” She said finally. “I’ll go with you. We better hurry.”

~~/*\~~ Satau ~~/*\~~

Instruction had spread quickly among the Hebrews.

The more prosperous Egyptian families that could afford domestic slaves watched as the ones who remained in the city painted their doorposts over the slave quarters. Most of the domestics slept in the barns with the animals. They had asked why the slaves would mark the doorposts with lamb’s blood. Those that didn’t believe still stayed awake. With the Pharaoh’s guard marching the streets, specifically ordered to arrest any who followed the slave’s example, there was no way to hide allegiance. Some Egyptians had marked their doorposts, forced by the events of six months to accept that Jehovah was real, and in power over even the Pharaoh’s orders.

Those that had submitted to the order that came through Moses were a minority. When the sun came up, it would be obvious who had followed Pharaoh, and who had listened to Jehovah. There was no chance of discretion now; no hope of a ‘middle ground’.

Takarut was still fairly new in Goshen. He had no lambs or goats. When he’d gone to the City and begun proclaiming, the others had changed their opinion of him. Enough that he was welcome at the meetings. Bit by bit, as he asked intelligent questions and given interesting answers, he’d won the Israelites over.

Slaves rarely had much excess in the way of wealth or livestock. When Moses gave the order, several households had to share the portions of their Lambs. Painting the doorposts was grisly work, but they’d all done harder things.

Takarut was painting the doorposts of his small dwelling, when he saw Satau limping up to him, leading his horse. The complete lack of religious icons was immediately obvious. Satau looked scared to approach his old friend.

Takarut didn’t wait, throwing down his hyssop branch and running to him. “You came.”

Satau sniffed. “I told my father I wasn’t going to serve the gods anymore, and he threw a knife at my head. But I heard what Moses said about midnight, and…”

“I know.” Takarut said heavily.

“For everyone in Goshen it’s freedom. For me, it’s…”

“I know.” Takarut led him to the house. “For me too, old friend.” He picked up his brush. “Before the hailstorm, I asked Moses ‘Why like this?’. He gave me an answer that made sense, but… finding out what tonight will bring, I suddenly realize there’s another reason.”

“Oh?”

“Moses told me that when he was making the way from Midian to here, Jehovah spoke to him. Apparently, He said ‘Say to Pharaoh: ‘Israel is my son, my firstborn. And I say to you: Send my son away that he may serve me. But should you refuse to send him away, here I am killing your son, your firstborn’.”

Satau frowned. “I seem to recall hearing something like that. I wasn’t there for the first confrontation… I never heard Moses say that part.”

“Would it have made a difference then? To Pharaoh, if not to anyone else?” Takarut scorned. “Why did Jehovah strike Egypt like this ten times? I finally understand: He was being merciful. Six months. Nine demonstrations of ability. Pharaoh could have stopped this at any point. The stakes were always this high. Jehovah could have done this on day one. Second-born on day two. He let it play out to give the King nine chances to admit he was just an ordinary man.”

“My brother is the firstborn, Takarut. What’s going to happen to him?” Satau sniffed, holding back sobs. “I can’t pretend I don’t believe it, but I don’t want anything to happen to him.” He waved back the way he came. “I begged Khnem to come with me, but…”

“He made his choice. You made a hard choice too, coming here. Come inside, Satau. There’s always room for family.” Takarut said gently. “Tomorrow we start our new lives. Our real lives.”

Takarut was wrong. It wasn’t the next day. Things would change hours before dawn.

~~/*\~~

“We’re never going to make it.” Karla said darkly.

“We have to.” Ryder said through gritted teeth. Under the darkened sky, there was already a battle being waged. The Coalition held the intersection, but there was a riot trying to break through the barricades, throwing anything they could reach-

Someone made an errant throw and cracked the windshield, and Karla ducked away, yelping. “We gotta get back to my place!”

“We have to get to my brother!” Ryder insisted, trying to see a way around. “Maybe there’s a chance that-”

And then the van coughed, cutting out as the fuel tank ran completely dry.

“NO!” Ryder howled, slamming the steering wheel with both hands. “I-I-I’m gonna have to make a break for it. I gotta get to-” He stopped as Karla clutched at his arm with one hand, pointing out the windshield with the other. The sky was changing colors.

