by Wm. Barnard
“Well, that’s just because he’s not her soul mate. Hey, it’s a lot better if this happens now than down the road and there were kids involved.”
“Pffttt…do you even hear yourself?”
“Hey, I supported you when you received your message. This is what I received and I’m going to go with it. I can’t help but follow my heart.”
“I didn’t tell you to go smoke a joint before you did it!” I said, indignant that he tried to somehow group our experiences together.
“I’ve smoked weed a thousand times before and never experienced anything close to this. I know what I heard and it wasn’t because I got stoned an hour earlier. You act like I haven’t even really thought about it.”
“Yeah, I know Johnny.” I let out a deep breath and began to massage my temples. “I’m just bummed for Todd. I mean, we’re supposed to be in his wedding. And just so you know, I saw him and Chris last night at Murphy’s and invited both of them to my party so I wouldn’t show up with Jenny on your arm.”
The awkward silence that followed made me think up a quick lie. “Hey, I forgot but I gotta get back to my agent right away about some paperwork.”
“Alright. Later,” Johnny said, hanging up abruptly.
Johnny’s disclosure of his contact experience made me wonder whether he had actually heard from The Ancestors or if it was merely his drug induced imagination running off a cliff. Some of the physical aspects of his story sounded similar to other accounts relayed through my webzine, but the message he had received left me baffled.
Why would The Ancestors try to help Johnny in a way that would simultaneously wreck Todd’s life? I thought.
Needing to get an explanation, I put my cell phone on silent and took my landline off the hook before heading to my bedroom. Back in the quiet of my room, I called out, “Ancestor, who is speaking to Johnny?”
I sat straining to hear something for at least ten minutes, but only the noise of a garbage truck outside, stopping and going between houses, broke the silence. Soon the blades of a helicopter whirring above my neighborhood caused me to grow impatient and I went back to my living room.
Pacing around the house for another ten minutes, I finally called Bill to get his thoughts.
“Bill, it’s Zach. I kinda got a problem.”
“What’s going on?
“One of my close friends tried to contact The Ancestors, but he got a strange message about finding his soul mate.”
“Well, that’s actually how I found Gloria.”
“Really? Well, she wasn’t engaged to someone else at the time was she?”
“No.”
“And that’s the problem. My friend thinks that The Ancestors have been leading him toward the fiancé of one our close friends. I tried asking The Ancestors before I called you, but I didn’t hear anything. I’m worried this might even be a message from the evil ones.”
“Well, I can sense your frustration. But remember when I told you that you will get the answers that you really need to know at just the right time?”
“Yeah.”
“This is probably one of those things. Look, I hate to cut you off, but I got a sick horse we are dealing with.”
“Oh, okay. I’m sorry. I’ll let you go,” I said hurriedly.
“We’ll talk soon.”
Hanging up, I stood there perplexed.
While I had wanted to get some immediate insight into Johnny’s experience, the unexpected message I was about to receive would soon require all of my attention.
CHAPTER 14
Announcing on my webzine’s front page that a feature film was officially in the works, I now needed to rearrange the webpage’s design to create a way for viewers to get updates on the film. Hesitant to call Johnny to get his advice on making the changes, I ended up working on it by myself for over five hours without the desired results. After grabbing a snack, I returned to my study in hopes of getting it right. Staring at the computer for over fifteen minutes with no idea of how to fix the site, I finally gave in and shut it down.
Too tired to even take a shower, I went straight to bed, but soon my deep slumber twisted into an unwelcomed dream.
“Zach, I have come to warn you. The woman you are seeing is not who she claims to be. You need to stay away from her. She works for those who are against us, who seek to expose and harm our family. Be careful and be wise.”
My entire body convulsed, propelling me upward into a sitting position. With sweat dripping off my forehead, I rolled over to the other side of my bed to turn on the lamp and reached for my journal from inside the nightstand. Right as I grabbed the notepad, I shoved it back inside and slammed the drawer shut. The last thing I wanted to do was write down what I just heard.
Stay away from her? The words pressed hard against my chest and began to suffocate me.
Lying motionless in bed, I desperately tried to recall anything about Gina’s behavior that appeared suspicious. Certain oddities came to mind, like how she always declined when I had offered to come over to her place. And it definitely still puzzled me as to why she couldn’t establish contact with The Ancestors. Even though I wanted to rationalize the dream as a figment of my own imagination, I intuitively knew I should heed the warning.
Calling San Diego State University’s registry first thing in the morning, I discovered there were five Gina Martinez’s, and all but four were unlisted. While I had wanted to confront her in person about my dream, I also acknowledged that if she had been able to fool me this long, she would probably stick to the same story. The next day, I devised a plan to uncover her true identity.
INVITING GINA OVER LATER IN the week for lunch, I asked her to sit down on my couch so we could talk.
“Look, I contacted the couple over at the ranch and told them about you. How you were someone I cared deeply for and trusted. But when I told them about how you wanted to meet them, well…” I smacked my lips together and turned my eyes downward to fake my disappointment. “They felt that at this time it wasn’t a good idea to bring you out.”
“Well, when would be good?”
