The Savior Rises

by Christopher C. Payne

  Stefani went to oblige their request, undoing the lock she had so dutifully secured only a few minutes before. The flurry of activity had taken only 15 minutes. She wondered if anything in her life would ever be normal again.

  “There is an ambulance arriving now, girls,” said one of the policemen. “Is anyone badly hurt?”

  All of them responded in unison, saying they weren’t harmed other than scrapes and bruises. Stefani answered without thinking, having forgotten about her hand. The pain seemed to recede as fast as it had come. Nothing added up in a logical way at this point.

  Several of the cops picked over the two men, handcuffing the one who was still alive. They shoved him down into the squad car below. He rattled on about failure and not wanting to die. He started to cry, amusing the cops surrounding him.

  “Please, don’t let them find me. They’ll kill me. You can’t take me to a police station. They’ll kill me,” he said through broken sobs.

  How does a grown man, a hardened criminal, cry like a little baby? Stefani thought to herself. What was happening to her sanity? Who were these people, these things who seemed to show up all around her?

  Soon after the room cleared, a detective arrived. He asked questions nonstop, but decided all three girls would go to the hospital for a medical evaluation. Stefani’s roommates were in shock, it appeared, and the story all three told didn’t add up.

  The detective looked at Stefani, all five foot three inches of her, and wondered how she could possibly beat off four guys. One died after he fell to the sidewalk below, and she crushed the other one’s throat with her bare hands. It didn’t add up for a girl her age and stature to best four men in a physical confrontation.

  These guys all weighed more than 200 pounds. They were mostly muscle. How could she lift one over her head and throw him like a rag doll? If the story were accurate, two of the men had actually been picked up and thrown out a window for Christ’s sake.

  Stefani grabbed her bag from the floor, threw in a change of clothes and her Raggedy Ann doll, and headed down to the waiting ambulance. Her two roommates were already en route to the hospital for their night of observation and medical evaluation. It sounded like all three would stay there at least through the evening and, possibly, for a few days.

  As she stepped into the back door of the ambulance, she turned and saw Dennis. He stood behind the yellow tape and stared at her. She blinked her eyes, and suddenly he was gone. There were so many people, maybe it hadn’t been him. But he had looked so real. Could the drugs have worn off and he followed her home this quickly?

  Stefani was so scared at this point. Almost as if on cue, an older looking police officer walked over and said he would ride along with her. The police decided all three girls would have a 24-hour guard for the next few days. The authorities needed the time to figure out what was going on. Everyone within shouting distance heard Stefani’s life being threatened. It now sounded as if she were a marked woman.

  Little did they know how marked she was.

  Right before the doors closed she yelled, “Stop!”

  She jumped out of the ambulance and threw up on the ground in front of everyone. Again, the black liquid spewed out of her body, stinking like death and rotting flesh. A crowd had gathered and stared at her. Everyone suddenly fell silent.

  “Ma’am, can I help you back in the ambulance?” a young officer said, breaking the deafening sound of shock. Only the pool of black vomit remained as a marker of the insanity surrounding the last 24-plus hours. Sadly, it was probably only going to get worse.

  “Yes, thanks,” Stefani said. With that, the doors closed, sealing her inside a temporary cocoon of safety, and she headed off to the hospital.

  What happened the last few hours to cause her life to be turned upside down? Was this really all over a ring? She hadn’t even known this ring existed, and she definitely didn’t know where it was. Her only wish was to close her eyes and have all of this disappear. If only there were a way to transport herself back in time, back to when her mother and grandmother were still alive.

  She felt a single tear trace its way down her cheek and thought, how ironic. Her entire existence was based upon nothing, nobody, no one but herself.

  The Hospital

  Stefani had been alone most of her life. She had nobody to talk to and no family. If she died that day, sitting in the hospital, nobody would probably have cared. For the first time, she was poked and prodded, and for what? She had lost track of what was real, and she had no idea who was telling the truth. All she had was her Raggedy Ann doll, clutched tightly in her arms, keeping her warm.

  “I have to take some more blood, if you don’t mind,” the nurse said as she entered her room. She had dark hair and was full-figured. In the short time Stefani had been in the hospital, this nurse was, by far, the most pleasant of the caregivers on-call that night.

  “Sure, no problem,” Stefani responded. What did she care, anyway? They could take all the blood they wanted. She was going to be dead before the week was out. By now, Stefani had almost completely convinced herself her life was over. How had she even managed to escape her apartment alive? She should probably be buried somewhere already.

  She began day dreaming, feeling like her predicament was in tune with a movie. Her mind wandered to the one where a group of people escape death only to be stalked by spirits until they finally die. When your time is up, you will expire. There is just no way around it.

  She noticed the police officer leaning back on the hind two legs of his chair. He rested against the wall outside of her room. He looked so young. She wondered how old you had to be to join the San Francisco Police Force. She guessed he had to be at least in his mid-20s. Otherwise, how would he have had time to go to college and complete training? Actually, did you need college to become a policeman?

  Stefani really had no idea, but her mind traveled all over the place. It was difficult to keep up with things at that point. Who cared whether he graduated from college? He just had to shoot straight and have lots of ammunition. These freakish creatures running around didn’t seem to die very easily.

