by Roy Bright
Gary walks forwards. He is desperate for answers and does not want to leave Charlotte.
Abi doesn’t move.
Judas points at her. “Listen, lady, I ain’t got time for this. You get into this car now or I’ll fucking put you in by force.”
Gary looks at her, “We should trust one another for the moment. This is some of the freakiest shit I have ever encountered so, let’s just try to help one another understand it for now yeah? So please, get into the car.”
“I’m not getting into that car” she says, shaking her head.
Judas steps forward and she steps back. “I am not getting into that fucking car… not without an explanation!”
He stares at her, then blurts, “Look. The voice inside that little girl’s head told her that you have to come with us, so that is what you will have to do. That voice is most likely that of an angel, those creatures were demons from hell, she is carrying the light of God within herself and I’m the guy who murdered Jesus Christ by betraying him to the Romans. Explanation rendered, what the fuck is your problem? Get in the fucking car!”
Gary and Abi both stand in silence, shocked, mouths agape, staring at him.
Shaking her head, she walks forward and looks into the rear of the car. “Are you joking?” She says, pointing at the back seats, “It’s a little… compact isn’t it?”
He brushes past her, “Yeah well, I didn’t think I would have a nagging wife and kids when I acquired it, so quit your bellyaching woman and get in.”
She climbs in behind the passenger seat and it is as uncomfortable as she imagined it would be. She curses.
Charlotte jumps into the seat next to her.
Gary climbs into the passenger seat and closes the door. He adjusts the seat forward as much as he can to give Abi more room and she thanks him.
Judas climbs into the driver’s seat and slams his door shut. He inserts the keys into the ignition and fires the car into life. One big happy family he mutters to himself.
Gary looks at him.
He doesn’t look back, he just puts the car into reverse, clears enough room to drive forward and then moves it into first gear.
“I’m Abi, by the way.” The woman announces from the back of the car.
Judas frowns into his rear-view mirror.
Gary holds out a hand to him. “I’m Detective Gary Cross.”
He looks at him then turns his attention back to the road ahead. “Yeah, like I give a shit,” he grunts, unimpressed.
The car sets off and joins highway 27.
“Yay!” announces Charlotte. “We are on our way!”
Judas shakes his head. “This is gonna be a long ass fucking day!” He turns the car stereo up and heavy metal music blasts out once again.
Seventeen
No one in the car has spoken for over fifty minutes.
Gary had been studying the driver with intent, trying to get a handle on his body language. He had, in the first moments, tried without success to engage him in conversation and determine what was going on, only to be greeted with a ‘don’t ask’ stare, so he decided not to and continue looking out of the window, for the time being at least. He takes no interest in the surrounding area as the car hurtles down the highway. Instead, his mind works overtime, trying to understand the insane situation in which he has found himself caught up in. Surely, this cannot be the Judas Iscariot from the Bible. There has to be some other explanation. No, he can’t be. If that man were Judas Iscariot, then that would mean God exists, and I know that he doesn’t exist, he can’t exist, but those creatures, what the hell were they? But if it were true and God does exist, then why did this God let my boy die? Why did he let my Jacob die?
He shakes and rubs his head as he tries to make sense of it all, the internal monologue serving up more questions than answers. He decides to leave it, to wait for an explanation from this man who claims to be Judas Iscariot, to see what he has to say. He takes note of a road sign indicating that Bohemia State Park is only seven miles away and once again attempts to draw him into conversation. He looks to his left and has to shout to be heard over the music. “You know; we are headed back towards West Babylon?”
No answer.
He tries again, raising his voice further, “This isn’t a smart move. We have the make and model of your car; cops are combing the state for it.”
Judas sniffs at him.
“Plus, there is now a missing detective that went to investigate your vehicle. Once they see the carnage back at the motel they are gonna put two and two together and—” He reaches over to the car stereo, irritated, “Can we turn this down a little, please? It’s most annoying when I am trying to talk to you.”
