Chapter Six
~/*\~ Iyara ~/*\~
“Father, why don’t you want to go to Jericho?” Iyara asked finally.
It had been two days since they’d received word calling them to Rahab’s home. Her parents had been putting it off, waiting for a response to their own message. At first, Iyara was so embarrassed about the part she’d played, and exhausted from her own escape that she hadn’t really noticed, but after two days, she saw that it wasn’t any practical problem delaying them. Her parents didn’t want to go.
She and her father returned to the edge of the Jordan, collecting reeds again, and she finally had her father alone. It was her first real chance to ask the question.
“Uprooting the family isn’t the easiest thing to do, Iyara.” Her father told her. “It’s more than just having our home and things here. Our livelihood is built around what we can find in our local area. A move, even a short one, means changing every single thing about our family and how we support ourselves. Your sister offered no explanation, no context. She just told us to leave here.”
”You still don’t think the message is from her, do you?” Iyara commented gravely.
“I think it is, but your mother doesn’t. Mostly because she doesn’t want to believe the implications.” Arjun admitted. “If those two men were Hebrew Spies, then it means our home might be the safer place. They’re spying out Jericho, not here.”
Iyara said nothing for a long moment. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and if the message was faked to draw us back for ‘conspiring with Invaders’, then it means those men were legitimate spies.” She took a breath. “And if it is from Rahab, then there’s only one reason why she would want all of us with her.”
“I know. That’s why your mother refuses to believe it.” Arjun said quietly, looking over his shoulder for his wife, even at the River. “Your mother is terrified that the Hebrews will cross the River. So far, she’s dealing with it by refusing to accept the possibility it will actually happen.”
“And you?” Iyara couldn’t help but ask.
Her father was silent for so long she wondered if he hadn’t heard her. Finally, he stood straight, stretching his back, and turning to face the river. “That mob out there has been a ‘scary story’ for our people to tell their children since I was a baby. Your mother told you what the Priests said. But the stories I heard from my father were far more extreme.”
“Really?” Iyara was intrigued by that. “Why?”
“Forty years ago, a caravan of refugees came this way from Egypt, full of terrifying stories about a slave uprising, led by a sorcerer named Moses. Some of them settled here, and became co-workers in the fields with my father and a few others we knew. They said the Hebrews were vengeful from years of slavery, and in their bloodlust, they swore allegiance to a Death God, who struck Egypt with enough plagues and horrors that even the Pharoah was begging them to leave.”
Iyara shivered. She’d heard those stories too.
“The Egyptians fled their homeland and came here, warning that the slaves had claimed all of Canaan as their own homeland, and they were marching across the wasteland to take it from us. Our people only heard rumors of the huge crowd moving our way, led by some supernatural, unearthly fire… But we never knew anything for sure, except rumors and war stories… until they arrived at the edge of Canaan. They were about to enter our lands, and my father told me that everyone was expecting to be rounded up and eaten by those lunatics soon… and then they all just turned around and went back into the wasteland.”
Iyara let out a breath. “And they never came back, until now.”
“And they still haven’t moved from that spot across the River.” Arjun summed up. “So if Rahab has sworn some kind allegiance to them, then your mother would rather die here. Remember, she was a Temple Priestess before she married me. She won’t turn her back on the gods now. She’s half convinced that the reason the Hebrews turned back forty years ago is because Baal and Molech willed it so. A faith that hasn’t wavered.”
“You could overrule her.” Iyara said quietly. It was true. Her father had never used his authority over the family to force his will on any of them, but if he commanded it, the whole family would have to obey.
Including Rahab? Iyara thought to herself.
“I could.” Arjun said. “But forcing your mother to do anything doesn’t make for an easy life, even when I think I’m in the right. Your mother is… far more passionate about her belief in Molech than I ever was. She doesn’t want to live under Jehovah’s Rule, and I wouldn’t want to force her-”
The trumpets blew again, the tone sounding out clearly enough over the water that both of them stopped and turned to look.
The sound had come from the opposite side of the River, too far downstream to be visible. There was a faint clattering sound that neither of them could identify, and then a sudden rush of water.
“Are they crossing the river?” Iyara asked, voice thin.
“Impossible.” Her father shook his head. “This time of year, the water’s at its highest and faste-” He stopped as the sound of rushing water came towards them, rolling upstream. Both of them froze, trying to see the cause of the sound. It couldn’t be a sudden wave. If anything the river seemed to be moving slower.
And then it stopped. Completely. The Jordan stopped flowing, right in front of them. While they were there watching, the immense Jordan River seemed to stop dead, as if it had hit an invisible wall.
And in front of this impossible, non-existent dam, the riverbed was coming into view, becoming almost dry land.
“That’s impossible!” Iyara breathed automatically.
The river crashed, and rolled, building up higher and higher near them, the water growing darker as it built up. Iyara felt her neck crane as she peered up, trying to see where the top of it would stop, and surely spill over the riverbanks where she and her father were standing…
Arjun grabbed her by the hand and pulled her away, discarding his satchel and tools. “Come on! We have to get home and take the family to Jericho!”
He was pulling her fast enough that she stumbled. He didn’t seem to notice, dragging her along for several seconds as she tried to get back on her feet. “Father, at least let me grab my sandals for the-”
“We can always get more sandals!” Her father blathered in a panicked rush. “RunRunRun!”
~/*\~
Her father’s panicked hurry didn’t slow down as they made it back to the city of Adam. They were the first to see it. They were far from the last. Word spread quickly at the impossible sight happening at the River, and others hurried to look.
The family had a few work animals. Most families did. As they made it back to the City, Arjun sent her to warn the family, and hurried off to buy them some proper horses.
Iyara burst into the house and shouted that the River was standing upright. Her brother and mother stared at her blankly, as she tried to catch her breath. As she tried to breathe, Iyara lurched through the house, grabbing her satchel (which she had kept packed since Rahab’s message had arrived), and then hurrying to the larder, looking for a basket to carry some food for the journey. “The River! The Invasion! They’re on the move! They’re already here!”