“They didn’t say. But they also advised me not to take you out to the desert right now. They said you needed to be ready.”
“Ready? They don’t even know me,” she said, raising her voice a little.
“I know. I know. But they have given me good advice up to this point so I…”
“So what?” You’re just going to listen to them? This is ridiculous,” she said, shoving up the sleeves of her sweater.
“You just have to be patient and understand…”
Gina stood up quickly. “Be patient? When you’re ready, you can call me.” Snatching her jacket off a chair, she stormed off to the door. “Until then, you can go out to the desert and have fun by yourself.”
“Gina…” I let out a deep breath, trying to appear frustrated.
The door slapped shut behind her, causing my windows to rattle. Rushing over to look outside, I watched as she carelessly backed out of my driveway and came close to hitting a car parked on the street. Fortunately she skidded to a halt just in time before speeding off through my neighborhood.
Jogging out to my garage and hitting the door opener, I kick started my Kawasaki motorcycle and gunned it out of my driveway. The bike’s powerful engine allowed me to catch her just as she approached the nearest on ramp. Since she had never seen my motorcycle, it seemed unlikely she could identify me, especially with my helmet and goggles on. Heading south on the freeway, she didn’t make things easy for me by constantly changing lanes and blazing by everyone in her path. While confident that she wouldn’t spot me, I still stayed back behind several cars, trying to stay out of her rearview mirror.
Once we got into downtown, trying not to lose her became even more difficult with the constantly changing traffic lights. Gassing it through a cross street, I nearly got whacked by a truck that failed to stop at an intersection. When I finally ended up directly behind Gina’s car at the next light, she
made an immediate right turn into a tall office building shielded by darkly tinted windows.
Gripping my handlebars tightly, I clung on to the hope that she was still who she claimed to be. That hope vanished as I watched her tail lights sink into an underground structure with the warning sign above: Parking Only for Employees of Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Staring into the dark hole where her car had disappeared, I flinched when the impatient driver behind me laid on his horn and I stalled out my bike. I kept my gaze down on the gas tank and kicked furiously while the car finally weaved around me just as I restarted my engine.
After driving straight ahead for several blocks, I came to a dead end at the harbor and parked the bike next to the sidewalk. Aimlessly ambling over to an old, empty dock, I sunk my chest against a rail and squinted into the glare of the water. With a mixture of emotions raging inside me, the railing’s aged wood crumbled in my tightening grip, leaving my palms covered in a mix of tiny splinters and powdered white paint. I thought I had found a truly special woman in Gina and, unlike past relationships, had started to give her access to my heart. As I wiped my hands off on my jeans, I started to wonder if Gina hadn’t shown me her real personality, the part of her that I had really been attracted to.
Faced with the reality that it didn’t matter now, I stepped away from the ledge and sat down on an empty concrete bench. A lone seagull in flight caught my eye and I momentarily admired its effortless glide; the bird then swooped down, splattering my shoulder with the remains of its digested lunch.
As I sat there ignoring the fresh white streaks on my jacket, it was now painfully obvious why Gina could not contact The Ancestors earlier at my house. Leaning forward, I rested my forehead in the palms of my hands as I tried to think about what information she had possibly discovered and how they might use that information against us.
CHAPTER 15
Throughout the week leading up to the big party I actually contemplated cancelling the event. I had looked forward to going with Gina, but discovering she worked for the Feds was a kick to the gut, quelling my desire to celebrate. Knowing I needed to go anyway since I had invited so many people, I could only hope the rooftop atmosphere would help change my mood.
Standing by the bar near the entrance of the club, I was relieved that Johnny walked in without Jenny as only minutes later Todd followed suit with a crew from Murphy’s. Meeting me over at the bar, Johnny shook my hand and asked, “Hey, where’s Gina?”
“I’ll tell you in a minute.” I said, ordering him a beer before pulling him aside to a vacant corner of the roof that overlooked the shipyard.
“About five days ago, I had a vision warning me about her. I ended up following her and sure enough, she pulls right into the FBI building. I haven’t talked to her since.”
“What?” Johnny said almost spitting out his beer. “Are you serious?”
Pursing my lips, I shook my head, “Yeah. Can you believe that?”
“That’s crazy. Your instincts were right when you said you were still being followed.”
“Yeah, and as much as that infuriates me…” I paused and looked around almost embarrassed to admit what I was about to tell him. “My heart just sank when I saw her go in that building. I was really starting to fall for her and now I feel like a total sap.”
“Zach, you can’t let this get you down. Look, you’re going to be a multi-millionaire. Let me repeat that: multiple millions. You’ll definitely have no problems finding another woman.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said, grudgingly.
“And more importantly, people all over the world need you to tell them about The Ancestors. You can’t let this set you back.”
“You’re right, Johnny, thanks.”
“No problem. Let’s go get another beer.”
Knowing what Johnny said was true, I desperately wanted to put this whole Gina ordeal behind me. Thankful that so many people came out to congratulate me, I put on a good smile for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, every time I saw a couple together it made me think about her, so I ended up at the bar doing countless shots and getting rowdy with several friends. Pretending to celebrate, I instead made a conscious effort to numb the pain.
