The Called: Chosen (The Called Series Book 2) (19 page)

Javier, Noah, and his family did not have any more complications with law enforcement since before they got to the Arizona state line. They had been driving for two days and they were finally reaching the Smoky Mountains at nightfall.

“I hope we get some good sleep tonight”, said Noah. “I despise trying to sleep in a car. I just can’t do it for more than ten minutes at a time.”

“I understand bro”, said Javier. “I would love a soft bed, well really any bed.”

“I don’t have a good feeling about this”, said Ryan.

He had barely said anything the whole trip so they were all a bit surprised.

“What do you mean Ryan?” asked Noah.

“I mean it’s not safe. Something is going to happen.”

“Well buddy”, said Javier, “I can assure you that this is one of the safest places left in America for us. There are several more like us living independently in the mountains.”

Ryan just stared at the window and nobody said another word until they got close to their destination. “Who are these people that we are going to go see?” asked Joanna.

“The leaders of the people in the area we are going to are James and Theresa Cook. They have set up a small community of believers in the Smoky Mountains, specifically in the Gatlinburg area. They basically live off the land and make everything by hand. They live off the grid completely, so they aren’t dependent on the government for anything. They have all been taught how to hunt, fish, farm, make clothing, and build homes.”

“I wouldn’t mind that kind of life”, said Noah. “It sounds peaceful.”

“That’s the plan”, said Javier. “Peace.”

The sun was completely gone when they came within a mile of the compound. They pulled into the small gravel road that would lead up to their home and they noticed a military style Humvee parked on the side of the road. There wasn’t anyone in it and that was perhaps the most disconcerting part.

“I’m not sure what to make of that”, said Javier. “I don’t think that they have the need for Humvees down here and it’s parked in an odd place.”

“Do you think that maybe we should wait until daylight?” asked Joanna concerned. She thought about what her son had said earlier and he had never been wrong in his impressions.

“Oh, I think we can proceed”, said Javier. “We just need to do so slowly. We wouldn’t want to startle them or get ourselves in the middle of something that we can’t get out of.”

“I agree”, said Noah. “Let’s go.”

They continued down the road for about one mile until they reached the home of the Cook’s. They looked down the long driveway and they could see several people standing out front, but they couldn’t tell what was going on.

“Let’s get out and take a closer look”, said Noah. “You two stay in the car”, he told Joanna and Ryan.

The two men exited the vehicle and walked down the driveway slowly. As they approached, they could see that the situation was not good. It appeared to be a standoff. Not wanting to get involved in a gun fight, they turned back toward the car but instead of seeing the car, they were both staring down the barrels of rifles.

The two men in uniform made them turn around and walk slowly toward the house with their hands on their heads. Two others had pulled Joanna and Ryan from the car and were walking them down the driveway as well.

They all heard the loud crack of a rifle behind them and saw two of the men on the porch immediately fall down dead. The woman that was sitting against the front door started screaming as chaos ensued.

―――――

Abbie was taken to the jail in downtown Knoxville on bail for ten-thousand units of World currency. The ride in the squad car only took a few minutes and before she knew it she was being booked. They scanned her fingerprints and took her down to her cell.

“Do I get my phone call?” she asked.

The guard said, “Are you kidding me? Your family was right there with you when you were arrested.”

“I know”, said Abbie, “I’ve just always wanted to say that.”

The guard rolled his eyes and walked off, leaving Abbie alone in her cell. She walked over and sat on the small cot in the corner of the dark room. ‘What a situation I have found myself in’, she thought. ‘It’s not as scary as I had originally imagined it to be though. God is with me.’

It was that realization that kept her in a state of calm serenity. There was no fear or panic to be found in her heart; only peace and joy. It didn’t make sense to her. ‘How could I feel so happy while I am in a jail cell?’

She sat there for several minutes praying and contemplating her future when a familiar voice echoed on the walls of the cell.

“Abbie, it’s time to go”, he said.

“Jenson?”

“Yep…I’ve come to bail you out. Your dad and sisters are waiting outside and your mother has been contacted. You need to get out of here and go somewhere. I can no longer employ you.”

“I understand”, she said, “and thank you!”

“Don’t mention it”, he said. “I am just disappointed that I have lost an artist and that you won’t be able to live your life out in the open anymore. This changes everything for you. I hope you realize that.”

“Yes…yes I do”, she said. “It certainly wasn’t easy, but I will sleep well tonight knowing that I did the right thing.

“I hope that’s the case”, he said.

The guard came walking down the corridor and came to the cell. “Alright, Ms. Clark you are all ready to go. I wouldn’t advise staying still for too long. You’ve made a lot of people really mad.”

“I’ll be fine”, she said.

She didn’t really know that for sure, but she did know that God would be there with her every step of the way. Whether that meant peace or persecution, her faith and trust in Him would not be shaken.

Abbie and Jenson walked out of the place together and said one last goodbye before she got in the vehicle with Charles.

“I guess this is it”, he said.

“Yea, this is it”, said Abbie. “Listen, I am sorry. I really hope that this incident doesn’t damage the reputation of you and your label.”

“I’ve had plenty of public relations nightmares in my day and I have weathered those storms just fine. It’s going to be okay from me end.”

“Goodbye Jenson. Thank you for believing in me. I hope that someday you will believe in the one whom I believe in.”

“I can’t say I’m too keen on the idea. I would like to keep my life and my freedom”, said Jenson.

