by Beth Bowland
He slowly stepped onto the edge of the road. He gently applied his weight as if he were stepping on a partially melted lake of ice. His breathing slowed as he chewed his bottom lip and gazed at the bridge. An eerie blue haze covered it. His vision was limited to the first streetlight. Beyond that, the blue haze thickened into what appeared to be an impenetrable wall of fog.
Parker slowly walked down the road toward the fog. A faint screeching caused him to stop in his tracks and focus on where the sound was coming from. It appeared to be coming from deep within the fog. Cautiously he continued forward, ever so gently placing one foot in front of the other. As he neared the first streetlight, the ground moved. Something was coming toward him from within the fog as the screeching sound became louder. Parker ran back down the road and through the woods as fast as he could until the sound faded into the background.
The snow fell from the skies as if from a great salt shaker, dumping massive amounts onto the small town until it looked like a giant goose down comforter rested gently across it. At times the blizzard appeared to let up, but then suddenly Mother Nature would kick up angry squalls that whistled through the houses and rattled against the windows. It was relentless, attacking the town as if to punish it.
This was no ordinary storm. Eeriness seemed to hover all around. Between the meteor shower and sudden onslaught of the blizzard, everyone was on edge. The townspeople tied up the phone lines, whispering of what the old man at the gas station had said, relaying what they’d heard, and sometimes adding what they thought they had heard. By the next morning, the outlandish stories flooded every household.
Bixie was a small town filled with hardworking people who believed in working the land, attending church every Sunday, and helping their neighbors. The main source of income was an old paper mill whose pungent smells filled every nook and cranny of the entire area and employed most of the men in the town. The locals were accustomed to the smell and rarely spoke of it. Only the rare visitors who happened to have stumbled across the town mentioned it.
Visitors to Bixie were few and far between. The town was in the middle of nowhere, not connected to any place and not a waypoint to any destination. If you lived there, it was because your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and beyond had been born there. Very few moved away, or ever had aspirations to work anywhere but the paper mill. Once accepted full-time at the mill, you were looked upon as being established, secure, and ready to buy a house and have kids. After that, you retired, played with your grandkids, fished in the lake, and then were buried in the Bixie cemetery right next to your ancestors.
Aaron quietly watched Nakal from his bed. Aaron’s covers partially covered his face, and anyone who looked his way would think he was still sound asleep. But, he was not, only too afraid to move or call out for his mother. He watched Nakal as he stood at the window and stared out, looking up into the sky. The boy appeared to be in a hypnotic trance. He wasn’t blinking and didn’t appear to be breathing, except for his breath forming small patches of smoke against the already fogged-up window.
Aaron silently wondered what Nakal could be staring at because the window was practically covered in snow and the remainder of it was fogged up, but he continued intently staring at something. Then at times, he’d give a slight nod as if he were agreeing with someone. It was still early, and Aaron doubted if his mother was awake yet. He watched Nakal for a while longer, pondering whether he really saw Nakal’s eyes change or if it had been a distortion in the reflection in the mirror. He decided that he was tired and just imagined it. He continued to watch for any strange things happening to Nakal, until a second round of sleep tugged at his eyelids.
Aaron’s mother sat at the kitchen table, sipped freshly brewed coffee and watched as the snow blew sideways across the patio. She lightly tapped her cup with her fingernail and deeply inhaled the roasted aroma. Her mind went back to the night before, at the gas station. She had just finished filling her tank with gas when the old man grabbed her arm.
“Deception has arrived and many will be lost—into nothingness,” the old man grumbled and repeated himself. He looked her in the eye and raised his cane into the air. “Beware of deception. Keep your doors locked. Many will be lost—into nothingness.”
Aaron’s mother knew the old man. His name was Henry Kessler. He had been the mayor of Bixie when she was a teenager but was removed because of his age. However, the town gossips said he was forced out because he had gone crazy. She gently tried to pry her arm away from Mr. Kessler.
“Please, let me go. I must get home to my son,” she told him and then finally managed to remove her arm from his grasp.
Mr. Kessler pleaded with his eyes for her to listen. His eyes were gentle. “Be careful, my dear. Keep your son close to you.” He then leaned against his cane and hobbled off toward the breakfast house.
Aaron’s mother started to take another sip of her coffee when she noticed Nakal standing directly in front of her. She gave a startled jerk, spilling her coffee down the front of her robe. Chills ran up her spine and lingered at the back of her neck.
She jumped up, pushed past Nakal, and grabbed a towel off the counter. “Nakal, you scared me.” She did her best to soak up the hot liquid from her robe.
“I’m sorry. I thought you heard me come in,” said Nakal.
“It’s okay. I was sorta deep into my own thoughts anyway.” She tried to shake off the odd feeling she got from him.
“I wanted to thank you for letting me spend the night,” Nakal reached out and hugged her. “Aaron is lucky to have you as a mom.”
Mrs. Martin smiled. “Well, thank you, Nakal. I’m sorry about your situation and hope we can locate your family.”
Nakal released her from the embrace and sat down next to her.
“Are you ready for breakfast?”
