Jeremy Robinson - The Didymus Contingency

Samuel took a step forward but was instantly stopped as the chains shackled to his arms and legs grew taut. Samuel looked down at the chains with disgust and growled. He slowly moved his right arm back, letting the chain go slack, and then surged it forward. Clink! The chain snapped like macaroni.

Stepping forward, Greagor moved slowly, shield at the ready with his men close behind him. “Sit back down!” Greagor commanded.

Samuel twisted his body toward Greagor and gritted his teeth together, hissing, “WE WILL NOT!”

Clink! Samuel shattered the shackle attached to his left arm. Only his feet were still bound. Greagor knew that once Samuel’s feet were undone, he and his men would lose their advantage. “Attack!” Greagor screamed, as he raised his sword toward the blue sky. The four soldiers charged, ready to spill blood.

Samuel turned toward his attackers and smiled.

Tom and Judas strolled through the crowded streets of Gergesa. Judas was all smiles, clothed in a new robe and proudly clutching the money purse. They had been perusing the many shops for almost two hours and Tom knew it was time to head back. After the ten-minute argument Tom had with David about going into the city alone with Judas, Tom knew that David would send out a search party if they weren’t back on time. And Tom also knew that he and David were the only two people in the world wearing watches right now, so David would know exactly what time it was and how late they were.

“We should head back to the beach now. The others are probably wondering where we are,” Tom said.

“Just a few moments more. These dates look delicious,” Judas replied, as he eyed a basket of dates being sold by a thick shop-keep.

Tom looked at his watch casually, pretending to scratch his wrist. They still had ten minutes. Tom decided to use the time to get to know Judas a little better. “What happened to you in the water today?”

“What do you mean?” Judas asked, looking down at the ground.

“After you fell in. The water was only knee deep, you could have stood up.”

“I…I don’t know. It happens sometimes. I-I get afraid. I panic. I don’t know why. Water, spiders, snakes, even goats…there are so many things. Sometimes it even happens before I know the danger exists.”

“Extra Sensory Perception,” Tom said without thinking.

“What?” Judas asked

“Nothing…nothing. Hey, try not to worry too much. You’re with friends now, thirteen friends. One of us will always be there to pull you out of the water,” Tom said in earnest.

Judas smiled. “Thank you.”

“Now let’s get going. David’s going to be irate if we’re late.”

“David doesn’t like me much, does h-” Judas froze mid-sentence and his eyes darted around like a scared animal.

“What is it?” Tom asked.

“It’s happening,” Judas said, arms shivering.

Tom saw Judas’s hand shaking, his eyes wary and his teeth biting his lip. Judas was panicking. This was what he was talking about, but where was the danger?

“Aiiiieeeee!” A woman screamed in the distance.

Suspicious of the encroaching racket, Tom and Judas looked down the long street filled with people. A wave of screaming grew from the crowd and headed toward them. People ran in every direction and the crowd parted like the sea for Moses. Tom squinted as a figure ran toward them. All these people were running from one man?

Tom turned to speak to Judas, but Judas was gone, ten feet away hiding with other frightened shoppers. Tom surveyed his surroundings. He was alone in the street. What did these people know? As the man approached, Tom could see that he was hobbling strangely and carried a sword. He decided it was best to follow the crowd’s lead and joined Judas on the side of the road.

“What’s going on?” Tom asked a woman hiding with them.

“It’s Samuel! The possessed man!” the woman whispered.

“Possessed? You mean by a demon?”

“Quiet!” the woman whispered, “His guards are surely dead. If it hears you, you will be next!” With that, the woman ducked down an alley and ran away.

Tom didn’t believe in demons as much as he didn’t believe in Jesus, Heaven or Hell. This was all superstitious nonsense. Tom was tempted to confront the man and prove to these ignorant people that the man was not possessed, but he erred on the side of safety. The man was armed, after all.

A hush fell over the frightened crowd as Samuel drew near; Tom could hear the man ranting. Against the tugging urges of Judas to stay down, Tom stepped out from hiding to get a look at Samuel, and then quickly took a large step back as Samuel passed, nearly tripping over himself and the others behind him.

Samuel was covered in blood from head to toe, frothing at the mouth like a rabid dog. He had open gashes up and down his arms. Shackles and chains still hung from his arms and legs and clanked along the road. Tom focused on the sword and saw that it was Roman. That woman mentioned guards…could this man have really killed Roman guards with his bare hands, while shackled to a wall? From the amount of blood covering Samuel’s body, Tom was convinced it was true.

As Samuel passed by, muttering loudly, Tom became aware of what he was saying. “Jesus… Jesus…We will kill him. Yes, yes. Yes we will,” Samuel said, oozing hatred.

Tom stood up straight and watched Samuel head down the street…toward the beach…saying… Tom turned to Judas. “Jesus!” Tom shouted.

“Is he gone?” Judas asked, arms still shaking.

“He’s going after Jesus!” Tom said, as he headed into the street, “C’mon!”

Tom began running toward the beach and turned back toward Judas, “If we’re going to be there for you Judas, you need to be there for us! Let’s go!”

Judas shook with confusion. He was paralyzed with fear, but Tom was right. Perhaps they could beat the man to the beach and simply warn Jesus of the impending danger. They would have to move fast, but after a lifetime of running from his fears, Judas knew he was fast. Judas leapt from his hiding place and tore off down the street after Tom. They were going to save Jesus!

David hadn’t had many opportunities to speak with Jesus alone since their adventure began. So he was thankful when Jesus asked him to take a walk, while the disciples handled the crowd that had gathered on the beach. During their walk, Jesus spoke to David of things to come, things already gone by and the weather. Jesus never gave any indication that he knew David was from the future. And it seemed as though Jesus was more comfortable with David then he was with the twelve disciples. They understood each other. David imagined it must be a relief for Jesus to have someone who understood, like two quantum physicists in the middle of the desert…like with David and Tom.

The walk was almost over and David could see the crowd, now much larger, gathered in front of the disciples. There must be three thousand people, David thought. “Looks like another long day,” Jesus said.

“Indeed,” David replied, but then smiled. Another long day? In all his life, David never thought that Jesus got worn out, tired of people or stressed by life. But David was beginning to see things differently. Jesus was not only human, he was as human as David, Tom or anyone else, and all this activity, all these people, wore him out.

David scanned the beach and glanced at his watch. Not only did the watch reveal the time, but also Tom’s general location. He wasn’t far, but still deep in the city. Then again, it looked as though Tom was heading back, and quickly.

Tom was late, but then, so was David. It wasn’t that David didn’t trust Tom alone in the city. They had both blended into the society and could manage fine on their own. But he didn’t want Tom and Judas having an influence on one another. David was relatively sure how things would turn out, but there were so many unknowns about this past that were not recorded in the Bible. He wondered if his and Tom’s friendship would survive the years of living the very subject that divided them most strongly. Over the past few months, David had sensed Tom drifting away, becoming obsessed with debunking Jesus, but now, now Tom was becoming friends with Judas… What good could come of that?