The Incubus, Succubus and Son of Perdition Box Set: The Len du Randt Bundle (84 page)

Victor Yoshe is Armilus: the
Antichrist. He is not the Christ. He is not G-d. He is an impostor, and soon,
he will enslave and kill hundreds of millions. If you have not worshipped him
yet, nor have accepted his mark, called ‘the Shield of Victor,’ we want to urge
you to continue in your path of light. Do not yield to him, no matter how
tempted you feel. He has control of these demons that are currently plaguing
the world. That is why they leave you alone when you worship him. He commands
them not to harm those who has the Shield or who worship him, to create an
illusion of protection.

We understand the pain that you
are going through, but please, for the sake of your eternal soul, do not do
anything rash. Do not try to commit suicide, and do not worship Victor or take
his mark. Victor’s control over these demons will last for five months only.
Commit your hearts to Jesus Christ, and you will reap the eternal benefits.

Please know that if you do
choose to follow Jesus, soon you will be persecuted, and more than likely be
killed. But fear not, for the time of the Great War is approaching, and then
shall the end come.

This war will not just affect
the European Empire, but will involve the entire world. Soon the time will come
that you will have to choose a side: Victor or Jesus.

We will continue to pray for
those whom there is still hope for. If you are already following Jesus Christ,
join us in prayer, and ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes and hearts of those
blinded to the Truth.

Fear not, you are not alone in
your struggles. G-d is with you.

Sincere love in Christ,

The Sealed Ones of Israel

Andrew sat back in his chair and sighed. He felt
renewed strength in his faith and wondered how they had managed to get his
email address. There was no reply address, and the mail had been sent to an
‘Undisclosed Recipient.’

He forwarded the mail to Trevor and everyone else in
his address book, and then shot a prayer for them all, asking the Lord to open
their hearts and to make them see. He would have continued praying had a soft
humming sound not distracted him.

‘Jesus,’ he prayed out loud. ‘Please help Trevor, myself,
and all the others worldwide through this.’

He grabbed hold of a towel that was soaking in a bucket
of water and rolled it up. He stuffed it into his mouth and bit down hard as he
prepared himself mentally for the torture session that he was about to endure.

- - -*  *  *- -
-

‘Water wars have broken out
globally in the cities with the most lethal level of contamination. N-Force
peacekeepers have tried to keep the riots under control, and have resorted to
using violence to keep the occupants at bay. No deaths had been reported yet,
as President Yoshe’s
no-death
gift is still in effect.

‘President Yoshe has issued a stern warning against
those trying to attack anyone with the Shield for his or her water. In a press
conference he said that anyone doing so will be subjected to the Christian’s
secret weapon regardless of whether they worship him or not.

‘He also said that anyone caught disturbing the peace
will be arrested, and held captive until the
no-death
period is over,
after which he will personally ‘take care’ of those individuals.

‘N-Force has their best task force officers on the
mission of finding the location of the Christian’s secret weapon, and will
destroy it when found. Investigation has revealed Yemen as a possible location
for the weapon. This is Connie Jacobs for GMN Live.’

- - -*  *  *- -
-

South Africa:
Five Months
Later

‘Trevor?’

‘Yes?’

Andrew could hear that Trevor had been pushed to his
limit. There was no going further. ‘It’s over.’

‘Over?’

‘It’s finished. The demonic attacks.’

Trevor tried to grasp what Andrew was trying to tell
him. He was physically and mentally worn out. Five months of relentless
torture, three times a day; seven days a week had broken him.

‘Did you hear me, Trev?’

Trevor looked at the blood-stained towel next to him
and tears filled his eyes. He broke down into sobs. ‘It’s finished?’ he asked,
not caring about revealing this side of himself to Andrew.

‘It’s finished,’ Andrew confirmed.

‘No more torture?’

‘No more stinging.’

Trevor wanted to say something, but he just cried
instead. Eventually he did manage to talk again. ‘When are you coming over
again?’

‘I could be there tomorrow if it’s okay with you,’
Andrew assured his friend. ‘But for now, please, get some rest.’

‘Th—thank you, Andrew,’

Trevor hung up the phone and just shook as he sobbed
out loud.

