The Vanishing (The End of Time Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  Shiloh returned to the hospital to talk to Dr. July and found a much different scene. Everyone was wearing a mask over their face and people looked much more concerned.

  “What happened?” he asked, entering the library.

  “I’m afraid that this disease is spreading more rapidly than anything I’ve ever seen before,” answered Dr. July. “I don’t even know how it’s spreading so fast. It’s seems as though everyone became infected at about the same time.”

  “The crates of food and supplies,” said Shiloh, the truth instantly sinking into him, “that’s how it’s infecting so many, all at the same time. Savannah?”

  “Yes,” answered Savannah, who was standing nearby.

  “The food at the party last night, where did it come from?” asked Shiloh, already knowing the answer.

  “It was part of the supplies, the ones from those airdropped crates. Luke Slater and Sheriff Garrett were distributing them yesterday. Why do you ask?”

  “Because I think those crates were infected with Chimaera and that’s why everyone’s getting sick at the same time. Where are the food and supplies being stored?”

  “They’re in my barn bro,” answered Cole.

  “Alright,” said Shiloh, as he quickly took charge of the situation. “Ian I need you to get the word out to everyone in town about the disease and where it’s coming from. Anyone, that has any of that food, needs to destroy it immediately. Cole, I need you to take me to your barn. We’re gonna destroy the remainder of the crates and supplies.”

  “Okay,” said Ian, nodding his head. “I’ll start at the north end of town if you need to find me for anything.”

  When Shiloh and Cole arrived at the barn they didn’t waste any time. They immediately started dousing the entire barn and its contents with gasoline. “I’m sorry about your barn,” said Shiloh, lighting a match and tossing it onto the gasoline.

  “No worries dude, it’s just wood,” smiled Cole. He too lit a match and held it to the hand rolled cigarette, clenched between his teeth.

  The two men stood there together watching the barn burn until finally it was nothing more than a large pile of ash, with the charred remnants of wooden beams on top. With the task complete and the fire safely out, Shiloh and Cole headed back to town to check on Mason and Ian’s progress. When they arrived back at the library, Rupert was waiting for them outside. Ian returned moments later, bringing with him more people infected with Chimaera.

  “May I have a word with you?” Rupert asked Mason, as the CIA agent approached the library.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s Savannah,” said Rupert softly, “she’s become ill with the disease. I’m so very sorry Mason.”

  “No!” gasped Mason, walking past Rupert and rushing into the library.

  Shiloh, Rupert, Cole and Ian immediately followed him inside where they watched from a distance, as Mason knelt by Savannah’s cot. He held her hand in his and whispered into her ear. Shiloh couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he did notice a single, delicate teardrop roll down Mason’s cheek, as he gently kissed his wife’s forehead.

  After a few minutes, Mason stood up from where he knelt and walked back to where the men stood watching. “Doc,” he said, “I need to tell you what I found out.” Mason turned and stared at Savannah across the room, trying to decide what to do. He’d already lost his children and he was not ready to lose his wife as well. The thought of her dying like this was too painful for Mason to bear.

  “I found out that the disease was spread on purpose. Someone, I’m still trying to find out who, wants to force us to get the cure from United Nation clinics throughout the world. Treatment requires consent to having a chip inserted into our hand and passing a background check.”

  “What kind of a chip?” Asked Shiloh.

  “It’s a tracking device with all of your information stored on it, among other things.”

  “What kind of information?” Asked Cole, concerned.

  “Everything. Medical information, financial information, criminal background, what you like to eat, where you like to go, who you’re with…”

  “What do you mean, ‘among other things’?” interrupted Rupert.

  “It will prevent unsanctioned pregnancy, control your mood and monitor your health through nanometer technology.”

  “So what did you learn about the vaccine?” asked Dr. July.

  “It’s called NC666 and is being transported in highly concentrated doses. If we can get a few vials it should be enough for the whole town. These highly concentrated doses need to be diluted or they’ll kill anyone who is foolish enough to take too much. Each person infected needs only one drop of the vaccine each hour, for three hours. If I can get my hands on some of the vials, do you have the supplies and the ability to distribute it to everyone?”

