by Aman Gupta
ELEVEN GRAVES: The Secret of the Missing Night
Book #1 in Eleven Graves Series
Aman Gupta
Copyright © 2020 Aman Gupta
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher/author.
Dedicated to Jay Miller and his friends
who took the time out of their busy schedule
And time-travelled to 2020 to tell me this story.
P.S.: Sorry for the punch, Jay. You should’ve knocked.
And to the awesome readers who are reading this.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
CHAPTER 1: NEMESIS
CHAPTER 2: OBSCURE
CHAPTER 3: SURRENDER
CHAPTER 4: RECONNAISSANCE
CHAPTER 5: ENGAGEMENT
CHAPTER 6: POLYSEMY
CHAPTER 7: ADUMBRATIONS
CHAPTER 8: TEMPORAL
CHAPTER 9: OBLOQUY
CHAPTER 10: NEOPHYTE
CHAPTER 11: SCION
CHAPTER 12: INDEMNITY
CHAPTER 13: HOMECOMING
CHAPTER 14: SECRECY
CHAPTER 15: OMEN
CHAPTER 16: JUSTICE
Spoilers - What’s Next?
Request from the author
CHAPTER 1: NEMESIS
A window of a small house on a dark street covered by columns of trees in form of an arch, opened man threw himself out of it, writhing in pain. The full moon far away gave some brightness to the dull architecture. It was the only house one could find as far as they could see. The area was referred by outsiders as TS -19, a name which was now being used to identify the people living in the area, than the area itself. Everything had changed in the last decade. Walking shabbily, he hiked towards the woods, hoping to reach the bridge before 5 AM in the morning. TS – 19, had an estimated population of 300 as per the oldest person in Morrow Town, a colony few miles north of TS-19 with 25000 people and yet one-tenth the size of TS – 19. People staying in TS – 19 knew the rules: They couldn’t be seen outside the barbed-wire laden boundaries of their site. The world’s fairest peace treaty, it was called once upon a time. Yet this man went out of his way to jump over the boundary, to cross the bridge. Going over the fence, he went a mile west to get to the only bridge that separated TS – 19 from New Frontier County.
The bridge creaked with every step the man took. He was walking close to the side railing, holding onto it at times for superfluous support. Suddenly, his foot slipped through a small cavity as he reached the center of the bridge and he almost went over the wrecked side railing, to the river flowing below. He managed to grab the pole which were evenly placed every 20 meters on each side of the 5 feet wide bridge.
“Help, help,” he shouted. “Anyone, please help,” he said, before breaking into tears.
A youngster was nearby, riding his bicycle in his daily early morning ritual since the day he lost his father to TS – 19. On hearing the voices in the vicinity which was known for being mute, he stopped his bike and took out his flashlight from his backpack. After few attempts, he managed to pinpoint the location of the man in pitch dark surroundings. He saw this man, wearing plain clothes, covered with dripping red stains, trying to get himself up on top of the bridge. Little did he know that with an arm that damaged, the man couldn’t lift a puppy yet alone a person as well-built as him.
“Wait, I’ll help,” shouted the boy from 200 yards away, as he hopped the railing and the gate which only opened at 5 AM for transferring essential supplies. He ran towards the man, not knowing whether he could actually assist or not.
“What’s wrong with your arm? There are cuts and bruises all over it,” asked the boy, on reaching the spot, pointing the flashlight at the man’s face.
“I fell in the woods… Please, help me,” said the man, looking downwards unable to see the boy’s face, being blinded by the light.
“Woods? Where did you come from? Did you come from 19?” asked the boy, as he hoped for a denial.
“Yes, that’s what you people call our home,” said the man.
“What! I can’t be seen helping you. Get lost,” said the boy, as he started to leave.
“Wait, please wait. I think we can help each other,” said the man.
“Help how?” said the boy, as he turned around.
“I have money,” said the man.
“Your money is useless outside 19,” said the boy.
“I have information. Precious information,” said the man.
“What information?” asked the boy.
“First, tell me your name.” asked the man.
“Why?” said the boy.
“It’s important. I must know who I passed on the information to,” said the man.
The boy stood there for thirty seconds staring at him, contemplating his next action.
“Alright, I will tell mine if you tell me yours first,” said the boy. The boy knew that the man couldn’t tell him his name as he was from TS – 19, and wouldn’t want to be identified later as the person who broke the unwritten treaty.
“My name is Jacob,” said the man. “Now, tell me yours.”
“My name is Eric,” said Brian.
“Come closer, Eric. I must say this in your ear,” said Jacob.
Brian stepped a little closer, now only a feet away from Jacob.
“I think this is close enough,” as he bent down on his knees to reach Jacob’s eyeline.
“Okay, I want you to tell you 2 secrets,” said Jacob.
“Okay,” said Brian.
“First is, I’ve killed people. A little girl. An old man,” said Jacob.
“Oh my god. Why did you do that? And why are you telling me this?” asked Brian.
“I feel like you could do something with this,” said Jacob.
