Reunion (A Psychological Suspense with Murder, Mystery and the Paranormal)

by Jeff Bennington

  The doctor breathed hard in Nick’s face, pressing his hands against the doorframe. His valor, however, lasted only for a moment. Nick smacked him in the head with the butt of the gun. Dr. Mueller’s knees buckled and he collapsed into a pile right in front of the door. Without hesitation, Nick stepped over his body and stomped into David’s room.

  Upon entering, Nick paused to look at his nemesis. He cocked his head like a dog and gritted his teeth.

  “Hello, sweetheart.” Nick’s eyes scanned David’s bony face. He glanced back at the doctor. Two orderlies had arrived on the scene, cautiously watching Nick, while a nurse bent down to assist the doctor. Nick defensively pointed the gun back and forth at the guards as he moved closer to David.

  In the midst of the tension, David’s gurney suddenly started to rattle loudly. Surprised by the phenomenon, Nick vigilantly pressed on. As he moved, the feeding tubes, ventilator and pictures on the wall also began trembling. He walked to the farther side of the gurney to keep his eyes on the attendants and crouched down beside David. He leaned close, put his lips to David’s ear and whispered, “Hello, David. I bet you’re glad I’m here.”

  The orderlies crept into the room. Nick heard them approaching. He lifted his head and pointed the gun at them. “Don’t move, or I’ll kill all of you!”

  The orderlies stood still. Nick turned back to David. The long years of anger and pain finally converged into that moment, filling Nick with a contemptuous spirit.

  “You see this gun, David? You want me to use it on you, don’t you? You want me to blow your brains out so I can end your pain! Is that what you want, huh?”

  Adrenaline flowed abundantly, impacting the intensity of Nick’s thoughts and movements.

  Every object in the room vibrated, including the lights, which flickered as the demons inside David attempted to intervene. The orderlies leaned against the wall to maintain their sense of balance. Nick took hold of David’s sheets and pulled them off, revealing his skeletal body, wearing only a loose pair of white boxer shorts. He bent down to whisper in David’s ear again, grinding his teeth.

  “I thought I missed my chance to kill you. And now that you’re here…alive…I’d rather watch you suffer!” Nick smirked, breathing deep breaths of revulsion into David’s face. “You want me to kill you? Well, I want you to suffer long and hard, you son of a bitch! So, maybe, I’ll let you live. Maybe, I’ll let those demons tear at your soul for another twenty years.” Nick cocked the gun and pushed it into David’s temple. “Or, maybe not!” He put pressure on the trigger and paused, enjoying the moment.

  The orderlies crept closer. For a second, Nick closed off his peripheral vision and gazed upon David. He sniffed the foul smell of death rising from David’s living corpse. His face contorted just before he gagged from the repulsive odor. When he looked up to check on the orderlies, one of them sprang toward him, leaping around the gurney. Nick reacted instinctively by pulling the trigger, but only grazed his target. The other orderly jumped into action as well, grabbing Nick’s free hand. Nick swung at the first attacker and hit him in the face with the gun. The orderly’s neck twisted from the blow and he fell to the floor.

  The other attendant slammed Nick’s arm against the wall over and over, in an attempt to remove the weapon. The gun shot into the ceiling with each crash. Bang! Bang! Bang! Nick shifted his weight suddenly and the tension slackened on his arms. He flipped his elbow over the orderly’s neck and squeezed his throat as hard as he could. The orderly continued slamming Nick’s hand, although each blow grew weaker and weaker.

  With very little strength remaining, the orderly crashed Nick’s wrist against the edge of the metal gurney, suddenly liberating the gun from Nick’s grasp. Panting from the pain of the blow, Nick shoved the weakened man to the ground and climbed over his body to get to David. He looked up, only to see Dr. Mueller standing in front of him, pointing Sheriff Richards’s Glock 9mm directly at him.

  • • •

  The boiler room continued to fill with a hot vapor. The mist flashed as the exit light flickered off and on from an electric short. The room remained quiet except for the whimpers that came from Kate and Lana and the sound of the whistling steam.

  Noah and Tanner whispered in the darkness. “What if he doesn’t do it?” asked Tanner.