Judas offers him a stern look.
“Look, Judas, is it? I just need to talk to you and the music is very distracting.”
Judas turns his attention back to the road.
“As I was saying, they will see the damage at the motel and call it in that you have either killed or kidnapped me.”
He looks at him again. This cop is getting on his nerves. He had been picking away at him the very minute they got underway until he shot him a ‘shut the fuck up’ stare but now he was trying to get him to open up again. The guy is scared, that much is sure, hell, he has a right to be, but he would be more scared if he knew what was gonna come after them next. Things will get worse that’s for sure. But, for all his annoyance, his irritating questions, he was starting to make some damn sense.
Gary continues to chip away at him. “Travelling in daylight is a bad idea, Judas.”
Abi has now begun to take an interest in the conversation. She leans forward as best she can in the cramped back seat of the car. She moans and sighs having reached the very pinnacle of discomfort. “And you know what, dude, us girls are gonna have to pee soon.”
He looks into the rear-view mirror and shakes his head. “Jesus H Christ! It’s a two-hour drive; we ain’t going on no fucking four-day expedition!”
Gary raises a hand and nods towards Charlotte, “Hey, man, kill the language a little will ya. The kid, y’know. You swear an awful lot.”
Judas scowls at him. “Okay, you have a point about the other cops, I’ll give you that. Travelling at night would also be a good idea. You want an explanation, so stopping the car and hiding out for a while would be another good idea. Heading back through an area where we are wanted in connection with a murder, well that’s a bad idea yes, but don’t you fucking dare tell me to watch my language, cop. You don’t know a damn thing about me and you sure as hell don’t have the first fucking clue as to what is going on or what will happen next. Okay?”
He remains calm. He wants the situation brought under control and he needs to keep this superhuman sitting next to him calm also.
Judas glances at him then turns his attention back to the road.
Gary looks at him again. “You’re right, Judas; I don’t know anything about you, but I’m trying here. If, however, you want my help and that little girl in the back seems to think you will need it, then let’s lay low until tonight and then you can put us all in the picture as to what is going on, how we managed to be in this mess together and more importantly, what the hell we are gonna do about it, yeah?”
He shakes his head. He has known the cop for about an hour and he hates him already. He hates it when people mess with his plans and even more so, hates it when they are right. “Fine! Let’s do it your way. But let’s have a little more me time, whilst I find a spot… understood?”
Gary nods.
He turns the stereo back up. The angry band blasts out once again and he smiles, turning the volume up even higher.
Gary turns around and looks at Abi, visually apologizing. She shakes her head at him and rolls her eyes, finding Judas’ response ridiculous.
He nods in agreement.
Charlotte continues to look out of the window, smiling and nodding along to the music.
Gary smiles, amused by her lack of care for the squabbling
adults and her apparent enjoyment at the journey they are now embarked upon and then turns to face the road again.
Judas had also noticed the sign for Bohemia State Park at the same time Gary did a few minutes earlier and he figures that if they could drop out of sight for a while, that would be as good a place as any to get stuff done. He follows the signs for their chosen temporary hideout and calms down minute by minute, as concrete highways and roaring vehicles give way to splendiferous greenery and an empty dusty road. Large White and Scarlet Oak trees perform parasol duties over the park and Maples join in the parade as a multitude of beautiful scenery passes by.
Charlotte stares out of the window, gorging herself on the magnificence as the ground around the trees radiates golden brown and many shades of red; the fallen leaves forming a silken carpet of vibrant color. It makes her smile.
Judas explores for a time, searching out the perfect spot to lay low and deliver a long-awaited explanation. He can sense the cop is chomping at the bit, eager to hear all of the details, to get involved. There is no doubt that this cop is a meddler and a pretty good one at that.
He notices a small clearing about one hundred yards up to his right, just big enough to pass the car through and drives up and into the gap, between a series of large bushes that stretch back to a small, concealed clearing.
