04 The Chamber of Lies Read online

  “What have you done?” Shadow Man screamed. “What have you done?”

  Chapter Ten

  Wrapping Up

  When he heard Shadow Man’s cry, the ever-faithful Bruno barged in from the hallway. “What is it, Boss?! What’s …”

  That was as far as he got before he stumbled over Shadow Man and fell onto — “Oaff!” — Zach.

  The good news was he didn’t break any of Zach’s bones. The better news was he did break Zach’s chair. It hit the ground and broke into dozens of pieces, loosening Zach’s ropes and allowing him to scramble free.

  Bruno jumped up and would have nabbed him, but Bruno was too busy getting tangled up in the rope and falling over what was left of the chair — again and again. This gave Zach plenty of time to untie Cody and Piper, who managed to untie Elijah.

  “Grab them!” Shadow Man kept shouting. “Grab them! Grab them!”

  “Them?” Bruno cried in confusion. “Which them?”

  A good question since, by now, they were all free and racing out into the hallway.

  “Ssstop!”

  At one end of the hallway stood a door leading outside. Unfortunately, that was also the end where Monica and Silas were sacked out on a bench catching some sleep.

  Zach motioned the other direction. “This way!”

  They all started to follow — except Elijah.

  “Elijah?” Piper whispered. “What is it?”

  “Come on, little guy,” Zach urged.

  But he shook his head and pointed the opposite direction, toward the door and past Monica.

  “Forget it,” Zach whispered. “It’s too dangerous.”

  Again Elijah shook his head and motioned.

  “No way.”

  “Zach,” Piper whispered. “He’s never been wrong before.”

  “Come on,” Zach repeated and started forward.

  But Piper didn’t budge.

  Neither did Cody.

  Zach turned back and whispered, “Are you guys nuts?”

  “Yeah,” Cody agreed. “Probably a little. But your sister’s right: he’s never been wrong.” With that he turned and started toward Elijah. Piper followed.

  “Cody!” Zach hissed. “Piper!”

  But they kept right on walking. Finally, with a heavy sigh, he turned and followed.

  They continued down the hall as quietly as they could. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quiet enough. They were right in front of Monica when she opened one eye. Then the other. “What’s going on?” she demanded.

  But instead of answering, Zach had better idea. “Run!”

  This time everyone agreed.

  Monica leaped to her feet and was joined by Silas.

  “Stop!” he shouted, pulling a weapon from his coat. “I’ve got a gun!”

  The door lay ten yards ahead.

  “We’ll never make it!” Piper yelled.

  But then she heard Bruno lumber into the hallway behind them — still dragging the rope and pieces of chair.

  “Hang on,” he shouted, “I’m coming!”

  “No!” Monica cried.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll help!”

  “No, no, no!”

  Fortunately, Bruno’s idea of helping included arriving and tripping over his rope.

  “Oaff!” he cried as he fell over Silas.

  “Oaff!” Silas cried as he fell over Monica.

  “You fools!” Monica screeched as they all crashed to the floor.

  Cody was the first to arrive at the door. He threw it open and held it for Piper and the others to escape.

  Once outside, they raced to the RV just yards away.

  “Hurry!” Zach shouted as Piper climbed inside.

  Elijah and Cody followed. And finally Zach. He slipped into the driver’s seat behind the wheel. (Piper felt no need to volunteer for the job.)

  The door to the building flew open.

  Well, it started to fly open. But after only a foot it suddenly stopped. Piper could see Monica and her thugs trying to squeeze through, but for some unknown reason, it was stuck. Then again, maybe the reason wasn’t so unknown. Because as Piper looked over to her little brother, she saw him concentrating very hard on that very door.

  Meanwhile, Zach was trying to start the engine.

  “Come on, baby,” he coaxed, “come on, come on.” But nothing happened. He shouted over his shoulder. “Piper, pray!”

  “What?”

  “You heard me, pray!”

