Suddenly Nurse Joe Glines, one of the male nurses, blasted into the room. What he saw sent him reeling backwards into the wall.
~~~
“What’s happening?” Senator Groyden said.
The news reporter moved toward the hospital room door. “I don’t know.” She peeked out into the hall and turned back. “Could you excuse me for a moment, Senator?”
The Senator sat up on the hospital bed. “Is that someone screaming?”
“I don’t know,” the reporter repeated, still staring down the hall in the direction of the commotion.
“Uh, Senator, I’m gonna go down there for a moment. I’ll be right back.”
She disappeared into the hall without getting a response. The cameraman stood looking at the senator for an uncomfortable moment. “I’m sure she’ll be right back.”
The senator scowled as the cameraman nervously went silent, turning his attention to his camera.
The reporter reappeared in the doorway. “Bring…camera…now…run…bring the camera…now!” She was ashen faced and screaming.
“What?”
She jumped, grabbed the cameraman, and pulled him out the door. The two clattered down the hall and turned into Edward Selander’s room. The cameraman gasped as the horror filled his viewfinder. He dropped his camera to his chest and joined Nurse Joe Glines, pressing himself against the wall.
The reporter pushed her way through the mayhem toward the cameraman. “Take…get…get this!” She pushed the camera back into the cameraman’s face. Again, the horror filled the camera’s view screen.
Something deep inside of what was left of Edward Selander began pushing air through dead, atrophied, vocal cords. As his oozing mouth began forming words, Nurse Joe Glines lost control of his bladder.
“Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth!”
The voice sounded like heavy grade sandpaper grinding across a piece of hardwood.
“Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth!”
The voice reverberated out of the room and down the hall, invading every room until every corner of the hospital was vibrating with the sound of it.
“How thou art fallen from heaven, o Lucifer, son of the morning! How thou art cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”
The three nurses and the news crew stood staring at the horror before them, still sitting up on the bed. The camera rolled as the very air in the room began to thicken. From nowhere and everywhere, near and far, it started softly at first. It was, they were almost sure, but it didn’t sound human … it sounded like… screaming. It sounded like a billion voices in one immense chorus. Like the unearthly disconnected screams of the forever damned.
The sound was building into an unimaginable roar. Everyone in the room cupped their ears and hit the floor. The cameraman glanced up just in time to see the horror collapse onto the bed like a rag doll.
Edward Selander had finally been granted his long awaited death.
~~~
The flight from Nashville had been uneventful. Maria managed to sleep most of the way and when they landed at LAX, she surprised Todd by asking to go to his apartment instead of the dorms where she lived. Todd had tried several times throughout the long flight to talk to her about the project but to his amazement, she had seemed completely disinterested.
When they finally reached his apartment, they flipped a coin for the shower and she won the toss. He waited patiently on the couch until he heard the shower stop and the bathroom door open.
“Todd,” Maria called from the bedroom, “could you help me, please?”
Todd stood and walked through the bedroom door. “Whoa!” he yelled as he entered the room. She was standing at the bathroom door completely nude. “Sorry,” he said, instinctively looking away.
She pulled the towel up over her perfect frame “Oops! I didn’t realize you were coming in.”
Todd turned to leave, his face blazing red.
“I just wanted to know,” she said.
He turned back.
“Just…wanted to know…” She slowly came towards him, the towel still loosely draped around her. He was instantly, overwhelmingly, aroused. She moved to him, pressed her firm breasts into his chest, and slowly lifted her resplendent face toward his, until their lips all but touched.
“I…just wanted to know…if I could…borrow a shirt?”
Todd could feel tiny beads of sweat forming around his eyebrows. “Sh…sure, in the…closet.”
“Thanks,” she said grinning. “Now get out of here and give me a little privacy.”
Todd studied her face momentarily before leaving the room. “I think I finally have you figured out,” he said through the closed door. “You’re one of them multiple personalities.” He could hear her giggle.
As he sat on the couch he began to feel angry. She was clearly teasing him. How could she do that when she knew how much he loved her? Maybe she wanted him to be forceful.
Maybe he… no, of course not, he told himself. This wasn’t the fifties. Still, she had never done anything like this before, not to anyone he knew of. If she had, everyone would’ve known about it; the legendary Maria Rose, coming on to some dude. It would’ve been all over campus. Maybe…maybe she really wanted--
Maria appeared, wearing nothing but one of Todd’s long shirts. “Ooo, that felt so good.”
It took Todd a moment to remember she was talking about the shower.
“Oh yes,” he said. “I could handle one…a freezing one.”
She giggled again and to his amazement moved right to him pressing her voluptuous form against his. “It’s chilly in here,” she said, snuggling under his arm.
“Maria!” Todd said, pushing her away. “What the hell are you up to?”
“I— just….”
“You don’t love me so what are you pullin’?
“Todd I, I can’t say I…love you, but--”
“I know…so what do you want? Tell me now.”
“I want--”
“You want me to kick around with you, be your…buddy or something, but it ain’t working. I thought I could, but I can’t. It’s too frustrating.”
