Overthrown, The Death of America

[day late]

Captain Rutherford and his men hadn't taken two steps before they felt the ground under them begin to tremble, and then violently shake. Someone cried out,

"Earthquake!"

He was right. It was what is known as an upthrust earthquake, during which one plate suddenly shifts upwards over the opposing plate.

Everyone of both sides were knocked off their feet by the shaking. The ridge line where Rutherfords' men were standing cracked open and the portion of land nearest the Christian group heaved up. A sheer wall of stone raised itself sixty feet above them. The ground that Rutherford's' men were standing on gave way, and a huge gash appeared in the earth. The men had been shaken so badly they had all fallen where they were standing, and the quake continued for what seemed like forever. As the tremor eased, a section of the new cliff face sheered off. A solid piece of stone, sixty feet high and over one hundred feet long toppled over on to them. There were no survivors.

As they laid on the ground waiting for it to stop, the Christians couldn't see what was happening on the other side of the newly form cliff. Kathy had been standing next to Bobs' pick up when it started. For reasons she could never explain, when the shaking started, she jumped into the truck. For protection she thought at the time. Later, she didn't know what to think.

Once the shaking had stopped, she looked though the windshield at Bob. Instinctively she reached for the key, and turned it. Before the engine had started the passenger door jerked open, and Barbara jumped in. Kathy stared at her for a moment, only to hear her say,

"Go, Go, Go."

Kathy hammered the gas pedal. She was only barely aware that she passed first Alex, and then Maria as she headed for Bob. She knew in her heart it was useless, but she had to try. Slamming on the brakes, she came to a stop next to the lifeless body. As she looked at him, she knew it was hopeless. Jagged pieces of bone, which she knew must be what was left of his ribs, stuck out of his chest.

As she knelt next to him she didn't even bother to check for a pulse. There wasn't any point to it. The damage was just too bad. Nobody could live though what had happened to Bob. She heard Maria calling Bobs' name and the sound of her footsteps coming towards her. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Maria and Alex, now neck and neck, running towards her. She glanced at Barbara and said,

"Stop them. At least let me get him covered."

Barbara turned and ran to them.

"He's gone." She shouted at them.

Kathy stood and reached into the the truck, behind the front seat. She pulled out a blanket and quickly covered the worst of the damage. Pieces of broken bone held the blanket above his chest. She left only Bobs' uninjured face exposed.

Maria pushed past Barbara, followed by Alex. Each of them knelt down next to him. Maria was sobbing and calling Bobs' name. Alex simply knelt and silently wept. Maria turned to Kathy with an unanswerable question.

"Why would God let this happen to him? He did everything he was asked. Why did this happen?"

Again she began to sob.

It was at this point that Major Ferguson and Lieutenant Busby, along with many of the Special Forces men arrived at the scene. After looking at Bob, Ferguson turned to Busby.

"Make sure they are dead." Was all he said.

Hearing him, Maria pulled back the blanket from Bobs' waist. The ever present .44 Magnum was on his hip, snapped into his holster. She unsnapped it, pulled the heavy weapon out and stood.

"Lieutenant. If any of them are alive, I want them."

Busby looked at Ferguson.

"Do it." He said.

Barbara was now next to Bobs' body, head bowed and praying for him.

"Lord. This man has served you well. We need him to lead us. Please Father, give him back to us. Heal his body and return life to him."

Alex also bowed his head and joined in the prayer.

Lieutenant Busby signed the other Special Forces men. They picked up their weapons from where they had been held on Bobs' order and moved at a fast trot to join him. One of them handed Busby his weapons, and together they moved to the edge of the cliff.

Maria went to her knees once again, cradling the large pistol in her hands And continued to ask,

"Why?"

Shortly, many of the people of the group came forward, and remained at a respectful distance from Maria and the rest, lost as to what they should do. Finally the men returned from the cliff. Ferguson didn't even look up as he said,

"Report.'

"Sir, I don't think there are any of them left. We could see two of them partially buried under a landslide. There is no sign of the rest. I think they are under it. It would take a lot of rope to get down there to check and be certain."

"Thank you. I don't think that will be necessary." He moved to Maria and placed his hand on her shoulder. He spoke softly. "Maria, I'm so sorry. Please, go back to the camp. My men and I know what to do. We'll call you when we're ready."

Maria stood, and without taking her eyes off of Bob said,

"Thank you, Major."

Kathy walked to her and put her arm around her as she started to lead her back to the camp. She was at a loss of what to say as Maria asked her again.

"Why, Kathy? Why did God let this happen?"

"I wish I had an answer for you. Maybe we should ask Jim. I'm sure...What is that noise?"

She turned and looked in Bobs' direction as a cracking, and popping noise became louder. She was stunned as she watched the points of bone recede into Bobs' chest. Stopping she said,

"Maria. Look!"

After a couple of moments, all of the pieces of bone and tissue had reformed and knitted themselves together, in Bobs' chest. Suddenly he gasped for breath. Without lifting his body off the ground he was heard to speak.

"That was AWESOME!"

Once again, everyone converged on Bob. Not believing what was happening before them. Seeing what was going on, Barbara and Alex began to praise The Lord and thank Him for His mercy.

Kathy reached Bobs' side and said,

"Bob! How can this be happening? You're dead."

"If you say so. Far be it from me to argue with my doctor. Matter of fact I promised you I wouldn't do that. Remember?"

That was enough for Maria. She fell down next to him and cradled him in her arms.

"Thank God." She cried. "You're alive."

"Not according to Kathy. Honey, you might want to let go of me. You're getting blood all over your shirt."

"I don't care. I have more. Are you alright?"

Bob sat up and looking at her answered.

"Well, in this weather I'm a little chilly without a shirt. Besides, this one is all wet with blood, and little more than rags. Think I could get a new one?"

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Bob accepted all the un-needed help in getting to his feet and walking back to the camp. Everyone had seen what happened to him, and most of them had gotten close enough to see his body. Now that he was alive again some of them pulled back in fear. But when many more started to kneel before him, he was shocked.

"Don't do that." He said to them. "I'm still the same man I was before. You should kneel only before God."

Without comment, they stood aside to let him pass. Barbara had saved the tattered shirt he had been wearing, and began to try to rinse as much of the blood out of it as she could.

"Barbara. Just throw that away. It's useless."

She shook her head. "It's proof, Bob. Proof that God has chosen you to lead us. It needs to be saved in case anyone ever has any doubts."

"Alright. But if it ever looks like it is becoming some kind of relic, I'm going to burn it myself."

"Bob, when we talked this morning. How much of this did you know about?" Maria asked.

"I knew that we would be delivered by the Hand of God. I knew that He was going to use this incident to affirm my leadership, but I never expected to die."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now you listen to me. IF YOU EVER do anything like this again, I don't care what you say. I'm going to be at your side."

"And I've got your back." Alex commented. "Dad you don't know what that did to us."

"I think I do. I remember when your mother died. I was useless for months after that."

"Well, just don't do it again. Alright?"

"I promise I'll try not to ever get killed again. Unless that is The Lords' will. How's that?"

"Can't say I like it, but O.K."

Major Ferguson spoke up.

"What do you remember?"

"Not much. I remember getting hit. The next thing I was about fifty feet up, looking down on all of this. I saw the earthquake. I saw those people get buried by a section of the cliff that fell. Oh! That reminds me. Major get everyone ready. I was told there will be two more quakes in the near future."

"Not until I hear the rest of this story."

"O.K. I think we have time. Anyway, after the quake the next thing I knew, I was in Heaven, I think. All I'm sure of is I found myself looking into the face of Jesus. Do you know how incredible His eyes are? When He looks at you, you know He is seeing more than the outside. Anyway I was told that I couldn't stay. I had to return here. There were still things for me to do. He also said the reason this happened was because of the people that were beginning to question if I should be in charge. He wanted to show that I was chosen, not them."

Maria had been cleaning the blood off of Bob's back when she noticed something.

"Bob. You aren't quite the same man you were before."

"I feel the same."

"Maybe so, but your scar is gone."

"Is it?"

"Your shoulder is as smooth as a babies bottom. Check it yourself."

He reached behind his back and ran his hand over the area.

"Well I'll be. I wonder if anything else has changed."


As Bob had said, there were two more earthquakes. One of them permenantly blocked of any access to them by the other group of soldiers that had been coming towards them. The other shook loose more of the cliff and provided a way out of the bowl shaped area, in the direction they were to go.

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It took an entire day for the group to make a path level enough for the trucks and horse drawn wagons to make it down the slope of the new cliff, after the third earthquake. True to form, Bob joined in with the rest of them in clearing the slope although he did have to have a few words with Kathy before she would allow him to do so.

"Bob, you were dead! Now you want to go out there and work yourself to death? I can't allow it."

"Afraid I'm going to have a relapse and die again? Come on Kathy. You've examined me from top to bottom and front to back. Did you find anything at all wrong with me?"

"Well, no. But it isn't every day that a patient comes back from the dead either. I just want to make sure that you are really going to be O.K."

"Kathy. Do you really believe that God does slip-shod work?"

"That's not fair Bob."

"Maybe not, but it is true. Isn't it?"

"Alright, alright. But you promise me that if you feel anything at all, and I mean even if it is only being a little dizzy, you'll stop work and come see me."

"I promise. But I wouldn't hold my breathe if I were you. Like they say, God doesn't make mistakes."

She knew he was right, but just the same, Kathy carefully watched him for the first half of the day. As she did she was reminded of the time he had helped Tim clear the dead trees from their front yard. He never shirked his share of the work. In fact, he did more than his share and refused to quit until everyone else did. As he always said; 'Ever notice how good enough usually isn't?'. She suddenly realized that all of that had happened only about one year ago. One year ago their whole world was at peace. Their children were in school, they had a full refrigerator, and both she and Tim were looking at the prospects of promotion in their jobs. How different things were now.

She also noticed two other things that didn't surprise her in the least. Alex was working side by side with his father, never getting more than a few feet away from him, and never complained about the work.

Secondly, Maria came to the work site with Michelle far more often than was necessary. But the sight of the women help to boost the morale of both father and son.

That brought to mind another thing. She was a dentist, not a doctor. True, she had more medical knowledge than anyone else, but she was still embarrassed that she had made the classic mistake of heartbeats. During an examination of Mike she had heard two heartbeats. So she announced the possibility of twins. It wasn't until later that she understood that she had indeed heard two heartbeats. One belonged to the baby. The other to the mother. When she told Mike about it, she was surprised to hear of Mikes' relief.

"I'm not like you Kathy. You've already had four. This is my first. I was worried silly about how I was going to take care of two children."

Then there was the matter of sanitation. After Bob had made her the medical expert she had made Tim responsible for making sure the growing group kept things clean. Germs, after all, had killed far more people than bullets ever did.

At first the job was only making sure their children washed up whenever needed. However once the group had grown larger, Kathy was amazed to find out there were supposedly mature adults who seemed to be strangers to soap and water. Tim had gotten on them about it. To virtually no avail. They had cleaned up a little, but nobody wanted to live near them while they were still in the town. It was said, and Kathy knew it to be true, you knew when you were getting near their place. You could smell it at one hundred yards.

To be sure, they were very pleasant people. Everyone seemed to genuinely like them. But everyone did their best to stay up wind of them. Something needed to be done about the situation.

It was a couple of days later that she and Tim took their problems to Bob.

"Hi, Bob. Got a minute?"

"For the two of you, always. What can I do for you?"

Kathy sat in a folding chair near Bob and began to speak.

"Bob, I don't know that you can do anything, but I wanted you to be aware of a few problems."

"That's what I'm here for."

"As you know The Lord has been very good to us all. There have been no medical emergencies since we started. The closest thing to an actual trauma was when the Timmons' boy fell off a rock and broke his arm back after the Chinese attacked us. Before that, I'd never set a broken bone before. Thank The Lord two of the Majors men were trained for that type of thing. I learned a lot from those two. But we need to think about the future. I mean specifically about the pregnancies."

"Oh? Are any of the mothers having problems?"

"Not that I know of. But the truth is I'm a dentist, not a physician. Yes I'm a mother, and I know about child birth from that end, but I've never delivered a baby from the other. I think everyone would feel much more comfortable, and safer, if we had at least a mid-wife to help those of us that are expecting. I know I would."

Tim looked startled.

"Us? What is this 'us' all about?"

Realizing what she had said, Kathy turned red with embarrassment.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I was waiting for a better time to tell you. But yes, our family is growing again."

"Kathy, how did that happen? You've been on the pill for years."

She smiled at him.

"Sweetheart, I love you. But sometimes you can be a little slow. In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been able to get that prescription refilled for a long time now. And those things don't last forever you know."

Now it was Tims' turn to flush red.

"I guess you're right. I never thought about it. I mean since I don't take them it never occurred to me that it was a problem."

"So, are you upset?"

"Upset? No. Not at all. Surprised? Sure, but not upset. When are you due?"

"Now we are back to the main problem. I can't be sure, but I'd say about seven and a half months." She looked at Bob to address the doctor situation again and found him grinning at them. "What are you smiling about?"

"It is just nice to know that I'm not the only one in the unexpected fatherhood boat. Here's wishing the best to all seven of you."

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Director Ives couldn't believe that things were progressing so fast, and so smoothly. That might be the reason he had been advised by the master of the future events and warned to be ready for them.

Since there weren't many Christians left, most of the people on earth completely missed the importance of the massive earthquake that had hit Turkey. While it had not taken as many lives as was first feared, it had changed the course of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. They had joined together near the headwaters, and now emptied into the Black Sea. Everything down stream from there was rapidly drying up. Those who thought of it at all were mainly concerned about the people in Iraq. What would they do without the water that had always been provided by the rivers? None of them knew the prophecy about the rivers drying up to make way for the kings of the east.

Ives knew that the time of revealing the anti-christ must be near. Drying up those rivers made it possible for the Chinese to bring their armies into the region of the Middle East. If there were any American forces in the region, by now they were so badly reduced in number and short on supplies and equipment, that they wouldn't be any problem. And that would begin the last phase of World War III.

Since one of the things they had lost when they were forced to retreat from America was a new source of oil. The Chinese needed that oil and because they were now the most powerful country on the planet, they felt the oil belonged to them by right. They weren't going to pay for what they felt they already owned. With an army of two hundred million no one was going to argue about it. Or not for long at any rate.

He also knew that his time in this cursed land was drawing to a close. This winter was proving to be the worst ever seen on the continent. With food already in short supply due to the war, the people here starting to starve. The problem wasn't made any easier when it was discovered, the hard way, that there were more Russian and Chinese troops around than had been suspected. The bad weather kept what supplies the Americans had been able to claim from getting anywhere that they were needed. The nice part for him was that nobody blamed him for the situation.

