Eli's Town

by Amy Cross

  “Hey,” I say as I reach him, “do you have a phone I can use?”

  He nods toward the far wall, where an old payphone looks like it hasn't been used for years.

  “Does it work?” I ask cautiously.

  “Of course it does.”

  “Thanks.” Turning, I head across the foyer.

  “Only local calls, mind,” he adds.

  Stopping in my tracks, I pause for a moment before turning to him. “What did you say?”

  “It only works for local calls,” he continues. “You can call anyone you like, so long as they're in Tulepa.”

  “Great,” I mutter. “What about the internet? Is there somewhere I can get online?”

  “Used to be a computer in the library,” he replies, “but that broke a while back. No-one's quite gotten around to fixing it.”

  “Figures,” I reply. “Have you seen my boyfriend anywhere?”

  “The guy you checked in with?”

  I nod.

  “He's...” Pausing, he finally starts smiling. “Well, I think he's enjoying himself right now.” He closes his eyes, and his smile broadens. “Oh yeah, he's definitely enjoying himself.”

  “What do you mean?” I take a step toward him, starting to feel increasingly uneasy. “Do you know where I can find him?”

  “He's so enthusiastic,” the old man continues, with his eyes still closed and an expression of... Well, if I didn't know better, I'd say he looks like he's really enjoying himself. “I've gotta admit, he looked like a lazy kinda guy at first, the type to coast along on his good looks, but he's really giving it his all.” He pauses, before letting out a slow, drawled gasp. “Hell, it's been a long time. The other view isn't bad, either.”

  “What are you talking about?” I ask. I wait, but the old man doesn't answer; it's almost as if he's lost in his thoughts. “Where is he?” I continue. “I have to find him right now!”

  “Oh, he's in a building about three blocks from here,” he replies, with his eyes still shut. After a moment, he licks his lips. “He and Brittany are having a fine old time, and Jordan...” Another pause, and this time his whole body seems to shudder. “Man oh man, we should have strangers in town more often. I'd forgotten how good it could feel to get a little fresh blood involved. Being alone is fine, but sometimes you just run out of new ideas.”

  Realizing that he seems to be caught up in a world of his own, I turn and hurry to the front door. I don't know exactly what's going on in town, but I figure I'd rather go and find help from out of town instead of trying to get to the bottom of it myself. As soon as I reach the sidewalk outside the hotel, however, I realize that there's a figure standing nearby, watching me. Just as with Tatty earlier, it takes a moment before I recognize the figure's face; he's changed over the past three years, but I'd recognize that smile anywhere.

  “Hello Holly,” Eli says calmly, looking older and thinner, and a little scruffier than before. He's wearing the same yellow shirt, too, although it's more faded now and there are a few buttons missing. “You really, really shouldn't have come back, but in a way I'm glad you did. What happened? Did you feel guilty again?”

  “I...” Staring at him, I can't shake the feeling that he finds me amusing. “Eli, I...”

  “Eli, you... what?”

  I open my mouth to reply, but no words come out. I want to believe that everything's okay, that I'm just overreacting, but with each second that passes I'm starting to think that maybe the situation is worse than I imagined.

  “Do you want me to lie to you again?” Eli asks finally. “Do you want me to tell you that everything's fine here+”

  “This place,” I continue, looking around and seeing that there's still no sign of anyone else in the town square, “it's like...” Turning back to Eli, I realize that he's waiting for me to continue, almost like he's enjoying my confusion. “What's happening in Tulepa?” I ask finally. “The whole place is falling apart, but...”

  Looking back into the hotel, I see that the old man at the counter still has his eyes closed, and his head is tilted back as if he's experiencing almost orgasmic delight. I watch him for a moment, filled with a growing sense of unease.

  “You'll have to be a little more specific with your questions,” Eli says after a moment. “I'm afraid I'm finding it rather hard to concentrate, given the distractions that are taking place elsewhere. Your boyfriend, by the way, is quite a goer. As a man, he's pitiful, but in pure animal terms he's certainly got some decent qualities.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, turning back to him. “Eli, I need you to tell me what's really happening here. Where's Dean?”

