Days of Revelation Read online

  Days of Revelation

  By J.C. Maine

  Disclaimer

  This book or any portion of this publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written and signed permission of the copyright owner. This includes but is not limited to electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise. Under no circumstances may any part of this book be copied in any manner for resale.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  First Printing, 2021

  ISBN: 9798704443155

  Copyright © 2021 by J.C. Maine

  Cover art and design: Emily’s World of Design

  Printed in the United States of America

  Acknowledgement

  I want to thank my family for their continued support of my work. I would also like to thank my beta readers Marcia Lynn Paul, Tiffany C. Lewis, and H. Lee Davis. Their input and suggestions have been of great help in the production of this book.

  Chapter 1

  David Christian was confused by the events that were now unfolding around him. He looked up at the sky and noticed that the moon was a sphere of blood. The stars were gone, even though the sky was clear.

  David stood behind a crowd of over one hundred people. They were there to listen to Paul Solomon’s campaign speech — the man who was currently the mayor of Clydesville, Maryland. David had to warn him about an assassination attempt on his life.

  He took a deep breath before walking along the chain-linked fence to the left of the crowd. He didn’t understand why the mayor would schedule his speech outside in Hyde Park at night with so many in attendance. They weren’t wearing face masks, and they weren’t following social distancing guidelines in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic.

  Meanwhile, Paul Solomon continued to give his speech to the crowd as his two bodyguards stood behind him. It appeared that the mayor and the crowd were oblivious to the sight of the starless night sky, or the strange atmosphere of this dark event.

  David was now fifty feet away from the stage. As he moved forward, he felt intensifying winds pushing against him. He saw a tall black man standing beside the stage steps to the left of him. The man was wearing a long tan trench coat and a baseball cap on his head.

  David believed this man was the assassin. He pushed himself through the crowd, upsetting the people around him. Someone in the crowd pushed him back, causing him to fall back on two other people.

  “Stop!” David yelled as he tried to regain his composure. “I’ve got to save him!”

  “What are you talking about?” a man barked at David before throwing a punch at him.

  The man missed him with his wild swing. David counterpunched, knocking the man to the ground. Two more people grabbed David by his arms.

  “Let me go! You don’t understand!”

  Paul noticed the chaos forming in the crowd. “Everyone calm down,” he said. “There is no need for that.”

  The two bodyguards ran off of the stage to stop the commotion. They grabbed and pulled David away from the people who had him in their clutches.

  “Get Paul off the stage!” David yelled. “He’s going to kill him!”

  “What are you talking about?” one of the bodyguards said. “Who’s trying to kill him?”

  The man in the trench coat stepped onto the stage. David, trapped in the clutches of the bodyguards, was aware that Paul had no idea the man was on the stage.

  “David? Why are you doing this? What’s wrong?”

  “Paul, watch out!”

  A few people in the crowd were pointing and yelling at Paul, while others were running away from the stage. Paul turned his head away from the crowd — that’s when he saw the bearded man in the trench coat pointing a handgun at his head.

  The bodyguards released David once they saw the scene unfolding. They ran back to the stage to stop what looked like an assassination attempt.

  Paul reached for the handgun, but the man in the trench coat pulled the trigger. A flash of light exploded in front of Paul’s face, which caused him to collapse on the stage. The flow of his blood formed a red pool of blood around him.

  “Noooo!” David yelled as he sprinted toward the stage.

  The people in the crowd were running in all directions, trying their best to get away from the gunman. David was blind-sided by someone running at full speed as he was going to the stage. His head hit the ground hard, causing him to go unconscious…

  “Wake up, wake up?”

  “Some…someone get him,” David murmured.

  “Wake up, baby,” his wife Samantha said. “You have to get ready for work”

  “Huh?” he said as he rubbed the crust from his eyes. “It was only a dream.”

  “It sounded more like a nightmare. You’re even sweating.”

  “It seemed like more than a nightmare. It seemed so real — like how we are right now, but worse. Oh my God, it’s eight o’clock!”

  “You better get going, honey. I’ll see you later.”

  She picked up her Coach bag and walked out of the front door. David ran to the bathroom to change out of his t-shirt and pajamas into one of his business suits.

  After a quick wash-up, he put on his clothes, grabbed his briefcase, and ran out of the front door. He got into his white 2019 Toyota Camry and sped off to the interstate in route to his job in downtown Clydesville.

  Chapter 2

  When the time is right, you know what you have to do.

  “Yeah, I know what I have to do. I have to save the world.”

  That’s right — you have to save the world. You have to stop him! You can’t let him win!

  “No…I won’t let him win.”

  You was in the military. You were trained for this. Once we figure out a plan, it is your job to execute it. Do you understand?

  “Yes, my Lord.”

  “Cain, what are you doing in there?” his mother Ella Bishop yelled from the living room. “Who are you talking to?!”

