by Michelle Lee
The air whooshed out of my lungs as her weight fell on me. At least one of us had a soft landing. I lowered my arms until I could easily roll her to the ground without injury and gently put one of my legs under her head. She might be rude, but I didn’t want her to get hurt. “Dr. Fields?” I said loudly. “Can you hear me?”
I shook her a little and got no response. Her eyes were sightless staring straight up, her body so rigid I’m surprised she didn’t crack when she fell over. “Fascinating,” Dr. Stone said looking at me. “She will be fine, she’s having a vision.”
I blinked slowly, staring at him, saying nothing. Blinking again, I looked back down at Dr. Sarah Fields and roamed my hands over her face, opening my senses just a little to make sure she was okay. Not seeing any signs of distress, I walled myself back up, and just sat there until she came back. Her body slowly losing the stiffness underneath my leg.
She sat up and looked around and then stood up, finally turning around and noticing me sitting on the ground sporting new grass stains on my brand new high fashioned discount store clothes. “You are glowing,” she said in wonder.
Shit, not this again. I stood up and started dusting myself off and stretching out my now aching body. “You okay?” I questioned her.
“Did you catch me?” she looked at me in amazement. I nodded. “Thanks.” She looked at Dr. Stone, “I think we are done here.”
Stunned I stood there frozen in place as she started to walk away. What the fuck just happened? I looked over at Dr. Sone who seemed just as confused as I was, but he had started following her, so I trailed behind them. I looked around for Winnie and saw her looking slightly concerned, but she shook her head at me, then shrugged. Well, okay then.
Dr. Stone told me to go ahead and sit down when we got back in the lobby of the building, so I took a seat on the bench and leaned back against the window. Winnie settled in beside me, “I’m pretty sure she just had a vision about you. In any case, she was rude.” I nodded slowly in agreement, knowing better than to say anything out loud.
Five minutes later Dr. Stone reappeared with Asher Vance. I briefly wondered why he called himself by his first and last name. Why not just Asher? Ego probably. Winnie blinked out and I remembered that he was the medium. Asher was wearing an entire proper suit, with vest, tie and everything. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine.
He was good looking, but his self-entitled attitude detracted from it. His hair was a dirty blond, had a slight wave to it and he wore it a little longer than most people that would dress in that kind of suit. His face was chiseled, his eyes a vibrant green, but cold. As they approached, I saw Asher glance over my disheveled state, though he didn’t comment. Wise on his part.
Dr. Stone was looking at his phone, studying something. He looked away from his phone and settled his unwavering gaze on me. “Your heart rate and stress level didn’t fluctuate at all last time, impressive considering the physical exertion you used to catch Dr. Fields.”
“What can I say, I’m active,” I responded and saw Asher’s eyebrows go up slightly at Dr. Stone’s comment.
“At the moment you aren’t exhibiting any signs of stress, or exhaustion either,” he noted.
“I’m going to have to fall back on the previous comment, I’m active normally, and that didn’t push me. I’m a little sore from the impact, but nothing that would slow me down,” I admitted truthfully.
“Let’s proceed then, Mr. Vance, lead the way,” he held his arm out like he was a gracious host.
“Very well then,” Asher said in his clipped British accent. “Let’s head east.”
I felt my sarcasm level notch up but refrained from mocking them both and just followed silently. Winnie wisely stayed wherever she had disappeared to. I opened myself up slightly to try and get a read on the emotions of these two and felt an atmospheric shift in energy that usually told me of an incoming storm.
Which brought my mind back to Winnie and her telling me of the storm that had hit at home after I left. She had said it was violent and I had hoped the neighbor had remembered to check on my cats, or if she even could. If the power had gone out, she wouldn’t have been able to get in. I made a mental note to text her this evening to check. I glanced up at the sky and saw it was clear. Odd, usually when I felt that shift there were clouds present.
I put it out of my mind but noticed Dr. Stone watching me closely. Covering, I took a deep breath in and said, “I love fresh air, it reinvigorates the soul.” Then I felt a wave of something hit me and remembered I had opened my senses a little. I focused on it and felt it came from Asher, and I went deeper and felt fear. He was scared of me?
“Let’s turn here,” Asher said, his tone flat. I walled up again, feeling no cracks, I plastered a calm smile on my face and followed.
We were on a narrow street, a park across from us, businesses on the other side. I didn’t notice anything remarkable, other than the park looked pretty. A nice break opportunity for the businesses there. Asher crossed the street, there was no car traffic, just people scattered about, and he stepped on to a paved path that meandered along through the park.
I followed more cautiously now, something felt off to me. There was an energy that was crackling in the air around me and while I didn’t open my senses to it, I was on alert. Someone was close by with intentions that were less than honorable. I watched around me as Dr. Stone continued to study me and make notes.
At this point I felt he was inconsequential compared to what I was picking up on, but to look at me you wouldn’t know something was off. “Pretty park,” I commented inanely.
Asher had slowed down considerably and looked jittery. “My guide tells me there is evil here.”
This was a test. “Your guide is correct,” I responded.
“You can feel it?” Asher questioned. “Can you tell what form it takes?”
