Read Online The Word of God by Christopher Cummings - Free Book Online

he persisted for another couple of minutes then said: “I’ve decoded all I can. It reads: From Six Six to Six Five: Trigram, Trigram, Numeral One, Trigram, Trigram, Numeral Five, Have trigram RV, that is ‘Rendezvous’, with Bravo Mike yet?”
    â€œMaybe a number to begin with?” Graham suggested.
    â€œMight be, or a time,” Peter replied.
    Suddenly the radio began to talk again. Six Five calling Six Six. Stephen and Peter both copied the message which was very short, one trigram:- DYR
    Peter glanced at his notes. “That means ‘No’, or ‘not’,” he said.
    Gwen frowned. “So they haven’t RV’d with Bravo Mike yet,” she suggested.
    Peter stood up, aware that he felt dizzy and that his muscles had stiffened up. “Maybe no. Now let’s move.”
    They started to creep down the steep, rocky slope. After only fifty paces the radio went again. Peter stopped and told Stephen to take the message
    Megan snapped angrily: “This is silly! If we stop every time that thing talks we will be up here all night!”
    Peter ignored her. He had a feeling that it might be better to spend the night on the mountain than risk eternity in a grave- or mouldering on a scrubby mountainside.
    This message was from 66 to 65. Peter was able to decode it much faster as he became familiar with the code. There were only three trigrams he could not work out. “It reads Trigram, which I think means ‘move’ to RV TRIDENT, which must be a nickname, then two trigrams I can’t get.”
    They resumed their slow progress down the steep slope. The whole thing began to take on the qualities of a nightmare, made all the more unbelievable by the sight of familiar places in the distance.
    Megan called from behind him. “What are those lights I can see?”
    Peter looked up. “That is Cairns in the distance.”
    â€œYes I know that,” Megan replied. “I meant those lights further down the mountain.”
    She was right. With a surge of relief Peter saw the flicker of torches through the trees.
    Gwen gasped with relief. “The police! At last!” she cried.
    â€œOr the Devil Worshippers coming back with reinforcements,” Stephen suggested gloomily.
    For a moment Peter experienced a spasm of fear which later embarrassed him to recall. This was almost instantly replaced by annoyance. “Stop talking about them Stephen. It is the police, I’m sure.”
    â€œHope you’re right,” Stephen replied sullenly.
    Graham held up the gun. “If it isn’t then they will have an unhappy time trying to get at us.”
    Peter shivered as he watched the lights. Definitely torches, and only a few hundred metres down the mountain. He told himself that feeling feverish was only from over-exertion but fervently prayed that it was the police.
    In almost complete silence they sat and waited as the lights climbed slowly closer.

Chapter 5
    FEAR AND HOPE
    I t was the police.
    As the torches came closer Peter glimpsed a blue shirt. With that he breathed out, suddenly aware that his chest hurt from the tension. He counted the torches bobbing and weaving up the slope through the trees and decided there were only six of them. As they reached the bottom of the open rocky slope Peter turned on his own torch.
    â€œHello! Here we are!” he called.
    The torches stopped and a man called back: “Are you the cadets who sent for the police?”
    â€œYes,” Peter shouted. He felt so relieved he wanted to cry aloud.
    Another voice called up to them: “Is that you Peter?”
    Captain Conkey! Now we will be alright , Peter thought.
    â€œYes sir,” he called back.
    Three minutes later Capt Conkey and the police group joined them. The captain was dressed in his cadet uniform. With him were two police; a sergeant and a senior constable, and three men in the orange overalls of the State Emergency Service. Capt Conkey was