The Left Behind Complete Set, Series 1-12

by Tim LaHaye

In the distance, Ken Ritz was helping her into the back of the car. The Global Community minivan sat between Buck and the sedan.

He made the mistake of holding his breath as he ran and soon had to gasp for air, his heart cracking against his ribs.

With every step he feared the next sound would be a bullet crashing into his head.

You don't hear the bullet that kills you. They travel faster than sound.

Rayford dialed Buck’s phone. It rang several times, but Rayford did not want to hang up.

We interrupt this action scene to check in on Rayford

Rayford hated helplessness and immobility more than anything. He was tired of games with Nicolae Carpathia and the Global Community. Their sanctimony and sympathy drove him wild. “God,” he prayed silently, “let me be Carpathia’s out-and-out enemy, please.”

Rayford: "I hate being such a passive character." Me: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Buck tried to keep his balance. His left foot was on the floorboard, his right on the pavement. His left hand gripped the chassis and his right the door handle.

Action scene described in the style of a game of Twister

The door swung open, and to keep from flying out Buck swiveled and sat on Ritz’s head. Ken screamed as the car spun, flat tire flapping and good tires peeling rubber. Buck tried to keep out of the firing line too, but he had to get off Ken’s painful head.

Is this just a comedy now?

Ken went from scared to mad in a flash. “That’s it!” Ritz hollered. “I’ve been shot at for the last time!” To Buck’s horror, Ritz swung the car around and raced toward the guard. Buck peeked over the dashboard as Ritz pulled his 9mm automatic from an ankle holster, braced his left wrist between the outside mirror and the chassis, and fired.

Why is Ken not the main character? He's great!

“How’s Hattie?” Rayford asked. “Hanging on for dear life!” Buck said. He wanted to buckle her in but knew it would be impossible in her condition, especially with the bouncing.

Pregnant women can't get buckled in?

Ken burst out one side and Buck the other, Hattie in tow. Lurching blindly through the foam, Buck lifted Hattie into his arms, stunned at her added weight.

It's been like a month since we learned Hattie was preggers - how much weight could she have put on? Maybe she's carrying triplets, and this is just foreshadowing?

Buck spread his knees and let his hands dangle. His knuckles were raw.

Finally free to man-spread in peace

“Are you healthy?” Buck said. “I mean, other than your condition?” “I’ve felt better,” she said. “I’m still pregnant, if you’re curious.” “I gathered that while carrying you.” “Sorry.”

Wow. I hate this.

That guard murdered the receptionist.” Hattie looked stricken. “Claire?” she said. “Claire Blackburn’s dead?”

Rayford concocted a story he believed would be convincing. The only problem, he knew, was that it might not be long before Buck was identified as his impostor.

Why to we switch back to Rayford for two sentences to end this chapter? He didn't even deliver a suspenseful final line.

Rayford would accept the consequences of his actions in what he considered a holy war.

Buck was rocked to think he might have killed someone.

Buck and Chloe spoke in private. “You could have been killed,” she said. “I’m surprised I wasn’t. I just know I killed that guard. I can’t believe it. But he had just murdered the receptionist, and I knew he would do the same to us. I reacted instinctively. If I’d thought about it, I might have frozen.” “There was nothing else you could do, Buck. But you can’t kill a man with a punch, can you?”

It felt as if my fist was inside his head. Everything crumbled beneath it, and he landed flush on the back of his head. It sounded like a bomb.”

“The man is dead,” Dr. Charles said. Buck stared.

Well, at least Buck has something to grapple with in the next book

“I have to turn myself in.” Dr. Charles stepped back. “If you shot an enemy soldier during a battle, would you turn yourself in?”

The doctor applied a butterfly bandage and sat on the table. “My colleague in Littleton tells me that either of the two blows—to the face or to the back of the head—could have done it. But the combination made it unavoidable. The guard suffered severe facial trauma, a shattering of cartilage and bone around the nose, some of it driven into his skull. Both optic nerves were destroyed. Several teeth were shattered, and the upper jaw cracked. That damage alone might have killed him.”

Buck hung his head. What kind of a soldier was he? How could he be expected to fight in this cosmic battle of good versus evil if he couldn’t handle killing the enemy?

Ask yourself where Hattie would be if not for what you did. Where would you be?” “I’d be in heaven. Hattie would be in hell.”

Yay, ends justify the means logic! Nothing bad could ever come from that. /s

He alighted to face a glowering Leon Fortunato, Mac McCullum behind him with a knowing look. Rayford couldn’t wait to talk to Mac privately.

