“You wished it?” Ben asked for what seemed like the hundredth time. He knew it would just annoy Andrew further, but he just couldn’t accept that they had suddenly been whisked away to the opposite side of the world, magically, all because Andrew wanted it to happen, really, really badly.
“Were you thinking of the beaches of Australia when those missiles hit?” Andrew drawled.
“No,” Ben replied, already knowing what was to follow as he looked over to check that Abigail was still with them. She had kept unusually quiet since they had somehow escaped the destruction of Rome.
“Well I was! And here we are. Now can we move on and figure out what the hell we’re supposed to do now?”
“Why on earth were you thinking of beaches anyway? Why weren’t you thinking about your life, or death, or I don’t know, something that makes sense!” Ben complained as they trudged their way down another street filled with abandoned cars. The occasional roar of a group of Harleys racing through the streets continued to haunt them like strange creaking in an empty house.
“I was thinking of my life. I was thinking about the time I spent here a few years ago at a conference. I was desperately wishing that we could all come here, that I could enjoy this place with both of you. To spend our days on the beach, relaxing underneath the warm sun, watching people dive into the cool water and relax.” Ben fell silent, ashamed of himself as he listened to the slightly bruised emotion in Andrew’s reply.
“I’m sorry Andrew, I … I just don’t understand what happened.” Ben looked down the street as they came to an intersection. To the right he could see street which lead to the coast, to the right more of the same empty street with trashed cars and loose pieces of clothing strewn along the ground. He continued straight, they were on a main road, littered with abandoned cars. Hopefully they would be able to find one that wasn’t trashed, one they could drive.
The sun pelted down at them with a relentless heat that the cool breeze could not ease. It felt as if they were in a giant oven as the hot bitumen underfoot radiated with the sun's heat. Sweat trickled down the back of Ben’s shirt, but that discomfort was nothing compared to the aching that in his feet as they trudged along.
The ground suddenly trembled beneath them, shuddering as if the world were being ripped apart.
“Funny, I thought they didn’t have earthquakes here.” Andrew said as his arms flayed in their air as he tried to keep his balance.
“They don’t,” Ben replied just as a deep voice crackled around them.
“I declare the Gates of Zion open, the blood of the Martyrs is accepted and shall all those left tremble with what is to come!” The voice echoed throughout the buildings, bouncing down streets and reverberating inside Ben’s mind. His heart ripped with a terror that he had thought already beyond him. Abigail had already dropped to her knees, in renewed praying of tongues.
“Is that what I think it is?” Andrew asked, his dark eyebrows drawing down in consternation.
“Things are about to get a lot worse.” Ben answered as he continued walking, now setting a frantic pace ignoring Abigail’s praying.
“But, everything in your book! What about the two preachers, the full scaled war, the redemption of Israel? Everyone’s supposed to be in heaven already. Why the hell are we still here Ben?” Ben froze, cringing at the accusations, the pure desperation that was draining from Andrew like a cup that had been full of bottled hope. A cup that had just been shattered and now doubts escaped like a wild flood of fear.
“I don’t know Andrew, perhaps that has already happened.”
“If it did, I would know about it! There’s nothing on the network about any of it!”
“And you think the CWA would allow that information to be posted on the network? Andrew they own everything!”
“But, what about those kids on the beach, or Abigail? There are good people still here!” Andrew screamed as he grabbed Ben’s collar, shaking him back and forth, his breathing growing frantic as he worked himself up into a panic. Ben knew how he felt, but there was nothing they could do now, he had known from the start he would be left behind, he wore the mark of the beast, the I-man now attached to his arm. His wife had cried for days when he had first got it, she was so against it, and he had betrayed her, betrayed his God, and now he would betray the world. There was no way he could find a random person, somewhere in the world, when he didn’t even know who they were.
“Have you forgotten the scripture already Andrew? Matthew chapter seven: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Andrew stopped his shaking and Ben saw his hands still trembled as he took in the verse.
“But all those taken, three billion!”
“To be saved from what is to come yes, but I suspect many will be turned away from the Lord come the time of judgement. If only we were so lucky.”
“You’re saying my whole life, I’ve been saving people in the name of God. Yet he hasn’t once heard my prayers? Forgiven my sins?” Abigail interrupted as she looked up at Ben with rivers of tears flowing down her face. The old woman had just had her whole life turned into a lie. Ben looked away ashamed and unable to reply. His heart tore inside him, as if a knife were twisting deep within his chest.
“I need a drink.” Abigail stammered, pulling herself to her feet and wiping the tears from her face.
“An excellent idea,” Andrew agreed he peered up at the buildings surrounding them.
“Actually, there’s a casino nearby. Follow me.” Andrew declared as he took the lead, pointing ahead of them. Ben hadn’t had a drink for what seemed like weeks, he followed slowly behind and hoped it wasn’t far.
***
Uriel stood guard before the towering, golden spiked gates to the Garden of life. He watched as the martyrs filled the glorious city of Zion that sat upon the Great mountain that looked down over the Garden. Their souls still pulsed with the envious gift of direct connection to the Lord God, giving them a turquoise glow which seemed to fill the golden walled city with magnificent shades of sparkling light.
Their undying love for the Lord had been rewarded with his ever present holy spirit, and his mighty city to call home. Mount Zion stood towering over them all, and if there were such things as shadows in this realm, it would cast one straight over the gates that Uriel now once again guarded. His angels now busy with showing the Martyrs their new homes and directing them in the ways of never ending praise to the Lord.
Uriel smiled to himself as he recognised his Shield bearer, Fae’ciar shimmer before him. Her flowing snowy hair fell down to her lower back, looking like a silk cape around her white leather tunic covered in golden etchings of the language of God, symbols of protection.
