Pt Four-Nine

9

The group of other survivors got to the caves by nightfall the same day that they had parted ways with Marcus and the traveler. While there was still light out Emily had the group get most of the stuff into the caves as well as make some makeshift torches so that they would have a lighted living space. They set up watches for the night and ended up resting peacefully through the night.

The next day they set up groups to go out and look for some more supplies to add to the stuff that they already had. Also the training that the traveler had wanted started began as well. It was a lot of work for Luke and Emily and they pretty much were up the next two days ensuring that everything got done the right way. It was nearing the end of the third day when Emily had just finished up some sessions with a group of the campers when a feeling a anxiety suddenly came over her.

Luke was standing close to her at that moment and could tell that something had come up and that it was causing a change in her emotions so he confronted her about it after the rest of the group left.

“What’s wrong Emily?” He asked, “You don’t look so good.”

“I don’t know I just had this feeling come over me all of a sudden. I think that we should pray right now the guys might need our help.”

They both bowed their heads and began to pray earnestly for their two companions that were miles away in the opposite direction from where they were. Little did they know that the prayers were greatly needed and that a war was starting that would change the world.

********

Blood was coming out onto the ground. Dave looked up into the eyes of the man that he used to call his best friend. He couldn’t believe that this was happening right now, this wasn’t suppose to happen. He wasn’t suppose to die here on the ground like a pig he was meant for something bigger. These thoughts among many others were going through his head as he felt his life draining between his fingertips.

“Surprised to see me are we?” Aaron asked with an evil grin. “I thought that by leaving that door open you would all be zombie chow. But of course the chances that someone would escape were slim but not impossible. Oh well I just finished the job.”

Aaron walked over and pressed one of his feet on Dave’s hand that was holding the wound and Dave began to scream in agony as the pain filled his body. I felt like billions of tiny needles being stuck into his body. He hoped Marcus had left and wasn’t going to try anything stupid that was the last thing they needed was both of them to be massacred needlessly.

“Don’t worry about your friend over there,” Aaron said dashing Dave’s hopes instantly, “My undead friends will be taking care of him before he can reach your friends, I have a group of them ready to jump him at any moment. There is no where to go and all this time you have wasted. This is what you get for taking her from me.”

“What happened to you?”

“Well since you asked so nicely I will tell you. That night we found the guy on the road I was contaminated by the blood that got in my mouth. It doesn’t work as fast as a direct bite but it still does the job. Once I left the clinic I felt something start to come over me I fell into an alley and began to vomit and could feel myself changing. That’s when I was saved and chosen to lead this world into a new era.”

“Chosen?” Dave asked barely audible, “What are you talking about.”

“Legion.”

That name instantly made Dave think back to the shack with the girl and the monster tearing itself from her flesh. Legion had been the source of this all along? Even back at the church they were responsible for Rick, Jake and Kailee being killed. They were behind this all along and he had used his best friend for the deed and now here he was staring into the eyes of a man that had given himself to evil and was the exact opposite of what he stood for. And here Dave was with nowhere to go dying on the concrete, they had won and there was nothing that he could do about it.

“After I left the church,” Aaron continued, “I walked and ran into a woman who picked me up. Her name was Tabitha I believe you met her the other day which is why I am making you die slowly in return for taking her from me. Her and I came out East led here by Legion after a week straight of traveling we found our way here. Do you know where you are right now my friend?”

Aaron looked down at Dave and waited for him to answer when he didn’t get one he continued anyway. Dave was about to die but Aaron still wanted him to know what was going to happen.

“This is where the sickness started. Three years ago a scientist created a chemical weapon codenamed Agent 666 right here in this very factory. I found his notes, read them and studied them extensively finding his secrets and everything he believed in and I have continued his work. And now I have made plans for it to spread in order that the world may be forever changed. I actually just got off the line with someone overseas, it took forever to reach someone over there they think we are all dead but finally we got through.”

Dave couldn’t believe his ears. He was trying to spread it? He was crazy.

“Why….would…you….do that?” Dave asked in between gasps for air.

“Oh I don’t want it to spread all the way. I only want it to go to one place can you guess where that is?” Aaron asked with a smirk.

