“Are you okay?” she asked, but he didn’t respond, a bewildered look frozen on his face. “It’s okay.” She stepped to his side and placed an arm around him, guiding him to a chair.
Test sat, confused and winded, glancing fearfully back and forth to Alyssa’s horrified eyes—and then he remembered. He remembered the dream. It had begun as a reenactment of his confrontation with Anil. He had felt every ounce of pain and emotion once again that he had lived only days before. He remembered seeing Alyssa’s lifeless body as it lie on the ground. As he looked at her, his mother’s body appeared to her left, and then Cliff’s to the right. The horror continued to run through his mind as he recalled the scene. And then he remembered the final piece. Nicole stood behind the array of dead bodies, glaring at him, her jet black hair blowing in the breeze. He hadn’t thought of her in so long, and for some reason it scared him to see her. The hollow look in her gaze left him feeling ashamed and helpless.
Leaning forward in the chair, he ran his fingers through his hair and laced them behind his head. “Are you okay?” he asked as he exhaled deeply, his gaze firmly planted to the floor.
Alyssa knelt down in front of him and placed her hands on the sides of his legs. “I’m fine,” she replied. She played with his hair affectionately, spinning it between her fingers, and asked with trepidation. “What happened?”
“It was just a dream,” he replied, trying to make light of the situation.
Test sat up in the chair, and noticed the condition of the room for the first time. A new confusion came over him as he wondered how he’d even gotten into the chair. He first noticed the fractured wood on the floor where he and Alyssa had been laying. He noticed that the coffee table was spun sideways in the room, sitting at a ninety degree angle to the couch.
“Holy shit,” he spoke with a new fear. “Lauren’s gonna be pissed.”
Alyssa giggled in response.
“I’m serious,” he replied as he twisted away from her in the chair, slapping his thigh forcefully. “What the hell did I do?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to….” She paused, trying to find the words that might help him. “It’ll be okay, Test, she’ll understand.”
Suddenly realizing the power that he must have generated, his eyes glazed over as he stared at the floor. “Oh, God,” he said in a breathy voice.
“Stop it,” replied Alyssa. “Stop beating yourself up.”
“No, you don’t understand,” answered Test as he stood from the chair. “I could have just told Isaac where we are.”
Alyssa’s mind processed his words quickly, and a sudden panic came over her. “We have to leave, right now.” She got to her feet and walked maniacally across the room.
“No,” replied Test with a steady tone. “When Lauren gets back.” He turned to Alyssa. “She’s risked her life for mine. If we leave now, without her knowing, she could come back to find Isaac in her back yard. I won’t let her fall into that trap.”
“But…,” began Alyssa.
“No!” barked Test harshly. “I said no. We wait.”
****
Thad drove towards Nicole’s apartment, knowing that his grandfather’s spirit was in the car with him. It was a moment of surreal reality that summoned emotions he hadn’t felt before.
“Grandpa,” he said lovingly, “I know you’re here. I’ve talked to you before, but I don’t know if you’ve ever heard me or not. I’m guessing not.” He cleared his throat, choking back the emotion that struggled to escape. “My entire life has been lived feeling as though I was a freak—an outcast. Mom and Dad never wanted to hear about my visions, and that hurt. It felt like they were ashamed of me. Sometimes I’ve wondered if it was because it caused Dad to think of you. He never really spoke of you much, I never really knew what you looked like, though now that I’ve met you, you’re exactly as I had pictured in my head. I don’t know how many times I’ve told myself that I wished I could’ve met you. You see, I’ve never had anyone that I could talk to about it—this gift.” The sarcasm was thick as he spoke the word. “There was a time when I was younger, that I had changed my mind about it. I actually began to think it was cool, especially during college, but the older I got I realized that it was holding me back. I had never been on a date, didn’t really have any friends—I basically sat by myself night after night. I was always afraid to get close to anyone for fear they would find out my secret. It’s been hard.”