  Normally, she wasn’t crazy about praying in front of people, especially when “people” also included Cody. But since she was even less crazy about dying, she gave it a shot. She bowed her head and began. “Dear God, help us get out of here.”

  As she prayed, Zach tried the engine again.

  Nothing.

  “Please Lord, we really, really need to — ”

  Suddenly, the RV fired up. “Amen!” Zach shouted.

  “Amen!” the others agreed.

  Zach dropped the vehicle into reverse and it jerked backwards — throwing Piper forward into Cody’s arms … just like old times.

  “Sorry!” she blurted.

  “No problem.” He helped her back up and smiled.

  “Hang on!” Zach dropped the RV into drive, cranked the wheel hard, and hit the gas. This time Cody fell into Piper’s arms.

  “Sorry!” he laughed.

  She tried to return the laugh, but it came out more of a nervous quack … just like old times.

  They bounced onto the dirt road and picked up speed.

  “Are they coming?” Zach called.

  Cody glanced out the back. “Not yet.”

  “They will,” Zach said, “they will.”

  “Where to now?” Cody asked.

  “Mom and Dad.”

  “We don’t even know where they are,” Piper argued. “How can we expect to find them?”

  For once in his life, Zach had no answer.

  No one did.

  Except Elijah. The little guy was crawling up into the seat behind the table with the computer.

  “What’s up, buddy?” Piper asked. “You don’t know how to work that thing.”

  It was true, he didn’t. But he did know how to point.

  Piper traded glances with Cody then moved into the seat beside her little brother to take a look.

  “All right!” Willard cheered as they watched the blip move across the computer screen. “They’re getting away!”

  “Excellent,” the hermit agreed.

  Without a word, Willard reached for the keyboard and began to type.

  “What are you doing?” the old man asked.

  “Giving them instructions on how to pick me up.” But he barely started before another address appeared on the screen:

  Johnsonville Hospital, 278 North Hampshire

  “Where did that come from?” Willard asked.

  The old timer scratched his head. “Hmm,” was all he said.

  Suddenly Willard reached over and hit the enter key to send it.

  “What are you doing?” the hermit asked.

  Willard cut him a look. “Just saving you the effort,” he sighed.

  Epilogue

  You let them get away?

  Shadow Man felt the voice more than he heard it. But that was how it always happened here, deep in the cavern under the Compound. Here, where the Master made his abode.

  “Not for long,” Shadow Man thought back his reply

  Good, came the response. I would hate to be disappointed. You know how I hate disappointment.

  Shadow Man knew full well how the Master hated disappointment. Over the centuries he had seen first hand how his fellow creatures had been tortured and destroyed. Actually, not destroyed, but tortured and imprisoned in the lake of fire. A fate so horrendous that they wished they had been destroyed.

  Suddenly, Shadow Man felt the Master’s invisible fingers grab his throat and lift him high into the air.

  “Yesss,” Shadow Man choked, “I know, I know how you
hate disssappointment … ”

  In an instant, he was flung into the air, flying across the giant cave until he hit the icy stone wall and slumped to the ground.

  The time of The Enemy’s Appearance will soon arrive. We must prevent the boy and his partner from warning the others.

  “Partner?” Shadow Man asked as he struggled back to his feet. “There isss another?”

  According to The Book, there will be two. They will oppose me and call down the Enemy’s judgments from Heaven. But you will not let that happen.

  “No, Sssir,” Shadow Man said, “absssolutely not.”

  Good, good. Now, tell me of your plan.

  “Plan?” Shadow Man asked.

  Suddenly he felt the cold fingers around his throat.

  “Oh yesss, the plan, the plan, of courssse.”

  The fingers released, waiting.

  Shadow Man’s mind raced, trying to think of something. “We know they are going to ressscue the parentsss.”

  There was no reply.

  Taking that as a good sign, Shadow Man continued. “I will sssummon darker forcesss to pursssue them.”

  Again there was silence.

  Another good sign.

  “Right now, right thisss sssecond I will releassse them. I will order them to begin closssing in.”

