by Glen Johnson
“After the deluge, as I have already said, Nimrod went in opposition to Him. The tower of Babel was raised, causing Him to go down and confuse their tongues.
“Now came Shem, who was one hundred years old when he became father to Arpachshad, two years after the deluge. Arpachshad had children; these had children and so on. You get the drift. Generations passed; Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, and Terah, who gave forth Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran as you know became father to Lot.”
I felt like I was back at boring Sunday school, with the vicar rattling off biblical names.
“Abram was later known as Abraham. His wife was called Sarai later known as Sarah. Confusing I know.” He gave a choking laugh. “Abraham went with his barren wife Sarah and his nephew Lot, as well as Abraham’s father Terah, and went to live in the land of Canaan to dwell in Haran, the country of the Chaldeans.
“Now He proceeded to tell Abraham to leave his country, his relatives, and go where He instructed him to. He said He would make a great nation out of him, and make his name great.” He laughed once again. “He did to, always good for His word. But who would foresee what this great nation would do. Going as far as killing His own son. But everything in its place.
“Abraham now followed where he was led. Leaving his homeland and heading out across Canaan, near the big tree of Moreh, at the site of Shechem. Then to a place with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. Then on to Negeb.”
He looked across at me. “I know, as fucking boring as watching a raped virgin’s blood drying on your cock, but everything has its place.” He scratched at his groin with the hand that had VIDI inked across the knuckles.
“It’s building up to when Abraham went into Egypt, because a famine arose in all the land.” He fidgeted.
“See Abraham lied, telling the Pharaoh that Sarah was his sister not his wife. Now Pharaoh’s household was struck with many plagues because of this.
“Now I get kicked out of heaven, called the Father of the Lie, and made to crawl on my belly in this godforsaken shitty, fucked up world, because of my lying. Whereas what happens to Abraham because of his lie? Pharaoh blesses him, giving him countless livestock and escorts him from the land ten times richer, with gold and silver, than when he entered it. Just because He liked him.”
He uncrossed his legs and recrossed them the other way. Smoke continuously pouring from his nostrils, having already gone through one dark red pack of Dunhill.
“Now Lot – his constantly complaining nephew – started to whine that Abraham’s helpers were attacking his workers and that he wanted to split, because they had both got so many possessions and herds.
“Abraham gave Lot the choice of where he wanted to reside. Lot picked the area of the Jordan. Lot dwelt near the cities of the area, pitching his tents near Sodom and Gomorrah.” He paused as if caught in some distant memory.
“Ah yes, Sodom and Gomorrah, great cities, great days. A hive of sin and sexual perversity. How I loved to walked about those cities in the shadows. You think the porn on the internet is fucked up. You should have seen what they were doing in the streets for all to see!”
He gave a loud sigh and licked his lips, leaving his piercing shining.
“Now the kings of the area rose up against another king. King Bera of Sodom, Birsha of Gomorrah, and Shinab king of Zeboiim, and so on and so forth.
“Many rose up, all against king Chedorlaomer, whom they had paid tribute to for twelve years. On the thirteenth year they rebelled.” He gave me a twisted smile. “Thirteen years, nice touch, huh?” He laughed again.
“Now Chedorlaomer had aid from others, it ended up with five kings against four others, in a mighty battle on the Plain of Siddim.
“Now Abraham’s nephew Lot, and all his family and property, were taken by the winning party.
“Abraham heard about this from the brother of Eshcol and Aner. Abraham raised an army of all his family, and three hundred and eighteen of his slaves, and pursued them up to Dan.
“Needless to say he won, chasing them all up to Hobah and north to Damascus. He reclaimed everything that was taken.
“Now, God had promised Abraham a seed, to fill all the lands around about. Abraham was taken outside his tent and told to look up at the heavens, his seed – he was told – would be as countless as the stars of the heavens, and they would conquer all the lands around the Euphrates River.
“But Sarah still carried no child. Here is the twisted bit, and they call me perverse.
“Sarah now took a maid servant she had acquired from Egypt – called Hagar – and told Abraham to sleep with her to produce a male offspring.
“Now when Hagar became pregnant Sarah became jealous, telling Abraham that she was distressed at the sight of her. Abraham then told Sarah that the maid servant was at her disposal, and do what she sees good in her eyes.” He gave a quick cough. “Nice, huh? This was the chosen couple to bring about a perfect people for Him upon the earth, and they were talking about disposing of a woman Sarah had given to her husband for the sole purpose of having sex.
“Hagar became humiliated by Sarah and ran away, while still carrying her unborn child. But an angel appeared to Hagar and convinced her to return, and told her what to call her son Ishmael. Abraham was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.
“Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old and Sarah ninety, when another angel appeared, and told them that when he returned the next year Sarah would be heavy in labour. Now Sarah was in the tent while the angel was talking with her husband, and Sarah started to laugh, thinking that she, a woman of ninety, could give birth to a son. Her menstruation periods having run dry many years before. The angel asked her why she had laughed. Sarah lied saying she didn’t.”
He took the cigarette from his mouth. “Am I the only one who sees what is happening? Abraham sleeping with a slave, bearing a son. Sarah lying to His angel, and they still didn’t get punished. Or is it only me, whom He doesn’t like, that gets punished?”
I had no answers for him, and he didn’t seem to want one anyway.
“Now, Lot was living in Sodom at this time, when He decided Sodom was heavy with sin. Two angels were sent to the city. As was the custom of those times, Lot, not realizing they were angels, offered them shelter in his home.
“So they went to Lot’s dwelling.
“But before they could even lie down to sleep, the house was surrounded by a mob of men. You got to remember I had been among these people for decades. I had turned the city into a pit of sin and debauchery.
“The men cried out to Lot saying, ‘Where are the men who came in to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have intercourse with them.’ Now see what Lot, the nephew of the man who would bring about a great nation, said: Please, my brothers, do not act badly. ‘Please, here I have two daughters who have never had intercourse with a man. Please let me bring them out to you. Then do to them as is good in your eyes.’
“Hello…! There seems to be a link forming. Giving his two daughters to a mob, to do as they see fit. This for a supposed godly man.” A smile spread across his face. “Lot’s daughters done much worse.”
I wanted a drink, but didn’t move.
“Please,” he said, as a glass appeared on the carpet next to me, the glass was coated in condensation and full with sparkling ice.
“Don’t be alarmed, I can do many things. Did I not copy the first three plagues of Egypt? A simple glass of water is nothing, but I will not discuss it now though, everything in its place.”
I looked at the glass, but didn’t touch it. If he was offended he didn’t show it.
“Of course Lot was saved along with his two virgin daughters. The two angels struck all the men around the house with blindness, then catching hold of Lot and his family’s hands they pulled them from the city.
“The angels warned them not to look back, not to turn to see what was happening behind them. But Lot’s wife had grown to love the city, its merchandise and its materiali
stic ways. She looked back longingly over her shoulder and was instantly turned into a pillar of salt.
“Lot and his two daughters continued on to the mountains, to hide out the destruction. Fire and sulphur rained down, wiping all life in the two great cities away. Interestingly they reside there still, under the Dead Sea.
“Now Lot was hiding in the mountains in a cave with his two lovely virgin daughters. These two nymphs decided to take matters into their own hands.
“Their father had yet to produce a male offspring to carry on his name. So in turn each got him drunk and fucked him. Both became pregnant with their father’s sons.” He shook his head in a slow manner.
“Were they punished, as I would have been? No! The first daughter gave birth to Moab, who is father to the Moab nation to this day. And the youngest daughter gave birth to Benammi, who is the father of the sons of Ammon to this day. Punished? No! Given nations of offspring to remember their names.
“I’ve told this part of the long biblical story, because it sheds light on sections that if I had done anything remotely like that, it would’ve been seen as monstrous. But because it was all part of His larger plan,” he opened his arms wide, “then anything can happen and not be punished. Sleeping with slaves, getting them pregnant. Saying dispose of the pregnant slave. Laughing at an angel’s prediction, and then lying about it. Saying rape my daughters. Daughters having incest with their father, producing children whom lived to become large godly nations.” His head lowered as if weary of speaking.
I sat motionless, not even realizing those sections were even in the bible.
“Abraham and Sarah had Isaac. We all know the story where Abraham was ordered to sacrifice his son to Him as a burnt offering. Abraham, good as ever, took his son and done as he was ordered. Of course an angel stepped in, saying it was all just a test. The fact that Abraham would have killed his son doesn’t seem to get mentioned. Now the covenant with Abraham was made.
“Of course, as I’ve already stated, I can manipulate different factors. Instead of denying the facts the Book states, it’s much easier to change people’s perspective of them, add to them.
“Israel is now one of the most unstable and violent regions on your planet. And this very area is where His son walked about spreading the Word.
“Instead of trying to distort what Moses and Jesus said, I simply added another prophet into the arrangement, Muhammad. Muhammad created the Koran in the seventh century. Now almost two million Islamic pilgrims make the pilgrimage to Mecca each year. There are more than one billion Muslims in the world today, that’s almost one-sixth of the world’s population. They believe that Abraham – or Ibrahim – as they call him, and his son Ishmael, was commanded to build the Kaaba by God. Another of one of my subtle ways to guide mankind away from Him.
“Would He have stated in His Book in Exodus chapter twenty and verses four and five: You shall not make yourself a carved image of any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth. You shall not bow down to them and serve them. Would he say that and then command them to build a huge shrine? All adult Muslims, who are physically able, must make the pilgrimage to this holy city to see the Kaaba, at least once in their lifetime, the Koran commands it. Would he say one thing, and then ask something completely different?
