The Watchers

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Chapter Four

  Alex sat across from Autumn and studied her expression. “That’s it?” he asked.

  She shrugged. Though the plate of lasagna looked appealing, she had little appetite. She finally gave up on trying to enjoy her half-eaten meal and put her fork down. Leaning forward on the table in the family restaurant, she said, “I don’t understand what’s going on.”

  He took a drink of soda and set it back down. “So you think they’re emitting sound waves to keep us oblivious to what’s really going on?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  She glanced out the window next to their booth. It was the next day during lunch, and they agreed to meet so she could tell him what happened the previous day. She’d been shaken up when she called and he’d offered to come over to see her, but she decided to wait until today. She had needed time to process what happened at the capitol, and even after twenty-four hours, she still couldn’t fully comprehend it. She didn’t even dare tell him about the angel or demon. He’d think the rest of her story was unbelievable. She needed something concrete, something solid to tell him.

  “The governor was there?” Alex asked.

  She nodded and wiped her mouth with the napkin. “He looked scared. He knows something we don’t.”

  “Obviously. But is that a surprise? I mean, he is a politician. There’s a lot they never tell us.”

  “True.” She couldn’t argue that point, especially when she was pretty much ordered to “forget” what she heard, but how could she forget? “Whatever they’re planning, it’s not going to be pleasant. I guess all we can do is hope that it’s not serious.”

  He tapped his fingers next to his empty plate and asked, “Do you think they’re doing this in other places?”

  “What? Planning some kind of diversion to keep our attention off of what they’re doing?”

  “That and sending out the sound waves. Maybe that’s why everyone seems to be accepting that the aliens are good guys. They’re being subliminally manipulated.”

  “Most likely. It can’t just be here.”

  “I wonder how deep it goes. Do you think it has anything to do with the talk of a one world government?”

  Or maybe it went even deeper than that.

  Their server walked up to them. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked.

  Autumn shook her head. “No thanks. Well, I guess a to-go box.” She motioned to her food.

  The woman nodded and looked at Alex.

  “I’m fine.” He glanced at his watch. “I should get back to work.”

  “Okay.” The server handed them their checks. “I’ll take your cards when you’re ready and get that to-go box.”

  Once she left, they set aside their payments, and he let out a low sigh. “You got more than I did. I can’t come up with any answers.”

  “I don’t think I got answers. I just got more questions.”

  The server returned to collect their money and handed Autumn a to-go box. She glanced at Autumn’s money and smiled. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we no longer accept cash.”

  “But I always pay with cash when I come here,” Autumn replied, surprised.

  “Well, starting last Monday, the new policy is that we will only accept debit or credit cards.”

  Autumn reluctantly took back the cash and stared at the bills in her hand. “But this is all I have.”

  “I got it,” Alex told her. “Just add her check to mine.”

  The server nodded and took their checks and his card.

  “I can’t believe it,” Autumn muttered. “Cash should be good anywhere.” She set the money in front of him and thanked him.

  He shook his head and gave it back to her. “Don’t worry about it. Friends help each other out.” As she dished the remaining lasagna into the styrofoam box, he continued, “You might want to think about converting from paying cash for everything to using a card.”

  She sighed. He was right. It was time she got with it and got a debit card. She couldn’t deny that it’d be more convenient, especially in situations like this. “I guess that’ll be put on my To Do List for this week.”

  “Why have you held off all this time on getting one anyway?”

  “Because when I was in college, I ran into some serious credit card debt. It took years to dig myself out of it too.”

  “Well, a debit card isn’t like a credit card.”

  “Maybe not, but the temptation to overspend if I don’t have physical money is better.”

  “So do what I do. Have a savings account to hold most of your money and transfer over whatever you need for the day. If you go over, the cashier will be very happy to remove an item from your cart.”

  She wryly grinned at him. “I see you’ve had experience with that one.”

  “Once. And once is all it took.”

  She closed the box and looked at him, noting that when he smiled, he was handsome. It wasn’t the drop dead gorgeous handsome but a boy next door appeal. She could see why her sister was attracted to him.

  The server returned with his card and a receipt. “Thank you and I hope you both have a good day.” After she handed him the items, she left.

  He turned his eyes to Autumn who blushed and focused on collecting her purse and box. “At least you get to go home and take a nap,” he said as he stood up.

  She followed suit. “Yep. No Hampton to give me grief today.”

  “How is the new hire working out?”

  “She’s right out of high school, perky and blond, and since she must have a social life, Hampton’s making me work weekends now because I’m too old to have a life.”

  He laughed. “You’re not old.”

  “Compared to an eighteen year old, I am.”

  They left the restaurant and he glanced up. Curious, she also looked at the clear sky.

  “Have you seen the way the alien craft looks as it hovers over a big city? I hear those things span a good three miles.”

  “I’ve seen the pictures. I don’t get it though. Why would they hover there?”

  He shrugged. “The gods have returned to watch over the affairs of men?”

  “Or so they say.”

  “Whatever they are, they’re not friendly.”

