The Traveler's Secret: Book One (The Traveler Series 1)

by Jan Eira

  “What do we have here?” asked one of the three men approaching the group. They had on ragged biker attire and tall, scruffy boots. Their unkempt hair was dirty and disheveled. What they lacked in intact teeth, they made up for with fancy tattoos. The strangers carried large knives on their belts and machetes in their hands.

  “Who are these pansies?” asked another one of the men. “We want all your money.”

  “I’ll take the brunet chick,” said one of the men, licking his chops.

  “The other one is mine,” said another.

  CHAPTER 11

  Laurel, Sophia, Jessica, and Lilly were finally ready for their expedition. They met at Sophia’s house and gathered their equipment. The two-story house abutted the forest, which was a rich setting for the study of trees and leaves.

  “We’re going now, Mom,” said Sophia. “We’ll be back as soon as we get it all done.”

  “Don’t stay out too long,” said her mother. “And don’t go too far.”

  “How far is too far?”

  “If I yell real loud for you, and you can’t hear me, that’s too far.”

  “How far is that?” asked Lilly.

  “Hmm…” Sophia’s mother contemplated the question. “Don’t go past the parking lot entrance into the forest. That’s the lot where hikers and visitors park their cars.”

  “OK! Don’t worry, Mom,” said Sophia. “We’re not babies anymore. We’re almost third graders.”

  “Got your bags to collect the leaves in?”

  “Yes, Mom.” The other three nodded.

  “I’ll tell you what, girls. I’ll make chocolate chip cookies. When you get back, how about we all have some cookies and milk? I’ll call your moms and make sure it’s OK with them.”

  “Yeah!” the girls said in unison. Smiles were all around.

  “I’ll bring the book in case we have questions about the leaves we’re collecting,” said Laurel.

  “Good idea,” said Lilly.

  After they all said good-bye, the girls walked out of the home and soon ventured into the woods behind the property.

  “We each need to find at least ten different leaves for our report,” said Jessica.

  “Here’s a beautiful yellow-and-green one,” said Sophia, picking up a leaf and placing it neatly inside the plastic bag. “One down, nine to go, and then chocolate chip cookies.” She smiled.

  The girls scattered about, searching for colorful foliage. The stroll progressed slowly as they collected their materials.

  Twenty minutes passed. The plastic bags became packed with specimens.

  “Look at that tree over there by those bushes,” said Laurel.

  “The great big tree?” asked Sophia. “The leaves sure are pretty. I want one of those.” She ran from the walking path and deeper into the forest. She stopped when she noticed the four men and the four older kids.

  “What are they doing?” whispered Lilly.

  “Sh-h-h,” said Jessica, placing her index finger to her lips.

  “Hide behind the bushes,” said Laurel. “Don’t talk. Don’t move. Don’t even breathe.”

  “Are they fighting?” asked Lilly. The other three girls shrugged. Jessica again signaled with her index finger to her lips.

  “They got big knives, and they look mean,” said Sophia. “If they find us, we’re dead.”

  CHAPTER 12

  The four teenagers and the time traveler were now on their feet. The three strangers slowly circled the group, waving their machetes back and forth at eye level.

  “We don’t want any trouble,” said older Brent. “You leave us alone. No harm done.”

  “We got us a funny man, boys,” said one of the intruders with an ugly, edentulous smirk. The other two reciprocated and added a hearty laugh.

  “We’re not leaving here until you give us your money, watches, and cell phones and until we have a go at your girls, Mister,” said the oldest of the men, who was no longer laughing or smiling. “And what are you going to do about it?”

  “I’m going to depolarize your neural synapses,” said older Brent as he pulled out a small device from his pocket. He aimed it at the closest thug. With the push of a button, the gizmo emitted a faint wave of nearly imperceptible light accompanied by a muffled, electronic tone. The nearest of the men collapsed to the ground like a sack of potatoes. His eyes were open, and his lips were still. The other two men looked at one another. They assumed a fighting position, gripping their machetes. One of them charged older Brent, who aimed and discharged the unit again. The attacker thumped to the ground. The third man turned around to run away. But within seconds, he, too, hit the ground hard.

  Behind the bushes on the other side of the parking lot, Laurel, Sophia, Jessica, and Lilly collectively gasped. Their small hands covered their agape mouths. The seven-year-olds dropped their specimen bags and held their breaths. Tucked away behind their hideout, the witnesses remained silent, stunned, and horrified.

  “Holly shit!” said William. “What the hell was that?”

  “Cool,” said Valerie. “I must get me one of those. It’ll come in handy at the mall during sale events.”

  “That’s pretty neat,” said William. “How does it work?”

  “They’ll be paralyzed for about four hours,” said older Brent, turning away from the fallen ruffians. “They’ll wake up then and be fine.”

  “Will they remember anything?” asked Valerie.

  “They’ll have total amnesia about these events.”

  “Thank you for saving us,” said Ellie.

  “I believe these are illegal,” said older Brent, looking at the machetes near the motionless hands. “The police will explain it all to them when they arrive in a few minutes.” He led the others toward the bikes. “Why don’t you get your bikes, and let’s find a better and safer place to continue our discussion.”