  “I don’t know,” replied Noah. “The poltergeist might return, or search for a resolution somewhere else. It’s hard to say.”

  Lana squeezed Noah’s arm, and with a hint of hope asked, “And if Nick succeeds?”

  “I don’t know that either. I just hope we get out of here alive. Most people don’t understand how real the spirit world is. That’s probably why you all thought Nick was crazy. Now you know the truth.”

  Kate wiped the tears from her cheek and said, “I never thought in a million years that we’d be here, let alone fighting whatever that thing is.”

  “We may never understand,” said Noah.

  Tanner stared at Noah with annoyance. “You’re a preacher, Noah. Does your God even care? Why doesn’t he reach down and help us?”

  Noah looked down and considered the question.

  Tanner cocked his head and shot an angry glare at Noah. “I mean, I lost my best friend, and I’ve never been the same since. And now this! Jesus, Noah! What does God want from us, anyway? To make us stronger? To teach us some kind of it’ll-all-work-out-for-good philosophy?” Tanner took a breath and shook his head. “I can’t accept that!”

  Noah lifted his head and replied, “You don’t have to accept anything, Tanner. You can believe whatever you want to believe.”

  “Great! Because I believe God doesn’t give two shits about me or you or any of us! What I believe is, we’re here because God, if there is such a thing, is in some faraway galaxy, oblivious to the hell he’s left us in!”

  Noah straightened his shoulders and looked directly at Tanner. “And you have every right to believe that, Tanner. But I don’t. And you know what? I’m not spinning my wheels trying to fill a spiritual crater left from the massacre. I’m free from what happened back then. I’m not afraid or angry with God. But you’re still chasing, still searching and still looking for that rush that will fill you up or bring you some kind of permanent restitution. So you can keep on fooling yourself if you like. But the fact is, you’re still alive, and for some reason you’ve been blessed with a life when there are others who have had theirs taken away. And yet you’ve chosen to dwell within yourself—to focus on yourself.”

  Tanner grunted.

  “And so after all this…after seeing the power of a supernatural force, you are questioning God? That was pure evil, Tanner. It’s real, it’s active, and it wants to devour its victims. You shouldn’t doubt that kind of power! You either fear it, or you look to God to protect your soul from it. And I pray you do the latter.”

  Tanner stood up and pointed his finger at Noah. “Then where the hell is your God, Noah? Why isn’t he here fighting! Where are his angels? Where is His power?”

  The others stared at Noah, waiting for his reply.

  “He’s in here.” Noah pointed at his heart. “That’s why I’m not afraid. I don’t care how angry or dark any spirit is, Tanner. They can’t touch me. David and the demons that reside in him are no exception.” Noah looked at each one of his old friends. “I’m not afraid of death, not because I don’t care about life, but because I’m at peace with my Maker, regardless of what life brings. And that is God’s power at work, protecting me and maybe even you. And I believe that sometimes, it takes a catastrophe to make the human race turn to God for answers. Sometimes the only way we’ll ever look up…is when we’re flat on our backs.”

  Noah stood up and walked toward the boiler where the steam was still pouring out. He grabbed the ladder left behind by the maintenance workers.

  “Sometimes…” he shouted over the steam, grunting as he carried the ladder toward the pipes. “Sometimes, God allows us to enter the spiritual realm”—he set up the ladder and began to
climb—”because that is exactly where He is”—Noah reached toward a large shutoff valve—”and that’s when He chooses to use His vessels…because when life gets cloudy”—he grabbed the handle and began spinning the valve—”He shows his power through the worst of circumstances. When things go well, we like to take the credit for it. But when things go badly in life, for some strange reason, we blame Him.” Noah continued cranking the valve closed. “Oddly enough, it’s in moments like these that we begin asking questions…” He tightened the valve with a grunt. The remaining steam shut off. “Then suddenly, in our brokenness, we are receptive to Him, to something beyond ourselves, probably because we’re forced to reconnect with our humanity, our mortality, our weaknesses and deficiencies.”

  Noah stepped down from the ladder.

