by Jill Sanders
“Help him!”
Her eyes landed on the front windows where the blinds blocked out the view of the road in front of her place.
Why the hell not? she asked herself, pulling off her ruined slippers and sliding into a pair of tennis shoes by the front door. She hated walking around her place barefoot, since the carpet was as old as she was and not particularly clean.
Walking over to the window, she pushed the blinds aside and frowned out at the darkness and sighed.
“It’s raining again.” For the past week, every day had been gray and dreary. The nights were full of lightning and thunder and darkness. She missed the sun.
Then a movement caught her eye. Was that a dog? She opened the curtains further and frowned down at the massive black shadow that moved on the street in front of her home.
The fact that she was the only one living on the cul-de-sac had been a bonus when she’d moved into the old place. The cottage had, at one point, been cute and chic, but that had been long ago. Now it was just a run-down building, one of only three homes still standing after a hurricane wiped out the entire block almost ten years ago. Everyone had taken the insurance money and run to higher ground.
But the rent was cheap on the place since it still needed some work, and she didn’t have to worry about annoying her neighbors with her loud music. Or, god forbid, someone asking her questions and trying to be friendly.
“Help him!” the voice screamed again.
“Who? That thing? Is that a bear?” she asked, leaning a little closer to the window. Then she noticed the other dark figures in the road.
She could make out the shadows of a man and a dog. The man had the dog by the collar and was trying to back away from the bear. He crossed under the light and for a moment, her heart skipped. Instead of fear on his face, she saw… was that admiration?
Rushing towards her front door, she yanked it open and yelled out to him.
“In here! Hurry!”
The man glanced over at her, only turning his head slightly as to not take his eye off the bear stalking him. He was standing in the middle of the road, his legs wide apart, as if he were ready for a fight. His shoulders were broad, or at least they looked so in the leather coat he was wearing. His shorter dark hair was slicked back from the rain. In the dim light, she could see a strong jawline but couldn’t tell anything more about the man other than he appeared tall.
“Hurry!” she called out, sparing a glace towards the bear. She screamed when it glanced in her direction and she realized suddenly that it wasn’t a bear.
“Get back inside,” the man called to her. “Save yourself.” He waved his hand towards her as if to shoo her away.
Then her eyes locked with the creature and she felt something shift inside her. Something close to recognition flashed in the creature’s dark eyes. Forgotten memories flooded Joleen’s mind.
As if her body had taken over itself, she felt her feet moving towards the beast instead of rushing back inside like a smart person would have.
“No!” he called to her. “Save yourself,” he yelled again over his dog’s growls.
But she wasn’t listening. She was no longer in control of herself. She continued to walk forward, down off the small front porch, past where she’d filled a few pots with flowers last spring and had quickly let them all die. Now their rotted brown corpses were a daily reminder that she shouldn’t let anything living depend on her. Well, except for Fred, but she had co-ownership with Lane.
When she stepped off the porch and the cold rain washed over her, she held out her hands as if to stop her forward motion, only her feet weren’t responding to her commands to run in the opposite direction. As she moved closer, she realized her hands were held out as if she were trying to calm the beast instead of ward it off. What the hell was she doing?
“You’re lost. This isn’t your world,” she heard herself saying softly, as if talking to a gentle animal instead of the monster hovering a few feet away from her.
Suddenly, its sharp jagged teeth disappeared, and it started panting as it watched her approach. She took another step and the beast turned its entire body towards her. Its long neck stretched out towards her with its tiny head and beady eyes, watching her closely. Its eyes were nothing more than dark pools, but that didn’t even detour her.
“Let me help you get home,” she said, still moving forward.
The creature lowered its neck and head, as if accepting or waiting for her help.
“Here now,” she said, reaching out her hands. The creature nudged them with the top of its head as if asking to be pet.
“What the…” the man standing a few feet away said, which had the creature glancing in the direction of the man and dog.
Instead of aggressiveness in its dark eyes, she noticed worry.
“It’s okay,” she said softly. “They won’t hurt you.” She ran her hand over its soft black fur. It was strange. Her fingers disappeared into the blackness of the long fur. It was soft, almost like her own hair, yet shorter. “Let me send you home.” She leaned closer to it and felt her body begin to shake, as if there was an earthquake and she was the only one affected. Touching the creature’s forehead with two fingers, she heard herself say, “Reditus domum,” just before everything went black.
“Hey,” she heard a deep voice call out. The sound of it jolted her out of the darkness. “Wake up.”
She opened her eyes and zoned in on a pair of sexy blue eyes hovering just above hers. She took a moment in her confused state to appreciate the clean lines of the man’s face. Where had he come from? He was perfection. There was even a slight dip in his chin that she’d always found sexy on men. He had wide cheekbones that accented his chiseled jawline perfectly.
His dark hair was still soaked from the rain, which had her realizing that they were no longer outside in the foul weather. Instead, she was lying on her sofa, with the stranger hovering over her.
Jerking back, she pushed him away and sat up.
“What the…” she started.
