The Sixth Seal

Ana awoke with a start. She sat up and took a moment to steady herself. The dream had been so real. The temple, the guards, the book. She looked down at her ankles just to convince herself no one had a hold of her.

The hospital sounded like it was just beginning to awaken as well. The nurses of the ward could be heard knocking on doors and making their rounds. Before long Betty would come in with her meds and some juice to wash them down with. The lower doses of medication were already affecting her. Her dreams and visions were more lucid, and she was beginning to make connections.

There were no real memories of how the book had come to be, just a gut instinct that she had been connected to it since its creation. And it was more than a cover and printed words on the page. It was something encoded in her very being. At one time she had a more complete understanding of the book, but somewhere along the line she had been damaged. She pushed herself to remember anything relevant. There were just too many disconnected avenues in her mind. Perhaps the doctor could help.

She gathered some fresh scrubs from the dresser, and paused when her eye caught the curious little book again. She opened the book to the middle and ran her fingers idly over the intricate characters. A fragment of memory came to her. She knew it to be a part of her training, but it was more of a proverb than anything physical. She spoke it aloud.

“Know your enemies and know yourself.”

She mulled the words over, and spoke them again. She was beginning to learn more about herself, but what she really needed to know was more about her enemies. There were others seeking the book, others who would do anything to unleash its power, but she was unable to picture them. She didn’t even know how many there were. She closed the book and headed into the bathroom for a shower.

The face looking back at her from the mirror looked sharper than it had the day before. She took a step closer and stared at her reflection. Yes, there was something different. Her bright blue eyes reflected a clarity that only comes with experience. Perhaps things would become even clearer after a few days when the more powerful drugs left her system.

Alright Doc, cutting back on my meds seemed to shake something loose, but don’t think for a second that finding answers means I’m giving up.

She turned on the hot water and undressed. A dark bruise had formed on her thigh where the needle had penetrated the flesh.

She glanced back at herself in the mirror. There was a new hardness to her features. She had killed before and she would do it again if it meant finding her way to the book.

Better watch out, Doc. The next time I decide to make a break for it, you won’t be able to stop me.

“Time to see the doc.” Joe held the door open.

“Thank you.” She brushed her shoulder on his chest as she passed through the door.

Joe picked up his pace, walking ahead of Ana and Hans. She could see Hans out of the corner of her eye. He was watching her, studying her.

He must still be trying to figure out how I got the drop on him.

The mere possibility of his bewilderment made her smile.

Joe swiped his security badge at the first set of doors along their route to the doctor’s office. Again he held the door for her and closed them after she and Hans had passed through.

“Tell me, Joe, why are there three sets of secured doors in this ward?”

Joe started to speak then looked to Hans. When Hans gave him an approving nod, Joe continued.

“There are three classes of patients in this ward. The most troubled are housed closer to the security offices past the third set of doors.”

“So I’m considered one of the least troubled in this ward? Makes me wonder about some of the others here.” She laughed.

Her laughter even got a snort out of Hans. A side door opened and a janitor stepped out with a mop and bucket. His back was to them as he plunged his mop into the water.

“Hey, Lee,” said Joe. The man turned and nodded at Joe and Hans, going on with his work.

She locked eyes with the man for a split second. A wave of recognition washed over her. She watched him for a moment, trying to pull the feeling into focus. He was only slightly taller than Ana, but even under the khaki jumpsuit, his body looked taut. His eyes were jet black just like his shortly cropped hair, but there was a depth to them of someone way beyond his years.

“Who was that?” She glanced back over her shoulder for another look, but the man had turned his back to her.

“That’s Lee. He just started working here a few weeks ago, but they’re already giving him more hours. He’s a hard-working little guy. Korean, I think.”

“I haven’t seen any of the janitors since I came to this ward.” She looked down at the floor. Joe nudged her shoulder gently.

“Sam said to give you his best.”

She looked up into Joe’s eyes. “So he’s not mad at me?”

He chuckled. “Far from it. He’s just worried about you, wants you to get better.”

“Do you think I could see him sometime?”

He shook his head. “Not any time soon. Sam doesn’t have security clearance for this part of the hospital.”

“He was my only friend here for a long time.” She stared ahead down the hall.

Joe opened the next set of doors. As she passed through, he whispered to her.

