Oak Ridge

by Edward Mullen

  “Tell that to them friggin’ zombies, Sheriff!” somebody from the crowd yelled out.

  “I don’t know what to tell y’all about your loved ones… I’m in the same situation. My son, Conor, went missing this evening as well. There has to be a logical explanation here and we have to work together to figure it out. We cannot allow an unruly lynch mob to run through our town, enacting their own form of street justice. I’ve made an oath to protect and serve this community and I think you would all agree, I’ve done a pretty fine job. Now I ask you… please… let us handle this.”

  “We need answers!”

  “This is not the time or place to have this discussion,” the Sheriff said. “But I made a few calls this evening and spoke with a special department within the FBI that handles cases such as these. Until they arrive, I’ll do everything within my power to solve this mystery.

  The crowd dispersed and no arrests were made. Exhausted, the Sheriff and his Deputy returned to their vehicle. Waiting for the last of the stragglers to clear out, the officers remained on the property.

  “You okay, sir?” Deputy Marcus asked.

  Sheriff Jameson’s eyes teared up, but he restrained himself from submitting to his emotions. He took out a handkerchief to dry his eyes and wipe his nose.

  “I don’t know what to do, David,” the Sheriff replied.

  “We’ll figure something out, sir. Perhaps we should go home and get some rest. We’ll pick up again at first daylight.”

  Just then, the Sheriff’s phone vibrated. He had to adjust his heavy frame in the car seat to retrieve the device from his front pocket. The caller ID showed the call was coming from his home.

  “Julie?” the Sheriff answered. “Is everything alright?”

  “Conor’s back.”

  Chapter Seven

  Jerry and Linda arrived home, exhausted but thankful to have their son Charlie back in their lives. They continued to monitor his condition to make sure everything was okay with him. Charlie had yet to say a word, but otherwise seemed perfectly normal. When he was brought up to his room, he fell into old routines. He jumped on his bed and searched the bedside dresser for his tablet. He seemed confused that it wasn’t where he had last left it.

  Without knowing what ordeal their son had gone through, their goal was to make him feel as comfortable as possible in hopes that he would let his barrier down and begin to connect with them.

  “Charlie, did you get enough to eat, honey,” his mother asked.

  Without saying a word, Charlie looked at his parents, who were standing in the doorway, and nodded. It was obvious he understood them and was using basic gestures to communicate.

  “We’re so glad to have you home, son,” Jerry said. “We missed you a lot. Did you miss us?”

  Again, Charlie looked at them and shrugged. He seemed too focused on his missing tablet to devote his full attention to the attempted conversation. Linda recognized what he was searching for and went to retrieve the tablet. She returned moments later and handed it to him. This seemed to satisfy Charlie and he began swiping at the screen and clicking on his favourite apps.

  “It’s odd,” Jerry said in a hushed tone. “It’s almost as if he has no recollection of the past nine months.”

  “Yeah, that is odd,” Linda said, studying her son’s behaviour.

  With a Master’s degree in counselling, Linda had taken a number of courses on child psychology, family development, and anthropology, among a host of others. There were certain patterns of behaviour she was trained to look for, but regardless of all her training and experience, there was one thing she saw that told her everything she needed to know. Charlie was holding the device with his right hand and using his left to swipe. Jerry noticed it too. They tried to ignore the obvious conclusion — this was not their son.

  Chapter Eight

  After dropping off the Deputy, Sheriff Jameson raced back to his house. His wife, Julie, saw the vehicle pull up and greeted him at the door.

  “Where is he?” Jameson asked.

  “I’m in here, dad,” Conor said softly.

  Conor wasn’t sure if his dad was excited to see him or was about to discipline him. Slumped over in his seat, he had the posture of a cashew and carried a look of remorse on his face. His dad sat beside him on the couch and hugged him.

  “Conor, where were you?”

  “I was with Mitch.”

  “Why were you with Mitch?”

  “You didn’t tell him?” Conor said, looking up at his mother.

  “Tell me what? What’s going on?”

  “During dinner, he was texting his friend Mitch about an incident they were involved in. If you recall, I confiscated his phone. When you two left, I was sitting here thinking about Conor’s odd behaviour at dinner and I retrieved his phone, hoping there would be some clue as to where he went. To my surprise, I discovered a rather interesting exchange that I think you’d like to hear, George. Conor, why don’t you tell your father what happened with you and Mitch.”

  “Dad… look…” Conor said, letting out a deep breath. “Mitch and I were with the Brills boy when he died.”

  The Sheriff wanted to interrupt with a line of questioning, but refrained himself, allowing his son to tell his version of the story at his own pace.

  “One day after school, we took him to the woods and made him cross the bridge to our clubhouse. You’ve seen it. I’ve crossed that thing a thousand times. It’s a little scary, but it’s perfectly safe. Well, this Charlie kid got all worked up over it. I told him he didn’t have to do it, but he insisted. Said he wanted to prove he was brave. Well, when he got about halfway, one of the planks broke and he fell through. He was swept away in the current so fast, there was nothing we could have done to save him.”

