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

  “You can say that again,” grinned Ian, as he looked up at Shiloh to gage his response, “very nice. I wonder if she has a boyfriend.”

  The Shady Lady

  The Vanishing – Day 2

  Clearview, Nevada

  It was already starting to get dark, when Shiloh and Ian finished loading the back of the wagon with all of their supplies. Shiloh was anxious to return home to check on Alfonso and inspect the damage to his ranch, but he could tell that Ian, after seeing Jessie, wanted to linger in town just a little longer.

  “Ya wanna grab a cold beer before we start the trip back?” asked Ian, as Shiloh closed the door to the station wagon. “We might be able to get some information?” Ian baited, sensing his friend’s hesitation. “Everyone knows the Shady Lady is the best location for gossip.”

  “Alright,” agreed Shiloh, realizing that Ian had a good point about gathering information. The two men set off toward the neon lights of the Shady Lady; ironically, it was one of the few buildings that still stood intact.

  When they arrived at the saloon it was already filled to the brim, with what appeared to be all of the remaining locals. Many people obviously had the same idea as Ian and had come seeking any information they could find.

  The jukebox in the corner of the bar was making its presence known, by playing a variety of hits from decades long since passed. It wasn’t the jukebox that sat there normally. This one seemed to be an antique. It looked right at home in this bar, which reminded Shiloh of an old west saloon. Most of the bar was covered in wood, with the exception of neon signs, which looked out of place. The walls were littered with old photographs and paintings, of the town and its’ founders from the gold and silver rush era.

  Shiloh and Ian pushed their way through the crowd and sat down on the only two vacant bar stools, the previous occupants having just stumbled away in a haze of booze.

  “What’ll it be boys?” asked Chelsea, the owner of the bar.

  “Two double shots of whiskey and a couple of beers,” shouted Ian, over the sound of loud music and a hundred voices. Chelsea disappeared and a moment later returned with the drinks.

  “You boys are gonna have to make do with warm beer. It’s all I’ve got since the storm knocked out the power and the cooler went dead,” explained Chelsea, as she placed the drinks in front of the men on the bar.

  Chelsea Gates was the best bartender and hostess within 100 miles of the Shady Lady. She didn’t ask too many questions, she listened without judgment, and she always knew what you were really looking for. Her looks were not bad for an older woman. She was in her fifties but looked like she was in her thirties. She had long straight back hair, a long slender body, an inviting smile and curious light green eyes. Chelsea was exactly the woman you pictured when you read the sign out front.

  “No worries,” said Ian, grabbing hold of his double shot of whiskey. He tossed his head back and poured the amber liquid down his throat, following it with a chug of beer.

  “Thanks,” said Shiloh, smiling. Chelsea returned the smile followed by a wink and then slinked away to serve another customer.

  Shiloh slowly sipped at his drinks, alternating between the whiskey and the beer, while watching the crowd around him. In the center of the room there were a couple of dozen rowdy men, drinking heavily and shooting pool, while trying to forget what was happening to the world outside. In the far corner of the room, Shiloh noticed Jessie and July sitting at a small table and getting ready to eat dinner together. Jessie was already smiling at Shiloh, when his eyes found hers. He returned the smile and then looked away, not wanting to give her wrong idea.

  “I thought the power was still out?” Shiloh asked an older man wearing overalls, which he recognized as Christopher Sampson; owner of Sampson’s Hardware. He was installing a new, flat screen television behind the bar, replacing the one that had been fried during the power outage.

  “It is, for the most part,” answered Christopher, without turning to look at Shiloh. “This building uses solar power. I had to replace the solar panels and some of the fuses and circuits, but for the most part we’re back up and running. Although it’ll be a little while before the beer gets cold again. It’s a good thing Chelsea had the parts. How are you holding up?”

  “As good as can be expected, how about you?”

  “About the same,” replied Christopher.

  When old man Sampson finished connecting the cables, he powered on the television and began flipping through the stations. Most of the stations were coming in fuzzy or not at all. Finally, he found a clear station and turned up the volume. The commotion in the bar died down immediately as every eye became fixated on the broadcast. A news report was on and an anchor with a British accent was speaking.

  “Every nation has been hit hard by the meteor shower and earthquake, with the exception of Israel. Reports indicate that the small country hasn’t suffered any damage at all with the exception of only one building being brought down by the earthquake, the Dome of the Rock. In other news, millions of people around the world have vanished in what has been reported as a bright, white light. The reports of the vanishings began coming in moments before the world wide earthquake and meteor shower. All of the young children appear to be missing, as well as a large part of the world’s adult population. It seems as though everyone knows someone who has disappeared. These vanishings have happened in every country, in every part of the world. It appears as though we are now all on the same side, as we take count of what has been lost.”

