Between Time

by Bond, Carolyn

  “But Lorenzo, what can we do? We have to do something. You can do something! Can’t we rescue her?” said Tom.

  Lorenzo paused and sighed. “Not there. That is the shadows’ domain. It’s not just a physical place. It’s a choice. I have already provided a way, long ago. She must choose to stay or go and they know that. The only way they have to control her is to break her down until she becomes as dead as they are. Right now it could go either way. If she chooses love, the bonds that hold her there will weaken.”

  Ben appeared at the edge of the portico. He ran toward Lorenzo, Tom and Henry.

  “Ben!” said Lorenzo as he caught him in an anguished embrace and hugged him.

  “I have an idea!” said Ben.

  “Let’s hear it!” answered Lorenzo looking eagerly in Ben’s eyes.

  “You can do anything, Lorenzo. I know you can.” Ben stated with authority. Lorenzo frowned slightly.

  “I can do many things, sweet Ben,” Lorenzo lovingly put his hand on the side of Ben’s neck, “but I cannot make choices for another.”

  “Yes! I know, but could you make a way for us to get her a message before she was snatched?” Ben excitedly searched Lorenzo’s face for acknowledgement. Lorenzo turned and looked out over the crowds on the portico. After what seemed like minutes, he turned at the waist and looked at Ben with a slight grin.

  “Yes! Yes, Ben! I can do that with your help.” Lorenzo put his hands on Ben’s shoulders. “There is a way, but what would you say? What message would you give her?”

  “Just like I told my mom not to worry,” Ben pleaded, “I could tell Marie the one thing that the Shadows can’t overcome. Love, she needs to use love! She doesn’t know and it will take too long for her to discover on her own!”

  “That’s true. She knows it innately, but this is all out of her context. The Shadows know that too. Their plan is to torture her until she goes mad.” Lorenzo shuddered as though he could see it happening. Tom thought maybe he really could.

  ***

  Marie could feel stinging pain all over her body. It was like she was being bitten by fire ants. She cried out and no relief came. Then the pain turned to bruising punches on her back and sides. She heard cracking of bones and felt the white hot pain. She wondered if she could survive. Cold air blew against her skin, icy and frost-biting cold. She could feel the burning freeze in her hands and she shivered. Next it was water. Water rose around her, first inches and then feet. She found her leg was chained to the ground as the water rose and carried her up with it until her leg held her down. She tried to hold her breath but eventually her lungs convulsed in sharp pain and she sucked in the water. Terror seized her as she jerked her leg against the shackle to no avail. She started seeing spots in her vision and encroaching darkness. Then just as quickly, the water receded and she was on the muddy ground.

  Panting and gasping, she looked around the dark landscape. The savage people were gone. She cried pitiful tears in the respite. Why did they want her and what did they think she would do? They could have killed her and yet they always stopped just short. Somehow any sign of their attack was gone. It was all trickery. There were no cuts or broken bones. It was all in her mind. Even so, it was so believable, she couldn’t help but react.

  She felt a presence in front of her and looked up. It was the woman again.

  “Having fun yet?” the woman mocked.

  “What do you want with me?” Marie screamed at her. “Let me go!”

  The woman laughed a throaty laugh. “Funny. No. You get to stay now. There is no going back. There is no way for you to get back. This is your own fault. Everyone here made their own destiny to be here just like you. Make nice and make friends!”

  “What are you talking about?” Marie yelled.

  “Ah, good. Somebody is getting mad! You are making progress!” The woman spoke in riddles. “Perhaps you are ready for the next phase,” the woman said as she circled Marie.

  With that, she vanished leaving Marie as confused as ever. Marie hugged herself and rocked trying to make sense of all this. Suddenly in front of her was a fire pit with a huge wooded stake in the middle. Allen was tied to it. Flames erupted in the thick woven branches around the stake. Marie leapt to her feet and looked for a way to get to him but the wood and flames were too wide to cross. The flames were hotter than she could imagine fire ever being. She screamed as she helplessly watched Allen burn, his skin melting as he yelled a grotesque plea for help. Within seconds he was nothing but a charred clump against the stake. Marie sobbed with grief. Then it was gone.

