Tag Archives: Nails of Jesus

3.36 The Hand of God

Book III: Chapter 26
Date Unknown

As I left my earthly body, I was granted one final vision, and since you’ve come this far with me, I imagine you’ll want to hear about this too…

Golgotha by Lee Steiner

What I saw next was something that was undoubtedly UNseen by everyone else ,for God gave me a vision inside of Pope Benedict’s battle helmet — there I saw that Benedict’s visage was awash with of horror (not victory!) as he punctured my heart and released my life force. Clearly this was not the face of the Antichrist’s Second Helper – for such a fiend would surely have rejoiced at killing Christ’s Immortals. For a moment I was confused…

Whose side was Benedict on? Was a Pawn of Satan or a Champion of Christ?

I watched as the Pope bowed his head while standing below my body. As he pulled the pike back out of my side he was shaking and it was everything he could do to pull my Nail off of the spear and add it to his belt. Yet he completed the task – and it was significant for this action finally gave him control of all three of The Nails of Jesus.

Pope Benedict was thus the first person in history to possess all three nails since the centurion who used them to crucify our lord over 2,000 years ago. It immediately filled him with power!

Yet here he paused.

Standing below my now-dead body as it hung limply on the cross above, he took a long moment to collect himself, before finally turning around and walking back towards Bill Bates as The Beast Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus… and towards HIS final destiny.

By now the red-streaked skies were roiling worse than before and a Heavenly Thunder had replaced the booming of the earthly drums.

“I am the Hand of God!” Pope Benedict screamed within the din as he continued his inexorable walk to The Altar of the Most High God.

Had Bates or Schwab heard that proclamation perhaps events might have turned out differently on this day, but fortunately neither the Beast nor his evil henchman heard the Pope’s cry — for Bates had already gone into The Dome of The Rock to pursue his own designs and Schwab was focused on inciting the crowd to acts of debauchery as everyone waited for EA Incarnate in the form of Bates’ self-made persona known as Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus to re-emerge from The Well of Souls.

As my spirit watched, it seemed that Satan’s Son was well on his way to completing The Armageddon Rite – and thereby gaining control of the world. It was truly a Dark Day from my perspective and Nature seemed to agree with me – for the landscape was buffeted anew with a viscous sand storms, all worse than before.

And yet, as if it was a bright summer’s day in a dewy meadow, The Pope seemed unaffected by the raging weather. I watched as Benedict reached The Altar and began to remove each of The Nails from his belt. Using the care of a master craftsman, he installed The Nails within The Crown That Rains Blood – preparing it for The Beast.

After this he waited. And I with him.

Time passed slowly – yet whether it was thousand years or just a single day, who can say?


During the interim, Schwab has incited the Chosen to in debaucheries galore  – committing every sin imaginable and likely inventing new ones, and what they did to the bodies of the murdered innocents that littered the ground around them was unspeakably disturbing. 

The Last Judgement

Things got so out of control that had I the power to end my vision, I might well have done so.

At last, Bill Bates, Dr. Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus, the new EA Incarnate, emerged from The Dome of the Rock.

Gone was any last vestige of his humanity – for this was no longer Bill Bates the would-be world savior, and it was the new Dr. Ghaz al-Ridwan Ma’bus, Director of the Union of Many Allied Nations and de facto World President – instead the creature that emerged from its confrontation at The Well of Souls was but one thing: EA IncarnateThe Beast – Satan’s Son!

<EVIL> in its purest form emanated from the monster that made its way slowly back towards the Altar of the One True God. By now, I knew that It must have successfully broken open The Foundation Stone and then had been able to throw The Book of Life into The Well.

That meant that to complete The Armageddon Rite It only needed to utilize one more item — The Scroll of the Illuminated Angels – which It now carried in Its talons.

With utter confidence, the creature clove its way across the span between the now sundered Foundation Stone and The Altar – clearly intent on destroying the latter as well. 

With the scaly-tail of a dragon, its giant body resembled that of a leopard, yet It was poised on humongous bear-like feet that skirted twenty foot wide sections of earth. Yet none of these other features matched the fear-inspiring sight of Its seven heads – each with a different visage: Nero, Attila, Arnulf, Weishaupt, Hitler, Ma’bus, and the last a formless black slate.

Worse yet, each face depicted a different portrayal of the Seven Deadly Sins – it was the Chairs of Woe come to life — as one head showed victorious Pride, another soul-destroying Wrath, a third unquenchable Lust, and so on down the line through Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, and Envy. Yet regardless of which Sin they showcased, all of the heads spewed forth a black waterfall of evil words in the deep, guttural language of The Tongues of The Abyss.

At the horror of the sight that was The Beast even the mood of Klaus Schwab and his Chosen Ones shifted and those wayward souls who were once so confident in their choice to follow their EA Incarnate now appeared to realize that The Beast was not only NOT going to allow them to share in Its glory, but instead was intent on destroying them as well!

Schwab was the first to wail as he held up his hands in terror, backing away as The Beast approached him. The people on the hillsides also cried out in fear as they experienced a wave of emotions…

  • Sorrow.
  • Doubt.
  • Regret.
  • Horror!

Yet for them, it was too late. (You chose poorly, friends).

Schwab yelled out, “What about our great Agenda, Lord. Didn’t I serve you we–“

But the Beast reached out Its claws and tore Schwab in two, casting The Great Reset architect’s body aside as It neared The Altar.

And all the while the thunder rolled, threatening to bring down the heavens.

The windstorm raged on, now whipping dusts and debris all around. And soon enough, the landscape began to erupt at the feet of The Chosen – sending flames of fire shooting up to devour them.

And then, suddenly, from out of the fires came forth the Seven Angels – those pitiful creatures who had been so mercilessly tortured by Bates.

They had been released (yet by whom I did not know), and each of them held their Golden Bowls of Revelations – the cauldrons now boiling over with the brimstone of retribution.

Despite their previous tortures, I could see that at least two of the Angels had been restored to their former glory, and hovering over the cowering disciples of The Beast, they released the contents of their smoking Bowls – pouring forth horrible judgments upon the evil doers!

Praise God! Praise God indeed!

But it was what happened next that was the key…


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37 – The Armageddon Rite
Book III Table of Contents

3.34 The Masque of Red Death

Book III: Chapter 34
December 21

Despite the agony of my pain on the cross, I knew that death would not come easy.

