The Awakening (The Judas Curse Book 1)

by Angella Graff

  Relief rushed into the old woman’s eyes and she let out a breath. “I’m sorry, you really frightened me. I haven’t seen or heard from Shawn in a while. Not since his road trip, and I was starting to get worried.”

  “Road trip?” Stella asked.

  The puppy at Diana’s feet began to whine, and she reached down to pick it up. “Can we move this inside? Coco just hates the cold.”

  “By all means,” Stella said, gesturing at the door.

  A moment later, both detectives were inside the warm foyer, and the dog was running back and forth between their feet, sniffing their pant legs and looking suspiciously like it might attempt to mark one of them.

  Ben looked around at the house and noticed several pictures of two young boys on the walls. They appeared to be several years apart, but Ben had a feeling in their adulthood they could probably pass for twins. They were tall, strawberry blonde hair kept short in nearly every picture. They were thin, faces long, eyes small and beady, and they had the look of kids who were a little too into things like dragons and wizards to be considered cool by their peers.

  The house itself was typical, furniture older but nice, and knick knacks spread out on every possible surface. She led the detectives into the sitting room where a small fire was going, and she took a seat on the chair nearest to the flames.

  “My son had built up quite a bit of vacation time at the hospital, so he decided to go on a road trip up the coast,” she said after the detectives got settled on the sofa.

  “That’s what he told you?” Stella asked.

  “That’s what he did. He called me from San Francisco about a week ago and said he was going to head up towards Washington and then he’d start back down. Shawn doesn’t do a lot outside of the house, so I figured this would be good for him. He was taking along some friend he met at work.”

  Ben frowned and pulled out his small notepad and pen. “Do you have the name of this friend?”

  “Shawn’s a grown man, I have no place sticking my nose in his business,” Diana snapped.

  “Is that what he told you when you asked for this friend’s name?” Ben questioned. Diana looked mildly horrified, so Ben clarified. “Your son is obviously a loner, Mrs. Thompson, and I don’t say that to be rude. It’s just, according to his colleagues, Shawn didn’t have a lot of friends, so taking a sudden road trip with some unnamed friend had to strike you as a little odd.”

  Diana let out a small breath and then shrugged. “Well yes, it was a little strange. Shawn never mentioned any friend before, so I asked. He got defensive, so I thought it might be a girlfriend or something. If it was, I wasn’t about to say anything to change his mind. He’s a good boy, you know, and he’s never really had a way with the ladies.”

  “Understandable,” Ben said with a nod.

  “Did you notice anything odd about his behavior before he left?” Stella added. “Lack of sleep, muttering to himself? Anything you’d consider bizarre?”

  “Yes,” Diana said, sounding surprised that Stella seemed to know. “He wasn’t sleeping at all, and he was so pale and wasn’t eating. When I asked him about it, he said it was work stress. I started encouraging him to take some of his vacation time, and I was pretty pleased when he did.”

  “I’m sorry to tell you this, Mrs. Thompson, but Shawn didn’t use any vacation time at his job,” Ben said after a moment. “He was fired as a no-call, no-show. In fact, a couple of officers were sent over to do a welfare check on him, but no one was home.”

  “That’s not possible,” Diana said, putting her hand to her mouth. “Shawn’s always been the responsible one. He’s never had a single sick day, was never late, and worked so hard.”

  “We have reason to believe your son might be in some possible danger,” Stella said. “A patient went missing at the hospital, a patient your son had close contact with on a near daily basis. We’re still looking into the case, but if you have any idea where he might be, or how we can get in touch with him, we’d really appreciate it.”

  “All I have is his cell phone number,” she said, sounding shaken and terrified.

  “Do you know if he carries a credit card?” Ben asked, trying to sound soothing and calm.

  “Um yes,” Diana said, rubbing her cheek with her hand. She was shaking worse now, and her face had gone from ruddy to very peaked. “He has a debit card from his bank, and a credit card he carries for emergencies.”