  Right on the horrible vision’s heals was the next scene, all her friends from high school were on a boat in the sea that appeared before her. Sharks circle the boat. Marie could see it was listing to the side and taking in water. They scrambled for life jackets and screamed for her to save them. There was no one else to help. Marie was alone with no boat to get to them. In a matter of seconds the boat slipped below the surface leaving her friends bobbing in the water. They yelled to her for help but what could she do? Just as she was about to jump in the water to swim out to them, as if that would help, the sharks attacked with horrific strength. The sharks thrashed them around in the water and soon there was nothing but stillness and a large pool of red.

  Marie was panting and close to passing out. She was on her hands and knees gasping for air. After a minute of this, she stood up and looked around. It was just the dirt and boulder dark landscape again.

  Thoughts raced through her head. This was a dream, maybe. It had to be something in her head. It had to be not real. Maybe she could just wake up.

  “WHAT do you want?” she screamed at the sky. No answer. She walked. Maybe she could find a town or a house. She tried to make sense of things. It seemed so real, but it couldn’t be.

  She saw something on the ground. It looked like a dead cat. Mangled and hideous. Suddenly it jumped up and started hissing at her. Then, horrifyingly, it started to talk to her.

  “You don’t remember me…hisssss? You ran over me 2 years ago. Remember that thump that night? I have been looking-hiss for you. Want to pet my head, NOW?” With that it jumped on her with claws bared. Marie screamed.

  “Get off me!” Marie cried as she batted it away. The stench of death was all around her. The cat leapt away and looked back at her, “Don’t you get it? You’re dead!” It smirked and turned away and ran off.

  “What? What on earth? How can I be dead?” I didn’t die? I was asleep.” She thought for a minute and then sat on a smooth boulder. “Maybe I am dead. Maybe this is it. But I’m not done! What about Allen? No! I don’t want to be dead!” She got really angry. “This isn’t fair! And why am I here? This doesn’t seem like any heaven I have ever heard of!”

  Laughter filtered in behind her. “Very good, little learner! That’s right, you are dead and this isn’t heaven!” The woman pealed laughter now. “Now you just get to enjoy hell for eternity with us! Sound like fun? Huh? Too bad!”

  “This is crazy! How can I be dead? I don’t remember dying!” Marie hissed at her.

  “Silly girl! I could care less what you remember. People die in their sleep all the time. Now get with the program.” The woman vanished again like this was some cat and mouse game.

  Marie thought that none of this made sense. But, just as she was about to start looking for a way back home, the tormentors came again and covered her. Like a shadow on the horizon they swiftly came to her and consumed her with their violence. They hissed evil words of defeat and told her how worthless her life had been. There was no escaping their torment day and night.

  No meditation or mind tricks would help in the long run. It became a matter of just surviving. That was it, they wanted her to fight back and be evil like them. She refused but she also couldn’t make them stop.

  CHAPTER 12 – SAFE AT THE GATHERING

  Allen woke in the morning first. He looked at Marie lying next to him. She looked so peaceful. The rhythmic rise and fall of her side as she lay with
her back to him was beautiful. He touched her brown wavy hair as the morning sunlight began to shine on her making her hair look like liquid gold. The curving swoop of her waist and hip with the sheet twisted against her looked like a goddess reclining. He breathed deep and turned and went into the kitchen to make breakfast for them.

  As he cooked he thought of what they might do today. It might be a good day to go out and gather samples in the forest for a project. The eggs popped and sizzled in the pan. The warm smell of toast wafted past his nose. He turned and grabbed the toast as it popped up in the toaster. He put one slice each on a plate and then deftly scooped scrambled eggs out of the little skillet and divided them into two servings on the separate plates. He opened a drawer and selected two forks and added them. With the ease of a master chef he stacked the plates on his left arm and grabbed a cup of coffee with his right hand and made his way across the room. He set the coffee and plates on the night table and sat on the side of the bed with her facing him, still sleeping. He nibbled her ear. She didn’t move.