Her brother grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to stop spinning about. “Iyara!” He barked in her face. “What is wrong with you!?”
Iyara gulped air. “The Hebrews are invading. The River stopped flowing, Bodhir. I saw it. They’re coming across right now.”
“Talk sense, girl.” Sasah scoffed. “Are you drunk or something?”
There was a clatter of hooves outside, and the braying of horses. From somewhere further away, there was shouting as others came running into the City, telling anyone who would listen what was happening.
“Mother, I’m serious. The invasion has started. The River didn’t even slow them down.” Iyara said, getting her breath back. “Father says to grab only what we need. We’re going to Jericho.”
“Why would we go there?” Bodhir asked. “It’s on the crossroads of the trade lines for Canaan. It’s surely their first target.”
“If nothing else, they have walls.” Iyara countered. “Better ones than we have here, and they’re a lot closer to us.”
Sasah had gone to the door, hearing the outcry growing outside. When she turned back, she looked ashen. “I… I have to warn the Priest. We need Molech and Baal on our side now more than ever.”
“Wait!” Iyara called, but her mother was already gone.
Soon after, their father burst in. “I have horses for us. It cost almost everything we have, but we have to go now. Word’s already spreading about-” He looked around. “Where’s your mother?”
“She went to the Shrine.” Bodhir reported. His satchel was packed and slung over his shoulder, ready to go.
Arjun’s eyes went cold and dead. “Are you serious?”
“She felt that we needed the gods on our side, since the invasion has finally started.” Iyara confirmed darkly.
“Come on.” Arjun barked. “Right now! Bodhir, it’s been a few years since I taught you to ride. Think you can handle a horse and a passenger?”
“Yes sir.”
“Then take your sister.”
~/*\~
The two horses that their father had bought were reacting to the rising panic in the town, getting skittish and panicky. Iyara held on to Bodhir as they went at a quick trot to the Shrine, following their father. The Marketplace was starting to panic, as everyone hurried to gather supplies before the invaders reached them.
As soon as they reached the Shrine, Arjun slid to the ground and handed his reins to Bodhir. “Do. Not. Leave. The Horses.” He said intensely. “I’m going to reason with your mother. Don’t move.”
Bodhir nodded, and Arjun left them. “I’ve never seen him scared before.” He said to Iyara.
“Me neither.” Iyara agreed. “He’s right though. If even a fraction of the people in town decide to run like we have, then these horses are a target. Dad paid a lot for them ten minutes ago. Twenty minutes from now they’ll be worth five times as much. Five minutes after that, someone will try to kill us for the food in my bag, if we don’t get out fast.”
Bodhir shivered hard. “Did the Jordan River really stop flowing just to let them through?”
“Put me down! Put me down!” Their mother’s voice came shrilly from the Shrine. Their father came out at a quick march, with his wife hoisted over his shoulder. “Arjun, you’re making a fool of yourself! Put me down, by Molech!”
Arjun put her over the back of his horse and swung up astride it again. “Do not stop moving until we’re out of the town!” He told his children, and kicked his horse swiftly. “Hyah!”
~/*\~
The fear had turned to hysteria as they rode through the city towards the roads. There was heated shouting at every food stall. The stables were crowded with people trying to get to anything they could ride. The guards fought without any organization, trying to restore order.
Sasah screeched at the chaos as someone tried to bring their horses down. The horses reared and kicked at the crowd pressing in on them, but the family stayed astride them, pushing through the terrified people, and leaping into a gallop. Iyara felt the chilling sensation of someone being trod under the hooves beneath her as they made their escape.
“Arjun!” Someone shouted. “I want those horses back! You swindled me! Give them back!”
But the family was away.
~/*\~
Sasah was shivering, shifting around until she was sitting on the horse's back properly now, clutching at her husband tightly; until they were away from the City. “Those people were our friends. Our neighbors.”
“No, they weren’t. Believe me, I was looking for friendly faces. Less than a quarter of the town was out on the street. It just felt like everyone because they were going crazy.”
“Just between us, I’ve had my things ready since Rahab’s message arrived.” Bodhir called ahead to his parents. “So has Iyara. If we’d gotten out a week ago like Rahab wanted, this would be a leisurely walk.”
“This wasn’t even war.” Arjun said, slouching with sudden exhaustion. “This was just… fear. Because war comes next, and everyone knows it.” He shook his head. “Bodhir is right. If we’d gotten out a week ago, we’d have had all the time in the world. If nothing else, we owe Rahab an apology.” Arjun sighed hard, giving his wife a hard look. “When someone tries to save you, there are downsides to waiting before you act.”
~/*\~ Gail ~/*\~
In the passenger seat, Gail was making her report to headquarters, letting them know that Stage One was complete for most of the suburban area; when her radio crackled with a sudden call for help. “Taking fire! Taking fire in sector nine!”
Roderick seemed to shift in density, turning to stone. “Let’s go!”
Gail was about to say something, but he’d already pushed the pedal down to the floor. “Boss, this is-”
“Your first combat mission, I know.” Roderick said seriously, eyes laser-focused on the road. “But those are our people calling for help, and we’re the closest ones to help them.” To make the point, he pulled out his sidearm, and held it out to her, grip-first. “You stick with me, soldier. We’ll be fine.”
Gail took the gun automatically, feeling its weight. It was something akin to what she felt when they took down her landlord. She felt… power.
Gail licked her lips as she gripped the gun tightly. Here we go.
Roderick charged their vehicle full speed towards the sounds of gunfire. “There!” He pointed as they drove up. “Looks like the protests got violent! I’m going to pull us up between them and our people. When I do, climb out my door. The truck is cover for all of us!”
Adrenaline pouring through her, Gail gripped the gun. “I’m ready!”
Roderick was actually smiling. “This is what it’s all about, rookie. Don’t freeze! Show no mercy!”
~/*\~
“So, if it’s not too late for me, does that mean it’s not too late for anyone else yet?” Cherry asked her father as they drove to the Hall.
