Later that night Karen, slid into bed, wrapping her arm around me from behind. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“Finding the enemy within and exposing the Ghost tribe for what they are; traitors. Spying on the alliance is forbidden.”
“What happened to Cathy?”
“She’s alive, locked in her basement.”
“He may kill her if he finds out we are on to him..”
“Don’t worry, I already have a plan in place.”
As she continued to lay out the details, my thoughts drifted toward a world reset, led by Ghost, a nightmare scenario where past horrors are repeated. Without power, most of the world’s population would be helpless and run into the hands of whoever feed them. A trap, much like that of the mouse in which food means certain death or at the least, enslavement for those who reach for it.
This is the first draft of my manuscript Shift –Don’t judge a book by its cover. I am writing it online in sections as I go. So feel free to comment, good or bad. If you see mistakes, point them out.
Doc’s methods were similar to the ones used on Kate, so I knew what to expect. And hearing him say when I snap my fingers almost made me laugh as it was so cliche.
“Doc, I know you mean well, but my mind will not go under so easy.”
Laughter filled the room as I opened my eyes to see Karen standing in front of me with the same grin she had in Georgio’s Pizza.
“What?” I asked.
She ignored me and walked into the other room with Doc.
“Robert, do you want to tell me what the hell is going on?”
“Nope.”
“Donnie?”
“You’ve been under for over an hour, mister Lore.”
Robert chuckled again as he left the room to join Karen and Doc.
“Let me help you up, mister Lore. You might feel a little dizzy after being under for so long.”
“Seriously, an hour?”
“Yes, sir. Would you like to see the recording?”
Taking his phone, I watched as one memory after another spilled out for all to hear. Borya was twenty-nine, single, from Russia, and a member of призрак, meaning ghost. An outlier tribe determined to bring down the technocracy. After which they, themselves, will rule over their land using fear and deception.
He was here to spy on Elysian and other American tribes to see how responsive we may be to a total world takeover. One in which shifters governed at the expense of all others who would be relegated to peasant status, serving tribes under a feudalistic system.
There was more, but it was all I could take for the moment. “I need to go lie down. Tell the others, will you.”
This is the first draft of my manuscript Shift –Don’t judge a book by its cover. I am writing it online in sections as I go. So feel free to comment, good or bad. If you see mistakes, point them out.
“Thanks for getting here so quickly, Robert. Doc is on his way. Christan is in the kitchen.”
“What happened, Karen?”
“Christian walked up behind Cathy McCall and tapped her on the shoulder, seeing a man named Borya Volkov. He told her he could not see who she was due to a concussion and asked for her name. They talked, then she went back to work, and Christian feels like she bought the whole story.”
“He could have scanned Christians memories and saw that he was a lying.”
“Maybe.”
“I’ll go arrest the damn spy as soon as Donnie gets here.”
“Not yet. there may be others, and I want to know before the word gets out.”
Another knock at the door completed the group of four standing around me. And though my eyes were closed, I felt their presence, knowing where each of them stood.
“Christian, this is Doc. Karen has placed you in a semi-hypnotic state from which I am going to take you deeper. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Her quick thinking may have prevented Borya’s memories from being lost. It’s difficult to recover memories from an out-of-body shifter, but it can be done. So I’ll need to guide you through a series of meditative steps to see if we can extract them. You will be able to do this yourself one day. But, for now, you need me. Understand?”
This is the first draft of my manuscript Shift –Don’t judge a book by its cover. I am writing it online in sections as I go. So feel free to comment, good or bad. If you see mistakes, point them out.
Not far from the breaker box was a golf cart charged and ready to go. As we traveled, Jeff schooled me on the various outside corridors running off the main tunnel, each leading to an entrance underneath a member’s home. Inside corridors led to storage, meeting, and living accommodations.
The entire complex was self-sufficient. And could be transformed into a deadly maze if breached by using movable walls to guide intruders to what Jeff nonchalantly called the killing room.
The underground portion of the tour finally ended when we rode up a service elevator leaving us in a building owned by Darrel Lackey, who was busy milking cows. From there, we transferred to Lackey’s truck to retrieve the tractor still sitting in front of the abandoned farmhouse.
“I’ll meet you back at Darrel’s, but I’m going to stop by the house for a minute to check in on Olivia.”
“That’ll be fine, see you in a little while.”
Darrel was nowhere to be found when I returned, so I wandered alone. The place was impressive with all its milking equipment in action. Wanting to learn more about the operation, I tapped an employee on the shoulder while she worked, startling her in the process.