  “Is that his name?” He smiles. “Hell, I didn't even think to ask. I could take you to him, but I really don't think you'd like it. I'm afraid he's being something of a naughty boy right now, although I imagine it's not the first time.”

  “What are you talking about?” I ask, looking across the town square. “Dean!” I shout. “Where are you?”

  “He won't hear you,” Eli continues, taking a step toward me. “Holly, listen, I tried, I really did... I told you not to come back, and I really thought you were smart enough to listen to that advice. The thing is, though... After you left three years ago, I started thinking maybe I should have let you in more, told you what was really happening. And now here you are, almost as if God is giving me a second chance.”

  “What's happening here?” I ask, holding my ground as he comes closer. I don't want to believe the worst about my uncle, but at the same time there's a hint of genuine menace in his eyes. Instinctively, I reach into my pocket and take out my car keys, just in case I have to get out of here in a hurry.

  “I was so alone,” he replies with a heavy sigh. “All those years, just sitting around in the house, barely even daring to go out and buy food. I was the town freak, the weirdo, the guy people avoid when they see him in the store. I knew what they were thinking, I could see it in their eyes. I started avoiding being seen in public as much as possible, just so I wouldn't feel them staring at me. You can't imagine what that's like, Holly... Just staying home and looking up at the ceiling, lost in your own thoughts, only going out once a month or so to buy more supplies. At first, for a year or two, I found I could keep myself more or less happy in my mind, but eventually I got so bored of my own thoughts. Still, there was nothing to do except sit there in the house, just thinking and thinking and...”

  His voice trails off for a moment. Frowning, he looks across the town square, as if some long-forgotten memory is drifting back to the surface.

  “The change happened so slowly. This was all many years ago, of course, just after you guys moved away and long before you came to visit. At first I thought I was insane, but I began to sense these whispers in the back of my head. I really, truly thought I was losing my mind, but gradually, over several months, I realized that the whispers were real, and that they were coming from outside. I didn't even know such a thing was possible.”

  “Outside?” I ask, starting to wonder if he's suffering from schizophrenic delusions. “What do you mean, Eli? How were they coming from outside?”

  “I could hear the thoughts of other people,” he continues, his voice filled with a sense of wonder. “At first just people who were close, people walking past the house and sometimes the neighbors, but later I started to hear the whole town. I learned to focus on one of them at a time, to pick each of them out like strands from a ball of yarn. That was the hardest part, really. It took months and months, but I got it eventually. I honestly don't know how I developed that power, I can only assume that I accidentally calmed my own thoughts in just the right way to open my mind to the possibilities. So for several months, I spent my every waking moment listening to other people's lives. Men, women, husbands, wives, children... Good people, bad people, lovers, liars, I let them all in”

  “Eli,” I reply, my mind racing as I try to work out how I can help him, “you have to realize that even though these voices might have seemed real -�
�

  “Then I realized I could change them,” he says suddenly, turning to me. “As well as letting their thoughts into my mind, I could extend my thoughts into theirs. How about that, huh? It was the most amazing revelation, but I realized I could go into their heads and nudge their thoughts in any direction I wanted. Obviously I had to practice and focus, but over time I learned to make them do what I wanted. Just little things at first, all from the comfort of my own bed. I reached out to them one at a time and made them do silly little things. I made Doctor Conyne staple his own thumb one afternoon, just to see if I could make him hurt himself, and I could! I made Alice Hurley sleep with the old man who lived across the road from her, just to see if I could!” He smiles. “Soon I wasn't just hearing their thoughts, I was experiencing their lives.”

  “Eli -”

  “When David Barnaby broke his leg in a cycling accident, I felt that pain,” he continues, taking a step closer. He seems a little breathless now, as if the excitement is almost too much. “When Joyce Rutherford burned her hand on the oven, I felt it. When Jane Wallace slept with her deadbeat husband, I felt her misery and discomfort and I felt his ecstasy, both at the same time. I was looking out through their eyes...”