With a nod, the man who was Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus signaled to The Pope to carry out his orders…

To deliver death to the immortals.

I watched as Benedict picked up one of three spears that were lying before the altar. Each of the weapons had one of the Nails of Jesus affixed to its head as a killing blade.

Spear in hand, and in full battle array, Pope Benedict looked like a legendary knight from the fantasy world as he proceeded to walk over towards the cross upon which Lazarus hung.

The Pope was ready for action

Standing beneath my friend’s limp body, Benedict waited only for a moment – as Lazarus’ blood dripped down and stained the pontiff’s white robe – and then the leader of the Church slammed his pike up and into Lazarus’ side.

“YAAAAAAAAAR!” Lazarus suddenly came to life, his arms and legs nearly ripping themselves away from the cross.

Closing my eyes against the gruesome sight, I failed to see that Lazarus’ screams woke Mary from her own snatch of death but my ears soon ached as I heard Miriam begin to wail. I opened my eyes in time to catch a glimpse of Benedict as he stoically twisted his spear up and into Lazarus’ heart – an action that abruptly ended Lazarus’ screams.

The Nail that killed Lazarus

My God, he’s dead! I panicked. It’s finally going to happen? But alas, Lord, I am NOT ready yet! 

Believe it or not, I was suddenly afraid at the unknown of Death – a specter that hadn’t threatened me in nearly two thousand years.

In the silence that followed, I looked upon our unexpected Deliverer – after killing Lazarus Pope Benedict had removed his blood spattered helmet and I saw that face was as hard as stone. He appeared to study the Nail that was now dripping with Lazarus’s blood at the end of his lance.

<BOOOM! DOOM!> <BOOM! BOOM!> <DOOM!>

The drums started up again at a signal from Bates.

I watched as Benedict looked over at The Beast. 

And then, I saw the Pope take a deep breath before doing something that I have never seen anyone other than myself or my two friends do…

Benedict reached up and took hold of The Nail.

“You Fool! Don’t touch it!” I roared, even as Mary screamed a similar warning.

Yet, Benedict did not die.

In fact, if nothing else, he seemed suddenly more alive!

Bates and Klaus Schwab began dancing around triumphantly at the sight – surely reading this as a sign of Bates’ coming victory – now confident that The Pope was indeed The Second Helper.



For his part, Benedict’s face remained hardset while he proceeded to tear the Nail off of the spear. Discarding the staff, he affixed the dripping Nail to his belt. Next I watched him proceed to confidently walk back towards the Altar and pick up another pike, before heading over towards his next victim.

Mary’s screams bespoke of sheer terror. Unable to look away this time, I watched Benedict prepare to deliver a deathblow to her as well.

“Oh, Babylon,” I roared out, suddenly finding new strength. “You will be destroyed!”

Hearing me quote from Psalm 137, for a moment Benedict paused, and I watched a strange shadow pass over his face.

“Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done.” I tried to goad him away from Mary. “You shall be smashed against the rocks upon this very day.” Then, looking up to heaven, I cried, “Father, do not forsake us now!”

Yet, The Lord did not come to save the day.

And with Lazarus already dead and Mary soon to follow the skies only roiled blacker than before.

For The Moment had not yet arrived, and I knew that the Prophecies — my own prophecies – were still waiting to be fulfilled.

Pope Benedict knew this as well, and therefore he took only a moment to prepare himself to forge on – after which he pushed his spear into Mary’s heart, killing her as well.

Unable to control myself, I vomited up the last of the bile from my stomach – its acidity scorching my throat and mouth. Tears streamed down my face as I wailed in regret, “Their torture is because of me. My friends are paying the price of my sins!”

Yet Fate no longer cared about my feelings and in truth I knew that what was happening went far beyond my small part in this Divine Event.

And so, with two bloody Nails hanging from his corded belt and his robe now blotched red, Pope Benedict began to approach me with the final Nail – and his face was Death.


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35 – Deliverance
Book III Table of Contents

3.30 Faces of Death

Book III: Chapter 30
December 20

Bill Bates looked to my friends and I – trying to gauge the effect of his threat to destroy us.

Meanwhile I noticed another pair of eyes practically boring a hole into me – Pope Benedict’s.

Glancing over at him, I caught him watching me, but he refused to look me in the eyes and before I could learn more Bates was talking again, “Yes, yes, if these are your final wishes, far be it from me to keep you from your desires.”

His demeanor changing, The Beast then detailed how he would be the Instrument of Fate that would destroy us, “Al-haram al-qudsī ash-sharīf – The Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa, there on The Temple Mount – this is the site of your destiny. December 21   – this is the day of your destiny. The Armageddon Ritual – this will be the revelation of your destiny. Do I need to explain the horrors you will endure?”

It was Miriam who spoke now – calmly and without emotion. “We will be crucified. You’ll use duplicates of the nails to crucify us and then pierce each of us with one of Jesus’s Nails that will be attached to a spear. This will deliver the deathblow – through our sides and up into our hearts. Then we will experience… The End.”

The fate that awaited us

Eyebrows raised just slightly, Bates let his teeth show. “I’m impressed… as always. You are correct again, Mary. The very nails that the Jews used to kill The Nazarene, and the ones you’ve been protecting for lo these many centuries, will in fact be the instruments of your deaths too. Jesus Christ’s power will destroy you – rather ironic, huh?”

“But why do you bother to tell us all this?” Alan asked. “We already told you, we WANT to die. You can’t scare us with these threats.”

“Ah, but I am not trying to scare you. I merely want you to fully understand how you will serve me.”

Seeing Alan perplexed by this statement, Bates explained, “Oh, don’t worry, you shall all get your wish — you WILL die. But what I’m not sure that any of you realize is that, all along, I needed more than just your Nails – I needed each of you.

And The Beast took a moment to let that sink in. “Recall that, on every world, the victory of my father and I cannot be complete without the participation of the people. In the case of this Earth, the Nails that killed Jesus Christ are imbibed with much power – but even that power is not enough to bring about my victory. YOUR crucifixion and death – this is the real key. For when Christ’s Nails destroy the immortality that flows through your veins, the Nails will be imparted with more <power> than ever before!”

