Dark Places

by Krista Cairn

  “I forgot the power cable.” She put the laptop on the table.

  Mitch looked at the connector hole. “I may have one that works.” He went into a room down a dark beige hall.

  Simone turned to watch where he went, nearly falling over when she leaned too far.

  “I heard that,” Mitch said, chuckling. “You may as well come see.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t want to be nosy.”

  “Bring the laptop,” he continued.

  The room was the size of two large bedrooms, at least, but had been converted into a calming navy blue coloured office. Maybe a bit lighter than navy blue, she thought.

  More red coloured wood for the desk, a black mesh office chair, a wall of book cases, and a pair of oversized padded chairs. The one thing out of place was the desk lamp.

  Instead of being a green bankers’ lamp, it was a black, clamp-mounted workstation lamp.

  She turned to see what he was doing and saw four rows of deep storage shelves, ends facing her. He was in the third row.

  “Over here,” he said, waving her over.

  She walked over and held the laptop up so he could see the power hole. These shelves held parts of things, mostly electronic.

  “You’re an inventor?” she asked.

  “Mmm, sort of. Here, let’s try this one.” He pushed a wire into the spot. “Fits. Cool.

  Let’s see if we get power. We can use the desk.”

  Plugging the cable into the wall, the light showing power came on.

  “It works. Okay, let’s see the video.” He pushed the office chair up behind her until she sat, then rolled her in close to the desk.

  She pulled the lid up and the laptop came out of sleep mode. Mitch dragged one of the padded chairs over sideways and sat on the arm.

  She played the part with the five men and the knife. As he watched, she sent Rene a text asking him to email her a copy of the sketch of the killer, and of the knife.

  “Can you tell what kind of knife that is?” she asked, tucking her phone away and making a mental note to plug it in soon.

  “It looks like one of the kitchen knives, actually. They’re fairly distinctive. We each have a strict preference.”

  “Whose knife does that look like?” she asked. “I’d have to get a better look. Is there more video with it?”

  “No. They need to fix the lighting in there if they want these cameras to be any use.”

  She sighed. “Did any of those guys seem familiar?”

  “Maybe. Not likely.”

  Simone chuckled. “You recognize knives like they were individuals, like they were people. You really are a chef.”

  “If you catch the one who killed Sid, I’ll cook you dinner.”

  “Deal,” she said, before he could back out or add conditions.

  A silence came between them, but Simone didn’t notice, her mind back on catching the killer, or the person that sent them. Sitting quietly, finally, she was tired. Long day, already, she sighed.

  “Talk to me,” Mitch said, turning his chair to face her and sitting down in it.

  “No offense, but I’m played out. I need a nap or something.” She’d tried confession time earlier with Neil and look how well that went. Right now she was exhausted.

  “You do look like your low battery indicator is on. There are a few rooms here. Did you want to grab a nap in a spare room?”

  Her eyes went wide, then she blinked several times. There was nothing solicitous in what he suggested. Maybe she could.

  “All the doors lock from the inside, so unless you leave it open….” he added, winking.

  She really didn’t want to go home. And the doors locked. “Who could say no to such a gentlemanly offer?” She stood.

  “There’s even one with really thick curtains.” He stood and waited for her to follow.

  As she pulled the door shut behind her, she remembered Carol. She pulled out her phone to set an alarm for 2 pm. That would give her a time to hike home, get the car, and make it out to Carol by 3 pm.

  Simone walked over to the bed. Queen size, at least. And taller than she was used to.

  Sitting on the edge, her feet dangled. She ran her hand over the cream-colour sheet fold just under the plush pillows and wondered if she’d wake up under this amazing bed too.

  Nightmares were the great equalizer when it came to sleep, right? She lay on top of the covers, not wanting to cause extra work. As she drifted off, she realized she hadn’t locked the door.

  It felt like a few minutes later when her cellphone alarm rang. Stretching, she was surprised to find she slept well. A little too well, she thought. Don’t get comfortable here.

  She straightened out the ripples she’d put in the cover, taking a small amount of pleasure from the softness of the material.

  Outside the room, it was silent. Where was Mitch? She softly walked to the kitchen, wondering if he’d gone out, leaving a note or something. It was empty. Should she just go?

  That would be rude. Inconsiderate.

  “Mitch?” she called out, softly, walking down a different hall. She saw a bright light from under a door a few down from where they’d watched the security footage and went to knock. “Mitch, are you in there?”

  “Yes, but you probably don’t want to come in. It’s kinda bright,” he sounded uncomfortable.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m not sure what happened. I went to look at knives in the Blue Crane and this started on the way back.”

  She cracked the door open. He looked like pictures she’d seen of angels with the full brilliance of God on them, but his light was a vivid blue. Covering her eyes, she felt the light pushing in on her, even with only her head peeking in.

  “If I come in, I may help you but I’ll torch the room,” she worried.

  “Don’t.” His voice was growing more strained. “You’ll get radiation poisoning if you come in.”

  “What if I don’t? I’m not exactly human. I can try to do a slow release, see if helps.”

  “Maybe.”

