And?” “I need a day or two to be trained by Mac in helicopters. I may be called upon to ferry someone from somewhere only a chopper can go.”
“Whatever you need, Captain, you know that.” Rayford glanced at Mac, who looked puzzled. He shouldn’t have been surprised. Unless Mac was a closet Carpathia sympathizer, they had serious things to discuss. They wouldn’t be able to do that inside, where every room was likely wiretapped. Rayford wanted Mac for the kingdom. He would be a wonderful addition to the Tribulation Force, especially as long as they kept his true loyalties from Carpathia.
“I am weak from hunger, Cameron,” Tsion said. They had dug halfway through the rubble, Buck despairing more with every shovelful. There was plenty of evidence Chloe lived in this place, but none that she was still there, dead or alive.
“I can dig to the basement within the hour, Tsion. Start on the kitchen. You might find food there. I’m hungry too.”
Even with Tsion just around the side of the house, Buck felt overwhelmed with loneliness. His eyes stung with tears as he dug and grabbed and lifted and tossed in what was a likely futile effort to find his wife.
Early in the evening Buck climbed wearily out of the basement at the back corner. He dragged his shovel to the front, willing to help Tsion, but hoping the rabbi had found something to eat.
Tsion lifted a split and crushed secretary desk and flung it at Buck’s feet.
“Oh, Cameron! I did not see you there.”
“Trying to get to the refrigerator?”
“Exactly. The power has been out for hours, but there must be something edible still in there.”
Two large beams were lodged in front of the refrigerator door. As Buck tried to help move them, his foot caught the edge of the broken desk, and papers and phone books flopped out onto the ground. One was the membership directory at New Hope Village Church. That might come in handy, he thought. He rolled it up and stuck it in his pants pocket.
A few minutes later Buck and Tsion sat back against the refrigerator, munching.
That took the edge off his hunger, but Buck felt he could sleep for a week. The last thing he wanted was to finish digging. He dreaded evidence that Chloe had died. He was grateful Tsion finally didn’t need to converse. Buck needed to think. Where would they spend the night? What would they eat tomorrow? But for now, Buck wanted to just sit, eat, and let memories of Chloe wash over him.
How he loved her! Was it possible he had known her less than two years? She had seemed much older than twenty when they had met, and she had the bearing of someone ten or fifteen years older now. She had been a gift from God, more precious than anything he had ever received except salvation. What would his life have been worth following the Rapture, had it not been for Chloe? He would have been grateful and would have enjoyed that deep satisfaction of knowing he was right with God, but he would have also been lonely and alone.
Even now, Buck was grateful for his father-in-law and Amanda. Grateful for his friendship with Chaim Rosenzwieg. Grateful for his friendship with Tsion. He and Tsion would have to work on Chaim. The old Israeli was still enamored of Carpathia. That had to change. Chaim needed Christ. So did Ken Ritz, the pilot Buck had used so many times. He would have to check on Ken, make sure he was all right, see if he had planes that still flew. He pushed his food aside and hung his head, nearly asleep.
“I need to go back to Israel,” Tsion said.
“Hm?” Buck mumbled.
“I need to go back to my homeland.”
Buck raised his head and stared at Tsion. “We’re homeless,” he said. “We can barely drive to the next block. We don’t know we’ll survive tomorrow. You are a hunted criminal in Israel. You think they’ll forget about you, now that they have earthquake relief to do?”
“On the contrary. But I have to assume the bulk of the 144,000 witnesses, of whom I am one, must come
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