“Didn’t mean to scare you. I haven’t been thinking clearly. The concussion I received during our last meeting has made a fool me to tell you the truth. Can’t see a thing clearly these days. What’s your name again?”
“I saw you when we touched. Why didn’t you see me?”
“Like I said, I can’t see a thing. Doc says it will go away, But I’m beginning to wonder.”
“Well, my name is Cathy and I hope you feel better,” she replied, returning to her work without another word.
This is the first draft of my manuscript Shift –Don’t judge a book by its cover. I am writing it online in sections as I go. So feel free to comment, good or bad. If you see mistakes, point them out.
In pursuit, I caught up with him as he flipped a switch causing the entire tunnel to come alive for as far as I could see in both directions. Astonished by its length, I lost track of my tour guide, who hid snickering in the distance.
“You know I can hear you.”
And with that, the lights went out.
“Funny.”
“Is it,” he said from behind.
“SHIT—you just about gave me a heart attack.”
“What if I had been Montresor and chained you to the wall? How would you escape this old fool you took to be unread?”
“Scream like hell, you crazy bastard.”
“Really? That’s what you want me to tell Karen when I drop you off. ‘Yep, said he would scream like a girl.”‘
“You make the “Girl” reference, and we’re both going to be in trouble.”
“You got a point, but seriously, what would you do?”
“I don’t know?”
“If you were Fortunato chained tightly to the wall, you would be screwed, But you’re not. You’re a shifter with survival skills and the ability to switch from thick to thin. So scream like a girl if you will, but your hands will slip free.”
I felt like a fool standing there in silence. Jeff was right, and I needed to start thinking like a shifter. “Lesson learned, my friend.”
“Then we shall have another glass of wine?”
“Wine?”
Okay, maybe not wine,” he said, pouring from a flask. “But the day is long, and our nerves need calming.”
This is the first draft of my manuscript Shift –Don’t judge a book by its cover. I am writing it online in sections as I go. So feel free to comment, good or bad. If you see mistakes, point them out.
“This is not going to end like The Cast of Amontillado, is it, friend.”
“Amontilawhat?”
“Nothing,” I replied as I followed the old man down a dark shaft lit only by his headlamp.
“This is one of many escape hatches you’ll find throughout the property,” he said from below.
“Why so deep?”
“Eric Hall, the man who designed all this, needed the entire complex at a certain depth for his security blanket to work.”
“And what exactly does this blanket do?” I asked, stepping off the last rung.
“It prevents government satellites from detecting our underground compound. I think a lot of people would be surprised by the power they have over our heads.”
“How does it work?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. I’m a farmer,” he replied as he disappeared through an oval doorway.
This is the first draft of my manuscript Shift –Don’t judge a book by its cover. I am writing it online in sections as I go. So feel free to comment, good or bad. If you see mistakes, point them out.
“Mrs. Wilcox tells me I won’t get to go trick-or-treating this year. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
“I’m afraid so, Jeff, and send my apologies to Olivia.”
“Are you kidding? She lives for weddings. I’m not sure if you know it, but she’s president of the Elysian Woman’s Club. On top of that, she bakes and apparently, has plans for a colossal cake with a Halloween theme.”
“I’m sure it’ll be beautiful, so send her a big thank you.”
“I’ll do it, now climb on. We’ve got a tour to complete.”
“I haven’t ridden on a tractor fender in quite some time.”
“Well, hold on, so you don’t fall off. I’d hate to tell the Chief I ran over her fiance.
Our first stop was the old farmhouse where Jeff hurt his foot. Once inside, we descended steps into the basement, where I stopped halfway, expecting them to move like the ones in Doc’s house. Who, by the way, has taken to his new nickname quite nicely, as most everyone has started to refer to him in that way.
“Were not fancy over here, son. You’re going to have to keep walking,” said Jeff as he continued to the floor below.
“Who’s place is this?”
“Mine now. It came with the land. Been here a long time, I imagine.”
As he dug through a can of rusty screws, he continued. “Some say the place is haunted.”
“Is it?”
“It is if I’m a ghost. Now, put some pressure right there, Christian, while I maneuver this screw in between the blocks.”
As he did, it clicked, causing a wall section to swing wide open, revealing a ten-by-ten room. Along the back, shelves of liquor bottles overlooked two shot glasses standing ready at the bar. While an old jukebox full of vinyl stood quietly in the corner. A round card table finished out the decor.
“This is your labyrinth?”
He chuckled. “Nonsense, this is where I come to get away from Olivia.”
