A Short Story
Jude's Lie
The Air is thin under the overcast sky. The breeze is cool and caressing to Nevets's bloodied cheek. He looks up slowly, "Any last words Father?", he asks, pistol aiming right for Jude's head. Despite his battered condition, Jude looks up. "You'll never get back.." he sputters. BANG! Nevets, remorseless, slowly lowers his weapon. He throws the pistol to the ground and falls to his knees. "You were supposed to help me! Why didn't you help me Jude! I'm not supposed to be here!" Nevets slumps over.
42 Minutes Before
GASP! Nevets violently awakes. He slouches up on his bed, sitting, hands grasping his head in frustration and fatigue. As he slowly makes his way down stairs a knock is heard on the door. KNOCK KNOCK. Nevets quickly finds refuge behind the downstairs' pillar taking every precaution not to be seen. The coast is clear, he moves for the door opening it cautiously. No one is there. Nevets quickly looks down and sees a news paper on the hard cement entrance. He bends and picks it up walking back into his only safe haven. He scans the paper quickly, an article catches his eye. "Savior Jude is amongst us! Come visit him and be healed!" it said. His eyes quickly made their way to the date. "October 4th, 1955", it read. With a look of dismay, Nevets throws the paper hard across the room! He looks out the window to see a buzzing New York street and people dressed in a style Nevets was not familiar with. He runs upstairs, idea in mind, and throws on some clothes found in a foreign closet.
Nevets has a fast pace in his step now. Making his way down 8th avenue into an intersection. "He'll make it right.", he says to himself, "He must, he has to fix me." "He did this to me, he's gotta help me." BEEEEEEEEP! "What da hell ya doin!" yells a speeding cab driver. "I just about killed ya! Ya crazy!" Nevets surprised, apologetically waves to the driver and whispers to himself "I wish you had.."
As he walks down the street his eyes light up all of the sudden, locking on to a target in the near distance down the road. Nevets arrives at his destination and glances up at the sign, "Judes House of Healing" the sign read. He opens the door wide and strolls in the house. Inside a meeting was taking place, a circle of about 15 chairs surrounded just one in the middle. "Join hands please" a voice said in the middle. Everyone clasped hands and closed their eyes while bowing their heads. The members were wearing the whitest of white linens and a white belt to match. Nevets looked on as the prayer began. "Thank you Bak for our blessings… We seek you out in our time of need and look to The Infinite Tome to guide us on. May we leave this holy temple in balance." The members disengaged and stood up stretching, conversing and sharing final offerings of peace. Nevets turns his body toward the door, second guessing his decision coming. "My son! Wait!" says the man who was sitting in the middle. Nevets turns back in a hopeful disbelief and says, "You recognize me?" The man in the middle says reassuringly, "Of course I do! Jude recognizes all his children who are in need of healing. For I am the Father".. "Well father, I am in need of something, but it is not healing… I believe your people call it "The Shard". Jude's eyes widen and fearfully look around for listeners. "I'm sure I do not know what you are talking about my son." Nevets looks him in the eye and says, "Really? Because 23 years from now you use it on me!"
Jude leads Nevets to the back room inside the temple to an office space with decorations and what looks to be a shrine of a god entitled "Bak". Jude scurries and looks through his bookshelf. Meanwhile Nevets takes a closer look at the Shrine. In captions under "Bak" the shrine reads "Ille qui nos omnes servabit". Jude finds the book he was looking for "The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands", he pulls on it a particular way. Jude quickly leaps back. The bookshelf begins to move sideways revealing a stone wall with ancient scribe all over it. "To be honest Nevets, I do know of the ancient stone you are speaking of.", Jude says while pushing the heavy stone door to one side. He leads the way into a small dark tunnel leading further into the earth. "But tell me, why would I use it on you?" Nevets following him, "You said I could save my wife. That I could change the outcome of her death by killing the man responsible for her murder… But I wasn't supposed to go back this far. 8 years you said. You said it would take me back 8 years." Jude continues to crouch walk his way down the tunnel. "Well I do not wish to contradict myself, but the shard is highly unpredictable. Perhaps I had invented a way to mitigate the amount of time it would send humans back. 23 years is relatively short lapse, 300 - 400 years is usually the dislodge time." They finally reach a small room, lit only buy 2 fluorescent lights on the ceiling. On one side of the room were two lockers and in the middle was a desk, on it was a massive book formerly known as "The Infinite Tome". Jude steps over toward it and flips to the middle. "You might wanna cover your ears and close your eyes.." says Jude. Nevets takes a step back and mashes his hands against his ears and squeezes his eyes together. Jude looks at the tome and quickly reads silently:
Rule 815 - In the event of a time skip gone wrong, the "Skipee" is dislodged from time forever. The Shard is useless on the victim and he or she must IMMEDIATLEY be killed to prevent a time paradox.
Exception: Time mitigation and destiny tinkering can be a case to case basis, but only under 50 years can a skip be undone. Consult pages 415-442 for counter measures.
Jude quickly scampers to one of the lockers opening it. He grabs a lengthy knife on the top shelf of the locker. Nevets peeks one eye open to see what's going on. A SHARP PAIN invades him. He opens his eyes and sees Jude stabbing him! Nevets falls on Jude but he immediately pushes him off to the ground. "I'm sorry you had to get mixed up in this Nevets…I really am". "You knew…(cough cough) You knew this would happen to me, YOU KNEW YOU WOULD KILL ME!" Nevets says breathing heavily. Jude drops the knife and begins his journey back to the stone door. Nevets groans in pain! He carefully lifts him self up using the lockers as support, the lockers pop open and a bag falls on to the floor… He reaches for the bag and picks it up. He walks toward the desk and reads the Rule that applies to his fate. He unzips the bag and their lie a shiny pistol. Meanwhile Jude reaches the door, he opens it up by pushing on certain pressure points and shuts it behind him. A temple associate walks by and sees him. "Father! Is everything alright!? Are you ok!?" she says in concern. "Why of course my dear why do you ask?" Jude quarries. "The Blood father!". Jude looks down and sees Nevets's blood covering the bottom his robe in a crimson red. He panics, "O nothing more than a cut my dear". Jude begins running to the front of the temple. The associate turns for him but then she hears someone yelling in Jude's office. She walks in, "Help! Is anyone there!? Help!" Nevets screams. The associate pants, "Yes! Yes I am here!". Nevets orders, "Ok, I need you to find the book entitled "The Dark Tower III"! You have to pull on it! The associate finally finds the book and yanks on it. "Now push the book case out of the way!" Nevets yells. The associate uses all of her might and tugs on the bookshelf till it budges to one side. Nevets immediately shoulders the stone to one side and hops out, blood all over him. "Thank you! Do you know where Jude is?" The associate is reluctant to answer. She studies him and sees blood on his shirt and a gun in hand. "He is.. Running to the front, but…"the associate is interrupted by a quick gesture of thanks by Nevets. Nevets runs for the front and looks all over for him. WACK! Jude hits Nevets in the back with a chair causing him to fall. "You must die! You have to!" Jude says while beating on him. "NO NO! I DON'T! THE EXCEPTION!" Nevets yells! The associate comes running out and tackles Jude to the floor. Nevets gets up in a last fit of rage and runs over to Jude and punches him in the face! "Your gonna tell me how to get back!" He throws Jude outside the temple onto the street. "Ill never tell you.." Jude mumbles as he's being beat.