- - -*  *  *- -
-

Cameras flashed simultaneously as
Victor stepped up to the podium. Everyone wanted to hear what he had to say
about the Christian’s secret weapon. He held up his hand, and everyone in the
room instantly fell to the ground.

‘Experience the power of God,’ he said. ‘Worship me,
and receive strength.’

The GMN reporters and newsreaders worshipped as one,
praising Victor for his kindness and glory in murmured prayers. Slowly but
surely they regained their strength and sat down on their seats; all except for
one.

‘Ah,’ Victor said with a hint of amusement in his
voice. ‘Do we have someone here who refuses to worship?’

The man lying on the floor didn’t say anything. He
didn’t have enough strength to even lift his head.

‘What’s the matter, Richard,’ Victor asked. ‘Do you
have a hard time getting up?’

The man tried to speak, but all he managed to
accomplish from his efforts was to make a short gurgling sound. Victor looked
at the reporters and smiled, pointing to the man lying at his feet. They
chuckled and a few took pictures.

‘Say again, Richard,’ Victor said. ‘I didn’t get that.’

‘Ung...y—you...I...’

‘Come now, Richard. We haven’t got all day. This is
live, you know.’

Richard just lay still, unable to move.

Victor bent over and brought his face close to the man
lying on the ground. ‘Are you a Christian, Richard?’

The man tried to say something, but only managed to
gurgle some more.

‘Fine,’ Victor said and stood up. ‘Get up and speak for
yourself.’

The man gasped and swallowed heavy breaths of air as
his strength slowly returned. Ryan walked over to him and jerked him to his
feet.

‘Thank you, Commander Archer,’ Victor said, pleased.
‘Now, Richard, tell us. Are you a Christian terrorist?’

The man just remained quiet and silently scanned the
dozen pair of accusing eyes for a glimmer of compassion. He found none.

‘Richard,’ Victor said, the humour gone from his voice.
‘I sincerely hope that I will not have to repeat my question again. Are you a Christian
terrorist?’

The man answered with a mumble.

‘Excuse me?’ Victor said. ‘Are you trying to say
something?’

The man answered again.

‘Louder,’ Victor ordered and took a step back; any form
of diplomacy completely gone from his voice.

‘Yes,’ the man said loudly. The GMN crew held their
breaths.

‘Commander Archer, please take this man to one side
while I address the world.’

Ryan complied and pulled the man to the back of the
stage.

‘Dear people of the European Empire, and the rest of
the free world,’ Victor said. ‘I am addressing you today to declare that the
secret weapon of the Christian terrorists has been found, and destroyed. The
Christians cannot use this weapon on you anymore, and the
no-death
state
is thus no longer applicable.’

Cameras flashed and a slight cheer of relief came from
some of the reporters.

‘This incident has, however, forced me to take drastic
action against these terrorists who call themselves the followers of Jesus.’ He
spat out the name as if it left a vile taste in his mouth.

‘How long can we turn the other cheek to these
hypocrites? How long must we be subject to their torture and hatred? Do you
know that more people have been killed for the cause of Jesus since he died,
than all natural disasters in the history of this world combined?’

The GMN reporters were taking notes and pictures,
supporting Victor with the occasional nod.

‘Is that love?’ he asked and looked around the room at
the reporters shaking their heads. He looked at the Christian man at the back
of the stage. ‘Is that love, Richard?’

The man didn’t answer.

‘That’s not love,’ Victor answered his own question.
‘That’s nothing but pure hate! The Crusades and the dark ages are but two
examples of this hatred in practice. People in the Middle East have been
slaughtered for years for this Jesus. And for what? Why do you stand up for
this...this superstitious, government instituted ‘religion’ called
Christianity?’

He turned back and faced the cameras. ‘Wake up, people!
These Christians are the
real
reason that racism exists, that innocent
people are killed by the thousands each year. These Christians,’ he said and
pointed to the man at Ryan’s side, ‘are the
real
terrorists!’

The crowd of reporters verbally approved Victor’s
views.

‘No,’ Victor said after a brief moment of composing
himself. ‘This has gone on for long enough now. I declare a state of martial
law against any individual who takes sides with the false Christ called Jesus.
It doesn’t matter what age, race, or gender.

