The Shadow Box: Paranormal Suspense and Dark Fantasy Thriller Novels

by Travis Luedke

  That made him feel a little less alone.

  His reflection stared back at him from the foggy window, like a different person he was trying to ignore. He had not showered in days. It had been much longer still since he had slept through the night. His coppery red hair hung limp and greasy, an inch longer than he would have liked. His right ear was pierced with a small hooped earring constructed of surgical steel. The only other jewelry he wore was a simple medallion with the symbol for his birth sign – Aries – bound around his neck with a thin piece of raw leather. He had worn the same loose-fit jeans and light blue T-shirt for three days now. His face was pale and bloodless with dark circles around his eyes. It made his bright green eyes seem all the more unnatural.

  When he stepped off the bus, he saw a six-foot tall woman standing beside a black Hummer. She had broad, imposing shoulders and her skin was nearly as pale as David’s. Her hair was a sharp blond crop cut, making her look militant and feminine at the same time. Despite the heat, she wore a dark blue turtleneck that matched the bruising on her face.

  ‘That’ll be Wisdom’s assistant,’ he thought as he struggled to pick up his canvas bag from under the bus. According to the letter David had received, her name was Elaine Radegund. As he walked toward her, she opened the door to the backseat.

  “You’re late,” Elaine said. She grabbed his bag with one hand and threw the bulky weight effortlessly into the backseat. “Get in.”

  David tensed, thought of a thousand ways to respond to how rude she was, but in the end said nothing. He slid in and let her close the door. His eyes fell on the driver and he held his breath. The driver was well over seven feet tall, with shoulders like a human pit bull. There was nothing vague about his hostility. As soon as Elaine snapped her seatbelt, the driver took off.

  They drove in silence for several blocks before David’s skin started to itch.

  ‘Someone is watching me.’

  He turned slowly to look behind him. Two prepubescent girls stared back at him. They wore identical black skirt suits. One was Asian, the other Caucasian with blond hair and blue eyes. He saw in their eyes why they were there. ‘Protection.’

  “This one can read our minds,” the Asian girl said. “He’s stronger than he looks.” She looked to be about ten years old. David noticed she was wearing lipstick and mascara. He hoped that his employer was not using them for more than one type of job.

  “Don’t be a pervert,” the blond girl said. “We work for him the same way you do.”

  “She means the way you might work for him if you pass the test.” The Asian girl jutted out her chest in a way that would have shown off her breasts if she had any. There was something monstrous about the two of them.

  The Asian girl spat at him.

  He wiped it from his cheek.

  “We’re no more monsters than you are. Now stop talking to us.”

  ‘They heard my thoughts,’ David thought. ‘How’s that possible? Are they like me? Wisdom said he knew all about me, what I could do. He said he could train me but I never expected this. How many others like me are there?’

  He turned back to the girls, questioning them with a look.

  They stared at each other for a moment, as if holding a detailed conversation. Finally, the blond-haired girl turned back to him. “You’ll find out soon enough. Now stop talking to us. Don’t make me say it again.”

  “Play nice,” Elaine said. “Back down and keep up the surveillance.”

  The blond-haired girl, Jessica, glared out the window. The Asian girl reached out and held Jessica’s hand. After another silent conversation, Jessica nodded and closed her eyes.

  “I’m not a monster,” he whispered to himself. But he didn’t believe it. He was a murderer. The first time was two years ago, an accident like a gun going off when you least expect it. Still, he knew there was a gun, knew it was loaded with no safety. He was just as responsible as if he had willfully pulled the trigger.

  ***

  Prom. He stood by the punch bowl, uncomfortable in his tux. Around him, classmates danced, making fools out of themselves even though most were completely sober. His date, Ramona Straub, was a cheerleader with large lips, a small waist and long brown hair. He hadn’t seen her in an hour.

  When she first left, he assumed she was just in the restroom. Later, he assumed she must be just chatting with friends. Now, he knew something was wrong. Punch drink in hand, he made his way through the crowd of familiar faces. Quickly, he realized people were looking at him. Pointing. Snickering behind their hands.

  He leaned up against a wall, took a sip of punch, and tried to stop his head from spinning. In the darkness behind his eyes, he saw everything so clearly. She was in the backseat of a car, topless with another man. Paedrag Lucki.

  David dropped the cup of punch and walked out to the parking lot. He was furious. Ramona was cheating on him and everyone would find out tomorrow. Forget tomorrow; most of them knew now. Face flushed with anger, he wiped tears from his eyes.

  He wanted them both dead.

  Ramona and Paedrag didn’t see him coming. They were too focused on each other. He stared at them through the foggy windows of Paedrag’s car. David clenched his fists.

  An explosion knocked people to the ground.

  Car parts flew in all directions. People screamed, ran and cried. Everything around David dissolved into chaos and flames.

  But inside, David was calm.

  ***

  “You killed your girlfriend,” Jessica said. “I knew you were a monster.”

  David’s eyes flew open and he spun round to question them.

  Jessica smiled and tapped her forehead.

  “It was an accident.” He turned around and stared at his feet. The first two times, he hadn’t meant to use his abilities to commit murder. The last time, though, he knew exactly what he was doing.

