Book of Ezra, page 10
What a hopeless choice, one child for another. Yet it was the only choice we seemed to have.
We spent several hours devising a list of needed supplies. Non perishable foods, toiletries and first aide supplies. We would pack minimal clothing and personal items. Each of us layered our clothing (jeans, short sleeve, jacket/hoodie and sneakers or hiking boots). Most of us had our own sleeping bags which we attached to the Quads. I was surprised how much room those four wheelers had; it seemed we would be able to fit everyone and the supplies. Reuben and Sol filled the vehicles with gas siphoned from our cars and trucks we no longer could drive. Reuben checked fluids and made sure each vehicle was in operating order. Finally it came time for Harper to head back to the clinic for the very last time.
Morbidly, Reuben and Sol zipped themselves up in body bags lying in the back of Harpers work van. No one at this point ever questioned the existence of loaded body bags, even ones big enough to fit Reub. Most were just happy to not be the poor unfortunate soul who had to handle the bodies and even happier to not be the bloke inside the bag.
I figured I would need as much energy as I could for the long days ahead so I took some melatonin and lay in bed trying to fall asleep. A steep task when your husband and brother were out on a dangerous mission and your children were MIA. I took one more melatonin and eventually my body gave in.
As I entered slumber I was greeted by the familiar face of the beautiful angelic being I had been visited by so many times before. I had concluded that this frequent visitor was not part of some strange dream but rather a sort of spirit guide. He had shown me things that I never could have known without him. He warned us that the vaccine would ultimately lead to our death, advice that Dan's science proved sound. This time I took his hand without hesitation; he smiled a half smile and led me up and out our second floor window. This time he held me protectively in his arms and we flew across the night sky. I didn't seem to fear anything when I was with him. Ultimately I hoped he would lead me to my children. Flying felt incredibly liberating. I had never really thought about how truly free it would feel to soar along the skyline. We were headed south towards Seattle. I was eager to see the Space Needle from above rather than from the familiar below. It was truly as breathtaking as I had imagined it to be. The cityscape reflected off the water of the Puget Sound. The boats that were usually all over the bay sat docked in the harbor. It wasn't long before we began to descend into the city. It was a peculiar sight to see the city streets so empty. Seattle always seemed to have a hustle and bustle about it no matter the hour of the night. But with the quarantine, the only people on the streets were military and police adorned in haz-mat and riot gear, the routine "Death Trucks" that drive around collecting the dead, and a few vehicles with travel privilege like Harper.
We came to a beautiful Presbyterian Church in downtown. As I began to worry that we might be seen his touch reminded me that it would be ok. He opened the front doors and we entered the church. It was a richly decorated church. Above the altar was an eerie life size Jesus statue hanging. His martyred face silently, suffering upon a cross. My angel friend walked up to the altar and swiftly shoved it forward revealing a hidden stairwell. The secret passageway must have been there since the church was built in the early 1900's. I wondered if it had been used for trafficking alcohol during prohibition or was it something far more sinister. Nothing intrigued me more than a good mystery. The hallway led to a large wooden door which gauging from the commotion there seemed to be a large group meeting behind it. He pushed the door open and I followed him in. No one seemed to notice or care that we were there. We seemed to blend in with the Hodge podge of people that filled the room. In fact, the room was filled with all sorts of unusual folk mingling. Some arguing about different topics, others laughing and carrying on. It was clear at least some of these people were like us...evolved. I saw a man with hair like an ape but it was green like grass, one man stood on long legs like stilts, another fat man seemed to have the tusks of a wild boar along with the piggy nose. Made me wonder what you possibly could do with piggy powers. As I scanned the room, watching the people I paid close attention to the details. It didn't take me long to realize what this secret room had been used for, or at least by whom it had been used. The chisel and hammer, the pyramid topped with an all seeing eye, a compass and square with a G in the center. This had been a Masonic Lodge.
The crowd began to hush as a tall man with long, black, curly hair and a handle bar mustache walked up to the podium beneath the sign that read LEGION.