  “Hello, Ms. Hernandez. How might you be feeling today?” asked Dr. Bob as he entered the room. Not really waiting for her to even respond, he just kept going. It was almost as if he were talking to himself, rather than addressing her directly.

  “We’ve taken some samples of your blood, and we’ve run some tests on the remains you so kindly left for us on the roadside. The police officers were nice enough to bring some in and asked us what we thought. The strange thing is, I’m not sure we’ve ever seen a blood sample like yours before, ever.”

  “You seem to have an oddity in your system, some kind of virus of some sort. It’s attacking and almost transforming the structure of your DNA. The nurse has taken some more samples, and we will continue to run tests. In the meantime, I’d like for you to stay put, at least for a couple days. We don’t want you running around infecting anybody with something before we figure out what it is.”

  “What are you talking about?” she responded. “Am I going…”

  She stopped herself midsentence. Standing outside her door was Dennis. He wore a long, black trench-coat that must have been new. More likely, it was stolen. The guy seemed to have some sticky fingers with no qualms about breaking the law.

  Her young protector kept him at bay for the time being. He glanced at Stefani, and it was obvious he was unsure whether to let Dennis in or send him in another direction.

  “Ma’am, this guy says he knows you. His name is Dennis. Is it ok if he comes in, or would you rather be left alone?” the young officer asked.

  “Thanks, just send him in,” she motioned to the officer.

  Then, she looked directly at Dr. Bob, “I’ll stay here as long as you like, doctor. I just need to talk to my friend, if possible. Alone, please,”

  She flippantly waved him out the door.

  Looking like a scolded dog that had just dropped a load on the living
room carpet, the doctor quickly made his exit. He came across as one of those pompous jerks who thought all women should fawn over him just because he was a doctor. Stefani was a freakishly strong super girl. What did she care what this idiot was? Besides, she’d be dead in a few hours. Her luck couldn’t possibly continue with the odds stacked against her.

  “Dennis, what’s up, dude?” she asked in a condescending tone.

  “That was really stupid. You could have been killed or worse. He could have captured you, and…”

  “Buddy, did you really just say I could’ve been killed, but it would’ve been worse if he caught me and took me alive?” she grunted at him. “It almost seems you’re not placing a very high value on my life. That doesn’t bode well for us hanging out too long or bonding in any way.”

  Dennis closed the door and pulled a chair up beside her bed. He pushed it forward so, as he sat down, he was literally within inches of her face. She could almost smell the air as it billowed out of his flaring nostrils. He casually picked up her hand. My right hand, she thought to herself.

  Jesus, now that was odd. When Greg flew out the window with her help, her right hand was mangled. How could it have completely healed that fast? She hadn’t even thought to get the doctor or anyone to check on it since she had no longer felt any pain. It had gone from excruciating to being perfectly normal.

  “What’s wrong?” Dennis asked.

  “My hand. It was crushed. Greg squeezed it so hard; I thought I’d never be able to use it again. And, now it’s perfectly fine. It healed so quickly. What’s wrong with me?”

  “Your body is changing, don’t you get that?” Dennis asked. “You’re not human. You’re one of us. You are a gargoyle. When a gargoyle turns 21, the transformation is complete. You’re now in the final stages of becoming your true self. You are, as I am, one of the chosen elite. You’re not human.”

  It was almost more than she could handle. She felt her pulse increasing again. It became harder to breathe. How could she possibly be one of these things? She didn’t have wings, she couldn’t fly. She burned when she was out in the sun too long, for Christ’s sake. There was no way her skin was grey leather. It just wasn’t possible.

  Dennis no longer seemed to care about her mental stability. “We don’t have time for games anymore. I need the ring. You have to think. What do you have from your childhood? What is it that you hold most precious? As he asked her, his grip on her right hand began to hurt. What was it with these gargoyles and crushing her right hand?

  His eyes were no longer focused on her, though. He seemed fixated with her Raggedy Ann doll. The one thing she had kept from her days as a child. The one thing she would never relinquish. It was the only tie she had left to her mother, her life, her sanity.

  Dennis snatched the doll in his left hand and ripped the head off with his right.

  “Nooooooooooo!” she screamed, but as she did so, a necklace fell from the severed neck. A necklace, with a ring attached to one end.

  Dennis laughed.

  “It’s mine,” he said. “It’s finally mine. I’ve found the one thing that can change the course of time and destiny. This is not just a ring. It will be the symbol of a new beginning. We now have the ability to rule. To make things right.”

  His face had contorted into a disgustingly warped mask of grey leathery wrinkles. What the heck? Who was this guy? He turned to her, holding the ring in his left hand, and she felt her world get cut off. His right hand had wrapped around her neck and he squeezed. He squeezed so tightly she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t scream. She couldn’t stop it. Was this how she was going to die? Didn’t he say she was needed alive? Or did he just say they needed her.

  Moments before she thought she would pass out, the pressure released. It was like he let go, but she couldn’t focus very well.

