Near Death (A Jake Townsend Science Fiction, Action and Adventure, Thriller Series Book 1)

by Richard C Hale

  Teri asked, “Can I get you some coffee, or a soda?”

  “Yes, a cup of coffee would be great—uh, sugar if you have it.”

  Teri went to get the coffee, and Jake asked, “How is your mother?”

  “She’s good,” Madison said. “Busy, but good.”

  Jake nodded, thoughtfully, thinking of Sara’s face the last time she had been in the lab.

  “She hasn’t returned our calls and I’m worried I might have done something to offend her. Is she upset about something I’ve done?”

  Madison looked uncomfortable, nervously twirling a lock of her hair.

  After a pause she said, “Well, she loves you to death, just so you know, but she thinks your desire to actually bring back your wife is unhealthy.”

  Jake raised an eyebrow.

  “But the thing she’s most worried about,” Madison said, “is the fact you might actually succeed and disrupt some natural order or something. Change the balance of the universe and wreak havoc on the world. Crazy, huh?”

  Jake laughed a little too quickly and it felt unnatural and tense.

  “She doesn’t have to worry right now. We’ve had somewhat of a set-back and we’re trying to get things back on track. It seems so distant at the moment. I’m feeling a little discouraged.”

  Teri returned with the coffee and Madison said, “Thank you. What kind of set-back? Is everything all right?”

  “We’ve discovered an imposter in the study, and we’re in the process of seeing how much damage he’s done to the database. He could’ve affected the way Andee has been interpreting some of the experiences. We’ll see soon enough. We’re also having some sponsorship and funding issues, but that’s mainly business.”

  Madison looked thoughtful, but remained silent, sipping her coffee.

  After an uncomfortable moment Jake asked, “So, what brings you back to our little hole in the wall?”

  She looked uneasy, the hand wandering back to the lock of hair, twirling it again, nervously.

  “I’m not quite sure how to start,” she said. “I feel kind of stupid, now that I’m here…”

  “Nonsense,” Jake said. “Tell us what’s bothering you.”

  “I had a dream.”

  “What kind of dream?” Teri asked.

  “A nightmare, actually. It was kind of scary. It involved Ryan.”

  Jake squirmed. “Your fiancé who was killed?”

  Madison nodded. “Yes. I sometimes have this recurring dream about the accident. I haven’t had it in a while. At least not until last night.”

  “What happens in it and why do we need to know?” Teri asked, seeming suddenly impatient.

  Jake looked at Teri hard, but said to Madison, “Tell us about it.”

  She hesitated and then began. “I’m on the phone with him as he’s driving. He’s telling me about the fish he caught, and then the accident happens and I’m hearing all the horrible noises from the crash again. After I stop screaming, I hear him saying something faintly through the phone, but I can never understand what it is. I press the phone so hard against my ear it hurts but it does no good. It’s just gibberish. It’s definitely his voice, I just can’t understand him. Last night was different. He said something in the dream I could hear. It was very loud and booming, like it was coming from somewhere other than the cell phone.” She stopped, clearly upset. “He said, ‘Jake.’ And then I woke up.”

  Jake got up from his chair and paced. Madison watched him, keeping quiet.

  Jake stopped and said, “And this is the first time you’ve been able to make out what he’s saying?”

  She nodded, her frightened eyes never leaving his.

  Jake was struggling with whether or not to tell them about his dream last night. He barely knew Madison, but felt something between them. He had never spoken of his nightmares with Teri, feeling they were his own burden, his punishment, but he knew he could trust her. He decided they had to know. It was too much of a coincidence.

  “This is going to seem a little far-fetched,” Jake said, “but I need you two to hear this.”

  He proceeded to tell them about his dreams, and how they had been recurring repeatedly since Beth died. He at first thought they were the guilt he carried surfacing in his subconscious mind, but now he wasn’t sure. He told them about last night’s dream and how it ended with him being able to understand Beth’s request, or whatever it was, and how her face frightened him.

