Fire and Flood Read online

  “We have to trust the Creator.”

  After dinner that night, Taina picked up her harp and sang for us. Her voice was so beautifully pure in tone that I felt myself relax for the first time since it had begun raining. I picked up my cup of wine and sipped it, enjoying the music and this moment of tranquility. Taina finished the song and made her way across the room to sit next to me and picked up the wineskin on the small table in front of the cushioned bench on which we sat.

  “Would you like some more wine?” Before I could answer, she was already pouring more into my cup. “I think after the last few days, we all could use a few cups of wine.” She drained her cup quickly and filled it again before settling back against the cushions.

  “Are you all right?” I inquired politely.

  “Not really. Everything is destroyed. Life as we know it is over.” She looked into her cup. She lowered her voice so that only I could hear her words: “Noah and Laelah are confidant, but to be honest, I am not. I know the Creator exists—certainly we saw His power and destruction today—but can He be trusted?”

  Shifting on the bench to face her, I answered, “How can He not? We are here safely, aren’t we?”

  “But my question is, why did He have to destroy the whole world? Surely the children could all have been spared, couldn’t they? All day I have imagined them drowning. Even now, their small bodies float dead on the water’s surface.” Her hand holding her glass of wine shook. “Why did He destroy the innocent along with the guilty?” Taina’s eyes flashed with emotion.

  “Japheth says that much of humanity was corrupted with the bloodline of the Nephilim and so would never choose the Creator. God gave the others, who weren’t corrupted, time to change their minds. They could have come on the ark, as well, but they didn’t believe all the warnings.”

  “Ham keeps reminding me of that, but all of my family and friends are dead.” With that, she drained her wine and poured another cup full.

  FIRE

  Chapter 15

  My friends have abandoned me.

  Job 19:13

  We headed north in the old blue truck. Mitch said he had heard a while back that there was a hospital over the border, in Canada, that was still open in a place called Creston, a city controlled by the Global Union. As we drove through forest covered roads toward another town, I wondered if I should stay with Mitch and Sierra. Would it be better to hunker down out here in the wild? But I knew deep down, I didn’t want to be alone, and Mitch and Sierra were all I had.

  The military base had been east of Spokane, and so we made our way back and followed signs for the US-95N freeway. Most of time, the freeway was blocked with cars, but we kept near it, using signs for guidance, when we found them. Before all the devastation, it must have been an easy drive, just a few hours up the highway, but it took us most of the day to maneuver through old towns and beat-up roads.

  Sierra was passed out in the back seat. Mitch hadn’t told her about her mother. Maybe it was nice to have something else to focus on and give Sierra a few more hours before telling her something that would change her life forever.

  We drove most of the day, only stopping to find fuel. Mitch was good at extracting gas out of abandoned vehicles, many conveniently left on the road. There was no one around. I wondered if people were still debilitated with stings from those creatures. I didn’t know what I feared more, the large, inhuman creatures that were somewhere out there, or the people who had beheaded an airplane hangar full of people. Mitch was pretty sure it had been the Global Union soldiers, and we were heading right back into an area of their control.

  The trip was long and, except when Sierra woke up, quiet. We crossed an abandoned border station into Canada, no longer relevant under the United North American government.

  The sun was beginning to set when we pulled up to the town entrance in a broad valley surrounded by mountains. “Welcome to Creston” was painted in bright colors on a wooden sign, but the road was blocked. Old shipping containers were stacked across the road, leaving only a narrow gap to pass through. Armed Global Union soldiers and a large truck blocked the entrance. I wondered why they weren’t suffering from the monsters’ vicious stings.

  Mitch muttered something but continued to drive forward carefully. Sierra was screaming again. My heart skipped a beat as one of the men approached us while the others aimed their guns at us, ready to fire.

  “What’s wrong with her?” the guard asked as he peered at Sierra. “Was she stung? Everyone in the area of the United North America and the Global Union were not hurt. President Bellomo’s power is great. Even those demons obey him.” He sounded like he was spewing memorized rhetoric. It reminded me of the Compound. I didn’t like the feel of this town already.

  “No, she wasn’t stung. I don’t know what’s wrong. I am hoping the hospital is still open and we can get some help for my daughter. I’ll do anything. You’ve got to help me . . . please.” Mitch’s voice broke.

  The guard stared at Mitch for about thirty seconds, looked at Sierra in the back of the truck, and then motioned us through after giving Mitch directions to the hospital.

  We pulled into the parking lot of an old school. A large, white banner hung over the entrance with “Creston Hospital” written in dark blue letters. “Stay here,” Mitch ordered tersely and got out. Thankfully, Sierra had passed out again. I turned around to look at her. Sweat beaded on her face, and she was clearly flushed. I wondered if they could help her.

  I kept my eyes fixed on the entrance and was surprised to see Mitch stomping out.

  He got into the truck, slammed the door and hit the steering wheel with his fists. “Why does this have to be so hard?!”

  I kept my mouth shut and moved slightly toward my door, hand near the handle just in case, but he broke down in tears. He started babbling, talking to his dead wife and apologizing over and over.