  The screen suddenly turned to static for a brief moment, before the signal returned. They were now showing video footage of cities that had been destroyed by the meteor shower. In the footage, crews could be seen out gathering the mangled remains of the poor souls that had lost their lives. The crews were wearing orange jumpsuits with white face masks and black gloves. Shiloh watched, as bodies were loaded into unmarked white vans and then carted off.

  The picture then returned to the reporter, who was now talking about the catastrophic disruption of the earth’s electro-magnetic field. “Scientists have been warning us for years,” he said, “about the possibility of a large solar flare knocking out electricity all over the world. It now seems as though that possibility has become a reality. Around the world, electrical grids are slowly beginning to come back to life and global communications are being rebooted. However, the United States massive electrical grid has yet to recover, due to the large number of people that vanished. It seems that America has suffered the most vanishings, of any nation on earth, and no one knows why.”

  Again the screen went fuzzy for a moment, before the picture finally returned. The reporter was now discussing the conflict in Israel. “News of Israel being miraculously saved from the combined confederate forces of Russia, China, Iran, and Syria along with many other countries has spread quickly. Arab nations are in a collective uproar, blaming Israel for what happened. We appear to be on the brink of World War III, as many nations are pointing the finger at their enemies. Every nation on Earth is dealing with food shortages, economic crisis, mass riots, the vanishings and many are dealing with civil wars.”

  The screen went fuzzy again and, after a few minutes, Shiloh noticed that although most of the people had gathered around the TV, there was a small group gathered at the far end of the bar. There in the corner, was a small stage where local bands would sometimes play on Friday and Saturday night’s. The stage was crowded with a small group of people and in the center of them stood one man. Shiloh recognized the man immediately. It was Rupert Powers, the local high school history professor.

  Rupert and Shiloh had been friends as teenagers, despite Shiloh being two years younger, but they were no longer close. A slender man of average height, Rupert was in his mid-thirties with light brown eyes hidden behind black rimmed glasses and sandy brown hair. Although he was an attractive man, Rupert had never married. He’d spent most of his life with his nose buried in a book, which had resulted in a lonely man with lim
ited social skills. He’d read more books and retained more knowledge over the years, than a dozen professors from Cambridge, Harvard, Yale and Oxford combined.

  Shiloh noticed that Rupert was holding a Bible in his hand, as he spoke to the crowd of people that surrounded him. Curious as to what could be more important than listening to the TV right now, Shiloh tossed back the remainder of his whiskey, and with his beer in hand, stood up from his bar stool.

  “I’ll be right back,” he told Ian, who nodded his head in acknowledgement and signaled Chelsea for another round. When Shiloh was close enough to hear Rupert’s voice, he sat down at a vacant table and began to listen to what he was saying.

  “It’s the time spoken of in the Book of Revelation my friends, of this you can be sure,” said Rupert. “If you look around and take note of the signs, you will see that it’s clear, the end is near. In Luke, chapter twenty-one, Jesus is asked when will the end come, and what signs will there be when these things are about to take place? He answered… ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.’”

  “Are you saying that this war and the earthquakes and meteor showers are the signs of the end of the world?” asked a voice from the crowd.

  “Yes, but that’s only a small part of it,” answered Rupert. “There is more, much, much more. In chapter six of the Book of Revelation it says… ‘I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of its place.’ Does this remind any of you of recent events?” asked Rupert. “The wind, the red moon, the earthquakes and of course the balls of fire falling from the sky?”

  “You say that every mountain and island will move,” shouted another voice from the crowd, “yet I look to the west and I still see the Sierra Nevada Mountains right where they’ve always been.”

  “Actually,” Rupert cleared his throat, “in March of 2011 a powerful earthquake and the resulting tsunami, actually moved the island of Japan by eight feet and shifted the Earth on its axis. That earthquake was much less powerful than the one the world just experienced. This means that every mountain and island have actually moved out of their old places. You’re too close to the matter to see what’s right in front of you. This has been coming, as the Lord has foretold, since the worlds creation around six thousand years ago.”

  “But aren’t Christians supposed to be persecuted before all of this happens?” asked a woman from the crowd.

  “Yes they are,” answered Rupert, “and they have been.”

  “I don’t remember hearing of any persecutions,” claimed a man in the crowd.

  “Throughout history there has always been the persecution of those who obey God’s commandments,” Rupert corrected. “Christians were persecuted in Roman times, during the inquisition, and during the reformation in Europe. There are many Christians and Jews that are being killed in the Holy Land today. In the United Kingdom and all across Europe,” he continued, “anti-Christian and anti-Bible laws are being adopted that force Christians to deny their belief. Christianity has by far become the most hated and most persecuted religion on Earth.”

  “America doesn’t persecute Christians,” said a woman in the front of the crowd, “our nation represents freedom and religious tolerance.”