“It can’t be.” Miriam protested

“Oh it be, sister, it be.” The Beast laughed as he rose again, once more full of pride. “And after you three die, I shall proceed to enter The Dome. There I will destroy your precious The Book of Life – thanks for protecting that for me by the way. And after that I’ll open The Sakhrah – as you recall, my servant Muhammad descended to his Eternity through The Sakhrah Stone and I think it’s high time to–

“If you move the Foundation Stone,” I interrupted, “if you dare to set foot onto the Holiest of Holies, it is YOU who will be the fool! Open it, Bates, and God will smite you down!”

“I think not.” Bill Bates waved my warning aside. “And when I DO move the Foundation Stone, the souls of the dead who are gathered in the Well of Souls beneath shall emerge to pray for The Last Judgment. And with their help, when I return from The Dome, I shall be filled with enough <power> to break the Angels’ Seals – and thereby will I destroy the work of your Christ once and for all!”

“After The Beast opens The Sakhrah Stone within The Dome of The Rock, and when he emerges back to The Altar of The Most High God as EA Incarnate, the Fallen Angels will be unleashed to bring their doom upon the world. By then you three will already have passed.” The voice was Benedict’s and it came so unexpectedly that even Bates jerked his head to look, yet pope stood up and continued unabated, “It’s my job to make sure that The Scroll of the Illuminated Angels will be waiting for EA Ma’bus upon The Altar. By that time, I will have gathered The Nails together and installed them into the Crown That Rains Blood. The Crown will be imparted with your blood, and when I place it upon EA Ma’bus’ head, that is the moment when the destiny of this world will be determined. For that is the Moment of Truth when The Beast shall open The Angels’ Seals and… and our Savior shall be revealed at last!”

Bill Bates looked Benedict up and down with a critical eye, yet the Pope merely bowed his head, spent, and fell back to his seat.

Satisfied, The Beast nodded, “Indeed, Benedict speaks the truth. For when the Armageddon Ritual is completed and the Angels’ Seals lay bare, I will release all of the Sin back into the world that Jesus Christ took away with his death. Every offense, every malice, all the Evil this world has ever known will return…to Me! It will be a glorious day indeed! And that, my friends, is the destiny that YOU will experience.” Then, flashing his best smile, Bates laughed, “So how ya like me now?”

Miriam and Lazarus were speechless, yet I tried to remain confident, “The Lord is good, His Love endures forever.”

“But in your case,” Bates chuckled, “only until tomorrow.”

And with that he walked away.

For his part, Benedict gave us a brief look of pity, but showed nothing else as he hurried to follow behind The Beast.

And so I wondered – is this really the end?


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31 – Har Habayit
Book III Table of Contents

3.24 Into the Fires

Book III: Chapter 24
November 13

“What?” I blurted out – a bit too loud — after Miriam had just told me about Cardinal Marrollo’s seeming desire to destroy Bill Bates.

Immediately after my shout there was a knock at the door from the guards outside; one of them called in urgently, “Baron, is everything all right?”

“Yes, yes.? I ran to the door. “All is fine. Please, leave us alone for another minute or so.”

Turning back to my friends I hissed, “Finish the story, then we must leave.”

Miriam was now lost in thought so Alan took up the tale, “I don’t possess Miriam’s abilities, so I can’t vouch for what she saw in her mind. All I can say is there was something strange going on – as if we were part of History in Motion. Nevertheless, our Moment of Truth passed and suddenly Marrollo bolted out of the room – still carrying The Nail. But we hadn’t come all that way for him anyway – for the man we wanted was right before our eyes and finally we had him!

“Despite his flailing against us,” Alan continued, “Bates wasn’t much of a physical opponent. The two of us overpowered him and drove him back towards the cross upon which Mystery was still hanging. Her blood rained down upon Bates as we pinned him there – and yet, even then, I could tell he wasn’t really afraid of us.”

“Until we pulled out our Nails!” Miriam jumped in. “Then fear – true Primal FEAR – was suddenly evident in Bates visage. It was as if, for the first time in eons, The Beast knew he was facing Destruction.”

“Bill began to wail in some awful, guttural language,” Alan shuddered, “it was a dialect older than anything I had ever heard – Evil in every way. If I had to guess, I would say it dated back to Babel itself, or perhaps even earlier, say–“

“Alan, we’re getting off topic.” Miriam chided. “The bottom line is this — regardless of what Bates was saying, suddenly he KNEW he was facing Death. But we didn’t give him any more time to think of a way out – instead, Alan and I plunged our Nails into his chest!”

“But… but… this doesn’t make sense?” I was angry that I couldn’t understand. “I just told you Bill Bates is out there now in his full-on Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus persona; I just saw him with my own eyes.” And then, asking a question I thought I would never ask, with my faith nearly faltering, I whispered, “Didn’t your…Nails have any…effect on him?”

“Of course they did.” Miriam advised. “Or at least, we all thought they did – Bill Bates included! Because when we drove our spikes into him, Bates must have felt their <power>. His face became a mask of terror and he began to writhe so badly that Alan and I were driven backwards.”

After taking a moment to collect herself, Miriam continued. “Our Nails remained lodged within Bates’ midsection even as he fell to the floor and continued convulsing! By now there was naught we could do but watch… and hope.”

“John, I tell you I really thought we had done it!” Alan agreed. “I thought we had finally destroyed The Beast!”

“Well, obviously not.” I muttered. “So what went wrong?”

“All of this happened so fast, mind you. But, like I said before, it was as if a Moment of Truth, a History Opportunity if you will, had come and gone, and alas the result was another escape for The Beast – for though we witnessed the demon fall, so too did we see him rise back up – in triumph.”

Dr. Ma’bus celebrated in all his glory.

“It was awful.” Miriam lamented. “Even as we watched, Bates rose, as if from the dead, and of a sudden, he bolted up, full of power, and showing his true face. John, there is no doubt he IS The Beast!”

“We both thought we were done for,” Alan added, “but at that very moment the door to the room burst open again, and Marrollo came barging back into the room.”

“Everything was still in slow motion except for Bates.” Miriam labored, remembering, “As The Beast surged with power, our Nails that were lodged within him came bursting forth — they flew outwards, whizzing past our heads as we barely had time to duck.”

“And our nails slammed into Marrollo.” I surmised, as if seeing the scene unfold in my mind’s eye.

