The Place Beyond

by Ryan Lohner

  * * *

  Jane stopped in her tracks, her conscience getting the better of her. Slowly, she retraced her steps back to the locker room, intending to at least part with Matt on better terms. But just as she reached the door, she saw him deep in conversation with Jim. She could see Jim saying something to him that brought a big smile to Matt’s face. Turning away, Jane had a sinking feeling she knew exactly what they were talking about. Jim meant nothing to her, but the idea of Matt drawing him into all the weirdness didn’t sit right with her. Except, what would she do about it? For the moment, at least, nothing.

  Chapter Five

  Matt was still struggling to understand how he’d gotten to this point. What had led him to just ask a complete stranger to join some crazy idea he’d cooked up? And now, said stranger had said yes, so despite his reservations all he could say was, “Really?”

  Jim blinked a couple times. “I said yes. Why did I say that? Why did you ask me?”

  Matt shrugged. “Honestly – I’m still working on that.”

  Jim shook his head, a bemused expression on his face. “And, the really crazy thing is, I still want to do it.”

  “So, you’re still going to do it, right?” Matt said, checking.

  Jim nodded. “Oh, definitely.” And then they both realized what had just happened again. “Okay,” Jim said. “Now I’m kind of scared. And that’s not a normal feeling for me.”

  * * *

  Matt was feeling much the same. “So, let’s talk about something else. Like how we’re going to do this. Because, actually, we’re kind of screwed. I really don’t think I could find my way back to the place.”

  Jim looked at his feet for a bit. “Yeah, that’s a problem. Although, I did spend a lot of time in those woods myself as a kid, and I’ve done some running training there. It’s a great natural cross-country course.” He paused, not meeting Matt’s gaze. I–I err, my, my parents don’t really like me going in there. They – they’ve always been pretty darn protective, even now.”

  “So, what are you saying?”

  Jim smiled. “Tell me everything you can remember about the place. I know about the hill already, but anything else could be helpful. I’ll go check it out tonight, if I can find it.”

  Matt grimaced. “I don’t think I’m comfortable with that. What if you get yourself killed? Which may be a possibility here – in case that wasn’t clear.”

  Jim flashed another grin. “I may spend a lot of time crashing into people on the field, but I can be quite nimble when I want to be. If I do find them, they’ll never know I’m there.”

  Matt shook his head. “They’ve got that light thing. Who knows what other stuff they have? You’ll probably be up against a lot more than just their eyes.”

  Jim sighed. “Maybe you’re right, but if you’ve got a better idea, I’m wide open.”

  Matt had to admit he didn’t. “Look, we’d better get going. My parents will be expecting me home soon and I’m guessing yours will, too. We’ll talk about this later, okay?”

  “Okay,” Jim agreed. So, shall I call you later tonight, or will you call me?”

  Matt shook his head. “I’m thinking more tomorrow. It’ll probably take that long to get my head around this, anyway. How about we meet back here before our first class?”

  For a second Jim looked disappointed, but he nodded. “Okay, whatever you want.”

  Matt was just drifting off to sleep when his cell phone vibrated. He cursed under his breath as he picked it up. He had a new text message. “Heading out now. Let you know what I find.” And suddenly the cursing wasn’t under his breath anymore. When he had enough wits back for conscious thought again, he held himself silently still, worried that he might have woken his parents up. Fortunately, no sound came from their room, so he quickly dialed the number that came with the message.

  “I figured you’d call,” Jim said on the other end.

  Matt struggled to keep his voice down. “I’m really regretting bringing you into this, you know that?”

  Jim laughed. “Hey, as long as something’s messing with my head and making me want to do this thing, I figure, why fight it?”

  Matt ground his teeth. “That doesn’t mean you have to be stupid about it! You couldn’t even wait for the weekend, like me and Jane did? And you only know there’s a hill nearby, so what exactly is your plan here?”

  The voice on the phone turned serious. “What’s the alternative? Leave this Dave guy wherever he is that much longer? No, I’d prefer not to. And how many hills that size can there be with the time you took to get there? Look, I’m already outside, and I’m heading for the place now. So just relax and let me do this.” His voice abruptly stopped.

  Matt silently seethed. The big jerk had him. There really was nothing he could do, and if Jim did get himself hurt or killed, Matt knew exactly whose fault it really would be – no one else’s but his. He wanted to rage around, throw things, scream to the sky, but he couldn’t. If he woke his parents up that would raise too many questions he couldn’t answer. But he couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. He needed someone else to talk to, and there was only one other person who he could think of.

