A new picture had been drawn high up on the wall, where someone would have needed a ladder to get to it, just above a stylized painting of a mushroom cloud. The image nearly stopped Danny’s heart. It was a face, painted in black and white spray paint in such a way that you had to look at it from just the right angle to see that it was a face at all. It had no beard, but he knew it instantly just the same. It was the eyes he recognized first: blazing and intense, and looking right at him.
It was Blake, the man from his dream.
22
The Society of the True Judgment
Ed had fully intended to keep his promise to Doris and pay a visit to the Guru, but getting out of the apartment was harder than he expected. Tom, determined to save Ed from himself, refused to leave him alone for anything more than a trip to the bathroom, which itself was a hard-won victory. He stayed at Ed’s place for two weeks, watching his host closely for the faintest sign of regression.
The gnome didn’t make a single appearance during that time. Ed would have loved to enjoy the silence inside his head, but whatever peace he might have gained from the creature’s absence was negated by Tom. The problem was not that he offended Ed with his political leanings, though he did do that, but rather that he talked all the time. Kajdas talked about politics, history, sociology, economics, and philosophy. He talked about his plans to reclaim America in the name of freedom and morality, and how Ed was to be a crucial part of those plans. He read (and provided commentary on) three newspapers every morning and watched Walter Cronkite on TV every evening (complaining all the while about sloppy journalism, though he wouldn’t hear of changing the channel). Ed became desperate for some time to himself, and begged to be permitted to take an occasional walk outside on his own.
Tom agreed with great reluctance and slightly bruised feelings, and for the first time in weeks Ed left his apartment without his houseguest in tow. His enjoyment lasted exactly ten seconds.
A young Hispanic man was struggling up the stairs with a huge cardboard box. The box got caught on the railing and the stranger lost his balance, nearly falling back down the steps until Ed grabbed the box to steady him. The man thanked him and balanced the box on the railing to hold out his hand. “I’m David,” he said. “Gonzales.”
“Ed Terwilliger.”
Gonzales picked up his box and carried it over to Mrs. Findlay’s door, where dropped it to the floor.
“Are you related to Mrs. Findlay?” Ed asked.
David looked confused. “Mrs...? Is that the lady who used to live here?” He nodded in greeting to Tom, who had stepped outside to investigate the commotion. “Hi, I’m David. Guess I’m going to be your neighbor. You guys both live there?”
Tom came over and shook his hand. “No, I’m just visiting. Tom Kajdas.”
“What happened to Mrs. Findlay?” asked Ed.
“Don’t know,” Gonzales said with a shrug. “I heard the lady who lived here died.”
“Oh,” said Ed, wondering if his playing of loud music and occasional firing of weapons had damaged her poor old heart.
The newcomer merely seemed happy to have been lucky enough to get the lease to her apartment. When Ed inquired as to the cause of death, Gonzales’ response was a frown and another uncomfortable shrug. “She was old, right?”
Ed wished his new neighbor a good evening and walked down the steps to the courtyard. Tom watched him from the top of the stairs, but let him have his privacy. He went out through the gate and wandered down Fairfax with no particular destination in mind. The afternoon was sunny and warm, and the brightness of the sun was almost overpowering after so much time indoors. He was lost in thought and only vaguely took notice when a shabbily-dressed man caught up with him from behind, and it was another minute before he realized that the man had matched his pace and was now walking alongside him. Ed stopped suddenly and turned to face him. The man was bulky, tall and slightly heavyset, and his bald head shone in the sun. He held out a hand, and Ed thought he must be begging for money.
“I don’t have any,” Ed said in irritation.
The man smiled. “What’s the matter? You don’t like my new hairstyle?”
Ed looked at him stupidly. The stranger was still holding out his hand. There was an intensity in his eyes that Ed found alarming, but something about him seemed familiar. Then, with a jolt, Ed’s mind made a connection. “Big John!” he cried.
