Seven Deadly Sins #4 - BFF 210 Friday the Thirteenth

Seven Deadly Sins  #4

BFF 210 : Friday the Thirteenth

“Friday the thirteenth, what a bunch of superstitious mumbo jumbo!”  Harry snorted derisively into his glass of iced tea. 

Sitting on the deck at Angela’s condo.  Harry took in the vista.  The condo was in an ideal location.  High enough within the building, the windows could be left open for the breeze and yet low enough to avoid any smog that might linger in the city.  Facing north east, the deck was usable most of the day.  Generally always sporting a shaded portion and a breeze. 

“Ya know,” he hollered to Angela who was busy in the kitchen, “some countries are fearful of Tuesday the thirteenth.  How weird does that sound? Tuesday the thirteenth!” 

Angela stood at the sliding door leading onto the deck.  “Ahem.  If you would be so kind.  Open the door and I will share my sandwiches with you.” 

Grinning, Harry jumped to accommodate.  Opening the door with his left hand, while grabbing a quartered sandwich with his right and jamming into his mouth. “Mphwpm….are ya kiddin’ me? Cucumber sandwiches!  I haven’t had these since I was visiting my Nana.”

“I find them quite refreshing during these hot summer days.  Your Nana was right to feed them to you.  Give you some practice in etiquette.”  Angela smiled as she placed the tray she was carrying onto the table.  Placing a quarter onto a plate and handing it to him, Harry bowed his head and murmured his apologies.

With napkin taken from his collar, under his chin, and placed neatly on his knee, Harry began to dig in.  “Wish you could remember everything they told you.  It’s been two days and we haven’t heard or seen anything.  Have you heard from Joy?”

“Actually, yes I have.  She said she was going to take some time off.  She said she was sitting at her desk, when she had an become awash in a feeling of apathy.  She said she just didn’t care anymore.  Naturally, I told her to take a week off and think about it.  This coming from her is was from left field.  The woman who knows everything about everything and everybody.  Hope she’s ok.  She said she had a doctor’s appointment.  She said it was so overwhelming, she had to stand up and leave the office.  That she had walked aimlessly the rest of the day.  The feeling abated enough for her to find her way home, eat, and decide she had something drastically wrong with her.  Hope she feels better soon.  I sure would like to have her take on our time at O’Malley’s and everything to follow!  She would have her eyes bugging out and her mouth wide open!”

“Did you watch the morning news?”

“No, I was busy with some paperwork.  Why? What caught your eye?” Angela was beginning to pick up their lunch plates, putting them onto the tray.

“Seems there were a lot of walk outs.  Doctors and nurses, just dropping what they were doing; you know surgeries, sponge baths, taking temperatures, and what not.  They just walked off.  It happened all over; toll booth cashiers, air traffic controllers, policemen, firemen, even had a flight attendant jump off an airplane.  The ones they have caught up with all say the same thing.  They just didn’t care anymore.  Weird.  Something is going on.  It doesn’t seem to be politically motivated.  At least not by the people doing the walking.  And that’s not all.  It’s NOT just in America.  It’s happening all over the world.”

Angela gave him her full attention.  Hesitated for only a moment, rising she picked up her tray laden with dirty dishes and walked them into the kitchen.  Shortly she returned with a small portable television. 

A commercial was playing, so Angela turned the volume down.    

Rubbing her forehead and peering skyward.  Angela pointed and asked, “Do you see that hand?”

His gaze following her hand, Harry looked back at her baffled.  “Hand?  There is a cloud moving in, but no hand.”

“I’m telling you, it’s  a hand.  It is the color of peaches as they rot.  Like there are black oozy parts to it.   It’s reaching towards the city.  I can’t tell if it is going to scoop something up or simply span over it.  Let’s go. If I can see it but you can’t, it’s not a good thing.  It’s a lie in the sky.”

“So, not only do you only hear the truth, you only see the truth?”

Angela gives him a shoulder shrug, “Guess we shall see, so to speak.”

Pulling onto the street from the underground parking, Angela had to dodge people loitering.  At least at first glance it was just general milling about by hordes of people, young and old alike. 

“What is going on?” Harry clutched the arm rest as they veered back and forth between people. “This looks like something out of a horror show.  Bunch of zombies!  They aren’t paying attention to anything.  No.  Wrong. Look” His arm pointed toward the hand/cloud.  “They seem to be following it…what the…”

Baby, the Camero, had maneuvered them into a parking space so they could watch.  Just as they were getting out of the car to walk with the throng, the mob began to take notice of them.  Reaching.  Menacing.  Jumping back into the car, Baby lifted them skyward and over the milling people.  Angela looked upward to the hand cloud.  It had morphed, not unlike a real cloud, with strands of cloudlike material moving over them. 