  “Nobody, mom. I’m alright.”

  “Did you take your medicine, sweetie?!”

  Tell her you did.

  “Yeah ma, I took my medicine.”

  “Good. That’s the only way you’re going to get better.”

  “Okay, mom. I’ll talk to you later. I’m in the middle of something.”

  “Okay,” his mom yelled before she walked back to her bedroom.

  Cain Bishop has lived with his mother ever since he got medically discharged from the Army. He joined the branch after graduating from high school because he thought it would make him a better man. Cain got in trouble a lot when he was growing up, and he believed the structure of the military would give him purpose and discipline.

  His Army recruiter gave him an infantry job. Cain excelled in his Army Basic Training class due to his toughness and unlimited energy. Once his training was complete, they sent him to Fort Riley, Kansas to an infantry unit. In a short amount of time, he rose up the ranks, eventually becoming a team leader sergeant.

  In 2003, his division got deployed to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban. For the most part, he did a good job leading the four soldiers he had on his team. In the middle of his deployment, however, something happened that changed the course of his life forever.

  His unit was ambushed in a village located in Mahmud-i-Raqi. Over half of the soldiers in his unit were killed, which included everyone on his team. During the ambush, the impact from an explosion knocked him to the ground. He was in so much pain that he was unable to move. br />
  He survived the attack because another Army unit came there to fight off the insurgents. Unfortunately, he would be traumatized by the events ever since. When he got checked out by the medical staff, they said he suffered a concussion and a spinal cord injury. They also diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder.

  A few weeks later, his fellow soldiers saw him walking around the base in the middle of the night and talking to himself. He was given another mental evaluation and a CT scan, and the doctor performing it eventually diagnosed him with schizophrenia.

  In 2004 he was medically discharged from the military. He returned to his mother’s house in Clydesville. He helped his mother pay the bills with the income he received from his remaining military pay, and the disability check he receives from the Veterans Administration.

  Lately, he had been hearing a voice in his head from someone claiming he is God. The voice told him that he would take away his suffering if he completed a mission for him. At first, he tried to ignore the voice. Eventually, its influence got the best of him. Now he planned to complete the mission the voice assigned to him.

  You have the handgun. All you need now is an assault rifle with a scope on it.

  “How am I going to get that? I can’t get that with my medical history,” Cain said.

  You have to do your research. You have to find someone that owns one, then you have to take it from them.

  “But what if someone gets hurt?”

  There are casualties in war. You learned that from your time in the military. You are fighting God’s war, so you will be forgiven.

  “So, when do I begin?” Cain asked the voice.

  Now, by walking outside of your house and doing a reconnaissance. Start by looking around the neighborhood.

  Cain walked outside of his mother’s house in Clydesville, Maryland. It was located on one of the worst streets in the city, Hades Street. Drug dealing, drug use, prostitution, and shootings are a normal occurrence there — oftentimes witnessed in broad daylight. The police rarely patrol the area. They usually don’t rush when they get a call there. When they eventually arrive, they usually have a minimum of three patrol cars present.

  Look around! You won’t have a problem finding what you’re looking for! You can even ask your brother.

  “He don’t want to talk to me,” Cain said in a low voice. “He says I embarrass him.”

  Well, don’t let him stop you from completing your mission. It’s two o’clock in the afternoon, and it’s too many people around. Let’s wait until it gets dark before you start your hunt. You have three options: you can go to Reggie’s house, Tyliek’s house, or your brother’s house.

  Terrified at the thought of potentially harming his brother, Cain ran back inside of the house. Standing near the front door, he said in a low voice, “I don’t want to hurt my brother. We have to pick someone else.”

  Make him the last choice. If you find what you’re looking for in the first two houses, you don’t have to worry about going to your brother’s house. Now, let’s go back to the bedroom and figure out how we’re going to kill the mayor.

  Chapter 3

  Three miles away, the current mayor of Clydesville, Paul Solomon, was sitting inside of his office in the Office of the Mayor building. It was a two-story brick building that was located on the left side of North Redemption Street. It was located in a peaceful area in the downtown district of the city. Beautiful trees ran alongside the road, and the lawns of the buildings were perfectly landscaped.

  Paul was born and raised in Clydesville. He was the son of Anthony and Claudia Solomon, two well educated parents who made a decent amount of money to provide for their family. They had three children — Julia, William, and Paul. Paul was the youngest of the three.

  The children had a good upbringing, and their parents provided them with everything they needed. Paul’s father was a manager at the Peak Farmer’s Credit Union and a pastor at the Camden Baptist Church, a one-story brick building located a block away from his house. Paul’s mother was a secretary for a law firm in northern Clydesville.

  Paul’s dad was not strict on his children like some pastors, but he did make them read and interpret Bible verses every night. He also made sure they learned Christian values, like loving your neighbors and praying to God every night.

