Infernal Chaos (The Apocalypse Book 3), page 1
Infernal Chaos
The Apocalypse : Episode Three
David O. Bullock
© Copyright David O. Bullock 2021
Black Rose Writing | Texas
© 2021 by David O. Bullock
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.
The final approval for this literary material is granted by the author.
First digital version
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Print ISBN: 978-1-68433-694-4
PUBLISHED BY BLACK ROSE WRITING
www.blackrosewriting.com
Print edition produced in the United States of America
Thank you so much for reading one of David O. Bullock’s novels.
If you enjoyed the experience, please check out the beginning of the series!
Rise of the Smyrnians by David O. Bullock
Blake Thompson is the top reporter for a major television network. When up to one-fourth of the world’s population suddenly disappears, it appears an alien invasion has finally taken place. As the world deals with the devastating loss, Blake sets out to discover and report the truth and also help prepare humanity for possible future attacks. As facts unfold, an unlikely band of warriors known as the Smyrnians arises. These include Blake’s cameraman, Anders Norstrom, his rival in the news game, Beth Jennings, college students Evan Ryles and Ally Fromm, professor John Baldwin and others. Together they will battle what appears to be an insurmountable foe. They will face not only the fight of their lives but a fight for their lives.
To my beautiful daughters, Amy and Amber
You are the lights of my life
always have been
always will be
I love you with all my heart
–Dad
They called to the mountains and the rocks,
“Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”
–Revelation 6:16-17 NIV
Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.
–Revelation 8:6 NIV
She sat alone in the luxurious suite that had been her home for weeks. It was hers, all hers, with everything she could ever want. She received the best care anyone could hope for, but had not been out of the room since the day she arrived. It was extravagant, but it was also her prison. Worse, no one knew where she was, and there was no escape.
When she looked in the mirror, she now saw herself again. Not Kelly Davis, Humanitarian Aid Worker; Beth Jennings Thompson, Smyrnian, believer in Jesus, reporter, wife of Blake Thompson. Her hair was growing back. No one had cut it since Ally and Kathie gave her a makeover that day at the Shelter to disguise her identity. The brunette had faded, and her natural blonde was returning.
She thought of Blake and wept… again. They were so happy since being married following the Rapture.
Then came the trip to Iran and their second meeting with the believers in Tehran. They could have left, but wanted to meet with them once more before leaving the country. Their minds had been on Ally alone with a monster, whose plans for her that night were evil. They prayed for her and heard news that she escaped, whisked away by Ollie and Amelia. It was a miracle!
Where was her miracle? Jesus had done so much for the Smyrnians since they put their faith in him. Why not now? Why had he left her alone in this prison with the same monster from whom he freed Ally?
Her mind raced back to that evening after she and Blake returned to the house to meet with the believers again. Knocking. No answer. Begging to leave; Blake refused to go. Opening the door and walking inside. Darkness shielding their eyes from what lay before them. Blake tripping. Her slipping. Eyes adjusting to the light. A gruesome scene meeting their sight. The entire group slaughtered. Fear. We must leave! A flight out of the country. The Shelter. The team. Home! Blake holding her, promising they would go right then.
The door bursting open. AMPP men running in. Handcuffs. Blindfolds. Dragged outside. Shoved inside a vehicle. Rough ride. Abandoned building. Separated from Blake. Longing for him to rush in and save her. From behind… something placed over her nose and mouth! Fighting to stop it; she could not. A mask! Inhaling. Sleep. Awakened by the pungent odor of ammonia. Who was that? Messai! Evil… Alluring. Chilling… Charming. His mansion. Her new home. Hopelessness. Tears. Blake, where are you? Save me! Jesus, why have you left me? I need you! No escape. She collapsed onto the bed, weeping. Get ahold of yourself, Beth. She needed a plan, but no plan came. She must be strong. A key turning in the lock. Someone was coming in. Be strong, Beth.
Blake knew where Beth was, or at least who had her. The AMPP men said their orders came from the top. That meant they came from Messai. He had searched for her in Tehran, but was certain he would not find her there. She was in Belgium. He knew it. His first impulse was to fly there, take on Messai and his men and rescue her himself. But wisdom and the calm, yet forceful voice of Ben Abramson had convinced him to fly to Ozark and let the Smyrnians join him on that mission. He knew Ben was right. Messai wanted to draw him into his web and destroy him, to show the world he would not tolerate the behavior of the Smyrnians. All in the name of peace and prosperity.
