by John O'Riley
Jeremy stepped back inside his house and slammed the door shut. He checked on Skylar in the guest room. First, he knocked on the closed door but after waiting several moments, Jeremy realized something was wrong. He opened the door and stepped inside to find Skylar fast asleep under the covers.
“ Skylar! It’s time to get up!” Jeremy said loudly.
His friend failed to stir so he repeated himself and received the same lack of results. Jeremy nudged Skylar on the shoulder but that didn’t help either. A cold fear washed over him as he watched his friend who lay unmoving and wondered if he was dying. Jeremy went to the living room and sprawled on his couch thinking hard over his predicament. Somehow, he knew that both he and Skylar were dying but he didn’t know precisely when. Jeremy had tried not to think about it but now he couldn’t ignore it. He wished he knew what to do. His mother had received a vision of him having an accident on the way over to the hospital but he’d avoided it by staying with Skylar and had lost consciousness in the house instead of while driving. He wondered if his mother had received any other visions about him. She probably would have called him again but Jeremy wanted to be sure. He felt compelled to do something rather than just wait to die. He went to the kitchen to pick up the phone and dial Kate’s number.
“Hello?” she said.
Relief and a sense of security rushed over him even though his situation hadn’t changed.
“Mom, it’s me,” Jeremy said.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Kate asked with concern.
“I’m dying,” he said.
“What makes you say that?” she asked.
“I just know it. It’s one of my new abilities. I have more than one psychic ability and I think it’s given me brain damage or something.”
“You should probably go to the hospital,” Kate said.
“There’s nothing they can do,” Jeremy said. “ Skylar’s not going to make it either. I was wondering if you saw anything that might tell me what’s going on or some way out of this.”
“I just saw the car accident is all,” Kate said. “You can’t just stay at home. You need to get yourself to the hospital.”
“I haven’t told you everything yet,” Jeremy said shakily. “Emily’s alive. I had a vision that she will come here early in the morning. The problem is I don’t know what day.”
“Tell me everything you saw,” Kate said in a voice that was thick with emotion.
Jeremy told her his entire vision and then explained the second one he had.
“I think that Emily is coming to see you really soon and she will have lots to tell you,” Kate said fervently. “She’s disappeared for over ten years and has somehow found you even though your address is unlisted. She’s coming to you for a reason. I think she may be able to help. Skylar was awake in your vision so he’s not at death’s doorstep just yet. My guess is that Emily will arrive in a day or two. You’ve got to be ready, honey. I’ve discovered that I can direct my visions a little bit so I’m going to try and see what’s going on with her. The minute I get anything, I’ll call and let you know. Right now, you need to think positive and prepare for that killer. I know you’ve just told me you’re setting up a trap for him but you and Skylar should both be armed.”
“I can’t shoot anyone,” Jeremy protested.
“You may have to, sweetie. If you think positive and plan ahead, I know everything will turn out for the best,” Kate said stridently. “Now, I’d better be going. We both have a lot of work to do. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Jeremy hung up the phone and wondered where he would get another firearm. He wasn’t registered to carry one. Jeremy remembered the pizza plate that had slid across Skylar’s coffee table last night. Perhaps he didn’t need a firearm at all. He grabbed a spoon and set it down on the living room table. He’d seen people on the news levitate spoons with nothing more than the power of the mind and yesterday, he’d seen evidence that he shared in this ability. Jeremy concentrated on the spoon for several moments but it just lay there. He remembered the strange sensation he’d experienced yesterday when the pizza had slid across the table and he imagined the feeling as he focused on the spoon. It suddenly jerked several inches away from him. Jeremy flinched with surprise even though he’d been picturing the spoon sliding away in that direction. He hadn’t expected it to happen so suddenly and he’d been imagining a smooth, sliding movement rather than the quick one that had occurred.
News reporters had referred to the ability as telekinesis. He spent the next hour honing this ability until he had to take a rest. A dull ache pounded behind his eyes as he sprawled on the couch. He was surprised by how quickly he’d learned to control this new talent. He could lift the spoon with his mind and shove it across the table in any direction he wanted; however, severe limitations also thwarted his plan to utilize this psychic ability as a weapon. He could apply a quick, sudden pressure equivalent to a forceful shove but it couldn’t be sustained for more than a couple of seconds. He could lift very light objects in the air for several moments at a time but nothing heavier than two or three ounces. With his current ability, it couldn’t be utilized as an effective weapon and Jeremy had a feeling that he’d just about maxed out the full range of his telekinesis. He’d never seen anyone on television demonstrate anything better than what he’d just done.