  * * *

  Jane was not having a good night. Ever since returning from her ill-considered adventure with Matt, sleeping had just gotten harder. Unwanted thoughts kept creeping into her head: even if she thought there was nothing she could do about whatever she’d stumbled across, didn’t her very knowledge of it require her to at least try? What really had happened to the boy she was so interested in, and his father? Perhaps she might find out if she just made an effort? And suppose she didn’t? How did she live with herself after that? Ahead of her loomed a lifetime of sleepless nights, guilt and regret. This night was the worst yet. She was beginning to think she would never fall asleep. So it was a welcome diversion when her phone buzzed at her. She grabbed it without even checking who the caller was – and before she could say anything, she heard Matt’s voice. “He went out there on his own! I can’t believe it!” He was whispering, scared that if he spoke normally he might forget himself and shout. He quickly explained what had happened.

  Jane rubbed her temple. “This is so not helping.” Then, realizing how that sounded, she quickly added, “How stupid is this guy? Does he really think he can handle anything, just because he throws a ball around?”

  Matt sighed. “I don’t know. He’s just out there and there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m the one who told him about all this! What if something does happen? It’ll all be on me. I couldn’t live with that!”

  Jane groaned as the weight of her own indecision came crashing down on her. It was one thing when just the two of them had been involved, but with someone else possibly in trouble, her mind was finally pushed to action. “What if … and please understand how much I hate saying this … what if, you and I went out there with him?”

  There was a pause, and then Matt said, “Seriously?”

  “Yes.”

  “This from the girl who wanted to just forget the whole thing?”

  Jane groaned. “You know perfectly well why I’ve changed my mind. It was hard enough turning my back on Dave, but now I’d be turning my back on Jim too.”

  She was surprised to hear him give a short laugh. “Yeah, I’ve just never had the chance to rub something in before. Just wanted to see how it felt, just in case I never get the chance again. Absolutely, I’m in.”

  * * *

  Jim had reached the edge of town. He wasn’t surprised when his phone started buzzing again. Automatically, he answered with, “I told you, Matt, I’m doing this tonight.”

  “Oh, I know,” it was Jane’s voice. “Matt told me all about it. And for the record, I think it’s a stupid idea, too.”

  Jim took a couple seconds to get over his shock before he said, “Well, too bad it’s not your decision. And I’ve got nothing more to say to you than I did to Matt. So if you could just let me get on with it, I’d appreciate it. Those guys
are a lot more likely to notice me if I’m on the phone, wouldn’t you say?”

  Jane’s tone became sharper. “Look, you idiot, you’re making me do something I really didn’t want to, and I’m pretty upset with you over it. Tell me where you are, and we’ll be right there.”

  That was another big surprise. “Well,” he said slowly, “the help would be nice, but you promise this isn’t just you trying to stop me?”

  “Yeah, sure, whatever you need. Now, where are you?”

  * * *

  Slipping out of the house was rather easier this time, now that Matt knew for sure he could do it. He and Jane barely spoke on the way to the meeting place, the look of pure rage on her face easily deterring any attempt he might have made at conversation. Of course, he was pretty sure he was wearing a similar expression. At least he had thought to bring warmer clothes this time.

  Jim greeted them with a grin that was far too happy for Matt’s mood. “Hey,” he said, “took you long enough!”

  Matt felt his hands balling into fists by his sides. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax. “Shut up and let’s get this done, okay?”

  Jim’s smile disappeared. “Hey, this is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

  “I wanted us to have a plan. Anything would be better than this.” He turned to Jane. “Well, lead the way and let’s get this over with.”

  Jane silently walked past them and Matt got the distinct impression that she was keeping her mouth shut because she would start shouting indiscriminately if it opened. It seemed every day he was meeting a new facet of her personality. He gave Jim a slight nod and they both followed after her.

  Everything was just as bad as Matt remembered and having a third person to worry about didn’t help any. He quickly lost count of the number of times he put a hand on Jim’s shoulder, or thrust an arm in front of him to keep him from smacking his face on a tree branch or slipping in soft soil. Maybe not all of the interventions were strictly necessary, but Matt wasn’t in a very forgiving mood, and with them all in a situation where speaking was ill advised, he allowed himself to take some enjoyment from making Jim just as irritated with him as the other way around.

  Eventually, they found the spot again, though only the light of the moon was visible. They edged cautiously around the hill, but, tonight, there was nothing on the other side. Matt glanced around, surveyed the area to make sure no one else was nearby. Satisfied, he chanced a whisper. “Well, this is the place. And I hope one of you has an idea for where we go from here because I sure don’t.”

  From behind his ear, a voice stated, “Oh, that won’t be a problem.”

  Chapter Six

  They all froze, and the voice chuckled. “Good to see you won’t be making me exert myself. Now then —”

  Matt heard footsteps walking around him, but he still couldn’t see anything. Then a man materialized into existence. Matt watched him take his thumb off a button on his wide, gray, leather belt. It resembled the type of belt workmen wore to keep their tools in, Matt thought. All three of them quickly pointed their flashlights at the ground, not wanting to do anything to aggravate him. From what Matt could see in the remaining light, the intruder was wearing black clothes and a helmet, form fitted to his head, in his hand was an odd-looking device that appeared to be some kind of weapon. Three cylinders stuck out of the top, while facing Matt was a quite recognizable gun barrel. The man pointed it by turns at Jane and Jim as well, before lowering it to his side. He walked over and stood in the middle of them. Things that he wanted to say popped into Matt’s head but he quickly discarded all of them. The situation was clearly something he had no control over for the moment, and what scared him most of all was saying the wrong thing, and he had no idea what that might be when he was still trying to wrap his head around the way the guy had just appeared out of thin air.