“This thing, this thing, it’s manipulating those people!  Holy Crap!  They, why, they were AFTER US!”  Panic written all over her face, Angela let Baby take control.  “Away, Baby, some place safe.  I need a cup of tea or a shot of something alcohol!  Things They said are beginning to be real. It’s not a dream after all.” 

“See how the hand has changed.  It looks more like a horse head.  Oh that’s one of the clues!  Horses!  Poseidon!  Whew.  Poseidon.”  Angela looked at Harry.  Harry looked perplexed.

“Isn’t Poseidon the God of the Sea?  In those movies, didn’t he “send in the Kraken?  We don’t have an ocean, are we still going to have to battle a Kraken?  What? What have you gotten us into?”  Panic was clearly etched on Harry’s face. 

“I don’t know about the Kraken.  I do recall learning about Poseidon.  He is also thought to be the husband of Da or Earth.  Some believed him to either be the father of horses or the tamer of horses, mostly because in an effort to hide from him, Demeter hid herself as a horse and mingled with the herd. Poseidon could see through the disguise, changed into a stallion and found her.  He is also considered the Earth Shaker, thought to create earth quakes.  That’s what frightens me.  We haven’t had an earth quake in Michigan since 1883!”

The Camero, Baby, had stopped outside of O’Malley’s Hearts and Roses pub.  The two staggered in and took the first stool at the bar.  Holding two fingers up, Harry said simply, “Whiskey.” 

Crashing down the door, the loitering mob entered the pub.  Still zombie like, they seemed to reach for Angela and Harry.  Quickly backing away from the door, searching for a back exit.  The pair are hurling chairs and glasses at the mob. A angry looking woman pushed her way through the crowd to the front.  As she moved through, there was a visible change in the mob’s mood.  Shoving randomly, the woman, dressed in a red jumpsuit,  seems to stir the mob even more.  Now they began fighting among themselves.  Pushing and punching.  The woman grabbed Angela and Harry by their arms and hauled them to the back door.  Glancing over her shoulder, Angela noticed something new in the room.

The people began to;  yawn, sit down on any chair sometimes on top of one another, lay their heads down, relax, stretch.  A man in a crumpled, rumpled brown suit slowly walked among the fighting.  This wave of energy was so sedate, so relaxing, the change was immediate and astounding.  Sloth meandered his way to the back door. 

“I was under the impression we wouldn’t be able to actually see you.”  Angela and Harry both looked confused.

“You can’t.”  Sloth grinned.

Wrath stepped back, blocking the entrance to the ally.  “The rioters will disperse, as long as Greed stays away a few more minutes.  If he shows up too soon, there will be looting.”

Pride walked around Wrath, cast an appraising eye over the group and their surroundings.  His three piece suit, while over dressed for the pub, bespoke an very influential personality.  Pride.  “He’s right.  You can’t see us.  We won’t let you.  It was one of Hera’s rules.  Hades, on the other hand, doesn’t give a rip if you see us or not.  We have chosen to allow you to see us, at least this once. We feel you are lacking information.  This fight is to the death.  It involves not only humans, but us as well.  This battle, this fight you have undertaken is more than you know.”

Gluttony, pulling a sandwich from her yellow floral pocket, waddled to the nearest overturned crate.  Sitting down she picked up where Pride had left off. “Poseidon has a crony who is trying to usurp Sloth.  They want to become a great and powerful religion together.  Poseidon has felt his power wane as humans have prayed to other Gods.  He knows without a following, he becomes weaker and weaker.”

“If you don’t pray to us, we cease to exist.”  Envy, sidled up next to Harry. “And we are only Demi-Gods.  For Poseidon or Zeus, it’s worse they are in pain as their prowess is drained.”

Angela and Harry exchanged “I cannot believe this is happening” looks.  “Why us?” They asked in unison.

“You are direct descendants of Hera.  Because of that lineage, Poseidon and his new pet, Apathy, have been drawn to start their coup in this city.  The energy radiates from you both.  Demi-gods can feel the strength and are drawn to it.” Greed sashayed in among the group. 

Lust, that exquisitely handsome man who had held the door open for her.  Lust.  Oh yeah.  “We felt you should understand what you are doing and working both with and against.  We can help you somewhat. Only within our own limitations. We do work fairly well together, and for this cause, very well together. However, even our talents may not always get you out of trouble.”  His eyes seemed to look into Angela’s soul.  Her knees were just a tad wobbly. 

“Ok, Lust, let her go.” Envy stepped in to intervene.  “We don’t need our heroine swooning right here in the back ally before she has even begun to fight.  Save that for later.”