“But what if it’s important,” Abby asked, smacking her hand on the table lightly. “Mark, I can take care of myself, okay? Just think, whatever’s in that room might have something to do with Yehuda, it might tell us where the hell he is, and we can’t just sit back and take some weirdo doctor’s word for it.”
Mark hesitated. “The doctor and your brother are on their way. If the doctor is less than forthcoming with his information, we will pursue the information on our own. I, however, believe I can convince him to take me into that room willingly and I’ll see then, what it’s all about.”
Abby sat back and crossed her arms, looking sullen. “You do know that my brother is going to try and stop you, don’t you? Even having his brain tumor healed, he doesn’t believe in any of this stuff. All he cares about is that you broke the law.”
“I have a feeling that whatever your brother did last night may have changed his mind,” Mark said. “The doctor was with your brother last night, and it likely wasn’t for a chat over a cup of coffee.”
Abby gave a short nod, but said nothing until the food arrived. They both ate in silence, knowing full well they needed all the energy they could get for what lay ahead. Mark paid the bill and the pair of them got into his car.
“Clothing and supplies,” Mark said to Abby, indicating where they needed to go next. They drove to a small store nearby where they could purchase everything they needed. Together, they filled the shopping cart with clothes and toiletries for Abby, and Mark stocked up on a few essentials that he knew they might need on the road.
When Abby pulled out her credit card to pay, Mark pushed her to the side gently and removed one of his clips of cash from his pocket. Abby made a noise of protest, but a glare from Mark quieted her, and he paid the entire bill.
They walked back out to the car, Abby stomping a little, despite her ankle, and huffed until Mark explained. “I’m not trying to pay simply because you’re female, Abby. If your brother reported you missing, it’s possible they’re trying to track you, and the best way to find a missing person is by their credit card purchases. The best thing we can do is lay low, and use cash only.”
“I’ll have to take cash out of the bank,” Abby said with a groan.
“No. You can’t use your card or bank at all. Trust me, I have finances covered,” Mark said with a wave of his hand. “I’ve acquired more than enough wealth to last several lifetimes, and I keep the cash on hand for such an emergency. The best thing we can do right now is find more acceptable lodgings and wait.”
“For what?” Abby asked with a frown.
“For Dr. Asclepius, and, we can hope, some answers.”
Twenty-six
Ben was certain that his exhaustion would allow him some measure of sleep, but with everything that had just happened, the closest he got was that dark, quiet place somewhere between sleep and awake.
Nothing in Ben’s mind would allow him to believe that ancient Greek gods were possessing comatose patients in mental hospitals, but he couldn’t deny that something had happened the night before. The conflict was raging a war inside of him, and he knew if he didn’t have some answers, some resolution, he was going to crack.
It was just before dawn when Ben gave up on sleep and jumped in the shower, turning the water to a near scalding temperature. His muscles relaxed from the heat involuntarily, but he still had a slight tremor in his hands as he dressed and got ready for what was going to be an impossibly long day.
The doctor was already awake, sitting in the chair beside the window that overlooked the street. The smell of coffee in Ben’s apartment was strong, and Ben immediately helped himself to a cup before he greeted the other man.
“Did you sleep at all?” Ben asked, taking a drink of the strong brew.
“Not a wink, I’m afraid,” Greg said, tipping his cup to Ben. “You?”
“Not really.”
“I expected as much,” Greg said and he rose. Reaching into his pocket, the doctor pulled out a pack of cigarettes and asked, “Care to join me?”
Ben opened the door to his back patio and stepped out ahead of Greg. Early morning was Ben’s favorite time of the day. The still, quiet of the city was soothing. The heavy, wet salt air was like a blanket, carrying with it a sort of warm current, even in the chilly seasons. He would never get tired of the smells of San Francisco, the sea, the food, and the trees.
Ben leaned against the railing and took the offered cigarette from the grey-haired doctor. He lit it, and took a long drag. “I really shouldn’t smoke these things. You’d think in today’s day and age I’d know better.”
