Chapter 20:
Judas
We sat there in silence for awhile. Luckily
when Joe saw me start to cry he backed away. I just focused on my breathing and
tried my best to control my shaking. My arms and legs were shaking so bad that
I could barely control my motions. Did he actually believe he was God? I never
really thought that could be possible that someone who can act normal to a
certain degree, can really believe they are God. I glanced over at Joe and saw
him with eyes closed, looking like he was in deep meditation. I looked for my
metal pole, smiling when I saw it still there where I left it. I took a deep
breath and continued to focus on getting control of myself. I moved slightly
towards the turned over bed and my pole, careful not to make too much noise. As
I inched closer and closer, I felt my adrenaline take over my body making me
want to completely jump out of my skin and run away. I closed my eyes and took
in a huge breath, if I was gonna do this, I had to calm myself down. I only had
one chance. That's it. Just one.
Joe's position shifted slightly and I froze, careful not to even breathe. I
glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and when I felt it was safe to
journey forward I did. The length I had to travel was no more than a few feet
away but it felt like miles. I suddenly felt for all the little ants I had ever
encountered in my life, making their treks through what must have felt like
miles and miles of green fields, really no more than a sneaker's length to you
and me. I used to get a kick out of stepping on the ant as soon as it arrived
at their destination, not anymore. Today I was the ant and Joe was the shoe.
I inched closer and closer, picturing in my head all the things that could
possibly go wrong from this moment on. How if I messed up, this could possibly
be my last day on earth. Was I prepared to die? Not really. I haven't even
thought much about it. Dying never even seemed like an option through this, how
naive I have been, to think that they were just gonna let me go at the end. But
what if they would? Seriously? What if I am just jumping to conclusions and in
a few days, Trish and Joe will just let me walk out, maybe this is all a big
scam pulled by my record company to help market my album. Genius! I have to
congratulate them when I get out of here.
The voice in the back of my head, the same voice which sounded like my mother,
kept adding that stupid word IF after everything I was thinking. IF it was a
scam, IF I get out, IF I escape. IF. I would never use that word again so help
me God..I laughed, Or should I say so help me Joe! I laughed! Before I could
take the sound back, Joe's eyes were open and peering directly at me. I was
only six inches away from my target.
"What is so funny Nikolas?" I didn't like the way he kept calling me
Nikolas. He made it sound so sinister and evil. I quickly moved my arms down to
my sides so he wouldn't be suspicious of me reaching for anything. "Oh
nothing much, just thinking of a funny joke about a bird and an iguana walking
into a bar." Oh please don't ask me to tell it because I made it up! As
luck would have it, he could've cared less. He closed his eyes again and placed
his hands in praying position.
I inched over to now sit directly in front of the pole. I grasped it in my hand
making sure I had a death grip on it. Death grip! How ironic that very
statement may be. Am I ready to die? I thought to myself as I took in a deep
breath and called Joe over...
~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*
Kevin and I sat in the waiting room eager to see Trish, there were so many
questions I wanted to ask her. So many things I wanted to know. I wasn't sure
how I would react when I saw her, especially in light of all of the information
we had discovered about her. She was a cold blooded murderer, not even just a
killer but a serial killer. I was part terrified but mostly angry. I was afraid
that I would attack her when I saw her, attack her or run. Either way. I think
Kevin felt the same way, he never verbalized it but I could tell just by
looking at him, he was having the same thoughts as me.
Before I had a chance to reaffirm my thoughts, in walked Trish, she was wearing
a bright orange jumper, and chains surrounded her waist and her feet. She
shuffled in with the help of a few armed guards, her face devoid of any
emotion. She was not a serial killer, not something to be feared or hated, she
was just Trish. She sat and the guards just took a few steps away. Kevin and I
sat across from her. She didn't look at us at all.
"Trish" I finally got out after a few moments of silence, "We
need to know where Nick is. Please" She continued to stare forward, never
once making eye contact. I kept going, "Trish, is he okay? Is he hurt? We
need to find him and bring him back home to his family. They are worried sick
Trish! We all are." Still no movement. It was as though she wasn't even
hearing me. Until I said, "Please Trish? God would want you to do this for
him" After I said that, she slowly and methodically looked at me and
smirked.
"God?" She asked through a small laugh, "God would want me to
tell you huh?" Her gaze ran down to her feet, "You sound no different
then him you know!"
"Who?" Kevin asked her, "Who does Brian sound like?" She
smiled again still focused on her foot. This was a game to her, I was quickly
becoming nauseous, Nick's life was reduced to a game. "All the talk about
God, I thought I'd be free of it until now, it will never go away" She
made eye contact with me, "It will never go away Brian never!"
She was making no sense to me at all. "What do you mean Trish?" A
tear ran down her cheek. Her eyes once again fixed on her feet. I looked over
to Kevin, he seemed drained. "Where is he Trish? Please, we know you love
him, so HELP him" Kevin pleaded, "They are willing to work out a deal
with you if you just tell us where Nick is Trish, that's all you have to
do" I knew Kevin was wasting his time, I let him go on anyway. "Clemency
in exchange for a location, seems like a good deal considering all you have
done in the past"
She didn't answer him but instead directed her weird statements to me,
"It's bigger than us Brian, it's not as easy as you think" I shook my
head in confusion but she kept going on, "You understand, as a man of
faith, that some things are out of our control, that's how Judas felt don't you
think?" I shrugged.
