by Bryan Cohen
Travis held a flash drive in his hand, which Ted snatched using his mind and guided to Vott's hands. "There's your evidence."
As Travis passed by Cobblestone's security detail, the GHA leader lunged forward and slapped the boy in the face. Travis fell to the ground, and the DHS agents pointed their guns at Cobblestone.
"Tell your men to holster their weapons, Cobblestone." Agent Harding's voice seemed to go down an octave when he made the command. "You're coming with us."
After the DHS had gathered up Cobblestone and his guards, an EMT tended to Natalie's wounds at the back of an ambulance.
"I thought you'd really turned to the dark side." Ted examined one of the welts from his rubber bullet wounds. "It was scary."
Natalie grimaced as the EMT put some iodine on her cuts. "It had to be convincing or else they weren't going to buy it. Some good it did."
Ted put his hand on Natalie's face. "My mom is going to be fine. Besides, Vott said that Cobblestone is bound to get some jail time for this. You did good, Nat."
Ted wanted to kiss Natalie right then. He had a feeling she felt the same way. Ted reached up and kissed her on the forehead instead.
After Natalie was all patched up, Ted turned down a ride from the agents and hitched one with her instead.
When the car pulled into Ted's driveway, someone on Ted's front porch came into sight. At first, neither of them could make out who the figure was. Natalie turned off the engine and walked by Ted's side of the car as he flipped on the porch light with his mind.
"Hey, baby." The familiar voice was slurred. "I was wondering if you'd ever get home."
Erica took a swig from a clear bottle until she'd sucked out the last drop. She let the bottle fall down the stairs and land in the grass of the front yard.
Ted moved with alarming speed to the base of the porch. "Erica?"
Erica stumbled when she tried to get up. When she found her footing, she put her arms around Ted, paying no mind to Natalie standing to their right.
"I know you missed me so much." Erica blew her vodka-laden breath onto Ted's face. "But don't you worry. I'm back."
30
Jennifer inspected the gun to ensure it could be used if needed. Being a sheriff's only child came with weapon-related perks. She'd grown up on firing ranges and even spent one of her birthday parties shooting targets and plastic milk jugs with her best friends. She knew her way around a handgun better than most suburban teens, but Jennifer could tell that Dhiraj didn't care about any of that. His skin had grown several shades paler since the reveal of the weapon.
"If we're going up there, I don't think you should bring that with you." Beads of sweat rolled down Dhiraj's forehead.
Jennifer reached over her friend to pull a holster out of the compartment as well. "It's for self-defense. This guy is a murderer."
Dhiraj took Jennifer's wrist in a tight grip. "I understand that. There's just a lot of emotion tied up in this. It's better to let people who aren't involved handle things."
Jennifer mulled over Dhiraj's argument. It was sound, but she needed to see Daly squirm. She had to be the one to make him pay.
Dhiraj could tell his words weren't hitting home. "You've tried to kiss me twice this week, and the only reason I didn't reciprocate is because I love you."
Jennifer's train of thought halted. She looked straight into Dhiraj's eyes as if he were some kind of curiosity.
She stammered as she spoke. "I... I think I knew that. Somewhere in my messed-up brain."
Dhiraj took Jennifer's hand. "That's why I can't let you do this. We need to call the police right now."
Jennifer sighed. "No. That's why I have to do this."
She took out a pair of handcuffs from underneath the driver's side seat. Before Dhiraj could react, she'd slapped the cuffs on the steering wheel and his wrist.
"Jen!" Dhiraj struggled to yank his arm free of the cuffs.
Jennifer opened her door and stepped out. A light spring breeze played with her hair as she turned back to her captive.
"I wouldn't have done this if I didn't love you, too."
Dhiraj lurched after her with his free hand. Jennifer shut the door.
She walked away from the car to the sounds of Dhiraj pleading with her through the inch-open car window.
"Please come back!" Dhiraj pounded his fist against the door. "Jennifer, don't do it! It's something you'll never be able to take back." He screamed at the top of his lungs. "Can't we just talk this out?! Jen!"
