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The soldiers gathered the first group of people to take their place in the arena. The door leading to the outside was still slightly ajar. They chained this group of people together with one long chain.
As Thaddeus approached the door, he could hear talking yet it was too dark inside to see, so he moved even closer.
“What do you think the Emperor will do with all of these prisoners today? He cannot kill them all,” replied one of the guards.
“Oh, you don’t know him. He is worse than even the last one, with all the Christians that he put to death.”
“We need two more!” the guard shouted from the steps. “Bring them up quickly, the Emperor is waiting.”
Thaddeus peered, his head inside and could see his wife, so he cautiously attempted to get her attention...“please Lord Help me,” he whispered.... To his surprise, she turned toward the door.
Right then she saw him, so he motioned for her to be quiet. She began to move slowly towards the door as much as the chain would allow.
“Where do you think you are going? Get back in that line with the rest of them!” a guard shouted.
The guards’ voice frightened even Thaddeus. Fearing this may be his only chance, he waited for the guard to approach the door.
Feeling the adrenalin rushing through his veins, he hurled the heavy door open, with what seemed to be superhuman strength. This caught the soldier off guard, knocking him off his feet with a loud, hollow thud. The guard hit the massive rock wall....
Before the soldier could holler for the others, Thaddeus pounced on him, gripping his throat, and hitting him repeatedly. He continued to hit him until he no longer moved. Thaddeus wondered, noticing the guard was still breathing, if he should just kill him and rid the world of such a horrible person. Yet noticing his wife and others looking at his every move, he got up allowing this evil animal to live.
“How do we get these chains off?” he pleaded with them all. “Never mind he whispered we do not have time. Everyone just follow me.”
He noticed his wife frantically searching for their son. He grabbed her in his arms holding her tighter than he ever remembered before.
Thaddeus explained, “Mary, John has our son. He is safe, now let’s go!”
They all headed back into the thick brush where John and Thaddeus hid earlier and within minutes, all of them were safely heading toward the cave.
Many were still in shock at what had just happened back in the cell, with most of them not even realizing this man had just heroically saved their lives. Thaddeus pointed out the direction to travel and followed behind being very careful to cover their tracks. They moved quickly toward the place where they would all be safe. He continued thanking God all the way back toward the cave...
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As the other guards returned for more prisoners, they then spotted the guard on the ground.
He was out cold, bleeding from the mouth and from a large gash on his forehead that his helmet must have made from the force of the door slamming him against the wall.
“Get up you fool!” One shouted.
The guards were now standing around him wondering what had happened.
“Where are the prisoners? Did you let them all escape?”
“I ...I was attacked from behind, they...they had more men than I could handle by myself.”
Still dazed he figured there must have been many to overtake him in such a manner.
“Well, we will have to see what the Emperor has to say about this...you two, go out and see if you can pick up their trail. You... come with me; you have some explaining to do.”
“What will happen? Do you think the Emperor will punish me? It was not my fault. They attacked me.
If there had been guards to assist me, they would not have overtaken me. There were too many. I fought...I am sure I wounded a few of them. There was just too many.”
“You wounded a few...you let prisoners escape. You will not place this blame on us.
This will surely anger the Emperor and you will more than likely take their place. However, do not worry. We will kill you quickly so you will not have to suffer much. Now get going and you had better not try to place this blame on us or I will kill you as you speak.”
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Thaddeus took them the long way to the farther entrance, making sure he was hiding all the tracks they were leaving. He knew they must get there without giving away their hiding place. The road was treacherous and it was difficult with the people wearing chains. Yet soon they were away from the Arena and ready to relax in the safety of their new home. As they arrived, they knew they received blessings, still thanking God. He hugged and kissed his wife and they both were now in tears.
“Now I have you both safe again, Mary...thank you Lord,” he said aloud.
The cave was so well hidden Thaddeus at first walked right past. Then knowing he went too far, he turned around and quickly found it.
Though chained together, they managed to maneuver into the cave with very little help.
Thaddeus kept holding on to Mary’s hand as though he feared he would lose her if he released it again.
Yet he knew they would all be safe as they entered the protection of this home they would now share.
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The soldiers searched the area that they figured this group might have fled after escaping. Yet after finding nothing, they walked out into the woods to search.
Not being trackers, they were unable to pick up any signs. They were looking for any sign of the prisoners leading away from the arena or any broken branches. After a short while of searching, they gave up and headed back inside.
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Meanwhile back at the arena, the guard who allowed the escape was now heading in to break the news to the Emperor. They entered the hall that lead to the Emperor’s chambers as fear consumed the both of them.
“My lord,” one spoke out, “I have some disturbing news to tell...”
“Well, why are you here?” he shouted. “Where are those prisoners I commanded you to bring?”
“My lord, this blundering idiot somehow managed to let the prisoners escape... We...”
“You idiots... you will both die for your incompetence! Guards, bring these two fools to the arena. Put these fools in front of the rest. I want them taken care of now!”
“My lord, I had nothing to do with his failings. I was merely here to bring this fool to you...please my lord, forgive me.”
