10/X-B. Is God Asleep? (Remastered)

“Where is the other guy?” Greg hassled the newly logged in employee as he knocked violently on the ice cream truck. His tone and voice sent urgency to the clerk that rattled him as he answered the detective.

“I don’t… I don’t know, but he just logged out, he said, he had some errand to run, and he quickly got out.” He immediately answered, frantically scrambling his way to the freezer entertaining the current customer, and the other line of adults questioning him like mad as hell.

“He must have seen us observing him. Totally guilty, huh.”

SFX: Slurrrrrp Gale sipped the last sip of her smoothie and threw the trash in the litter bin near the ice cream truck, not a care in the world, as she doesn’t believe still the deduction of the six year old kids.

“Does he have any motor, or bike, he can use for transpo?” Greg calmed down a bit, but you can sense from his tone that he’s still agitated and frustrated by the turn of events.

“No, he doesn’t have any of those.” The new boy doesn’t have any idea of what is happening but happily obliges on every question he heard from the detective, he saw the badge before they approached, and since he didn’t do anything wrong, there’s no reason to fear the questions.

SFX: BANG

“Damn!” Greg curled up his fist and banged it against the metal truck, agitated.

The loud hit surprised the unsuspecting line a meter across him waiting only for their ice cream scoops, same as the clerk who attended to their orders.

“We need to go, if he has no transportation out, there’s only one answer.” Arthur felt the urgency as well, their only prime suspect, and the most probable person to have done the deed disappeared from their surveillance radar.

“Beach! Beach! Beach!” Johnny nonchalantly shouts beach in front of everybody, with a smile on his face, to calm them down, his cute, puppy face, helped the other line regain their composure.

“What do you mean?” Greg dragged the gang to the stairs directly across the pier. No one’s coming up and no one’s coming down, just them, discussing the case.

“He’s still on the beach, somewhere, I don’t know, but we already profiled him, he’s a psychopath, since there’s no other way out, I figured, either, he’s going to take a hostage with him to secure his exit, or he’s going to play victim and go suicide-y on us. Either way, we need to find him.” Arthur toned down his voice as he tried to whisper within the group.

“Spread out.” Greg’s first order to the group.

-------------------- // --------------------

Cain secluded himself the rest of the night of the sacrifice, and the next day in the tent, at least, that’s what Adam and Eve thought when they went out to tend to the plants that Cain doesn’t want to face as of the moment.

“Father, is Cain still angry and disappointed?” They sipped through the soup that Abel prepared as the sun rose in the middle of the sky. Abel can still feel the disappointment as Cain distanced himself the whole night before and the next morning up to afternoon.

The parents were out tending the fields, while Abel cared for the sheep whole morning, Cain never walked out of the tent as they ate breakfast, and lunch.

Eve grew anxious and worried for his son, she called out for him before they ate lunch, but he only answered, “I don’t want to eat.”

Who wouldn’t feel like they’re dying, it’s the first time he felt disappointed, and tired of what he do every day.

Though the two brothers compete for their parents’ favor by doing their own field of work, knowing the background of the Light, and seeing that the Creator favored Abel’s hard work more than Cain was a bit too hard for Cain.

The Obsession continued to feed on this disappointment and hatred of Cain to Abel, and soon, Cain can no longer control the voices that whispered to him, “Kill him, kill him, kill him!”

It became unbearable that that afternoon, Cain decided to do something about it.

He went out of his way and followed the herd of the sheep Abel tended on the Valley.

Millions of them, there’s no natural predator on the plains, hence, the herd multiplied as the grains of the sand.

“Cain! Cain!” Abel spotted his brother not afar off.

He waived happily as his brother approached him further, but his sweet welcome rather transformed into a fearful instinctive click, as Cain’s face appeared more visible the nearer he advanced, his distorted face was not a face of rejoicing, neither joy, nor one of forgiving, but a wrathful one.

Aware of wild animals trying to hunt and pounce his beloved lamb and sheep, Cain’s facial expression caused Abel’s instinct to kick in, he knew something bad awaited if he stayed with the herd.

Right now, right then and there, for the first time, he followed the inside voice in his head, and dashed out of his way, leaving the herd, into the caves beyond the Valley.

That’s… that’s not my brother, my brother would never be angry or wrathful at me, we were always competing for mother and father, and he always played with me, there’s no way that a gentle man as him can have murderous eyes.

Abel saw through his brother’s eyes, he saw the same lingering murderous eyes that the wild animals make when they hunt his sheep.

He was an excellent shepherd, but now, his life was on the line, and all he can think of was denial.

Denial that Cain would never hurt him or denial that that person was not his brother, either way, he needed to get away.