Parking up, he gets out and proceeds to erect makeshift camouflage by breaking off several branches of nearby greenery and covering up the gap and the roof of the car. The rest of the occupants get out and stretch their legs, Abi being the most grateful as she struggles to remove her slender body from the back seat.
Charlotte tugs at Judas. “Hey, I need to pee.”
He nods, sending her off into the bushes just ahead of the front of the car.
“Shouldn’t someone go with her?” Gary enquires.
“Sure, if watching little girls piss gets you off then, be my guest, Mr. Detective.”
He scowls, then turns to Abi raising his eyebrows.
She stares at him for a second then reacts, “Oh, right, yeah, gotchya, I’ll go check on her and grab a quickie myself.” She smiles.
Judas shakes his head, then moves to the trunk of the car and opens it. “Detective Cross, do you have a minute?”
“Sure,” he says, walking to the back of the vehicle, joining him. He looks into the trunk as Judas unzips a large bag containing a cache of firearms.
“Now, Detective, I know we have only just met and a high level of trust has yet to be installed between us,” he glances at him, “but I am going to make the first move to set that trust into motion by allowing you to arm yourself.”
Gary smiles, albeit subdued. Finally, a breakthrough.
“I am sure, Detective Cross, that there can be no doubt that I have Charlotte’s best interests at heart.”
He acknowledges by nodding.
“So why don’t we both work together for the next few hours to keep her safe whilst I explain everything that is going on? This is a rare side to me Detective, so I strongly suggest you take full advantage of it.”
He nods once again, “Deal,” he says, holding out his hand to Judas.
Judas looks at it for a second and then shakes it. “Take your pick Detective, anything you want, all of them if so desired.”
He looks at him, puzzled. “You’re not taking a gun?”
“No, Detective, I am not. I’m done shooting these fuckers. I’ll just be using these from now on since they take off their heads pretty well.” He looks at Gary and smiles, displaying the swords to him with immense pride.
He smirks back and picks through the duffle bag. He takes out one of the laser-sighted Springfields, smiles and holds the firearm up to his face, admiring it. He then extends his arm and sights down the weapon, training it left and right, picking out invisible targets. He lowers the handgun, grabs a trio of filled magazines and slips them into his inside jacket pockets, two in the left-hand side and one in the right. He then pulls the top slide back on the handgun, ensuring there is a chambered round inside, there is. He eases the slide forward and puts the weapon into his empty holster on his belt. He grabs the second Springfield, checks the chamber and tucks that firearm into the back of his pants. He steps back from the trunk and Judas looks at him. “That’s all you’re taking?”
“For now, yeah, can’t see me living a life of comfort in the front of your car with an automatic rifle between my legs. Inconspicuous would not be the order of the day.” He smiles.
Judas laughs. Nodding he remarks, “Fair enough.” He then takes out the sword harness from the trunk and slips it onto his torso.
Gary admires it. It appears to be a homemade contraption with two sheaths stitched onto nylon webbing to house the katanas, the ends of which, modified with two spring-loaded clips that hold the swords in place. The two swords cross at the back, the handles sitting just over the wearer’s kidneys. He could see that swift removal of the swords from their sheaths would not be an issue for a skilled user and he had no doubts whatsoever that Judas was just that. It was quite an ingenious piece of kit.
He slips the swords into their sheaths and they click as they lock into place. He turns to Gary and nods just as the girls return from their bathroom visit. Addressing the group, he takes charge. “Okay, listen up. We need to light a small fire and keep warm. It might be a nice day right now, but it will get much colder later on. As soon as it gets dark, we will head out. There is some food stashed in the trunk that I picked up last night, so we will dish that out a little later and get everyone energized. I want everyone to gather an armful of firewood, Charlotte, you get the kindling please.”
“The what?” she asks.
