Inside Voices

by Sarah Davis

  As Noah strode through the back door with Winter at his side, the bear leaned forward and came nose to nose with Blue. Blue licked it on the nose and jumped at the bear’s muzzle, persistently licking its lower jaw. The bear’s front legs encircled Blue as it fell to its back. Penny jumped as Noah appeared at her side.

  “They are playing.” His quiet voice reached her ears.

  As if hearing Noah, Blue extricated himself from the bear and raced back to the three of them. He approached Winter and barked, lowering his front half to the ground. Then he raced back to the bear that had risen on all fours. Blue playfully attacked the bear’s throat, and the bear opened his great maw and pushed Blue around with it. Winter suddenly leapt away and tore up the ground between them, launching his body at the very much larger bear…and joined in the frivolities. Penny chanced a glance at Noah, finding the expression on his face to be as amazing as the scene before them. Harry then appeared at the back door.

  “No freakin’ way!” they heard him say. Then he disappeared back inside the house.

  Noah glanced at Penny. “We need to get to the house right now. Quickly, but walk,” he said.

  “Yeah, sure,” she breathed. A hiccup and a giggle escaped her mouth as she followed.

  As they neared the back porch, Harry re-emerged from the door.

  “I called the PBP.” Polar Bear Patrol was a group of volunteers that responded to bear sightings within and close to the town. The volunteers responded to the calls as quickly as the ambulance in some cases.

  Noah and Penny simultaneously called to their canine charges. Mesmerized, they witnessed the dogs slowly extricate themselves from the bear. The bear stood on his hind legs as the dogs jogged back to their people, tongues hanging and tails wagging. The bear made an “aahr” sound and chuffed. He bobbed his head as he dropped down to all fours again and began walking toward them.

  “Should I get the gun?” Harry asked in a voice almost too quiet to be considered a whisper.

  Noah shook his head. “Wait.”

  The dogs climbed the steps onto the back deck. Penny stared at them and said, “Down. Stay.” They complied. She glanced back to see the bear had stopped and sat down as well. Looking at them. Judging them. Trying to figure out if it wanted to get closer.

  “How about that. It is wary of people but wants to play with the dogs,” Noah said. He lowered his voice for only Penny to hear. “Did you see this one?”

  She knew he meant via a vision. She shook her head, her gaze never leaving the bear. She wondered how many polar bears it would take to see in her lifetime before they didn’t completely captivate her.

  The PBP arrived in their orange-and-white truck. Rotating lights atop the roof did little to light up the afternoon glow. The man at the wheel leaned out the window as a horn sounded. The bear got up slowly and began to roam away from the homestead. They watched the truck follow the bear several hundred yards before they heard a gun fire. The bear picked up its pace and lumbered heavily away, the truck trailing after it.

  Penny stopped her recording. “Did they shoot that bear?” she demanded.

  Noah still looked to be in awe, but he shook his head. “No. They only shoot in the air. They don’t shoot at a bear unless it is absolutely necessary. Dire circumstances and all that. But the guns shoot rubber projectiles anyway, so even if they did shoot the bear, they wouldn’t actually kill them.”

  “You said once that they could also tranq them,” Harry piped in.

  “Yes, they will tranquilize repeat offenders. Depending on the time of year, they will then either relocate them or place them in the holding station until they release them. I am sure they can destroy a bear if it endangers human lives. But they wouldn’t want to advertise that. Too many bleeding hearts. I hope they can at least protect themselves. I can’t imagine that every bear, every time, will oblige to their tactics.”

  Penny wanted to know more, but she also itched to watch the recorded video. They entered the house as the sun’s glare made an outside viewing next to impossible. Penny was surprised to see the video lasted seventeen minutes. It felt like seconds. Both dogs lay down on their sides once inside, tongues lolling as they panted loudly in the small entryway. Blue gazed up at her, his head falling so far back, his ears splayed out like bat wings.

  A bit too warm for their playing, I see …

  Wow, Penny. That was amazing! Penny knew Lucy was pacing the floor in their bedroom. She too needed to move, or her muscles would burst out of her skin.

  That was awesome, she agreed. Something you could use in a story?

  The guys chatted while the video played. Penny was surprised to learn that they had never seen such a thing happen.

  “Really?” she asked, entering their conversation.

  Noah looked up. “Well, there are stories of it happening. And Army claimed he had seen a male bear and two wolves hanging around several different times together near the research station earlier this spring.” Penny recalled a passing comment about it but hadn’t considered the three hung out together. “He wondered if they could have been to the area Pam was found.” They all three sobered at that thought. “Army’s been searching your data, Penny, to see if any of the tagged bears were around Pam at the time of her death.” Penny had considered searching as well, but Noah refused take her out to the locations. Noah’s gaze bounced between the video and the dogs before he left to grab the two fur balls some water.

  Harry focused on his cell phone, attempting to get a copy of Penny’s video. While the dogs panted at her feet, she leaned against the wood-paneled wall, surveying the house from where she stood. One of the bedroom doors stood open along the hallway leading to the kitchen. Noah’s bedroom door. Penny had been shown around the house when she first visited. There were two bedrooms, Army’s and Noah’s, an office and a bathroom down this hall. Noah’s door had been closed at that time and each time since. This was her first glimpse inside his room. The bed was neatly made. A USA flag adorned the one visible wall above a dresser that was, for the most part, bare. It was not the messy room of a bachelor that she expected.

