The Awakening (41 page)

             
“Abby’s having some incidents, as it were,” Mark said.  “She came into my office this afternoon, and she wasn’t quite herself.”

             
“Go on,” Greg urged.

             
Mark took a deep breath, unsure if he was going to be able to tell Greg the full story.  He knew, however, that if he wasn’t totally honest, Greg might not be able to help.  “She was more awake, more coherent than she’s been in a while,” Mark said slowly.  “She and I talked for a bit, and then she started er…”

             
“Hitting on you?” Greg offered.

             
“Yes,” Mark said in a breathy tone.  “Unfortunately I didn’t realize something was different until after.  She talked to me, and it clearly wasn’t her.  I couldn’t get a name, and before I could get any sort of answers, Abby’s body collapsed and she woke up a few minutes later.”

             
“Does she remember any of it?” Greg asked in a somber tone.

             
“She says the last thing she remembers is sitting at her desk before classes drinking tea.  Then she woke up on my office floor,” Mark said, still blushing from shame.

             
“Is she with you now?”

             
“Yes, she’s right here,” Mark said, looking over at Abby who was staring at the wall. 

             
“Ask her if these blackouts happened any time before this morning.”

             
Mark pulled the phone from his ear and looked at Abby.  “Greg would like to know if you’d had any blackouts before this.”

             
Abby gave a little sigh and a shrug.  “I guess so.  I mean, there were times when we were in San Diego, in the hotel, that I was feeling really out of it.  I just figured it was the stress.”

             
“Did you catch that?” Mark asked.

             
“I did.  I hate to say it, but it sounds like she’s become a vessel.  I’m not entirely sure how they’re using her, seeing as it can get a bit complicated with a conscious body.”  Greg fell silent a moment and Mark could hear shuffling papers in the background.  “I’m going to transfer the rest of my appointments to my on-call colleague and see if I can catch a flight up there tonight.  I may have something to help her from being taken over, but first I need to find out how they’re taking her, and how often.  Can you keep her with you at all times?”

             
“I’ll do what I can,” Mark promised.  “What about her brother?”

             
“I haven’t heard from Ben in a while.  He’s busy with that detective, which makes me a little nervous considering she’s one of them.”

             
“Are you sure about that?” Mark asked in a skeptical voice.

             
“There’s no doubt in my mind.  As far as I can tell, this Stella person is a willing vessel, just as I am.  I’m not entirely sure what side to place her on, and what her sudden interested in Ben’s case is, if it’s not to keep Yehuda away from us.  Either way, I’ll give him a call and see if he plans on returning any time soon.  I’ll send you a message with my flight time, and as I said before, keep her in your sights at all times.”

             
“And if somehow she shifts?” Mark asked.

             
Greg gave a small sigh and hesitated before answering.  “Don’t try and stop her.  That could get dangerous.  Just follow her and try and not to get hurt.”

             
“I’m not afraid of getting hurt,” Mark said in a steely tone.

             
“As an immortal wouldn’t be,” Greg acquiesced, “but you can’t risk being slowed down if she decides to take off.  Still, I don’t think that’s what they’re using her for, so just try and lay low until I arrive.”

             
“Okay,” Mark said.  “We’ll see you soon.”

             
With that, Mark disconnected and set the phone on the table.  Abby stared down at the little device and then up at Mark’s face.  “So he’s coming here?”

             
“He’s going to try,” Mark said.

             
“Can he help me?”

             
Mark winced at how small and terrified she sounded.  He wanted to hold her, just to offer some small measure of comfort, but after what he did, he couldn’t bring himself to move any closer.  “I think so.  I’m not sure, though, but I think he’s got some sort of plan.”

             
Abby groaned and rested the side of her face against the arm of the sofa.  “It’s feels like it’s never going to end.  I’m just so damn tired, and when I sleep I have these terrible dreams.  I can’t remember them when I wake up, except that I’m scared, and lost, and my heart is racing, and it feels like I haven’t slept in weeks.”

             
Mark’s hand twitched in her direction before he dropped it into his lap.  “I’m sorry, Abby.  We’ll get through this, I promise.”

             
She looked over at him and smiled a heart-breakingly sad smile, her head shaking just slightly.  “That’s the worst lie, Mark.  You told me yourself that you can’t promise I’d be okay.  I mean, I kind of knew I was in danger, but I just didn’t realize how bad it was going to get.”

             
Mark wanted to argue with her, but the point was, she was right.  He couldn’t promise that she’d be okay.  He couldn’t vow to protect her because frankly, he didn’t know how.  He had no idea what these creatures were, what they wanted, and how they could be stopped.  He couldn’t imagine her fear, knowing they could take her the moment her eyes were shut. 

             
“I’m sorry Abby,” was all he could muster.

             
She put her face back down on the sofa and sighed.  “I know.  We’re all really damn sorry now, aren’t we?”

Chapter
Thirty-Three

              Being an official consult on the John Doe case, Ben was given access to an empty office, and though it wasn’t as comfortable or familiar as his office back home, it suited.  Being head detective, Stella’s workload was rather intense, and as much as she seemed to want to help Ben, other pressing matters took her attention away from him.  By two in the afternoon, she was off on a call and he was stuck at the desk pouring over the John Doe case file.

             
A few hours had gone by since Ben had heard from anyone, and just as he started to realize he was nearly starving for lunch, he also realized he’d left his phone on silent and hadn’t checked it in quite some time.

