Tarizon: Desert Swarm Page 8

Chapter 8

  Mob Scene

  George Palmer and a dozen or so students and faculty from Deep Springs College were at their camp taking advantage of possibly the last day they’d have exclusive access to the Bat Mountain site. Jack, Dolly and Jake had also come to take one last look as well. Nobody knew what would happen exactly once the feds took over the site, but they feared they’d be kept away. As they were all gathered around discussing their theories and observations, they heard cars in the distance.

  “Who the hell is that?” Jack asked.

  “I don’t know.” George replied. “I wasn’t expecting the feds until tomorrow. Maybe they sent an advance team out to secure the site.

  After a few minutes two sheriff’s cars rolled up on the ridge overlooking the site and stopped. Eight deputies got out of the vehicles and peered down at them. Two of the deputies approached the camp. Jack recognized one of them, Curt Lawson, his ex-wife’s boyfriend.

  “Afternoon Jack,” Curt said seeming amused.

  “Hi, Curt. What’s going on?”

  “We got a heads up that a mob of people are about to descend upon this place, so I thought we’d better come out and make sure they behave themselves.”

  George stepped forward. “Thank you, Deputy Lawson,” George said. “I really appreciate you coming out here. We didn’t think anybody knew where our camp was located.”

  “Well, your secret is out, I’m afraid. There are a dozen vehicles and a couple of school buses already parked out on Highway 127.”

  Jake’s mouth dropped open when he heard that school buses had come. “Oh, crap!” he exclaimed looking over at his father. His father looked back at him expectantly. “I’m sorry, Dad. I told our principal where the site was located. He asked me and I just blurted it out before I realized it. I’m sorry.”

  Jack sighed. “It’s okay. It was just a matter of time.”

  “So, how do you want to handle this?” Deputy Lawson asked.

  “I’ve got some rope. Can you keep everybody on the ridge? It’s a good spot to watch what’s going on. Perhaps we can let small groups down to get closer looks from time to time, but if we can keep the bulk of the crowd away that would be helpful.”

  “Okay. That should work.”

  Twenty minutes later the area was cordoned off and deputies were stationed at even intervals to make sure the perimeter wasn’t breached. When the first wave of vehicles arrived they were warned to stay back behind the ropes. Soon the ridge was populated by hundreds of pilgrims straining to get a better look at the living cathedral that they’d heard so much about. After a while Jack and George climbed to the top of the ridge and brought down Reverend Little, Principal Barnes, the reporters, the Channel 11 News crew and eight others for a tour of the site. The walls had grown yet another foot since the photos published in the newspaper, so nobody questioned the claim that the walls were alive.

  “It is a miracle!” Reverend Little exclaimed. “I feared the newspaper article had been exaggerated but, if anything, it understated the magnitude of this phenomenon.”

  “Yes,” Principal Barnes agreed running his hands across the surface of one of the walls. “This is extraordinary. It looks like grey ice but it’s hot and hard as steel. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “It’s a gift from God and we are the lucky recipients of his generosity.”

  “Well, I’m afraid the government might have something to say about that,” George interjected.

  “Of course, they’ll have to study it for a while but eventually they’ll have to give it back to the people and I intend to become its custodian once that’s done.”

  “But how? The property belongs to Bat Mountain Corporation. I’m afraid they’ll decide who becomes custodian.”

  “True enough. That’s why I must find out more about this Bat Mountain Corporation. You have any ideas on that front?”

  “Ah, not really. Maybe Deputy Lawson knows a private detective who could look into it for us,” Principal Barnes said.

  Reverend Little nodded and looked around for Deputy Lawson. When he spotted him he approached. “Deputy Lawson.”

  “Hi, Reverend,” Lawson replied.

  “Thank you for responding so quickly. I don’t know if I could have kept my people from wandering all over the site.”

  “Yeah, it’s a good thing you called. . . .You know, if your people plan to stay out here for any length of time, you better get some port-o-potties and some tents where people can get out of the sun. A medic wouldn’t hurt either. Being out in this sun for any length of time can cause dehydration, heat stroke, and numerous other ailments.”

  “Yes, excellent idea. I’ll have that taken care of immediately. In the meantime, I had a question for you.”

  “Okay.”

  “Ah. Have you ever heard of this Bat Mountain Corporation?”

  “The company that owns this property?”

  “Yes.”

  “No. Never heard of them until I read the article in the Register.”

  “So, if you were trying to contact them, how would you go about doing it?”

  “I will be trying to contact them. They need to know what’s going on out here.”

  “You don’t think they are behind this?”

  Deputy Lawson laughed. “I doubt it. If they knew what was going on, I’m sure they would have put up fences and hired security to keep people away.”

  “Well, if you are able to contact someone, would you give me their contact information? I’d like to offer our services in helping preserve the integrity of the site.”

  “Sure. I’ll let you know as soon as I make contact.”

  “Thank you, Curt. I appreciate it.”

  Reverend Little walked away and rejoined Principal Barnes. “Okay, that went well. Lawson’s going to try to contact Bat Mountain Corporation and once he has their contact info, he’ll pass it on to us.

  “Good.”

