THIS IS NOT A TEST

THIS IS NOT A TEST

"If you're turning on that television, I won't be happy," Simone shouted. She knew that was precisely what Bart was doing. She was in the kitchen of their open-concept main floor, preparing drinks for dinner.

"C'mon, hon. It's a playoff game, and the guys want to see what's happening. I told you this might be a problem when you scheduled this dinner for eight o'clock on Sunday."

Bart had warned her that the Falcons and Bucs would be playing an important game on Sunday evening, as the winner would represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Nonetheless, Simone had wanted to have a small party. After all, it was her birthday, so why couldn't she have a few friends over, even if the Bucs were playing? What was more important—her birthday or (as her husband hoped) watching the Bucs advance to the Super Bowl? She knew not to ask that question.

“Fine. Well, turn down the volume so we can still talk to one another during the game. And get over here and finish cooking the ‘surprise’ dinner you promised our friends and me. It's already eight, and people are getting hungry.” Not that the dinner will be much of a birthday surprise to me, since I bought all the ingredients and can already see what you're preparing, she thought.  Simone then laughed as she reminded herself boys never stop being boys, but at least mine likes to cook.

"I'll be right over," Bart shouted. "Damn, we just missed the kickoff. Sorry, guys."

Carrying a tray of drinks, Simone walked around the large kitchen island and headed through the family room, where the men and one woman, Emma, were watching the start of the game. Two other women were chatting by the dining room table, munching on hors d'oeuvres. Looking at the Swedish meatballs, burrata mushroom bites, endives stuffed with goat cheese, and bacon-wrapped scallops, Simone once again thought, Thank God for a husband who cooks. At least one of us does. There’s a pre-game feast here. Maybe people aren’t hungry after all. A small grin lit up her face.

The Bucs were on their own twenty-five-yard line. But as the huddle broke and the offensive players moved into formation, the television screen suddenly went black.

"What the hell?" Bart blurted out. He picked up the remote and hit the power button. The screen was unchanged. He tried other channels. However, nothing was playing on any of them. Before he could check the cable connection, the television screen returned to life with a yellow and black emergency warning emblem and a voice-over stating, “THIS IS NOT A TEST," over and over. Bart and his friends stared at the picture while Simone and the other women joined them in front of the television.

"I just tried my cell phone. There's no service," Trevor said. Trevor and Helen lived next door to Bart and Simone. Meanwhile, Simone’s other guests, Jack and Emma, were also trying their cell phones to no avail.

"It has to be a test of some sort, no matter what that emergency alert keeps repeating," Helen said. She had walked to the window and pulled back the curtains, curious to see if anything was amiss. “It’s very dark outside. In fact, I can't see much of anything at the moment."

The alert on the television screen faded, replaced by an officious-looking figure in a military uniform standing behind a podium flanked by two United States flags. The background was a simple black drape. He was staring down at some papers, which he shuffled before looking up at the camera. There was a grim expression on his face.

"Five minutes ago, the President of the United States declared an immediate state of emergency. World leaders around the globe are doing the same at this very moment. Humanity faces a crisis the likes of which mankind could never have imagined. At this time, we urge everyone to shelter in place. Under no circumstances should anyone leave their homes, places of business, or wherever you may be viewing or hearing this. Stay indoors without exception. Keep your doors closed and locked. We are emphatically instructing you to not go outside until further notice. For those outside, this advice may already be too late. They cannot be helped. Over the next few minutes, I’ll do my best to explain the nature of the crisis and the nature of the danger we, as a nation and a species, currently face. Approximately fifteen minutes ago, we were informed by NASA...." The television screen went dark again. Seconds later, the lights in the house died.

"Learned what?" Simone screamed at the television. “What?” Around the room, everyone shared the same look of shock and bewilderment.

"Did we just lose power, or did the whole neighborhood go dark?” Emma asked.

Still by the window, Helen tugged on the curtains and peered out the window. Up and down the street, there were no signs of light, not even the glow of a flashlight. The lampposts were dark, a darkness much deeper than that on a normal moonless night. Staring out, she couldn’t even discern the shape of a house across the street. Helen’s husband, Trevor, joined her at the window and stared into what struck him as an abyss. “It’s as if everything is gone,” he told the group. “The power is certainly gone, but, looking out there, everything looks gone.”

“Let me grab a flashlight or two,” Bart said. He felt his way back to the kitchen and found the ubiquitous junk drawer every home contains. Rummaging through it, he discovered a small flashlight, and turning it on, he was relieved to see the batteries were good. They now had some light. He used the smaller flashlight to locate several other flashlights of different sizes that he kept in the drawer for emergencies. Simone had accused him of being a serial flashlight accumulator. If he was, thank God for bad habits.