"Family, friends, Legion Members, this is a very critical time in our lives. We are being faced with some very difficult decisions. Our kind is under attack by this New World Order. They have waged war on us. They have put forth a plan that ensures the survival of their kind and the complete annihilation of ours. We have, as I see it, two choices. The first being a route of inaction. We can hide ourselves away, in caves or warehouses or secret chambers. We can try to forge fake identifications and bare false markings so that we may attempt to blend in with the human race. Those of us who still look human. Yes, we can hide ourselves away, hide our new found powers, hide away our children, give up our every right, give away our very dignity. But that isn't much of a choice is it? That is more like a prison sentence than a life. But I do believe there is another choice, a better choice. We can choose a plan of action. We can choose to fight." the crowd began to cheer and I found myself cheering along. Perhaps partially to blend in, but part of me was moved by the words the charismatic man was speaking.
He continued, "To fight for that which is inheritantly ours. It is, after all, Survival of the fittest and we are, by far, the fittest. These powers are our birthright. God gave us these gifts, not to hide away, but rather, to display with pride! Who among you is proud of who you are? Proud of who your children are?" the crowd roared.
One man shouted, "How long until we judge the inhabitants of this Earth and avenge the blood of our fallen brothers and sisters?"
The man at the podium answered, "Soon, my brother, very soon. In fact the counsel and I have devised a plan. We will unite our people and rise up against this corrupt world government that is trying to exterminate us! We will destroy them as they are trying to destroy us! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!"
He grinned as the whole room rallied behind him, "Are we not the ones with powers? Are we not the ones who have been given the gifts? We are the ones intended to inherit the Earth and they are the ones intended to die off"
A group of council members began to walk up to the front of the room. They were all dressed in white robes with the Egyptian eye of Ra upon them, "To show our unity, we will all, each and every one of us, from here on out, wear the same white robes. White robes representing the purity of our blood, the holiness of our DNA. They will be a symbol that will be associated with us. Associated with our fight. A symbol that not only says YES, we are different than you, but also says YES we are better than you!" The counsel members began dispensing the robes and people were slipping them on eagerly. "They will say "I AM NOT YOU and that YOU CANNOT BE ME! Nor can you eliminate me or defeat me! We will respond with vengeance for our people. We will stage strategic attacks on this dictatorship until it falls on its knees and begs us for mercy...Mercy, which we will not give! For we are Legion! We do not forgive. We do not forget! We have been given no other choice. No viable choice. We have been left nothing. Nothing, but, fight."
I was so swept away by the moment that my angel friend had to grab me by the arm tightly to avoid me being carried into the chaos. Suddenly we were no longer in the hidden hall. We were in a city square with hundreds, no maybe thousands of people wearing the same white robes. They were marching upon an army of soldiers. They were using various powers against an arsenal of military retaliation. They all, on both sides, were killing anyone in sight. Some of the civilians in the crossfire quickly became casualties. It was a massacre and Legion was giving those soldiers quite the fight. In fact, the soldiers really had very little defense against the various skills of the army they battled. The soldiers suddenly began to retreat and Legion took it as a sign that they were achieving some sort of a victory. I could see how they might thing so, but I sensed something more was on the horizon. I could hear the roar of jet planes in the distance. Those soldiers weren’t retreating but rather were pulling back because they had called in back up.
"They called in an air strike!" I shouted to the angelic being beside me. "We gotta get out of here!" but he shook his head no. This guy seemed to enjoy subjecting me to rated mature violence for the sake of a lesson learned. I stood and watched as bombs dropped all around us. It was a horrific sight; the Legion members seemed paralyzed but some kind of nerve toxin that was being dropped. They were helpless when the nerve gas was followed up by bombs, missiles and gun fire. One by one they fell down dead. I buried my head in my guides shoulder and soon there was silence.