  Reverend Little looked up at his congregation gathered on the hill above them. Dark clouds were gathering to the west and the wind was beginning to gust. “Well, I guess it’s time for a sermon.”

  Barnes nodded. “Yes, I’m sure everyone is quite curious as to what’s happening.”

  “Indeed. Come on,” Reverend Little said as he made his way up the hill.

  While the tour had been going on, some of the members of the church had constructed a make-shift pulpit on top of a large boulder that sat on the hill. With the help of a ladder Reverend Little climbed to the top to address the throng.

  “Welcome! Children of God,” he began, “Before you behold a miracle. From out of bedrock your Lord is building a church. I know it’s hard to believe. You’re told every day that miracles don’t happen. But now you know differently.”

  “But why now? And why here? These are the unanswered questions. Although the scriptures can be interpreted in different ways. I have a few suggestions I’d like you to consider. In Revelation 1:7 it is written ‘Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindred of the earth shall wail because of him.’”

  “Of course this is but one of the many proclamations of a Second Coming of Christ. ‘For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.’ Matthew 24:27.

  “We know one day Christ will return to us and when that Second Coming, don’t you think there will be a sign? Something unmistakable, a miracle, like a church rising from the Earth and reaching to the heavens?

  “So, what I believe is that this cathedral is being raised to provide a fitting place for the Second Coming. In Revelation 3:20 it says: ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.’”

  “Well, I don’t know, but it’s a possibility that Christ is knocking on the door, that this sanctuary is being raised to herald the Second Coming of Christ. It could be that God w
ants to focus the attention of the world on this great wonder, so His people can clear their minds of worldly thoughts, and concentrate on the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

  “In Zechariah 12:10, he says ‘they shall look upon me whom they have pierced.’ and at Matthew 26:64 it is written: ‘Those who condemned Him will also see Him come.’ God wants everyone to witness the Second Coming so there is no doubt that the prophecy has been fulfilled.”

  “So, it is our responsibility to shout out to the world. “Christ is coming! Let me hear you say it, Christ is coming.”

  The crowd yelled out in unison. “Christ is Coming!”

  “Louder,” Reverend Little beckoned.

  The crowd yelled out again much louder. “Christ is coming!”

  “Yes, he is, so let us tell the world. “Christ is coming again!”

  Suddenly there was a crack of thunder and a bolt of lightning hit a short wave antenna attached to a tent.

  “Glory, hallelujah!” someone yelled.

  Many in the crowd laughed.

  Reverend Little smiled as he looked out at the crowd and into the TV cameras that were recording the historic moment. “Now, I know a lot of you have to work and have other responsibilities, but it is important that as many of you as possible stay and keep vigil for none of us can afford to miss the Second Coming of Christ the King. So, talk to your bosses, your family, and your friends and work it out so you can bear witness to the rise of God’s mighty temple as it soars to the heavens.”

  “Thank you and God bless you all.”

  That night on TV sets all across the nation, Reverend Little’s sermon was replayed to millions of listeners, many hearing for the first time the story of the cathedral that was being built without the intervention of architects, the labor of men, the use of equipment, or the need for any materials besides what God had deposited beneath the Earth at the beginning of the world. By noon the following day the crowd of a hundred and fifty had swollen to five thousand and Deputy Sheriff Curt Lawson was grateful when he heard the sound of helicopters in the distance and saw a convoy of trucks coming over the hill from Highway 127. It was the expected team of experts from the Department of Defense.

  Six helicopters landed behind them and army troops poured out of each and systematically began securing the area. Then a dozen trucks, buses and vans rolled up and began setting up operations. When the first truck stopped George Palmer and Jack Carpenter went over and greeted the newcomers. Greg Arnold stepped off the bus first along with a military officer. Greg and George shook hands.

  “Good morning,” George said. “We’re glad to see you. The crowds were starting to get a little unruly.”

  “Yes, so I heard,” Greg said. “George, Jack, this is Colonel Benjamin Martin. He’ll be in charge of our investigation.”

  They all shook hands. “Well, I hope you have more luck than we did,” George said. “I can’t say we did much to solve this mystery.”

  Colonel Martin nodded. “Well, we’ll get to the bottom of it. We all know buildings don’t build themselves. There has to be a rational explanation for this phenomenon.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Jack said, “but I’m beginning to believe Reverend Little may be right.”

  “You mean that God is building a cathedral for Christ’s Second Coming?” George questioned.

  “Yeah. God is the only one I know of who could do something like this.”

  “Nonsense,” Colonel Martin spat. “Just give us time. We’ve got some of the greatest scientific minds on the planet here. They’ll figure this thing out.”

  “Well, do you need us to do anything?” George asked.

  “No, we’ll take it from here. I’m sure you all must be very tired. Just clear out your people and we’ll contact you if we need anything.”

  George reluctantly gathered his students together and told them it was time to break camp and go home. An hour later as Jack and Dolly were leaving Jack took one last set of photos. The structure was looking more like a cathedral each day, with walls now over eight feet tall. He wondered if the government would ever figure out the mystery, and if they did, whether they would share it with the public. Somehow, he doubted they would.