“Possibly,” Asclepius said.
“Besides, whatever they’re doing, they’re likely not going to trouble themselves with menial jobs such as gate guarding,” Mark said. “If there are really only a handful of them, they’re probably going to be too busy to play police guard.”
“He’s got a point,” Ben said in a quiet voice. “Basic criminal psychology, the leaders would be too arrogant to take on such menial tasks themselves. A basic disguise, a little show of power from you,” he said, nodding at the cigar smoking god, “and we could possibly waltz right in.”
Mark looked down at his wristwatch and then back up at Ben. “Your sister left only about an hour and a half ago, so she doesn’t have much of a head start.”
“We could more than likely beat her there,” Ben said, “if I can get us a flight booked.”
“Hold your horses there, Benny,” Asclepius said. “What do you plan to do if you beat her there?”
“Locate Yehuda, for one,” Mark cut in.
“If we can get her the hell out before she has a chance to get in…” Ben started, but Asclepius interrupted him.
“And how, exactly, are you going to do that? She crushed Greg’s wrist without batting an eye. I’m certain whatever’s inside of her will have no trouble taking you out, with something a little more lethal than a couple of snapped bones.”
Ben sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “So what do you suggest?”
“Let her get there first,” he replied with a shrug, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Let her get settled, comfortable, and then we go in. We get a few supplies from the hospital since she took all of ours, and with a little shot of feel-good juice, we can pop the god out of her and make a run for it.”
“He’s making sense,” Mark said.
“None of this is making sense,” Ben corrected, “but I see the basic idea. While I don’t want to sit on my ass and let my sister get comfortable with a bunch of nut jobs in a compound, that might actually be our only logical shot.”
“So we drive?” Asclepius asked. “You boys have no idea how much I love a good road trip.”
Ben groaned. “I suppose we don’t have another choice. If we drive behind her, it’ll give her just enough time to feel comfortable that she’s beat us, and then we can get in.”
“I’ll see what supplies we have here,” Mark said, standing up. “Ben, you take our friend here to the hospital for medication refills, and pick up whatever else we need at the market. If we set out on the road in two hours, that’ll give her enough time to think we’re not coming. She’ll expect us right away, and if enough time passes, she’ll get distracted and drop her guard.”
“And if she doesn’t?” Ben challenged.
“Isn’t it worth that risk?” Mark replied.
This was Abby, the only person in Ben’s life that he truly cared about, and he wasn’t going to sit back and let whatever was happening to her destroy her. Ben didn’t care if it was a god, or if it was some sort of slip into psychosis, or if some insane cult leader was filling her head with crap. None of it mattered, and it was all worth the risk.
Forty-One
A half hour later found Ben sitting in his car, which now reeked of cigar smoke, waiting on Asclepius to obtain more of the drug that he claimed would free Abby of whatever this affliction was. He had a feeling Asclepius wasn’t going to make this a quick in and out trip, so Ben opened the door and pulled out his phone.
He hesitated, his finger hovering over Stella’s number on the screen, wanting to call her, but not sure what he was going to say. He wanted to tell her, tell someone, what he was up to, what he was about to do. He was risking his job and his freedom with this plan, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to head out without someone knowing about it first.
She answered on the first ring. “Mmm, I was hoping I’d be hearing from you soon.”
Her voice washed over him, warm and comforting. Something about her was warmly soothing, and Ben found himself aching to just turn the car on and drive south until he was with her again. “Hey,” was what he ended up saying in response.
Stella let out a little laugh. “How are you?”
“Truthfully, not very well,” he replied. “My petition for the warrant to check out the cult was denied, and well…” he hesitated before the next part, “well… my sister sort of took it upon herself to go join this cult, or whatever, and now I kind of have to go against the judge’s orders and go after her.”
“You need to do what you need to do,” she said, which surprised Ben. He had expected at least a little warning or discouragement. Stella’s record was spotless, from what Ben had seen, and she’d been known for being very strict when it came to following orders and procedure.
