Gone: Year Two

By Debbie S. Blankenship

Gone: Year Two follows the "merry band of misfits" through the second year of life after being left behind in the rapture. Life in the Midwest has become increasingly dangerous, and we see Danny and his friends trying to carry on after John's death. They have no idea what is about to happen or the twists and turns their lives will take on this journey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Release date: Aug 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781666781724

Debbie S. Blankenship

Debbie S. Blankenship, a retired grandmother, got the idea for this story after doing a study on Revelation, wondering what the post-rapture world would look like in the Midwest.

Book preview

Gone

Year Two

Debbie S. Blankenship

Gone: year two

Copyright ©

2023

Debbie S. Blankenship. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers,

199

W.

8

th Ave., Suite

3

, Eugene, OR

97401

.

Resource Publications

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199

W.

8

th Ave., Suite

3

Eugene, OR

97401

www.wipfandstock.com

paperback isbn: 978-1-6667-8170-0

hardcover isbn: 978-1-6667-8171-7

ebook isbn: 978-1-6667-8172-4

version number 07/06/23

Table of Contents

Title Page

Chapter 1: The Funeral

Chapter 2: Joe Schmoe

Chapter 3: The Census

Chapter 4: St. Louis

Chapter 5: Family

Chapter 6: Home

Chapter 7: The Cartel

Chapter 8: The New Neighbors

Chapter 9: Signs

Chapter 10: The Last Census

As always, I need to thank my good friend Dottie for all her editing help. You are always willing to give me your time and I deeply appreciate it. Also, thank you for talking your sister, Linda, into helping me with a final read through.

D

ebbie

S. Blankenship picks up the story where Gone . . . left off. How will the group survive now that John is gone? As they try to continue, the unimaginable happens, and they find themselves in a set of circumstances they would have never thought possible. This journey takes them back to St. Louis where they discover new dangers. Join them as they travel through the second year of the tribulation.

Chapter 1

The Funeral

T

hey

drove back to the farm, unable to process what just happened. John was gone. Just like that.

Driving up the lane, the others were there waiting for them outside. Luke and Bill helped Danny out of the truck and sat him in the grass so they could assess his injuries. The others gathered around, asking what happened. Bill started to tell them about the explosion in the house when Janet asked, Where is John?

Danny started to cry, grabbing onto Luke. Bill looked at Janet.

Where is John!? Janet hollered at Bill.

Bill took her in his arms, and she began to weep. Megan and Jamie were clinging on to each other as tears ran down both their faces.

What happened? Jamie asked.

Luke started to explain, Danny and I were going through the houses to be sure everyone was out. We had just entered one when there was an explosion and Danny’s leg was trapped under the debris. I was trying desperately to free him when John and Bill showed up. We tried to use a board to pry him lose when the wall next to us started to collapse. John braced himself against it so we could pull Danny free. It worked and Bill and I started to carry Danny out. I looked back at John, and he signaled for us to keep going. I thought he would be right behind us, but when we put Danny in the truck he still wasn’t out. We both headed back to the house when the walls collapsed. There was no way to get back in and the fire was closing around us. We had to leave him there. Luke was so choked up he had to stop talking.

For a moment, they all just stood there in shock, then everyone turned their attention to Danny. Bill and Luke carried him into the house and laid him on the sofa. Janet went to the kitchen and got a wet towel so they could clean up his leg and see what his injury looked like. There was a nasty gash there, but it wasn’t broken. She cleaned it up and put some antiseptic on the wound, then covered it with a bandage.

Danny, do you want to go to the hospital? Janet asked him.

No, he answered. I’ll be alright.

Luke said, Tomorrow I’m going to go back to the fire and see if . . . , he couldn’t finish the sentence. Megan let out a small sob when she realized what he was saying.

We need to give him a decent burial, Luke finished.

I’ll go with you, Jamie said.

I’ll drive, added Bill.

The rest of the day was a blur. Janet busied herself taking care of Danny. Megan and Jamie took the horses out for a ride. Bill busied himself in the shed and Luke stayed near Danny, making sure he was ok.

Towards evening a car pulled into the driveway. Bill stepped out to see who it was and recognized Danisha and her friend.

Hello, he said. I see you made it out ok.

Danisha said, Yes, we drove into town but there was no place for us to stay. I wonder if we could spend the night. We’ll try to figure out where to go tomorrow.

Of course you can, Bill said, and he walked them into the house.

Janet, we have some guests for tonight, Bill announced.

Janet came over to them and they explained that they couldn’t find any place in town except a small motel, and neither one felt safe there. I’m sorry for the bother, Danisha said, but it will only be for one night.

We’ll figure out what to do tomorrow, Jill said.

Studying her face, Janet mused, You look familiar.

Oh, this is my friend Jill, Danisha said. She was at church with us a few times.

That’s where I know you from! Janet exclaimed. You are welcome to spend the night. We can put you in . . . she started but couldn’t finish her sentence.

Bill stepped in and clarified, We have an extra room tonight that you can use.

That’s when Danisha noticed Danny lying on the sofa with his leg all bandaged up.

I’m sorry, has something happened? she asked, walking over to him.

Danny tried to sit up, but she bent down by him saying, Don’t get up, you look terrible!