“You’d think being a doctor, I’d feel the same,” Greg said with a short laugh. He came to stand near Ben, giving him a decent amount of space. The doctor rested one arm over the banister and looked up at the grey morning sky. “I suppose I don’t really worry about such things. If it’s my time, it’s my time.”
Ben stared at the doctor for a long time, studying his face, his hands, using every technique he had to figure the man out. He was hiding something, that much was obvious, but the doctor all-but admitted that anyway. He was an honest man, or at least he believed in his lies, which, in Ben’s experience, was often a very dangerous state of mind.
From what Ben could tell, Greg was a well-put together person. He was intelligent, young enough to keep learning from his mistakes, and he was rational. Even through all of this, he never raised his voice. At the hospital, when the lights went out, Greg had been scared, but he was composed.
“Are you going to tell me what last night was all about?” Ben eventually asked. “And please spare me the whole ancient gods crap, okay, because I don’t buy it. I want to know how you knew that was going to happen, and how the hell you know anything about Mark and my John Doe victim.”
Greg sighed and dropped the cigarette, crushing it under his shoe. “Whether you believe it or not, you’re going to have to hear the parts about the ancient gods, Ben, because they’re a big reason why I know the things I know.”
“You do realize that there’s probably a perfectly acceptable, scientific explanation for all of this, right?”
“Probably so. There seems to be a perfectly acceptable scientific explanation for most things nowadays. In fact, haven’t they discovered the birth of the universe?”
Ben shrugged. “I don’t really keep up on a lot of astrophysics.”
Greg glanced down at his watch and then up at the sky. “We should probably get going. Mark and Abby aren’t going to wait forever, and I’m afraid there’s not a lot I can do to stop the break-in report from last night. We both know those detectives are waiting to get their hands on any evidence regarding Mark, so the quicker we move, the better.”
Ben sighed and rubbed his face. What Greg was saying was absolutely true, and he knew that the other detectives were also going to be looking at him. If they learned that Ben was at the hospital the night another patient disappeared, they were going to come after him, and Ben was going to be suspended, if not arrested.
He let out a frustrated growl and balled his hands into fists. “How the hell did I get wrapped up in this?”
“I’m afraid you had no choice. It was determined by your genetic line,” Greg said with a smile as he led the way into the house. He only had a few things with him, a briefcase, cell phone and keys. He scooped them up and without waiting for Ben’s response, headed down the stairs to the street.
“Your car?” Ben asked, following Greg to the massive SUV that took up far more space than it rightfully should have.
“If you don’t mind. I’m sure you can arrange a car if that becomes necessary,” Greg said. He unlocked the vehicle with a push of a button, and the pair climbed in.
“I’m going to make a call,” Ben said, and quickly dialed his desk. He pushed the button to change his voicemail settings and then spoke his message fast and harsh. “You’ve reached Detective Benjamin Stanford. I will be out of office until Monday morning, please contact the front des
k for any case assistance. Thank you.”
He knew it wouldn’t be worth it to contact his boss. He was already in deep shit, and alerting his boss this early on was only going to cause more trouble. Luckily those two detectives were new, and slow, and Ben figured he’d have some time to get Abby away from this whole situation.
Greg sped down the road, glancing at Ben every now and again, but didn’t say much. It wasn’t until they were on the freeway, cruising at a speed that made Ben somewhat uncomfortable, that the doctor spoke at all.
“A long time ago, when the Greek gods first appeared on earth, they were corporeal. They were young and strong, and had a purpose.”
“Okay,” Ben said slowly.
“Now, there are myths and legends about the gods, most of them are just tall tales, lessons and fables. The Odyssey and Iliad were considered records of their existence, but all of that is about as true as the Bible is. A lot of war propaganda, and political influence. The Greeks were powerful; they were smart, and far more technologically advanced than many of the races inhabiting the earth at the time.