Dr. Stone had gone completely still and paled a bit. Even for someone with no empath skills he was picking up on something. I placed a hand on his arm to calm him, but he jerked like I had shocked him. “Are you okay Dr. Stone?”
“What? Of course, I am,” he declared, insulted.
I couldn’t help the rolling of my eyes then. Ignoring him, I walked away from them both just feeling out the air. Something was ahead of me and my senses tingled, wanting to open, but I didn’t. It would leave me open to attack if this was something evil. I looked back at Asher and he was visibly shaken.
“My guide said we need to leave,” his voice quivered.
“Why don’t you pull out your phone, call the police,” I suggested calmly.
“And tell them what, my spirit guide said something was evil?” he fired back at me.
“Well if your spirit guide is correct, then wouldn’t you be better off trying to help? Maybe say you saw something, like a person being attacked, keep it vague,” I said, irritation lining my voice.
“You want me to lie?” he said disgusted.
“It’s not a lie,” I replied. “It will attack.”
“You have premonition?” Asher scoffed at me, disbelief heavy in his voice.
“No, but I can read intent in the emotions hitting me,” I growled back at him. “Call the damn police you fool. Before someone gets hurt.”
Dr. Stone shifted and pulled out his phone, making the call himself. “Asher’s spirit guide is never wrong,” he claimed. “I like being alive. I don’t have a problem with a little white lie.” Good to know.
I turned around and stilled myself, my ears straining at every sound, my instincts on high, though my senses were still walled up. There was a copse of trees off to my left, about fifty yards from the paved path and I felt the energy strongest from there. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I headed in that direction.
“What are you doing?” Asher hissed. Then he appeared as if he was listening. “My guide said you are glowing bright, what does that mean? Are you using your abilities right now?” he questioned me.
“No, I’
m not using them right now, it would leave me open to attack since I can’t tell what this is, I’m not a mind reader. Kindly shut up,” I said, tension creeping into my voice, though I still appeared calm.
Dr. Stone was rapt with attention, his eyes glued on the trees like he had seen something. I focused my eyes there, but still didn’t see anything. Out of nowhere, lightning cracked across the cloudless sky, and in that tiny moment of illumination a figure was revealed. A human one.
My hair was staticky from the bolt of lightning that had to have stuck somewhere close by and I felt it floating around my face, and then the boom of thunder rolled across the air, the sound reverberating through my chest making my bones shake. Maybe that had been the atmospheric change I had picked up on. They sky was still cloudless.
Asher and Dr. Stone forgotten, I inched my way closer to the figure, the feeling growing more intense the closer I got. The figure hadn’t moved, though it felt like it was watching me intently. Unable to move forward anymore, I dropped to the ground and jabbed my fingers into the earth, seeking the energy that resided under me.
“He has a weapon Airiella,” I heard Asher say somewhere behind me. I couldn’t take my eyes off the figure though.
Slowly I became aware of another person behind him, the earth energy trickling into me giving it away. It was weak and small. Injured, I thought. We’d interrupted something. I said quietly to Asher behind me, “Did your guide know this was happening?”
“No, he just told me he felt we needed to go this way, he told me you would understand,” Asher whispered back.
“If it, or he, whatever, comes towards me, run to get the child behind him and get out of here,” I said urgently.
“What child?” Asher said, confused. “I don’t see a child.”
“It’s behind him, I can feel it,” I shot back. “Just trust me and do it.”
“I’m not wearing the right shoes for this,” he whined. Seriously? This is who they are testing me with?
I stood up again, wondering if I should take the risk and open my senses, when the figure moved. Most definitely a man, the guide was right about that. Not a large one though. Dirty and somewhat menacing, something dark flittering across his face. A possession? Nah, it didn’t feel right. Damn it, I needed my senses, but my instincts were screaming at me not to use them.
I took another step forward and he bolted at me, the sunlight glinting off the knife in his hand. Calm flooded through me and I told Asher, “Go. Now.” I saw Asher run around me to the now revealed kid as the crazy man came at me.
I easily dodged the blow and elbowed him in the back, some unnamed unknown fighting instinct in me taking over. I had no idea how I knew how to do this, but I went with it. The man fell forward and smacked his face on the ground. I heard his nose crunch and smelled the coppery tang of blood, some of it splattering on me. The second it touched my skin I got crazy dizzy and swayed, flinging my arms out for balance. What the hell was that about?
The guy rolled, swinging the arm with the knife out in a wide arc that got me on the back of my forearm, the skin splitting open and blood welling out of me and dripping on the crazy guy trying to kill me. That shit hurt. I heard the sirens getting closer and hoped they got here before he finished me off.
Asher was running back towards Dr. Stone with the kid in his arms and I felt a moment of relief before the guy beneath me started retching violently. I jumped back out of the way of his projectile vomit as the cops screamed up the street, doors slamming and people shouting as the guy flew off the ground and tackled me.
My body slammed into the ground for the second time today and my temper sparked. Without thinking I opened my senses and grabbed the violent emotion radiating from him and yanked with all my might, feeling something eerily similar to the darkness I pulled from Winnie. As the guy folded in on himself, I slammed my walls shut and tried to focus on calm.