Suddenly, from beside him, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned briefly, trying his best to keep his eyes on the road, and could see Cliff partially visible in the seat next to him. He could see him clear enough to see the tears in the old man’s eyes. And then, in a whispery distant voice, he could hear him speak.
“I’m so sorry, son,” began Cliff, using the energy of the running car to come through. “I regret a lot of things, but none so much as not being there for your father. If I’d have been there….”
“No,” Thad interrupted as he shook his head. “You don’t know what would’ve happened. No one can know for sure.”
Cliff smiled as a tear trickled down his stubbled cheek. With one quick nod of his head, he replied. “You may be right, but that still don’t change the fact that I should’ve been there for him—and you.” Pointing to the street coming up on his left, Cliff’s words came with a deep sadness. “Turn there,” the old man instructed.
“You’re here for me now, right?” asked Thad with a grin as he raised an eyebrow. He turned the corner leading to Nicole’s apartment building and continued. “You couldn’t have come at a better time, Grandpa.”
As if looking into a reflection of his younger self, Cliff watched as Thad winked to him. “I love ya, boy. Know that.”
Thad pulled into a parking place parallel to the street and put the car into park. With his eyes swelling with tears, he turned to Cliff and replied. “I love you, too, Grandpa.”
As Thad reached to turn off the ignition, Cliff stopped him. “Hold on, boy. Once you turn the car off, I won’t be able to hold this form. Do you know what you’re goin’ to do?” he asked.
Thad turned forward in his seat and gripped the steering wheel tightly. “I guess I’m just going to go up there and talk to her. I just have to be blunt and tell her that she’s in danger.”
“I reckon you’re right, though I’m not sure how she’s gonna react. She’s in a fragile state, that girl. Just be careful, ya hear?”
Thad swallowed forcefully as he nodded.
Knowing that there was a chance that he could at least make his presence known when in the apartment, Cliff was hesitant to tell Thad of the possibility. He didn’t want him counting on it. “All right then, let’s go,” said the old man with a firm resolve. “She’s on the third floor and in apartment number thirty-two.”
Taking a mental note, Thad turned off the car and watched as Cliff faded from view. As he stepped out onto the curb, his eyes squinted against a bright crosscut of light that made its way through the buildings and onto the street. He stepped into the street, looked for oncoming traffic, and then made his way to the entrance of the apartment building. A sudden rush of familiarity came over him as he looked up to the sign, realizing that this was the exact spot from his vision. He paused for a moment, scanning the entrance of the building, when he felt a push from behind. Spinning around to see no one behind him, he realized that Cliff was urging him to proceed.
“I’m going,” he replied, resuming his path to the entry doors.
As he gripped the handle, he felt the familiar wash of a vision entering his mind. For an instant, the scene before him changed to that of a stand of trees. Gone was the musty, cigarette butt laden entry way in which he stood. He could smell the freshness of the forest and could feel the damp air wrap around him like a blanket. A burst of movement in his peripheral vision caught his eye, and he quickly turned to see a young man standing in the trees who was staring into an open area that lay just ahead him. Beyond the tree line he could see a cabin-ty
pe house with a large porch coming off the back of it. He glanced back to the young man, who was facing away from him, and noticed a full head of dark brown hair that was disheveled and wavy.
As quickly as the vision began, the filthy, smudge laden glass door occupied Thad’s sight once more, while his hand still gripped the tarnished brass handle. A gritty voice from behind him echoed in the entry way.
“You wanna get out of the way?”
Thad spun to see a greasy haired middle aged man in a white t-shirt staring at him.
“Well?” asked the man as he lifted his palms.
“Sorry,” replied Thad as he stepped aside. “My apologies.”
The man stepped past him and into the apartment building. Thad shook his head, trying to clear the dust of an altered reality that a vision always left him with, and then stepped into the building.