“Now, you have to understand, the Greek gods had a purpose for being on the earth, and that was to be a guide for humans, to help us onto our path to become whatever it is we’re meant to become. During that time, they could interact with us, and many of them did. The legends of the gods having many children with humans were true.”
At that point Ben chuckled. “So that old story about Zeus as the swan having sex with that woman is true?”
Greg smiled softly and shrugged. “I don’t believe he was in the form of a swan, but yes, Zeus had many human children. They all did. The god, Asclepius, son of Apollo, often appeared to women as a young man. I’m a descendant of that particular being.”
He glanced out at the countryside flying by his window, and he shook his head. “So what, you’ve got… God-powers or something?”
“Ah no, but that would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Greg replied kindly. “Nothing particularly special comes along with being the descendant of a god being. Not really, anyway.”
“You’re obviously getting at something, so if you could move this conversation along, that would be great,” Ben said, more exhausted than irritated with the doctor.
“Being the descendant of… well… something like Asclepius, doesn’t mean much, except we, the descendants of gods, have an ability to sustain their spirit in our bodies for short periods of time.”
Ben looked over at Greg, his eyebrow quirked. “Is that so?”
Greg gave a little shrug, a small sigh escaping him. “It’s usually not so bad. You see, over the years the beings that have chosen not to move on from this realm lost a lot of their virility. They’re no longer corporeal, and their powers are weak at best. They don’t really have much ability to manipulate matter, and they’ve lost all ability to help create anything. They miss it, so sometimes they borrow the human form to feel again, to touch things, to experience the world around them. The people with the genetics able to host them are called vessels.”
Ben held up his hand. “Greg, you’re a reasonable man, I can tell that right away. I don’t have to know you to know you’re intelligent and a good doctor. I just want to understand how you buy into all of this bullshit.”
“Because I wasn’t given a choice,” Greg said, a little more sharply than he had spoken to Ben before. “When I was a child, I had an imaginary friend. That imaginary friend turned out to be a fading Greek God who offered me a bargain. I let him use my body from time to time, and he gets me through med school at the top of my class.”
It was something about Greg’s voice that gave Ben pause. Something about the raw, tense confession he was making. Ben knew that voice, that tone, the ‘I’m not proud of what I’ve done, and I’m not as good as everyone thinks I am,’ tone. Ben knew that tone well.
“So you got through med school with help from the Greek God of Medicine?” Ben asked.
“Look, I know you don’t believe it, and frankly that makes me feel better because I’m not proud of it. I got lucky that I had a natural talent for it, because I never took a single exam; he took them all for me. During any particularly difficult diagnosis, he’d take over during my residency. The only reason I’m as good as I am now is luck, luck and years of practice, and with my degree, the resources that were provided to me. I cheated, and even to this day I need him when things get difficult.”
Ben crossed his arms and sat back against his seat, looking at Greg out of the corner of his eye. “Okay so I’ll play along. Let’s pretend that there are these… these… vessel things. These people who had ancestors banging the gods. What has that got to do with any of this?”
“Charles, the patient from last night, is a vessel,” Greg said. “All of those people in your homicide report were vessels. There are millions, Ben. The gods didn’t hold back when they had the ability to procreate with humans. Now, the gods left, they’re shadows of their former selves. Some of them are angry, some are just content with what they have, but I’m afraid some of them are getting restless. They have something to do with Judas’s kidnapping, but I’m not sure what.”
“So this Mark guy, and his friend,” Ben said, refusing to say the name Judas, “are they gods, or vessels or whatever?”
Greg shook his head, looking troubled. “I don’t know what they are. Asclepius says they’re something different, ancient, touched by one of the ancient gods, but they’re not like him. They are human, which I have verified by Judas’s samples with every medical test open to me.”
“So, they’re regular humans who live forever?” Ben asked.
“They’re more than regular humans, and you know it. You know what Judas is capable of because you’ve experienced it. You’re not even wearing your glasses anymore.”
