“What an absolutely beautiful day” Cillian said quietly while leaning against the window sill of the pickup truck he was currently driving. The window was open and his long brown hair was blowing in the wind as he looked down the highway with his sharp grey eyes. His head supported by his hand as he drove casually.
“Definitely a good day for a ballgame” Said the young man in the back seat, with excitement in his voice. The young man looked like a miniature version of the driver, making it rather clear that this was his son. The young man sat perfectly straight, with shining eyes looking forward down the road. He was rather obviously struggling to contain his excitement.
“Looks like I did a better job choosing a game this year, didn’t I Brian?” The woman in the passenger seat spoke smugly, lifting her chin and acting superior.
“It’s a good thing your father stopped choosing back when we were dating. I was rather sick of all our dates getting rained out.” She looked over at Cillian with a sly smile, hoping for a chance to tease a reaction out of her stoic husband. Her bright green eyes shone in the sunlight and her long black hair danced in the wind.
“There was never a mistake, I just wanted to see you soaked in rain wearing those thin little sundresses you like so much” Cillian replied with a straight face, knowing his wife’s goal and turning it around on her. Abagail rolled her eyes and turned back to her window, wearing a smirk on her pretty face.
“Dad, your children are present. Stop being a dirty old man.” Said the little girl in the back seat, disdain written clear on her face. Her grey eyes, sharp like her father’s, glancing towards the driver before returning to the book she was reading. Her long brown hair was tied up in a small bun, and her soft features were surprisingly well matched with her sharp eyes.
“Aine, allow me to elucidate. There is absolutely nothing dirty about a man openly admiring his beautiful wife’s figure” Cillian said with an expression as if he were a minister speaking to his congregation.
“Also stop using uselessly complex words in simple sentences, it makes you look foolish.” Aine retorted without even bothering to look up from her book.
Brian and Abagail chuckled lightly, sharing a look and small smiles. They seemed to be used to the banter between father and daughter.
Cillian looked at his daughter in the rear view mirror, saw that she was already buried in her book again and chose not to continue the conversation. Instead, he picked up his phone and chose some music. Classical piano began playing from the speakers and the family settled in to finish their trip.
After some time, the surroundings began to be filled with homes, businesses and factories. Approaching the city, traffic began to pick up and Cillian started to notice people wearing Royals shirts and hats. I wonder how many Yankees fans made the trip, Cillian wondered while looking at his son who was wearing a Yankees uniform and ball cap.
Taking the exit towards the stadium, Cillian joined the mass of traffic heading towards the ballgame.
“We’re almost there.” Brian said excitedly, looking at his surroundings with a great grin.
“Every time we come to a game you act as if it’s the first time you’ve seen a city” Aine commented with a hint of disgust in her tone. “Can you act as if you’ve been here before, Brian?”
“Why should I? This is the best day of the year every year!” Brian shouted.
Aine grimaced, annoyed at her brother’s loud voice. “Do you have to be so loud? I’m only inches away from you, I assure you I can hear you if you speak normally.”
Cillian and Abagail looked at each other in exasperation, knowing it was pointless to tell them to stop. The bickering has been a daily occurrence since Aine learned to speak. Aine is a member of Mensa, recently joined at her mother’s recommendation. Her intelligence makes it difficult to communicate with children in her age group, since they typically have no common interests. An example being the book she’s reading, which was Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations that she took from her mother’s study. She often clashes with her brother, who is more playful and energetic by nature.
Brian, while not as intelligent as his sister, was certainly a good student. He is just far more athletically inclined than academically. Baseball was the young mans entire life, playing organized youth ball and watching every game he can.
The stadium loomed ahead, a massive building set directly off the highway. Cillian left the highway, following traffic to the parking lot outside the stadium, intentionally parking close to the exit.
“Do you have to park so far away every time, love? It’s such a long walk.” Abagail complained, her expression resigned.
“Better to take a walk than be stuck in the lot until tomorrow.” Cillian said. “Besides, didn’t you say last week that you wanted to get more exercise? Take this as an opportunity.”
”You know damn well that I wasn’t saying I want to take a walk across a parking lot.” Abagail glared at Cillian.
