Survivors - Dave Mckay (sight word readers .TXT) 📗

world events were such that everyone had been sobered about much that they had previously taken for granted. All in all, Raymie had been forced to do a lot of growing up in a very short period of time, and he was quickly warming to his new self-image as a disciplined and responsible adult.

The eight residents in each tent passed their time lounging on the bunks, talking, and doing various chores and calisthenics if they were strong enough. Much of the talk centred around each person's interpretation of what had transpired, and where it was all to lead, for them and for their loved ones. Virtually everyone was grieving over the loss of immediate friends and relatives, though most could only guess as to whether people outside their immediate household had survived the attack.

Normal communication links within the U.S. had totally broken down shortly after the bombings. Although there were no newspapers at the camp, some volunteers had access to news at home and they passed on what they knew when they arrived at the camp. From there, news would spread quickly, just by word of mouth.

The residents learned that the United Nations had taken over co-ordinating relief operations. In just a few weeks much of the surviving population of America was to be dispersed around the globe from the many holding camps in Canada and Mexico, and from airlifts within the United States… airlifts, that is, from those few places where aircraft could still come and go.

Weather patterns had been favourable, blowing most of the fallout out over the Atlantic. An Arctic cold front three days after the attack pushed air southward and kept most of the fallout away from Canada. Even so, radiation levels in southern Canada were still far above normal. Canadians had been cautioned to stay inside as much as possible. The rest of the world, apart from islands in the Caribbean, and some parts of Mexico, was assured that the radiation threat to them was minimal.

Russia's attitude toward the war was to act as though it had never happened. As soon as her bombers had completed their missions, blowing up military installations and other key centres of transportation, power, and communication, they had returned to their bases. From that point on, Russia had offered as much aid to the survivors as anyone else.

The U.S. and England had both been officially expelled from the U.N. just days after the attack. America was dropped because it ceased to exist; but almost no explanation was given for dumping England. Despite protests from the British, there was hardly any objection from other member nations. U.N. Secretary General Xu Dangchao, with strong backing from Russia and China, was able to push things through with the ease that world leaders always have in the face of disasters. The expulsion had not been accompanied by any sanctions against Britain, and the Brits themselves were so preoccupied with assisting Americans that they did not have the necessary heart to take on the U.N. in the face of inexplicable indifference from the rest of the world.

Loss of American trade was a threat to the economy of many smaller nations, but the U.N. started to work immediately on programs to reclaim land owned by American interests, and to re-cultivate it so that it could carry products which would better meet the needs of the local populations. The same thing was being done with American industrial interests. Secretary General Dangchao promised to actually increase wealth for the Third World; and the World Bank was surprisingly co-operative with his proposals.

An economic summit was being planned to consider various proposals for stabilising the world economy. Talk of a single currency was a key issue on the agenda.

One U.N. project that was not getting as much media coverage as the economic and political changes, was a plan for a world religious summit. The masses of the world longed for reassurance that the U.S. disaster was not going to be repeated; and religious leaders had been shocked into overlooking differences that had previously divided them. They too wanted to play their part in promoting worldwide co-operation… co-operation with one another, as well as co-operation with the quickly evolving world government. In times of crisis people turn to religion for comfort and direction; so it was important for the government and the churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples to provide a unified (and unifying) image of hope and peace.

No word had been received at all from President Fitzhugh, who, with his family and aides, had been trapped under the White House when it was bombed. Hopes were fading that they had survived the blast, even though a series of tunnels existed under the building, and it was believed that he had been rushed there several minutes before the bomb hit. Under normal circumstances there would have been a system for appointing a replacement for the President, but the Vice-President and several other potential successors were dead or missing, along with a sizeable proportion of the Senators and Congressmen who would have to oversee such a decision. Most of those who were alive, were little more than refugees themselves. Truly, America had ceased to exist as an independent nation.

The U.S.'s unwavering support for Israel had been that country's mainstay for many years. The tiny Jewish state, surrounded as it was by Arab nations, was understandably nervous about the shift in power. But Dangchao surprised the world and gained respect for his sense of fair play by putting peace talks between Israel and the Arab states high on his priorities. It was rumoured that Jewish influences in the World Bank were what really won Dangchao over. He was getting many billions of dollars in support from the World Bank for his Third World plans. In exchange, the U.N. was taking a decidedly pro-Israeli position in the peace talks.

