AntiChrist's Rise; The Call to Arms, Jesus Villalobos [books to read in a lifetime TXT] 📗

AntiChrist’s Rise; The Call to Arms
By
Jesus Villalobos


CHAPTER ONE

Remembering

Jael’s body tensed as she lay upon the lower level bed of the Missy May. Captain John wiped the sweat off her brow with a damp cloth.
“C’mon Jael, the Colonel believed in you and so do I. Okay, you got a tough break, but you’re alive, ALIVE! I need you, no, scratch that. WE need you, that is those of us who are fighting on behalf of God’s people.”
Jael tensed again, letting out a horrendous scream. Captain John held her down, even as she tried to rise up into the sitting position upon her bed. The captain knew she was dreaming, or remembering, or both. She had been through a nightmare; he knew that.
“Jael, it’s going to be all right, you’re safe now.
Giving one last surge of strength, Jael’s body again collapsed onto the cot, which was her temporary bed. The waves began to swell giving a rocking motion as if to comfort her in her distress. The Captain once again wiped the sweat off of her brow.
“I’d trade places with you in a heartbeat if God would let me. But God chose you, not me to hold the fourth sword of truth. “C’mon Jael, you’ve got to pull through this, you’ve got to get back on your feet.”
The movement of the ship seemed to be having a calming effect on Jael. She stopped moving around in her bed. Captain John now wiped the sweat off of his own brow. It had been a long night, and morning was about to break.
“Lord, please let her pull through. She’s all that’s left. Surely you knew that the others would all die on that terrible island. Surely you knew and yet you MUST have had a plan for the continued fight. It can’t end here, it just can’t, not after everything they sacrificed on your behalf Lord Jesus.”
“ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL,” shouted Jael at the top of her voice.
“Yes Jael, dear servant of the most high God. Even in your torment you scream out for justice and truth. You scream out for God’s people to become one! Strange, it seems it will take antiChrist’s rise to force God’s people to unite. It seems it will take antiChrist’s persecution of the saints to bring them into one accord.”
“ALL FOR ONE, AND ONE FOR ALL,” shouted Jael once again.
“Yes Jael, scream it out for the whole Christian world to hear! Scream it until there is no more breath in that beaten and bruised body of yours. I need you to tell me what happened, Jael. I need you to remember!”
Leaving the cabin, Captain John went topside to check on the autopilot once again. He had no first mate, he was not expecting to have to care for a sick passenger. He was not expecting to find only one survivor out of the six he had dropped off on that wretched Solomon Island.
He entered into the Captain’s helm. He released the wheel from its locked position. He needed to feel in control for awhile. Seeing Jael in her condition without being able to do much for her, was taking its toll on him. At least at the helm, he felt he had some control over things.
The sea had calmed down. The waves were much more at ease now. The sun was behind him as he headed west, back to Hawaii to get Jael the medical attention she so desperately needed.
“I’m no doctor Lord, she needs a real doctor. She needs to be cared for by someone who can actually help her. I’ll do my part Lord, but YOU have to keep her alive, YOU have to make sure she doesn’t give up!”
It had only been a half an hour, but being at the helm seemed to have given him new strength. He once again locked the wheel, setting the Missy May back on autopilot. He started back to the lower cabin. He had given her his own cabin, he could do little more for her comfort.
I can’t leave her alone for too long, what if she wakes up? She’ll need me to be there, and I’ll need to see how much she remembers if anything. I can’t believe how broken up she was when I found her floating in the water with nothing but the scrambled beacon messaging, and the other’s swords in her possession. What the heck could have happened?
Opening the door quietly was easier said than done, as the wood had been through years of weather and creaked like a horror movie. He once again entered into Jael’s presence, and began to wipe her brow with the damp cloth, which he would dunk, and wring out, in the bucket of cool water.
Captain John settled into the oversized chair made of oak. Best part of being captain, is I get all the good furniture. I’m glad this chair and me are old friends, since I’ll have to be sittin’ in it for the next three days till we reach Hawaii.