I opened my eyes and found myself back in my bed. Griffin (who had crawled into bed with me) was snoring loudly. I knew I wouldn’t be getting back to sleep anytime soon. I got up and went to the kitchen to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I sat down on the couch and turned on the television. And old episode of Perry Mason, why the hell not.
Harper, Sol and Reuben made it through the check points undetected and into the clinic parking garage. She opened the sliding door and quietly unzipped the body bags, so not to arise any suspicion. She closed the van door and headed into the clinic for what would be her very last shift. Reuben and Sol got to work. Sol, stealthily hopping from building to building, Reuben following Sols direction and lead, creeping through the dark alley way. Eventually they reached Food Mart. Food Mart was essentially a one stop shop, one of those Super Stores which carried everything from groceries to food to motor oil and furniture. They made their way up the back alley where normally deliveries would be received. There was only one truck back there and the corpse of the driver lay face down on the steering wheel. His body must have been there through the hot summer months of quarantine. It was in a bad state of decomp. He was the chip truck driver that Sol had seen weekly for the past 10 years. Sadness came over him. It was the first personal experience of the deadly virus that had almost killed them months ago. Not an easy sight for my compassionate, weak stomached husband.
Sol pulled out the store key from his pocket and unlatched the door. The familiar scent of the bakery and deli was strangely absent. When you spend a decade of your life in one place, you grow accustomed to the smells and sounds. Those familiar things had been replaced by the stench of rotting food and corpses and an unnerving, eerie silence. What a sad way to go, Sol thought, he definitely did not want to take his last breath in Food Mart.
They turned on their flashlights and quietly gathered needed supplies. Camping section was fully stocked since it was late spring when the quarantine went into effect. Freeze dried foods, a hiking pack with a camel back for each person. They stocked them with energy bars, dehydrated fruit, nuts, and beef jerky. They picked up some water purification tablets to use on fresh river water so they wouldn’t need to carry an extra supply. Water proof jackets, hats, gloves and wool socks, thermal undies. Two collapsible tents, a first aide kit, instant coffee. After four safe trips back and fourth the guys finally had everything loaded up into the van.
Sol's phone vibrated, it was a text from Azure. DAD, DON'T FORGET GUNS and AMMO. Solomon paused and thought what a great idea from such an unlikely source. He showed Reuben the text and Reuben laughed, "That’s my niece!"
"But the only thing Food Mart does not have is a hunting and guns department." Sol replied somberly.
"Not a problem, it just so happens that my buddy Eric lives right on the way up the mountain, it can be our first stop." Reub smiled.
"What if he doesn't want to share them?" Sol inquired.
Again laughing, "He has more than he will need and he wouldn't want anything more than to give them to us."
They sat in the van and waited for Harper to return. She eventually came out of the elevator. She carried medical supplies and supplements. Sol and Reuben zipped themselves back up in the body bags and they all returned to the cul de sac. It was a somber mood at home that morning, everyone just did what was needed and soon they were ready to head out. None of us knew quite how to say goodbye but it was a step we had to take. And that was exactly what we did.
Chapter 7: Head for the Hills
By mid morning we had nothing left to do but say goodbye to Jack and Sage and hit the trails. Sage’s friend Amy had arranged for them to be picked up by a boat and taken to a warehouse in Seattle where Legion was organizing. While I completely support the movement towards acceptance and equality for our people, I just didn’t think Legion was going about it the right way. And after what I had observed in the dreams I had had about them, I knew they were headed for a disastrous end. This all goes beyond a social inequality issue; this is an all out war that was being waged against us behind the blinders of the sheeple in the general population. Bringing our existence out into the public eye was dangerous. The average American would surely see us as a far greater threat than this New World Government. The people understand and expect an all-controlling government and a brain washing church. They wanted, perhaps even need booth. But what we are represents something foreign, something frightening. These people want their lives to go back to the way it was before. They long for their safe, simple lives. They miss their SUV’s, the soccer games, church luncheons, sitcoms and reality TV. They miss McDonald’s and Macy’s, the PTA, and mowing the lawn every Saturday. They want answers given to them and they don’t dare question those answers. What they don’t want…is us. We are the monsters that lurk in stories of myth and legend. We are the unanswered questions and a new reality. Sometimes I envy those who will come out of all of this tragedy untouched. Those who can hold out hope that tomorrow may bring forth some familiarity, a glimpse of the life we once knew. But I suppose that is not our intended path, for us tomorrow only brings weary anxiety and constant reminders that we will never again be who we once were. A perpetual fear that the powers that be are lurking right behind us, waiting for us to slip up and show the freaks that we really are. Right now, we are not prepared to take on that establishment. Not just yet. We are still developing our new skills. We are a peaceful people, we haven’t any idea what that war would entail. We need a safe zone to develop our army, only then can we even consider fighting those powers that be. Jack and Sage may feel ready but like Reuben had said, right now we just want to keep surviving.
