Mind (the) Game

by Kelly Shade

  “Fine.” Erik rolled his eyes, then fixed them upon the place they had to search. “Do you know how much time we would need to walk every part of that forest?”

  “Time is not important, finding Morse is the only thing we need to worry about.” Said Jane firmly.

  “Can’t you just, I don’t know, trace the call?” suggested Erik.

  “This I can’t do,” Jane answered and felt awful that Ryan wasn’t with her and not only because of his computer skills.

  The next morning Blake and Erick went into the forest and searched for twelve hours with no success. And the day after that, and the day after that, and one more. They went to places, which probably have never been visited by people before, and they went back to the guest house, over and over again. Until one day they realized there was no point in going back to the city every time, so they decided to make a camp under the magnificent trees in a small tent. Jane was determined to find Morse no matter what and Erik was happy he could help her.

  About a month had passed since Blake took off on this wild goose chase and the search was getting more difficult with each day. Erik was skinnier than before, which seemed impossible, Jane had dark circles under her eyes due to the exhaustion, they barely ate, walked almost all the time and slept a couple of hours every night.

  Blake was about to abort the mission. She couldn’t take it anymore, the lack of, well, everything, was making her grumpy and irritated. Erik was no different - he got annoyed over every small thing. After another fight over which direction they have to take, Jane had enough and went up a nearby cliff to get away from Erik for a while. And there, on the top of the cliff, Jane saw it – a one-story house in the middle of the grass field, standing alone, but not deserted, the place which, she was sure, Morse was hiding. Blake walked a bit closer and saw a huge SUV parked on the side. There was no one around the house, but maybe because it was a thousand degrees outside. Blake hurried back to Erik, she had to tell him to be quiet, she had to let him go now, she had to do this alone.

  Chapter 3

  Flight back to reality

  “I’ve found him!” said Jane excitedly, reaching inside her backpack for a paper and pen.

  “Awesome! Let’s go get him!” Erik joyfully exclaimed. He was happy the search was finally over.

  “No!” snapped Jane “You have to go now! It is my job to finish him. You, Ricky, will catch the next flight for LA, okay?”

  “I’ll do what now?” almost shouted Erik, Jane hushed him.

  “You will deliver a message to Ryan Gray and then you’ll go and stay in my motel room until I come back. You have helped enough!” whispered Jane.

  “I can’t leave you here alone.” Protested Erik.

  “You can and you will.” Said Jane, took out some money and gave them to the boy “Get this. You have your passport, right?”

  “Yeah, but…” Erik tried to argue again but Jane put the pen in front of her lips to silence him.

  Blake didn’t know how to start the letter. In her head ‘Dear Ryan’ sounded okay but why should she write ‘dear’ to a colleague. Jane was looking at the blank piece of paper, holding the pen as if she will start writing any moment but she didn’t. She was so angry at Ryan for not listening to her, for not believing in her and for not following her. The message had to be firm and emotionless. A few minutes later Blake wrote ‘I’ve got Morse. If you want to help trace my phone it will tell you my location. I’ll wait three days for our team to join in. If you don’t come, I’ll take care of him alone. I told you he was alive!’

  Blake read the message several times. She wanted to tell him so much more, she wanted to let out her disappointment and anger, to express how much she missed him. But she didn’t know how, so these few sentences were enough, for now. Jane knew a lot about how to deal with other people’s emotions but she had no idea at all how to express her own. She was doing an excellent job suppressing them, though.

  Erik noticed something wasn’t right. He took the piece of paper and read what Jane had written. He lifted his eyebrows and concluded “I thought this Ryan Gray is your boyfriend or something but obviously I was wrong.”

  “Yeah, right!” laughed Jane sarcastically “No, we work together.” She took the paper and added her motel room’s address and the LAPD’s address on the bottom.

  “Well, you talk a lot about him.” Teased Erik and put the message in his pocket.

  Jane rolled her eyes with a smile.

  “It is time for you to go!” said she.