The tiled floor crackled beneath his feet. Each square seemed to be missing a piece on at least one corner. Though the sun shined brightly outside, he couldn’t help but feel as though he’d walked into a cave. The only lighting in the lobby was provided by fluorescents that were covered by yellow tinted plastic, giving off a dull amber light that fell dauntingly upon the room. Several people were sitting on benches that were adjacent to the door, and Thad did his best to keep from making eye contact with them as he searched for the elevator. Across the room and to his right, he found the door and, upon approaching it, could see an out-of-order sign hanging by one corner with some duct tape. As he turned around, he inadvertently made eye contact with an old woman that had just entered the building. Instantly aware of her gaze, he walked towards her, eyes to the floor, until he reached the stair case near the entrance.
The carpet lining the stairs looked like something out of an old theatre; diamonds of gold and green laying atop a blanket of dull, dark red. Thad reached out for the railing, but pulled back when he noticed the layer of dust and sticky liquid that adorned its surface. As the first floor passed, he continued to be appalled at the state of disrepair that the building was in. Large holes seemed to appear in the walls every couple of feet, some of them so high he struggled for an explanation of how they could possibly have gotten there.
Finally reaching the third floor, the door to apartment number thirty-two was staring him in the face. Its surface matched the rest of the building, beaten and battered from years of hard use. He stepped cautiously to the door, suddenly envisioning a person answering from the other side with a bullet to his midsection. “Knock it off, Thad,” he whispered to himself. “You’ve seen too damn many movies.” Raising a fist and knocking on the door, he waited for an answer, but none came. He knocked once more, with a little more force, and when there was again no answer, he began to contemplate the fact that she might not be home; not something that they’d counted on. Just as he was about to knock again, he heard the sound of glass clinking within the apartment, as if someone knocked over a bottle on a table.
“Nicole?” shouted Thad through the door. “I know you’re in there, Nicole. Please, let me in?”
Thad placed his ear to the door, but could hear nothing except the sound of his adrenaline surged blood coursing through his body.
“Look, I know that you don’t want anything to do with me, but this is a life and death matter. Ms. Paxton, your life is in danger.”
With his ear still pressed to the door, he could hear light footsteps making their way towards him. The silence reappeared and Thad assumed that she was standing directly on the other side, staring through the peep hole. He backed away from the door.
“Nicole, I know this is going to sound strange,” said Thad as he glanced up and down the empty hallway, “but Cliff is with me.”
Suddenly Nicole’s muffled voice resonated from behind the closed door.
“That’s not possible,” she said. “Cliff is dead.”
Thad’s head rolled back on his shoulders as he muttered to himself. “Jesus, grandpa, how the hell am I supposed to explain this.” Turning his attention back to the door, he replied. “Like I said, I know it sounds strange, but you knew my grandfather, you knew of his gifts. Is it really so hard to believe that he wouldn’t be here with me now?” His question was met with a resounding silence. “I’m telling you, Nicole, unless you come with me….” He paused for a moment, seriously considering the severity of the words he was about to speak. “You have to come with me or you are going to die.”
He heard the doorknob turn and watched as the door slowly cracked open, stopping when the security chain became taut. Nicole’s pale face peered through the crack, her hair blanketing her shoulder.
“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” she asked.
Astounded by her question, especially after telling her that her life was in jeopardy, he let out a grunt in frustration.
“Didn’t you hear what I said? You are going to….”
“Die?” Nicole cut him off. “What if I’m okay with that?” Her voice was tense with anger. “What if I told you that dying would be a welcome change?”
Thad’s heart sunk in his chest. “But Ms. Paxton, that’s no way to talk.”
Nicole stared at him while biting her lip, her body now trembling as she spoke. “Why? You don’t know anything about me. If you did then you’d….”
“Then I’d what?” barked Thad as he took a step to the door. “Say it was okay that you wanted your life to end? Bullshit!
