He got up quickly and followed her. She had stopped in front of the bureau mirror, inspecting the spots there. “This was clean, the sons of bitches are watching us!” The anger in her voice was obvious as she suddenly raced to the bathroom, coming back with paper towels and window cleaner, she began to frantically scrub at the spots.
He let her do her work, understanding that it was her way of cleansing her domain. When she finished the mirror, she went to the living room and cleaned the TV. He went through and inspected the rest of the reflective surfaces, only finding the microwave with more tell tale spots. When she finished cleaning all of the surfaces, he made her sit with a cup of coffee to calm down.
“Are you okay?” He gently asked.
“Of course I’m okay!” She snapped, then realizing the tone of her voice, softened it. “Yes, I’m okay. Just pissed. It doesn’t seem like anything keeps those creeps out and it pisses me off.” She hesitated and then stared at him. “What if these things are listening? What if they know our plan and are warning the others? And why aren’t I getting any shivers when they show up? I always do, so why not now?. What if I’ve lost my…” she hesitated, “my gift?”
“There are too many questions that we don’t have an enough time to consider right now.” He soothed. “They may only show up when we are in the room. Take a deep breath and let’s just focus on what we can do. I’ll go right now and get the cat carrier and the tarp. I’ll meet you at the office in forty-five minutes. That’ll give you enough time to fill Stacia in on what’s going on.”
“Okay, I think that’s good. I’ll try and arrange for her to be there when we start clearing out her things. I thought about it when she was here on Thursday, what if she has a gift that we don’t know about? We know she can see them, what if she doesn’t want to acknowledge that?”
“I’m not sure she wants to hear about gifts or anything like that right now. She seemed pretty reluctant to even be able to see these things.”
“I think she’s a lot stronger and pissed off than you give her credit for. She got a sister, lost her mother, then lost her sister and then a few years later lost her father. She knows it was a medical complication that caused her to lose her mother but she blames the boogymen for losing her sister and father. I think she wants to help bring justice to her family.”
“I hope you’re right. It would be great if she had a talent that we weren’t aware of! She could really help.”
“Are you telling me you never considered that maybe she had a gift that she didn’t talk about or maybe wasn’t aware of?” Tabitha asked incredulously.
“I just figured her gift was being able to see them, just like me.” He stated.
“You just assume you’re only gift is being able to see them. I think you have another gift, we just haven’t figured it out yet.”
“I would think that I would have figured it out by now. I’m telling you, there’s nothing other than being able to see them for me.”
“I say you’re wrong but we don’t need to waste our energy on it, yet. Right now, let’s just focus on catching one, o.k.?”
“Sounds like a plan. Meet you at the office in forty-five minutes.” He leaned over and kissed her, then pulled away and cupped her chin. “Be careful, okay? We know they can’t kill me but the jury is still out for you.”
“Actually, we assume they can’t kill you but nothing is written in blood, no pun intended. And yes, I’ll be careful.” She leaned in and gave him another kiss, lingering just slightly before they went their separate ways.
The time flew by once she reached the office and she was just finishing up filling Stacia in when Justin showed up, dressed in garb that made both of the women take a step back and stare. Justin was dressed in attire similar to what a beekeeper would wear, a full-length jump suit with gloves that went up to his elbow and a hat with some sort of plastic shielding over his face where netting would normally be. But instead of the material being a heavy canvas, it was a thick, polyurethane rubber. In one hand, he had a large cat carrier, and the other was a long metal rod with a wire loop on the end.
“What in blazes?” Stacia gaped.
“You look like you were swallowed by the Michelin Man and then spit back up!” Tabitha laughed.
Justin squeaked over to the laughing women, looking around the office. “Are we alone?”
Stacia nodded, trying to hold back her laughter. “Yep, the entire staff is upstairs, other than us. I told them it was instant termination if anyone set foot on this floor. They’re to call me on my cell phone if anything is needed or if anyone comes in.”
