A Matter of Time

by Brian Harmon

  “Excellent,” he said as he took the bottle from her and opened the driver side door. “Hopefully she can tell us something about what’s going on here.”

  “Hopefully,” she agreed. Then she squinted and rubbed at her temples. “Ow…”

  “You okay?”

  “I think so. Just a headache. Probably from all the excitement.”

  “Take it easy,” said Eric.

  He found another plastic bag in the back, stuffed the bottle into it, and firmly, but carefully dashed it on the asphalt. Then he fished the decades-old papers out of the bag, stashed the broken glass in the back, careful not to let it spill, and returned to the front seat. There, he unrolled the next chapter of Hector’s story and the two of them began to read.

  Chapter Ten

  My dream told me you would find this. And I believe my dreams. I have to. They might be the only thing that will keep me alive.

  Maybe that sounds dramatic. Or maybe it doesn’t. You understand these things, don’t you? You know how strange the world really is. If you really are reading this in the future, if you really are the man from my dreams, you’ll understand me. And you’ll understand why I believe in you.

  Besides, if you’re not finding these pages, who is? I hate to think that some random person is reading this, thinking I’m either a liar or a complete nut job. The deeper I get into this, the more convinced I am that you’re the only one who can possibly believe me. Unless, of course, one of them finds it. The men in the gray suits. They’d believe me, all right. And who knows what they might do to me?

  But I should get to the point. I can’t be sure how much time I have.

  You know by now that I went to the cemetery after school. You found what I buried there. After that, I rode my bike all the way across town to the Goss Activity Center. I underestimated how long it would take me. By the time I got here, it was already past four o’clock. I was late. I was afraid I’d already missed them.

  I stashed my bike behind some bushes. I probably didn’t need to, but I was paranoid. I was convinced for some reason that someone would recognize it and remember me, although I’m not sure why. It’s not like they’d seen me riding it. They didn’t know I existed. I’m just on edge. But who wouldn’t be? This stuff is scary. And it’s only getting scarier.

  I slung my school bag over my shoulder and headed straight for the front door. Inside the bag was this paper and some pens. There were also several bottles I dug out of the trash and some candles I stole from my mom’s stockpile in the kitchen drawer. She won’t miss a couple. And it’s the best way I can think of to preserve the messages so they don’t get ruined before you can find them in however many years it’ll be before you find them. I even have some matches in case I need to soften up the wax and make sure they seal. I also brought along a few extra supplies, just in case. A flashlight. A pocket knife. Even a change of clothes.

  I had no idea how I was going to get inside the building, much less how I was supposed to find the bushy-haired boy or the gray suits without attracting attention. I thought maybe I could just ask if they had a restroom and then sneak around. It wasn’t brilliant planning, I know, but it was the best I had. I’m no good at this sort of thing. I’m not as bold as some of the other kids. The idea of sneaking into this place and spying on these men wasn’t thrilling. It was terrifying. My stomach was in knots. I was sweating. My heart was pounding. I felt like I could barely breathe.

  And yet I felt so strongly compelled to follow my dreams that I somehow managed to walk through those doors and into the lobby of that building.

  I can’t explain it. I don’t even understand my dreams. But somehow I know that whatever they’ve been warning me of, whatever is in store for this town, it’s far worse than anything I could have found inside this building.

  And as it turned out, getting in was easy. The place was crawling with kids of all ages. The lady behind the desk didn’t even look at me when I walked in.

  It was easy. All I had to do was wander around. It wasn’t very busy, but there also weren’t so few people here that I stood out. No one gave me a second glance.

  I made my way through the building, exploring the hallways, peering into rooms. I wasn’t entirely sure of what I was looking for, much less if I would really be able to find it. The fat man in the gray suit told the bushy-haired boy to be here at four, but I didn’t see the Impala in the parking lot when I arrived. I was only a little late. Unless their mysterious plan was to meet here and then drive somewhere else, I shouldn’t have already missed them. And if that was the case, I wouldn’t know where to go next. What would be the point of me having all those dreams, then?

  I went over yesterday’s events in my head as I walked around. It was possible that the gray suits never intended to be here. The fat one only told the bushy-haired boy to be here. He didn’t tell him they’d meet here. And he certainly didn’t say that they’d both meet him here.

  I focused on him. The bushy-haired boy. I pictured him as I saw him in that lot, the fear and the agony on his face. And I pictured him as I saw him in my dream, with the dead and empty eyes.

  I couldn’t stop wondering what events had led him to that lot behind the church. And I couldn’t stop wondering what events were yet to lead him to the moment I glimpsed in my dreams, standing over the body of that dead girl. The thoughts filled me with such dread that I very nearly fled through the nearest door.

  And maybe that would have been the smart thing to do.

  I finally caught sight of the bushy-haired boy through the window in the door of one of the classrooms. He was with some other kids his age. Five of them total, including the bushy-haired boy. They were gathered around one of the desks, talking. The conversation looked intense, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying through the closed door and I’m no good at reading lips.