  “But what if you…” Erik couldn’t finish his thought. Jane and he bonded, he thought of her as a big sister, as a family.

  “I’m a survivor, Ricky, don’t worry about me. Just be careful on the way.” Jane smiled and winked. “Get this.” And she handed him the key of her place and added “I would have let you in my house but…”

  “I know, it exploded!” finished Erik.

  Jane had told him a lot of her life’s story. “Jane, are you…” he continued on a serious note but was interrupted.

  “Go.” Blake said, turning her back on him. She knew what he would say and she didn’t want to listen any more.

  It was time for her to snoop around Morse’s house, to gather some intel before the team arrives. She waited for a while until she couldn’t hear Erik’s footsteps. While he was going further and further away from her, Jane felt as her own brother was leaving her. She was worried about the teenager who helped her so much, with whom she had so much in common, that it was scary. Blake felt guilty she wasn’t entirely honest with Erik. She didn’t really find Morse, she just saw a house in the middle of nowhere. But she was sure it was his. Who else would be hiding out here?

  Jane had to leave these thoughts and get the job done. She had to do what she was dreaming about for so long – she had to catch Morse.

  Blake turned on her phone and put her passport in her pocket. She knew she had to have it in her in case of emergency. Her backpack was heavy, there was big bottle of water, her laptop, clothes, everything she took with her when she left LA. It would slow her down, so she decided to find a suitable hiding place in which she would hide it while she wait for the team.

  Blake searched for such a spot around Morse’s house. She finally found a small niche formed in a huge tree and placed the backpack there.

  Now, only with her phone in her hand, and a gun in her pocket, she crept closer to the house. There still wasn’t any sign of life in there but Jane was sure that soon enough she will find what she was looking for. The SUV which was parked beside the house was covered in dust and dirt, it was hard to distinguish the original color, its tires were a little flat as if it wasn’t driven for a month or so. Jane got closer, she could barely see what was behind the small windows but she was sure there was movement in there. Blake slowly approached the house hiding behind trees and bushes, making quiet steps forward until she had a better view. There were four men having a heated discussion over something she could not hear. Blake had to go under the slightly open window. Jane knew now was the time to make sure she was right and Morse was there for real. If she only could hear what language the men were speaking, if she could only see if Morse was with them.

  The men looked like the kind Morse would be involved with. Tall and with huge biceps, almost no visible neck because of the massive muscles, bald heads, heavily armed.

  Jane was only hoping they won’t see her as she was crouching and moving slowly towards the window. Every step she made, she made with fear. Frightened that now, that she was alone in another country with no backup, and no idea how many people she was dealing with. Knowing this would be the last chance to get Morse. She shouldn’t mess it up, she couldn’t miss the opportunity.

  Soon enough Blake was under the window, listening. The men were arguing whether or not was safe to go to the city, they were also scared, but most importantly- they were talking in English. Jane smiled. That was the first proof she was right. Now she had to find where Morse was.

  F
ar more confident in her abilities, Jane moved backwards faster than before. Blake had to see who was in the other rooms. She circled the house, peeking through every window, and after seeing a well-made kitchen, two bathrooms, a living room, two empty bedrooms and a small office, she was at the last window. Blake exhaled, then took a deep breath and breathed out again to calm herself, she looked in the biggest bedroom in the house. And there he was, her worst enemy, her blood relative, her nightmare, the person who destroyed her life in so many ways – Michael Morse.

  Jane kneeled down, with her back on the wall. All those calming exercises were in vain – her heart was beating harder and faster than ever. Her whole body was shaking, her forehead and palms were covered in cold sweat. The adrenaline taking over her mind was making her want to bust in and kill the bastard no matter what happens next. Blake took her gun, cocked it and was about to jump through the window, but she stopped herself just before it was too late. With one knee against the window, ready to break it and with the weapon in her hand, she froze. Jane got back to her previous position on the ground and let herself think for a second. Yes, she could kill him and get this over with, but what if he knew more? What if Ryan and the team refuse to cover up for her? What if Morse didn’t deserve to die, but to stay in jail for life? Wasn’t the bullet which Jane would put in his brain more of a salvation instead of a punishment? Was Blake ready to kill the only blood relative she had found? But she wanted it so bad, she had dreamed about it, imagined it, fantasized about his blood on her palms, about his empty eyes, about his cold lifeless body lying in her feet.