“Good.” He shot a glare at Tabitha, “laugh now, woman, but when you hear my ingenious plan, you will be praising my intellect!” He set the cat carrier and pole down and pulled off his head garb. He went to sit down on the couch and the noise from the rubber suit rubbing on the leather made a loud, flatulent sound, throwing Stacia and Tabitha into hysterics.
“Alright ladies, calm down, we’re not in high school.” But he also chuckled at the humor and was pleased he could lighten the mood.
“So what is your plan, Captain Rubber?” Tabitha asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Keeping one of them alive, that’s my plan. The boogyman we captured seemed to deteriorate after I touched it. We don’t know why yet, just that it did. So I figure if I can catch one and put it in the carrier without touching it, we could have a better chance at studying them.”
Alarmed, Stacia asked, “What if it tears through your gloves? The ones I’ve seen have long, sharp claws.”
“I’m hoping not to get that close.” He picked up the pole and held it up for them to see. “This pole is used for catching mean dogs and feral cats. The wire loop goes around their neck, allowing you to keep your distance while pushing them into an enclosed area. In our case, the cat carrier. I have a tarp inside the carrier that I’ll take out and use to drape over it to transport it safely to my apartment. Once there, we can insert syringes and get the samples we need to study it.”
“What about the ones that come out of the reflective surfaces? We could be trapped.” Tabitha asked worriedly.
“Even as we speak, I have a moving crew transferring all of my things, including the appliances, to a storage facility. I told them I was remodeling and needed everything out, including the mirrors attached to the walls.”
“How will we know where one is? To catch, I mean?” Stacia asked, already geared up for the next phase of the plan.
“That would be me.” Tabitha replied. “We’ll start where I’ve had the most shivers and go from there.”
“You ready? There’s no time like the present.” Justin stood up and grabbed his hat. This time, no one laughed at the sound or the image.
With Tabitha carrying the cat carrier and Stacia armed with a pole, the three of them walked into Stacia’s office. Her desks, chairs and books had been removed and all that was left was the bar and built-in cabinets. Taking a deep breath, Tabitha walked over to stand next to the bar, closing her eyes to focus on her gift. After a few moments, she turned and shrugged her shoulders apologetically. “Maybe after the last time, they fled, worried that we would come back.”
Suddenly, Stacia took a step closer to Tabitha, glaring at her. “Or maybe you are just not taking this seriously enough or don’t want to do this!” She seethed.
Justin stepped toward Stacia, cutting her off from Tabitha. “Now wait a minute, Stacia. I think you’re out of line.”
“Oh!” Tabitha moaned as Stacia and Justin watched her whole body become wracked with a shiver.
Justin grabbed the pole and shoved by Stacia, trying to move Tabitha gently aside. He flung one of the cabinet doors open and the room was filled with the rotted stench. All three of them heard the guttural growl and Justin kneeled down and quick as a whip, thrust the pole into the darkness and pulled it back just as quickly, falling onto his butt.
Recovered from her body tremors, Tabitha rushed to his side, sure he had m
issed his mark.
“Get the carrier open, quick!” He yelled, and Tabitha saw the pole start jerking violently in his arms and swiftly moved to unlock the carrier and pull the tarp out. With her feet, she shoved the carrier over next to Justin and found herself planted on her butt also, the force of the kick throwing her back. Justin scrambled back on his butt, using his legs to catapult him closer to the carrier. What came out of the protection of the shadows seemed incredulous. It wasn’t a smaller bogeyman, like they’d captured earlier, this was a larger, gargoyle-type demon that seemed too large to come out of the space that Justin was pulling it from. The noose Justin had thrown was around its neck and halfway down one wing, preventing it from flapping as violently as the other one did.
Keeping it as far from him as possible, he managed to steer the thing over to the opening of the carrier and shoved it in. Closing the door shut with his boot, he released the noose as far as he could, quickly pulling the rod out while pushing the gate closed the rest of the way. With his hands still covered in the protective glove, he engaged the latch as the creature screamed, hissed and growled, obviously furious with its current situation.