“In Matthew chapter six and verse seven, it says, And in your prayer do not make use of the same words again and again. God hates repetition, over and over, it bores Him. Muslins perform the Salah five times every day. They are the most recited words on your planet.”
He stood in one liquid motion, his legs seemingly curving as he sprang to his feet. Leaving me to decide the answer to his question.
“Time I should now be leaving,” he said, turning to walk out the door.
I was a little confused. Where would he go to leave the body? I was about to ask when he continued to speak.
“Next came Jacob and his twelve sons. About Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers. A long boring story of how he became Pharaoh’s right hand man. Nothing really interesting. If you want to know more about that, go see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat by Andrew Lloyd Webber. I hear good reviews.
“Then the story of Moses, adopted by an Egyptian princess, and so on and so forth. The ten plagues and all that crap. I will talk a little on these thing when I return, giving the true stories, not the glossy cover stories that appear in His book.”
He continued to walk towards the door.
“Where are you going?” I asked, generally interested. Normally he left the dead body for me to dispose of.
“Now you don’t want a smelly corpse on the floor while your trying to sleep, do you? I will dispose of it somewhere.” He then turned popping the smoking cigarette back in his mouth, shutting the door behind him.
I was shocked that he had actually though of me for a change. Little did I realize he hadn’t. What happened next was testament to that fact. Or what happened could simply have been an over sight on his part. But having come to know him, I don’t think so. I think it was part of his twisted sense of humour.
Soon I would be once again struggling to stay alive.
21
The Fiery Predator
I don’t think he arranged it on purpose, but once again I found myself fighting for my life. And now looking back, I think it was all part of his larger plan.
The fucking Sadist.
It took me a good few hours to finally fall into some semblance of sleep. Nightmares were now commonplace. I pictured myself stalking up and down the hotel corridors, sniffing at different doors, trying to locate warm bodies inside.
I ran along on hands and feet, returning to my quadrupedal style, stopping every now and then to check another door. My black and white vision even being able to pick up traces of heat residue left by unsuspecting people. My prey.
I found no one this night, being overly weary because of the strange environment and unusual smells. Not the sweet smelling outdoors, but the pungent smell of cleaning chemicals that stung my sensitive nostrils.
Suddenly I was startled from my sleep, a loud pulsating alarm running through my body.
I sat bolt upright, my mind was all groggy from sleep. I rubbed my eyes, while trying to understand what was happening – what was that blaring noise?
It was the fire alarm.
Fuck!
I could just picture him, having crawled somewhere to leave the body, and as he left the empty cocoon the cigarette would tumble from his mouth, slowly burning on the corpses clothing, feeding on the material, smouldering, then starting to consume the bodies fat until it became an inferno. How many times had he left the body with the cigarette just hanging in the mouth at my home?
I couldn’t believe how stupid he was. Or simply wicked, knowing I would have to flee once again. Was it some kind of game to him? You always hear stories about the gods playing with mankind like they are simply pawns from a complicated chess set. Was that all I had become, a pawn?
The alarm rang loud and clear, making my ears throb painfully. I quickly grabbed my bag from the closet and swung it onto my back, leaving the wet underwear in the bathroom. I already had my clothes on, having fallen asleep on top of the sheets after he left. I always felt exhausted after being in his company.
I stood in front of the door, resting the palm of my hand against the wooden surface. If a fire were on the other side the door would be hot. It was cold. I opened it slowly, inch by inch. If a fire was blazing down the end of the corridor, I didn’t want to swing the door open and give it a rush of oxygen with which to feed it. Like most I had seen enough films about fires to know a little about its behaviour. The 1991 movie, Backdraft was now my survival guide.
I could now hear people running up and down the outside hallway. Hopefully away from the fire.
I headed for the exit.
A young man and woman ran past me in the opposite direction, oblivious to my presences. They were both only dressed for sleep, her in a pink frilly night
gown and him in just blue pyjama bottoms. Neither had shoes on. A new born baby bounced in the father’s grasp as he held the child tight to his bare chest. The baby cried from the noise the alarm was making.
They shot past me like a stampede. I flattened myself against the wallpaper. I tried to shout at them over the blaring alarm that the exit was the other way. Both ignored me as they sped past, heading for a large fire door at the end of the hallway.
I turned to head towards the lobby where I knew there was an exit. I didn’t know if the door the couple was running towards headed outside, or to the stairs that led to the upper floors. No exit sign hung above the thick fire door, so I presumed not.
Suddenly I was thrown to the gaudy carpet. A great gust of superheated air rushed over me along the passageway. It was like opening the oven at home to check on the food cooking inside and the heated air rushing out, attempting to remove your eyebrows. Amplify that a hundredfold.