by Lynn Landes
Hold the shield, Hold the shield! She chants over and over in her mind. Her five year old body begins to tingle, the hairs on her arms rise as her body begins to buzz with electricity.
"Follow the thread." Her teacher says. "It is silver and connects the physical body to your astral body. The shield will protect you from the demons who will try to steal your soul. To return to your body, simply think the thought and snap you are back."
"Concentrate Elina!" her teacher snaps as she loses the thread. Frustrated her teacher tells her, "I will get us some tea, and we can try again." Stomping out of the hut she leaves.
Tears prick Elina's eyes. As she listens she can hear the other children playing outside. She hears the wind blowing and the birds calling her. Wiping her nose on her sleeve, she sits up crossing her legs and closes her eyes. She smiles as she hears the sound of her friends laughing.
A sudden sparkle blinds her for a second as she turns her mind’s eye toward the light. Silver threads dance on the air but it is the bright golden thread that Elina is drawn to. Reaching for it she cries out with joy as her tiny fingers grasp it!” Gotcha" she thinks. Suddenly her ears fill with a loud buzzing sound and she is jerked from her cot!
"I'm flying!" she yells. Her teacher would be so proud she thinks as she floats through the bright blue sky. Looking down she sees the thread she holds disappears into a grove of trees below.
Holding tightly to the golden thread, Elina is pulled toward the trees at incredible speed, scared she drops the thread just before crashing through the treetops into the river below. The impact knocks the breath out of her little body and she struggles to surface.
Standing at the edge of the river, is a boy out for a day of fishing. He is trying to hook a worm, when he hears a scream and watches in shock as a small body crashes into the river. Dropping his pole he dives in and grabs her body, pulling her to the surface. Holding her head above the surface he swims to shore like he learned to.
Coughing he rolls her to her side and brushes her black hair from her face. Staring at her, heart pounding he is relieved when she begins coughing and spitting water. Patting her back he asks "Are you okay?" His eight year old mind knows just what to do "it’s okay, my family is camping nearby, and I can go get help!
Scared Elina looks at the golden haired boy who just saved her, her body begins to shake from the trauma and cold, stuttering she asks "are, are you a demon?"
Shocked, he says "NO, I am Jacob”. Pausing he looks closely at her as he says "I fight demons, you see them too?"
Nodding her head yes, she tries to stand up. Jake asks "Can I help you? Your bleeding you know."
Looking into his hazel eyes, she decides that probably a demon wouldn't be so nice, so she reaches for his hand.
Leaning onto each other, shivering they limp towards camp and he says "Everything's going to be okay. What's your name?
"Elina.” stumbling and struggling to walk she says, “Stop Jake, everything hurts.” Resting her on a rock, "Elina I can get help faster on my own. My camp is just past those trees over there," he says pointing.
Sniffling, trying not to cry she whimpers "okay."
“Here,” he says softly pressing something in her hand, "You hold onto this for me, it's my lucky penny. Mom let me make on our way here. I will be right back Elina," spinning around he runs off in the direction of his camp.
Looking down at the strange coin that has been pressed flat; she smiles and clasps it tightly in her fist. Closing her eyes she listens hard and hears her mother’s voice from far away like a whisper. Holding tightly to the thought of her Mother, the voice gets louder and again she feels the buzzing. Her body begins to hum, time to go home. Feeling the wind rush past her body, she feels the falling sensation again and crashes to the ground near the center of the village. The sound of her mother screaming her name is the last sound she hears.
Jake jerks awake as the stewardess touches his shoulder. "Sir, we are beginning our descent." A voice over the speaker says, "We are beginning our descent into Frankfurt, Germany. Please return your seats to their upright positions, and turn off all electronic devices." Sitting up, Jake shakes his head to remove the confusion. He remembers as a little boy trying to convince his parents that he wasn't crazy; he had burst into camp yelling, shaking, dripping wet and talking about a little girl falling from heaven.