-------------------- // --------------------

Matthew, Gale, Johnny, Arthur, and Greg combed the beaches and checked into the stores to locate their primary suspect, Jack Lee, but things turned a bit sour, as the sun set further and further until nighttime.

“We need help, we need to report this.” Greg reached out for his radio from his belt, but Gale grabbed his hands and protested, “And what, say that we had a tip from a six year old child? Do you think we’d look ridiculous for this? I’m already humoring you by searching your so-called suspect.”

*Tsk* He did the next sensible thing and put back the radio to his belt holster.

“If he’s not in the beach, and he’s not taking a hostage, but a quick out, suicide. What about the buildings, what’s the most clearest to the pier?”

“Let’s check about those ones. It’s almost ten in the evening - the estimated time of death. He’s a systematic killer, he’s also sentimental.” Arthur mentioned, the estimated time of death, and as soon as he did, Gale rode on the genius kid horse.

“He really is that genius?” That was a rhetorical question.

“There, there, and there, ten minutes, come on. Call the fire department for the large suicide bags.” Arthur identified the three buildings nearest to the dock and the pier under visible to the three on the top of the roof.

The three split up to the three buildings Arthur identified, and of course, Matthew would not leave the kids alone, so Gale went to the first building, Greg to the second, and Matt and the two kids marched to the third, and what do we know, Arthur and the gang caught the bull’s eye.

The hotel manager scrambled in the reception desk to call the fire department as someone near the lobby spotted a human-shaped figure atop the edge of the roof of the hotel.

He confirmed it with his own eyes on the monitor room near the reception area, and he hurriedly ran to the landline on the receiving desk.

“What happened?” Matthew’s sweat dropped as the three of them jogged from the beach to the nearest hotel that can view the deck.

Arthur and Johnny hid under the desk to not alert the manager of what Matthew had in hand.

“I’m with the police, WHAT HAPPENED?!” The hotel manager silenced and shocked after his 911 call, he became more rattled as Matthew pressed on.

“Police? I--- aya… someone’s at the roof.” His mouth dried out for words, he only became a manager two months ago, and these kinds of situation is new for him, not confirming the identity of the police assistant, he lead the man to the elevator and to the roof.

Arthur and Johnny cleverly evaded the CCTVs inside the hallway, but took the other elevator up the roof. Security from the monitor room swiftly alerted the security on the different floors for the unsupervised, unaccounted little guests riding the second elevator up the roof.

Matthew quickly notified Greg from the second building to come over the third one as they confirmed that there is a person standing at the edge of the roof, a possible suicide.

“We’re here at the third one, and I already heard the manager here calling for the emergency hotline as they spotted on their cameras one of their guests at the edge of the roof.”

“I’ll be right there. I’ll call it in as well.” As soon as the phone call ended, his radio chimed in, “This is dispatch, there is a 10-56A in progress at 850 Oxford Avenue, Santa Monica Beach in Oxayna International Hotel, the manager reported as they spotted in one of their CCTVs that one of the guests is at the edge of the roof and-” Before Dispatch and continue, Greg picked up his radio and responded.

“This is Sergeant McMillan, and Detective Gale on the scene, we’re a building away from the scene and will be responding immediately. Send in the rescue squad.” He gasped for air as he desperately rushed to the third building.

“Thank you, Sergeant, the Fire Department has already been notified and is on the way to set-up the suicide cushion.” Dispatch replied and informed the sergeant ensuring safety for them as they try to talk first with the suspect.

SFX: BLAM! Matthew and the hotel manager barged open the roof top door of the hotel to find Jack Lee at the edge of the rooftop, about to jump, without a care in the world.

“JACK!” He called out, carefully inching his way to the man and trying not to agitate the suspect further.

His shout came across Jack and he face away from the edge of the roof to the voice calling.

“Who are you?!” He got startled as he noticed that the man is slowly walking towards him, the hotel manager froze at the door, unmoving, and waiting for the two to end the drama.

“I’m Matthew, I was a customer to your ice cream truck, remember, with the two children, earlier this afternoon?” His hands shaking from fear, he looked down, visibly observed his tremors and faced the man claiming to be his customer from the beach.

“Don’t come any closer.” His stern warning stopped Matthew from inching closer, instead, he looked down, and observed the night sky, then walked to the side of the roof.

Jack’s startled gaze became a look of curiosity as he expected the man to jump on him and relieve him from the edge of the roof, but instead.

A natural psychopath, he still did not bring his guard down, instead he observed Matthew’s action even more closely that he forgot the manager frozen in fear at the door, and the two kids now at the other side of the door, peeking from the darkness.

“What do you think you can accomplish here? Are you satisfying your ego?” Matthew inquired, his hands at his waists, like saying to the man that he was wasting time in covering his ego.