“That’s right. It’s the final message. The Last Campaign.” Her father said proudly. “We’ll never knock on doors again after this.”
Cherry shook her head. “I still feel stupid. I think about knocking on doors, and my first thought was fear and embarrassment.” She sank her head into her hands for just a moment. “You’d think if anything was going to give me courage, it’d be knowing.”
“Changing your perspective can happen instantly. Changing your habits takes a lot longer.” He smiled. “I know that from experience. I thought our home was a safe place, until your mother told me she was pregnant, and suddenly it looked like a deathtrap. Spent weeks babyproofing the whole house before we had our first doctor’s appointment.”
Cherry chuckled.
“You haven’t been in the service for a while. It’s the hardest possible time. But it won’t last.” Eldon told her wryly. “And really, a lot of our work has changed since you’ve been active. We do a lot of it ‘informally’ now.”
Cherry nodded. “Which brings me back to my question: if it’s not too late…”
Eldon glanced over. “You’ve got someone in particular you want to talk to?”
“Two of them, in fact.” Cherry admitted. “One of them is going to be a hard sell.”
“If you mean Gail, I agree.” Her father said grimly. “The further this goes, the harder it will be for her to turn away from the world. That’s what I meant when I said not to wait too long before you made your own decision. It might have been ‘in time’, but there are downsides to waiting before you take action.”
~/*\~
“All clear!” Roderick said into his radio. “Conflict resolved. Send support teams for cleanup and medical attention. Deploy local law enforcement to escort prisoners and run down known associates.”
The gunfight had come to a swift and decisive end, with the arrival of reinforcements. Gail was glowing again, energized by the adrenaline of the battle. Freshly fired, the gun in her hand was warm and heavy, like a living thing.
“I did it.” She breathed, looking at Roderick with something akin to awe.
“You did it.” Roderick agreed, turning to the rest of the team. “This is her first combat mission. The rookie did good!”
“Saved my life.” One of the Coalition soldiers said with an exhausted smile. “We were finished until you got here.”
Gail was bouncing on her toes as she walked past the bodies. Cleanup would come and get them soon enough. “Seriously, though: How did I do? Don’t ‘build me up’. Give it to me straight.”
“Alright.” Roderick said, regarding her. “Your trigger control was weak. Your use of cover was good, if you only had one opponent; but in a situation with so many unknowns, you should have been expecting trouble from multiple directions.” He saw her deflate. “Those things are a sign of inexperience. Which is fine, because you are inexperienced. So were the people you were fighting. But when the moment came, you didn’t freeze. You kept looking, kept thinking, and you had it in you to pull the trigger.” He gave the soldiers they rescued a grim look. “In truth, they could have handled it themselves; but they were as green as you are; and they couldn’t bring themselves to shoot people. All the training in the world can’t make someone do that.”
Gail nodded slowly. “It was easier than I thought it would be. Does that make a sociopath?”
“It makes you a soldier.” He said firmly. “You have it in you to do the job. That’s the most important part. Sad to say, the only way to get experience in combat is the hard way.”
Gail nodded, considering that. She felt hyper-aware of her surroundings. The scent of the smoke, the sweat on her clothes, the gunpowder from her recently-fired weapon. She felt like she could feel the Earth turning under her feet.
“Hey, boss?” She said finally. “Combat experience gets you fast tracked, right? Promotion? Bonuses? Recognition? Combat is the key to advancement in any military.”
“True.” Roderick said carefully.
Gail grinned. “Put me on more Combat teams. I’m up for it.”
Roderick grinned back. “You’ve shown remarkable capacity, Gail. I have high hopes for you.”
~/*\~
Stage One was over quickly, all across the world. Stage Two was about to begin. Cherry wasn’t even looking for a new job, spending all her time in the ministry. She was trying to convince herself she was forgiven for leaving the faith. It took less than a week for her to rediscover all the things she had missed.
The ministry, however, was not how she remembered at all. There was a new kind of energy in the world, and everyone was reacting to it. The Witnesses were getting more determined. Some of the householders were more willing to talk, unsettled by what was happening in the world. The ones who were in agreement with the Coalition (which was the majority) were short with them, if not outright laughing at them for talking about the ‘end being close’.
~/*\~
“Sherman, you’ve been talking to me for almost three years.” Eldon said, sounding almost desperate. “We talked about this. About this week’s headline in particular.”
“And all that talking was legal until now.” Sherman said gamely. “Now I really have to ask you to move on. I don’t want my neighbors seeing you on my doorstep.”
“Sherman, we haven’t met before.” Cherry put in, trying to be helpful. “I grew up a Witness. I left, because I just couldn’t imagine it was real. This week’s headlines proved to me that it was, and I was scared to death that I missed my chance.” She pointed at her father. “After years of telling him to go away, and to stop lecturing me, I had to come to my father and admit that he was right all along. It was hard, but it was right. It’s not too late for either of us.”
Sherman’s face changed from worry about the neighbors to outright scorn. “Look, I’ve been alive over sixty years, and in all that time, I’ve only ever seen the world get worse… until about a month ago. The world is getting better, the wars have cooled off, the worst of the dictators have been put in their place, or died.” He was already closing the door. “You think the world getting better is a sign of the apocalypse? All the more reason to end this little arrangement of you coming to my door every other week.”
And the door was shut before Eldon could say another word.
“I’m sorry. I screwed that up.” Cherry whispered miserably.
Her father scoffed. “Did it sound like he was ‘on the fence’ about anything?”
“No.” Cherry admitted.
(Author’s Note: Revelation 16 describes unclean spirits that ‘spread propaganda’ to pull the nations together against Jehovah’s People. The June 2023 Watchtower says: “Demon-inspired propaganda will fill the earth, misleading most” and “Instead of naively accepting what others say, we use our thinking ability to compare what we read or what we hear with what the Bible and Jehovah’s organization say. In doing so, we will not be fooled by any demonic propaganda or trickery.”