Dunking the cloth into the water, Captain John continued his job as caretaker of what was left of the four, no five swords of truth. The Colonel had proved his worthiness. Jael’s ramblings had told him enough to know that the Mrs. had betrayed them to the enemy. It was the exact nature of her betrayal and whether or not it had caused the deaths of the others or whether their deaths had been caused by something else.
He would have to wait until Jael could come back to herself. She holds the key to finding out what had happened to the Colonel and the others. They had to be dead, there could be no other explanation why Jael would have left Terra Verde. She was no coward, if there had been any other way, she would have taken it. No, she had done everything she could, that was a given knowing her fighting spirit.
The day was spent on back and forth trips between taking care of Jael and manning the helm. He could not trust the autopilot to do his job. He had learned by experience that the strength of the ocean could easily overpower the muscle of his small boat. He had to keep tabs on their direction of travel.
Night fell, leaving the Captain worn out and sleepy. He would go spend the night near the helm, just in case of bad weather, which might suddenly show itself during the night hours. The shifting of the waves would be his alarm clock if this happened. Meanwhile, he’d get some much-needed rest.
Jael tossed through the night. She dreamed of things in a jumbled array of pictures and scenes. Her fever kept her from experiencing any real peace. She lay on the cot unable to wake from her tormenting dreams. The fever would not allow her to come to.
The night passed quickly for both the Captain and Jael. Both were in their own world. Jael’s tormenting her soul, the Captain’s filled with desperation as he kept the Missy May at almost full throttle to reach the mainland. He dared not run her at full throttle for the whole journey, which might cause her to break down. He could not afford to break down with Jael needing medical attention so desperately.
Neither one noticed the time passing. Jael only noticed her jumbled array of memories she could not put in a logical order, and the Captain’s worn body only noticed the relief of a good night’s sleep. He sat there in the wooden chair next to the helm wheel, snoring into the next morning.
Waking in the morning, Captain John knew he still could not risk sending a message to headquarters about the Colonel’s demise. Too much of a chance the enemy might pick up on his frequency. He would have to be content to keep heading west straight for Hawaii.
He took a deep breath, got up, and went into the kitchen to prepare himself a small breakfast. Not eating or drinking might cause the final blow to come to Jael. I can’t let that happen. I have to get to Hawaii in time.
Returning to the helm, Captain John pushed the throttle forward to full power. I’ll keep it at full power for a couple of hours max. Lord please, keep Missy May operating, she’s got to get us to Hawaii.
Finishing his breakfast, he made his way back to Jael. He first got a fresh bucket of water, and a new cloth to wipe her brow with. There were still two day’s journey ahead for them. With perfect weather, it might take a little less, but this was not something that could be counted on with any certainty.
Arriving at Jael’s side, he could see the night had taken its toll on Jael. She was drenched in sweat. Her wet clothes clung to her body like another layer of skin. As much as I hate to do this Jael, it is for your own good. I’ll need to remove your clothes and wash you down. It will help your fever.
The Captain left Jael momentarily to collect some of the clothes, which he kept on hand in the other cabins on board. He returned and began to strip Jael of her clothing. Lord, please understand, she’s got to be washed to help her fever. She’s had a rough night.
Jael’s body was showing signs of weight loss. There was no telling exactly how long she had gone without food, or water for that matter. Her sweating had dehydrated her. Her skin and weight loss showed this. Captain John caressed Jael’s body with the damp cloth. He didn’t want to push too hard against Jael’s already bruised body.
He finished cleaning Jael and dressed her in her new set of clothes. They hung loosely on her due to her weight loss, but they were fresh. Captain John had poured some soap into the water. The smell of sweat seemed to disappear almost immediately.
“There, now isn’t that much better Jael? Honestly, you needed that more than I did.”
The Captain went on deck to throw the dirty water overboard and get fresh water. He checked the autopilot and continued back down to Jael’s side. Another day of double duty; just what the doctor ordered. I hope this trip isn’t Jael’s last hurrah.
The next two days passed like a second hand on a clock. Time seemed to stand still as the Captain tended to both Jael and the helm. Captain