Suddenly there were arms lifting me up and setting me upright. The world tilted and I would have toppled over if the medic hadn’t been propping me up. He was wrapping my arm that was bleeding profusely and checking me over for other injuries. There was a rushing noise in my head and a blinding light that flared in front of my eyes as Winnie appeared repeating to me to just breathe. I focused on her and got myself under control to find the medic repeating, “Ma’am? Ma’am, where else are your hurt? Can you hear me?”
“I’m not old enough to be a ma’am,” my voice came out all wobbly and weak sounding.
The medic bit back a smile, “Okay, now that you are back with us, can you tell me where else you are hurt?”
I shook my head at him, “I’m fine.” I tried to stand up and had a sketchy moment where I thought my battered body would betray me, but it held.
“You need stitches miss,” the medic gently said.
“Miss is way better than ma’am,” I replied. “We have a medical team back at the office I work at, they will stitch me up,” I thought quickly, trying to get out of a hospital trip.
The medic eyed me but walked with me over to Dr. Stone and a quaking Asher. He left me in their care and joined the rest of his crew looking at the kid and crazy man. The cops of course questioned me until I was ready to pass out, took my info and were then busy going over the scene.
“I told them there was medical at the office that could look at my arm. I can’t handle a hospital right now, way too many emotions,” I said, my strength slowly leaking out.
“We do indeed, I’ll call ahead. Give me a moment please,” Dr. Stone stepped away.
Asher looked at me, fear in his face. “I don’t know what you are, or if I believe what my guide says,” he started, “but are you mentally ill? What were you thinking?” he barked at me.
“I was thinking of an innocent child’s life,” I worked at tamping down my anger.
“What happened out there?” He asked, his curiosity winning out.
“I really don’t know. I tried not to use my abilities, but at the end I had to, or he was going to kill me. I’ve got some nasty vile shit in me that needs to get released, and soon. And this arm fucking hurts,” I bitched, cradling the one soaked through bandage to my chest.
“He’ll have one of the healers look at it,” he nodded at Dr. Stone. Then he looked directly at Winnie hovering next to me. “There’s also something odd about your friend there, I can’t place it. You are either incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid. I can’t decide,” he muttered.
“Probably both,” I replied, pain lacing my words. “Can we go now?”
He nodded stiffly and stood up, leading me surprisingly gently over to Dr. Stone. “One more thing before we have more ears, you have my vote. Your strength is amazing. My guide is in love with you, I think,” he said smartly.
“Well, thanks, I think,” I didn’t know what to say to that. “Oh, can you suggest the priest be next please? I may need his help with this energy trying to take apart my insides.”
He nodded. “My guide said it’s not a demon, it’s something manifested by emotions, if that helps.” It didn’t, but I’d take it.
They helped me back to the office and sat me down in the room with the elderly Native American, Taklishim, I think his name was. His face was alarmed as he looked me over and pulled out his medicine bag.
“She will need stitches after I am done. Please bring some water for her to drink,” he said and started grinding up some herbs, dismissing Dr. Stone, who was again taking notes. He didn’t leave though, so Taklishim kept working.
When water was brought in, he poured a little into the herbs and made a paste. “I need some towels, washcloth, water basin, bandages and the stuff for sutures please. Now.” His tone brokered no argument from Dr. Stone or the unnamed assistant doing his bidding.
I felt another wave of nausea and dizziness hit me and gripped the table with my other hand. I felt Taklishim still and watch me. “Did it touch you?” He asked cautiously.
Struggling to remain focused enough to understand, “Did what tou
ch me?” I questioned.
“The blood of the other,” he said slowly, his eyes changing color as he looked at me. Whoa, that was weird.
“Yeah,” I responded, “his blood splattered on me, and I bled all over him. Why?”
“Your body is fighting his infection,” he said angrily, turning to Dr. Stone. “You fool, this could set her back,” he snarled, his voice dripping with venom.
“Whoa there buddy, back the train up. What infection, and how do you know?” Now I was worried, this nightmare just kept getting worse. Officially the worse interview I have ever had.
“My animal can smell it,” he said caustically. “I bet your blood killed it in him though, he will unlikely remember anything.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t even going to try to understand this right now. I watched as he smeared the paste on my arm. It caused a soothing sensation, while cooling it and numbing at the same time. Relief was immediate, but the pain was still there. I looked at it and felt the feeling move up my arm, soaking into my blood.
He cleaned off my skin that had blood all over it and his eyes changed colors again as he scanned over me, then started grinding up a different set of herbs. These he mixed in a glass of water and told me to drink it. With a leap of faith, I took the cup and downed it. My stomach settled and my head cleared.
He started mixing another round of something and had me drink that as well, then he started stitching my arm up and wrapping it in gauze. When he was finished, he muttered something under his breath and an odd sensation washed over me, like a burst of energy, then he stood up and left.
My stomach rumbled in hunger and I reached for my bag to grab a banana and shoved it in my mouth as fast as I could. It was the most delicious banana I had ever eaten. Dr. stone had settled back in his chair and watched me, the psychoanalyzing still not done.