After all, hadn't it been Ives who had discovered the food and other supplies which had been left behind by the Russians and Chinese when they had pulled out? Wasn't it Ives that had masterminded the plan to retrieve those supplies? Was it his fault the the number of left behind soldiers was greater than had been thought at first? Didn't his plan include defending the men sent to get those supplies? No, none of this could be blamed on him. It wasn't his fault that because of war and weather that famine was slowly spreading across the country. At the rate is was going, it was feared that the number of the newly dead would soon vastly outnumber the living. The only thing that Ives was really upset about was he hadn't been able to get rid of the Americans as fast as he would have liked, and he couldn't be sure he had reduced the Christian population to less than the hated ten percent.

Once this was accomplished, he would at long last leave this place for a new assignment. Perhaps even the one he had wanted all along. In Jerusalem.

 

[day late]

From the time that they had left the town Bob had made sure that the convoy had stopped about every hour and a half. If for no other reason, the children needed a bathroom break. It had slowed their progress, but everyone was glad for the break. Especially the children.

"I wish we had some idea of where we are." Tim said to Bob and Major Ferguson. "What I wouldn't give for a G.P.S. right now."

"Be glad you don't have one." Bob said.

"Why is that? At least we'd know where we are."

"Tim. Those things work two ways. You contact the satellite, and the satellite tells you where you are at, right?" Ferguson said.

"Of course."

"What happens if someone has access to that satellite and they have the skills to find out what it told you?"

"I hardly think that would happen."

"Tim, as near as I can figure it, we are either in or near Yellowstone National Park. The Park has been closed for some time now. So why would someone be using a G.P.S. out here?"

"I didn't think about it that way."

"Trust me. Our enemies have."

"Besides Tim, we are right where we are supposed to be. We're in Gods' hands." Bob said.

It was during one of these breaks that word reached Bob, from the point team, of a possible problem. There was a cabin along their route of travel. Smoke was seen coming from the chimney. Bob and Major Ferguson moved out ahead of the group to have a look at it.

After lowering the binoculars the Major asked Bob,

"What do you think?"

"Well, I have a few thoughts. First, that cabin has been there for a long time. A hundred years or more. Second, it has obviously had certain upgrades over the years. New windows are a dead give away of that. Then again, we have a cabin out here in here middle of nowhere that has people in it. So the question is are the holed up waiting for us or are they like us and trying to hide from the government? Either way, caution would seem to be the order of the day."

"I agree. You know there is only one way to find out about whoever is in there."

"Yeah, I know. Who do you think I should take with me?"

"You won't like what I have to say. I don't think you should go. I think we need to send in some of the civilians. I also think that Alex should lead the way."

"Why?"

"Everyone has to face their baptism of fire sooner or later. Right now we have the advantage of numbers and surprise. What better time to find out about them?"

"You're right major. I don't like it. But you are right. Pick the people you want to go. Get them ready."

Alex's mouth was dry. He knew that if he had to hold out his hand, it would be shaking. He also knew that there was a job to be done, and it was his job. He didn't want to embarrass his father. He signed some of the people to move around to the rear of the building. Others he signed to follow him. He couldn't believe how scared he was and wondered if others like the Major, felt like he did now.

It wasn't like this in the movies. The only time he had ever done anything like this was when he and his father first entered the town. Ever since then, every time he had to shoot at a man, he had been in a hole or behind something that offered protection. This time he was the one in the open. He searched every opening in the cabin. He saw no sign that he was being watched.

"How do you want to do this?" Mike Timmons asked quietly. "I can take the front door if you want."

"No. I'll do it. No offense, but with that scar of yours, you might put them off. If they are in hiding like us, well, we don't want to scare off anybody that might be able to help."

"Alright. What do you want us to do?"

Alex thought quickly. "You stay a little back from the porch and cover me. Stay where you can get a clear shot. I'll stay back a bit from the doorway and try to stay out of the line of fire." He turned to the girl on his other side. "Sarah, I want you to do the same from the other side."

"You got it." She answered.

"Alright. Don't be to quick on the trigger. There isn't anything to say what side they might be on. You two get into position, then I'll move up."

In moments the two people were in position and waiting for him. Taking a deep breath and then letting it out slowly, he stood and walked up to the cabin door as quietly as he could. He actually startled himself when his boot thumped on the first step. Pausing to see if it caused a reaction, then continued forward.

As he said he would, he stopped as far from the doorway as possible and resisted the urge to check the people behind him. Not only was it to late for that, if someone were watching him, he didn't want to give away their presence. Reaching out, he knocked on the door. To his surprise, there was no sign of life from the cabin. He knocked a second time. There was still no answer.

"Hello in the cabin." He called. "We mean you no harm. We know you are there by the smoke. Will you talk to us?"

Still there was nothing. Alex considered what to do next. He didn't want to just break in the door without knowing something about what was on the other side. He knew there had to be someone there. Nobody would just go off and leave a fire burning. Not if they wanted to have a home when they got back. He was about to knock again when something inside fell and crashed to the floor.

"O.K. Do you want to admit you're here now?"

Alex heard they sound of whispered voices inside.

"We don't have anything for you to steal. Go away." A female voice said.

"We don't want to steal anything. We're lost. We just need directions."

"The nearest town is southeast of here. It's about a two day walk."

"Please, can you open the door. Look if we wanted to do any harm, would I be standing here in the snow knocking on the door?"

There were more whispers from inside. Then the sound of a bar of some sort being pulled back. The doorknob slowly turned and the door opened enough for Alex to see the end of a pistol poke out.

"If you're lying, you'll die first."

"I'm not lying. We just need to know where we are." Alex looked at the revolver closely. "Besides, how are you going to shoot me with an empty gun?"

"It's not empty."

"I can see the cylinder. That thing is empty. Please, can we talk?"

"Let him in darling. He knows we are unarmed. And no doubt they out number us. Talking seems like a good idea."

"Alright Grandmom." The pistol pulled back into the doorway. "Come in."

As he entered the cabin, Alex saw a young woman about his age. She put down the empty pistol and picked up a poker from the fireplace. While she didn't threaten him with it, she held it ready for use. Looking around he saw an older woman sitting on a bed with one leg both bandaged and elevated. He spoke to her.

"Thank you, Ma'am. We really mean no harm."

"I believe you. I could hear several people outside. I take it your guns are loaded."

"Yes Ma'am. There's lots of unpleasant people and animals out there."

"Maybe you're one of them." The girl said.

"Darling, put that thing down. If this young man wanted to hurt us we'd already be in trouble." Looking at Alex she smiled and continued. "You have to forgive my granddaughter. Shes' become a little over protective since I got hurt."

"I understand Ma'am. How did you do that?" He said pointing to her leg.

"Oh I got careless while chopping some firewood. Um, you folks wouldn't happen to have a few clean bandages you could spare, do you?"

"Promise me that she won't hit me, and I think we can do better than that."

"She won't. I said put it down dear."

Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out a radio.

"Dad, there isn't anything here that is going to harm us, but could you send Kathy and Barbara up here? One of these people has been hurt."

"They'll be there in a minute. What's wrong? Kathy needs to know."

"A really bad cut on the leg."

"Alright. They are on the way."

Putting down the radio, Alex asked, "May I talk to the people outside? I'd like to let them know what's going on."

"Go ahead son."

Alex opened the door, and called out.

"Everyone relax. It's O.K. Just be watching for Kathy and Barbara. We have an injured person in here."

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Kathy lifted her head and talked to the injured woman.

"You're very fortunate. It's deep, but you didn't hit any major blood vessels. There isn't any sign of infection. All in all I'd say you've done a good job of taking care of it. If you'll let me, I'd like to put in a few stitches to close it and help keep it clean."

The woman looked at Kathy and said, "I would have done it myself but I don't have any sutures."

"Sutures? Most people just say stitches. Do you have medical training?"

"Oh my yes darling. I was an E.R. nurse for thirty years. But if you don't mind me saying so, you do have training, but you don't seem to be a doctor."

"I'm a dentist."

"Well, aren't you working on the wrong end then?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"If you want me to, I can stop."

"No, no. You just keep on doing what you're doing. It's more than I can do."

"Alright. Barbara, would you bring the surgical kit over here?"

As Kathy worked, the woman watched carefully but without comment until she had finished.

"Darling, that is one fine job you did there. I thank you for the help. Oh, where are my manners. I'm Jewel. The suspicious one over there is Cindy."

"I'm pleased to meet you Jewel. I'm Kathy and I'm sure you already heard my assistant is Barbara. You don't sound like you are from around here. May I ask where you're from?"

"I'm a Georgia peach, born and raised. Though maybe not as sweet as I once was. What about you folks?"

Kathy gave her a short version of what had happened to them all, while carefully leaving out the mention of them being Christians. So she was more than a little surprised when Jewel spoke again.

"Sounds like The Lord has been good to y'all. I know it was a God send you showed up here."

"You're Christian?"

"That we are sweetheart. And before you ask, this fellow named Michael showed up last night and told us help was coming. I guess you must be it."

"Michael sure does get around, doesn't he?"

"Why he's an arch angel. He can do pretty much what he wants. Long as The Lord allows that is."

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Jewel and Cindy were very happy to learn about the group. And Bob, Kathy and the rest were she felt more than generous in what they provided for them. Food had been growing short, and Cindy had been very worried about it. There was no more ammunition for their rifle or pistol. And they had begun to hear wolves in the night. One thing that Bob had not expected was almost having to twist the arms of the ladies to get them to come with the group.

"Son, what would you want with a crippled up old woman like me?"

"Jewel, in case nobody has told you, we have several women in various stages of pregnancy. Including Kathy by the way. What we don't have is someone with experience in delivery. You don't have the supplies to take care of that leg, and you need help getting food in. Sounds to me like The Lord has provided for both of us at the same time."

"Could be, could be. I've delivered more than one in my time."

"What do you say then? Will you join up with us?"

Before she could answer, Bobs' radio came to life.

"DAD! Mikes' water just broke. I think she is in labor."

"You didn't tell me any of them were that far along. Get that poor child in here. Can't have a baby being born out there in the snow."

Later that night, with Jewel looking over her shoulder giving advice, Kathy delivered her first baby. By morning, Alex was sitting in a chair next to his sleeping wife with his brand new daughter in his arms.

"Jewel, I want to thank you for your help last night." Bob said softly.

"Well, after what y'all have done for us, what else could I do?"

"Won't you come with us? Obviously we'll need to be here for a while for Michelle's sake. Anyway that will give you time to heal up a little more. When we leave, come with us. We need each other."

She shook her head in amazement. "The Lord surely does work in mysterious ways. Alright. We'll travel with you."

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Director Ives was only a little surprised when the invitation came from the new United Nations headquarters in Rome. After New York had been totally destroyed, the nations of the world had chosen Rome to re-establish the international body, in hopes of ending the terrible war that had ravaged America. With many of the heads of world governmental bodies present, it was only natural that Ives would be asked to come. The thing that really shook him up was when the messenger of the master had shown up. What was said was even more surprising.

"The master has a new assignment for you. Don't ask me why after the way you botched so many things in America. I'm here to tell you that he has decided to give you another chance."

"What is the assignment? Is he sending me to Jerusalem?" Ives asked hopefully.

The messenger laughed at Ives.

"Jerusalem? Why would you think that? You can't actually believe he would trust someone like you with such an important job. No, you will be here in Rome. You have shown you can manipulate these monkeys, that will be useful to him in this new world order of his. The replacement for the Nazarene is ready to take his place. He will need you here to make sure all of his plans come off like he wants them to happen."

"I will do as he wishes." Ives said. Disappointment was clearly present in his voice.

"There is one more thing. You will have to give up this body. It wouldn't be appropriate to your new assignment."

"I can't wait for that. I don't know how these creatures can put up with it. They are so feeble and weak."

"That's because they don't know the power that the master offers to those who serve him."

"What about those ones that actually worship him?"

"You can't be that stupid. You know what these things are like. They say they worship him. What they really want is the power he offers for their own purposes. Much like the last president of America. The master will not have anyone challenge his power."

"So when do I get the new body?"

"Soon. That one won't make it back to America."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the aircraft reached cruising altitude after leaving European airspace, Ives leaned his seat back and closed his eyes. He considered what would happen next.
The Nazarenes' replacement had been shown to him. A fierce looking fellow who, unlike the rest of the fallen ones, had no use for these human females. Even though he had yet to take his rightful place in Jerusalem, the humans were already beginning to understand he wasn't like any of their kind. And the monkeys were so stupid they couldn't even see the contradictions in him. He claimed to be a man of peace. He even had plans for ending the global war and making the Chinese lose this war and be driven back to their own country. Yet he worships the 'god of war'.

Ives considered how stupid even his own servants were. Since they didn't read the Nazarenes' book, they didn't have a clue as to what was going to happen next. Well that suited him just fine. He smiled to himself and prepared to leave this body. It wasn't important that he be here when the plane fell from the sky. There would be no survivors. In this way nobody would suspect that he would now be elsewhere serving the masters prophet.

Just as he thought, the people on the plane whose job it was to meet Ives every need didn't know they would be dead in less than an hour. In fact, as they looked on his face while they thought he was asleep, they were comforted by the peaceful look they found there. They believed that Ives had received good news in Rome, and they would all soon in another place doing something else.

In a way, they were right on both counts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The group ended up staying in the area of the cabin for a week. The first several days were for the purpose of allowing Michelle to recover from her delivery. During this time Alex and Michelle decided that the only reasonable thing to do was name their new baby girl Kathy Jewel. Both women were flattered and considered the honor of the first name should go to the other woman. It was settled when Michelle told them why that name was chosen.

"If it wasn't for Kathy, it could have had a much worse. Thanks to Jewel, we had a safe, warm, and dry place to bring this child into the world."

Kathy looked at Alex.

"So what do you say about it? Wouldn't you like it more if the baby was named after your mother?"

"Mike never met Mom. So the name would only be meaningful to me. Besides, you know what they say. 'If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.' That settles it. You have a namesake Kathy. Get used to it."

Jewel and Cindy ended up being happy for the company, in spite of the shaky start. They had been alone for quite some time and appreciated the update on all the news they had missed. Even if it wasn't always the best news.

After Michelle said she was ready to move on, both Kathy and Jewel over rode her choice and insisted to Bob that they wait at least another forty eight hours. True to his word, Bob refused to go against the medical advice.

When they finally got moving again Jewel was placed in one of the wagons rather than either a truck or the S.U.V. Cindy at first protested having her grandmother exposed to the cold weather, but Jewel herself put a quick stop to that.

"Child, tell me something. Which of these pregnant women do you want in that wagon? Maybe you'd like Michelle and her new baby girl out in the cold? No? Alright then, ask Bob what supplies he thinks we can do without so I can ride in a truck."

The argument ended there. As they all began to move once more, Bob got a call on his radio from Tim.

"Bob, have you noticed the gas gage?"

"I was wondering when you'd see that. Yes I know. The gages are starting to drop."

