The entrance doors were full-length glass. Aaron thought he saw a figure inside, rushing towards the door. The doors burst open. Aaron’s chest started thumping as the Rev came flying through the doors. Kathy and James were just near the car, when he yelled out. They turned back and ran.
Aaron looked at Churchie.
“Hallelujah,” Churchie yelled.
Kathy and James were now near the entrance door. The Rev was pointing excitedly back inside the building. Churchie and Aaron moved quickly towards the door and managed to get inside before emergency procedures kicked in.
Aaron followed Kathy and James into the viewing room. He saw Mackenzie and another person wandering around, confused, bumping into tables. Attendants were wrapping them in sheets and trying to calm them down. Mackenzie looked in Aaron’s direction but she was in a glazed state. The attendant didn’t know what to do, but other workers came to her rescue. Aaron felt somebody’s hand, and he was ushered out by a security guard along with everybody else.
They stood just outside the main entrance. Kathy and James were hugging each other, both crying.
Amazing. Aaron looked over at Churchie who was with the Rev. They had their heads bowed. Aaron walked over and stood beside them.
The Rev looked up and put his arm around Aaron. “God is at work, Aaron.”
<°)))><
Absolute mayhem followed.
The Department of Defence, although at the periphery of the recent events, now became actively involved. They transported Mackenzie and Joshua to an undisclosed hospital.
Rumours started circulating. Towards the end of the working week the media started ramping up their stories. They tracked down the Rev and set up camp outside the church. Churchie avoided his favourite steps at the church and was bunking at Aaron’s.
Many started to believe it didn’t happen. They wanted proof. They didn’t want to believe.
People were scared.
<°)))><
It was a cloudless Saturday morning. Windsor was at the property. He was spending more time with Starkey than with his wife. She didn’t seem to care if he was home or not.
Old habits die hard. Windsor read the newspaper on Saturdays. Most of the week, when he had time, it was a quick glimpse of online news or reports from his staff. His Saturday paper filled in the holes of the week. He was keen to find out more about the two bodies that were supposedly raised from the dead. Bodies raised from the dead? It must be some kind of stunt. This time the media had gone too far. He read on. Someone they referred to as the Rev was quoted as saying:
“The Lord has spoken. This has been brought about due to the unnatural deaths of these people, and so many can see that God can raise the dead. It is not to be a common occurrence unless God seeks that. But there are many living now who are dead—God wants those to be raised to life.”
He must be one of those radical Christians. God wouldn’t raise the dead—maybe 2000 years ago, but not now. He got up and walked to the window and looked out. Some kangaroos were feeding on the grass, one with a little joey sticking out of its pouch. They all stopped eating, raised their heads and looked towards the front of the house. It was only a car, now stationary, no danger, heads back down. He heard the front door open and close.
Starkey walked in and glanced at the paper on the coffee table. “I know what you are probably thinking, Grant, but it’s true. They have brought those people back to life.”
“But how?”
“They believe God did it. But I think it must be tied in with the technology. And I’m sure that’s where the media will eventually take this story. Somehow their bodies went into a hibernation state, you know, like they do in space travel.”
Windsor just stared at Starkey. It was like God versus Star Wars.
“Whose side are you on, Bruce?”
“What do you mean?”
“God or Star Wars?”
“Star Wars. And isn’t that the side you’re on, Grant? Considering what you’ve done with your son?”
“Maybe you’re right, Starkey. Maybe I’m on both sides, God and Star Wars. But this is one big distraction from our transportation technology.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, these people being raised from the dead.”
“I’m not sure about that, Windsor. They may start thinking that the technology can be used to put bodies in a hibernation state. But I have no idea how that happened and how the bodies came out of it. Maybe the prayers of that man did bring them back. So the technology is irrelevant. But how do you prove all this?”
“It’s a distraction,” Windsor said.
“Well, we’ll do another transfer. That will get the focus back.”
But Windsor wasn’t listening. A plan had started taking shape in his mind.
Chapter 24
IT WAS A CRISP Sunday morning. King George Square was known as the ceremonial and civic heart of Brisbane City, but activity in the square was busier than usual this Sunday morning. There was an air of expectation.
It was still some time before the service start time. The Rev and the senior pastor of City Community Church were unlocking the arched doors, and pushing them open. Daylight invaded the inside of the church. What they saw next shocked them.
The Rev stood next to the senior pastor. What he saw reminded him of the days when he slept out for football final tickets. He walked down the steps to the footpath. He heard someone whisper, “That’s him.”
The people in the queue were smiling at him, so he smiled back. He walked down the queue to get an idea of how many people were here. Hundreds, all shapes and sizes. He greeted or nodded to those he passed.
He turned and walked back up the stairs. “We’re full! At least 350 people lined up, and our regulars aren’t even here yet.”