             
He pulled out the device and saw four missed calls from Greg and one voice message.  “Detective Stanford, this is Dr. Asclepius.  I’m sorry to keep bothering you, but it seems like we may have a situation with your sister back in San Francisco.  I hope the case for the missing John Doe is going well, but if you get the chance, please phone me back.  I’m getting on a plane at two, and heading up there to meet with your sister and Mark, so I do hope to hear from you before long.  Thanks.”

             
Ben’s face went white.  A problem with his sister?  His mind went instantly to illness.  Maybe she had a seizure, like he’d suffered with the tumor before he went to the doctor.  Maybe she’d been in an accident, or maybe Mark had finally lost his mind and hurt her.

             
His fingers were trembling as he dialed Greg, but after a second, the call went straight to voicemail.  Ben’s eyes darted to the clock on the computer which read two-fifteen.  “Shit,” he cursed, slamming the phone onto the desk.

             
He dialed Abby, but her phone, too, was off, though it was usually like that during the school day.  As a last resort, and as terrified as he was to do it, Ben decided to phone Mark.  It rang a few times, and then the tired voice of Mark picked up.

             
“Ben?”

             
“I just got Greg’s message,” Ben said hurriedly.  “What happened?  What’s going on?”

             
“Greg left you a message?” Mark asked.

             
“Yes,” Ben snapped, feeling completely panicked now.  “Are you with Abby now?  Greg said something happened to her.  What is going on?”

             
“She’s with me now,” Mark said, his voice still low and tired.  “She’s asleep, which is good, and she’s not hurt, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

             
“I’m worried about a lot of things,” Ben said, though he felt better now that he was talking to Mark, and the strange man sounded at least sane and put together.  “Why is Greg flying up there to meet with you?”

             
“He didn’t tell you on the message?” Mark asked, and then sighed.  “Of course not.  Look Ben, your sister is okay, but there’s something going on with her.”

             
“I know,” Ben said.  “I noticed when we were at the hospital.  She’s really out of it, has these strange bruises on her arms.”

             
“Bruises?” Mark asked.  “What kind of bruises?  Where on her arms?”

             
“Just on her forearms,” Ben said.  “What does it matter?”

             
“Because I think someone is… or was… drugging your sister,” Mark snapped. 

             
“That’s ridiculous,” Ben stammered.  “Who the hell would do that?  Who would have access to her to do that?”

             
“Any one of us, to be honest,” Mark said.  “Obviously it’s not me since they can’t get to me, but it could have been Greg.  It could have been you.”

             
“Excuse me?” Ben roared.  “You think I’d drug my sister?  What kind of sick person…”

             
“Not you,” Mark retorted, sounding exasperated.  “Them, the Greek whatevers.  The gods.”

             
“Jesus,” Ben sighed. 

             
“I realize you don’t believe me, but you know what, you don’t have to believe it to accept it.  Your sister is being drugged and possessed, Ben.  She came into my office today and was all over me.  I didn’t realize anything was wrong until she passed out and when she woke up, she didn’t remember any of it.  She said she’s been having blackouts since we got to San Diego.”

             
Ben put a hand over his face.  “Where is she exactly?”

             
“She’s sleeping on my couch.  Greg told me to keep an eye on her, and if she wakes up and leaves, I have to follow her.”

             
Ben checked his watch and then stood up.  “I’m coming home.  Obviously the three of you are going to turn this into a three-ring circus with your weird altars and immortal theories and whatever.  If there’s something wrong with my sister, she needs to be seen by a proper medical doctor.  Neither one of you had better lay a hand on her until I get there.  Am I understood?”

             
“You’d better hurry, I’m not sure how long she’ll be able to resist whatever’s taking over her body,” Mark said.

             
Ben snapped his phone shut out of anger and threw it down on the desk.  Something was wrong with Abby, and whatever it was, Ben couldn’t fix it until he was home.  He looked at the clock again and wondered if he could catch a flight before the evening.

             
Grabbing his phone and his coat, he marched out of the office and dialed Stella as he walked to his rental car.  She answered after a few rings.  “Stella,” he said in a hurried tone.  “I’ve gotta go.”

             
“What do you mean go?” she asked.  He could hear a rushing sound in the background and guessed she was on the freeway.

             
“Something’s wrong with my sister,” Ben said.  “I’ve have to get back to San Fran.”

             
“What’s wrong?  Is she in the hospital?” Stella asked in a worried tone.

             
“No, nothing like that.  It’s just… I’m not even sure what’s going on.  I talked to Mark and he seemed pretty worried.  It’s best if I get back there and see what I can do.”

             
“Alright,” Stella said slowly.  “I think I have a break in the case, though.  Any chance you can stick around until I get back to the office.  I’ll give you the info, and even drive you to the airport if you like.”

             
Ben hesitated.  He knew that Abby wasn’t dying, so if he waited a little while longer, he may be able to kill two birds with one stone.  On the other hand, Greg was on his way to San Francisco right then, and Ben just didn’t trust the doctor after what he’d seen.

             
“How long until you can get here?” Ben finally asked.

             
“Give me twenty-five minutes,” Stella vowed.

             
“Fine.  I’m going to call the airlines right now and see how soon I can get on a plane.  I’ll wait here, but I’m not going to wait longer than a half hour.”