Red-Line: The Shift (Volume One)

by J. T. Bishop

They continued to watch as Sarah lay in a sea of rolling bubbles, whose popping began to pick up in speed. Big and small bubbles alike popped all around her. She seemed unaware of the activity, even though she appeared to be the cause of it.

  Ramsey watched and pondered their next move. Nothing came to mind, and Hannah didn’t seem to have any ideas either. Right now, just standing and watching seemed to be working fine.

  Hannah pointed to the mirror, which was beginning to fog. “Look at that.”

  “Yeah, I noticed.”

  “My God, how hot is the water?” Hannah moved closer to the bath.

  “Don’t.” Ramsey grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “I think the water is boiling.”

  “Boiling? But how?” Hannah couldn’t believe it. “How is she surviving boiling water?”

  “She’s creating it. It’s the energy coming off her. It’s heating the water.”

  “But how is she not getting burned?”

  “Apparently, she can handle the heat.” He couldn’t help himself and added, “I guess that makes her one hot chick.”

  Hannah peered sideways at him. “Really?”

  “Sorry. You wouldn’t let me make fun of the bubbles.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes at him, then stared in amazement at the scene before her. She could feel the heat herself now, and she began to sweat.

  “How hot is she going to get?” she wondered, beginning to feel uneasy.

  “Another excellent question,” Ramsey stated as he watched the mirror fog and felt the perspiration pop out on his skin. The room felt heavy, too, as if pressure was building within it. That created the most apprehension for him as he began to contemplate exactly what Sarah might be capable of as she moved through her Shift. In answer to his question, a wave of caution struck him, and he instinctively grabbed Hannah and pulled her back just as small cracks, then larger ones, began to form on the mirror.

  “Get back,” he said.

  They both stepped back out of the bathroom just as the numerous cracks multiplied and met. The mirror abruptly shattered, and shards of glass spilled and crashed onto the counter and floor.

  Hannah and Ramsey turned to protect themselves from the breaking glass. When they turned back around, they saw broken shards littering the bathroom floor and counter. They stepped back up to the threshold of the door, and glass crunched beneath their shoes. The water continued to roll and boil in the tub.

  Ramsey stared with astonishment. “Guess that means seven years’ bad luck.”

  Hannah stared at him, amazed at his ability to find humor in the oddest of circumstances.

  Despite her glare, he continued. “Luckily, we only have twenty-four months left.”

  Hannah shook her head. “Funny guy.”

  “Hysterical.” He surveyed the room. Sarah continued to lie in the tub, but he noticed now that her eyes were slightly open and she stared off vacantly.

  “Look at the water level,” said Hannah. “It’s getting lower again.” Hannah sat at the edge of the tub to add more. She watched Sarah as she asked Ramsey, “So what do we do now?’

  He looked at his watch. Two hours had passed since they’d entered the bedroom. He wondered what was happening on the other side of the door. “The only thing we can do,” he said. “Wait.”

  Just then, he felt a presence. He sensed Leroy just as there was a knock on the door. He walked over as Leroy popped his head in the room.

  “What happened? I heard a crash.”

  “We’re good,” answered Ramsey. “Sarah’s showing some activity, though. I can see why we might be distracted.”

  Leroy moved into the room as Ramsey stepped aside. “How so?”

  “In the bathroom,” said Ramsey.

  Leroy walked in, and as he neared the bathroom, he noticed the broken glass. “You guys decide to play baseball in here?”

  “Truth is indeed stranger than fiction,” said Ramsey. “Check it out.”

  Leroy saw Hannah in the bathroom, and she moved as Leroy approached. He got a clear shot of Sarah lying in the bathtub as bubbles and steam emitted from her.

  “What the…?” he asked.

  “Impressive, isn’t it?” asked Ramsey.

  Seeing Leroy’s confusion, Hannah answered his questions before he asked them. “We think the water is enabling her to process the heat she’s generating. She’s obviously putting out some significant energy, if the mirror’s any indication.”

  “She broke the mirror?” asked Leroy.