  All these questions and thoughts made Jane more confused than satisfied. She calmed her breathing and heartbeat again and decided to think. Jane remembered what her mentor used to say to her – ‘When you feel overwhelmed with emotions never make an important decision. You might regret it. Having emotions don’t make you weak, the lack of control over them does!’ These words made her come back to her senses. She decided to stick to her initial plan.

  Jane peeked through the window again, this time to examine the room carefully. She saw a pile of pills next to Morse’s bed, an inhalator and syringes. He hadn’t completely recovered after she shot him almost two months ago. Blake took a good look at the sleeping man and even though he was covered with a blanket, and she could only see half of his face and one arm, she realized he was skinnier than before, looking ill and weak. Jane felt sick satisfaction of that development. She was enjoying the fact that there are consequences for Morse too. Jane took a photo with her phone for proof in case something happens, but there was no coverage in that area and she couldn’t send it to anyone.

  Blake stood there, satisfied with herself, enjoying her victory, when she realized that it was too quiet. The murmur from the men arguing in the next room was gone. Jane looked around with fear, and since the field was still deserted, she ran straight ahead, and hid behind the first tree across Morse’s bedroom window.

  Exhausted of the trip, of the run, of the emotions and all the mixed feelings Jane had to bury deep inside her soul, she felt as she can fall down and sleep for weeks. Blake gathered all the strength she had left to go and get her backpack and climb on the vast tree she was hiding behind. It was the perfect vantage point, the huge leaves were hiding her with ease, and the middle branches were so wide, that Jane could lay down and even sleep if she wanted to. It was perfect.

  ◆◆◆

  After that long day, more like the whole month, Jane needed to rest. She put the binoculars’ strap on her neck, leaned on massive branch she was on and closed her eyes. The time she and Erik spent in the forest taught her to hear and feel everything while she sleeps, and she wasn’t worried she could fall down or miss anything important.

  A couple of hours later, Jane’s light sleep was disturbed by noises coming from the house. She instantly opened her eyes and lifted the binoculars to see what was happening. Morse was awake, walking around his bedroom, yelling at someone. Jane couldn’t see the other person, he was hidden by the opened door. Blake heard crying, a woman was explaining something through sobs. Jane wondered which self-respected woman would be here with him? Or was he still dealing with prostitutes?

  Blake took her phone out of her pocket, still no coverage, turned on the camera, zoomed as much as she could and took a photo of Morse. In this one Ryan couldn’t say ‘it’s just a sleeping old man, it doesn’t look like Morse at all’ or something like that. She looked through the binoculars again and saw black hair and a thin arm showing from behind the door.

  Jane had to know who that woman was, did she need help and what did she do to be yelled at by Morse? Blake started carefully going down the tree. She reached at the branch below, which was, unlike the one she stood on, smaller and weaker. Jane was so focused on Morse and the woman, that she forgot to look over the perimeter. She glanced around and with fear she realized that the four men were now guarding every corner of the house. Blake froze on the tiny branch when one of them spotted movement in her direction. He walked towards and was so close to her hiding spot that Jane was afraid to breath. Luckily, he decided it must have been an animal, that moved in the tree, so he went back to his post. Blake breathed out and stepped on the branch below, then to the next one. She was almost down when the final tiniest, weakest branch cracked under her foot. Jane quickly reached for the one above her, but the exhaustion was slowing her reactions down – she couldn’t reach the safe branch in time. She fell down, straight on her back, making the loudest possible noise, that couldn’t be mistaken for a noise a passing animal would make. Blake stood up, her body in pain, and saw all four men coming at her direction. She picked up the phone which had fallen from her jeans’ pocket, picked her gun from off the ground and ran.

