“We already have it.” The man spoke for the first time. Even while helping Jason the last couple days, he never spoke a word.
Jason’s eyes narrowed and I could practically feel his destructive power straining to let loose. “What do you mean by that?” His voice was as tight as his fist, and I knew he was close to losing his temper.
“Settle, Jason,” I cautioned. “Now is not the time. I need to scout an escape, and you’re in no condition to run.”
His captor glanced at a chart, and Jason sent a glare in my general direction. I could read the “and why should I trust you?” in that glare, and raised my shoulders slightly even though he couldn’t see it.
“You want out, and I want to get you out. These people don’t know you.”
The one-sided conversation served only one purpose: to stop Jason from causing this place to crumble to the ground. Once we were out, fine. Until then, I couldn’t allow him to lose his temper. With his memory, his power was—at least mostly—under control. Without it, I had no such assurance. Chances are that he has no idea what he is capable of, and has no idea how to prevent his power from setting off an earthquake under us.
“You’re almost ready,” the man said. “Eat your meal tonight and get some rest,” he almost sounded… concerned. “You will need it tomorrow.”
“Why?” Jason drew his gaze off mine, and warily eyed the scrub-clad man. “What’s tomorrow?”
FOUR
Sam
“Jason is alive!” I interrupted the others as they searched through every scrap of information about Hunter they were able to find. The same thing we’d been doing since Jason disappeared three days ago. I’d finally felt him a few minutes after I attempted to connect to Nickels. This was the first I felt from him since before Hunter knocked him unconscious at his cabin. “He’s terrified, but he’s alive!”
Alice, Mark, and Hannah looked up at me in shock. “You’re sure?” Hannah asked, her eyes welling with tears.
Nodding, I said, “Positive. I know my brother’s emotions anywhere.”
Jumping to the important things, Mark asked, “Is there anything else you can tell us? Any part of his emotional state that can give us any clue as to where he might be, or what’s happening?”
Concentrating harder, I answered, “It seems like he’s far away, but I don’t know how far. I’ve never tested my range, but when he was at the Farm with Mason, and I was in the hospital in Carndal, his emotions were easier to feel than now.”
“Okay, so it has to be further away than that. Is there anything else?” Alice asked.
There was, but I couldn’t explain it. Jason… well, he didn’t feel like himself. The constant fear and tenseness about his power was missing. Sure he was scared, but it wasn’t the same kind of fear.
“Something is… off,” I finally said. “He’s scared, and confused, but he doesn’t feel normal to me. And there’s something else… I think, well, I think someone is with him. There’s a familiar personality nearby. I think it’s Nickels, but I’m not completely sure. I never even attempted to feel his emotions before the last few days, but he definitely feels familiar,” I said again.
“I knew it!” Mark growled. “I knew there was something off with Nickels! First he was able to push you from his mind, and now he is with Jason wherever he is.”
“But Jason doesn’t seem afraid of him,” I said. “He almost seems relieved. There was a third person in the same vicinity, and when that person left, it seemed like Jason felt safer with Nickels—if it is Nickels.”
“Okay, so what is Nickels thinking?” Alice asked, tapping a pen on the table near one of the files.
Shrugging, I said, “I have no idea. I can’t tell thoughts, only emotions. He seems worried, but not afraid. Beyond that… hold on,” I pushed my ability, trying to force myself to look beyond the surface emotions to those hidden behind the mental shields Jason’s companion had erected.
“I told you to stay away!” The voice was back. It was the same person I contacted when I tried to reach Nickels earlier.
“Sam?” Hannah sounded concerned, and, when I looked at Alice and Mark, they appeared to share that concern. I must have given something away when the man spoke to me.
“I’m fine. Give me a moment.”
“Who are you?” I pushed the question into his mind. “You aren’t Detective Nickels, so who are you?”
The man seemed to chuckle. “I am Nickels. And yet, I am not. I have had many forms and many names, but in none of them have I done something as grievous as what you have done. To destroy one man’s mind, and wipe another clean… that is a truly dangerous ability, young one.”
“What do you mean? Whose mind is wiped clean? I—”
“You can pretend, Oblivion, but you are more dangerous to your brother than I ever have been.”
The tone was familiar, but it was impossible. What I suspected couldn’t be. It couldn’t be the truth. He was dead. And yet, the truth was impossible to ignore.
“Kindred,” I realized finally who this man truly was. “I would never harm my brother.” Recognizing what he called me, I asked, “Why did you call me ‘Oblivion’? And what do I need to do to get Jason back?”
I could feel my breaths speeding up as I grew more agitated, suspecting, but not yet knowing, what Kindred was about to tell me.
“First, do not call me Kindred. I am Jeremiah. Second, you wiped your brother’s mind clean. Perhaps you did it by mistake, but he remembers nothing. For now, I am the only person he is able to trust. Third, Oblivion, you made him forget. You have a dark power, little boy, one that you must learn to control before I allow you near your brother again. Until you learn that control, there is nothing more you can do for us.”
“Wait!” My mental voice nearly screamed at the thought I may have harmed my brother so severely. “Is Jason okay? Aside from the memory loss, is he safe?”
