Book of Ezra, page 1
The Book of Ezra
By: Tiffany M. Rock
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the author.
For information regarding permission please contact the author Tiffany M. Rock at rockstarr76@yahoo.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/tifrok.
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Cover illustration by Eric Millikan Freestyle Graphic Design 804 East Main Street Benton, IL 62812 (618) 438-1417
This book is dedicated to my tribe:
To my loving husband Blaine who has made tremendous sacrifices for our family over the years. You are my Rock! Thanks for putting up with me especially during the mad author times, I know it’s not always easy.
Cassie: I am so proud of you and the beautiful woman you have become. You are one of my best friends!
Rebekah: my number one fan! I am so proud to have a daughter like you, even if I didn‘t give birth to you! I don’t know how I would have coped some days not having you to text. I cannot wait to take you on my book tour!
Liam: I couldn’t have asked for a brighter more artistic child. I know you will be successful in whatever you venture into in your life.
Lexi: my tiny Rockstar Princess Nothing makes me happier than hearing you sing. I know that one day I will see you on stage rocking a crowed arena.
Luke: my baby boy, my super hero at heart. Thanks for the inspiration, you completed our family and I love you to the moon and back!
Hayley and Kim: my best friends and my Soul Sisters. I do not think I could ever survive without you. I spent my whole life searching for family and finally found it in you.
Marshall: one of the greatest men I have ever had the honor to know. Thank you for always being there when I need you!
Pearl and Larry: Thank you for making us an extended part of your family, for everything you have done for us and for all of the support you have given me in writing this book!
Jacklyn: over the past year I have enjoyed spending more time with you. I look forward to your weekly visits and am looking forward to the many to come!
And to all of those in my past who have hurt me and let me down, thanks to you most of all. My pain and issues only give depth and meaning to my writing. If it wasn’t for you assholes I would be as good of a writer. So thanks!
Above all, thank you to each of you who pick up this book and read it. That is my most motivating inspiration! Because of you there will be more books to come!
Chapter One: In the Beginning
It is not clear how your history books will record this great event, nor how your religions will document this holy transcendence, or if “you” will even exist at all. But for whomever finds and reads this account consider this the story of our “End Days” An end to life as it was, an end to life for some all together. But also a movement into a world that God intended to be. My name is Ezra, I am a mother, a wife, a theologian, a historian, an astrologer, but more significantly I am one of Gods chosen ones.
In the summer of 2012 a highly contagious, super deadly virus arose in the Holy Land of Jerusalem. Only a third of the populations touched by this disease survived. This disease quickly spread north to Europe, south into Africa, and East into India and then China. By early September, North and South America had completely closed their borders to the rest of the world. Populations were dwindling across the globe. But amazingly America had a knack for continuing with life as usual. We re-routed our trade relations strictly to the Americas. Suddenly jobs were booming since outsourcing was literally impossible. Mexico had become a thriving entity being the connecting trade route between the Americas. In November we elected a new President Republican candidate Martha Dobson. She was a former specialist in the CDC. She ran on a platform of tough border control and an aggressive approach to defense against this deadly disease.
Money was pumped into ensuring a safe and secure border and we didn’t hesitate to use military force in order to keep this virus from contaminating our comfortable way of life. Not a person complained either, the fear of what was now known as RV16-1, the “Death Angel” virus, was far more compelling than basic human compassion. But I knew it was only a matter of time before RV16-1 would be a real problem for even us in our safe suburban homes. The truth is, it was God’s will and sure enough that day did arrive.
It was a beautiful Sunday morning; we had made it through the entire winter without as much as a sniffle. My husband, Solomon had been at work at the grocery store since 4am. Spring was just beginning. I sat outside the shade of my blossoming cherry tree sipping my morning coffee. It was hard to enjoy the splendor of the gorgeous day knowing of all the suffering that was going on in the rest of the world. Not that you would ever hear much about that in mainstream news. Once the borders were closed the media coverage began to lessen day by day. Now I on the other hand was kept well informed by my brother in law Jack and his wife Sage. They with their sons Jonah and Jasper rented out our basement apartment and always kept up on the current streaming conspiracy theories off the net. The latest involved cannibalism stories out of Africa. Apparently the survivors were becoming vampiric in nature and feeding on others believing that the blood would help you survive the virus.