"What do you think it means?"

"I think it means we are getting close to our final destination, what else?"

Bob was of course right. Within two days he called a halt to the traveling. They had made it to a valley, which was perfectly suited to their needs. The cliff sides were complete with a number of caves that could be easily converted to living quarters. There were also sheltered ravines that could be used for housing with a little more work. Being a heavily wooded valley, logs for the homes could be brought in with only minimal effort.

More importantly a river ran through the valley that was deep, clean, and fresh. Even better, not far away were a series of hot springs which would allow bathing at any time of year.

Within a week the caves had been converted, and though crowded with everyone in them, they provided shelter while the matter of building homes could be tackled.

One evening Bob was sitting with a gathering of different members of the group in a communal cave and he listened as others spoke. Until one man said something he couldn't let pass.

"I wonder how long we have left until the Tribulation is over."

"Friend, you've got that all wrong. The Tribulation hasn't even started yet."

"What? I'm sorry Bob but with all we've been through, how can you say that?"

"It's a matter of scripture. The Tribulation begins when the anti-christ takes control of the world. All governmental powers surrender their authority to him. That hasn't happened yet. What we have been through so far is know as 'The Time of Jacobs Trouble', not the Tribulation."

"If that's true, what is going to happen to us?"

Bob bowed his head for a moment and prayed. Then looking upwards he said,

"Thank you Lord. Folks come with me for a minute." He stood and walked out of the cave. "Take a look for yourselves."

As the people looked at the ridges around the valley, they saw huge men in white robes, holding flaming swords. Speechless they followed Bob back into the cave as he turned and went in. He waited for them all to come back in before he spoke.

"Friends, we have reached a place of refuge provided by The Lord, Himself. If you don't believe me, or the evidence of your own eyes, there is only one thing I can suggest. Read the Book of Revelation."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Readers,

This is the last installment of the 'Overthrown' series. It has been my honor and privilege to bring this story to you. While it might not be the ending you had hoped for, from this point in the story it would be necessary to get into the Book of Revelation. The Apostle John had a very clear warning for anyone who would either add to or subtract from that book. Since I have a real fondness for my own skin, that is a risk I choose not to take. Besides, as believers in our Lord, Jesus Christ, we know the end of the story. If you are not a believer, may I suggest that you do as Bob said.

"Read the Book of Revelation."

 

[day late]

O.K. nobody is perfect. What follows was kind of left on the 'cutting room floor'. But lately there has been a real urging in my spirit to add this little bit to the story. So here you are.


Early one evening, about ten days after Maria and Michelle had joined the group, they were all gathered in the general store. Kathy and Tim were trying to quiet the younger children in order to get them ready for bed, when Maria started to ask Bob questions.

"Bob, I've been talking with Kathy. From what she, and Tim tell me, You have had some kind of answer to every problem that you have come across. Like the smoke grenades you used at a checkpoint that you ran into. So I'm wondering what else you might have tucked away somewhere in your brain for problems we may have in the future. I'm also wondering how you managed to come up with all those answers so far."

Bob fed another piece of wood into the pot-bellied stove before he spoke.

"I have to tell you that much of what I've done so far was a combination of my own experiences, and The Lords' inspiration. Not so much that He put the answer into my brain, but that he led me down a rather rocky road to prepare me for this time. And I'm not the only one. You weren't there when we crossed the Mississippi River. The Captain of the 'Molly B.' is a good example."

"How so?" She asked.

"It's simple. It is like I've said before. Misdirection is a very powerful friend when used correctly. You see, Jim never answered a single question straight. He only led the men in the patrol boat to believe that he was making a trip for Director Claire. So they didn't want to inspect the 'Molly B' to closely. They were too afraid to do that.

But there are other ways to misdirect someone. For example, let's say that you are a farmer. Let's also say that the area you live in is under enemy occupation or martial law. Then, all of a sudden, a fuel/supply depot blows up in the middle of the night, and burns quite merrily for hours after that. Needless to say, they are going to want to know who did it. Now here is the problem. YOU were seen outside after curfew, and the local commissioner has a few questions. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER try to convince him that you are innocent. Especially under 2 circumstances.

1. You ARE innocent.

2. You AREN'T innocent.

Human nature being what it is, he is already convinced of your guilt. After all you WERE out after curfew. Soooo....make the evidence point to a lesser crime, like this.

'Why were you out after curfew?'

'Sir, I'm supposed to provide you and your men with eggs. Records show I have 40 chickens. If you look out in the yard. You'll find 50 of them.'

'You mean you were stealing chickens?'

'It's the only way to meet my quota.'

You'll get a slap on the wrist, and maybe lose a few birds, but that is better than what could happen. It also diverts suspicion from you for whatever you actually were doing. Like arson."

"But how could you hide 10 extra chickens?" Michelle wanted to know.

"When was the last time you counted the number of chickens on a farm?" Bob asked.

"I can't say I ever have." Michelle answered.

"Neither have they." Bob said. "But there is so much more to it than that. Take for example the matter of watches. After the Russians and Chinese set off the E.M.P. bombs, everything electronic, that was unshielded, died. Yet my watch is still working, because it is an old fashioned wind up mechanical watch. Now a watch might not seem to be too important. But if you are in a city under enemy occupation, or martial law, and the announcement comes out that food will be handed out at exactly nine o'clock in the morning, wouldn't it be nice to know when nine o'clock gets here? If curfew is exactly at 5:30 P.M. it would be wise to be off the streets at that time. On top of that, if you are actively working against your enemy, a watch or clock, can be used as a timer for any number of things. Anything from co-ordinating an attack to setting off explosives, by removing the crystal and connecting the wires to the hands. When they meet, everything goes off at
once.

Please understand, I'm not here to teach anyone how to become a combat soldier. Yes, I am a vet, but that is why I won't do it. There is a reason why people in the service are considered old and past it at the ripe old age of 36. Things such as combat are best carried out by young professionals in the prime of their lives, I regret to say. Mainly because they have the stamina. And at my age, I don't have it anymore.

Even so, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Kathy, you know how I've been teaching everyone how to use a bow and arrow?"

Without a word Kathy nodded.

Bob continued, "A good bow, or crossbow, has the same range of a shotgun at least. For a good archer the range is much further than a shotgun. Plus they are a lot quieter. Sometimes being quiet is a good thing. Also, if the need arises, the arrows or crossbow bolts, can be made instead of purchased."

Bob paused to take a sip of his coffee, and feed yet another piece of wood into the stove before he continued.

"One of the things I've always had an issue with is the way people relied more and more heavily on modern technology. Technology can and will fail sooner or later. Look at the state this country is in right now. And it happens every year in different places for different reasons. Hurricanes in the south would take out electrical power. In the affected areas, only people with generators managed to keep their cold things cold, and could heat up food for a hot meal. Even then, there were reports of generators being stolen in the middle of the night, and such like. But either way, very few people were ready to have to cook over an open fire. Technology failed, and people suffered because they weren't ready to do without all of the modern comforts. The same is true for just about every area of the country. Snow storms would take out power lines, and people would die because they weren't ready for it."

"Take this fire for example." Bob said. "We didn't use any of our limited supply of matches to start it, I used my lighter. Of course, there isn't any fuel in it, but by spinning the wheel backwards, I made a spark that lighted the starter material I had put in the stove. How many people have gone hungry and cold since all of this started because they depended on technology? You see, once the fuel in a butane lighter runs out, people throw them away. They never even think about spinning the wheel in the wrong direction to get a spark to start a fire, they just get rid of them because they relied on technology, instead of their wits and The Lord."

At this point Alex spoke up.

"I have to say that Dad is right about that. When I was younger, Dad and I used to go on what he called 'survival' camping trips. We'd go off into the woods with almost nothing. No tents, no food, just some fishing line, hooks, and a couple of belt knives. We'd use the knives to make a lean-to shelter, and fishing poles. After that, we'd find some worms or other kind of fish food and use the line and hooks to catch our meals. Well, that and native edible plants. You'd never believe how many plants are actually good to eat. Sometimes, when the fish weren't biting, we had to rely on the plants to keep from going hungry."

"So, that's why you were in such good shape when we found you." Kathy said.

"That's about it." Alex agreed. "Dad also used to teach me other things as well. Like how to navigate without using anything like G.P.S. or a compass. I was so surprised at how easy it was. What was it you used to tell me about finding my direction, Dad?"

"If the sun comes up on the right, and goes down on the left, you're facing north. The same is true for the moon, of course. Once you know which way you are pointed, and you know where you want to go, you can get pointed in the general direction you need to go."

"That was it. And just like you told me, it never failed."

"That sounds like a good way to never get lost." Michelle said.

"I'd be happy to show you how it works. Care to go for a moonlight stroll?"

"Sure." Michelle answered.

Bob watched carefully as the two left the store together. Turning to Maria he said, "I don't think our warnings are doing much good."

"Well, at least now that his arm is out of the sling, he knows better than to try anything."

"Maybe so." Bob answered, "But I think we might want to keep an eye on those two. For someone who just got over being hurt, he seems pretty willing to risk it again." He shook his head and continued.

"Getting back to the subject of navigation and traveling, You folks may have noticed that many times I put a premium on remaining un-noticed when all around you is coming apart. This comes from the position of,

'They can't shoot or arrest you, if they don't see you.'

Most people have never considered that power lines, gas lines, rail lines, etc. all lead into town, but they also lead out. Most people didn't even think about such things when everything started to come apart. They all be tried to get on the interstate, or other major roads to get away from whatever trouble was coming their way. When the soldiers or law enforcement officers manning roadblocks turned them back, very few took the service roads under the power line, or next to the gas lines, etc. They never considered them as a good means of avoiding unwanted confrontations. Now I admit those service roads are almost always very rough. And not every car can make it down them, but with care and effort most vehicles can."

"I remember, the same thing happened when coastal areas would try to evacuate when a hurricane started to get too close. The traffic jams would close down roads for miles." Maria agreed.

"That is just the point. People are creatures of habit, and habit isn't always good for you. When it comes to survival, most people think you have to have a ton of gear to make it, and that is just not true. Alex and I would go for days with nothing more than knives, line and hooks. And those things weigh almost nothing, but they allowed us to to stay alive, and in some places live rather well.

But, as they used to say on T.V., wait there is more. Traveling as light as you can is always a good idea. For example, There are many, many useful and even nasty things that you can do with a piece of wire. I'm talking about thin and flexable wire. In my kit I carry several guitar strings. They're good for snares, emergency repairs, trip wires, the list is almost endless. The point is, the only thing that can't either be taken from you, nor lost by you, is between your ears. The mind is the most dangerous weapon ever. But most people never learned to use it properly."

"What did you do about water?" Sam asked.

"Oh there are several ways to get it. You already know about water being underground, don't you?"

Sam nodded. "Sure. That's why they dig wells."

"Have you ever thought about digging a hole in moist ground and letting the water seep into it? It may not taste like what you are used to having, but it will be reasonably clean, and will keep you alive.

Of course where would we be without our veggies? I spoke earlier about the card deck that shows the wild edibles. Fact is that there might be some that you want to grow. Problem is, at a time like this, that neat rows are a dead give away, and easily seen from the air. It takes some practice, and a little work, but mixing veggies of your choice in with natural plants in a random manner will prevent them from being seen from the air. Also it makes it harder to find when on the ground. The down side, you have to spread these out over a much wider area. It's called 'guerrilla gardening'."

Bob paused for another drink from his cup before going on. "I think that it is safe to say that after the invasion, there are resistance movements behind enemy lines. I wouldn't join one. The sad fact is that through out history in all such movements, up to 1/3 of its' members, or more, are in fact spies for the enemy. They might be such for a number of reasons. Maybe they are forced to do it to save family members. Maybe they think the invaders are good for the country. Maybe they want power, or just extra rations. Point is, there are by now, spies in every neighborhood behind the lines.

The best advice I can give on this is actually two things.

1. Ask no questions.

Even if you think that your spouse, children, children in law, or grandchildren are involved in the resistance. ASK NO QUESTIONS! I'll explain in a moment.

2. If you must do something, like say, stealing chickens, Act alone, and tell no one. These two compliment each other.

The whole point is that it does not matter whether it is subtle questioning by the afore mentioned spies, drugs, or even torture, you can not give up secrets that you do not have. In the old film "The Longest Day" there is a scene that demonstrates this. The Frenchman comes home one evening and sits at the table. His wife brings him a bowl of soup, and as they listen to the radio, he hears the words;

"John has a long mustache"

He drops the spoon, jumps up grabs his hat and bolts from the room. Only to return, put the radio in a cabinet, lock it and run out again. His wife first tastes the soup to see if it is alright, then walks to the cabinet, and listens to the radio that her husband forgot to turn off in his excitement. Did you see it? She didn't have a clue why he was acting that way, and didn't ask. You can't tell what you don't know."

"Bob, in all the time I've known you, I'm sorry to say that I always thought you were a bit paranoid. Now I know you're not, and I want to apologize. But I have to admit, I never had the first idea you knew so much about this kind of thing." Kathy said.

"I told you. 'Act alone and tell no one'. What others know about you, can be used against you. If you run your mouth too much, the only hope you have is that God will either personally intervene for you, or allow your death to be as quick and painless as possible."

Bob had been mainly watching the fire as he had been speaking. Now he looked around the room and realized everyone there was staring at him. Sheepishly, he smiled at them and said,

"I'm sorry. I usually don't talk this long, and especially on subjects like this. It seems once I get started, I don't know when to shut up. Some times, people think I'm just a little bit crazy." He glanced at Kathy, and smiled. "But then again, in the end, I usually wind up with company when things go bad. So, I guess it's The Lords' way of balancing the books. Maybe I'm not so crazy after all."

 

[day late]

"Bob, don't you dare stop talking now. You have some explaining to do." Maria said. "For example, why are you afraid of technology?"

Bob smiled. "I'm not afraid of it. I just refuse to depend on it. I liked the idea of being able to warm up an evening snack in the microwave. I liked the way I could take my truck to the mechanic and he would hook it up to a analyzer and figure out what was wrong in just minutes. With the prices they charged by the hour, I thought that little analyzer was great. But I learned early in life technology always seems to fail at the worst time. We lived in Florida for awhile when I was a kid. One year we got hit with a pretty bad hurricane. Category four, at least. I thought the wind and rain would never stop. The storm did pass during the night, of course, and in the morning wreck and ruin were everywhere. We had two inches of water inside the house even though there were no holes anywhere in the roof or walls. The wind was so strong that the rain literally was blown through the walls.

At any rate, there was no power. The storm had taken down miles worth of power lines, which took over a week to repair well enough get power back for our neighborhood alone. I remember my father wasn't going to start working on the clean up after the storm without his morning coffee. So he pulled out a small bar-b-que, started a fire, and put on the coffee pot. A little while later, he was standing in the carport with his coffee, and when he looked up, the guy from across the street was wading thought the ditch with an empty cup in his hand. Like so many others, he wasn't ready when the technology failed.