  Younger Brent unlocked the chain that secured the three bicycles to the large tree. The three friends pushed their bikes along. Valerie and older Brent walked toward the car.

  “Where should we go?” asked Ellie.

  “Go?” said younger Brent. “We’re going home. We’re not going anywhere with this creep.”

  “We should give him a chance, Brent,” said William. “I know it sounds weird and all, but what if he’s telling the truth?”

  “Give me a break, William,” said younger Brent. “You’ve been watching too much TV. I can pretty much guarantee you that I don’t time travel back from the future because billions of people die from—”

  “What if it’s true?” asked Ellie. “I look into his eyes, and I do see you, Brent. You’re older, but you’re you nonetheless.” They rolled their bikes toward the others.

  “Do the three of you remember where we found that huge cave under the rocks?” said older Brent.

  “We remember. It was just yesterday,” said William.

  “For us, anyway,” said Ellie.

  Older Brent nodded. “Valerie, I’ll show you the way. There’s a place to park your car nearby. You all ride your bikes there, as we used to do so many times.”

  “Well, we’ve been there only once,” said William. “But I get the point.”

  “What about these thugs?” said Ellie.

  “Valerie, I believe you have a cell phone, yes?” asked older Brent. “Will you call the police anonymously and have them respond to this area?”

  “We can’t from here,” said Valerie, her mobile in her hand. “No signal whatsoever.”

  Older Brent searched his pocket and removed a device about the size of a thimble.

  “Oh yeah, the signal issues. I remember them well. They were eliminated in a few years from now.” He rotated the lower ring on the gadget one way and then the other way. “Try again. It should be working now.”

  “Five bars,” said Valerie.
“I’m impressed.”

  “You guys are all too easily impressed,” said younger Brent. “It’s some gadget he probably got at Best Buy yesterday to improve cell phone reception. Big deal. I’m still doubtful.”

  “I know you are, Brent,” said older Brent. “That’s the way we are. I would be doubtful, too, if something this incredible happened right now.” He looked at the sky. “Come with me. I’ll prove it to you right now.” Reluctantly, younger Brent accompanied the man away from the others for a few yards. Seeing that he was out of earshot from the rest, older Brent whispered. “I’m going to tell you something you’ve never shared with anybody else. Ever! It’s something only you know. I believe this will make you a believer.”

  “OK, go ahead. This I gotta hear.”

  “This happened before Mom and Dad separated, a long time ago. It was a cold night in the middle of winter. It was snowing, and the wind was blowing something fierce. There was lightning and thunder. Mom and Dad put you to bed and went downstairs to watch TV.”

  As older Brent’s words resonated, younger Brent’s mind wandered into the past. In a flash, he was a six-year-old boy lying in bed, his covers under his chin. He looked from side to side, tracking the scary shadows moving on the wall opposite his bed.

  “Mom,” he whispered to no one there, his head now covered by sheets and blankets, his body quivering. “There’s a big, ugly monster in here.”

  After a few moments, he again dared to peek out from under the covers. Brilliant light outside the window flashed in his bedroom, followed immediately by a deep, thunderous uproar that gave the beast in the room a voice. And it was fuming angry.

  “Mom, Dad,” Brent muttered again, this time a little bit louder but not too loud, lest the evil being would pinpoint his whereabouts.

  The monster gave another warning, this one even more emphatic. Tree branches scraped threateningly against the window. No longer able to stand the foreboding, Brent leaped out of bed and ran quietly down the stairs to avoid alerting the Thing. He prayed that it didn’t follow him. Now on the main floor, he realized the scratching sounds were even louder here. They were a testament of the monster’s quickness. Brent looked in the kitchen. Nobody. He looked in the dining room. All dark. He tiptoed toward the living room. He heard crying and moaning from the basement.

  Rallying his courage, he crept down the stairs. At about midway, the whimpers got louder and more pitiful. The television was on, but its volume was insufficient to quash his mother’s moans. And then his dad joined in. He was even louder and more pathetic. Unsure as to what to do, Brent retreated to his room and submersed himself deep under the covers. All was quiet now. The monster’s roars ceased, and the scratching sounds vanished.

  “You fell asleep under the blankets,” said older Brent. “By the morning, when you woke up, everything seemed to be back to normal. Your parents were fine, your room was fine, all your toys were fine and in their place, and the house was fine. Nothing bad had happened after all.” He smiled. Younger Brent reciprocated. His older self continued. “It took you several years to realize what had happened that night.”

  “Four years ago, Charlie brought in his older brother’s laptop to school,” said younger Brent.

  “And he showed you that porn movie with all the yelling and all the moaning. It was only then that you realized—”

  Younger Brent’s eyes opened wide. “How can you know that?”

  “I’m not sure why I felt so embarrassed by it all, but I did. So, I—uh, you—never told anyone. You and only you—well, and me—know this. You never even told your best friend, William.”

  “How is it possible you know that?”

  “You tell me. Your parents never knew it happened, so they couldn’t have told anyone. And you never told anyone. How can I know that, unless I’m telling you the truth? And I am you.”