“Dad, do we really have to walk all that way? It’s a bit much.” Aine was looking at the stadium from her seat, her face showing obvious distaste.
“It’s fine, I’ll carry you and Dad can carry Mom. Everyone will be happy” Brian said with a smile. “Now, let’s get going, I’m hungry.” He opened the door and went to Aine’s door to pick her up.
“Oy, you brat, don’t go volunteering me for manual labor!” Cillian shouted, watching his boy walk around the car in the mirrors.
“Since when is carrying your lovely wife laborious?” Abagail asked in a subtly dangerous tone.
“It’s definitely not, my love, definitely not.” Cillian was quick to reply, knowing she isn’t truly angry but not wanting to risk anymore. Quickly climbing out of the truck, he walked to his wife’s door and opened it.
“My lovely lady, may I have to honor of escorting you to your seat?” Cillian used an exaggerated formal tone, doing a slight bow and extending a hand to his wife. A slight smirk worked its way onto his face, as he knows his wife will be embarrassed by his antics. The couple in the car parked next to them started to chuckle and Abagail looked at them then back at Cillian with an exasperated expression.
“How is it that our 10 year old daughter is more mature than you?” Abagail muttered, though she still took Cillian’s hand with a smile. Cillian didn’t reply, instead quickly picking Abagail up and carrying her in his arms.
“Come on, you dorks, let’s move” Brian said, Aine standing at his side looking at her parents with an expressionless face.
Abagail wrapped her arms around Cillian’s neck, gave him a quick kiss, then jumped down and went to Brian and Aine. “Hurry up, I want a beer.” She said, taking her children’s hands and starting toward the stadium. She was wearing a white sundress and a large white hat, matching with her daughter. Cillian watched his family with a smile for a moment, then locked his truck and followed behind them.
~~~~~~~~
“HOME RUN!”
Cheers filled the stadium, and everyone near the ball scrambled to claim it.
“Damn, today is not the Yanks day.” Cillian said, watching the third Royals home run of the day leave the ballpark.
“The pitcher has plenty of heat, but he’s leaving his change up hanging” Brian replied, watching the field intently. “It’s only the bottom of the second and they’ve got 5 on the board. We need to get into the bullpen”
“The bullpen got over worked last night, can’t really afford to pull the starter in the 3rd, not with the Sox being the next series” Cillian stated. “He should drop that change up and move to his slider. Might get some swing and misses that way.”
Abagail and Aine watched Cillian and Brian as they talked about the game constantly, both less invested but still having a good time at the game.
One row down, there was a trio of college aged men, watching the game and being rather rambunctious. “Have you heard about those cultists who are all quitting their jobs, claiming that the Rapture is coming?” One of them asked, sounding amused.
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“My guy, the world ended in 2012 and this is all a simulation.” The man in the center replied in a joking tone. “How can the Rapture come when the world already ended?”
“Hey, I’m not complaining, my manager is one of those nut jobs. Man quitting got me an easy promotion” The man on the right said.
“‘Grats, my friend, now buy me a beer and I’ll help you celebrate.” The first speaker said.
“Shouldn’t you be buying me a beer?” The man on the right asked.
“You had a bunch of people quit because of that cult, didn’t you Cillian?” Abagail asked
”I did. I see it as a good thing, there aren’t many projects currently and most of those who quit weren’t great employees. I can take this chance to find some better people and improve the quality of my workforce.” Cillian replied. It was inconvenient to lose 35% of my work force, but if it had to happen now was a good time, he thought.
“I have a couple students who are struggling to find employment after graduating, I’ll have them reach out to you.” Abagail wore a small smile, happy that she has an opportunity to help her former students.
“I’ll give them a look, but no OH GOD DAMN IT STOP THROWING THE CHANGEUP!”
With a resounding crack, the Royals hit yet another home run, and Cillian responded the way any sports fan would when watching his favorite team lose.
“Still think they shouldn’t go to the bullpen?” Brian asked, obviously upset with the way the game was progressing.