It was amazing though, how fast our nation began to just forget. We still went to our boring jobs, watched football, had BBQ’s, went to churches and schools as if we would never ever be touched by the devastation the rest of the world was succumbing to. It was so arrogant on our part, so naive.
That Sunday would change the course of our lives forever. It started out with business as usual, Zeke trotted down from the big house on the end of the cul de sac. He was the middle Grey child, only 7, he was also my nephew. He had a tinge of red to his hair and freckles. “Hey aunt Ezra! Can my cousin’s play?” he asked knowing the answer was surely a yes. I nodded and he proceeded to open my front door and go sit down with the kids watching cartoons.
The Greys (my brother Reuben and his family) lived on the end house of the small cul de sac. It was a duplex that had been converted into a large family home much like ours. My brother Reuben had moved onto the cul de sac when Sam’s mother became too ill to care for herself and Sam’s disabled sister Bethany. Being her mother and sisters caregiver enabled Sam to stay home while raising the kids. Reuben was a carpenter, an electrician, a sort of jack of all trades. He was a lot like our Dad, not that you would every hear him admit to that. Along with Zeke, were my nephew Gabriel and my precocious little niece Shiloh. In fact, that particular day happened to be Shiloh’s 3rd birthday. We all planned on being over there that night for a big birthday BBQ. Now more than ever we needed to celebrate a child living another year.
The entire inhabitants of the cul de sac would be there of course considering we were all related. We held to the saying “it takes a village to raise a child” and a village we were. Sol and I had moved in when our kids were very young. When the duplex next to Reuben’s came up for sale we had found a very affordable way to buy a house big enough to accommodate our massive family. The duplex converted nicely into a 6 bedroom home. We have 5 kids which is a huge family nowadays. Almost worthy of a reality show. We started out young I guess, married right out of high school and had the twins. Ember and Azure which were now 16. Then followed Sebastian 10, Alexis 8 and Griffin 6. And then you have the pets a dog, a cat, and the 3 frogs. The bonus for me was I got to live next door to one of my brother and his family.
The downstairs storage basement was just the right size to make a small 2 bedroom apt for Sol’s brother, Jack and his wife and their boys. Not to mention we had a garage to covert into a dojo for them to practice their martial arts and meditation. We all ate together on a regular basis. Everyone’s kids seemed to be everyone’s responsibility. We had a communal garden that we planted, harvested and canned together. I stayed home during the day and home schooled our kids.
After we bought the duplex and converted it, my quirky little sister Harper decided it would be a good investment to buy the small house that was left on the cul de sac for herself and her son Hamilton (aka Hami). If you saw what a chubby little ham he was you would understand the how appropriate Hami’s name was. I don’t think a tiny little body could have held his massive personality and boisterous laugh. Needless to say, we were all just one happy little village living in suburban bliss.
I headed over to Sam’s to help with getting ready for the party while Sage worked in the green house repotting some of the plants we had germinated. The garden was next on the list since it seemed that the final frost had come and gone. I didn’t know how someone with two small children could keep up with a green house but Sage just loved it.
As I walked into my brother’s house I saw my sister in law and best friend Sam making her macaroni salad. I grabbed a pot to start water for boiling for my world famous deviled eggs. Reuben had the meat marinating and was tidying up the house; my brother was the absolute best father and husband anyone woman could ever ask for. He was the exact opposite of our father who spent more time drunken bible thumping. I do believe t
“So Harper can’t make it to the party?” Sam asked chopping up onion.
I answered, “Well see, apparently she had to do some massive training that has taken up the full weekend.”
“What kind of training, she works in a DNA lab?” smirked Sam, “Is there new technology in the ‘who’s your babies’ daddy’ department?”
I shrugged my shoulders, “She didn’t really say, its kind of a hush, hush thing. She kind of implied it has to do with the “death angel” virus”
“Ooohhh,” Sam sighed, “probably precautionary.”