The battle, full of frantic, desperate people, came to a sudden halt. Total silence fell over everything, everyone looking up in disbelief.

The sky changed again, and the screaming started again in earnest.

“All right.” Karla said finally. “Let’s get up on top of the van.”

Ryder blinked in surprise. “Why?”

“To set up the camera.”

~~/*\~~ Leahe ~~/*\~~

Leahe ate the meal of lamb and bitter greens with her father. They were dressed for travel, already packed. It was oddly thrilling, to be prepared to go. After a lifetime of praying for freedom, a lifetime of praying for endurance, it was tonight. After six months of seeing the supernatural, wondering whether they’d be victorious, or struck down in reprisal first, it was tonight.

Leahe rubbed at her severed arm, still itching. The word of Jehovah was certain, but that was about the nation, not the individual. It could have gone badly for any of them, if not all of them.

“Almost Midnight.” Tzioni said quietly. “Whatever’s happening, it’s happening soon.”

Leahe said nothing. “I feel like I should mourn them. I don’t know why. Not one Egyptian felt a moment’s pity for our children.” She thought of Takarut. “Well, maybe some did.”

“We can’t be objective about this.” Tzioni said quietly. “Every child in Egypt would grow up to be our masters one day. Someone who has been neither slave or master would see only the lives lost. Jehovah is our Creator. He has authority over our lives, and our deaths. Pharaoh could have had us killed at any point, but he couldn’t have brought us back to life. I believe that Jehovah can, and that’s why a man, even a King, can’t claim to act with the authority of a god. Above all else; God must have compassion. Above any other miracle, He grants us life.”

“You think those firstborn will live again one day?”

“I don’t know. But I do know that no Egyptian god can make that choice. And in the meantime, Pharaoh could have made this stop. But he needed ten life and death reasons not to keep us as slaves. If they thought of us as people for thirty seconds, maybe they would have had a problem with the way they treated us before Moses came along.”

Leahe suddenly thought back to her conversation with Takarut. “What about us? How will we treat-'' She broke off. Somewhere in the distance, someone was letting out a wail of grief.

~~/*\~~

(Author’s Note: What happened that night is described in very short terms. What it looked like, or what those present might have experienced is not described. That part is my own invention. I chose to make the event silent and ‘all at once’. My reasoning is that on other occasions when God wiped out a huge collection of people such as 2nd Kings 19:35, those beyond the edge of the event woke up the next morning and found it was done.)

There was no sign. There was no sound. There was nothing they could see. There was no ghostly spirit that the guards could wave their weapons helplessly at, no sweeping motion rolling from one end of the map to the other.

All at once, everywhere, in every household, in every family…

The Palace had been warned and took precautions. Guards were tripled, every corridor and passage was well lit with extra torches, Healers were alerted and posted near the royal family. Royalty had always had the best guards, the most secure sleeping places, the best healers that existed anywhere in the world.

It made no difference.

The Generals and military commanders had all been informed and deployed their troops, retreating with their own firstborn to the barracks. They felt safest behind thick walls, or even underground caverns, keeping everything they could at bay until dawn. Their arms and fortifications had saved their lives from all manner of enemies.

It made no difference.

Those who weren’t informed knew there was something going on. After three days without moon or stars, many in Egypt were still spooked by the night, staying up to watch the sky. The moon was bright and full in the sky, lighting up the desert below brightly. It was reassuring, seeing the light of the moon. But the streets were full of soldiers, and most of Egypt didn’t know why.

Grateful to have the light back, those that slept took their icons to bed, depicting the gods of the sun and moon, sleeping with their talismans close to their hearts, praying for the darkness to never return.

It made no difference.

~~/*\~~

Jambres was praying desperately at his Temple Shrine, when he heard a loud clatter that nearly made him jump out of his skin. He left the Shrine and crept through the hallways of his Temple to look. It seemed to come from multiple directions, echoing through the halls, but only lasting a second or two. It was the clatter of many things falling, in many different places, all at the same second. Too precisely timed to be an accident.