After resting for a moment, Jeremy fixed himself a mug of coffee and mulled over his situation. He wondered what ability Emily possessed and where’d she’d been all these years. Would she be able to help him and Skylar with the negative side effects that came with their newfound talents? As he pondered his sister’s disappearance, a sudden knowingness that she’d been kidnapped blossomed in his mind followed by the realization that she’d possessed some sort of psychic ability before the electrical storms. Jeremy felt a pressure building in his skull as he leapt to the conclusion that Emily must have been kidnapped due to her psychic ability. Her ability had obviously been exploited or studied for many years. Elaborate measures had been taken to fake her death so more than one individual must be responsible. It was probably a company that researched psychic phenomena and had existed for at least the length of time Emily was missing. It must have gathered a wealth of data by now. The pressure in Jeremy’s skull became a sharp, pounding headache as ideas flooded his mind. He knew this was some sort of psychic ability but had no idea what to call it.
Abruptly, hundreds of loud telepathic voices cascaded through his mind, washing out the intuitive knowledge that had previously flooded in. Jeremy clutched his head with both hands as his headache became unbearable. He couldn’t think against the loud telepathic thoughts that drowned out his own. He stood up from the couch and dizziness slammed into him like a physical force as a multitude of scenes overlapped in his vision to supersede what really existed in front of him. When his telepathy mercifully shut down, he found himself lying on the floor beside the couch staring up at the ceiling. Jeremy slowly sat up then went to the bathroom for some ibuprofen. Skylar finally woke up in the late afternoon. Jeremy filled him in on what he’d missed.
“I can’t believe I slept for over thirteen hours,” Skylar said.
“I tried to wake you up but it was like you were in a coma or something,” Jeremy said apologetically.
“That’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I must have needed the sleep,” Skylar said with an anxious frown. “Kate hasn’t called back yet?”
“No.”
“Do you think you have enough control of your telekinesis that you could shove the gunman’s hand and pull the trigger?” Skylar asked.
“Possibly but I’ll need to practice. That’s a good idea.”
“Too bad I don’t have another gun or I’d give it to you,” Skylar said.
“It wouldn’t do any good since I’ve never practiced,” Jeremy replied.
Skylar shrugged dismissively. “What should we do now?”
“We should eat something. Neither one of us has had more than one sl
ice of pizza in more than a day.”
“I don’t think we’ll be able to hold anything down.”
“We need to keep our strength up. Emily may be able to help us if we can save her from that gunman. Unfortunately, I think there will be more than one. My vision always ends after seeing just a small bit of action. I strongly suspect he has at least one partner with him,” Jeremy said.
“You’re right. We should be prepared for that,” Skylar said grimly.
Chapter 7
Anxiety clawed at Emily’s gut as she turned her car onto Jeremy’s street and wondered if he would be there. Julie had contacted her telepathically last night to let her know she’d discovered Jeremy’s street address in Bothell which matched the house and street number that Emily had already known but assumed was a Seattle address. After discovering where her brother lived, Emily had failed to fall asleep and had finally decided around three in the morning that she would just go. It was now early in the morning and if luck was with her, Jeremy would be at home sleeping. Emily had tried to direct her precognitive abilities to gaze at the near future but couldn’t do it. For some reason, there were factors that caused her future and her brother’s to remain uncertain. Emily feared that the only explanation was that the remote-viewers had figured out where she was and were tracking her.
She had failed to block them numerous times yesterday and once this morning. She hated to think they would catch up with her shortly after she rejoined her brother. Hopefully, Jeremy would be home and she could get him to leave with her immediately. Emily recognized this street from the visions she’d had a several weeks ago. This was definitely the right place. Julie had accurately determined the address of Jeremy Winters. Emily fervently wished she could catch a glimpse of her own future or that of her brother’s. Adrenaline shot through her body as her gaze fixed on his large house and his sprawling yard. She parked in the driveway next to his SUV and stepped away from her car on weak, shaky legs. Excitement poured through her when the front door opened and Jeremy emerged. His gaze immediately bore into hers as if he were expecting her.
“Emily, get down now!” Jeremy said in an authoritative tone that she’d never heard him use before.
Emily found herself mindlessly complying with his order, ducking behind the hood of her sedan before she could finish walking past it. Gun shots rang out and she flinched as the windshield of her car shattered. Emily’s heart raced as she peeked over the hood of her car and saw movement by a cluster of bushes at the edge of Jeremy’s yard next to the sidewalk. A tall, blond man with icy blue eyes stood there with his gun aimed at Jeremy. His arm suddenly jerked down and he shot himself in the foot. He savagely cursed then swung his gun out to aim at Jeremy again. The weapon jerked out of his grip before he could fire it and landed on the ground a short distance away so that it was positioned between himself and Jeremy. Jeremy lunged forward toward it but the gunman did the same. Emily left the safety of her shelter to run toward the two men. The killer reached the gun first. Jeremy was still running and was far too close to miss. The killer began to raise the gun and Emily could see there was no possible way for Jeremy to reach him in time. Emily’s eyes squeezed shut and she bit back a sob of frustration. Three shots were fired in rapid succession and an anguished death rattle reached her ears. She knelt on the edge of the driveway and waited for the killer to finish her off.