“How did you know?” Miriam gasped.

“It was inevitable, given the fabric of your story.” And trying to allay my fears with humor, “After all, I AM a writer, remember?”

“You are correct.” Alan replied. “Impaled with OUR nails, Marrollo slumped against the wall, even as Bates’ masked guards surrounded us.”

“Suddenly we realized that it was WE who had failed.” Miriam lamented. “For we tried to kill The Beast with only TWO of the Nails and our Folly was to try to accomplish our mission in our own way instead of waiting for you to join us again.”

Even as she said these words, I felt my spine tingle – knowing that I was presently committing the same hasty sin. (Oh, Lord, forgive me. But what can I do now? I’m here, so I have to move forward right?)

“But that wasn’t the worst of it.” Alan broke my thoughts.

“Oh?” I asked.

“Worse than anything was hearing Bates’ diabolical cackling.” Alan covered his ears at the memory. “It was triumphant, evil, and insane. And even as the palace guards apprehended us, Bill Bates stood there and kept laughing.”

“It was a sound I’ll never forget.” Miriam added, she too visibly shaken at the memory.

“Hehehehehahaha! Hehehehehahaha!” As if on cue, suddenly a cacophonous echo carried into the room through the door – a sound that caused all three of us to cower in fear!

“My God, that’s the laugh!” Alan gasped.

“Lord, save us!” Miriam’s face was white as snow.

<BOOM!> The door to the room burst inward.

“Hehehehehahaha! Hehehehehahaha!”  Bill Bates’ laughter filled the room as he stood in the doorway, followed closely by Pope Benedict and my little friend Colonel McGubbins! “Hehehehehahaha! Hehehehehahaha!” 

Even as that snitch McGubbins gloated over me, I knew my failure had more to do with my actions than his – although that knowledge didn’t make it any easier to see the little twit preening in delight.

Quite frankly I wanted to knock his block off. 

And so the consequences of my sins continued…


Keep Reading

25 – Paradise Lost
Book III Table of Contents

2.37 It’s Not You, It’s Me

Book II: Chapter 37
July 15

I watched as Alan and Miriam were led as prisoners through the secret corridors of the Vatican underworld. After his brutal beating, Alan was nearly unconscious, while Miriam’s face was the picture of confusion. It seemed clear to me that she didn’t recognize Cardinalate Marrollo — and the fact that his mind had earlier repelled her Psychic Probe must have been disconcerting indeed.

Was she perplexed by a man who was addressed as ‘His Majesty’ and yet was clearly not the Pope?

Cardinalate Marrollo

Who was this gang of monks willing to do his every bidding – up to and including brutal violence?

Most importantly, how could she and Alan escape?

Whatever Miriam might have thought, I had no way of knowing, and before she had time to figure out how to escape, suddenly Marrollo turned around in front of a service elevator and announced, “Benedict awaits.”

As it turned out, Pope Benedict XVI was indeed waiting for the prisoners in the conservatory of his private residence. And when Marrollo and his masked crew walked in, I noticed the smile on Joseph’s unmasked face – it was the picture of a certain underlying hunger he was unable to contain.

“Excellent…”

(Hmm, Joe was clearly eager to learn more about the intruders, but did he really care about secret treasures they’d allegedly stolen or was it something more… sinister?)

“So, who are our grave robbers?” The Pope asked casually, but when the group of monks separated to reveal their prisoners, Joe immediately changed his tone, “Get out — all but Marrollo and the prisoners!” When they hesitated he arose, “The Curse of the Angel of Death be upon you if you all don’t leave my presence this very instant!”

The priests hurried out of the room, the fear of God speeding their exit. Meanwhile, Miriam was left to try to help Alan get mask back on and then get into one of the chairs to rest, after which she stood silent, waiting.

As for Marrollo, although I couldn’t see his visage behind the mask, he seemed fairly unfazed as he approached the Pope. “I found this on the woman.” And here his left hand emerged from his robes as he handed over a small scroll.

(Now for some reason I had a fleeting thought that something was off about the way that Marrollo had just handed over his prize to Joe, yet before I could consider further the inkling was lost).

Marrollo added, “I have fulfilled my duties. You have the prisoners and that which they sought. I leave the remainder of the matter to you.”

Joseph looked long at the Cardinalate, before finally nodding his ascent. With the Pope’s approval, Marrollo turned around and left – without a further glance at his captives.

(Strange man, huh?)

Once they were alone, Joseph turned towards Miriam and Alan, “Do my eyes deceive me? Is it really you? Darling, you can remove that silly mask here, don’t you remember the Covid Rules don’t apply here.”

“I feel more comfortable with it on, thank you, Your Grace.” Miriam replied guardedly.

“Suit yourself. But I must say – how pleasant it is when brothers and sisters come together in unity, right?” Joseph smiled, but then, remembering the circumstances, “But what happened? You know you have full reign of my city; why would you ever need to sneak around behind my back? Unless… do you no longer trust ME?”

“No, it’s not that.” Miriam lied. “Well, you see, it’s just that… what we had to do… er, it didn’t really involve…”

“Enough!” The Pope slammed his fist.

“Let’s cut to the heart of the matter.” Pope Benedict continued. “The real reason you are here is… the time is now.” And before Miriam could reply, he added, “The Beast is Bill Bates in the form of Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus and we all know it.”

(Is it? I honestly don’t know anymore).

Miriam looked over at Alan who appeared to have recovered. Sitting up in his chair, ALan flashed a wink to Miriam, then nodded to The Pope.

“I can see that you agree.” Joe concluded

“But, why do YOU agree, Your Grace?” Alan asked.  

“Lazarus, how can you doubt that I would be informed about this situation? Why, ensuring The Second Coming is a matter of state around here. Come now, I represent an entire world of believers. The tapestry of history that my Catholic children have lived surely rivals what you, Mary, and John have done – despite your long lives.” And then, as if realizing it for the first time, “But wait, where is John?”

He chose not to come, Your Grace.” Alan explained sadly. “We still hold out hope that he will join us, but his participation is very much in question. You see, John is experiencing a period of doubt.”