“Okay. What’s the second secret?” asked Brian, looking around while figuring out how to save Jacob without falling over himself.
“They said it was a test. They wanted to draw him out. Tell him that he should not get carried away. They are planning something,” said Jacob.
“Tell who? Who’s they?” confronted Brian as his face started to go pale.
“I don’t know. I don’t know. Something about Jay. Now I must go as it’s the only way they’ll leave us alone,” said Jacob.
“Go where?” asked Brian.
“Please do what you can. Bye, Brian,” said Jacob.
“How do you know my name? I told you my name was Eric,” said Brian.
Jacob looked back at Brian, and took out his right hand.
“Where are your fingers?” asked Brian. “Who are you?”
“Just a vile memory of the world,” said Jacob, as he let go of the pole and fell into the river 50 feet below the bridge.
Brian couldn’t believe what had transpired. He was quivering.
He used his flashlight to look at the spot where he thought Jacob had fallen. However, he soon realized that the laserbeam lights weren’t made for that.
“Why would he shout for help, and then just die like this?” uttered Brian, as he ran back towards his bike, looking sideways hoping to see Jacob swim out of the river.
“What do I do? What do I say to Sheriff Eric?” uttered Brian.
He got on his bike and retreated back towards the town. A few miles down the road, he saw Jacob’s body being taken by the water towards the bend which led to Morrow
Town.
He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the water will lead it to the town where Sheriff Eric could look into it, and he could forget the entire thing.
Two days later, a woman visited the police station, looking for Sheriff Eric Daymond. The police station, which was once the headquarters of a local mining company, was in the ugliest two-storey structure of the town, which had been abandoned after the 1/1 incident few years ago. Lots of businesses had went under as a result of the aftermath. Entire states were forsaken, willingly or forcibly. The walls were dusty and damaged, the floor tiles were broken or cracked or both, and the crude furniture looked like it was made by the first men who roamed the planet.
“How can I help you?” asked Emma, the Junior Detective who had started 8 months ago. One look at her and people were mesmerized by her looks, charm and smile.
“I’m looking for the sheriff. My husband is missing,” said the woman.
“Please come with me. Let’s take a seat, and you can tell me more about your husband so that we can find him in a jiffy,” said Emma, trying to sound optimistic on sensing the woman’s distress.
“No, I must speak with the sheriff. He has to come with me,” said the woman, anxiously.
“Okay, I’ll take you to him. Come with me,” said Emma.
Leaving the open lounge hall where all personnel worked, they entered the main hallway which led to 2 interrogation rooms, one old forensic lab and tech department room, and the sheriff’s chambers.
Emma knocked on the door.
“Come in,” said Eric.
“Sir, this woman has something to tell you,” said Emma.
“This woman? Surely, she has a name, Detective?” said Eric, with an undercurrent of sarcasm and anger in his voice.
“Sorry, I didn’t get her name. What’s your name?” asked Emma, as she looked at the woman.
“There isn’t time for you to impress your boss. My husband might be in danger,” snapped the woman.
“Please take a seat,” said Eric. This wasn’t his first missing case, and he hadn’t lost one yet since almost a year.
“My husband went to work yesterday and hasn’t come home till now. I waited all night for him, but he hasn’t come back. He’s never late. Please help me, Sheriff Eric,” said the woman.
“Sure, let’s start with your name and your husband’s last known location,” asked Eric. “And just Eric is fine.”
“My name is Elina Smirnov and my husband’s name is Vitaly Smirnov. He works at the grocery store on 5th Street,” said the woman.
“Yeah, I know the place,” said Eric.
“I went over there, but there’s no one there. Not even Roger, the owner. He had hired my husband last month,” said Elina.
“Okay. Emma will take you to Detective Kate, who will be personally going over your case. She’s the best person for this job. I, of course, will be overseeing every task. Okay, Miss?” said Eric.
“Okay. Please find my husband, I am so scared,” said Elina.
Eric looked at Emma and nodded his head, indicating to take Elina to meet Kate.
“Don’t worry, we’ll find her..him..” blurted out Emma.
Eric shook his head like a disappointed father.
After taking Elina to Kate, Emma ran into Joey, who had joined the same week as Emma, and was his second closest friend.
“Hey, where have you been?” said Emma.
“A body washed up the shore. Need to take the sheriff to the spot,” said Joey, as he smiled on seeing Emma.
“Wipe that smile off when you enter the room, jackass,” laughed Emma.
After a few minutes, Joey came out of the room with a worried Eric, as they ran into Emma and Kate, who were talking to each other about Elina’s case.
“Okay, here’s the plan. We’re all going to the shore,” said Eric.
“What about Elina and her husband?” asked Emma.
“Oh right, I forgot about that,” said Eric.
Kate and Emma looked at each other, awkwardly.
“Joey, you get Anthony to the shore. I’ll go to the 5th. Kate and Emma, you go to the shore and coordinate,” said Eric.
“Or I could go to get Mr. Anthony, and Kate and Joey can go to the crime scene,” said Emma.
“Okay,” said Eric, who was visibly disturbed.
“Are you alright, sir?” asked Kate.
