bullshit to me, frankly,” Ben said. “Who are we going to see, exactly?”
“Someone who has capabilities much like Jesus, not attributed to a God, but an outside force beyond our understanding,” Mark said.
“Right, okay,” Ben said with a sigh. This trip was turning into a nightmare for Ben. He didn't believe in any of it, and whatever happened to him, whatever cured his cancer, it wasn't some spiritual crap.
Mark fell silent for a time, and then said, “How much do you know about Judas Iscariot?”
“Biblical bad guy,” Ben said.
“He was the man who betrayed Jesus,” Abby chimed in, giving her brother a little smack for being rude. “He offered the location and identification of Jesus for forty pieces of silver. Once Jesus was taken, Judas killed himself. According to the Church, he was damned.”
Mark got a funny sort of look on his face and his smile seemed quite sad. “Damned. Yes. It's a good word for it. The Bible paints Judas as the bad guy, and I've been struggling with that one most of my years walking this Earth to understand why.”
“Wasn't there a recent Gnostic gospel that surfaced about Judas?” Abby asked. “Something along the lines of Judas being the only one who truly understood the message of Christ?”
Mark smiled. “There was. While highly inaccurate, it’s still something to be considered.”
Ben let out a sigh and asked, “Why are we talking about this?”
“I’m trying to give you knowledge that may come in handy in the near future,” Mark replied. “I realize you don’t agree with what I’m saying, but just trust me when I tell you this knowledge may be helpful to you some day.”
“Right,” Ben said. “Whatever you say. Can we just have some quiet until we get to the hospital, please?”
“Ben, don’t be an ass!” Abby cried out in Mark’s defense.
Mark held up a hand and spoke over Abby’s protest. “Silence is fine. I don’t want to cross any lines and I’ve said everything I need to.”
Chapter Twelve
Mark could feel his hands start to tremble as the car pulled to a stop in front of the hospital. He barely heard Ben explaining to Mark that Abby would take him inside while he parked the car. He grabbed the door handle and stepped onto the pavement. Abby was at his side almost instantly, and he felt a little more grounded as his hand settled on her arm.
“This guy, this Stigmata guy, I know you're not telling us a lot, but he's... he's someone you care about, isn't he?” Abby asked quietly as the sound of the car sped off.
His desire to keep everything secret was pressing, but it was about to come out, and he couldn't stop it. Yehuda had done this to himself, done it by leaving Mark nearly a hundred years ago, knowing what would become of him once they were separated. History was repeating itself and Mark was feeling the first flutters of absolute terror in his gut.
“You're shaking,” Abby added, closing her warm hand over his fingers. “You're all pale, and I've never seen you nervous before. Ever.”
Mark forced a smile, feeling a bubble of hysterical laughter threaten to escape. Clearing his throat, he squinted, trying to see what he could of Abby through the thick white contacts marring his eyes. “Things are complicated, Abby, and I'm afraid after today nothing is going to be the same.”
Abby was silent for a little while as they walked to the front of the hospital, coming to rest on
“Someone who has capabilities much like Jesus, not attributed to a God, but an outside force beyond our understanding,” Mark said.
“Right, okay,” Ben said with a sigh. This trip was turning into a nightmare for Ben. He didn't believe in any of it, and whatever happened to him, whatever cured his cancer, it wasn't some spiritual crap.
Mark fell silent for a time, and then said, “How much do you know about Judas Iscariot?”
“Biblical bad guy,” Ben said.
“He was the man who betrayed Jesus,” Abby chimed in, giving her brother a little smack for being rude. “He offered the location and identification of Jesus for forty pieces of silver. Once Jesus was taken, Judas killed himself. According to the Church, he was damned.”
Mark got a funny sort of look on his face and his smile seemed quite sad. “Damned. Yes. It's a good word for it. The Bible paints Judas as the bad guy, and I've been struggling with that one most of my years walking this Earth to understand why.”
“Wasn't there a recent Gnostic gospel that surfaced about Judas?” Abby asked. “Something along the lines of Judas being the only one who truly understood the message of Christ?”
Mark smiled. “There was. While highly inaccurate, it’s still something to be considered.”
Ben let out a sigh and asked, “Why are we talking about this?”
“I’m trying to give you knowledge that may come in handy in the near future,” Mark replied. “I realize you don’t agree with what I’m saying, but just trust me when I tell you this knowledge may be helpful to you some day.”
“Right,” Ben said. “Whatever you say. Can we just have some quiet until we get to the hospital, please?”
“Ben, don’t be an ass!” Abby cried out in Mark’s defense.
Mark held up a hand and spoke over Abby’s protest. “Silence is fine. I don’t want to cross any lines and I’ve said everything I need to.”
Chapter Twelve
Mark could feel his hands start to tremble as the car pulled to a stop in front of the hospital. He barely heard Ben explaining to Mark that Abby would take him inside while he parked the car. He grabbed the door handle and stepped onto the pavement. Abby was at his side almost instantly, and he felt a little more grounded as his hand settled on her arm.
“This guy, this Stigmata guy, I know you're not telling us a lot, but he's... he's someone you care about, isn't he?” Abby asked quietly as the sound of the car sped off.
His desire to keep everything secret was pressing, but it was about to come out, and he couldn't stop it. Yehuda had done this to himself, done it by leaving Mark nearly a hundred years ago, knowing what would become of him once they were separated. History was repeating itself and Mark was feeling the first flutters of absolute terror in his gut.
“You're shaking,” Abby added, closing her warm hand over his fingers. “You're all pale, and I've never seen you nervous before. Ever.”
Mark forced a smile, feeling a bubble of hysterical laughter threaten to escape. Clearing his throat, he squinted, trying to see what he could of Abby through the thick white contacts marring his eyes. “Things are complicated, Abby, and I'm afraid after today nothing is going to be the same.”
Abby was silent for a little while as they walked to the front of the hospital, coming to rest on
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