“We all have our doubts. Frankly, I’m a bit upset with you for not coming to me sooner – it made me doubt the intelligence I’d received proclaiming BAVI, er, Bates as The Beast — for I knew that Satan’s son would not emerge with you three idling in the background. Do you realize that your hesitation has allowed the man calling himself Dr. Ma’bus extra time to secure his place?” And looking at Miriam he grumbled, “How many lives have been lost in your Book of Life?”

Miriam avoided his glance, “You know the final number is only 144,000. It cannot be avoided. And we are not there yet.”

“Then why do you cry about it? It is what it is. We all have our part to play and some of us will be required to die for the cause – that’s why it’s called ‘sacrifice.’ All that matters is the End Game.” And, with a snicker the Pope added, “Ah, but don’t worry about your own hesitation — because I have not been so idle. In fact, I’ve been orchestrating events behind the scenes and playing our moves to perfection. As a result, the outcome is inevitable – why Kasparov himself couldn’t have played a better game!”

Confident in his plans, Benedict said encouragingly, “Buck up, friends, keep your eye on the prize and remember what we’re playing for — our Lord is about to return! And WE are responsible for making it happen!”

(Is Joe really one of the Good Guys or is he just playing us?)

“Excuse us if we don’t quite share your exuberance.” Alan replied. “The game is not over, thus the outcome is far from certain.”

“It’s called ‘Faith,’ my friends. Try it for a change.” And before they could dispute him, Joe spoke on, “In any event, the fact of the matter is that Bates IS The Beast, the time IS now, and WE are responsible for stopping him.” And after the briefest of pauses to lick his lips, “Am I to assume that you have The Nails with you?”

(Oh, Joe, you sly dog!)

Miriam’s gaze fell into her lap, and Alan stuttered to reply, “We don’t have all three Nails anymore. Ah, er… Dr. Ma’bus… has mine.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry. How did it happen?” The Pope was clearly fishing.

Alan looked to Miriam for support and when she nodded, he took that as her approval for him to tell his tale, therefore he spent the next candlemark or so explaining the highlights of his capture and torture at the hands of Dr. Flipflop and Bill Bates. He talked about the Fallen Angels, about Bates’ devious plans, and even about the terrible Chairs of Woe.

Alan in the Chair of Woe

All the while Joe listened as if hearing the information for the first time.

(He is such a good actor – I guess it goes with the office).

In case you’re wondering, there was no point for Miriam to try her Psychic Probe on the Pope — this wasn’t the first time she and Joe had crossed paths – like me, she had known him for many years prior to his ascension to the papal throne. I remember one of her letters from a while back (one that I actually read) in which she described meeting an unusual clergyman whose mind was closed to her. In the letter, she warned Alan and I to keep an eye on this priest named Joseph Ratzinger. I didn’t pay it much mind back then (this was perhaps 50 years ago), but I guess Miriam’s inclination was right. And yet, I’m sure that, as she sat before him on this day, she was more than a little bitter than she couldn’t sift through the Pope’s mental fibers to find out if he was really a friend or a foe.

Just then I realized that I hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation…

“…see that you agree.” Joseph was saying. “But what I don’t understand is where are Mary and John’s Nails?”

“They are safe.” Miriam averred.

“Well, let me see them.”

“We don’t have them on us.”

“That’s preposterous! Considering what happened with Alan’s Nail, I should think that you would have them strapped to your side.  Come. Come. No lies. I know you have them, let’s see them.”

“Miriam speaks the truth.” Alan said. “Don’t worry, they are safe.”

“As safe as your Budapest bank vault? Alan. Mary. I have known you my whole life. I don’t understand what has happened between us. Why do you doubt me now? What have I done to make you think I am not who I really am?”

(Well for starters, Joe, you’ve been hanging around with Mystery. And you’re an open supporter of Ma’bus. And then there was my dream about you actually killing Ma’bus!)

“It’s not you,” Miriam began.

“Oh don’t you dare try to give me the it’s not you, it’s me speech.” The Pope interrupted. “I think you owe me a little more than that.”

“What do you want us to say?” Alan squirmed.

“I want the truth!” Joseph’s face grew red with anger.

“Then what would YOU do if you were in our position?” Miriam’s anger matched The Pope’s. “Why are you surprised if we are hesitant about you if all we see of you in the public eye is you palling around with Bates?” And with even more passion, “Joseph, surely you know that your actions are driving people around the world to follow this man Ma’bus – yet to us it seems as if they were merely sheep being led to the slaughter!”

“Ah, but most of them are.” The Pope was grinning from ear to ear and his eyes were suddenly blazing with fire.

(What? Joe, say it ain’t so? Are you revealing yourself as The Beast?!?)


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38 – Prepare the Way for the Lord
Book II Table of Contents

2.19 The Word Became Flesh

Book II: Chapter 19
July 11

A couple nights later I had my sleep interrupted again – this time with another vision of The Two Witnesses as the word became flesh before my eyes…

<Drip… drip… drip…>

<Drip… drip… drip…>

<Drip… drip… drip…>

I watched as a frustrated Enoch, despite his blindness, arose from the prison floor and tried to ferret out the source of the annoying drip. After a time, he did successfully locate the trickle, but unfortunately the crack in the cell’s ceiling was simply too high for him to do anything about.

<Drip… drip… drip…>

Ice cold rivulets splashed into Enoch’s maw – smelling of raw sewage they were far from refreshing. And so, backing away dejectedly, he slumped back down onto the pile of filthy straw that was his bedding and did the only thing he could – endure.

As for Elijah, he might as well have been a dead log. During this brief respite from their visions, I was certain that sleep, if the prophets’ could grasp it, was a welcome relief. (Even though my own was currently being interrupted!)

Turning my attention back to Enoch,  I wondered if he ever remembered that he was once a man of renown – and if so, would that knowledge cause him to curse his present condition? For the fact that he formerly enjoyed the favor of God but was now subject to a fate worse than Job seemed like a pretty raw deal to me. (After all, this was something I could definitely relate to). Or was Enoch foolish enough to believe he was going to be rewarded for this ‘righteous’ suffering?

<Drip… drip… drip…>

“Will this never end?” Enoch muttered, head hanging in misery. “Where is our savior?”

(Well I guess that answers my question).


Suddenly my vision shifted – torn from the prophets’ cell, I was again looking upon the man calling himself Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus. He was in his private quarters and again watching a webcam of the prophets, but this time he was not alone.