What form that ‘propaganda’ will take is unknown, but it will be clear that the majority of the world will be convinced by what the world is telling them.)
“I have a feeling that’s going to continue, too.” Eldon looked at his daughter. “You find out what really matters to people when there’s something trying to stop them from having it.”
Was that a dig? I clung to Jamel a lot closer when Dad made his disapproval known. She forced herself not to say it. “Makes it harder to ‘witness’.” She said instead. “I mean, I know it’s not a ‘quota’ thing, but coming back now makes me very aware of the fact that I haven’t really made a difference to anyone.”
“We all have that ‘one person’ we really want to save, kid.” Her father said sympathetically. “But if you ever wonder about ‘doing enough’, remind yourself that you’re here, in the field with me again. Sherman saw the headlines and decided he didn’t need God. You saw the same headline and decided you did.” He squeezed her hand. “You personally answered all my prayers.”
“Mm.” Cherry looked down, still uncomfortable with the praise, given how she was feeling about herself. “My own prayers, not so much. Not yet, anyway.”
“Still no luck with Gail, then?” Her father guessed.
“I barely see her anymore. She’s been out until all hours since the announcement.” Cherry admitted. “By itself, that’s nothing unusual. We always worked wildly different hours. The thing that scares me is that she’s not just busy. She’s busy with Coalition business. Which means my own apartment is going to be ground zero when this gets a little further along.”
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but-”
“Odds are we’ll all be hiding out sooner or later.” She told him, already knowing what he was going to say. “But Gail is a friend. She’s kept me off the street, and she’s been very good about paying the full rent since I’m unemployed, and not even looking for paying work right now.” She spread her hands. “If I can return the favor by helping her get eternal life… Something much harder to do if I’m not living there anymore.” She took a breath. “And then there’s Jamel.”
Her father went very still. So much so that she tensed, waiting for the fight to begin.
“You’re… still seeing him?” Her father said carefully.
“No. In fact, the last time I spoke to him was that day you came over.” She said, also feeling like she was tiptoeing through a minefield. “But I remember you telling me that God sees us as something other than our sins. He sees what we would be under His rule. Well, I’ve seen Jamel the same way. It was why I first fell for him, in fact.”
Her father spoke carefully. “This is the one topic that always seems to end in us yelling at each other, so I won’t go any further.” He said finally. “I just hope… I hope that you can pull him out of the deep end, without getting dragged under in the effort.”
She had a really good comeback lined up, but he was so clearly trying to rein himself in that she had to do the same. “Me too.”
Eldon’s phone buzzed, and he checked the screen. “The rest of our group says there are Coalition agents at opposite ends of the street, taking pictures of their cars. Someone called to complain about us.”
“Time to move on then.” She agreed. “I hope someone’s keeping track of all these bits and pieces we’re covering the territory in.”
~/*\~
They got back into his car and started driving. “If they’ve been alerted to us, they’ll be setting up checkpoints.” She warned.
“I know. That’s why we’re going now, before they can organize one.” Eldon promised her. “The younger brothers were making loops around the territory, so they could just pull over for a minute and have people jump in.”
Cherry was about to say something automatically, but stopped herself with a wry smile. “I was about to say that doing that is a waste of fuel or money. Somehow, that feels unimportant all of a sudden.”
“I know what you mean.” Eldon agreed. “I heard from your grandpa, and he tells me that a young man in his Cong signed a mortgage on a house just before this started. Now he’s wondering if he’s going to have to move out and go into hiding before his first payment is made.”
Cherry gestured out the windshield, at the checkpoint that wasn’t there when they arrived. The Coalition soldiers were waving the cars through, taking scans of their licence plates. “How bad is this going to get?”
“Hard to say. The Elders say that some of our brothers have already had their faces scanned, and their cars searched. Funny thing, but even when their Bibles are clearly visible, they don’t seem to see anything unusual.” Eldon offered. “Nobody’s quite sure if it’s something we can count on yet. It might be a soldier or two having an attack of conscience, or it might be a miracle protecting our brothers from harm. Either way, the only hope we have of God stepping up is if we do our part too.” He took a breath. “The world is getting more dangerous. Brothers and sisters with opposed relatives are getting ready to run, before the choice is made for them…”
“I think I see where this is going.” Cherry said with a sigh.
“Your roommate is… scaring me.” Eldon admitted, and she twitched. Admitting fear wasn’t the direction she was expecting her father to take with her. “I know that technically, the ‘Personal Declarations’ haven’t become law yet, but let’s not kid ourselves. If she turned you in, it’s nothing but upsides for her with her superiors. She has to know that.”
Cherry looked at him sideways. “Have you been trying to keep me away from home?” She asked suddenly. “With the time I’m spending at your place while we figure out routes and how to handle food supplies now that the markets are getting dangerous…”
“Maybe I’m just scared to let you go again.” Eldon admitted.
It was the sort of conversation that would have turned into a massive argument at any other point in their lives. Right now, her only reaction was to find some way to reassure her father. Looking at him now, he seemed smaller than she could ever remember him being. Older. More than he had been even a week before. The world was weighing on him. She lowered her voice and squeezed his arm with one hand. “Before this is over, I promise, I’ll ride it out with you. But I still want to try and have this conversation with the people I care about. If God has truly given me a ‘last chance’ after all this time, I have to give that same chance to them.”
“In this particular scenario, it could get you killed.”
“So could knocking on doors generally. We’re still doing that.” She reminded him. “And not for nothing, but it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Even before I left, the Ministry was the hardest part of being a Witness for me. It scared me, every time you and mom dragged me out there to go knocking on doors. You think it’s gotten easier after being away so long? You think it’s gotten simpler now, during this? The usual protections of being out in public in the middle of the day don’t apply anymore. One on one with a friend might be the safer option.”
Eldon was silent for a moment, before he gave a single nod. It was somehow easier to have this conversation in a moving car, where his hands were occupied, and his gaze was firmly ahead. “Maybe it is, but even so…”
She shivered hard, feeling his worry. “I still have to try. To be honest, I’ve been rehearsing this conversation in my head so many times, that right now, the hard part seems to be getting her home long enough to talk.”