  His children, however, didn’t always practice those values. They were mischievous at times, and they often fought and argued with each other. As young men, Paul and his brother constantly flirted with the young ladies who attended their father’s church. They were also influenced by children from neighborhoods in the city with various upbringings because they attended public school.

  Eventually, Paul and his brother William, who was two years older than him, began hanging out with the boys from the north side of Clydesville, particularly the boys from the Hades Street area.

  Paul and William also played sports for Clydesville High School, which was two miles away from where they lived. William was a defensive end for the varsity football team, and Paul was a small forward for the junior varsity basketball team.

  Their father allowed them to participate in after school activities, but he did not approve of some of the kids they were hanging out with. However, he didn’t agree with keeping them in the house either, so he tried his best to teach them to do the right thing when they were out at night. He eased up on their movements outside the home because they were well mannered, they consistently made good grades in school, and they never got in trouble. His only rule was for them to be in the house by ten p.m.

  The Solomon family were well respected by the people from the northern side of Clydesville. Everyone around their neighborhood knew that Anthony was a pastor. William and Paul were both easy going, which a lot of their peers liked.

  People also respected them because of their physical size. William was a senior in high school and Paul was a sophomore, and both of them were six feet tall in height. William was muscular and stocky. Paul was skinny, which at times made him appear taller than his brother. Their peers knew it wouldn’t be wise to get in an altercation with them.

  Some nights, when they weren’t playing their respective sports, or they didn’t have to study for an exam, they would hang out with some of the boys from the rougher neighborhoods in the city. Occasionally, they hung out with a boy called Lo Key from Hades Street.

  Lo Key, real name Eddie Marshall, used to play football with William in high school. However, the head coach kicked him off the team because he constantly got into trouble. He was known as a bully in his neighborhood, and he even got arrested once for robbing an old lady in broad daylight.

  The brothers didn’t know about his neighborhood troubles. They became good friends because they thought he was hilarious, and he was fun to be around. On the other hand, Lo Key hoped that some of the brothers’ blessings would rub off on him, so his quality of life could improve. He grew up poor, and he didn’t have any positive role models in his life.

  Ironically, the Solomon brothers hoped what he had would rub off on them. Lo Key drove a 2000 white Lexus with the tan trim that he kept cleaned and waxed. He always had the newest pair of Jordan’s on his feet, and he always wore the nicest clothes. Paul assumed Lo Key was a hustler in the streets, but he never bothered to ask him about it.

  One night, the brothers went with Lo Key to a house party on Hades Street. When they arrived, everyone showed them love because they were the local star athletes. Everybody there was having fun. William was drinking and conversing with guests. Paul was flirting and applying pressure to a woman six years older than him.

  Everything was going well until they were about to leave the party. Some guys from the South Side of Clydesville caused a commotion in the street.

  “Fuck you Hades Street muthafuckers!” one of the boys yelled.

  One of the guys standing next to Lo Key yelled, “You better get your asses out of here before you get murked!”

  A loud blast echoed in the street. The
boys from the South Side ran to their cars and took off. The people who were around Lo Key were now running away or hiding behind something.

  Paul searched the area for his brother. When he saw him, he fell to his knees and covered his face.

  “No, no, no!” Paul yelled in front of his brother, who was lying motionless on the ground. He crawled over to him and placed his hands over his bloody chest wound.

  “Somebody call 911!” Paul shouted. “C’mon Will, say something! We’re going to get you some help!

  The police and the ambulance showed up about fifteen minutes later. William was still unconscious when they put him in the back of the ambulance. Paul was by his side when the ambulance raced to the hospital. All Paul could do on the way there was cry as the EMTs worked on his gunshot wound.

  When they got there, they rushed William to the ER to perform an emergency surgery on him. His parents arrived approximately twenty minutes later. They sat next to Paul in the waiting room.

  “What happened, Paul?!” his father Anthony demanded. “Who did this?!”

  “I…I don’t know, dad. I think someone from the South Side did it.”

  “South Side?! You mean that gang from the neighborhood near the college?”

  “Yeah,” Paul replied.

  Paul’s dad was about to say something else when he saw someone approaching them. It was a doctor wearing a blood-stained white lab coat.

  “Are you William’s family?” the doctor asked.

  “Yes, we are,” Anthony said. “Is Will going to be alright?”

  “I’m sorry to have to tell you this sir, but…he didn’t make it. I’m so sorry.”

  Claudia, William’s mother, screamed as she was held by her daughter, Julia. Paul sat on the floor in shock. He just lost his brother and his best friend. Anthony sat next to his wife and stared down the lobby without his sights on anything in particular. After they filled out some paperwork and talked to the police, they left the hospital. They didn’t say anything to each other in the car on their way home. All they thought about was the tragic loss of someone they deeply loved.