  He whispered in her ear, “Wake up, Marie.” No response. He was surprised she was sleeping soundly and shook her shoulder. No response. This time he shook more vigorously.

  When there was no response still, his fear started to overtake him. “Marie! Marie! Wake up!”

  He stood up, knowing this wasn’t right. Something is wrong. He shook her one more time, both hands on her shoulders. Her limp body rocking back and forth with his effort. He checked her pulse and it was there beating away proving life was still here, but he could not rouse her. Now terrified, he ran to the phone and dialed 9-1-1.

  ***

  At the hospital, Allen hovered in the waiting room hoping for good news. He clenched his fists in his pockets. He held back tears. What could have caused this? How long had she been unconscious? The doctor came out to talk to him.

  “Mr. McCracken, you share an apartment with Marie, right?” said the doctor.

  “Uh, sort of, she has her own dorm, but yeah, she stays with me a lot.” Allen stammered.

  “Its okay, Mr. McCracken,”

  “Just call me Allen,” Allen interrupted.

  “Sure, Allen. I just have a few questions. Did she hit her head recently?”

  “No, not that I know of.” Allen thought back trying to remember anything out of the ordinary.

  “Did she drink any alcohol last night?”

  “No. She doesn’t drink at all. We just had dinner at the Europa Café. Then we went back to the college and went to sleep.” Allen waved his arms helplessly as he talked.

  “Okay. Have you contacted her parents? We will need someone who is next of kin here in order to make decisions for her.”

  “Um, no. I guess I need to do that. Doctor, is she going to be okay?” Allen had a pleading look on his face.

  The doctor looked at him earnestly, “I hope so, son, we are doing everything we can. She is in a type of coma for some reason. She could come out at any time … unless there is some reason we haven’t found yet why she can’t. We’ll keep you posted. Call her parents and you can see her shortly.”

  Allen was trying to process what that all meant. …Some reason they haven’t found yet? His insides started churning and cramping. He went to the pay phone and dialed the number she had given him for her parents a while back. He kept it on a card in his wallet.

  ***

  Marie went into a small place in her mind. She tried to tell herself that her nerves are not giving her accurate information. She is not being burned or broken. It’s just in her head. She just has to try to survive until she can find a way to get away. She focused on Allen, but the thoughts of him being burned alive come to her mind and she had to push the thoughts away. She thought of hiking with Allen. In her min, she is holding his hand. He smiles at her and his dimple shows. Just one dimple in his cheek. She smiles back. They come into a meadow. Its early morning. Then she freezes.

  The dream. She remembers a strange dream. Why has she not thought of it before now? It’s almost like she didn’t have that memory until just now. She thinks about the dream, but it’s fuzzy. It was just before they took her. She was in a meadow in the early morning. A man was there, but a man she has never seen before. He tells her something. It was important. Yes, about love. He said to remember that I am loved and it will save me when the time comes.

  She thinks about Allen and warm brown eyes. She thinks about the way they crinkle when he smiles at her. She remembers when she met him. She’d seen him moving in. She noticed the Kentucky tags on his Jeep. She was curious since she was born in Kentucky, but had few memories of it since they moved when she was so young. She went for a walk after that, down to the lake on campus. The water glistened in the sunset. She sat on a bench near where the lake overflowed into a little bubbling stream. The sound of the rushing water was so soothing. She closed her eyes and soaked in the warm sunlight and sound of the water. When she opened them, he was there leaning against a tree watching her. She unconsciously smiled at him because he seemed as natural in her life as if he had always been there. He smiled back and the dimple puckered. His eyes crinkled and she knew he was finally here, the one she loved.

  He sat down next to her and looked out over the water. “I’m Allen,” he said. “Anywhere good to eat around here?” He turned his head and looked in her eyes and smiled. She melted in the warmth of his smile.

  “Well, I heard there’s a café downtown where the locals eat. Wanna check it out?” she demurely batted her eyelashes and smiled a coy smile.

