Fade

by Chad West

  Kah’en smiled wryly. “I was not imagining you would be.”

  Jonas took it. “Not now.”

  “We will be talking later then, huma… Jonas.”

  “Go away, Kah’en.”

  The large man sighed. “We are wanting the same thing.”

  Jonas crammed his eyes closed like it hurt to say the words. “Hard to believe that. But we will talk.”

  Kah’en nodded, pleasure on his face, and began to walk away.

  “What will you tell him? Aern; what will you tell him? I assume you were sent to collect us from the Wraith that captured us.”

  “Kill you, in actually. But I will be reporting that the Wraith failed,” said Kah’en, still walking away.

  Jonas groaned, looked at the girls. They sat on either side of Cynthia, who had passed out. He bowed his head.

  NINE

  Cynthia sat up, whipping her head around the room. It stank of moth balls and mildew. She looked for the door. Several feet away, a set of stairs—covered by the same brown and tan carpet squares as the rest of the room—led up to it. But she stayed put for the moment. The tall blonde (What was her name?) walked up next to her holding a wet rag. She looked way too put together to have just gone through what they had gone through.

  “Jonas! She’s awake!”

  “So,” Cynthia's face fell, “that happened, didn’t it?”

  “Yea,” the blonde said. “Pretty messed up stuff. You passed out on us.”

  Jonas came into the room. “You aren’t hurt, if that helps.”

  Cynthia nodded. “I, um…I lost it out there,” she shook her head, catching sight of Angela. The redhead sat, almost hidden, behind a gray couch across the room, staring at the floor. “I’m still losing it. What the hell is going on, man?”

  “I’m Jonas,” he dropped his chin. “I’m not sure where to begin.”

  “Where am I? Start there.”

  “I built this place when you were children. It needs a little work, but it’s not bad for having been neglected for—”

  “Okay, listen. I want to go back to my first question.”

  “The what the hell is going on? question. Yes,” Jonas said.

  “We’ve got spam. You want spam?” The blonde again, Cynthia thought her name was Lucy, chimed in. “We stopped for it. All they had at the Get-N-Go.” Cynthia looked at her, furrowing her brow. “You know… in case… you’re hungry. Or something.” Lucy quieted.

  Jonas said, “go fix her a plate, Lucy. It’s fine.” The blonde nodded and went that way.

  Jonas watched after her and then turned back to Cynthia. “I’ll tell you what I told Angela and Lucy. There are things after you. Not just you, but that’s where they seem to be starting.” He exhaled noisily. “There’s no easy way to explain this without sounding insane.”

  “Um, big monster tried to bite my face off. We’re past the point of abandoning our disbelief,” Cynthia said.

  “Hm. Well,” he took a deep breath, “they weren’t supposed to find us here. Listen, this… Okay. I brought you three here when you were children. Do you remember that at all?”

  “Not so much. Where did you bring us from?”

  “Just… Right now, just know that we are in serious danger, and this may be the only safe place for you until you learn to use your abilities better.”

  She let that roll around in her head. “So, that. I should be dead. Am I the only one that thinks I should be dead?” Her breathing picked up, despite her sarcasm. Her voice was higher, faster, bothered.

  “Again. I promise you, I’ll explain everything. Right now, you rest and eat your… spam.” He looked at the thick slices of glossy meat as Lucy entered the room again. “I’ll grocery shop,” he said.

  “I got you OJ too.” Lucy said, setting the food on the floor in front of Cynthia.

  Cynthia picked up a chunk of the meat and turned it in her fingers, then let it drop. “No.” She stood, wiping her fingers on her pants, realizing she was wearing different clothes—an oversized gray t-shirt with the Get-N-Go logo on it, and a pair of blue jogging pants. “That’s not good enough.” Jonas turned, his lips flat and tight; that long, scraggly beard was gone now too. “I just got abducted, attacked by a super corpse and woke up in a strange house, I need more.” Her eyes brimmed with tears.

  Jonas stood there, his face still tense for a moment, and then he started to speak.

