Hunted (15 page)
Everyone nodded and followed Luke. A series of explosions erupted, and Judd wondered if the GC was destroying the house or if the blasts were Carl Meninger's work. The four slogged through a marsh and onto dry ground. With Global Community troops nearby and bounty hunters ahead of them, Judd smiled. He was finally going home.
Vicki stayed up the entire night with Shelly, Janie, Darrion, and Tanya. The five prayed for Judd and the others, asking God to protect them and the rest of the southern Young Tribulation Force. Vicki was amazed at how quickly the time passed as they prayed, read passages out loud, and talked. Cheryl tried to join them but couldn't stay awake.
Marshall Jameson had given Vicki an old road atlas he had found, and Vicki turned to the South Carolina page. She held the map as they prayed, wondering if Judd and Lionel were on any of the small roads she saw.
The angel's words came back to her. Was it possible that something would happen to Judd on the way? Vicki prayed silently, not wanting the others to know her fears.
At 5:30 A.M., after hours of prayer, the phone rang and Vicki beat the others to it. “Hello?” she said.
“It's Judd. We made it.”
Vicki fell to her knees, tears welling in her eyes. The others crowded around and tried to listen, hugging each other and thanking God.
“We made it to Walterboro about fifteen minutes ago,” Judd said. “You won't believe where we're holed up. It's an old Baptist church the GC thinks is condemned. There's a basement with an underground hideout.”
Vicki ran a finger over the wrinkled map in her hand and found Walterboro. She flipped back to the main page and tried to judge the distance between Wisconsin and South Carolina. It was such a long way. When she could speak, Vicki said, “How's Lionel?”
“Good. We're both tired and scratched up. I'll write and tell you all about it.”
Vicki hung up and thanked everyone for staying up with her, then went to her bunk. She thanked God again for keeping Judd and Lionel safe and fell asleep asking him to bring them back soon.
Over the next few days, Judd and Lionel planned their trip north, contacting Chloe Williams about the different safe houses along the way. Judd found out that Carl Meninger had indeed set explosives inside the plantation house to destroy materials left behind.
“They weren't meant to hurt anybody, but I'm not going to cry if GC soldiers lost their lives.”
Judd furrowed his brow. “We're not here to kill people. The GC will label us terrorists if we startâ”
“Look,” Luke said, “we're in a battle. You don't think there are casualties in war? They're chopping off the heads of believers every day.”
“But why stoop to their level?” Judd said.
Luke stared at Judd. “If we'd have taken care of those two back at the house, we'd probably still be there.”
“Right. Kill all the GC we can,” Judd said, throwing his arms in the air.
One of the Walterboro believers came in to quiet them, but they still argued.
“Tom and I are going out tonight on a little mission,” Luke said. “We could use the help.”
Lionel shook his head. “If you're going to do something violent, we can't support you. We'll pray for you and ask God to protect you, but we don't see this as the answer.”
“Fine,” Luke said. “Just remember who rescued your nervous hides.”
Judd checked with Chang Wong, who said there were three reported injuries at the plantation house but no troops killed. Chang said he felt more and more isolated in New Babylon and longed to escape.
For the next three nights, Luke and Tom slipped into the darkness with supplies and blackened faces. News came over GCNN of fires deliberately set in South Carolina. All were said to be the homes of bounty hunters.
“Maybe they'll get the message and stop what they're doing,” Luke said.
But a week later, Luke and Tom failed to return from a night mission. Everyone assumed they had gone to
Barnwell to join their other friends, but no one was sure. Judd and Lionel made final preparations to leave, though they didn't want to until they found out about Luke and Tom.
The next afternoon, the Global Community made a startling announcement. The Walterboro group surrounded the television in their dark underground as Commander Kruno Fulcire held a press conference.
“I will allow questions, but before that I have an important message and directive for all citizens of the Global Community,” Fulcire said. “We have conducted a pilot program, a test for the entire world. I'm pleased to say that our bounty hunters have had great success in ferreting out our enemies. There have been hundreds of people in the southern region of the UNAS delivered to GC headquarters.
“We want to thank those who have participated, some at great personal cost and peril. I have communication from the highest levels who say they appreciate your efforts.”
Fulcire looked at his notes. “However, with recent terrorist actions taken against GC forces and especially targeting bounty hunters, we have an alternate plan we hope will be instituted not only in the southern region, but in all the United North American States, and eventually, throughout the entire Global Community.”
Fulcire held up a shaded map of the southern region. “I have authority from the very top to issue this proclamation. If you are listening to my voice and you are in this shaded area and still have not complied with taking the loyalty mark to our risen lord, you have forty-eight hours to receive that mark.
