by M. Modak
Many of the religious leaders on the screen had declared this the return of Christ, and this was the beginning of the rapture. John, knowing what he did due to Joshua’s religious interest, wondered why they had changed from thinking that the rapture would happen, “in the blink of an eye,” to being something that was happening slowly.
But even as he was thinking it, a preacher spoke directly into the camera, “My fellow listeners, if you’re still here this time tomorrow then you will know that you were left behind. If you haven’t taken Jesus Christ into your life, well it’s too late now. You’re all going to hell! I know I’ll be blacking out any minute and waking up in heavenly glory!” He shook as he said the last few words and put his hands into the air. When he had recovered he continued, “We never know how God is going to do his work but his work will be done. Praise God!” Everyone around him was nodding their approvals even as the screen in the background showed people blacking out and waking up asking where they were and then where their loved ones were. John rolled his eyes but said nothing.
The two finished their business and after washing up they headed out the door. John saw a burly truck driver place his hands on Kayla. She quickly slapped it away but then he pushed her against a wall.
Rana screamed, “Leave her alone!” as she punched and kicked the man. Her blows were barely more annoying than a fly buzzing around his meal.
Two other men stood not far away doing nothing as they watched. They were just standing there, looking, but not saying a word. Then to John’s amazement and anger, the two spectators were moving slowly away, toward the exit, leaving Rana and Kayla to fend off the fat man themselves. John saw Rana make a ridged hand, preparing to strike, a move Joshua had taught her. He knew what would come next, eyes, throat and knees. Rana was about to act.
John made a loud noise, drawing Rana’s attention to him as he approached. She saw the determined look on his face and stepped back. The drunken man smelled of strong alcohol. A dark stain marked his dirty shirt and pants from a drink that had spilled there not long ago. John was very mad. He recalled the many years of martial arts training Joshua had put this body through. The problem was, John hadn’t thrown a punch in anger since he was a teenager. But at least Joshua could handle himself. This body knew what to do, all he had to do was trigger the action and be ready.
His heart was racing. He could feel his blood tingling in his legs and feet, ready to unleash a barrage of strikes. Many of the thoughts Joshua had often repeated, when faced with a possible dangerous situation also came to mind. He repeated to himself a mantra Joshua would say, “Fear is the mind killer, I will face my fears and they will pass through me and I will still be. As I walk through the shadow of the valley of death I will fear no evil for the Lord my God is with me- thy rod and staff comforts me.”
He felt a little calmer. He thought he had heard those quotes before. Perhaps from some old book or maybe the bible but he couldn’t remember. He needed to find a peaceful solution. He had calmed down, but not too much, and he was ready to take in the full seine from around him. John saw that the man had friends with him that were just leaving the bathroom and were coming up from behind. He glanced back to get a look at them and observed that one was a short man with a beard and ponytail. He looked to be sober and even concerned about the situation. There was a table and some chairs near Rana. They were in the automotive section next to a stack of soda bottles. The other man with him was the tallest of the three and he was drunk. Everyone else in the store had just cleared out.
John glanced at Michael. He was doing the same thing he had just done, glancing around the room, and he had noticed the two men coming up from behind them too. The next step was a matter of personal choice. Joshua always repeated Mr. Miyagi’s teaching to Daniel son, “Do or don’t do, don’t guess or you’ll get squished.”
“Oh, there you are ladies, it’s time to go. Tell the man goodnight,” John said loudly into the air.
The large man let Kayla go and turned around nearly tripping on his own feet. “These ladies don’t want you. They’re com-en with us.”
“I don’t think my sisters like you,” Michael said, “Why don’t you let me buy you a beer and we can call it a night?”
A loud country voice from behind them said, “I don’t right-care what any of you-s want. Them there girls are looking for trouble and were goanna give it to em.”
John decided to take action. The threat had been made and the line crossed. Michael had just given them one last chance to turn back and they had missed it. With the man distracted, Kayla moved away from the wall and closer to Rana. John walked right up to the big man who had groped Kayla and as the man drew back his right arm, ready to punch, John pushed his attacking arm at the shoulder, knocking him off balance, then he gave a solid front kick to his center sending him against the wall with a wind breaking thud. John turned quickly to deal with the two approaching men but Michael had already drawn the tall drunken one away with a word. He dodged a punch and returned a smart slap to the face.
The lone man, sober as a sunny day, looked embarrassed. John didn’t wait for him to choose but before he made to close the distance the man yelled in a loud voice, “Everybody stop!”
John stopped, and stepped to the side so he could keep all three men in sight. The man Michael had just slapped kept going after him. Michael didn’t hesitate; he made a shooting motion, taking the man by the knees, yanked his legs out from underneath him, sending him to the ground and on his back, with a thump. Michael quickly crawled up on his chest and pinned his arms to the ground.
