The Regime: Evil Advances by Tim Lahaye, Jerry B. Jenkins Page A

to flood the quad. There was little he enjoyed more than such displays of natural phenomena. He would soon have to make his way across campus to the student newspaper office, and if the rain didn’t let

    up, that would be fine with him. To actually be out in it with only an umbrella and a jacket, that was best of all.
    As he was gathering up his stuff to leave, he took a call from his brother, Jeff, in Tucson. Jeff was the homebody, the commoner, the sensible one, not off chasing dreams out of his league on the East Coast. He was already married and had two young kids.
    “Hey, Jeff,” Cameron said, ever trying to ignore the tension and maintain family ties. “How’re Sharon and my niece and nephew?”
    “Oh, you know. Good, but Sharon’s still trying to get me saved.”
    Cameron laughed. He’d wondered, as had many others, when Jeff married a thoroughgoing church woman. Jeff and Cameron had been church and Sunday school kids all their young lives but quit going as soon as they had a choice. On that they were agreed. It just didn’t seem to make sense. They saw no connection between what was being taught and how the family conducted itself at home. Their parents were honest and pleasant enough, but whatever they got out of church seemed for Sundays only. It wasn’t even discussed during the week.
    Cameron’s parents were still faithful attendees, but they resented that their church was apparently not good enough for their daughter-in-law. Sharon continued to go to the church of her youth, and she took the kids. Jeff went on special occasions, and it was plain to all that Sharon, wonderful as she was, considered him lost.
    “I’ve got to get going, Jeff. What’s up?”
    “It’s Ma.”

    “What about her?”
    “Looks like cancer, Cam.”
    “Cancer? I didn’t even know she was sick.”
    “She wasn’t. It was sudden, but it’s also bad. I’m pretty much running the business now so Dad can be with her most of the time, but they’re giving her only a few months.”
    “A few months!”
    “You’d better plan on being here over the holidays, Cam. Probably be the last time you’ll see her.”
    “Oh, man.”
    “What?”
    “I’m dead broke, Jeff. Maybe you or Dad could lend—”
    “Things are no better here, Cameron. I’m driving one of the trucks myself, the Oklahoma run, every week. Gas prices are eatin’ us alive, ironically.”
    It was ironic because they were gas-and-oil haulers, running crude from Texas and Oklahoma into Arizona for refining. Many Arizonans resented importing the crude from other states.
    “I’ll do what I can, Jeff, but I don’t know how I’m going to pull this off.”
    “Your own mother, Cam.”
    “I said I’ll try.”
    “You’d better call her.”
    “Jeff, I’m not a complete idiot.”

FOURTEEN

    It was another month and four visits to the Steeles before Irene was gifted with another lucid moment with her father-in-law. She had begun to despair of his even recognizing her again. He had been blank or very upset every other time, including the one Sunday evening when she had finally shamed Rayford into coming along.
    To Irene’s surprise, Rayford hadn’t resisted. It was clear he was still impressed that she took the time to do this, and it had been a long time since he had been there. “Dad doesn’t know whether I’m there or not,” he would say. “And all Mom wants to talk about is getting him saved.”
    “Well, you know that’s on my heart too,” Irene said.
    Rayford said, “Yes, I know that’s on your heart too,” he said, mimicking her voice.
    It was all Irene could do to keep from lashing out at him.

    At the home Rayford’s mother went on the offensive. “Well,” she said, “glad you could find time in your busy schedule to visit the woman who raised you.”
    “Your memory seems good today, Mom,” he said.
    “It’s hard to forget a son who forgets his mother.”
    “I haven’t forgotten you, Mom. I could never do that. Now let’s not