By the time Jennifer reached the second floor of the apartment building, she could no longer hear Dhiraj's voice.
"He's going to understand." She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "They'll all understand eventually."
Jennifer continued to walk up the stairs, beset by peeling white paint on all sides.
When she reached for the door handle, Jennifer could feel her hand shake. She knew that if she opened the door, nothing would ever be the same. Jennifer made herself think of the way Daly had tricked them all. His aw-shucks demeanor and work with her father had made them all think highly of him. She then thought of Erica, her body made stiff and rotten by the man who resided beyond that threshold. She thought of him stabbing her to death and covering her up with the earth. The fear turned to a simmering anger.
Jennifer opened the unlocked door.
The stench of mildew was the first thing to hit her as she walked into the room. She guessed there wasn't much time for cleaning when you were hiding from the law. She recognized several plastic bags and half-eaten containers of food from Daly's workplace. Toward her right were stacked up dirty dishes in the kitchen. When she turned to the left, she saw the light from a television and heard a creaky, old ceiling fan.
As she took a few steps toward the TV, the man she sought came into view. Daly was still wearing his uniform from work as he sat in a recliner that appeared to be straight out of a dumpster. The man's eyes were shut, his head turned to the side as he dozed. After weeks of visions of Daly populating her nightmares and bleeding into her life, she was finally seeing him for real. Every warning signal her body possessed started to go off at once. Instinct told her to run, but she refused to listen.
Jennifer thought about how easy it would be to punish him right here and now for his crimes. All she'd need to do was take out her gun and unload a few shots into some key areas. Unless Dhiraj had called the cops, he'd be the only one who knew she was there. It would be clean and it would be quick. But Jennifer knew she wasn't just there to put an end to Daly's life. He needed to know what he'd done and why he was going to pay for it.
Jennifer slammed the front door behind her and Daly sprang to life on the chair. His first look was bewilderment until the recognition sunk in.
"Sheriff's daughter." Daly wiped his mouth and relaxed as he faced her straight on. "I thought it'd be the superhero."
Daly had put on a few pounds since she'd last seen him in the caves several months ago. His five o'clock shadow had been replaced by the start of a beard.
Erica wouldn't have been caught dead with a guy like that.
Jennifer hoped Daly would cry or scream, but he only let out the same grin she'd admired dozens of times. She wanted to shoot the smug look right off his face. Jennifer took her weapon out of the holster and pointed it directly at him.
"I think you'll find that I'm full of surprises."
31
Natalie could tell what happened to Erica almost immediately, even if she didn't understand it. She'd never examined her as intently as Ted had, but all the old personality quirks were there. Erica's voice was different, as if she was trying to get someone to go to bed with her through every syllable and phrase. Erica was also more physical than she'd been the last few months, seeing as she grabbed at Ted's crotch when he got close enough to her. On top of everything else, she was completely plastered.
Natalie watched as Ted fell over himself to avoid being groped in front of his ex-girlfriend. She appreciated the effort, but
Natalie could tell that Ted had no idea what or who he was dealing with.
"I bet it would feel good to do it on the lawn." Erica got her hand close enough to take Ted's zipper half way down before he slapped away her advances.
Erica only giggled and tried harder. Natalie couldn't help but feel her anger build. She'd done enough picturing of Ted and Erica being intimate together, and she certainly didn't need to see such images live and in surround sound.
Natalie watched as the confidence of Ted's triumph against the GHA faded away.
Ted stammered as he fended off another one of Erica's approaches. "What are you– Erica, this isn't like– Natalie's right here."
Natalie crossed her arms and waited for the show to be over. The stench of liquor from Erica's breath reached her, even as she kept her distance. It reminded her of a girl she'd needed to tend to at a sleepover basketball camp. Their room smelled like vomit the entire week.
"Nadre the Giant can watch if she wants." Erica stutter-stepped and went down to one knee in the grass. "Ooh, we could do a video."
