Winters Family Psi Chronicles 1: Transformation

by John O'Riley

  “Whatever,” Julie said moodily.

  Emily slipped out into the night and sank behind the wheel of her car. She pocketed the money then began driving. She headed for the business district and stopped at the first affordable hotel she came to. Because of the new psychic link she possessed, she could feel Julie’s anger pulsing against the back of her mind. Julie was a natural born leader and didn’t appreciate it when people failed to follow her orders. Emily turned out the lights and tossed and turned in bed for quite awhile before dropping to sleep. Some time in the early morning, the intrusive presence of the remote-viewers awakened her. Adrenaline pulsed in Emily’s body as she sat up and shook off the disorientation from sleep. Unfortunately, the trackers had already locked onto her and had been watching her for an indeterminable length of time. Emily immediately pushed against them and her head pounded with pressure as she forced them away. They continued to seek her out though. She wondered how much they had already learned. Remote-viewers could do more than just see their target; they could intuitively determine location as well.

  Emily took a deep breath and maintained the block for as long as possible but they managed to override it. Her head ached terribly and dizziness assailed her senses from the overexertion. She stumbled out of bed and quickly realized she’d have to leave her room for some pain relief. Emily peered out the window and tried to remember where the nearest convenience store was. It was difficult to think clearly against the suffocating cloud of agony that wrapped around her mind. Emily didn’t have anything to pack. She shoved her hotel room key in her pocket and shuffled outdoors in the dark. Street lamps kept illumination to a bare minimum. She could barely muster the strength to walk which meant she was in no condition to drive. Emily gazed at her surroundings but didn’t see a convenience station anywhere. She made her way to the lobby and spotted a bored clerk behind the counter reading a magazine.

  “Excuse me,” Emily said weakly as she approached the clerk who was a short, middle aged man with graying brown hair and wore a crisp maroon uniform.

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  “I have a terrible migraine but I misplaced my medication. Do you have any aspirin or ibuprofen that I could take?” she asked.

  “We aren’t allowed to give medication.” He watched her warily as she stood weakly in front of him clutching the counter for support.

  “I’m really in bad shape. I can’t drive anywhere like this. Is there a place I could walk to and buy something?” Emily asked.

  “I could drive you to a convenience store. I hardly ever see anyone this late at night,” he said.

  “Thank you.” Emily smiled gratefully at him.

  The remote-viewers retreated as he stepped out from behind the counter. Emily wondered if they had gleaned enough information to determine where she was staying. Would they believe she was still located in Shoreline or had they discovered she’d made it to Richmond Heights? Emily was in too much pain to care one way or the other. The clerk led her to his car which was a compact, silver sedan. As he pulled out onto the road, he introduced himself as Joe.

  “I’m Emily,” she said in order to be polite.

  “It must be a bummer to get migraines all the time,” he said sympathetically.

  “It is.”

  In no time at all, they had arrived at the convenience station. Of course, the ibuprofen was way overpriced but Emily couldn’t wait. She purchased a bottled water with it and didn’t even wait for them to reach Joe’s car before taking a handful of pills. When they returned to the hotel, she thanked him profusely before returning to her room.

  “Emily, can you hear me?” Julie broadcasted telepathically.

  “Yes, I hear you loud and clear” Emily responded.

  “The remote-viewers got a lock on your position,” Julie warned.

  “I know. I don’t think they got enough to find me.”

  “That’s a big risk to take. You should come back here. Together, we can block them. It will give our psychic connection a chance to strengthen. In a day or two, we’ll know whether our psychic abilities will increase further,” Julie said.

  “It’s too great a risk.”

  “No, it isn’t. We can block the remote-viewers if we’re together. You weren’t able to do that by yourself.”

  “I don’t think the two of us are strong enough to block them out entirely. They’ll get locks for short periods of time even if we’re both working together. I can’t let them see you with me or you’ll be the next telepath that they’ll target for termination,” Emily said.

  “We have the best chance for survival if we remain a team,” Julie thought firmly.

  “I’ve made up my mind.”

