Post by AuntRonda on Mar 14, 2004 11:25:41 GMT -5
An Excerpt from: The Rise of False Messiahs (Chapter 1)
JUDD Thompson Jr. said a quick prayer and wondered if it would be his last. He glanced at Tom Gowin, the young believer from South Carolina who lay on the dusty floor, his head turned, a trickle of blood running from his mouth.
Lionel Washington was beside Judd, his hands also cuffed behind him. Lionel was near tears, his head down, sweat pouring from his forehead. Heading for the Blade Judd wondered where they had made their mistake. Were they wrong to come to South Carolina? Chang Wong kept up with developments around the world. Surely he knew the danger they faced.
"Keep your head up," Judd whispered to Lionel.
Someone slapped Judd on the back of the head. "Shut up!" Albert yelled, pushing Judd hard. "Get in the next room."
The bounty hunters herded Judd and Lionel into the living room of the tiny house and shoved them onto a shabby couch by the front door. The man with the long scar on his face, Max, took out a cigarette and lit it. Judd noticed Nicks littering the kitchen table, payment for bringing in two bodies without the mark of Carpathia.
Max threw a leather pouch at Albert. "Put the money in there. We don't want anybody wiping us out while we're gone."
"You know there's nobody out here—," Albert began.
"Just do it," Max said, opening the door.
"Where you going?"
"The truck needs fuel." He glanced at Judd and Lionel. "And make sure the other one's still alive. If he isn't, we'll load them all up and take them to the GC."
The door slammed behind Max, and the truck chugged to a small outbuilding. Judd watched through a side window as Max unlocked a creaky door. Empty metal cans crashed until the man found one with gasoline.
Albert grabbed Nicks from the table and floor and stuffed them into the pouch. He jammed a few bills into his pockets, and Judd gave Lionel a look. Albert smiled as he flitted about the room gathering money, humming an off-key version of a country song.
"We're going to do a little celebratin' tonight! After we turn you in and find that other nest of Judah-ites, we'll have enough money to move out of here and get a place near the city where the real money is."
Judd bit his lip. The pain from being shot by the weird weapon and having his hands cuffed tightly behind him had dulled his senses. It was difficult to breathe, let alone think clearly. His shoulder muscles ached as he shifted on the rickety couch.
"Too bad you and your friend are settling for chicken feed," Lionel said.
"Shut up," Albert said.
"Up in Atlanta, there's probably thousands of people without the mark. We could lead you to them."
The man grinned. "You ain't from Atlanta. I can tell you're from up north somewhere."
"I didn't know it mattered where we're from," Lionel said. "Isn't an unmarked Northerner worth just as much?"
Albert rolled his eyes. "Max says the GC is real interested in you two. They might pay us more than the regular rate."
Lionel glanced at Judd and leaned toward him, then whispered, "You think Tom's still alive? His head hit pretty hard on the floor."
Judd shrugged and the truck started up again, a plume of blue smoke rising from the tailpipe. Max pulled up to the house and ran inside. Albert handed him the bulging pouch of money.
"He kept some of it," Judd said.
Albert backhanded Judd's face. Judd tasted blood in his mouth.
"Judah-ites," Albert sneered. "He's just trying to get us to turn against each other."
"Look in his pockets," Judd said.
Another hard blow, a kick this time, sent Judd reeling. The couch crackled, and if Lionel hadn't been sitting beside him, Judd was sure they would have toppled.
"He took some of the money!" Judd yelled.
Max glared at his partner. "It had better all be here."
"I might have picked up a few Nicks by mistake …"
Max frowned at Albert who held out his hand. "I swear it was a mistake." He dug into his pockets, emptying the contents on the table.
Max grabbed the Nicks and shoved them into the pouch. "I'm going to count this. If it's short—"
"Lemme look," Albert said, fishing in his pockets.
Judd saw movement to his right. Someone peered through the crack in the door where Tom was being held. Judd studied the face—a young man, a little older than Judd. Brown hair. Luke?
The man made a signal Judd couldn't understand, then mouthed, "Stay there."
Judd nodded and whispered to Lionel. When Judd glanced back, the door was closed.
The veins in Max's neck were sticking out. "Check on the other kid and make sure he's alive."
"Wait," Judd said, trying to stand.
"You shut up," Albert said, kicking Judd in the stomach and sending him back onto the couch. Judd tried to stall the man, but he went straight for the door. He jiggled the handle several times. "How did this get locked?"
Max squinted. "Out of the way!"
With one kick, the door cracked and flew open. Max and Albert disappeared into the room, and both let out a string of curses.
"The window!" Albert yelled. "He got out through the window!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vicki Byrne closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. The e-mail from Chang Wong in New Babylon was the worst news she could imagine. Bounty hunters in the South were looking for anyone without the mark of Carpathia. Judd and Lionel had walked into a trap.
Mark turned the speakerphone on so everyone could hear Carl Meninger's voice. Carl had worked for the Global Community in Florida and now lived in South Carolina.
"Tom and Luke headed for the fort hours ago," Carl said. "That's where they were supposed to meet Judd and Lionel."
"Have you had any contact with Tom and Luke?" Vicki said.
"We talked by radio several times. They saw Judd and Lionel's plane and even spotted them rowing across the river. They were going to meet them when we lost contact. I thought they had just gone out of range, but maybe they were caught."
