Empathica

by Ruth Watson

  It still looked like the same lock as before; Niam said a little prayer to himself.

  “Please!” as he swiped the card downwards.

  The green light flicked on.

  7…7…1…6

  The door swung open!

  Niam paid more attention this time; he looked around at what his sick ex-friend had collected. The body of Phoebe was still floating loosely in the tank, Niam recognised her soul now, she was his colleague in his last human life, poor woman, why would anyone want to torture her like that?

  Niam had come back a few times after that as a human, he remembered that. Empaths don’t always take the same path as one another, even if they are two sides of the same coin.

  He heaved at the woman’s face.

  He could see she had been tortured, her eye was missing, she had finger and toe nails missing, it looked like they had been pulled out. Her hair had chunks missing, her teeth had been pulled.

  “My God! He’s an absolute fucking animal!” Niam gasped.

  George followed him inside, he just stood aghast! Then, he threw up.

  “Jesus Christ! What the hell is this guy?” he asked Niam.

  “A murderer!” Niam replied.

  Taking out his phone, George took photographs.

  “I am going to wait for you to get out of here, then I am gonna have to call the cops man, because I can’t let this go unreported.”

  There was the sound behind the two of them of a gun being cocked!

  George went to turn around, but didn’t even get to face his killer.

  A shot fired.

  George dropped to the floor, shot in the back of his head.

  Niam automatically put his hands up.

  Jaydan had the look of a maniac; he was shaking as he pointed the gun at Niam.

  “You’re my friend Nee; you have been all my life. Don’t make me kill you as well, you know what I am capable of, you know I will do it!” Jaydan said.

  “So, shoot!” Niam said, grinding his teeth.

  “WHAT!” The shocked look on Jaydan’s face was priceless.

  “Go on! You have taken the only thing I really cared about in this world! So, go ahead, put me out of my misery, shoot me, like a lame dog. I am nothing without her, nothing. I just feel dead inside! SHOOT ME! YOU PRICK!” Niam shouted.

  Jaydan didn’t know what to say, or do, Niam watched as he wet his trousers.

  “COME ON! DO IT!”

  Jaydan cocked the gun again and aimed it at Niam’s forehead.

  Niam walked forward, sticking his forehead into the gun.

  “COME ON YOU DICKHEAD! DO – IT!” Niam taunted. “Look at you, a child who is so frightened you had to p your trousers!”

  Jaydan fired…

  As the light of the gunshot escaped, something wasn’t quite right. Jaydan dropped to the floor; he rolled around in pain, holding his shoulder.

  The gun had backfired.

  Niam made a run for it, dialling the number for the police. He had the key, he had the access code. George couldn’t die for nothing, he was right; Niam made a grab for George’s phone that was evidence.

  Jaydan couldn’t get away with this, he shut the door and pressed the lock.

  Seventeen

  Niam knew that it wasn’t safe to head back to his apartment, Jaydan had no idea where he was at the moment, but his determination would have him chase Niam to the ends of the Earth. Laryssa had told him of a safe place that the Empaths would go if they were ever in trouble; it was in Worcester in the West Midlands called St Johns. He would head to the library, it belonged to the university and had plenty of nooks and crannies to hide in; when he got inside, he was to ask for Laura at the front desk.

  He had to smile; it made him sound like a British spy - 007. “More like 001.” He mumbled to himself.

  Niam got in his car.

  He wasn’t being pursued as far as he knew. Or maybe that gun backfiring was more than just fate, maybe it killed the bastard!

  “Mmm - probably wishful thinking on my behalf.” Niam said to himself.

  His gut instinct reassured him that Jaydan was still well and truly alive. He could sense it.

  As he drove away from the building, he could hear the sound of the sirens. Let’s hope the police catch up with him before he hides the evidence. He would take the key card and give the access code in at Worcester police station, before heading to the library.

  Either that or Jaydan would have done a runner, knowing what Niam’s next move would be. After all they had been friends since they took their first breath, well, almost!