  Emily ended their telepathic communication and perched on the edge of her bed. She needed more sleep but how much time did she have before the remote-viewers found her? She decided to take the risk and go back to bed. She awoke several hours later feeling refreshed but anxious. Emily took a quick shower, checked out of the hotel, and headed north out of Richmond Heights. She turned the radio on as she traversed the freeway, listening to the news. The world-wide electrical storms had caused many injuries and some fatalities. Some people hadn’t survived the transformation process while many others had perished in traffic accidents during the storm. Patients flooded the hospitals with varying symptoms resulting from their new psychic abilities. People didn’t yet understand what was happening to them but many others did. Those who discovered their gifts had showed off their talents and the media was skeptically broadcasting the stories as amusing anecdotes. By tomorrow, enough people would prove their psychic abilities to convince the overall public of the transformation.

  Emily sensed the remote-viewers approaching her like dark rain clouds. She pushed against them to make it difficult to maintain a clear lock but didn’t strain herself. She could tell that they were gathering visual information on her surroundings but she was limiting what they could learn. Unfortunately, they probably had a good idea where she was located. Emily checked the mile marker then gazed down at the map. In another ten miles, she would arrive at an exit. She should probably take it and veer off to the east for awhile to throw them off. She slowed down considerably as she waited for the remote-viewers to withdraw. Cars rushed passed her and drivers gestured angrily at her. Emily continued to wait until the exit was less than a mile away. She had hoped the trackers would stop by now so she could leave without them watching. Emily shoved them out of their lock and immediately turned to the right lane of the freeway. A driving headache quickly formed in her skull.

  She continued to maintain her block as she turned off the freeway and turned onto a state highway. Emily cried out as the pain became almost unbearable and she pulled off to the side of the road. She couldn’t keep the trackers away for much longer. Her hands clenched into tight fists as she fought against them. She breathed a ragged sigh of relief when they finally gave up. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away. She leaned her head back to wait for the pain to recede. Finally, Emily pulled back onto the highway and continued her journey. Hopefully, she’d temporarily thrown them off her track and bought herself some more time.

  Chapter 6

  Jeremy had just finished speaking to his mother when Skylar awakened in the back seat of the truck. After expending so much time and effort lugging his friend’s unconscious body to his vehicle, he was reluctant to return to the house even though his condition made driving extremely dangerous. If he tried driving to the hospital, Jeremy was likely to lose consciousness during a critical point and end up in a fatal accident.

  “I’m going back inside,” Skylar said.

  “Wait a second,” Jeremy said. “We need to do something.”

  “No doctor can help us. We’re suffering from some sort of brain trauma. Some people gained a psychic ability while others received a death sentence.” Skylar shoved the door open and stumbled out of the truck.

  Jeremy shook his head with exasperation and imme
diately hundreds of voices pummeled his mind. He followed his friend back into the house and they gathered in the living room. Dizziness and fatigue seeped into Jeremy’s body and blackness crept along the edge of his vision. He barely had time to lean back before losing consciousness. The next thing he knew, he was sitting up on the floor beside the couch. Jeremy took stock of his surroundings then picked himself up off the floor. Skylar was seated at his desk typing swiftly on his desktop computer.

  “How long was I out?” Jeremy asked.

  “About ten minutes or so,” Skylar said in a distracted tone.

  “What are you doing?” Jeremy peered over his friend’s shoulder at the large, flat-screen monitor.

  A blog page on an internet site filled the screen as Skylar perused the information.

  “I’m reading everything posted during the last three days that pertains to telepathy,” Skylar said.

  “Why?”

  “I’m hoping someone knows something.”

  “Interesting,” Jeremy said even though just the opposite was true.

  He sincerely doubted that anyone afflicted with their condition had discovered any useful information for medical treatment.

  “You’d be surprised what you could learn by surfing the net,” Skylar said.

  Jeremy sprawled on the couch and wondered what he should do. He turned on the television and tuned into the news.

  “Would you mind turning that down? Everyone’s thoughts are loud enough,” Skylar said.

  “Sorry,” Jeremy apologized.