Ben wasn’t exactly sure what to say now. He had planned out his argument for her resistance to his plan, but she was so accepting it threw him off. “I was expecting an argument from you, Horvath.”
“Why?” she asked, genuine curiosity coloring her tone.
“Probably because I’m about to break the damn law,” Ben said, a little more snappy than he intended. He let out a sigh and added, “I’m just going against what’s natural to me.”
“Really,” Stella said, “because your record speaks differently. I’ve looked you up, Stanford, and you sort of make a habit out of defying orders. In fact, your chief made notes on your record when you got promoted talking about your risk level and how you don’t like to listen to authority.”
Ben rubbed his face. “This is a little different. This isn’t a typical defy orders and capture the bad guy type of situation.”
“Isn’t it, though? Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing, and getting your sister out of some ridiculous decision in the process?”
“Look, there are a lot of facts I haven’t shared with you because frankly, I don’t even consider them facts. But either way, I’ve seen some shit lately that honestly scares the crap out of me. Half of this stuff is beyond my capacity for understanding and belief, but I’ve also seen how dangerous some of these people can be and I can’t let my sister just throw herself at these nut-jobs.”
“I’m not going to pretend to understand,” Stella said, “I think what you’re doing is the thing I’d do, if I had a sister I cared about. If you’re worried I’m going to tattle-tale, you can rest assured I’m not.” She let out a short peal of laughter and a little sigh. “I’m guessing, though, that you’re not worried about me going to mommy about your bad behavior, though, since you probably wouldn’t have called if you didn’t trust me.”
“I think I just needed to hear whether or not I was making the right decision from someone with some sort of rational mind,” Ben confessed.
“I’m guessing Mark and the good doctor are going along on the trip?”
Ben groaned and sat back against the seat. “Yes, they are. I’m not exactly thrilled.”
“Just be safe, okay,” she said, sounding suddenly serious and concerned. “Cults can be dangerous, and cults with any sort of money, influence or power are even more so. You owe me a date, and dessert, so you get back in one piece.”
Ben felt his face heat up at the memory of their last conversation. Clearing his throat, he said, “Right, yes. I’ll do the best I can, I promise.”
“That’s all I can ask,” she said. “I have to go, I’m due in a meeting to get screamed at by my chief, so I’d better get a quick coffee in before that. Call me if you need anything, okay?”
“I will. Thanks Stella. Seriously.”
“Talk soon,” she said and with that, she hung up.
Ben realized her distinct choice not to say ‘goodbye’ and he appreciated it. She was a cop, she understood the inherent danger of these situations better than anyone, and had a better concept of human mortality than most people. As detectives they were mostly desk workers, but they had both spent their fair share of time in the field, on the beat, and it was likely she’d had a gun in her face just as
many times as Ben had.
Shoving his phone back into his pocket, Ben got back into the car and waited. Another half hour went by, and as he found himself humming with regret at agreeing to take this joke to the hospital for a quick errand, he finally saw Asclepius strolling out the front door.
He had a small bag on his shoulder, and a splint on his wrist which Ben thought was a clever idea. Asclepius’s face was also bright red, however, and his hair was a complete mess. The dark spot on his neck was a dead giveaway, Ben noticed, as the man slid into the passenger seat.
“Thanks for waiting,” he said with a wink.
“You were supposed to get medicine, not have a quickie in the medicine supply closet,” Ben snapped.
“Oh can you blame a guy, really?” Asclepius said, his grin going wider. “A friendly nurse offered to splint up my arm and one thing led to another.”
Ben checked his watch before he turned the key and slammed on the gas. “An hour and fifteen minutes later, and yes, I can blame you. We’re on a schedule.”
“Look, I got what we need, and you agreed that giving baby sis some time to get settled in godsville was a good idea.”
“A little bit of time, not an entire day ahead of us,” Ben hissed as he turned the corner, the tires squealing on the pavement. He didn’t speak another word to Asclepius, who sat humming quietly to himself, until they reached the supermarket.
