by Willow Rose
"Maybe he lives there," Maya said.
"Yeah, probably," Samuel said, blowing on his hands. Even though they were wearing mittens, it was still too cold.
"You think that guy lives there too?" Maya asked as someone else walked up the driveway and entered the house through the front door.
Samuel shrugged. "Maybe."
"And that woman?" Maya pointed at a woman who parked her car in the driveway and rushed into the house. None of them even knocked. They all acted like they were very familiar with the house.
"Maybe it's like a meeting or something?" Maya asked.
"What? Like AA?"
"Yes."
"I hardly think Asgar was a drunk," Samuel said.
"Maybe it’s for something else. Like a support group."
Samuel nodded. "You wanna go and see?"
Maya smiled. "Sure."
They walked across the street and up to the house, then paused by the front door just as some other guy showed up behind them and walked right in. They followed him, staying close behind him.
Inside were about twenty people gathered in the living room. They were drinking coffee and tea and talking to each other. In the middle of the living room, there was a circle of chairs. On the wall behind a big muscular guy was a poster with a big light blob in a dark sky. On it was written FANOE ISLAND UFO RESEARCH and EXPERIENCERS GROUP.
Maya looked at Samuel, then back at the group, who had now seen them and stopped their chatting.
"Ah, newcomers," someone said.
Maya turned around and looked into the face of a very pale man with ruby red lips. He reached out his hand toward hers and she took it, even though the skin on it was flaky and peeling off in patches. It was also peeling on his face and throat, even though he tried to cover it up by wearing a turtleneck.
"Welcome to our club. My name is Thomas. We'll share our experiences in just a few minutes, as soon as everyone is here. We're so excited to have you here."
Chapter Fifty-Six
"We are actually here to talk about our friend, Asgar Dragstedt."
Maya looked around at the many faces staring at her. The meeting had been going on for about half an hour and she had been listening to one story after another about alien abductions and UFO sightings, and now it was her turn to share her extraterrestrial story, as Thomas had put it.
The room went silent. A few looks were exchanged, but no one said anything. "He was found in the dunes recently," Maya continued. "Dead."
Thomas looked at her, then sighed. "Yes, well. We all heard about that. And we all fear ending up like him. He's the fourth of our members to disappear over the past few months."
Maya's eyes grew wide. "Four? Four of your members have disappeared?"
Thomas nodded. "Yes."
"People usually only disappear for a few hours at a time," a woman sitting next to him said. "You know, when they're…taken. But lately, they haven't been coming back."
"We fear we might be next," a man sitting across from her said.
"Who else are you missing?" Samuel asked.
"Is Susan Ludvigsen one of them?" Maya asked.
They looked at one another. Thomas then nodded. "Yes, she used to come here too."
"But she is a hothead," Samuel said. "She does mushrooms and smokes a lot of pot; how can you believe anything she says?"
"Because she shared a story with so many others," Thomas said. "Susan's story was the same as Asgar's."
"What?" Maya said. "What story?"
"Susan, Asgar, Tim, and Vincent all came here in July with the same story. They had been at a party at the end of the school year in June and had a bonfire down on the beach. They had been drinking and partying along with a bunch of other kids from their school when suddenly, a bright light had enveloped them. The four of them had all been taken away and had experiments performed on them. The rest of the partygoers didn't experience anything. Or they didn't see what happened. They don't know. The next thing they remember is waking up on the north end of the island, in the forest between tall trees, naked. They all had the same two red injection marks on their arms. They all felt strange afterward. It was Asgar who came first after he had accidentally hurt himself horseback riding. It was just a scratch, but that was when he saw it and that was what brought him here. Soon after, the others came as well. They believed they had been abducted that night and experimented on. They are not the only ones. All of us here share the same story. People from all over the island come here, especially young teens. Even all the way from Sonderho."
"Saw what?” Maya asked. "I don't understand. What did he see?"
They exchanged glances once again, then Thomas spoke. "His blood. It had changed."
Maya looked at Samuel. This was going too far, she thought to herself. These guys were nothing but lunatics.
Thomas rolled his sleeve up and walked to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and brought it back. He cut himself on the arm with it and Maya winced.
"Don't do that," she said.
"No," he said. "I want you to see this. Look."
Maya stared at the wound where blood was now oozing out. Only it wasn't blood the way she knew blood. This wasn't crimson red. This was more like a dark yellow.
"Asgar had the same blood," Thomas said. "That's what they have done to us. They injected their blood into us. We think it might be because they're creating a mixture of our blood and theirs, you know, because otherwise, they can't survive here on our earth once they come down here. This way, they mix our blood with theirs, then drain it from us again and inject it into their soldiers. They're preparing to take over and when they do, we'll be nothing but a blood bank for their survival. Asgar was the first. Vincent is still in the hospital because they almost drained him too. They're coming for us. It won't be long now. The question is, are YOU ready for contact?"
Part V
Two days later
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Susan blinked her eyes. She didn't quite know where she was or even who she was. She had been in this strange place for a few days since she woke up and, even though they tried and tried to get her to remember, she simply couldn't.
