by Shelly Crane
“What happened?” Danny almost yelled as he took his jacket off to throw over my legs.
I tried to speak, but couldn’t but I realized he was not talking to me.
“She fainted. She’s ok,” Matt said, with a clear voice, only a faint indication of the lie that he was telling.
“What happened? She really saw one?” Danny said sounding really worried.
I felt him pushing my hair back to see my face better.
“Yes. It was waiting for her when she got home but I scared it off,” Matt lied some more.
“What did it want?”
“I don’t know but don’t worry. I’m taking you guys somewhere safe. Look, I’m sorry if I’ve been...not so nice lately. I’m really sorry. Just trust me when I say that I love your sister and I won’t let anything happen to her...or you. Ok?”
Jeez. He really sounded sincere. I couldn’t hear a lie at all. He has never said he loved me like that before. Not without a condescending ‘baby’ or ‘girly’ at the end. Maybe those stupid one act acting lessons at the community college paid off for him after all.
Danny didn’t say another word, just climbed in and started the car. I could tell he was the one driving by the horrid grinding of the gears and the all too fast take off, spinning the gravel rocks in our driveway.
I still kept testing myself, sure I would come out of it soon and awaken to reveal this fraud for what it was.
Where was he taking us anyway? This was by far the most confusing game with Matt ever. Wait- Did my hand just twitch? Or was it the car moving? The car. Dang it!
Why on earth did Danny believe Matt’s crazy story so easily? I mean, I never told Danny about Matt hitting me or much else of the other abuse, the yelling and pushing sometimes, mainly just meanness, but he’s seen and heard him at the apartment a few times, so why would he believe him then?
I stayed still and listened to Matt’s instructions of where to go. They didn’t say much else. Danny asked Matt why he had been harassing me. Matt explained that he had a drinking problem but was getting help. Lies. Matt did have a drinking problem but he wasn’t getting help. He would never admit he had a problem.
I feel it as we pull to a stop. I almost fall into the floor board with the momentum but swing back just in time.
“Where are we?” Danny, finally, started getting inquisitive.
Only an hour too late!
“A little place I found. We’ll be safe here. Nobody knows about this place.”
“A warehouse? What are we gonna do there? I mean, we don’t have food or anything.”
“I’ll handle that. First let’s get her inside before he figures it out and comes for her again.”
“Can he track her or something?”
“Um. Yes,” Matt lied.
“Ok. Let me-” Danny said and I felt him tug at my arm.
“No, I’ll get her. I’m faster with the weight. You grab the duffel bag from the trunk if you don’t mind,” Matt said as he gently lifted me from the back seat under my back and knees, cradling me to his chest.
Wow, he was warm. Really warm. Maybe he was running a fever. Maybe he was in some fever induced delusion.
He was probably carrying me to my death in some Silence of the Lambs craziness! He was not the man I thought.
They weren’t talking anymore as we walked, and I could smell dust, oil and mold as Matt carried me through the warehouse. We stopped.
“Does it work?” I heard Danny ask.
“Yes. I put these things here in front to hide it. We’ll be safe.”
“Wow. Thorough, Matt. Thorough,” Danny said approvingly.
He told Danny that he was Matt? Ugh. Why the charade with me and not Danny? Didn’t think he’d believe it I guess.
I can feel us moving down, like an elevator. It was squealing and screeching and hot in there, it seemed to go on forever.
“What kind of place is this? Who has an elevator that goes down in a warehouse?” Danny asked.
“The kind of people who want to hide things. We can turn off the elevator once we’re at the bottom so no one else can come down after us.”
“Nice. Thanks man, you saved her. I owe you.”
“No problem.”
No problem? Was I ever going to wake up?
Who knows how many floors the elevator went down before we jolted to a stop. A lot or that elevator was slower than molasses. I assumed Danny went to look around because Matt carried me silently to one of the rooms. I felt him maneuver us through the door way.
A big comfy chair was under me, one that smelled like antiseptic. He set me down in it and took my face in between his hands. I wanted to gasp at his touch and closeness but my body refused.
“I know you can still hear me in there. I’m sorry I had to do that to you but I had to get you and Danny to safety. It’ll still be a while until you wake up. Listen, I know how this sounds and looks and I can explain everything to you both when you wake up, but I’m not Matt. Matt is dead and I’m sorry to be the one to tell you that. I’m not here to hurt you or Danny. We’re underground a warehouse with only one way in and one way out. The elevator and I have the key. I promise you, I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m here to help.
“We are gonna be here together for a while so it would be nice if you’d get use to the idea... Sherry,” he breathed my name with such a sweet tone. I could feel his breath on my face. He was closer. “I can’t believe I’m actually here, actually touching you.” His thumb rubbed back and forth over my cheek. “You don’t know how long I’ve... Just try to get some sleep. We’ll go over everything together later, ok. By the way, my name is Merrick. I’ll be around when you wake up.”
He let his hands slide away from my face slowly, almost reluctantly, then I heard him shuffle from the room. What was all that? Why was he touching me like that?
I was more confused than ever.