Currently our path was leading us up into the mountains. We had four quads and 2 dirt bikes. Sol and Reuben rode the bikes and we strapped two large tents to the back racks. Sam had Shiloh on the quad with her and Reuben secured an infant seat onto the back for Baby Jasper. I had Griffin, Azure and Oliver (the dog, who was thrilled about going on a ride) with me. Harper had Ember and Jonah. Liza and Bethany carried a load of the supplies on a trailer Reub rigged to pull behind them. We all sported backpacks filled to the brim with the essentials. We were well equipped for the long haul.
Our 1st stop would be Reuben’s buddy Eric’s in Granite Falls. Reuben had taken the old railroad trails out to Eric’s many times so he knew the exact route. Eric’s was a must stop since Azure had reminded Sol we needed guns and Eric had an arsenal. The weather held up, which was unusual for early fall in Western Washington. This is normally our rainy season. We didn’t encounter anyone else, when we would near roads we would cut the engines and Ember or Azure would scout it out and make sure the coast was clear before we would proceed. We could use this handy walkie talkie app on our phones and since they were receiving their signal through Skye Net we didn’t have to worry about being tracked. Jasper surprisingly did very well considering he normally hated being stuck in his car seat and now that he had a banshee scream that could knock a lot of us out it was necessary to keep him pacified. He seemed quite thrilled being in the woods on the bumpy trail, I guess he had plenty to look at. Shiloh on the other hand was quite cranky she even turned and attempted to charm her mother into stopping several times. Sam would suddenly stop and let her off the quad to play in a creek or touch the leaves. No one had any defense against Shiloh’s charm so we stopped often. Griffin and Jonah acted as if they were on the adventure of their lives and Griffin had even more fun finding new animals along the way to transform into. My favorite was the furry gray squirrel that crawled into my pocket and napped through part of the ride.
It was so difficult leaving home without the other kids and it hurt even more thinking of how much they would have enjoyed this trek up into the mountains. I did however find that due to the closeness I had with Alexis and Sebastian that I maintained an emotional connection to them. I could feel them and I knew instinctively that they were safe (not being physically harmed). I also could feel their fear and sadness which was heartbreaking. I wished I could sense where they were through that connection but my guess was they didn’t know where they were at. I could tell they were traveling for many hours so I could only assume they could be even states away by now. All I can do is hope that Marco can find some answer to their whereabouts. He had been successful in accessing the computers but to find out the more detailed information, like locations he would need to break through the encryptions. Harper suspected that they were keeping children of certain ages for some reason. They left the oldest and youngest behind as if they were of no use to them. I couldn’t imagine what those reasons might be and I was pretty sure I might not want to know either.
We reached Eric and Lynda’s around dusk and they were eager to see everyone. They had two children, a pre-teen daughter Bianca who was almost the same age as my niece Adele and a little toe head boy named Carson. Bianca attached herself to Ember and Azure much to their annoyance and the boys all settled into Carson’s room which was decked out in a big flat screen TV and video games galore. I think after the months of isolation during the quarantine their whole family was sick of one another. Eric and the guys took to the garage for some man time while the Mommy’s took to the kitchen and began preparing a dinner.