Natalie gave it another few seconds before Ted finally seemed to realize what had happened.
"Erica?" He looked over at Natalie before bending down next to their drunken friend. "What do you remember?"
Natalie caught a glimpse of Erica's eyes when she looked toward Ted. It didn't seem like anybody was home.
"I remember thinking that you're hot." Erica pulled at Ted's shirt.
When he tried to back away, one of the buttons ripped loose.
Natalie growled so loud, she nearly scared herself. "That's it! Enough of this freak show. Get her inside. Float her if you have to."
It took a few tries to get Erica through the front door, but once they did, they each sat beside Erica on the Finleys' downstairs couch.
Natalie and Ted forced Erica to drink an entire glass of water before she had permission to speak again. Whenever Erica made a motion off of the couch, Natalie commanded Ted to use his powers to keep her there. When she finally settled down, the interrogation began.
"Where do you last remember being before you – fell off the wagon?" Natalie wished she had a lamp to shine right into Erica's eyes.
"I remember going on dates with Ted." She gave a brain-free smile in her boyfriend's direction. "I remember him touching my body and putting his lips against–"
"I'd rather not hear the details." Natalie snorted at Ted before she turned her attention back to the drunk girl on the couch. "Do you remember Nigel and the dark souls?"
Erica gave a puzzled look. "Is that a band? Are we in a band?"
Natalie gestured to Ted. He appeared stunned by Erica's response and needed a second before he shook out of it.
Ted's voice was tentative, as if he wasn't sure whom he was truly addressing. "You remember our dates, but what about Beth and the burning building?"
Erica gave the same confused look, but this one came with a smile. "Sorry, I don't remember a building. You're looking really sexy. Are we almost done?"
When Ted smiled back, Natalie considered taking a ceramic figurine from the end table and throwing it through the TV screen. She could feel the anger seeping out of her like fiery sweat.
Ted must have sensed Natalie's mood, and his smile faded. "It's like someone selectively changed parts of her brain."
Natalie stared at Erica. "Changed? Or erased?"
"Changed. The other memories have to still be in there." Ted tugged at his shirt. "They just have to."
"I could've blacked out the memories. It happens." Erica lurched forward. "I think I'm going to be sick."
Ted and Natalie guided Erica to the downstairs bathroom. As the door opened, she ran toward the toilet and started to puke. Natalie gave Ted a dirty look as she put her hands around Erica's hair to pull it back.
"So, this is your golden girl?" Natalie spoke loud enough to be heard over the noise of Erica's vomiting. "The one you were still in love with when you dated me?"
Ted frowned and leaned back against the wall. "I never had to hold her hair back."
Natalie gripped Erica's hair more tightly. "Lucky you."
"I'm never drinking again." Erica's voice echoed from inside the toilet bowl.
Natalie patted her on the back. "I'm sure you've never said that before."
After Erica was through, Natalie and Ted carried her the old-fashioned way back to the couch. She curled up and fell asleep within the next minute. The other two sat on the floor with their backs against the base of the loveseat.
"I'm sorry, Ted." Natalie put her arm around his shoulder. "I shouldn't have tried to make you feel bad. This isn't under your control."
Ted stared straight ahead.
"When we were kids, Erica was never satisfied with doing what everybody told her. She wanted to make life bigger, better and more exciting." He sighed. "When she took me along for the ride, I felt more interesting. More fun. When she left me behind, all I wanted was to get back to how she made me feel."
Natalie didn't know what to say at first. This was the first time she'd heard Ted open up about the girl who had his heart. "It sounds like you were more in love with the idea of a person than the actual person."
Ted broke his stare at the wall and looked over at Natalie. He let out a labored breath. "You might be right." Ted pulled his knees toward his chest and rested on his arms. "But none of this matters. Without the new Erica, we're pretty much screwed." Ted buried his face.
Natalie pulled him toward her. "We're gonna figure this out."
"No, we're not." He lifted his head. "This is something from another world, Nat. It messed up Erica's head and it could do the same to all of us."