All of that made an impression on me. So I've always tried to be ready for everything I can. Truthfully, I think those were just the first steps on that rocky road I was talking about. But it prepared me for this time. Back home, we had an alarm system in the house, but after Nancy died and the power became so unreliable, I had to come up with other means to protect my home. But it had to be something that didn't require electricity."

Suddenly, there was a loud metallic snapping sound that came from outside the back of the store. It was followed by a yelp, and then howling. Bob jumped to his feet, and first grabbed one of the few working flashlights that he had in his truck when the E.M.P. bombs had gone off. He also grabbed a shotgun and headed for the back door. The howling continued as he ran, but was cut short by a pistol shot, that was just slightly ahead of the blast of a shotgun. Bob skidded to a stop just inside the door and called out.

"Alex! Was that you? Are you two alright?"

"Yeah Dad. We're fine. But this dog isn't going anywhere."

"Hold your fire. I'm coming out."

"O.K. But there's a big mess at the bottom of the stair. Be careful, I think he's dead but it's hard to tell in the dark."

Bob opened the door and moved into the darkness, with the beam of the flashlight stabbing out into the night. As Alex had said, there was indeed a dog at the bottom of the stair. A large one, and it was certainly dead. From what little he could see, the animal had been hit in the chest by the shotgun. Bob knew the reason for the howling. One of it's forelegs had gotten caught in a steel trap that had snapped shut on it. Rather than investigate further in the dark, with possibly more dogs wandering around, Bob urged everyone back into the store, including Alex and Michelle.

Kathy had remained inside with the children, and Bob was pleased to see her put down a handgun as everyone reentered the building.

"What happened out there?" She asked.

"A low tech alarm system I set up was found by one of those wild dogs." He turned to his son. "What happened with you two? Was it after you?"

"I don't think so. I was teaching Mike about navigating by the stars. You know, showing her constellations and stuff, when we heard the trap snap closed. I think the dog was coming towards us, but I don't think it had any more of an idea that we were out there than we knew about him. We saw him as we came around the corner. I snapped a shot with the pistol, but I think Mike is the one who got him."

"I don't know about your shot, but there's no doubt that Michelle hit him." Bob turned to her with a simple, "Thank you. And nice shooting by the way. Especially in the dark like that."

"I got lucky. He was a big dog."

"I don't believe that for a minute." Bob said as he leaned his shotgun against the wall, and returned the flashlight to the table where he had picked it up. Looking over at Maria he took up the conversation as if nothing had happened.

"You see? This is the kind of thing I was talking about. There is a motion detector and flood lights just above the back door of this place. But with no power, it's useless. So I set up my own 'warning system', so to speak. One that works all by it's self, and it did the job."

"I'm beginning to see what you're talking about." Maria said. "But what was that bit about survival camping trips? How did you know you'd be able to find anything to eat if the fish weren't biting?"

"It's like Alex already said. You would be surprised at the number of editable plants there are."

"You can't be walking around with an encyclopedia of editable plants in your head."

Bob chuckled at the statement before answering.

"There are a couple of things I learned a long time ago that take care of that problem. Generally speaking, if an animal can eat it, so can we. Not everything, but most things. For example, I've seen certain types of wild pigs eat cactus, thorns and all. I wouldn't want to try that.

As far as animals go, I learned long ago that if it bleeds red, you can eat it. Remember me mentioning the guitar strings I carry? They can be used to make different types of snares. Once that wire digs into the leg of an animal, as long as it is well anchored, that animal will be there when you come back. For smaller animals, like rabbits, you can make them into a sort of noose. You bend down a branch, or sapling, attach the noose and make it so that when the rabbit hits the trigger the branch will 'twitch' upwards, tightening the noose around the neck of the rabbit. The trigger is made by using a stick pushed into the ground with a notch carved into it, and another notched stick attached to the branch or sapling. It takes a little practice to make a 'twitch up' snare, as I call them, but it's worth it. It kept Alex alive when we first had to leave home."

"Doesn't trapping depend a lot on luck?"

"Well you have to place them on trails, or in places where animals go for water to improve your odds. But in a really bad situation, I mean no firearms of any kind, I'd improve my odds a little more by making an atlatl."

"What's that?" Sam wanted to know.

"Think of it as a stick used for throwing small spears. You take a stick, about a foot long, flatten it on one side and carve a groove in it from one end almost to the other. Then you make a small spear, say about three to four feet long, from another piece of wood. The length depends on what the person using it can accurately use. Lay it in the groove, and throw it at your target. Indians in North and South America were using that long before Columbus showed up, for both hunting, and war."

It was Tim who spoke up next.

"Bob what about your knife? I mean with all this carving you're talking about it doesn't seem to me that its' going to keep an edge for very long."

"I just follow the example of the people that originally made the atlatl. Their knives were either stone, flint, or maybe volcanic obsidian glass. So they would often use nothing more than the sharp edge of a rock to do it. If it worked for them, it should work for me. Also, once you've used the rock to sharpen your spear, you use a fire to harden the end of it by just scorching it."

"I can't believe they would use something like that for war. I mean How much damage could it do, and what kind of range could you get with something like that?" Tim asked.

"It depends on how strong the person throwing the spear is, of course, but I've seen demonstrations of it where a man throwing one for the first time hit a full sized deer target. He hit it in the heart area at about twenty yards, and it penetrated several inches into the target, which is harder than flesh and bone.

It all comes back to what I've said for years. Our ancestors weren't the thick skulled, knuckle draggers that movies, T.V. and even some so called scientists make them out to be. They came up with answers to problems they faced, with zero technology and absolutely no previous examples to follow. Like the atlatl. It predates even the bow and arrow."

Tom had the next question.

"Wouldn't you have a better chance with a bow and arrow?"

"Yes, you would. But the atlatl is easier to make, and that is important. If you want to make a bow and arrow, one of the first problems you are going to have is what do you use for a bowstring? Things like vines will work on a short term basis, but only a very short term. Maybe three or four shots, and no more than a few days before it dries out, and has to be replaced. Our ancestors found that by using things like the tendons in the leg of an animal, or their intestines, the strings would last much longer."

"Intestines? Oh gross." Tom exclaimed.

Bob laughed before continuing.

"It gets worse. Tell me, do you like sausage?"

"Like it? Bob he'd have it three meals a day if he could." Kathy said.

"I see. Tom, do you know that skin that is on the outside of sausage?"

He nodded.

"Do you know that for pork sausage it is usually made from pig intestines, and cow intestines for beef sausage?"

Tom paled a little and said,

"I think I just gave up eating any sausage."

Bob laughed and went on. "But how do you get the tendons or intestines, without a bow? Enter the atlatl. The next problem will be fletching your arrows." Bob saw the questioning look of the faces of Tom and Sam. "The fletching is the feathers that they put on arrows to make them fly straighter. Those feathers could be tied with tendons or very thin strips on intestine. Another way I've read about but never had the chance to try is to use certain parts of fish. You dry them, and then render them down in a pot to make a very bad smelling, but very strong glue like substance to attach them to the shaft of the arrow. You can also do the same for the atlatl shafts."

"Bob, tell me something. If you depend on things that aren't high tech, what do you think we should do about the loss of vehicular transportation?" Tim asked.

Bob turned his head to yawn.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry about that. It's getting kind of late for an old man like me. I'm not at my sharpest right now. Maybe we should continue this discussion tomorrow."

Maria looked at Bob. "Old man? Somehow I get the feeling you're doing that misdirection thing again."

Kathy smiled as she looked at Maria. "From what I know about Bob, count on it."

 

[day late]

The next morning Alex and Tim found Bob behind the store, shovel in hand burying the dog that had been killed the night before.

"Hey Dad. I thought you said that nobody went anywhere alone around here."

"He's not alone." A voice came from above them.

Looking up, Alex and Tim found Michelle sitting on a rooftop, with a shotgun laid across her lap.

"Alex, you above all people should know I try not to break my own rules." Bob said as he stood and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"I just didn't see her up there."

"I thought I taught you that when you might come under attack, by man or animal, you have to be aware it can come from any direction, and take steps to prevent it. Or at least make sure you have an advance warning. You should know that."

"I thought I did. Well, as you always say two sets of eyes are better than one. I think I'll join her. If you don't mind that is."

"I don't mind as long as you don't make her throw you off the roof. How's the arm, by the way?"

"I'm O.K. And YES I get the point. Since Tim is here with you, I'm going up. Where's the ladder?"

"Around front. And Son, please try to make sure your eyes look around the area once in a while. O.K.?"

"O.K." Alex said a little angrily, and with that went to the front of the building Michelle was sitting on in search of the promised ladder.

Bob and Tim both smiled at his back as Alex walked away. After a moment, Tim turned to speak to Bob.

"I was going to ask you to continue what we were talking about last night, but right now you have my curiosity up. If we are trying to stay out of sight, why are you burying this dog and not the others?"

"In a word, camouflage. All the other dogs have been dead for a while, and show it. This one is obviously freshly killed. So we need to get it out of sight."

"Couldn't someone flying over see the grave has been recently dug?"

"Not if we are careful about it. Do you see that?" Bob nodded his head at a sheet lying on the ground which was covered with dirt.

"Yeah, but I don't get it."

"Look closely at that dirt and the dirt covering the dog. Notice any difference?"

After studying it for a moment Tim said, "The dirt on the grave is darker."

"That's right. Surface dirt is always a different, and usually lighter color from the dirt just a few inches down. So I skimmed off the top layer and set it aside. Now in order to hide this, we take that layer of what was on top and spread it all over everything I've done here. That way, at least from the air, there won't be a tell tale color difference."

"What about at ground level? Surely anyone walking around here will see the mound of earth."

"Tim, if someone is walking around down here, either we won't be here, or we will never leave here. In either case it won't matter."

"I see what you mean." Tim thought about it as he helped Bob spread the lighter colored dirt over the recently filled grave. "Bob, it seems there is a lot for all of us to learn. I don't expect you to make me and expert at it, but could you give me some pointers on camouflage?"

"Certainly. It isn't that hard. You see, when most people look for something, they look for the entire object. For example, when you lose your wallet. You look for the wallet. You aren't looking for say, just the corner of it sticking out from under a sheet on the bed. Another example would be novice hunters. They look for an entire deer or whatever. A more experienced hunter is looking for a bit of antler sticking above the brush, or a leg moving underneath low hanging branches. That sort of thing. The point is that whatever you are trying to hide has to be made to either look like it belongs there, or at least doesn't look out of place. One of the ways to do that is to simply break up the outline of yourself or whatever you want to hide.

For example, you've seen cars that have a protective cover on them, right?"

"Sure."

"So what would they look like if that cover was camouflaged?"

"Like a car with a camouflaged cover."

"Exactly. They wouldn't be hidden at all. Now what if you placed things on the car and under the cover that broke up the outline? And you also put a few tree branches and other local native plants on top of it?

"It would be a lot harder to pick out from the air, for sure and I imagine it would be just as hard to see even from the ground."

"Bingo! Give the man a cigar."

"Now I begin to see what you mean. Did I ever tell you that before Kathy and I got married I used to do a little scuba diving?"

"Can't say I recall ever hearing that. Why?"

"There are certain sea creatures that will swim to the bottom, and cover themselves with sand by using their fins. They only leave their eyes exposed. After that they lay there and wait for something to swim by close enough to become their next meal."

"You've got it. Only we are talking about doing that on land, instead of underwater.

Another example, I remember when they were teaching us about it when I was in the service. Since I had been hunting with my father for years before that, I knew how to hide myself already. So, after I had done the best job I could, I sat down on a log and waited for everyone else to finish. Some of the guys laughed at me, thinking I had taken the instructions a bit too far. They quit laughing when our drill Sargent, who was a combat veteran, came up, looked around and asked the rest of them where I was at. I was sitting not two feet from him and he almost jumped out of his skin when I answered him. I always considered it a high compliment that he didn't even know I was there."

"Now wait a minute. You said people look for an entire object. Didn't he expect to see you guys camouflaged?"

"Not exactly. He was expecting to see a bunch of guys trying to camouflage themselves. He didn't expect to see one that already knew how, so he missed me."

"I think I have a lot more to learn than I thought."

"Don't we all?" Alex said from above them. "I never have been able to do that, and believe me I've tried."

"Son, I hate to tell you this, but you suffered under a handicap.

"I did? What was that?"

"I trained you. So I knew what to expect, and I looked for that."

"Dad. That's cheating."

"No. That's training. Now, I know that under most circumstances I could march a company of men right past you, and I mean within a couple of feet of you, and as long as you didn't move or make noise, they would never have a clue that you were there."

Bob folded the sheet the dirt had been on, picked up the shovel and looked at Alex and Michelle.

"Tim and I are heading back to the store. Are you two going to keep watch?"

"I'll keep watch." Alex answered.

"I know that. But what I meant was watching the road."

"Very funny, Dad."

Bob smiled at Tim, who grinned back at him and together they turned and headed back around the store for the front door. As they walked to the front, Bob spoke again.

"You know this reminds me of a story from World War II. Early in the war there was a British illusionist who really believed in camouflage. He tried for a long time to convince the Royal military of it's benefits. Finally he did convince them to run a test. The Royal Army took nine artillery pieces and had their men hide them in their usual fashion. He was given one gun to hide. When the time came, a British General was taken out to the field to try to spot all ten of the guns. After awhile the General had spotted nine out of ten of the guns. Not willing to give up, he started to walk all over the field where they had been hidden. Soon, he was standing on a small hill and admitted that he just couldn't find the last one. He turned to the illusionist and asked where he had hidden his gun. The illusionist answered him.

'Sir, you're standing on it.'

Needless to say the British decided the guy was on to something."

As they entered the store, they found Maria going through the available supplies still left on the shelves.

"Hi there. Found anything interesting?" Bob asked.

"It's not what I found, it's what I didn't find." She answered.

"Oh. What didn't you find?"

Maria looked up from her work, smiled and said,

"An answer to the question Tim asked you last night. With all the cars dead, what do you think we should do about transportation?"

"Oh that. To tell you the truth, that question was answered when they set off the bombs. Any vehicle that has electronic fuel ignition is now dead."

"I know that, but do we have any other options?"

"A couple of them. First of all, anything that starts with a pull rope, like my go-cart, should still run. Of course, go-carts aren't going to handle all of our needs. We need something more than that, but I'm not sure we can do to much about it. You see, any vehicle that has electronic fuel ignition is basically run by computer, and so it is dead. Our second option is that it is possible to take a pull rope machine, like a chainsaw, and adapt it to a bicycle. Now when you consider the weight involved, it isn't going to move very fast, and you might even have to push it on the uphill, but that is better than walking.

