{"id":1109,"date":"2019-02-12T23:04:49","date_gmt":"2019-02-13T04:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/read.whitefire-publishing.com\/?p=1109"},"modified":"2019-10-22T11:19:15","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T15:19:15","slug":"the-end-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/the-end-begins\/","title":{"rendered":"The End Begins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

The End Begins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

by Sara Davison<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When your beliefs are at war, does love stand a chance?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bookstore owner Meryn O\u2019Reilly and Army Captain Jesse Christensen are on opposite sides of a battle. After a series of terrorist attacks in 2053, martial law has been declared in Canada and the military has taken over. When a radical Christian group claims responsibility, Jesse and his platoon are sent to Meryn\u2019s city to keep an eye on the Christians and ensure they are not stepping outside the confines of the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fiery and quick-tempered, Meryn chafes under the curfew and other restrictions to her freedom. Jesse is equally amused, intrigued, and terrified by her spirit. She could find herself in prison if she shows defiance to the wrong soldier, namely Lieutenant Gallagher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse watches out for Meryn when possible, although she wants nothing to do with him. His worst fears are realized when she commits a crime he cannot protect her from. Now they both face an uncertain future and the very real threat of losing everything, including their lives. With time running out, Jesse works feverishly to convince the authorities to show leniency to Meryn. And to convince her that love can overcome any barrier that lies between them.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t

Chapter 1<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\u201cGwen, I think it\u2019s about time you began to have a life,\u201d Candice said breezily as she moved across the patio refilling the glasses of the many guests. Gwen glanced around self-consciously, then forced a laugh. It was so like Candice Mallard to launch a campaign to reinvent Gwen\u2019s life in the company of strangers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The End<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

