Chapter 36

1315 hours, local time,
Sunday, 5 April, 2015 (Easter Sunday)
Magnolia Manor (Temporary Howard Residence)
Free City of Cairo, (formerly Cairo, Illinois)

“Relax, boyo. You’re not going to die until Fireball Day. Now, the Prophet Adam Clarke’s tribe, the ones who aren’t already resurrected, they will die today, but not you or your gang ... not until the Sixth of July, 2015, the second anniversary of Doomsday,” God announced himself, appearing at the Easter lunch after the morning service.

The Prophet David Howard, his hand between his sister Serena’s thighs, smiled with relief at that news, “So, how will that affect things in terms of the timetable up there?”

“Saskatoon has already surrendered to the Prophet Adam Clarke, and by the end of the summer, most of Saskatchewan will be in the fold. He’ll set up a provisional government there, just as he did in British Columbia or Alberta. As for you, laddie, well, you will remain here until the First of May. That gives you just under a month to enjoy life with your beloved community here, which you clearly do. You’ve bonded with them even more than you have with any other place, any other town,” God answered, clearly in a jovial mood as he knocked back a Guinness.

The room went still, the air thick with the weight of God’s revelation. Prophet David Howard felt a strange mix of dread and excitement. He had known that his days were numbered, but the exact timeline had always been a mystery to him. The mention of Fireball Day sent a shiver down his spine, a stark reminder of the fiery cataclysm that had once ravaged the world. Yet, the promise of survival for his tribe and himself brought a glimmer of hope to his heart. He looked around the room at his followers, who stared back with a mix of fear and awe.

“So, we all die and are resurrected on Fireball Day, the second anniversary, this coming July,” David clarified while eating and drinking with his right hand and still fingering Serena with his left.

“Exactly. You, your wives, your husbands, all of you in this group ... except for Tozroman, who’s a demon and thus can’t die at all,” God pointed out, slipping his fingers into Piper Howard, the former proprietor of the Kilted Laird just before she left New Jersey with the Prophet and the rest of his harem.

“I almost envy you the chance to transform, but I’m happy to pass on the whole ... death thing,” the demon smiled at being singled out like that...

By now, everyone present knew that he was a demon and nobody minded at all, not in the upper echelons of Cairo’s social, religious, financial, and political elite, which were basically one and the same. Even Harvey Simpson, a humble barber, was now part of this inner circle, along with his first wife, Martha, his daughter-wife, Autumn, and a growing number of other wives. Polygamy, both polygyny and polyandry, was increasingly in favor over monogamy, but so was full-on promiscuity, primarily due to Schumacher Syndrome and partly due to the disappearance of all STIs almost overnight. Infection rates for HIV, HPV, hepatitis, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, etc. plummeted to zero by this point. Then again, the rise of Schumacher Syndrome had directly led to the vanishing STIs, so it was all connected.

“So, I leave Cairo on May 1. Where do we go from here?” David inquired next.

“Dubuque, Iowa. Stay there until your death and resurrection. Is that clear? Oh, and Serena stays with you, of course, until your resurrection, at which point, she returns to Cairo for a little while, even as you go west. Don’t worry, you’ll be reunited, and sooner than you think. She is your sister and one of your wives, after all. I just need to ... borrow her for a little while, for the good of this community,” God informed them now.

Serena Howard, nee Kurtz, David’s own sister and the newest of the Prophet’s wives, herself a Prophetess in her own right, gave a silent nod of understanding, though her eyes held a hint of sadness. David felt a pang of concern for her, but the promise of reunion someday soon comforted him. He knew she was strong, capable of withstanding the trials ahead. She was a Prophetess herself, and she would soon be immortal, just as he would be ... and all of his wives. She could handle herself.

“There’s ... more going on, of course. The East Texas Republican Army is rapidly consolidating its control over most of East Texas, with only the Dallas-Fort Worth area still holding out in that part of the former Lone Star State. The Hell’s Angels are down to a third of their former territory, due to internal conflicts and power struggles, while the Klan has lost several major battles with its enemies in Missouri, so that weakens them. The Masons have all but won their war with the Anti-Masonic forces, which is especially good news when you consider that many of them are Havenites now,” God continued briefing the Prophet directly.