“After the forty-eight-hour period, we will observe a zero tolerance policy and institute a vigilante law. This means any loyal citizen with a valid mark may kill an unmarked resident on sight. There is no longer any excuse to have neglected your duty. You must come forward at once.
“Citizens who exercise their rights and eliminate lawbreakers will be rewarded. Simply bring the body to the nearest GC facility for processing.”
Judd couldn't believe what he was hearing. They had escaped the GC and bounty hunters, and now ordinary citizens would be their enemies. People in the room clucked their tongues and tsk tsked.
“Sir, what happens if a citizen mistakenly kills a person with a valid mark?” a reporter said after Fulcire finished his remarks.
“The murder of a loyal Carpathianite is punishable by death,” Fulcire said. “Anyone, no matter what the intentions, must be sure the person they accuse of being an enemy does not have the mark here or here.” He pointed to his forehead and right hand. “I suggest caution, but if you know someone is a Judah-ite or simply doesn't have the sense to take the mark, your action will be rewarded.”
“Is there a preferable way to execute enemies of the Global Community?” a female reporter said.
Fulcire smiled. “A dead traitor is a dead traitor. The weapon is up to the loyal citizen. Personally I would like to see these people suffer, but that is up to the vigilante.”
The crowd of reporters laughed, and Lionel turned to Judd. “What does this do to our plans about heading north?”
“If we're ever going to leave, now is the time,” Judd said.
JUDD
and Lionel crammed supplies into backpacks, and one of the Walterboro group gave them a solar cell phone. They had mapped out a series of safe houses and campsites through South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and finally Wisconsin. Judd checked with Chloe Williams to find Co-op flights or trucks headed in that direction, but Chloe confirmed Chang Wong's fears. Some Co-op drivers had been caught, while others had cut down their routes and had trouble just getting supplies to needy groups.
Judd had not only mapped out their travels but also tried to estimate the time for each leg of the trip. On some days, if someone gave them a ride, they could travel as much as fifty miles. Other days, when they were hiking through mountains, they could go five or ten miles at most. They planned to hike through the night and hide during the day, either at a safe house or somewhere in the woods.
The Walterboro group gathered round them after dark, put their hands on Judd and Lionel, and prayed for their safety. Though they hadn't stayed long, Judd felt like they were part of his family. They had risked their lives, and Judd was emotional as the believers huddled around them.
One of the members had agreed to drive them from Walterboro to Barnwell, where the members of Luke and Tom's group stayed. The man had disabled the car's brake lights and they set out after midnight, driving by moonlight. When they saw headlights of an oncoming car, they pulled over and hid until it passed.
Carl Meninger met them in the wee hours of the morning and showed Judd and Lionel where they would sleep, but both agreed to stay up the rest of the night and sleep during the day. Carl took them to the makeshift computer room, and Judd and Lionel spent a few hours writing e-mails and finding out more about the Global Community's latest actions.
Judd became so engrossed that he didn't notice Carl walk into the room, tears in his eyes. “What's wrong?” Judd said.
“We just saw a report about the bounty hunters,” Carl said. “Tom and Luke are dead.”
The news hit Judd like a punch in the stomach. He staggered from the computer to the TV in the next room.
“More now on the deaths of two young men thought to be the arsonists terrorizing South Carolina,” the reporter said. The picture switched to grainy video shot the night before and three bounty hunters standing by two bodies.
“This is them, all right,” one man said. “We caught them with gasoline they used to start the fires last night.”
The camera moved closer, showing the faces of Judd's friends. The two brothers who had saved Judd's life lay lifeless on a wooden pallet. Someone had tried to rub the shoe polish from their faces, but the Global Community spokesman said their identities weren't important. “What is important,” the man said, “is that a message is sent to our enemies. As you can see, neither of these two had the mark of loyalty, so the bounty hunters will receive their reward, as will any citizen who finds and exposes anyone not bearing lord Carpathia's mark.”
Judd went back to the computer and sat, numb from the news. After a brief memorial service for Luke and Tom, Judd wrote Vicki:
I can't help thinking they wasted their lives trying to stop the bounty hunters. They could have done so much more for the cause. I don't want that to happen to us
.
Over the next few weeks, Vicki waited for Judd's calls each morning and kept track of his progress with the atlas and a pen. Judd would give his location, and Vicki drew lines from South Carolina, through North Carolina, and into Virginia. Vicki had a celebration when Judd crossed into a new state.
Judd and Lionel were taking great care in their travels, but Vicki couldn't help but worry when they'd report seeing a GC squad car or even a normal citizen. Their job, as Judd told it, was to walk or ride as far as they could each night, taking as few chances as possible. If they had the choice to go ten miles over a mountain with no chance of seeing anyone, or going five through a more populated stretch, they went over the mountain.
