Dark Mind (The Dark Mind Trilogy Book 1)

by Matthew Goldstein

  27

  “You have visitors, Cole,” the nurse said. “Would you like to see them?”

  Cole smiled, nodding vigorously. “Yes, definitely.”

  The nurse returned his smile. “You’re cute. I’ll go get them.”

  She left and a moment later a pale Meredith entered.

  “Mom, you look like death. I'm fine.”

  She did not respond, merely pulled a chair next to his bed and took a deep breath.

  “Mom, what is it? What's wrong?”

  She took his hand, squeezing it hard. “We don’t have to talk about it right now. I know how traumatizing today must have been. I’ve set up extra sessions with Dr. Stern and I want you to know you can tell me as little or as much as you want. I love you.” She planted a gentle kiss on his forehead.

  Cole paused. He knew it would come to this but he had been unable to think about what he could say. “Thanks. Love you too.”

  “I can let you rest up, if you want,” Meredith said, sighing as she rose to her feet.

  “Wait, Mom... I don't know why that crazy woman came to the house. I never met her before.”

  Meredith looked down at her son, a tear forming in her eye. “I'm not talking about the woman. I know who she is. I'm talking about your ability.”

  Cole felt a creeping panic as years of secrecy crashed down around him because of one mistake. “What? How did you know? Did you talk to Dr. Stern?”

  Meredith nodded and closed her eyes. When she spoke again her voice was a whisper. “Oh, Cole... Why did you have to have it too?”

  What?! Cole's mind had stopped processing as his mouth sputtered in a vain attempt to produce words.

  Meredith tousled his hair, failing to ease the tension. “It's all right. It's best to be out in the open with it. I just wish I hadn't denied it for years.”

  Cole cringed under the covers, feeling like the small terrified boy that he was. “What do you mean? What are you talking about? Mom, you're scaring me.”

  “It's nothing to be afraid of now. You ended it... on your own. If only I had been a better mother I could have helped you. I left you to deal with this ability on your own and put you in danger just because I refused to accept it.”

  “No. N-not possible.”

  “Why not, Cole? If you have this curse, why is it so hard to believe I do too? Look, I know how much harder it makes your life, how much it makes you stand out, which is why I prayed you didn't have it. I just hope you can find someone more understanding than your father. That's what scares me the most.”

  “W-what does dad have to do with this?”

  “I'm sorry. I know this is too much to take in all at once.”

  “No, Mom. Now that it's out in the open you have to tell me everything.”

  Meredith sighed and took a seat back in the chair, leveling her gaze to Cole, who was now alert, staring back with wide eyes.

  “I've had your ability for as long as I can remember but I wanted to keep it a secret from everyone, including my parents and your father. All I ever wanted was to be normal so I pretended I was. It didn't work but I tried. My mother, though, she had the same ability and she realized I did too. She talked to me about it, taught me about how it worked, how to control it, how to use it, everything I should have talked to you about. It was foolish to think you would suddenly break the family tradition.”

  “It's all right, Mom. Just tell me what else happened.”

  “Years later I found Travis' father the same way you found Travis, or rather he found me. We discussed for a long time what we could do about it but before we came to any conclusion, he passed away. It was around the same time that your father found out about my so-called ability. I tried to explain it to him but he wouldn't listen. He didn't believe a word of it and I guess I managed to scare him away.”

  “Hold on, wait,” Cole said, so engrossed in the story he forgot where he was. “You knew Travis and his parents?”

  “Uh-huh. But his father died about ten years ago and that was the last time I saw them. I recognized the mother but Travis was a baby the last time I saw him.” She raised her eyes, thinking back. “We always thought it was interesting that the two of you were born on the same day.”

  “We what?!” Cole dropped back to his pillow, beginning to feel overwhelmed. “Hm.” There was a short silence while another thought weaseled its way into his brain, replacing the thoughts that were too complex to consider at that moment. “Does Aunt Beth know?”

  “She found out the same time as well. My big secret was finally out in the open but I was able to convince her, unlike your father. That was when she became like this. She was always a little odd, but once she knew that supernatural forces existed, she went overboard. Can't blame her, really.”