Nakal nodded and gazed deeply into her eyes
A strange feeling came over her and she felt tense so she broke the gaze. “Um, I’m sure Aaron is probably up by now, why don’t you go check.”
She watched Nakal until he left the kitchen, then took a few deep breaths to calm herself. There was something different about Nakal. His presence was that of a much older person, and when he looked at her, his eyes seemed to secretly analyze her. Her nose twitched at the odd odor she remembered smelling the day before that now lingered in front of her. Perhaps she’d gently remind him that he also needed to wash his hair.
As Mrs. Martin finished the bacon and placed it on a paper towel, the doorbell rang. She quickly removed the skillet from the burner, turned off the gas, and tightened her robe around her before peeking out the curtain. It was her neighbor from down the road.
“Hello, Teresa,” Mrs. Martin greeted her friend. They’d been best friends since elementary school, and now her son Parker was best friends with Aaron. “Come in and have some coffee.”
“Oh, I won’t be but a minute. But, uh, I was wondering if I could inconvenience you for a few hours?” Teresa said.
“Sure, what do you need?”
Teresa glanced around the room before whispering. “I need to go across town to my sister’s house. I was wondering if Parker could stay here until we returned.”
“Of course, you know Parker is welcome to stay over anytime.”
Teresa nervously tapped her finger against the door. “My brother-in-law called us this morning and said Anna was missing. He said she went missing last night.” Her voice was choked with tears.
Pain ran through Mrs. Martin’s chest. “What do you mean, missing?”
“That’s what he said. Apparently, they went into town and had dinner. Afterward, she said she needed to pick up a few things from the grocery store. My brother-in-law says he stayed in the car, so it’d be warm when she came back out. After waiting for thirty minutes, he saw them turning off the lights. The store was closing. Anna never came out. He went inside and she wasn’t there.”
Mrs. Martin inhaled sharply. “Well, did
he ask anyone if they’d seen her?”
Tears flowed down Teresa’s face, and her bottom lip trembled. “He asked the store manager, and he said he didn’t remember her coming in, but that it was pretty busy from so many people shopping to prepare for the storm that’s rolling in.”
“Tell Parker to pack an overnight bag and come on over. Just so you won’t have to rush back. He’ll be fine.”
Teresa hugged her friend. “Thank you so much. I’m sorry to bother you today.”
“Oh, no bother at all. We’ve got to go into town. Parker can keep Aaron busy while I make my stops.”
“Is there anything I can do for you while I’m in town?” Teresa readjusted her coat and scarf around her.
“No. I can take care of it. Besides, you have a very full plate,” Mrs. Martin said. “Our phones have been out since yesterday. This blizzard is supposed to be the worst ever. I saw the satellite picture on the news, and it looks like a big dark cloud that’s large enough to cover the entire town. It’s supposed to hit us full force this evening.”
“Our phones were out all day yesterday,” Teresa said. “The service was restored briefly this morning, but now it’s out again. That’s why I came over. Are you sure Parker won’t be in the way?”
Mrs. Martin shook her head. “Keep me posted on what you find out about your sister. Now, get going before the weather turns worse.” Mrs. Martin hugged her friend one last time before walking her to the door.
Parker stood in the doorway to Aaron’s bedroom and scowled at Nakal. “Where’d you say you came from again?”
“New Mexico,” Nakal answered, making direct eye contact with him.
“Well, how long are you going to be here?” Parker demanded and stepped up toe to toe with Nakal.
Nakal did not answer.
Aaron got in between them. “Dude, lay off of him.” He pulled Parker down the stairs. “Come on, Nakal,” he called over his shoulder. “Mom is taking you to the Police Department to see if they can find your parents.”
“That’s not gonna happen,” Nakal whispered to himself.
“Something is not right with that kid,” Parker said to Aaron.
“Leave him alone,” Aaron said and continued pulling Parker down the stairs.
“I’m watching you,” Parker shouted over his shoulder at Nakal.
Nakal hesitated at the top of the stairs for a few moments and watched them before he went down the stairs where he found everyone getting their coats on. He knew Parker would get in his way. He had to get rid of him.
Mrs. Martin handed Nakal one of Aaron’s winter coats. “Here you go, Nakal. You can keep this one.” She smiled warmly as he retrieved the coat from her hand.
“Whoa!” Aaron opened the door and struggled to prevent the wind from slamming it against the wall. “It’s really starting to come down.”
The group made their way to the car. Nakal watched as Aaron opened the car door for his mother. Once she was inside Aaron and Parker then used their hands like shovels to remove the loose snow from the car.
Nakal had turned his attention to Mrs. Martin who was busy looking through her purse when he was struck in the head by a snowball.
“Is there something wrong with your hands?” Parker yelled. “Help us.”
Nakal felt his body temperature rising, but he knew this was not the time to engage with Parker. Not in front of Aaron’s mom. He needed her acceptance if his plan was going to work. He knew he had to get her away from everything once the mission officially began. He went to the front of the car away from Parker and Aaron. As he brushed the snow from the hood he noted the lone bird, wearing a diamond medallion, sitting on the edge of the roof staring back at him.