  A chill spread through the layers of fat in his body. The Master was moving. To where, Shadow Man did not know. But he knew it was away. And he knew something else:

  He must not fail again. He would use all of his powers to make sure that did not happen. If he did not … he shuddered, refusing to think of the consequences, refusing to think what could only be his fiery future.

  “How much farther?” Zach called from behind the wheel.

  Piper stared at the computer screen. “Three, maybe four miles.”

  “Are they behind us yet?” Zach asked.

  Cody looked out the back window. “Still no sign of them.”

  “Maybe we lost them,” Piper said hopefully.

  “Maybe,” Zach said, though it was obvious he didn’t believe it. Glancing into the rearview mirror, he spoke to Elijah. The boy sat beside Piper, quietly humming away. “Sure wish you felt like giving me some more clues, little guy.”

  “Clues?” Piper asked.

  “Yeah. When we were in Shadow Man’s office, Elijah was talking to me like a mile a minute.”

  “To you?” Cody said.

  “Yeah. He was showing me the future, testing me to see if I wanted to follow Shadow Man.”

  ”You were being tested?” Piper said. “I was the one being tested. He was talking to me”

  “Yeah, right,” Zach laughed. “He was talking to me the whole time. In fact, he even took me to a fiery lake and said that was Shadow Man’s final truth, whatever that means.”

  Piper’s jaw dropped. “He showed me the same thing.”

  “No way.”

  “Guys …” Cody tried interrupting.

  “He sure did,” Piper argued. “And he showed me a giant stage and a palace and what we could look like if we … ”

  “Guys … ”

  “That’s what he showed me.”

  “GUYS!”

  Piper and Zach turned to Cody.

  He cleared his throat a little embarrassed. “Actually that’s what he was showing me, too.”

  All their eyes slowly turned to her little brother. The RV grew very, very silent — except for the hymn Elijah was humming softly. Was it possible? Had they all been through the same test? Each one, without the others knowing it?

  “Hey, check it out,” Zach exclaimed. Something in the night sky had caught his attention, and he craned his head for a better look.

  Piper and Cody moved to a nearby window to see.

  At first Piper thought they were black, swirling clouds. But as she looked closer, she saw they weren’t clouds at all, but crows. Thousands of them. All circling the RV.

  “What’s that about?” Cody asked.

  “Do you think …” Piper kept her eyes glued to the window. “Do you think they’re coming after us?”

  “Relax,” Zach said. “They’re just crows.”

  “Yeah.” Piper swallowed and gave a nervous nod. “Just crows.”

  “Except …” Cody said.

  She turned to him and he continued, “When was the last time you ever saw crows fly at night?”

  Piper looked back out the window. The sky swarmed with darkness — so thick it blotted out the stars.

  “I wonder what’s going on?” Zach said.

  Piper threw another look to Elijah. She wished she hadn’t.

  Beads of perspiration had formed on his face. And, instead of humming, his lips had started to silently move, as if … as if he were praying.

  Zach saw him too. “You all right? Elijah, everything okay?”

  But Elijah didn’t answer. Instead, he closed his eyes and continued moving his lips.

  Piper watched. She wasn’t sure what was next. It probably would be tough and pretty scary. Still, from what they had been through, she knew they would be safe. Whatever was out there could frighten them, yes. And it could definitely put them to the test. But if they kept obeying and staying connected to God, then whatever evil they faced would never be able to harm them. That much she knew.

  So, like her little brother, Piper Dawkins bowed her head and started to pray.

  Check out our Bonus Chapter from Luke 2:52 Series

  Introduction

  Ever heard someone say, “I wish I could’ve lived during Bible times”? Or maybe your kid sister sighs, “If only I could’ve followed Jesus around.” Chances are she’s read too many picture books showing Jesus and his disciples in clean robes with shampooed hair strolling through sunny orchards. Butterflies flutter by and happy children skip through fields of flowers. No one is stepping in donkey dung.