  Just then his doorbell rang. Simone froze in place. “Uh, I’m not going to answer that.”

  She heard him laugh, calm but strained. She looked in, not surprised that it was empty except for him. Not even a lightbulb overhead. The walls had a strange material on them. She reached in to feel what it was and spark zapped her. She winced and pulled back.

  “I’m coming in,” she warned.

  She focused on ghosting and cracked the door. Would she have to make physical contact to make a difference? Probably. She stuck a hand in and it immediately lit up.

  Calming herself, she imagined it leaving her, fanning out harmlessly down the hall. When it worked, she stepped fully into the room. The energy from him pushed back against her, pushing her away. How could she help if she couldn’t even get near him? How had he gotten this bad? In the few minutes since she’d first looked in, the effect seemed to be intensifying. She needed to move fast.

  “Nothing worthwhile was easy,” she told herself.

  She walked inside, closing the door behind her. He was leaning on one of the walls, static arching out from him to the wall, holding him in place. “You may want to come closer the center of the room. Those walls hate me.”

  He walked toward the in the center. She mentally braced herself for the rush and pain that came every time he was charged and they touched.

  “I’m ready,” she said. Her plan was to absorb as much of this energy as she could then go to the closet and repel it there, repeating until he was safe.

  He stopped a couple feet away, so she reached out, intending to touch him on the arm with her fingertip for a count of three. Suddenly she felt pulled to him by the static. She fought it, turning to see if she could wiggle free, all the while trying to stay calm. Failing, they stood, held tight like a super-magnet, with the static pulsing in circles around them.

  Odd though, there was no pain. Just the awkwardness of being glued there with him behind her. He put
his arms around her and rested his face in the crook of her neck. Simone closed her eyes and focused on slowly releasing the light that came in, thinking of it as a light rain shower washing the light away. She had no idea how long they were there. She didn’t care. When she opened her eyes again, he looked normal. She looked normal.

  “I think we’re done,” she said.

  He turned his head, looking down at his arms in front of her.

  “You’re amazing!” he said. Mitch wrapped his arms around her again and kissed her on the cheek before letting her go. “But I think I officially hate science now.”

  She started laughing, knowing what he said wasn’t that funny but she couldn’t resist.

  She felt so good right now. She lay back on the floor, not caring about the static discharge this time. Maybe she was used to it now, maybe she was numb to it. maybe that’s why it was pain-free this time. She lifted her arms and rested them above her head. She felt like she’d had a really thorough workout and reached the point of happy exhaustion.

  “Was it as good for you as it was for me?” she joked.

  He dropped to the floor beside her, stretching out to match her. “Where have you been all my life?” he laughed.

  She started giggling again, bursting out every time she tried to stop. She felt too good. Too alive. Rolling over to face him, she watched him trying to control his own giggle fit.

  “All clichés aside,” she said, looking at him. “Wow.”

  “So, when can you move in?” he laughed but his eyes were serious.

  “Hmm, that’s a great idea, right?” She pretended he was still kidding. “Um, no.

  Maybe you should just put me on speed dial. I’m a mess to live with.” And she’d hate to get used to living in this kind of comfort. “And you don’t try to move in with every doctor that saves you. You just thank them and turn in your insurance forms.”

  He slid over next to her, slipping an arm under the gap between her arm and the floor before rolling onto his side, causing her to roll her onto her back. Heart skipping a beat, she stared at him, wondering what he was up to.

  “I’m serious,” he said as he touched some of the hair over her ear. “This isn’t just my will to live talking. Stay with me.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Don’t think, just say yes.”

  “I never say yes the first time I save someone’s life.” She never said yes, but this time she wanted to. She liked being around him. There was a connection, and it wasn’t about the light and dark. She hesitated though. Living here didn’t imply intimacy would follow, but his gaze did. Long term relationship. Shared bathroom space. Who would do the laundry?

  “I’m confused. I’m feeling too many things right now, and I don’t know what’s right.”

  “So, you have to come to my rescue again? Isn’t this technically the second time?”

  “Only sort of. I nearly killed you last time, so it doesn’t count.”

  “Ah,” he fell back, putting a hand over his heart. “Crushed. Spurned by my one true love.”

  She made herself sit up. How long did it take her to drain that energy surge? she wondered. She felt like she’d never even had the nap. She reached for her phone to check the time and saw two missed calls and an expired alarm.

  “Oh, no! Carol!” There was no voicemail, but a text from Rene. She clicked it.

  ‘I’ll be picking Carol up from the spa so I can explain the plan to her. I’ll explain it to you soon. Stay safe.’ The two calls were from her home phone. Neil, most likely. The time on her phone said 5 PM. she would’ve been two hours late.

  “Okay, good.” She lay back down. “Rene got Carol. I’m too tired to drive anyway.”

  He took soft hold of one of her hands and kissed the back. “Let’s get another look at that video. You saved me from a fate worse than death, so I’ll help you catch your villain.”

  She fanned her face with a hand, feeling a little silly, but she was still overheated.

  “Hey! You knew the static would pull us together, didn’t you?” she poked him.