And the Beginning<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

For\nthe first time, the reverent stillness of the old limestone church didn\u2019t fill\nMeryn O\u2019Reilly with peace. She raised her gaze to the gleaming wooden cross on\nthe wall behind the pulpit. What would happen now? Even the air felt different,\ncolder, in spite of the warm October day. On the way to church she had hardly\nseen a single person out walking, and only the odd car had passed by her.\nEveryone seemed to be taking refuge in their homes, as if it were safer,\nsomehow, to stay out of sight. If that continued for long, she didn\u2019t know what\nwould happen to her secondhand bookstore, but there were more important things\nto worry about this morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meryn\u2019s best friend sat on the pew\nbeside her. Kate clutched her daughter, Gracie, to her chest. Matthew, her\nfour-year-old son, pressed close to her side, as though he could sense the\ntension in the sanctuary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister climbed the steps to\nthe stage. Although he was a young man, today his steps were slow. When he\nturned to face them, the invisible weight he carried bowed his shoulders. He\nclutched both sides of the oak pulpit. Thin light filtering through a stained-glass\nwindow cast an eerie rose glow over his lined face. \u201cMy friends, you don\u2019t need\nme to tell you that dark days have come to Canada. A group calling themselves\nChristians has claimed responsibility for\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doors to the right of the stage\ncrashed open, shattering the hush that had fallen over the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uniformed soldiers, carrying\nrifles, marched into the sanctuary and started down the aisle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate\u2019s short red hair fell over one\neye as she dug her fingers into Meryn\u2019s arm. \u201cThey\u2019ll arrest us all.\u201d She pulled\nGracie closer as other parishioners pushed past them, fleeing toward the back\ndoor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More soldiers appeared in the back\nof the church, ordering any who tried to escape that way onto their knees.\n\u201cDown on the floor!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meryn looked around wildly. What\nshould they do? Her eyes fell on the little side door at the end of their pew.\n\u201cQuick, Kate.\u201d Meryn grabbed her elbow and tugged her toward the opening. In\nall the fear and confusion in the room, no one moved to stop them as they\nslipped through the door. The shouts and cries faded behind them as they\nhurried down a dimly lit hall lined with old, wooden tables and stacked chairs.\nThe hallway led to a set of stairs down to the basement. \u201cWe can go out the\nback exit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stopped at the bottom and\nwaited for Kate to climb down, Matthew at her heels. \u201cWhy are they doing this,\nKate?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her friend shifted Gracie to her\nhip so she could take Matthew\u2019s hand and help him down another step. \u201cEthan\nsays Parliament convened an emergency session last night. They pushed through a\nbill to give the military virtually unlimited power to put down the terrorists\nresponsible for the bombings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate\u2019s husband was editor-in-chief\nof the local paper, the Kingston\nWhig-Standard<\/em>. He\u2019d been at the office for the last forty-eight hours, ever\nsince seven mosques across Canada had been blasted from their foundations\nduring Friday prayers. The deadly attacks on October 10, 2053, the worst on\nCanadian soil, were already known simply as 10\/10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A question rose in Meryn\u2019s throat\nbut she bit her lip, holding it in for a few seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fear in Kate\u2019s eyes told her that\nshe was not going to like the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 She pushed back her shoulders, steeling\nherself. \u201cDo they know who is responsible?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cThey think they do.\u201d Kate\u2019s voice shook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meryn wiped the palms of her hands\non her tan dress pants. \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthew hopped down the last step,\nand his little knees buckled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate held up their clasped hands to\nkeep him from falling. Her hazel eyes met Meryn\u2019s. \u201cUs.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Meryn\ndidn\u2019t move until a loud thud and a shout from upstairs yanked her from her\nstunned silence. \u201cWe need to get out now.\u201d She started down the winding\nhallway. When she reached the door at the back of the basement, she grasped the\nhandle and pulled it open, wincing when the seldom-used hinges screeched in\nprotest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If any of the soldiers were outside\nthe church, she\u2019d just announced their presence. Meryn pressed a trembling hand\nto the doorframe and peered around it to scan the property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one was out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMeryn?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The panicked whisper set her heart\npounding. She shut the door and scrambled back down the hallway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate crouched in front of Matthew,\nstruggling to hold onto Gracie and lift her son up with her other arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meryn took the little girl from\nKate. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMatthew fell and hurt his knee.\nI\u2019ll have to carry him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Footsteps thundered down the\nstairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate\u2019s eyes widened, but she\nscooped up Matthew and jerked her head toward a small storage room beside them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the dull light sifting through a\ntiny window near the ceiling, Meryn scanned the boxes piled high against every\nwall. A large, dust-covered wreath lay on top of the nearest stack of boxes\nmarked Christmas Pageant Costumes<\/em>.\nShe pointed to a large cupboard in the corner of the room. \u201cTry in there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate wrenched open the door and\nsqueezed into the tiny space, Matthew\u2019s skinny arms clinging to her neck and\nhis legs wrapped around her waist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There wasn\u2019t room, or time, for\nMeryn to try and fit herself and Gracie in too, so she ducked behind the door\nthey\u2019d come in, praying the near-darkness would offer them a small amount of\nprotection. Her throat tightened when boots tromped past the open doorway and\ncontinued to the exit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a few seconds, they echoed\nfaintly in the distance, then they started back. Whoever was out there drew\neven with their door and continued past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gracie let out a small cry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Horrified, Meryn pressed a hand\nover her mouth. \u201cShh, baby. It\u2019s all right,\u201d she whispered in the little girl\u2019s\near. Had anyone heard? She strained to listen, but there was nothing but\nsilence in the hallway. Suddenly the door she stood behind was yanked away from\nher. Meryn gasped, her eyes riveted on the rifle pointed directly at her chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She raised her eyes to the soldier\nholding the weapon. He was tall, but she couldn\u2019t make out any other features\nin the semi-darkness until he reached behind him, the gun still trained on her,\nand flipped the switch to illuminate the room. Meryn\u2019s throat went dry. She\nleaned against the wall. God, give me\nstrength. Keep us safe<\/em>. When the man didn\u2019t move, Meryn lifted her chin,\nfear giving way to anger as she eyed the weapon pointed at her and Gracie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something flashed through the\njade-green eyes that probed hers. The soldier stared at her and Gracie, as\nthough wondering what he should do with them now that he had them cornered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meryn was fairly certain she didn\u2019t\nfit the profile of a terrorist. Still, nothing could be counted on any longer.\nThe three gold star shapes on his shoulders caught her eye, and she searched\nher memory. A captain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heavy footsteps reverberated down\nthe hallway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The captain lowered his gun. \u201cMy\nmen are coming. Take her out the back door. Quickly. No one\u2019s patrolling out\nthere yet. Go through the woods and you should be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meryn tightened her hold on Gracie.\n\u201cAre you sure you don\u2019t want to arrest the two of us for blowing up those\nmosques?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The corners of his mouth twitched.\n\u201cDid you do it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She kept her eyes locked on his.\n\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen I think I\u2019ll take my\nchances.\u201d He jerked his head in the direction of the exit. \u201cGo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meryn started for the opening, then\nstopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The man blew out an exasperated\nbreath. \u201cDo you want<\/em> me to take you\nin?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, but \u2026\u201d Meryn brushed past him\nand opened the door of the cupboard. \u201cKate, come out. He\u2019s letting us go out\nthe back door. Hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate stepped out, clutching\nMatthew. Her eyes widened at the sight of the gun pointed in their direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHurry, Kate.\u201d Meryn put a hand on\nher back and gave her a gentle shove. \u201cThere are more soldiers coming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The captain met Meryn\u2019s eyes over\nKate\u2019s shoulder. \u201cWhat if my quota for allowing fleeing suspects to escape is\ntwo a day?\u201d He sounded more amused than annoyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The knot in Meryn\u2019s stomach\nloosened slightly. \u201cIs it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His lips twitched again. \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen I think I\u2019ll take my\nchances.\u201d She forced bravado into her voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He waited until Kate and Matthew\nhad nearly reached him before he lifted the gun to let them by. He lowered it\nagain as Meryn approached, forcing her to stop. When he spoke this time, the\namusement was gone. \u201cWatch yourself. It\u2019s a whole new world now, and not every\nsoldier will let you get away with that kind of defiance. And while you may not\nhave blown up those mosques personally, just being in this building casts you\nin a suspicious light.\u201d He lowered his voice. \u201cThere\u2019s going to be trouble, and\nlots of it. My advice to you is to avoid it at all costs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCaptain, today I had a rifle pointed\nat me for standing in a church basement with a baby in my arms. Will the kind\nof trouble you\u2019re referring to be avoidable, do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou could start by not calling\nyourself a Christian.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, I couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sighed and lifted the gun. \u201cJust\nbe careful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She ducked beneath it and walked on\nweak legs out into the hallway, where Kate waited. Meryn held tightly to Gracie\nas they slipped through the back door and crossed the yard. She stole a look\nbehind her as they reached the trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The soldier stood, framed in the\ndoorway, watching them go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unsure if he could see her or not,\nshe gave him a brief nod before following Kate into the woods.<\/p>\n\n\n