  “Right from the tub, without breaking a sweat.” Ramsey realized what he’d said as Hannah gave him another look. “Well, you know what I mean.”

  Leroy turned to face Ramsey. “You two are certainly keeping entertained.”

  “How’s it going out there?” Ramsey asked.

  “Quiet,” he said. “Declan is keeping up the radar. Nothing yet, but he thinks they’re close by.”

  “Close by?” Hannah’s nervousness was evident.

  “I need to get back out there,” said Leroy. “You two okay, other than…?” He wasn’t sure how to describe the scene in the bathroom.

  “We’re fine, but you two be careful.”

  “Always am,” said Leroy. “You two do the same.”

  With that, Leroy moved past Ramsey and back toward the door. Without saying anything else, he left the room and closed the door behind him.

  Ramsey watched him leave and turned his attention back to the tub and its occupant. As Hannah watched, he grabbed a towel and wiped shards of mirror off the counter top and onto the floor. “Looks like we might as well settle in. We might be in for a wait.”

  Hannah didn’t like the idea of that. The tension was high enough as it was, and waiting would only make it worse. Sighing, she moved to help Ramsey clean the counter.

  Another two hours passed as Sarah continued her water show and Ramsey’s restlessness grew. He and Hannah now sat on the bedroom floor, listening to the bubbles pop in the other room. The counter was clean, but since they didn’t have a broom, they’d left the glass on the floor. The faucet ran at a low volume in order to keep the water level constant in the tub. Feeling nothing from the other side of the door, he hoped that no news was good news. His patience dwindled, though. He debated contacting Declan somehow, but Ramsey didn’t want to distract him from his surveillance.

  Her own nerves on edge, Hannah continued to sit with him as they waited. After another ten minutes passed, he was about to poke his head out the door just to see if he could pick up on anything when he acutely heard what sounded like breaking glass from the other part of the house. He perceived a familiar voice in his head. He shifted his attention and focused in on the new communication. Warnings flared as he recognized Declan’s energy and his ominous message, and Ramsey turned and faced the bedroom door.

  Hannah heard the noise and recognized Ramsey’s sudden tension. “What is it?” she asked.

  “Trouble.” He stood and walked to the door to check the lock. He knew it wouldn’t stop anyone who wanted in, but it was still a deterrent. He looked around the room and grabbed a chair that was sitting by the bed. He pulled it over and wedged the back underneath the doorknob.

  “Something I should know?” Hannah’s fear crept into her bones.

  “I think they’re here.”

  Ramsey moved fast. There was no way to move Sarah. They would have to make their stand here, if it came to that. He looked around the room and saw the supplies on the floor. “Grab what you need,” he said to Hannah. “Take it into the bathroom with you.”

  Hannah didn’t understand his plan. “What?”

  “You’re going into the bathroom and closing and locking the door. Don’t come out until you hear from me.” He bent down and picked up the bags Hannah had carried into the room. “Take these.”

  “Are you crazy?” Hannah couldn’t believe it. “I’m staying out here with you.”

  He knew she would argue, but he didn’t care. “Hannah, someone’s got to stay with her. If they get thr
ough this door or window, I have to put up some defense. I need you to be with her. You can take care of her if something happens.”

  “Something happens?” She understood what he meant, but didn’t want to put it into words. “Ramsey?”

  “She’s too important, Hannah.”

  They looked at each other as they each realized what must be done. He stared until she nodded her head and took the bags from him, turned, and walked into the bathroom. He grabbed the door to close it, but she stopped him.

  “You be careful,” she said, looking down at Sarah in the bath. “She needs you to get through this.”

  He hesitated, unsure how to interpret her words, but he looked back at the woman in the tub and knew Hannah was right. He and Sarah shared a connection.

  “Maybe so, but she’s the priority. If she dies…” His voice stopped, and he didn’t complete the sentence. “Just get in the bathroom, lock the door, and hunker down. Don’t come out until I say so, or if Declan or Leroy says so. You understand?”

