by Wooden, E M
He surprised me by going up to the next level instead of going down. I was surprised further still by the amount of people that were up there. It was just as full as the rest of the levels. The more I thought about it, this was the first time I had ever gone to the third level. There was a certain air about it. There were red suede couches surrounded by elegant paintings. The lighting was slightly darker. It was not all that dissimilar from the lower level of the Christian Center. The people seemed to be a little more uptight; more regal. There was a room at the end of each end of the ellipsis that was blocked off by a red suede rope and a 250 pound bouncer. Kellan walked over to the rail and looked down at the dance floor. I followed suit. At some point, during what I thought was only a brief encounter with Kellan, the lower level of the club filled up. It offered a brief distraction from the thoughts that were still swimming around in my mind. I took a sip. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Kellan nodding to a few of the various aristocrats socializing on the third floor.
“What is that all about?” I asked. He seemed to snap out of a trance, almost as if he wasn’t expecting me to notice.
“Oh that, it’s nothing, just rubbing elbows with some of the city’s finest. Ya know, mostly stuff that goes back to my dad,” he replied. I nodded. His dad was always a touchy subject, so I just left it alone.
“So, what’s the deal with you and Syndel?” I asked genuinely.
“Oh her…well, I suppose we just kind of understand each other. She is great fun. I don’t even need to say that she has a thing for you.” He replied.
“Yeah, I kind of gathered all that. But what I meant was when did you two start hanging out? I didn’t even know you two knew each other, though I should have guessed,” I offered.
“Well to be honest, I think we started hanging out because of you. I think she found out I was your boy and that was pretty much all she wrote. The first few times she was asking about you, then after that we just kind of had fun. Don’t give me that look, we haven’t hooked up, yet,” he said with a sheepish grin.
“Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me, well the pseudo stalker side of her, anyway. The fact that you haven’t hooked up with her is kind of interesting. I think you are losing your touch,” I jested.
“Speaking of hooking up, aren’t we on a mission?” He successfully thwarted my questions again. He had become quite adept at that. I smiled.
“If you say so, my good sir. Lead the way,” I said as I made a gesture towards the stairs. We made our way down stopping briefly every so often as Kellan would introduce me to people I wouldn’t remember. When we hit the bottom floor, I felt somewhat at ease. The people down here seemed more like me. Well, not like the people up stairs. They were socializing among one another and dancing as one might see in a normal club. Kellan eyed a small group of three young women who seemed to be having fun. He hit me in the arm and made his way in their direction. The look on his face was that of someone who couldn’t understand how they were having fun without him.
When we reached the bar, I positioned myself so that Kellan was between myself and the young women. I had my back to the bar so I could observe the club, as I had been earlier. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but I had a suspicion I was trying to catch Eve. I heard Kellan using his typical charming lines that always seemed to work. I think the fact that he was always willing to buy a round certainly helped his odds. I vaguely heard my name, but chose to ignore it. A brief flash through the crowd drew my attention. I set my beers on the table, one of which I had finished without realizing. I mumbled something about going to the bathroom and made my way to the other side of the crowd. I was disappointed. I glanced back to where Kellan was. He didn’t notice I was gone. Something drew my attention again, just out of the corner of my left eye. A door, just out of the way, was cracked open. There wasn’t anyone posted in front of it barring entrance. I was intrigued. I looked around and took a few steps toward it. The closer I got the more my senses went on edge. Just as I reached for the handle, I heard a voice.
“Will…” I turned around abruptly.
“Eve!” The words slipped from my mouth as if I had been holding my breath. She gave me a curious look. I gave another glance at the door and turned back to her.
“Hi,” I said sheepishly. I hate how she had the ability to make me feel like a child.
“I didn’t expect to see you here again, for a while.”
“I, uh, had a few things to talk with Kellan about. He said he was coming. So, here I am,” I answered.
“So, here you are,” she replied.
“So, I didn’t know you and John knew each other that well. He always said he wasn’t a big fan of the Colosseum and yet, you got him to come out, I am impressed,” I chided.
“I didn’t get him to do anything, he came here looking for me,” she responded quickly.
“Relax, I am just being an ass. What exactly did he want?” I questioned.
“To talk to me,” she replied snidely.
“Eve…you don’t need to get defensive…I just…,” I trailed off. Her face was stern. There was no getting passed that defense when she decided to put it up.
“I have to get ready, I start in a couple minutes,” she offered before she turned and walked away. I really didn’t feel like correcting her. She technically didn’t have to be on for another half an hour. I really wish I knew what made her so defensive. Hell, I really wish I knew why I loved her the way I did. There were days it really drove me insane. Just as she disappeared from view John walked up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder, startling me slightly.
“Easy bro, no need to be so jumpy,” he calmed.
“Right, just off in a different world,” I said hastily, trying to cover up my embarrassment.
“It’s cool,” he replied, “We need to talk, but probably not here. Did Kellan tell you anything we discussed?”
“He didn’t even say you guys talked,” I said, rather annoyed.
“It’s ok, Will, relax…and I assume Syndel didn’t either,” he said.
“Of course she did, we talked about everything,” I replied with a smart-ass tone.