“I can probably pass him a note though.” He winked at her. Hans didn’t seem to notice.

They walked the rest of the distance to the doctor’s office in silence. It would be nice to see Sam again, but something told her that would probably never happen.

“You know the drill. Third door on the right.”

She smiled at Joe and waved to Hans. If Hans noticed, he didn’t give any indication. Just as before, they left her on her own in the hall and locked the security doors behind them.

She still checked the other doors before opening the doctor’s.

Doctor Gabriel sat at his desk shuffling through a stack of papers. He picked them up and tapped them several times before placing them in a drawer.

“Please sit down.” He motioned toward the couch. “You can even lie down if you’d like.”

“Thanks.” She plopped down on the couch. Again, she marveled at how few personal belongings were on display in his office. Her other doctors had a gaudy array of bric-a-brac and homemade art; as if someone else’s personal items could make her feel at home. She had no home.

“So tell me, Doc, how long have you worked here and where are you from?” He seemed somewhat surprised by her questions.

“Not long actually. I’m on loan, so to speak, from an institute operated by our parent company in Berlin.” He looked around the top of his desk before opening another drawer and pulling out a pen. Had he noticed the other one was missing?

“Germany? I thought this hospital was owned by the state.”

“It is owned by the state, but they farm out administration and staffing to contractors. The company I work for, Deutschemedica, has run this facility for the last two years.”

“So why did they bring you all the way from Berlin to a hospital in Maryland?” She rested her elbow on the arm of the couch, enjoying the reversal of roles for a change.

“They were in need of several specialists. When the former contractor lost the bid, they took all of their staff with them.” He shifted in his chair. “They really only left the hospital with a janitorial staff and a few nurses.”

“I guess that explains Hans.”

The doctor laughed. “Yes, I guess that does explain Hans. He’s really quite good at what he does.” He folded his hands together, studying her across the desk.

“Not good enough.” She arched an eyebrow and smirked.

The doctor nodded and smiled again. “He was until he met you. I think once he finally relaxes a bit around you, you’ll find him to be quite an amiable fellow.”

Amiable fellow, the phrase sounded odd to her. It didn’t seem to be something a man of his generation would say.

“How old are you, Doc?”

“Okay, enough with the twenty questions, Ana. I’m supposed to be asking you the questions so we can start getting to the root of the problem.” He flipped a page in his notebook and clicked his pen several times absently.

She shrugged. “It’s your show, Doc.”

“Alright, we’ll forego talking about your family for the time being, although I would like to get back to them later.” She nodded and he continued. “According to your files you’ve been much more tight lipped in recent sessions than when you first arrived here.”

“Opening up never really got me anywhere. As you can see, I’m still here.”

The doctor shook his head. “It’s a shame that this facility reassigned you to so many different therapists over the years. I’m hoping to break that pattern. In that light, I want you to feel comfortable sharing and opening up with me.”

“Forgive me if I’m skeptical, Doctor. Do you really think anything productive is going to come out of this? It hasn’t in the past.” She folded her arms and sat back in the deep cushions of the couch.

“I understand your hesitancy, but I don’t think any of the others have shared my approach.”

“What makes you so different?” She looked directly at him.

“I’m not all that different, just my methods.” He flipped back through his notebook. “First, why don’t we start with your dreams? I understand you were several different people in past lives.”

She studied him for a moment. He seemed earnest, but she still didn’t entirely trust him. “You mean to say that I had hallucinations of past lives?”

He shook his head. “I’m not convinced that they were hallucinations. For all I know, you had very vivid dreams that are based on suppressed memory. Perhaps some sort of traumatic event, such as...the death of your father.” He looked into her eyes, waiting for a reaction.

“Do you really believe that?”

“Don’t you really believe it?”

“I don’t know what I believe. I just know that I have these dreams and visions, and for me, they feel as real as anything. As real as you and I right here.”

“What if we were to go at this another way? A reverse process of elimination if you will.” He folded his hands again.

“Process of elimination? I don’t follow.”

“Has anyone ever attempted to research any of the people that you claimed to be in the past?”

She leaned forward. “No. I don’t think it ever occurred to anyone, and, to be honest, it never really occurred to me either.”

“That seems strange to me. I would think that might be the first thought of someone in your situation.” He shrugged. “I guess I can see it from the point of view of my colleagues though. They truly believed you to be delusional, so naturally, they wouldn’t want to suggest anything that might send you mixed signals or feed into perceived fantasies.”