JUDD Thompson Jr. said a quick prayer and wondered if it would be his last. He glanced at Tom Gowin, the young believer from South Carolina who lay on the dusty floor, his head turned, a trickle of blood running from his mouth.
Lionel Washington was beside Judd, his hands also cuffed behind him. Lionel was near tears, his head down, sweat pouring from his forehead. Heading for the Blade Judd wondered where they had made their mistake. Were they wrong to come to South Carolina? Chang Wong kept up with developments around the world. Surely he knew the danger they faced.
"Keep your head up," Judd whispered to Lionel.
Someone slapped Judd on the back of the head. "Shut up!" Albert yelled, pushing Judd hard. "Get in the next room."
The bounty hunters herded Judd and Lionel into the living room of the tiny house and shoved them onto a shabby couch by the front door. The man with the long scar on his face, Max, took out a cigarette and lit it. Judd noticed Nicks littering the kitchen table, payment for bringing in two bodies without the mark of Carpathia.
Max threw a leather pouch at Albert. "Put the money in there. We don't want anybody wiping us out while we're gone."
"You know there's nobody out here—," Albert began.
"Just do it," Max said, opening the door.
"Where you going?"
"The truck needs fuel." He glanced at Judd and Lionel. "And make sure the other one's still alive. If he isn't, we'll load them all up and take them to the GC."
The door slammed behind Max, and the truck chugged to a small outbuilding. Judd watched through a side window as Max unlocked a creaky door. Empty metal cans crashed until the man found one with gasoline.
Albert grabbed Nicks from the table and floor and stuffed them into the pouch. He jammed a few bills into his pockets, and Judd gave Lionel a look. Albert smiled as he flitted about the room gathering money, humming an off-key version of a country song.
"We're going to do a little celebratin' tonight! After we turn you in and find that other nest of Judah-ites, we'll have enough money to move out of here and get a place near the city where the real money is."
Judd bit his lip. The pain from being shot by the weird weapon and having his hands cuffed tightly behind him had dulled his senses. It was difficult to breathe, let alone think clearly. His shoulder muscles ached as he shifted on the rickety couch.
"Too bad you and your friend are settling for chicken feed," Lionel said.
"Shut up," Albert said.
"Up in Atlanta, there's probably thousands of people without the mark. We could lead you to them."
The man grinned. "You ain't from Atlanta. I can tell you're from up north somewhere."
"I didn't know it mattered where we're from," Lionel said. "Isn't an unmarked Northerner worth just as much?"
Albert rolled his eyes. "Max says the GC is real interested in you two. They might pay us more than the regular rate."
Lionel glanced at Judd and leaned toward him, then whispered, "You think Tom's still alive? His head hit pretty hard on the floor."
Judd shrugged and the truck started up again, a plume of blue smoke rising from the tailpipe. Max pulled up to the house and ran inside. Albert handed him the bulging pouch of money.
"He kept some of it," Judd said.
Albert backhanded Judd's face. Judd tasted blood in his mouth.
"Judah-ites," Albert sneered. "He's just trying to get us to turn against each other."
"Look in his pockets," Judd said.
Another hard blow, a kick this time, sent Judd reeling. The couch crackled, and if Lionel hadn't been sitting beside him, Judd was sure they would have toppled.
"He took some of the money!" Judd yelled.
Max glared at his partner. "It had better all be here."
"I might have picked up a few Nicks by mistake …"
Max frowned at Albert who held out his hand. "I swear it was a mistake." He dug into his pockets, emptying the contents on the table.
Max grabbed the Nicks and shoved them into the pouch. "I'm going to count this. If it's short—"
"Lemme look," Albert said, fishing in his pockets.
Judd saw movement to his right. Someone peered through the crack in the door where Tom was being held. Judd studied the face—a young man, a little older than Judd. Brown hair. Luke?
The man made a signal Judd couldn't understand, then mouthed, "Stay there."
Judd nodded and whispered to Lionel. When Judd glanced back, the door was closed.
The veins in Max's neck were sticking out. "Check on the other kid and make sure he's alive."
"Wait," Judd said, trying to stand.
"You shut up," Albert said, kicking Judd in the stomach and sending him back onto the couch. Judd tried to stall the man, but he went straight for the door. He jiggled the handle several times. "How did this get locked?"
Max squinted. "Out of the way!"
With one kick, the door cracked and flew open. Max and Albert disappeared into the room, and both let out a string of curses.
"The window!" Albert yelled. "He got out through the window!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vicki Byrne closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. The e-mail from Chang Wong in New Babylon was the worst news she could imagine. Bounty hunters in the South were looking for anyone without the mark of Carpathia. Judd and Lionel had walked into a trap.
Mark turned the speakerphone on so everyone could hear Carl Meninger's voice. Carl had worked for the Global Community in Florida and now lived in South Carolina.
"Tom and Luke headed for the fort hours ago," Carl said. "That's where they were supposed to meet Judd and Lionel."
"Have you had any contact with Tom and Luke?" Vicki said.
"We talked by radio several times. They saw Judd and Lionel's plane and even spotted them rowing across the river. They were going to meet them when we lost contact. I thought they had just gone out of range, but maybe they were caught."