“Are you sure it’s going to hold? What a stupid idea! I can’t believe I went along with this dumb idea! What was I thinking?” Stacia spit out profanities, her anger matching that of the demon’s.
Justin whirled on her. “Stacia! What is going on with you? Of course it’s going to hold. If you had a better idea, you should’ve said something but it’s a little late now, isn’t it? Your comments are completely…”
“Justin, stop!” Tabitha moved towards him and placed her hand on his forearm to calm him, keeping her eyes on Stacia. “Stacia, please look at me.”
“What the hell, why should I? This was just as much your stupid idea as his…” she snapped.
“Please, Stacia, trust me. Look at me, can you tell me what you’re feeling?”
“I’m feeling really pissed off right now. At you, at him, at this whole, stupid, fucking idea!”
“Good! That’s good. Could you come out in the next room with me please?” Tabitha asked soothingly.
“Yeah, fine, whatever. This was such a stupid idea.” She fumed and stomped out of the room.
“Tabitha?” Justin questioned, concern in his eyes.
“It’ll be fine, trust me. Just cover it with a tarp and come into the next room, without it.” She smiled and walked out.
In the lobby, Tabitha found Stacia dabbing her eyes with a tissue. At the sound of Tabitha’s approach, she whirled, guilt decimating her face. “Oh God, Tabitha! I‘m so sorry! The things I said, I didn‘t mean them!”
“I know, it‘s okay.” She went to her and embraced her..
“I don’t know what came over me, I was just so… furious!”
“I know, and it’s okay.” Tabitha soothed.
Just then, Justin came out, and seeing them embracing, asked. “Does someone want to tell me what the hell that was all about?”
Tabitha turned her head, her eyes brimming as she smiled. “Sure! We just found out what Stacia’s gift is.”
TWENTY THREE
“What the hell do you mean, my gift?” Stacia dabbed her eyes, confusion and doubt clouding them.
“Your gift. Those of us who can see them, also seem to have a gift. Justin is seemingly unable to be killed by them, my gift of being able to sense them with the shiver and now yours, you’re an empathic.” Tabitha explained.
“An empathic? What does that mean?”
“You’re sensitive to the emotions of those you’re close to. Which is how you knew Justin and I were more than just business partners and how you are able to sense your clients needs.” Tabitha paused to let some of it sink in. “You are in tune to the feelings and emotions, including theirs. You sensed it’s emotions, felt them as your own.”
“Great, so what you’re telling me is that whenever I get near one of these things, I get to turn into the PMS queen?” Stacia growled, disgust obvious in her voice.
Tabitha bit back a laugh, knowing Stacia may be cracking jokes but was balancing precariously on the edge. “No, you just need to practice with it. Like any talent, practice makes perfect. I’m still trying to focus on mine, hoping that I can get to the point where I can sense them within a certain radius, the bigger the better. Plus, I’m trying to control the intensity so that it doesn’t incapacitate me as bad.”
“Then I sure as hell need a lot of practice! I swear, the hate and the malevolence I felt was so intense, I felt like I was losing my mind.” Stacia raised an eyebrow at Tabitha. “How can you be so sure that I’m not?”
“Just a feeling I have but we can test it right now if you’d like. How are you feeling, right at this moment?” Tabitha asked seriously.
“Skeptical but hopeful.” She answered.
“Do you feel any anger or resentment towards Justin or I?”
“No! As I said, I feel so bad for the way I acted.”
Tabitha waved her comments away and took her by the hand, leading her back to her office. “Just try and focus on what you are feeling and why. Remember that you’re feeling what it is but it’s not your emotions.” They paused outside the door, Justin being a silent observer throughout the experiment.
Both girls took a deep breath and when Stacia nodded, Tabitha opened the door, keeping an eye on Stacia. She saw Stacia rock back on her heels and suck in her breath. Tabitha wrapped her arms around her to steady her. “Are you all right?”
