Eyes with No Soul

by Sheri Chapman

  Eyes with No Soul

  Sheri Chapman

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © 2020 by Trient Press

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of

  $250,000.

  Except for the original story material written by the author, all songs, song titles, and lyrics mentioned in the novel Eyes with No Soul are the exclusive property of the respective artists, songwriters, and copyright holders

  Trient Press

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  #81710, SMB 13135

  Las Vegas,NV 89180 www.trientpress.com

  Ordering Information:

  Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above.

  Orders by U.S. trade bookstores and wholesalers. Please contact Trient Press: Tel: (775) 996-3844; or visit www.trientpress.com.

  Printed in the United States of America

  Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data Chapman, Sheri

  A title of a book :Eyes with No Soul

  ISBN Paperback: 978-1-953975-00-3

  E-book: 978-1-953975-01-0

  Thank you to Jean Anderson, my mom, and Norma Snyder, my aunt, for their feedback and encouragement on my first publication.

  Chapter One

  They say the eyes are a window to the soul. I’ve always found that to be true. Especially now...

  I’ve always been inclined to experience extrasensory sensations; some might even call them premonitions. I, however, would just call them strong feelings. At times, I have the ability to read individuals I know especially well by understanding minute differences in their body language, but I never noticed it being more than that.

  In one instantaneous moment, I graduated from awareness of minor sensations to the floodgates of perception being thrown wildly open, and I didn’t like it. It put my life in danger.

  I’d just been shopping with my friends at the food court in the mall when I accidentally bumped into a man. I turned toward him to excuse myself, and I found myself drowning in the blue icy depths of his rock-hard eyes. His cold mouth turned down into an unhappy frown when he saw my shocked reaction to his gaze. His eyes studied me intently then narrowed, almost as if he recognized me from somewhere.

  In that moment, I drank in his rugged appearance. He reminded me of a clean construction worker. A hint of cologne floated about him as he stood directly before me. He was dressed in a tan and brown plaid shirt unbuttoned to the top of his chest, and a pair of well-worn jeans clasped his thighs. His feet were covered in fawn colored work boots.

  He was of average height for a man, six feet or so by my guess, and lean but muscular with unkempt sandy hair. His square jaw sported a tired shadow of a beard. All in all, he was not an unattractive figure, but it was his eyes that

  swallowed up my attention and left me shaking.

  In that very long moment, I knew what he had done; and he knew that I knew. I’d just bumped into my very first murder mystery. The only difference was that I had solved the crime; I just had no idea of who the victim was.

  My heart was sledgehammer, pounding a rhythm on the jail bars in my chest. It was as if time had frozen when our eyes met. It took a nudge in the ribs from Angela to snap me back to the present. I quickly ripped my gaze from his, studied the floor tile, and muttered an apology to him before moving my concrete-filled legs into action – in the opposite direction – with as fast of a walk as they would go.

  “Whoa, girlfriend,” his deeply amused voice carried after me. “What are you running from?”

  As if he didn’t know.

  I heard heavy steps bound after me. It was all I could do not to scream and run like a panicked rabbit. My four friends were walking quickly beside me, but they had no idea why I was acting so strangely. It took no premonition for me to understand this, for I was being shot many looks of puzzlement.

  Strong fingers circled my upper arm, and I found myself being swirled around to face the very thing that would consume my future nightmares.

  “What’s the hurry, princess? Didn’t you just bump into me?” His icy eyes imprisoned me and nearly stole my breath.

  “Um, y-yes, I did, sir. I’m so sorry. I truly didn’t mean to…” my voice trailed off.

  “What’s this ‘sir’ nonsense? Call me Adam. Come, sit.” “Uh, I can’t. My parents are expecting me.” My eyes flashed at my friends, so they all jiggled their heads like

  bunch of nodding dolls.

  “Oh, a few moments of your time won’t hurt. I’ll buy you and all of your little friends some Taco Bell.”

  “I- I really can’t. Maybe some other time?” I felt locked in time, and I was desperate to escape.

  His mouth reformed the granite-hard line, and chiseled words fell from his lips and shattered at my feet, “You can certainly count on that. Okay. I will see you around.” His hand dropped from my arm and like a flash, he disappeared without a trace.

  “What in the heck was all that about?” demanded

  Janice.

  “I- I- I don’t want to talk about it here. Can we please just go?” I managed to whisper.

  “Sure, sweetie,” Angela crooned. “We can talk about it in the car.”

