Watchers of the Night

by Matthew Keith

Chapter 7

  The lobby was an enormous, marble-tiled, triangular-shaped room with concrete walls on two sides and a polished oak reception desk running the length of the far wall. Three women worked behind the desk, one of them speaking into a headset .The other two, also wearing headsets, were focused on the computers in front of them. Potted plants and two long, low couches ran along both concrete walls. Currently, no one else was in the lobby. The only sound when Paul entered the room was the muted tapping of computer keys and the barely audible voice of the woman speaking into her headset.

  Looking up, one of the typists gave them a warm smile. “Mr. Dittrich—so good to have you back on site. This is our newest arrival, I assume?”

  Placing his hand in the middle of Paul’s back, Dittrich gently urged Paul forward. “Yes, Gladys. This is Paul Bennett.”

  “Welcome to Astralis, Paul. We’re thrilled that you’ve chosen to come to us.” Motioning to the two women working with her, Gladys said, “This is Lydia and this is Martha.” Both women murmured the appropriate welcomes. Giving her attention back to Dittrich, Gladys told him, “Everything has already been arranged. Paul’s file has been entered into our system, so there is no need for any paperwork. His parents and school administrators signed everything that needed signing. Dr. Abrams is in the welcome office. He is expecting you both.”

  “Perfect,” Dittrich answered and added with a wink, “as always.”

  Lisa first hugged her father, then turned to Paul and said, “I really am so glad you came. I know the way you ended up here isn’t how you wanted it to happen, but I truly believe you’ll find this will be the greatest thing that’s ever happened to you. I will see you again very soon.”

  Motioning to a door to the left of the reception desk, Dittrich said to Paul, “Shall we go meet the man?”

  Looking from Lisa to Dittrich, Paul inclined his head forward. Dittrich held the door open, ushering Paul and Lisa into a t-shaped hallway that stretched straight ahead as well as to the right and to the left. Lisa gave them a quick wave and walked away down the hall to the right. Dittrich led Paul down the hall in the opposite direction, the hall ending after a short distance, a single closed door at the end.

  Dittrich reached up, knocked twice at the door, and, not waiting for a reply, turned the handle while opening it in one swift motion. Holding the door open, he motioned for Paul to enter.

  The office beyond was more or less what Paul expected; a few non-specific paintings dotted clean, beige-colored walls with framed certificates or diplomas for achievement in something-or-other interspersed among them. It was very antiseptic, devoid of any personal touches.

  The man behind the desk who was in the process of standing from his chair, however, was not at all what Paul had expected. He was of less-than-average height, perhaps just this side of chunky, with a baby face adorned by a pair of thick wire-framed glasses. Dressed in khaki pants and a button-up Hawaiian shirt, his smile was guileless and his eyes were clear. His expression conveyed true pleasure in making Paul’s acquaintance.

  Taken off guard, Paul missed a beat, and he stepped forward clumsily to shake the man’s outstretched hand.

  Sensing Paul’s surprise, Dr. Abrams smiled even wider, displaying a prominent gap between his two front teeth. As if reading Paul’s mind, he said, “Not at all what you expected, am I? No worries, I get that a lot. I know that most of the time the only way anyone hears about me is by the use of my formal title. Believe me, if I had it my way, none of my friends would ever call me by anything but my first name. It so much more fits who I am.”

  Standing there open-mouthed, Paul realized he had not stopped shaking Dr. Abrams’ hand. “You’re absolutely not what I expected, Dr. Abrams,” he agreed. “Truthfully, I have to say that this entire month has been filled with the unexpected, so why not one more thing?”

  Letting go of Paul’s hand, Dr. Abrams motioned Paul to sit at one of the chairs facing his desk, also motioning Dittrich to do the same.

  “I have been informed of the way in which you came to the, eh—shall we say decision?—that brought you here,” Dr. Abrams said. “I realize that you must feel somewhat manipulated, and for that I am truly sorry. It is not the way we normally go about bringing someone such as yourself into our fold, but I received information that led me to believe you and your family could end up harm’s way.”

  He paused, expecting a response from Paul. When none was forthcoming, his eyes softened and he said earnestly, “Whether that is entirely believable for you at this point or not, it is the truth and I hope, as you spend time here and come to know our organization, you’ll realize that we will always have your best intentions at the heart of any decisions we make.”

  Paul could sense no trace of deceit in Dr. Abrams eyes, nor in the tone of his voice. He felt himself being put at a guarded sense of ease—for the time being. There was a short pause as Dr. Abrams shifted his eyes to Dittrich, perhaps to give Dittrich a chance to expand on what he’d said, but Dittrich remained silent.

