by Jason Letts
Impossible, a Paranormal Romance
By: Jason Letts
© 2011 by Jason Letts
All rights reserved: no part of this book may be reproduced by any means without written permission from the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
*
Chapter 1
None of this was supposed to happen. The universe we lived in, parallel to countless, had planned for Nathan to die, but my connection with him had altered the past, and now time won’t let us go anywhere but forward. And it was all because of Nathan.
If I had to be human, couldn’t I at least be with him? Because of my attachment to Nathan, my spirit had been tethered to this body, forcing me to be alive against my will, while Nathan’s body promised to kill him from the inside out. He was everything to me, and so the news meant we would both be doomed.
The piece of paper revealing that Nathan had Huntington’s disease slipped from his hand and drifted toward the ground. He winced and convulsed as though he would vomit. That sheet of paper had taken something vital from him, and now he was coming undone.
“I’m so sorry!” his elderly grandmother Gladys wept. She staggered closer and wrapped him in a hug. Gladys had lost her husband and her daughter to Huntington’s, so she knew how the disease slowly crippled its victims over decades before showing them a meek and unforgiving end. This is what waited for Nathan now, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.
Nathan’s now fifteen-year-old sister Cammie was a wreck. Normally so composed and analytical, she slumped onto her knees and cried so hard her glasses fogged up. Cammie had practically killed herself trying to find a way to save Nathan from the accident at his cement factory, and now all her work would be undone.
Then there was me. Shocked and horrified, I stared at Nathan through blue eyes that weren’t mine from behind a face that didn’t belong to me. I had a name, Apoxy, which was given to me by chance and still never seemed to fit right. But now instead of being the one who tugged on the reigns of fate across ten trillion Earths outside of time from my home of Infinity, I was no different than any other person. This body was all I had. Well, that and Nathan, but the happy future together we imagined had just vanished before our eyes.
I didn’t know what to say to him. I felt so out of place, so foreign, so undeserving, so pitiful, so wronged. How could I even begin to express the sorrow and sympathy churning through my heart?
“Nathan…” I stammered, coming to him once Gladys had cleared the way. He pursed his lips at me, probably feeling sorrier for what the news did to me than to him. Letting my hands slip around his strong body, I put my head on his chest and let the tears leak through my closed eyelids. He pressed against my back, making me wish I could’ve just melted into him.
A deep breath made his chest expand, and I pulled away to see if he would speak. Cammie looked up at him from a spot on the living room floor next to the couch. Gladys supported herself by leaning against the back of a chair.
“That piece of paper doesn’t mean anything. Nothing’s changed from yesterday to today, and tomorrow will be just the same. If I have Huntington’s, I’ve had it all along. There isn’t anything for any of us to do but keep doing whatever we were going to do before,” he said.
Nathan was trying to be strong for us, burying his own pain deep inside in the hopes that it would alleviate some of ours. This young man was hanging by a thread, and he almost hid it perfectly. But I could see the hurt and the strain in his eyes, how his breathing was a little bit labored. Every second of watching him put on this act for us was excruciating.
“There’s a lot we can do!” Cammie disagreed. “We have doctor’s appointments to schedule, therapies to consider, research to do. The last thing we want to be doing is just pretending things are normal when being proactive could make all the difference.”
Frustrated, Nathan shook his head.
“What difference could it make? There is no cure for Huntington’s disease. It’s just a matter of holding out for as long as you can,” he argued, already resigned to his fate.
“We can improve your quality of life, Nathan,” Cammie shot back. “And there might not be a cure now, but I promise you one day there will be. I’m going to be the one who finds it, and I’m going to start looking today. I know this is what I’m meant to do.”
Nathan should’ve known his sister would never let him sweep this under the rug. You could see from the fire in her glaring, moist eyes that she would dedicate her entire life to saving Nathan’s, and she was brilliant enough to make you think she might just pull it off, but I swallowed hard because I alone knew how that would turn out.
“What you need to be doing is your homework. You’re in high school now and need to be thinking about what’s going to get you into a good college. That’s what’s important.”
“More important than your life?” Cammie snapped, getting to her feet.
The tension was starting to build, and I just crossed my arms in front of myself and lowered my head. Never the type to give up, they both would do anything for each other, making it awful when those two forces collided. Fortunately, I didn’t have to be the one to get in the middle of it because Gladys spoke up.
“Shh!” she called, cutting off their heated exchange. “I think we’re all missing the point here. What’s important is that we have each other, all of us,” she added while glancing at me. “We’ll make do the best we can, but let’s remember to appreciate being around those we love that make life worth living.”
Though her warbling voice still carried a note of sweetness, the three of us nodded solemnly. Gladys took a seat in the chair and gestured to the Monopoly board that was still on the table, but it seemed to me what Nathan really needed was a chance to get his mind off his recent twist of fate and a distraction from any feelings that he needed to put on a show for us.
“Do you mind if we head out for the evening?” I asked, catching everyone’s attention. “It might be nice to get some air.”