  The last time.

  Maybe that did make him a monster.

  In the back seat, the girls snickered behind their tiny hands.

  The Hummer pulled into the parking garage of a tall glass skyscraper on Bay Street. David saw two armed men in the attendant booth. The show of strength was unnerving. It spoke of a back-story he knew nothing about. They pulled into a parking spot and Elaine opened David’s door. He reached for his bag but Elaine shook her head.

  “Leave that,” she said. “I’ll have it brought to your room. Wisdom will want to see you first. Girls, hurry back to class. No detours.”

  “Class?” David watched as the two girls walked away, hand in hand. He hoped he’d never see them again.

  “You’ll see in due time, Mr. Ross. Come.”

  Standing in the parking garage, David felt even more removed from reality than before. It was like an alien world, filled with concrete and too many shadows. There were no other cars on this level, nor were there any grease stains on the floor. With the exception of the soft rumble of the ventilation ducts, everything was quiet and still. Even in running shoes, his footsteps echoed loudly back through the empty garage.

  Elaine placed her hand on a flat, red scanner to the left of the elevator. When the scanner turned blue, she punched in a series of numbers on a nearby keyboard. Only then did the elevator open to a dark-skinned giant of a man in a black suit, and a Doberman Pinscher on a short leash.

  “Get in, Mr. Ross.” Elaine motioned him forward but did not step into the elevator. “This will take you to Mr. Wisdom. I’ll meet with you later this afternoon to go over some paperwork with you.”

  David hesitated. He looked at the dog and thought of what those teeth could to do to him. Could he stop the dog before it ripped out his throat?

  Elaine shook her head. “We didn’t bring you all this way to kill you, Mr. Ross.” She pushed him into the elevator. “If you intend on lasting here, don’t be so jumpy.”

  As the elevator doors closed, David struggled to keep his eyes off both man and dog. He was afraid either one of them could attack at any moment. There was no soft eleva
tor music to fill the air, just the constant panting of the dog. David studied the mirrored walls of the confined space and fought a losing battle with fear.

  ‘Too late for second thoughts,’ he thought. Sweat ran in streams down his back. ‘Besides, I can’t go back home. The police are looking for me.’

  The doors opened to a busy corridor. Men and women in dark suits walked in every direction. Over by the reception desk a man in a brown uniform delivered flowers. Another man in a rumpled grey suit shouted at the receptionist, something about rescheduling an appointment.

  David got out of the elevator and looked back. He expected the giant man to get out and guide him to Wisdom’s office. Instead the man let the doors close and disappeared.

  He started toward the reception desk. A group of men in almost identical suits nearly crashed into him. They swerved mid-conversation without so much as an apology. Then, he felt a tickle in his skull and stopped. He turned in a circle until he saw a woman dressed in a tight, black business suit. She had long, straight brown hair but it was her eyes that captured him. They were emerald green like his, luminescent like a cat's at night.

  “A word of advice, Mr. Ross,” she said. “Most women do not take a gaping jaw and drool as a compliment. My name is Garnet. I’ll take you to Wisdom. Follow me and try not to set anything on fire.”

  David swallowed. “Does everyone know about me?”

  Garnet turned and walked away from David. He rushed to catch up to her. His eyes drank in her body, the way the fabric hugged her curves.

  Garnet stopped and glared at him.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I’m not used to people reading my mind.”

  “Work on that,” she said. “And, to answer your question, only a few of us know what you did back in Nova Scotia.”

  They passed several white doors that he assumed led to offices. All the doors were shut and there was not a window to be seen. It felt less like walking through an office building and more like being filed away in an archive. Occasionally, as he walked on, sounds came from behind the doors. He heard moans, laughter and muffled conversation. Once he had an impression of something large and not quite solid moving behind one of the doors. After that he kept his eyes forward.

  “Is it much further?” he asked. His voice sounded pale and insubstantial in this place.

  “Do you have another appointment, Mr. Ross? I do hope we’re not keeping you from something.”

  The green-eyed woman slowed her gait.

  David slowed his as well. He did not want to walk beside the woman. There was something about her that scared him as much as the unseen things behind the doors.

  At the end of the hallway was a second reception desk. An old woman with grey hair typed at her computer. She was dressed in a bright dress of pastel flowers with matching gold necklace and hoop earrings. Garnet led him past the receptionist to a black door. She did not knock. She simply placed her hand on the face of the door for a moment and then pushed the door open.

  David followed her in.

  ***

  Wisdom stood from his desk as Garnet entered with David. “Right on time,” he muttered under his breath. He walked over to the newest arrival and shook his hand.

  “Pleasure to finally meet you, David,” he said. “I’m sure you have a million questions. First, realize you are amongst friends here. No one will judge you on your past. Certainly not me. Garnet, can you pour us some drinks?”

  Garnet bowed her head and went to a table covered with crystal tumblers and bottles of liquor.

  “I don’t even know where to start,” David said. He glanced around the room, eyes wide in wonder. The room was luxurious, with thick carpet and mahogany furniture. Then he saw the wall of framed photographs to his right. He fixated on one of them – Wisdom sitting with a group of men on a beach – and his mouth dropped.