  The two walked back to the group. Valerie made the phone call to the police, and the group departed the area. Soon, the gathering reconvened at the new meeting place.

  “So, how did I—you—return to today from the future?” asked younger Brent. “And how will you go back?”

  “I can’t go back, Brent. My trip back in time to now was the first such trip by man, and I have no way to return.”

  “Maybe the future people will come back for you?”

  “I doubt it very much. The world is coming to an end, and the time-travel technology has died. The person who designed the time-travel vehicle died from a massive heart attack and stroke. Most of the great minds of science have died; the remaining will die over the next few weeks. I have no way to return to my time.”

  “Sorry, Brent,” said Ellie. “We already know someone dear to you has died with the virus. How does the virus affect people?”

  “In patients who had been previously exposed to Enoxadin, the virus interacts with the drug in the host’s arterial walls and causes them to occlude. The results are massive heart attacks with a one hundred percent mortality rate.”

  “What about heart transplantation?” asked Valerie. “My dad told me there are already mechanical hearts that are being transplanted into humans. Why can’t people get that and be saved?”

  “That would save their hearts,” said older Brent. “What about all the other arteries in the body? They all occlude, so no blood flows to the brain, kidneys, liver, or lungs.” He sighed. “All the arterial beds occlude, although the heart is almost always the first to go. We have transplanted patients’ hearts, but they still die soon after the viral infection from other vascular complications.”

  “What else has been tried to save these infected people?” asked Ellie. “Any hope of an antiviral agent to kill the virus before it interacts with the arterial walls?”

  “No hope at all. None of the known antiviral agents have been successful against this new virus. The induced heart attacks have been overwhelming and unstoppable by any technique. After only six months, the time it took us to realize what we were dealing with, hundreds of millions had died, with the clear expectation that billions more will follow in the next two to three weeks.”

  “So, who’ll be left?” asked Valerie.

  “Most of the world’s leaders have either died or are expected to die soon. With no leadership, we’ve seen the collapse of one system after another—finance, food, air purification, science, law enforcement, jobs, governments.” Older Brent looked into the eyes of each teenager. “There are wars between countries, even between continents. It is expected that warfare will end up devastating the whole planet.”

  “So, you lost the love of your life and volunteered to travel back in time to put a stop to this drug,” said younger Brent. “But why you? Me?”

  With four pairs of eyes staring him in the face, older Brent took a deep breath. His eyes moistened. “I can’t tell you kids,” he said. “I’m sorry. I just can’t tell you.”

  “Brent, you took Enoxadin, too, didn’t you?” asked Ellie. “And you were exposed to the virus.” Slowly, older Brent bowed his head.

  “How long do you have to live?” asked William.

  “Less than two weeks.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Ellie needed this time alone with her husband with nature. Away from the misery civilization had become. And it was rapidly worsening, day -by -day.

  She emerged from the cabin, shielding her eyes from the intense sunlight. The early morning fog had completely burned away, leaving behind a cool, unclouded early autumn day. She contemplated the beautiful view. Trees glowed with yellowing leaves for as far as the eye could see. She scanned the horizon to the west as she took in a deep breath. The crisp air soothed her lungs.

  From deep in the thick woods, to the north and east, Ellie heard a distant reverberating sound she had never heard before. It resembled a scratchy intonation, like Donald Duck’s barely comprehensible words, but in an incredibly high pitch. The voice whispe
red words that sounded like koo eeky…koo eeky. A long pause ensued before she heard koo eeky again.

  She gasped as she spotted the albino little girl.

  “Hello,” Ellie said, her words unthreatening.

  The child stood still, unsmiling, amid the woodlands. Her silvery features contrasted prominently with the vibrant colors of the foliage around her. She was four, maybe five, years old and impressively unafraid. Her small frame stood confident and dauntless.

  Ellie took a step toward her. “Are you lost?” She took another step forward. “What’s your name?” The girl gave no response whatsoever. Ellie was now only a few feet away. She slowly extended her hand invitingly. She then unmistakably heard the name “Alexandra,” but the child’s lips had not moved at all. The only motion was the whitish strands of her long hair flowing in the breeze. The little girl pointed to her right into the thick forest. Ellie’s gaze followed. The trees magically morphed and materialized into huge skyscrapers and city streets with cars, taxis, buses, and people. The people ran, apparently panic stricken. And then the explosions began, loud and menacing. One after the other, each one was louder than the one before. Bodies fell dead into expanding pools of blood. Another explosion detonated.

  The loud detonation jolted Ellie awake with a gasp. She felt for Brent, but his side of the bed was empty and cold. She embraced her robe and found some small measure of comfort in its warmth as she walked out the bedroom.

  “I had a horrible nightmare,” she said. She looked out the window. The dense cloud cover conspired with the dreariness of the moment. All was going wrong. On an invisible screen in midair, a newscaster proclaimed today’s iFacts.

  “Computer, mute TV,” said Brent. The TV obeyed, although the display still showed the intense commotion and upheaval on a city street somewhere. Small, unmanned aircraft expelled explosives into high rises. Young men barely old enough to shave fired automatic weapons into crowds and families, some carrying small children. Screaming people fled into the street.