Indrid can't use her real name. She decided to use a model, for her human appearance, named Jean Shrimpton from that magazine called Vogue but changed her hair style and eyes as to not attract a lot of unwanted attention. After a minute of silence, she replies, “Shirley Jane Dixon.”
Sort of a mixture of the model's name with Philip K. Dick. It seems to have convinced them because the bearded man shakes her hand and says, “Nice to meet you, Shirley. My name's Chad McDonald. The driver's name is Juan Melendez and that's his girlfriend Betty Harper.”
Betty merrily waves at her from the passenger seat and says, “Hi, Shirley! We're going to Point Pleasant. How about you?”
The name of that location strikes a nerve within Indrid which makes her shutter slightly.
“I'm also going to Point Pleasant, Betty.”
Juan takes a quick glance and tells her, “That's good! It'll be like another forty minutes.”
Chad takes a big puff of his joint and exhales. He glances at Indrid and finds her sitting position to be kind of weird. She is sitting stiffly upright with her hands on her knees and staring straight ahead...almost as if she were hypnotized. Chad leans forward and calls her name. “Shirley?”
Indrid's head quickly turns to look at him and she responds, “Yes?”
He offers her the joint and says, “Take some of this. It'll help you loosen up a bit.”
Juan chuckles and says, “Leave her alone, you fucking drug pusher. Maybe Shirley's not a prole like you.”
Betty begins laughing hysterically followed by Indrid. Chad kicks the driver's seat and shouts while giggling, “Fuck you, man!”
He then looks at Indrid and says, “What are you laughing at? You know what a prole is?”
She stops laughing and clears her throat. While grinning, she replies, “The full word is proletarian. It appears in 1984...a book written by George Orwell which was published in the year of 1949.”
Chad stares at her briefly and asks, “Will you marry me?”
Betty turns completely around and tells Indrid, “Ignore him, sweetie. Wow...you look like that model...what's her name? I just can’t remember.”
Juan answers the question by saying, “Jean Shrimpton.”
Betty snaps her fingers and shouts, “Yeah! Jean Shrimpton!”
Indrid smiles at her and says, “I am familiar with her. Thank you.”
Minutes later, Juan is driving the Volkswagen along Viand Street. Indrid sees the Mason County Library and says, “You can leave me here.”
Betty becomes puzzled by this and asks, “What? Here?”
Juan parks the bus next to the library and turns off the engine. Everyone inside steps out and gathers around to say their goodbyes. Indrid says stoically, “Thank you for your generosity.”
Juan grins and tells her, “De nada, Shirley.”
Chad seems a bit gloomy and says, “Take care of yourself.”
Betty lunges at Indrid and gives her a big hug. This gesture of affection takes her by surprise. Betty steps back and asks her, “Are you sure about this?”
Indrid nods and replies, “Yes. I need some information about Point Pleasant.”
She turns around and walks toward the entrance of the library while the three young hippies remain standing there with worried expressions on each of their faces.
A librarian is busily organizing the books that have been returned on a cart beside her. She suddenly feels that someone is watching her and looks up to find Indrid standing there. She asks her, “Hello. Can I help you, young lady?”
Indrid gives her a warm grin and replies, “I just arrived to Point Pleasant and I'm interested in learning about its history.”
The librarian smiles and says while rising to her feet, “In that case, welcome to Point Pleasant! Follow me, dear. I'll show you where to find what you're looking for.”
They both arrive at the historical section and the librarian says, “It's all here. Feel free to read as much as you want.”
“Thank you. You're very kind.”
Mrs. Roberts smiles at her and walks away. Indrid proceeds to browse every book on the shelves and pulls out the ones that interest her. With her arms full, she sits down at the nearby table and prepares to commence with her research. After reading for about fifteen minutes, she comes across the name “Silver Bridge”. For some unknown reason, the name sends a frightening chill up her spine and she whispers it to herself. “Silver Bridge.”