“You say I don’t know anything about you, well you’re wrong. Let me tell you what I know. I know that you went through hell and back a year or so ago. I know that you fell for someone that sent your life into a downward spiral. I know that you resent Test.” Thad watched as she flinched when he said Test’s name. “I know that you probably resent Cliff, too. I know that you feel like everyone you know has failed you. To be honest I can sympathize with you.”
Thad’s barrage was met with a stunned silence. Nicole’s face had grown long, and she glowered at him as a tear trickled down her cheek.
“Look, sweetheart, please, just let me in. We don’t have much time.”
Nicole looked to the floor and then back to Thad. She closed the door slightly, narrowing the crack through which she peered. “Prove it,” she replied.
Thad wrinkled his nose, confused by her request. “Prove what?” he asked.
“Prove to me that Cliff is here.”
Thad dropped his chin to his chest. “I don’t know if I can. Please just….”
Before he could finish his sentence, the security chain fell from the door and dangle on the frame next to Nicole’s face. She stared at it with wide eyes.
“Cliff?” she asked.
As if in response to her calling, the chain flipped into the air and fell back to rest against the frame. Thad raised an eyebrow as Nicole looked to him. Without words, she released her hold on the door, and the two of them watched as it opened by itself.
Thad passed by Nicole, noticing that her hands were trembling and that her already pale skin seemed to have lightened a shade more. The stench of stale beer, marijuana smoke, and incense assaulted his nose like a baseball bat to the face. He nonchalantly placed his index finger to his nose, but was quickly bummed by an invisible hand, signaling him to drop his arm.
Thad was appalled that anyone could live in the environment where he now stood. Beer bottles adorned the tops of every flat surface within the room. As he peered into the adjoining kitchen, he could see a pile of dirty dishes in the sink and, in the corner, a trash can which overflowed with even more beer bottles and fast food bags. Overcome with pity for the young girl, he gazed around the apartment until her whispering voice woke him from his trance.
“Cliff?” she asked softly.
Thad turned to her. She was staring towards the wall opposite of where she stood. Thad turned his attention to the same wall, and could then see what she was focusing on.
In front of what was obviously a breaker box panel that was decorated with decals and stickers, a small dark shadow had form
ed. Thad watched as the young girl walked cautiously towards the shadow.
“Cliff, is that you?” she asked again.
Standing directly in front of the shadow, she reached out her hand, feeling the cold air that occupied the area. She turned timidly to Thad, her eyes begging him to confirm what she already knew to be true.
“It’s alright, sweetheart,” spoke Thad with a gentle tone. “It’s him.”
She placed a hand over her mouth as her lips curled into a smile. “It was you—the other night—I thought I was tripping.” She reached out once more to the figure.
“That’s right. I was here,” replied Cliff’s spectral voice. “Nicole, Thad’s right, we don’t have much time. We have to get you out of here.” His voice drifted through the room almost as if it were a light breeze. “Your life is in danger,” he paused, “and so is his.”
Pursing her lips, she scowled uncomfortably. “By ‘his’, you mean Test?”
“Yes,” he replied simply.
Thad, watching the exchange from across the room, had been impatiently eyeing the clock on the wall between them. With a stillness having fallen over the room, he felt compelled to act.
Taking a few steps toward Nicole, he scratched the back of his head as he spoke. “Look, I know you probably don’t want anything to do with this Test kid. To be honest, I don’t really want anything to do with any of this. I’m risking my life by being here. The fact of the matter is that we need to leave—now.”
Nicole turned her tortured face to him and, after a moment, nodded her head in acceptance.
A slight grin appeared on Thad’s face as he let out a deep sigh of relief. “Good. Now, go pack a few things and we can get the hell out of here.”
As Nicole turned to go to her bedroom, she felt the coldness of Cliff’s ethereal touch on her arm.
“It’s gonna be alright, hon,” whispered the old man. “You’ll see.”
Without looking back, Nicole jerked her arm away and walked with heavy steps to her room.
The Reverence of One: Book Three of the Shadow Series Page 8