The Gospel of the Font

Chapter 18

A steady beeping is the first thing to welcome me back to consciousness. My eyes flutter, letting in a flood of bright light. There's a pounding in my head like I got hit with a bat, but that's better than the numbness I was feeling before I guess. I'm lying down on my back. There are tubes coming out of my nose and making my upper lip feel itchy.

"We're not doing this again."

Was that Tim? It sounds like him, but I'm not quite ready to trust my ears. I can't even place where the voice is coming from yet.

"Why are you just letting this slip away? I thought you were on my side on this."

That might be Brandon. The voice sounds too old to be Jason and too loud to be Walter.

"It's still her book."

"But she handed it to you! You have the power now!"

I hear a chair scoot against a linoleum floor. "I'm not having this argument again, Brandon. She handed it to me to save her own life and that's all. When she wakes up I'm going to hand it right back to her."

"And what if she doesn't wake up?! Those assholes are still out there, still hunting us. You used to be on my side with this!"

"She offered for you to leave," Tim says. There's a thud. I think one of them just fell back in their seat. "Door's still open."

"I can't convince Jason to go," Brandon replies. It sounds like he's gritting his teeth. "I'm just trying to protect my boy."

There are footsteps that pass from my left ear to my right. Each is loud and deliberate, like stomping.

"I'm doing the right thing, Brandon," Tim says from my left.

"So am I, Tim. So am I."

A door to my right shuts with an echoing thud, causing my body to shake. I let out a moan and roll my head to the left.

"Faith?!" I hear Tim say with a gasp. "Everyone, get in here!" he shouts.

The blurry light that fills my vision begins to finally take form. Most of it is coming from a florescent light directly above my head. The fixture is on a white ceiling and there is what seems to be a sprinkler nozzle about two feet to the left of the light. Lying on my back with my head facing straight up, this is about all I can see now.

I let out another groan as I tense up my muscles. I feel my legs and arms twinge in disapproval. It feels like I haven't moved in days, as though anvils were sitting on all my appendages.

There is a flurry of hurried footsteps getting increasingly louder by the second. The sounds of shoes squeaking against linoleum aren't too pleasant, but it's the sound of my friends rushing to my side. I think I can like it, given the circumstances.

"She's awake?!" I hear Jason shout.

"Faith, can you hear me?!" Walter says.

"Talk to us!" Molly chimes in.

I try to talk, but it just comes out as another raspy groan. Still can't feel my lips well enough to form words. I'm sure I sound pretty silly right now, like a drunk girl waking up with the world's worst hangover.

"Still as eloquent as ever, hon," Tim says with a laugh.

Oh, I can't let Tim get digs at me when I'm powerless to retort! Now I have some real motivation. With another deep inhale, I make a harder attempt at forming words.

"Q....qu.....queer," I struggle to say.

"Yep, she's back," Tim says with another laugh.

"We were so worried about you," I hear Walter say. I guess the gang really is all here.