  Riiight. But when night hits, and your sister learns that “the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20) — meaning everybody’s sleeping in the orchard — she’ll jump in her time machine and zap back to the twenty-first century. Most girls couldn’t hack ancient Israel even if they had a house to sleep in. Don’t laugh. Most boys couldn’t either.

  Life during Bible times was like growing up in a Third World country. A lot of boys today are spoiled. You’re used to fresh food in the fridge, your own bedroom, hours of playtime every day, showers (when you clue in that you’re dirty), and clean toilets to sit on. Take away your tacos, toys, TVs, and toilets, plunge into Bible days, and you’d go into shock.

  Oh sure, large Roman cities had theaters, clean water, and sewage systems. Yeah, yeah, and the rich had fine clothes, feasts, and read poetry while slaves manicured their toenails. But! We’re not talking about Roman cities here. We’re talking about Israel, where most Jews lived in dusty villages and crowded towns and no one was manicuring their toenails. Toilets? They squatted over stinking, fly-infested holes in the yard.

  For over a thousand years, from the time of Joshua till the time of Jesus, things barely changed in the land of Israel. These days somebody’s always inventing something new. Back then there was hardly any new technology. There were no flat-screen TVs, no computer games, and no DVDs. There were no skateboards or bicycles. After a day’s work, the Israelites sat around telling stories and playing games like checkers. And, well … that was about it.

  Changed your mind? Don’t wanna visit ancient Israel? Sorry, it’s too late. You’ve already started reading. Now all you can do is pack your bags and prepare for time travel. You’re going to get a look at what life was really like during Bible times. Don’t forget the toilet paper. You’ll need it. You won’t see another roll for two—maybe three—thousand years.

  Hillbilly Israelites

  Israel was a skinny chunk of land along the Mediterranean Sea. Only problem was, most Israelites never saw the sea. For much of their early history, the Philistines controlled all the best beaches, so the Israelites stayed in little villages u
p in the hills and valleys. Civilized countries like Egypt thought that the Israelites were a bunch of hillbillies. That was not entirely true. Some Israelites lived in cities. But yeah, most of them were farmers.

  The average village had about twenty houses with fifty adults and fifty kids. Do the math. That’s five people per house, and the houses were small — about as big as a two-car garage. People didn’t really live in houses though. Houses were just a safe place to sleep where the bears didn’t bite. People spent most of their waking hours outdoors.

  Speaking of outdoors, the Israelites planted wheat and barley in the valleys between the hills and grew grapes and olive trees and other stuff on the slopes. A village might have about forty oxen and three hundred sheep and goats. The oxen pulled plows, the sheep grew wool, and the goats gave milk. They used donkeys and oxcarts to carry stuff around.

  Mud-Brick Houses

  Most houses were made of dried mud bricks. The walls were so weak you could dig a hole through them with your hands — and some guys did! Rain wore holes in the walls too. The nasty news is that poisonous snakes sometimes lived in those holes. Yikes!

  In Jesus’ day, houses probably had only one or two rooms and almost zero privacy. Doorways were so narrow and low that adults had to bend down to enter. Israelites didn’t have too many windows either, so it was usually dark inside, except for the light of smoky oil lamps. The floor was made out of dirt — or clay if you could afford it.

  Larger homes might have had four rooms. The open courtyard with a wall around it was “room” number one. Your mom ground grain, cooked, and wove cloth here, and everyone ate here. Your ox slept in room number two, the covered porch on the east wall. That’s also where the plow and tools were stored. The family slept in room three on the west wall. Room four against the back wall was for food storage.

  Simple, Bare Necessities

  Okay, by now you’ve clued in that living in ancient Israel means things were basic. Well, how basic? Running water? Not a chance. Your mom or sister had to lug jugs of water from the village well. In wealthy homes you washed your feet before you trotted in the house, but only if the floor had tiles. In farmhouses, floors were just hard-packed dirt, so washing your feet was pointless.