‘These people must learn that they cannot just walk in
here and incite terror and fear. If they want to play hardball, we will play
their game right back at them. As of today, I am officially, by my own
authority, reinstituting the crucifixion of the old Roman Empire.

‘If these people want to live by the cross...’ he
paused and the edges of his lips pulled into a grin, ‘they shall
die
by
the cross!’

The cheers were deafening. The reporters clapped and
cheered as cameras flashed.

Victor walked to Richard and pulled the man by his tie
to the front of the stage. The man choked and the reporters laughed as his face
become red.

‘Are you
still
a Christian, Richard?’ Victor
mocked.

The man coughed and wheezed and Victor let go of his
tie.

‘Say what?’ Victor said and leaned forward.

‘Y...yes...’

‘And are you prepared to die for your faith?’

‘Yes...’

‘Then so be it, fool!’ Victor said as he motioned
toward Ryan. ‘Commander Archer,’ he said. ‘Take this man and hand him over to
N-Force. Let them make a public display of his crucifixion so that the entire
world can see that we are once and for all stomping our feet down on terror. As
of right now, we are taking a stand against anarchy.’

Victor looked at the crowd of reporters before
concluding: ‘Let it also be known that anyone in the Empire harbouring a
Christian terrorist will indeed be breaking the law, and thus share the same
fate as the terrorists: death.’

.XVI.

For then there will be
great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now—and never
to be equalled again.

-
Matthew 24:21,
NIV

Traffic seemed considerably lighter
to Trevor since the disappearances, yet the cars still stood still during
morning rush-hour. Trevor loved the freedom as he weaved the motorcycle between
the cars. A few minutes later he pulled into a fuel station.

‘Fill ‘er up,’ he said as he stretched his legs.

‘Will that be card or Shield, sir?’ the station
attendant asked him once the tank was filled to its brim.

‘Card,’ Trevor said and wondered how long it would be
before the answer would change to ‘Shield.’

The attendant scanned Trevor’s card with a small
handheld scanner and punched some numbers into a keypad. ‘You know,’ the
attendant said as he punched in the amount. ‘It’s strange to think that in only
a few more weeks this little piece of plastic will be obsolete.’

‘Don’t remind me,’ Trevor said. ‘Now that the African
Union is about to merge with the European Empire, we will be forced to get the
Shield.’

‘You say that as if it’s a bad thing,’ the attendant
said. ‘I mean, with the aliens now able to forge the card, it would be easier
to blend in with us again for another attack. I personally think that the
merger is the best thing that could happen to this country; both economic and
growth wise.’

Trevor nodded and pointed to the attendant’s forehead.
‘I see you got yours.’

‘The day after the Christian terrorists used that sting
device on us,’ the attendant said proudly.

Trevor still couldn’t get used to the electronic flesh,
no matter how many times he had seen it.

‘At the rate things are going, I’ll up for mine soon,’
he said.

The attendant thanked him for using their service and,
a few seconds later, Trevor was on the highway again.

- - -*  *  *- -
-

The N-Force truck had difficulty
passing through the mob of people on the tiny Jerusalem street. When it finally
came to a standstill, people rushed at it from all directions. They were in
desperate need of fresh water, and didn’t have any more regard left in them to
consider anyone else. Their main concern was their own immediate needs.

They were dying. Thousands had already died. They
needed water, and in a truck just an arm’s length from them, there were
hundreds of bottles of fresh water; and they were determined to get it.

‘Calm down, everyone,’ the N-Force officer shouted
through a megaphone. ‘Will those with the Shield of Victor move toward the
truck first; the rest make way for them and stand back.’

‘No!’ someone from within the crowd shouted. ‘We have
just as much right to that water as anyone else.’

‘Do not disobey orders,’ the N-Force officer shouted
back; his voice a mixture of fear and anger. ‘Please step back and allow those
with the Shield to pass through.’

‘This isn’t fair!’ the man yelled. ‘You cannot force
that mark on us!’

‘Sir, I will ask you one last time to—’

The N-Force officer couldn’t finish his sentence. The
man rushed toward the truck with three of his friends. They started rocking the
truck, and soon more men joined them. The N-Force officer realized that it
would only be a matter of seconds before the truck would be pushed over to its
side, and then all Hell would break loose.

