It was a quiet Sunday afternoon in the bistro. The lunch rush had come and gone, leaving the restaurant with only a few scattered customers. Enza was wiping down tables, her mind on autopilot as she worked. The world outside was shifting fast, faster than she had anticipated, and she was still trying to make sense of it all. Nicolae Carpathia, the new leader of the one-world government, had made sweeping promises—unity, peace, prosperity for all. And for the first time in a while, Enza felt some measure of hope for the future. It sounded good on paper, taking the best ideas from Europe, America, India, and beyond.
In theory, it made sense.
But theories didn't always match reality. And lately, things were starting to feel… off. There were whispers—about laws being passed quietly, about restrictions creeping in. Enza wasn't one for rumors, but she'd lived long enough to know when to pay attention.
She glanced up as the bell over the door rang, signaling a group of five people walking in. They were young, in their twenties or thirties, a mix of men and women, all looking slightly nervous as they took their seats at one of the larger tables near the window. They weren't regulars, but something about them piqued Enza's curiosity.
She approached the table, her usual warm smile in place. "Buongiorno," she greeted them. "What can I get for you today?"
The group exchanged glances, and one of the men—a tall, thin fellow with glasses—spoke up. "Just the lunch soup for now, if that's okay. We're waiting for someone to join us."
Enza nodded, noting the unusual request. Most people ordered food right away, especially in these times when meals were something to be savored. But she didn't press. "Of course. I'll be right back."
As she filled their glasses and brought over a basket of bread, Enza couldn't help but overhear snippets of their conversation. They were talking in hushed tones about a shelter being built by their church, New Hope Village Church. The name rang a bell—it was the same church she had heard about from other people in the neighborhood. A group of Christians who believed they were in the middle of the Tribulation. She'd never gone to their services herself, but their pastor, Bruce Barnes, had started a blog that people were talking about.
Enza set the bread down on the table and caught the eye of one of the women, a soft-spoken girl with a kind face. "You're from New Hope Village Church, sì?"
The woman nodded, smiling. "Yes, ma'am. We are."
Enza pulled up a chair and sat down, uninvited but welcome. She'd always been straightforward like that. "I've heard about your preacher's blog. I don't really know what a blog is, though."
The group chuckled lightly, and the man with glasses spoke again. "It's like a journal, but online. You can read it if you have a computer or phone."
Enza nodded, making a mental note to get herself a computer one of these days. "I'm not much for technology, but it seems like everyone's getting into it. What's he writing about?"
"Mostly about the Tribulation," the woman said softly. "What we're going through. What's coming next. He's trying to help people understand what the Bible says about these times."
Enza's curiosity piqued. She wasn't religious, not the way they were, but after everything that had happened—the disappearances, the chaos—she couldn't help but wonder. Angelo had believed, and he'd been taken. She hadn't been. Maybe there was something to all of this after all.
"And what's he say is coming next?" Enza asked, leaning forward slightly.
The group exchanged uneasy glances. It was the man with glasses who spoke again. "The rise of the Antichrist. Laws against worship. Churches being closed down, eventually outlawed."
Enza frowned. "You really think it'll come to that?"
They all nodded, the seriousness in their expressions unmistakable.
She shook her head, still unsure. "I don't know. Carpathia, he seems like he's doing some good things. It's not perfect, but the world's a mess, and maybe we need something like this to clean it up."
"It sounds good," the woman admitted. "But we believe it's all part of a bigger plan. A plan to deceive people. The Bible says that in the last days, the Antichrist will rise to power, and things will look good for a while. But then..." Her voice trailed off.
"But then what?" Enza asked, her voice low.
"Then the real trouble begins. The persecution, the laws against our faith... we're preparing for that. We know it's coming."
Enza sat back, her mind working through their words. She wasn't sure what she believed anymore. But she had to admit, something about all of this didn't feel right. And if these people were preparing for what was to come, maybe it wasn't a bad idea to keep her options open.
The man with glasses cleared his throat. "Actually, we wanted to ask you something, Nonna Enza."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Me?"
He nodded. "Our church is building a shelter, but it's not going to be big enough for everyone. If—when—churches are outlawed, we're going to need other places to meet. Places that aren't too obvious."
Enza studied him carefully. "And you want to rent the restaurant for these meetings?"
"Only after hours," he said quickly. "We don't want to interfere with your business. Just a place where we can pray together, quietly. No loud music or anything. We'll even pay you."
Enza folded her arms across her chest, considering. She didn't think it would come to that, not really. Nicolae Carpathia might be shaking things up, but outlawing churches? That seemed far-fetched. But she'd lived through war. She'd lived through governments that promised one thing and did another. Maybe there was something to their fears.
She leaned forward, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "I'll tell you what. I'm not gonna rent you the place. But if you come in quietly, don't make a mess, and maybe help with cleaning up at the end of the night..." She shrugged. "That seems like a fair trade to me."
The group looked at each other, their faces lighting up with gratitude.
"Really?" the woman asked, her eyes wide.
Enza nodded. "Really. You come, you pray, you help out a bit, and we'll call it even. Just don't make too much noise. I don't need the authorities getting any ideas about what we're doing here."
The man with glasses smiled, relief evident in his expression. "Thank you, Nonna Enza. We'll do our best to stay under the radar."
Enza waved him off. "Just don't break anything, and we'll be fine."
They thanked her profusely, and as they settled into a more relaxed conversation, Enza found herself listening intently to their talk of the Tribulation. She wasn't ready to buy into it completely—not yet—but having them around gave her a front-row seat to what they believed was coming. She'd always been practical, and it didn't hurt to keep an ear to the ground.
As the group ate and began to leave, Enza sat back in her chair, watching them go. The world was changing. Fast. And she needed to be ready for whatever came next.
One way or another, she would be.