  Hearing the news for the first time brought a great deal of disappointment to the Sheriff. He knew his son well enough to know that the version he had told was probably not the whole truth. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” the Sheriff asked.

  “Mitch told me not to say anything. Besides, we didn’t think it would matter; the kid was dead within seconds.”

  “It matters, Conor. You could have brought closure to a case and allowed Charlie’s parents to know what happened to their son.”

  “I’m sorry, dad,” Conor said, looking down with shame.

  “When I found the message,” Julie said, “I called Mitch’s phone and he confirmed Conor was with him. They had both snuck out.”

  “What were you guys doing this late at night?”

  Conor sat on the couch, fidgeting like he was about to explode at any moment. His dad had interrogated enough people to know he wasn’t getting the full story.

  “Conor,” the Sherriff spoke calmly as he crouched down to get on Conor’s level. “There are a lot of people missing tonight and I thought you were one of them. So understand that I’m not angry with you, I am relieved that you are home safe. So speak candidly and I promise you will not be in trouble.”

  “The returned…” Conor said hesitantly.

  “What about them?”

  “I think I know how they’re coming back.”

  Chapter Nine

  The Sheriff was having one of the most bizarre days of his life. Through all the mystery, he was experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions. He wasn’t sure whether he even had the energy to listen to his son’s wild theory, but decided to allow him to continue. Returning to his feet, the Sheriff stood with his wife, arms crossed, and with a stern look on his face.

  “Mitch and I thought we were going to get in trouble about Newbie — I mean, Charlie,” Conor said, launching into his story. “When we heard about his return, we wanted to discuss a plan for what we should do. We began texting, but when mum took my phone away, I snuck out and rode my bike to his house.

  “We wanted to talk to him — Charlie — and ask him some questions… see what kinds of things he remembers. We went by the kid’s house, but no one was home. We then heard about the people goi
ng missing and thought it’d be best to hide in our fort. We stashed our bikes at the forest’s edge and were making our way down the dark path. Then all of the sudden, we realized we were not alone.

  “I spotted it first…” Conor said as his young mind searched for the correct words. “I guess you could describe it as a glowing orb, but it didn’t look like anything I had ever seen. At first I thought I was seeing things, but when Mitch told me he saw it too, we both crouched down like a couple of tigers in the tall grass.”

  “A glowing orb?” his father repeated. “Can you describe this orb?”

  “I mean, it looked a little like the fiery eye of Sauron… but blue. Well, it was actually multiple colours at once, but mostly blue.”

  “Iridescent?”

  “What does that mean? Is that like the Northern Lights?”

  “It means something that appears to have multiple colours at different angles, like a soap bubble, an oil spill, or the back of a CD. Was it like any of those?”

  “I’d say it was more like the Northern Lights, only it was in the middle of the forest and it was much smaller.”

  “How big was it?”

  “Well, like I said, it was glowing and didn’t have defined edges so it was hard to tell how big it was, but it was definitely in a concentrated area.”

  “Could I fit my car in it, or my house?”

  “Um… maybe neither. I would say it was a bit bigger than a person.”

  “Okay, what else can you tell me about it?” the Sheriff asked.

  “It was swirling.”

  “Did it make any sound?”

  “No.”

  “Okay, so you saw a swirling, iridescent, glowing orb in the forest. It was a bit bigger than a person and didn’t make any sound.”

  “Correct.”

  “Earlier you stated you think you know how the returned are coming back. Get to that part.”

  “Right. So Mitch and I must have watched this thing for ten to fifteen minutes without saying a word to each other. We were both speechless. I really wanted to take a picture of it, but as you know I didn’t have my phone with me, but I signaled to Mitch to take out his phone. He took one picture and then mum called. As soon as the ringer went off, the orb disappeared. She sounded pretty upset on the phone so we headed home right away.

  “We found the path and ran back to our bikes. Just before we went our separate ways, I asked Mitch if he got a clear shot of the orb. It was the first time either one of us had spoken about what we had seen as we were both a little freaked out. Neither one of us was quite sure what it was, but then we discovered something far stranger than we had realized.

  “Mitch pulled out his phone and held it in his hand. We huddled over the image and were completely amazed at what we were looking at. The photo wasn’t as good as what our eyes saw because of the low light, but it had captured something that neither of us had seen. In the centre was the dark silhouette of a man. We couldn’t believe our eyes, but it was definitely a person coming through the orb. It was then that we realized it was a portal to another dimension.”

  The room fell silent as Conor stopped talking. He certainly had a vivid imagination and a knack for storytelling, but what he was saying was a little hard to believe. Then again, given what had transpired in the town as of late, it was certainly plausible. The Sheriff looked at his wife, but neither said a word. They both processed the story their son had told and realized it was their only viable explanation for how the returned were seemingly coming back from the dead. It wasn’t a complete theory, but it was more than they previously had. As a rational officer of the law, the Sheriff naturally looked for empirical evidence to verify his son’s claim.

  “I’d like to see the photo?” Sheriff Jameson said, remaining agnostic until he had solid proof.

  “I told Mitch to send me the pic as soon as he got home,” Conor said.

  “Where’s his phone?” George asked his wife.

  “I’ll go get it.”