  Cynthia stiffened, her hands going to her mouth. “Am I imagin—?” She stuck an arm straight out, palm up, then slid the other from her quivering mouth. “No. Nononono.” The tears came. “No!” Cynthia blanched. “This is not possible. It’s not possible that I’m not dead. This… This is just another one of those fucked up psychotic episodes!” Her voice heightened; trenchant and wavering. She rose and took slow steps back. “Everybody just shut up!”

  Jonas moved toward her. “Cynthia. Any… episodes you had weren’t you going crazy. They were the creature that abducted you. He has technology that—”

  “Shut your mouth! I’m not crazy! I’m fucking not!” She tripped, her head barely missing the stairs. Her words were just lucid through her sobs. “I’m just a drug addict! I just had too many drugs. This isn’t real!” She didn’t bother getting up; she just bawled at the cement ceiling.

  Angela was standing, staring, blank-faced. She turned to look at Jonas who was making his way to Cynthia. Cynthia kicked at him. Lucy stood on her toes, frowning as she craned to see her over Jonas’ shoulder. “Stop staring at me! Go away!”

  “I can’t imagine how this must feel. To all of you.” He looked at each girl.

  “I just need to wake up," Cynthia said. "Somebody wake me up, dammit!”

  Jonas settled next to her and lifted Cynthia into his arms when she would let him. She wept there until she slept.

  ***

  “So. What do we do?” Angela spoke, for the first time since they’d arrived, hands buried between her knees, shoulders hunched, head down, eyes peeking out at Jonas.

  “Is Cynthia okay?” Lucy interrupted, popping out of the kitchen.

  Jonas nodded. “She’s sleeping. We need to be quiet.” A shaking hand passed over his hair. “I can’t say I might not react the same way if I were her.”

  “So.” Angela tried again.

  “Oh. Yes. Well, like I said, it’s not safe out there. I think you can see that.”

  “We’ve been gone for a while. My parents have probably already got the police involved. I’m messed up over this, but I don’t think this is a delusion like her. I’m just really scared. I don’t even know you.”

  “I understand. You can call them. Maybe tell them you’re staying with a friend. But if you go back home… To be blunt, they will kill your family. I’m sorry how that sounds, but it’s true.”

  “So, then you’re saying you’re not going to let us leave?” Angela’s face reddened.

  “Did you hear what I said?”

  “I heard you say can’t go home. I can go home.” Her hands were on the floor now, ready to push herself to her feet, run for the door.

  “I know that nothing about this is fair, Angela. I know that.”

  She pointed a shaky arm at the door. “Listen, I don’t want to go out there. I don’t want to see another one of those things. I sure don’t want them coming to my freaking house. I just can’t go missing. That’s insane.” She grabbed her head, shaking it. “This doesn’t happen to me!”

  Jonas looked over his shoulder, toward the hall, where he hoped Cynthia was still sleeping in one of the bedrooms. “Please just calm down. Let’s sit. Talk.”

  “No! You know what? I’m through talking.” She stood and said, “I’m leaving!” and raged toward the door.

  “Angela! Wait!” Jonas ran after her, taking her arm. He growled in pain and yanked his hand away. The arm was searing.

  She twirled, eyes wide. “What did I do?” Several white circles were already forming on Jonas’ hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” She wagged her h
ead, backing up, trembling.

  “It’s okay.” He flexed his hand. “It’s fine. It takes time to learn.”

  “I’m some kind of freak now.” She talked mostly to herself, staring at her arms.

  “No. You’re no freak,” Jonas said.

  “I just need to go home.” Her eyes fixed on Jonas. “I want to go home.” Hers was a child’s voice now. Licks of flames appeared in her hair.

  “I know this is all difficult. But you need to calm down.”

  Lucy, who had been silent, standing right outside the kitchen, cleared her throat. “I can help her.”

  Jonas began to turn but felt Angela’s full weight fall into him. He fumbled to catch her unconscious form. Lugging her to the couch, he laid her there.

  “See. All resty now.” Lucy flashed a toothy smile.

  “You did this to her?” Jonas said, horrified.