“Todd!” Maria shouted, grabbing his face in her hands. Her demeanor turned grave, her flashing green eyes staring into his. “I want to…will you…marry me?”
Todd opened his mouth to speak, but nothing happened.
Maria slipped off the couch and went to her knees in front of him. She reached into a shirt pocket, produced a small black box, and timidly handed it to him.
Todd, still unable to react, reached down, took the box from her hand and opened it. Inside was a small gold wedding band. “What are you doing to me, woman?” he said quietly.
She moved closer. “I’m asking you to marry me.” She began tenderly stroking the calf of his leg.
“Why… Maria why?”
She didn’t answer.
Todd gently pulled her up from her knees. “You’re driving me crazy. Why do you want to marry me? At least tell me that.”
“Because you love me.”
“Everybody loves you.”
“Not like you.”
Todd was silent for a time. “If we did get married,” he said finally, “would you ever be able to…be able to love me back? Will we be able to make love…ever?”
Maria looked down and shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe. I just don’t feel those things like other people. Maybe you could teach me?”
Todd smiled. “Stop teasing me,” he said softly. “If we ever got married, you’d have to stop teasing me like this. It ain’t human.”
“So that means the answer is yes? You will marry me?”
“Now hold up,” Todd said, feeling a little pressed. I’m still not sure why you all of a sudden—”
Todd stiffened. “So that’s it! How could I have been so stupid?” He pushed her away. “You’re looking for a daddy. A daddy was part of the deal. The Vinces weren’t gonna let you host the embryo unless you
found yourself a dumb country tool.” He glared down at her. “What you did to me in the bedroom just now…it made you cheap, Maria. You were trying to use me, but you were only cheapening yourself.”
“No,” Maria said, backing away. “I’m not cheap—”
“No this is good,” Todd said, nodding. “This is helpful. I’m sure now. Ol’ country tool Todd Riley has finally had his fill.”
“But, but Todd—”
“Get your things, Maria. I’m taking you home.”
“No, Todd!” Maria said, breaking into in tears. “I thought I was supposed to do that…in the…in the bedroom. What am I supposed to do? I don’t know how. How do real girls do it? I thought you said you loved me enough for the two of us. Please Todd…don’t give up on me.”
“You’re Maria Rose,” Todd said. “Ain’t no way you’ll ever be alone.”
“Todd, please teach me what to do. I need you. Listen to me. I don’t love you. I can’t. Okay, I said it, but I never lied about that. Love isn’t everything. A lot of people get married who aren’t in love. Maybe it could happen someday. Who knows? Todd—” She stopped talking and took hold of his shoulders. “I want—I need—a family—”
A thunderous sound coming up from the street below stopped her mid-sentence. Todd realized he was hearing the familiar sound of an impending California earthquake. Instinctively, they both jumped for the bedroom doorframe. Todd took up position, bracing himself for what was coming. Maria wrapped her arms around his waist. The floor jumped beneath their feet. Maria looked up at Todd. This was not normal…this was more powerful.
Todd felt both door jams rip open beneath his hands as gaping cracks appeared. The top door jamb instantly gave way beneath the buckling ceiling and lodged in the doorway just short of crushing the two huddling figures. Maria screamed as debris rained down on their heads. Suddenly, the cavorting room fell into darkness.
Todd grabbed for Maria and began crawling in the direction of the door as the television rolled off of its stand and smashed to the floor. The stove and refrigerator danced in the kitchen, pounding out a deafening rhythm as they bounced. His grandmother’s oak china hutch teetered and crashed to the floor, slinging shards of glass throughout the wildly shaking apartment, narrowly missing them. The two pushed through the door into the hall and spotted the green exit sign glowing through the black tumultuous dust.
They ran, arms over their heads, trying to shield themselves against the falling rubble crashing down around them. They found the door leading to the dimly lit stairwell. Then something felt dreadfully different—a small change of atmospheric pressure. Maria felt it and pulled Todd’s arm, jerking him to a stop at the top of the stairs. Something was coming—something horrible.
They whirled and dove into the corner as the titanic sound slammed them to the floor.
“Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth!”
The otherworldly sound hit them like a truck. Todd wrapped his body around Maria. He could feel her screaming beneath him, but the sound was smothered by the colossal, unworldly shriek. The noise abruptly stopped, but the earth was still shaking. Todd jumped to his feet and began pulling Maria towards the stairs. They heard it approaching again.
“Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth!”
They both winced and hit the floor, covering their tortured ears, as still another wave of sound crashed down upon them.
“How thou art fallen from heaven, o Lucifer, son of the morning! How thou art cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”
As the last sonic blast passed through, the quaking shuttered to a stop. They jumped to their feet and ran down the two flights of stairs, carefully dodging the debris. They managed to find the door leading into the parking lot. It took them a moment, but they finally pushed their way through.
As they quickly moved away, they could hear the sirens of emergency vehicles racing around the city. They saw people running to and fro, but somehow they seemed distant. After some time, they found an isolated park bench behind a small garage and sat down.
Maria, still dressed only in Todd’s shirt, looked up at him. Her moist, anxious eyes sparkled in the moonlight. “Todd, what was that? Did you hear that?”