“It’s their anger, not mine, it’s theirs.” Stacia repeated this several times before she seemed to gain her bearings. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and nodded at Tabitha. They slowly walked a few steps into the room, Stacia taking deep breaths to control her emotions, Tabitha trying to control her shivers. They made it halfway to the carrier before Stacia stopped. “I don’t want to go any closer.” She stated through gritted teeth. “I’m so pissed and so angry that it’s difficult to focus and I feel like I would lose it if we got any closer right now.”
“Okay. Can you tell me what else you are feeling?” Tabitha asked softly.
“Hate, like I’ve never felt before. Hatred for him,” she nodded in Justin’s direction, “and hatred for you. More for you, thoughts that you’re such a lucky bitch, so lucky. You’re not supposed to be here, be able to have seen the things you have.” She stopped talking and took another breath.
“If it’s too hard, Stacia, we can leave and go back out to the lobby. “
Stacia took another deep breath and closed her eyes. After a few moments, she shook her head. “I can do this.”
She kept her eyes closed, focusing when she cocked her head to the side, as if hearing a inaudible voice. “You weren’t supposed to meet him. For so many years they kept you secluded by fear, kept you from talking to anyone else but you got stronger. You weren’t supposed to go to the bar that night. They tried to scare you away when they tormented the couple in the bar but it didn’t work. He saw you and your light, your light that emanated when he joined you was so bright that they couldn’t get near you. They felt an opening in the garage, when you were so afraid, so scared that your light dimmed, oh so slightly, so they attacked. They almost got to you too, until he came to you. And when he touched you, you became painful to them. There were thousands of them but they couldn’t touch you when he was with you, and he wouldn’t leave you. They know you’re both getting stronger, that you are both a threat they are worried about and they want you to stop, they want you destroyed but…oh!”
Stacia stopped and looked at Tabitha, a smile spreading across her face. A loud growling noise started in the cage, getting louder and more frantic, a look of wonder spread across Stacia’s face. Tabitha and Justin looked between the cage and Stacia, confused at the obvious unspoken exchange between Stacia and the beast.
“They’re afraid.” she looked at Justin and Tabitha. “They’re afraid of the two of you! You can kill them, you…”
A scream emanated f
rom the cage that closely resembled the word, NO!
TWENTY FOUR
Both Justin and Tabitha had to help Stacia to the lobby when the creature had screamed out, it’s voice joined with Stacia’s as she clapped her hands over her ears and collapsed to her knees. As soon as the office door was closed and they were safely in the lobby, Stacia was able to regain her bearings. Justin ran and got her a glass of water which she drank thirstily, as if she had been without for many days.
“That was awesome!” she exclaimed after she finished drinking all of the water.
“We were worried about you, are you sure you’re okay?” Justin asked.
“Definitely! I mean, it was hard at first, all I wanted to do was pummel you. There was such hatred and anger surging through me but I kept telling myself that it wasn’t me, it was them who hated you. Then I started focusing deeper, the things it was thinking, not just the emotions and I realized I could pull out it’s thoughts, without it wanting me to. They are so afraid of you, both of you. They have weaknesses that they know you are closer to figuring out and it terrifies them! Woo hoo! I have something against them! I can feel their thoughts and it’s not good right now.” She suddenly leaped up and embraced Tabitha. “I don’t have to be afraid anymore! I can help and make a difference!” she beamed at Tabitha, “I don’t have to be a passenger in my own life!”
* * *
In light of the circumstances, Tabitha and Justin decided it would be best to call it a day, despite Stacia’s arguments.
“You feel great now because of the adrenaline rush but once it wears off, you’re going to find yourself completely exhausted. Now that they know you’ve realized your gift, it makes you more prone to being attacked. You’re a threat now, just like we are. You’re no longer safe, flying under the radar.”
Justin’s words seemed to hit home and Stacia finally seemed to realize the intensity and responsibility of the situation and of her gift. “I live by myself, what can I do?”
Shadows Page 13