Could it be real? Did this have something to do with the visitors or the moon? No. This isn’t the...twilight zone. I can’t decide whether to believe this or not. I’m thinking not and he wants me to sleep? Really? Matt already caused me one sleepless night and now this.
Dang it! I must’ve fallen asleep. Wait. My arms, they’re moving but why aren’t my eyes opening? I pulled my wobbly hands up to my face and pried my eyelid open with my shaking fingers.
The room had a cot and a bed? Looked like a hospital or something? What the... I could feel my eyes start to flutter, back under my command. I could see flashes of light blinking in front of them.
I didn’t feel right but I felt somewhat back to normal. I couldn’t hear anything but the humming of appliances. Where was Danny? Where was Matt? I got up slowly, fighting to get my bearings and peeked out the room into the hall. This place was huge, rooms and halls all down the way.
I entered the hall, peeking first. I couldn’t hide in there forever. Wait. Danny!
“Danny!” I yelled, knowing that it would alert Matt but not caring at the moment.
I could see Danny in the room next to mine, but his door was locked and he was lying on the bed.
Matt turned the corner cautiously. I recoiled into the wall, hitting my funny bone on the door knob, letting out a little gasp and rubbing the sore spot. Matt inched towards me, his hands up in front of him as in surrender.
“Sherry, come on. Let’s go talk. I’ll answer any questions you have, just please, don’t do this. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“Stop it! Like you really care about me. You kidnapped me!”
“Sherry. Don’t. Please.”
“Why did you lock my brother up in there then?” I asked, still inching back along the wall.
“Because...I knew you’d wake up and I wouldn’t be able to fend you both off without hurting someone. So I put him in there, because he’s bigger. I’d rather worry about you than him.”
I was too scared to be offended by that right then so I let it slide that time.
“What do you want, Matt? Why did you do
this?”
“I told you, I’m not Matt. My name is Merrick, I’m a Keeper,” he seemed to be getting a little exasperated, but he was telling the truth.
“A Keeper? Hmm...and what exactly is that?” I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest and waited for the slue of lies to spill out.
“A guardian. I’ve been watching you, well Danny, every since he was born. I’m his guardian, a Keeper, and he is a Special. My charge.”
All true.
“A Special?”
“Yes. Someone destined to do an act or something of importance towards the greater good of mankind, thus needs to be protected until that act can be carried out in the way that was preordained. That’s why I’m here.”
Was he reading a script? I could tell he at least thought he was telling the truth but I wasn’t giving in that easy.
“Matt- I mean Merrick, why would I believe you? You drugged me, you kidnapped me, and took me and my brother somewhere, where only you have the key.”
Suddenly there were thoughts in my head, thoughts not my own, words I wasn’t speaking and his lips weren’t moving, but his eyes were glued to mine. Pleading.
Sherry, please, I know you can tell if I’m lying. I don’t want to frighten you but you leave me no choice. I’m a Keeper and my name is Merrick and you are safe with me. Please. Come sit down and listen. I’ll tell you everything.
My mouth dropped open. My breaths quickened but I couldn’t feel it in my numb shocked lungs. It didn’t sound like Matt, it was another voice altogether but it was coming from the being across from me. I didn’t break eye contact with him, I couldn’t. He did it again.
Danny is fine. I gave him the same thing I gave you, I just didn’t want him to jump me before I could explain everything to you. Will you let me? So you’ll understand what’s going on. You will have to help me explain it to him. Please? Come sit with me. I won’t touch you, I promise.
I couldn’t not go. My body moved without my permission. It wasn’t him doing it. It was pure fright and intrigue. If he could go in my mind, what else could he do to me?
I walked slowly and carefully towards him, hugging the wall like I was balancing on a ledge. I sat in the white club chair he motioned to in the little vestibule at the end of the hall and continued to stare at him, drawing my legs up under me for some semblance of personal comfort. He began, not waiting for me to come out of the shock.
“As I said,” he began and sat in the identical chair on the other side of the side table, “I’m a Keeper. We are not from your world. We watch over you, humans, the ones who are deemed as Specials. We have a forty eight hour time window, we see that far into the future so we can intervene if needed to make sure the Special is safe until the task has been fulfilled.”
“What task?” I interrupted but it just popped out.
“We don’t know until it happens. We just know to guard them until it does. There are others out there, we call then Lighters. They try to interfere from time to time with the Specials. Now they are here to mess with everyone. They are your black eye and hair persons that you have been reporting on. They remain undetected because they can not be photographed or filmed by your media, I’m not sure why. They are the Keepers opposites. They come to earth and claim bodies so they can take the lives of Specials before their time, to keep them from fulfilling the task. We are a balance, well, we were, but they have broken the rules and we can no longer stand by and watch them destroy you. They are planning a mass destruction of the Specials which would mean a slow spiraling end of the human race. They can only enter the atmosphere after taking someone....a dead person. If they stay, the world is out of balance. That’s why your moon is gone. It’s still there but the light has gone out because the Lighters are all here. They’ve been turning people against each other, looking for Specials to invade or kill, tricking people into thinking that they are here to save you, from us. The only way to tell a Lighter from a Keeper is the symbol behind our ear, and they have the dark hair and eyes and when you break a Lighters skin, you can see the light that’s on the inside.”