A tense, deathly silence greeted her ears. She opened her eyes and saw Jeremy striding toward her. The gunman lay face down on the lawn with three bullet wounds in his back and his gun lying several feet away from his right hand. Emily gazed at her brother with confusion then saw Skylar standing directly behind the gunman with a revolver clutched in his right hand.
“Emily, you’re alive,” Jeremy said with profound relief.
He swept her up in a bear hug and she laughed joyously. Skylar joined them and gave her a quick hug as well.
“How is this possible?” Emily asked. “You knew I was coming?”
“Yes, we did,” Jeremy said. “We have a lot to discuss.”
“I knocked the other guy out. Their car is parked down the street.” Skylar motioned with his hand.
“The other guy?” Emily echoed.
“Yes, you were followed here,” Jeremy said.
“They’re security operatives from Psi Tech. They’ll kill all of us,” Emily said desperately. “We have to leave now.”
“I agree. We’ll take my car,” Jeremy said. “You should drive.”
Emily was taken aback by his willingness to just take off and go. She gazed at her brother with confusion as she hadn’t expected their reunion to be anything like this.
“We can talk while you drive,” Jeremy said as he used his remote to unlock the doors then handed her the keys. “Skylar and I have already packed the trunk.”
“You have?” Emily climbed into his SUV.
She clutched the steering wheel in both hands and stared numbly ahead as her heart pounded wildly in her chest.
“I’m not sure what’s going to happen now but I’m sure there are others on their way here now. We have to get going,” Jeremy prodded her.
“Right,” Emily said shakily.
She started the engine and pulled away from her brother’s house. She wordlessly followed her brother’s directions until she ended up on a highway heading east.
“Okay. You’re obviously aware that you have precognition and telekinesis because you’ve used them very strategically,” Emily said slowly. “How much do you know?”
“I know that you were kidnapped by a company that researches psychic abilities and that you’ve escaped and they want to kill you,” Jeremy said. “That’s about it.”
Emily nodded her head as she organized her thoughts. She took a deep breath then filled him and Skylar in on the rest of the details. She kept her description brief but it still took about an hour to give them just the bare essentials.
“Wow,” Skylar said from the back seat. “This is really intense.”
“So how long do we have to live?” Jeremy asked.
“You have about a week but probably less,” Emily said. “But we should start right away on joining the psychic network between myself and Julie. Skylar and I should go first and then hopefully, with our combined efforts, we can bring you in.”
“You weren’t able to see whether or not they tested their theory on multipaths so it may not even be possible for me to join this telepathic connection,” Jeremy said.
“I believe it’s possible. Multipaths have telepathy. Your telepathy should be enough to connect,” Emily said passionately.
“But even if that’s possible, there’s no reason to assume that my abilities will stop building pressure in the brain.”
“We have to think positive,” Emily said.
“That’s what Mom said when I talked to her earlier,” Jeremy said.
“Does Mom know I’m alive?” Emily asked.
“Yes, I told her,” Jeremy said.
“Wow!” Emily exclaimed. “I can’t wait to talk to her.”
She stiffened reflexively when she sensed a remote-viewer approaching. She pushed against the individual but two more came and the strain quickly built. She wouldn’t be able to keep them away for more than a minute or two. She realized that Jeremy had spoken but she hadn’t heard what he’d said.
“I can’t talk now,” she bit out.
“It’s the remote-viewers, isn’t it?” Jeremy asked quietly.
Emily didn’t bother responding. She was trying to turn to the next lane over on the right but there was too much traffic. She couldn’t concentrate hard enough to keep the trackers away. She could feel them starting to slip past her but before they could lock onto her position, something else pushed them away. Emily continued to apply pressure and after a moment realized that Skylar was helping. When the remote-viewers finally gave up, she was relieved to know that they hadn’t learned any information regarding her whereabouts. The three of them were still safe from detection.
She glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw Skylar’s pale face.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“No,” he said weakly.
Emily bit her lip hard and guilt overwhelmed her. She’d come to save them but was instead putting them in more danger. Soon, Skylar passed out and slumped forward but his seat belt kept him from falling to the floor.
“He’ll be all right,” Jeremy said reassuringly.
“I wish I could say that was true,” Emily said. “But we both know it isn’t.”
Time for both Skylar and Jeremy was running out fast. Emily sensed a presence and realized Julie was trying to communicate.
“What is it, Julie?” Emily asked.
“I know what just happened,” Julie said with concern. “Now that you know Skylar is capable of helping to block out the remote-viewers, you should consider coming over here. We can bring him into our telepathic network.”
“We can’t block them out while we’re occupied with the connection process,” Emily argued.
“We did it before. It’s merely an interruption. I think it will be easier for us this time since we are already connected. Don’t be so damned stubborn.”
“All right. I’ll be there in about an hour,” Emily said.
Julie withdrew telepathically and Emily sighed loudly. She felt conflicted about returning for a variety of reasons. She informed Jeremy of the change in plans.
“It sounds good to me,” he said.
“We’ll be putting a future leader of our kind in danger,” Emily said.