The next morning I awoke in a hotel room with my clothes on and no recollection of how I got there. However, my horrendous hangover certainly reminded me of why.
On the dresser I found a note from Todd that read, “Zach, you are classic. The pictures I took don’t lie and yes, you can expect to be blackmailed. Ha, ha. The valets have your keys downstairs.”
Oh brother, what did I end up doing last night?
Pulling into my driveway moments after noon, I still wondered if the house had been wired by Gina. My suspicions finally drove me to turn my house upside down looking for any surveillance devices. Although I didn’t uncover anything suspicious, for the next few weeks I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder every time I left the house.
NEEDING TO GET AWAY FROM the distractions of life, I headed out to the mountains east of San Diego on a Monday afternoon to be alone with my thoughts. The brilliant January sky had brought perfect seventy-two degree weather to San Diego and I knew the mild temperatures this time of the year would follow me as I went eastward. On the way, I thought about calling Bill and Gloria, but decided against it since I didn’t have a pre-paid phone with me. Reminiscing about my time with the two of them brought a smile to my face.
Driving on a winding single lane road through the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, I pulled over several times to see if anyone trailed me. Now in a fairly desolate area, the only two vehicles that passed me appeared to be four-wheel drive enthusiasts, but they had gone by so fast that it was difficult to say for sure. Unable to determine if anyone had followed me, I knew I could not accomplish my goal if I continued to worry about it. By escaping out into the wilderness for the day, I wanted to not only commune with my Ancestors, but hoped I could somehow establish visual contact as well.
Right next to the pull-out, I located a trail that led to a lonely canyon and hiked down about quarter of a mile from the road before settling in a small clearing. Resting comfortably on an old, army sleeping bag I had brought, I enjoyed the warmth of the sun as the dry desert breeze blew gently against my face. A patch of wildflowers that broke through the rocky soil left me astonished as to how they could even survive in such a parched environment.
Dragging up one foot at a time and folding them across my thighs, I stared at a lone barrel cactus a few feet from where I sat and began the ritual of taking deep breaths. The crisp air that funneled down through the Cuyamaca Mountains carried a hint of sage, helping me relax. Almost immediately after closing my eyes, I experienced a bizarre sensation that I had instantly been transported into deep space.
My mind quickly shifted from shock to awe as I drifted by unknown planets and their moons. Curious at first as to what galaxy this was, I then noticed my speed gradually picking up as I started gravitating toward an intensely bright light in the distance. The other stars in my peripheral began to grow dimmer, eventually fading out as I drew closer and closer to the vast, glowing sphere.
Somehow along the way I became cognizant that this was not merely an inanimate ball of gas that awaited me, but rather some kind of entity that had a life of its own. Retaining an almost magnetic pull on my soul, the light soon enveloped me in a cocoon of absolute whiteness and a state of complete serenity.
Although I saw no visible beings, I heard a soft, placid voice say, “My child, it is good for you to be here. We want you know we have selected The Chosen One who will direct the earth out of its current state of misery. You will recognize him because there never has been anyone who can do what he will do. We will empower him to bring about our plan, proving once and for all what you already know in your heart to be true. He is the One the world must listen to or suffer grave consequences. The time is at hand. Rejoice! He is in your midst.”
Immediately after I heard this, I found mysel
f right back where I had sat down, gazing over the desert valley below me. Excited about what I had just seen and heard, I didn’t want to forget a single detail, but now realized I had left my pen and notebook in the truck. Rushing back up the steep hill, the sandy surface caused me to slip, falling down face first with my arms stretched overhead. After sliding a couple of yards on my stomach and shooting off the trail into some shrubs, I slowly began to push myself back up.
What took place next must have certainly been quicker than the blinkof-an-eye, but somehow seemed to only happen in slow motion. A large rattlesnake uncoiled from beneath the shade of a rock, launching at me and striking my outstretched wrist.
Petrified from the attack, I laid there motionless, staring at the two puncture wounds as the snake quickly slithered away into the brush. Uncertain of what to do next, I hiked cautiously up the hill as my entire hand swelled, burning with pain. By the time I got to the truck, my wrist had swollen to twice its normal size. While I tried not to focus on the reality that the nearest medical facility was at least twenty miles away, my good hand trembled as I put the keys into the door. After hearing a no signal sound in my attempt to call 911, I flung my cell phone to the passenger side’s seat and started up the truck.
Tiny rocks sprayed out from under my spinning tires, enveloping my truck in a huge cloud of dust and making it difficult to see. A large thud came from underneath the vehicle as I bottomed out in a deep rivet right before the tires hit the pavement and I could only hope that I hadn’t just done some serious damage. Recklessly veering down the wavy mountain pass for about ten minutes, the next rest area had me hitting the brakes so I could pull over and vomit out my half-opened door. Yanking my t-shirt off to wipe my mouth, I took several deep breaths in attempts to keep my heart from punching through my chest. Now sweating profusely, I stumbled out of the truck and my vision blurred as I desperately looked down the vacant road in hopes of an approaching car. With my arm now almost completely numb, I knelt to both knees on the side of the road and cried out to my Ancestor, “Help me!”
