"Bud Webster - Christus Destitutus" - читать интересную книгу автора (Webster Bud)

"'Goddam cross’ is right,― he went on. “He turned His back on me. I took the sins of the
whole world on my bleeding shoulders because it was His Will, and He turned His almighty back on me
because I made Him want to puke. He left me there to die alone, Uriel! He abandoned me because I
did what he put before me to do, because He couldn't stand to see what He'd made me become.― A
tear leaked from the corner of one eye.
"Why did He do that? It was all His idea, His ... Plan. I did what I was supposed to do. Hell, even
Judas did what he was supposed to do.― He turned his blazing eyes on the Messenger. “And
where is the thirteenth disciple now, Uriel?― he asked softly. “What tree in hell bears his name and
sorrow?"

The Messenger gazed down at the old man, but showed no signs of feeling.

"It is not for us to know...― it began.

"It was for me to know, goddamn it! I was His ‘only begotten son', or had you forgotten that?"

"I forget nothing."

The old man sank back against the pillow.

"Leave me the Hell alone, Uriel. You can't do anything for me and I can't do anything for you."

The angel looked around impassively, then said, “There are humans present. This is no concern of
theirs."

"The hell you say."

"We must not attract undue attention."

"Then fix it! You're the frigging supernatural entity here, you want this to be private, you do something
about it. Take us to Limbo or someplace. I don't care, as long as I can get Vic's attention if I need to."

"To take you out of this reality would be pointless. I am to stay with you until your death, and my time is
limited. However, as of now, none can hear us."

"Try to imagine how comforting that is,― the old man said, voice thick with irony.

There was a palpable silence; then the Messenger spoke. “You have confused us with this
manifestation. After almost two millennia, why did you choose this time and place?"

"I needed time to think. Time to cool off. I stayed dead a long time, Uriel.― The old man sighed.
“Time goes by fast when you're having fun. After 1900 years or so, give or take a decade, I decided
to try again, on my own."

"You deliberately chose an anonymous path when your Second Coming would have been celebrated.
Most of humanity would have followed you."

The old man shook his head. “I didn't want that. I wanted to see if I could make it work without all
the church stuff, just by being what I could be.― He picked idly at the thin, worn blanket. “I
wanted friends, not followers. I helped a lot of people in small ways. It turned out I had a real talent for