“Quit now and we can both just get up and walk out of here,” he said.
The man spit in Michaels face and tried to roll over. Michael allowed him to roll over and when his back was open he instantly wrapped his forearm around the man’s neck in a sleeper hold. He locked his heals around his thighs and began to squeeze at the big man’s throat.
The drunken man John had thrown off balance had regained his bearings and was heading for John but the smaller man with the pony tail moved quickly and stood in front of John.
“Do you want to go back to jail Revs? You want to get punked again? These men are only protecting the ladies here. They even offered to buy your broke ass some more beer,” He said. The large man only considered him for a second before effortlessly pushing him to the side and lunged toward John.
John waited until the last second and then he sprung a cobra strike to the throat followed by a poke to both eyes and a hard kick to the side of his leading knee. John heard a crack just before the man fell to the ground, gurgling in pain. Then he marched over to a stunned Rana and Kayla. He took each by the hands and started for the door. The man Michael was grappling with had just gone limp on the ground, and Michael was getting up.
He checked the man for signs of breathing and a pulse then looked up and saw John and the girls headed for the door. He walked over to where the girls had been and picked up the four cups of coffee they had prepared then selected a few choice items from the buggy. He walked over to the store attendant and pulled out his flexscreen and waved it at the checkout machine.
“My contact information is in that transaction,” He said, “if the police is needed please tell them we are in an emergency and cannot wait but we will be taking responsibility for our actions here tonight. I assume the whole incident was recorded and you saw everything?”
“You gave them plenty of warning.” The attendant said, “I called the police already. They’ve already seen what happened.” Michael nodded at that and together the four left, got into the waiting car and sped off for the Keys.
Kayla and Rana were hugging them both and shouting as they laughed and cried, “Our heroes’!”
With a big smile, Kayla said to John, “How did you, I mean you never told me you could handle yourself like that?”
“Well, you have Joshua to thank for that,” John said. “He’s really much more skilled than that. I just recalled the simplest moves h
e knew for that situation and I acted.”
Kayla hugged him again. She said with a warm smile, “That was real brave of you John.”
Chapter 6 Rose
Fael’s Universe
Drake woke to the sound of his snoring. Startled, he looked up at the bright ceiling. Light was pouring in through the open curtains. His dreams were troubled. He was still very tired and was tempted to roll back over and fall asleep again but the stench from the dried sweat from his feet drove him to the shower.
The bathroom floor was a mess. A small trail wound between the damp piles of clothes ending at the bathtub.
At least the tub is clean, he thought to himself.
He stepped in and the knob marked hot water poured out of the spout. The cold and hot auto-adjusted until he found his pleasure and he said, “Stop.” He looked up, the flow of water rotated and he stepped back. The water seemed to hesitant inside the sprayer, as if repulsed by the idea of touching his stinking body. Then with a convulsion, it sprayed down across him melting away the dirt. The steam relieved the tension in his neck, and the hot water felt good as it began to rinse away the dried blood caked in his pores.
After a while, he looked at his watch. “Damn, 5:30pm!” He said to himself.
He jumped out of the shower, ran to the bedroom and put his shoes on then noticed his socks and pants still lying on the floor. Then he stopped, reordered his steps pulling his jeans and socks on first than shoes. Still in the haze of sleep, he looked around the room. Piles of clothes and food with green mold were stacked in the corner of the dresser and on top of shelves. He had left his contact lenses on the counter a week ago and now they were lost in the clutter.
The Laytech keycard, phone, and wallet were still in the pants he had taken off last night. They were always in his pants. If he didn’t leave them there they would be lost along with everything else he touched. He remembered the day he gained that little revelation. It was as if God had gotten tired of hearing him beg for help to find his lost keycard and decided to give him the idea just so he would shut up. The trick worked, so from then on he started leaving them in his pockets and they stayed there until needed. He guessed that cleaning his room couldn’t hurt either.
His Corvette was dirty; mud was stuck to everything. His pretty car looked a little meaner so in a way he liked it. It had gotten dirty the last time he had to park in the construction lot. The red clay covered everything except one small opening on the windshield but he could see the road. He thanked God for auto drive again. His old truck looked better covered in mud though. Since he had the day off, he would give his car a wash after the doctor’s appointment; maybe he would clean the inside too. The mud was window tinting until he got a chance to wash it later. The idea of washing his car settled his inner turmoil. He hated the mess he lived in. It often felt like an analogy to his life; a mess he’d soon clean up.
As the driver side door opened, bottles dropped out clanging and bouncing down the hill. He couldn’t worry about it now; he’d take care of it when he got back. Saving the world from his mess could wait until after his doctor’s appointment.
*******
He arrived late to the Doctor’s office. It was behind a large, gray building not far from Laytech’s main office. When the front doors opened he was hit with a dry medicine smell mixed with the strong scent of cleaning chemicals and fresh paint. The sent was overpowering. There was no one else waiting in the lobby.