  “Yes, I’m sure that won’t be a problem,” exclaimed Dr. July, as he rushed off to check on his supplies.

  “What are you thinking?” asked Shiloh, after a few minutes of silence.

  “Where’s Cleo?” asked Mason, ignoring the question.

  “She’s back at my ranch with Alfonso and Lex,” answered Shiloh.

  “With Lex?” repeated Mason, scowling. “Why did she go with him?”

  “I guess they hit it off,” smiled Shiloh.

  “Can you take me there?”

  “Sure of course, but why?”

  “She’s my partner,” said Mason, matter of fact. “Besides, I want to make sure that she’s not sick.”

  “We’ll be back,” Shiloh told Rupert and then turned and left the library with Mason following him.

  They arrived on the Evan’s Ranch less than an hour later. As usual, Alfonso was outside working when they pulled into the yard in Mason’s black Hummer.

  “Hello,” waved Alfonso, when he saw Shiloh climb out of the Hummer. The old man’s smile quickly faded when he noticed the worried look in both Shiloh and Mason’s eyes.

  “Where’s Lex and Cleo at?” asked Shiloh, skipping the pleasantries.

  “In the barn,” answered Alfonso.

  Shiloh and Mason turned in unison and walked toward the barn. When they swung the door open, they found the two laughing and wrestling with each other in a large pile of hay. Kassie was barking and wagging her tail, as she circled the new couple playfully. Lex was not wearing a shirt and his bronze chest and stomach had pieces of hay stuck to it.

  “Hello,” said Mason, entering the barn, “we need to talk.”

  “Oh,” gasped Cleo, when she saw Mason standing there, watching them. “What are you doing here?”

  “Looking for you,” he said, in his commanding voice. “There’s an outbreak of Chimaera in town and people are going to die if we don’t do something. We have a mission!”

  “A mission?” said Lex, as he stood up brushing the hay from his body. “So you really are a spook for the…?” Before Lex could finish his sentence, Mason interrupted him.

  “We need to locate the vaccine known as NC666 and acquire enough for the whole town,” explained Mason, without skipping a beat. He was in mission mode and nothing was going to distract him.

  “What the bloody hell,” said Cleo, as she realized that Mason was not his normal self. “What has gotten into ya mate, are you and your wife fighting again?”

  Mason’s eyes involuntarily began to fill with tears at the mention of Savannah. He turned abruptly and left the barn, not wanting anyone to see him cry.

  “What was that all about,” Cleo asked Shiloh, when Mason was gone.

  “His wife is one of the people in town who are sick. He was coming here to see if you might have any ideas on how to acquire the antidote in time.”

  Mason walked back into the barn in control of his emotions once again. Never in his life had he been in a situation where he cared so much. It wasn’t the same as any of his other missions. This was personal.

  “What did you say the vaccine was called?” asked Lex.

  “NC666,” repeated Shilo
h.

  Lex’s entire face lit up as he began laughing and said, “I have it!”

  “What do you mean you have it?” Mason couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “Yeah, I have a briefcase with seven vials filled with a blue liquid and they’re all labeled NC666.”

  “Where is it?” asked Shiloh.

  “In my dune buggy, come on, I’ll show ya.” Lex led the group out of the barn and to his dune buggy, immediately searching for the black briefcase.

  “Where did you get all this stuff?” Cleo asked Lex, as he dug through his belongings.

  “I gathered it as I traveled across the country headed west,” he answered.

  “You traveled across the country in this?” asked Cleo in amazement, as she examined the dune buggy. “Wow, you’re a lot braver than I thought,” she teased, with a wink.

  “Oh yeah,” grinned Lex. “Here it is!” he exclaimed, pulling the briefcase out of the buggy and opening it. “See,” he added, showing them the seven vials of NC666 within, “there they are. Do you think this will be enough?”

  “There’s only one way to find out,” smiled Shiloh, gazing down at the neon blue liquid that would hopefully save the citizens of Clearview.