“Don’t worry, my friend, I’ll save you.” An unmasked Ma’bus replied to Enoch’s question, even though the prophet never heard him.

“What does he mean?” Mystery said. Not only was the woman not wearing any Covid personal protection, but she was wearing little else – climbing off the bed she clasped a wisp of silk around heras she came up behind her lover to look at his computer. “What will never end? The virus? The world? His revelations?”

“Who cares? He’s clearly not having a true vision, so it doesn’t matter.”

“How do you know he is not prophesying?” Mystery wrapped her arms seductively around the technocrat’s shoulders.

“Look at Elijah — he’s out.” Dr. Mab’us casually brushed off Mystery’s advances. “The Two Witnesses never reveal wisdom unless they both speak. So perhaps Enoch’s just complaining about the food?”

Mystery ignored her lover’s rebuff and chuckled along at his last comment before growing serious, “Benedict suspects something about all this, you know.”

“So?” The computer whiz turned dictator continued to stare at his webcam, allowing his mind to think of ways to improve the tech in the device.

“So, he never got around to asking about the prophets, nor how Alan escaped — but only because I got out of there before he could dig too deep.”

“He knows about all of it by now.”

“How? Did you tell him? Did he—“

Bates raised a hand, “Don’t forget the kind of power we’re dealing with. Joseph Ratzinger is no ordinary man. He is one of the Chosen.”

(A Chosen — Joe? Again, I’m as confused as you are).

And closing his computer screen, Dr. Ma’bus turned to look at Mystery, ignoring the temptation of her seductive body, “Benedict already knows that I have the witnesses. And as for Lazarus, surely Benedict knows that Mary came to my lair to rescue himand that I let Mary succeed.” (Whoa, what’s that?)

“But he wasn’t happy to learn that you kept Alan’s Nail.”

“Of course not. He wants The Nails for himself – and he’ll stop at nothing to get them. I’m sure he’s already planning to influence Mary and John to bring him the other two.” (Hey, don’t bring ME into it!)

“But he won’t succeed.” Mystery smiled. “Alan’s nearly dead because of what Dr. Flipflop and you did to him to him with The Chair of Woe, and John is out of the game permanently.”

“On the contrary. Lazarus will be fine. John will repent. And Benedict will eventually get his hands on all three of The Nails.” (La, la, la, I can’t hear you!)

“What?” Mystery gasped – apparently wondering if she’d chosen the right side.

Bates seemed to know what she was thinking, “Dost thou have so little faith in me?”And before Mystery could stutter a response, he explained, “This is all part of MY plan, dear – just like with Covid. As for Lazarus, you know I only wanted to toy with him in The Chair — you know he is needed for something far more important… later. I knew that Mary would come to rescue him once she was informed by Gabriel. So by torturing Lazarus, I forced Mary to take him to the one person on earth who could cure him of the wounds I inflicted.”

“The Apostle John.” Mystery nodded.

(No, this is not happening! Please don’t let me just be a pawn. Don’t let all of my actions be predetermined! Quick, what am I thinking right now? What am I going to do next? See, YOU don’t know, right? And neither do I. So how can they?)

“Correct.” Dr. Ma’bus replied. “Mary had to take Lazarus to John. Given his resentment against Jesus, I’m sure John resisted getting involved, but I expect that Mary was quite convincing.”

Mystery smiled knowingly at that comment.

“Oh, not in the way that you are thinking.” Ma’bus explained, pulling Mystery over to lap and ripping away her coverlet. “John’s too old to care about this sort of thing.”(Hey, you’re wrong there). “And I’ve always wondered if he liked women anyway – after all his own gospel says that he is the apostle that Jesus loved. Ha!” (Now that’s a low blow. I’m not gay – not that there’s anything wrong with it — that lifestyle just doesn’t appeal to me). “And Mary doesn’t have your… talents. But the bottom line is that she has learned how to control minds – remember the havoc she caused here – my people are still suffering from her rampage. And I don’t doubt she would use that power on John too.”

(Wrong again — I did not agree to help because I was influe– Wait a second, DID Mary use her Psychic Probe on me?)

“But, even if John cures Alan,” Mystery asked, still sitting in the nerd’s lap, “how do you know they will go to Benedict? And why in Hell would they give him their Nails?”

“My dear, let’s not forget WHY these Nails exist in the first place.”

Mystery hesitated, “Er… ah… to destroy… you.”

“Don’t be afraid to say it, love. After all, what you said IS the truth.” And here the flaccid man pushed Mystery off as he rose up and took on a pompous air, “These are the very nails by which Jesus of Nazareth was gloriously crucified nearly two thousand years ago. The holy spikes that pierced his flesh and sent him to the grave. Why, the beat-up iron still retains his blood! Enemy or not, I understand the power these instruments contain — they will be the glorious tools by which I complete the Armageddon Rite and thus stop the Nazarene’s Second Coming once and for all. Indeed, December 21st will mark the official beginning to my own reign upon this world!”

Although Mystery smiled back, it was clear she was still unsure.

“I sense your uncertainty. Care to see what the Nails can do?”

Mystery took a step back, grasping for her coverlet again, “Here? Now? No. I’m confident in what I already know about them from my father, and in what you’ve told me.”

“Ah, but I don’t think you are.” The dictator reached out and grabbed her by the hair! (Damn, this girl’s been taking a beating lately, huh?)

“Ghaz, no!” Mystery shrieked, unable to break his iron grip.

Spinning her around, the man slammed her into a chair and ripped her silk away again, “Don’t move!” As he spoke, his eyes rolled back – showing nothing but the whites – and his voice became rich with an ancient <power>. “Now you’ll get a taste of what I possess.”

Although Dr. Ma’bus’ demonic persona quickly receded, Mystery remained trapped in place, whilst the man tapped his watch to activate its communication feature, “Oh Jamir, be a good sport and bring me The Nail of Lazarus.”

(Can you say, ‘Yikes!?!’)


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20 – The Substitute
Book II Table of Contents

1.23 Vision of the Skull

Book I: Chapter 23
June 22

My marathon day of visions continued. After moving past the vision of Mary and Jesus, my second – and much more interesting – vision, was pretty deep — think Book of Revelations

Revelation Two Beasts

As best I could make out, I was witnessing a FUTURE event—for I was looking upon The Altar of The One True God at The Temple of Jerusalem and immediately I spied Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, Pope Benedict XVI, the Ayatollah, and that crazy nut Bill Bates — all together.