“Come on, I’m not leaving you alone anywhere,” Ben snapped.
Asclepius rolled his eyes but got out of the car. “Yes dad, sorry dad. Please don’t take away my Xbox.”
“Shut up,” Ben snapped. They walked into the supermarket, assaulted by a rush of the heater which was blowing heavy by the automatic doors. It was bright, and crowded which didn’t help Ben’s feeling of chaos. He took a deep breath and tried to organize his thoughts. They needed enough food to get them through the thirteen hour drive without stopping, and some basic medical supplies in case anything went wrong.
The trip only took a few minutes, and even with Asclepius distracted at every turn, they were in and out in twenty minutes. Ben said relatively nothing on the drive back to Abby’s place, and they found Mark packed and ready to go.
“I got what I could,” Mark said, tapping one of Abby’s old overnight bags. “She didn’t have much, but I suspect we won’t need a lot. I had expected you two a little sooner.”
Ben rolled his eyes as Asclepius fetched himself another glass of scotch and lit up another cigar. “Well our little friend here decided a detour into a supply closet with a nurse was top priority.”
“Believe me, if you’d seen her, you would have done the exact same,” he said, puffing on the cigar. “It was beautiful.”
Mark let out a sigh. “We should get going. We need to get on the road, and we need to focus on our plan. Obviously it might be a little trickier than just strolling in the front gates.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Asclepius said as he stood up and bounded towards the front door. “We won’t know until we get there.” He clapped his hands together loudly and rubbed them. “Come on boys, I love a good road trip!”
~*~
Two hours into the trip, an email from Stella popped up on Ben’s phone. It was new information on the cult location, the entrance and the link to the website the cult had put up. While Mark drove and Asclepius complained in the back seat about not being able to stop at every rest stop, restaurant, and tourist attraction they passed, Ben perused the website.
It was laid out simply, not a lot of graphics or photographs, and some basic information about the founder. The founder was listed simply as Gahan, described as a young man who discovered his gift of healing working in the medical industry. He claimed to have had a revelation about his ability to heal and wanted to share his gifts with the true believers of the word and the Lord.
Besides the short biography, there was a membership form available for a nominal fee, an email account for any questions, and an FAQ set up with simple questions like, ‘Are we a cult,’ and ‘How do I tell my parents I want to join The Way and The Light?’ with simple answers written below.
“This sounds like him,” Ben said to Mark after reading out the short biography. “Obviously the name is different, but a sudden revelation while working in the medical industry sounds like our guy.”
“I have no doubt that this is him,” Mark said, his voice tired and strained. “The more important question is how many of the gods are with him, is he possessed by one of them, and if so, how strong is he.”
“He’s not,” came Asclepius from the back seat. He leaned forward, drooping one arm over between Ben and Mark. “I remember that kid, and believe me, he’s not a capable vessel. He was just this little nerd, nothing special.”
“How do you have any idea who we’re talking about?” Ben asked.
“You’re talking about that little Shawn kid, right?” Asclepius said. “He was the one who got all obsessive about Judas’s room. Any time any of the other orderlies were assigned to his room, he’d take over. I guess I could have mentioned that to Greg, but it never crossed my mind.”
Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. “Well yes, that information might have been helpful earlier, but I guess it doesn’t matter now. Okay, so he’s not a vessel,” Ben said, sneering the word, “but he’s probably surrounded by guards, and we need to remember we’re also there for your friend.” Ben flat out refused to use the name Yehuda or Judas, and found ‘your friend’ a little more fitting for his own comfort level.
“Right,” Mark said, letting out a long breath. “Yes, and we can assume that Yehuda is well guarded, so getting to him isn’t going to be easy. While they might not send gods to guard the front gates, I’m definitely going to assume that they’ll have one or two guarding Yehuda.”