  Apprehension clouded her features, but she said nothing. She let Ramsey close the door, and she did as he asked and locked it. Shards of glass covered the floor and crunched underfoot as she walked. She looked down at the woman they were all trying so hard to protect and wondered how much longer they could keep her alive without sacrificing themselves in the process.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  * * *

  RAMSEY STOOD OUTSIDE the closed bathroom door and shut his eyes. He had to focus. His mind raced with a million distractions, and he knew if he couldn’t quiet himself and get control, he would be useless to everyone. He took several long, deep breaths, stretched his neck muscles, relaxed his body, and tuned out the voices in his mind, as they offered no productive help. He needed a clear head to deal with the present moment. When he felt better, he opened his eyes. He looked around the room and focused on the two main points of entry—the door and window. He pushed outward with his mind to sense any presence, but he felt nothing. He’d received a very clear warning message from Declan that something was amiss, so he knew to be ready. He didn’t have to wait long.

  “Ramsey? John Ramsey?” An unfamiliar male voice, coming from somewhere beyond the other side of the bedroom door, reached his ears. He froze but stayed quiet and continued to listen. There was silence for several seconds before the voice came again. “Ramsey? I know you can hear me.”

  Obviously, someone had gained access to the house. Where were Declan and Leroy?

  A few more seconds of silence passed.

  The voice came again. “Do your friends a favor, Ramsey, and get out here.”

  At the mention of the word “friends,” Ramsey felt chills. He pushed outwards again with his mind and this time picked up on the energy in the living room, as if a clear signal was directed his way. He felt other unfamiliar energy in the room and then, faintly, a signal from Declan to get out if he could, to ignore the voice. He felt nothing from Leroy. That worried him the most.

  “Tsk, tsk, tsk…boys. No secret messages, please.” The voice traveled distinctly from the other side of the door, just before the bedroom door broke open forcefully and slammed against the wall behind it, the chair wedged under the handle offering no protection at all. Ramsey jumped back, expecting an attack, but no one stood in the hallway.

  “Don’t make me ask again, Mr. Ramsey. My patience is wearing thin. Please join us. There’s nowhere else for you to go.”

  Ramsey deduced the truth of that statement. There were no other options. His only hope would be to play along and pray for some sort of opportunity to come along. He took a step toward the door.

  “That’s it. Now you’re getting it. Come on. I don’t bite.” The amused voice continued as Ramsey walked forward. “It’s one of the few things I don’t do.”

  Ramsey’s mind worked overtime as he slowly walked forward and waited to find out what he would see when he turned the corner and stepped into the living room. The scenarios playing in his head were far worse than what he actually saw when he rounded the corner.

  As he stepped into the room, he saw Declan first, sitting hunched in a kitchen chair. He was not bound, but it was obvious he was in pain. He was grimacing, and he held his midsection. Ramsey deduced that Declan had deliberately shielded that information from him in order to keep him from reacting irrationally. Probably a smart choice, Ramsey thought.

  At that moment, he saw another figure. A man, younger than Ramsey had expected from the sound of the voice, stood next to the couch. He was of average height and medium build, with short brown hair and stubble on his face. He wore jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt, and he conveyed complete ease, as if breaking into a house and assaulting its occupants were as common as making dinner every night.

  Declan managed to look over at him and meet his gaze just as the stranger saw him.

  “Well, thank you for joining us, Mr. Ramsey. It’s about time everyone joined the party. The four of us, well, five originally, were getting bored.” The man smiled with the same amusement his voice carried.

  Ramsey surveyed the room while the assailant spoke. The room was intact except for a few overturned chairs and what appeared to be broken glass on the carpet. As he surveyed the floor, he saw legs from the knees down lying on the ground. The rest of the body was blocked by the couch and could not be seen. In that split second, he froze when his mind went to Leroy, but felt relief just as quickly when he realized that the pants and shoes did not belong to his friend.

