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FamilyChristian.com
At Death's
Door
From Terror
in the Stadium - #17 by Tim LaHaye
and Jerry B. Jenkins
Judd raised his hands and
knelt with the others. Melinda pointed her gun around and tried to support Felicia,
who was pale and almost unconscious, her head hanging.
"On your faces!" Melinda shouted.
Charlie, Vicki's weird friend, wandered in, holding a candle.
His eyes grew large when he recognized the two Morale Monitors. "I didn't know
the water was bad, I promise!"
"On the floor!" Melinda yelled.
What had Conrad and Lionel told Judd about the girls? He
knew they were fiercely loyal to the Global Community and their leader, Commander
Blancka. Vicki said she thought the GC had turned on them and wanted them dead.
Judd watched for his chance to surprise them.
"You don't have to do this," Vicki said. "We're not going
to hurt you."
"Shut up!" Melinda shouted. She stared at Vicki. "You guys
all look weird. What happened to your hair?" Melinda let go of Felicia, and
the girl fell to the floor. Mr. Stein was still kneeling with his hands folded
in prayer.
Melinda
fired into the ceiling, and plaster fell. "I said, on the ground!"
Nine of us, two of them, Judd thought. If we rush Melinda,
we can overpower her, but someone might get killed.
Judd caught Lionel's eye. Lionel clenched his teeth and shook
his head. Vicki crawled toward Felicia and put a hand on her neck.
"Touch her and you die!" Melinda said, pointing the gun.
Judd lurched forward, but Melinda quickly put the gun in
his face. "You want it first, Thompson?"
Mark grabbed Judd's ankles.
"Stop," Vicki said. "I feel a pulse." She put an ear over
Felicia's face. "Hardly breathing. Help me get her to a bed."
Mr. Stein moved to help.
"Leave her alone!" Melinda shouted. She fired another bullet
into the ceiling, sending the kids scrambling.
"She's dying," Vicki said. "There may not be much time."
Melinda brushed dirty hair from her face. "Why would you
help her?"
Vicki lifted Felicia's shoulders. "Put her in my room. It's
closest."
Melinda didn't move.
"Judd, get hot water from the stove and some rags," Vicki
said. "Conrad, drinking water. A lot of it."
"Not him," Melinda said, pointing to Conrad. She nodded to
Shelly. "You." "I'll get blankets, too," Shelly said.
Judd shoved a pot of water over the fire on the ancient stove.
The schoolhouse still had no electricity.
"The rest of you stay here," he heard Melinda say from the
other room. She called out, "And if you guys try to run, I'll shoot them."
Judd gathered rags and opened a drawer, where he found a
heavy rolling pin. He banged it against his palm.
Vicki feared Felicia was near death. Mr. Stein helped prop up her head.
"If she drank from the well," he said, "there is nothing
we can do. The Scriptures say thousands will die from Wormwood."
Melinda barked orders in the other room. Shelly brought water
and blankets. Vicki tried to get Felicia to drink, but she didn't respond. "If
we can get her to drink it might wash out some of the poison."
Judd brought the warm water and rags, and Vicki cleaned Felicia's
face. She grabbed the rolling pin. "You want to get us killed, Judd?"
"We have to do something," he said.
Vicki tossed it under the bed. Melinda came running.
"If we can't get Felicia to drink clean water," Vicki said,
"well . . . it doesn't look good."
Melinda ordered the others into the next room. Judd glanced
at Vicki on his way out. "Why are you doing this?" Melinda
asked Vicki.
"She's sick. Why are you doing this?"
Melinda laughed. "I'm taking every one of you back. You're
enemies of the Global Community."
Please Note: This excerpt
from Chapter One of Terror
in the Stadium - #17
by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins is a copyright of Tyndale House Publishers
and is intended solely for use on FamilyChristian.com. Any reproduction (print,
electronic or by any other means) of this excerpt from The Showdown without
prior written permission from Tyndale House Publishers is a violation of applicable
copyright law. |
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