  We piled in Kim’s SUV. I sat shotgun. I’d hoped it would discourage the questions long enough for me to process what’d really happened, but it didn’t stop me from feeling the three sets of eyes shooting inquisitive lasers in the back of my head.

  “Okay, spill!” Janice stated firmly.

  “Just… give me a moment,” I said breathlessly.

  “Sure, babe. Take all the ten minutes you need,” Julie joked.

  I shivered in the heat. School was almost out, and the weather was already unseasonably warm. Kim blasted the air, oblivious to my discomfort. I blinked my eyes, trying to stall the scene that yet again commanded my inner vision.

  Blood. Blood spilled everywhere. On the walls, on the floor… I was sickened by the overpowering smell flooding my senses. I didn’t see a body, just the thickening black pools and splatters staining the entire living room…

  I bent forward to try to hide my reaction, a gag reflex. I took a steadying breath and turned to face my friends.

  Worry was etched in their foreheads and eyes. Concern for my out-of-character actions overcame any playful antics.

  “Laurie, are you alright?” Kim asked. Her focus on me was unwavering.

  “No, not really,” I said with a gulp. “Okay, you know how I always tease you guys and tell you I’m psychic?”

  “You really get me going with that,” said Kim. “You always know what’s wrong with me without me even saying!”

  “Yes, well, uh, I’m just really good at reading body language. I know you guys.” I said. “But this is the first time that I’ve had a truly psychic episode…”

  I took a moment
to let that sink in. Comprehension widened their eyes.

  “What happened?” Angela breathed. “What did you see?”

  I shuddered, and goose bumps puckered my skin. “Blood. That’s all I could see at first. It was so strong. It was all I could see... or smell.”

  Traces of doubt were reflected in Julie’s eyes, but I think the others believed me.

  I suddenly exclaimed, “That man is the devil. He killed someone, and he got away with it!”

  “What are you going to do?” Angela asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” I wailed. “They’d put me in a padded room with a nice tight white jacket if I go to the police and tell them I’m the next Allison DuBois.”

  “She has a point,” Julie noted.

  “So what, then?” asked Kim. “I noticed that you definitely perked his interest.”

  I shivered again. “That scared the crap out of me, too,” I stated. “I think he knows I know… somehow.”

  “What if he’s watching us to see what we’re driving?” observed a wide-eyed Kim.

  “Let’s get out of here!” I said with the intensity I felt. The drive home was an apprehensive, quiet drive. Each

  was wrapped in her own thoughts. We paranoid ones would spy at the cars trailing behind. After pulling up to Kim’s house, we quickly went in.

  “You girls are home early,” Kim’s mother said as we came in.

  “Ya, Mom. Can they stay for a while?”

  “You know I love your friends,” came the reply. “Cool!”

  We headed down to the naturally cool basement and theater room. It was really just a second living area with a few couches splashed here and there. Directly in front of the huge theater screen was a nice fluffy cream-colored rug littered with bright body pillows.

  I plopped down and waited for the television screen to light up. I about choked when I saw the breaking news story flash.

  The platinum blonde reporter began with a serious look on her painted face, “Darlene Houston has disappeared from her home in North Springfield early yesterday morning. The sixteen-year-old sophomore’s parents were working the late shift and came home to a house splattered in blood. If you happened to know anything about Darlene and her disappearance, please contact the Springfield Police Department as soon as possible.”

  A picture of Darlene was plastered to the screen for the audience’s perusal. Darlene was about 5’7”, slender but shapely, and had dark hair and hazel eyes. She looked like

  a runner.

  “Oh, my gosh!” Angela squeaked. “She looks a lot like you, Laurie!”

  I couldn’t breathe. I don’t think I’d ever seen someone who looked more like me in my life. She could’ve been my sister… and nearly, but not quite, a twin. No wonder Adam had taken an interest in me!

  The television camera turned to angle the house. Yellow police tape was crisscrossed everywhere. The camera zoomed in through the open door, and the picture that flashed on screen was an exact replica of the one in my head at the mall.

  I took in a deep, sharp breath and went white as a sheet. My friends looked at me, then the screen. It dawned on them that that was the scene I’d been seeing for much of the afternoon.

  “Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, MY GOD!!!!” The girls were pacing and zipping around the room like hummingbirds after a feeder on a hot summer day. I just watched them in stunned silence.

  “Laurie, we’ve got to do something! The police have to listen to you! We can all vouch some weird dude asked to buy us Taco Bell in the mall. We can say we saw blood on him and that he was interested in you. That should pique the police’s interest! Your resemblance to that girl is uncanny!” Julie stated breathlessly.