‘Help me, Lord Yoshe!’ the officer shouted out in
prayer.

The men kept rocking and the truck tilted on two
wheels, but came back down on all four. The men pushed again.

‘
Cease this madness!
’ someone shouted from the
truck, and a hush fell over the crowd.

The N-Force officer looked up, and his heart skipped a
beat when he saw his saviour standing right next to him.

Victor extended his hand toward the officer and helped
him up. He then turned to address the crowd. ‘People, this is exactly the type
of behaviour that would destroy peace. It is so typical of Christians to behave
like this, that it makes me sick just looking at you. Have you no regard for
other humans? Have you no intention of keeping the peace?’

Some of the people hung their heads in shame; others
just stared in awe. All were mesmerized by Victor’s charisma. He appeared out
of nowhere, and managed to calm the riot in a matter of seconds.

‘I am sick of those disrupting the work of my hands,’
Victor said and looked at the eight men that tried to push over the truck. ‘I
am sick of those who elevate themselves by tearing others down. This anarchy
must stop, and you shall be a visual lesson to all that dare defy me. To defy
me is to defy God Himself,
for I am God!
’

The men tried to retreat, but N-Force officers quickly
seized them.

‘Take these men to the N-Force watch camps, and execute
them. I want their skulls sent to me so that I may use them as cups from which
I will drink the blood of my victims.’

No one really understood what Victor meant, but the
N-Force officers complied and led the men to a riot truck that had arrived
shortly after Victor entered the scene. Victor turned to the people as the
truck sped off with the men.

‘For the rest of you,’ he said and scanned the hundreds
of people in front of him, ‘o
nly
those with the Shield may pass through
and receive water.’ He raised his hand into the air. ‘As for those without the
Shield...’ he said and violently flung down his arm, ‘you will only receive
wrath.’ Those without Shields instantly dropped to the ground. Dead. Less than
half remained standing.

‘Let this be a warning to any who tries to defy the
Empire.’

The remaining crowd cheered.

Victor turned to the N-Force officer and their eyes
locked. ‘I want the heads of these dead people impaled and planted next to the
main road leading into Al Jalil.

The N-Force soldier nodded and then saluted. ‘It is
done as you wish, my Lord.’

‘Good,’ Victor said and waved his hands in the
direction of the people standing nearby. ‘Now hand these loyal followers their
water.’

‘Yes, my Lord,’ the officer said, but he was talking to
no one. Victor was gone.

- - -*  *  *- -
-

‘We have a week before Victor’s
coronation as Sovereign Emperor,’ Trevor said. ‘And then Africa will officially
be a part of the European Empire.’

‘The wheels have been set in motion,’ Andrew sighed.
‘The persecution is about to begin.’

‘Get off it, Andy,’ Trevor said. ‘So you were right
about a few things. But us joining the Empire can only be a good thing;
especially in the context of job creation and economic growth, considering that
I do not have a job anymore, thanks to you.’

‘You promised me that you wouldn’t take the Shield.’

‘I also promised myself that I would never pray to
Jesus, and yet, I did. People change their minds, Andy. It’s part of what life
is all about.’

Andrew sighed. ‘Just wait a while longer at least, all
right?’

‘I’ll wait until my life depends on it or my savings
runs dry; whichever comes first,’ Trevor said, ‘and then I’m getting it.’

‘That’s good enough for now...’

There was a brief moment of uncomfortable silence
between the two. Trevor decided to break it. ‘What happens if I fake the
Shield?’ he asked.

‘Fake it?’

‘Yeah,’ Trevor said. ‘Let’s say that I draw one on my
hand with a purple marker or something. Wouldn’t that work?’

Andrew twisted his face as he contemplated his answer.
‘It’s not the Shield in itself that’s the problem. Having the Shield is like
having a highly advanced Credit Card. In fact, the Shield in itself is a
brilliant piece of technology.’

‘Then what is the problem?’

‘It’s what it represents.’

‘And that is?’

‘Your total and unwavering allegiance to the
Antichrist. You renounce any sovereign being other than Victor, and that
includes Jesus.’

‘That’s not why I would put it on me.’