  “Eli -”

  “And slowly their own minds faded away,” he hisses, his eyes ablaze with excitement. “Can you imagine that? Can you imagine inhabiting the minds of two people, then three, then a whole family, then a whole street and finally a whole town? It took a long time to be able to manage more than one at the same time, but I just stayed in bed and practiced for a few years and finally I became the master of everyone in Tulepa. I could control every living person, I could see the world through their eyes and hear through their ears, and taste through their mouths and touch...” He holds up his left hand, admiring it for a moment. “Every moment of pain, every moment of pleasure... I felt it all.”

  I wait for him to continue, but he seems completely lost in this fantasy.

  “Eli,” I say finally, taking a step toward him, “you have to realize that none of those things actually happened. They couldn't have.”

  Turning to me, he smiles.

  “Eli,” I continue, “please, I know that deep down -”

  “Alfred Packer,” he says suddenly.

  “Who?”

  “He used to run the convenience store,” he continues. “Remember? The very first place you went to after you arrived in Tulepa three years ago was that store. You bought, what was it... Coffee drinks? In those little pouches? I was in his mind at the time, just as I was in everyone's by then. That was me talking to you through his mouth, and I couldn't believe it when I realized who you were.”

  “Eli...”

  “Of course, I had to pretend I didn't know,” he adds quickly, almost as if he's proud. “It was difficult, I never expected you or anyone from the family to show up, so I panicked a little. I knew you'd want to see me, the real me, but by that point I'd almost wasted away entirely. It took a few hours before I could haul myself up and inhabit my original body. I'd almost forgotten how to do that, but again, I picked it up pretty quickly.” He pauses. “Doctor Conyne, Captain Lucas, the man at the hotel desk... I was all of them at once, all talking to you. The only ones I can't control are children. I can get into the minds of babies, but then from the age of about six months they're able to lock me out. It seems I have to wait until they hit puberty before I can take full control. I don't know why, but it's not a major inconvenience.”

  Staring at him, I realize that he truly believes all of this. My poor, sick uncle has constructed this fantasy in his mind, and he truly believes he's become some sort of super-human. I want to cry, but right now I just have to find a way to help him.

  “I'll prove it to you,” he says suddenly, taking another step toward me. “It takes a little time to wriggle my thoughts into a new body, but don't you feel me already, Holly? I'm starting to curl my way into your mind.”

  “Eli,” I reply cautiously, “I think you need to come with me so I can get you some psychiatric help.” I can't help but sigh. “See?” I add with a smile. “I'm in your head right now, Holly, speaking with your own -”

  Gasping, I take a step back. My heart is pounding now as I realize that, just for a moment, I started speaking someone else's thoughts, as if Eli really was able to get into my head.

  “Do you believe me now,” he asks, “or do I have to demonstrate some more?”

  “Eli...” I take another step back, keen to not let him get too close. I know everything he told me is insane, that none of it can possibly be true, but at the same time I definitely felt a flash of something in my mind, something that caused me to say words that weren't my own thoughts.

  “I can tell you need more proof,” he says after a moment. “I understand. It's a lot to take in.”

  “Eli,” I reply, “please, it's me, I'm in your head again, Holly. Speaking through your mouth, feeling through your skin. There's a fly on the back of your neck. Can you feel it tickling your flesh? Swat it away!”

  Trying not to panic, I realize that not only did those alien words just come out of my mouth, but they were telling the truth about the fly: I can feel its legs crawling across my flesh, just below the hairline at the top of my neck, but I can't manage to reach up and swat it away. No matter how hard I try, I just can't get my hands to move.

  Suddenly my right hand flicks up, as if it's out of my control, and slaps the back of my neck. A moment later, the same hand moves in front of me, and I see the squashed fly in the palm.