“Kindling honey… the small stuff.” He winks at her. “Please do not get anything that is damp. Dry materials only! I do not want to draw any more attention to ourselves than is absolutely necessary, so the drier the wood the better to create as little the amount of smoke as we possibly can plus, it’ll give off more heat. Once this is done and we are set, we will have ourselves a little sit-down and I’ll tell you all a campfire story, okay?” He looks at them group and they acknowledge.
Charlotte skips away.
He stops her. “Charlotte, you’re with me.” He beckons her over to his side.
She smiles and runs back to him, Mr. Tumble swinging from her right hand.
“From now on, kid, you don’t leave my sight, you got it?” She offers an exaggerated nod.
Gary leans into his ear and whispers, “What? Even when she needs to pee?”
He shifts his eyes to Gary without moving his head and whispers, “Well, no! That’s what the fucking chick’s here for, yeah?”
They both smile.
Eighteen
“No, we haven’t found him yet. All we know, Captain, is that he got into a car with what would appear to be our main suspect, the abducted child and some other girl, most likely a hooker. From the eyewitness reports it would appear he did so freely and under no duress.”
Paul Keenan paces up and down whilst he delivers an on scene report via his cellphone to Captain Banks back at HQ. It is evident that he is agitated, as many of the other officers observe his one-sided conversation.
“Yes, Sir, we have a make on the vehicle and it is reportedly heading west. I have a full state wide APB on the car... We tried his cellphone, Sir, but he has either had it broken or turned it off to avoid giving his status away to the suspect... I feel confident that we will apprehend the suspect soon enough, Captain... yes, Sir... yes, Sir, I will... of course, Captain... I will call you the minute we get anything concrete... okay, Sir... goodbye.”
He closes his phone and slips it into his jacket pocket as he looks around the car park, shaking his head. His phone rings again. He checks the caller ID; it reads ‘Forensics’. He opens the phone, answers it and walks away.
The Atherbright Motel is alive with the vibrant hum of Emergency Services activity. It seems like every cop in the State has descended upon the scene of t
he battle between Judas and the demons. Cops are dotted around everywhere, interviewing witnesses and each one of them, at some point during their questioning, has looked at their interviewee as though they were stark raving mad. One or two officers had shaken their heads, closed their notebooks, thanked the witness and walked away declaring “loony”, or “what a total whack job”. Piecing together the events of the morning is proving to be quite the task for the Suffolk County Police Department.
Pete looks at Martin as he approaches, making clockwise circles with his right index finger around his temple having just finished taking another statement. He chuckles then his face turns a little more serious as Martin reaches him. “So what this one say, Mart?”
“Well, man,” he confers with his notebook, reading the statement verbatim: “Two giant bears attacked the cop and another dude. Both of the bears had a bit of a chat with the two guys, then the other dude, who definitely wasn’t a cop… I can tell these things, you know,” he looks at Pete and rolls his eyes, “… basically took out two swords from his car and chopped off both bears’ heads. Then the bears disappeared,” he looks at Pete once more, “into thin fucking air, man. It was just… nuts! Then the guys, a chick who was probably a hooker and the kid got into a car and left.” He closes his notebook. “I swear to God, Pete, the longer I work around here, the crazier this place gets. Fucking talking bears? Goddam crackhead pricks!”
He shakes his head. “I dunno, Mart, something’s very wrong here.”
“You’re not telling me you’re buying this shit, Pete?” he says, holding his hands out to the side.
“Martin, we have interviewed five witnesses and they have all said the same thing. Now, whether it’s talking bears or large wolves or fucking, man-bear-pigs it doesn’t matter. Everyone here and I mean everyone, saw something weird, and to be honest, this whole thing since yesterday has been nothing but weird. Look at Gary’s car for crying out loud. How the hell does something like that happen? And the claw marks we found in the desk at the orphanage, the way in which the sister died, the neighbor who thought she saw two large animals but realized it was two guys when she got a better look.”