“Yes, I’m fine,” said Eric, and walked away towards the open hall.
“Does he look alright to you?” asked Kate.
“Yes, he looks fine,” said Joey.
“Wasn’t talking to you,” said Kate, coldly.
“Whoa, what happened here? That bad a date, huh?” said Emma, as she tried to control her laughter.
“You told her, didn’t you?” said Joey.
“I didn’t tell her anything. Maybe you did, while your tongue was down the waitress’ throat,” said Kate, visibly angered.
“Oh my god, would you let that go?! That was a week ago, and we were just meeting for coffee. I didn’t know it was a date,” said Joey.
“Whatever!” said Kate, as she grabbed the car keys from Joey’s hand. “I’m driving.”
“Okay, and I am off to pick up Anthony,” said Emma.
“You got weird taste, girl,” said Joey.
“Eww…” said Emma, making a disgusted face. “He’s like 70 years old, and I’m like 25.”
Kate laughed, and said, “He didn’t mean Anthony,” and winked at Emma.
Emma blushed, and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Tell that to your cheeks,” said Joey and Kate in unison.
“Awww.. so cute,” said Emma, before leaving as she didn’t want to drag the conversation any further since she knew who they were referring to.
Anthony Arnold was a name, known to every citizen of the country, perhaps even the world. He wasn’t a celebrity, but his aura was only second to few people since the beginning of time. Listening to him was like listening to voice of God. Some knew him as a former CEO of a conglomerate, Verati, some knew him as a philanthropist and only few knew him as a ruthless personality who always had to have his way. Few years ago, his presence got wiped off the face of the planet. The world thought he had died like so many others, and he wanted to keep it that way.
Emma rang the bell of a three-storey building, locally referred to as Nucleus, with 15 feet high ceilings on each floor.
The ground floor was a small office cum visitor’s lounge, and an occasional celebration spot. The top floor was a lab and tech center. All lines, be it communication, surveillance or selected electrical, originated, ended or passed through the Tech Centre. The visible area of the lab offered forensic capabilities to the police departments of 4 towns, including Morrow. The hidden area wasn’t accessible to anyone except Anthony, not even his assistant, Vik.
“Hi there. I am Emma, with Morrow PD. Need to talk to Mr. Anthony. Sheriff Eric needs him for some urgent work,” said Emma, to the robotic voice at the door asking for her purpose of visit.
The door opened after a successful voice match, and Emma headed to the top floor. This wasn’t her first time, this week.
She ran into Anthony as he was leaving the lab.
“Where do you think you’re going?” said Anthony.
“Nowhere. I am looking for you, actually. It’s me, Emma. We have found a body at the shore. Sheriff Eric would like you to examine it,” said Emma.
“Oh. Sorry, I had my mind somewhere else. I’m a little busy, but I’ll tell Vik to get the body here, so I could look at it,” said Anthony.
“Oh okay, not exactly what the sheriff told me, so maybe I should call him,” said Emma.
“Sure, though Vik is as good as any, plus Eric and Vik are friends, so he trusts Vik too, you know,” said Anthony.
“I know. I know. I like Vik, too. I mean not like him like him. But more like, trust him. You know what’s that like,” said Emma, not exactly comfortable talking about Vik.
“Say Like one more time,” said Anthony, smiling.
Emma smiled back.
“So, where’s he?” asked Emma.
“Right behind you,” said Anthony.
Emma’s eyes popped out, as if she was about to see a ghost, and she turned around.
“He’s like a ninja, isn’t he,” said Anthony. “Well, I’ll leave you two to it.”
“So..” said Vik.
“So…” said Emma.
“How could I help you, detective?” asked Vik.
“That looks heavy,” said Emma, pointing at the briefcase Vik was holding in his left hand.
Vik looked back, silently. Emma would lose to Vik in a stare contest within 2 seconds. The entire Morrow PD knew it.
“Err..Right, so you need to come with me,” said Emma.
“Okay. I’m all yours,” said Vik.
“What?” said Emma.
“What?” said Vik.
“Nothing. Nothing. It’s just that no one’s ever said that to me, that I’m all theirs,” said Emma. She blushed, while trying to flirt.
“Somehow with that red hair, brown eyes, pretty, white face and 1.8 meters of unfiltered beauty, I find that hard to believe,” said Vik.
“Right..” said Emma, almost lost in the entire conversation. “That’s the first time you had said something like this.”
“Yeah, I was just checking something,” said Vik. “After you, detective.”
She looked at Vik who was still wearing his poker face.
Anthony didn’t keep Vik around for his ninja skills. Vik could just look at a stranger and read them like a book. His technical skills were even better than Anthony’s, not that either of them would admit that. He was a fast learner, and had Eric’s trust. Eric had introduced Vik to Anthony a year ago. And they both together setup the Forensic Lab and Tech Centre. Anthony had taught Vik about forensics so that Vik could go places where and when Anthony didn’t wish to.
“So, what have you been up to lately?” asked Emma, trying to make conversation in the car.
“Nice car,” said Vik.