The Final Garnering: Triology of Hope, #2

By R. Hilary Adcock

"The Final Garnering", by R. Hilary Adock, is Book Two of the Triology of Hope. The story continues two years after the sudden, global disappearance, of men, women, and children. Chet the trucker, Bruce the marine, and Ruby the nurse, continue to battle against the evil created by Capitia. New characters flow into the story, as victories are won and battles are lost. The goal of world domination by Capitia Dwindles, as physical and angelic forces stand and fight.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: R. Hilary Adcock
• Release date: Sep 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9781962155151

R. Hilary Adcock

Author R. Hilary Adcock is a retired individual who has enjoyed a diverse range of experiences in his life. With a background in architecture and forensic construction expertise, he has also pursued a passion for aviation, sailing, and exploring different parts of the world. Having traveled in Europe, North America, South America, North Africa, Canada, and Alaska, he has sailed across the west coast of the USA and Mexico, the Sea of Cortez, and the Caribbean. Now residing in the White Mountains of Arizona, he has turned his focus to writing.

Book preview

THE FINAL GARNERING

To Garner: To redeem objects of value, once lost

R. Hilary Adcock

Preface

Although captured and sentenced to death, Chet Rawlins and Bruce Coal had overtaken the Enforcers in the Legion prisoner van and escaped. They have evaded capture due toBruceCoals’militaryskills,andtheprotectionbyAngels ofLight.

The passing of time, and the challenges they have overcome,hasshapedthemintoaformidableforceagainst evil.

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you?Be strong and of good courage;

do not be afraid, nor be dismayed,

for the LORD, your God is with you wherever you go.

PART ONE

THE CHAMBERS

CHAPTER 1

Theworld’spopulationthatdidnotdisappearonVanishing Day, lives under the threat and brutal controlof Capitia, and its two arms; OWO (One World Order,)and OHO (One Humanity One.)

Heapsofclothing,oncewornandsuddenlyabandoned,layoverthefine,tan-coloredpowdery remains of what had been human beings. Humans whose soulsweresweptawayonVanishingDay,leavingallthings physical behind. The evidence of the event wasquickly removed and destroyed byOWO.

Communication systems are limited to land-based cables, trans-oceanic cables and the few cellphone towers that have not been damaged or sabotaged beyond repair. LegionEnforcerscontrolthemetropolitanareas,

but their manpower, strength, and ability to rule over the populations is diminishing. The Edicts, previously issued, have been modified to address the passing of time, and to compensate for the decreased manpower:

1.       Implementationandenforcementshallbetheresponsibility of LEGION.

2.      AllciviliangatheringsshallfollowtheRULEOF

11. Any civilian gatherings greater than elevenpersonsshallbedeemedaviolationandpunishable by death.

3.      Enforcement, sentencing and executions shall bethe responsibility of LEGION.

4.     All sentencing and executions shall be performedat midday, on the same day. And in locations ofpublic gatherings.

5.      Allhumanremainsofexecutionsandsuicidesshall be delivered to OHO locations in refrigerated transportationcontainers,identifiedwiththeletters OHO in YELLOW, twenty-four inches high.

6.     Allfemalesofchildbearingageshallbeapprehended,sedated,anddeliveredtoOHOBREEDINGCENTERS,inclimate-controlledtransportationcontainers,identifiedwiththeletters OHO in RED, twenty-four inches high.

CHAPTER 2

Collapsed structure in the suburb of Albuquerque, NM

Twoominousfiguresemergefromtherubbleofthecollapsed concrete building. Neither carries weapons that can be seen, and although their uniforms are identical,one is taller than the other. Their dark full-body suits are form fitted to their bodies and the black facemasks of their helmets hide their faces. A chilling breeze kicks up dust as it skids across the barren ground, and the sky turns blood red,asthesunsetsbehindthem,andthecollapsedbuilding.