“Exactly,” he said, straightening up and moving away from her. “What the hell was that? What the hell just happened?” He motioned towards the front windows.
“I…” She shook her head. “You tell me. What was that thing?”
He laughed. “You’re the one who was making nice with it like it was your long-lost pet or something. I was the one it was hunting down for dinner. Remember?”
She shook her head, trying to remember what she’d done. Why she’d done it. It was as if someone had taken control of her body. The moment she’d seen the creature, really seen it for what it was and realized it wasn’t a bear, something had… clicked. Almost as if it were a memory buried deep inside her. Something or someone had taken over her.
She shook her head. “I need a drink.” She stood up and walked towards her kitchen, only to remember that her last bottle of wine was all over her kitchen floor.
Picking up a dish towel, she bent down and started cleaning up the mess.
“Here.” The man came to her side. “Let me help you.”
She glanced up at him, then over at his dog, who was still sitting by the front door, as if waiting for permission to come into her home further. Fred, thankfully, was nowhere to be found. The cat had been raised around dogs, but she didn’t know if that black lab had been raised around cats.
Once the mess was cleaned up, she opened her liquor cabinet and pulled out some rum.
“Drink?” she asked, holding up the container. “I have some Coke if you want.” She set it down and walked to her fridge and pulled out two sodas.
“Sure, why the hell not,” the man said with a sigh. “I’m Mason, by the way. Mason Barrett. That’s Stinky, which is why he’s sitting by the front door and not making himself at home.”
She smiled at his candor. “Joleen Hughes. Fred is around here somewhere.” She glanced around again.
“Fred?” The man frowned. “I didn’t know…”
“My
cat,” she added quickly. “He’s good with dogs, as long as Stinky is okay with a half-blind cantankerous old feline.”
Mason chuckled. “He is. Stinky loves all creatures.” His smile slipped. “Normal ones. You know, from this planet.”
She sighed and turned back to pouring them each a strong drink.
“To alien encounters.” She held up her glass and waited until he tapped his glass to hers.
After they drank, she motioned for him to follow her back into the living room. She walked over to her window again and glanced out.
“It’s gone,” he said from behind her. “You sent it home.”
She turned and glanced at him. “I… what?” She shook her head slightly.
“Reditus domum,” Mason said, setting his glass down and moving to stand beside her by the window. When she didn’t say anything, he glanced down at her. “Return home.” He shook his head slightly. “Latin.” He motioned with his hands. “I figured you knew it… never mind.” He sighed.
She laughed. “Right.” She took another sip and then sighed. “What was that thing?”
“Whatever it was, it wasn’t from around here,” he answered.
“How do you know?” She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced at him. “I mean, it could have been a cross between a bear and a giraffe. You know, cross breeding or whatever.”
He smiled and she felt her heart skip. Damn, he was sexy when he did that.
“Trust me, that was no hybrid. Besides, when you said reditus domum, it went poof.” He motioned with his hands. “Well, actually, it sort of faded into nothing.” He frowned and glanced out the window again. “One moment it was there, the next…”—he glanced at her—“you were lying on the wet cement and it was nowhere to be found.”
“Are you saying I vanquished a demon?” she asked with a chuckle.
“You tell me. Like I said, you were the one stroking its head like it was a pony instead of a scary beast.” His eyes ran over her. They stopped on the small bandage that covered one of the many cuts covering her face.
“Hey.” He frowned. “You…” He took a step back and shook his head. “You’re JoJo.”
She rolled her eyes at the nickname she only allowed her friends to call her.
“Joleen.” She nodded. “How do you know about me?”
“I stopped by the store earlier and talked to the owner and his fiancé.”
“Charles and Lane?”
“Yeah, they said you were the person I should talk to about what happened the other night at the store.” He glanced towards the windows and shook his head. “But I guess now I need to focus on what the hell just happened out there instead.”
“Focus?” She frowned. “Are you a cop or something?” She took another sip of the stiff drink.
His dark eyebrows shot up. “No, I’m a… scientist.” He walked over, picked up his empty glass, and set it down on the countertop by the sink.
When his words sank in, she laughed. “Right.” She glanced out the window again.
“No, I really am,” he insisted as he turned back towards her.
She glanced over and gave him her full attention. The man was six two or so she estimated. She was right about her first assessment of him—he had broad shoulders that were filled with perfectly toned muscles. He was slightly tan, either that or he had naturally dark olive skin. His dark hair and light eyes were a dangerous mix. Dangerous to any woman with a heartbeat and a libido.
“You are no nerd,” she said with certainty.
He smiled. “Wanna bet?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and ran her eyes over him again. “I’ve known plenty of nerds in my day. None of them looked like you.”
“Shallow?” he asked, but the sides of his lips curved up.
“No, just a realist.”
His eyes ran up her like she’d just done to him. “Not a lot of grocery clerks look like you, either.”
She glanced down at herself and held in a groan. She was still wearing an old pair of yoga pants with a large sweater that was falling off her shoulder. She was still soaking wet from her time outside, and the sweater clung to her body. Her hair, which had been in a neat braid before she’d rushed out and vanquished the demon alien, probably was now standing up in all different directions. Reaching up, she smoothed it back as best as she could.