“You old drunk, no wonder you hurt your foot.”
“A connoisseur, my friend. Now let us drink to privacy and secrecy as we continue on our journey.”
Stepping out into the basement, we once again made our way across fallen boards from the collapsed floor above to another wall. And just as before, he worked a small hole, revealing another doorway.
This is the first draft of my manuscript Shift –Don’t judge a book by its cover. I am writing it online in sections as I go. So feel free to comment, good or bad. If you see mistakes, point them out.
“She was my friend, and we had a pact stating the other could use our body as a verifiable should we die at home. It’s not uncommon. Shifters do it all the time, and it’s the only way to get a verifiable body as the death is never reported. In other words, there is no doppelgänger problem.
“What happened?”
“Pneumonia, three years ago. It caught us all off guard. She was the picture of health, as you can see.”
I grinned at that.
“Do her parents know?”
“Horace does. Her mother Nelly was killed in a car accident.”
“His name sounds familiar.”
“It should. Remember the laughs he got from his reptilian joke the night you fainted.”
“Horace Turbeville, the old jokester himself.”
“He meant no harm, and he thinks the world of you. Laughter helps him cope. He fell into a deep depression after Isabella died. It was over a year before I saw him smile. I can’t say as I smiled much either that year.”
“It must be weird for him to see you in her body.”
“On the contrary, our families were very close. And Horace and I are the only ones left. Mom, Dad, and Ethan Wright, Isabella’s husband, were also in the car the night Nelly died. Ethan volunteered to take them home after an Elysian meeting while Horace, Isabella, and I cleaned up. Dad was Chief back then.
“Thanks for telling me. It means a lot to have you finally open up.”
“You’re welcome. Now we need to get off this emotional roller coaster. I have a wedding to plan.”
I took her place by the window as she picked up the phone.
“Linda, we’ve moved the wedding up to Halloween. Can my maid of honor pull off a miracle?”
I don’t know what Linda said, but the laughter coming from Karen was music to my ears. As they talked, I looked out the window and I saw two white crosses nestled inside the tree line. I’m not sure how I missed seeing them before.
This is the first draft of my manuscript Shift –Don’t judge a book by its cover. I am writing it online in sections as I go. So feel free to comment, good or bad. If you see mistakes, point them out.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, placing my hand on her shoulder.
“Our baby won’t look like me.”
“Of course, it will.”
No, it won’t. I got pregnant in Isabella’s body. That’s why Keith called the other day. He told me what I already knew, but I was hoping—.”
“Hoping what?”
“That he would tell me I was wrong, that if I shifted early in the pregnancy, everything would be okay.
“I should have never gotten pregnant. I knew the risk, but wanted to be with you. So I convinced myself to use my own birth control pills in her body. A mistake I can’t take back.”
“What are you saying? Do you want an abortion?”
She looked up sharply. “Never, The baby will be of me. But the physical traits will be Isabella’s. I’ll just have to live with that.”
“I’m so used to seeing you in this body it never crossed my mind that the baby would not look like you. I’ll see you in our baby’s face regardless. Remember what you told me the first time we made love?”
She paused, then said, “I do,” in a standing embrace. “And thank you for reminding me; you could not have chosen better words. You’re going to be a great father, you know that?”
“Husband too. And we should probably move up the wedding. Don’t you think?”
“How about October 31st? I can’t wait any longer.”
“My favorite month and a halloween wedding. I’m in.”
“I need to call Linda. We have a wedding to plan,” she said excitedly.
“I imagine shifters have sex all the time in different bodies. What happens if they get pregnant and shift?”
“The baby ceases to exist. And to answer your actual question. You would have never known, but I could not bear the thought of losing our little girl.”
“It’s a girl?”
She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. “Yes, It’s a girl.”
Cremation was the only choice for Kate as no trace of Carol’s doppelganger could be left behind. George Bradshaw, the local crematorium owner, made sure it was done discreetly.
Karen remained somber on the way home. Inside she sat beside the window, looking out across the fields. The final harvest would be in soon, adding to our stores, which will last for several years, according to Mr. Wilcox.
The whole farm was in a state of preparation. Last week, the Elysian Woman’s Club completed the baby’s room, and Karen painted, then repainted our bedroom until she finally found the right color. Her nesting urges were on full display, and for the first time in my life, I knew what it felt like to live in a house full of love.`
This is the first draft of my manuscript Shift –Don’t judge a book by its cover. I am writing it online in sections as I go. So feel free to comment, good or bad. If you see mistakes, point them out.
Timothy French 