  “Now do you believe me?” Eli asks.

  Suddenly able to move my hand properly again, I wipe the fly's corpse away. “Hypnosis,” I mutter, trying desperately not to panic even though my mind is racing. I'm getting a headache, too, and I feel as if I need to get out of here as quickly as possible. “You must have somehow hypnotized me...”

  “Holly...”

  “It's the only thing that makes sense!” I shout, close to tears. “Everything you just told me is impossible, Eli! Not one word of it can actually be true!”

  “Holly, please -”

  “It can't be!” I yell, although I quickly get myself back under control. I can't let him freak me out, I can't allow his craziness to get into my thoughts.

  He sighs. “Everyone in Tulepa is me now,” he continues, stepping closer. “Holly, their original minds have been pushed deep down into the depths of their souls. In some cases, they've even vanished entirely. The newer ones, the stronger ones, are still lingering, I have to keep them away, but most are gone. The whole town is basically my mind now, inhabiting a whole lot of different bodies at once.” He smiles. “What about Natalie? Or Tatty, as I think she prefers to be known? I took over her body just after you left three years ago. She was just at the right point of puberty for me to get into her thoughts, and that's when I realized that I need to start a new generation.” He chuckles at the thought. “Let me tell you, the sex between all my different bodies was quite an unusual experience. I was basically -”

  “No!” I shout, feeling as if I need to get away from here so I can get my thoughts together. “I don't know how you're doing this, Eli, but you have to stop!”

  “I can't,” he replies darkly. “This is my town now. I'm everyone in Tulepa, all at once. Holly -” He reaches out to grab my arm, but I pull away. “You won't let me touch you?” he asks. “That's sad. Fortunately, I'm also right behind you.”

  Spinning around, I see that an elderly woman has managed to sneak up behind me. She tries to put a hand on my shoulder but I push her away and step back, just as I notice that several other locals are emerging from nearby buildings. Turning, I start to realize that I'm slowly being surrounded.

  “They're all me,” Eli explains. “I'm in their heads, feeling through their bodies, seeing through their eyes, all at once. There's nowhere for you to run, Holly. There's no reason for you to run, either. I'm glad you're here, I want to share all of this with you.”

  “W
here's Dean?” I ask, trying to stay calm.

  “He's busy.”

  “Where is he?” I shout.

  “Don't worry about him. He's -”

  “Tell me!”

  He pauses for a moment. “You shouldn't worry about that man. He's not good for you, but it's okay, he's out of the picture now.”

  “I'm getting the police,” I reply, hurrying past him and heading to my car, only for two men to stand in my way. Stopping, I realize that they're staring at me with the same hint of menace that I saw in Eli's eyes a moment ago.

  “I can't let you leave,” one of the men says. “If you -”

  “- go and tell people,” the other man continues with a smile, “I might get in a lot of trouble.”

  Turning, I see the same smile on Eli's face.

  “I told you not to come back,” he says after a moment. “Please, Holly, always remember that I tried to keep you out of this. It was your decision to come back.”

  “Dean!” I shout, turning and looking across the town square. “Dean, we have to -”

  Suddenly I feel someone grabbing my arm, and a fraction of a second later I'm pulled back by the two men who were blocking my way to the car. Spinning around, I lash out with my keys, catching one of the men on the side of his face. He and his friend both let out a gasp, and I'm able to twist free and start running, only to spot a woman and another man standing in front of the car.

  “Holly,” the woman says calmly, “please, let's not make this too dramatic.”

  Turning again, I realize that a small crowd is gathering now, coming closer across the town square as if they're trying to block off all my escape routes. Eli is watching me from a few meters away, as if he's slightly amused by the fact that I'm panicking.

  “I want try to teach you how I do this,” he says after a moment. “You're family, maybe you can learn. After all, I'm no genius, I'm just a recluse who picked up a trick or two. I figure there must be something different about my brain that lets me do all of this, and maybe whatever it is, you've got it too.”