When Reverend Jones got to the office, he had about 40 people around him talking. Reverend Jones felt a power that he had hadn’t felt in years. When he went to seminary, he thought he would lead a group of people into God’s future plans. But everywhere he pastored, it hadn’t worked out like that.
About 100 people were yelling in the office. It was pandemonium. There were about four people in uniform running around, but it seemed as though they had no clue what to do.
Reverend Jones ran into Larry Newborn, one of the other ministers from the same district as Reverend Jones.
“What you gonna do Jones?” Larry asked.
“Well, my guess is that being here is as good as being anywhere else.”
“Well, I’m getting out of here. There are rumors that they will limit all travel after today until this thing is over. I need to get back to Atlanta before they shut it down. I am glad I didn’t bring my family to this conference,” Larry said.
“Well, I don’t have a family, so I will call my parents in California and wait it out.”
“Good luck and Godspeed,” Larry said as he ducked out of the room and ran to his car.
They could hear a clear horn. It got quiet in there, and it got very loud again. The horn came from outside. The people got quiet as they thought about what to do.
Reverend Jones walked over to the front desk and asked, “Can I speak to the ranger or whoever is in charge?”
“Are you Bishop Meredith?” The young woman at the counter asked.
“Um, no, but he left me in charge,” Reverend Jones said, thinking that doing the evening devotion might be construed to mean that he was in charge.
A number of people around the desk said, “He said he is in charge,” and they pushed to listen to the conversation.
“Please follow me.” The woman at the front desk led Reverend Jones out of the room through a back door. A few people who were with Reverend Jones attempted to follow, but Reverend Jones said, “Why don’t you wait here. I will be back with some information.”
“I’m scared,” a woman said. “Things like this have never happened. Could this be the end of all things? Some are calling it ‘the first Resurrection’ that is spoken of in the Bible.”
Reverend Jones forced a chuckle and said, “I doubt it. This is a sickness. We will all do what we are told and everything will be all right.” Reverend Jones stood there for a second and said, “Trust in the Lord.”
After going up the stairs, they got to a door and the young woman knocked and opened it.
“What is it, Karen?” the man who was sitting said as he turned his chair around.
“David, this is the man in charge. He says that Bishop Meredith left him in charge,” the woman said to the short, stout, but solidly built man sitting there.
David looked at 35 television sets that appeared to be connected to video cameras stationed all around the grounds.
David laughed. “Bishop Meredith. Well, if you are still here, I know that charlatan don’t care nothing about you. All the folks he cares about are on that helicopter. He and all his cronies high tailed it out of here even after I begged him to help me plan and execute an effective exit.”
“Well, he told me to handle the devotions.”
“He wants you to pray. He flies to safety in the helicopter that you and all the rest of you crazies paid for. You religious folks. The world is going to hell and you gave your money to a guy who is protecting himself while you read the Bible.”
“I doubt that a few sick folks in Georgia constitutes a global calamity,” Reverend Jones said.
David laughed. “This is not an isolated event. Look.” David turned to one television and was looking at a different country. It sounded like they were speaking French. And the pictures on the television were shocking. There was a picture of a man who seemed to be devoid of control, and he was running after a few people.
“That’s in Paris, France. Whatever it is, it is the real deal, and right here we are sitting ducks. The fencing will not hold back anybody for long. We need to get out of here.”
“We need control of this camp, David, and what are you doing holed up in this room?”
“Well, you get control. I mean, didn’t Bishop Meredith leave you in charge?” David said with sarcasm dripping from his lips as he turned his chair back around and poured himself a drink.
“OK, can I talk to everybody?”
David, still drinking and looking at the monitors, pointed over to the right and said, “Be my guest.”
Reverend Jones walked over to the microphone and said, “My sisters and brothers. Please, my sisters and brothers…”
David walked over and flicked a switch and walked back to this chair and gave a fake smile. “You have to turn it on first.”
Reverend Jones ignored him and said, “My sisters and brothers. Hello, my name is Pastor Jeremiah Jones of Atlanta, Georgia. Bishop Meredith has left me in charge of our conference. I invite you all to come with me to the big conference hall for our meeting. We will discuss our next options.”
He gave the microphone back to David. David laughed and said, “You do know that Bishop Meredith was saying ‘screw you’ when he told you to run the Bible study or whatever the hell you call it.”
“Probably, but someone has to run this show, and it looks like you will not do it,” Reverend Jones said.
David laughed again, took a swig of alcohol and said, “Well that’s true. Do your thing, preacher. By the way, your only option is to get out of here. We are sitting ducks here.”
“You said that.”
“I didn’t know if you heard it.”
Reverend Jones said, “I heard it,” as he walked back down to the front desk with Karen. They both got to the front hall again, and it was now empty.
Reverend Jones wondered what happened to the entourage that followed behind him a few minutes ago. Now everyone left.
Karen looked at Reverend Jones and asked, “Do you mind if I come with you? I mean, David is kind of...”
Reverend Jones smiled and said, “Come.” Well, he thought, now he had at least one.
Reverend Jones walked out. He saw that the number of cars trying to leave the camp had reduced. He walked to the large pavilion.
Reverend Jones was not sure how many people would be in there. He also was not sure what to say to these people at this time. He prayed, “Lord, tell me what I need to tell these people.
Chapter 10 - Jeremiah Jones