  Niam kept his phone switched on.

  The sound of it ringing still made him jump. He pulled over into a layby.

  “Hello” he said.

  The number was private.

  “You think you’ve beat me don’t you? I am coming for you.”

  “Jaydan you prick!” The phone went dead. Niam had so much he needed to say, he just never got the opportunity.

  Niam had to take a few minutes he knew how dangerous Jaydan was, he was his enemy. It seemed that after all these years Niam had finally become one too. He could only head for refuge now, seek a place to hide until the heat had died down.

  He really would have loved to know what happened when he left.

  Did the police get there before the evidence was covered? All would no doubt be revealed later, he would attempt to meditate, he needed Gaia’s guidance, he could ask her what he should do next.

  She may tell one of her strange riddles, but at least he could talk it out and possibly figure out what the hell she was telling him about, it may help and he was desperate!

  Realising what a fool he had been, Niam suddenly came to the conclusion that he should have contacted her before following his heart. Now he was in some big trouble. Being chased by a lunatic with no one to back him up, not even spiritual!

  It may be a case of trying to survive first, then seek his revenge later, but as angry as he was Jaydan was not one to take this lying down.

  If he wasn’t careful, Niam could end up dead, and as much as he loved his woman, he wanted that bastard Barker to pay for killing her before he went anywhere. So his priority was firstly to try and stay alive.

  *

  Niam began to think of Empathica and what it might be like. It was a place the Empaths strived to reach, he could feel the magic of the place as it pulled him on, it was like something in his soul craved it. It was strange to believe in something he couldn’t see, but this was the beginning of his journey, His grieving for Laryssa meant he wanted to move on as soon as he could. It was weird; he could feel a joy at the thought made his heart beat a little faster.

  He wondered whether it was worth risking a return trip to the apartment, he knew the best place for contact would be the white room he had built for Laryssa.

  But could he make it?

  The white room was a haven. His soul could contact Gaia through meditation and Laryssa had explained that the Goddess could give him guidance in times of need, but how safe would it be to go to London?

  Gaia had already come to him in his dreams, he wasn’t sure how good he would be without Laryssa, but it was worth a try, he had only used the white room with her in it.

  Loneliness caught in his throat, it came up from his gut and his heart. Grief is a personal thing.

  He turned the car around.

  Searching around quickly in his dashboard looking for his wallet, he found it pulling out his credit card “Well, I have never left home without these, so I guess I am car shopping”. He said to himself. “I need to get rid of these wheels!”

  He got four blocks over from his apartment and parked up out of sight. He grabbed a hoody from the boot, the one he used when going on his rare trips to the gym, he stuck the hood up and walked the four blocks round the long way to his apartment.

  Police were everywhere so there was a guarantee that Jaydan would be nowhere.

  He walked into the ground floor of the building w
here a detective approached.

  “Mr Lewis?” she enquired.

  “Yes.” Niam said apprehensively. Pulling his hood down.

  “We need to have a quick word; can I ask where you have been?” she said.

  “I will give you all the time you need, but can we take this to my apartment, I feel rather exposed out here.” Niam said.

  “Sorry sir have you been threatened?”

  “Yes, yes I have. I’m sorry can I ask you your name?” Niam said.

  A big guy walked over to interrupt the conversation.

  “You can, she is Detective Sergeant Murray, I am Detective Inspector Carlyle. We are looking for your friend a Mr Jaydan Barker; have you any clues to where he could be?” Murray asked.

  Niam walked the two detectives to the lift, he turned to speak to George, then he suddenly remembered, he wasn’t there.

  “Did you get into the vault?” he enquired.

  “We did, thanks to an anonymous donor of a key card and pass code.” Murry said. “We gather it was you, you could have come forward!”

  “Yes, well I am trying to get away from a dangerous man!” Niam began.