“Not….a…..clue.”

“Israel. The so called chosen land shall be the target for the next outbreak. It will start there and when it seems like all is lost I shall appear with a solution to their problem. Not an antidote of course because there is not one but a way to control the creatures and keep the sickness at bay that I do have. And all I will ask for is their loyalty to me and I will save them.”

“You always…..were so…..full of…yourself.”

An intense pain filled Dave’s body as Aaron reached out and kicked him with all his might in his ribs. Dave could feel them crack at the impact and almost passed out from the pain. Aaron was on his knees staring him in the face.

“I am meant for bigger and better things,” Aaron said, “And you my friend are meant to rot out here and be food for some zombie that happens to come across your corpse.”

Aaron stood up and turned towards the door and as he got to it he turned around with hate in his eyes and anger in his voice.

“Where’s your god now?”

********

Marcus wanted to run to him as soon as he saw him fall but he felt something invisible tugging at his heart urging him to turn and run as fast as he could in the opposite direction and before he knew it he was doing just that. Tears were coming down his eyes as he began to run as fast as he could. He couldn’t believe that the traveler was lost that the one that had come to them led by the wind had fallen so easily. They had failed and now there was no hope.

There is always hope, a voice said inside his head lifting his spirit instantly. He knew it wasn’t his voice or his thoughts so it had to be from on high, urging him forward. He continued to run and out of the corner of his eye he saw something. A group of zombies to the left of him not small by any means but they were out of range of him, but as he brought his head forward he saw something that made him stop suddenly. There were about ten zombies in front of him as well, arms outstretched reaching for him.

Marcus lifted the MP5 and unloaded bursts into the group that was coming towards him. The two lead zombies dropped as the bullets entered their skulls and the back of their heads exploded in a cloud of red and pink as the hollow points did their job. But the crowd continued forward and Marcus had to go to the right to avoid the ones coming from the front and the left firing behind him as he ran. I’m going to make it, he thought to himself as he broke away from the herds when he saw the third group coming from the direction he was going. His hopes immediately dropped, he had no where to run he was boxed in.

“Jesus,” he prayed as he lifted the MP5 and unloaded some more into the crowd, “Help me get out of here.”

Marcus turned and scanned the area looking for someway out of the predicament that he had gotten into when he spotted something. One lone tree stood directly behind him and was directly in the middle of where the zombie herds where going. He immediately ran to the tree and began to climb it as high as he could get. All three groups converged at the tree and gathered at the bottom and looked up at him moaning in hunger. He unloaded some more shots into the crowd, three more zombies fell chunks of brain splattering on the ground as they fell. But the tree was still surrounded and Marcus had no way to get down. As he sat at the top of the tree and looked down he wondered how long he could last before they all decided to push the tree down.

********

There was blackness. No light for what seemed like merely seconds and then there was a small dot of white light. It got bigger and bigger and suddenly it was overwhelming and his eyes opened. He could hear birds chirping and could hear singing in the distant. Also he could hear the sound of water rushing by close to his ear and he realized he was laying on the grass and it was damp beneath him. He sat up slowly and put his hand to his stomach feeling for the dampness that he had remembered being there before and it was gone. He was wearing what looked to be a white robe and he was wearing no shoes and could feel the damp grass under his heels.

He had remembered something happening. He had been at a door it seemed like a dream and then it had opened and there had been a face and pain in his stomach as something sharp had pierced him.

“Hello,” a voice said from behind him. He turned around and there was a boy but he was not alone. There were three people with him, people that looked familiar but he couldn’t remember where he knew them from.

“Where am I?” The man said as he looked around. “I have never been in such a place as this. There is peace and love in the air and I feel like I could fly.”

“You could if you wanted.” The boy said smiling as he motioned to the air. “You are on the other side do you remember what happened?”

The man thought for a second and after a moment realized the truth. He had been alive on the earth and had been walking for a long time. He had lost some friends that he had not known very long but they were family to him. He remembered the group he had found after walking so long thinking he was going to be alone forever and then he remember coming to the door and then…Aaron. For a second he thought he could feel the knife going back into his stomach but then realized he was only imagining things.

“I’m dead aren’t I?”