‘But that’s what it would represent. I don’t know
Trev...I just wouldn’t do it if I were you.’

‘There’s a lot of things that you wouldn’t do if you
were me,’ Trevor said. ‘But you’re not me. I am. You want me to die for a cause
that’s not even mine. Why should I? Because I owe God something?’

Andrew didn’t answer.

‘No, Andy...God owes
me!
He owes me parents. He
owes me a normal childhood. He owes me a brother. He owes me freedom to choose
whether I would want to go through this or not.’

‘You
had
the choice, Trevor,’ Andrew said. His
head spun, and he didn’t know what to say to calm his friend down.

‘No,’ Trevor protested. ‘I did
not
have a
choice. It was never there! I never hurt a living thing. I lived a good life. I
have even donated to charities. Isn’t that enough? What more does He want?’

‘All those things are useless unless you are washed
clean by the blood of Jesus Christ,’ Andrew said softly. His voice sounded
faint and far, almost as if coming from another source. He prayed for wisdom.

‘Fine,’ Trevor said. ‘Use that pathetic excuse if it
works for you. I have given your Jesus a fair shot. I asked Him to help me
during those agonizing five months. Not once did He help me...
not once!
’

‘We
have
to go through these plagues,’ Andrew
said. He just wanted to lay his head down and sleep. He realized that Trevor
might have been pushed too far.

‘That’s bull,’ Trevor said. ‘In fact, I tell you what:
you
go through it. But by this time next week, I
will
have the Shield, and I
will
be protected from your hate filled God.’

Andrew didn’t dare say anything. Trevor stood up, took
his coat, and left Andrew’s apartment without saying another word.

- - -*  *  *- -
-

‘
Kill him!
’ a woman shouted
through the speakers of Andrew’s television. He flinched as a rock struck a man
against his head while N-Force officers escorted him down a pathway.

Kill him!
The rest of the crowd repeated after her.

Andrew had never in his life thought that he would see
something like this on live television. They were in the process of crucifying
the first person in little over two thousand years, and they were doing so on a
live global broadcast. More rocks were thrown, and the bloody man was flung
down next to a wooden cross that he was to be nailed to.

‘Get on it, you dog,’ the N-Force officer spat at the
man. ‘Or we will flog you until you do.’

The man slowly and painfully crawled to the cross. He
was about to touch the wood when another rock thrown at him punctured his
forehead, causing blood to ooze into his eyes. The crowd laughed at the man as
he frantically tried to get the blood out of his eyes while trying to hold the
gash in his forehead at the same time.

An N-Force officer kicked him in the stomach, and he
fell down onto the ground. Other officers then grabbed the man and spread him
out on top of the cross.

‘Do you wish to repent?’ the officer asked the man.
‘Are you ready to accept Lord Yoshe as your Lord, God, and Saviour?’

The man just looked away, but two officers grabbed him
by the head and forced him to look at his wrist as another officer held a thick
tent peg to it. He clenched down on his teeth as the officer lifted a mallet,
and let out a scream as the hammer made contact with the peg.

The thick peg drove through the flesh and bone with
each
clang
that the hammer made on its head. It finally bore into the
wood of the cross. The procedure was then repeated on the other wrist, and then
finally the man’s ankles were nailed together into the splintered wood.

Andrew couldn’t take it anymore. His stomach turned
violently, and he knew that he might have to face the same fate sooner or
later. He looked away as they raised the cross, but could hear the people
cheering in the background. It was a sickening, disturbing cheer; filled of
hatred and rage. He wanted to burst out into tears, but for some reason he
couldn’t. He snapped off the television and walked to the telephone, then
dialled his parents at their international contact number in the United States.

‘Hey dad,’ he said when his father answered. ‘How are
you?’

The conversation lasted for a few minutes, with
Andrew’s father explaining the rest of the crucifixion in great detail. ‘It is
about time that they stopped talking and started doing something about it,’ he
said smugly. ‘That aught to teach the people that you cannot mess with the
Empire and get away with it.’

‘That man did nothing wrong,’ Andrew said.

‘He was a Christian terrorist, for Heaven’s sake.’

‘Christians are not terrorists,’ Andrew defended. ‘We
would never harm anyone.’