“I don’t see why not,” Gladys answered. Cammie even mustered a smile at me, and I was grateful for her support.
“What have you got in mind?” Nathan asked, his stony face betraying a glimmer of interest.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” I winked, tossing him his jacket.
*
“Take a right here,” I directed Nathan as we cruised through the city streets. His beat-up red pickup truck sputtered around the corner, and the reflection of streetlights washed over the windshield in front of us. We had the windows up and the heat on to keep out the chilly night. The cab felt cozy with just the two of us in it.
“Are you ever going to tell me where we’re going?” Nathan wondered, and I was pleased he’d found something else to think about.
“You’ll know it when we get to it. A left at this intersection,” I said.
Even though my knowledge of the future was limited to just a few things I remembered from before, and I couldn’t do anything to manipulate the outcomes of actions like I once could, I still prided myself on being able to put together a decent date, and what I really needed was for this one to be unforgettable.
Another turn took us into the commercial district, where one building up ahead had floodlights beaming into the sky and crowds hanging around outside. Nathan laughed as we slowly drifted by an entire office building that had been transformed into a massive haunted house.
Someone at work had told me about the place, but I couldn’t have imagined it until I’d seen the grim reapers on stilts and other ghouls harassing the screaming teens waiting in line. Giant globs of blood were streaking down the glass exterior, obscuring the people running around inside.
This place had a reputation as the world’s greatest haunted house, and I knew Nathan would love it because of how much he adores everything spooky and mysterious.
“This is where you wanted to go?” Nathan chuckled, glancing at me out of the corner of his eyes. It was the kind of look that said he’d kiss me for it if only he didn’t have to keep his hands on the wheel. Somehow his eyes always knew how to make my heart flutter.
“Only if you’re tough enough to handle it,” I teased. “I don’t want you clinging and cowering behind me.” Of course, because I was the one who had never been to a haunted house, I was worried I’d actually be the one freaking out.
We finally found a place to park and started walking back to the venue. A small ticket shack had been erected on the sidewalk where a few people waited in line before joining the crowd preparing to enter the office building. I had my eyes on fluorescent ghosts projected onto the building and the screams and roars coming from within when someone popped out of a garbage can right next to me, making me squeal and practically jump into Nathan’s arms.
“Just like Oscar the Grouch,” Nathan laughed calmly, but I couldn’t have been more alert if I’d been caught naked in the shower. Keeping our eyes peeled for any more surprises, we made it to the ticket counter where a witch greeted us.
“Welcome to the Impossible Haunted House. Just the two of you? Ok. The game starts once you’re inside, and your goal is to live for as long as you can. No one will touch you, but if anyone would touch you or if you come in contact with anything hazardous, the lights will come on, everything will stop, and you’ll know that you’re dead. At that point please take the nearest exit. Oh, and don’t feel bad about dying. No one has ever made it through the whole thing alive. Do you have any questions?”
Nathan happily handed over the entrance fee and shot me a smirk.
“Are we going to be the first ones to make it through alive?” I asked, challenging him.
“You bet your ass we are,” he said, grabbing the tickets and pulling on my arm to get in line.
“That’s not a very big bet, is it?” I mused, glancing at my backside.
The haunted house was very popular, the line stretching out for quite a ways. Kids, teens, and adults were all dying to try their luck at making it through alive. It was cold, and I started to shiver, but fortunately there was a lot around to distract us from the temperature. A club-wielding caveman stormed through babbling incoherently. Swamp monsters stalked around, staring down feisty patrons. Then there were the ever-present cacophony of explosions and chaos that rocked the nearby office building.
“It sounds like a war zone in there!” I squeaked, catching the attention of a guy in front of us.
“A lot of what they do is try to trick you into making a mistake,” he said, but his words barely registered before a woman blew fire just next to us. The orange glow and the sudden warmth were dazzling. She juggled her torches and ate the fire as our line pushed forward.
As we got closer to the entrance, my shivering persisted, but I couldn’t tell if it was because of the cold or the nerves. Nathan stood close behind me, rubbing my arms. Now we could see the dead exiting the building from the side. Even though something had gotten to them, they all had huge smiles on their faces.
“This is going to be amazing!” Nathan declared after a group of boys and girls left laughing hysterically. Police tape guided the line closer to an entrance that was covered in cardboard. Warning signs about toxic waste and hazardous materials were everywhere. The sounds inside became louder and louder. I wanted to chicken out but couldn’t tear myself away from seeing what would happen too.
Finally we made it to the door and watched a grisly sheriff usher the small group in front of us inside.
“It’s not too late to wimp out,” he huffed, sensing my nervousness.
“Not on your life. We’re going to be the first ones to win!” I vowed, but the sheriff only laughed louder.
“They all say that, but I guess we’re about to find out,” he said, gesturing us to come closer.
He nudged open the door and herded us inside. All of a sudden a bright light blinded us. We squinted and rubbed our eyes, knowing our lives could be in danger. But as soon as we started to get used to the light we spotted a clean-cut blonde man in a white lab coat meandering toward us. In his late twenties, his appearance was quite fetching. At the very least, we knew he wasn’t a threat.