The doctor scribbled a few notes and she considered his idea. It was worth a shot.

“I never really had the means to research any of the people that I’ve been. Besides, I don’t actually remember all of the details. It’s not like I keep a list of names and home addresses.”

The doctor stretched his arms out and placed his hands behind his head, rocking back gently in his chair.

“Tell me about some of the most vivid memories. Which personalities have left a lasting mark?”

She hesitated. Was she really ready to parade her laundry list of crazy out for the good Doctor? Would he be like all the others?

“I can see you’re hesitant.” He leaned across his desk and spoke in low, gentle tones. “Let me assure you, you’re in a safe place here. There’ll be no judgment. I want to help you, but to do that, I need you to let down your guard. Don’t worry how it sounds.”

She stared back at him, considering her next move. She wanted to trust him. Though she couldn’t explain it, he felt like a kindred spirit. He was both foreign and familiar. And he was her best chance at getting out.

Alright, let’s see how this goes.

“Well, some of the earliest memories that I have are of a Chinese princess, at least I think she was a princess. She was like me, small but strong. I’ve seen the book through her eyes.”

She noticed a small hint of a smile play at the corner of the doctor’s mouth.

“Tell me about the book.” He rubbed his palms together. “I’ve seen entries in your file about it, but I’m a little hazy on the details. Is it an actual book?”

“I only know that it resembles a book, not a book like you’ve got on your bookshelf, but it has a cover, albeit one made of metal. I think it has actual pages too, but the book has always been locked when I’ve seen it. I know it’s a key to some ancient power, but I don’t know its source.”

“That’s interesting.” He pinched his ear lobe between his fingers. “I wonder if the book isn’t symbolic of your inner turmoil.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. It’s a physical thing. I have memories of holding it, of its weight in my hands.”

“Alright, let’s set that aside for a moment. Can you tell me about any more recent past lives? Maybe someone that lived in the not so distant past. Someone there might be a public record for.”

She frowned and thought for a moment.

“Like I told you before, I don’t really have concrete names. Just visions of the people I’ve been and some of the places they lived.”

“Think hard. Any details you can remember might give us something tangible we can work with. If there is enough we can search for, we might be able to prove or disprove your visions.”

“So you don’t really believe they’re real?” She folded her arms across her chest.

“I’m not making judgments. Like I said, this is a process of elimination. If we can find real answers, something based on fact, maybe we can peel back the layers and get to the root of your troubles.”

She closed her eyes and concentrated, doing her best to put names to the faces and places. “I have memories of a woman in Europe. I don’t know for sure where, but I associate a name with her.”

The Doctor leaned closer to her. “A name?”

“Hannah.” She smiled. “Yes, definitely Hannah.”

“Very good. How about a last name?” He smiled. “Europe’s quite a big place.”

“Hannah...um...Hannah. I want to say that it’s a short last name, but I just can’t remember.” She put her head in her hands.

The Doctor came around his desk and placed a hand on her shoulder. He kneeled down beside her.

“Don’t work yourself up. I think we might be able to help you to remember.”

She looked up at him.

“Have you ever been hypnotized?”

She laughed, then she stopped when she realized he was serious. “Sorry, Doc. No, I haven’t. At least not that I can remember.” She laughed again then covered her mouth.

“I know it sounds kind of hokey, and I certainly won’t force you to try it if you are uncomfortable.” He paused.

“I guess we could try.”

His eyes lit up. “I think this just might help us get beneath that protective layer you’ve built up.” Her eyes went a bit wide. He seemed to notice. “Don’t worry, if you decide you don’t like it, or it’s too much for you, we won’t continue with that approach.”

She nodded.

“Shall we start?”

She looked into his eyes. “Right now? Here?”

“No time like the present.”

“Okay, I guess.”

He helped her to lie back on the couch, and then dimmed the lights. She watched him cross the room and turn on a fan. She felt the cool breeze oscillating across her body. As the air hit her face, she detected the distinct scent of lavender and pine.

“Alright, Ana, I want you to just relax. Close your eyes. Clear your mind and let my words wash over you. Let this place fall away. I’m going to count back from ten, and when I’m done, you’ll be in a different place...and perhaps a different time.”