But then again on the subject of bicycles, you have to remember that during both World Wars soldiers moved themselves and their equipment quite a ways on those same two wheels. True it wasn't easy, but it was more than anyone had a right to expect."

"Bob, How do you turn a chainsaw into a motor for a bicycle?"

"It's not that difficult. First thing is to remove the blade and chain from the saw. Then you rig up a couple of brackets to hold the motor in place. Next comes the tricky part. You have to use the bikes' chain to go around the sprocket on the motor. Now most bike chains have a master link which you can take apart. You use that to shorten the chain to the right size. After that, it is simply a matter of rigging up a throttle to one of the hand grips, and there you have it. As I said, you won't go fast or far but it beats walking, and you can carry a very limited amount of cargo."

"That is unreal. I'd have never thought of that. But what do you do when the gas runs out?"

"If you can find a replacement for the chain, you ride the bike. If not you use it to carry your stuff. Either way life is going to be a little bit easier for you than it is for the people that don't have a bike."

Bob looked around the store for a moment and asked,

"Is there anything around here a man can have for breakfast? I got an early start, and haven't had the chance yet."

Maria laughed. "I was fixing something for Mike and myself when you grabbed her for lookout. So I fixed something for both of you. Where is she anyway?"

"Still sitting on the roof last time I saw her. But she wasn't alone. Alex was with her. I'm just not sure how much looking out the two of them are getting done, if you don't count looking at each other."

 

[day late]

When Bob announced a hunting trip to be made with only bows, arrows and pistols, Alex began to get suspicious. It was when Bob said that they would be out overnight that Alex felt like he knew what was going on. It was a semi 'survival camp'. His father was taking it easy on the rest of them. He was allowing a small amount of food for each person, and even arranged for a few gallons of water be placed at a preselected camp site.

However, everyone would be responsible for making their own shelter and bed. Bob agreed to get the camps fire started, but only because the others had things more important than that to learn. They were all given only a half an hour to get the things they thought they would need, and then Bob started marching them out of town.

From the moment she heard about it , Michelle was interested. She had no idea that Bob had already spoken to Maria about his plan, and she agreed to let Mike try it if she wanted to give it a go. Now as Michelle hurriedly got ready to leave, Maria spoke to her quickly and earnestly.

"Mike, I'm concerned about this hunting trip."

"I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Mike, there isn't much time so just listen to me. While you are gone I want you to pay more attention to the father than the son."

"Mother!"

"Don't 'Mother!' me. It's obvious to everyone, and we can talk about Alex later. Bob is taking all of you out to find out just how much you remember, how much you know, and how much you need to learn."

Hearing the seriousness in Maria's' voice she paused long enough to look her mother in the eye.

"Mom, believe it or not, that's why I'm going. I can handle myself in most situations, but I've never done anything like this. I think it makes sense. Having a trial run before you have to do it for real."

To the surprise of everyone but Alex, Bob set a very easy pace going out cross country. The two younger members of the group had to be told repeatedly to take it easy.

"Tom, Sam, are you guys in a race? Slow it down. Do you have any idea how much noise you're making?"

"No." They answered together.

"Well, you are. For that matter, everybody take a break. Get a sip of water and get comfortable. I want to explain some things."

Bob had placed them in more or less a straight line. So now they gathered around and they all found places to sit near Bob, refreshing themselves. After waiting for a few moments for everyone to get settled he continued, speaking softly.

"O.K. folks we need to make a couple of things clear. When you move through the brush, you have to do it quietly. You two fellows." He pointed at Tom and Sam. "You can't keep just walking along like you were on a street. You need to set your foot down, not just let it hit the ground. You have to look ahead of you and see where your next two or three footsteps are going to go."

"If we do that, we might not see anything."

"If you don't do it, you won't see anything. The whole point of this is to see your prey, before it sees you."

"How do we do that if we're looking down?"

"You look in all directions. It takes a little practice, but it isn't that hard. First you look down to see where you are going. The next two, three or four steps, and no more. That way you won't step on something or kick it. Which is what you have been doing. While you slowly take the next couple of steps, you look up, then to one side and then the other. Try to take in everything you can. By the time you've done that, you'll need to look down again for your next few steps. After that you just repeat it over and over as you move. Each time you look up and around, you are looking to see if anything has changed since the last time you looked.

Now you have to understand, The Lord made these creatures to survive in an environment that can kill them if they don't pay attention. That is why they always seemed nervous on the old T.V. shows. They are always on the lookout for something that might attack. That is why you move slowly, and as quietly as possible. You want to see them first.

But there is also hearing. You need to try to identify every sound you hear. After a very short time you'll learn to ignore the sounds of things that are of no interest, birds, insects, the wind in the trees and brush and you will be tuning in to the sounds that are unusual. I can't tell you of the number of deer and other animals I've seen, up close, simply by hearing them coming towards me and freezing in place. You freeze, because movement attracts the eye. If they see movement, they freeze until they can identify it. Then they either ignore it, or run from it. You have to do the same. You see, most animals are color blind, and they depend on detecting movement, not entire objects. Understand what I mean?"

They all said they did, and he gave them a chance to prove it by putting one of them in front of him on a rotating basis, until they reached the camp site. As they worked under Bob and Alex's instruction in building a simple lean-to type shelter, they all talked about how they had seen so much more wildlife doing it Bobs' way. The highlight being when both Michelle and Bob missed a couple of quick snap shoots at a deer with the bows.

The fire was small, but burned brightly that night. It lighted up the front of the three shelters. Alex smiled rather smugly to himself as he tended the fire. Once he had built it up a little, he turned and went back to the log he had been sitting on. He remembered this game from his youth. He didn't envy Tim, Sam, Tom. or Mike. They were in for a real workout. His father had always called it 'sneak attack' or 'indian attack'. The rules were modified for the circumstances, but were basically the same. After dark fell, and the fire had been built, Bob announced that he would be leaving the camp. He showed them a piece of paper with his name written on both sides. He folded it and put it in his pocket. Then he gave flashlights to everyone but Alex.

"O.K., it works like this." Bob started. "Your limit is the circle of light made by the fire. You stay inside that ring, and see if you can spot me. If you think you have, you shine the light on me and call my name. If it is me, I have to give up. If not, when you turn your light off you have to close your eyes and count out loud for five seconds. Sweeping the area with the light is not allowed. We are going to see just how good you can detect things at night.

In the mean time, I have to sneak in here and put that paper someplace that can be clearly seen from the fire. Then sneak back out without getting caught. After that, I announce myself and walk in.

Now since Alex has played this a few times, his job is going to only be tending the fire. He can't answer questions, or tell you if he sees something. Ready? Good. I get five minutes."

With that, Bob turned and walked out into the darkness. Alex enjoyed watching mainly the younger men run around the fire, suddenly stabbing into the night with their lights and calling out Bob's name. Only to turn the light off moments later and loudly count to five. He wondered if he had been so excited about this game, and if he played it this badly. Soon he decided that at first, he probably did. Even Tim and Mike had done it once each.

As he sat watching the fire, he first felt something around his ankles. Quickly glancing down he saw his fathers hand slowly reach between his feet, and place the paper with his name on it against the log Alex was sitting on. The hand then slowly pulled back, and Alex never heard his father leave. That was why he used to get upset with his Dad. He was so good at this game.

Alex waited for a good fifteen minutes before he spoke.

"Have you guys figured out that you should just give up yet?"

Michelle looked at him and said, "Have patience. Your Dad hasn't done anything yet. I think he's waiting for us to relax our guard and then make his move."

"Really?" Alex asked. "What makes you so sure?"

"I have pretty good night vision. If he had come anywhere near here, I would have spotted him, I'm sure."

"I think Mike is right. I haven't seen any movement in the brush, and I haven't heard anything moving out there."

"O.K." Was all Alex said as he picked up another piece of wood and put it in the fire. By this time, everyone looking for Bob had drifted towards the shelters. As Alex turned and walked back to his seat, he called out.

"O.K. Dad. Are you going to tell them where you are, or should I?"

Everyone looked past the shelters in the direction of his gaze. They were startled when Bob answered from behind Alex, on the other side of the fire from next to a bush he had been squatting behind.

"Well, I was having fun just listening to them, but I guess it's time I came in."

As he expected, Bob was greeted with a chorus of 'What the...Where did you come from?' and other such comments. It wasn't until Sam loudly demanded an answer that he said anything.

"Hey. Where's your paper? I don't see it."

Before Bob could answer, Alex said, "Right here." bent down and picked it up to show them.

"Bob, how did you get that thing there? I didn't see a thing out there." Michelle wanted to know.

"And I was really listening for you." Tim said. "We decided to each concentrate on one of those. I never heard a footstep."

"Let me start at the beginning. Once you get away from the fire and your eyes adjust, you can see a great deal. The trick is to not look at anything too bright. I didn't look at the fire, I watched you. From about fifty yards out, I could stand up and walk around as I pleased. Michelle, you said you didn't see anything. What were you looking for?"

"Mostly for some kind of movement, like the deer we shot at."

"That's good, but let me show you something. Look out here and tell me what you see."

Michelle looked in the direction he pointed and said, "I can see the trees, that open area, and I can even see that deer trail over to the left."

"Very good, except you didn't see one thing you believe you saw. You didn't see the trees. You see the shadows made by the trees you saw earlier, and call them trees. But look into the shadow. What is at the base of that tree? You can't see that, can you? I circled the camp in the shadow, until I noticed the shadow of the log Alex is sitting on is low to the ground, but it extends almost to those bushes. I stayed in the shadows the whole way. Which means the reason you didn't hear a footstep is because I crawled the last thirty yards into camp."

"But why didn't we see at least some movement?"

"First of all it is hard to see into the dark, as I've said. Secondly, do you feel that breeze? When I started to get close, I only moved when the wind would cover my movements and sound."

"Alex when did you see the paper?" Mike wanted to know.

"When he put it there about twenty minutes ago."

"And you didn't say anything? I mean I know you weren't supposed to, but I mean...Oh never-mind."

"Don't blame Alex. Blame me, I made the rules. Back to the subject. Looking and listening are fine, but everything changes after the sun goes down. You have to adjust for that."

"How do you adjust for what you can't see?"

"Alex? How did you spot me?"

"I saw your silhouette in the shadow of the bush you were next to."

"You see, you were looking for me. If it were day light, you'd be looking for part of my shirt or something. Alex knew to look for a different kind of trace of me. Chances are, if you ask him, he noticed a change in the shadows before anything else."

She looked at him and he nodded. "I spotted Dad about five minutes before I asked him to come in."

"Now suppose there hadn't been a breezy night. I would have done the same thing, just done it a little slower. One other thing. Since that is also the direction of our shelters, it broke up what you are used to seeing. That meant you would be less likely to spot something different, because everything is different."

 

[day late]

"What do you mean different. It's darker, sure, but it still looks the same. Trees are still trees, rocks are rocks, and so on." Tim said.

"That much is true, but it is your perception of them has changed. I remember part of a poem I heard a long time ago. It goes like this;

Cold hearted orb that rules the night.

Removes the colors from our sight.

Red is grey and yellow, white.

But we decide which is right, and which is an illusion.

I've always found that to be true. Like the shadows I was talking to Michelle about. I'm sure you remember getting the branches for your shelter. You might have noticed there was a good sized boulder over there. Can you show it to me now?"

Tim looked in the direction of the treeline. "Uh no, I can't. It's in the shadows, but I know it's there."

"Oh, I'm sure nobody has moved it, but because of the change in the amount of light, your perception of it has changed. If you were a ship, it would possibly sink you, even though you knew it was there. Here is a little thing I want everyone to do, to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about. First, close or cover one of your eyes. Then we wait for five minutes. After that, I'm going to take you out of camp, one at a time, so you can see what I mean."

After several minutes of chatting, Bob stood and spoke.

"O.K. Tim. You are our doubting Thomas, so I guess I'll start with you. Everyone keep that eye covered, Tim and I will be back shortly and then it will be somebody elses turn. Come on, Tim. I'll help you, so you don't trip on anything on your blind side."

Together the men walked a short way from the camp. Once they had gotten far enough away from the light of the fire, Bob turned to Tim.

"The rock I spoke about is right over there." Bob pointed into the night. "Do you see it with your uncovered eye?"

"No. It's just like you said. It is all shadow."

"Alright, on the count of three, change eyes. Look with the covered eye, and cover the one you've been using. Ready? One, two, three."

Tim switched eyes.

"Can you see the rock now?"

Tim looked, and was surprised to find that he could indeed not only see the stone, but he saw it with much more detail than he expected.

"Now, switch back."

Tim did, and commented. "I am starting to see it with the other eye, but it's just the outline. I guess I'm getting adjusted to it."

"But do you see how your perceptions have changed without the light?"

"I do see. Thank you. I guess sometimes you have to see some things for yourself."

"Here's one more thing. You were talking about listening. Things even sound differently in the dark. Listen." Bob picked up a rock and threw it. Tim couldn't believe how much noise it made when it hit.

"Alright, it sounds louder. So why couldn't I hear you?"

"First of all, obviously it made the same amount of noise right now, as it would have in the day. However at night, there are fewer distractions, and you see less, so your sense of hearing tries to compensate for it. Which means you hear more. If you truly understand that, then you adapt the way you move in order to make less noise. Like when I crawled into camp to put my piece of paper down."

Bob had a variety of conversations as he brought each member of the group, with the exception of Alex, into the night. Michelle was next.

"Thank you for showing me this Bob. I'd never noticed it before."

"Let me show you something else. You remember how the poem spoke of how colors change without the light?"

She nodded without speaking.

"When we left camp, your shirt was a light grey. Mine was blue. Look at them now."

Michelle looked down and was startled to see that in the dark, her shirt was almost white. Glancing at Bobs' shirt it looked almost black.

"I guess the change in lighting does more than I knew." She paused for a moment and spoke again. "I get the feeling you don't miss much, do you?"

"I try not to miss anything."

It was Sam's turn next.

"That's kinda neat Mr. Bob." He was quiet for a moment and spoke again. "Mr. Bob. You wouldn't use something like this to hunt for deer, would you?"

"No Sam, you wouldn't."

"So why are you teaching us about all of this?"

"You remember when those gang members were breaking into your house?"

"Sure. I've never been that scared before."

"What if things had ended differently? What if you became their prisoner, and managed to escape? Wouldn't you like to have a better chance to disappear?"

"Oh, cool. I never thought of it that way."

Tom proved to be a little more thoughtful than others of the group.

"Mr. Bob, you've been teaching us an awful lot that can be used for more than hunting, and some things like this can't be used for hunting at all. Haven't you?"

"Yes I have Tom."

"You think we might have to use this stuff to protect ourselves, or escape from the people that are after us." It wasn't a question Bob noticed, and decided to speak to the young man straight from the shoulder.

"Sit down for a minute. This takes some explaining. Tom, do you believe we are in the end times?"