  She shot him a good look. “Is that alien still watching you at night?”

  “I’ve tried going through a night without the pills, but I woke up and couldn’t move. It felt like I was back at Area 51.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Alex, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “Nothing else happened. It took me five minutes before I could move, and you bet the first thing I did when I could was swallow one of those pills.”

  “That’s awful.” Hearing this made her experience with Devon seem minor. She couldn’t imagine having one of those things hovering over her like that. And as she scanned Alex, she didn’t detect anything sinister around him. “I wish we hadn’t gone to Area 51. I should have insisted on it.”

  Alex smiled and patted her on the back. “That thing was by my bed before that incident, remember? This isn’t your problem. It’s mine.”

  “It seems like there should be something you can do to stop it.”

  “That’s what the psychiatrist is for. I have an appointment with him this week. The prescription he has me on helps.”

  “Does it?” Could it be that simple? A pill and all the problems went away? At least until it was time to take the next one?

  “I just take it one day at a time. I’ll see you around.”

  She said good-bye and watched as he went to his car. She focused on him, trying to detect a demon lurking around him, as she’d seen around Devon on a couple occasions. True, she didn’t see the thing hovering around Devon at the capitol, but there was something seriously wrong with him. But Alex was a good guy. He didn’t go around telling governors they might want to harm people to get the masses to cooperate.

  The masses. That was how Devon and people of his ilk saw normal, everyday people like her
and Alex. Like her and Alicia. They were just numbers. Easily expendable. Like sheep for the slaughter. She shivered. The masses not cooperating? Send a diversion? Send out sound waves to lull them into a false sense of security. And if they start waking up to what was going on, find a way to get them back in line. She wondered what the governor was going to do.

  She watched as Alex drove past her. He waved and she waved in return. There was nothing unusual about him. No dark shadow. No creepy feeling. He turned out of the parking lot and onto the main road. She shook her head. What was she missing? What was it she didn’t understand?

  Chapter Five

  Alex tried to move in his sleep but couldn’t. His eyes flew open and the alien was sitting on his chest, its cold bony fingers wrapped around his throat. He struggled to breathe, but the fingers dug into his skin, cutting off his airway. He unwittingly recalled the three aliens at Area 51 who hovered over him. They held something over his nose and mouth so he couldn’t breathe.

  Unlike then, he wasn’t strapped to a metal table. No. He was home in his warm bed, and this alien was trying to kill him! Fear gripped him and held him securely in place, and as much as he wanted to fight back, to defend himself, he couldn’t. All he could do was stare into the alien’s eyes.

  It wanted him dead, and yet, it wanted him alive so it could continue to torment him.

  All Alex could do was stare at it, feeling more helpless than he’d ever felt in his entire life. And then...mercifully...everything went black and the pressure around his throat was gone.

  ***

  The next morning, Alex sat in the waiting room and checked his watch. He hated to go into work late, but he needed to see Dr. Reyes. After what happened last night with the alien... He shivered. It never attacked him before. It had watched him. Yes, it freaked him out. But it never touched him, and it certainly never made a move to kill him.

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He just wanted the alien to leave him alone. He wanted to be able to get a good night’s sleep again without having to take pills.

  The office door opened and the psychiatrist waved Alex in. “Good morning, Alex.”

  Alex nodded and went into the nice spacious room. He headed for the beige chair and sat across from Dr. Reyes. Wiping his hands on his pants, he wondered if Dr. Reyes would confine him to the mental ward of the hospital after he heard what he had to say.

  “I heard you had a rough night,” the older man said as he set a notebook and a pen on his lap.

  “Yes.” Alex shifted in his seat. The man was going to think he was loony. No one else had been through this. Maybe some questioned the aliens’ motives, but no one had their own personal alien trying to kill them. Taking a deep breath, he said, “I saw the alien again.”

  The doctor frowned. “Have you been taking those pills?”

  “Yes. Well, I admit I didn’t one night, but I wanted to see if I could get through the night without help. You know?”

  “It’s very important you take those pills.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.” Alex felt like a child. He shouldn’t have to apologize. He was an adult, and if he wanted to see if he could manage one night without the pill, that should be his right.

  “Well, don’t worry about it. What’s done is done.” The doctor smiled and scribbled something down in his notebook.

  Alex hated it when he did that. It made him feel like he was being written up for bad conduct. Relax, Alex. Dr. Reyes is here to help you. He’s not giving you a bad grade.

  “Why don’t you tell me what happened last night?”

  The man with graying hair gave him a kind look that made Alex feel easier. “I did take the pill last night before I went to bed. About two hours after I went to sleep, I felt a need to panic. When I woke up, I couldn’t move. The alien...it was sitting on me and trying to strangle me.”

  The man frowned. “I see no marks on your neck.”

  He absentmindedly touched his neck. It wasn’t even sore. “I can’t explain it. I felt it. It was real. I know I was awake.” Here goes. He’s going to say I’m crazy and have me locked up.

  “So what happened while the alien was doing this?”