But, sadly, for the millions of Americans still struggling to escape the death and destruction that had ravaged that country, developments in world politics were incidental to their daily quest for survival. Tens of thousands were continuing to die each day from injuries received in the initial blasts, some of them dying without any medical aid at all. Many had been left where they fell, to suffer for days before finally succumbing. A few had been carried away, only to die on the road, in refugee camps, or in hospitals. Burials were rare. Cremations were faster. But, in most cases, bodies were left to rot, and disease was left to spread, as survivors had fled the scene.

For people like Chloe, still waiting for help to reach her, the threat of catching cholera or typhoid was now the biggest worry.

 

 

Zion Ben-Jonah Writes

Two symbols are used for America in Bible prophecy: A prostitute named "Babylon" and the Eagle's wings on the back of a Lion (the Lion being the symbol for England). (See notes at the end of chapter 2.)

In Daniel 7:4, the Eagle's wings are plucked, and the Lion (i.e. England) ceases to be a "beast" (or world empire) as a result. In Revelation 17:16-18, and all of Revelation 18, we read of the fall of Babylon, and how it affects the kings, merchants, and shipping companies of the world.

Remember, however, that the term "Babylon" not only refers to America. It is a symbol for all of the empires of man. And so the title will eventually pass on to the new centre of world economics, under the new world order.

The rise of a single world religion may or may not be assisted by the United Nations. Moves toward ecumenicalism have been underway for some time now; but disasters always have a way of bringing the masses back to thoughts of religion, and of bringing religious leaders together with one another.

America's obsession with Israel is usually explained to the masses (thanks to the churches) on the basis that they are God's "chosen people" (despite the fact that they rejected God's Son... their Messiah!). However, interest in Israel at government levels has always had more to do with their control of world banking.

 

(Table of Contents)

 

 

 

8. Reunion

Chloe had worked hard at making her stay in Prospect Heights both safe and stable. She arranged to turn the satphone on for just a few hours each week--the times when her father was most confident of being able to contact her. She increased her water supply by retrieving water from the toilets upstairs. When that was depleted, she made her first and only venture outside, to get water and food from two neighbouring houses which had been deserted shortly after the attack. She moved out of the basement in the second week and back into the rooms on the ground floor. But she continued to use the basement as her latrine. Because there were no deaths in her immediate vicinity, she was safe from disease as long as she did not travel too far afield. Overall, she spent her last week at Prospect Heights in relative comfort.

Just three weeks after the attack, a rescue bus pulled up in front of the house and offered Chloe a lift to a ferry that would take her and hundreds of other survivors up Lake Michigan to Port Elgin, on the east side of Lake Huron. From there, they were taken by bus to holding camps near Toronto.

Chloe was only in the camp for two days before she was taken to the airport. She had not heard from her father for five days, but she was not surprised when she was issued with a ticket on a Pan-Con flight to London. She was also not surprised when she found her father waiting for her after she had passed through airport security … but she certainly was excited. They embraced and rejoiced, backing off so that they could look at each other before embracing again. The stress of the past weeks erupted in profuse tears for Chloe. But she sensed that her father was still holding something back.

"Any word on Mom and Raymie?" she asked

"They're fine," Rayford said. "They're still in Regina, but it shouldn't be long. I've signed papers for them to come to England when they're released."

But Rayford's thoughts were on something else.

"Chloe, can you sit in the cockpit with me today?" he asked.

"Are you kidding? No one could keep me from it!" she giggled.

Rayford added, "I've made some important decisions about serving God. We need to talk about it."

Chloe had been doing a lot of praying herself, so she could appreciate what she thought was her father's decision to attend church. "I understand," she said with a smile as they walked to the plane. She reached out and squeezed his hand, grateful to have him near her once again.

"There's more to it than you probably realise," he said. "We'll talk about it after take-off."

Inside the plane, Rayford was totally occupied with routine safety checks, communication (both with the control tower and with the passengers), and with flying the aircraft. But when they were at cruising altitude and the seat belt sign had been turned off, Rayford handed control over to his co-pilot and moved to the navigator's seat, where he and Chloe could talk more privately.

"There's so much I need to say," he began. "First off, you should know that I personally don't have a house or even a room in London."

"We'll manage. I'll get a job," Chloe promised.

Rayford searched for words to tell her the depth of his new commitment.

"We don't need jobs," he said. "In fact, I'll be quitting this job soon… to work for God."

Chloe's eyes opened wide. Something strange was going on.

"Quit your job?" she asked in amazement. "How would we survive? You're not even trained to be a preacher." She said the word "preacher" with a bit of a sneer.

"But I already am a preacher," Rayford replied.

"Where? What church?"

"No church. I just talk to people about God… on the street."

"What? You mean you're a street preacher?" Things were looking stranger still.

"No, I just offer literature to people, and