I already suspected the answer was no, but I wanted Jeremiah to admit that he may need help. “I may be able to help Jason remember. Fix his mind. But you need to let us help you. My friends and I can help Jason and you.”
“We are not safe, and Jason may be in more trouble than even I can help him with.” Even Jeremiah’s mental voice sounded disgruntled. “Very well. We are about three hours north of you, in Silvan City. I will tell you more once you arrive. But I warn you, one wrong move in your brother’s mind, and I will do what I must to protect my friend.”
Wanting to snap that I would not hurt my brother, and that Kindred is definitely not Jason’s friend, I instead took a deep breath and responded, “Fine. We’ll head that direction. But I will warn you, if you try to keep me from my brother, I will do to you what I did to Hunter. He is my family, not yours! You will not prevent me from reaching him. Do I have your understanding?”
Now I felt a new emotion stirring in the assassin. Fear. It was a nice feeling, knowing I could strike fear into the heart of such a powerful and dangerous man.
“We have an understanding, Oblivion. We do not trust each other, but we have the same goal in mind. For now, at least, we will work together to save Jason. Then you will set him right. After that? Well, we shall see.”
Jeremiah practically pushed me out of his head, and I almost stumbled forward. “Sam? What’s going on?” Alice asked.
“Nickels is Kindred,” I told them bluntly. “He must have faked his death. Now he’s going by Jeremiah. He told me where Jason is. They’re in Silvan City. We need to get there, now! He didn’t say what was going to happen, but he did tell me that Jason’s in trouble.”
“Kindred’s alive?” Alice asked. She took a quick step back in shock. “How?”
Mark shook his head. His emotions swirled between shock, anger, and wary acceptance. “Think about it, Alice. His powers. He can make people see what he wants them to see. Jason knew only that he’d been shot. Once he was away from the one person who could see through him, he did what he had to do to remain free.”
The agent gav
e a huff of laughter. “Honestly, we probably shouldn’t be so surprised.”
Alice shook her head, acceptance finally settling in. “Why pose as another cop? Why pretend to be Scott Nickels for so long? And why couldn’t Jason see it?”
I honestly wondered the same about Jason. As for Kindred… “He wanted to be Jason’s friend. He posed as a cop to give himself credibility, and then allowed events to flow around him so Jason wouldn’t suspect anything. The only thing Jase ever told me is that Nickels always seemed a little too interested in his past.”
“Sam, was there anything else Jeremiah told you? Anything about how Jason is doing?” Hannah asked.
She alone didn’t seem to care about how or why Kindred faked his death, or what he would do now. All she wanted was to know my brother was safe.
I couldn’t tell her what she wanted to know.
Nothing about what Kindred told me was comforting. The only good thing he said is that Jason is still alive. We’d traded one psycho for another, and once again Jason’s life was threatened. Unlike with Mason, Hunter, or even Kindred, we had no idea what this new enemy might want.
Whatever they wanted with Jason had been complicated by my inadvertent actions. All I wanted was for Jason to be safe. To be able to live his life without fear. I never wanted to hurt him. I wouldn’t necessarily say it out loud, but my brother has always been my hero. That I had enjoyed manipulating his emotions hurt me. I didn’t want to become one of the monsters who harmed my brother. I couldn’t be the same as one of them. It wasn’t possible. He always wanted what was best for me, and I for him. When I’d wished for him to be able to forget all the bad things in his life, I never meant for it to happen.
So I didn’t want to tell them what Jeremiah said. I didn’t want my family to look at me like I’m a monster. But they did need to know what we were facing once we managed to save Jason.
Hannah was watching me, her hands clenched together and face pinched with worry.
“Yeah,” I finally admitted. “He told me Jason doesn’t remember anything.”
And I am the cause.
FIVE
Jason
Something about Jeremiah was odd. He talked to me while others were in the room, and they did not seem to notice him. I could look at him, and hear him, but they couldn’t. It made me wonder if more than my memories were missing. Did I go crazy along with losing myself? Did Jeremiah actually exist? I eyed the nearly invisible man warily.
“I assure you, Jason, I am very real.” He smirked and leaned against the wall as if he couldn’t be more relaxed.
That was another thing. The man always seemed to answer my questions before I was able to ask them. “Why can’t anyone else see you?” I asked, after waiting for the doctor’s footsteps to recede.
“Because I won’t let them,” he huffed, standing straighter to explain. “It has nothing to do with your sanity. I have the ability to hide myself from view. When I don’t want to be seen, I won’t be. It is that simple.”
“You disappeared for a little bit while that doctor guy was in here. Where did you go?” I asked. It upset me how much I already came to rely on this one person who seemed willing to talk to me. How was I to know if he was even someone I should trust?
He considered me critically for a moment. “I want you to know one thing, Jason,” he said urgently. “The only thing I am trying to do right now is help you. You can trust me. When I disappeared, I was contacting someone who might be able to help me get you out of here. That person may also be able to assist you in reclaiming your memories.”
At this point, I couldn’t figure out how anyone could help mend my broken mind. “How could someone help fix this? I remember nothing about myself. I don’t even know if I have family, Jeremiah! Do you know how that feels?”