“I didn’t think she would,” he continued without missing a beat.
“I think it would be best if you took an early night and went home. We will talk later. Will, seriously relax. Everything is ok, I am sorry for the secrecy. I just need to figure a few things out. All in due time my good friend. Oh and try and stay out of trouble,” he said with a wink.
“Right, I was getting tired of this place anyway,” I said as I turned and went for the exit. I made my way through the crowd and passed Tiny. He grabbed my arm, stopping me in place. I looked over my shoulder at him.
“Hey,” he glanced at the booth where Eve was standing, and then back to me, “be careful ok.”
“Thanks,” I said and shrugged off his grip. I moved to my bike in quick fashion. After I mounted up and was ready to take off, I got a feeling, a feeling that I wasn’t the only one who had just left the club; a feeling that whomever walked out behind me wasn’t just stumbling home. I fired up the bike and took off in the opposite direction of home. That pretty much verified that I was being followed, but I didn’t know by whom…or even what.
Chapter 11
No matter how fast I went, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being followed. I was weaving in and out of traffic, checking my mirror almost excessively, yet I didn’t see anything. It was there, I know it was. The longer I rode, the farther away from my home I went, the farther away from safety. I had to make a decision. I could either stay on this road and out run whatever it was or I could try and make a stand, and hope for the best. I wasn’t the running kind. I saw an alleyway just ahead and slowed enough to make the sharp turn. I was greeted by a dead end roughly a hundred feet in front of me. I went to the end of the alley, turned around, and waited. I could feel the hair on the back of my arms and neck start to stand on end. My breath slowed. My eyes focused on the dark in front of me.
My phone rang, startling me back to reality. It was Kellan.
“You picked a perfect time to call,” I said sarcastically.
“Well, hello to you too,” he replied. “Everything ok, chief?”
“Uhh yeah, what’s up?” I asked. I kept staring towards the end of the alley anticipating something…anything.
“Well, you left the club in a hurry. I thought we were going to try and pull some digits,” he sounded almost hurt; almost.
“Something came up. I ran into Eve, and John, and Syndel. How come you didn’t tell me you…” I trailed off. I saw a flash of movement in the shadows.
“I’ll call you back,” I hung up the phone. I turned the headlight of my bike towards where I saw the movement. The light reflected off of a pair of eyes. I couldn’t make out what they belonged to. The creature slowly crept closer. I could hear the sounds of claws on the pavement as it moved. My heart beat faster. I couldn’t move. I was afraid. My eyes remained deadlocked on the creature. My heart was now racing. It was now a mere few feet in front of me. It crouched to strike…and then it leapt. Its weight catching me full force in the chest, sending me tumbling backwards off my bike. The creature was on me in a flash, tearing at whatever its claws could find. Huge teeth sank into my shoulder. I tried to scream in pain, but nothing would come out. A serene calm began to come over me. It was death, I knew it was. I could see a golden aura around the creature now. My eyes focused on what I could not see before. The beast seemed to move slower. I could see each attack, but yet I was powerless to defend. Its features sharpened. My mind worked as if it only noticed the beast. My last thought was the creature looked remarkably like a werewolf and I seemed to be at ease with the idea.
Chapter 12
I was dreaming again. Well, at least I would have been. I was in a strange apartment. It was where I lived, but the apartment and its furnishings were from another time, from the previous owners. All four of the beings were looking at me. They seemed saddened. I imagined Heaven to be different. For that matter, I imagined Hell would be different, too. I tried to talk, but I couldn’t speak. I inspected myself. I didn’t have any of the cuts I thought I would have. Perhaps, I really was dead. I looked back at the beings. They weren’t looking at me anymore, they were looking through me. I followed their gaze.
Lying on the bed was a torn and mangled body, my body. That seemed more like it. I examined my pale and lifeless form. I had been hurt even worse than I thought, if I was truly looking at myself. I was strangely at peace with what I saw. My vision blurred slightly. Was I crying? The room shifted as well as my vantage point. I was lying on the bed now, looking up. Where there had been all four of the beings now there were only two; the one I had come to call the marble goddess and an angel. They seemed less sad, but more puzzled. It was like they couldn’t quite understand what I was or how I had gotten there. That was another idea that was strangely unimportant. I didn’t care that my last memory was lying in the alleyway dying. I closed my eyes briefly. When I opened them, the angel was floating towards me. She brushed my cheek with the back of her hand. I closed my eyes again. When I opened them, the marble goddess was all that remained. She was far in the corner away from me. She seemed almost afraid, but I couldn’t tell what she was afraid of. My eyes grew heavy, forcing me to shut them again. When I opened them this time, I was alone.
When I awoke, I bolted upright clutching my chest and heaving deeply. I was naked, lying in my bed. I groped my body to find the wounds that I know I had received. I should have been dead; there is no doubt of that. My room hadn’t changed. Everything was as it should have been which made it even stranger. I got up and walked around, searching for my ruined clothes. They were nowhere to be found. My phone and keys were sitting on my nightstand next to the clock. It was eight in the morning. I didn’t have any messages. I sat on the edge of the bed placing my face in my hands trying to piece together everything that had happened. I remembered it quite vividly. I remembered the pain, yet there were no cuts, no bruises, and no scars. I could still see the yellow ringed eyes and the massive fangs that sought to rend my flesh. I remember the life draining from me, the strange calm that washed over me.
