“And I’m here as the example,” Ollie said. “We would like you to see a venture into the timeline. It is to do with someone you are well acquainted with, Thomas Wiley.” Ollie nodded towards the front wall.

A scene. It was the ocean. Someone was sinking, looking up to see a bright light mixed with the dark blueness of the water above him. The calmness of the surface surprised Jack. A bearded figure appeared, the head surrounded by sunlight. A hand came into the water and reached down.

Jack looked at Ollie. “That was you?”

“Yes, although Wiley mistook me for the King.”

“So you saved his life.”

“Yes. The Father knew his heart wasn’t quite there yet. I was just helping him along.”

“We would like you both to travel along the timeline with us … with Wiley. It will help you understand our role as guardian angels but also show you what is happening outside the kingdom.” Leo tapped his ear. “You are now both connected to Wiley and his life.” The scene on the wall changed, and a garden pathway with green gnomes appeared.

44 - The lot left behind

Thomas Wiley wiped tears from his cheeks as he hurried through Sheila’s front yard, passing the green gnomes that welcomed visitors. They reminded him of aliens—didn’t aliens have green skin? That’s what he’d been conditioned to believe. Christians were often considered aliens in this world, and now they’d gone back to their spaceship. Who controlled minds? He didn’t understand. Sheila told him people were controlled by the devil and Hollywood. He’d laughed off her words, but now he wasn’t so sure. He’d often believed what he’d heard without too much thought. He was confused.

He headed back to his dad’s house, although he didn’t expect to find him there. Out in the streets, the cars were stationary and people watched Adventus as it travelled swiftly through the sky. He thought of garbage trucks collecting rubbish. A stupid thought, but his mind was trying to bring order to whatever was happening. Everything was surreal, like he was in some dream state. Adventus was working its way through the world, collecting those who believed and leaving the rubbish behind. A sad thought. In his previous life, he would’ve suggested the reverse—that the rubbish was being collected.

As Wiley walked, an elderly man reached out and grabbed his arm. The man pointed to the sky, his eyes wide and full of fear.

“My wife. She’s gone!” the man yelled into Wiley’s face. “She told me … she said this would happen … but I chose not to believe.’ His grip on Wiley’s arm tightened.” What can I do?”

“Pray.” It was all Wiley could come up with. He hoped that option was still available.

The man let Wiley go, placed his hands over his dejected face, and sobbed. The man turned and headed back to his house, a sad and lonely figure.

Wiley continued towards his dad’s house, thoughts attacking him like darts flying through the sky. He had chosen the wrong house. Sheila told him that her Father’s house had many rooms and He would come again to take her home. Sheila had gone home to her Father’s house—wherever that was. Wiley was stranded. Where? Left behind on planet Earth. He didn’t know what would happen next, and his fear was building up.

Sheila had told him something else that was playing on his mind. What would the world be like now the salt of the earth had been removed? Sheila had compared Christians to salt, used to preserve meat in the old days. Salt prevented decay. She’d asked what would happen to society when the Christians were taken out of the world. The question had sounded arrogant, but what if it was true?

He stood outside his dad’s house, not wanting to face what was coming. His dad had helped get his life back in order and now …

He walked up the pathway opened the door. “Dad?”

The house was deathly quiet. He’d hoped Dad hadn’t been collected by Adventus, but that was just hopeful, selfish thinking.

“Dad,” he called again. He heard a noise and walked towards the back of the house, pausing at the window looking out at the backyard. Two men were in his dad’s chicken pen. Each had a chook under one arm, pecking at them. The men were trying to pick up more, while the chickens ran around the pen in a panicked flurry.

Wiley opened the back door and yelled at the intruders.

“You don’t need them,” a female voice said. Wiley looked for the source of the voice and saw two ladies standing in Dad’s veggie patch, thankfully not flattening any of the veggies. Dad would have screamed blue murder if they had. He had vague memories of seeing these people in the street.