“Ya, probably” I agreed “Well she’s been there all weekend I sure hope she can get home before the party is over”
The party went off without a hitch. Shiloh had a great 3rd birthday; she wore her crown, loved the cake and got tons of cool presents. The food was plentiful and everyone sat and conversed about life as usual. As we were laughing about the guys trying to put together the doll care center, my cell phone began to play my favorite ring tone. “Oh it’s Harper” I announced hitting the talk button.
“What’s up? Are you coming home soon? You are missing out on some really good meat fest” I rambled on.
She hesitated, “No” she answered in a somber voice, “the training will be a while.”
Detecting a hint of worry in her voice I inquired further, “Is everything OK?”
She paused again, “No”
“Harp, what is wrong?” At this point I really began to worry, my light hearted sister never ever sounded this serious.
“I’m not even supposed to be calling you at all. But…” she whispered, “the President is going to be making a big announcement soon. Turn on the TV and watch. I’ll be home when I can. I gotta go, smoke break is over…sis I love you. Kiss Hami for me.” CLICK
“Harper? Hey. Harp?” Everyone had quieted down and all eyes seemed to be on me, “she hung up. She said we need to turn on the TV.” I walked over to the set. My hand was shaking as I reached out and turned it on. The channel was on Comedy Central but it looked like CNN. A standing view of the white house lawn, photographers, reporters and secret service agents everywhere. All gathered around awaiting the big story. Somehow, I already knew what it was. The headlines read “President to make an important address to the nation in 2 minuets”
We all looked blankly at each other. Many conversations had been had about how this day would go down. How we would feel, what we would do, but somehow we all just froze with fear. Waiting for one another to break the silence. Interestingly enough it was our quite soft spoken daughter Azure who did us the favor.
“Ember, why don’t we take the kids outside for a game of hide and seek?” she suggested.
Ember nervously responded, “Ya, good idea” the girls quickly rounded up the children and took them outside.
“It’s happened hasn’t it?” Sam cried holding her hand over her mouth.
Reuben rubbed her back comfortingly, “Now Dear, we don’t even know that for sure.”
“Well it not like we will get a straight answer from the government anyhow.” Sage criticized grabbing the laptop and popping up one of her favorite conspiracy theory web pages, “I’ll go get some real answers”
President Dobson walked out stopping momentarily for photo ops. Interestingly, she was followed by the 28 other national leaders of North and South America.
She stood at her podium smiling but with a serious undertone which became more dominant as she began to address the nation.
“Ladies and Gentlemen of America. Myself and each of these leaders of our allied countries here in North and South America have gathered today to address a very serious health issue. As you know every possible resource has been invested in keeping our borders safe from the RV16-1 virus. The virus that has been taking a toll on the rest of the world. We made it nearly a year without even one case of this deadly virus. But it is with great regret, that I must inform you, the people of this great nation, that within the past week hundreds of cases of RV16-1 have popped up across the continents. We are currently investigating how our security was penetrated and this disease has been able to become a threat to our people. I assure you we will find an answer. As far as the outbreak, each case has been quarantined and isolated. But due to the lengthy incubation period of RV16-1 more infections will surely occur.” A gasp was heard throughout the crowd, “Now don’t for a minuet believe that we have given up. Quite the opposite. We have waged a war against this so called “death angel” virus. I and my colleagues believe that with solid unity across the lands that we can…and will beat this thing. So I have brought together all of these great leaders to introduce to you The American Alliance. I am thrilled to bring to all of you the news that earlier today we signed a treaty that will change history. We signed a treaty of Alliance that merges all 30 countries of North and South America into one great new Nation…the American Alliance.”
The crowd again began to murmur and stir with excitement and intrigue. Cameras flashed and reporters began to buzz. The crowd hesitantly began to clap and some even cheer.
The President nodded and grinned, she spoke up again “Now I know you all have questions about what this all means. And I assure you all of your questions will be answered as time goes on. We have spent many days together, the governments of all of these great nations and put lengthy amounts of time drafting a constitution that you will find is reasonably agreeable to every citizen of this great new nation. That constitution is available on our web page accessible to each and every one of you. I am not going to get into specifics about the new government because more pressing matters are at hand. We have the fight of our life ahead of us and the expert on communicable diseases, Center for Disease Control director, Charles Clifton will now address the drastic steps we will be initiating in order to put an end to the spread of this terrible disease. Please give a hand for infectious disease specialist and CDC director Charles Clifton.”
