The Wormwood Trumpet
by
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Mark prided himself in his ability to discern a pesky salesman and thwart their interruptions of the dinner table or their evening time together.
"It's for you, Dad." Mark said with a rather resigned look as he handed Brad the phone and sat back down to the sofa.
Either this is a good salesman or an unusual call, thought Brad as he took the phone.
"Hello."
"Colonel Harrison?"
"Yes, this is Colonel Harrison."
Brad looked across the table at Pam and noticed a look of interest that bordered on concern. She was always so intuitive. He didn't normally receive calls addressing him as Colonel at this hour of the night unless something important was happening.
"Colonel, this is Captain Andrews. We need you to report immediately."
Brad had met Steve Andrews on several occasions. He was General Barnes' attaché. "Okay, Steve. What is it?"
"Turn on your TV, Sir. But don't linger. The general has asked for your immediate presence." Andrews was strictly business.
"Okay Steve. I'll be there shortly."
"Mark--can you flip on the TV?"
"Sure Dad. What's up?"
"I don't know, but it doesn't sound good." Andrews' advice to turn on the TV set off alarm bells in Brad's head. If whatever it was required his immediate presence on base at 10:00 p.m. and it was already on the tube, it must be bad. He imagined that it could be an assassination, a coup, or maybe the death of some dictator. What he saw as the TV came into focus totally blew him away.
"Again, this is Peter Jonas reporting from Tel Aviv. We repeat for those just joining us--what appears to have been a nuclear bomb was exploded near Jerusalem less than one hour ago. The exact location of the center of the blast remains unknown but it appears to have been northeast of the city." It was quite clear from the deadly serious tone of voice of the announcer that this was a real incident. An ashen face also portrayed the reporter's grave assessment of the situation.
"Oh my God!" gasped Pam over the voice of the reporter.
"What does this mean, Dad?" asked Mark in a tone that was more perplexed than concerned.
At 13, Brad knew that Mark had no frame of reference for such an event. Then again, what was he thinking? He had no frame of reference for such an event either. A thousand thoughts swam through his head as he half-struggled to answer Mark and listen to the reporter at the same time. What did it mean? He really didn't know. But whatever it meant, it couldn't be good.
"I don't know, son. I don't know." replied Brad in a quiet, far off tone of voice.
"Did the captain say anything else?" asked Pam in an obviously dazed voice as she stared at the scene on the TV.
The reporter was continuing his impromptu story. "We understand that we will have film shortly from Jerusalem. The explosion has caused extensive damage in that city. Reports of widespread gunfire and fighting are coming in. There are also reports of wild celebrations in the Gaza Strip."
Brad had processed both his wife's question and the further bit of news in one fell swoop as he rose from the table to depart.
"No dear, he said nothing else," he replied in his own stunned voice as he leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "Love you dear. I'll call you guys from the office. Don't go anywhere," he said as he tousled Mark's hair on the way out of the kitchen.
Brad switched on the upstairs TV as soon as he reached the bedroom to put on a clean uniform. As he pulled on the uniform, he now saw scenes of collapsed buildings in Jerusalem. The reporter continued on in an excited voice.
"From the information that we have, neither the Wailing Wall nor the Dome of the Rock have collapsed. Earlier reports had indicated that such was the case. The center of the explosion appears to have been the community of Pisgat Ze'ev. This has been an area of great contention between the Israelis and the Palestinians during clashes of the past few years."
Brad switched off the TV as he exited the bedroom. By the time he got to the front door, Pam was waiting for him. She hugged him long and begged him to hurry home. At last, he had to break free of her hug to open the door and leave. He knew she was scared. Something had happened today that had not happened since World War II. A nuclear bomb had been exploded in an act of aggression between two combatants.
As Brad walked out to the driveway and opened the door of his Jeep, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Who is responsible for this?"
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About the Book
The third millennium has just begun. A terrorist warlord more vicious than Usama bin Ladin has risen to power in the mountainous Hindu Kush region of South Asia. His dark dream is to unify Muslims worldwide in a long-running Jihad that will destroy the West.
In Europe, a young Portuguese professor of astronomy and his beautiful girlfriend are contracted by NASA to help track a comet known as Wormwood...a comet hurtling toward earth in what may be a doomsday scenario.
Back in the states, an American colonel serving with Army Intelligence is charged with preparing for the comet’s pending impact. But the colonel must also stop the terrorists’ planned explosion of a nuclear bomb in California.
The Great Tribulation has come with a vengeance.
About the Author
Fred Allison is a lifelong scholar of technology, world politics, and theology. The synthesis of his knowledge provides a unique perspective in a time when terrorists from the Middle East plan global attacks on the West in obedience to the tenets of their religion.
Allison’s education and insight provide a powerful vision of what the future may hold for our fragile civilization as we fight for our survival. In addition to writing, Allison consults on environmental and human health issues for various commercial and industrial clients.