The first thing he saw was an Acolyte, splayed lifelessly on the floor before the large golden statue of Ptah. His large bowl of offerings had shattered on the floor when he fell. Others were already attending to him, trying to rouse him.

Jambres ignored them and rushed to the doors. Outside, it was the same. Several of the guards had fallen, their spears rolling out of lifeless hands. Other guards were frantic, some trying to raise them, some waving their weapons at the dark corners, trying to find the cause.

And then the outcry started. Notes of shock, panic, terror, grief… from every direction.

Jambres staggered slowly through the Palace, as though he’d never seen it before. The Palace was the most prestigious place in Egypt. Everyone wanted their children to serve there. The firstborn of any family would have the privilege before their younger siblings. As a result, almost everyone who worked there, even at night; was a firstborn.

Every corridor, every intersection, every checkpoint… Every room of the Palace was littered with bodies.

~~/*\~~ Ryder ~~/*\~~

"...I-I-I think… I think this is real.” Karla blurted. “I think it's really happening. ...Oh God. Are we still on the air?!"

Ryder had no answer, staring up at the sky, suddenly bright and full of movement.

"Forget the #%*#& camera! Even if there's still a working TV for a thousand miles, you think they can't just go outside and… Oh lord, is this really happening?!" Karla stared at the sky, then at the camera, then back up at the sky as she fell to her knees. "...its real. It's really true. It's really happening! Gawd! It's… It's too late! (sob) Oh, please, GOD! Please God, I had no idea..."

~~/*\~~ Jannes ~~/*\~~

What Jannes would remember from that night was how fast the people had come to the Palace. From his balcony, he could see a full-blown uprising at their door. It was disorganized, mostly an outpouring of grief and horror. A fear that had been building for six months had exploded into rage all across the nation in the space of one hour. What was left of the Palace Guard was trying madly to keep them outside the walls.

By the torchlight, Jannes could see the horrifying sight of lifeless babies, being held up to the palace by weeping parents. “Your Fault!” The crowd chanted in rage. “Your Fault!”

~~/*\~~

It was only an hour after Midnight that the fastest chariots had been dispatched. Some to get Moses, some to get the Embalmers. The embalmers were going to be busy beyond anything they’d ever experienced before, but the Palace still took precedence; and they had been summoned immediately.

The Queen hadn’t said a word aloud since midnight. One hand was over her stomach. Jannes was standing with her. Jambres walked in, and made a direct line for Pharaoh. From the look on his face, he was about to kill someone. Maybe Pharaoh, maybe himself. Jambres marched up to the King and glowered at him. “It’s over.” He said, and could barely recognize his own voice. “Our people are braying at the door, blaming you for their losses. They know Moses would have taken them all and gone months ago if you’d given the order. They don’t care about your legacy, they care about their own. When you’re not a King, your children are your only chance to live on in the world.”

Pharaoh didn’t respond to him. Didn’t even look at him.

“Pharaoh, the only thing you can threaten me with is death.” Jambres said darkly. “You think that scares me? That’s the only thing left.”

Pharaoh still didn’t say anything, staring at his son as the Embalmers covered his smaller body, beginning the funeral rites. Every house would need their attention, but the Prince took precedence.

“This is over. Egypt is over.” Jambres said flatly. “Two of my fellow High Priests have already killed themselves over the loss of their firstborn. And that’s not even counting how many were firstborn themselves. It only takes one to decide to kill you first. To be honest… I’m thinking about it myself. It doesn’t matter if you give them permission or not. They’ve won. There isn’t a single household without a victim. The people are howling for Moses to take them away and never come back.” Jambres pushed him, getting more and more desperate. “Your people no longer fear anything you can do to them, and are going to lynch you if you don’t-”

“I gave the order twenty minutes ago.” Pharaoh said over him. “Leave me. If you still think anyone’s listening, pray for my son’s passage to the next world.”

~~/*\~~

What Leahe would remember most of that night was the way they stared at her when she passed.

Moses had ordered that Egypt pay spoils to the Hebrews. Most of the wealthy had thrown everything they had, just to make their slaves leave faster. Some of the slaves were wearing the gold jewelry, if only because it was easier to carry. The look made Leahe want to laugh hysterically. Clothed in rags, adorned with gold and jewels.