Danny couldn’t help but laugh and said, Thanks.

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way! I just meant you look bad, Danisha stammered. She started to speak again when Danny held up his hand.

I know what you mean, he told her.

Bill told her about Danny getting trapped in one of the houses and about John not making it out.

Oh, dear God, she murmured, I am so sorry, he was such a nice man. Maybe we should just go.

Absolutely not! Janet insisted. We have plenty of room for you and you are going to stay!

Jill and Danisha both thanked her. They had saved some of their clothing from the fire so Janet told them to bring in what they would need, and she would get their room ready. When she got upstairs, she hesitated at John’s door. She just couldn’t go in there right now, so she put the girls in Katie’s old room.

The next morning, after chores, Bill, Jamie, and Luke went back to the fire.

Luke stared at the burnt house and admitted, I’m half afraid to look.

Some of the buildings were still smoldering. The house that had trapped John still had some small fires burning. Bill had brought a shovel and they tried to move some of the ash away from the area where they had left John. Everyone was a little relieved when they did not find any recognizable remains.

The fire must have burned really hot, Jamie surmised.

Bill scooped up some ash and placed it in a bucket, I guess this is the best we can do.

They looked around at what used to be a nice little neighborhood. Now it was nothing but charred skeletons of houses.

Let’s go home, Jamie suggested, and they drove away.

I’d like to get my hands on whoever started that fire, Luke growled. Do you think we can report it to the police?

Bill sighed, I don’t know if it will do any good, but we can try. All we know is there was a red truck pulling away when it started.

Jamie said, We can try calling them when we get home.

When they pulled up to the farmhouse the others came out.

All we could find were some ashes, Bill told them.

Janet found a small chest in the attic that would work for an urn, and they moved the ashes into it. Then they all went to the graveyard. Bill started digging a small grave next to Katie. They placed the chest into the hole, then Danny read from the book of Revelation, chapter

7

; They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

He set the Bible down and picked up some dirt saying, Thanks for looking out for me, you were a good friend. Hug Elle and Katie for me. Then he slowly let the dirt fall onto the chest.

The others followed his example, and picked up a handful of dirt, said their goodbyes, and released it into the grave. Luke took the shovel from Bill and finished filling it in. Bill had made a wooden headstone and placed it at the top of the grave, next to Katie’s.

As they walked away Megan asked, Do you think this is what will happen to each one of us?

Janet put her arm around her, Whatever happens, we have each other, and faith.

Chapter 2

Joe Schmoe

I

couldn’t

make sense of what was happening. My thoughts were all mixed up. It seemed one minute I was outside, working on a farm, and the next I was in the city running through the streets, searching for . . . something. One thing I was sure of was that some part of me was broken. Every time I moved searing pain shot through me. I was also aware that I was not alone. When I made any noise or tried to move, a face would appear in front of me. It kept shining a light in my eyes and asking me things I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t get my mind to concentrate. Then I would be back on the farm, or in a coffee shop, or on the street, always looking for something.

Eventually I was able to concentrate on my surroundings. I was fairly sure I was in a shed or cellar of some sort. The only light came from a camping lamp over in the corner. I couldn’t move my head to look around and realized I was in some sort of neck brace. I tried to bring my hands up to my head but could not move them. They were tied to the bed frame, or something. No one else seemed to be in the room with me. I tried to sit up, but the searing pain sent me straight back down in the bed. I slowly tried to move each part of me to assess where the pain was coming from, starting with my toes, and moving up. My feet and ankles seemed to be ok. When I bent my left leg, the pain was not too bad. When I tried to bend my right leg, the pain became intense again. Ok, so something was wrong there. My arms would not move much as I tried wiggling them, testing my muscles. When I tried moving my shoulders the pain increased. I decided my right shoulder must be dislocated. I tried sitting up in a crunch and the searing pain returned. Ok, there are my ribs, definitely one or more broken.

I relaxed, waiting for the pain to subside again. I began examining the room, as much as I could see of it. It was lined with shelves full of supplies. On one wall I could see several guns and knives with shelves of ammunition underneath.

Where am I? How did I get here? I closed my eyes and tried to remember. I was in a church, or on a farm. I could see a fire, then I was chopping wood. Everything was muddled together. I tried to go back to my last memory that made sense. I was singing at a church service. I could hear the voices of people around me singing but I could not see their faces. Then I had a flash of memory of someone putting me in an ATV. I remembered I was so hot, and someone was driving fast. Every bump sent jarring pains through me. Then, somehow, I was here in this bed.

I heard a door open, and a voice said, Honey, I’m home! and then laughed aloud. I tried to look over there but could not see the doorway.

You’re awake? said the voice again. Suddenly a face was leaning over mine. She had that bright light again and was shining it in my eyes. I closed my eyes and tried to turn away.

Hey, are you with me? she asked, and put the light down. I studied her eyes as she studied mine. You are! How do you feel? Can you talk? What’s your name?

I just looked at her. I hadn’t tried to talk yet, but I opened my mouth and weakly whispered, Where am I?

She smiled really big and then disappeared from my vision. I could hear her moving around. Then she was back and said, "Sorry, I told myself I was