  “I don’t like that vision of her in my head,” he said. “I only want to remember her in a good light. Not this creepy, horror flick, kind of image.”

  “Wow!” Teri said, sarcastically. “You’ve got the whole scary visual thing. She’s just got audio. My aunt died, maybe she’ll send me a warning in an e-mail tonight. Come on guys, it’s just a coincidence. You should hear yourselves.”

  Jake could see Madison getting a little angry and even though he was used to Teri speaking her mind, he couldn’t figure out what was going on with her today.

  “So you think I’m just making it up?” A decided edge in her voice.

  “No, I didn’t say that. I’m sure you had a dream of some sort, but you’re making something more of it than it really is.”

  “You don’t think it’s relevant that Jake and I had the same dream in the same night?”

  “You didn’t have the same dream,” Teri snapped. “You had yours, he had his. Yours was about your fiancé, his was about his wife. You didn’t dream about his wife did you? No. He didn’t dream about your fiancé, so how can they be the same? You came all the way down here to tell us that you heard Jake’s name in a nightmare? I find it hard to believe that’s the only reason you’re here. What did you really come down here for?”

  Madison stood up, clearly angry now.

  “Apparently, nothing.” She turned and stormed off, heading for the door.

  “Madison!” Jake said. “Wait!” and then to Teri, “What the hell was that?”

  And he took off after Madison. He caught up with her outside the lab’s entrance.

  “Madison…please…wait!”

  She stopped and turned, her eyes shining, tears about to flow and said sharply, “Why, so you can make fun of me too? I thought you, of all people, would understand.”

  “I do,” Jake said. “Please, wait. I don’t know what’s gotten into her. She had no right to attack you like that. I don’t want you to leave like this. We need to think this thing through.”

  “I’m not going back in there.”

  “Ok, I don’t blame you,” Jake said. “But we still need to talk. Can I meet you later for coffee or something?”

  She hesitated, considering. “All right,” she said. “Where?”

  “How about the coffee shop just up the street, it’s called Java Joes. Say, seven o’clock?”

  She nodded, looking a little better now, the tears drying up. “Ok.”

  “Good—I’ll see you then and we’ll sort this out, Ok?”

  “Yes,” she said, and she reached out and touched his arm. “Thank you.”

  Her touch surprised him causing a tingle to race up his arm. Uncomfortable now he said, “See you then,” and turned to go.

  “Just you and me, right?” she said to him before he could leave.

  “Yes, you and me.”

  And smiling, she turned and walked up the street to her car.

  10

  January 10, 2010 10:00 a.m.

  Orange Park, Florida

  Back in the lab, Jake burst in, clearly upset at Teri.

  “What was that all about? I can’t believe you were so rude to her. What’s the matter with you?”

  “I just thought she was wasting our time. I guess you didn’t think so.”

  “Whether she was wasting our time or not, I still didn’t think it was appropriate for you to attack her like that. You’re entitled to your opinions, but you were pretty rough on her. She was crying.”

  “I guess I was a little tough on her. She just rubs me the wron
g way. Sorry. I’ll apologize to her when I see her again.”

  Jake shook his head. He knew Teri, and he didn’t think she would apologize. Something was bothering her, and eventually she would tell him what it was. At least he hoped she would.

  “All right—let’s get back to work,” he said, and sat down at the desk.

  They worked in silence for a while and then Teri said, “Jake, may I ask you something?”

  “Sure. Shoot.”

  “Do you think we’re doing the right thing? I mean, what if these things that keep happening are omens, or fate, or—I don’t know. Maybe we aren’t supposed to know these things. Do you ever second guess yourself?”

  He paused for a minute. “No, I believe I was given these gifts for a reason, and if I don’t follow through, I will have wasted this talent.”

  She only nodded, but he could tell she didn’t agree.