  He knew exactly what hundreds of strangers’ thoughts pummeling at one’s mind could do. He immediately turned the sound down to a very low volume. Electrical storms continued to beat at the Midwest and the Southeastern portions of the United States. Missouri, Nebraska, Florida, and Georgia were now in a state of emergency because of the devastation and continual onslaught of electrical damage. The rest of the electrical storms had dissipated except for much of the Middle East countries and North Africa. Anecdotal stories on psychic phenomenon continued to sprinkle over the news broadcasts as well as live demonstrations. Jeremy was astonished by some of the footage. The most impressive demonstration was performed by a middle-aged woman who was lifting small objects randomly chosen by the reporter and a couple of volunteers and causing these objects to spin madly and glide through the air.

  Other demonstrations included those who could apparently read thoughts with ease and individuals who could somehow absorb information from objects pertaining to former owners. Jeremy was fascinated by the telepaths who seemed to suffer no ill effects from their newfound abilities. So far, there were no stories that mentioned any afflictions like the kind that plagued him and Skylar. However, patients who’d lost consciousness during the initial outbreak of the world-wide electrical storms but had failed to awaken flooded the hospitals as relatives and friends discovered them.

  “I think I’ve found something,” Skylar said grimly.

  “What is it?” Jeremy said.

  “Friends and relatives of people like us who’ve posted articles online and also asking for help,” Skylar said.

  “But no one knows anything,” Jeremy said.

  “Not that I can find but if there’s an answer, I’ll find it here.”

  Jeremy sincerely doubted that but it was their best shot. He returned to the couch and watched the news. Numerous shots of devastated homes in Missouri and Nebraska started to add to his depression so he turned off the television. Skylar continued perusing articles and blogs online for several hours before taking a much needed break. He stuck a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner and set it on the coffee table in the living room when it was ready. Even though Jeremy was starving, his stomach began heaving as soon as he took his first bite. Without warning, he experienced a strange sensation like a spasm in his skull. The platter of pizza slid several inches away from him towards the edge of the table. Skylar flinched and stared at it. Jeremy felt the same peculiar sensation accompanied by the platter of pizza sliding yet again even farther and faster. Skylar reached out and pulled it toward the center of the table.

  “You did that,” Skylar said.

  “I think so,” Jeremy said with amazement.

  A powerfully sharp and vivid scene jumped into his mind of his living room. A dark-haired woman burst into the room and made a beeline for his desk, opened the drawer where his address book was kept, and pulled it out. She thumbed through it until she came to Skylar’s name. She said the address out loud. The angle of the room abruptly shifted and Jeremy could now see the woman’s face. She bore a remarkable resemblance to his sister, Emily. Her brown eyes looked up and gazed out the window to study the front yard as if checking for something. Jeremy intuitively knew that this young woman was in fact his younger sister and that he was seeing an unknown point in the future. The sun shone dimly through the window which made him realize it was early in the morning. Emily hastily rushed over to the front door and emerged from the house only to be shot in the chest three times by a man hidden behind a cluster of bushes near the sidewalk. The vision abruptly ended and a cold horror washed over Jeremy at what he’d just witnessed. His sister hadn’t died all those years ago but she would die very soon. Questions swirled chaotically through his mind about what had happened to her. He remembered his mother telling him she’d passed away. The police had found her charred remains and had gained a positive ID via dental records and some of her personal affects. A grim determination to ensure Emily’s survival took hold of Jeremy.

  “Emily,” Skylar murmured with shocked amazement. “She’s alive.”

  Jeremy’s gaze locked with his friend’s as he realized that he’d telepathically seen the vision.

  “We have to save her,” Jeremy said.

  “She’s going to be at your house in the morning. Do you think it’s tomorrow?” Skylar asked.

  “We could drive down to my house but it’ll be risky. It’s already dark out and neither one of us can guarantee that we’ll be conscious for the entire trip,” Jeremy said.

  “I think we have a better chance of making it there alive if you do the driving,” Skylar said.

  Before Jeremy could remark on that, his unwanted telepathy kicked in again. A myriad of thoughts churned chaotically through his mind.