She had learned that her name was Susan and that the house she was in belonged to this woman named Emma. She didn't know where she knew her from, but she did remember her face, sort of. At least she believed she did. There was something familiar about it.
There was a man who came to her every day. His name was Morten Bredballe, he told her. He was asking her a lot of questions, but she couldn't answer most of them. At least not in a way he wanted her to. It was obvious that he felt disappointed every time and she didn't like that. Susan didn't like to disappoint anyone.
Now, he was here again, sitting next to her on the couch, looking confused, rubbing his hair.
"Let's try again, Susan," he said.
Susan. She tasted the word. It had such a strange ring to it.
"Do you remember anything about where you were while you were gone? Were you in a house?"
Susan sighed and tried to remember, but she was completely blank. She shook her head.
"No, you weren't in a house or no you don't remember?" he asked.
She shrugged. "I don't know."
"Okay. Okay. Do you remember any faces, anyone who was with you?" he asked.
He had asked her that one before, but apparently not been very satisfied with the answer.
"I don't know," she said.
"Someone took your blood," he said. "While you were gone. You came back here almost drained. Do you remember who did that to you?"
Susan looked at him. She tried to look like she was thinking about it, but really, she wasn't because there was nothing there. Absolutely nothing. It was all just darkness.
Officer Morten Bredballe sighed. "I’m guessing you still don't know."
"I'm sorry," she said.
The woman, Emma, stepped forward. "Don't be, sweetie. It's not your fault. You're doing the best you can. You were out for quite
some time."
"How about the cabin we found you in? The guy who owns it says he went back to his house north of Copenhagen and his surveillance cameras show you walking in the front door two days before Emma found you. He told us he has been having problems with the lock, so that was why you found it open. Do you remember anything before getting to that cabin? How far did you run?"
She stared at him, not knowing what to say.
"This is hopeless," he said. "Can't you at least remember something? A face, a name, something?"
Emma gave Morten a look. "It's not her fault she can't remember. You can't force it out of her," she said.
He got up. "Maybe she was just doing drugs. And maybe the Dragstedts did kill their son."
"How do you suffer blood loss by doing drugs? Huh? And how do you explain Vincent?" Emma asked.
Morten exhaled and ran a hand through his hair again. "Yeah, you're right. It's just…so frustrating. I can't get anything out of any of them. Vincent is still out and this one…this one can't…remember a darn thing. How am I supposed to get anywhere with this case?"
Emma smiled and put her arm around his shoulder.
"With lots of coffee," she said and took him into the kitchen.
Susan sat for a little while staring at the living room in front of her. She liked it here. She didn't know anything else so far, but she knew she liked it. She didn't even remember her own home or her mother, whom they kept talking about. Apparently, she had been found in some alley. An overdose they called it, not that Susan knew what that was, but she wasn't here anymore they said. Susan knew she was supposed to feel sad about that, but since she couldn't remember her, she found it hard to cry over her. They had to figure out what to do with her. She needed a guardian, they said.
Susan sighed and looked around when suddenly she heard a sound, a whistling that was familiar to her. She almost gasped in excitement and turned towards it. She knew that whistling from somewhere. And that song. She knew it.
Waltzing Matilda, was it…right? It was the first thing she knew for certain that she remembered since she woke up. It was coming from the window behind her. Outside was someone, a man. He was whistling and waving at her.
Susan waved back.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
I poured Morten some coffee. He sighed and rubbed his stubble. "I don't know what to do here, Emma. I’m beginning to think I’m going crazy. This story makes no sense whatsoever."
I nodded and poured myself some coffee, then sat down. "Honey, you have hardly slept since we found Asgar's body. Don't you think it would be good for you to get some sleep? It might help you think more clearly."
He nodded. "I know. I just keep thinking about these kids, you know? I want to find whoever did this to them. I keep thinking about Jytte and Maya and all the other kids and who might be next. You should see that Vincent kid; he's like a withered flower. I can't risk any more of them ending up like him. I simply can't."
I sipped my coffee and thought about Maya. I was happy she was hanging out with Samuel a lot, at least she had someone to protect her in case this creep showed up and picked her next.
"At least Susan is safe and doing a lot better," I said, grabbing his hand in mine.
"True. But now there's the issue of her mother and finding a place for Susan to live."
"She can stay here as long as she likes."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely. I have plenty of room. I’ve given her one of the rooms upstairs, but she feels more comfortable on the couch, she says. Once she gets tired of Victor and Skye, she has a room waiting for her."
"What's up with that girl anyway?" Morten suddenly asked.
My heart pounded. I looked away. "I…what do you mean?"
"She's been here for weeks now. Where are her parents?"
"They're having trouble," I said. "Why? Have you heard anything? Is anyone searching for her maybe?" I asked, laughing awkwardly.
He shook his head. "No, of course not. But if they keep having problems, we might want to involve social services. She might need a foster home if they can't provide a home for her."
"Of course," I said. "Or she could just stay here."