  “Is that what’s bothering you?” Jake said. “You’re having second thoughts about our research? Is that why you jumped down Madison’s throat?”

  “Well—yes, sort of. She rubs me the wrong way, like I said.”

  “All right, you told me that already, but what’s really bothering you?”

  She paused, and then said, “What if both your dreams are like a warning or something? A message for us.”

  “I thought you said it was just a coincidence,” Jake said, confused at her sudden flip flop. “Isn’t that what set you off? You thought we were being stupid and childish?”

  “Yeah, I made it sound like your dreams were no big deal, but it could be something different. Maybe you should stay away from her.”

  And there it was, Jake thought.

  “Teri, I don’t think meeting and talking with Madison McClaughlin is going to be dangerous. It might actually be worse if I don’t talk with her. We might miss something.” Jake shook his head. “Look at us. Jumping at every shadow like the bogeyman is going to get us. I think it will be fine.”

  11

  January 10, 2010

  Orange Park, Florida

  They worked the rest of the day purging Peter’s data from the system.

  It took most of the afternoon for Andee to unlearn what Peter had taught her. They would get to Rachael’s stuff tomorrow.

  Jake locked up and walked Teri to her car, saying goodnight. He then walked the two blocks to Java Joes and ordered a large coffee while he waited for Madison. He was early. His sleepless night was beginning to take its toll and the coffee was just what he needed.

  Madison arrived fifteen minutes late, but he didn’t mind. He was glad she decided to show.

  “Hi,” he said, smiling, as she took a seat across from him, looking beautiful in jeans and a sweater.

  Her hair was pulled back and held with a ribbon, her green eyes smiling as she said “Hello.”

  He signaled the waitress and she ordered a coffee with sugar.

  She said, “Have you been waiting long?”

  “No,” he lied, “I just got here. I ordered without you, I hope you don’t mind. I can’t seem to wake up today.”

  “You look exhausted. Did you and Teri work all afternoon? We can do this another time if you’d like.”

  “No—no, I’m good. You’ll keep me awake with your creepy dream stories.”

  She laughed. “What about yours? It seemed scarier than mine.”

  He nodded, serious now.

  “I didn’t like it at all.” He paused. “I want to apologize for Teri today. She can be a little opinionated at times.”

  “A little? I don’t know what I did to make her act that way.”

  “I’m not sure either. Later on she started talking about having second thoughts about our research, and she totally contradicted what she got angry about in the first place.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, remember, she kept saying she thought we were blowing our dream thing all out of proportion, right?”

  Madison nodded.

  “Later, she told me she was worried about what our dreams could mean, that maybe they weren’t coincidences. She wasn’t making sense. When I told her that, she said she was a little frightened and thought I should stay away from you.”

  “Do you think you should stay away from me?”

  “No, I think we need to understand what these dreams mean and we can’t do that apart.”

  The waitress brought Madison her coffee and she sipped it, savoring the taste. “Good,” she said.

  “Best coffee in town. Better than Starbucks and cheaper too. So, let me ask you something?”

  “Anything.”

  “When you heard your fiancé say the name Jake, did you think of me right away, or do you know any other Jakes?”

  “I thought of you. I woke up with a picture of you in my head, and knew you were the Jake he was talking about. My mom thought of you also. She’s the one who said I should come down and talk to you about it. She thinks it’s some kind of warning.”

  “Do you think it’s a warning?”

  “I’m not sure. When I woke up, I was scared. I had this ominous feeling, but it could have been from the way I heard your name in the dream. Ryan’s voice didn’t just come out of the cell phone’s speaker. It was like his voice was all around me.”

  Jake nodded. “I usually wake up from my nightmare scared and lonely, but it’s because I’ve lost her again. It’s so real. This time, though, I was frightened because she looked so creepy. I can’t get it out of my mind. It wasn’t her at the end. My conscious mind could never imagine her like that, yet my nightmare did.”

