by Aj Estelliam
Buried
AJ Estelliam
Chapter 1
I lay my head back against the headrest. The car drove quickly and the quiet lulled me into sleep.
I drifted. My mind became focused; and all I could see was darkness. Panic consumed me and my heart began to beat faster. I opened my eyes but all I could see was black. It was everywhere.
I moved my hands and found I could only move them so far. When I reached the edges of my confines, I felt hard, cold wood. It felt damp and rough. Terror filled me and my eyes filled with tears.
I woke up suddenly, and sat up in my seat with a gasp.
‘You fell asleep,’ a voice said from beside me.
I looked over and saw Jess sat beside me. Suddenly, I was back in the moment and remembered who I was and where I was. I was Alex Hope; and I wasn’t buried. I swallowed hard.
‘Are you okay?’ she asked, glancing at me as she drove.
‘I, uh…’ I debated whether or not to tell her about the vision I had just seen. The trouble was, it hadn’t been very clear. I didn’t know the details. Before I could speak, Jess spoke again.
‘Don’t tell me…another vision?’
‘Yes,’ I told her, referring to my new psychic ability. After a car accident several months back, I had received an awful blow to my head. I had been put in a coma and when I had awoken, it was with a new skill. I woke up being able to hear people’s thoughts. I knew what they were thinking and sometimes even had visions of things which were going to happen. ‘But it wasn’t that clear,’ I told her with a frown.
‘What did you see?’
‘Nothing. I was in pure darkness.’
‘You?’ she questioned.
‘When I see these things, it often feels like it’s me experiencing what they’re going through.’
‘So, what was this person going through?’
I furrowed my brow, thinking. ‘It’s unclear…I mean, I know she’s inside something, trapped-you know? But I don’t know what. She feels panicked…her heart beat is through the roof.’
‘What can we do about it?’ Jess asked.
I smiled over at her. Always the police detective, I mused. She never quite shut off, even when we had just finished a holiday together. ‘Nothing, Jess. I don’t know enough to do anything-even if I wanted to.’
‘Oh…well, maybe you’ll see more as time goes on.’
‘Maybe,’ I conceded.
‘We’re almost home,’ she commented.
I looked out at the scenery, still decorated with a sprinkling of snow. ‘Yeah,’ I sighed. ‘It’s nice to be back.’
‘Are you glad we went away?’ she wondered.
‘I am, yes. I think it was important for you too,’ I said quietly, glancing over at the woman I loved.
‘Um,’ she murmured. ‘It definitely distracted me from it all.’
‘You’re thinking about it again now you’re back?’
‘I…yeah…I mean, how can I not? He was my brother, Alex.’
I nodded to myself, but didn’t trust my voice. The last few months had been hard. I had woken from a coma to hear voices. As the voices overwhelmed me, I had headed to Scotland for some quiet. What I had encountered was anything but. I had become involved in a murder case; one in which Jess was working on. Hearing voices in the woods, I had uncovered missing women for them. It had ultimately led the trail to two brothers…both of whom were connected to Jess and her family. The result of the case had been Jess and I being held at gunpoint by her crazed sibling. We had come out on top, but were still suffering the side effects of the end result. ‘I know, Jess. No-one expects you to get over it straight away.’
She nodded, and made the turn which would take us to her house.
‘It’ll be nice to settle back in,’ I murmured.
‘I know. I’ve missed being home, even though it was good to have another holiday.’
After everything we had been through, Jess’ boss Captain Withers had suggested we take a break from everything. We had disappeared for a week and spent some time down south by the sea. It had been restful and allowed us time to regain strength. It had also given us much needed time together to talk. ‘It was lovely, Jess. But I’m also glad to be back here. I was looking forward to getting used to being at your home.’
She looked over and smiled. ‘I know…me too.’
I sighed as I heard her thoughts begin to falter. She was worried; worried about going back to where it had all happened. She feared memories of her brothers capture of us would still be there when we reached her house. She loved her house; but somehow it was now tainted.