“It’s likely that, once the Hell’s Angels are sufficiently weakened, though, and with the Mormons rapidly all leaving Nauvoo for Deseret all over again, the various opposing or rival factions in Illinois will be at each other’s throats, and sooner or later, they’ll come knocking on your door,” the angel Ariel added for his part.

“Also, with the Klan growing weaker in Missouri, good news though that is, Reverend Joey Sashimi and his wife loom larger as a threat, likely to pick up many of the pieces. The Nation of Islam remains stronger than ever, both at least eastern Missouri is rapidly becoming Havenite, for what that’s worth,” the angel Lavelle continued the update.

David nodded, processing the information as he took another sip of his drink, his eyes never leaving Serena’s. He knew the world outside their haven was fraught with danger and turmoil, but for now, they had a brief respite. He turned to the angels, “What about ... Nebraska? Are we still heading there?”

“Yes, you are, but not until after you’re resurrected in Dubuque. You must pass through Nebraska, arriving in the Omaha area on August 11. There are reasons for that, trust me, but I won’t disclose them just yet,” the angel Marcy informed them next.

The room buzzed with murmurs as everyone tried to piece together the puzzle of their future. David felt the burden of leadership weigh heavily on his shoulders, but he remained composed, knowing that his role was crucial in the divine plan. He glanced around at the faces of his wives and closest confidants, their expressions a blend of excitement, apprehension, and anticipation.

“The continued conflict in southern California is troubling, of course, but just one piece of very bad news, though the Oxnard Summit seems to be going well enough, all things considered. The Moonies are on the ropes, being cut off from the outside world, from trade, supplies, the outside power grid, etc. They’re now desperate enough to use generators, but their power is now quite weak and limited, to put it mildly. Their days are numbered, of course. Pasadena will soon be ... quashed, of course. It’s just a matter of time now,” the angel Barachiel, the Prophet’s father, announced, “by the way, I’m so proud of my son ... and my daughter for becoming what they increasingly are.”

Serena felt a warm glow at her father’s words, even though she knew that the path ahead was fraught with peril. She leaned into David, her love for him and her loyalty to their divine cause unshaken by the grim tidings. The others, Andrea, Denise, Amanda, Connie, Jenny, Melanie, Kyle, Salome, Karen and all the rest of David’s harem, nodded solemnly, understanding the gravity of the situation. They had all suffered and lost so much in the aftermath of Doomsday, but now, with God’s plan laid before them, they had a purpose, a destination, a destiny to fulfill.

“Speaking as a journalist, I have to ask ... what’s it like ... being an angel?” Charlotte interjected, “and please don’t get mad at me for asking you.”

“Hey, you’re carrying at least one of my grandchildren. I think that I can cut you some slack,” Barachiel winked at the reporter, who was indeed pregnant by David, among others.

“It’s ... beyond your comprehension,” Ariel began, his eyes fluttering as if recalling something ineffable, “But, if I had to put it in human terms, it’s like being a ... storm of love and justice, wrapped in the fabric of creation, with the power to bend it to the will of the Almighty.”

“At least with the new Boss. With the old one, well, it’s enough to make you cringe or shudder. We were at the mercy of his many mercurial moods, to put it mildly,” Lavelle alluded to Jehovah, “he could be good at times, but he could be downright cruel, too, and one never knew which one to expect. This one is a vast improvement over his predecessor.”

The room fell silent once more, the gravity of the angels’ words weighing heavily upon the minds of all present. The mere mention of the previous God, Jehovah, brought to mind the tumultuous times that had led to Fireball Day and the end of the old world. It was a stark contrast to the more benevolent deity that now watched over them.

“I fucking love being an angel these days, though being the Lawgiver’s guardian angel is no small part of it,” Marcy agreed, her tone full of risqué meaning ... she was also one of the Lawgiver’s many wives as well as his angelic companion.