  One of the men saw her and alarmed the others. Jane ran as fast as she could but the guards started shooting. Blake had to hide, she kneeled behind a rock, one of her chasers said ‘Seize fire!’ and the forest was back to its quiet idyll. Not a few seconds later she heard footsteps approaching her. Jane stood up quick and swiftly and pointed her weapon, pulling the trigger. The mountain-like man tumbled on the ground with a loud thud.

  Jane turned around with relief, she thought the others were far behind, but with horror discovered, that two of the Morse’s guards were now not fifteen feet away from her.

  “Guys, I want you to think for a second. If you let me go, you will stay out of jail. I can make that happen. My colleagues are coming, I can tell them you cooperated and you’ll be free to go.” Jane decided to talk instead of trying to fight. She knew she had no change against the two gorillas with riffles.

  The men looked at each other, they were considering her offer. Jane didn’t speak, she didn’t want to make them feel pressured. A minute passed and one of them opened his mouth. “Why should we trust you? You just shot Jim!”

  “Well, he was trying to kill me, wasn’t he! I was just faster than your buddy, that’s all! And you can trust me, guys. All I want is Morse. Only him. I’m not interested in his people, neither are the feds.” Answered Jane.

  The men lowered their weapons a bit, and Jane knew what that meant – they were going to let her go. For a brief second she thought it was safe to take a step forward but she was wrong. Plump, sweaty hands grabbed her from behind and she was locked in the deadly hug of an overweight man, breathing in her neck. She had no idea how he sneaked behind her so quietly but he did and Jane was busted.

  The three guards walked back to the house, dragging Jane and carrying their injured fellow. Both of Blake’s hands were tightly held by two of her capturers, making it impossible for her to run away.

  The way back was short but for Jane felt like she walked miles. What was going to happen to her? That is the end, she thought when they reached the front door. One of the gorillas was about to open it but Morse did it instead. He walked out slowly, with a grin on his face. Maybe he wanted to hide the fact that he couldn’t walk good, or the unintentional twitches of his left hand and eye, or
his overall condition, but he stood tall in front of Jane demanding respect and fear.

  “Jane Blake, you are relentless!” he said loudly, but Jane noticed he had to make an effort to speak.

  “I guess that part I inherited from you, grandfather!” answered Jane with arrogance in her voice.

  “I guess you did.” Morse smiled somehow proud of the fact and turned to his guards “Let’s go! Miss Blake will have to fly back to reality.” Morse made a gesture to make them move forwards.

  They rudely turned Jane and made her walk to the edge of a cliff near the house. That was it. Morse wouldn’t even dare shoot her, she will be pushed from the cliff and left at the bottom as a meal for the vultures. Blake was resisting, fighting them with all the strength she had left but it wasn’t enough, she had weakened herself to the point she couldn’t even move the men. They lifted her in the air and just as she thought she will be thrown in the abyss, Morse spoke again.

  “Maybe our friends will take a better care for her.” Morse’s curved smile reminded Jane of herself, when she was about to make someone regret messing with her. She knew he thought of something worse than a fly over the cliff.

  Morse made another gesture to the guard next to him, said something too quietly for Jane to hear, and the man went back to the house. Another gesture, and Jane felt firm ground under her feet. Jane and Morse were looking in each other’s eyes with rage and hate. Both of them with the same fire in their light green eyes, both of them determined to survive.

  The guard was coming back, but he wasn’t alone. Jane moved her look from Morse to the approaching mountain of a man. With enormous chains in his hands, he was dragged by two black dogs. Jane narrowed her eyes and saw the dogs were huge and muscular, dangerously enraged Dobermanns with muzzles. When they got closer, Blake noticed the dogs were covered in scars, maybe from dog fights. At this point Jane was in shock. She didn’t even felt when the other two guards left her hands and moved away. The only thing she could see was the beasts in front of her.