  “Where did you get this?” asked Mason, not totally convinced. It all seemed to be too good to be true.

  “I took it off a guy in Chicago that tried to kill me,” explained Lex, knowing that the truth was probably the best option.

  “Why was he trying to kill you and why’d you take it from him?” asked Mason, with more caution than before.

  “I was curious by the way he was acting,” smiled Lex. “So I followed him, looking for the opportunity to relieve him of the case. He was protecting it like it was very important. I thought it might hold something of real value and I might be able to fence it.”

  “Ok,” said Mason, beginning to accept the good fortune that had landed right in his lap. “Let’s go see if it works. We should know pretty quickly I guess.”

  “How do you know all of this?” asked Lex, pulling on his t-shirt. “I’m guessing your bosses had something to do with it.”

  “Let’s go!” commanded Mason, not in the mood for starting this type of conversation.

  The small group of four and Kassie piled into the Hummer and raced back to town with the cure. Alfonso followed behind them in Shiloh’s truck. An hour later they pulled to a stop in front of the library, kicking up a cloud of dust. The group quickly climbed out of the Hummer and ran inside with the cure in hand.

  “Here doc,” said Mason, handing Dr. July the suitcase. “This is NC666, the antidote to the Chimaera disease. Inside you’ll find seven vials. Do you need any help?”

  “Why yes, that would be nice,” answered July. “But I don’t understand. Where did you get it?”

  “He had it,” replied Mason nodding toward Lex, who stood with his arm around Cleo. “Hurry doc, I want to be sure it works! You can’t really trust anything these days and I’m not positive this is gonna do the trick.”

  “Yes, yes of course,” said July. “Jessie dear, I’m going to need your help.” The two of them left and started adding drops of the antidote to the bags of IV fluids hooked up to the patients.

  It was late in the day by the time everyone had been given three doses of the cure and Shiloh was exhausted. Seeing Mason’s together and witnessing the new love that Lex and Cleo seemed to share, Shiloh was left feeling lonely for Sheila. “We should send some of the NC666 to Mayor Hollenbrook and the people of Yerington,” he suggested. “They’ve got to be getting sick too.”

  “That’s a grand idea,” agreed Sam. “I’ll send some of the lads over with a bit o’ the cure.”

  After the last person had received their dose of the antidote, Shiloh quietly slipped out of the library, taking Lex, Cleo and Kassie with him. He drove back to his ranch, wanting some time to think and be alone. With so many around the world suffering from the epidemic, it was a miracle that no one in Clearview had died.

  He felt like thanking God for the first time in a long time, but chose to ignore the feeling…for now. He still wasn’t sure what to think but he wanted to know the truth. When they arrived at the ranch, Lex, Cleo and Kassie went to sleep in the guest house, leaving Shiloh alone in the main house.

  A Vision of the Truth

  The Vanishing – Day 14

  Clearview, Nevada

  It was well after midnight before Shiloh was completely alone. Exhausted and emotionally drained, all he wanted was to lie down and sleep forever. He dropped to the couch and closed his eyes, without even bothering to remove his boots. Within seconds he was fast asleep and dreaming.

  At first, Shiloh’s dream brought him to memories of his wife and children. They were at a park with a small pond and had a blanket spread out, topped with a picnic basket full of food. Wearing shorts and a t-shirt, Sheila was lying on the blanket laughing. She was watching Jacob and Jasmine as they fed bread to the ducks in the pond.

  Shiloh could also see himself in the dream, almost as though it were a home movie. He was standing off to the side with a camera, videotaping the children. After a moment he snuck up to the blanket where Sheila lay. He started tickling her and kissing the back of her neck, as she rolled around on the blanket giggling.

  It didn’t take very long for the children to notice this. Once they saw their parents wrestling on the blanket and laughing, they came running to join in the fun. The kids quickly climbed onto Shiloh’s back and began tickling him.

  “Wake up Shiloh,” called the soft voice of a stranger.