“Let me pass these outs. Besides mine, I have three others, one for each couple and one additional. House rules say that Simone keeps the extra,” Bart said. “At least now, we won’t be bumping into furniture all night.

Taking a flashlight, Trevor returned to the window and alternately pointed the beam into the window and then back into the room. Over and over, he moved the light from the room to the window and back to the room.

“What are you doing, Trev? Helen asked.

“You all should come over here,” he said. “When I shine this flashlight on the window, it stays dark outside. The light doesn’t seem to penetrate either the window or the darkness outside. When I move the flashlight back to the room, the room lights up as you’d expect. The flashlight is working fine in here, but shining outward….” Trevor paused. He held his chin in his hand as he looked back and forth from the room to the window. “There’s no reason the light shouldn’t shine through the window to give us some light outside. I don’t get it. Something is very wrong.”

“Why don’t we open the window a bit and then try shining the light outside,” Helen suggested.

“Hold on,” Bart said. “Before he was cut off, didn’t that military guy say we should keep our doors closed and locked? I would assume that would apply to windows as well.”

“I can’t see how just opening the window by an inch or so to see if the flashlight works outside can harm anything. We’re not going to go outside. And if anything feels threatening, we can close it quickly. We need to have some idea what we’re dealing with,” Trevor said.

“Why don’t we vote on it?” Emma suggested.

“Because it’s my house and my window. That’s why we’re not voting on this. Let’s talk it out a bit more and….” Bart stopped mid-sentence.

“Can you see anything?” Helen asked Trevor. Her voice was quivering. She had pushed the window open while Bart was talking.

“I’m shining the light outside, but it’s like it hits a black barrier at the window,” Trevor said.

“Close the damn window,” Bart yelled, almost simultaneously with the sound of a piercing scream outside. The window slammed shut, pushed down hard by Jack.

“What was that scream?” Emma cried.

“Are you trying to kill us, Trevor? I mean, what the hell were you two thinking? We don’t know what’s happening, and you decide to ‘wing it’ and see what happens?” Jack was struggling to control his temper.  Another scream outside broke the brief silence.

Emma was shaking with fear. “What’s happening out there? Are we safe in here? How long do we have to stay inside? How can we find out what’s going on? I want to go home, Jack.”

Jack moved back to Emma and took her in his arms. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this all out, and then we’ll go home.” Glancing back at Trevor and Helen, he said, “Assuming no one does anything else stupid.”

Helen didn’t hesitate to respond. Her voice was desperate, “You know, it’s easy for all of you to say let’s just stay put and wait behind closed doors. And for what? Jack, you and Emma don’t have kids yet, and Bart and Simone, your kids are off at college, hopefully safe in their dorms. I know you’re anxious about them, but unlike all of you, we have three young kids right next door with a babysitter, and we can’t see them or even talk to them. We don’t know if they’re aware of what’s going on or if they’re safe. I’m upset and can’t sit here and do nothing.”

Wow, Bart thought, the tension here has escalated sky-high in minutes. What if we’re in here for hours or days? “Let’s calm down a bit. I know we’re all getting wound up quickly. I’m sorry for yelling at you, Trevor. Like all of you, I’m more than a bit on edge. But let’s see if we can make any sense of this,” Bart said.

“You’re right. I’m sorry as well,” Trevor said. “I thought that if the flashlight worked, we might be able to use it to signal our house or at least see if things looked okay. I’m not even sure if we could have seen anything of use anyway.”

“What do we know?” Jack asked the group. “Someone in a military uniform told us to stay indoors, keep our doors locked, and not leave under any conditions. He also said it’s too late to help anyone who is outside. Help them how or from what? Do we know if that guy was actually a government official? Do we have any idea what will happen if we do go out? Are we sure this isn’t some sort of terrorist act or, perhaps, even an attempt at a government takeover? I think it’s safe to say we have no idea what is happening.”

“But we did open the window, and we’re all still here,” Trevor added.

“So, what do we do now?” Simone asked.

“Wait,” Bart said. “We wait. Let’s all try and get some rest. We may need it.”

***

Midnight. Simone and Bart were cuddled and sleeping soundly on the sofa. Jack and Emma were also asleep, each in extended recliners. Helen and Trevor were seated next to one another in the dining room. Helen whispered, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Probably,” Trevor replied.

“It’s not that far. If we run, we can get there in less than a minute. What can happen in a minute?” Helen said.

“That guy on TV was adamant, ‘Whatever you do, don’t go outside,’ Trevor reminded her.

“Our kids,” Helen said. “Our kids must be so scared. We can’t leave them there alone. I know the babysitter is with them, but we need to be there.”