~/*\~
“Here’s the situation.” Roderick reported. “There’s chaos at the Airports. The Renouncement isn’t legally mandated until Stage Three of the FRA, but several organizations are demanding to know where everyone stands. The airlines are one of them. They’ve declared that nobody will be allowed to board a flight without a Signed Renouncement. Since it’s so early in the FRA, not everyone has one yet. The Airports have been authorized to issue the document, but they don’t have enough official forms. While the backlog is sorted, the airports are filling up with people, who are getting more disgruntled by the day. Team One, you’ll go and maintain order there.”
There was a murmur of acknowledgement.
“Team Two, you’re with me.” Roderick declared. “A lot of the Financial Institutions have also demanded Compliance with Renouncements, as of midnight tonight. With Religious Organizations disbanded, that’s a whole lot of money that’s got to be seized. Some investors are trying to sell up while they still can.”
“I understand wanting to sell, but who would buy?” Someone asked.
“For the most part, the Coalition is.” Roderick admitted. “You melt down a solid gold statue of a saint or something, it’s still just metal. Same for property, materials… A lot of our operations are being funded this way.”
The room laughed.
“That said, others are still trying to make a buck.” Roderick reported. “During the religious wars in the 16th and 17th centuries, Monasteries and Churches would hide their valuables until the armies were done ransacking them. In the modern day, they’re doing so again. Also, some legal firms are trying to organize a legal challenge to the FRA. Some people figure it’s a temporary measure, and once Religions are reinstated, all that wealth can be hoarded for later. Team Two, our job will be to take control of the Markets, and show them just how wrong they are.”
There was a bloodthirsty grin passed around the room. This time, Gail wasn’t quite as eager as the rest of them. Her conversation with Cherry still weighed on her a little.
“Team Three, you’re handling spot checks this week. Vehicle searches, Household searches… Keep your ears open, and follow the tip line.”
“You know that half those tips from the public are just protests trying to foul us up, or kids pulling practical jokes.” Gail complained.
“We take every tip seriously.” Roderick told her firmly. “All calls into the Coalition are logged. Anyone exploiting this for amusement will learn their lesson soon enough.”
~/*\~
Gail was manning a checkpoint on one of the main roads. It wasn’t that far from the Diner where Cherry had worked, though she was making a conscious effort not to think about her friend.
As Cars approached the intersection, two of the local police waved them over, and Gail supervised as they made a quick search of the car. While they searched, Gail took a quick photo of the driver, and ran the face through a Coalition App. Every single Wanted poster in the world was scanned, compared, and if there was a match, identified.
“We couldn’t do it like this back in the old days.” Brice told her, one hand resting on his sidearm. “A few months ago, there could be a dozen criminals driving past, and we’d never know it without at least a dozen procedures.”
“Personal rights aren’t a bad thing, officer.” Gail said automatically.
“Oh, I agree. As someone who enjoys those rights, I can’t speak ill of them.” Brice nodded agreeably. “But good people only commit crimes for two reasons: Necessity, or emotion. People do things in the heat of the moment that they can’t take back? That kind of crime will always be around. There’s no stopping that. And people who do things when they’re desperate? The System failed them. That’s about the cost of living, and the state of the world in general. There’s not much cops can do about that.” His tone became philosophical. “There’s a long gap between career criminals, and good people who do bad things. Career crooks cause most of the violent crime in any community. And they have to be taught. Someone has to teach them to solve problems with their fists. Or to pick a lock, or how to avoid getting caught.” He gestured at the checkpoint. “We can clear out 90% of crime by making it a full clean sweep. We get all the scumbags off the streets, and there’s nobody to teach the desperate how to make a career of it.” He suddenly seemed to remember they were at work. “Something going on in there, Officer Scully?”
Scully jumped out of the stopped car. “Nosir. All clear back here.”
Brice waved the car on. It continued like that for a while, when Gail’s device beeped. She checked the screen. “We have a tagged vehicle coming up this road. The Cameras have a partial on the plates. Someone in your department tagged it.”
All three of them looked down the street. “I tagged it.” Scully said as it approached. “I saw the owner taking part in something… questionable. I didn’t have enough for a warrant, but the Coalition rules let me report him anyway.”
Gail nodded and waved the car to pull over. “Morning.” She called to the driver. “Just a routine check. We’ll have you on your way as fast as possible. Open up the trunk for us?”
The Driver was an athletic young man, looking over the two police officers as they began searching his car. “Help.” He whispered to Gail. “I don’t know you, but I hope… If Scully finds something, it’s a lie. I’m testifying against his father next week.”
Gail froze, eyes turning hard. She looked at the back of the car. “Anything back there, officer Scully?”
“Well, look what I found.” Scully pulled a few necklaces out of the back. They had religious icons hanging on the chain. “Hidden in the spare.” He reported. “We got at least two items on the prohibited list.”
Brice gestured for the driver to get out of the car. “Step out of the vehicle, sir.”
As the driver did so, Gail scanned his face with her device, and checked his details. Her credentials as part of the Coalition went a lot further than the local level. “Mister… Jeffords?” Gail guessed. “There’s currently a mark against your file, pending legal action.”
“There is?” Scully said, sounding surprised.
“Ohyes. The Coalition has access to legal institutions, as well. After all, people who offend in one jurisdiction are more likely to do it again when they move.” Gail said grandly. “While I’m looking this up… Officer Scully? Would you mind turning out your pockets? Officer Brice, give him a hand finding them all?”
Brice, still cuffing Jeffords, blinked at that; startled by this sudden change in direction. “What? Why?” He looked at his partner. “What’s going on, Scully?”
“Humor me.” Gail said briskly. “And Scully? You can feel free to take your hand off your sidearm while he’s looking.”
