Day One Thousand Two Hundred Three #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

Insufferably cold today. We kept sequestered in the redoubt. Huddled by the fire, for the most part. And the duration of the watches were shortened to limit exposure.

For the better part of the day we did not see Elijah or Mawuli. So, they missed the beginnings of the excitement when Reuben, on his tour, called for our help.

A pack of wild dogs had been feeding down in the garbage pit, when they caught Reuben’s (or perhaps our) scent.

Originally he had seen only a half dozen or so. By the time I joined him it grew to a hundred starving beasts circling the redoubt.

I broke in on Elijah and Mawuli to enlist their aid against the threat.

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Day One Thousand One Hundred Forty #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

The wisdom of the directions only became clear after the events unfolded. I received confirmation of the instructions as related by Reuben (and reiterated by Elijah), but they gave me great difficulty, for they required me to break the covenant struck between Elijah and me – to never separate.

But I set my mind to obey and we did.

When Moglen left the high place, I crossed over to it while Elijah and Reuben distracted the drone.

I crushed the idol with any rocks that came to hand and tossed the pieces into the fire.

After giving the drone a chance to record the proceedings, Elijah brought it down with his raised staff.

Swiftly I rejoined my friends and we departed.

Day Nine Hundred Seventy Eight #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

Off to our right a fire burned the night through. We kept walking longer than usual, able to do so by its far reaching illumination. Elijah and I, our thoughts filled with concern for Tomas, had one dominant thought between us – we wanted to get to the rendezvous point as soon as possible.

And we did.

But being early only meant we had longer to wait. A plus to Elijah’s way of thinking. He settled into a time of rest, of focus, of communion with the Spirit. It was an effort, but I followed his example soon after.

And that is how Tomas found us. He was early also. He had rushed lest we worry he had been taken prisoner.

Day Eight Hundred Seventy Six #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

After news came in that many of the orphans and widows had been killed in a fire where they were being held, we had to haul Jezer off of the man responsible. If we hadn’t, we were sure he would have strangled him to death.

When Jezer had time to settle down, he turned contrite upon sober reflection over his actions. But he felt even worse when word came back that the object of his former ire had gone out and hung himself.

It was all we could do to rescue Jezer from the whipsaw of his emotions. Elijah cancelled the rest of the day’s meetings to tend to his needs.

I believe that the Spirit will redeem this situation.

Day Six Hundred Fifty Two #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

Lights appeared in the sky again last night. Not concentrated anywhere, but criss-crossing haphazardly.

We were left wondering. Were they looking for us? Or for the army?

Tomas was hard pressed to believe that they could miss anything the size of that juggernaut of an army. So he concluded that we were its object.

Neither Elijah nor I felt concern as all of them were very wide of our mark.

What we did have concern for was the pinpoint glow of a fire off in the distance. At a point for which we were headed.

It could only be the mysterious group whose camp we have come upon twice now..

We turned in with much to fuel our dreams.

Day Four Hundred Thirty Nine #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

The dust of many a mile had coated our limbs by our arrival before the walls of this port city. And like we found its sister port on the mainland behind us, no gates were open. And no one presented themselves to greet us or send us away.

Elijah set our immediate agenda. We washed off in a public fountain outside a closed gate. Then we proceeded to skirt around to the nearest point from which to view the harbor.

He judged the day too far spent to allow us time to trek around to the far side of the city. So we set up camp and built a larger than usual fire.

Perhaps they will come out to us.

Day Two Hundred Ninety Seven afternoon #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

Enoch writes:

Elam had a dream last night. He had a sense of what it meant, but wanted me to confirm it.

In his dream a bird roosted on a wire. It was joined by another. The wire shook and they flew away. The wire caught fire.

I agreed with his interpretation.

Twelve days remain, time for us to leave.

Day Two Hundred Sixty #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

Contact.

What I had hoped would not come to pass this early, did.

Earlier than expected, much earlier than I wanted.

We had set our sights on the bridge with the high towers and directed our steps accordingly. Elijah sheltered underneath its span when he first came to this city, and before he moved to the bridge under which I discovered him. He thinks it a good starting point this time too.

We had just turned onto the boulevard that crosses this bridge when we were hailed by the leader of a patrol.

Elijah led us boldly forward to answer their challenge. We were immediately surrounded and told to come with them.

Elijah said no.

Fire fell. They were consumed.

Day Two Hundred Forty Seven #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

We found the camp of the East Enders split into two factions. None of them bearing the mark. But completely divorced from one another.

While Elijah met with them to straighten things out, I went into the city.

The West End is nothing but a hole in the ground, with the deepest pit in the locale of the First district.

A fire burns there in the depths.

Day One Hundred Thirty Eight #DiaryoftheEndoftheWorld

Lights shone out of the west end last night.  Not the light from fire, candle, or oil lamp, but the bright glow powered by electricity.

It’s a clear message. Stan has delivered on his promise to the west end leaders. Or would it be more correct to say that the world government has exerted its power?

Anyway, it does not extend here. The electrical circuits for the east end have not been connected. Already this morning, Lyle has heard complaints through the leaders from their people, wondering why they have not been included.

Sore trials lay ahead. Camping outside the walls for the harvest is looking more preferable. Yet Lyle would still like to hear from Kip and Moglen first.