Jess drove around the final bend and then the sea stretched out before us. She turned into her driveway and parked in front of her gorgeous house. I stepped out of the car and stretched my aching limbs, loving the cool sea air and fresh breeze.
‘It’s nice to be back,’ I commented.
‘It sure is. Come on-let’s go and check on the clean-up.’
Jess was talking about the fact that we had organised a full deep clean of the house after being held at gunpoint and everything which had happened afterwards. There had been broken glass, blood and debris. We had walked away and let professionals deal with it. That way, we could return to a clean house.
Jess and I walked inside and I watched her closely. Concern was etched on her features. She wanted desperately to be home and yet was worried that she wouldn’t be able to relax here anymore.
As we settled back in, I was surprised to hear a sudden knock at the door. I turned to Jess and she looked at me with confusion.
‘It’s Captain Withers,’ I told her, listening closely now to his thoughts.
‘Really?’
‘Yeah,’ I said, heading to the door. ‘He’s worried about something…’
I opened the door and there stood the Captain. He was dressed smartly in a suit for work but when my eyes reached his, I knew what the problem was.
‘Hi Captain! It’s good to see you!’ I said, welcoming him in.
‘Hello Alex. Good to see you too. I’ve been anxious for you both to get back. How are you, JJ?’ he said, turning to Jess.
‘I’m fine thanks. What’s been happening?’ she asked him, all-business at once.
‘We have a new case,’ he informed her, his brow furrowed deeply as his mind ran through the details of the situation.
‘Oh no, really?’ she responded.
‘A woman,’ I murmured, frowning myself now.
He whirled to face me. ‘You can see something?’
‘No…just the photo you’ve been staring at for the past four hours. Its fixed in your head-I can’t see anything but!’
‘Yeah,’ he sighed. ‘I’ve been keen for your arrival home,’ he said, addressing both of us, ‘because I could do with some help on this one.’
‘So, what’s the situation?’ Jess asked, crossing her arms and her eyes narrowing with concentration.
He looked at Jess and then over to me. ‘Is this a good time? I’m guessing you’ve just arrived home?’
‘We have, but I’m ready, Captain. I want to get back to work. I’ve missed it,’ she said sincerely.
‘Okay then…if you’re sure?’
I nodded. ‘Go ahead,’ I told him. ‘I’m keen to help too.’
‘Okay,’ he sighed. ‘Well, we have another missing woman who is local- she lives ten minutes away in a small village. After what happened recently around here, we can’t afford to let this one slide. We need to find her and fast. The trouble is that we’ve been left a message from whoever has her. It’s some kind of code…a cryptic message of sorts.’
‘What does it say?’ Jess asked, leaning forwards.
> ‘D U D,’ I murmured.
‘You can see it?’ he asked, turning to me.
I nodded and felt my eyes close and I felt a cold shiver cross me.
I could see an old-fashioned typewriter in front of me, and my fingers lifted to the keys. I typed ‘D U D’ and then laughed to myself. Death upon death, I thought. They would never understand, I mused, and then…it would be too late!
I opened my eyes with a gasp.
‘What is it?’ the Captain asked.
‘Death upon death.’ I told him.
‘What?’
‘DUD. I can see him…he typed it on one of those old-fashioned machines,’ I informed him. ‘He was laughing to himself, telling himself you’d never understand what it means.’
‘But what does it mean?’ he frowned.
I shook my head, ‘I don’t know,’ I said, squaring my shoulders. ‘But I can promise you this, Captain. I will find out,’ I assured him.
Chapter 2
‘Why don’t we head into the station?’ Jess suggested, already walking over to collect her keys.
‘If you would, I’d appreciate it,’ Captain Withers nodded. ‘I don’t want another local death. If we can find this girl, we must.’