  “I guess…” I began. “I don’t think I can lie and say I saw blood on him although I certainly did see blood when I looked at him!”

  My friends nodded vigorously when they looked at me. “Do you think we should say something tonight?” I

  asked. “Or I could just talk to the school’s resource officer tomorrow?”

  “I think sooner is better than later, Laurie,” said Kim. “Yes, but sweetie, if you’re too scared or upset this

  evening, I don’t think he’ll kill anyone else tonight,” Angela consoled.

  “Hum. I just don’t know what to do. I’m leaning toward waiting. At least I kind of know our SRO,” I said picturing the police officer in my mind.

  “Okay. It’s decided then,” said Julie. “Let’s watch a movie to help get our minds off of it.”

  “Something funny?” I asked. “I really would like something light and airy. Maybe even an Avengers movie? They have corny humor that makes me laugh every time.”

  “Yeah, we know why you like the Avengers movies,” Kim teased.

  “Really?” I asked.

  “Um, don’t act like you don’t know! Does Chris Hemsworth or Chris Evans ring a bell?” Julie asked sweetly.

  “Whatever,” I mumbled with pinked cheeks.

  We were absorbed by the movie for a snatch of time. When it was finished, we all went home with anticipation about the big day in store for tomorrow.

  I knew I wouldn’t sleep well with all the bloody memories dancing in my head. I half way considered taking some medicine to help me sleep but decided against it. I tried to lie down, but each time I shut my eyes, red splashes spilled down the back of my lids.

  Morning came before I was ready. She slapped me awake with a sharpness I didn’t know she possessed. I sighed and got up. It was early, but I knew trying to go back to sleep was useless.

  I slowly got ready and thought about what I was going to say to the police. How in the world would I explain all of

  this? How would I explain why I didn’t call the police last night? Really, I had no proof; all I technically had was a gut feeling, and law enforcement would see that as a mere hallucination by the mind of an overactive, dramatic high school girl. They wouldn’t give relevance to the fact that this guy seemed to possess stalking mannerisms and had indicated anger toward me, a girl who looked almost identical to his first victim. It was extremely disconcerting and spooky.

  “Laurie, do you want me to fix you breakfast?” my mom called to me.

  “No, it’s okay, Mom. I don’t have much of an appetite right now,” I revealed.

  Mom came into the bathroom where I’d just finished dabbing on a bit of perfume.

  “Honey, I’m really worried.”

  “Me, too, Mom.”

  “You know why?” she asked.

  “Well, I figure.”

  “I guess I should know that by now, huh?” she asked, affectionately rubbing my shoulder. “That girl looks like you,” she observed.

  “Yes, Mom, how can that be? Did I have a twin that you gave up for adoption or something? It’s crazy how much that girl looks like me!”

  “I agree, honey, but you know they say we all have a twin, a doppelganger, in this world.”

  “Okay… and mine got taken out. Nice.”

  “Oh, Laurie, they’ll catch that man, don’t worry!” “Mom–”

  “Yes?”

  “I have something to tell you… I sort of… bumped into the killer yesterday.”

  “WHAT?”

  “Well, Julie, Kim, Angela, Janice, and I all went to the mall to goof off, and I literally bumped into him.”

  “So why isn’t he apprehended, then?” Mom asked, an incredulous look on her face.

  “Mom, no one knows who killed that girl; only I do. They don’t have a body; so technically, they can’t say she was murdered.”

  “Okay, honey, so then how do you know this guy was the one?” She placed a hand on her hip but the concerned look on her face didn’t diminish.

  “Mom,” I paused. “I know.”

  Mom saw the seriousness on my face. She must’ve considered that my entire life had been punctuated with correct premonitions.

  “Oh, my God, baby! I’ve got to hire you a guard! You’re right! You look too much like that girl! You’re in
danger! Oh nooo! What are we going to do?” Her hands were fluttering like the laundry on the line in the wind.

  “MOM! Calm down. I’m going to talk to the school’s police officer today and tell him what I know.” I put my hands on her arms to help calm her.

  “So this guy saw you, right?”

  “Uh… yeah, Mom. He did.” I dropped my unexpectedly leaden arms.

  Suddenly, I was clutched in her arms so tightly I felt like there wouldn’t be anything left when she finally let go. I returned her hug, not sure how this was all going to work out.

  “Mom, I’ve got to go now. I promise to be careful. I want to get to school early so I can talk to Officer Heitz.”