  “Good, that’s good, we can track that if he’s using it,” Ben said.

  “You don’t think something happened to him, do you?” she asked quickly, leaning forward towards the detectives. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to my son.”

  “It’s far too early to speculate,” Ben said, holding up a hand, “but I can promise that the moment we hear something, I’ll personally let you know. Believe me, the quicker we can find him, the quicker we can bring him home safely.”

  “Okay,” she said, taking a slow breath. “Thank you both for coming by.”

  Stella quickly slipped her card onto the table and reached out to take her hand, patting it soothingly. “Listen, Mrs. Thompson, nine times out of ten, things like this turn out to be nothing. Coincidence, if you will. Just think of what we’re doing as being better safe than sorry.”

  “Yeah, that makes sense,” Diana said, suddenly sounding calm and relaxed. “Thank you.”

  “You’ll call if you hear from him?” Ben asked, putting his card with Stella’s.

  “Absolutely,” Diana said with a smile. “Thank you both for coming by,” she repeated in that same, soothed, quiet tone.

  Ben frowned, finding that bizarre, but nevertheless let her walk them to the door. He gave her a little wave as they walked down the path, and when the door shut, he shuddered. “That was creepy.”

  “Just a bit,” Stella said. “And also helpful.”

  “How so?” Ben asked as they got into his car.

  “Because if I didn’t before, I’m almost positive her creepy loner son is involved, if not completely behind our John Doe going missing.”

  Thirty-Four

  To say being back at work was difficult for Mark was an understatement. To don the contacts, the white cane, and the heavy accent without having yet made any real progress was tough. Knowing Yehuda was out there, probably close enough to reach out and touch, was the only thing on his mind, and having to step back and allow Ben to do the leg work was something Mark wasn’t entirely comfortable with.

  Mark briefly considered just abandoning his post, renting a small apartment nearby and laying low until he heard from Ben, however Ben and the other detective had gone out of their way to ensure Mark’s job remained intact. They provided the school with documentation proving he was aiding in a police investigation, and though they were none too happy with Mark and Abby taking off the way they had, they were welcomed back to their classes.

  He was impossibly stressed, however, in his many centuries of walking the Earth, he had never been so alone; unable to reach out and feel his companion’s presence. Mark hadn’t encountered a single being able to perform such a feat, and he had no way of knowing how to combat it.

  The other problem Mark was facing was Abby. She’d slept most of the ride home and didn’t quite seem herself. She hadn’t gone through a personality shift the way Greg had warned him to look for, so Mark figured it had to be something psychological. Likely it was stress, he reasoned as he dropped her off at her apartment. He watched her stumble in, half-awake, face pale and fingers on the door handle trembling.

  He advised her to call in sick the next day, but Abby refused, saying she’d get a good night’s sleep and feel better in the morning. Mark wasn’t so sure, but seeing as he was back to his old routine and disguise, he didn’t have a lot of time to catch up with her.

  The next day, Mark grudgingly forced himself through every one of his morning classes. By the time lunch rolled around, he was happy to lock himself away in his office, setting up his do not disturb sign i
n the window and drawing back the shades.

  He sat there, staring through the milky white film of the contacts, feeling the rough wood of his old desk under his fingers, listening to the soft clock ticking away in the corner. He wondered briefly how long it would be before he had a moment of real peace.

  A knock interrupted his musings, and he groaned. Reaching out, he felt for the knob and twisted it, allowing the door to open just a crack. “Forgive, but I’m very busy…”

  “It’s me,” came Abby’s voice, sounding strained and rushed. She pushed the door against his arm, stepped in, and shut it. He heard the lock click and then heard her slide into the chair nearest to his desk. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I just needed a break. All those children just yammering away, like they’re the only beings in existence and I’m here solely to serve them.”

  Mark gave a little laugh and ran his fingers back through his hair. “I know what you mean. It’s difficult to come back to the job knowing what we know.”

  “What do we know really, though?” Abby asked.