“Good to see you Fae’ciar, what is it that requires my attention?” He asked as she approached. He watched her smile blossom at his greeting and counted himself lucky to have such a talented shield bearer. Indeed she was the only reason why he could take on his promised task of personally guarding the Garden of Life as often as he could allow. Her abilities in persuasion and time management meant she was nearly always prepared for any occasion.
“It is a joy to see you again Arch. I apologise for my absence lately, I have been engrossed with the efforts of preparing Zion for its new residents.” Uriel smiled as he looked up again at the golden city.
“It seems you have done well. I thank you for you diligence Fae’ciar. But you haven’t come here for praise. Tell me, what news do you bear?”
Her soft lips tightened, and her white eyes focussed on an unseen, distant thought. Whatever it was, it was disturbing news.
“Gabriel has summoned you, along with your brothers. He wants you all at the Arc immediately.” Gabriel, he had continued his search for the child, perhaps he had finally found him, but that didn’t explain Fae’ciar’s obvious concern.
“I shall leave immediately, let the first chorus know so they may guard the gates in my absence, but first, what is it that has made you so pensive?” He watched as she frowned, seemingly confused with whatever answer she had concluded from her pondering.
“He has summoned the Cherubim… and Seraphim.” She replied, sparking a flame of curiosity within Uriel that quickly grew into a raging fire. This was serious. The Seraphim had not left the Office of God since the creation of the Earth. Indeed even the Cherubim had not acted since the rapture. Uriel nodded to Fae’ciar, acknowledging her concern.
“I best hurry then.” Uriel answered as he released his physical presence, freeing his soul and casting it over the angelic plane.
He stretched past Mount Zion, past the Gates of Telleniad and then past Rapahel’s land now filled with souls from the rapture, he had named it Lest’eriel. He pushed further towards the edges of the angelic plane towards the majestic set of four marbled arches all interwoven together to form what they called the Arc.
As he grounded himself besides one of those towering pillars Uriel noticed Gabriel pacing across the centre of the Arc impatiently, his long blonde hair trailing behind him, his sharp feminine features seemed to draw themselves in even tighter as he wore a troubled frown.
“About time!” Gabriel exclaimed as he noticed Uriel’s arrival.
“What is it Gabriel? What is so serious that you would request us, not to mention the Cherubim and Seraphim.”
“See for yourself!” Gabriel replied pointing towards the eye of God. He followed its gaze as it focussed on the African continent, narrowing closer and closer until he saw what had gotten his brother into such a panic.
“That’s impossible.” He stuttered, looking again, this time much closer.
“That’s what I thought, but then we were never supposed to release Azazel. Who would have thought they’d try to raise the gates now.” Gabriel paced back and forth again, loosing himself in a world of possibilities.
“We need Raphael.” Uriel replied.
“Why?” Michael’s tone surreptitiously informing them, he didn’t think they needed him.
“They’re raising the gates to the shadow realm.” Gabriel answered his brother’s question.
“What! Impossible. We haven’t released the seventh seal!” Michael leapt forward to land next to Uriel who still stood in shock looking up through the Eye.
They all watched Azazel and Satanael combining their incredible strength whilst hundreds of thousands, if not millions of starved, desolate people were slaughtered one by one. Their souls captured and warped into a gruesome yet powerful bridge that was being cast into the shadow plane. If that bridge reached the gate on the other side, and it looked like they would, Uriel was convinced that Azazel and Satanael’s combined strength would be enough to summon it onto Earth’s plane.
“If you and Raphael hadn’t let him escape-” Michael growled.
“We’d all be battling that demented goat right now. Desperately protecting near defenceless cities filled with souls for him to devour.” Raphael interrupted as he shimmered to join the rest of them.
“You always manage to be last to arrive brother.” Michael accused, to which he received no reply.
“Will they pull it off?” Gabriel asked Raphael as he joined them all to watch in horror. Uriel glanced across to see Raphael’s face filled with consternation, his mind no doubt already racing, calculating their options.
“Yes, I never thought they would consider such a thing, but now that I think on it, it could have been their plan from the start.”
“Of course it was, we should never have listened to that snake.” Michael interjected.
“I shall take my choir, we shall destroy them before they finish.” Michael proclaimed, already summoning the mighty general’s armour of God, its powerful songs echoing from him with voices of war and glory.
“No, the seventh seal isn’t broken. If you enter that plane right now even I couldn’t calculate what will happen.” Raphael demanded as he walked towards one of the massive pillars of the arc and sat down, propping his back against its face, losing himself in thought.
Uriel wished he could share Raphael’s stoic frame of mind. They were not prepared to fight an army of unchained demons powered with the billions of souls left scattered around the earth.
“The Cherubim, or Seraphim, they could sever the bridge.” Uriel suggested.
“The Seraphim would destroy us all at a single look, they will not leave the office, and the cherubim are not yet recovered from the Rapture.” Raphael replied, already dismissing the idea.
“So what can we do?” Gabriel growled. Uriel shared his frustration, this was not supposed to be happening, and here they stood, watching, unable to do anything.
Raphael jumped to his feet, his deep, sunrise coloured eyes were wide with sudden comprehension.
“We need to close our gates.” He said, moving towards them, they all hesitated with their replies. Close the gates? There were still the few left on Earth that they would need to call on, not to mention that they hadn’t found the child yet, without him, this new world would be destined for the same fate.
“What would you do with the reign over two of the three planes, a full strength army of demons and billions of fresh souls?” Raphael asked Michael. It didn’t take long for them to all follow his meaning.
“He plans to attack heaven before we can release the last seal.” Michael exclaimed in astonishment that was shared by all. Raphael nodded before checking again on the Eye of God, they had now managed to join the bridge to the shadow plane.
“We don’t have much time, let’s go.” Raphael declared.