The Mark

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was for the good of his community. The quicker he cleaned house, the quicker aid would arrive. His eyes rested on the last man to climb on the bus. He touched his hand to his chest. He felt a dull pain, but Durbin suppressed the emotion of the moment. He had a job to do for the good of his town, and he was going to do it. They'd elected him to do it. What choice did he have?

Three o'clock on the dot. The bus pulled out of Creston with perhaps the final prisoners headed to training camp. Durbin returned to his desk and dropped his head in his hands. He knew he just about had them all. He would go to Memorial Park later and check his counts. The thought of hearing the phrase, "You've got them all!" put a smile on his face. Maybe today would be the day, and then the floodgates would open and Creston could finally start to make a name for itself. Research money, new wells, high-tech milking stations-the sky truly was the limit.

And they would have one visionary to thank. The man the world once knew as Alexander Magorum. The leader the world now recog nized as Adolph Hitler.

Thomas Larson sat alone in his seat on the bus. There were only four guards plus a driver, but considering the guards were the ones with the guns and the passengers' hands were handcuffed, Thomas was pretty sure the guards weren't worried about the ride. Sitting across the aisle from him was a man he had recognized from church. He had seen him in the cafeteria at the jail, but the prisoners had no contact with each other until now. Thomas suspected this man was in the same predicament as himself, and when he was brought to the holding room to wait for the bus to arrive, he spotted him again and his suspicions were confirmed.

"I recognize you from church." Thomas waited for a response.

The man turned from the window. His face was worn and tired. His eyes were dry but heavy. "Yeah, I saw you there, too. You have a family, right?"

"My name is Thomas, and my wife is Robin. I have two daugh

ters, too."

"Were they caught?"

Thomas looked into the man's eyes and saw true concern. "Yeah. I think the three of them are still together, but who knows? There's a part of me that hopes to see them at the facility and another part that can't bear the thought of seeing them at all. The hardest part is not knowing where they are or what is happening to them."

The man nodded, and then he leaned a bit toward Thomas and lowered his voice. "They haven't found my family."

Thomas looked ahead at the two guards who were sitting in the front seats. They were deep in a conversation with the driver, so Thomas looked behind him. One guard in the back was looking out the window and the other was engaging a prisoner in conversation.

"How did they catch you?" Thomas asked under his breath. "We'd been hiding in an abandoned shack up on Cranyers Lake. We were running out of food, so I headed back to town to try to see what I could find. I was caught by the statue in Memorial Park."

Thomas shook his head. "How many in your family?"

"My wife, her parents, and three kids. I'm just praying that the Lord provides for them. They have no idea what has happened to me, but I told them if I wasn't back in two days that I'd see them in heaven."

Thomas watched as the all too familiar tears welled up in his new friend's eyes, and he nodded in agreement. "I never imagined this would happen. Not here, not in America. Then again, it's not like I wasn't warned."

Thomas heard movement from behind him, and he turned his head away and looked back out the window. Footsteps stopped in the aisle beside him.

"Found a new friend, Larson? I'll bet the two of you have a lot in common."

The guards were antagonistic to the nonmarked prisoners, and Thomas knew better than to engage this man, so he dropped his eyes to the floor.

"Look at me when I talk to you!"

Thomas turned but not before the butt of the guard's shotgun hit him on his shoulder, knocking him against the window. The sound of his head hitting the glass silenced the passengers. The two guards up front stopped talking and stood to see what was going on.

"No more talking. Got it?"

Thomas nodded and put his hand to his head. An egg was already forming and his temples were pounding. How in the world would this nightmare end? Thomas heard the guard walk toward the front of the bus. He glanced up and saw the guard join the two in the front, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

It wouldn't be long before the bus arrived at the training facility. Thomas closed his eyes and opened his heart before his Creator.

Father, this is so unbelievable, I really can't put my arms around it. Where are my girls? Will I ever hear their little voices again? Is Robin with them? Lord, I can't bear this alone. I have to give this to You. There is nothing I can do. My life is over, but I am here because of You. I willingly lay down my life, but I need to know that You've got my fam ily in the palm of Your hand.

As he opened his eyes, the ache in his heart matched the one in his head and he returned his gaze out the window. The Indiana countryside passed quickly, and the speed only made his head pound more. He closed his eyes again.

I'm sorry for my fear. I know You love them, Lord, I just can't believe how hard this is. I am so broken and so worried. Take my fear, Lord. Let me be a light, even in these last days of my life. I love You, Lord.

When he stopped praying, Thomas looked back over to his new friend. His head was bowed toward the floor and Thomas couldn't tell if he was praying or sleeping. A large teardrop fell from his chin and Thomas followed the path to a puddle on the floor. He knew ex actly what his friend was going through. He felt his own heart heave and a tear escaped his eye, rolling down his cheek. He didn't swipe at it for fear that movement would draw attention and ridicule. It fell onto his shoulder and created a path for others to follow.

Thomas knew deep down in his heart he would never see Robin or his daughters again.

At least not here on earth