And once they had handed over their treasures, and Israel had gotten moving, so many people just… stared. The boils and sores had left scars. The gnats had left welts. The hunger had left them lean and bowed. But the grief, the total combined shock of every parent outliving at least one child, every brother and sister losing at least one sibling…

After six months of supernatural events, this was more than a show of force. It was an unequivocal, undeniable demonstration of power over life and death for every living thing that existed in the world. This was a wound that would be carried for generations.

Just like the ones you inflicted on us. Leahe thought, not really feeling any pity for her former masters, even after all they’d lost. Jehovah didn’t take anything from you that you didn’t take from my people multiple times.

“Don’t judge them too harshly.” Tzioni said quietly in her ear, as though he could read her mind. “Most of them would have let us go free months ago. But it wasn’t up to them. They are as much victims of Pharaoh’s stubbornness as we ever were.”

Leahe set her jaw, forced to concede that. “Every household.” She said finally. “That includes the Palace, doesn’t it?” She didn’t really need an answer. She already knew. They all did. Leahe let out a breath like she’d been holding it her whole life. “You think it’ll always be like this, father? Will leaders always exploit the people, no matter what, until it concerns them personally? Will people never be able to decide things for themselves?”

“Remember you asked that when we get… wherever we’re going.” Tzioni commented wryly. “Stay close to Ohad-Ittai. I have to arrange for the Tomb to come with us. Joseph will be laid to rest in his homeland after all.”

~~/*\~~

Once they were free of the city and its narrower roads, the new nation of people organized themselves as commanded, into a battle formation. There was a vanguard, a rear guard, and a central mass where the women, children, and elderly were protected. Protected from what, they weren’t sure yet; given the victory their people had just secured; but it made the most sense.

Takarut and Satau walked with Leahe. Without a tribe, or a station among Israel, they had nowhere official to be. Satau gestured at the wrapped bundle that she carried on her shoulder. “Let me carry that for you. I don’t really have much left of my own. All my clothing and possessions were Temple-Made, and carried the sigils of our gods. Somehow, I figured it wasn’t the sort of cargo I should be carrying. I’m more or less wearing everything I own.”

“I know what you mean.” Leahe admitted, and let him carry the bundle.

Satau sniffed the package. “What is this?”

“Dough. I was making provisions for tomorrow, but the order to leave came so much earlier than any of us expected.” Leahe explained. “No chance to add the culture or let the dough rise. I’m told that we’re to leave the bread unleavened. In ‘honor’ of the occasion.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of the things that happened tonight get commemorated for generations. This isn’t just the day you went free, this is the start of your new nation.” Takarut put in. “I’ve never heard of a country that didn’t celebrate its founding in some way.”

“In Egypt, we commemorate the moments of victory over opponents with huge murals, statues; songs…” Satau added. “If Jehovah is anything like our gods, He’ll make sure this march starts with a festival to Him; and He’ll mark the anniversary every year. As long as there’s an Israel, there’ll be a reminder of this day.”

Conversation stalled instantly at that line. Leahe fell silent because Satau had just compared Jehovah to the Egyptian gods, yet again. Takarut and Satau fell silent because they both knew his last statement to be true. This was the beginning of a nation of servants to Jehovah. For as long as they lived, for as long as the two men remained with these victorious people; they’d receive a yearly reminder of the night their homeland was thoroughly conquered. The night they lost family and friends.

“Some of them don’t even know yet.” Takarut commented to Satau. “The ones in the City will have been woken by their neighbors, but the outer borders, the farms… The animal herders will have left their eldest watching the herds overnight. In an isolated area, they may not wake up until dawn. The firstborn of every animal, as well as every family…”

“I know.” Satau agreed darkly. “Gods, this happened fast.” Just for a moment, Satau looked back, for the first and final time. “Goodbye, brother.” He whispered. “Goodbye, father.”

Takarut gave him a sympathetic look, and touched his shoulder. “Come on. We’ve got a long walk ahead of us.”