“Ed, I’ve been trying to get you alone for two days now. Your g-man friend doesn’t leave you alone for a minute. I can’t believe you’re still hanging around with that guy.”
Ed couldn’t remember Big John ever addressing him by his real name. “He’s been helping me out. Why didn’t you just knock on the door? Where have you been?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” He laughed softly and said again, “You wouldn’t believe it.” He trailed off and just stared at Ed for a moment. Ed shifted uncomfortably under the intense gaze. “Can we walk?” John said finally.
They walked past the Park La Brea Towers while Ed related some of the less embarrassing events of the prior weeks. Big John listened intently and commented little, which was not like him at all. The Miracle Mile was mobbed with shoppers and tourists, so they walked over toward the Tar Pits where the crowds were thinner. Once they were away from the people, John began to talk more freely.
“I quit my job,” was the first thing he said.
“What? Why?”
Visconti laughed to himself. “Been making some new friends. They don’t like cops too much, but they like ex-cops a lot.”
“What are you doing for money?”
“Money’s not a problem. My friends have plenty, and they love to share.” John stopped in front of a huge statue of a saber-toothed tiger; he looked rather small next to the great beast. He raised a hand to touch it on the nose. “I’d love for you to meet them. They’re really a terrific bunch.”
The pieces were starting to come together for Ed. “Just what kind of group is this, John? Do they have a name?”
“We call ourselves the Society of the True Judgment.”
“Did they make you shave your head?”
John ran a hand over his scalp. “All the men have to shave. A symbol of our devotion.”
Ed had never seen John talk about anything with such open emotion. He hadn’t called him any crude names yet, or used any foul language. Most unusual. “John, I’m surprised at you. Of the two of us, I thought I would’ve been the first one to join a cult.”
John seemed momentarily offended by this, but he shook it off. “If you don’t know what it’s all about, you might think that. But these people, they really believe in something. And they’ve shown me a lot. I thought they were crazy too, when I met them. They were looking for bikers and cops, trying to recruit big guys to act as their security guards. I went to talk to them ’cause I needed a little extra money. But the things they said, the things they showed me...” He trailed off, staring blankly at the statue.
“What did they show you? John?” Ed waved a hand in front of his face. John blinked and continued as if he hadn’t stopped talking at all.
“They told me about their struggle,” said John. “That was the first thing, when I went to their house. They told me some stuff that I thought was pure craziness, about God and Jesus and Satan and Lucifer. I didn’t listen at first.”
“Why did you change your mind?”
An expression of childlike wonder came over John’s face. “I saw God,” he said.
“You... saw God?”
“In a movie.”
“What, like a recruiting film?”
“No,” John said with a quizzical frown, as if Ed was the one saying bizarre and incomprehensible things. “They’re not the Army. This was different. They had a projector set up in a room, like a tiny theater. They put on this movie they play for all their new people. But when they played it for me, it came alive. It’s hard to explain. It was like I was inside the picture. That’s where I
saw God.”
A few months ago, Ed would have dismissed such things as utter nonsense. But after the things he’d seen, Ed was not so quick to contradict him. “Did they give you any drugs?”
“Okay, well,” John said hesitantly, “they gave me something to drink. I’m not stupid; I know they slipped something in there. But hell, they were paying me all that money, least I could do was take a drink. But what I saw, it wasn’t a hallucination. It was real. I could have reached out and touched God with my hands if I’d wanted to.”
“I don’t think he’d want you doing that.” At John’s sharp look, he softened his tone. “What did you see?”
Visconti started walking again, and Ed walked with him. “I saw an old man sitting on a silver throne. He had a book in his hand, a huge metal book. And he was using it to control all the people. The people called him Urizen.”
Ed gasped when he heard that name.
“He had them enslaved,” John continued. “The people were in chains, and all the chains were connected to his throne. But there was someone else, a man who was made of red fire. He was hard to look at. Sometimes he was a snake, and sometimes he was a man. It’s hard to explain.”