Given the hordes of people covering the hillsides, I surmised that this was the much publicized ceremony that Rabbi Metzger was organizing to unite their religions in a new era of brotherly love. (Hogwash in my opinion, but who am I to object?)

My vision blurred for a moment, and when it returned, the entire mood had shifted; something was off – for the rabbi was now laying motionless upon The Altar — and peering closer I could see he was dead. Looking around, I also noticed three crosses in the background — they had an eerie resemblance to the ones back on Golgotha – especially since I saw figures on those crosses – crucified!

I strained my eyes to identify the victims – only to get a major shock – for the first body hanging limply on a cross was Lazarus!

I turned to the second cross – only to see Mary.

(Can you guess who was nailed to the third?)

Yes, it’s always unnerving to see yourself as a bloody corpse, but over the years, I’ve been stabbed, shot, and killed in so many ways that it doesn’t affect me much anymore. Instead what excited me about this vision was that, perhaps, just perhaps, this death would really take.

For if this prophecy was true, it seemed I was looking upon the event which I had been waiting nearly two thousand years for – my own death!

Whoopee!!

Now as I told you before, Mary, Lazarus, and I had all been made immortal so that we could stop the coming of The Antichrist. This was our Commission and if successful, we’d be assisting Jesus in his glorious return – unfortunately, it was a job at which we had failed miserably – many times.

For nearly two thousand years, we’d been on guard. At various times in the past, my friends and I thought The End Times were approaching and that the Antichrist walked the earth – yet upon every occasion we were wrong.

Now, however, it appeared that I was finally seeing a different vision – for it was the first which showed the deaths of The Immortals – which I always knew was a key to The End.

Unfortunately for the sake of The Commission, again it seemed that my friends and I had failed – for in my vision The Beast was very much alive, while we three were clearly dead. (Oops!)

Once more my vision got hazy. When next it cleared, I found myself riveted back to the altar – someone was standing there. It was a man who looks like everyman, yet no man. He was wearing a crown of thorns and blood was raining from his head. For a moment I thought it was Jesus, but suddenly I realized it was another – Bill Bates!

Or was it? For his face shifted, and I was left to wonder, Is it you, Lord? Are you really Bill Bates?

Yet there was no time to be sure, for now there was more activity over at the crosses. Something was being done to defile us — a figure in white was pushing a spear into the sides of our bodies.

That’s when I realized Lazarus and Mary were NOT dead after all – for I heard them scream as they got impaled!

Did that finally kill them? I had no time to ponder further, for now the mysterious murderer came over to me.

Entering my own body in my vision, I looked down upon my murderer, yet before I could make out his face, he pierced me too!

“YAAAWWWWWP!!!!” I wailed and even though it was a vision, it hurt like Hell!

To my horror I realized just what we had been speared by — This wasn’t the infamous Spear of Longinus, instead it was one our Nails… The Nails of Jesus Christ!

Immediately my soul began to separate from my body and I was floating away to… to?

As I felt my true self being torn from this world, my vision shifted back to The Altar.

Bill Bates was there and the figure in white was approaching him from behind.

Finally I could see his face clearly — it was none other than Joseph Ratzinger — Pope Benedict XVI!

Then it was that I made a shocking observation: Joseph was actually carrying The Nails – something no mortal had ever done and lived to tell about it.

Yet the pope was doing it — carefully he took each one and installed them in a glowing new crown – even as Bill Bates was removing his own crown of thorns.

His face a picture of <POWER!>, Bates was glowing with Victory.  Meanwhile, Joseph face showed a sly smile as he lowered the crown filled with our Nails down upon Bates’ head…

<A Blinding Light from Above!>

And the vision expired.

Breathless, I was left with but one thought..

Can it really be true? My God, Pope Benedict will be responsible for the death of Bill Bates!

Wait, which one is The Antichrist?!?

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1492 is Coming for You (1)

Book 1: Chapter 1
June 7

Few have seen but a glimpse of Hell, a tatter of Revelation, yet for me it was my Daily Bread; well, that and a good bottle of Jack, and maybe a PBR or two…

My name is John and I’ve got a major problem – again.

Just a few minutes ago I went down to check the mailbox. As always, I waited until the delivery drone was gone – I can’t stand those little spies and I don’t like risking The Eyes seeing me without a face mask on (the last thing I need is another do-gooder from the Elderly Outreach Center paying me a visit to teach me about the benefits of wearing a face mask, how it’s my patriotic duty to keep getting vaxxed against the latest Covid variant that fear-mongering media keeps pushing, and other nonsensical hogwash).

Since the mail delivery location on my farm was down the drive about a football field away from the house, even a casual walk like this caused me to sweat, and I by the time I reach the box I could feel my hair begin to stick in stringy mats to the back of my neck – just perfect.

Worse yet, as soon as I looked down at my stack of mail, I knew I had a problem, because peeking forth from all those damn propaganda flyers about the benefits of the Identichip was an otherwise nondescript piece of airmail — the sight of which sent me into a coughing fit.

Now I wasn’t expecting any letter from overseas and there was no return address, yet even before opening it, I knew who it was from.

“Damn her for doing this to me.” I dropped the rest of the mail and proceeded to tear open the small note. And as new rivulets of sweat poured down my back, I read the following…

1492 is coming for you – MM.

For a moment, a chilling force gripped me – turning my spine to water and causing me to cower down in fear. Yet, the moment quickly passed and when it did my blood began to boil, “She should know I don’t need this crap.” I spat at the letter, before ripping it to shreds and tossing them into the yard.

When I got back inside, I briefly considered changing clothes – I stunk and I knew it. However it had only been three days in these overalls so I wasn’t about to toss them in the laundry pile just yet.

Now, lest you think this I’m just lazy, think again.

OK, OK, it’s true, I always was a bit lazy and laundry was never my thing, but even if it was, it’s not like I had much choice – we were in the middle of another detergent shortage and I wasn’t sure when my next supply ration would be delivered, so rather than worry about washing my clothes I instead got a six pack from the fridge and proceeded to park myself on the raggedy Laz-E-Boy in my living room – thanking my stars that there wasn’t a beer shortage this month.