  • • •

  Tanner ran his fingers through his hair, contemplating what Noah had said. Lana stared at Noah, grateful for his optimism and wisdom. Kate still carried the weight of her guilt for not trusting Nick. They were all deep in thought. Each one looked into their own hearts and minds, questioning or affirming themselves, painfully sore from the battle. The hissing of the steam ended and the room grew deathly quiet.

  • • •

  Nick stood still, glaring at Dr. Mueller. Both were breathing heavily and filled with rage.

  “Come on Doc, you and I both know you’re not going to use that.”

  The doctor turned the gun down and fired low at the outside wall.

  Nick flinched and said, “Okay…so maybe you will.”

  The doctor nodded at the injured orderlies and said, “Get him locked up until the authorities can take him!” He kept the gun pointed at Nick. “It’s over now. It’s all ov—”

  At that moment, the doctor stared at Nick with a look of discomfort, his arm jiggling violently like the other objects in the room. His hands trembled as he moved the gun away from Nick.

  “What’s going on?” shouted the doctor. His thumb cocked the pistol. “I’ve lost control! I’m not doing this! Something is squeezing my hands!” His arms turned toward David, stiff as a mannequin.

  Nick watched with fascination as Dr. Mueller unsuccessfully resisted the force acting upon his body.

  Dr. Mueller cried out “No! NO! NO!” and shook, refusing the voices that called to him. His face turned red and his veins swelled, covering his neck and forehead with blue protruding vessels. The attendants rushed forward to pry the gun from his hands but the evil force threw them back, each one slamming into an opposing plaster wall.

  Nick remained still. The doctor trudged toward David, awkwardly resisting the force but to no avail. He took careful aim, pointing the gun at David’s head. He screamed one last time in rebellion against the powerful force that took control of his body and squeezed the trigger. “Nooooo!”

  He fired.

  Blood, bones and brains sprayed the white plaster walls and Dr. Mueller’s white coat. The doctor crumpled to the floor and the gun fell with a clatter from his hand. Nick dropped to his knees, physically and mentally exhausted. The room became quiet and still, indicating that the spirit had left.

  David was dead for good.

  Nick exhaled twenty years of resentment and anxiety. He rested on his knees and began to cry, sobbing and shaking. He didn’t know why and he couldn’t stop. He thought he’d be happy to see David dead, yet tears poured out of his eyes as he knelt down, releasing emotions he never knew existed.

  The doctor was right, he thought. It’s over.

  26th

  Lana and Kate were leaning against the boiler-room door when it unlatched. The sound of the click brought immediate relief to their downtrodden souls. Noah turned the knob and the door opened. They all let out a sigh and took deep breaths of fresh air as they stumbled out of the humid room. Tanner and Noah carefully lifted Bryan and carried him into the hallway. His face was badly burned from the hot steam and his breathing was harsh and erratic.

  “We’ve got to get Bryan to a hospital!” said Tanner.

  After taking only a few steps, Lana stopped walking and stood still. “Can you hear that?” she asked. “It’s a siren!”

  “Someone’s here?” shouted Kate, her face aglow with hope. “Let’s go!”

  Together, they ran through the darkness to the front entrance and began pounding on the steel door, shouting to their liberators.

  “Help!”

  “We’re in here! Hurry!”

  “Help us, please!”

  A voice from the outside shouted, “Step back from the door!”

  Lana and Kate complied with the command. They stepped aside and stood patiently.

  Seconds later, the door burst open with a loud bang. The once-darkened foyer filled with light from the emergency vehicles outside. The women covered their eyes from the blinding beams and fell into the arms of their rescuers. Outside, an ambulance backed up to the entryway along with half a dozen police and rescue vehicles spinning red-and-blue lights throughout the night sky. Lana squinted as she looked up toward the heavens and noticed that the rain had begun to recede. She looked at Kate who was still shivering, although now wrapped in a wool blanket. Lana began to weep for her and for all of her friends.

  The firemen made their way inside to search for the others. As soon as they came into the foyer, they found Maria’s body, wrapped and lying on the cold tile floor.

  “Get the paramedics in here! We’ve got a ten-fifty-four!”