  “Yeah. I just…I don’t know…I just realized, or something, I could do it. Let’s just hope I don’t have a breakdown too.” She giggled. Jonas did not smile. Lucy stuck an assuring hand up. “I was just joking. I’m totally okay. Well, not totally, but I’m not going to join the meltdown twins, I don’t think.”

  “No. I’m concerned that you just used your powers like that. You have no idea what you’re doing. You could have just as easily told her brain to stop making her heart beat.”

  Lucy’s face fell. “Oh.” Her eyes were stuck to Angela’s rising, falling chest now. “I didn’t know.”

  Jonas rubbed his forehead. “I know you didn’t. It… It’s fine. I mean, it’s not, but, let’s just call your parents. We’ll make up some excuse for tonight. Give us some time.” He took her hand, which she seemed to let him have with an ounce of doubt. His breath was gone the moment he touched her. Even though she was a baby the last time he saw her, he’d known it was his daughter from the moment he rushed into that room, but there had been all this drama to deal with. He looked at her for the first time. She looked older than her fifteen years. She was stunning. Tall, hair like strands of sunlight, a smile that worked like a painkiller. She didn’t look like either of them, but it was those gray eyes that had convinced him. They were her mother’s.

  A smile climbed out from his frown and he fought the urge to embrace her, tell his daughter everything. Instead he nodded at the beautiful, young girl and told her which bedroom she could sleep in.

  ***

  Jonas did not sleep. Thin bolts of red surrounded the walnut brown of his eyes. He sat, staring into the dark of the living room, trying to come up with something to say to the girls the next day which would make everything better. But there was nothing. His head rolled back against the chair he sat in and he took in the sour smell of a home that had been closed up for too long. He wanted them to understand. But they wouldn’t. He wouldn’t if he were them.

  Calloused and dirt-stained fingers plowed through his long, dry hair. He knew that he would just want to go home too. Go home and forget about horrible monsters and fantastical powers that were only supposed to exist in movies and comics. He dreaded them opening their eyes. When they did, their desperate hopes of waking to their normal lives in their normal beds would be dashed. This strange, lifeless shelter, which should have been their home, would instead serve to fuel their desperation. His anger began to rise. The chair squealed as he stood, pacing now. This was another thing the Fade had taken from these girls—his girls.

  Angela moaned, stirring on the couch. Jonas’ insides froze solid, and he took a few frugal steps in that direction. Her eyes raced in dream under their lids and he relaxed a little, watching her. Damp curls were plastered to her face. Her lips were barely open, a quiet puff of air escaping with every breath. She had her mother’s face. Flawless, china skin covering round cheeks. Electric red hair, thick and long, took him back to the last time he’d seen the girl’s mother. The last day he’d seen his own wife.

  I’m sorry, he mouthed and turned, thirsty. He shuffled to the kitchen, finding Cynthia sitting at the counter in one of the high-backed stools. She cradled a glass of water that she didn’t seem to have touched. She looked a mess. Her dark-rimmed eyes met his. “I was going to leave,” she said, her voice weak. Jonas bobbed his head. She cleared her throat and turned a little toward him. “I saw you on guard in the living room. Decided to stay. If I’m not crazy then I need to hear your story.”

  “Couldn’t sleep.” He pulled a glass from the cabinet and rinsed it. The pipes groaned, spitting water into his cup in fits. “I’ve been thinking about how to tell you that story all night.” He took a long drink and stared at her. “You look like your mother too.” He regretted it as soon as it came out. She had enough on her plate without that too.

  Cynthia paled. “How did you know my mom?”

  “We worked at the same job. Military, sort of. She was an amazing woman. Like you, I’d imagine.” He sat down across from her at the counter, hoping the old stool wouldn’t come apart under his weight. It wobbled, but seemed to hold for the time being.

  Cynthia looked down, rubbing at the condensation on her glass in slow, straight lines. “I was going to get high…when I was going to leave.” She shrugged, still looking at anything but him. “It’s how I cope, I guess.”

  “I can’t say I haven’t thought a few times about diving into a bottle and staying there,” Jonas said, not sure what else to say to her confession.

  “I guess I’m trying to say that if my mom was this amazing woman then I’m not like her. I mean, I don’t know if this, if we, are some messed up government experiment or aliens or something, but I’m not like her. I can’t do this. I don’t care how physically strong I am.”