Ben’s hand reflexively went to the bridge of his nose and he pushed down a wave of panic. “I don’t know what happened to me, and I’ll probably never know. That, however, isn’t what matters. What matters is Mark has my sister, John Doe has been kidnapped, and I have coma patients getting up out of their beds in a hospital and dropping dead two weeks later because all of their organs fail.”
“They’re being careless,” Greg said softly.
“Who? Who are being careless?”
“The old ones. They’re not paying attention to the strain on the human bodies.”
“Why haven’t you dropped dead?” Ben demanded. “If that god is in your body all the time, why are you still healthy and well?”
“Because he knows the limits of my body,” Greg said simply. “He’s one of the few who cares that the human form can only take so much, and it’s not without risk even when he’s careful. I’ve been hurt before. Many times before. I’m just lucky.”
“So you keep saying,” Ben said.
Greg fell silent, though he glanced over at Ben several times. It was many miles down the road before Greg spoke again, and when he did, it was the worst information of all. “Your family line comes from a god too, Ben. As I said before, they can’t touch you. Your utter and soul-deep disbelief protects you from their influence on you. Your sister however… is a bit more of an open book. If she’s not careful, they will use her like a puppet until she drops dead.”
Twenty-seven
Under a fake credit card, Mark rented a rather posh hotel room on Coronado Island. Out of the city, and equipped with a small, quiet, private beach, it was just what the pair needed while they waited for Ben and the mysterious doctor to arrive.
It wasn’t tourist season in southern California, so the beach was empty, the wind a bit cold, but refreshing as the pair settled onto a large blanket near the water with a couple of sandwiches and two cups of steaming hot tea from the hotel café. Abby was wrapped in a sweater and scarf, her hair pulled back tightly, and she looked tired but calmer than she had in a while.
Mark settled next to her, holding on to the wrapped up sandwich but making no move to eat it. He was listening to the soft sounds of t
he gentle waves crashing on the sand, and the occasional cawing of the seagulls as they hopped around, hoping the pair would leave a bit of food behind for them to scavenge.
“This is probably the most relaxed I’m going to be for a while, isn’t it?” Abby asked, her voice even softer in the gusty wind.
Mark gave her a soft, sad smile. “Probably so. I wish I could tell you that this will blow over and you’re going to just go back to your normal life, and everything will be fine…”
“But you can’t, I get that,” Abby finished for him. She picked at her sandwich, eating a bit of cheese from the middle, but neither of them were really hungry. “Have you heard from my brother or that doctor?”
“Just a quick message around five this morning saying they were on their way,” Mark said with a shrug. He checked his watch and let out a little sigh. “They should be here in about an hour or so. I’m going to send them the address to the hotel and they can meet us here.”
“Do you think the other detectives have figured out we’re involved in that break-in?” Abby’s voice was tense with worry.
“Not yet. I’ve left my phone on all day and they haven’t called demanding my whereabouts last night. It’ll happen eventually, but we may have a little time yet.”
Abby brushed some stray hair out of her eyes and turned her head away from the wind. “So what’s going to happen to me after this? I mean, I know the big plan, we find Yehuda, we get you guys out of here and you disappear, but… but then what? I mean, I can’t just go back to school and keep teaching about God when I know… you know, all of that stuff now. How can I look at those kids and say, the Bible is all real when I’m sitting here right now with the guy who wrote it, telling me that it’s all wrong.”
Mark felt an unfamiliar ache in his chest. Guilt, he realized after a moment. He felt guilty, because his mere existence had destroyed her faith in something she held dear. Reaching out, he took her hand and gave it a little squeeze. He didn’t know how to tell her that it really wasn’t going to be alright. That she was always going to struggle and it was probably going to make her bitter. He didn’t want to do that to her. Mark liked her. If the situation had been different, Mark probably would have married her.
The Awakening (The Judas Curse Book 1) Page 18