Of course they thought he was delirious from his fall into the river but he would not calm down until they followed him. So his mother grabbed a blanket and first aid kit and they all followed him. Bursting through the trees Jake calls her name "Elina! Over and over he calls to her, but she was nowhere to be found. His Dad promised to search by the river, and surrounding area convincing them to return to the campsite. Eventually his Father returned. He promised Jake that he told the local authorities about the little girl.
Later that night, before Jake went to bed he went to his dad and asked "Dad, did you check the trees?"
"Why would I check the trees, Jake?" his father asked.
"Because Elina is an Angel who fell from the sky, maybe she got stuck in a tree. I will pray that she is okay. Good night," he says skipping off.
Weird Jake thinks, that he is remembering this now so many years later. Walking through the terminal, Jake and Seth shake hands and exchange numbers.
Looking into his eyes Seth says “Jake, if you need anything, call me. Heather has agreed to let me go with her for now, but I am only a phone call away." Shaking his friends hand Jake says, "Thanks I will."
Turning to Heather he remarks "You take good care of him, he's one of a kind."
"I know, Jake if I can do anything, please call me. Thank you for everything. Let us know how your sister is," she says hugging him quickly.
Jake watches them walk off, hand in hand and turns with a determined look, hurrying to catch his connecting flight.
Swinging his leg over his black motorcycle Jake straps on his helmet and thumbs the starter, listening to it roar to life. Shifting into gear he heads to Beth's apartment. Maybe he will find some answers there. After spending a few days with his parents he decided to go to her apartment and see if he could turn up any additional evidence. According to the police report State Troopers were called into the area when his car was found wrecked, burned out and on its top. The report states that Elsbeth left a message with a friend that she was going out of town for the weekend. Assuming she left on Friday after work, the accident would have occurred sometime that evening. The car was not found for two days. A search team of more than forty people searched in a grid for four days turning up no clues except blood at the scene. K-9 units were used, helicopters, and thermal imaging. Police concluded a ground search for her, before filing it as a missing persons case.
Heading down the road Jake is oblivious to the beauty of the Charleston day, the bright sunshine and the smell of the salty ocean air. Pulling into the Water's Edge Plantation, Beth’s condo; he parks in the reserved parking under her unit. Private parking was a big reason she loved this unit, plus Jake kept his bike and car here when he was stationed overseas. Walking quickly, he ignores the bad feeling in his gut. Nothing is going to stop him from finding his sister.
Entering the small mud room, Jake is immediately struck by the silence of Elsbeth's home. Hitting the light switch, he heads into kitchen and looks around. A few dishes rest in the sink, sitting near the phone is a notepad with a check list of things to do that week. Normal things like; get groceries, take out trash, and call Sarah to help with the shop, all with lines through them. It does not look like she was planning a trip. Taking the note pad, he opens the refrigerator and notices that it is full. Jake walks out of the kitchen and looks around the small living room.
Smiling he remembers how excited Elsbeth was about the fireplace, and bookcases flanking it. Off the kitchen is a small dining area, near a bright window overlooking the river. The condos open concept makes it feel larger than it is. The second floor holds a small bedroom that Beth converted into
a work room, another small bedroom and bath. The third level was strictly a master suite, with a balcony.
Standing in his sister’s home, Exhaustion hits him. He has been traveling for days to get home and the time with his parents was emotional. They reviewed the police report and visited the site of the accident, to no avail.
Walking swiftly upstairs Jake heads to her workroom. Of all the rooms this one is the hardest to enter. Beth is in every breath of this room. Her workstation is still littered with her tools; hammers, saws, chisels, and more. Her sketch pad shows a cuff design with an intricate pattern similar to lace; along with a variety of lace that she uses to cast in wax. From the wax forms she makes one of a kind jewelry. She was so proud of the work she was doing, and her hard work was paying off. Her custom pieces were selling fast and the money she made from them allowed her to open her own shop downtown. A movement from the corner of the room catches Jakes eye. Grabbing a hammer he spins around and sees a mannequin with Beth's newest design on it. "Getting jumpy," Jake says to himself. Picking up the sketch pad he heads to her small office in the other bedroom.