"Just tell us where he is Trish" She had stopped listening to
anything going on now. Just continued to mutter about Judas, "Judas, was
always one of my favorite Bible character's. I know he is the bad guy but I
never saw it that way. He got the short end of the stick" All Kevin and I
could do was listen. "Brian do you think Judas went to heaven after betraying
Jesus like that?" Again I just shrugged, I had my own ideas about it but I
wasn't about to rile her up. I needed to win this game. "I mean, he should
have because he was just fulfilling a prophecy, like me" We both looked up
at her when she said the last two words, 'like me.'
"What do you mean like you?" I asked her trying to find the Trish I
knew in those dead blank eyes that stared back at me. "I mean Brian, that
I can't tell you what you want to know. I'm sorry" She then looked away.
"No wait a minute, I think you owe us more than that!" I raised my
voice which brought the guards a little bit closer to us. Kevin quickly put an
arm on my shoulder to calm me down. I took a breath and said a little more
calmly, "Trish, this isn't a prophecy, it's a kids life we are talking
about. A kid that we all love dearly" Then just for a second, I saw her.
Trish, the one I knew, I saw the blank eyes briefly fill with emotion.
"Brian, I didn't want to be picked for this, I didn't want to be chosen,
it just happened"
"Chosen, what are you talking about?"
"I'm sorry" She looked at the guards and made a motion that she
wanted to leave. I couldn't let her out of this room without the answers I was
looking for, "Trish how are you like Judas?" She looked at me again,
"I'm not like Judas, if I told you what you wanted to know, then I would
be" I had her!
"But wait a second Trish, then you aren't truly doing what you are meant
to do, if it was meant for all of this to happen then it is meant for us to
find Nicky and punish whoever has him, like Judas betrayed Jesus." I saw a
light of hope shining through Kevin's eyes as we both waited for a reply.
"He's been to the spirit room, it's too late! You're too late" She
whispered almost under her breath. That got Kevin out of his seat and grabbing
for Trish, the guards as well as the FBI who were watching the entire thing
unfold from behind the glass, were all over the room in a matter of seconds.
"What's a spirit room?" I asked her through all of the ruckus ensuing
around us. She continued, "It's the room where we do it, where we
sacrifice them, He took him up there. It's only a matter of days now. I'm
sorry" I approached her even through the three guards who were trying to
shuffle her out of the room, "It's not too late, TELL ME! I can stop it
from happening!" I tried to follow her out of the room but an FBI agent
kept me from pursuing her. I turned to Kevin terrified, "He's been to the
spirit room!" I said horrified at the very sound of it...
~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*
"Joe!" I said again after my first attempt went ignored. I decided
that if he didn't answer this time than it wasn't meant to be. Unfortunately he
looked up with questioning eyes. No turning back now Carter! I thought to
myself as I tried my best to lure him over to me.
"What is it Nikolas?" He's using my given name again, I hate that.
"Can you come here for a minute?" I felt my pulse quicken and a huge
lump formed in my throat as he got up from the floor and made my his way over
to me, I had a split second idea to just drop the pole and accept defeat, make
up some lie and ask him to turn my bed right side up so I could just sleep the
rest of my days away. I quickly talked myself out of it as he sat right beside
me putting his arm on my shoulder in a concerned way.
"What is it Nikolas?"
"My hand hurts, I was hoping you could take a look at it" He looked
at my free hand first and again second thoughts creeped in my mind, as he
approached my second hand, the one holding tight to the metal pole. He bent all
the way down to look and as he did I hit him with all of my strength on the
back of the head, he slumped to the floor. I stood up in one movement and
headed for the stairs, he grabbed my ankle and I fell to the floor. I reached
for the pole again as he pulled me towards him, groaning under his breath. I
could see the fresh blood welling up on the wound I had made. I reached again
and this time got hold of it bringing it down on his head once again. He
stopped moving all together. I pulled away from his grasp and reached in his
pocket and pulled the keys from their chain. I also searched him for the phone
but unfortunately it wasn't on him. I made a break for the door, never looking
back but hearing him groaning, he would be up in a matter of seconds.
I flew up the stairs and was so rushed to get the keys into the keyhole that I
almost dropped them down the steps, they fell from my grip and landed at my
feet. As I picked them up I saw Joe's tall figure coming on up the steps right
behind me now. I got the key in and opened the door just as he reached for my
leg. I slammed the door on his arm. He howled in pain but I couldn't care less,
I slammed on the door once again and this time he removed his arm totally from
the entrance, I was able to lock the door and ran to the living room where the
padlock was located, I searched for the small key to undo that one when I heard
him body slamming the door. I couldn't scream, even if I wanted to. I was so
terrified that I couldn't even make a sound. I fiddled with the keys trying
each one as I heard the door Joe was hitting break and fall to the floor...
***