Theycomeintoclearviewfromtheshadows,and walksidebysidetowardafrightenedgroupofmenand womenhuddlinginanearbydrainageditch.Itwasthen thatthepeoplerecognizedthemasLegionEnforcers.As the Enforcers reach the ditch, the tall one stops and stands onaconcreteabutmentabovethepeople.Hewaitswhile the other Enforcer moves to the opposite end of the group. The fearand surrenderthatengulfs the people isevidentbythekneltpostureandoccasionalpleafor mercy.TheEnforcersstandinsilenceoverthegroup,for whatfeelslikeaneternity,asthepeoplewaitforwhat seems inevitable - Death.

A third Enforcer comes from the shadow of thecollapsedbuilding.Heapproachestheothertwoandspeaks out with a modulated voice that broadcasts fromhis black helmet. Bring them.

The tall Enforcer uses a hand signal to order thepeople to stand. As they slowly comply, he points to thethird Enforcer and speaks with a similar modulated voice. Follow him.

The third Enforcer waits until a few of the peoplecomply then turns and walks slowly back to the collapsed building.Theemotionalandphysicalpaintheyfeel,emanatesfromthegroup,astheywalkinsinglefiletoward a dark opening in the rubble. All are clothed intattered shirts and shorts, and many are without shoes.Some limp and stumble over bits of broken concrete andshards of glass that layin their path.

TwooftheEnforcerstakethegroupintothebuilding, while the tall Enforcer leaves to initiate the next step in their mission.

The cool temperature inside the dark cavity of thecollapsed building causes the scantly clothed people tohuddle together for warmth. A musty smell of damp earth and concrete, drifts through the air, carrying with it thesensation of being trapped in an empty crypt. One of theEnforcers opens a steel hatch in the floor near the group. He climbs a few feet down into the opening, stops andpoints to the people as he addresses the other Enforcer.Pickthree.Twodownandoneatthetop.Hethen continues down and out of sight.

The Enforcer remaining with the group responds.You and you, get in the hole. He scans the group andselectsthemiddle-agedmannearestthehole,tobepositioned at the opening. The two young men he selected to descend into the hole, remain seated, as they lookedback and forth between the Enforcer and the hole in thefloor.Theirlackofactionpromptsasternresponse.Now!

The intensity of his words, and his aggressive hand gesture toward the hole, startle them into action. As theycrawltowardthehole,themodulatedvoiceoftheEnforcerinthechamberechoesuptothem.Iamwaiting!

Theyoungmenreachthehole,lookin,anddescend the steel ladder into the chamber. It is brightlyilluminated and cooler than the cavity above. Tan grayduststirsupfromundertheirfeetastheyposition themselvesatthebaseoftheladder.Thechamberis equipped like a bomb shelter with bunks, steel racks fulloffoodsupplies,andcasesofplasticwaterbottles.Scatteredaroundtheflooraremen’s,women’s,andchildren’s clothes.

As they stand at the ladder scanning the room, the Enforcer suddenly bangs his fist on the table he faces. Get over here.

The strange powdery substance on the floor feelssmooth and slightly slippery, as they walk barefooted tothe table. What they do not know is that they are walking on the physical remnants of the previous occupants, whowere miraculously transformed and taken on VanishingDay.

Moving through the chamber, they noticethreestationary bicycles, shelves of books along the walls and a few children’s toys strewn around the floor. Large, gray,plastic boxes, with bright yellow lids, are stacked on thetable and shelves. To the young men’s surprise, they seethat the boxes are filled with clothes and shoes. Even more unexpected, was the Enforcers next verbal order. Findclothes and shoesand get dressed.

There was no delay in following the instructions, as there had been, when they were ordered into the chamber. While the young men dress, the Enforcer carries boxesfrom the shelves and sits them down at the base of theladder. When he sees that they are dressed, he points tothe boxes on the floor and gives the next order. Takethose up.

Theyoungmenobeyandsoon,foodsupplies,crates of water bottles, and boxes of clothing are at the feet of the group in the cavity. The sight of clothing and foodbeingprovidedforthem,broughthopeandevenasmattering of smiles to their grime covered faces.

However, their joy was short lived. One by one,they notice a semi- truck and box trailer pull up to thebuilding, with twenty-four-inch-high yellow logo on thesides ofthe trailer-OHO.