He reached over slowly, pulling his ear lobe back so I could see the black tattoo looking symbol behind his ear. It looked like a circle with some lines across it.
“How did you get in my head?” I asked having no idea why that was the first question I chose to ask.
“I can speak to you without talking with my mouth. All Keepers can but we can’t hear your thoughts.”
That was my next question.
“Your eyes...” I started and drifted off, not really understanding what I was seeing. “Matt’s eyes were brown.”
“Yes. We bring our own eyes with us into the body.”
Hmm. Strange looking at Matt- I mean Merrick’s face with different color eyes.
“Why do you care? About what happens to us?” I asked.
“We have always been there. Always cared. Every since you were created, it’s just who we are. Your God who created you, created us as well, just as He did everything else. You have heard us referred to as aliens, guardian angels, ghosts, phantoms. We call ourselves Keepers.”
“So Danny is a Special? Am I?”
“No.”
“But you said you’ve watched me and couldn’t believe...you were actually here with me.” I should have been shy about bringing it up like that but after what he just told me, I could probably say anything right then.
“Danny is my Special.” He lowered his eyes and looked at the floor, looking ashamed and I had no idea why but I had a strange sensation to comfort him. “My charge. You were just there a lot being his sister. Because you were so protective of him, I couldn’t help but watch you too sometimes.”
What a horrible liar he was, the worlds worst. Why would he lie about that? He looked like he wanted to say more but stayed silent. His eyes roamed my face affectionately, making me squirm under his gaze and I decided to press on.
“So, any other super powers? Anything else I should know about?”
“Yes. There is much more to know. The reason I had to come to get you was because Danny was in danger. A Lighter was coming for him.”
My breathing hitched. He had said everything but that to warn me before throwing me into that reality but I was too caught up in everything else to pay attention.
“What do we do?”
“We’re safe for now. They can only track Specials through someone who sees them. They are opposite of us. We place thoughts in others, they take them. They can read minds and see where the Special is if a person has seen them. It’s a long process of going through every person they pass looking for one face in a mind. So, whenever we go out for food and such, Danny will have to stay here and you will have to concentrate very hard on not thinking about him.”
“Why do I have to go? Why can’t you go by yourself?”
“Soon your world will change. People will start to recognize and look for us, the Keepers. They will classify us as evil, coming to destroy your world and will try to destroy us. The Lighters will turn you against us and as long as I’m in this body, I die when it dies.” He stood up and started to pace in front of me. “I can only leave the body, when the task has been fulfilled. I had to come early, because of the Lighter. Danny isn’t supposed to...we have a long time to look out for him. Soon, we will probably have to move, and then there will be more Keepers with Specials in hiding. Things are gonna get bad for us and the others. We’ll be having some company here soon ourselves.”
“Wait. I thought you said you can only see into the future forty eight hours? How can you know all this?”
He looked at me wearily, letting me figure it out for myself. Letting it sink in.
“Oh no. That soon?” I clutched my throat, suddenly unable to breath.
“It’s already begun. All the Keepers have come that could. We can only come to earth when someone dies, just like the Lighters. We take the body, of a person of the same gender, that they are no longer using. We use to only use the ones that
no one knew had been killed. Car wrecks, overdoses, where they were alone and never take the body of someone that the Special knew. But since all the Lighters are here we had to come as quick as we could.” He stopped and looked right in my eyes. “I’m sorry about Matt, and I’m sorry about this body.” He bent down to squat right in front of me and then continued his fervent apology. Even though I was freaked and confused his eyes were open and honest and very green. I felt my heart flutter at his closeness and chided myself for it.
“Matt was miles away from here and I just chose the first body close enough to get to you and far enough not to be someone you knew. I didn’t even know it was Matt’s body until you said that name to me in your driveway. I’m sorry about that and I hope it won’t be a problem. The Lighters have taken or corrupted most of the authorities in Chicago. They can put a spell on people, so to speak. It’s not really a spell, they just have a way of making you believe them if you listen long enough. Lighter speak or a form of compulsion. By tomorrow morning, Keepers will be front page on every newspaper and channel as most wanted. We will be blamed for your troubles here and they will begin to hunt us and anyone with us.”
I couldn’t move. I believed him, more than I’ve ever believed anyone. Was he a Lighter? Is that how I believed so easily? No. He explained everything rationally and thoroughly with no lies.
Danny would be a hard sell. We’d have to keep him locked up until we could make him understand. He might go nuts on Merrick for doing this, he wouldn’t think first, he’d just start swinging, in his protective mode. Little hot head.
Merrick offered me his hand to help me up from the chair but I ignored it not knowing what else to do in my shock and not wanting to know what his touch would feel like now that it’s him and not Matt. I wasn’t that upset about Matt, which made me feel some guilt because I didn’t want the guy dead but, he wasn’t exactly on my list of favorite people.
I didn’t know this Merrick guy either. I wasn’t scared though, just cautious and though I was not one to ever refuse a gesture of politeness, I just couldn’t make myself take his hand. He kidnapped me, whether for my own good or not. This whole situation will take some getting use to.