Morten exhaled. "Emma?"
"Yes?"
"You do know the parents, right?"
"Well…how do you define knowing them?"
"As in you have met them?"
"Well…not actually…met them…"
"Emma!"
"What?"
Morten looked at me angrily. "Are you telling me you're keeping a girl here and you don't know where she belongs?"
I bit my lip. "Maybe a little bit."
"Emma!"
"What? No one is looking for her. She says she doesn’t have any parents." He gave me a very stern look.
"I'm sorry," I said. "But you've seen the two of them together. They’ve bonded. Actually bonded. Victor has never bonded with anyone his own age before. He’s never been this happy, nor has he ever been this well. Please, don't take her away from us. Please, don't call social services. I'll adopt her if possible. "
He sighed. "I am sorry, Emma. I know you mean well. But she needs to go back where she came from. I'll let you keep her until I find another solution, but then she’s out of here. You hear me? You can't just keep some random girl in your house, Emma. Where is your head at?"
Morten rose to his feet and looked at his watch. "I gotta go. I have a meeting with the colleagues from Copenhagen at the station in a few minutes. I have to be there to make sure they don't totally mess this entire case up." He leaned over and kissed me on the lips. "Be good, Emma. Don't get yourself into more trouble, will you promise me that? Please?"
I made a grimace. "I am not sure I can."
"Emma."
"All right. All right. Geez. I will. I will stay out of trouble."
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Maya stared at the computer screen. She had been going through article after article on obscure web pages about UFO sightings and reading through testimony after testimony in online support groups. Still, it made no sense to her. She was on the phone with Samuel, while reading some of it out loud for him.
"Take this one, for example. She believes she was taken into a spacecraft where she helped create some sort of alien hybrids with some of her eggs. 'They chose me,' she writes. She also goes on to say that she doesn’t very often share her story because most people aren't ready for that information yet. She doesn’t want to freak people out."
Samuel chuckled on the other end. Maya felt so confused.
"Why do you think Asgar went to these meetings?" she asked.
"Maybe he really did experience something," Samuel answered.
"So, you actually think he was sucked into a spaceship and that they performed some sort of experiment on him, doing what? Changing out his blood like that guy claimed?"
"I know it sounds absurd, but knowing Asgar, he must have experienced something that night. He would never make something like that up. It's very unlike him. Asgar was a smart kid."
Maya sighed. She knew Samuel was right. Susan, she could understand. Susan could have experienced all sorts of things in that drugged out mind of hers. But Asgar? Asgar was a good kid from a nice family. He might have a drink every now and then when they partied, but he was never drunk out of his mind like most teenagers around there. He preferred to stay clear in his mind and he didn't like to lose control, he once told her. That was part of why Maya enjoyed his company so much. He wasn't like the others. She could hang with him and not be bored at a party while the rest of them got drunk and unpleasant. They could be together and laugh at the rest of them acting crazy.
"Could he have been drunk?" Maya still asked. "When he believed he experienced those things?"
"I don't know. Asgar didn't drink, usually."
"But maybe he did that time," Maya said.
"You're thinking that maybe it was around the same time he found out about his real mother? That maybe he needed to drink to forget
? I don't know. I guess it is possible."
"And what about that blood thing? Do you buy into that?" Maya asked. "It seemed pretty far out to me."
"Yeah. Me too. But still. We saw it with our own eyes. Whatever came out of that guy wasn't normal blood if you ask me."
"He could have a disease or something," Maya said, scrolling through a new article. "Maybe it was a trick."
Samuel went quiet for a few seconds, and Maya read another article. "Do you believe in UFOs?" she finally asked.
Sam was still quiet. "I don't think we're alone in the universe. I do believe some people have experienced things, odd things from other planets or other universes parallel to ours. So, yes, technically you could say I believe in it. I mean, how would you explain so many similar stories coming from all over the world?"
Maya sighed and leaned back in her chair. It protested by squeaking. "I guess I believe a little too," she said. "Maybe. I mean…I believe there is more to the world than what we can see. Lately, things have been kind of odd around here, with my brother's weird friend and all. I guess I’ve realized there is more between heaven and earth."
"I’m sure there’s a lot we just don't know or understand."
Maya looked out the window. She had slept in today since it was Saturday, but that meant it was already the afternoon. At this time of year, it got dark at four o'clock and the light was already dimming. She wondered if the sun had even been out at all today, if it had been able to break through the heavy, thick, dark clouds.
"I can't wait to see you. When will you be here?"
"Oh, I already am. I’m right outside your house."
Chapter Sixty
I had been writing quite a lot lately and now, when Morten left, I turned to my laptop to do some research. The story was beginning to unfold about the wealthy family and their secrets, but I still didn't believe they had killed Asgar. Therefore, I got stuck with finding out the rest of the story. I wanted to know more about the family and especially the golf course back when it first opened, so I turned to the local library and their online archives. I found some old articles from 1901 about the grand opening of the first golf course in Denmark. Even the royal family and King Christian the 9th were present. It was quite an event for the small island.