~~/*\~~

Jannes was watching the Exodus begin from his balcony, when he felt a presence behind him. He jumped, and relaxed when he saw who it was. “My lady.” He bowed to the Queen. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“You can help me save Egypt.” The Queen said. Her voice was leaden with grief, maybe even a little madness. She pulled his hand to her stomach, growing rounder every day. “If it’s a boy, the Dynasty continues.”

“I suppose we all will.” Jannes agreed. “What’s the alternative?”

“I know my husband, Jannes. In time, his grief will turn to rage. With the Hebrews gone, we’ll have to rebuild on our own. And my husband isn’t who we need for that. He’s still determined to be greater than his father, and his father, and his father.” She was still holding his hand against her stomach. “This child won’t know anything about the pressures of being a god-incarnate; let alone the latest in a long line. This child won’t have any memory of how it was ‘before’ Moses came. This child won’t have to be ‘greater’ than anyone.”

Jannes almost laughed. “This is the worst time ever to try and trap me, your highness. Given what happened the last time someone had this conversation with you-”

“I poured poison in my husband’s drink this morning.” The Queen cut him off. “He got angry and threw the goblet at Moses, but if he’d taken a sip first, we would be having a very different night.”

Jannes actually stepped back from her, stunned.

“Now you’ve got everything you need to kill me.” She said tightly. “This pregnancy can only protect me until the child is born. And in truth, he could cheer himself up with a harem and get a dozen sons if he really wanted to. Everything else has fallen apart, what does ‘legitimacy’ matter anymore?”

Jannes stared. “What are you asking me?”

“We have to rebuild. Right now, Egypt is at its weakest. We have to be ready before someone takes advantage of that. The only way to rebuild is to forget what came before. Before the Plagues, before Jehovah. We need a clean slate. The Pharaoh is not capable of new thinking. He needs to be what his father expected. You and I are in a unique position to prepare the next Pharaoh for a better way. And, for that matter, someone will need to act as Regent until he’s of age to take the Throne.”

“Assuming it’s a boy, and assuming your husband doesn’t kill us all first.” Jannes drawled.

“We’ll know about the former in another few months.” She said quietly. “How far can the Hebrews get in that time?”

“We don’t even know for sure where they’re going. They can only move as fast as their slowest people.” Jannes admitted. “I’ve given orders to have them followed, from a great distance. Not to make any trouble, but… just to make sure they don’t come back.”

“Good.” She said quietly. “Then we have some time to prepare.” She bit her lip. “He was right about one thing. Conspiracies require more than one person. But three is dangerous. Best if we keep it to two.”

Jannes understood. “I’ll handle it.”

~~/*\~~

“I can’t believe how quiet it is out there.” Jambres slurred. “Where is the rest of the Royal Court?”

“The ones that are- weren’t Firstborn themselves?” Jannes nodded as he came into the Shrine. “They went to Moses an hour after Midnight. They were begging.” He poured himself a drink from Jambres’s amphora. “Do you think Aadesh still believes they’ll actually turn around and invade us?”

“General Aadesh was a firstborn himself.” Jambres mumbled, working diligently to drink himself unconscious. “Come to that, so was Pharaoh. I wonder why he was spared?”

“Probably the same reason you were.” Jannes admitted.

(Author’s Note: On the subject of ‘Firstborn’, the Insight Book says: “Among the Egyptians, the firstborn were dedicated as sacred to the sun-god Amon-Ra, the supposed preserver of all the firstborn. The tenth plague that Jehovah brought upon the Egyptians served to discredit this god and showed up his inability to protect the firstborn.” The entry also suggests that the Plague was focused on Firstborn sons, as early cultures were notably patriarchal. It further notes: “Pharaoh himself was probably a firstborn and yet his life was not taken. However, it may be that not every Egyptian household had a literal firstborn son, and in view of the statement at Exodus 12:30, “there was not a house where there was not one dead,” the destruction could have included the chief one in the house occupying the position of firstborn.”)

For a time, the two men watched. The torches were visible from the Palace; and the bright full moon illuminated the march. They made their way through the city, making sure nobody was left behind, but it was clear they’d be gone before dawn.

“So.” Jannes said. “What’s your plan now?”