“Orc,” said Ed.
“Yes! His name was Orc. He was chained to a rock, but he turned into a snake and got away. Then he fought Urizen. There was a huge battle, and all the people were fighting on the ground while those two were fighting in the sky. Orc was fighting to free the people, and Urizen wanted to keep them as slaves.” He trailed off, shaking his head slowly in wonder at the vision he had seen.
“So?” Ed prodded. “Who won?”
“Orc won. His special people, his prophets, came out of a cave to help him. They’d been hiding underground until he needed them. He killed Urizen, and the prophets killed Urizen’s followers. Then Orc and all his people went through a giant gate into Heaven. There was a special place for the people who had helped Orc.” He took hold of Ed’s arms, squeezing them so tightly that Ed’s hands started going numb. “That’s what the Society does. We follow Orc. When the battle comes, we’ll be the ones who sit at Orc’s side after he wins.”
“Who is Orc?” Ed thought he had an idea what John’s answer would be, but he had to ask the question. “Is he a real person?”
“Yes!” John was beaming now. “His earthly name is Arthur. He leads the Society. We’re his army.”
“Arthur,” Ed said with a sigh.
John’s eyes glittered with a fierce light. “Arthur is our teacher and our savior. He’s a great man.”
“He’s nuts, John. You’re being duped. Arthur isn’t what you think he is.”
“No, Ed,” John said feverishly. “I want you to understand. You need to come with me to Society House. Arthur wants to talk to you. He sent me to find you. He asked for you by name. He knows who you are!” John let go of his arms, finally, and Ed rubbed them to get his circulation going again. “Please. Come back to the house with me.”
“John―” Ed started, but he knew he had to be careful. John was clearly not entirely stable. And he was very big. “I believe you.” John smiled with delight at that. “I’m sure these... Society people are very nice folks, but I’m really not looking for religion right now.” John’s excited smile faded, replaced by a look of vague shock. Ed spoke quickly to head him off. “Why don’t you come back to my place and wash up? We could go out and grab a bite. Are you hungry?”
John looked at the ground and shook his head slowly. “You have to come back with me,” he said quietly. “Arthur won’t―” He stopped himself, chose a different tack. “You’re scared, aren’t you? I’m telling you, these people aren’t bad. You’ll see once you meet them. You don’t even have to watch their movie. Just come by and say hello.” His casual tone was at odds with the increasingly frantic look in his eyes.
Ed decided it was best to be firm. “No, John. I’m sorry.”
John’s hands started to shake. He curled them into fists. Ed saw a nearby couple back away, not wanting to be close to the big guy when he started swinging. But John swallowed once, hard, clenched his jaw, and then visibly calmed himself. Ed could see droplets of sweat collecting in his eyebrows. “You have to learn about the True Judgment. It’s the only way to save yourself.” He seized Ed’s shoulder.
“John, let go.”
“You have to come,” John said again. He started walking and pulling Ed along with him.
“John!” Ed yanked his shoulder out of John’s grip. “Knock it off!”
The look in his friend’s eyes had become frightening. He reached out with both arms, as if he was coming in for a hug. Ed, feeling panic welling up inside, did the only thing that came to mind. He made a fist and took a swing at John’s face, as hard as he could manage.
Ed was still a long way from being fully recovered, and he didn’t punch very hard. The right hook barely turned Big John’s head. John’s mouth hung open in a bewildered way, a drop of saliva hanging from his lower lip. They stared at each other in astonishment for a long time.
“I’m sorry,” Ed said, breaking the silence.
“No,” said John, raising a hand to his cheek. “No, I was out of line.” He took a deep breath. “It’s okay. You don’t have to come. Not today.”
Ed stepped backward, just out of reach. “Maybe another time, all right?”
John nodded. A faint red mark was beginning to appear on his left cheek. “I’ll come back and find you.” Ed didn’t think he intended this to sound as ominous as it did. John turned and walked away slowly, arms dangling limply at his sides.