The middle-aged man gasps, and lowers his chin to his chest, as though not seeing the reality they face, would cause it to disappear. Several of the young people standing near him ask him what is wrong.OHO.Of course, youwould not know what that is.

The question and attentive silence of the groupcauses him to whisper. Yellow OHO trailers carry human body parts. He pauses and glances toward the Enforcers gathered at the doors of the trailer. And the bodies ofthose decapitated on Judgment Day.

Weeping and mumbling emanating from the group catches the attention of the Enforcers. One begins walking toward the group, as the other moves a ladder into placeat the trailer doors.

The tall Enforcer climbs down from the cab of thetruck and shouts an order. Getthem loaded!!

CHAPTER 3

Surface road, west of Albuquerque, NM

WithinaweekafterVanishingDay,Legionwasfullyformed and had taken control of the Interstate highways, closing the ramps with concrete barriers, and patrollingthe highways in armed vehicles. It had been the intent ofthe Federal Highway Act of 1956 to create the InterstateHighway System for military transport in case of an attack ornationalemergency.Capitiausedtheeventsof Vanishing Day, to initiate the Act, and seize control of the highway system across the entire United States.

The yellow placard OHO truck, carrying its human cargo, pulls onto a two-lane road and heads west towardthe Interstate Highway 40. One Enforcer sits near the rear doors in the box trailer and watches the captives. Whennot in uniform, he goes by the name Scotty. The captiveshad all found clothes and shoes to wear, and are sittinghuddledontheflooragainsttheheadwall.Theonly sound is the rumbling of the trailer’s big tires, as they ride in darkness to a destination known only by the Enforces.ThetwoEnforcersinthecabwatchforotherLegion vehicles, as they drive past abandoned shopping mallsand burned-out buildings, enroute to a Legion controlled Interstate on-ramp.

When not in uniform, the tall Enforcer driving the bigriggoesbytheciviliannameChetRawlins.TheEnforcer in the cab with him is BruceCoal.

ChetpointsinthedirectionofAlbuquerque International Airport.It looks like the airport’s closed. Bruceglancesouthissidewindowandresponds.

Probably getting ready for a Judgment Day.

Chet taps a flat manila envelope resting on theconsole between them.Pull out the target sheet andcross off ABQ.

Bruceopenstheenvelopeandpullsoutthesheet.

There’s still equipment in that chamber.

There is a tone of anger in Chet’s response. We got all the food and clothes. That’s enough.

Bruce argues. Okay but I’m going to make a notethat it’s still got value.

Chet shrugs his shoulders in response. Not worth it in my mind.

The chamber in Albuquerque had been the first ofthree they had found, and the exact location of the fourremaining is still a mystery. A message on Chet’s phone,before Vanishing Day, from his friend Thomas Winslowhad led them to the Albuquerque chamber. There, theyfound an envelope containing a hand written note entitled ‘TargetSheet.’Thefirstthreelettersofeachlocationmatched an airport designation, followed by a series ofnumbers and three letter codes.

TARGET SHEET

Tohavefoundthisletter,meansthatyoudidnotunderstand the signs, nor heed the End Times warnings prophesied in the Bible. It is our hope that you will usethe chambers and contents to help others.

To find the remaining chambers you must look for metal hatches on the floors, with a cross welded on the frame,at the locations below.

CHD=ChandlerMuni,AZ(CiviliannearSky

Harbor Int’l)

+33.2905 ​-111.0837

Intersection, Que at Cay

GYR=Goodyear,AZ(CiviliannearLukeAir Force Base)

+33.4652 ​-112.3611

Intersection, Lit at McD

LAS = Las Vegas International, NV (Civilian near Nellis Air Force Base)

+36.2222 ​-115.0806

Intersection, N Lam

TUS = Tucson Int’l, AZ (Civilian and Military)

+32.2346 ​-110.8098

Intersection, Spe at Goe

PSP=PalmSpringsInt’l,CA(Civiliannear29

Palms Military Base)

+33.8162 ​-116.5424

Intersection, Ram at Seq

OGD = Ogden Hinckley, UT (Civilian near Hill Air Force Base)

+41.2251 ​-111/9694

Intersection, Was at N24

Although Chet’s phone had been lost over a yearago, he remembers the sound of Tom’s voice and the heart of the message.

