The Shadow Box: Paranormal Suspense and Dark Fantasy Thriller Novels

by Travis Luedke

  “Will not. I’m his favorite.”

  Jessica rolled her eyes. “We both know that’s not true. I’m the favorite. Anyway, since you’ve told first and I can blame this all on you, I’ll tell him. Madeline was this old lady from somewhere in Spain.”

  “It was France.” Amy walked over to the bed and sat on the corner.

  “Whatever. She was pretty but not very smart. One night last month she decided to take off without telling anyone.”

  “She liked to go for walks at night.” Amy brushed the hair on her Barbie with her left index finger. “And she wasn’t that old, either.”

  “Was too. I heard she was in her late thirties. That’s practically ancient. Anyway, later on that night, Amy and I woke up. There were all these people rushing around. Even Wisdom raised his voice and that never happens. Never. That’s why I got out of bed and went looking. I knew it was bad.”

  “There was blood all over carpets. Even some on the walls.”

  “What?” David sat forward and pushed his damp hair off his forehead.

  “She’s exaggerating. Amy tends to do that because she’s an only child. That’s also why I adopted her as my sister. Not because she exaggerates but because she’s an only child. No one should have to be an ‘only’ anything. The blood wasn’t all over the carpet. It was just…I don’t know…leaking behind Madeline. Now, she was covered in blood. I couldn’t see very well but, from what I sensed in her mind, she was cut by very big knives. Knives that looked like peacock feathers.”

  “She was also set on fire. Don’t forget that.”

  Jessica grabbed Amy’s Barbie and threw it against the front door. “You’re jumping ahead and ruining my story! Stop it!”

  Amy walked slowly over to the doll, picked it up and adjusted its hair with her index finger. “Don’t do that to my doll, Jessica. I won’t warn you again.”

  Jessica opened her mouth, squinted her eyes, and then shook her head. “I won’t. I promise. Don’t be mad, okay? Anyway, David, we found out after she was dead…”

  “Dead?”

  “Well, yeah. We forgot to mention that, didn’t we? Well, after she died, Amy overheard Elaine and Wisdom talking. It wasn’t a random attack. This was deliberate.”

  David pulled a package of cigarettes from his canvas bag only to have them pulled out of his hands by an invisible force. The package fell onto the floor between him and the girls.

  “No smoking in here, David,” Amy said. “Wisdom has allergies.”

  Jessica rolled her eyes again and got off the bed. She walked over to the cigarettes, picked them off the floor, and threw them into a nearby metallic garbage can. “He does not have allergies, Amy. How many times do I have to tell you? Things, I mean people, like him don’t have allergies. He just doesn’t like cigarettes because they smell bad. They’ll make you give them up in class, too, so you might as well stop now.”

  David stared at the garbage can. “So you’re saying someone tracked her down and did this to her. That’s the reason you guys are not allowed out of the building?”

  “Sort of,” Amy kept her eyes focused on her doll. “But we weren’t allowed out much before that, either.”

  “Don’t say anything else, Amy. You know you really do talk too much. We should get back to our rooms. We have studying to do. Just don’t go out on your own. Bad things could happen and I haven’t decided whether I want you dead or not yet.”

  After they left, David changed into jogging pants and sat on the sofa. He looked out over the city for a long time.

  In the morning, he woke screaming and covered in sweat. This nightmare was even worse than usual. He tried to forget the crawling, scaly things from his dream. But he failed. He looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was 5:30. He threw off the few corners of the sheets still clinging to his body and pushed himself to his feet.

  He looked out the window and surveyed the streets of Toronto. From thirteen stories up, he could still make out the people below. A group of people his own age staggered and swerved down the sidewalk. It took him several minutes to remember what day it was. Saturday morning. They were probably students out all night dancing and drinking, coming home after an early breakfast. In another life that would have been him.

  ***

  Elaine walked into Wisdom’s office and sank to the floor, her back against the wall and her feet on the floor.

  “Rough night?” Wisdom asked. He sat behind his desk pouring a glass of scotch.

