The Mark

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

She took another drink of water and handed the breadbasket back to Thomas.

"At the end of the day, he came to me and asked me if I were a Christian."

"Really?" He shook his head. "The innocence of children." "I am sure he doesn't know that school is not the place for religious

talk, but I told him I was. Then he asked me to pray for his cousin. He said her name was Emma and she was hiding with her parents. When I asked why she was hiding he said that a bad man was after her. He said she writes letters to him that scare him. It was really strange. The look on his face was true fear."

"So then you invited him to church?"

"No, I put my arm around him and said I would pray. I also said that if she was with her parents, I was sure she would be safe. I asked him if his parents knew that Emma was hiding and he said yes. He said his parents think that Emma is in a cult and that's why they are hiding. Anyway, it was frightening enough for him to tell me on his first day of school about it."

"Is this something that the school should be notified about?"

"I don't know. It was just so strange. When he left, he turned to me and said that Emma said the man was after him, too. I mentioned in the office to keep an eye out for any one wandering around here that shouldn't be here, but I don't know what else I should do. I could ask if I could see one of her letters, because that might help explain what is going on."

"So exactly how did you get to writing down the name of our

church? I hope that doesn't come back to bite you."

"It'll be fine. It's not like I was witnessing to him. He simply said his family was looking for a church and I didn't even say the name out loud. I wrote a note to his mother, explaining he had asked me, so I was sending this note per his request. That should cover my motives. Don't worry I remember what happened to Sue. I wouldn't risk my job to invite a student to church."

Thomas stood and carried his plate over to the sink. "I hate that we have to be so careful. But the government has made sure that we keep our mouths shut. I just want you to be careful, that's all." He rinsed his plate and put it in the dishwasher. He was tired and would probably watch a little television and then go to bed early. Things were busy at work and it was catching up with him.

"Do you need help in here?" he asked, halfheartedly.

"Go get your paper-this won't take me long."

As Thomas put his feet up on the ottoman and opened the pa per, he could hear the girls laughing upstairs and his wife humming in the kitchen. When he first married Robin, they would have never dreamed that inviting someone to church would be illegal, but for all intents and purposes that's exactly what was happening in Amer ica. Even casual conversation about beliefs was frowned upon. It was best to just embrace diversity and worry about yourself. Thomas and Robin worked hard to protect their daughters by teaching them to be loving and accepting of everyone, while carefully explaining that they need to have Jesus in their lives. So far there was no law against proselytizing your own children, but who knew what the future would hold?

Robin is smart. I'm sure she was careful how she handled this boy. I'm too tired to worry about it tonight anyway.

Thomas took a deep breath and felt a heaviness settle over his

eyes. In no time he was sound asleep, newspaper still in his hands.

March

March fifteen started like any other day. Henry arrived at work by seven thirty. He had been trying to make up for the week he missed after the hit and run. His arm was still sore but he wasn't wearing a sling any longer. The morning flew by and before he knew it, his cell phone rang. Typically he didn't answer his cell at work, but when he picked it up to look at the caller ID, he glanced at the clock which read 12:13. Lunch time. The ID was still broken, so he flipped the phone open and said, "Hello."

"Hi, Henry."

He immediately recognized Charlie's voice.

"What's up?"

"Do you have access to a TV at work?"

"There's one in the cafeteria. Why?"

"I'll bet CNN has a live feed on the Internet, too. Something's go

ing on in Jerusalem and I think you had better turn it on. Dave called

me a few minutes ago and he said to call you. There's a press confer

ence and it's been delayed a bit. But Magorum is involved and he's got

the leaders of the FWP with him. They're moving the press confer

ence from the outside of the temple in Jerusalem to the inside. Oh...

wait... it's coming back on. I'll call you when it's over, but get to a screen."

With that, Charlie hung up. Henry pulled up his Internet and typed in the address for CNN. There was a live feed and it took a few seconds to download. In the center of the screen was a close-up of Magorum behind a microphone. Henry could tell there were people standing behind him, but he couldn't tell who they were. He clicked on the volume and turned it up.

"... North Korea no longer threatens the world with nuclear de velopment. I have persuaded them to turn their focus from aggres sion toward peace. I have shown them the benefits of contributing to a cause, rather than threatening the cause. Israel enjoys freedom like they never have before. The children no longer carry gas masks to school in their lunch boxes. They live without threat of Arab aggres sion. Why is that? Because I have protected them.