  “What’s wrong,” I asked, confused. What on earth had they said to him in there?

  “They say they won’t help us if we don’t have ‘the Mark,’” he hissed, clearly shaken.

  The Mark? What? I had no idea what he was talking about.

  Sierra stirred in the back seat. “Dad, what’s wrong?” she cried. I turned and saw that she was propped up on her left elbow, her right hand pressed against her stomach.

  Mitch shook his head and turned around to face her. “Nothing’s wrong, sweetie. We just have to do one thing before the doctor can see you.”

  He started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot and turned right. We drove for a short distance before stopping in front of one of the few two-story buildings I’d seen in the town. A large billboard sign in front of the building read, “Citizen Regulatory Board: Allegiance Center.” Without a word, Mitch got out of the truck and stomped into the building.

  I rolled down the front windows and sat waiting with Sierra. Something was very wrong. I wanted to leave, but Sierra was moaning again, about to pass out. I couldn’t leave her alone and helpless without Mitch. So, I waited. That was my mistake.

  When Mitch came out of the building, he wasn’t alone; two armed, uniformed men were with him. He came over to my side of the truck and opened the door, pausing to wipe a tear from his cheek.

  “You need to get out, Dani,” he said. His voice cracked. Was that shame I saw in his eyes? “You’re going with these men.”

  “What?” I fumbled as he pulled me out of the car. I saw a strange emblem, red and inflamed, newly imprinted on the back of his right hand.

  I pushed away from him, protesting, but one of the men grabbed my arm and yanked me hard. Mitch just got into the truck and drove away without another word. I had been betrayed. Again.

  “Come with us,” the man holding me commanded. I obeyed and held back bitter tears.

  No one spoke to me as I was hustled into the building. The first thing I noticed was the cold air. It was muggy and hot outside, but the air here was colder. We walked down a short corridor and into a large office.
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  There were desks throughout the room and people busy working at them. I noticed marks on many of their foreheads and realized it was the same emblem Mitch had had on his hand when he came out of the building. I wondered what it was and why no one here seemed to be suffering from the locust creature stings. What had the guard said about a treaty?

  I was pulled past the busy scene and into another, smaller office. Sitting behind a desk was a beautiful woman.

  “So, this is the girl?” She stood up and came around the desk. Dressed in a form-fitting black dress, a string of pearls around her neck and her blonde hair bundled up tightly on top of her head, she looked completely out of place in this austere environment.

  Cold blue eyes lined in black stared into mine. “Well, if that guy was right, we won’t have to run the lottery after all. She can be our volunteer!” The guards laughed. I’d heard that phrase before, in the first town, after I left the Compound.

  “What’s your name, girl?”

  I looked down, away from her eyes, and saw the same emblem on her right hand. What was going on? One of the guards pushed me, and I answered, “Dani.”

  “Dani, what a charming name! I want to welcome you to Creston! I’m sure you’ve noticed that our community was not attacked by the creatures?”

  I nodded my head.

  “We enjoy a special relationship with President Bellomo.” I wracked my brain to remember what Tomas had told me. President Bellomo was the leader of the Global Union, which controlled the world. “You know Dani, this world is full of uncertainty and harshness, but here in Creston, we’re protected from much of it. The United North American government has designated Creston as an area of natural resources. The food grown here is shipped all over the world, even to the great city of New Babylon itself.”

  Babylon. I’d read that name before in the book Daphne had used to teach me to read. There was a story about a city where the people built a tower to heaven, but God confused their languages. I couldn’t recall the details. I realized with a start that my bag was in the truck with Mitch and Sierra. I had nothing left.

  I swayed and the woman grabbed my shoulder and led me to a chair, telling one of the men to get me some water. She sat in the seat next to me, patting my hand with false concern.

  I was ushered out of the room, back through the bustling office with the screens, to a silver door. There were glowing buttons on the right. One of the guards tapped the top one, and the door opened up in the middle. I tried to turn away, but they dragged me inside and pushed another glowing button. The silver doors shut, and the box began to move.

  The box stopped moving, and the door opened again to a different place. We walked down a long corridor of doors with numbers on them. One of the guards stopped at a door numbered 320, waved a plastic card in front of a metal plate, then opened the door.

  “Take a shower,” one of the men ordered. “Everything you need is in there. One of the women will be by with some food. Don’t try to leave. One of us will be outside the door.”

  They left me alone. Mechanically, I went into the bathroom and did what I was told. Despite my fears, I stood under the clean warm water with relish. This morning I had seen a room full of bodies, but I was free; now, I was clean and wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe, but I was a prisoner yet again. And this time, I didn’t think an earthquake or the creatures were going to help me escape.

  There was a large television sitting on the dresser across from the bed. I looked around the room and saw a remote by the bedside.

  At the Compound, sometimes as a treat, the children were invited in to watch a movie. I was never among them, but I would catch glimpses as I hustled in and out of the room, filling orders from my father for food or drink.