  “It always is, Wisdom.” She cracked her knuckles and rubbed the soreness out of her trigger fingers.

  “I don’t need to ask, do I?”

  She looked up then. “Of course you don’t need to ask. They’re dead. It was just…messy. There were a few civilians. A mother and child.”

  “It’s not the first time you’ve shot a mother, Elaine. Your conscience confuses me. Those men killed Madeline. So when do you stop?”

  “When you say we’re done.”

  Wisdom smiled. “Not the killing, the self-flagellation.”

  “I think only your kind can do that. I’m still…”

  “Still human? Well, yes. I guess you are. I could change that for you, you know? One of these days you will take me up on the offer.”

  Elaine shook her head. “Not yet. Maybe when I get old. For now it’s too much to give up.”

  Wisdom laughed softly. “I do love you, Elaine. Just don’t tell Echo I said so. Well, I won’t keep you. You should get a few hours' sleep while you can. This may be the last moment of peace you know in this life. This will be our last night here.”

  “Hallelujah. I’ve never liked Toronto. Too many homeless people. It just depresses me.”

  “London has just as many homeless,” Wisdom said. “Do you think your dislike of Toronto might have something to do with a certain blond-haired man who died here?”

  “That was a long time ago.” Elaine went silent for a moment and leaned her head back against the wall. Then she pushed herself to her feet. “It’s starting soon, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. In a few hours.”

  “Are you sure you can still trust Echo?” Elaine’s face was blank. There was something in the vacancy of her eyes that clearly showed disappointment. “She could turn the Anomalies over to Propates. You did say she was unpredictable.”

  “Unpredictable, not stupid.” Wisdom drank the rest of his scotch. “She’ll be here just in time.”

  Elaine dropped her shoulders and scratched her hair. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this, Wisdom.”

  “Believe me,” Wisdom said. “When the time comes, you’ll be ready.”

  ***

  At 6:58 a.m. there was a knock at David’s door. He looked away from the mirror where he had been attempting to straighten his hair. He was about to say “Come in” when Garnet entered. She was dressed in a tight black pantsuit with a red top underneath. He started to admire the way she looked but stopped the thought before it was fully formed. Around here it was hard to tell who was listening.

  “You’re up? Good. Ready for class?”

  David looked back into the mirror and ran a palm over the stubble on his chin. “Do you think I need to shave?”

  She tilted her head to the left and studied him. “No. You’re good. You know, there’s a whole closet full of clothes over there. Are you sure you want to wear that?”

  “What’s wrong with this?” David wore a clean pair of blue jeans and a bright orange Roots shirt. The shirt hung loosely over his trim body and made his shoulders look bigger than they truly were.

  “Nothing. If you were going to bingo. People around here usually dress for class. There are suits in there. Expensive ones.”

  “I’m not here for my fashion sense. And speaking of fashion, isn’t that jacket a bit tight?”

  “No, it is exactly tight enough.” David followed her out into the hallway. “Here, take this.” She passed him a CIBC bank card and, after David locked his room, she walked down the hallway toward a
set of elevators.

  “You’re not paid like most jobs on a weekly basis. In addition to your hiring bonus, Wisdom put $10,000 into this account. The PIN number is 1993, the year you were born, right? You won’t have many expenses. You pay no rent and food is included, of course. I’m sure one of the others already told you we don’t encourage you to go off on your own. There are scheduled outings, though. Spend away on those. Some of the employees send money home to their families.”

  “I won’t be doing that.” They stopped at the elevators and he felt her eyes on him. “So when do I find out what I do?”

  “Do?”

  “Yes, do. As a job?” The elevator doors opened and Garnet stepped inside.

  Garnet looked at him sideways and frowned. “Wisdom will go into that later. For now, just go to class. They’ll show you all sorts of fun things. Get you ready for your… job. Don’t worry. As the letter said, Wisdom has a very specific need for people with your talents. He is willing to pay extremely well for your services.”

  “It doesn’t involve killing people, does it?”