“Yes Dave you are.” The boy answered and motioned to the people. Two men and a woman, “We came to greet you.”

Suddenly it hit him like a freight train hitting a car at full speed. He knew who these people were.

“Rick? Jake? Kailee?” Dave asked.

The three people started to laugh instantly and ran to him with a huge embrace. The four began to laugh and cry as they embraced. It had been so long and they had been waiting for him. After several minutes they calmed and turned to face the boy. Dave fell suddenly to his knees realizing he was standing before his creator crawled to him and wrapped himself around him and then suddenly it was no longer a boy in front of him but a man. He looked to be in his early thirties and he as Dave looked up at the hands that were on his head he could see two identical scars in each one and as he looked down at his feet he could see matching ones on them as well.

“Welcome my son,” Jesus said as he lifted Dave up. “You have entered your new life but I have a difficult choice for you to make.”

Dave was silent as he faced his Savior wondering what choice he could possibly make. He could stay here forever with his Lord and with his friends as far as he was concerned it got no better then that. He didn’t speak as Jesus continued.

“You have two options that are rarely offered to a person. One, you can stay here now with me and with your friends and spend eternity worshipping and fellowshipping with everyone up here.”

“I would love that,” Dave said, “I would love that more then anything.”

“We all would,” Rick said, “But hear him out Dave it’s important.”

“Yeah don’t rush to conclusions,” Jake said with a grin, “You were always good at that.”

The group laughed at the joke and then they all grew quiet realizing that Jesus was not done yet and had more to say.

“Or two, you can return to earth to your body fully restored and make an impact on the world unlike anyone else. You can save people who couldn’t be saved and you can reach people that couldn’t be reached. The outcome of the world will be the same regardless of what you do but you can be the one to make a difference if you want to. You have the information that might make the difference, you know the enemies plan you can choose to stay here with us and keep it, or go back and put something into action to counteract it. The choice is yours.”

Dave stood there completely motionless unable to speak. He wanted to stay here with all his heart and soul and spend every moment with Jesus and his friends. But a part of him was being pulled back to the earth. To Emily, Marcus and Luke his new friends that needed him just as much. And Jesus was right he knew what Aarons move was and all he had to do was find a way to get over there and stop it or at least fight it and be a voice for what was right. A witness for truth. Dave looked at his friends who all had tears in their eyes it was like they all knew what he was going to say and he felt like it was what they all wanted him to do.

“I’ll go back,” Dave broke the silence, “It’s the right thing to do. I can’t spend eternity having this on my conscience thinking I made the wrong decision. I want to help people and bring more people to the kingdom.”

Jesus looked at Dave with a smile on his face as tears began to come from his eyes. He walked over and kissed him on both cheeks and embraced him.

“Very well.” Jesus said, “You will be known as David from this day forward. Just like the king of old you will be a warrior who carries my presence wherever you walk. I shall be with you for the rest of the days of your life. Now go. You must hurry, do not go after Aaron when you return the time has not yet come for that. You must help Marcus he needs you and then you have to return to the others. Rest for a month, gather your strength and then head north. You will find what you are looking for.”

The friends embraced one final time and Jesus once again hugged David and blessed him as he laid back down and closed his eyes.

“Sleep my son,” Jesus spoke over him, “Sleep and remember that I am always with you for the rest of your days.”

********

Aaron couldn’t believe his eyes as he watched the screen in front of him. Dave had been dead. He had stopped breathing and here he was standing straight up after ten minutes of being completely still. There was foul play being done right now and Aaron did not like it. Just let him come in, Aaron thought to himself with a smile, I will just kill him again. But he didn’t even come towards the door he immediately faced the other direction and began to run towards the exit and to the direction of his friend.

“Well it looks like we still have a problem Ray,” Aaron said as he looked to his tech, “But that’s alright he can’t get across the ocean even if he wanted to. So how’s it looking.”

“The Russians have given us clearance to fly over their airspace as long as you deliver on your end of the deal.”

“Oh I will,” Aaron said with a smile, “But they won’t realize my true plan until its too late. Then my friend,”

He looked once again at the monitor that had showed his nemesis merely moments before.

“The world will be ours.”