“Statistically, they’re better served leaving the starter in and hoping he recovers than using their over worked bullpen.” Aine said, looking at some kind of spreadsheet on her mother’s phone which she had borrowed. “According to their trends, the starter is more likely to perform better in the fourth than the bullpen is to close this inning without more runs. I would leave the starter, suffer through this inning knowing he will likely fix it in the next, and rely on my bats to make up the difference.”
“I’m sure you’re right, since you always are, but that doesn’t make this any better to watch.” Cillian said, looking at his little genius of a daughter.
“Dad’s right, this sucks. Give us some good pitching.” Brian also looked at his little sister, knowing she’s probably right but still wanting to see a change.
“Winning is all that matters, and the odds of winning are better if you leave the starter as he is. Assuming he doesn’t give up two more, then the numbers change.” Aine stated, still working the phone and changing the numbers in her spreadsheet to examine the possibilities.
Cillian smiled while watching his daughter work, then looked back at the field, ready to watch the rest of the game. At this moment, the world froze.
In front of Cillian, a bright light shone and the figure of a man was outlined within it. The figure became more and more defined as the moments passed. He looked around and realized that everything had stopped, from the people to the wind to the smallest insects. What in the actual fuck?! He thought, while turning to his wife and starting to shake her, hoping she would be aware as well.
Abagail looked at her husband, fear clearly written across her face and then grabbed Aine and pulled her into her lap. Brian was looking around with his jaw dropped, dumbfounded at their current circumstances.
“What is happening?” Abagail voice was trembling as she looked at the light before them.
“I imagine we’re about to find out.” Cillian narrowed his eyes and glared at the figure within the light, which had become solid. The figure was a man, large in stature and well muscled. He had long blond hair, bound with a woven leather strap around his forehead. He wore leather straps across his chest, and what appeared to be a woven skirt around his waist. His blue eyes shone with their own light, and were focused solely on Cillian.
“Is miss Cú Chulainn mac Lugh, ionadaí an Tuatha Dé Danann ar Domhan. Tá tús curtha ag an Tirana lena Éigniú, ag trégean an domhain don olc a chruthaigh sé agus ag teitheadh go cosmos eile. Tá an sean-déithe ag múscailt, agus tá an t-am tagtha don duine glóir an sean a fháil ar ais. Seas i gcoinne na n-olc atá le teacht agus beidh ár gcabhair agat.”
The man in the light spoke, though the language was one Cillian had not heard since his childhood. Irish was his mother’s first language, and she frequently spoke it around the house. Cillian never picked it up, being born in America and thinking it was too obscure to be worth the effort.
“Is that Irish?” Abagail asked, wondering why this magical figure was speaking to them in a language neither of them understood.
Cillian nodded without taking his eyes off of the man in the light. The man in the light looked at Abagail, then both children in turn. He grinned when he saw Brian, seeming excited, then waived his hand. The light surrounding him seemed to condense into four beads, which floated over his upturned palm. With a breath, the four beads flew towards the family, coming to a stop before their chests. The beads then began to pulsate, making a quiet sound like a heart beat. The family of four all looked at the beads, Cillian with a blank expression, Abagail with fear, Brian with excitement, Aine with curiosity. The beads synchronized themselves with the heart beats of the person they were before, then slowly entered their bodies.
It’s warm, Cillian thought, as the bead settled itself in the center of his chest. It felt as if a second heart made of warm light had been born within him.
The man in the light watched with a smile as the beads joined with the family. After a moment he looked to the sky. The sky, still clear and blue, seemed to shake for a moment. It was as if the world itself was trying to resume its movement. “Tosaíonn sé.” The man said, as he looked back at Cillian. He gave a small nod, stared a moment more, then faded back into the light.
The moment the light disappeared, the world unfroze. The game continued as if nothing had happened, and the crowd didn’t miss a beat.
”It feels warm.” Aine said while she stared at her mother’s chest as trying to look through her. Her comment seemed to shake loose the thoughts of the other three, who all blinked and started to look around.
“It does feel warm. Like a second heart made of fire.” Brian commented while poking at his chest like he was trying to feel the bead.
“Love, what did that man say, did you catch any of it?” Abagail asked Cillian, with a worried expression.