“Simple,” Asclepius said. He rummaged in the little bag he’d brought and pulled out a couple of capped syringes. “Just give them jabs of the miracle drug and it’ll pop them right out of the bodies. Believe me, Greg and I tested it repeatedly and it works well. It’s feels like a strong suction just ripping me out of the body and no matter how much force I used to stay inside, I wasn’t able to. Rather unpleasant honestly.”
“Fine, good,” Ben said, waving his hand for Asclepius to put the needles away, “so we have our plan there. We do need to consider the fact that some of the people there will be armed.”
“Not a problem for you, eh padre?” Asclepius said with a chuckle, giving Mark’s shoulder a pat.
“That’s beside the fact,” Mark said a little more snappish than normal. “I’d rather you two not get killed in this process, especially since we’re trying to get Abby out of there as well.”
“We just need to move quickly, and don’t be afraid to run if things get ugly,” Ben said. “You’ll be of no use to anyone dead.” He directed that statement at Asclepius who had fallen back against the seat, his eyes closed, whistling very softly.
“Right yes, no use to anyone dead,” he repeated in a rush. “Can we stop somewhere? I’m starved.”
Forty-two
By midnight, both Mark and Asclepius were demanding they call it a night. Mark, who had been driving, pulled over into a roadside motel parking lot. “Enough is enough,” he told Ben, who was protesting loudly. “If we get there at three o’clock in the morning, we’re going to look even more suspicious as we’re trying to waltz in.”
“I agree with Mr. Immortality,” Asclepius said. “This body’s beat, and I’m pretty drained myself trying to heal up this wrist. If we get there now, believe me, the little powers I do have aren’t going to be any more helpful than moving a stick of gum across a table.”
Ben shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “No. If anything happens to my sister while we’re snoozing away in some fleabag motel…”
“You realize she’s not in danger, right?” Mark pointed out. “She’s currently occupied by some god who has quite enough drugs to keep her that way for a long while. It’s not l
ike they brought her over there to crucify her.”
“You don’t know that,” Ben snapped.
“But I do,” Asclepius said and yawned loudly. “I know that gods don’t waste vessels like your sister ever, and even the weaker ones they try and be careful with if they can. I realize they haven’t given the best impression with all those dead guys lying around, but believe me, she’s not expendable to them.”
Ben hesitated. “I’m not comfortable with this.”
“Who cares what you’re comfortable with,” Asclepius snapped. “It’s two against one.”
“Since when did this trip become a democracy?” Ben snapped.
“Since now,” Mark chimed in, holding the keys in his hands. “I’m going to go pay for a room, you two wait here.”
Ignoring Ben’s shout of protest, Mark got out of the car and walked to the little window with a sign that read 24 Hour Service, Ring Bell. Ben sullenly watched Mark ring the bell, lean into the window and eventually exchange a handful of cash for a small hotel key.
He waved his arm for Ben and Asclepius to get out of the car, which they both did after a moment, and with a growl, Ben followed Mark up the rickety wooden stairs to a room at the very end of the walk way.
Mark opened the door, and Ben’s nose was assaulted by the stale smell of old cigarettes and mildew. The room was musty and cold, lit by a dim yellow lamp on a desk against the far wall. There were two beds, a dresser where a TV dating back to 1970 sat, and an old rotary phone on a scrubbed wooden desk by the bathroom door.
Ben sat down on one of the hard beds and shrugged off his coat. Asclepius, meanwhile, fiddled with the small air unit under the window, and a few moments later, molten hot air was blasting out of the vent, smelling a little like burning cotton.
“Better?” the god asked with a grin.
“I’m going to set my cell phone alarm for six AM. If we get some coffee and breakfast, we can be back on the road by seven thirty, and from here, it’s only…” Mark paused, swiping his finger across his cell phone screen, “four hours until we reach the compound. That should give us plenty of daylight, plus let whoever’s inside Abby to get settled into her role.”
The Awakening (The Judas Curse Book 1) Page 32