  “Who would have guessed a polar bear and a wolf would get along so well.” Noah’s comment was barely audible from the other room.

  “Well, my last name means bear and yours means wolf. Did you ever think of that?” Penny said, tearing her gaze from his room as he returned with a full bowl of water. He closed the door as he passed by and glanced up at her from where he knelt, the dogs descending upon the water. She saw his smile widen, and he looked up again, this time holding her gaze longer. She found it hard to breathe.

  She cleared her throat. “Do you mind if I stick around for a bit, leave Blue to cool down?” she asked. “We were going for a walk, but now…”

  Noah suggested they all sit out in the back yard and enjoy the warm weather. Harry grabbed a few chairs from the deck at the rear of the house and arranged them on the lawn in full exposure of the sun. After a few minutes, they returned to the deck. Noah sprayed the area with a fog to reduce the bug population that swarmed them. A few more minutes passed, and Penny reluctantly asked to borrow long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants, but she refused to go inside. Harry offered her a beer that he had brewed, and Noah pointed out that it doubled as insect repellent. She politely declined.

  “I thought you were going to screen in this deck, bro,” Harry said.

  “Not much use for one of those when a warm day like this happens once every five years,” Noah said.

  “I don’t know. It has been getting warmer. Remember when we visited as kids? It was never this warm.”

  Harry asked if Noah worked out the plans for a sauna yet. They laughed about that and joked around over the next half hour. Their discussion turned more serious when Harry brought up the deceased girls.

  “Are there any leads on who the killer might be?” Harry asked.

  Since Army had his hands in just about everything that happened in the community, this question wasn’t farfetched. B
ut no, the perpetrator was still unknown. And at large. If he even lived in the community.

  The guys continued their discussion while Penny quietly listened, pretending she was not surrounded by flying demons, dive bombing her and her surroundings. Her thoughts fluttered around the dead women and her nightmares with the shadowed figure. Were there details or clues that could be helpful with the investigation? Noah insisted she notify him first, wary of how others might take information from Penny, an outsider. He also insisted she tell Army, but she balked at sharing. She hadn’t even told her mother, not wanting to unsettle the woman.

  When at last she could not discern the conversation over the buzzing, she gave up. She thought Noah tried to steer the conversation in a different direction based on his comments about topics unrelated, but Harry was insistent, presumably being out of the loop. She bid the guys good day and entered the house to retrieve her cooled-down dog. Harry followed her, offering her a bottle of water as she woke her slumbering canine. She declined.

  “You know your brother seems an awful lot happier and relaxed with you around. I’m almost sad to see you go just because of that,” Penny said, her mouth curving into a half smile.

  “I was thinking he seemed happier and more relaxed with you around. I think that’s part of the reason I acted the way I did when I first met you. I was jealous of you. Both of you. I am sorry, by the way. I think you are cool…and hot,” Harry said, winking at her.

  The shock at his heartfelt disclosure made the heat rush to Penny’s cheeks. He threw an arm around her as they walked back to the back door, and she allowed his arm to rest companionably on her shoulders. She decided that perhaps she would be sad to see him go after all.

  Black Eye

  September’s approach was swift. For three weeks after Harry left, Penny spent much of her time at the computer or running out to the research station collecting and sending data for Army to review. During that time, the visions hadn’t visited. Several times when she talked with Noah on the phone, he encouraged her to speak with Army about her visions, but uncertainty prevented her.

  “Oh hey, Army. I’ve had these creepy visions. Possibly of the killer although I never see a face, just a shadowed figure accompanied by these feelings of dread. Something I should worry about? And, these aren’t the first premonitions that I’ve had. Like, I had them of the school shooting. But not of my father being killed. And I’ve been trying meditation. Have any tips?”

  Probably best to keep her mouth shut.

  Her fear remained, but it was pliant. She could push it to the back of her mind and focus on other, higher priority tasks as she continued with her life. Succumbing to recent fears would allow her grief and guilt and shame to join the pity party.

  It helped that the shadowed visions had abated, although Penny fretted the lack meant the predator was holed up, planning out the next victim.

  When Noah returned from his last three-week turn on the oil rigs, he offered to give her a ride to the first self-defense class of the fall. She had been looking forward to this night since Harry had mentioned it.

  “What happened to you?” Penny asked. She heard from her mother that Noah had a shiner but was still shocked to see it. Although he worked security at the rigs, she didn’t figure there would be much in the line of physical altercations.

  He shifted, looking away from her inspection as he stood in the kitchen wearing his heavy black leather jacket, black tee, and black sweatpants. He was going ninja-style tonight, the black eye making him look even more intimidating.

  “Ahh, that.” He ran a hand through his glossy black locks. “Well, I fell asleep on a boat ride out to the rigs, and I woke up to gun fire. My first thought was we were under attack. Not a great way to wake up. Some of the new crew members, two that I was training in as my replacements, were shooting at a pod of narwhals. I, ah, stopped them.”

