It did and I relaxed.“Have a drink,” Tanner said. “I didn’t know what you liked.”I grabbed an orange soda. Sunkist was my favorite.Tanner to...k another swig of his Dr. Pepper and looked at me. “I don’t know where to begin, so I’ll ask how much you know about our history?”I shrugged. “Nothing.”He shook his head. “Okay, let’s just say that we’ve been walking this earth for many, many centuries. To my knowledge, we were around long before Christ.“Before He came along, we got along with everyone. It comforts us to think in those terms at a time like this. However, we can't believe in such things as spirits washing through bodies and the like. People fall into comas and come out of comas all the time. This kind of talk will only upset Ms. Maya."Arnie paused to watch Alex speak, his eyes fixed upon him. When Alex finished, Arnie continued as if Alex hadn't said a word, "Well ma'am, I know this is going to sound insane. But I think something happened to you when you were in that coma.. You remember Linda. The Exorcist’s sweet little Linda ‘Your mother sews socks that smell’ Blair? Rivers of split pea soup spewing from her rotating head? That Linda Blair? Well, 30-45 minutes after you quaff that first jug you’ll be directed to drink another, and I promise you’ll look at that second jug long and hard before you do, because at about the half hour mark your stomach starts to rumble. Not those pleasant rumbles that come when you’re a little bit hungry, no, this will feel and sound. "Sir... Umm... You've been summoned by committee...err... to the conference room..." she stumbled through the cryptic sentence with a bizarre tone before turning around and jogging away. I didn't even say one word to her before she disappeared from my office. She almost sounded sarcastic, but I simply chalked that up to the tension of the impending meeting with company management. I walked through the office, completely deserted once the clock hit 5, like a man on death row. I knew this.