Scully never took his eyes off Gail as he was searched. Jeffords was very careful not to look at any of them. Sure enough, Brice found a few more necklaces hidden in his partner’s vest. Identical to the ones he’d just ‘found’ in the search. Brice looked stunned.
Gail made the call, and unlocked the driver’s handcuffs. “Mister Jeffords, you’re free to go. Make sure you sign the Renouncement before you attend to any official business before the court.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Jeffords promised, overjoyed at his luck.
“You’re just letting him go.” Scully snarled. “He’s not worth turning on your own-”
“You’re not ‘my own’, Officer. You’re police. I’m Coalition.” Gail said firmly. “You’re planting illegal material on him because he’s testifying against your father in court.”
Scully froze. “How do you know about that?”
“Mister Jeffords told me. Thank you for confirming he’s more honest than you.” Gail said lightly. “You’re under arrest.” She gestured at the contraband from his hidden pocket. “Possession of illegal materials, for one. Trying to subvert justice for another.”
Brice was shaking his head, mournful. He stared at his partner in disbelief as he produced the cuffs. “Fifteen years in law enforcement. You threw it all away. For what?”
Scully gave Gail a truly hateful look. She met his gaze evenly, not showing a hint of weakness, though she was half his age, and half his size.
But inside, she was sick to her stomach.
~/*\~
“It’s not an isolated incident.” Roderick nodded as Gail reported the day’s events. “I’ve heard of lawmen all over the world using the same tactic to settle some old scores. After all, the FRA gives us far more… lenient rules about Due Process.”
“I know that life isn’t ‘black and white’. Certainly Justice isn’t.” Gail admitted, finally showing some of the nerves she’d been hiding when at her post. “But I can’t help but wonder: What if I made the wrong choice?”
“You didn’t.” Roderick assured her. “Justice may not always be black and white, but Law is. It has to be. That’s the whole point of the Coalition. Laws are catching up with what’s right.”
“That’s not what I mean.” Gail admitted. “I can understand cops using the new rules to get really bad people off the streets. Jeffords wasn’t guilty of anything but annoying a man with a badge, but what if it was something a whole lot worse? What if I let a genuinely evil person get away?”
“Get away?” Roderick said with a grin. “To where? The Coalition is Global. There’s nowhere for the genuinely evil people to run anymore. There’s nowhere for them to go.”
Gail blinked. “Oh. Right.”
“Nope. You did the right thing.” Roderick summed up briskly, and she got the impression he was writing a report in his head. “Couldn’t have been easy, staring down someone with a lot more experience than you, just because you were actually in the right. Part of what the Coalition is meant to do is clean up where the usual institutions have failed. You earned your paycheck today, and then some.”
Taking that in, Gail had never felt prouder of herself.
~/*\~
“Where’d you find bacon?”
“Everyone’s clearing out their freezers, with the power grid becoming… unreliable.” Eldon told her. “This is the last of the fresh food, though. Everything from here on out is tins.” He took a breath. “Of course-”
“I know. I can’t stay here much longer.” Cherry admitted. “But I still want to try.”
“You can still talk to Gail without being here in person.” Eldon reminded her, but he knew she was committed. He unpacked the last of the box into her kitchen. “I want to be here. For the conversation with Gail. She’s joined the Coalition, and gladly. This could go very badly for you.”
“I want you out of the conversation, for the very same reason.” Cherry told him firmly. “If this does go bad, I want somewhere to… well, run away to.”
“If ‘going bad’ is so likely the outcome, why risk facing her at all?” Her father implored her.
Cherry came over and gave him a tight hug. “You kept coming back, no matter how often I snapped at you. We both have people we need to save. I have two.”
“I have one.” Her father countered. “You.”
“And you succeeded. I’m back.” Cherry assured him. “I can’t do less for my people, now can I?”
“You don’t get any extra points for overcompensating.” He warned her. It had been a guess, but when he saw how she reacted, he nodded. “You know what I’m talking about, right?”
Her expression was suddenly unreadable. “I grew up hearing stories about courageous people of faith. Ancient times, war times. What’s my story? That I spent more than half my life rejecting the Truth and had a ‘deathbed repentance’?” She shook her head. “Maybe I am taking a risk, but it’s mine to take, and it’s long overdue. I want to earn this, dad.”
There was a loud silence.
“I just got you back.” He almost whispered.
She hugged him tightly again. “And you won’t lose me. That’s the great thing about being a Believer: Whatever else happens, we’ll be together when this is over.”
Eldon scowled. “I hope so.” He said finally.
He thinks your faith is weak, because it was dead for so long. She thought. And is he wrong? Aren’t you overcompensating, choosing the most dangerous room you can be in right now?
She shook those thoughts off. She didn’t need to hear them. “I’ll text you when I finally get Gail into a proper conversation. You can be waiting out the front with the engine running, if you think I’ll need a getaway driver”
Eldon nodded. “I think that’s a good idea.”
She blinked. “I was joking.”
“I’m not. Call me alarmist if you want, but if ever there was a time to play it safe…”
And she hugged him again. She wasn’t used to the idea of her father being scared. Even when he’d been so worried about her leaving the faith, she took it more as anger than worry. Now she knew all about worry. For years, she had lain awake worrying about her bills, her rent, and her job. Now she was worried about something else entirely. “Alright.” She said into his chest. “I’m heading over to Jamel’s place.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“You’ve got more food deliveries to make.” She waved that off. “Jamel isn’t a threat. At his worst, he wasn’t a danger to anyone but himself. The worst he will do is say no. Gail? Who knows. But my Ex is harmless enough.” She saw his face and tried to calm him. “Dad, we aren’t super-spies. One way or another, there’s only one thing that’ll keep us safe all the way through this; and it’s not going to be anything we do. If memory serves, you were the one teaching me that just a few weeks ago.”
“Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do our part.” He countered, when his phone beeped, alerting him to his next assignment. “Look, if anything goes really wrong, meet me at that big tree behind the Kingdom Hall. It’s secluded enough once you’re off the street; and it’s a landmark we can both find, even on foot.”
She nodded. “I promise.”