Everyone applauded like this single solitary man had all of the answers we needed. As if this one stout little black man could be our savior, or messiah. He gruffly nodded and waited for his moment to shine.
“Americans, we are all in this together. I know the fear that all of you are feeling today. I know because I feel it too. I myself have three children and 5 beautiful grandchildren. And I pray by the glory of God that He protects them from this terrible disease. I am proud in these times to say that I am a man of God. A man of science, but above that, a man of God. And you know God and Science they might disagree from time to time but I know that our Lord gave us the knowledge of science to combat the evil hardships that Satan has brought into this world. Now the Godly man in me asked, “Lord what do we do?” And he answered me saying… “Charlie do what you do best and keep the Americas safe.” Do what I do best he told me. Now I know you may not trust in my God but you can trust in the Harvard degree I worked 8 hard years for. You can trust that I am the expert in infectious disease as these wise American leaders have also trusted. My expertise in isolating and combating a disease like RV16-1 compels that we must impose some restrictions in our lives right now. Actions we MUST take in order to keep our people safe. Actions we MUST take in order to eradicate the RV16-1 virus. Think we can’t possibly win this war? Well, we have seen throughout history many wars just like this one…won. Won without nearly the amount of resources we have to work with today, won with sheer human will power and the grace of God. Take for instance the bubonic plague of the 1300’s that is thought to have claimed up to 200 million lives. Even with primitive medical knowledge, we, the human race, survived. And that plague was wiped out of existence just like this so called “Death Angel” virus also will be. Today we know how these pathogens spread. We understand complex DNA. We have antiviral drugs and inoculations. In fact, we have teams of researchers working on a vaccine or cure for RV16-1 as we speak. The very best scientists, researchers, doctors working around the clock in this fight. We have made tremendous progress and will NOT stop until we win this war. But until that day arrives there are Universal precautions we must take immediately. Now I will not stand here and pretend these are small insignificant steps. I will tell you now these are huge lifestyle changes that must be enforced under all circumstances. Drastic but temporary. First and foremost, anyone with symptoms of RV16-1 must be brought into one of the CDC’s local quarantine facilities immediately. If you or someone you know may have the virus contact the CDC for treatment right away. The only chance for survival of this disease is with the expert medical treatment provided through us. Hospitals and medical facilities across the nations are undergoing training directly from the CDC and will provide your communities with all of the medical resources necessary for treatment and quarantine. This step is critical in controlling the spread of this disease. In order to protect the citizens of this great nation anyone failing to comply will be in direct violation of the law and will face criminal charge. Another drastic, yet necessary step that we must take in order to fight RV16-1 is to cease the ability for further spread of the disease. Due to the lengthy incubation period where one could be infected with RV16-1, contagious, spreading the disease yet healthy seeming, the only option is to control human contact. Meaning…as of midnight tonight all public meeting places will be closed. Schools, parks, churches, stores, work sites, any place where people would come into contact with each other…closed. This is not the extent of it. Everyone must remain in their homes.” the crowd began to gasp and mumble. Mr. Clifton held his hand up as to quiet the crowd. “I know, I know…this is a dramatic change in our way of life. And I assure you this is only temporary. I want for no American to feel alone in this isolation. We are ALL in this together. We will not abandon a one of you. We have set up teams that will bring through supplies to your neighborhoods and homes. No one will be left to fend for themselves. Media resources will remain in operation, internet, cable, and phone. We will stay connected in these tough times. Everyone will be able to keep in touch with their loved ones. We are aware of the severities of these restrictions but we must remind you of the devastation this disease has caused throughout the rest of the world. The populations effected by RV16-1 have been reduced to a third of their pre-virus population. Social order is completely dissolved. Food shortages are leaving those surviving starving to death in the streets. Criminal sects are taking control. It is utter chaos and destruction. These actions that we are taking will ensure that our way of life is, in the long run preserved. So citizens of Americas go home, hug your kids and most of all have faith. Faith that we are on a path to victory! Now if you feel you need more information please check our web page www.cdc.gov and these here wonderful news networks will be working very hard to keep you, the public informed. Thank you all and may God bless every one of you!”