The man surprised me by nodding. “I do. Several years ago a man tortured me until I remembered nothing of my life before him. I forgot my wife, and my unborn child.”
Taken off-guard, I flinched back a bit before leaning forward on the bed. “Do you know…? Do I…? Do I have a family?”
Now the other man paused, his scarred face looking pensive. “You do,” he finally admitted. “But don’t ask about them right now.” His voice was practically a growl when he spoke about my family, and I wondered what had happened to make him so angry.
Even though I was dying to know more, I didn’t want to push Jeremiah too hard. And, honestly, the man seemed like he could get dangerous if he got angry. “Okay. So who did you talk to? Who’s coming to help us?”
“Oblivion,” he answered.
Frowning, I looked at him. “I have no idea what that means, who is Oblivion, and why do they not have a normal name.”
“Oh, he has a normal name,” Jeremiah explained. “However, for now I will use this name for him. At least until the boy earns my trust.”
“Boy? As in ‘kid’?” I asked. “How is a kid going to help us? And what could a kid possibly do to earn the name Oblivion?”
“By definition, the name means ‘the state of forgetting.’ In this instance, though, Oblivion can cause the state of forgetting. He is a powerful person, but doesn’t have enough control to allow me to trust him.”
I definitely didn’t like where he was going with this. “He can cause the state of forgetting? Did he…did he make me forget?” I asked, unsure whether I wanted to know the answer. “I thought my amnesia was from the accident?”
Clenching his eyes closed for a split second, Jeremiah shook his head. “No. I have some insight into how your mind works, and I could feel the moment when the memories were stolen. Although I did not recognize exactly what happened at the time. Once you woke, it was clear what the disruption was. It is possible you could have ended up with partial trauma-induced amnesia regardless, but this was caused by Oblivion. I am still unclear whether he knowingly caused it, or if he simply lost control of an ability that is still new to him.” Now he sounded more thoughtful than upset.
I wanted to be mad about the stolen memories, but the way Jeremiah talked about the kid… I couldn’t help but feel like Jeremiah was hesitant to place all blame on Oblivion. And I couldn’t be angry at a kid. It did seem most likely that this… Oblivion person had taken my memories by mistake.
I tried to focus on something other than my lack of memory. “Does everyone have some sort of ability? So far everyone you’ve mentioned to me does.”
“No,” he answered, a slight smile on his face. “Those of us with powers are a rarity, despite the number you have come across recently. We simply seem to gravitate toward each other. You have recently drawn the attention of some people who are trying to learn more about people like us. I have no idea what they will do to you now that they have you, but there are cameras all over the place. I’m not sure I’ll be able to sneak you out.”
“And that’s where this… Oblivion person comes in?” I asked.
“Yes. I think he will do what is necessary to clear a path for us. I made you a promise, Jason. I will not leave your side while you’re here, and I will protect you from harm. You are my friend.”
He definitely sounded sincere, but how could I be certain? How could I know he was trustworthy enough to believe his promises?
I stared up at the ceiling, happy for the moment that Jeremiah had turned the lights on again. Being in the dark literally as well as figuratively would have been too much right now.
“Okay,” I finally said, desperate to trust him. I was feeling overwhelmed, but wanted to learn anything I could. “Do you know anything more about this place? How did I end up here?”
He thought for a moment. “You were involved in a dangerous case, with a man who was going to kill you. Or sell you to the highest bidder…”
I choked slightly at his offhand comment. The guy was going to sell me? As if I was a piece of furniture or something? What kind of people did I get mixed up with?
Jeremiah continued as if he hadn’t noticed my reaction. “I managed to follow as
he drove away with you, but then something happened to the Hun…the man, and he crashed the car. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize soon enough that there was another vehicle following you. They swooped in and snatched you out of the trunk of the car.”
“Who had me? You almost said the name, so what stopped you?” I was beginning to suspect that Jeremiah didn’t want me to remember everything. Why else hold back information that could lead to memories returning?
“Very well,” he sighed, running a hand across his face. “It isn’t that important. The person who had you was a man named Hunter. He was kidnapping teenagers and using them as prey. He forced them to run through the woods as he used his powers to keep them trapped, and kill them. Do you really want to remember all that?”
What kind of life was I living? Why was I involved with people who would kill children? Or people who would hold me as a prisoner?
I felt breathless, as if I’d been running for hours. Whatever I had been part of, whatever horrible people I’d come across, whatever was in my past was part of me. Part of who I needed to become again in order to have a better chance to escape.
“I think… I think I need to know. Knowing what happened in my past could help me with what’s happening now.” And it would help me understand if Jeremiah was truly trying to help; if he was a friend, or only pretending to be.
Sighing, Jeremiah responded. “Very well; I will tell you whatever you need to know. For now, know that you are a very special person, Jason.”
Special. What was so special about me? Why would someone want to go through the trouble of kidnapping me and holding me captive? “Why?” I asked softly.
The other man cocked his head at me, and I clarified. “I mean, I get that I have some sort of ability. I have to, right? You said I did something to draw their attention. What exactly is it that I can do?”
Oblivion Page 2