The deafening sound of a book getting slammed on the table startles her and she lets out a small gasp. Indrid turns her head to see Chad sitting next to her smiling like a mischievous child. She then looks ahead to see Juan and Betty sitting across from her. Chad says in a low voice, “You didn't think you'd get rid of us that easily, did you?”
Indrid asks them in a low tone, “Are you all waiting for me? You don't have to do that.”
Betty giddily explains to her, “I was outside thinking about what you said earlier. Then I got this idea...We live here, Shirley! We can help you!”
The sudden sound of people uttering, “Shhhhhhh!” can be heard throughout the library. Betty lowers her head while saying, “Oops!”
“Shhhhhhh!”
She then covers her mouth with her hands and starts giggling uncontrollably due to the effects of smoking marijuana with Chad earlier. Juan stands up and whispers, “You're hopeless, Betty. Let's get out of here, guys.”
Indrid grabs Chad's wrist and whispers, “I don't have money.”
He winks at her and whispers, “No worries.”
As the foursome exit the library, Betty holds Indrid's arm and places her head on her shoulder. This makes Indrid look at Juan in a confused manner. He chuckles and says, “Better get used to that.”
Chad pulls on the side door of the Volkswagen to open it and allows Indrid to step inside first. He follows her and closes the door behind him. He then tells Indrid, “Before we go anywhere, how about we get something to eat?”
She nods and replies, “I'm just grateful for your kindness.”
Betty turns completely around in her seat and says excitedly, “I couldn't leave you here by yourself. Can you imagine if you ran into the Zodiac Killer?”
Juan starts the engine and says to her in response, “Will you stop it? He kills people in California.”
Chad jokingly tells him, “Yeah, but what if he decides to have a vacation here?”
Juan laughs while driving the vehicle and says, “Shit, man. We need some excitement here so I wouldn't mind.”
Indrid finds herself really tempted to explain her uneasiness with Silver Bridge. But since she does not have the slightest idea why she feels this way, she remains silent.
Meanwhile, at the Mason County Library, a pale skinned, thin man wearing a black trench coat and a black suit walks through the entrance. He has long, silky black hair and is wearing sunglasses. Mrs. Roberts notices the man approaching and prepares to greet him. As soon as he stops just in front of her, she senses an overwhelming foreboding...as if she were facing the personification of death. Another strange aspect of this man is that his clothes, and sunglasses, look as if they have bonded with his skin. The man begins speaking in an accent that Mrs. Roberts has never heard before.
“I just arrived to Point Pleasant.”
This makes her gasp. Her mouth opens but she is not able to speak.
“How can I get to Welch, West Virginia?”
Mrs. Roberts composes herself and asks him, “Can you give me a moment, sir?”
The man does not reply and instead stares at her pen in amazement. Suddenly, he grabs the pen out of her hand and runs out of the library while laughing hysterically like a crazed madman. She rubs her arm with her quivering hand while attempting to understand what has just happened.
Juan and Betty enter a diner immediately followed by Chad and Indrid. They all sit down at a table and Betty asks Indrid, “Are you a writer or something? Is that why you want to know more about this place?”
Indrid does
not know how to reply to her question and feels everyone staring at her waiting for an answer. It is not in her nature to lie but she cannot reveal what she really is. A true dilemma. She finally says, “Well...I honestly...”
A familiar voice interrupts her. “Hey, it's you!”
Indrid looks up and, to her dismay, recognizes the person as the police officer that she met at the munitions plant.
“Remember me? Officer Callahan?”
She does not respond and just lowers her head in embarrassment.
“I just wanted a cup of coffee here and...what are the chances, huh?”
Chad notices Indrid's behavior and asks the officer, “You know each other?”
“I met her this morning up at the munitions plant near Main Street. She was really spaced out.”
Juan says in a serious manner, “We partied just a bit too much, sir.”
“Let me ask you this. Since you all were there last night, did you see anything out of the ordinary?”
Chad shrugs his shoulders and replies while giggling, “Not really, sir. We were all kinda in a different dimension of time and space.”
Betty attempts to act serious while asking officer Callahan, “So what happened last night?”