  “No, I mean… I suspected, but I wouldn’t have let you get close enough if I didn’t think you were safe,” he sputtered.

  “Between you and Neil, I’m going to need to sleep in a quiet, blacked-out corner of a subway tunnel to be actually safe.” She pretended offense, but really she couldn’t hold this against him. People had done worse to survive. “I guess I’d better go back and face him, if he’s still there.”

  “What happened?” he asked, trying to seem casual.

  She stood up and he followed, walking out down the hall toward the exit.

  “When he left, my ghosting wasn’t this strong. I showed him what I can do now, and it didn’t go well.”

  “Stay. I’ll make you supper.”

  “Sure, it’ll just be supper,” she challenged as she pulled her shoes on.

  He held one of his hands up with all but two fingers curled down. “Scout’s honour.”

  “Were you ever a scout?”

  “Mandatory service in the Korean military. Does that count?”

  She made a face and reached for the door handle. “I’m impressed, but no. Last I heard, being a Boy Scout was voluntary.”

  “Supper and a movie. Like an actual date, but inside. That’s a good offer, right?”

  She stopped, not actually wanting to leave. “Oh, fine.” She breathed out, giving up.

  “You’re too cute to argue with.” And the better she knew him, the lonelier he seemed. The lonelier she seemed. She slipped her shoes back off and went to find his living room.

  Chapter 13 // Someone Like You

  “This way,” he said, waving her down a third hall.

  “Are you sure this place has other tenants? There doesn’t seem to be room for any.”

  And if there were, they’d need to wear radiation protection.

  “You can already guess why.” He gave her a sheepish grin and shrugged. “Go that way. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  The hall opened up to a large room with several couches and other comfortable seats.

  A large TV hung mounted on the left wall. A small panel next to the threshold of the room caught her attention. Thinking back, they were in every room so far. She walked to it and tapped the display. Some numbers came up, but she wasn’t sure what they meant.

  “They’re Geiger counters, for radiation. This way I can tell when a room is safe for regular people.”

  There was a story behind that. Had he lost family, maybe a wife or girlfriend, because of his condition? She turned and looked in his eyes. Yes. He’d lost someone. The sadness that sat behind his expression just then nearly brought her to tears. She sniffed and walked over to one of the couches.

  “What do you feel like watching?” she wondered.

  “This.” He held up her laptop. “I’m hoping we’ll see more detail on a bigger screen.”

  “I’m not sure what watching it a third time will show me, but okay.”

  “From the start,” he said, plugging the laptop into some wires on a recessed shelf beside the TV.

  She groaned. “Really?”

  “Come sit with me.” He patted a spot on the couch beside him.

  “Oh, that’s your plan, is it?”

  “I have no idea what you’re thinking,” he said, feigning offense.

  “I’ll be asleep in less than five minutes,” she warned.

  “That’s fine,” he held his arm up, indicating she should sit right next to him. “You can lean on me. Just don’t drool.”

  Simone walked over, feeling a little shy all of a sudden. She sat on the same couch, but left a space between them, leaning back into the padding. Tired was an understatement, she realized as she closed her eyes.

  She wanted to nap. She really did. But what was he doing? She peeked out through her eyelashes then scolded herself and closed her eyes again. A short time later she opened them. This wasn’t going to work. There was no way she’d be able to sleep right now. There was too
much she was curious about.

  The video was coming up to the part with the group. Good timing, she thought. She must have at least dozed off unless he sped up the playback.

  “Did you fast forward?”

  “No, you fell asleep.”

  “Ah,” she said. He was thorough, then. That might drive her crazy after a while.

  “So, why does that padded room have static walls?”

  “I’m trying to keep the radiation contained,” he said, not looking at her. “I’m not sure how well it works, but there’s a strong theory behind it.”

  “Where is the rest of your family?”

  “West Coast, near Vancouver,” he glanced at her this time.

  “How many siblings do you have?”

  “Had one little brother.”

  “Did you go to college?”

  “Yes, Trinity Western. Linguistics. I didn’t last long.”

  “Blue?” she asked, referring to his glow.

  He nodded.

  “I didn’t make it as far as college, but I’ve always thought Human Kinetics would be interesting.”

  The screen showed the group of five now, walking… no stalking, if she was going to be accurate, through the lobby.

  “Did they come from the dining area? It didn’t look like it to me,” she said.

  “No,” he said slowly. “But I recognize one of them. He’s been around.”

  “Statistically accurate. Most murderers know their victim, at least in passing.”

  He paused when the knife flashed across the screen.

  “Wait, that’s not the right knife. And he isn’t the guy,” Simone realized. “That was for show, was it? Did it look like he looked at the security camera first?”

  “He did.”

  “He’s a decoy!” She sat upright.

  “Right, so… what is it they don’t want us to see? We need to see a different camera.”

  “We’ll have to keep watching. The others play in sequence,” she said, leaning back again. “I wanted the images as large as possible, instead of quartered, or smaller.”

  “I’m going to need something stronger than water,” Mitch stood. “Thirsty?”

  “Wait, no.”

  “You’re not thirsty?”