He’s trying to agitate the man so that he would attack Matthew and step out of the edge of the roof.

“Ego, pft… hahhahahahahhahaha… I never had any.” He started laughing but didn’t take a step out of the danger zone.

Meanwhile, the fire department rushed to the scene, and they’re two minutes away from the hospital.

Greg marched quickly to the hotel, and met Gale at the reception desk.

The receptionist thwarted the woman and the security that tried to follow the twins at the elevator intercepted the lady in formal clothing.

Detectives tend to avoid uniforms to make sure that they don’t raise suspicions and the guards of anyone that they are asking questions to.

They’ll only flash their badge if the witness or the suspect under questioning evades answering or obstructs their investigation.

Fortunately, Greg arrived swiftly from the other hotel and flashed his badge right to the security team.

The receptionist explained the situation, leaving his post and accompanying the two detectives to the elevator leading to the rooftop.

“So, who’s dealing with the man on the roof right now?” The silence inside the elevator became too unbearable.

“There, there was a man before you claiming that he was with the police, and he went up with the manager to stop the guy from jumping.”

“That must be Matthew, did you see two kids follow Matthew and the manager?”

“Kids? Ah, our security team were pulled out because the guy who was watching the monitors located two kids at another elevator climbing up the roof.”

“Crap.” Greg pulled out his taser gun from his holster, and Gale pulled out her gun to cover them both.

SFX: DING!

The elevator doors revealed two kids peeking at the roof door - the other kneeling, while the other standing on his feet.

“Kids!”

“Art!” The two quickly stood up and faced the officers that stepped out of the elevator.

“You’re late to the action.”

“What’s going on out there?” Greg surveyed the surroundings, there’s no window on the rooftop deck, only a door that leads directly to the roof.

He tiptoed his way to the twins, Gale following his lead.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh* Arthur tried to silence the three as they loomed forward the door into the small opening.

“What is happening outside, John?” Gale kneeled to talk eye to eye with Johnny. Taken aback, he retreated behind Arthur and closer to the door. “Matthew’s trying to agitate the guy into attacking him so he’d step out of the edge.” He whispered gently.

“There’s no need to be afraid, come on, let’s get out of here, make sure you’re safe.” Gale pulled back her gun back to its holster and offered both of his hands while the receptionist kept the elevator opened.

“You don’t have to worry about us.” Arthur declined the offer, and he also put down Gale’s right hand.

His uncaring eyes struck fear to Gale as she realized she has seen such eyes before, clever, intelligent devils, the criminals that they imprison every day, hopeless, lifeless, void of any empathy and compassion.

So this is his hostile mode.

Greg thought that Arthur was just acting instinctively.

Flicking away Gale’s hand, and protecting his twin from a stranger, this was a surprise to the sergeant as this reaction was pretty much different from their first meeting.

“We need to move.” Greg signaled Gale about the move they need to make. Greg sneaked around the twin and peeked outside as well.

Matthew directed the man’s eyes to the other side of the roof as he move around to the left side of the building.

Gale became flustered with that realization but crawled underneath Greg to peek outside as well.

“This is going nowhere.” Arthur pushed out the door slowly as to not alert the man, Greg and Gale stayed on the other side of the closed door to make sure they don’t alert the man at the edge, but the creaks of the heavy door caught his attention, though, the little men appearing at the entryway caught him off guard.

“Yay! Ice cream man!” Johnny shouted. The man definitely shifted his attention to the two kids at the door from Matthew on his left side.

“Kids?”

“Yes, remember them?” He lowered down his guard a bit, his tense shoulders showed it relaxed for a while, he’s thinking to himself, it’d be a good time to tackle him then and there, but Arthur sent a telepathic message to Matthew, “Don’t do anything yet, we need to get a confession from him.”

Matthew breathe heavily as he did not want to alert the man, upon hearing Arthur’s voice in his head, he’s slowly realizing how powerful and how experience this angel is.

Jack certainly remembered the children and Matthew from the previous encounter, buying ice cream at his stand and asking about his sister’s murder.

“Do you remember when you were both a child?” Arthur recollected the telepathic messages that Jamie sent him at the pier, the history of the two children, how Jack grew cold and distant, and one day, showing up, just to end her life on that dark night.

“How do you…” It’s as if the kid was a witness to the crime he knew he committed by himself alone on that night, under the docks, with every fatal blow, he knew there’s no one who will see, but someone did see – God.

God sees every child, every being, and every creature that he put on Earth. He sees you when you do good, when you do evil, when you smile, and when you frown.

Through the angel, He wanted to deliver His message, “I saw you.”

“She talked to me… she wanted you to live, not as a miserable person, but… she wanted you to embrace who you are and accept that she’s forgiven you.” Forgiven, that was the word that Jack was waiting for.