Officer Callahan grins and tells them, “It's all over the news. Thanks...I'll be leaving now. You kids be careful.”
The waitress arrives soon after he leaves and asks, “You guys didn't hear what happened? Some people were driving around the old munitions plant and saw a monster. They're calling it the Mothman.”
Indrid raises her head to look at the waitress and ponders for a moment how upset Victor Frankenstein would be with her. But it was not her intention to expose herself to the public. There seems to be a tragedy of some sort that will happen on Silver Bridge. All she wants to do is help but she now fears that she may not be able to prevent the future from taking place. Betty looks at Juan and says, “Looks like you got what you wanted.”
An hour later, they step outside of the diner. Indrid turns around to look at her new friends. “Again. I apologize for what happened earlier.”
Juan replies, “No big deal. Let's go to Silver Bridge.”
While riding inside of the Volkswagen, Indrid gets the sensation that someone is staring at her. She turns her head and her eyes meets with Chad's brown eyes. He gives her a friendly smile. She returns the smile and blushes.
Hours later, Juan parks the vehicle a few feet away from Silver Bridge. Everyone steps out and then close the doors. Indrid decides to walk closer and closes her eyes to concentrate. Upon setting foot on the bridge, she immediately gets a clearer vision of what is going to happen. On December 15, 1967, this bridge is going to collapse and kill forty-six people. The terrifying flashes of the frightened victims cause a tear to roll down her cheek.
The flashback ends and Barbara finds herself sobbing. She covers her mouth with both hands and whispers, “Oh, my God.”
Indrid lowers her head and says, “I was not able to save them.”
Dr. Frankenstein glances at his watch and realizes that he has lost track of the time. He stands up and places his hand on Barbara's shoulder.
“Indrid does have a gift, Barbara. At times, however, it can also be a curse. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. Get some rest.”
As Barbara watches Dr. Frankenstein and Indrid exit the dining room, she can't help but feel a certain amount of pity. She knows that not everyone can have the perfect childhood and reminisces on her own loving parents. Barbara stands up and whispers, “I miss the both of you so much.”
Henry is in his room lying down comfortably on his old-fashioned bed. He has never gotten used to those high tech beds and requested that this one be placed here instead. Henry reaches into his pocket and takes out a very old photograph of a young girl. His girlfriend Eleanor. He grins as he begins to reminisce on those good old days when he was a sailor in the Navy. At this point, he closes his eyes and falls asleep.
Meanwhile, Dr. Frankenstein is laughing loudly as he views the movie clips of Alexandria when she was five years old. She looked adorable swimming around the pool with that tiny fishtail of hers. The next clip reveals her a year older and playing with his white German Shepherd that he had as a pet at that time. The late Winston. He stops viewing the clip for a moment and begins stroking his goatee.
Princess Alexandria is sitting on her bed using Google Earth on her tablet and fantasizing about visiting the gorgeous cities of the world with her father. Anne Gee appears in front of her and happily informs, “Your father's here again!”
Alexandria nods in approval and the door slides open to reveal a saddened Dr. Frankenstein. She becomes worried and asks, “Dad? What's wrong?”
He takes one step forward and says, “Get your things packed. You're coming with me tomorrow.”
Alexandria opens her mouth and gasps in excitement. She then hops off of her bed and runs toward her father. They embrace each other tightly and the doctor kisses his daughter on the head. He whispers to her, “The cycle ends with me, konfect.”
Chapter II
The attractive COO of StarSun, Inc., Diana Garrison, adjusts the windsor knot of CEO Theodore F. Reubens' tie. She has fairly dark skin and smooth long hair. She notices a bead of sweat roll down his forehead and reassures him by saying, “You'll do fine, Ted.”
“Thank you, Diana. It's hard to believe this day has come.”
Diana smiles and looks at the reporters of all the major news networks awaiting the official statement confirming Mr. Reubens' retirement. He takes a deep breath and makes his way toward the podium. Diana's son, eighteen year-old Joshua Garrison, appears next to her and whispers, “Don’t forget his shoelaces.”