"I haven't seen the antichrist yet, but it sure seems like it to me. I mean storms, earthquakes, famine, wars, just about all of it is happening."

"Have you thought about what that really means for you and your family as Christians?"

"I guess it means that Satan wants to kill us all."

"That's right. But it also means that anyone that isn't a Christian either is, or will become your enemy. Did you ever hear anyone talk about different colored 'pick up' lists?"

"Sort of. Some of guys in my school talked about them. I never listened too much. It didn't seem like it would affect me. I mean Dad wasn't in the military. We didn't own any guns. What did we have to worry about? You know what I mean?"

"Yes I do. Most people reacted the same way. But now you can see that it did. If people had been allowed to have guns, those gang members wouldn't ever have gotten so far. But, I wonder if you see something else."

"What's that?"

"I'm sure that you have heard that these lists were different colors. Do you know that there are really only two lists that matter?"

"Which ones are those? Red and Green? Since they are the first ones killed."

"No. There only two lists that really matter. The first, is the one found in The Lambs' Book of Life, or second, everyone else. God knows who is on His list, and He is always looking for more people to join it. However, there are two things people have lost sight of. You see, if your name is found in 'The Lambs Book of Life' you ARE on a pick up list, because Satan wants you dead. The only question left is if he gets his hands on you, will they kill you when they see you, or kill you later? But make no mistake, Satan will kill us all if he can."

"It kind of sounds like we are done for."

"No, Tom. We are serving God. If He wants us to die, we will die, but what we will win, after this life, is worth it. If He wants us to live, it doesn't matter what list you are on, or what the enemy sends against you. You and The Lord will always outnumber any number of enemies."

"I never thought of it like that. Thanks Mr. Bob."

"My pleasure."


Early the next morning, Alex found his father fixing fresh fish for breakfast. First he checked the fire to make sure there was enough heat, and then he turned to his father.

"Looks like your mini trot-line worked."

On the day before when they had arrived at the camp site, Bob had taken a small spool of fishing line and slipped four hooks onto the end of it. Then he tied an anchor onto the end and pulled a couple of feet of line out, before he made a loop and tied the first hook in place. Doing the same, he soon had all four hooks tied in place. After that, he pulled out yet a little more line, cut it and tied it to a small tree near the waters edge. Then he attached a cork to the line between the anchor and the first hook. It didn't take long after that before he had caught insects to bait the hooks with. He threw the anchor into the water and waited to see if any fish would bite the hooked insects.

"Tell you the truth Son, I'm surprised we did as well as we have. I caught two, and you had four on your line. I didn't think a lake as small as the one we've camped next to would have that many fish."

"So everyone gets fresh fish for breakfast. Don't get me wrong Dad. I like everybody, but don't you get tired of carrying them like this?"

"Son, I carried you for a lot of years. But that is what a father is supposed to do. As for everyone else? Well we all have our calling. Mine has always been to help. I know, it isn't one of the more flashy gifts, like prophecy or tongues, but every man of God in scripture had those who helped him. I guess that puts me in good company, so who am I to complain?"

 

[day late]

It didn't take Kathy long to convince Bob he needed to lay down for a little longer to allow the sedative a chance to wear off. Between barely being able to stand, and with his back now only partially numb resting for a little while longer sounded like a good idea. Still, Kathy wasn't satisfied knowing Bob as she did.

"Maria. I hate to impose, but would you stay with Bob for awhile and keep him company? Otherwise, he is going to start walking around seeing what trouble he can get into."

Maria smiled. "Sure. I'd hate to have to drag him back inside after he falls flat on his face."

"Ladies, you do know I'm here, don't you?" Bob asked.

"Yes, we know. Want we want you to know is that we know you, and sometimes you take on too much for yourself. And under these conditions, I out rank you." Kathy answered. "Now stay out of trouble for an hour or so Bob. I need to see what I can do or our young friend." With that Kathy nodded to both of them and left the room.

"I'm sorry to put you out like this Maria. You really don't have to stay. To tell the truth, a little shut eye sounds good right about now."

"I don't mind. Besides, it can't hurt to have someone keep an eye on you until you are yourself again. You go ahead and nap. Pretend I'm not here."

Bob was already starting to doze off, and didn't answer. With little else to do, she started looking over Bobs' weapons. Her late husband, John, had taught her quite a bit about firearms and she now put that knowledge to the test. Both the pistol he always carried, and the rifle he had spoken of earlier were old, but both weapons were in perfect working order. The pistol was a big heavy .44 Mag. revolver. She knew the type well. John had carried a .357 Mag. when at home, or kept it in his truck while on the road. While the cylinder would hold six rounds, Bob took the usual safety precaution of having the chamber under the hammer empty. The rifle was semi-auto. It was short, but had a powerful scope mounted on top, which told her the rifle would reach further that it appeared to. She looked at a round of ammo she had pulled out of the pocket of Bob's blood soaked and now useless jacket. Like the rifle and pistol, the round was small, but seemed to be
heavier than it should. She knew the power of the weapons, so it didn't surprise her. She was just amazed that anyone would voluntarily carry the heavy pair.

"Don't drop that. I reload them, so it is a little hot."

Maria turned at Bob's voice.

"Hi there, I thought you were going to catch a few winks."

"I was trying. I just can't seem to quite do it. Maybe it's the company. Sit down, lets' talk awhile."

"Thank you. This is quite some cannon you have here. Or maybe I should say cannons. How did you hold on to them when they started picking up all the guns?"

"It was a close thing." Bob admitted. "The truth is, it all comes back to what I've said for years. Know Thy Enemy. If you know what he can and is likely to do under a given circumstance, then you can take counter measures. In this case, I knew that they knew I had weapons. So I turned in the ones they knew about. I hid the rest, along with the ammo for them."

"Stop right there. If you turned in the weapons they knew about, why did you hide the rest, and what made you believe that the government was going to take them?"

"Know Thy Enemy. Ultimately our enemy is Satan. He wants to set up the throne of the antichrist in Jerusalem. While the U.S. was able to come to the aid of Israel, he couldn't do that. So, naturally he had to take America out of the picture. Even during WW II the Japanese knew better than to try to invade America because of the number of privately owned firearms. Firearms represent power, and every dictator in history has always disarmed the people they controlled. Otherwise they wouldn't really have control. The antichrist will be no different in that respect. He can not tolerate any threat to his power.

Now we narrow the focus a bit. If the American people had to be disarmed, how could they do that? How can they identify a gun owner? And what can I do to prevent them from taking my weapons?

Lets' start with the second question. How do they identify gun owners? Of course there were the registration lists. They got visits first. Then anyone that had ever had a hunting license. Then there were also those who the government would identify at gun shows."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I guess living out here you might not have heard of it, but yes it's true. I don't know how long it was going on, but agents from our own government would sit in the parking lot at those shows taking pictures of people and car tags as the people would arrive or leave. In their minds, if you were at a gun show, you must have bought one or more of those unregistered weapons. But those weren't the only ways to find out. Credit card purchases were traced. Magazine subscriptions were another good indicator of a firearms owner. If you don't like guns, why do you have subscriptions for hunting magazines?"

"So how did you avoid all of that?"

"First of all, I paid cash for everything that was even slightly related to firearms. Any weapon I bought was advertised in the local 'Bargain Traders' type magazine, or the local newspaper. They came from private owners, so there was no obligation to register them. I learned as a young man just how far some people would go to get guns out of the hands of Joe and Jane Average. In one bill that was proposed to control cheap easily concealed handguns, back in the sixties, a description of what qualified as a 'Saturday Night Special' as they called them was part of it. That pistol you were looking at is a .44 Magnum. It weighs over six pounds when empty and has a seven and a half inch long barrel. Yet it qualified as a 'Special' under the provisions of that bill. I knew then if I wanted to own a firearm, it had to be unregistered. That was the only way to be sure I could keep them."

"Didn't they get your picture at the gun shows?" Maria asked.

"I didn't go to them. Now consider, if you know you are at risk of losing your weapons, what do you do? By turning in what I had, I knew they would come looking for more. But that bought me some time. So I had to think like they do. How would I find a hidden cache of weapons? Most people aren't going to put their weapons too far out of reach. If they bury them, it won't be too deep. It is too hard to get to them that way. So a metal detector would find them. How do you defeat that? There are ways to do it. For example, instead of making the weapon invisible by burying it, put it in a place where there is so much metal the detector is useless. A junk yard, a rail road line, any metal pipeline, and lots of other places have huge amounts of metal. Tuck a weapon away there, and it is no longer visible. Another option would be to camouflage them. A rifle has a long piece of metal in the barrel. If you put that rifle in a couple of plastic bags, and bury it
right underneath any metal
water or sewage pipes underground, they disappear. The same is true of culverts they put under a driveway. The point is that a detector can't tell the difference between the barrel of a rifle, and the pipe. Since that pipe is going to be very long, clearly it is too long to be a rifle, why dig it up?"

"And so that's what you did, right?"

"Partially. I'm a great fan of the 'hide in plain sight' philosophy."

"'Hide in plain sight'? How do you do that?"

Gently, Bob rolled onto his uninjured side, and answered. "Again, Know Thy Enemy. Most people never learn to expect the unexpected. When I was still quite young, I read a comic book one time that had a fellow being a foster father to his nephews. One day, he brought home some donuts. Knowing that the boys would make short work of them, he hid them. Sure enough, while he was out, the boys came home and could smell the donuts. They tore the place apart looking for them. They never did find them. Why? Because their uncle had put the donuts on a curtain rod and hung it back in place. The boys never saw them. I did something similar with some of my weapons. Now I admit I was lucky according to some people. I believe I was blessed. At any rate, a handgun duct taped to the internal portions of a stove can't be detected by a metal detector, and the people searching for my weapons were under a time limit. They had other places to check. While they did pull out
the drawer under the oven and look inside, the oven itself is too heavy to be easily moved, so they didn't check places that were harder to reach."

"Let's get back to being identified as a gun owner. You mentioned credit cards. What did you mean about that?"

"Just what I said. Credit card companies keep records of all purchases. That includes things like cleaning kits, ammunition, targets, everything. A simple search program for words like those will bring up the name and address of the person who bought those items. So I used cash only. Cash has the advantage of always being the right size, shape, and color. Nobody ever takes it from you and cuts it in half. Except for a very few places, it is accepted everywhere, and nobody ever asks a question. No one ever has to wait for it to clear the bank like a check. And everyone is always happy to accept it."

"Bob you almost sound like you are a very suspitious person. If it weren't for what has happened to this country, I'd have my doubts about you."

"So would I if there wasn't a reason for it. The Bible tells us that we are each given certain gifts. I think The Lord designed it that way to get us to work together, instead of each one for himself. Two of my gifts are observation and discernment. When I saw the first signs that gun registration was coming, I knew confiscation wouldn't be far behind. That's why I never joined any groups that lobbied for gun owners in Washington. It's also why when they came looking for them, they didn't know what to look for. They never knew the number or types of weapons I had or didn't have. If you don't know what to look for, it makes it hard to know where to look."

 

[day late]

Kathy had re-entered the room as Bob had been speaking. She was shaking her head as she came in.

"How's our new friend?" Bob asked.

"At least this time she smiled at me when I came into the room, instead of looking like she wanted to jump and run. That's an improvement, I guess." She shook her head again. "I can only guess what that poor child has been through judging by her injuries. It makes me realize just how lucky we've all been since this all started."

"Kathy, luck had nothing to do with it. We've been blessed. And I think we all need to make that young lady the subject of our prayers from now on."

"I know what you mean. And you're right. Still, when you think about everything that has happened to this country, well, our survival so far has been miraculous."

"But that's the point, Kathy. We have been saved by The Lord for this time. It's even more miraculous when you look at the entire picture. For example, you're a doctor. Did you get the advisories sent out by the Dept. of Homeland Security or the CDC about the swine flu a while back?"

"Yes, but they didn't say much. Their best advice was to avoid contact with infected people and to wear masks and gloves while in public."

"Did they mention what kind of make up was involved with the virus?"

"I'm afraid I don't remember."

"The virus was constructed using genetic material from pigs, birds, and men. I said 'constructed' for a reason. Tell me something as a doctor. Is it possible to have genetic material from three so widely diverse species to combine naturally?"

Kathy got a serious look on her face.

"I'm a dentist, but if I remember my training correctly, no. It's not."

"Well. if that can't happen naturally, how could it happen?"

Kathy's look got even more dark.

"Bob, are you saying that it was deliberate?"

"Yes, I am. You yourself, with your medical training, admit that wasn't possible in the natural world. That leaves only one option. It wasn't natural. That means it had to be constructed in a lab somewhere."

"But it started in Mexico. Who would want to attack them?"

"Have you ever heard of asymmetrical warfare?"

"Can't say that I ever have. YOU are the expert in those kind of things."

"That is a disturbing thought. O.K. it works like this. If you had an enemy that had to be defeated, but you weren't strong enough to do it by yourself, how could you get it done?"

"I have no idea."

"You use surrogates to weaken your enemy before you actually attack them. In this case, I believe that the Mexican population was used to attack us in a way that wouldn't raise anybodies suspicions. The plan was simple enough. Infect people that are headed north, knowing that as soon as they cross the boarder they were going to scatter to the four winds. Which spreads the infection like wild fire. Also, once the people still in Mexico became scared enough, they rushed the boarder in order to escape from being infected or to seek medical help in some cases. Sad thing is that many of them already were infected unknowingly.

All of that served to weaken this country in a few different ways. Manpower used to try to round up the infected people before they could spread the disease was stretched to the breaking point. Not to mention how porous the boarder already was, even more men were needed to try to seal it. Medical facilities were over-whelmed. That, of course, made it almost impossible to take care of our own people. And the bleeding heart type of people in government kept insisting we had a responsibility to take care of the illegal immigrants. That drained the coffers of the government even further. That in turn made it difficult to buy everything we needed for many, many things. Like the military for example. As you know, a military has to be strong and well supplied to do its' job. Lack of money prevented that.

It all comes down to what is known as 'death by a thousand cuts'. Small injuries might go untreated and even ignored, but once you are bleeding from enough of them, death is certain. That is what happened to us."

"Bob, that's terrible. Didn't anyone realize what was going on?"

He smiled grimly and asked Kathy, "Did you? Most people never make a study of how to kill large numbers of people in a short period of time. It's not good bedtime reading for sure. But when you are a soldier, as I was, it is your job to understand these things. First so you can do those things to other people, and secondly at the same time keeping it from happening to you.

I'm certain that a lot of high ranking government officials knew about it. The ones who had already sold out to Satan for their own personal gain knew, I'm quite sure. And I'm sure there were a number of people in places like the CDC and Homeland Security as well. Someone had to write those so-called informational releases. Someone, or ones knew that you don't find three or more different types of genetic material in the same virus. But they kept that little piece of information from the general public."