  “You stopped them? How many were there?”

  “Four. I was lucky I didn’t get shot after I was knocked unconscious.”

  “Yeah, right?” she marveled.

  She stepped closer and reached up as if to touch his face but withheld her hand.

  “I’m okay,” he said, waving her hand away. “Unfortunately, several narwhals are not. They killed three and hauled two of them onto the deck after they knocked me out. When I woke up…I…well. I took care of the situation and radioed for help.”

  Penny felt an inward shudder as she considered the strength of the man before her. He was adept at fighting, handy at so many things. And, per Army, had served in active combat for the military. Furthermore, Army requested Penny not ask Noah about it. The topic was off limits, unless Noah brought it up.

  “Why would they do such a thing?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Because they thought they could? They were bored?” He shrugged. “I don’t understand people’s desire to kill things for sport. Anyway, I already gave my notice that I was quitting. Not sure how this will play out. I messed up a couple of the guys. On the brighter side, here is a present. For you.”

  He handed her a twisted, four-foot long, cream-colored horn. It was a narwhal tooth.

  Penny was startled by the gift. “This is for me?”

  “Yeah. Thought you might like it. You read all those fantasy books and stuff. Here is your very own unicorn horn,” he laughed lightly.

  “I don’t think I can accept this, Noah,” she said and attempted to hand it back.

  “My black eye says differently. Take it.”

  A warmth spread through her that had less to do with the gift and more to do with Noah gifting her a present. So, she reverently placed it inside the sparse bedroom she shared with her sister, leaning it against the wall next to her bedside table. The bed covers were rumpled, and her laundry basket overflowed. Next to Noah’s pristine bedroom, hers looked like a slob lived there. She hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her. Picking up would have to wait. Again.

  They were the first to arrive at the high school gym. The nostalgia of high school struck her—the perfume of old sweaty socks, floor polish, and the hint of popcorn took her back to a different time, before the event that marked the end of high school. It was almost comforting.

  As she sat down on the lower bleacher to change her shoes, her vision narrowed, and the room spun with glittering stars. Another vision. The images blurred together - the polar bear and the man hidden in shadows. A deep, low chuckle emanated from the Shadowed Man. An evil hunger rolled off him, unlike the bear’s image, which felt like a fierce challenge. She continued changing her shoes while she focused on breathing and clearing her mind. A third image, one of a woman’s face, one she didn’t recognize, flashed briefly.

  “Hey, you ready to warm up?” Noah sat next to her.

  Penny nodded, not confident she could speak.

  “You alright?”

  “I, ah, yeah. Bit nervous, I guess.” She wanted to share her vision, but the arrival of participants prohibited her from sharing it in secret. Several greeted her and Noah before milling in small groups or sitting off by themselves. She didn’t relish the thought that others might overhear her. Standing, he squeezed her upper arm, as if to reassure her, then walked off to greet the newcomers.

  On the ride over, Noah had commented on the small group of people of all ages from the town attended. There were a few die-hards who came every meeting. Some only came a few times. On average, a dozen people gathered each time they met Wednesday evenings.

  Noah was an excellent instructor, providing individual assistance when needed. Half-way through the class, Noah and Penny sparred to show different techniques that could be used to escape or defend against attacks. They showed basic, but effective, moves, fluidly responding to each other’s moves to make for a great demonstration.

  During the cooldown they had a bit of fun attempting to free their wrists from duct tape. For those who tried it, a challenge rose to see who could free themselves the quickest. Penny used to practice when she was b
ored, so she figured she would easily win. Turned out, a young boy in the class practiced on more than a few occasions. They tied multiple times, with Penny only barely winning in the end.

  After the hour-long class, Noah worked with Penny alone to gauge her skill level, so he knew where to take her in her training. He couldn’t officially train her, but he could show her some things that she would be presented in the more advanced Krav Maga classes.

  Over the course of several Wednesday nights, Penny discerned Noah would not spar with anyone aside from Penny. She asked him about it, but he just shrugged and mumbled something about not wanting to hurt anyone.

  “But you aren’t worried about hurting me?” she challenged, a bit confused at his reasoning.

  “Nope. You are as tough as me.”

  She flushed, and his smile broadened. If he used his charm during a fight, it probably would catch her off guard.

  Penny went home with new bruises, which surprisingly did not come from Noah. He was firm with his attacks and defense but not hurtful. The others in the group, however, could get a bit aggressive without realizing it.

  Turbulence

  “After many months of research, it’s time we goofed off,” Noah said, mimicking his uncle’s voice. He laughed, then in his own voice, added, “More. Goofed off more, he should have said.”

  The October day had started miserably, as many had since the sunlight began to ebb its way closer to winter and the impending weeks of endless night. The week-long fog made it more the worse. Moreover, Penny awakened in a grouchy mood. Her mother had stayed out late the night before playing cards with Rose, Army, and Sam, then had gone to work early leaving Penny to stew in her petulant silence. Lucy knowingly shied away from her temper, having a matching one of her own. When alerted to Noah’s call, Penny had only reluctantly answered in the hope that his voice might cheer her up. It had.