  The man followed Ramsey’s gaze. His eyes hardened as they came to rest on the body. He said nothing for several seconds, and Ramsey felt from him a flood of unreadable energy. “It’s unfortunate,” he finally said, his eyes moving back to Ramsey. He nodded his head toward Declan. “Your brother over there has some skills. Fortunately for me, my skills are better.” He narrowed his gaze at Declan, and Declan grimaced again. It was obvious this man somehow had control over Declan, but Ramsey couldn’t see what it was.

  At that moment, another man, wearing similar clothes, came out of the hallway from the other side of the house. He held his left arm near his side as if he were injured. He spoke as he entered the room. “The other one’s out cold.” He stopped when he saw Ramsey. “Is that him?”

  “Yes, that’s him, Z. Not as impressive as he was made out to be, is he?”

  The second man continued to stare at Ramsey, who stared right back. Ramsey was struck by what he saw. The second man was identical to the first. Ramsey glanced back and forth between the two. Identical twins.

  “Not expecting that, were you?” said the first man, looking over at his apparent brother. “It does take people by surprise when they first meet us.”

  “Hey, X?” said the second man.

  “What?”

  “Can I do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “Kill him?”

  The first brother, apparently known as “X,” rolled his eyes. “No, Z, you may not. Now shut up and sit down.”

  Z did as he was told and stepped over whoever was lying behind the couch and went to sit down.

  “Where’s Leroy?” asked Ramsey. He didn’t doubt for a second that these men knew exactly who Leroy was.

  X replied to Ramsey’s question while Z just stared at him from the couch. “Your friend? He’s in the other room. Z had to take him out, unfortunately, since I had to deal with your brother’s antics.” X shook his head as he looked at Declan. “Did you really think you could stop us?”

  Declan just stared back, expressionless, despite the obvious pain he was in.

  X smiled. “Yes, I guess you did. That was part of the plan, after all.”

  X and Declan continued their staring contest until X finally broke the contact and looked at Ramsey. “All right then, let’s get this over with. You know what we’re here for.”

  Ramsey stared back but said nothing, although his mind moved non-stop. He quickly deduced that fighting their way out would not work. Clearly these two had abilities they ha
d not encountered before, and the pair had easily overpowered Declan and Leroy. Talking their way out seemed a distant second choice. He needed to buy time. If he could somehow slow things down, maybe he could gain the upper hand. It was unlikely but he had to try.

  “Who are you guys?” he asked.

  The one on the couch, Z, laughed. X crossed his arms and replied, “That’s not important. Let’s just say that we’ve been watching you. We’ve been waiting for this to play out, and the time has finally arrived. We’ve come for her, and we’re going to take her. We have no interest in you or your sad group of incompetents. If you bring her to us, we’ll leave with no hard feelings.” He smiled. “How’s that sound?”

  Ramsey stared back, sizing up X, wondering how long it would take to snap the guy’s neck and picturing how satisfying it would feel. He decided to gauge just how stable this brotherly duo was and hoped he could rock the boat a little.

  “Sounds about as reasonable as your dumb-ass brother over there.” Ramsey directed his attention to Z, who sat casually on the couch until Ramsey mentioned him. “When was your last psych eval, Igor?” Z tensed and stood up and faced Ramsey with pure contempt. “On second thought, scratch that. You’re more the Norman Bates type. You shack up with your dead mother, too?”

  At that comment, Declan chuckled, and Z broke from his stance and headed straight for Ramsey. Ramsey steeled himself, waiting for the blow.

  “Z!” X yelled across the room.

  The brother stopped but stood only a foot from Ramsey, who continued to stand without moving.

  “Sit down!”

  Z continued to stand and stare.

  “Don’t you see what he’s doing? He’s goading you, trying to get you to react.”

  Z, after staring at Ramsey for a few more volatile seconds, visibly relaxed. Then, after a few more seconds, the dead look returned to his eyes and he smiled.

  Chills broke out on Ramsey’s skin for the second time. The guy definitely was psychotic, but now Ramsey knew he was also reactive, something they might be able to use to their advantage.

  Z backed off and turned back toward the couch. He paused though, before returning, changed direction, and moved toward Declan. In one swift move, he brought up his uninjured arm behind him and slugged Declan hard in the jaw.