  Julie returned with the phone and handed it to her husband. “His password is his birthday.”

  The Sheriff entered the password and unlocked the phone. There were a few unread text messages from Mitch so he opened those right away. Much like Conor and Mitch had done earlier, George and his wife gawked at the screen, examining the image. The orb hardly resembled the intricacy that Conor had described as it was mostly blurry. It was also hard to discern what they were looking at without proper context, but one thing was clear. In the centre of the frame was what appeared to be a silhouette of a man. He was wearing regular clothes and seemed to be exiting the light. If there truly was a portal to another dimension in the middle of the forest, it still didn’t offer an explanation as to how it got there and how it was able to bring people back from the dead.

  “So does it look like a person to you, dad?” Conor asked.

  “It does, but…”

  “What?”

  “It’s hard to tell what this is. It could be anything. You could have taken a picture of a man standing in front of a headlight or staged this in your room with an action figure and a lamp.”

  “So you don’t believe me?”

  “I didn’t say that, but we definitely need to investigate this further.”

  “What do you suggest we do?”

  “I suggest we get some sleep and in the morning, we’ll go out to the spot where this supposedly took place and see if we can find more substantial evidence.”

  It was well past midnight by the time the Sheriff’s head hit the pillow. He was completely drained from the day and did not have the energy to discuss the recent events with his wife. They said goodnight to each other and almost instantly fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter Ten

  In the morning, a black car entered the small town and two FBI agents observed the quiet streets. The traffic was light, which was unlike what they were used to, and the serene mountains covered in tall oaks were something to behold. As it was Sunday, most of the shops were closed and there were hardly any people around.

  “It’s beautiful out here,” one of the agents commented.

  “Do you think they have a Starbucks?”

  “I know it’s early, but don’t worry, we’ll get some coffee into our systems.”

  Using the GPS, the agents navigated through town and found the police station. As they stepped out of their vehicle, they both immediately noticed the air quality. Inhaling deep breaths, one of the agents said, “I may not need that coffee after all. I feel refreshed just breathing in this clean mountain air.”

  “Sure is quiet out here. It’s kind of eerie to be honest.”

  “Has all that talk of zombies gotten to you?”

  “Not as long as I have my gun with me.”

  The door to the police station swung open and the two agents stepped inside. They didn’t see anybody working, but a small radio was playing the latest hits over a loud oscillating fan. There was something unsettling about the atmosphere of the situation, like they were extras in a horror movie about to be slaughtered.

  “Now that you mention it, I’m getting a little freaked out myself.”

  The agents called out for some assistance and from around the corner an older lady emerged. It startled the two agents, causing them to recoil.

  “You boys are awfully jumpy,” the woman said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “It’s quite alright, ma’am.”

  “What can I do you for, gentlemen?” the woman asked.

  “My name is Agent Delaney, and this is my partner, Agent Torres. We’re from the FBI,” one of the agents said as he flashed his badge. “We’re here to see Sheriff Jameson.”

  The two men were in the late thirties to early forties. Both wore black suits with crisp white collared shirts and dark sunglasses. It was obvious to anyone who saw them that they were from out of town.

  “I’ll call the Sheriff for you. You two are welcome to wait here.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”r />
  “I just got in myself. Was back there making a pot of coffee. Would either of you like a cup?”

  “A coffee would be great, thanks.”

  “We have donuts too. They’re from Friday though.”

  Sheriff Jameson was asleep when he received the call. The vibration from his phone on the nightstand woke him up. Reaching for his phone, he looked at the caller ID with squinted eyes. It was the office. Since his wife was still asleep next to him, he answered in a soft tone.

  “Hello,” he grumbled quietly.

  “Sorry to wake ya, Sheriff,” Debbie said. “I got a couple of fellas in here looking for ya. They say they’re from the FBI.”

  “Thanks, Debbie. Tell them I’ll be right there.”

  The Sheriff pulled himself out of bed, causing the bed to shift. Julie woke up and asked where he was going. “I’m meeting with the FBI,” he said. “They’re here to help me with the investigation into the strange phenomena.”

  The Sheriff quickly got ready and headed out the front door. When he stepped outside, birds were chirping and the sun was making its ascent. He inhaled the fresh morning air and put on his sunglasses before entering his truck.

  He quite enjoyed the early Sunday morning drive as it was something he did not get to do often. He usually had the weekends off and by the time he would go about his day, the rest of the town was awake.

  The streets were empty, which made the short drive between his house and the station even quicker. With his window rolled down and his arm out the window, the Sheriff pulled up beside a black SUV that was parked in the lot. Exiting the vehicle, the Sheriff made his way up the steps of the police station.

  “Howdy,” Sheriff Jameson said as he entered through the front door.

  “Sheriff Jameson, we spoke on the phone. I’m Agent Delaney, and this is my partner, Agent Torres.”

  “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, fellas.”

  The Sheriff briefed the agents on the latest particulars of the mysterious cases happening in his town. While he was merely repeating the details he had already told them on the phone, there were two new additions to the story: the unexplained disappearances of six townspeople, ranging in age and gender and who had no apparent relation, and the mysterious light Conor had described the night before.