Off in the corner, my turntable was playing a Jim Reeves’ record – the tune Welcome To My World was presently on, yet the volume was turned down low so that it didn’t compete with the TV since I was still waiting for the baseball game to start (thankfully the government still allowed us peons to have our sports – at least for now).

My electric rations had been reduced again because of the on-going ‘save the planet’ climate battle, so I had the shades pulled down to try to get some measure of relief from the sticky heat that still clung to the evening air. Sure, I could have used some of the stored energy from my solar panels, but I preferred to save that for my tv watching and music – after all, you gotta prioritize right?.

And so, sitting in that half darkness, I picked up my copy of The Williamsport Sun Gazette. Why or how the newspaper was still being printed I couldn’t say – I’m sure it was to try to influence old farts like me who didn’t go online much to believe in the government’s propaganda, but that didn’t work with me because I simply tossed aside everything but the sports section – since that was the only part that could tell about my beloved Philadelphia Phillies.

As I read, I took a sip (or three) of my beer – good ol’ Pabst Blue Ribbon — and settled in to watch the upcoming game. But then, just as the local news was about to end, suddenly the station was interrupted by one of those God-awful, fear-mongering, #FakeNews Special Reports

“Good evening, friends. We interrupt your local programming to bring you an update on today’s landmark speech by Bill Bates.” The anchorman spoke in that silky baritone they all seem to be born with. “Who is like Mr. Bates? That is the question on everyone’s lips as the world continues to praise perhaps the greatest philanthropist and mental genius of all time!”

“What do I care about Bill Bates?” I screamed at the set, pissed at the interruption.

I supposed I could have just ignored the news and focused on my paper instead. Or maybe you think I could have changed the channel – but let’s not get carried away here – we’re talking about an off-the-grid ’68 Zenith, so changing the channel required getting up to fiddle with a manual dial, and that’s not for me.  

Oh don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I still live in the Dark Ages – I know all about cutting the cord on cable and I briefly tried using a Roku for streaming but I didn’t like it – first off because I’m not about to use my UBI credits for a subscription to streaming services that are full of a bunch of programming I don’t watch, and secondly because streaming is just another invitation for Big Tech to monitor me and I’ll pass on that.

That’s why I kept my rabbit ears – sure they’re illegal but who’s gonna know? I get all the local programming I want with that old-time antennae and since nobody ever visits me before I have time to hide them, I had those ears presently perched on a black box that sat atop the tv, next to that unused Roku.

At first I tried tuning out the TV anchorman, but his voice just kept droning on, “As everybody knows, The Bates Foundation’s vaccines saved our world from the Coronavirus pandemic that started back in 2019, and their Vaccine Passports have given us many of our freedoms back.”

What a crock. I thought. Does anyone really believe this nonsense? First off, I never understood why a vaccine was necessary against a coronavirus like Covid. Didn’t people realize that we’d been living with coronaviruses for centuries? Why would someone want to take a vaccine that has a higher chance of giving them a side effect than it did of actually preventing them from getting the virus? And why did we need to take a vaccine to ‘get our freedoms back’ when we should have never lost them in the first place? No thanks. I’ll pass. Call me an anti-vaxxer if you will, that’s fine. While all the sheep believed the media’s lies and rushed to get their vaccines so they could virtue signal on social media, I chose to follow the real science and let herd immunity get me through a bout with Covid. After all, the with it’s 99%+ infection-survival rate, the virus was never a threat to me (unfortunately) and even it had been, I wasn’t about to take one of Bates’ mRNA vaccines because they only thing they did was turn a bunch of people into Covid factories and spread the virus faster through the planet. Call me crazy but I’m not one for having my body used in a science experiment – at least not by someone else.

Meanwhile, the news reporter was still droning on. “The world still mourns those who had negative immune responses to the early vaccines. It’s important to remember that The World Health Organization has assured us that those who passed away back then didn’t die from the vaccines, but instead from other comorbidities that may have been plaguing them at the time – unfortunately their immune systems were so weak that not even the vaccine could save them. Thankfully for the rest of us, the Bates Vaccine Program saved us from the pandemic – that’s what The Science tells us and if there’s one thing that the pandemic taught us it’s to Follow the Science, right?” But then, turning serious, the newsman warned. “Unfortunately I regret to report that not all is well with the world – the illustrious Dr. Flipflop has warned again that many supporters of our shameful ex-president Donald Trump are continuing to refuse the latest Covid Vaccine – believe it or not, some people have never even had their first dose! It’s shocking, I know. That’s why the good doctor is sounding the alarm – don’t you see, friends, the actions of these insurrectionists are endangering us all and if–“

“Bah!” I cursed, feeling the wrinkles cut deeper into my face. “Who cares about Doctor Flipflop peddling his never-ending vaccine programs against all his made-up variants? Tell me about my Phillies!”

<SMASH!> Glass shattered across the kitchen floor behind me, followed by the sound of someone banging against the door.

“What the hell,” I sputtered to get up. “If those Robinson twins are trespassing again…”

Yet even before I could turn around, suddenly rough hands were upon me; and before I knew what was happening, a black-clad intruder pounded a hard right into the side of my face – knocking the Phillies cap from my head and filling my mouth with blood.

“Umpf!” I moaned, even as another blow sent me crashing into the TV, where I became entangled by those god-forsaken rabbit ears.

Unable to stop my attacker from jumping onto me, my efforts to ward off his blows were futile.  

“It’s taken me too long to find you, Baron.” My intruder straddled over me, his face completely covered by a heavily tinted Nano Mask. “You may not know me, but you sure as hell know what I’m here for.” And with that, the goon unsheathed a nasty-looking dagger from his belt, “As fish are caught in the cruel net, and the bird taken in by the snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them, eh…Bruder?”

My eyes lit up for a moment at his quote from Ecclesiastes, not to mention his reference to The Brotherhood, but most of my attention was captured by that blade. Yet I never got a chance to reply, for just then my attacker stabbed me!

Again and again and again the intruder forced his knife into my torso — seven times in all — leaving me a mangled mass of blood and pulp.

Death was NOT a fun experience, let me tell you — it never is…

(Hey, I wonder if they’ll count this as another Covid death?)

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