  Apparently Jim and Jane had the same idea. The stranger grunted softly. “So,” he said, “nothing to say? I’m a little disappointed to be honest. I was hoping for some groveling, at least.” He stepped up to Jim. “You weren’t here before. The big guns they bring in when they’re serious, dare I hope?” He studied Jim for a few seconds. “Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “The face is all wrong. I do like the muscles, though. And you,” he turned to Jane. “Very good looking. You could be quite a covert asset. Plus, enough athletic build to take care of yourself if you really have to. Both of you have a lot of promise. It’s a waste, really.”

  By now, Matt recognized the voice: it was the first one he and Jane had heard, the guy who had complained about the mission. “You knew we were here?”

  The man snorted. “Oh, please. What kind of operation do you think we’re running here? That line of sight wouldn’t be enough to hide anyone who got as close to camp as you did? Now, as I was saying, these two are impressive in their way, but then we come to you. Nothing to speak of physically, and mentally, well—” He shrugged. “You did come back here, after all, which tells me you can’t be all that smart.

  “You know why the others left me here? To keep me out of trouble. They’re spread out a bunch of other places, absolutely sure you wouldn’t be stupid enough to turn up here. Lucky me, I suppose.”

  That comment broke the spell over Jane. “You can blame the big guy for that,” she said bitterly. “Well, Jim? You happy now?”

  Jim spluttered incoherently, while Matt contented himself with, “Jane …”

  She cut him off there. “Oh, screw it. If I’m going to die right here, it’s going to be with the blame properly assigned.” He could just make out the shine of tears on her face. “You, too, really, Matt. Maybe it wouldn’t have been this fast, but you would’ve brought us here eventually.”

  Their captor clapped his hands. “Oh, I love this part. I’ve seen it quite a few times, but each one is just a little bit different.” He paused, but none of them spoke up. Jane still looked upset, but now her glare was directed firmly at him.

  He didn’t seem bothered. “Oh, don’t mind me,” he told them, amusement in his voice. “You just carry on.”

  Jim took a step forward. Their captor glared at him and he quickly took a step back. “Look,” he said, “we’re really nothing to worry about. We’re just high schoolers. Who are we going to tell, and why would they believe us? I mean, you heard what she said – I’m really not that bright. So if you just let us go, maybe we can just forget the whole thing, okay?”

  Minutes ago, Matt had been taking pleasure in Jim not having a good time on this little expedition he’d roped them into; now he was too scared to think of anything much at all. But in the next second, an idea did come to him. It wasn’t much, but it was the only thing in his head. “Look,” he said, tentatively, “if we all disappear, that’s going to get a lot of attention. You’ve been hanging out here, so you had to have seen all the trouble just one kid disappearing caused. I don’t know who you guys are, but it seems like you really want to avoid being noticed. And I’m really impressed by that invisibility thing, by the way.” He had been struggling to keep his voice steady, and knew he hadn’t been totally successful. He plowed on. “My parents work for a magazine, about things just like this. It’s not really respected at all, so anything people read in it, they’ll believe it can’t exist. You see what I’m getting at? I can actually help you stay a secret. What do you think?”

  He had to look away immediately afterward. Just seeing this guy was making him want to curl into a ball and never surface again. And now that it was out, Matt was struck by the absurd circular logic of what he’d just said. He cringed as he started thinking about how much worse he might have made things. But all he could do now was see what the response would be. He didn’t have long to wait; the guy burst into laughter. That didn’t help much, as this could still go either way. They all stood there, waiting for him to finish his chuckle fest.

  It was only a few seconds, though anything that put off knowing what was going to happen next felt like a small eternity.

  After h
e was done, he said, “Maybe I was wrong about you. You could make something of yourself after all, being able to come up with ideas like that. It’s out of the box, at least. Or you could just be amusing. Either way—” He broke off, squeezing his earlobe. “This is Pren. I’ve got them,” he said, apparently speaking into thin air. He paused as if listening to someone, though Matt couldn’t hear anything and then said, “Absolutely. Always a pleasure to help the good general.” There was a sarcastic bite to the words, but whoever he was talking to didn’t seem to mind, as the call, which Matt was now sure it somehow was, seemed to end there. “Well, the rest of them will be here shortly. Then you get to find out what happens to you all. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to it.”

  Being reasonably sure that he wasn’t going to be killed at a moment’s notice made Matt breathe just a bit easier, and also worked up his courage to ask the question he’d been wanting to ask this whole time. “Do you have anything to do with Dave Polsik and his father?”