  “Nothing. I couldn’t stop him. I tried to move but was frozen in place. Then I blacked out. When I woke up, it was gone and it was daylight.”

  The man nodded, said and “um hmm” and wrote something else down. Glancing up at Alex, he said, “What you experienced is called sleep paralysis, and it’s not all that uncommon.”

  He blinked in surprise. “Really?”

  “If you gathered together six strangers into a room, at least one has been through it, though not as extreme as what you experienced. Sometimes people just wake up and feel terror that goes away as soon as it comes. Some people see an old hag or a hooded figure in the room with them. Then there are those who swear they see things like goblins. There have been studies done on it.”

  Alex immediately felt better. So he wasn’t the only one. He dared to ask, “What about aliens? Has anyone seen aliens?”

  “Sure. Haven’t you ever heard of alien abductions?”

  “Yes. I didn’t think it was real until all of this happened.”

  “I come across a lot of things in my practice. Few things surprise me anymore.” The man glanced at the clock on his desk. “I’m afraid I have to take care of my next patient. Do you mind if we continue this on Thursday when you have your appointment?”

  “That’s fine.”

  “And since this thing appeared to you with malevolent intent, I’m going to give you a different prescription. It’s a stronger dose, but you reported no ill effects with the other one, so this one should be fine. If you do notice any complications, let me know and I’ll adjust the dosage.” He reached over to the small table beside him and wrote on a small yellow pad. “I think you had your encounter last night because you missed that pill. It can set your whole body off balance when things like that happen.”

  Noting the warning, Alex agreed to take the new pills every night before bed. If that was what he had to do to make sure another attack didn’t happen, then he’d do it. There was no way he wanted to go through that again.

  The doctor tore the slip of paper and held it out to him.

  Alex stood up and took it. “Thank you, Doctor.”

  “You’re welcome.” The man stood and walked him to the door. “Now, if you have another episode, let me know.”

  “I will.”

  He opened the door and smiled. “Have a good day.”

  Relieved, Alex returned his smile and left. So he wasn’t crazy. Now he didn’t have to go around town feeling like a freak.

  Chapter Six

  Autumn finished putting clothes on the mannequin in the store and yawned. Glancing at her watch, she realized she had another five hours to go before she could go home. Alicia wouldn’t be in for another hour and the Saturday crowd hadn’t picked up yet, so she had nothing to do at the moment.

  She tapped her foot on the floor and debated whether she should take this opportunity to loaf around or look for any clothes that needed to be returned to their correct locations. Finally, she opted to search for misplaced clothes. She rolled her eyes. Here it was, a beautiful Saturday and she was stuck at work with her most exciting prospect being what she’d watch on TV when she got home. Again, she wondered why she hadn’t been one of the people to vanish. Just what, exactly, did she have to stick around for? It should have been her instead of Marianne.

  A familiar giggle caught her attention. She looked over her shoulder and sighed. Katie Winslow, the new employee, decided to come in on her day off with her boyfriend. Katie was holding his hand and blabbing on about someone they knew. Typical gossip. Autumn thought of dodging behind a rack of pantsuits but Katie saw her.

  “Oh hey! Autumn!” Katie turned to her lanky boyfriend. “That’s Autumn. I work with her.”

  He nodded, not taking his eyes off the perky blond who gave him a flirtatious smile.

  A
utumn inwardly groaned but gave a polite smile and wave before she turned back to the rack in front of her, trying to look busy so Katie and her boyfriend would get bored and leave. However, such was not to be the case.

  “Autumn! I have some terrific news to share with you. Come on over!”

  Autumn stayed in place, watching as the glowing girl waved her forward. When she realized Katie was practically dragging the guy her way, she sighed and went to meet them. “What is it?”

  “I’m engaged!” Katie thrust her hand in front of Autumn’s face and squealed. She wiggled her ring finger, making the small diamond sparkle in the light. “Kevin just proposed last night. Isn’t that awesome?”

  Engaged? Autumn tried not to show her disbelief. Katie was only eighteen for goodness’ sakes.

  “We’re here looking for lingerie,” Katie said and snuggled against Kevin who kissed her cheek.

  Katie giggled and cooed at him. In response, he nuzzled her neck and she wrapped her arms around him, squealing in delight.

  Autumn swallowed. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to throw up. Watching two horny teenagers hanging onto each other was more than enough to make her gag. Just as she turned to get away from them, a loud boom resonated through the mall.

  Without thinking, she dropped to the floor, only half aware of the screams of panic coming from the two shoppers in the store. She glanced over her shoulder and was reassured when she saw that Katie and her boyfriend were fine. She waited to make sure nothing else was going to happen before she struggled to her feet.

  Mr. Hampton came running out of his office, his face pale. Motioning to the door, he yelled, “Everyone, out!”

  Not that Autumn needed to be told to evacuate, but if Hampton was scared, then this was more serious than she thought. If Hampton was one thing, it was able to handle even the toughest of situations in stride. While he assisted one of the shaking customers, Autumn ran to help another one out the nearest exit. Kevin held onto Katie, so at least she was taken care of.