Natalie saw the tears start to form in Ted's eyes. She couldn't tell if he was more scared that the new Erica might be gone for good or that they were in way over their heads.
Natalie tried to push down her own feelings of fear. "Look. You wanted me to be a part of this team. Well, here I am. Let's go stop this guy, fix Erica and save the freakin' world."
"So…." Ted wiped his eyes and his lips almost formed a smile. "You're in?"
Natalie rolled her eyes. "Sign me up. But no tights."
Ted sniffled and hugged Natalie. She felt herself grow nervous and warm at the same time.
"Thanks, Nat."
As good as it felt, Natalie shrugged out of the hug. She stood up and pulled Ted with her. They took a long look at the sleeping, brainwashed Erica.
"Thank me when we win," she said. "If we win."
32
Dhiraj yanked at the handcuffs until his wrists were as raw as his throat. His cries for help hadn't even gotten a glance out of an apartment window from the complex. Even when he unlocked and opened the doors, nobody seemed to hear him at all. If they did, Dhiraj guessed they didn't care.
It'd been several minutes since Jennifer walked through Daly's door. He was relieved that he hadn't heard a gunshot, but there was no way to know what was going on up there. He pictured the worst-case scenario of Daly lying in wait for her, tossing Jennifer to the ground and stabbing her to death just like he had the old Erica. He pictured another scenario in which Jennifer shot Daly to death and ended up going to prison for murder. He watched her try to explain how the man had killed her friend, even though Erica was still alive. Dhiraj had to believe that neither situation had occurred. It was the optimistic escape he had to believe.
"Escape." Dhiraj looked at his phone as the idea formed in his head. "Of course."
He flipped through the phone's touchscreen to find the video app. He searched for ways to escape handcuffs. After a few low-rated videos, he found exactly what he needed. He hunted around the car to find an object to pick the lock, eventually settling on the metal ring from his house keys. Dhiraj nearly took off his fingernails in an effort to straighten the metal, but it was all worth it when the video's tactics actually worked. As he wrenched his arm free, the handcuffs made a clacking sound against the dashboard.
His first instinct was to
call the police as he ran to the stairs to help Jennifer, but he pushed the plan to the side. If they found out that Jennifer had broken into Daly's home and pointed a gun at him, she'd go to juvenile hall at the least, and he'd be the accomplice. Dhiraj likewise ditched the idea of running in and trying to save her. If he dashed into the middle of some kind of standoff, he'd potentially get himself or Jennifer shot. Instead, he opted to take it slow.
He walked up the stairs, attempting to make as little noise as possible. When he reached the door handle, he turned it in slow motion and let it open inch by inch. When he wasn't blown to bits, Dhiraj figured it was safe enough for him to go all the way in. The smell of mold washed over him as he saw Jen pointing the weapon at Daly. He thought he'd get it aimed in his direction as well. Instead, Jennifer was so focused on the former deputy that she barely acknowledged her friend's entrance.
"Hey, Dhiraj." Jennifer's tone had reached an alarming level of intensity. "I was telling our comrade here about some of his transgressions."
Dhiraj produced a guttural noise in response, but he wasn't sure how much more to say. He was worried he'd take her attention off the man sitting in the recliner and Daly would charge the two of them. Then again, the man looked quite calm for a guy who might be shot within the next few minutes.
"What is this, a teen beach party?" Daly fidgeted in the chair.
Jennifer scoffed and aimed the gun at Daly's crotch. "As a person who slept with a 16-year-old girl because he was too immature to handle anything else, this is probably playing right into your fetishes."
Daly looked like he wanted to snarl at Jennifer, but he kept his facial expressions as neutral as possible given the insult.
Jennifer continued. "You were just so scared someone would find out you were such a pervert. So you killed my friend. My best friend."
Dhiraj reconsidered his idea of calling the cops. Under the age of 18, he figured Jennifer couldn't get too much time for breaking and entering. As long as he could keep her from firing that weapon.