“Perceived freedom”, said Abbie.

“Whether it’s real or perceived is beside the point. I just want to live a normal life.”

They shook hands and Abbie turned and got in the waiting vehicle.

“Abbie, I am so glad that we were able to get you out of there so quickly. Thank God for the less strict policies here. If this had been New York, we would have never seen you again.”

“I know”, she said. “I am definitely thankful to be free. Where are we going?” she asked.

“Well, I figured I would take you back home with me and we could wait this out for a little while until the backlash dies down and the media talks the story to death.”

“That’s not going to work”, said Abbie. “They will easily find me there and the state knows what I believe now. They will find a way to arrest me. If I am going to wait anything out, I need to do so somewhere like the Appalachian Mountains southeast of here. Back home in Arkansas would even be a better choice than New York.”

“What do you need me to do Abbie?” asked Charles.

“First of all, you all don’t need to be seen with me or associated with me as my family. If they know I am a believer, they will put you under the microscope as well. I would hate for them to ever find out about your new found faith. Not this soon.”

“Are you suggesting that we just leave you here?” asked Charles.

“Yes. Take me a little further south and drop me off. That entire mountain range is a safe haven for believers and it would be the best place for me to be hidden and protected.”

“Alright”, he said, “I will take you there, but you have got to promise me that you will stay in contact with me and let me know that you are doing okay.”

“I will do that”, she said. “I promise.”

“Good. Let’s get you over there then. Where are we headed?”

“My research led me to a place right outside of Gatlinburg”, she said. “Take me to that compound and drop me off there. They will be able to make sure my needs are met.”

Charles did just that, driving out of Knoxville and down to Gatlinburg. It was later in the evening when they arrived and they all thought it odd that a military Humvee was parked at the end of the old gravel road, but they pressed on nonetheless.

They pulled up behind a large passenger van and looked down a long driveway to a large cabin. The lights were shining on the front porch where a gun fight seemed to be going on. Two men lay dead on the floor while the other men took their places behind vehicles to block the onslaught of bullets.

“Dad, what do we do?” asked Caitlin.

“We need to get out of here”, he said.

Just as he was turning around, two men came running from the ridge behind them and jerked them out of the car and threw them on the ground.

“Put your hands behind your head!” they shouted.

―――――

“I want these missiles intercepted”, said the President.

“We are working on it”, said the Secretary of Defense.

The missiles entered the United States’ airspace and within minutes, the defense missiles shot several of them out of the sky. There were still about twenty missiles that had not been intercepted as they got close to the shorelines.

“Sir, several hundred missiles have been shot down successfully by our air defense”, said the Director of Homeland Security. “We have twenty that will hit shortly. Our systems are depleted and we are vulnerable. There is nothing we can do now but wait.”

One of the many operators in the control room said, “We have confirmed hits of targets inside the United States. Two missiles have hit New Orleans, three in New York City, one in Boston, two in Los Angeles, one in Dallas, one in Miami, two in San Francisco, one in Seattle, one in Atlanta, one in Tampa, two in Jacksonville, and one in Baltimore.”

The President counted them off in his head and said, “That’s just eighteen out of the twenty.”

“That’s correct sir”, said the operator, “Two of them were intercepted by fighter jets on the east coast. They seemed to have been heading this way.”

The President was relieved that Washington, DC was spared but mourned over the many lives that were lost in the cities where the missiles found their target.

“What is the status on our counterattack?” asked the President.

“All ships in the Mediterranean are a go. Just give the word”, said the Secretary of Defense.

“Do it”, he said solemnly.

Within just seconds, every aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean launched fighter jets out to carry out bombings on Syria with Damascus itself being a focal point. They would arrive within the hour.

“How many jets do we have there?” asked Cain.

“There are two-hundred in the immediate area and we also have another hundred drones ready to go”, said the Secretary of Defense.

“Send them out”, said the President. “I don’t want any resource spared. They are sure to use their own defense. I also want our short and long range missiles launched from every available base in the Middle East and Europe. Get the British Prime Minister on the phone and see what they can lend to the cause as well. We don’t want to give Assad and his troops time to breathe.”

“Uh…sir…” said one of the control room operators, “It appears that one of our nuclear warheads has launched from Kansas.”

“That isn’t possible”, said the President. “I am the only one with the nuclear code.”

“I am completely sure about this”, said the operator. “It has already been launched high into the stratosphere and the trajectory seems to be Washington, DC sir.”

“Do we have any defenses that we can launch before it begins its descent?” asked Cain.

“We have a few that are a little further inland, but it is doubtful that we can get them there in time to detonate it away from populated areas.

“God help us all”, whispered the President.

“If this isn’t stopped”, said the Secretary of Defense, “the entire city will be destroyed and there will probably be no survivors. The fallout will reach as far as Baltimore and cause severe illness and death.”

“Thanks for the prognosis”, said Cain. “We have to get this stopped. We have no other option.”

“I’m sorry sir”, said the operator. “There just isn’t enough time. We need to brace for impact.”

Within minutes, the underground bunker shook as the violent blast hit right in front of the White House at the Capitol Building. The blast immediately went outward, melting everything and everyone in its path immediately. Assad laughed as he watched the mushroom cloud rise on his screen in Damascus.

“I’ve got you…you worthless worms”, he said. “The world will be better off without you.”

The horsemen were riding in full stride. The white horse of conquest was soon followed by the red horse of war and the same man was responsible for both.