  “Really? So, can I ask again why you feel so threatened? Why did you come back if you felt you were in danger? I mean you did insist that you handed in the code and key at the Worcester station!” Carlyle asked. “You could have handed it in here; it would have been far more convenient.”

  Niam said nothing more, he got the feeling he could be a suspect of his own girlfriend’s murder, or maybe they felt he was Jayden’s accomplice.

  “Do I need a solicitor?” he asked.

  “No not yet. We are just here to get some information to help us with our enquiries.” Murray said.

  “Okay, so let’s get this over with.” Niam said.

  “Why have you got somewhere you need to be? Or someone you need to meet?” Carlyle enquired.

  “Yes, I have to get out of here before my maniac ex-friend returns and you’re scraping me off the sidewalk as well. George? Did you…” Niam began to say.

  “Yes, he was barely alive, but we have him under secure observation at the county hospital.” Carlyle said.

  Niam was taken aback!

  “ALIVE! Oh my God! I left him, how could I… I thought he was dead!” Niam said.

  “Did you check?” Murray asked.

  “Sorry, I was too busy having a gun held to my face, after the gun backfired I saw it as an opportunity to get out of there.” Niam said.

  “Wise!” said Carlyle.

  “Mr George has no recollection, but he did explain why you both felt it was necessary to break and enter into Mr Barker’s apartment, without police help!” Murray said.

  “You could have contaminated the area, damaging any evidence we may have found!” Carlyle said, a little assertively.

  “What would you have done if I had called, oh by the way there is a lab behind the museum in Barker’s apartment with all sorts of weird and wonderful things in there? You would have got me a psychologist? Mind you I would probably have been dead; staying there with Barker wielding a gun didn’t seem to be something I felt I could compete with!” Niam said, almost in her face.

  “Okay, you two put the rattles back in your prams…” Carlyle laughed.

  “Sir!” Murray said.

  The two sat in the lounge whilst Niam offered the usual coffee or tea.

  They declined the offer and Niam told them everything that had happened.

  “We need you in protective custody; perhaps we should also put extra police in the hospital?” Murray said to his colleague.

  “If Jay wants to get us, believe me he will. The way it stands at the moment is he probably thinks like I did that George is dead! So hopefully that will keep him away from the hospital.” Niam said.

  A small noise was heard, then another as bullet holes appeared in the glass of the apartment.

  Carlyle dropped to the floor by the settee; he was shot in the shoulder.

  “How the bloody hell has he managed to reach us up here?” Murray asked.

  “I told you, he’s a maniac!” Niam said.

  Murray called for assistance and Niam grabbed a change of clothes, the shots had come from the adjacent apartment block, which was also owned by Barker.

  The police had got to it quickly, but the gunman was gone.

  “I am leaving, now!” Niam told Murray. “please don’t try to stop me”.

  “Okay, but I would advise you to be cautious, try and get any information of this killer’s whereabouts back to me.” She handed him a card, “any time!”

  Niam nodded and took the card.

  “I need a different vehicle, one that isn’t traceable, he’s a sly bastard, he’ll find me by pulling strings with whoever he knows that’s dodgy on the force.”

  Murray looked at him. “Take mine!” she said, throwing him a set of keys. “It’s in the street, right next to the pizza shop. By the way no-one is dodgy on the force that we know of!”

  Niam didn’t comment about her last words. “Thanks…” was his only response.

  “Stay in touch, I am here to help you!” Murray said, still stemming the bleeding from her colleague’s shoulder.

  The lift opened, the paramedics climbed out, Niam climbed in.

  “Good luck Lewis!” Murray said.

  “I’m going to need it!” Niam said.

  The lift door shut!

  Eighteen

  The car was a pile of junk, Niam laughed; he hadn’t driven something like this since he was in his teens.

  “Forgot how underpaid coppers are.” He turned the key in the car door. He climbed in it was filled with paperwork and coffee cups this woman was a trash hoarder. She had even left a pile of newspapers on the back seat. Niam could only hope they had copies of the paperwork or that she was taking it to the trash. I mean, who leaves loads of confidential papers in their car? Niam laughed to himself.