~/*\~
An hour later, Cherry was outside Jamel’s place, feeling her stomach flip, again and again. Am I really going to do this?
She crossed the street, heading for his door. He’s going to laugh.
So what? She shot back as she climbed the steps. The stairwell door wasn’t locked. In fact, it was hanging off one hinge. You aren’t afraid of laughter anymore. This is happening. People who laugh won’t be laughing for long.
~/*\~
He opened the door to his apartment, and seemed relieved when he saw her. “Ha!” He burst into giggles. He didn’t stop for a long time. Tears were forming in his eyes. Cherry was starting to feel foolish, standing on his doorstep while he had a breakdown.
Well, he’s laughing. She thought. Aloud, she sighed. “Never mind. I should-”
“Hehe-naw.” He reached out blindly, one hand wiping tears from his eyes, the other grabbing for her hand. “Come in, please. Hahaha-I promise, I’m not laughing at you.”
He tugged her into the apartment. It was much as she last saw it, without almost no furniture, and almost no furnishings. He simply couldn’t afford them. Much of the furniture was homemade, like something a college student would scrounge together.
And sitting on one such makeshift table was a printout. A webpage, printed out in black and white. A webpage Cherry recognized instantly. “You’re visiting the JW website?”
Jamel got himself back under control. “I remember those meetings I went to with you. I remember them talking about a day when governments would declare war on Religion. I remember thinking you were all loony, but I was hoping to get you into bed, so I didn’t care.”
Cherry snorted. “And now it’s happening.”
Jamel gestured at the printout. “I don’t have a computer anymore, and my phone plan ran out. I went to the library and used a computer there. They let me print the page out. Good thing I did it days ago, or I’d have been arrested for accessing a religious site.”
“I don’t think they’re up to that ‘stage’ yet.” Cherry commented. “Why’d you flip out when I knocked?”
“I… prayed. When I read this, I prayed.” Jamel admitted, and for the first time, she could see that it was marked; almost every line in the article circled or underlined with multi-colored pens. “I never expected it to be you.”
“I was actually scared to come by and talk to you about this.” Cherry sighed. “I figured you’d laugh, or throw me out. After some of the things my father said about you-”
“Actually, that’s why I’m thinking about it.” Jamel confessed. “After some of the things you said to defend me when he came around, I believe you’d rather starve than ask your father for help.”
“It nearly came to that, once or twice.” She confessed. “My sin is Pride. How about that?”
Jamel nodded. “So if you, of all people, are now telling me that your father was right, and this is happening? I gotta take that seriously.”
“The Attack on Religion is the proof.” Cherry admitted. “Not just that it’s happening, but the fact that the Witnesses have been talking about it for a century or more. They’ve been going door to door talking about it, in fact. It’s not about ‘being informed’ anymore. It’s all about ‘Choice’.”
Jamel was biting his lip so hard he almost drew blood. His eyes were wider, and he had that thousand yard stare that all junkies had at some point. “You aren’t the first one, you know. To talk about this with me? I’ve had conversations with people.”
Cherry felt her heartrate tick up. “Oh yeah?”
He nodded. “I know one guy who used to be a Witness. He thought they were too restrictive. Went out to parties without telling his family… Started trying a few things. ‘Just for fun’, he said.”
“We’ve both heard that before.” She admitted.
“I hear it all the time at the support groups. You stopped short of saying yes, when someone offered you something.” He sniffed, looking down at himself. “I wasn’t trying to get away from a restrictive Church, or rebel against conservative parents. What was my excuse?”
“I don’t know if you need an excuse to lose track of your habits, Jamel.” She offered. “And… in my case, I’m tired of looking for an excuse to decide one way or another.” Her voice got stronger. “I’ve been waiting for something ‘impossible’ to come along and prove it; as though that would make the decision for me. But that’s just another way of putting it off. The choice is mine. And I choose to… well, believe.”
Jamel’s gaze into the middle distance shifted, and he was back with her. “I’ve dug myself into a nice deep hole. Even if I’m ‘reformed’, all the world ever sees is… well, I’ll never get a regular job, y’know? Not with my history. I don’t have a future in this world. You tell me there’s another one coming? You’re the only person in the whole wide Earth that I’m willing to agree with, just because it’s you. Is it enough? I mean… Given what I’m like, would I even be… allowed?”
“I had a similar conversation with my dad not that long ago.” Cherry admitted ruefully. “Neither of us are the likeliest of ‘believers’, but when Jesus was on earth; the well-to-do and the ‘Holy Men’ were the ones who had him executed. His followers came from the fishermen, the Tax Men, the lepers, the blind, the crippled… The real ‘holy’ people are the ones that God fixes up.”
“Well, we are certainly fixer-uppers.” Jamel actually laughed at that. “Ugh. I remember a few people saying similar things at the Church. They hold a lot of the Support Groups there, you know. They’re all shut down now. I’ve had calls from one or two people asking if there’s a new meeting site for recovering junkies and alcoholics. So far, the Coalition hasn’t taken over any of that.” He rubbed his face. “When I told them I didn’t know where to find another Support Group, one actually asked me if I… ‘had any’.” He looked up at her, and there was real fear in his eyes. “What if I can’t stop?” He wavered. “I’ve tried and failed before. What if I just can’t do it? What if I’m too far gone already?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know where that line is. I don’t know when it’s ‘too late’ for anyone. God or Jesus or whatever makes that decision.” Cherry admitted. “But if you believe what the Witnesses are saying is true, then what’s the alternative? You believe the ship is sinking, but you make no effort to head for a lifeboat? One way or another, we can’t put off the choice for long. And one minute after ‘That Day’ happens, you won’t be able to get another hit. Not for anything. It simply won’t exist anymore. It won’t even be possible to relapse anymore.”
And just for a second, Jamel looked more terrified of that idea than anything else he’s heard so far. But it passed, and he almost smiled. “Well.” He said finally. “That might just be enough to keep me clean.”
“Oh, is that all it would have taken?” Cherry quipped back.