“Plan?” Jambres laughed sickly. “Is there anyone left who believes in any of our gods? Even if they did, how many are left? I’ve lost both my sons, and more than half my apprentices. The Priesthood is hereditary. So are most businesses now. To be educated, you have to be Temple Trained. Everyone else in Egypt learns the trade from their fathers. Egypt just lost the majority of the ‘experts’ for the next generation. Our soldiers, our healers, our teachers, our craftsmen, artisans, stonecutters… To say nothing of the Royal heir. All trained at their father’s feet, helping train their younger brothers and sisters.”

“It’s an upheaval to be sure.” Jannes said matter-of-factly. “Fortunately, I know someone with a better plan than getting drunk.”

“Oh?” Jambres turned to look at Jannes, only to see he had already drawn a knife. “Oh.”

Jannes nodded and lunged forward with the blade.

(Author’s Note: Jannes and Jambres are mentioned by name exactly one time in Scripture, in 2 Timothy 3:8. The study notes for that verse say: “They were likely prominent men in the ancient Egyptian court of Pharaoh, and they may have taken the lead among the magic-practicing priests who opposed Moses.” What became of them, and how they interacted, is not in the Bible. That was rather the point of this story, but it’s all my own imagination.)

~~/*\~~ Nate ~~/*\~~

The unnatural darkness had given way to a radiant light that shone through the cracks in the curtains. There had been screaming, gunfire, and the sound of hoofbeats, which made the hairs on Del’s neck stand up. After that there were birds. More birds than Del had ever heard in his life. Until finally, there was nothing but silence.

“What’s happening out there?” Del breathed.

“I don’t know exactly, but I’m glad to be in here until it’s over.” Nate whispered. “My brother covered a warzone once. He came back changed by that. It was like whatever he saw couldn’t be unseen. This is…”

“I know.” Del agreed darkly. “What we see in the news is bad enough. I’m glad to be kept away from this part.”

Nate bit his lip and opened up Alvin’s Bible. “Go, my people, enter your inner rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a brief moment until the wrath has passed by.”

“For ‘a brief moment’.” Alvin quoted. “Just like Babylon the Great fell ‘in one hour’. Just like the tenth plague happened in less than one night. Just like, just like, just like. When God waits, it’s never because He needs more time. It’s always out of mercy for us. When He stops holding back… it happens all at once.”

Paige spoke up. “I remember once, when I was little, mom was late picking me up from school. She was fifteen minutes late, but that’s a long time when you’re seven years old. The school was empty. Strangers walked past now and then. I was just… sitting there on the curb, straining to see if she was coming; wondering if she’d just forgotten me, getting more worried and scared…” She sniffed. “Then she showed up, and the fear and ‘what ifs’ seemed so silly.” She smiled a bit. “I wonder if this whole world will feel the same way a month from now. Like a bad dream.”

Del nodded. “It feels that way because we’ve spent our whole lives living in this world, and what comes next is the exact opposite of it in every single way. But I think Paige is right. We’re still hardwired for Paradise.”

“What do you mean?”

Del smiled a bit. “Well, I never told you this, Nate; but your mom was there the night my son was born. I was… opposed, at the time. I’m not proud of that. But your mother mentioned that in a way we can’t articulate, we’re still meant for Paradise; even after this long. We know what ‘fair’ is, even if we’ve never experienced it before. We know that sickness isn’t ‘right’, even if everyone gets it. We know that death doesn’t make sense, even if everyone has to go through it; and we still want love, even if we’ve never had it before. On some level; despite Satan’s best efforts; we’re still the same creation we were on page one of Genesis. Deep down, even the most committed atheist has always been made for Eden.”

“Then it’s not the end of everything.” Del said finally. “It’s where we’re meant to be.”

There was a sentimental silence.

The front door suddenly unlocked itself, the sound of the bolt snapping back rang out like a gunshot, sharp enough to make everyone jump.

For a split second, nobody moved, almost trapped in their seats… Until finally, Alvin stood up. “I’ll go check, and see if-” By the time he looked back, everyone else was standing too, following close on his heels. He almost smiled. “Yeah. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.”

And they all walked out the front door, eager to see the new world.

~/*\~~/*\~~/*\~

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