  Reaching out and touching his hand she said, “She was everything to you, wasn’t she?”

  “Yes.” He was barely able to get the word out. “She was the best thing to ever happen to me.”

  He had to stop. He didn’t want to get choked up here, now. He squeezed her hand and then pulled his away, feeling a little guilty at how good her touch felt.

  An uncomfortable silence hung in the air, and then they reached for their coffees at the same time, drinking in silence for a moment.

  Jake broke the silence. “The thing that’s bothering me the most, I guess, is the fact both our recurring dreams have similarities that seem too close for coincidences.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like the fact we both have dreams about the accident which killed our loved one. We both feel somewhat responsible for their death and I know I carry a lot of guilt.”

  She nodded, solemnly.

  “The recurring dreams both have Ryan and Beth saying things we cannot understand,” Jake continued, “but on the same night, we both have our nightmare again, only this time we can understand a single word spoken to us.”

  “But is it a warning, a message, or just random words our unconscious minds are creating?”

  “I don’t know.”

  She paused for a moment, and then said, “What time was your dream?”

  “I remember looking at the clock when I woke up. It was three thirty a.m.”

  “My clock read three thirty two. Another coincidence?”

  Jake slowly shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  “This is getting weird. Do you really think we could be getting messages from the afterlife? I mean, until that day in your lab, my mom’s Near Death Experience was this wacky story I heard as a kid. But can we be getting signals from people who have passed on?”

  “If you had asked me that question two years ago I would have laughed in your face. But, now—with Andee and the research I’m doing, I’d be a hypocrite if I said no. I have to believe it’s possible. It would take a hell of a lot of energy, but it could be possible—maybe.”

  “Energy?”

  “Are you sure you want to hear this stuff?” When she nodded, he explained, “It’s just a theory I have, but I believe it makes sense. All life is made up of some kind of energy. We take in some kind of fuel and it is converted into a form of energy so this biological machine can function. I’ve seen with And
ee that a form of energy exists we’ve just become aware of, and when the biological machine that is our body expires, that energy is released. Since I was raised a good Catholic boy, I like to call it the soul, but you can call it whatever you like. When the soul is ‘released’ from the biological machine, it leaves this plane of existence and travels to another.”

  “Another plane?” she interrupted. “Like another world?”

  “I don’t know. I like to imagine it as bigger than another world. It’s probably something beyond our comprehension, something so different than our current existence we can’t even imagine what it would be. It could be vast and all encompassing, not somewhere, but everywhere. If we become pure energy, we could be anywhere and everywhere at the same time. Travel without traveling, no sense of time, only space. One little bit of energy that is part of all energy.”

  “Whoa! You’re getting too deep for me.”

  “Sorry, I have a tendency to do that. My imagination is hopelessly skewed. But what I’m getting at is when the ‘soul’ leaves this plane, its energy signal is so small, so minute, it wouldn’t be strong enough to impact this earthly plane. That’s why I don’t believe in traditional ghosts we like to scare ourselves with. The ‘soul’ wouldn’t have enough energy here for us to even be able to notice it. Now, if in this other plane of existence we are able to call upon this all encompassing energy source that I think exists, then enough force could be produced to break through our earthly plane. We would have access to more power than we as humans have ever seen. Beyond nuclear!”

  “That’s amazing!”

  “It’s just a theory. I could be completely wrong, but I like to believe I’m close.”

  “Do you think Andee will be able to find a doorway into this other plane? Is that what you’re trying to do?”

  “Something like that. Right now I’m just trying to prove, scientifically, that this other plane actually exists.”

  “I thought you had already. I believed it when my mother was hooked up to Andee. It seemed so real.”

  “Yes, it did, didn’t it? I just want to make sure it’s not their imagination, or some chemical reaction causing hallucinations at death. That’s the popular scientific theory, some kind of chemical bombardment causing nerve endings to fire uncontrollably creating vivid dreams or hallucinations.”