  Whilst sat inside the car, he took a good look around; finding Barker was going to be like looking for a needle in the haystack, but his cars… Niam knew every one he owned. This was bound to go in his favour that is unless the bastard had bought yet another new one!

  Niam tried to focus again, he needed to stop, he could sense Gaia’s call, this would not be easy whilst he was on the run!

  *

  NEW EARTH 2532AD: 12 months after Laryssa’s death…

  Niam had found a place that seemed to be safe enough to settle for a short time, he had called his sister she had been living in Niam’s old apartment under the scrutiny of DS Murray.

  Luckily there had been no sign of Jaydan.

  Every place was pretty much the same. So Niam had set himself up in an apartment on the twentieth floor, Glass-bow towers in Manchester. Kind of a home from home, as it was similar to London.

  Dawn was Niam’s other sister, in her early twenties and a legal secretary in a law firm (not owned by her family or the Barkers) she had packed Niam’s things so she could gradually move herself in, She worked in London, so this would be more of a favour for her. His apartment needed someone reliable to keep it occupied, although he was sure he wasn’t ever moving back. He sent for the dogs. He had really missed them and he hadn’t seen them in over six months; he began to wonder if they’d remember who he was.

  His belongings arrived; boxes of stuff, everything had been packed along with all of Laryssa’s things, which he had decided he would leave boxed in his bedroom. He couldn’t get rid of it, but he didn’t have the heart to unpack it either. He toyed with the thought of asking her father if he wanted anything, then remembered what a selfish bastard he had always been, so wondered how annoyed Laryssa would have been if he had.

  He had got the things Dawn had put in storage, his sofas and his bed. She had been careful not to get Niam’s things mixed up with Laryssa’s, and vice versa, he would be heartbroken if he saw her stuff right now, what with the anniversary coming up so soon.

  Trying to assure Dawn that she h
adn’t been followed was like mission impossible; she believed that Barker was everywhere. Niam understood her paranoia but, he wished she could be calm Barker was probably in another country getting a suntan, he wouldn’t give two hoots what was happening in UK, he had killed two people as far as he knew three including Phoebe, that was all the people Niam knew of. There could have been many more.

  Carlyle had recovered from his gunshot wound; he was back on duty again. Niam had bought himself a new car and Murray had her car-wreck back, only days after lending it him - he was glad to see it gone, it was filthy.

  His dogs were thrilled to see him they settled in their new home like they had never left him.

  Another six months went by without hearing a word from Barker or anyone else associated with him.

  He consoled himself with whisky on the anniversary of Laryssa’s death, using the rest of his time just searching and waiting for that final meeting.

  The evenings had grown light, it was August, Niam had come in and sat down with the dogs ready to relax with a glass of red wine which was already half consumed on the way from the kitchen.

  The German Shepherd got up next to him and curled into his thigh as always, whilst the Irish wolfhound curled at his feet.

  Niam drifted off quickly…

  He saw himself in a different life, married to a very odd woman. She looked a bit like a man, he had two girls aged around 11 years old they could have been twins. Nee wasn’t that much of a looker, but he didn’t seem to care very much about that, this was him God he was an anxious man!

  He remembered the hurt when Laryssa had dropped her moral bombshell on him. He was fighting with the pain, (they didn’t mean to fall for one another, but they just ended up that way) he believed or had been convinced that she hadn’t loved him at all. Basically, he was sulking like a little child, because things hadn’t gone his way.

  GOD! He was such an idiot!

  He should have waited but, he had been convinced that she didn’t love him at all, he convinced himself that she had used him, he found places he could hide when he needed to cry for her. Truth was, he should never have trusted the people he had confided in. He ended up losing her altogether because of their idle gossip and his need to turn spiteful every time they came face to face.