  I clicked a button. A man sitting behind a table appeared on the screen. I turned up the volume a bit—not too loud, as I was unsure if I was allowed to watch. A man was speaking. Smaller screens would pop up around the man as he spoke, showing pictures or videos. I stifled a scream as one of the video clips showed one of the creatures stinging a woman.

  “While most of the world was attacked by creatures,” the man said, “the cities with special treaties with President Bellomo have been spared, once again proving his power. His Excellency, Angelo Cain, the religious leader of the Global Union, addressed the assembly today.”

  A man dressed in white and gold flowing robes stood on a stage in a large building. Other men and women filled hundreds of seats and clapped with fervor. Their faces looked at him with wonder and adulation.

  I shuddered when the camera moved in closer to focus on “His Excellency.” As he began to speak, I realized the words he spoke were right from Daphne’s book! He talked about the “Savior of the world” and the great feast they would celebrate soon in Jerusalem.

  Music swelled in the background and the man’s voice rose in a fevered pitch as he detailed the many wondrous acts of this Savior. Apparently, it was his power that protected the faithful from the creature’s stings.

  The camera switched back to the first announcer. He continued to relate stories of earthquakes, droughts, and floods.

  I turned off the television. I couldn’t take any more. Curling up on the bed, I pulled one of the pillows under my head and began to cry softly so the guard wouldn’t hear me. I was alone. The creatures were out there. I was a volunteer for some unknown horror. I didn’t know what was going to happen to me, and somehow, this place felt scarier than the creatures. As I had many nights before, I cried myself to sleep.

  FLOOD

  Chapter 16

  The flood continued for forty days on the earth . . . And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered . . . and all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures . . . and all mankind.

  Genesis 7: 17,19,20–21

  Day after day, Japheth and I climbed the ladder to the bridge and looked out from under the hatch, but it was impossible to see anything through the relentless rain.

  The ark rocked in the heavy waves. The motion made Taina utterly sick. I don’t think she left her bed for weeks. I worried about her because she had difficulty keeping anything down. Laelah—a skilled healer—nursed her constantly, trying different remedies, but she had never seen a condition like Taina’s before.

  With Taina sick and Laelah busy caring for her, Nua and I took on the bulk of feeding chores with the animals. Tending them took a great deal of effort. The men shoveled the stalls while Nua and I did the feeding and watering. Fresh water, kept in large barrels, had to be hauled up by one of the men to fill the trough system.

  Meals were prepared early in the morning for the day. We ate when we were hungry and only gathered for a family meal in the evening because there was just too much to be done to take the time for regular mid-day meals.

  I found Nua hard at work shoveling feed from the storage bin into a bucket. “Here, I have one filled for you, too.” She handed me a bucket we used to feed the animals.

  “It’s really amazing that we can be so close to creatures who usually will run away.” I remarked. “Do you have a favorite?”

  Nua’s face scrunched up as she thought about it. “Not really. I kind of like the birds the best. There are so many different kinds and colors! How about you?”

  “I think they’re all interesting, but if I had to choose, it would be the elephants,” I said, breaking off a banana and holding it out to one in the stall directly in front of me. The elephant grabbed it out of my hand with its trunk. That’s when I saw the movement in her belly. The female elephant was pregnant.

  “Nua, look!” I gasped, “She’s pregnant!” I ran my hand lightly over the elephant’s flank and gasped as her side rolled again, like a soft wave under my palm. “Wow!”

  It was better to be busy than to have time to sit and wonder about the lost world submerged below us. I found it difficult to keep my thoughts from imagining the panic and terror all of
those people had faced and wondering how the Flood would end.

  One early morning, as Japheth and I gazed out of the hatch, I confided in him all my worries. “When will the rain end? How long will we be in this ark?” I twisted my hands together, an unconscious express of my inner turmoil. “I just want to get off of this boat.”

  “I think we all have had those same thoughts. I really do not know, love. The Lord tells my father what we need to know. He has brought us this far—and protected us from the Nephilim army. I remind myself of that when I become anxious.”

  “Have you wondered what the world will be like once the waters recede? Won’t it all be mud? Deep mud?”

  Japheth wrapped his arms around me. “When I was a boy, I spent a few weeks making a dam on the small brook that flowed through the south pastures. I wanted to make a pool to swim in. I only got to enjoy it for a few days before our neighbor came to investigate why the brook stopped flowing.”

  I rested against his chest, reassured by his warm embrace. “Did you get in trouble?”

  “Oh, he was annoyed all right, but Father assured him that we would make it right. We went to the pasture and dismantled all my hard work. When the pool I had made drained, there was a huge pile of mud and rocks. Father helped me remove the larger rocks and instructed me to rake up the mud. I remember it surprised me how fast the grass grew once again.”

  I shook my head, “But this flood, it’s so big. Surely this will be much more devastating? What will grow when the waters recede when it has all been covered for so long?”

  “Truly, I have no answer, Ariana. All I can do is trust the Creator. Would He tell us to build an ark and save us through this flood, only to have us starve?”

  “When you put it that way, I suppose it is wrong to worry. He saved us from the Nephilim; He closed the great door to the ark. I just wonder how long we’ll have to stay in this boat?”