  Soon other first responders entered the building to recover Maria’s body and to assist Tanner and Noah with Bryan. They put Bryan on a gurney and rolled him into an ambulance with an oxygen mask over his face. He was barely breathing. The ambulance took off with a police escort and all sirens blaring. Noah, Tanner, Kate and Lana were treated for shock and minor injuries. When they checked out okay, the police questioned each one separately as they investigated the cause of Maria’s death and Bryan’s injuries. Then Larry arrived on the scene.

  • • •

  After the police released Noah from questioning he walked through the drizzle toward Lana, who was sitting in the back seat of a police car with its doors wide open. She was wrapped in a blanket and shivering. Noah knelt down beside her, just outside of the vehicle.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  Lana nodded her head.

  “Water?”

  “Sure.”

  Noah reached into the car to help her out. She grabbed his hand and they headed toward a makeshift break area. For a few moments, they walked through the sprinkling rain in silence. Noah wanted to touch her and hold her, but wasn’t sure what his boundaries were.

  “So, now what?” asked Lana as she peeked through her disheveled hair. “Time for you to go?”

  “You know…” Noah looked out at the stars. “I might hang around here for a while in case I can be of any assistance to Bryan or the others.” He paused. “How about you? Don’t you have a book tour on the horizon?”

  “Yeah. I’m…going to Europe,” Lana said drearily. “We make our first stop in…England. We’ve never been there before.”

  Noah laughed. “Oh, that’s perfect. I come here to see you, and you…you’re going on holiday to the UK!” And then he thought, did she just say we? Who is we?

  • • •

  Lana sighed. “Yeah.”

  In the distance, a young female voice called out, “Mom!”

  Noah was pouring Lana a cup of water when the voice grew stronger.

  “Mom! Mom!” Lana turned her head and looked up. She recognized the voice.

  “Zoe?”

  Zoe came running toward her mother, wearing pajamas, slippers and covered with a raincoat. Noah stepped back and the two women embraced warmly.

  “Mom, are you okay?” Zoe pulled back to look at her mother. “The guy at the hotel heard what was going on through his police scanner and called me right away. I got here as fast as I could.”

  Lana looked at Zoe’s anxious eyes and said, “Don’t worry, Zoe. I’m gonna be fin
e. I’ve just got a few scratches, that’s all.” She squeezed Zoe again. “Thank you for coming. I love you!”

  Zoe gripped her mother tight. “I love you too, Mom.” She then looked at the man standing next to her mother. “Is this one of your friends?”

  Embarrassed, Lana fumbled, “Oh…yes…I’m so sorry. How rude of me. Uh, Zoe this is, um, Noah Berkley. He was a foreign exchange student my senior year.”

  Zoe reached out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Berkley.”

  Noah smiled. He looked at Lana curiously and asked, “Is this your daughter?”

  Proudly, Lana said, “Yes.”

  Zoe interrupted and asked Noah, “So, were you there—when David Ray—?”

  Noah nodded.

  “Oh. I’m so sorry.”

  Noah appeared confused. “Sorry?”

  Zoe’s eyes were full of empathy. “Yes. I’m so sorry you were away from your family when it happened. That must have been terrible to go through something like that without your family there with you, and now you’re alone again.”

  Noah sighed. “It was difficult back then.” He paused. “No one should go through that sort of thing alone.”

  He glanced at Lana. He saw a hint of sadness in her eyes and turned away, wondering why she looked so uncomfortable all of a sudden.

  To Zoe he said, “But I’m okay now.” He reached for her hand and shook it saying, “It was nice meeting you, Zoe.” Looking back at Lana, Noah said, “You have a beautiful daughter, Lana. Good luck with the book tour,” and he waved casually and walked away. He was puzzled that Lana had never mentioned her daughter to him.

  • • •

  Zoe grabbed her mother and hugged her again. Lana looked over her daughter’s shoulder as Noah walked away. Her eyes filled with tears and she realized she had once again learned a lesson from Zoe. Her innocent wisdom invaded Lana’s logic, reminding her of the depth and kindness of a heart untouched by trauma. In that moment, Lana released Noah from the responsibility of her happiness. She realized that she had expected Noah to react and reason like an adult according to her expectations, when in fact, he too was just a child when he left, victimized, lost and away from home. Zoe felt her mother’s body trembling.