  Shiloh slowly opened his eyes, unhappy that someone had interrupted this wonderful dream and looked around. There was a man standing next to the couch where he lay. As he gazed up into the blue eyes of the stranger he realized it was Gabriel, the man who’d disappeared from his kitchen the day of the vanishing.

  Gabriel still wore a long white robe that went all the way to the floor, covering even his feet. His bright blue eyes were so sharp that they seemed to pierce right through Shiloh and into his very soul.

  “Is that you Gabriel?” Shiloh asked in confusion.

  “Rise Shiloh Evans and come with me. I have a message for you. You have much to see,” said Gabriel, in the same soft voice.

  “What message?” Asked Shiloh, as he stood up from the couch, wondering if he was still dreaming.

  “A message that must be shown, not heard,” answered Gabriel.

  “Whoa!” gasped Shiloh, as he stepped away from the sofa and fell backwards over the coffee table. “What’s going on here? And what’s that?” he demanded, climbing to his feet and pointing at the couch.

  Lying on the sofa, Shiloh could see his very own body still peacefully sleeping. He looked down at his hands and realized that they appeared transparent, as though he could see right through them.

  “Am I dreaming?”

  “That’s your body Shiloh,” answered Gabriel. “I’ve only awoken your soul, not the capsule that it resides in. I sometimes forget how attached you humans are to this world.”

  “I know you,” said Shiloh, as he examined the older man. “I saw you on the morning that everyone disappeared. Are you an angel?”

  “Why yes, yes I am,” smiled Gabriel. “I’m happy that you’re not resisting God’s love anymore. I’m God’s messenger angel Gabriel and I have a message for you.”

  “A message,” repeated Shiloh, unable to believe his ears, “from God, for me?”

  “Of course,” answered Gabriel.

  “Why would God send me a message?”

  “I don’t know,” answered Gabriel, with a smile. “I just do as I’m commanded.”

  “Why were you at my ranch that morning?”

  “I was instructed to help Alfonso and I was curious. I wanted to see you and perhaps learn what is so special about you. Now come,” he extended his hand to Shiloh, “you have much to see.”

  Shiloh slowly and hesitantly reached for Gabriel’s hand. Everything se
emed too real to be a dream, but not quite right for being awake either. When Shiloh’s hand touched the angel’s the room around them suddenly began to whirl. Shiloh closed his eyes as everything began to spin faster and faster until it all became one big, blur of motion.

  When he felt the spinning finally stop, he opened his eyes and looked around. His jaw dropped immediately, he was standing on top of a small mountain, looking south across a valley. On the other side there was an army from long ago with men wielding swords, spears and bow and arrows. They didn’t attack, instead they just stood there cursing and shouting insults across the valley.

  Shiloh glanced about to see if it was he whom they were shouting at. All around him on the north side of the valley, were more armed soldiers, they too were shouting but at the opposing army. Both armies were speaking in foreign languages, but for some reason, Shiloh was able to understand everything they were saying.

  Standing below on the floor of the valley between the two conflicting forces, was a very large man. He was dressed from head-to-toe in armor and stood nearly ten feet tall. He stood there defiantly facing the north end of the valley, with a spear in his hand.

  “Where are we?” Shiloh whispered to Gabriel, who stood at his side. “Or should I say, when are we? Are we in any danger?”

  “Don’t worry Shiloh they can neither see nor hear us. We’re standing above the Elah Valley, about fifteen miles west of the town of Bethlehem,” answered Gabriel.

  “Why have you brought me here?” asked Shiloh. “Better yet, how did we get here?”

  “The dimensions of time and space restrict only those who are bound by them and I am not,” replied Gabriel. “But if it helps, the earth year is 1020 B.C. Now, watch and listen,” instructed Gabriel, ignoring Shiloh’s other questions.

  Shiloh was about to object but then thought better of it. He turned to face the soldiers surrounding him and listened to what they were saying. He learned that he was standing among the Israelite army and their lands were being invaded by the Philistines. The Philistine army was camped opposite the Israelite’s, on the south rim of the valley. Shiloh glanced back across the valley and then looked down at the giant of a man standing below. He’d never before seen such a large man.