Three by William C. Oelfke

and
damnation.” 
    “He does seem to have some
followers,” said Oliver, referring to the cars and truck parked behind the
church and the murmur of men’s voices he had heard. 
    “I wouldn’t know nothin’
about that,” said the clerk, “there’s no folks around that old ghost town
anymore, not even tourists.”
    Oliver thanked him for the
paper and information and made his way out of the office and toward his room.
    Forrest Pierce had seen the
stranger pull into the motel, and watched as he went into the office.  To get a
better look, he moved his car near to where the other had parked in front of
his room and waited.  As the man left the office, carrying a newspaper, and
walked past Pierce on his way to his room, a shock of recognition caused the
blood to rush to his face and then rush away, making him feel faint.  The man
was Professor Saxon, Peter Newbury’s best friend, someone who knew him on sight
because Forrest was one of the technical support staff assigned to the fifth
floor of Wilson Hall. 
    Forrest drove away from the
motel, north through Waxahachie, and on toward the Dallas/Fort Worth airport,
where he had just enough time to catch his return flight to Chicago.  As he
drove, the panic began to rise within him .  How could Dr. Saxon find me, the
Reverend Spencer, and the church in such a short time?  He must have identified
me yesterday at his apartment.  I thought I’d killed him with that statue.  Now
he’s tracked me to the church and to the Reverend.   Maybe he found the letter
in Dr. Newbury’s documents! Maybe he’s the Devil himself!!  Pulling off the
road, in a rapidly growing state of panic and paranoia, he struggled with what
to do next.  I can’t tell the Reverend about the letter or I’ll no longer be
allowed to serve our cause, he thought as he called Spencer and related
what he had just learned about the visitor to their meeting place. 
    “I don’t think you should
panic, Forrest,” said Spencer. “This man, Professor Saxon, seemed to be
sincerely in need of prayer.  He was not looking for information about me or
the church or our gathering.  I suspect he made the trip to the old government
site because that high priest of Satan, Peter Newbury, had once been active in
trying to re-start the science project and continue the abominable work
underground, searching for God in the caverns of hell.” 
    “Maybe you’re right, Doctor
Spencer,” replied Pierce, “but I think that evil is closing in on all of us.  I’m
going to avoid the lab and hide out until my next strike against Satan.” 
    “I agree, evil may be closing
in on us here in Waxahachie.  I’ll contact the others and start the offensives
at the remaining two temples of Satan worship; meanwhile you must keep hidden
until I contact you.  You may well not have been exposed, but you mustn’t take
any chances until our final day of victory.”
    Oliver sat in his room, the
newspaper unopened on the bed, contemplating what he had just learned.  Here
in North Texas is a charismatic minister, preaching his message of repentance
in preparation of the Day of Judgment, seemingly misplaced in time and place,
with no obvious crisis to bring in believers to his church.  Was the crisis of
his own making, based on his belief that particle physics sought to worship
false idols and that this is the harbinger of the End of Days?
    He picked up the Gideon Bible
on the bed-side table, and read the two passages, one from the book of Exodus,
and one from the Revelation of Saint John the Divine.  The twentieth chapter of
Exodus described the commandments of God to the Hebrews at Sinai.  Oliver was
struck by reading this early version of the Ten Commandments because of its
emphasis on severe punishment for idol worship .  In the New Testament
accounts of Jesus’ commentary on the Law of Moses, He described these same
commandments as “love God and love your neighbor as yourself”.   Oliver
thought again of how