  Mark felt her warm fingers close over his wrist, a desperate attempt for comfort. “Still not much, unless your brother has called you with new information?”

  “My phone hasn’t made a peep,” she said, pulling her chair even closer to his. “Yours?”

  “Just a very brief conversation this morning. He said he may have a lock on some guy named Shawn… I don’t remember the last name. They had spoken to his mother earlier and now they’re trying to track him down.”

  “Hmm, well good luck with that one,” Abby muttered.

  Mark frowned, turning his gaze towards the sound of her voice. “What do you mean?”

  “I just mean, with every dead end we’ve met, it’s hard to have faith,” she said in a hurried tone.

  Mark sat back, pulling his hand away from her. Something was off about her, but he wasn’t sure what, and he didn’t quite like it. “Look, Abby, maybe we should wait for your brother to call before we go on speculating anything.”

  “Sure yeah,” she said and Mark heard her chair scoot even closer. “I don’t mean to be so negative, I’m just so stressed out. I haven’t slept in days, and these kids are just… I don’t know how people deal with having these little creatures living in their homes all the time. They just never stop needing things. And then dealing with this will-we-won’t-we find this supposed suspect. It’s just a lot.”

  “Yes, it is,” Mark said slowly, pushing his chair back slightly. He moved to stand up, but Abby’s hands were suddenly on his arms, holding him in place with surprising strength. He tried to pull away but he found his arms pinned.

  “I’m just really stressed, and really lonely,” Abby breathed, her mouth close to his ear. “Can you just hold me? Just for a minute?”

  Part of Mark wanted to tell her no. She was acting oddly, but part of him suddenly understood where she was coming from. He’d been running for so long, and just when he thought he could stop and catch his breath, something else happened and he was on the go. He was lonely, he was stressed, and the warmth of her arms was so inviting.

  Very slowly, Mark slid his hands up her sides wrapping around her back. The front of her body pressed against his, slightly awkward from the position of the chairs, but her head fell on his shoulder, her mouth close to his neck, and he could feel the heat radiating off of her.

  “Thank you,” she breathed.

  Mark gave a nod as he held her closely, feeling her knees shifting between his gently, but persistently. Her hand began to draw a lazy circle on his side, her head shifting so her mouth was touching the skin on his neck.

  “I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve been held. I imagine it’s been a long time for you, too,” she whispered.

  He shivered at the feel of her mouth moving against his neck, and he cleared his throat. “Quite some time, yes.” He swallowed again as she shifted from her chair onto his lap, keeping her face firmly in the crook of his neck.

  He felt her lips shift, pressing a gentle, but firm kiss to his skin. “And how long since you’ve been intimate with someone?”

  Mark shifted, trying to pull away from her, but he didn’t try very hard. “Look Abby, this isn’t a good idea,” he said.

  “Nothing we’ve done the last several days has been a good idea,” she said, her voice going from husky and low to demanding and firm. “Everything we’ve done has either been a mistake or illegal. Why not do something else that might be stupid, but might be so good?”

  Mark opened his mouth to argue with her, but he found that his lips were suddenly occupied by hers. She kissed him, fierce and demanding, her hands twisting into his shirt, her legs shifting so she was straddling him in the chair.

  Any thought of protest at that moment was gone as she moved against him, making his entire body feel like it was about to catch fire. One hand ran into his hair, her fingers moving gently, giving it the barest tug. He groaned and didn’t protest as she quickly reached between them to undo his belt, buttons and zipper.

  It had been a long time for Mark, a very long time, and as she moved her skirt aside and took him, any thought of protest or bad ideas had flown out the window and he gave in. It was over before Mark really realized it, and when he came to his senses, her head was on his shoulder, both of them gasping for air.

  He immediately felt guilty, but there was more to it. As Abby shifted off of him and he adjusted himself back into his trousers, he saw something through his blurry contacts. It was a light, like a flame, sparking up in the room for only a second before going out.

  “Oh God,” Mark gasped, pressing his hand to his mouth.