  That should’ve been the end of it. At this point, I should’ve been out of ideas. But I remember thinking about the dreams, about the city in flames, the monsters rising from the sewers. And again I felt compelled to go further. Somehow, I knew I had to hear what they were saying inside that classroom. It was important. I needed to be in there. But I couldn’t just walk in. And I couldn’t linger there outside the door, either. Eventually, one of them would glance up and see me.

  As quickly as I could, I scanned the room, looking for an answer. And I found it.

  One of the windows was open.

  I needed to get outside. Quickly.

  The classroom next door was empty. The lights were off. The blinds were closed. The sun was still shining outside, so it wasn’t very dark, but it was gloomy enough. I made sure no one was looking and then I slipped inside and closed the door behind me.

  My plan, of course, was to open one of the windows and climb out. Then I could creep along the wall, keeping my head below the windowsills, and eavesdrop under the open one.

  Pretty simple. Except that as I crossed the room I became aware of a man sitting in a chair in the back corner, watching me.

  I nearly screamed. My heart felt like it stalled for a moment. I was so startled that I actually tripped myself backing away. I ended up sprawled on the floor. In that horrible moment, I actually saw the fat man sitting there, grinning his evil grin at me. And I just knew he was going to make sure I understood him.

  But it wasn’t the fat man in the gray suit. It wasn’t even a man. It was a stupid-looking scarecrow with a goofy grin on his painted face. An elaborate Halloween decoration.

  I felt like an idiot. I called it some names that weren’t very nice. Childish, I know, but it made me feel a little better. Just a little.

  I pushed apart the blinds, opened the nearest window and peered out. I was on the side of the building facing the road. The parking lot was to the right. I wasn’t completely in the open, but I wasn’t nearly as hidden from view as I’d hoped to be.

  But then again, it wasn’t like I was planning on peeping into the women’s locker room. Was I really even doing anything
wrong?

  I moved a chair under the window and used it to boost myself up and through, then I dropped into the grass below. Crouching low so I wouldn’t be seen from inside, I crept along the building’s foundation. I could hear their voices almost immediately. By the time I was under the open window, I was already following the conversation.

  “…amazing,” said one of the boys. “If any of it is actually real.”

  “Oh, it’s real,” another boy assured him. I recognized this voice. It was the bushy-haired boy. It wasn’t edged with panic now. He wasn’t squealing with pain. He sounded calm and collected, as if yesterday had never happened. “It’s absolutely real.”

  I glanced around to make sure I was still alone on the property and then lowered my head and made like I was tying my shoe. If anyone walked around the corner of the building and saw me there, hopefully they wouldn’t think anything about it.

  “I don’t know…” said a girl’s voice. “Sounds scary.”

  “It’s not scary,” insisted the bushy-haired boy. “It’s just new. We don’t understand it is all. I mean this stuff might’ve been lost for centuries.”

  “Maybe for a good reason,” said another girl.

  I tried to remember who was in the room, but I hadn’t been able to see most of them. There were two girls and two boys with him. All of them looked about the same age as him, but most of them had their backs to me.

  “Sounds cool to me,” said a fifth voice, the third boy in the room. This voice was deeper than the others, smoother. He probably had a great singing voice. “I say we do it. I mean, what can it hurt?”

  “We don’t even know where it came from,” countered the second girl.

  “I told you where I got it from,” said the bushy-haired boy.

  “I mean where it came from originally,” she insisted. “Where does anyone get something like this? It’s not right. It feels…wrong.”

  “Wrong?” said the deep-voiced boy. “We’re talking about making all our dreams come true! You ask me, it’s worth a shot.”

  This intrigued me. Making all their dreams come true? What were they talking about? I wanted very badly to stand up and peek in at them. I wanted to see what they were talking about, but I didn’t dare take the chance. If they saw me, that would be it.

  “Just imagine all the things we can learn from this,” continued the bushy-haired boy. “We could change the world.”

  “We could be gods,” said the first boy.

  “That’s blasphemy,” scolded the second girl.

  “Not if God meant us to have it,” he returned. “Did you think of that? If He didn’t want anyone to find it, then why didn’t He destroy it?”

  She didn’t seem to have an answer for that.

  “Are you sure about this, Zachery?” asked the first girl.

  “As sure as I’ve ever been about anything in my life,” replied the bushy-haired boy whose name, it seemed, was Zachery.

  Voices drifted from the parking lot. I looked over, startled, and saw two women walking to their cars. They weren’t looking my way, but I redoubled my efforts to look like I was only retying my shoes, just in case.

  “You really think we can do it?” asked the first boy.

  “I’m certain of it,” insisted Zachery. “I just can’t do it alone. I need all of you. It’s how it works.”

  “I already told you I’m in,” said the deep-voiced boy.

  “Me too,” said the other boy.

  “I need to think about it,” said the first girl.

  “Think about it, then,” relented Zachery. “Just do it fast. We’re already losing moonlight.”

  I wasn’t sure at the time what “losing moonlight” meant. Although now that I’m writing it, I think he meant the phase of the moon. The moon was full just a couple days ago. It would be waning now, growing darker each night. Losing moonlight…

  But what did the moon have to do with anything? What were they up to in there? This was getting creepier by the second.