He looked to make sure Parker and Aaron were still occupied removing snow, before he smirked at the bird and looked down toward the hood. His eyes narrowed as small amber sparks flew from his eyes and landed on the hood. A grinding sound came from the car’s engine as Mrs. Martin turned the key. Repeatedly, she tried to start the car before finally giving up.
“That battery is dead,” Aaron yelled out.
Mrs. Martin got out of the car and instructed the boys to go back inside. “Go see if the house phone is working. We can try calling into town to see if there is a tow-truck in the area that can help.” She looked back at the car once more.
As she turned around, Nakal was once more directly in front of her. His dark eyes gazed deeply into hers.
“The old man at the gas station was right,” said Nakal. “There is a nothingness. But I will see you again … Mom.”
“What?” Mrs. Martin asked.
Nakal touched her neck. “You’ve been voided.”
She tried to open her mouth to speak as the wind violently whipped around them.
“Mom!” yelled Aaron. “What are you guys doing out there?”
Nakal quickly removed his hand.
“I was helping her up the stairs.” Nakal grabbed Mrs. Martin by the arm and led her up the stairs. As soon as they walked inside, she collapsed.
Chapter 3
Mrs. Martin slowly opened her eyes and waited for them to adjust to the dimness of the room.
“Are you okay?” Aaron placed a cool towel across his mom’s forehead. “Your head is burning hot.”
“What happened?” she whispered. Her throat was dry and constricted.
He helped her sit up as he held a glass of water for her.
“You were standing outside, talking to Nakal.” Parker answered. “He helped you up the stairs, and then you fainted.” Parker lightly touched her forehead. “We carried you in here.”
“I think Nakal gave you his bug,” Aaron said. “He had a bad fever last night.”
Mrs. Martin stopped sipping the water. “Nakal is sick? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was going to but he said he was okay and he didn’t want to worry you.”
Thinking back, she remembered Nakal’s eyes. Had they flickered? “Where is Nakal?”
“He’s in the living room watching TV,” Parker answered.
“Are the phones working?” She scanned the room.
“Sorta. It’s on for a few seconds, but then it loses the connection before the call connects,” Parker said.
Mrs. Martin sighed and handed the glass back to Aaron, motioning for him to place it on the nightstand. “Maybe I did pick up some sort of virus from him. I’ll just lie here for a moment longer. You boys look on the refrigerator. There should be a business card from the towing company. Keep trying to get a call out and ask them to come out here.” A wave of dizziness passed over her as she closed her eyes.
She heard Aaron and Parker quietly shutting the door behind them as she drifted into a deep sleep.
The boys were together in Aaron’s room, thinking about what to get into next. Nakal went to the window and peered out.
Parker hit Aaron on the arm. “Come over here. I gotta tell you what happened to me last night,” he whispered. He glanced over at Nakal, pointed to him, and made a crazy face.
Aaron huddled over the desk, listening to Parker as Nakal continued to blankly stare out the window.
“I tried to find the site where the meteor landed,” Parker said.
“What?” Aaron said. “Tell me what happened.”
Parker shushed his friend. “Lower your voice. I don’t want Mr. Weirdo to hear. I was in town with my parents when I overheard a crazy old man telling people something had come into town.”
“The storm?” Aaron asked.
Parker shook his head. “No, I don’t think that was what he was talking about. I asked mom what the man was telling them, but she wouldn’t repeat it, saying he was just being creepy. That’s when we saw the meteors streaking across the sky and then we heard a loud boom. Right after that, they said over the radio that one of them hit over in the woods.
Aaron leaned in closer to Parker. “Well, did you see anything when you went out there?”
“Show us.” Nakal said, as he slowly turned around. And, for the first time—he smiled.
The phone rang and Mrs. Martin picked it up. “Hello?” she said into the receiver. There was a lot of static on the line. She tried sitting up. “Hello?” she repeated.
“Shelly, it’s me, Teresa,” Parker’s mom said.
“Oh, yes.” Mrs. Martin said. “I didn’t realize the phones were back up. I need to make some phone calls.”
“I’m happy I caught you before you left,” Teresa said. “The main road into town is closed. A large tree fell over and knocked down some power lines. It’s blocking the road. We will be a little late getting back home.”
Mrs. Martin took a sip of the water Aaron left on her nightstand. Her mouth seemed to sizzle as the water touched her tongue. “We were unable to go into town. The car has a dead battery.” She fought to stay conscious. “I’ve also caught some type of virus and feel awful.”
“Oh no, Shelly. As soon as we’re able, we’ll get back to your house. I’ll bring you some medicine. Do you have food?”
“Yes, we have plenty of food. I’ll be fine. Just need some more rest. If that doesn’t work, I’ll call my doctor.” She removed the phone briefly to wipe the sweat from her face. “Any more news about your sister?”
“Yes, there was. We were able to look at the footage from the store’s surveillance camera. One of the videos showed her talking to a young boy around our kids’ age. They walked off toward a rear exit.”
“Mom?” Aaron poked his head in her bedroom door, interrupting her conversation. “We’re going to go outside for a while. Yell if you need anything.” He was gone before she could object.