Knowing the emperor was not accepting anything he was saying, and not knowing what else to do, he reached for his sword. The guards quickly disarmed him, without much resistance.
“Get these two out of my sight now before you too are next...Now, get going!”
“All right, let’s go, both of you now!” shouted the guard. “You are going to feed the cats. I hear they have not eaten in a couple weeks. They should be starving. So, I am sure it will be a quick death.”
He sneered at their pleading and moved them along with his sword, heading toward the hall leading to the arena doors. As he opened the doors, the crowd stood to see who would be next in fulfilling their hunger for entertainment.
As they stood waiting, the two guards tried to remember anything that could save them. With all of their experience in viewing many of these lion executions, they surely could live through this somehow. Then, to their horror, the doors opened and the guards forced them out.
“Release the beasts!” the guard hollered to the next room where he could hear them roaring.
The former guards began running, tripping over each other, trying to find any kind of cover from the ferocious and deadly cats. The starving lions attacked the first guard, probably smelling the blood of others killed earlier that day.
As he tried to run, one lion leaped up burrowing her massive claws into his back, her weight knocking the scared guard off balance and to the ground. The other beast grabbed for his throat, as he turned around trying to defend himself. With a quick jerk of its massive head, the beast tore open most of the guard’s neck. Both of the lions began tearing at the exposed parts of his body. His limbs dangled lifeless, almost chewed off, as the larger of the female lions gripped him in her mouth. The lioness seemed to announce to the other beast possession of this food and moved as if the dead guard had no weight to him at all.
At the far end of the arena, the other guard crouched down, trying not to move and frozen with fear. He stayed perfectly still watching this horrible sight and called out for mercy. As he tried moving slowly to a less noticeable place, the other lion turned all her attention to him. The beast’s face, now covered in blood, and still hungry, rushed toward the second guard. In a flash, she pulled his feet out from under him, swiping her front paws, as a cat would bat a mouse. Then, while the former guard tried to lay still with his face to the ground, not wanting to see what was coming, the lion sunk her teeth into the back of his neck causing it to crush under the massive pressure of her jaws. The guard screamed in agony.
Paralyzed, he could still hear the beast begin to tear flesh from his lifeless body.
Soon the first lion joined in the kill seeing the new action. Once more, both lions were successful as they had been many times before.
The lions tried to consume as much as they could before the guards forced them off, as to not allow them to consume too much. The guards knew that if the lions got too full, they would not eat more for days.
The crowd stared at the former guards’ remains, as the huge cats disengaged. The lions then started circling the arena and the crowd hollered for more. Both of these beasts began growling, with blood matting down the hair on their faces, their eyes piercing the crowd with their devilish stares.
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“John! John!” echoed shouts from the tunnel leading to the rear entrance of the cave.
Julius and Barnabas raced to see why Thaddeus was shouting. With all of the commotion, they were afraid that he might be fleeing from someone.
“What is happening?” Julius asked in a panic. “Thaddeus, where did all of these people come from? Are you positive no one followed you? How did you get all of these people here and where is John?”
“What do you mean Julius, he is not here yet?” asked Thaddeus. “He has our son with him and he came back here ahead of me.”
Thaddeus gave his wife a kiss, and reassured, “Do not worry Mary, we will find them. John may have just lost his direction. It will be ok.” With that said, he headed for the entrance.
“Be careful!” she pleaded, as he turned and waved to her.
Quickly Thaddeus began down the tunnel, heading out of the cave. He heard Julius say, “Barnabas, would you please go with Thaddeus? See if you can help locate John and the boy, while I try to free these people from these chains.”
“God, please go with them and bring them all safely back,” whispered Julius...
The two men left the cave in haste. They went out searching desperately for their friend John and the young boy. All at the cave were praying they would find them. The biggest fear that Thaddeus faced was telling Mary that even though she was free, they had lost their son in the process.
He also worried that the guards who were most likely searching for the ones he had freed had captured John. They would search until they knew the truth for sure...
Unbeknown to Thaddeus, John when fleeing with the boy heard the commotion behind him. This noise was the crowd that Thaddeus was leading to safety. Thinking that the guards had captured Thaddeus and was now searching for others, he headed away from the cave to divert the ones following him. Yet the path he had chosen was dangerous and terrible.
Barnabas, imagining the torment his friend must be feeling, stopped for a moment, and grabbed Thaddeus by both shoulders. He shook him gently to get his total attention, and said, “We will find them Thaddeus.
Just keep trusting Jesus. He has gotten us this far...we will find them my brother.”
This made Thaddeus feel better, the warmth of his friends touch and the conviction of his words, as if there was no doubt they would find them safe. Thaddeus felt so lucky that he was not going through this alone. He had friends that loved him and his family, enough to risk their own lives to protect and keep them safe. God was truly with them.
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Back at the cave, everyone was attempting to fill each other in as to what was happening, but the horrible stories made those who were still missing loved ones very uneasy. All hoped their friends and families were not going through these unthinkable events.