The small guest room also doubles as an office. Jake used this room, whenever he stayed with her. A small desk and computer sit in the corner of the room, with a phone. Dropping the notepad and sketch pad on the bed, he sits at the computer and turns it on. A security screen blinks at him. Not sure what her password would be, Jake takes out his cell, and calls in a favor. A fellow retired PJ who opened his own Computer information security company. He specializes in planning, developing, and monitoring security for companies and individuals. After telling him about his sister, he promises to look into it, and get back to him as quickly as possible.
Exhausted and no longer thinking straight anymore, he decides to grab a shower and rest. The stress and emotional toll of the last few weeks is catching up to him. Standing in the shower letting the steam soak into his bones, Jake doesn't see the shadows creeping in from the corners. Resting his forehead on the wall of the shower, he savors the steam. The shadows creep in forming the shape of a person. Reaching out its shadowed hand the light goes out. Startled Jake throws the curtain back and steps out to try the switch, when he feels a hand shove him backwards throwing him off balance. Slipping, he doesn't stand a chance as he slams into the back of the shower wall and slides down the tub. The light flips back on and the door cracks open, while Jake slowly stands up saying "What the hell was that?"
Standing in the shower, naked and dripping Jake feels stupid. Listening intently he hears nothing. Thinking he imagined the pressure on his chest, he turns off the water, grabs a towel and heads out into the room. As he is pulling on his jeans, he listens to the message on his cell phone. “Hey Cap, I’ve got something for you. I am sending it through to your email. It’s a couple of video logs, and her personal emails. I am working on getting a list of her phone calls, cell and home. I will send those through as soon as I can. Good luck. Let me know what else I can do.”
“Excellent.” Jakes says sitting down at the computer he logs into his email. Clicking on the first video he is shocked as Elsbeth’s beautiful face fills the screen. Tossing her blonde hair over her shoulders she leans in and with tears she says “The shadows have returned, and I don’t know how much longer I will be able to run from them.” Stunned Jake watches a series of video clips and then goes through her emails. Someone was helping her and they called her cell phone!
Hitting play he watches her video clips again. Trying to look at it objectively, he notes that she looks exhausted. They were physically attacking her, just like what he went through earlier. Jake feels unseen eyes watching him. Turning he looks at the corners of the room, and he knows they are here. Rising he crosses to the bed and decided to test his theory. Stretching out on his back, he sends a quick prayer asking for protection, imagining a hot white light of protection surrounding his body. Heather spent some time on the plane explaining to him how to protect himself; he hopes this works. As a keeper they should not try to attack him, but from Beth’s videos he is not sure what he is dealing with here.
Lying on his back waiting for the demon to attack him Jake feels his anger grow. Thinking of Beth dealing with this alone, he tries to hold the image of white light around his body, but his anger begins to change shifting to bright blue. A cold draft moves up his legs over his body and he feels the soft touch of fingertips tracing up his legs. The pressure soft at first changes as the fingers move up over his knees. Opening his eyes he sees the shape of a female shadow moving up his body. He feels the drag of her naked breasts as she slips higher up his body. Her fingers shift to nails making him groan. Her blood red eyes stare into his and he feels a hiss of fear as she sees his eyes glow bright blue.
Straddling him she rises up and he sees her nails have changed into talons. "No more foreplay!" Jake says grabbing her by her wrists, blocking her from punching into his chest. She screams at his touch and tries to break away but she is stuck in a grip of ice. Jake pictures the shadow woman in his mind changing into ice. He feels the weight of her change and watches as she begins to freeze above him. Jake rolls to the right, just as she turns solid throwing her into the wall watching as she shatters on impact. Other shadows in the room creep quickly into the corners and disappear. The frosty air around him returns to normal and Jakes waits for his heart to slow down. "Son of a bitch! What is going on?"