I nodded, feeling all-business again-just like Jess. ‘Yes, I’m sure we can help,’ I said, ‘let’s go.’
‘Thanks,’ Captain Withers replied.
As we arrived outside, a sudden thought appeared in my head. I stopped for a second, processing and then turned to Jess. ‘Jess-I’m going to ride in with Captain Withers if you don’t mind?’
‘Oh; okay,’ she murmured.
I watched as she met my eyes. I knew she wanted to ask why so I just winked at her, to let her know everything was okay.
‘See you there,’ she responded.
‘Yeah…’ I said, turning to head to the other car. ‘See you in a minute.’
Inside the Captain’s car, I strapped in and waited while he backed out of the drive. The car carried his subtle scent and also a warmth which exuded from him when he was not in work mode. I saw his girlfriend in my mind and a picture appeared in my mind of their courtship and him kissing her lovingly in this very chair.
‘So, go on then,’ the Captain said, pre-empting me. ‘I take it you have something to tell me.’
‘I do, yes-but it’s personal and not work related so I figured I should tell you alone.’
‘Oh dear…that sounds ominous.’
‘No,’ I said shaking my head. ‘It’s good news.’
He glanced at me as he drove.
‘I, uh…you’ve argued with your girlfriend recently.’
He sighed and I felt his tension increase. ‘We just can’t seem to get along lately…I think it’s over actually,’ he said sadly.
‘Do you want it to be over?’ I asked him unnecessarily. I already knew the answer to my question as I could feel his thoughts for her and they were all positive. He loved her intensely.
‘I don’t want it to be over-but the thing we argue about all the time is never going to change. She doesn’t like the fact I work such long hours and am over-committed to my job, as she puts it.’
I glanced over at him. ‘You do have some choice about that,’ I told him.
‘I know I do. But I also love my job.’
‘More than her?’ I questioned.
‘I…well, no…obviously not! But I care about what I do and I’m the one in charge. It all lands on my shoulders when the shit hits the fan. I have to work hard.’
I took a deep breath and released it. ‘There will come a time in the near future when you will need to slow down a little,’ I told him. ‘Otherwise you won’t find the future you’re hoping for.’
‘You’re being very mysterious, Alex. If you have something to tell me, just be straight with me. I’d prefer to hear it that way.’
‘Okay-pull over a minute then,’ I instructed him.
He frowned at me deeply but then did as I said.
‘I’m going to have a heart attack, aren’t I?’ he said, looking deeply concerned.
‘No, Daniel!’ I exclaimed, but then laid my hand over his on the steering wheel in support. What I was about to tell him was going to alter his world completely. ‘Fee-your girlfriend?’
‘Yes?’ he asked anxiously.
‘Dan, she’s pregnant,’ I told him.
His eyes widened and he stared at me blankly for long moments. ‘What?’
I nodded. ‘She’s pregnant-and if you don’t get to her soon enough, she’s going to terminate the pregnancy. She thinks you don’t love her and that you can’t provide her and the baby a future in which you’ll be around and put her first. You need to speak to her as soon as possible. Reassure her and then she’ll share the news. Assure her you’re there for her and love her…then she’ll tell you and you can plan a future with a baby too.’
He gaped at me in astonishment. ‘I’m going to be a father?’
‘And a husband,’ I nodded.
‘I was going to break-up with her!’ he told me with a shaky voice. ‘I would have let her go and she would have gone and terminated the pregnancy. I can’t let that happen!’ he said, drawing his phone out of his pocket. ‘It all makes so much sense now,’ he muttered to himself. ‘All the things she’s said lately and how I’ve responded must have her thinking I don’t want her or the baby. Sorry, Alex-I need to call her right away.’
‘Go ahead,’ I nodded. ‘The sooner the better.’
He nodded, with a serious expression as he put the phone to his ear. As the phone rang, I looked away and out of the window. It was still snowy, even though we were coming out of winter now. It made everything look so picturesque and beautiful. I sighed as I took in the scene.