She gives him a serious look and takes a moment to admire the handsome features of her son. He has dark brown hair, which is showing a dire need of a cut, and sideburns. His mesmerizing green eyes show a deep sensitivity...which reminds her of a young Heath Ledger. Diana focuses her attention, once again, on the press conference.
Theodore F. Reubens clears his throat and begins his statement by saying, “I would like to begin by thanking everyone that has contributed to the success of StarSun. That would include our customers who, with their loyal support, made all of this possible. Our goal has always been to provide the world with the highest possible quality of products.”
“Effective the end of this month, I will be retiring and it does sadden me because I have spent twenty years as CEO of this excellent organization. I will miss it...but I leave confident that Diana Garrison will do her best to not only preserve the original vision of this company, but to improve upon it.”
Having become tired of the clicking sounds of the numerous cameras, Joshua decides to leave to get a breath of fresh air. The corporate lifestyle never really sat well with him. He feels much more comfortable outside in a serene environment without the constant pressure of deadlines and fake smiles. As soon as he steps outside, he feels the vibration of his phone. Joshua turns on the screen to read the text message that was sent by his mother. It reads, “Don't wander off.”
Without warning, the phone suddenly freezes and reboots on its own. While waiting for the phone to boot up, Joshua notices a strange, bright glare on the screen. He quickly gazes up at the morning sky and is instantly blinded by what appears to be two suns next to each other. Just as he puts his hand over his eyes to focus on the odd spectacle, one of the bright stars rapidly moves from left to right....then disappears into the clouds.
Diana Garrison exits StarSun's corporate headquarters located in New York City to witness her son bizarrely staring into the sky. The corporate executive briefly looks up in an attempt to catch a glimpse of what is entertaining him. She does not see anything whatsoever and proceeds to casually walk towards him while placing her phone inside of her purse. Joshua gets startled when his mother says, “Get your head out of the clouds.”
He is baffled at how quickly his mother finished her business inside and remarks, “That w
as quick.”
Diana glances at him as she enters the limousine and replies, “Well, if you call four hours quick, then you must have been having fun looking at the sky.”
Four hours? He could have sworn that he stepped out of the building about five minutes ago! Joshua scratches his head and dismisses the incident as a consequence of not getting enough sleep. He then enters the limousine and the driver closes the passenger door behind him. Joshua is sitting next to his mother as she uses her familiar business lingo while speaking on her phone. She uses words like stock holders, maximizing profits and corporate mergers. All he thinks of is the fishing trip he has planned with his grandfather this upcoming weekend. He finds it strange how his mother could harbor such deep hatred for someone so down to Earth and understanding as retired military general Frank Garrison.
Diana finally disconnects the call and says to her son, “I really wish that you change your mind about this weekend, Joshua. I want to spend some time with you.”
“This trip was planned months ago, mom. I can't just cancel.”
“Just hope that he doesn't cancel on you. He's been known to have convenient amnesia.”
Joshua ignores his mother's comment and glances at his watch. He has an hour to get to his job and the heavy traffic is not helping. Diana says angrily, “I have no idea why you continue to work as a bellhop. It's disgusting. Seriously...You can do so much better, Joshua.”
The limousine slows to a stop and the blaring sound of car horns can be heard. At this point, Joshua decides to open the passenger door and step outside. He's really not that far away and can easily walk to the hotel. Diana looks at him and loudly yells, “What are you doing? Are you seriously going to walk?”
As soon as he is about to reply, her cell phone starts ringing and she quickly answers it. Diana raises her finger at Joshua to keep him from speaking and becomes involved in a conversation with a man named Gary. They are talking about improvements for StarSun's profits and Joshua slams the door shut. He proceeds to briskly walk on the sidewalk while listening to the music on his touch screen phone. He takes a look at the sky and wonders to himself if what he saw earlier was real or not. Were there actually two suns in the sky?
Rise of the Fallen: Ascensionis Page 4