  “Is that JFK?”

  Wisdom smiled. “Yes. I met him a few times. Charming fellow. Always beat me at tennis.”

  David looked at Wisdom from the corner of his eye.

  Wisdom smirked. “I’m older than I look.”

  “Who are these other people?”

  “You wouldn’t recognize their names, I’m afraid. The one to my left is Bill Bundy, one of Kennedy’s advisors. The one with the big ears is David Rockefeller. He taught me how to play poker. But that’s not important now. Let’s talk about you. When did you first realize you were different?”

  Garnet returned with drinks and handed one each to Wisdom and David. Then she returned to the bar to pour her own.

  “When I was fourteen,” David said as he sipped his scotch. “It started on my birthday. Mom had this cake all lit up with candles. When I went to blow the out, the cake exploded. Disaster. A few days later, I woke from a dream and my blankets were on fire. Mom thought I set it on purpose. She grounded me for a month and got rid of all the lighters and matches in the house. The next week, I heard her talking about how she was scared of me. Only she wasn’t speaking. I realized I was hearing her thoughts. For years I thought I was crazy. Then there was prom and, well, it seems you know what happened there.”

  “Indeed.” Wisdom motioned for David to sit on a red loveseat and then sat beside him. “No need to go over that right now. You’re not alone. As I’m sure you’ve figured out, Garnet is like you. So were the other two you met in the car earlier, Jessica and Amy. Currently there are 48 young men and women just like you under my care.”

  “So many.” David’s hands shook. “What the hell am I? A mutant?”

  “Not exactly. I prefer the term Anomaly. Each of you has advanced psionic abilities. No two Anomalies are exactly the same but there are some similarities. Over the years I’ve perfected a system of training people like you. I can make sure you never lose control again. I know the guilt is eating you, David. You can’t live with yourself because of what you’ve done. I understand. I’ve done many things in my past I’m not proud of. That’s why I do this.”

  “Have you killed people?”

  Wisdom sighed.

  “I’m sorry,” David said. “I don’t know what I was thinking. That was rude.”

  “No need to apologize.” Wisdom finished his drink. Garnet came over with a crystal decanter and refilled it. “It’s a valid question. You have a right to know about me, what kind of person I am. Yes. I have killed. Many times. Things were very different in my youth. As I said, I’m much older than I look. Back then, sometimes murder was a necessary tool. Then, years ago, I had a near-death experience in the south of France. I realized that, despite all my years on this planet, I hadn’t achieved anything. No legacy. If I died, no one would remember my name. I needed a cause, so I chose you. The Anomalies.”

  “How did you find out about me? About us?”

  Wisdom waved the question away. “Long story. For now, just know I have methods of finding people like you. In time, you’ll get more details. You must be tired from your long trip. You must want to shower and get into some clean clothes. Garnet, can you show young David to his room?”

  Garnet stood and offered a hand to David, helping him to his feet.

  “Yeah,” David said. “I’m pretty rank. One last question. Why is there so much security around here?”

  Wisdom glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t think it’s enough security. I’m not the only one that knows about you, David. About the Anomalies. You have a power others would like to manipulate. They will stop at almost nothing to do so. Be glad that I found you first.”

  Chapter Eight

  Garnet led him up a flight of stairs to a common room filled with plush beige couches and armchairs. Several strangers, all of them children or young adults, gathered around a large plasma television. They barely glanced at David as he walked by.

  “This is your room.” Garnet stopped in front of a white door. She handed him a keycard. “Someone will get you in the morning for breakfast.”

  The room was larger than he expected. It came with a private bathroom, a king-siz
ed bed and a white leather sofa. His canvas bag lay on the floor beside the sofa on the rich crimson carpet. There was no TV or radio in the room but there were several shelves filled with books. A computer sat on a desk in the corner.

  After a quick shower, he lay down and tried to sleep. Not long after, the two creepy girls from the Hummer paid him a visit. They walked in without knocking. Still, David knew they were coming before the door opened. He felt them coming.

  “He’s not surprised,” the Asian girl said.

  “Of course not, Amy,” Jessica said. “Remember, I told you he was strong.”

  “Hmm, doesn’t look strong to me.”

  “Are you little monsters here for a reason?”

  Jessica put her hands on her hips. “Well, we’re not here to make friends, if that’s what you’re thinking. We don’t like you, remember?”

  “We definitely don’t like you,” Amy said. She carried a Barbie doll in a red ‘Gone-With-the-Wind’ style dress and swung it gently in her right hand as she spoke. “But it’s probably better for us if you don’t die. You have to be careful now that you’re here. Especially if you’re outside. Of course, they don’t let us go out much anymore.”

  “They say it’s for our own protection,” Jessica said. She hopped up on David’s bed not far from him and sat cross-legged, studying him while she tossed her blond bangs away from her eyes.

  “It is, Jessica. You know what happened to Madeline.”

  “Who was Madeline?” David got off the bed and walked over to the sofa. It made him uncomfortable to be so close to them.

  “We’re not supposed to talk about her, Amy. Wisdom will do bad things to you.”