“I have the week off,” she replied.
“Right.” He nodded to the bandages on her arms and face. “Were you hurt bad?”
“No,” she sighed. “Just small cuts. It was lucky no one else was there.”
They both glanced over when a loud fart sounded from near her doorway.
“Sorry,” Mason said with a sigh. “He has a… condition. I didn’t know about it until after I’d rescued him.”
She laughed when she noticed the sorry look the dog gave them. “Have you tried changing his food?” she suggested.
“Several times.” He sighed. “Now I make all his meals myself. He only eats rice, eggs, and chicken. The vet told me it would be best…” He stopped and walked over to open her window. “Trust me, we’ll need the fresh air.”
“So, what? You came all the way from…?”
“Boston,” he supplied.
She arched her eyebrows. She wouldn’t have guessed he was from the north.
“You came all the way from Boston because of a few dead birds? Why?”
His eyes met hers and she could see the concern and strength behind them. “In hopes of a cure.”
“For?”
“Everything,” he answered, and she felt a shiver race through her.
Chapter Four
Okay, so he was exaggerating. Still, after what he’d just witnessed, he had more questions than he had the energy to ask. Rubbing his forehead, he took a few deep breaths of the fresh air coming in through her front windows.
His mind kept playing over what he’d just witnessed. All the years of studying hadn’t prepared him for what he’d just observed. He’d studied enough sciences that he would normally explain away what he’d encountered, if he hadn’t seen it firsthand.
“Okay.” He took another deep breath. “I’m thinking gas.” He glanced around and then took several deep breaths of the air coming in from outside. He took note of any smells or tastes coming but didn’t think there was anything out of the ordinary. “Odorless.” He frowned. “There’s plenty of gases that can cause hallucinations. Nitrous oxide can cause visions, as can mercury poisoning, mycotoxins, or nitrogen trichloride.” He knew he was rambling as he started pacing in her small living area as his knowledge raced through his mind. He lived to find answers. Questions and puzzles were what he enjoyed the most. “There was a case, back in the fifties, I think.” He frowned, trying to remember the details. “An entire town in France reported strange sightings.” He turned to her. “But that was LSD in the water supply. Done on purpose.” He shook his head and frowned. “There are so many things that could cause delusions like we witnessed.” He stilled and turned towards her. “You and I are in agreement what we saw out there, aren’t we?”
“What did you see? Exactly?” she asked.
“Massive black creature.” He held up his hand as high as he could. “Long neck, head about this big.” He showed her with his hands again, making a large circle about the same size as his head. “Hind legs like a…”
“Naked cheetah?” she offered, then nodded as he stilled. “Yeah, that’s what I saw too.”
“Okay, so that rules out a lot. Shared hallucinations are tricky. I think we can rule out anything digested, since we’ve just met and the chances of us taking in the same substance are slim. Besides, I haven’t had anything to eat in hours.”
“I have some leftover pizza,” she broke in. “You’re welcome to it.” She motioned towards her kitchen.
He felt his stomach growl at the thought of food and relented.
“I won’t turn it away at this point, seeing as I’m a little light-headed. Then again, that could
be from just discovering an extraterrestrial being and a woman who could make it disappear by uttering, ‘go home’ in Latin.”
She chuckled and he relaxed as she walked into the kitchen and pulled a pizza container from the oven.
“It’s still hot,” she said, setting the box down on the table.
He moved over and took a slice of the veggie pizza while he assessed her. She was pretty. Very pretty. But he tried not to let that fact detour him. Her caramel hair was tied up in a braid that was falling loose. Her matching caramel colored eyes were pretty enough that he could lose himself in them. She was wearing yoga pants that had his eyes and mind wandering down to her very tight butt every single time she turned away from him.
“Not a carnivore?” he asked.
“It’s Lane’s fault.”
“Oh?” he asked after taking the first bite.
“He was upset that I…” She stopped suddenly, then shook her head. “He’s trying to get me to eat healthier,” she added. “He brought the pizza over about half an hour ago.”
He got the hint that she’d been about to say something else. But since his stomach was finally getting food in it, he decided not to push his luck.
“So,” he asked as she sat across from him, “while we’re here, why don’t you tell me what happened the other night?” He figured he’d table talk about the creature for a few minutes and have some normalcy while he ate.
She rolled her shoulders. “I heard a thud, then another, and walked over to the windows just as hundreds of the birds flew into the glass, shattering it and sending it showering over me.” She looked down at a couple small white bandages on her arms. It was the reason he’d assumed she was JoJo, seeing all the bandages and cuts on her skin. “Nothing else to tell,” she added with a shrug.
“Did anything happen beforehand?” he asked.
“No,” she answered quickly. He could tell immediately that she was holding something back.
Taking up another slice of pizza, he watched her. “Have you lived in Hidden Creek long?” he asked. Sometimes to get answers, you had to dig deeper. What was Joleen, or JoJo, hiding?