The Teacher stood resolutely on his dais, the bullhorn dangling from the cord around his wrist, and both arms suspended by his sides. He watched intently as this sea of people ran in all directions simultaneously, their fears pushing aside any logical thinking. He slowly raised his arms skyward, as if beckoning the heavens. His face, without emotion, was posed in purposeful determination. He considered what it must have been like for Moses when he parted the seas. Only this prophet was parting a sea a sea of people so as to separate the wheat from the chaff, or the strong from the weak. He was in command. He was the prophet of this time.
It was his time.
25.
Preflight
John and Steve Parkington arrived at the Jackson County Airport — Reynolds Field at just before 11PM. Steve ran into airport restaurant to use the facilities, knowing it was going to be a while before the next rest stop, while John went to the Airport Manager’s office to drop off their flight plan. They met at Hanger 119 and opened the door to reveal John’s favorite toy, a blue and red striped, 1982 Cessna 340A. Although he didn’t need to, John justified the purchase for business, since he often traveled around the state, especially Detroit, and sometimes across the lake to Chicago. Really, John just bought the plane for fun. It was in sorry shape when he first purchased it — or stole it — having sat in a field for a decade, unused. After a year of overhauling the engine, replacing much of the avionics, reupholstering it with leather, and repainting it with his company’s colors, it was like a new plane.
While John went through his pre-flight checklist, Steve was getting weather reports all the way to Denver on his phone. Most pilots never flew at this time, even those who were instrument rated, still preferring to fly by the light of day. John loved flying at night, among the stars, and he was very familiar with this route, having made this very same flight six times now. Everything looked good and they were ready to go. With a little tailwind, they should reach Denver by sunrise at 5AM the next morning.
“Jackson tower, this is Cessna Charlie-George-Boy- two-two-six requesting permission to take off.”
“Cessna two-two-six, be advised, Chicago O’Hare reports communications problems. Traffic is heavy in their neighborhood. Otherwise, Cessna two-two-six, you are cleared for take-off on runway three-two. Have a safe trip, John.”
“Thanks, Peter, Cessna two-two-six out.”
John looked at Steve, who was lost in a happy thought, smiling to himself.
“You ready,” he asked interrupting his thoughts.
“Engage, Number One,” he answered thrusting his hand forward, mimicking his most favored TV series, Star Trek Next Generation, even though it hadn’t been on since he was really little.
John throttled the engines. The twin turbo props came alive in an instant, moving the airplane forward at an increasing rate. In twenty seconds, they reached 105 miles per hour. John pulled back on the wheel and they were airborne. The plane steadily accelerating, disregarded the pull of gravity. Within a few minutes, they flew over their family home and the lake they both so enjoyed. Ahead of them was an adventure that would test their intellectual and physical limits. Behind them was the home they knew for most of their lives, and one they would never see again.
26.
Prelude to Armageddon
They walked barefooted, hand-in-hand on the littoral area of the beach where the sand was flat, solid, and packed enough that their footfalls didn’t displace too much ground to make their walking difficult. The sun, already set, still provided enough light for them to avoid the occasional rock or coral that would otherwise inflict pain to their unprotected feet. The soft afternoon waves of the low tide, not yet moving back inland, gently brushed the sand forward and back only a few steps from their feet. Both Bill and Lisa walked in anxious silence, lost in their own thoughts.
Lisa was apprehensive about Darla and Danny. They were flying late tonight, getting into Rocky Point Airport tomorrow morning on a puddle jumper. They would be doing lots of driving from Bill’s father’s house in Michigan and then lots of flying. She trusted Dar, who had a clear head, but was worried just the same about them leaving so late. She was always worried about Danny and his asthma. She said a little prayer to herself to calm her nerves.
Bill considered more deeply, what Max had shared with him, along with Sally’s frantic revelations about her Internet findings this morning. He asked her to not share this with Lisa until she/they could verify it with Max. It was still somewhat surreal that Max built his house to protect against… from what exactly he didn’t know. Then, he stocked up with enough guns, ammo, and supplies for the end of the world. He never really gave Max’s apocalyptic prognostications much thought, until now. He never doubted his sincerity or seriousness, but he never considered tangible the potential threats Max obviously lost sleep over. After being shown his secret office and gun, he first wondered if his friend was seriously off-the-reservation crazy or if the source of his worries were real. He so wanted to tell Lisa, but was sure she would be terrified by most of it. No wonder Max didn’t want to discuss solar flares and the “big one” that was about to hit them with Sally. Now, considering all the pieces, together the puzzle seemed clear, and with it came fear.
Bill tried to consider anything that could rebut the reasons for Max and now Sally’s worries. It just couldn’t be-
His body was jerked backward, his hand being pulled by Lisa who had stopped rigid in her tracks. Bill stopped too and looked back at his wife who was staring towards the port, in the western direction they were walking. Her face was contorted in a mask of wonderment and awe. He didn’t ask, but turned in the direction she was looking, his question answered immediately.
On the Westernmost edge of the sky, a small single green ribbon-shaped cloud hung suspended above, followed by another, and then another. Like a tsunami of green wispy clouds, that poured toward them from the horizon.
The same clouds elicited entirely different emotions in each of the Kings. Lisa thought the clouds were beautiful, even if they were unique. Bill on the other hand was terrified. “We need to go tell Max immediately,” he said, pulling his wife away from the direction of the green clouds, and they both started jogging toward Max’s home.
27.
The Foretelling
The loud banging finally woke Max from a vivid dream of death and destruction.
He was on a train with many passengers, all content and going about their business, unaware of what lay ahead. However, he knew that less than a mile ahead of them, a bridge they were supposed to cross was out. If they didn’t stop the train before this bridge, they would all plunge into the canyon below to their deaths, or worse. The canyon they would cross was so deep that from its bowels erupted the actual fires of hell. He could see in his mind’s eye the fire erupting from lower levels in the canyon. And they were headed right for it.
He had to warn everyone and he had to stop the train, and he knew he was the only one who could do it. Desperately, Max tried to warn every passenger on the train about their impending doom, but for some reason, he could not speak; he was rendered mute. No matter how hard he tried to speak, the words would not come out of his mouth. He tried to point and to pantomime his warning, anything to show he was serious, but everyone ignored him.