Thinking maybe he will get some information from Beth's videos he watches them again. Looking at his sister deteriorating condition he can only guess at how bad things were for her. He notes that she listed the tripping, pushing and even throwing things at her. "They were slowly torturing you, Beth" he says. Closing her video he sees on her home screen a folder titled archives. He decides to open it and is confused at what he finds. Articles from multiple newspapers listing the following:
"Body of man found burned inside house, missing heart,"
"Young teen found drowned, missing organs"
"6 year old died from infection, all internal organs missing"
"Woman walks away from home, after she reported hearing voices"
"3 migrant workers found dead on a southern plantation." Beth wrote "Common link ALL missing hearts with NO visible signs of trauma. All interviews with family and friends showed attacks of some kind from unknown entities. They were dismissed as mental disorders. Appointment with Mortuary Manager Kristen Plant, Thursday 4:15pm at Medical University.” she wrote, “How is this happening? How is it related to attacks? Why have the attacks increased? Is this how they pick the victims?”
"My God, Beth what have you gotten into?" Frustrated Jake runs his hands over his face. In the morning he will go to the hospital and see the mortuary manager Beth met with. Maybe this will all become clearer. Shutting the computer down, Jake decides to go to a hotel and try to rest.
Running through the woods Jake screams her name "Elina! We're are you?" He yells, "Elina!" panicking. "I waited for you Jake" says a small voice from the shadows. Turning Jake sees the little girl with black hair and blue eyes.
"Why did you go? Are you an Angel?” he asks the little girl surrounded by the darkness. She walks toward him with each step she takes she grows older, taller and changes into a beautiful young woman. Reaching for him she steps forward out of the shadows and into the light, only to explode into golden showers of glitter.
Startled Jake wakes in a cold sweat, heart pounding with her name on his lips. "Elina!" Waking in the hotel holding his pistol in his right hand Jake looks around rubbing his eyes. Confused he cuts on the bedside light in the room and sees the clock says 7:05. "If you were just a hallucination, then why do you feel so real to me?" Jake asks frustrated. Realizing where he is he lowers his gun deciding to get started and call Seth.
It rings four times before he hears cowboy say "this had better be good Cap" in his deep sleep filled voice.
"I'm in trouble Seth." Sitting up quickly all trace of sleep gone, Seth says "fill me in." Listening and dressing at the same time
, he turns away from the beauty sleeping in his bed and slips out of the room. He walks to the kitchen in the log cabin, and starts a pot of coffee.
"Jake you can't handle this alone. Heather’s people are special, I will ask them what they know and you forward me the files so we can look at them. In the meantime be careful. Whatever you’re wading into sounds bad."
"You have no idea. Thanks cowboy," Jake says smiling because he knows Seth hates it when he calls him that. Ending the call, Jake rides to the hospital and heads to the morgue.
At the desk he smiles at the nurse asks "Is Kristen Plant available?" She smiles at him and says "I'm sure she will be for you." Laughing, she says “She's in the basement; take the elevator to the right.”
"Thanks" he says turning to head toward the elevator. That's when he notices the shadows creeping along the walls. They are in every corner, some walking beside people, trailing behind them, pushing, sneaking, creeping around, some even clinging to the backs of others. The elevator doors slide open and Jake sees people exiting and watches as the shadows slide down the walls following them out. Deciding to take the stairs, Jake heads down the four flights to the basement.
Immediately his senses are assaulted. The fluorescent lights, shine from above, the air is cold, and the smell of chemicals permeate the air. Heading toward the first office he sees a blond girl in scrubs, walking toward him. Her hair is clipped up and she is holding a clipboard and talking. "Hey Ray, its Kristen I have three for pickup. I know busy night," she says laughing, "Okay I'll tell them."
Hanging up her phone she turns and stops, "Can I help you?" she asks walking toward Jake.
"Yes I am looking for Kristen Plant," Jake responds smiling down at her.