“I-I’m not sure. Sometimes earthquakes do weird things.”
“It was a voice, Todd. You know it was. I think it was the same voice Dr. Donahue heard in Nashville.”
“You mean like....God?”
“Yes,” Maria said gravely, “like God.”
Todd fell silent for a time. “What did you hear?” he said finally.
“Something about woe unto the earth… and being cast down or… I’m not sure.”
“Was it supposed to mean something?”
“I don’t know,” Maria said, “but I don’t think it’s a good thing when God talks.”
He pulled his cap of, rubbed his hair and returned it to his head. “Do you--” his voice trailed off.
“What?”
“Do you think it has anything to do with the, you know, the baby?”
“Do you think it’s about the baby?” she said, moving closer to him, “I hadn’t thought of that. But why ‘woe unto the earth’? Dr. Donahue said the voice told him God wanted the baby to be born.”
“I don’t know,” Todd said, “maybe the baby will grow up and be like the… Dark Avenger or something.”
“You mean Batman?”
“Well, no…not Batman, more like, kinda like…maybe he’ll be the Messiah or something, only now he’s like, mean to the, uh…sinners and stuff.” Todd felt foolish. “You know, it’s just a thought.”
“No, I think you might be right,” Maria said. “Good thing for us we’re his mom and dad, huh?”
Todd knew he should be angry. As always, she had simply assumed he would eventually fold to her wishes no matter the cost...and of course, she was right. As he looked down into those dazzling, hypnotic eyes, what little remained of his resistance simply surrendered to bovine-like compliance. He loved Maria Rose and all hope was lost. For better or worse, intimacy or no intimacy, he was cursed to love her unconditionally and unequivocally and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. Tears gathered in his eyes.
“What?” Maria said. “You look sad.”
He reached and kissed her tenderly as if it were the first time. Then, sitting there in the pale moonlight, he pulled her even closer to him, holding her, adoring her, surrendering to her. A moment passed before he quietly answered, “Yeah… I guess it’s a good thing we’re his mom and dad.”
~~~
Luckily, Jim and Blaze were walking together in one of the University parking lots when the quake hit. Nothing had prepared them for the noise. Blaze was instantly knocked to the ground, but Jim had managed to stay on his feet as the asphalt danced beneath him. From the moment the first colossal peal passed through, Jim realized, to his horror, that he’d heard that sound before; but this was much, much bigger.
“Blaze! BLAZE! Did you hear that?” Jim hollered after the quaking had ceased.
Blaze was working his jaw, trying to clear the pressure from his eardrums.
“Did you hear that, Blaze?” Jim yelled again, finally getting the priest’s attention.
“Yes, Jim,” Blaze said, scarcely able to hear his own voice, “I think it’s safe to say I heard that. But what in the…what in God’s name was it?”
“That’s it, Blaze. It’s God. That was His voice. That’s what I heard in the room, only this…this was bigger. Boy, was this bigger.”
Again, Blaze braced himself, cupping his ears. Jim whirled, covering his head. Both men winced as a police cruiser with its siren screaming blew past them, followed closely by a loud ambulance. They were heading toward one of the dorms.
“People must be hurt!” Blaze shouted. He jumped to his feet and began running in the direction of the dorms. Jim quickly followed. As they cleared a low knoll, they could see other people hurrying toward student housing.
~~~
Barney bounced out of his makeshift cot as soon as the shaking began and ran into the bushes to hide from the horrible sounds trying to annihilate his eardrums. But the shaking stopped. He lay in the underbrush too terrified to move. From his days in California he remembered that sometimes these things had aftershocks so he decided to stay put for a while. He lay in the thicket for what seemed like hours listening to the sounds of disaster as siren after siren screamed throughout the city. At one point, he thought he heard people coming down near the river but it turned out to be an old, terrified dog. As the cool evening slowly drifted back toward normalcy, Barney’s exhaustion began to overcome his dark feeling of dread. He was just dozing off when he heard rustling just above his head.
He looked up. The sound was coming from the clearing. Nerves already on edge, he jumped to his feet.
“Who…who’s there?”
“It’s j-just m-me and Brother M-Michael.” Pete said.
Barney bailed out of the bushes. “Boy, am I glad to see you!”
Pete pushed a brown paper bag in Barney’s direction. “Hey, look it, we b-brought you some L-Lucky F-Fried Chicken.”
“Oh man, I’m starved,” Barney said, as he snatched the bag away and sat down on a rock.
“So,” Barney said, between slurps, “where’s the Jesus—where’s Brother Michael?”
“He’s over b-by the hut. Ever s-s-since the earthq-quake, he’s b-been real q-quiet. It s-scared the hell out of him.”
“Scared the hell outta me too,” Barney said, spitting bits of chicken.
“Yeah, b-but he’s not usually s-scared a n-n-nothin’.”
Barney stopped eating long enough to dig a piece of gristle out of his mouth with a dirty fingernail. “You known him a day and you think you know all about him. You’re an idiot, you know that?”
“I d-don’t know B-Barney, s-somethin’ about him seems like I’ve kn-n-nown him all m-my whole l-l-life.”