  Cole half-smiled. “No, I guess not.”

  After another short silence, Meredith said, “If there's anything you ever want to talk about, I want you to know I'm here for you.”

  “This is all gonna take a while to digest.”

  “Well, if you're up for it, there's some more people here to see you.”

  “Yeah? I'm up for it. Although, wait, I did have one more question.” He took a deep breath and looked up at his mother's loving face. “Are we... evil?”

  Meredith stood and rested a hand on his arm. “Morality is just a matter of opinion. Maybe what we're doing is for the greater good. That's what I think.” She left, reentering a minute later with Beth, Amy and Dr. Stern in tow, all looking thrilled to see him in one piece.

  “Nice cast,” Amy said. “It matches your first one. Can I touch it?”

  “Sure,” Cole said. “It’s kinda cool. I've already gotten used to wearing one.”

  “Two casts. That’ll be a hit at school,” Amy said.

  “Does it hurt?” Meredith said.

  “I’m fine, Mom. Don’t worry.”

  “You know I worry. It’s my job.” She smiled.

  “Hey, Cole,” Beth said. “Good to see you’re doin' all right.”

  “That was really scary,” Dr. Stern said. “I'm so relieved you're okay.”

  “Yeah, thanks so much for saving us. That was amazing. I hope you're not in trouble with the police.”

  “No, I think I’ll be all right with a self-defense claim. There was so much noise, I’m sure there were witnesses. Fortunately I didn't kill her. She's in the hospital but she'll survive. But... would you mind telling me who I hit and why? The police are entirely baffled.”

  “Some psychotic woman who thought I was after her son. It's a long story and I'm kinda tired. Can I tell you tomorrow?”

  “I suppose.”

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Sicarius,” Amy said. “Can I talk to him for a minute?”

  “Of course. Come on, Beth,” Meredith said.

  “We're going to have a very interesting session tomorrow,” Dr. Stern said. She shook her head.

  Cole smiled inwardly. Yep. Interesting, to say the least. Told ya so.

  “See ya Cole,” Beth said. She lowered her mouth to his ear and whispered, “Your mother killed her competition too. Travis' father. You ended the bloodline.”

  “Beth!” Meredith said. “What did you just tell him? Did you...?”

  “Don't you worry yourself about that. Come on.”

  She guided a bewildered Meredith and a confused Dr. Stern through the open door, leaving Amy alone with Cole.

  “Guess I believe you now,” Amy said, laughing weakly. “That was crazy.”

  “I’m gonna have some fun sessions with Dr. Stern. I wonder if she’ll believe me now.”

  “She better or she should be fired.” She bit her lip.“You know, I feel horrible saying this but I’m kinda glad about what happened to that crazy woman. I feel even worse saying this but it’s a good thing for you what happened, right? I mean, I doubt there was any other way to end the game. It is over now, right? Better be.”

  “Yeah it must be. The other team’s gone so I guess I win. Not that I wanted to win this way.”


  “No, I know,” Amy said. “That poor kid didn’t deserve that. His mother was out of her mind…All right, I'd better go, but I want to be the first to sign your cast. Feel better. It’s lonely without you.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be better soon enough.”

  Amy kissed his forehead and left.

  Cole lay there alone, exhausted, waiting for sleep to overtake him. He was still too much in shock to decipher how he felt about the events of the day. He hoped shock was the cause because at that moment, he felt nothing at all. He stared up at the ceiling, tossing the images around, until he became sleepy enough to close his eyes.

  I may only be able to make bad things happen but at least that's something. Let's see how this works. Swallow three times before the nurse comes in so that Travis’ mother dies in the hospital tonight. He paused. And for you Amy, to finish what I started. Swallow again so that Amy's father also dies tonight.

  He swallowed four times and fell asleep.

  28

  When he awoke, it was dark outside. Pushing himself up onto his elbow to look around the room, he noticed his mother dozing in a chair against the wall. He lay back down, trying to force more sleep, but he was too alert, his mind turning in circles. The information his mother had told him had not even begun to sink in and, as he stared at the ceiling sorting it all out, a frantic thought came to him.