"Then we were betrayed!"

"Yes we were."

"You seem awfully calm about it." Maria said.

"I'm not really, but many of those people were in Washington when it was nuked. They are already paying a much higher price in Hell than they ever thought they would have to pay, or I could possibly inflict on them myself. Mainly because they put their faith in the master deceiver instead of the Son of God. It's too late to worry about them, and the rest of them. Well, I'll never know who they were or are. So why burn up energy on something I can do nothing about?

Believe me. If I were to have each and every person responsible for this in front of me, I would personally send them to their just reward. But that isn't going to happen. I must content myself with the knowledge that The Lord knows what He is doing. I don't recall the exact verse, but scripture does teach that He knows how to preserve the wicked until the day of judgment. And for that reason, I actually feel a little bit sorry for them. I can't imagine what their punishment will be, but I do know it is going to last for a very long time."

"You're right, of course, but it makes me angry to know that all of this was done to us by our own people."

"Me too, Kathy. But they didn't act alone, and you can bet that Satan was pulling the strings all along. He wants every Christian dead, and according to The Book of Revelation, He is even angrier than we are. He knows His time is very limited and knows what waits for Him after this."

Bob smiled briefly and said, "You know, everyone always talks about how Satan will rule in Hell. I have to say that I don't agree with that. Hell was created as a place of punishment for Satan and His angels. I hardly think The Father would place Him in charge. I believe that once He gets there, He will have no power at all. His punishment, I think is going to be unable to defend himself when everyone that He has tricked into going to Hell with Him come to see Him there. Maybe I'm wrong, but I sure don't want to be there to find out."

Unnoticed by anyone, Sam had come into the office and had been listening.

"Mr. Bob. Why does the devil hate us so much?"

Turning his head to look at Sam, he answered.

"Sam, I think mostly for two reasons. First of all we know Satan hates God. But he can't do anything to God. So he attacks us because we are created in Gods' image. If he can't hurt God, then He wants to destroy the image of God. That's us. Secondly, as The Bible says, Satan said that he wanted to be God. Now that shows a whole lot of ego, if you ask me. Since Satan believes himself to be as good or even better than God, that ego can't stand the thought that everything He once had, we will inherit when we get to Heaven. That has to be eating Him alive, and it has been ever since He fell. That is why he hates us this much. But don't worry. We still have God on our side. And Satan still can't defeat Him."

 

[day late]

Dear Readers, I'm sorry it has taken this long to present this part of the story. It has been the hardest one to write for me personally. After you read it, I believe you will understand why.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex had finally gotten his father to allow him to help getting Bob ready for bed the night after he had been hit. His mind was spinning with a combination of questions and instructions from Kathy on what he should and shouldn't do, as well as things he shouldn't allow his father to do. Once Bob and he had gotten the now slightly blood stained shirt off, he visually checked the bandage without removing it. He had been warned to expect some blood, but large amounts of it were to be reported to Kathy at once. He was happy to see that while there was some blood, it wasn't much. He decided not to bother her with the news.

"Are you sure you're O.K. Dad?"

"It hurts some, but I'm alright. Thanks for the help, Son."

"Do you want to go to bed, or are you going to sit up for a while?"

"I hadn't decided yet. Why? Is there something you want to talk about?"

"A couple of things. But if you want to rest, I can wait."

"It's O.K. I'm going to be awake for a bit anyway. At least until the throbbing eases off. What's on your mind?"

"With what happened today, I remembered you talking with Tim and Kathy on that day when we met in the woods. You were talking about 'bodies on the ground' and all that. What happened back home after I left to go back to school after Mom died?"

Bob looked at his son for several moments before answering. A flood of memories seemed to pass through his mind in a fraction of a second.

"Alex, if this was as early as this morning, I wouldn't have answered that question. But there is no doubt about it. You saved my bacon this morning. I was looking down the barrel of his pistol when your bullet hit him. You've earned the right to the unvarnished truth. But to tell it, I want to go back to just after the time you left to go back to school after we buried your mother.

As you know, shortly after you left, we had the earthquakes that destroyed most of the west coast. Then the hurricanes wiped out the southeastern part of the country. Food production was drastically cut, and our ability to refine oil was reduced by about half. The shortages of food and fuel led first to protests, and then riots. Martial law was declared, and the government said in order to keep us safe, everyone had to turn in their weapons. Well, with most of the military and National Guard overseas involved in wars, the law enforcement agencies where simply over-loaded and outnumbered. That is why, at first, martial law was only in the larger population centers. However the crooks and gang bangers had a virtually free reign. Even in small towns like ours, gunshots throughout the night became almost commonplace. In our hometown, the police started patrolling in groups of no less than three at a time.

More than that, after a dozen or so times when the police were called out about gunshots in the dark, only to find themselves the targets of sniper fire, they quit responding to any calls at night that were less than a pitched battle. The crooks had a field day. Without weapons in private hands, there was nothing to stop them.

One night, I'd say about six weeks or so after you left, I was sitting in the living room. I heard someone breaking into the bedroom your mother and I shared. First thing I did was to turn off the lights around me. That put me in the dark, but the night light in the hallway was still on. When he came out of the bedroom I warned him I was armed and told him if he left then, I'd let him live. Son, he stood there and laughed at me. He must have been watching me before that night because he said;

"Let me show you my gun old man."

He started to aim into the living room, I guess to try to either hit me or at least scare me into submission. So I shot him."

"What did the police say about that?"

"Nothing."

"What? Why didn't they? I mean owning a weapon was illegal by then."

"They didn't say anything because I didn't call them. I knew if I did, he'd still be dead, but I would go to jail for illegal possession of a firearm."

"Oh. What about him?"

"He didn't call them either."

"DAD! I mean, what did you do about the body?"

"Remember that mini industrial park near our house? I stuffed him into a couple giant sized garbage bags and dumped him over there."

"Didn't anyone notice anything?"

"If they did, nobody ever said anything. By that time we were hearing shots every night, so what's one more? By the time I got home again, it was about eleven. I cleaned up the blood, and patched the bullet hole in the wall with masking tape and painted over it. By the time the police showed up after the body was found the next day asking if I'd heard or seen anything, everything looked normal. I said I'd heard a shot close by, but since it was after curfew, I stayed inside."

"They didn't suspect you at all?"

"Son, I don't think they even cared. Lets' face it people don't just wake up one morning and decide to invade a home where they know someone is there. I'm sure he had a criminal record, and as far as the police were concerned it was one less bad guy to worry about. So write a report, file it and forget it. But he was only the first of four invaders that tried it. They all shared the same fate."

"But it sounds like you didn't even give them a chance."

"No more than the chance you gave that guy this morning. Son I was defending myself. I didn't go looking for trouble. It came looking for me. Just like this morning. We didn't want trouble. But those three were bound and determined to give us some. Do you feel justified in what you did?"

"Well, I'm not proud of it, but they didn't give me a choice."

"Exactly. I feel the same way. I wish it hadn't happened, but it did. I could only do what I did if I wanted to live. Now let me continue. What Tim, Kathy and I were talking about was a group of gang bangers that had left the larger cities and towns came to our town, they terrorized everyone. On the last day we spent there, they attacked Tim and Kathy's' place while they were still inside. I can only credit The Lord that they didn't come for our house first, but when they started to break down their front door, I intervened with a rifle. I put down several of them and they ran. Later they came back, and they were sent away with reduced numbers again. Then we ran for it. That's what we were talking about."

"I need to think about all of this some more. It just seems so wrong."

"I think both of us getting some rest is a good idea. And you're correct. It is wrong, but we didn't start it. And only God will be able to finish it. Try to get some sleep."

Bob turned down the oil lamp and laid down to try to find a comfortable position. He knew the pain was going to keep him awake. Still, he laid on his side and tried to rest. No matter how he tried to find a good position, as he would start to doze off, he would move and the pain in his back would bring him back from the edge. After what seemed hours, he heard Alex call to him softly.

"You still awake Dad?"

"Afraid so Son. How are you doing?"

The oil lamp was turned back up. Alex rolled onto his side and asked,

"Dad, how do you live with it? Every time I close my eyes, I see it all over again."

"I wish I could say to do this or that and it would go away, but I'd be lying. People find different ways. Some good, some not so good. Some people just try to bury it and pretend it never happened. But that doesn't work for me. Matter of fact, those who try doing that often wind up with mental problems from not dealing with it. Others will use something like drugs or alcohol to numb the pain. That has it's own problems. Others will do whatever it takes to keep it off their mind."

"So how did you handle it the first time it happened to you?"

"I handled it pretty poorly. I don't remember much of the first couple of years after I got out of the service. What I do remember is pretty blurry around the edges. For a couple of years, if I was conscious, I was drunk."

"You?"

"That's right. I'm only a man, Alex. Sometimes things can be hard to take."

"I never knew that. What changed?"

"I did. To be honest, it was The Lord who changed me. You see I had drifted quite aways from him during my time in the service. Then further away as I tried to escape from myself in a bottle. Then one day He made me realize some things. The Bible teaches in the Old Testament that God gave us the right to use deadly force to protect ourselves and our families. I've heard some people try to condemn me by telling me that I should be ashamed, because Jesus changed all of that. It got my attention, because I knew the scriptures pretty well, and I didn't remember them that way. Then it hit me like a brick one day. It was Jesus Himself who said that He didn't come to change the law, but to fulfill it. That would mean the God given right to self defense was still valid. Even more the people who said that He changed things didn't realize what they were saying. You see, if The Lord changed the law, then why did he always place importance on the Ten Commandments?
After all, they are the very first part of the law. If He changed it, then the Commandments no longer apply. Yet He seemed to think they did. So either the law was fulfilled and wasn't changed, or Jesus is a hypocritical liar. I can't believe that, so those people who think He did are just flat out wrong.

Does that make me happy about the things I did? No, it doesn't. But I know I am forgiven. And I know that even though I didn't want to do those things, even though I hated them, I didn't do anything that wasn't allowed and even mandated by the law given by The Father. Does that help you?"

"I don't know. I have to think about it. It's a lot to take in all at one time."

"Just do one more thing Son. Pray about it. Let God show you what He wants you to know."

"I will. Thanks Dad."

 

[day late]

It had been a light rain that had been nearly continuous since the sun had risen. Unable to do much of anything, the entire group had gathered in the general store. Though Bob's wound had shown no sign of infection, Kathy had checked him anyway. She then announced to his satisfaction that the time of daily visits was over and she would only want to see him once a week. Unless he felt any discomfort or his accidentally opened the wound and started to bleed again.

Bob looked out the window, smiled and told her,

"Not much chance of that today. I think we're stuck inside all day by the looks of it."

Alex, who was sitting next to Michelle said,

"Bummer. Mike and I were going to see about finding some of those editable plants your cards show growing around here."

"Not today, by the looks of it. Don't worry. It's light, and might even break today. If not, there's always tomorrow."

"Bob, the other day you were talking about how some of the things that have happened were deliberate. I've been wondering about that. How could that be? We had people elected that were supposed to prevent that kind of thing. So what happened? Where did it all go wrong?" Kathy wanted to know.

"It happened as anything like this does. With deception and incrementalism. There was an old time Chinese general by the name of Sun Tzu. He said it best it his book called 'The Art of War', when he wrote 'All war is based on deception'. Make no mistake about it, this is war. not just between men, but between God and Satan. Satan is using every trick he can to win. And he is deceiving people in every walk of life and at every level of government. Tell me something, have you ever seen this?"

Bob held up his hand. He had his index finger and pinkie held straight up, while the two middle fingers were crossed over the thumb along with the thumb.

"I've seen it, but I don't know what it means."

"It is a Satanic hand sign. I bring that up because I've seen it in some very unusual places, being used by very unexpected people. I mean I've seen it used by American Presidents, Vice Presidents, Secretaries of State, First Ladies, Congressmen, Foreign Royalty, all kinds of high ranking people. I've seen it used by the heads of major corporations, and even televangelists. Satan has his people everywhere. And most people never noticed. With all these movers and shakers taking the enemies side, it was only a matter of time until this day came."

"Bob, how could they do something that big and not be discovered? It makes it hard to believe. I know I've heard a lot of those kind people talk about God in public. How can you say they are all working for the devil? "

Bob looked at Maria and told her.

"Maria, I never said all of them had sold out to him. Never underestimate the power of greed. I believe that, in an effort to gain more and more money and power, they sold themselves out to the highest bidder. We've all seen it before. Some politician says he'll do something to help the people who put him in office, and after the election he changes. He always has a 'good' reason for doing it in public, but he has still betrayed the people. So why did he do it? For his own personal gain. Maybe it's money, maybe it's power, maybe a combination of things, but he did it for his own benefit and not the good of the people.

That's how it starts. I mean how does a person that is paid a hundred thousand dollars a year in office suddenly become worth millions in less than a couple of years? It had to come from somewhere. I'm sure it wasn't from speaking engagements. It came from lobbyists, corporations that want certain bills voted on in certain ways, and that kind of thing. Incrementally, they gave away more and more of peoples rights, untill there was little left to give. They finally reach a point where they can and will promise anything as long as it serves their ends. I honestly believe they would sign their own death warrants if they thought it would put money in their pocket. They get to a place where they don't believe anything can touch them as long as they have enough power and money. They can buy the best lawyers, publicists, and other support people to take care of their reputation. All the while, they get further and further from the people they are supposed to
work for, while their support team makes them look like just good honest people trying their best for the people.

Take the gun control laws. The idea was ill conceived from the beginning. Take weapons away from people and you end gun violence was the thought. But the criminals didn't give up anything. End result, the criminals had less and less reason to fear being shot and so they got bolder. The people then screamed at their Representatives to do something about it, and so you get more gun control laws. Bit by bit the people got more and more disarmed and the politicians could point to their records to show that they were trying to help and so got more power by enacting more laws. They got more money from the lobbyists. And things got worse for everyone. But the ones in power didn't care. They got what they wanted. Power and money.

After enough of the selling out of the people, they were ready to sell out the country, and they did."

"But Bob, what about the Christian leaders we elected? I heard them talk all the time and ending with, 'God Bless America' more times than I can remember."

"Maria, it's one thing to say 'god', but you have to ask yourself, which god are they talking about? Do they mean the creator of Heaven and earth, The Father of Jesus Christ, or some other 'god'? As for myself, I don't trust anyone who talks about any god without saying the name of Jesus Christ. If they truely were Christains, there shouldn't have been a problem with that. Most of them never mentioned the name of Jesus.

No, I'm afriad that the ones that didn't decieve us by Satans power, were seduced by the pleasures of this world and got to the point they didn't care about anything but themselves."

 

[day late]

"Wait a minute. I'm getting a little confused here." Kathy said. "First you say we've been done in by Satan worshipers, and then by just plain old greedy people. Would you clear that up a little?"