  “I’ve got to get home,” said the second girl. I heard a chair squeak on the floor.

  “Don’t tell anybody,” he insisted. “Not a soul. This is ours.”

  “I know!”

  I heard them moving around. They seemed to be leaving. And I’d barely learned anything. I decided to risk a peek, but before I could raise my head, I heard Zachery’s voice just inside the window.

  “I need you on this.”

  “I know,” said the first girl. “I’m just not sure about it. It’s scary.”

  “Everything’s scary the first time. But I’m telling you, we can do so much good with this. We can make everything better.”

  “But how can you be sure?”

  “I just am. Trust me, okay?”

  She sighed. “I guess…”

  I heard them moving away from the window. This was my last chance. Cautiously, I raised up and peered over the windowsill. They were standing by the desk, facing each other. Between them was a strange-looking book. It must’ve been what they were talking about. I watched Zachery pick it up and gently place it inside his bag. He handled it with such delicateness that you’d think he expected it to explode. It struck me as creepy even then, and even more so as I write about it now.

  “Are you going home now?” asked the girl.

  “Not yet. I have one more thing I need to do.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow then?” I finally pulled my eyes from Zachery’s bag and actually looked at the girl for the first time. I suddenly realized that I knew her. Her name was Sherry Jolinger. She lived down the street from me. She was my babysitter for a couple of years there, just before my parents decided I was old enough to not need one. I had a mad crush on her when I was younger.

  Okay, I still kind of do, if I’m going to be honest.

  What was she doing mixed up in all this?

  I watched the two of them walk toward the door and a terrible thought hit me.

  Sherry has long, black hair…

  Exactly like the girl in my dream, the one Zachery was standing over…

  My head was spinning. I had to follow them. I had to make sure my dream wasn’t going to come true today.

  I tried to climb back through the window quietly, but I forgot about the stupid scarecrow. Startled again, I lost my balance and fell, knocking over the chair in the process. I thought the entire building must’ve heard me, but no one immediately opened the door to investigate, so I jumped to my feet and left. I didn’t even bother closing the window or picking up the chair. I needed to find out where Zachery was going with that book.

  I stepped out into the hallway and found myself staring right at the fat man in the gray suit.

  There are no words to describe my terror at that moment. I stepped out of the doorway and turned to find him there, walking straight toward me. My heart definitely stopped this time. I might’ve screamed if I hadn’t been so paralyzed with fear. I thought for sure I was going to die.

  But while I recognized him, he’d never actually seen me before. And he didn’t see me then, either. He had no reason to take notice of me. I was just another kid. He didn’t even look at me as he strolled past. If he had, I’m sure he would’ve seen the fear in my eyes. Then he would’ve been suspicious. (Thank God I hadn’t screamed!) But he appeared to be totally focused on where he was going.

  I watched him walk away.

  Where was he going?

  Although I was terrified of this man, I somehow convinced myself to follow him.

  He turned right at the end of the hall. When I arrived at the same place, I glimpsed him stepping through a door to the left. When I arrived at this door, I found it open and heard voices inside.

  This wasn’t a classroom. It was a machine room of some sort. I crept in and followed the voices down a short flight of steps to a room that looked like it was designed by a medieval dungeon maker. Or at least, that was how it looked to me, anyway. I’m not immature enough to not know that the thing I saw sitting in the
middle of the room was a furnace and not some kind of monstrous, robotic beast, but I can’t say it didn’t cross my mind for a second or two that the thing was going to reach out with its metal tentacles and drag me into is burning gut. It wouldn’t be any weirder, after all, than all the other horrors from the nightmares that brought me here.

  There was no one in the room. Instead, I heard voices behind another door at the back of the room.

  There was another flight of stairs. A longer one. Narrower, too. I was sure this one was going to lead to the real dungeon, but at the bottom was only some kind of store room. There was a large shelf running down the middle of the room. It looked like it was overflowing with stuff. I think it was where they kept all the sports equipment and whatever they needed to maintain the place. There were more shelves on the walls on either side, leaving only two, narrow aisles leading to the back of the room.

  That’s where the voices were coming from.

  I crept as far down as I dared to go and peered at them.

  Zachery was there. So were both of the men in the gray suits. The fat one was sitting at a cluttered table. The tall one was standing up, leaning on the back of a chair.

  “I don’t want excuses,” I heard the fat man say. “You’re already losing moonlight.”

  “I know! I told them time was running out!”

  “I didn’t give you that book so you could play show and tell with it. If you can’t do the job, we’ll find someone else who will.”

  “No! Please! I can do it! I swear!” Apparently, failure wasn’t an option for Zachery. It gave me chills to wonder what they must’ve told him they’d do if he couldn’t do this job, whatever it was. “It’s that girl! Vera Graupner! She’s fucking everything up!”

  Vera Graupner? That must have been the other girl in the group, the one who didn’t want to do whatever it was he was trying to talk them into. (And clearly the only one in the group with any brains.)