Perhaps today is a maintenance day and Sam had gotten the time wrong, he wondered.
The room looked neatly organized, a little too clean and the temperature felt cold.
A wave of unpleasant memories went through his mind. The last memory of a doctor’s visit had been one of detached smiles and unwelcome handshakes by MDs who didn't really seem to care. That was just before his father had passed away. The memory deflated what left of the little smile he had been wearing.
Then he remembered Joshua. What would Joshua do, he wondered; he would relax, eyes open, but relax. He tried to let his expectations go, good or bad, as Joshua would have done but he hated going to the doctor.
A chuckle escaped his lips as he laughed at himself and approached the service window. I have to let that go someday. I’m sure there are some great doctors.
The Help Button was mounted to the shelf before him, and he was about to push it when the glass door slid open. A gorgeous blond woman sat behind the desk. She spoke in a soft, confidant tone, “Mr. Thornton.”
His mind went blank as his eyes filled with her. Her beauty stunned his concept of perfection. He could only stare at the single pink ribbon that bound her long blond hair. Finally, he looked down; passed the curve of her cheek and he settled on her red lips. She blinked her long eyelashes as her full lips smiled up at him. Glancing up into her clear blue eyes she held him as she said, “We've been expecting you.”
He turned his head, and forced his eyes to look at his watch, 6:15pm.
She said, “Sam called this morning and set up your appointment.” A hint of a remembered joke touched the corners of her mouth. “He said you’d be late…You’re not feeling very well: fainting, headaches, nausea, and flu like symptoms.”
He paused; as a familiar feeling moved through him. He smiled and caught himself brushing his hair back with his hand as he leaned closer. “I'm okay,” He nodded reassuringly, “Sam gets worried and sometimes I believe he thinks he's my mom.”
She smiled and gently pulled a stray hair from her eye tucking it behind her ear. His heart stopped. Goose bumps spread across his arms as that same feeling, the good one he had had at the transport company, came rushing over him. His heart began beating again but now it was racing against his thoughts. He scrambled for words. “What's your name?” he asked.
Her smile betrayed some deeper thought he was sure she wanted to share. “Rose,” she said.
“Rose,” he repeated, letting her name roll smoothly across his tongue as his smile widened. He leaned into the window and he looked into her eyes. “Rose, have we met before?”
She hesitated for a fraction of a second as if something had malfunctioned but she quickly recovered as she returned his deep gaze. “Drake, this is the first time we have ever laid eyes on each other.”
“I just had a feeling…” He trailed off as the same feeling returned. “Well, if we’ve never met before I don't expect to get this chance again so I won’t waste it. Would you like to go out some time and get some coffee, maybe see a holo-movie or dinner?”
She broke her silence with soft laughter, “You don't think you'll get a girl to go out with you, just like that?”
“No,” he calmly replied, “not just any girl, but a woman who can make me feel like this, with just a look, deserves the loss of my pride.”
He heard the door opening from somewhere behind her. She stopped laughing. “You're cute, but now is not a good time.”
“That's it? Just like that,” he asked.
She just stared back at him without a sound. He nodded, too embarrassed to say anything then turned to take his seat.
She called after him, “Sir, you forgot to sign in.”
Drake gave a quick, dry smile, walked to the counter and signed the ledger with his keycard. He looked at Rose for a brief second but she didn’t return the look. Then he returned to his seat.
Rose thought that he was cuter in person, especially seen through two eyes, and not a million little ones from his insides. She smiled to herself, amused by the whole encounter but annoyed at the interruption from behind her. Everything had gone as planned. She was right; he was the one Sapen had been harvesting from. Last night had proven that. She did feel something new with him, something she had never… felt… before. Time was up; she would have to choose now...She quickly jotted down a note, got up, and stepped through the door letting it close slowly behind her.
Drake turned to see her as she emerged past the open door. Dressed in a white nurse’s uniform she was both athletic and sensual. The sight
of her was spellbinding. Her slender legs merged into perfect hips, which held the rest of her body like a blossoming flower. Her breasts were too big and firm to be real but he didn’t care. His stomach did backflips up to his brain and back down again. Whatever I felt last night has something to do with her…
Rose watched the look on his face change from embarrassment to delight as their eyes met. She said, “You’re cute when you pout,”
He looked down at her delicate hand as she handed him a piece of paper. He reached for it and as his hand touched the folded note; her fingers closed over his and held on until he looked her in the eyes. His heart was pounding so hard it he thought it might explode.
At least I’m already at the doctor’s office if I have a heart attack.
That other feeling came again, but this time it started in his hand like a penetrating electric jolt. He gasped and stepped back shaking his hand. He looked down at his fingers. It hadn’t hurt, it actually felt good.