  “Ahhhhhhhhhh!” Dennis screamed. “What have you done to me?”

  She thought she saw his face, but it looked as if his skin was melting. His eyeballs had rolled down to his chin, connected by little tentacles clinging to his sockets like strings. He was grabbing his hair with both hands.

  He ran headfirst through the window, plummeting to the parking lot below. There was a loud crash as he landed on his back in the middle of the roof of a Porsche 911 convertible. His massive weight crushed the car as it folded in on itself. Within seconds he jumped up and dashed off into the night, screaming in pain as he ran. His hands were empty.

  “That was close,” the young policeman said. “I thought you said you could trust that guy?”

  “What happened? What did you do to him, his face?” Stefani asked. “It looked like he was decaying right before my eyes. It almost seemed like his skin was peeling from his body.”

  “Gargoyles don’t like salt,” he said matter-of-factly. “Their body content is mostly water, but it’s genetically altered somehow. Salt seems to penetrate their pores and somehow instantly dehydrates them. Sadly, he’ll rejuvenate very quickly. They also seem to heal within minutes or at times possibly hours. It all depends on how much they’re damaged and what kind of access they have to water.

  “OMG, what are you talking about?” she screamed. “Why is this happening to me? I thought Dennis was the good guy. Greg is the bad guy. There is always a good guy and a bad guy in every movie. Dennis rescued me. He…”

  Her voice trailed off as she saw the young officer reach his hand down and pick up the necklace lying on her bed. That was going too far.

  She grabbed his hand, bent it back, watching the necklace and ring fall back into place next to her. The cop’s knees buckled as he dropped to the floor in pain, staring directly into her eyes.

  “Now, let’s get two things straight. I have no idea who you are or what you’re doing here. I will only say this once. The necklace stays with me. Second, what exactly did you just do to Dennis? How did that happen so quickly?”

  “If you let me up, I’ll happily tell you everything I know.”

  The young policeman managed to grunt, gripping his immobilized arm with his other hand.

  As Stefani released his wrist, she said, “If you try anything, I’ll kill you. I’m no longer playing this game with anyone. Are we clear?”

  “Sure, I get it already. First, I had a salt solution mixed with peroxide. For some reason the chemical combination works quicker than simple salt. I mean, salt does really hurt you…I mean, those guys. I don’t understand the details. I just know the results.

  “Secondly, my name is Matt. I’m on the San Francisco Police Force, but my family has had some experiences with gargoyles. One killed my mom when I was a little kid. I was brought up to hate them. My father’s pretty powerful, and he hates them as much as I do. If we had our way, they’d all be dead. Well, except for you, I guess.

  “I’ve only met two face-to-face in my entire life. This Dennis guy tonight and a female one three years ago. I killed her before she had a chance to attack. My father always told me the females are the worst kind. They’ll kill you at the slightest provocation. No offense, if you are one of them. I mean, you are a girl, but a gargoyle, I mean, well…”

  “Are you one of them, a gargoyle? Are you one of these creatures?”

  With that, Stefani started crying. She didn’t know why. Maybe everything had just gotten to be too much. Things flew at her from all directions. She didn’t know what or who she was anymore. Until yesterday, she thought she was in control of her life. She thought she was an adult. Didn’t she have a handle on the next steps – didn’t she have a direction?

  Matt leaned over the bed, wrapped his arms around her, and let her cry. She needed him to be real. She now understood how badly she needed somebody in her life. She’d been alone for so long. Her foster parents had tried, but she never gave them the chance. She had pushed everyone away, and for what?

  “I don’t know what I am. I honestly don’t know what I am anymore,” she garbled through another burst of tears. “I just want to go home, but I don’t have a home. I don
’t even know if I have a place to live. I just want it all to end. I need to understand what’s happening. What’s wrong with me? Who am I?”

  “Ok, just calm down. I don’t think there’s any reason you have to stay here. If you choose to leave, we or the doctors can’t stop you. Why don’t you check yourself out? I’ll tell them you’re leaving on your own accord, and I’ll follow you. We can go to my father and ask him what to do. Maybe he’ll have some answers.”

  “Fine,” she blurted out, wiping the tears from her eyes, “At least it’s a plan.”

  What’s that saying, she asked herself. A disastrous plan executed today is better than a well thought out plan implemented tomorrow. Is that really true though?

  Stefani didn’t care. She got up, grabbed her clothes, snatched the necklace off the bed, and changed out of her hospital gown in the restroom. All this time that thing, that ring, had been right there in her doll’s head. If the ring were real, maybe the rest of this insanity was real as well.

  Interestingly enough, she couldn’t get a handle on whether that thought made her feel better or worse.

  She threw on her clothes and, after fighting with the on-duty nurse, checked herself out of the hospital. There really wasn’t much they could do to force her to stay. They couldn’t prove she was a threat to anyone, and she wasn’t under arrest.

  Her only goal at that point was finding answers. What did Dennis have to do with Greg, and why had he suddenly freaked out and tried to kill her? It didn’t make any sense. The insanity from all of this seemed to encircle her world in ways she might not ever understand. Thank God for Matt. She had never needed a friend so badly in her entire life.