  “Mom!” he half-whispered. “Mom?”

  His mother stirred and her eyes opened a crack. “Huh? Wha-? What's wrong, Honey?” She glanced down at her watch and rubbed her eyes.

  “Did you ever get an agreement that required you to do something bad or else some other bad thing would happen? And then did you not do the first part and the second part didn't come true?”

  Meredith shot upright. “What was the agreement?” Her voice was deadly serious.

  “That was the whole thing with Travis. I got an agreement to kill Dr. Stern or Amy would die on Monday. Travis came to help me prevent that from happening and he did.”

  Meredith was still. Her eyes bore into his.

  Cole's breathing quickened and his chest tightened up. “Mom? What's wrong? It worked. She made it.”

  Meredith's lower lip began to tremble. “It's still Monday.”

  “Mom...?”

  “You're absolutely positive about this agreement?”

  “Of course I'm positive. I even had a premonition about it.”

  Meredith bolted out of her chair. “We've gotta get you out of here. Are you strong enough to walk?”

  “What? But Mom...”

  “Don't argue with me! Get up!”

  Driven by panic, Cole rolled out of bed, landing on his feet. He wavered from lightheadedness and grabbed onto the bed for support. Meredith's arm wrapped around his shoulders, steadying him.

  “Put these on,” she said, indicating his clothes. “Can you sense Amy? Can you tell if you've lost the agreement yet?”

  Cole threw his clothes on, adrenaline clearing his vision. “What do you mean? How is that possible?”

  “Never mind.” She poked her head out the door. “All right, let's go. Quickly.” She took his hand and led him through the hospital, avoiding eye contact with the few people roaming the night halls.

  Once they were safely in the car, Cole said in a small voice, “Are we going to protect Amy?”

  “No.” Meredith started the car and sped out of the parking lot.

  “What do you mean, no? Why not?”

  “You can't protect her. The closer you are to her, the more likely that you'll be the one to kill her.”

  “Oh my God. Mom, no. I would never. So what are we going to do?”

  Meredith stared straight ahead, squinting into the darkness. “We're going to save her.”

  Cole let it go. He had faith in her. He sat back in his seat, tapping his foot impatiently and dreading a call on his mother's phone. The car ride was torture; worry and fear rattled his already confused mind. A few minutes later they arrived in front of their house.

  “I thought you said we couldn't protect her,” Cole said.

  Meredith left the engine running and opened the door. “Wait here. I need to have a word with Beth and pick up a couple things. I'll be right back.”

  Cole watched her hurry up the path and disappear through the front door, leaving him to stare after her. He fidgeted in his seat, unable to cope with the suspense. What is she doing? Come on.

  A minute later she reappeared and hurried back to the car, stuffing a couple pairs of gloves and a small pouch into her pocket. “Beth is going to call if anything happens,” she said as they drove away. “Just pray we make it in time.”

  “What did you bring from the house?” he said, his eyes focused on her pocket.

  “It's some things I keep in case of emergencies like this.”

  Cole didn't ask what she meant. He was beginning to suspect where they were headed but refused to believe it. After another agonizing drive his fears were confirmed as they pulled to a stop in front of the familiar sign, “Dr. Rita Stern, Psychologist.”

  “Mom?! No way... You can't be serious.”

  Meredith killed the engine. “Do you want to let Amy die?”

  “Well... no... but...”

  “Then you don't have a choice. Get out.”

  Cole reluctantly opened his door and stepped outside. “There has to be another way. Please.”

  Meredith quietly walked to her son. She leaned her face towards his, placing her hands on his shoulders. “My mother once told me, 'You can't cheat agreements no matter how much it may seem like you can.' I didn't believe her and I tried... oh, I tried.” Her eyes filled up with tears, but she blinked them away. “I won't let you make the same mistake I made. You see this?” she said, pulling out her phone. “As soon as this rings, she's dead, and every second we delay could cost her life. You can do this. Find the courage. Listen to your inner voices. Deep down, you know you want to. It’s why we're here. It's our purpose. That's how I see it and that's how you should too. Now, come on.” She pulled him to the front door of the office and rang the bell.