  “I agree that was what our founding fathers intended,” said Rupert, “but ever since the sixties, the government has grown much too large and we have been slowly losing our rights and freedoms. Granted, the United States still offers Christians more freedom today, than virtually everywhere else on Earth, but even this is changing. Extremely powerful interest groups have been ruthlessly pushing out all expressions of Christian faith from the public sphere. Persecution is everywhere and has been for some time. In the coming days it’s going to get a lot worse.”

  “But that doesn’t sound like persecution to me, it sounds like they’re just trying to make things less religious,” shouted a man from the back of the crowd.

  “Alright,” said Rupert, “then let’s take a look at the global scene. Chinese authorities have begun a crackdown on ‘illegal’ Christian churches that are not run by state controlled organizations. Not too long ago, hundreds of government police and hired thugs descended on a church that served fifty thousand worshippers and sent dozens of them to the hospital with serious injuries.”

  Rupert’s eyes met Shiloh’s and he paused for a moment before continuing. “The story is the same all over the world. The entire world system will soon be geared toward the elimination of all traces of true Christian faith. Family members will even betray one another to the authorities, and one day soon, there will be no place to hide from Christian persecution. Every day, around the world, Christians are persecuted for their faith and hundreds are martyred; about one every three minutes.”

  “Then why would anyone want to be a Christian if they’d be destined to be persecuted and killed?” asked a man from the back of the crowd.

  “Because eternity is a very long time,” answered Rupert. “Where would you like to spend yours?”

  “So what if there have been a lot of storms, there have always been storms happening all over the world,” shouted a woman. “I want to know where my children have gone!”

  “True,” agreed Rupert, “storms have always existed, but never before with such frequency or magnitude. This last year has been record breaking…”

  “Are you saying the children are dead,” cried out a woman from the crowd.

  “Quite the opposite,” corrected Rupert, “I’m saying they’re more alive than they’ve ever been. They’re in heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ, waiting for us to join them.”

  “I’ve read the Bible” said the same woman, “and I’m a good person, I go to church every weekend. If that’s truly what’s happened to my children, than why wasn’t I taken too? Why weren’t you taken if you know so much?”

  “The reason that we were left behind is that none of us really believed, nor really accepted Christ into our hearts, and therefore we were not right with God,” Rupert explained. “All of those that were taken, or raptured, as Christians would say, were either true believers or, as in the case with the children, they hadn’t reached the age of reason. We,” he said, indicating everyone in the bar, “are all old enough to have chosen for ourselves, and we did not choose wisely. But please remember that there is still time for all of us. We can all be with our loved ones again. The road to salvation is through Jesus Christ. All we need to do is accept Him and ask for His forgiveness and we shall have it.”

  “What does any of this have to do with the solar flare and the power outage?” asked a young woman.

  “I don’t believe that a solar flare has caused the power outage,” explained Rupert. “I believe it was caused by the sudden departure of millions of people being raptured. I believe that the rapture has caused a sudden change in the delicate balance of protons and electrons in the universe. At the moment of the vanishings, the earth experienced a disruption in its electro-magnetic field.”

  “But on the news their saying it was caused by a solar flare,” declared a man with a red beard. “Are you saying that their lying to us?”

  “Most definitely,” replied Rupert. “Remember, all of the major media networks are owned and controlled by two or three individuals. And these individuals use their control to mold public perception, not to tell the truth. Adolf Hitler once said, ‘Give me control of the media and I will control the masses.’”

  Rupert cleared his throat before continuing, “In Luke chapter twenty-one, we’re warned of the signs of Jesus Christ’s second coming. ‘And there will be signs in the sun,
in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.’ Can you not see that these things have already begun, with each disaster being more intense than the one before? We should draw comfort from the knowledge that our redemption is close at hand.”

  Shiloh stood up and began to walk away when Rupert called out his name, “Shiloh Evans!” Shiloh stopped and slowly turned around to face Rupert.

  “Don’t turn away from God,” said Rupert. “He watches over you always and believes in you, whether or not you believe in Him. There is still time Shiloh, let go of the hate and the anger and welcome Him into your heart.”

  Shiloh turned away without saying a word and made his way back toward the bar, where Ian sat nursing his drink. As he sat down next to his friend, he noticed that Ian had several empty shot glasses in front of him and was gulping down another beer. Shiloh looked up at the TV screen hoping for a distraction, but it was still covered in static.

  He was thinking about what Rupert had said, when Chelsea strutted over with another round of beers. She gathered up all of the empty shot glasses onto a serving tray and sauntered off.

  Suddenly the jukebox fell silent and slowly the commotion died down. Shiloh turned around and saw Mayor Samuel Sullivan and Deputy Mayor Luke Slater making their way through the crowded bar to the center of the room. Shiloh pressed the mute button on the remote control and the television fell silent.

  “Listen up folks,” shouted Luke, as he climbed up onto a chair. “We’re calling a town meeting, please gather around.” Luke waited for a moment, expecting people to move, but no one did.