“Thanks so much for joining us today at St. Vincent Biotechnologies. I’ll be your tour guide, Andrew. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions. Alrighty then, let’s get started. Right this way, please.”
He turned and started across the shiny tile floor, expecting us to follow him. We were in the lobby of the laboratory, and a few other scientists holding manila folders populated the room. Andrew winked and made a gun gesture to the cute receptionist, who feigned being shot and flopped onto her desk.
“This isn’t what I expected at all,” Nathan remarked, and I quickly agreed. Everything seemed so tame. I didn’t see anything here that could scare people in the slightest, not to mention kill them.
We stopped at the end of the room beside a pair of steel doors. A banner just above read, “St. Vincent—Making Humanity Better.” We heard a low grinding sound coming through the doors, but that was it. Andrew turned to us and smiled.
“Our pharmaceutical plant here doubles as a genetic research and testing facility. St. Vincent is on the cutting edge of human genome manipulation, and we hope to one day improve the human species by fortifying its genetic structure and ridding it of harmful mutations and diseases.”
Nathan snorted and threw his head back.
“You don’t have a cure for Huntington’s back there, do you?” he asked. I squeezed my fist, wishing he could be free of his worries for a little while.
“Not yet, but we’re working on it,” Andrew replied. “Why don’t we head into the lab?”
Pushing open one of the doors, he let us slip inside. The immaculate laboratory had about a dozen scientists working at various stations around the room. There were computers displaying DNA models, test tubes with a strange green liquid in them, and pipes running along the ceiling.
“The staff at St. Vincent works tirelessly to maintain the highest possible standard of ethical and comprehensive research,” Andrew explained. “Right now they’re attempting to find ways to reverse the aging process. We could all stand to be a little younger, right?”
Andrew’s mechanical laugh got the attention of one of the scientists, a sweaty older man who rushed toward us as we crossed the room. He leaned in close to Andrew, but we could easily hear his forceful whispering.
“This really isn’t a great time for a tour. We’re actually in the middle of a situation here.”
Before we could even imagine what that meant, flashing yellow lights and a loud siren swept over the room. My heart rate instantly doubled, and I squeezed closer to Nathan.
“What’s going on here?” Andrew shouted to the panicked scientists scurrying about the room. The computer screens all switched over to red warnings.
“There’s been a rupture! We have to seal off the containment valve!” the older scientist ordered, lumbering toward a large wheel on the wall under a thick pipe. Andrew, now startlingly serious, turned to us.
“If we don’t contain the leak, we’re all going to die! Give us a hand with this!” Andrew ordered, gesturing us to help him with the wheel. Always eager to help, Nathan followed him over, but then I remembered what the guy outside said and lunged after him.
“Nathan, no!”
I grabbed his arm, yanking him back. As soon as Andrew and the scientist put their hands on the wheel, the pipe above burst, spewing a slimy green juice all over them. As they wailed in terror, other pipes in the ceiling ruptured as well.
“Oh my God!” Nathan hollered, and I felt almost too shocked to move. The scientists were getting drenched in the sticky liquid, and their agonized cries were ho
rrifying.
“What do we do now?” I yelped, but the answer quickly became obvious.
“Help!” the older scientist begged as he and our tour guide staggered at us. Their arms upraised, they limped closer. The green fluid was also covering the floor, and a curvature in the floor made it pool and block the entrance we’d used. If anything touched us we’d be dead, and so our only option was to try to get across the room.
“Hurry!” Nathan called to me, taking me by the arm and pulling me away from our pursuers and the muck they waded in. There was a door along the far wall, and we raced for it, evading outstretched hands on the way.
Through the door’s window we could see a long hallway that looked clear. Nathan yanked open the door, and we breathed a sigh of relief as we shut and locked it behind us.
“At least we made it through the first part,” I said, now fully believing that no one made it out of this alive.
“But where are we now?” Nathan asked. We gazed out at the long, sterile hallway and the nondescript doors lining it.
I screamed as a thump smacked into the glass behind us. Twisting, we saw our tour guide Andrew, thick green lesions covering his face, pressed up against the window. Nathan yipped too, and we both scooted away from the door. Wide-eyed and raving, Andrew barely looked human anymore.
We just stared at him for a moment until we heard the first click of a door latch. Sirens and yellow lights were still flashing. We heard screams and sometimes the floor shook, but that door creaking open just a few feet away terrified us more than anything. Grotesque, puffy green fingers wrapped around the end of the door, and we knew we’d be trapped if we let it get out into the narrow hall.
As soon as we started running, other doors started to pop open. After passing the one with the hand, I glanced back just long enough to see mutated scientists spilling out of every opening. Some of them had tattered lab coats on, while others seemed naked. All of them were scrambling after us as quickly as they could. By the time we reached the end of the hall, every inch of floor space behind us was packed.