The two of them were silent for a long, contemplative moment.
“I love you.” He said finally.
I never see these things coming. Cherry reflected. “I know.” She kicked herself. Worst thing to say. But he said nothing in response, and the moment dragged until she had to speak. “I love the best parts of you.” She said finally. “And that’s not how it’s supposed to work, I know. I should accept all of you…” And then the words came flooding out, out of control. “I probably would have married you, if you could have… you know. I always loved you. I just couldn’t trust you. Not because you were cruel, or deceitful, or-”
“I get it.” He agreed. “Believe me, I’ve had to get used to the idea of some things being broken enough that they couldn’t be fixed again. I’ve broken far more than ‘us’ in my life.”
She was still babbling. “And right now, I kind of have this other thing on my mind. Like the end of the world? Little stuff like that?”
“I get it!” He said loudly, making her stop. “Look… I’m not asking for anything. I just want you to know… The reason I believe that God could love me, in spite of all my sins, and all my screw-ups, is because you always did. If you can remember what I can be while I’m sober; certainly Jesus can.”
She stared at him, oddly touched. In fact, the thought got to her enough that she started tearing up. “Well, just so you know? I always thought that God would never accept me back, because of how I acted. The way I was raised, knowing the Truth, knowing what was coming, enough to recognize the signs when they happened? We were taught to view it as a gift from God. And I haven’t treated that ‘gift’ all too well. I figured I would never make a difference to anyone.” She took a shaking breath. “What you just said, about how you wouldn’t believe it if anyone else in the world was telling you it was happening?”
“I meant it.” He confirmed.
“Then maybe I have made a difference to someone.” She said softly. “I guess you're proof that I can belong with God too.”
“...Wow.” He said quietly.
She threw her arms around him in a tight hug. “We’re going to make it, Jamel.” She said into his neck. “We’ve made our choice that we believe, no matter what the world says.”
“Because the world has been bad to us, and we want to live in the Paradise that God makes for the people who believe He’s bringing it soon.” Jamel said into her hair. “And… I don’t really know how to do it right, so can we consider that my first prayer?”
She laughed, hugging him tighter. “I guess we have a lot to cover.” She licked her lips. “And I still hope to get Gail in on this too.” She pulled out her phone and dialled. “Dad?” She said as soon as he answered. “I have good news, about Jamel. He and I have some catchup lessons to cover. You want to sit in on the study?”
(Author’s Note: In previous works, I followed the general understanding that the attack on Religion was the Start of the Tribulation, and thus the end of the ‘Good News’ being preached.
New understandings have changed that too. The August 2025 Watchtower says: ”Previously, we understood that we would stop preaching the good news when the great tribulation began with the destruction of Babylon the Great. This event, we believed, would mark the end of the figurative “year of Jehovah’s goodwill.” We also felt that those who would survive the great tribulation would prove their devotion to Jehovah before that event. We compared them to the Jews who survived the destruction of Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E. These individuals had been marked for survival earlier because they worshipped Jehovah and hated wickedness. That comparison, however, does not harmonize with Jesus’ words found at Matthew 24:14, which indicate that people may have the opportunity to respond to the good news until just before the final end at Armageddon.”
The article also says: “At that late point in time, after the destruction of Babylon the Great, will some be drawn to the message…? This is quite possible. Perhaps they may recall or learn that for many years Jehovah’s Witnesses had announced the end of false religion.
By way of comparison, consider what happened in ancient Egypt following the Ten Plagues. After Jehovah ‘[executed] judgment on all the gods of Egypt,’ his people were joined by ‘a vast mixed company’ of non-Israelites. These foreigners may have turned to Jehovah when they saw Moses’ warnings about the Ten Plagues come true.”
This new understanding is a direct change to how I’ve written previous books set during this time period. I tried to leave some wriggle room for everything I didn’t know for sure. While some of it is incorrect now, the story still follows established JW’s facing this most challenging of time periods. This story is about people who were the unlikeliest of God’s followers, and how they respond, now that it seems they still have a chance, once the world-shaking events begin.
It’s a change to the ‘continuity’ of my own stories, but a very welcome one; as it’s another reminder of just how much Jehovah wants all to come to Him, no matter when, or what came before.)
~/*\~
Cherry felt like she was walking on air. The ‘study’ with Jamel had lasted longer than anyone expected. He’d already heard much of it from her over the years, before she had broken with the Congregation. Having the ‘smoking gun’ proof had made Jamel’s non-existent faith suddenly come alive with urgency. She had no idea where to start, but her father had; and the three of them had been talking until well into the evening.
Cherry had never felt this kind of thrill before. She was watching someone ‘believe’, right before her eyes; and she’d helped make it happen.
Now I have to do it with Gail. Cherry told herself.
~/*\~
“...mass walkouts at many factories and public works; due to the economic crisis. Some are suggesting that the Coalition should take over all public works, to ensure continuity of services; but their spokesman insists that the FRA is their first priority.”
~/*\~
“What we’ve got is a possible Holdout situation.” Roderick reported. “Several religious groups have declared the Final Revelation Act to be blasphemous, in some way. Some of the Fringe Groups have declared they’re a sign of the End Times.” He looked over the team. “I’m sure you’ve all gotten a look at the pamphlets.”
Was he looking at me when he said that? Gail wondered.
“Our superiors have ruled that this group is likely to ‘fight back’, when the next stage begins. It’s our job to make sure they don’t get that chance. They’re using the official schedule to their advantage, which means their armament and defences aren’t set up yet. This is a compound of survivalist fanatics, pure and simple. We have to take’em, before they get entrenched.” Roderick said seriously. “Some of you haven’t been on straight combat missions before. I’ve made an effort to pair all the greenies with those who have some combat experience. Stick with your partners. They’ll show you how it’s done.”
Gail felt a swell of pride. She was one of those ‘experienced’ ones now.
“Lock and Load!” Roderick barked. “We attack in five minutes!”
~/*\~
~/*\~~/*\~~/*\~
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