I sat up suddenly and walked over to the dresser drawer. Opening it, I reached in and grabbed my old combat knife. I flicked it open and stared at it for a moment, then drew the blade across my hand without much thought. Pain shot through me as blood dripped on the floor. I stared at the wound, nothing happened.
“Sweet Jesus, I am losing my mind,” I proclaimed. I was acutely aware just how naked I was at that moment, clutching a hand wounded by my own doing. I replaced the knife in its respected place and made my way to the bathroom for a towel leaving only a few drops of blood in my wake. Opening the closet I let out a sigh.
“Of course, I only have white towels left,” I lamented. I turned on the water and opened the medicine cabinet for some peroxide, placing my injured hand under the water. The water stung, but I didn’t look down. I had to shift a few things around to get to the brown bottle. I set the bottle down on the counter and looked at my hand. I gasped when I saw the mere scratch where a deep laceration had been only moments before. I turned the water off and stared at my hand again. Slowly, the scratch healed leaving perfectly knitted flesh. I took a deep breath calming my nerves. Somehow, this was all tied together and John would be the one to talk to. I didn’t know why, but I knew he was involved…and probably the lot of them. I was really tired of everyone else knowing what was going on and leaving me in the dark. I was not going to take no for an answer, even if I had to chop my arm off in front of him and let it grow back…if that is what would really happen, I wasn’t sure. But with all the strange occurrences happening around me lately, I wouldn’t be too surprised.
I threw on some clothes, grabbed the necessities, and went for my helmet. It wasn’t there. I swore softly. I tore through my room in quick fashion with no luck. Finally, I said screw it and went out the door. The ever present eerie feeling didn’t disappoint as I waited for the elevator. When I made my way to the garage, my bike was in its normal spot. Rick on the other hand was not in his normal spot. He was nowhere to be seen. It had been the first time I have not seen him at his post. Climbing aboard, I noticed a splotch of something just under the gas tank. I touched it with my finger, bringing it closer for inspecting. It was blood. Given the night I had, it only added validity to my suspicions, and made me all that much more confused. I fired the bike to life and took off out of the garage. I wasn’t going to give John a heads up, but I was still pretty sure he would be in the CC. I was there in a matter of minutes.
Chapter 13
The Christian Center seemed oddly deserted. Every time I had come here before, it had been pretty busy. I saw John’s car in the parking lot and breathed a sigh of relief. This was going to be easier than I had hoped.
When I walked through the front door, I expected to see the cheery lad again. There was no one. I made my way downstairs, hoping the basement door would be unlocked. Fortune smiled upon me, when I turned the knob and it gave way. I opened it slowly not sure what to expect on the other side. That room was empty as well. The lights were turned down lower than the last time I had been in there. I was about to leave when I remembered the hidden doorway. As I got closer to the corner where the door was, I saw a sliver of light. The door was cracked open slightly. I pushed a little and peered in. It was John. He was sitting at a desk, focused intently on an old leather-bound book. When I walked in I managed to get halfway to him before he even realized I was there. He had a bad habit of doing that.
“William,” he said. If he was shocked to see me he hid it very well. I was actually getting annoyed that everyone seemed to expect me.
“John,” I replied. I waited to see what kind of words he would have for my intrusion. He made note of his place in the book, then closed it. He didn’t say anything, just waited. Finally, I broke the silence.
“John, you are my friend right? I trust you, but I am a
fraid you know more about what is going on with me than you are letting on. I need answers. I am truly about to lose my mind,” I pleaded.
“Sit,” was all he said. I grabbed one of the chairs closest to me and pulled it over to the desk and sat. I waited for him this time. After a few moments he spoke.
“What seems to be troubling you this time?” he asked.
“No. No more of this wisdom, solve your problems logically bullshit,” I snapped. I saw a pair of scissors on the desk and grabbed them as I stood up.
“Explain this,” I said as I drew one of the blades across my hand, the same one I had done it to in my loft. Blood began to pour out of the wound instantaneously. John stirred briefly, but only watched. A pool of blood gathered under my hand and in mere seconds, the wound closed itself, faster than it had before. I waited.
“Say something!” I shouted. He stood and walked around the desk taking the scissors from my hand. He drew the blade across his own. The wound on his hand did the same as mine and closed almost as fast as it opened. I stood there in shock. For some reason, I had no problems when it was me that had the incredible healing ability, but when I saw John do the same it all sunk in. He walked back behind the desk and sat, motioning for me to do the same. I did with a loud thump. My legs had given out. I shook my head to try and clear it.
“What is going on?” I finally managed to ask.
“It is difficult to explain,” he said.
“Please try,” I interjected before he could say anything else.
“Will, you have to understand that I don’t have all of the answers. I have been trying to find some. I am close and God willing I will find them. You will be the first person I tell, I swear it,” he offered. I could tell he was thinking things over and came to a hard decision.