This is Tom. Don’t know where you are. Whenpeople disappear, look for the chambers.

It had taken almost a year for Chet to begin tounderstand the riddle like message. Once he discoveredthat the numbers were latitude and longitude, more of the riddle fell into place, helping them find the chamber inAlbuquerque.

When they had landed a small plane on a grassysoccerfield,theysawthecollapsedbuildingwithopenings created by fallen posts and beams. A post andattached beam had fallen in the shape of a giant crosslying on its side, creating a triangular opening into thebuilding’s remains. It was there that they found the small welded shape of a cross burned onto the floor frame of an air handler in the rubble. An air handler with a trap door intothechamberbelow.Itwasthatdiscoverythatanswered the ‘cross welded’ portion of the riddle, andgave them the Target Sheet.

Now,withthechamberinAlbuquerquebehind them,andtheboxtrailerloadedwithsuppliesandcaptives, they continued to the next step of the mission.

Unknown to them, and four hundred and twentymiles to the west, is a woman of their past struggling with harsh reality.

CHAPTER 4

Breeding Center, Phoenix, AZ

Operation HumanityOneBreeding Centersare sterileand efficient. The buildings had been hospitals beforeVanishing Day, and are now converted for fertility andbirthing. It was the Vanishing Day disappearance of every child, infant and fetus that prompted Capitia to create the Breeding Centers. The facilities were established in major cities around the world. The objective was to assure thecontinuation of the human race.

However,CapitiaseizedtheVanishingDayopportunitytocreateahumanracebornundertheir control. Every worthy newborn is baptized as a citizen ofOWO, and all unworthy newborns are destroyed. The cold efficiencyoftheBreedingCenters,ispunctuatedbydevices in the birthing tables. They are accessed by a small stainless-steel panel at the foot of the tables. Doctors and nurses do not know how it disposes of the unworthy, only that it is silently efficient.

Two years have passed since the Redeemers Clanwas attacked by Legion Enforcers. The captured womenhad been delivered to the Phoenix Breeding Center, andlocked into Deprivation Chambers, with the intention ofbreaking their spirits. One woman survived. Due to herstrength, and the protection of an Angel of Light, shedefeated the evil attempt, was released, and ordered toserve asa nurse.

Of the many doctors, nurses, midwives, and wet-nurses at the Phoenix, Arizona Breeding Center, she isuniquely skilled. Although her name tag reads N-12, hername is Ruby Bliant. What they do not know, is that Ruby is empowered by an angelic force that protects and directs her.

It is evening, and Ruby sits in the corner of hersleeping cubicle with her knees pulled up to her breastand her arms folded around her legs. She gently rocks left andright,asthesoftsoundsofweepingandwordsescapes from her partially closed lips. I am afraid andtired.

The tall and majestic Angel of Light stands over her and touches her heartwith words only she can hear.

I AM HERE.

Will this ever end?

A feeling of warmth and strength floods over her,as the Angel of Light encourages her, and reminds her ofwho she is.

YOU ARE STRONG.

YOU HAVE HELPED MANY.

YOU ARE RAPHA -GOD’S HEALER.

She exhales a deep sigh, and feels a tear flow down hercheek,assherememberstheRedeemersClan,Captain Lewis and the others who perished at the handsof Legion. It was there, in the Redeemers encampment,where Angels of Light had first come to her, and whereshe learned of her heavenly name and purpose God hasfor her.

She closes her eyes and sees faces from her past.She remembers Chet Rawlins, whom God had chosen tolead, whose heavenly name was Melek, and Bruce Coal,whom God had chosen as warrior, whose heavenly namewas Gibbor.

She lays down on her cot and drifts to sleep, asfaces and joy of the past play in her mind and heart.

It is not