Through the chaos, a voice echoed as he spoke, “May I have all of your attention? My name is Julius and we need to organize quarters for yourselves and the young ones. Now as you can see this cave has plenty of room with many different tunnels. My suggestion is that we stay close together so no one is out of reach should we need to leave in a hurry. If you must venture into the tunnels, then mark your way so as not to get confused or lost. In addition to that, we must keep the entrance a secret to any prying eyes. There is no telling who may be watching our coming and going.”
“Let us try to make our stay here as comfortable as possible. This may be our new home for a while, or at least until something changes. Let us start by thanking our wonderful Lord for his protection over our lives and pray for the safety of our loved ones.”
Julius turned to see Mary in a corner with her head lowered as though she feared the worst.
“Mary, I know you are worried about your child. However, as you already know, Thaddeus is very resourceful. He will use all of his wisdom to bring them home safely. Please come over and join us in fellowship and prayer for them.”
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Near the southern border, many people were hiding in the shadows trying to keep clear from these soldiers. Some were looking for members of their families taken by the soldiers the night before, most of them still in shock from what they had witnessed. Those who chose to hide, while the guards abused, murdered, and captured others, now felt like cowards.
The only thing keeping them going was the possibility of rescuing their loved ones, but still feared they could very well be dead already.
Some tried to make their way to the south while others went toward the east. There they believed these new laws did not apply and they would be safe. Getting there would be hard, knowing without the stigma they would have to move undetected and by night. Some joined other believers and felt safer traveling in small groups. The others scurried along hidden in the thick underbrush trusting no one. All of them tired and scared believed it could get no worse. All of them trusted that it was safe in the east. However, the trouble they were trying to flee from was just beginning. Unbeknown to them, the Emperor had given new orders to expand the search to include the eastern and the western territory. This was the main escape route for many fleeing from persecution. Now, they unknowingly were walking straight into unspeakable danger...
Arriving back to the spot where Thaddeus had separated from John and his son, they carefully attempted to decipher the tracks they were able to see.
“These must be the tracks of someone searching for us earlier Barnabas. John was over in the bushes. There is no way he would have left that hiding place and wandered over here in the open with my son. Come on I think we better check over there.”
As they slowly maneuvered to the place a short distance away, they spotted more tracks that looked as though someone had tried to cover them quickly.
“It has to be them Barnabas. Let us follow them and see where they lead...maybe they are hiding out or fleeing from someone.”
“These tracks are heading away from the cave. Thaddeus, what is that? Look there by that rock. It looks like blood...”
Barnabas spoke too soon and stopped himself, not wanting Thaddeus to see the blood. Any amount of blood foretold bad news. “Let’s not jump to any conclusions.”
They both rushed over to discover for sure, if it was indeed blood, and to see if it was new.
“Let’s go,” Thaddeus said in a rushed voice, knowing the blood was fresh and there remained a chance they could find them.
They walked down the path a little further and soon they were quite a ways from the entrance of the cave. The tracks seemed to wander further away from and past the cave in the opposite direction.
“Why did they keep on going away from the cave? I wonder if this is even John that we are following Thaddeus, Could it be an animal’s blood?”
“I do not know Barnabas, but we have got to find out for sure.”
As they neared a clearing, they searched around for any sign of danger. They were still following the tracks that someone tried to cover. As they approached a twisted mass of branches and large boulders, something caught their attention. They gave each other a brief glance, both men knowing they spotted the same thing. It was an odd movement.
They cautiously moved closer attempting to get a fix on this mysterious thing. Thaddeus heard a sound, though faint, that even Barnabas did not notice. However, to Thaddeus it was as familiar as his own voice...the faint cough of his beloved child. Now overwhelmed with joy he called out to his son. This caught Barnabas by surprise, as he had not heard this sound.
“What is it did you hear something, did you see something...what!”
“They are here Barnabas, I heard him cough, my son and John are here...we must look around.”
They spread out to see if they could see any more movement from the bushes. Trying to keep from stumbling over the large rocks and boulders scattered around everywhere. Both stumbled a few times almost falling over into a ditch, Thaddeus wondered was that what happened to them?
“It is so rugged here Barnabas they could be in one of these ditches, I think we should try yelling out to them.”
“Thaddeus you are not thinking clearly my friend, remember you are still on the run from the guards, they may be close by,” Barnabas whispered.
“Let’s just keep searching, I know I heard him cough, we may be right over them and not even know it...I just know they are here keep searching...I will look over there, you check the other side.”
“Don’t worry Thaddeus we will find them I know we will. Just be careful, we don’t want to get captured by those guards either.”
Just then, they heard a slight moaning.
“Did you hear that, Thaddeus? Someone is hurt, it came from over there.”
“John,” Thaddeus whispered, “is that you?”
Then they heard a branch snap...as they both cautiously made their way towards the sound of the repeated moaning. Could this be John and the boy, or were they heading into a trap? Then he heard what sounded like another cough...a child’s cough. Slowly they began to move in that direction ready to face whatever awaited them...