“You don’t know what happened, then?” “To the plane? Not entirely, but it was unstable and—” “I mean what happened in Denver!”

I hate these scenes. They're so tedious.

“The guard?” Rayford said. “He might have fallen on his head even if he hadn’t been punched.”

Nevermind, we're taking all the responsibility off of Buck for killing a guy

It was no accident that they met around the kitchen table with Hattie not eight feet away on her sickbed. Often she rolled onto her side with her back to them, pretending to sleep, but Buck was convinced she heard every word. They were careful not to say anything that might incriminate them with Carpathia, having no idea what the future held for Nicolae and Hattie. But they cried together, prayed together, laughed, sang, studied, and shared their stories. Dr. Charles was often present.

I guess we have our token Black member of the Tribulation Force

Tsion rehearsed the entire plan of salvation in nearly every meeting. It might come in the form of one of their stories or his simply expositing a Scripture passage.

The Tribulation Force wanted Dr. Charles to become a full-fledged member, but he declined, fearful that more frequent daily trips to the house might lead the wrong people there.

Never mind. No token Black member for this crew.

He found Leon an incredible master of deceit, second only to Nicolae.

Not from what we've been shone. He's about as masterful as Daffy Duck.

“That has not gone unnoticed,” Fortunato would say. “He appreciates very much your suggesting the ocean harvesting operation.

Umm, I've seen title of the book, and we're only supposed to be harvesting souls at this point. Someone tell the publisher there's been a mis-printing.

He’s asking that your region split the income equally with his Global Community administration, and he will then redistribute the GC share to the less fortunate regions.”

Communism!!! Truly this administration is the work of the devil.

The day before the Condor 216 was to deliver the dignitaries to New Babylon, Mac received word from Albie. “Your delivery is early and ready for pickup.”

So we're finally getting to see that scuba dive???

“Carpathia actually has missiles pointing into outer space, anticipating judgmental meteors.”

The meteors shout "You look fat in that dress" and "You can't pull off that hairstyle" as they fall.

Hassid shared one more bit of news, and it was all Rayford could do to stay off the Internet.

Rayford was so eager to prove Amanda was not entombed in the Tigris that he wasn’t sure he could sleep.

Rayford showered and dressed and accessed the Internet.

The preachers Rayford knew to be the two witnesses prophesied in Revelation were holding forth. He could almost smell their smoky burlap robes. Their dark, bony bare feet and knuckled hands made them appear thousands of years old. They had long, coarse beards, dark, piercing eyes, and long, wild hair. Eli and Moishe they called each other, and they preached with power and authority. And volume.

twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes making a pilgrimage here for the purpose of preparation,

Not even Moses and Elijah know about the lost tribes

When they were completely outfitted with eighty-cubic-foot tanks, buoyancy control devices (BCDs), weight belts, and fins, they fog-proofed their masks with spit and pulled them on.

Scuba time!

It seemed to shine no more than ten feet in front of him.

Seemed to

Rayford felt the spot on his head where he had banged into Mac’s tank. A flap of rubber rose from his cap; a matching patch of skin and hair had been gouged from his scalp.

More scalp flaps

See how far we’ve come from the chopper already?” Rayford was stunned to see the dim outline of the helicopter way upriver.

Ah yes, "way" far

“You take the predictions literally then?” Buck said. “My dear brother, when the Bible is figurative, it sounds figurative. When it says all the grass and one-third of all trees will be scorched, I cannot imagine what that might be symbolic for. In the event our trees are part of the one-third, I want to be out of the way. Do you not?”

One if it means a third of each tree?

Rayford used muscles he hadn’t used in years. His wet suit was too tight, his head throbbed, and keeping from being dragged downriver made navigating a chore.

He wouldn’t ask Mac to do the same, though he knew Mac would never abandon him.

Awww

Rayford sensed he would soon find what he was looking for. He prayed he would not find what he did not wish to find.

There, bigger than life, was the huge, wholly intact right wing of a 747. Rayford fought for composure.

It was Buck’s turn to feed Hattie, who had become so weak she could barely move.

Buck spoke softly as he spooned soup to her lips. “Hattie, we all love you and your baby. We want only the best for you. You’ve heard Dr. Ben-Judah’s teaching. You know what’s been foretold and what’s already happened. There’s no way you can deny that the prophecies of the Word of God have been fulfilled from the day of the disappearances until now. What will it take to convince you? How much more proof do you need? Bad as these times are, God is making clear that there is only one choice. You’re either on his side or you’re on the side of evil. Don’t let it get to where you or your baby are killed in one of the judgments to come.”

"Become a Christian, so you can give birth and die without us feeling guilty"