  “I wouldn’t be too sure of that,” Jeremy said weakly.

  “Hmm.” Skylar regarded him with concern.

  He left the room to take some more painkiller and offered some to Jeremy.

  “I think we’re getting better. I haven’t passed out for hours now,” Skylar said wryly.

  “Very funny,” Jeremy said. He knew it was risky to drive in his current condition but he wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to see his sister again and he wasn’t about to lose her again without a fight. “Let’s go.”

  “Let me get something first.” Skylar briefly left the room and returned with a revolver tucked in his jeans. “I’m going to shoot the bastard that killed Emily.”

  They strode purposefully outside and Skylar grunted as he lost his footing. He picked himself up off the ground as he clutched his head in both hands as if afraid it would fly away. He quickly sank into the passenger seat of Jeremy’s truck before promptly passing out. Jeremy swallowed nervously before engaging Skylar’s seatbelt, starting the engine and carefully taking his vehicle out onto the road. Hopefully, he could anticipate his own loss of consciousness and pull over if necessary before causing an accident. He decided that it was best to avoid the freeway. He’d only driven for a very short distance when his telepathy kicked in. Jeremy immediately slowed his truck and pulled over at the first opportunity. The car behind him honked hard and long as he or she passed by. Disorientation and dizziness assaulted his mind along with the thoughts of hundreds of people.

  Jeremy squeezed his eyes shut as nausea made his stomach heave. He rolled down the window just in case. Unexpectedly, a vision popped into his mind, obliterating the telepathic assault. The scene showed him Emily pulling
up to his driveway in a blue sedan. She jumped out of the vehicle and a joyous smile curved her lips at the sight of Jeremy stepping out from the front door. He rushed over to his sister as Skylar emerged from the house with his revolver clutched in his right hand and pointing at the bushes. Emily’s gaze locked onto the gun with concern and her eyes widened in alarm. Skylar fired the revolver three times. The mysterious gunman fired back and hit him in the shoulder. Skylar’s revolver slipped from his grasp and he clutched the bullet wound. The gunman stepped from the bushes. He was a tall, blond man with icy blue eyes dressed in jeans and a loose fitting black shirt. He had a bullet wound in his lower left leg but the injury didn’t hamper his ability to shoot. He limped forward a step and aimed his gun at Emily. Before anyone could react, he fired twice. Jeremy flinched and snapped out of his vision. Skylar hadn’t stopped the gunman from murdering Emily. Jeremy waited for several moments to see if his telepathy would kick in. When nothing happened, he pulled his vehicle back onto the road and resumed his journey.

  Obviously, they needed to outsmart the gunman. They would need to set up a trap for him. For some reason, the killer was following Emily. Now that Jeremy knew exactly where the man would strike, maybe Skylar could position himself in the neighboring yard so he could shoot the killer from behind. Jeremy’s shoulders sagged with relief when he finally made it to his house. Skylar was still unconscious beside him and showed no signs of waking up anytime soon. A heavy fatigue still clung to Jeremy and he knew he didn’t have the strength to haul his friend into his home. He waited for quite awhile before Skylar stirred and his eyes opened.

  “It’s about time,” Jeremy grumbled sleepily.

  The two of them dragged themselves into the house and prepared for bed. Jeremy set his alarm for six in the morning so they’d be awake in plenty of time to set up a plan of action to protect Emily from the killer stalking her. Unfortunately, events didn’t go according to plan. When Jeremy blearily opened his eyes in the morning, bright sunlight shone through the window and his alarm was blaring loudly beside him. He reached out to shut it off and his eyes widened with horror as he noted that it was after ten. Adrenaline shot through him as he leapt out of bed and raced out the front door. His truck was the only vehicle parked in the driveway and there was no sign of Emily’s body. He stared at the spot where she’d died in his vision then shifted his gaze over to the cluster of bushes that the gunman had taken refuge in. Jeremy could tell that it was much later in the morning than what he’d seen in his vision. Either Emily had already arrived and died or she hadn’t yet.