“I… I killed her, struck the stone hard to her head, and you are telling me she’s forgiven me? You telling me to live, this… this guilt and pain in my heart, I no longer can live decently, why would I… why would I save myself.”

Guilt? Greg thought it again and again. They both profiled him as a psychopath, and psychopaths don’t feel guilt, they’re remorseless. What happened to our profile? It crumbled, but he confessed, he’s the guy, I got it on record here.

“Are you going to run away again?” His jaw dropped, a rush of old wind washed his face devoid of colors, his memories served him right, flashbacks came flooding in…

-------------------- // --------------------

“Are you going to run away again?” Jamie followed Jack as he ran out of their house, ten years ago, Jamie was just ten years old, and Jack, just turned eighteen last week, he was tired of his parent nagging him about his school projects, assignments, he was doing average, but his parents wanted him to push for more achievements, and whatever he do, he always falls short to their expectations.

Their disappointed eyes were what he hated the most.

“I’m gonna be back, once I do, I will make sure that they will love me too, and they will regret belittling me every time.” And that fiery passion for sweet cold revenge made him ran away from home, start being independent, and setting up his life in Santa Monica, Los Angeles.

He always came back to his home, looking from outside, observing his sister, his mother, and his father get along with each other, bitterly gnashing his teeth every time before he goes back to work.

He established himself as a manager of a fast food restaurant after working there for about five years, but he was suddenly let go on one of the economic downfall of the nation, the restaurant that he works on closed down after a month that he was let go, and he needed fast money.

He submitted applications to many employers but some that has minimum wage were already occupied, and the others do not even give minimum wage, just a percentage for sales and recruitment.

He finally dabbled in investing his savings, but lost horridly, and with no one to lean to, he became homeless after two months that he was fired.

His hair stretched out, his face wrinkled with hunger with his jaw bones showing visibly, his eyes sunken as he was not able to bring anything from out of his home except his clothes, since the landlord required payment of his rent, his clothes ragged, he wanted to forget his revenge and sate his growling stomach, it’s been three days, and yet, out of his pride, he doesn’t splurge on the food on the trash bins like the other homeless do.

He already passed out several times that day, but he still won’t reach out to the garbage can just around the corner of the Wacdons.

He gathered his courage, and set out to walk back to his home, he’s now twenty-three, homeless, but there were still people that he can come back to, he thinks.

Or if they don’t accept him, maybe, maybe he can go through their garbage to see edible items. At least, it’s his own flesh and blood, no illnesses there that he can pick up.

He struggled to stand up, like a drunken man, he wobbled at the sidewalk. At long last, after walking a mile and a half, he can see the lights on the posts near his house, the lights he always observed would flicker about ten in the evening when he was still a child and not following the sleeping rules of his parents.

His mind sets off in relief, only a few houses left to thread on, and he’s there.

But… what will he say? What… what will he do? What does he need to do to regain their trust, and the love of his parents, no… no… he just needs to tell the truth. That’s it! The truth!

He finally reached home, the front porch, and the mat that says, “Welcome” was still on the front door. He remembered kicking that mat and the stain at the left end, a grape juice, that’s his doing. He smiled, not showing on his long-ass beard, his eyes lifeless, hopeless, and devoid of any strength right now.

He thought of the words, the things he wanted to say, as he was thinking of those, the smile left his face as he thought of everything that he did before running away from home.

On the third day without food nor shelter, he collapsed then and there at the front porch of his house, unrecognizable, and full of bones and skin, the normal reaction?

Yes, his parents called 911 for the ambulance to take the homeless man away, they didn’t know it was him, they didn’t care.

When his eyes opened wide, he was already at the Emergency room at the hospital, with IV drops pricked into his skin, force-feeding him at least.

No one beside him, no one to care for him, no nurse wanting to stay close, the custodian of the building told him to get off of their hospital after 24 hours since he’s not a paying customer/patient.

He walked out of there, and lived desperately and under illegal means, by the end of two years, he covered the whole bay of Santa Monica, and every soul there knew his nickname- Titan.

He became a drug trafficker, supplier, and work his way up the ladder and became one of the trusted runners of the mafia.

He worked, and worked, and worked. He set-up his business apart from the drug-business part, he became a partner in verbal agreement with the Cold Sweets creamery and other ice cream parlors near the beach, and worked once in a while as a scooper.

The beach and the kids playing in the beach calmed his heart, and just a week ago, their paths crossed, his little sister, now a teenager, fresh graduate of senior high-school and an aspiring college student.

He served her strawberry ice cream, her favorite, as she was about to take her first lick, she recognized him, and as he took her payment, he recognized her.

“Brother! Bro-”