"It's really not that complicated. Start with what I've already said. Deception. Satan hasn't just deceived those who serve him, he has deceived all of us."

Bob smiled to himself sadly again continued.

"Nancy used to say my view of life was too simplistic. For me everything was good or bad, right or wrong, and so on. The more I thought about it, the more I realized she was right. To me everything comes down to the old battle that started when Satan rebelled against The Lord.

Satan uses every trick to divide us, so that we will feel 'our group' is somehow more deserving of things than another. For example, it wasn't enough to be Americans, people had to be something-hyphen-Americans. Maybe you were liberal or conservative. And don't even get started with religious denominations, and ethnic groups. The point is we have been deceived that all these differences some how made 'our' group special. Instead of coming together, we were driven apart. And by making us believe that 'our' group was above the rest, we wanted people like us in office.

If you step outside of this world and look at it, it becomes very clear. It is very much like a military operation. Satan is in charge. Next come the fallen angels that followed him. Then men. Now since The Lord gave us free will, Satan can't force us into doing things, he has to either convince us to do something, or trick us. This is where those who were in power come into the situation. By getting differing groups fighting with each other over scraps from the table, nobody noticed that the ones selected to run for office were two sides of the same coin. People were more likely to support 'their side', and repeat slogans, rather than find out the truth for themselves. As long as the person promised what people wanted to hear, and once in a while deliver on something, they would be re-elected year after year, as long as they had an excuse for not doing what they promised.

Some, as I've said, had sold out to Satan. They sold out for the usual things. Money, power, and control over everyone below them. For the lower bureaucrats, they did what they were told, to gain favor with their boss and hopefully promotion. As long as what they did, didn't affect them, they didn't care who it hurt. The people in power called them 'useful idiots'. And they were just that. So caught up in themselves and what they wanted they never looked at what they were doing.

The part I actually find amusing in a sad sort of way is that those who held the actual power were viewed as the self same 'useful idiots' by the demonic forces that controlled them. After all, what fallen angel would accept taking orders from a mere man? But that was how good the deception was. Even the higher ups in government didn't realize they too were being used by the powers of darkness who would never keep any promises that were made. Every one of them that had sold out, was so concerned with feathering their own nest, they never saw anything coming. They believed they would somehow escape it.

As for me, as Nancy said, I see things simplistically. If what I'm doing, or thinking about doing doesn't glorify The Lord, it is the wrong thing to do. That makes most things simple.

Don't get me wrong, there are questions that there isn't any 'good' answer for. Such as, is it a sin to steal food to feed a starving child, especially if the child isn't your own? Here is where people try to make things an infinite verity of shades of grey. They try to justify themselves. The point is, we have that division I was talking about again. Right is right, and wrong is wrong. It's just that most people don't want to stand up and accept personal responsibility for their actions, or lack of them. They try to find a way out. The truth is YES it is wrong to steal, but I count the sin of not feeding a helpless child a much worse thing to do, if you can prevent it. If you ask me, it is better to say 'I did it.' and take the heat than trying to cover up and end up doing even worse by doing that. After WW II nobody had the excuse of 'I was just following orders.' to use anymore. People were expected to take responsibility for their actions. But they
got lazy and started to follow slogans and parties rather than take responsibility for thinking for themselves."

"O.K. I can see what you're saying. Satan is in charge, the fallen angels are under him. Then 'the powers that be' presidents, kings and such after that. But here is where you're losing me. Wouldn't Satan want to keep those same 'powers that be' around to control the rest of the people?" Maria asked.

"That's the same point they missed. Satan rebelled against God. Since he can't strike at God directly he attacks us, because we are made in His image. Even those who have chosen to serve Satan are created in Gods' image. How they think they can make themselves 'invaluable' to a creature that was made before The Garden of Eden is beyond me. That hope is what they have, but in the end Satan will destroy them because of the image they bare."

Kathy spoke up. "Bob, I noticed you were kind of hard on the American people. Why is that?"

Bob sighed before answering.

"Kathy, we brought this all on ourselves. The American population as a whole I mean. How many times were we told about 'Freedom of The Press' when we were in high school? Nobody ever thought to ask if the networks might be trying to keep things from us. Back before cable we had three networks. One evening I was changing channels when I realized all of the networks were playing the same story at the same time. I checked this over a period of a month or so, and then quit watching the news. With the exception of the usual 'human interest story' they always had, every story was told almost exactly the same on each broadcast. Another funny thing was that even back then the networks could only find the same five or six stories worth reporting on. Seemed to me there had to be more than that.

That's when I got my first shortwave radio and started listening to english broadcasts from around the world. THAT was a real education. In one case, a president, I won't say which, there have been so many, got involved in a scandal. All of a sudden the media is all over him. So what happens? The Secretary of State sets out on a world wide, world wind tour. The media naturally switched to that. By the time it was over the media was welcoming the Secretary like a conquering hero. The english language shortwave broadcasts told a different story. They wanted to know the reason for the tour. No agreements were reached, discussed, or even talked about. So why did the Secretary come here? Obviously it was to divert attention from the Presidents troubles. And it worked. The scandal eventually just went away, looked at as old news.

So you see, we took our eyes off the prize. We let Satan do this by not being vigilant, and trying to appease everyone, instead of standing for what was right and true. Not all of us, mind you The Lord knows how to look after His own. Look at us. True, we don't have all of the pleasures, but we lack for nothing. I thank God at least some of us were faithful."

 

[day late]

It was a warm day for this late in the fall, and Captain Ferguson was stretched out on the ground trying to get a little rest, if not sleep, before it was necessary to get on the road again. The sun would be down in a couple of hours, and moving at night with the 'cats eyes' type of headlight was slow going at best. As he laid there, he thought back over the past.

He had been a good officer with the Special Forces over the years. The patrols he had led had always returned. Sometimes with a couple of wounded men. Once in a while however, they had to bring back one or two of their own that had fallen during the fight. Still, his ability to take men out, command them effectively in the field, and bring them back again, had caused him to move up through the ranks. He got noticed by higher command and was rewarded with promotion, more men, and more responsibility. He didn't regret it until the day about eight weeks ago when he had been ordered to report to his battalion headquarters. Ever since the arrival of those creatures being called the 'space brothers' he had been expecting this meeting. He felt he knew what would come next.

"At ease, Captain. Take a seat." The Colonel had said. "There are a few things we need to talk about."

Ferguson moved to the offered chair, and as he sat he could plainly see a thick manila folder with his name on it, on the desk in front of the Colonel.

"Captain, I've been going over your file. I must say, it is impressive. Take this operation you were on in Iraq. It says here that you led a couple of teams behind enemy lines, took out a communications center, and got out without a single man lost. Yet you were cited for 'Bravery Above and Beyond' and you were awarded the Purple Heart. How did that come about?"

"As the report says, Sir. We got in O.K. and found only minimal resistance which was quickly overcome. We set charges and pulled out for the pick up point. After that I'm not certain how it happened, but it seems we were spotted on the way out. We arrived at the pick up point just before the choppers came in. I posted men on the most likely avenue of enemy approach and on our flanks. The birds came in and I got my men on them, all except the last two. They were watching our flanks when I called them in. One man made it to the chopper without a problem, but the other man got hit on his way in. It was the first shot of the entire operation. I ordered the first chopper into the air, and told the other pilot that if I went down he was to leave immediately."

"You ordered him to leave you behind?"

"Sir, I thought that if I went down, there was no point in risking the rest of my men over a couple of corpses. Which we would have been if there had been more of the enemy. They were pretty upset over losing the communications center. As it was, I saw two men aiming at my downed man and fired on them. When I got to the down man, his wounds were minor and I helped in back to the Evac. Somewhere along the way I got a round through the leg. We got on board and got out of there."

"Have you ever read the after action reports of the men with you that day?"

"No Sir."

"They tell a slightly different story. They say that it wasn't two men you shot. It was five."

"I only saw the two."

"Quiet, Captain. They go on to tell how you burned off at least three magazines, while under fire. Then you throw the injured man over your shoulder and RAN back to the Evac. All the time you were running through a hail of automatic weapons fire. It was only after you had thrown your man aboard and while you stood in the door, suppling suppressing fire on the way up, that you got hit. Captain, you were mighty lucky that day."

"I prefer to think The Lord was watching over me."

The Colonels face suddenly changed as Captain Ferguson said those words.

"Yes, well that is one of the things we have to talk about. Captain surely you must know what the government has said about the 'space brothers'. They have presented concrete proof that they are the ones who originated the human race. How can you possibly cling to that false belief?"

"Because I don't believe these creatures are what they claim to be. There are a lot of questions about them that they haven't even tried to answer. And what they've shown us so far could have been tricked up in some movie studio."

"You're certainly a hard one to convince. What about the gestation tubes they have shown with people in them almost ready to come out? Then there were the ones that had been recently released that were in that accelerated school kind of thing they have on their ship?"

Captain Ferguson had smiled before answering. "That proves nothing, Sir. Except they know how to clone humans. We've known about that for some time now ourselves.I want to see them make a man just using dirt. THEN I'll believe."

"Don't you realize that you are putting your career at risk? And it is a very promising career from what I know about you and what I've read here."

"Sir, I'd be putting a lot more than that at risk if I believed these so called 'space brothers' are the ones who created us. So will anyone else who believes them without solid proof of what they say. I mentioned questions they don't answer before. Well, here's is my first one. If these creatures are so kind and loving that they simply had to come down here and save us from ourselves, why did they leave us alone in the first place? If they created us, they would have known about our true natures. They would have known, or should have known, that a need would arise for people of our profession. So why did they leave in the first place, and where is the proof of what they say?"

"What do you want? Their home address? They've shown us things that you can't deny."

"I don't deny they've shown us things. I deny what they have shown us, to date, is proof of anything. Those people in the tubes for example. If these guys are so advanced, and have been 'observing only' for whatever reason, for as long as they say they have been, the bodies in tubes could be clones of people that lived 1,000 years ago, but they would not be created beings in the Biblical sense."

The Colonel leaned back in his chair and breathed heavily. His displeasure plain on his face. He took a full minute to regain himself before speaking again.

"Captain, what I am about to tell you, is not to leave this room. Breathe a word of it, and I'll have you so far under the stockade they won't need to pump in light. Lava is very bright as I understand." He paused a moment to let his words sink in. "Captain, word from higher has it that sometime very soon, beliefs like yours will not be tolerated in the service. You better think about that as well."

"Sir, with all due respect, that is exactly what it comes down to. What do you believe? I know what I believe, and in whom I have placed my trust."

"TRUST! How can you trust something you can't even see?

Ferguson smiled. "Why not? You trust in things you can't see."

"Now you're getting ridiculous."

"Oh no Sir, I'm quite serious and prepared to prove it. Shall I?"

The Colonel eyed Ferguson strangely and said, "Go on."

"Would you come to the window?" After the Colonel joined him the Captain had continued. "Sir looking out here, would you show me the wind?"

"Are you kidding me? You can see it moving those trees and bushes."

"No Sir. What you have shown me is the effects of the wind. Please show me the wind."

"Wind is moving air, and air is invisable. What you ask is impossible."

"So, you can't see it, and yet you believe in it. You see the effects of the wind, you feel it on your face and in your hair, but you can't see it. Yet you still believe in it because of the things you CAN see. It is the same with my faith. The difference is that I see His hand in everything. You see coincidence, luck, or something like that. I don't believe in things like that."

"This is all well and good, right now, but soon it won't matter anymore. If you won't choose, the choice will be made for you."

"Sir are you asking me to choose between my faith and my loyalty to this nation?"

"No, Captain, I'm not. I AM advising you that the day is soon coming when you will have to make a choice."

"I've chosen. I would like to resign my commission." Ferguson said without a moments hesitation.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You're throwing away a career that could really take you places later. A lot of people have had their eye on you."

"I'm certain, Sir. I will trust in God."

"I thought it would be like that." The Colonel leaned forward and opened a drawer. Out of it he pulled the papers necessary. "These are ready. I want you to know something. You are the twelfth, and last man I've had to do this with. Here is a list of their names. I want you people off my base within two hours. If you can't carry it, it no longer belongs to you. THAT'S official.

Now the unofficial. Captain, between what I've read in your record, and what I've learned by serving with you, I've come to respect you. I don't agree with you and think you might be unbalanced, but the truth is we need every man we can get on the lines. Should you and these men choose to be around the front, acting independently of course, I think that I just might look the wrong way at the right time, as long as things aren't too obvious."

Such a short time ago that was. He had made his choice, as did those who would join him after that. Ten men joined him, the other two choosing to try to reunite with their families. Two men had been lost, while covering the retreat of the rest of them, after engaging the Chinese one night. Now here they were in the middle of nowhere, waiting for nightfall to start out again. Ferguson heard the sound of boot steps coming towards him.

"Sir, it'll be dark in two hours. You asked me to wake you." Sgt. Busby spoke softly.

"Thank you, Sgt. I was getting up anyway."

"Sir, can I ask you a kind of personal question?"

"Normally I wouldn't answer that kind. But these times aren't normal. Ask away, but don't be offended if I don't answer."

"I won't, Sir. Besides, it is a Christian kind of question. You know I wasn't like this very long ago. Some things still confuse me."

"Then by all means, ask your questions."

"Well Sir, are you sure we're supposed to be doing this? I mean, we broke off in the middle of a fight, grabbed these trucks and pulled out. We know after we did, the Chinese broke through the lines, because we dropped a bunch of 4.2 inch mortar rounds on them. They seem to be coming this way, do you think it has gotten personal with them and they are chasing us? How do we know we are doing the right thing."

"No Sargent, first of all, I don't think they are chasing us. Not after the hurting we put on them. Those men are coming this way because they have been ordered to do so. Just like we have been ordered to meet up with those civilians and help them however we can. As far as doing the right thing goes, do you believe we are doing what The Lord wants us to do?"

Busby smiled at the question. "Sir, that's about the only thing I'm sure of at this point. That angel, Michael, didn't leave any room for doubt about following you and whatever you say. I just don't see the sense in it. Wouldn't it be better to stop them back in the Rockies?"

"Sargent, I would think so as well. but we have been told to beat them to the town of Trinity, and defend it. I know I wouldn't do it that way. Then again, I wouldn't want to go against a giant with nothing but a sling and a stone. The Lord knows what he is doing. All we can do is trust and obey."

 

[Texican]

DL,

Finished reading "Overthrown" a second time. "Overthrown" has greater truth in it today as it did when you wrote it.

The condition in America and across the God's green earth are deteriorating every day. The proposed firearm confiscation in Virginia is just the tip of the iceberg. The pushing of the homosexual agenda is only becoming greater as is abortion and the attacks on our God given and Constitutional freedoms and rights.

Presidential Trump is working to stop the deterioration in America with opposite sides being chosen across America.

How long till do we have?

Thank you.

Texican....