"Don't get me wrong. I respect the Arab people. They are a culture with great leadership and vision. They will be great allies to me in the days ahead. The world CAN live at peace! The world WILL live in peace!"

Henry could hear cheering in the background and Magorum waited for the crowd to quiet down.

"Today, my fellow members of the Federation of World Powers have joined me in making a financial alliance. We will distribute to each government leader as well as the news agencies our formal agreement to consolidate our monetary system. As of yesterday, our ten nations have begun the process of unifying our currency, which brings with it benefits to our people. And we invite the rest of the world to follow suit. My dear friends believe this is what I called this meeting for. However, there is more."

With a smile on his face, he continued.

"I was once a man who failed his people. I made promises that I could not keep. In the end it cost me my life. I haven't made those mistakes this time around. I haven't turned the world against me. I have systematically proven that my vision is pure and my motives are true."

"Oh, no." Henry said under his breath. His chest tightened and he felt his heart begin to race..

"Many don't receive a second chance, but through my master's graciousness, I have been given a second chance. I have seen the En emy first hand and now I know with whom to make alliances. I will not make the same mistakes again!"

"Whoa!" Henry exclaimed, half in disbelief and half in anticipa

tion of what would come next.

"Today, I will hide no longer. What I am about to reveal is not meant to turn you away but to explain why my efforts to unify the world have been successful. I am not the man you think I am. I am greater than Alexander Magorum could ever be, for I have a power that soars beyond human capacity. I once dreamed of a superhuman race that could defeat death itself. Today, I will prove to the world once again that I am a man of my word!"

Magorum took a step back from the microphone and stood still before the audience. The camera pulled back to show his whole body. Behind him, the leaders of the FWP looked on with as much inter est as the rest of the room. Magorum raised his hands out from his sides until they were parallel with the ground, palms up, forming the shape of a cross. He dropped his head backwards and began to tremble. Henry could hear a collective gasp from the audience.

There was a sudden commotion behind the camera, though the lens stayed on Magorum. Henry could hear the sound of water run ning or wind blowing, and women were shrieking. The room was plunged into darkness and Magorum stood alone in a spotlight. The cameraman obviously struggled to keep his camera steady and Henry wondered if there had been an earthquake. The men on stage be hind Magorum were suddenly engulfed in a swirling wind that blew through their hair and almost knocked them over. They steadied themselves by putting a hand on their neighbor's shoulders. The wind pulled away from them and began to twirl around the feet of Magorum. He did not move. It slowly worked its way up his

body, swirling around him until he was lost in a blur of air. Magorum let out a cry that could barely be heard over the wind through the microphone. Then the wind lowered itself until it only swirled around his feet. It was over. There was a loud noise, as if a door had been slammed shut and the Internet view from the camera man went in and out as he apparently tried to refocus on the action.

Initially Henry thought he recognized the man standing where Magorum had been standing. Again the camera went out of focus and then focused again, as if the cameraman couldn't believe what he was looking at. But standing in front of the camera, where Alexander Ma gorum once stood, was a totally different man. One who had been dead for years. Adolph Hitler looked straight into the camera and said, "Yes, that's right. No need to adjust your televisions. It is truly as you see!"

There was a collective gasp in the office when his voice was heard. Henry could feel his heart pound and he grabbed his cell.

"I am Adolph Hitler, back from the dead! I told the world I could defeat death and today I am living proof of that very fact! Please do not be afraid I have come to bring peace on earth!"

Hitler turned and addressed the men behind him. He said some thing that Henry couldn't make out, but by the looks on the men's faces, it probably wasn't good.

He turned back to the microphone. "This is not a trick. I am alive! Cameramen you will want to get a close-up of this."

The camera once again zoomed in closer to his face as he turned his head sideways and lifted the hair behind his right ear. A scar about the size of a quarter could be seen, however faintly. Henry knew it was the scar from Hitler's suicide bullet. Henry took a deep breath, as he felt his heart continue to race in his chest.

"I have been to the depths of hell and I know Who put me there. He is my enemy and He is yours, too. He intends to send all of you there. I have risen from the dead to bring this message to you.

"Now is the time to unite. We must if we are to defeat this Hebrew God! I have proven to you that I can lead the world to peace. You can not deny this! I disguised myself so that you would readily follow and now that you trust me, it is time for you to know who you are truly following.