  “Focus on your classes, Mr. Ross.” She turned fully toward him, looked at him from crotch to face. No matter how cute you are with those bright green eyes and full lips, you’re still a boy to me. A little boy with a head full of big ideas.”

  “You think I’m cute?”

  Garnet pressed her lips together but said nothing.

  The elevator doors opened. Once again, David saw a reception area filled with dozens of people. Wisdom stood there in a three-button suit. Like yesterday, it was blood red, however, the cut was completely different. Wisdom shook his head and looked at the ground.

  “Leave the boy alone, Garnet.” Wisdom handed a file folder to a woman behind the reception desk and signed several forms another man placed in front of him. “I need you in the Communication’s room. Elaine has something for you. Come, David. I’ll show you around and make some introductions.”

  “Do you own this building?” David walked side-by-side with Wisdom. “The whole building?”

  Wisdom nodded and laughed. “Kind of hard to have a few secret floors in a building you don’t own, Mr. Ross. Yes, I own the building and a few others in this city, as a matter of fact. I also have several more around the world. It helps to diversify a little in my line of work. But we’ll get to that later. I’ve rented out the rest of the building: a few of the smaller banks, some lawyers and accountants, things of that nature. Helps fund certain projects and investments.”

  “What kind of projects?”

  Wisdom looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

  “What? You mean like me? What am I, a project or an investment?”

  “Definitely an investment. One I hope will pay off well in the end. I see you decided to wear your own clothes. Interesting. You were given several thousand dollars' worth of outfits, yet still you wear that. Why?”

  “Is this a test?” Instinctively, David covered his chest.

  “Test, test, test. Everything in this life is a test, my young Padawan. Do you like Star Wars? Of course you do. Everyone likes Star Wars. I’m not trying to lead you to the Dark Side, David, and I’m nearly positive I’m not your father. I’m just curious about your motives. Help me understand you. Why did you choose your own clothes over the ones you’d been given?”

  David moved out of the way of two Chinese men in nearly identical suits. They were deeply involved in some conversation about an offshore project. They barely took the time to nod a hello to Wisdom.

  “It wasn’t a big conscious decision, you know. Not like I’m trying to rebel or something. I just know these clothes. Not that I’m not grateful and all, it’s just….”

  “Ah. You’re wondering what the catch is. Smart boy. Always be careful of the catch. Luckily, in your case, I’m not going to try to pervert you or turn you into something that you’re not.”

  David bit the inside of his lip. “With all due respect, sir, what am I doing here?”

  “The answer is complicated. I could tell you that you’ll be taking part in an epic battle that I’ve personally fought for the last sixty years. And while that’s true, it really doesn’t answer your question. There are bad men out there, Mr. Ross, very bad men doing very bad things. No one is standing up to stop them. Most people, the law of the world, wouldn’t be able to stop them. I can.”

  “With my help?”

  Wisdom nodded. “You and a few others. You’ve already met three of them. I found Jessica in California, Amy in Australia and Garnet in Vancouver.”

  “There are six in your class. You’ll meet them in a few moments. You come from all over the world with seemingly nothing to tie you together. But your talents bind you in a very real and incomparable way. Unlike you, David, I know the hows and whys of who and what you are. When you’re ready, I’ll tell you.”

  “What if I said I was ready now?”

  “Then you would be wrong. That knowledge will come when you’re ready to accept what I have to tell you. There is nothing more dangerous than too much knowledge in untrained minds. You’re not ready yet and telling you could make my investment in you completely useless.”

  David decided he did not like being referred to as an investment. It made him feel less than human. Still, he didn’t have much choice. Wisdom was hiding him from the police. If he left, eventually they’d catch up with him. This was also his best chance to discover why he could do the things he could.

  “You said you’d found 48 of us. Does that include Madeline?”

  Wisdom jerked his head back. The lights flickered and dimmed. “Something new,” he said. “No. It does not include her. It would be best if you don’t speak about Madeline. It will upset the others. When you’re ready – and I will tell you when you are ready – I’ll let you know all about where you come from. If you wish, I’ll even tell you about Madeline. But for now, you’re late for class.”