He could not allow Messai to eliminate him, so he returned to Missouri, even though he did not want to. He and Beth were aware times like this would come during the Tribulation, but not now. He was not ready for this. The weeks had been grueling as the team prayed and sought a way to overcome the most invincible force in the world and set Beth free. But there was no way. He sat in the Shelter this day, broken, alone and longing for his wife when, out of the blue, it hit him. She needed his help. She was in trouble! He could wait no longer. If the team would not act now, he would go alone. Evan’s voice jarred him to his senses, calling to him from the living room of Bunker One.
“Blake, you need to see this.”
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Recommended Reading
Dedication
Opening
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CONCLUSION
COMING NEXT - EPISODE 4
OTHER BOOKS BY DAVID O. BULLOCK
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
BRW INFO
CHAPTER 1
The door opened. Messai walked in, guards by his side. Why did he need them every time he came in? Even if she tried to escape, the mansion was so guarded that getting away was impossible. She sat and waited for him to speak.
“Beth, you are looking in the mirror. You must recognize the same thing I see; that you are gorgeous again. Not that you weren’t before, but now you are once again the beauty I fell in love with in the UN building when the council nominated me for Secretary-General. I have loved you from that day until now and waited for this moment every day since.”
She did not move or lift her head, refusing to look at him.
“I come bearing wonderful news. You and I will become husband and wife this Wednesday, September 11.”
Married? No! Three days! Her face revealed the shock. Failing to acknowledge it, he continued.
“Mid-week may seem like a strange day for a wedding, but it is also the anniversary of the disappearances. The world needs a pleasant memory of that day, don’t you agree?”
Still no response.
“I’m sure it will make you happy to learn that I called a press conference today to announce our upcoming marriage to the world. Try to cheer up, my dear. We will marry at noon in a beautiful ceremony, then go for an elaborate honeymoon in Jerusalem, where I will combine business with pleasure. We will stay at the King David Hotel in the Presidential Suite. I assume you are aware of what happened the last time I was there. That did not turn out so well, but I realize now, she was not the right one; you are. And when we go, you will be my wife.”
“You can’t do that; and I
“You fail to understand, dearest Beth. There is no option. You will stand beside me and become my wife. Look around; you are the most fortunate woman in the world. Trust me, you will get used to the idea and fall in love with me.”
“I will never fall in love with you, nor will I become your wife and go with you to Jerusalem.”
“Now my dear, you didn’t believe you would come to me here in my mansion either, did you? Oh yes, you will fly with me to Jerusalem, either awake or sleeping. That part will be your choice.”
She sat silent once again, refusing to give him the pleasure of seeing her lash out, reject him or cry. In her mind, she was praying, asking Jesus to show her what to do. But again, Jesus seemed far away, not hearing her pleas for help. The hopelessness returned, and she fought against it as it sought to claim her mind. He was right; she was powerless before him. If he forced her to become his wife, she could not stop him. He would anesthetize her again and fly her to Jerusalem. She could not prevent him from doing that either. She may attempt to fight him there, but he would drug her or force himself on her. This time he would have such a security patrol that she could not escape, no matter how hard she tried.
Jesus, help me, she whispered in her mind.
“Now I must go. The press has gathered for my announcement. No one knows yet what I plan to say. I am sure it will shock the world. And I am just as certain your little band of Smyrnians will watch, including your soon to be ex, or perhaps late husband. Oh yes, he will come and try to rescue you. I hope he brings the others so I can rid the world of all of them once and for all. But you, only you, will survive, and you will be my wife. Smile, Beth; the future is bright!”
He turned and walked out. The door locked again, leaving the guards standing outside to ensure she did not escape. Once he was gone, the tears flowed again. Stop it, Beth. Be strong. You must be strong, regardless of what happens. Please, Blake, come and rescue me, my knight in shining armor. No, don’t come! Jesus, where are you? Why have you left me here alone?
Blake dashed into the room to find the others already gathered. Fear clawed at his mind. Evan had paused the television and rewound it to the beginning of the press conference. Aissa Messai was his usual pleasant self on camera with a smile revealing something made him jubilant today.
. . . . .
“Ladies and gentlemen of the world,” Messai began. “It is my distinct pleasure to stand before you today to make a very important announcement. I never imagined this would happen, but it has, and I am ecstatic!” He paused, as if for effect, allowing his listeners to crave his next words.
