The Pioneers

Their bunker mates Kim Marshall and Russ Freeman took the last turn outside that morning and had only been gone about five minutes when they burst back in and announced that two men were walking up the driveway, heading toward the bunker door. The bunker group dropped their reading and craftwork and Joshua’s studies and looked to David Owens. Had they been finally discovered? The only one of the group with any military type experience was Avi Sharon, the Jewish missionary who had been sent from Israel before the troubles began in earnest. David looked at him and without hesitation Avi suggested that they should lock themselves in the back room while he and David manned the security cameras and tried to defend the entranceway. “Did you lock the bunker door?” Avi asked Russ. “Yeah…used the deadbolt, and we put the bar across,” Russ said. With collective sinking hearts Avi ushered the rest of the group into the back rooms. Before he closed them in, he said, “We knew it might come to this. You know how to use the shotguns if a break in occurs. Be strong and use them if necessary…if these men get past us and into the building. Remember the guns will be very loud in this enclosed area. Perhaps they will not have time to report our position to the thugs, but if they do, may our God bless and protect you. If you survive, stay with each other, and flee to some abandoned location. If not…we will meet in God’s time in his presence. Many martyrs have gone before, and they will welcome us.” The noble words were hollow. David’s wife Vera was quivering, clinging to Joshua, and David lingered to hug them both, and then Irene before closing the door and joining Avi in front of the security cameras. Avi handed him one of the pump shotguns and they stood still, listening intently for any sounds outside the door. There was no movement in the monitors covering the sides of the building, nor on the uphill, backside of the property. It did not appear to be an organized raid. Avi pointed to the monitor covering the front yard, where two men walked directly toward their door. They didn’t have any visible weapons and didn’t look like the typical thugs the Beast had deployed during the early days of the troubles when he first took power. They were casually dressed in light jackets worn over slacks, colored tee shirts and casual shoes. “Have you actually been in combat, Avi?” David said. “A few times…in the early days after the Christians all disappeared. When the Arabs were attacking us in Israel.” David tensed as the two men closed in on the bunker door. “What was the first time like?” David said. “Very scary,” Avi said. “Probably like what you’re feeling now.” “How’d you handle it?” “I remembered why I was doing this. My homeland. My family and friends. I might be killed, but there was something more important than my life and my fears. So, I wasn’t going to die without a fight.” “And that worked?” “It got me through the first battle. After that combat came more naturally. Maybe automatically is a better word.” Avi paused and pressed his finger to his lips and pointed at the monitor covering the doorstep. The two men stood directly outside, looking around the doorframe, and finally directly at the security camera. The men stared at one other in silence, as if communicating on some non-verbal level. David shifted his feet slightly so his knees wouldn’t lock up, waiting for their next move. If this tension lasted much longer, he knew he would begin to shake and feared he might do something rash and give away their location. Finally, the man on the left looked directly into the camera and said, “David Owens. Avi Sharon. We want you both to know there is no longer a danger. We mean no harm to you and your group. The rebellion is over, and we have come to give you further instructions.” With that the man dropped his gaze to look at the other man, and they turned and strolled to the edge of the canopy, clasped their hands behind their backs in full view of the camera, and stared off across the valley. David relaxed his arms and lowered the muzzle of the shotgun toward the floor. He glanced at Avi and whispered, “Could this really be it?” “It must end sometime,” Avi said. David stared aimlessly around the bunker and then said, “But how can we know if they’re alone. Or telling the truth?” Avi peered up at the monitor again. The men hadn’t moved, and the other monitors showed no movement. “Can we test them?” David said. “I mean if they’re friendly, would they mind that? And if God sent them, wouldn’t they know we’d be wary…or scared?” Avi shrugged and said, “Probably.” “Who is God supposed to send? I can’t think straight.” “Angels,” Avi said. “Angels? Well, if they’re angels, they could float through the door or something. Right?” David said. “I think so. Yes.” David looked up at the monitor again. The men still hadn’t moved. “So, what do you think our options are here?” David said. “We can pretend we are not here, but they seem to know we are. How would they even know our names, and that it’s just you and I standing here. Not some of the others.” “Right.” “So that leaves opening the door…or asking them to walk through it,” Avi said. “Suppose they’re really human. That through-the-door thing won’t work.” “True. Which leaves opening the door.” “At which point we’re committed,” David said.