The woman’s other companion wasn’t as harsh. “We’re sorry. We thought the house was empty, like some of the others in the street.” She dropped some carrots into her reusable shopping bag. “We knew your dad was one of those.” She pointed to the sky. “He tried to convert us once. Maybe we should’ve listened … and maybe you should’ve too.”

The men stopped chasing the chickens and looked at Wiley, then to their partners.

Wiley sensed their confusion. “Take what you have now and go.”

The men hesitated.

“You sure?” the quiet lady asked. “You may need them.”

The two ladies moved out of the veggie patch onto the grass. They didn’t offer to return the vegetables now in their bags. Wiley sensed their fear and uncertainty, and knew he needed to be careful with his words. The men concerned Wiley.

“It’s okay. I’m sure things will be okay. Take what you need.” He wanted the situation to remain calm. Uncertainty ruled at the moment, and he needed to keep it at bay. He was thankful for his street wisdom.

The quiet lady spoke again. “Okay. We’ll go now. As I said, we’re sorry. We didn’t know you were still here.”

Wiley sensed the men’s hesitation. The lady indicated with her head for the men to move on. They walked around to the side of the house. Wiley watched. This was only the start.

He grabbed a glass from the cupboard, walked over to the tap, and filled it up. His mouth was dry, so he took a large gulp and sat down at the kitchen table, taking in everything that had happened and why he now sat alone in his dad’s kitchen.

Why had he taken God on as an enemy? His membership in the secret society and their belief that the world would be better off without these arrogant Bible-bashing people added fuel to his internal war. Wiley’s views had changed but he knew his heart still wasn’t right. He wasn’t ready to accept God. Why? He didn’t fully understand, but he understood God would honour his decision and wouldn’t force him to change his mind. Sheila called it free will.

Wiley would miss his discussions with Sheila. They were both finding their way through their earthly existence. Dad even joined their in-depth conversations when Sheila visited. Sadness came over Wiley. He looked around the kitchen. He imagined his Dad and Sheila together now, chatting in their non-earth environment. He wanted to call it heaven, but they had both referred to it as the New Jerusalem—the new earth.

He wondered if they suffered survivors’ guilt for the loved ones they’d left behind. They spoke about that once, about feeling bad for those still on Earth. One thing he understood was that things were going to be a lot different now. He wasn’t sure whether that was good or bad. Going on what he’d just experienced with the neighbours, the latter was the road they would most probably travel.

The new earth? Was Adventus going to stop or keep orbiting?

An image of Robert Bruce appeared. He was standing near the cabinet, the one with the pistol. Wiley wanted that weapon. He doubted Bruce would lend it to him, as they weren’t on good terms now. Wiley would need to borrow it.

Dad’s tablet device and headphones sat on the kitchen table. The device was always open on a book from the Bible. Wiley moved the device towards him. The words on the screen made no sense—they were symbols, not words. But he knew how to find the play button. He put on the headphones and pressed play. Got it. A voice spoke.

Matthew 24:31- And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Yes, that was what had happened. Blood rushed to his head. He dragged the headphones off his head, picked up the tablet, and threw it against the kitchen wall. His eyes watered. Even after countless obvious and unmistakable signs and warnings, he still refused to acknowledge God, to acknowledge His Lordship. He still refused to be saved—as his dad would say.

He’d told his father there would be a second chance.

“I’m not sure, son,” Dad had said. “I’m just not sure.”

Wiley picked up the device, thankful no damage was done, gave the Lord a silent apology, sat, and placed the device back on the table. He remembered Sheila and his dad having a debate about randomly opening the Bible to hear a word from God. They agreed God may or may not reveal something. Wiley decided to give it a go.

He swiped the screen a few times, watched the shape of the pages change, paused, and pressed play.

Matthew 24:37-39 - But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

God had wiped out civilisation before. Why wouldn’t He do it again? There were many things Wiley didn’t understand about God, but he was starting to see God took evil seriously. God was happy to take millions of lives if required … or maybe He let them take their own lives through themselves and others.

What a mess Wiley had got himself into. What a mess the world had got itself into.

He needed that pistol.

* * *

Jack didn’t know how to react to what he was experiencing. He turned to look at Cath.