It seemed like a good time to pay the Guru that visit he’d promised.
23
A Mysterious Illness
Darkness was falling on the twisty streets of Los Feliz when Ed got off the freeway. He managed to get so lost that it was completely dark by the time he found the house. The windows were all dark. He locked his car and carefully made his way up to the front steps. The house next door was quiet and dark as well. Ed tried not to look over there; the image of blood pouring out of the sky still came to mind when he saw it.
As he walked up the front steps, he heard a soft rustling from the bushes to his left. That was all the warning he had before someone leaped out at him from the garden, pinning him against the metal railing and grabbing his arms from behind.
Ed tried to speak, but all he could do for a moment was cough spasmodically. “What the hell?” he croaked.
“Shut up,” said a deep voice. Ed was pushed roughly up to the front door, his arms held behind his back so tightly that he was afraid they would break. He concentrated on staying on his feet while his captor banged on the door with his foot.
Someone opened the door from the inside. The darkness in the house was absolute. Ed was shoved inside, and the door behind him was locked. “It’s me,” he said, voice cracking. “Doris asked me to come.”
“Quiet, I already told you,” said the man who was holding his arms. There was a click from the other side of the small foyer, and a light came on overhead. He found himself looking up at a very tall black man who was only visible in silhouette against the light. He had an afro that made his already huge head appear inhumanly large. Ed recognized him as one of the Guru’s bodyguards.
“It’s the little girl again,” said another voice. “Should we break his arms?” Rat, Doris had called him. Rat had long, oily gray hair and a cruel look in his eyes. He was the one who had switched on the light.
Ed spoke carefully to keep his voice from squeaking again. “I came to see the Guru. Doris asked me to.” The black man put more pressure on his arms, but didn’t break them. Maybe he only takes orders from the Guru, Ed thought hopefully. “Is she here?”
“The Guru’s sick,” said the black man.
“Quiet!” Rat snapped. “None of his business.” His pale eyes seemed to glow in the yellow light. “Now we have to kill him. And break his jaw so he can’t tell anybody.” He came closer to Ed, grinning slightly. His breath s
melled like compost.
“What the hell’s going on?” said Doris, who had come to the foyer to investigate. “The Guru’s trying to sleep.”
Ed tried to turn toward her, but the big man wouldn’t let him move. “Doris!” he said. His voice echoed through the quiet house. He hadn’t meant to shout.
“Is that Ed?” Doris craned her neck to see around the black man’s considerable bulk, while the man turned to try to stay between her and Ed. “Rayfield!” she said. “Let him go! It’s Ed!” Rayfield loosened his grip a little.
“The Guru don’t want us letting nobody in without his permission,” Rayfield said. “No exceptions, that’s what he said.”
Doris crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “Let him go right now, or I’ll go wake up the Guru and tell him that you wouldn’t let Ed in the house.”
Rayfield hesitated for a moment. Then he let go, apparently deciding that it was better to be in trouble with the Guru than with Doris. Rat was scowling at all three of them in equal measure.
Doris ran to Ed and hugged him fiercely. “What took you so long?” she muttered into his shoulder. Ed hugged her in return, his shoulders aching. He thought Rayfield might have pulled something loose. After a moment, Doris took a step back and gave Ed a calculating look. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. Mostly.” Ed looked around at the others, suddenly self-conscious. Rayfield grinned at him with brilliant white teeth. Ed wondered how much Doris had told them about his troubles.
“Let’s wake him up,” she said, taking Ed’s hand. “I don’t think he’ll mind.” She led him toward the back of the house and made him wait in the living room while she entered the Guru’s bedroom for a minute. He heard them talking, but couldn’t make out any words. He sat down on a couch, and before long Doris returned and sat next to him. She switched on a lamp with a red shade, filling the room with a dim, reddish light. “He’ll be out in a minute,” she said.
Forest of the Mind (The Book of Terwilliger 1) Page 20