  Abby, who was standing by the edge of the desk, let out a small peal of laughter. “Look, my little immortal meat-puppet, there’s no need to feel guilty. I can tell you with absolute certainty that this little girl wanted it more than I did. I actually kind of feel bad for taking that from her. She’s been dreaming about your cock since the day she met you.”

  Mark felt a violent wave of nausea. He grasped at his eyes, pinching the contacts and throwing them onto the desk. He blinked against the sudden, fuzzy world flaring to life before him, and stared as the figure of Abby swam into focus.

  She was there, looking ragged and tired, her hair a mess, her skirt still crooked and the hem torn slightly from an exposed bolt on the side of the chair. She was smiling though, and her eyes were bright. “In my defense,” she said, throwing up her hands, “I kind of thought you’d figured it out.”

  “Who are you?” Mark asked, fighting down the wave of bile rising in his throat.

  “Ah, I’ve seen enough spy movies to know you don’t give away your secret identity or your plans, even if you think you’ve won,” she said with a wink. “I’m going to bring Abby back now, but thanks for the ride. It was exactly what I needed to get me through the next couple of days. See you soon, Tiger,” and with that, Abby winked, and then collapsed on the floor.

  Mark dove to catch her before her head hit the side of the desk, and a moment later, Abby’s eyes flickered open. “Mark?” she asked, her voice groggy. “Where am I?”

  “In my office,” Mark said and tried to ignore the violent rush of guilt flooding through him as he helped her sit up. He stared at her as she rubbed her eyes, trying to get her bearings, and he shook his head. “Abby, my love, I’m afraid we have a problem.”

  ~*~

  As desperate as he was to make the phone call, before Mark could dial anyone, he got Abby settled down on the sofa with a boiling hot cup of chamomile tea. She was trembling slightly, her face a bit grey in color, and her eyes were half-lidded and watery.

  Mark sat down next to her, staring at her intently, eyes searching her face and body language for any hint of change. She shifted uncomfortably under his stare and she set her tea cup down. “What?” she asked after a few moments under his intense gaze.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Groggy,” she said with a shrug.
“Pretty out of it, like I took a bunch of cold medicine or something. Also, I’m pretty freaked out. One minute I’m drinking tea at my desk before my classes started, and the next minute I’m lying on your office floor.” She gave a little shudder and looked up into his eyes, though her gaze was very apprehensive. “Mark, I’m also… you know… sore.”

  Mark gulped and felt heat flare into his cheeks. “Look, Abby, I didn’t realize…” he trailed off, his guilt taking over for the moment. Clearing his throat, he pushed himself away from her almost absently and clasped his hands between his knees. “I’m sorry.”

  “I wasn’t unconscious when we uh, you know… was I?” she asked in a very small voice.

  “No!” Mark said loudly, making her jump. “I’m sorry. No, you were perfectly awake and rather coherent. The most coherent I’ve seen you in a few days. I had no idea you were under the influence.”

  Abby frowned, licking her dry lips and she stared down at her hands. “Influence. Do you mean drugs? Or are we talking about all that other stuff, that Greg stuff?”

  Mark felt his stomach fall. He wanted to do anything but answer that question. “I’m not entirely sure, Abby, but if you want the truth, and the truth is awful… then yeah, I think it was a Greg thing. I think one of them, whoever they are, had your body.”

  “Oh God,” Abby said, dropping herself forward, her forehead nearly touching her bent knees. “Oh God.”

  “Abby, I’m sorry! I swear I didn’t know!”

  Abby’s head snapped up, and though Mark expected her to look angry, hateful, even disgusted, she just looked scared. “I’m not mad about that, okay! They’re screwing with all of us, not just you and not just me.” Abby trailed off and rubbed her face with one hand. “I’m scared. I want to call my brother.”

  Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Just remember, if you tell your brother that you were possessed by a Greek god who tricked me into sleeping with you, he’s not going to believe you, and he’s probably going to come home and try to kill me. It won’t end well.”