“You have seen and heard much about Beth Jennings, the news reporter, turned Smyrnian. Beth joined the rebels in their attempt to interfere with our efforts to bring peace and prosperity to the world. Now she has defected, escaping them and coming to join us in our mission! She has been with me for several weeks, and the relationship between us has grown into something special.”
“So, today I stand here to inform you that this Wednesday at noon she will become my wife! It makes me the happiest man in the world knowing the beautiful Miss Jennings has come to accept our agenda and chosen to unite with me in marriage! I would never have dreamed such a perfect scenario was possible. I trust you will welcome Beth as your new first lady and also give her your unwavering support, as you give it to me. That is all for today. Please make plans to tune in Wednesday for this simple, yet most wonderful wedding of all time! I love you and am honored to serve you as the Secretary-General of your United Nations.”
Blake leapt to his feet. “No! That will not happen! Beth neither defected nor agreed to become his wife. We should have already done something. I will not wait any longer!”
“Blake is right!” said John Baldwin. “I’m ready to take off for Belgium. Who’s with us?”
“Count me in!” said Evan. “Let’s pack up and go right now!”
“Let’s do this!” shouted Anders. “I will not allow that monster to own Beth!”
“Me too!” said Malachi. “I’m sure we can figure something out when we get there.”
“Let’s all go!” Ollie was ready. “We need all of us for this one. Amelia and I proved twice that we specialize in rescue efforts like this.”
Ben calmed things down again, as difficult as that was with emotions at fever pitch in the room. He took charge, as you might expect from the former producer of a major news network. This moment called for someone to do that.
“We cannot all go. This requires a small group, and those who go must be careful. You can’t allow your emotions to control you because that would play right into Messai’s hands. We need a team of five at most. Let’s select that group, then get a move on. Blake will go; that much is certain. And I agree that Evan, Anders, and Malachi need to go. That leaves one. Ally, you can’t go, for obvious reasons. Neither can Ollie and Amelia. You are all wanted criminals. Trey, the same is true for you. John and Kathie, you’re supposed to be dead, so you can’t show your face in Messai’s territory. And Rickie, we need you here. None of the rest of you need to go, but I want to suggest someone, if all of you agree, and if he will agree.”
They looked at each other, wondering who remained that Ben could have on his mind.
“Bruno Fromm lives closer to Beth’s location than any of us, and he craves getting in on the action. Well, this is his chance. We need the big man for this one.”
“Call him!” Evan knew Ben was right on with that suggestion.
“Daddy will be ready!” said Ally. “But you need to keep a close eye on him. He can be a loose cannon sometimes.”
“Don’t worry, Ally; I can handle that. He likes me and says I am like another son to him.”
“You’re right, Evan. If daddy will listen to anyone, it’s you.”
John appeared to be somewhat hurt that he would not get to go, but he also understood.
Ben placed the call and put his phone on speaker so everyone could join the conversation. Bruno did not even take time to say hello.
“Ben, we just watched the news. Something has to happen! We can’t sit back and let Messai follow through with this sham of a wedding. Somebody has to stop him!”
“That’s why we are calling you, Bruno. We’re assembling a team of five to go at once. Blake, Evan, Anders and Malachi are in, and...”
“Say no more!” Bruno interrupted. “I’m your fifth! Just tell me when to be there and I’ll be ready!”
“You realize what a dangerous mission this is, don’t you, Mr. Fromm?” asked Evan. “Our chances for success, and even survival, are low. It is possible they’ll capture or kill some, or all, of us.”
“I do, but Beth is depending on us. I’m ready to fight and die to save her, if that is what it takes!”
“Bruno, this is Blake. We’ll leave tomorrow morning, if we can get a flight. I haven’t talked to the others about this, but my opinion is, we need to fly to your place and drive in from there. Messai will expect us, or at least me to come, and have AMPP patrols on high alert at the airport. If we fly to Germany, then take a car from there, we should be able to get in without being noticed. Am I right that it is only a four to five-hour drive from where you are?”
“Yep, that’s right. I’ll be ready and waiting for you and will pick you up at the airport, so we can hit the road. Any idea what time you’ll get here?”
“I’ll call you as soon as we book a flight. Thanks, Bruno. I sure am glad you are on our side.”
“No happier than me, I assure you. The big man’s time has come to shine! I’ve been waiting for this moment for almost a year!”
Ben raised a question. “Before you go, Bruno, do you foresee any problems at the border crossing? It’s hard to imagine Messai beefing up security at the checkpoints. He won’t expect you to drive in, will he?”