  She didn’t know it, but he was done. Found her. No sense looking further. She was all he would ever want again.

  Marie thought about this moment a little longer and then realized the pain from the torturers was less than it was before. She thought about last Christmas in the dorm. It was too expensive for Allen to fly home, so she stayed with him. The snow fell outside and they decorated a little tabletop tree with lights. They put Christmas music on the radio and danced around the living room of his dorm. They exchanged silly gifts like an apple and a pair of socks and laughed. He told her he loved her more than anything and she told him she loved him, too. He told her, “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to marry you one day.” She just smiled and thought that sounded wonderful.

  “Marie! Get up!” Marie was called out of her reverie by a voice she didn’t recognize. She blinked open her eyes. The torturers were still there but barely moving. She easily shoved them away and stood up.

  “Who are you?” she said.

  He smiled. “I am called many things by many people. I have come to help you out of here. Your choice to choose love set you free. Follow me.” He held out his hand.

  She looked at him. Was this another trick? He looked different, not like the dead people there. She reached out and put her hand in his. She felt her body pulled against space like squeezing past inflated walls close together. She closed her eyes and held tightly to his hand, although it seemed like nothing could ever pull his hand from hers. In an instant they were somewhere completely different. It was a Roman portico, like a large porch, with a marble floor and marble columns. There were various levels with steps and marble railings with turned marble balusters holding up the railings. Many people were there, possibly hundreds. They were all talking amongst themselves, but she noticed that as soon as they arrived, they all stopped and looked at her and the man. Then joy broke loose with cheering and applause. A small group of three men ran towards them. One was the man in her dream. He was waving his arms and smiling and laughing. When the group reached them, Ben hugged her and she hugged back awkwardly.

  “You’re okay!” said Ben.

  “Yeah!” She said and sighed a breath of relief as she realized that wherever this was, it was safe. Whoever these people were, they would protect her. She knew that and felt relief. “So, who are you guys? Where am I?”

  “It’s a long story. And, it’s going to be hard to swallow.” Lorenzo said.

  Marie looked
quizzically at the group around her. “Ok. Well let’s start with where am I? I don’t think I have ever been here.”

  Tom laughed. “Probably not! At least since you’re still alive!”

  “I’m alive? But the woman, she said…” she faltered.

  “She lied. They do that.” Tom said exhaling, “But you are alive, at least for now. Although, your actual body is lying in a hospital bed right now, your spirit is here, in a place between life and eternity. All makes sense now?” He laughed a bit and then stifled himself.

  Marie looked dumbfounded. “Huh?”

  Ben chimed in, “Look, you have seen things lately, right? Things that only you could see?”

  “Yeah,” she looked at Ben.

  “You were seeing bits of this world bleeding into yours. You were seeing us, the Protectors and them, the dark Shadows. They have been after you for some time.”

  “Looks like they finally got me!” Marie huffed.

  “Yes. That is what happened.” Said Tom flatly.

  “So, you all are Protectors? What does that mean?” Marie asked, looking from face to face.

  “We are like guardian angels. I have been with you since birth, Marie.” Tom smiled softly. “I have protected you from the dark shadows for a long time. Ben here joined our forces a little bit ago and he has been helping, too.” Ben bristled with guilt.

  “Joined you?” she looked at Ben, “How does one join you?” said Marie.

  Tom paused, “Well there is life, where you live, normally,” he added, “and then there is afterlife. There are a few avenues of afterlife. Specifically life eternal and life in hell. Some in the afterlife choose to become Protectors before moving on to heaven.”

  “So this isn’t heaven?” Marie asked looking around slightly agreeing that she thought it should look more sparkly or something.

  Lorenzo laughed. “No, it gets better. This isn’t bad, though, huh? I’d say we have a great expresso bar, but spirits don’t drink coffee!” Marie didn’t laugh and he continued, “Anyway, we are a great army whose purpose is to protect and give life a chance to choose. Without the help of the Protectors, evil would take over before people could decide for themselves the way to go.”