‘Hello? Fee?’
I stayed turned away while he spoke.
‘I’m so sorry, Fee. I never should have said the things I did. I love you and I don’t want anything to prevent us having a future together,’ he assured her, ‘even work.’
He went quiet while she spoke.
‘I can meet you after work…’
Her voice could be heard replying.
‘I’ll make time, Fee. I always have time for you…I can be there at seven.’
He paused and listened.
‘Okay…and I’m sorry, again. We’re going to make this work-no matter what. I love you,’ he told her softly.
I almost heard her speak the words. I could feel her, even though I couldn’t see or hear her. This meant everything to her.
When he hung up, he turned to me and met my eyes.
‘I’m going to be a father?’ he asked softly.
I nodded. ‘Yes. A good one.’
His eyebrows rose. ‘Have you seen that or are you just saying that to me?’ he wondered.
‘I just know it, Dan. You’re a good man…caring, honest and kind. You’ll make a fantastic father.’
‘I didn’t think it would happen to me. Not at my age, anyway!’
‘How old are you?’ I asked.
‘Forty-one,’ he responded.
I scoffed. ‘That’s no age at all, Captain! You have plenty of time…I wouldn’t put it past you to have a couple more after the first!’ I laughed.
‘Oh, Alex!’ he laughed.
I smiled at him and laid my hand on his arm. I could feel his tension but there was also an underlying current of excitement now for him. A baby would mean a lot to him…I could see that now. ‘You’re going to be just fine. It’s all going to work out fine. She’s a good woman. An honest woman. She’s not like the one before.’
‘The one before?’ he frowned.
‘There was one that hurt you-right?’ I asked, not entirely sure on all the facts.
‘Well, yeah…but that was a long time ago.’
‘Exactly. Which is why it’s time to put it behind you properly.’
‘I have!’
‘I beg to differ!’ I laughed. ‘But anyway, now that’s over, you need to move on. Fee needs
you now, more than ever.’
‘She does,’ he agreed. He let out a heavy breath. ‘Right…we better get to the station. I’ve called a meeting.’
‘Yes, sorry. I just wanted to catch you alone as soon as possible,’ I told him, strapping my seatbelt into the latch.
‘I’m glad you did, Alex. You’re becoming a good friend.’
I smiled at him warmly.
Captain Withers started the car and pulled out onto the icy road once more. As he drove he started talking once again. ‘So, how was the holiday-really? I mean, is JJ doing okay? Coping?’
I sighed. ‘It’s been…hard,’ I admitted. ‘She’s found it really difficult to shut off and put it out of her head-but surely that’s to be expected?’
‘Of course. She’ll be dealing with this for the rest of her life, Alex. It’s her ability to put it to the back of her mind and continue with the job that I’m concerned about.’
‘She lives for the job!’ I exclaimed. ‘I don’t think she’ll have a problem with getting back into it.’
‘No. It’s nice to know she has you looking after her at home now,’ he commented. ‘She hasn’t had any kind of personal life ever since I’ve known her.’
‘She is one tough cookie,’ I smiled.
He smiled back at me briefly. ‘So, Alex-are you looking forward to joining us?’
I nodded. ‘I am, yes. I don’t exactly know what you’re expecting me to do in this job, but I’m eager and willing to put effort into whatever tasks you give me.’
‘Alex, it’ll just be more of the same,’ he told me. ‘I want you to use your abilities to help us with cases which arise. On that note though; I haven’t told anyone else about what you can really do-just so it allows you to be yourself without anyone judging you.’
I looked at him with respect. ‘I appreciate that, Dan. I think that’s sensible too. Even though we’re all working together, I’m sure there would be one or two people who would doubt what I can do. For goodness sake, I still doubt it!’ I told him, laughing humourlessly.
‘Well, Alex, if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have solved the ‘Snow Forest Murder’ case.’