  “Well,” Paul said as Dr. Abrams eyes shifted back to him, “at this point I’m not sure it really matters how I got here.” Paul was ready to leave it at that, but Dr. Abrams remained silent, patiently waiting, clearly hoping for more of an answer.

  “I’m here now, and Lord knows even if I wanted to leave I wouldn’t know which way to go,” Paul continued. “So I guess the obvious question is what we do from here. What is it that you feel I can contribute to what you’re doing at Astralis? Lisa and Mr. Dittrich have told me that I’m special, but after having met them and knowing that they can do the same thing I can, I don’t see how I am. I’m also told that there are other people living here who also share my ability. If that’s the case, if you already have all these people here, then what difference could I possible make?”

  Dr. Abrams smiled as he settled into his chair, leaning forward with his elbows on the desk. “I see that Mr. Dittrich and his daughter have followed protocol and not divulged any more than the basics of your talent.” Pausing a moment, focusing his attention completely on Dittrich, Dr. Abrams said, “Not that I would ever have expected anything less, Kendall.”

  A prolonged silence followed. Finally, Dr. Abrams said, “I think now would be a good time for Paul and I to discuss his situation in greater detail. Privately. If you’ll excuse us, please, Kendall?”

  “Of course,” Dittrich stood up with a thin-lipped smile. “Paul, if I don’t see you again before tomorrow, I wish you a good night. As I told you earlier, if you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask.”

  Paul murmured a polite thank you as Dittrich left the office and shut the door.

  “Now,” Dr. Abrams said. “I know how uncomfortable you must be right now. I know you feel as if you’ve been manipulated into coming to this place and the honest truth is that you have been. We brought you here to protect you, but not in the way you’ve been led to believe. You are special and that is the reason why you and your family could be in harm’s way.”

  Paul opened his mouth to ask Dr. Abrams what he meant, but Dr. Abrams held up one hand. “Before I explain myself, I need to know what you know already. Otherwise my explanation could seem incomplete or unbelievable. Tell me what you know of your ability and Astralis.”

  “Okay…” Paul answered, a little exasperated. If this man was everything that he’d been made out to be, shouldn’t he already know this? Nevertheless, he began. “I know that I fall into a deep sleep every night when the sun goes down. Once I’m asleep, I’m able to go anywhere I like and no one can see me except others like me. I know that I can’t be hurt when I’m in the dream and I know that I don’t get tired or hungry or sick. I can’t carry anything with me, or pick anything up, or move anything in the dream.”

  After an encouraging nod from Dr. Abrams, he continued. “As for Astralis, I know it is a place where people come for help with sleep disorders, but the main disorder that is treated here is the one I have. I know you have made it your life’
s work to help people like me cope with what we are because your family in some way has suffered from sleep disorders for generations.”

  Dr. Abrams, still leaning forward with his elbows still on his desk, stared intently at Paul, waiting for more.

  Paul gave a shake of his head, not sure what more the man was looking for. “… and that’s it, Dr. Abrams.”

  Still Dr. Abrams waited. Clearly, he employed the same tactic that Paul used by staying silent, allowing others to do the talking. Although their conversation was a serious one and Paul didn’t want to offend the doctor, he couldn’t help but smile inwardly as he recognized a personality trait the two of them had in common.

  Unwilling to play a guessing game, Paul got right to the point. “Look, Lisa and Mr. Dittrich have told me that I’m special. You have told me that I’m special. But I don’t understand how. How am I any more special than anyone else who can do this? And why would it matter? Once you’re able to do what we can do, what else is there to trump it?”

  Dr. Abrams squinted at Paul through his glasses. Finally, he looked down at his wristwatch and leaned back in his chair with a squeak of springs and leather upholstery. Evidently, he’d made his decision.

  “We have less than an hour before you’ll need to be taken to your quarters. First and most important rule at Astralis, Paul; we live by the clock. We are always aware of the time of day. The routines of the permanent residents at this facility are all in some way affected by nightfall and daybreak, so we keep time management among our top priorities. Remember that. It can save your life.”

  Standing from his chair and walking around his desk, Dr. Abrams said, “Let me respond to your questions first by trying to explain what we do here at Astralis. Let’s take a walk, and I will give you the grand tour.”

  First the man wants privacy, and then he decides to take me on a tour? There were obviously intricacies to the way this man thought and reasons for the decisions he made, but it left Paul feeling off-center.

  But then, he’d been feeling off-center for years, so this was nothing new.