  “Mom, no. What are you doing?”

  “Shh.” She rang the bell again and, a moment later, footsteps could be heard from inside.

  The door creaked open and a haggard Dr. Stern, her always neat hair in a stringy mess, stood there, eyes half-closed, in a flowing white nightgown. “Huh? What are you doing here? Why aren't you still at the hospital?”

  “I'm so sorry to wake you,” Meredith said. “Can we come in for a minute? It's an emergency.”

  “Wha- oh, yes, of course. Come in.” Dr. Stern stepped back to let them in and shut the door behind them. “What happened?” she said, stifling a yawn.

  “I think it's best if we sit down and talk in the office,” Meredith said, leading the way.

  “Um, all right,” Dr. Stern said frowning.

  Cole lagged behind them, trembling, wondering how his mother could appear so calm. He knew only one thing for sure; he had already tried to push himself to murder but had been incapable of doing it. He doubted a second chance would prove any more successful. He hated to admit it at that moment but he cared for Dr. Stern. Just that afternoon she had saved his life.

  He found his mother sitting on the couch and Dr. Stern in her big chair.

  His mother patted the empty seat next to her. “Come, Cole, sit down.”

  He obeyed, placing himself unsteadily on the soft cushion.

  “Good, now tell Dr. Stern what you were telling me.”

  Cole's head snapped up to look at his mother. “What? Mom, no.”

  “It's okay, Honey.” He noticed a slight quiver of her lip but she covered it up with a quick smile and a tousle of his hair. “Go ahead.” She stood and walked to the other side of the room, behind Dr. Stern's high-backed chair.

  Cole opened his mouth but found he had no voice. What does she want me to say? The hell is going on? It all seemed surreal. He was in a room with civilized people, Amy was
safe, and no one was about to die. It was too ridiculous to accept. He looked up to his mother for support but she just signaled with her eyes to look at Dr. Stern.

  Dr. Stern clasped her hands and leaned forwards. “It's all right, you can tell me.”

  Cole struggled to produce a syllable but his mind was drawing blanks. “I, uh, I...” Behind Dr. Stern, his mother had bent down in the corner of the room. When she stood back up, she approached silently, staring down at the top of Dr. Stern's head.

  Dr. Stern's eyes narrowed. “How did you get released from the hospital so soon?” She turned her head around to see Meredith standing there. “Meredith? What are you d-”

  In a blur of movement, Meredith swung her arm over the top of the chair, smashing the flower pot in her hand across Dr. Stern's face, sending her sprawling out of her seat. Dr. Stern lay on the rug, clutching the side of her head and moaning. Cole, in a state of disbelief, stared wide-eyed at the scene, his mouth hanging open.

  “Mom, how could you?” he whispered. Even as he said it, though, the familiar whispers had returned with unprecedented strength.

  Meredith was breathing heavily, her eyes also glued to Dr. Stern. Cole sat there, terrified of what would happen if Dr. Stern recovered, but even more terrified of what would happen if she didn't. Before he had begun to process what was happening, Meredith was holding out a syringe that was filled with liquid.

  “Take this,” she said in a grim voice that Cole had never heard before.

  When Cole didn't move, she knelt down to look him in the eye, but he looked away. “Listen to me. I know it's not pleasant but it's something you have to do. You have to be the one to kill her or it doesn't count. Look inside yourself to find the strength you need.”

  Cole's eyes were glued to the syringe. “What is that?”

  Meredith's head whipped around as a loud moan caught her attention. Dr. Stern was on her back, trying to push herself up into a sitting position. Meredith shoved the syringe into Cole's hand before she jumped on top of Dr. Stern, sitting heavily on her chest and crushing her back to the floor. Dr. Stern had recovered enough consciousness to struggle and she writhed hopelessly, in a desperate attempt to get Meredith off her.