“You know, those government people and emergency management types always overstate risks and situations. Should we even trust that announcement?” Trevor asked.

Helen had decided what she would do hours ago and was already out of her seat and headed to the front door. “Are you coming?” she asked. Trevor nodded and quietly rose and followed her. 

As they reached the door, Jack stirred on his recliner and sat up. “What’s going on?”

Helen turned the knob, opened the door, and dashed outside. Murmuring “Sorry” to Jack, Trevor followed. The moment each exited, Jack immediately lost sight of them. Jumping from his chair, he ran to the door, where he heard a scream. The others awakened at the penetrating cry outside the open door.

“What happened?” Bart shouted to Jack.

“Where are Trevor and Helen?” Simone asked.

Jack slammed the door shut. He turned to the others and said, “I’m not sure where they are, but I don’t think it’s home. Something woke me up, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Helen and Trevor rushing out the front door. When Trevor was halfway out the door, he turned to me and said, ‘Sorry,’ but that wasn’t what struck me most. It seemed half of him was here, and the other half was gone as if there was a black metal plate dividing him into two—one half here and one half somewhere else. The half here seemed perfectly normal. It didn’t seem possible.”

Emma was rubbing sleep from her eyes. “ I think I now know what’s happening.”

“Well, you’re the only one,” Simone said.

“Right before I woke up, I was having a vivid dream. In it, the Lord was saying, ‘Come to Me.’ I asked him how, and he said now is the time of the rapture when I will bring all who are worthy to their new home. Now that I’m awake, I understand it all. This is the rapture. Helen and Trevor have gone to their reward in heaven. They were good people, and they’ve been saved. We all can be saved, too.”

Simone and Bart were stunned. They weren’t particularly religious, though they tried to live a moral life, but the idea that the national emergency was the rapture was ludicrous. Jack, however, had nodded his head in agreement as Emma spoke.

“I’m sorry, but if I understand what you’re saying, this is the end of the world, and God is calling the faithful back to heaven. But if you want to be saved, you have to be outside into some dark oblivion. Also, the government knows this is the rapture and is trying to prevent you from being saved. Here’s my question: you do realize how ridiculous that sounds?” Simone wasn’t done. “God is calling the faithful, but he needs you to come outside to be saved. Come on, Emma; you can’t believe that? I mean, is the rapture even in the Bible?”

Still by the front door, Jack opened it, and Emma ran to him. They held hands as they walked outside. As Jack had described earlier, the pair seemed to vanish into a black wall as they moved beyond the doorway. Simone and Bart stood in the living room, staring as their friends appeared to melt into the blackness.

“Should we, or could we, have stopped them?” Bart asked.

“I’m not sure we could have,” Simone replied.

Bart walked over to the doorway and stood as close as he comfortably could to the opening. He peered into the dark void, sensing nothingness. He closed the door. While he stood staring at the door, Simone walked over to him and hugged him from behind. “I almost hope they’re right,” she said. “But, I don’t think they are. If it were the rapture, I believe we’d also be outside. You’re a good man, Bart, and I try to be a good person as well. Besides, didn’t some passage in the New Testament say that no one would know when the end of times comes?”

Bart turned towards Simone, kissed her, and said, “You’re right. Some happy birthday.” They both began to cry before walking toward the stairs and up to their bedroom. Neither knew in what kind of world they’d wake up.

***

Bart had managed to finally fall asleep around four in the morning. He woke up at seven with sunlight streaming in through a part in the curtains. No darkness. Had it all been a bad dream? He got out of bed quietly, letting Simone sleep. As he descended the staircase, the television was playing, having been left on last evening. The remains of last night’s party were scattered about. On the television, the President was behind a podium about to speak. Bart sat down and listened intently. 

“Fellow Americans, yesterday was a tragedy of unimaginable horror for our planet and its people, but today, we stand ready to rebuild in unity with nations around the world. At 7:00 pm Eastern time, ….”

Bart was stunned by what he heard. After making two phone calls, he raced up the stairs to awaken Simone. She sat up and listened in shock as Bart relayed what he had just learned, everything they hadn’t heard the night before. He first assured her that he had talked to their children, and both were safe and unharmed after a frightening night. He explained the crisis was over. The danger had passed. He told her of the disappearances of hundreds of millions of people around the globe. He explained that life would never be the same for them or anyone else. After listening to it all, her thoughts turned to Trevor and Helen’s children. She told Bart to go next door to make sure they were okay and bring them back. Their parents, like so many others, were gone and would never return. Who would be left when they went outside? Finally, she prayed, got out of bed, and dressed to meet a new world.