Shaken by Jerry B. Jenkins Read Free Book Online Page B

world situation.
    â€œScientists are still speculating on the cause of this worldwide death plague,” one news anchor said.
    â€œHundreds of thousands are reported dead; millions have been sickened by the mysterious smoke that seemingly came out of nowhere.”
    â€œThey can’t see the horses,” Shelly said.
    Vicki shook her head. “Somehow God made them visible to us but blinded unbelievers.”
    Reports from overseas showed horrific scenes in major cities on every continent. People lay dead in the streets. One amateur video showed a man standing on a street corner in Brussels. Smoke rose in the distance, and people ran in fear. One second the man stood by a lamppost. The next instant he was flying through the air, smashing into a huge window. They showed the video again in slow motion, but there were no clues as to how the man had moved so quickly.
    One expert guessed that the earth was going through “a strange gravitational change, which makes some areas at risk for life-threatening events.”
    â€œThey don’t have a clue,” Vicki said.
    Shelly tried other channels. Those that weren’t showing the news were disgusting. One program featured a man in a desperate search for a family member who had been buried alive. A ticking clock was positioned at the bottom of the screen. At first, Vicki thought it was a movie.
    â€œThis is real,” Shelly said in disbelief.
    â€œTurn to something else.”
    Shelly switched to the next channel. A man in black robes and a mask stood inside a five-pointed star. It looked like he was praying.
    â€œTurn it off,” Vicki said.
    Shelly did. “What was that?”
    â€œExactly what Tsion Ben-Judah predicted. People love themselves and their sin too much. Tsion said we’d see more drug use, murder, gross sexual stuff, and …”
    â€œAnd what?”
    â€œI think that guy was leading people in a prayer, but it wasn’t to God. I think he was praying to demons.”
    Shelly shivered.
    â€œThe other channels are probably worse.”
    The girls lay in the dark, talking and trying to fall asleep, but the images they had seen on television were too much.
    When the sun came up, Vicki and Shelly dressed and put their things in the car. They waited until they thought they heard Conrad moving around and knocked.
    The kids ate some snacks and got back on the road. Vicki sat in front and let Shelly have the backseat so she could rest.
    â€œYou guys didn’t sleep?” Conrad said.
    Vicki shook her head. “How much longer until we’re at the schoolhouse?”
    â€œIf we push hard enough, we could be there tonight.”

    Judd awoke to a quiet house. Yitzhak had asked everyone who was staying there to keep as quiet as possible out of respect for Nada’s family and Sam. Judd found Nada’s mother at the kitchen table alone. She pulled out a chair and said, “Sit.”
    The woman had said very little in Judd’s presence since he had met her. He wondered if it was cultural or if she was ashamed of her English. Judd said, “All this time I’ve never known your first name.”
    The woman smiled. “Lina.”
    Judd nodded. “I read Nada’s note. Did she write it in jail?”
    â€œYes. She told me a little about her concerns and said she wanted to talk to you when we were released. I told her she should write down her feelings so she would remember everything. I never dreamed she would die.” Lina looked away and closed her eyes.
    â€œI don’t know if she was right,” Judd said. “Maybe I was concerned about what your husband thought about us—”
    â€œWhat about her belief that there is someone else?”
    Judd sighed. “I have friends back home that I met after the Rapture. But I’m not sure—”
    Lina put a hand on Judd’s shoulder. “Forgive me. I do not like to give personal advice when it’s not asked