  Jonas took another drink, now wishing it was whiskey.

  “So, where is my mom? Is she, like dead?” The last word was almost a whisper.

  “Not as far as I know.” He thought back to that last battle as he left with the children. “I haven’t seen her in over a decade.”

  “Oh.” Tears sparkled in the corners of her eyes.

  “She didn’t abandon you, if that’s what you think. Danna loved you very much.”

  She laughed with no joy. “No. I’m sure a life of fighting ghosts and zombies is far more important than a daughter. I get it.”

  “It’s not—” Jonas sighed. “It’s not like that. And we aren’t some government experiment or aliens. There aren’t any ghosts or zombies either. Even though I can see why you'd think that. We’re not even…” Hell, here it was.

  “What? Are we like mutants or something?”

  “No, I mean, listen—we’re from Earth.” He held his breath before finishing. “Just not this one.”

  Cynthia’s eyebrows came together and she shook her head. “I don’t understand.” He started to speak but Cynthia held up her hands. “A few days ago you were the town bum, rolling around on your bicycle scaring old ladies and annoying people. Now, you’re suddenly a-okay, rescuing me from a horror movie and throwing some kind of science fiction crap at me. Do you see how I might be a little overwhelmed? Maybe a tad bit doubtful?” She was shaking.

  “Cynthia. You saw what you saw. This is real. I’m trying to tell you your story. Because it is your story as much as it’s mine. It’s going to be hard to hear. Yes. But it’s the truth. It’s all true.”

  Her eyes were pearls in the dim light, pointed at him, unblinking. “I want to hear it. I want you to explain to me why my mom left me and why I can beat down Goliath. I want to not feel so damn crazy.” Pale hands raked across her face.

  With that, Jonas tipped the glass, finishing his water, and rested his arms on the counter. It was thick with the fuzz of years of dust. “If you want to know, I will tell you. But I want to tell all of you.”

  ***

  He gathered them all in the living room and he tried to tell them about the Wraith and their Golems, about Aern and those horrible years of war, but it just wouldn’t make sense until he started at the beginning—that hateful light. They listened—children hearing the
ir first ghost story—as he told them about that day. He hoped they began to understand that his people were as confused as they were now when it first happened. He prayed they understood that there were still many unanswered questions.

  “Why did they come?” Lucy asked.

  “They believe it’s their destiny to find some long-lost Queen. For some reason, they think she was imprisoned on our planet. Of course, they didn’t find her there.” Jonas sneered. “By the time they realized she wasn’t there, they had decided that they wanted to know how our abilities worked.” Jonas’ thoughts were circling that operating table where they had cracked his head open. “They wanted that for themselves.” He was shaking, so he took a sip of the coffee he’d made earlier, just to have something to do with his hands. It was cold and bitter now.

  “So, you brought us here. To save us,” Cynthia said.

  Jonas nodded. “There were supposed to be thousands of people. Not just you. We had a plan for one final push against them. Something to weaken them. We meant to bring a lot of people here in case that plan failed.” He looked Cynthia in the eye. “I think it worked. But those people didn’t make it.”

  “Except us,” Lucy said, trying to encourage him.

  Jonas nodded again. “Don’t think at all that I’m not grateful for that.”

  He saw Angela sit up and braced himself. “So, why’d you go through with it? I can see sending a thousand people to a safe place in the middle of a war, but it sounds like the aliens screwed that up.” Her words were bullets. “Why just send three of us to some new place? That’s messed up.”

  “It felt like the only choice.” He thought of Lucy, crying in his arms. “I couldn’t let you girls get hurt. So many people, children, died that day. You didn’t deserve to grow up in that world.”

  Angela stood. “Well, that’s not fair! Now we can’t even go home and live normal lives because of you. You left us.”

  “That wasn’t my—”

  “No!” Her face was red, erupting with tears. “You want us to, what? Become some teen girl squad that’s going to save the world? Your whole damn world of super freaks couldn’t stop them and three high school girls are supposed to? Damn, you’re a genius.”