"LaHaye, Tim - Left Behind 11 - Armageddon" - читать интересную книгу автора (LaHaye Tim)

"But you bear Carpathia's mark."
"I despise that mark! I know the truth. I always have.
I just didn't want to have anything to do with it."
"God loved you."
"I know, but it's too late."
"Why didn't you ask his forgiveness and accept his gift? He wanted to save you."
She sobbed. "How can you be here and say that?"
"I am not from here."
"You are my angel!"
"No, but I am a believer."
"And you can see?"
"Enough to get around."
"Oh, sir, take me to food! Get me inside the terminal to the snack machines. Please!"
Rayford tried to help her up, but she reacted as if her body were afire. "Please, don't touch me!"
"I'm sorry."
"Just let me hold your sleeve. Can you see the terminal?"
"Barely," he said. "I can get you there."
"Please, sir." She struggled to her feet and gingerly clasped the cuff of his sleeve between her thumb and fore--finger. "Slowly, please." She mince-stepped behind Rayford. "How far?" she said.
"Not a hundred yards."
"I don't know if I can make it," she said, tears stream-ing.
"Let me go get you something," he said. "What would
you like?"
"Anything," she said. "A sandwich, candy, water---anything."
"Wait right here."
She chuckled pitifully. "Sir, all I see is black. I could go nowhere."
"I'll be right back. I'll find you."
"I've been praying that God will save my soul. And when he does, I will be able to see." Rayford didn't know what to say. She had said herself it was too late. "In the beginning," she said. "For God so loved the world. The Lord is my shepherd. Oh, God. .."
Rayford jogged toward the terminal, stepping between ailing people. He wanted to help them all, but he knew he could not. A man lay across the inside of the auto-matic door, not moving. Rayford stepped close enough to trip the electric eye, and the door opened a few inches and bumped the man.
"Please move away from the door," Rayford said. The man was asleep or dead.
Rayford pushed harder, but the door barely budged. Finally he lowered his shoulder and put his weight behind it. He bent and drove with his legs, feeling the pressure on his quads as the door slowly rolled the man away. Rayford heard him groan.
Inside, Rayford found a bank of vending machines, but as he reached in his pocket for Nick coins, he saw that the machines had been trashed. Enough people had felt their way here to tear the machines open and loot them for every last vestige of food. Rayford searched and searched for something, anything, they had missed. All he found were empty bottles and cans and wrappers.
"Who goes there?" someone demanded. "Where are you going? Can you see? Is there light anywhere? What has happened? Are we all going to die? Where is the potentate?"
Rayford hurried back outside. "Where're you going?" someone shouted. "Take me with you!"
He found the woman on her stomach, face buried in her arms. She was wracked with sobs so deep and mournful he could barely stand to watch.
"I'm back, ma'am," he said quietly. "No food. I'm sorry."
"Oh, God, oh, God and Jesus, help me!"
"Ma'am," he said, reaching for her. She shrieked when he touched her, but he pulled at the sides of her head until he could see her hollow, unseeing, terrified eyes.
"I knew before everybody disappeared," she said piti-fully. "And then I knew for sure. With every plague and judgment, I shook my fist in God's face. He tried to reach me, but I had my own life. I wasn't going to be subservient to anybody.
"But I've always been afraid of the dark, and my worst nightmare is starving. I've changed my mind, want to take it all back...."
"But you can't."
"I can't! I can't! I waited too long!"
Rayford knew the prophecy-that people would reject God enough times that God would harden their hearts and they wouldn't be able to choose him even if they wanted to. But knowing it didn't mean Rayford under-stood it. And it certainly didn't mean he had to like it. He couldn't make it compute with the God he knew, the loving and merciful one who seemed to look for ways to welcome everyone into heaven, not keep them out.
Rayford stood and felt the blood rush from his head. And that's when he heard the loudspeakers.
"This is your potentate!" came the booming voice. "Be of good cheer. Have no fear. Your torment is nearly past. Follow the sound of my voice to the nearest loud-speaker tower. Food and water will be delivered there, along with further instructions."


"I'll make a deal with you," Chloe said. "I'll take over the rest of the watch, and you agree that we tell every-body in the morning that we had visitors tonight."
Buck looked to George, who pointed at him. "You're in charge when your father-in-law is away, pal."
"Only because of seniority. I defer to you on military stuff."
"This isn't combat, man. It's public relations. If you want my advice, I'd say do what you want but do it right. Tell them, `It's only fair we tell you people we saw GC around here last night, but as far as we know there's nothing to be concerned about yet."'