  Wisdom walked toward a set of glass doors that opened as he got close to them. There were only a few people on this side of the doors. The first, a boy with light brown hair, sat on his feet. He looked to be about fourteen years old wearing a navy blue suit with a red tie and running shoes. He hit his head into the wall behind him repeatedly, not with a lot of strength but enough to make it look painful.

  Wisdom leaned toward David and lowered his voice slightly. “That’s Jared, one of your classmates. Since he’s so busy, I think we’ll leave the introductions for later. Don’t worry, he’s not troubled. A bit of a drama queen poseur if you ask me.”

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  Jared stopped banging his head against the wall and looked up at them as they walked by. He stuck his tongue out at David, an act that made him look younger than he really was. After they passed him, Wisdom said: “I believe he’s upset with the mark he was given on his last assignment. I see from the look on your face that it shocks you. What shocks you more, that we have tests or that he acts like a normal kid?”

  David looked back over his shoulder.

  Jared was still sticking his tongue out at him.

  “I hate tests. What happens if we fail?”

  Wisdom put a hand on David’s shoulder, his touch surprisingly warm. “No one fails these classes. If you don’t perform as well as your instructors expect, you simply keep doing the assignment over and over until you’ve mastered it. It’s more like karate class. There are levels. Jared is currently stuck at Level Three. He’s been there for several months now, and I think it’s bruising his pride. He came to us at the same time as Amy but she has progressed to Level Six. You, of course, will start at the bottom. Level One. From what I know of your experiences in Nova Scotia – and don’t ask me how I know – you should progress to Level Two by month’s end. Ah, and here are the last two members of your class. David, I would like you to meet Bethany and Todd.

  The woman, Bethany, nodded and gave a little wave. From the wrinkles and weight on her face, David guessed she was in her early 50’s. She ha
d short, graying hair cut just above her ears, and calm brown eyes. She was actually knitting – like some sort of stereotypical grandmother figure. The younger man, Todd, read from a stack of papers gathered in a manila folder. He was a slightly overweight man not much older than David. He had short brown hair, smooth skin and a bright smile peeking out from his dark brown goatee.

  “Hey, David.” Todd closed the file and stuck out a hand to shake. David shook the offered hand and smiled back. There was something honest in Todd’s eyes, like the comfort of a pastor or a young doctor. “I was just reading some of my dreams to Bethany. That’s one of the first things they’ll have you do in Level One, keep a dream journal. As much as I love the kids, it’s nice to have another adult here.”

  “Don’t lie.” Bethany barely looked up from her knitting. “You don’t love the kids and neither do I. Damn little demons, if you ask me. Oh, don’t give me that look. You’ve had the same thoughts yourself and you know it. All that power and no emotion. I tell you, they’re not quite human.”

  “Who amongst us is?” Wisdom smiled as he said this. “I’ll leave David with you, Bethany. Do try and be nice.”

  David watched as Wisdom marched away. Before he left, Wisdom looked at his watch and mouthed something. David wasn’t certain, but he could have sworn Wisdom said, “Almost time.”

  ‘Almost time for what?’ he wondered.

  Chapter Nine

  Propates sat in his office holding an old photograph in his right hand. It was faded and yellowed with age, the edges worn from years of handling. It was Echo sitting on a beach in Thailand. She wore a one-piece bathing suit – blue with white polka dots – and an oversized, flopping sun hat. She was smiling at the photographer – himself – while children played in the waves behind her.

  “Why did you go back to him?” He traced his finger down Echo’s neck. “Things could have been so different.”

  He looked at the image emblazoned on the wall before him. It was a representation of Melek Taus: a large black peacock in a circle of gold. Christians and Jews regarded Melek Taus as Satan. The peacock represented pride, something the monotheists saw as an opening to all sin. Propates, however, knew it was simply a new version of an old power: Argus, a hundred-eyed, all-seeing god who never slept. By learning the lessons of the peacock, one could transcend humanity and become a God.