A/N: I am admittedly a bit ticked off with all the conservative Christians telling me how God must punish all sins and how he was right in annihilating those who didn't obey his rules in the Old Testament. But if you look closely, you'll notice this really isn't an anti-Christianity piece.

~*~*~

Jamal groaned quietly in pain again, and Amir gave his hand a gentle squeeze. It had been almost a week – or around that time, he wasn't sure anymore – since the fiery hail had fallen and two days after their hometown of Ramallah had been attacked by a militant group killing everyone they caught. They had fled, not looking back, and hidden in one of the small caves they had found.

But they had no food, and the water in the small spring nearby had turned bitter. To make matters worse, Jamal had been injured during the attack and the wound must have become infected.

Although Amir considered himself a fairly devout Christian, he had never really believed in the Book of Revelation. Just a symbolic warning written around two millennia ago. He would have never imagined that it would come true literally. But after the earthquake, the solar eclipse and the moon turning crimson in the span of a few days, it had been the only explanation. There had also been news of four terrible horsemen bringing destruction all over the globe before both Internet and all TV broadcasts had gone silent.

Sometimes he had wondered if only Israel and its close surroundings had been spared from complete annihilation. But the attackers had been Europeans or Americans...

"Amir..." Jamal whispered weakly. "Didn't we believe enough?"

"Don't speak. Just rest," Amir quickly responded. "Do you want water?" He grabbed the old soda bottle, the only one they had. It only contained a little water at the bottom. He had been fighting his own thirst to keep his husband with him a little longer. Maybe...just maybe someone would save them soon.

Jamal shook his head. "No. I'm...not thirsty." There was a moment of silence. "Was it because of...us? Were those people saying it was a sin right?"

Amir didn't know. He had also heard about how Jesus would take his followers to Heaven before destruction fell on the Earth. Yet he had seen no signs of anyone being taken near him. Admittedly some people had gone missing during the earthquake, and he didn't have any idea what had happened in the rest of the world, but...

"I love you," he spoke quietly and kissed Jamal's forehead. "I can't believe that Jesus would call loving someone so much a sin."

"I love you too." Suddenly his eyes widened, and he pointed to the tiny entrance of the small tunnel-like cave, a spot of bright light a good 30 feet from them.

Amir quickly turned to look. Framed by the light, there was a definitely human shape. An angel...?

The stranger slid into the cave. It was a man who might have as well been one of their neighbors. Not anyone Amir recognized, but he could be another refugee from Ramallah or some other nearby city.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Not really. He's injured." Amir cast a worried look at Jamal. His eyes had closed. "Who are you? Did the United Nations finally send aid? Are you with them?"

"Sadly, the entire world is in the same state. I'm doing what I can to help. Let me see to..." He looked at Amir like he could see straight to his soul. "...your beloved."

"How did you- I mean, I'm grateful for anything you can do, but-"

"I'm not judging," the man stated gently. "There was only one commandment to replace the old ones. Love one another."

"Hey!" another man's voice called from the entrance to the cave. "Hurry it up, Yeshua! The riders will be here soon."

Amir looked back at the man kneeling by Jamal's side. "We can't go. His wound will open if we move him, and if there's no doctor..."

"He can walk," Yeshua only said. "Wake up, Jamal, and come with me."

"Look, faith alone won't-" Amir stopped midsentence as his lover opened his eyes and stood up. "But...How?!"

Yeshua smiled. "He is alright now."

Jamal scratched his head in apparent confusion. "I have no idea how, but...he's right. I feel fine."

"Hurry it up, damn it, or I'm leaving you behind! We don't have the time!"

Yeshua just sighed and ushered them outside. There they saw his companion, surely one of the most beautiful men Amir had ever laid eyes on. He was Caucasian, with hair the color of sunlight, yet his eyes were black. His clothes might have been white at some point, but now they were stained with dirt, ashes and red stains that were probably blood.

"Sorry for the short temper," the man apologized. "It's been pretty stressful between God's human army and the four horsemen. We manage to save less than one in one thousand before they're slaughtered."

Jamal paled. "They were God's army? So they really are...killing all sinners?"

Amir hugged him without a word. Had God really found them guilty?

"No." Yeshua shook his head, a look of immense sadness on his face. "They are killing everyone not devoted to God enough to willingly slay their neighbors who don't meet His standard of perfection. And nobody on earth meets that standard." He inhaled sharply, and tears flowed down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I thought He understood how wonderful His creation was, flaws and all."

His companion patted him on the back. "It's not your fault that your father is crazy. He was like that from the very beginning. Absolute obedience or death."

"But the Bible says that He loves us-" Jamal started.

"The Bible also shows his vengeful side very well if you don't excuse it with 'justice' or other such nonsense. Besides, would you believe a book over someone who was there to see it?"

Amir was stunned. "You're not saying that..."

The man grinned in the way that Amir would definitely call devilish. He placed one hand over his heart and bowed slightly. "Satan, Lucifer, the Morning Star, whichever name you prefer, at your service." Then he quickly straightened up. "Can we go -now-? As much as I'd love to give you a full explanation what God has planned for his kingdom on earth, we are short on time."

"Where are we going?" Amir wasn't sure if he could trust Satan in anything.

"To a safe place. At least for now," Yeshua answered his question. "Our first goal is to save as many as possible. Once the streets are not overflowing with blood, we can think about our next move."

Jamal took Amir's hand and squeezed it. "Let's trust him like we always have."

Amir nodded. "Lead the way."