“He introduced himself as Cu Chúlainn, said something about Yahweh and evil, and said it begins before leaving. That’s all I caught.” Cillian answered absentmindedly, trying to identify any other words of phrases he might recognize.
“Remember that cult, the one talking about the Rapture? I’m beginning to think they may have been on to something” Aine said, while looking through a group chat she shared with other members of Mensa. “Ibrahim is raving about meeting Gilgamesh and being given a “Divine Quest” to slay evil. If Ibrahim is acting like this, he must have experienced something similar to what we just did.”
“We should get home. If something is really about to happen, I don’t want to be in this crowd when it does.” Cillian followed his words, standing and picking up Aine before turning to his wife.
“Agreed” Abagail stood and started nudging Brian towards the exit. Brian looked at the field one last time, then turned and led the way out of the stadium.
At the truck, Cillian placed Aine in her seat, as she was still entirely engrossed in her group chat. “Clara said she met a woman calling herself Freya and had the same experience we did, her family included. Her dad had a heart attack from the shock. It seems the woman simply waved her hand and snow fell on her dad and he was perfectly fine after that.”
“It’s good to know we didn’t have a collective hallucination at least” Cillian said sarcastically, while climbing into the drivers seat.
“So does this mean we’re supposed to be some kind of warriors? Since Ibrahim got some “Divine Quest” to slay evil?” Brian asked, with a small hint of excitement. Every boy has dreams of being a great warrior.
“Let’s just get home before we start speculating. That should give enough time for Aine to collect information and come to a conclusion.” Abagail said, full of confidence in her daughter’s ability.
Leaving the parking lot, Cillian noticed people standing still, looking straight up into the sky. They all seemed to be speaking, but so quietly that you could not hear a word. As Cillian brought the truck onto the highway, an ear shattering sound split the air. It was as if a great horn, the size of the world, was being sounded. The whole Earth shook, and the clouds blew away. Those people standing still raised their hands to the sky, beatific smiles on their faces.
“The sounding of the trumpets was literal, it seems.” Cillian muttered as he pushed the pedal to the floor, realizing that time was short.
“Those damn cultists were right!” Abagail exclaimed while turning to check on the children. Brian was covering his ears while watching the people outside, and Aine was frowning at the phone while typing away.
“There’s 7 more people in the chat who have had experiences similar to ours. It also seems that it’s not just Christians involved with this cult, but members of all 3 Abrahamic faiths.”
The horn sounded again, shaking the world and rattling the soul. As the sound faded after the second sounding, the sky began to darken. Small beams of light rose from the earth, some from cars parked on the highway.
The horn sounded for a third time. This time, the sky seemed to tear, opening to an empty void. From that tear a small light descended. The light formed itself into an object. Or, maybe not an object. The form was incomprehensible. It appeared to be hundreds of rings, covered in eyes, with strange wings forming and deforming. The rings twisted and turned, passing through one another and phasing in and out of existence.
A fourth sounding was heard, and following this the people standing still and staring at the sky began to chant the Lord’s Prayer. The sound of their voices seemed to mold into the very fabric of the world, being both heard and unheard, loud and quiet, grand and lowly.
The fifth sounding occurred, and with this the people chanting began to rise into the air. With their arms spread wide, the people floated around the Object made of eyes hovering in the sky. Their chant didn’t falter for a moment, and soon ethereal singing began to be heard.
Again the horn sounds, the sixth sounding so far. Translucent figures began to rise from the ground, collecting together with the people surrounding the Object. The ethereal singing was coming from these figures, the souls of the believers in Yahweh.
For a seventh time, the horn sounds. At this sounding the world began to shake even harder, with cracks forming in its surface. Buildings collapsed, bridges fell, and the remaining people waited for the conclusion. With a great flash of light, the Object disappeared, the people and souls floating in the sky went through the tear into the void.
Cillian was still speeding towards home, thinking only that he need to get his family to safety before something worse began. If that was the seventh trumpet, that means Armageddon is beginning, Cillian thought.
“At least we know what that man from before wants. Armageddon is coming, and it seems that we’re meant to fight it.” Aine spoke softly, feeling as if she shouldn’t disturb the quiet following the sounding of the seventh trumpet.
“May the gods protect us”