The Healer

He came in the night, silently and forcefully. Wordless yet wise and strong…..very, very strong.  He led her into the darkness and she followed with a knowing, an inner instinct that she had to go.

Through blurred motion and confused direction, she remained with him to the destination.  Downward they went, into the tunnels, breathing in the cold damp air as they now walked deeper and deeper into the mystery.

             “C’mon” he said as she began to slow down and take in her surroundings.  The deep growl of a voice was commanding with a clear objective showing through.  He did not hide this from her.  She did not hesitate as she realized he knew her.  He knew all about her from flesh and bone and from beginning to end.  She knew him too but that was where it ended. 

 As they approached their destination, the damp chill faded into warm humidity and light.  Halls made out of tunnels turned into a home…..his home.  He took her hand and led her into a room.  There was a bed and a television and she knew they were there just for her, for familiar comfort.

             “Sit down on the bed and find something you like on the television” he told her, and again, she did as she was told.  The odd situation was not unfamiliar to her…..it just was.

 As she flipped through the channels, she was aware of his movements behind her.  He was working….preparing, for what he had to do.  She wasn’t afraid as she waited for him.  No questions asked, just a knowing.  An inner knowing that she belonged there.

      “Keep focused on what you’re watching,” he explained “and let your body relax into the force.” 

 Suddenly she could feel the power of the energy.  It was solid yet not.  Her body moved forward uncontrollably as she realized what was happening.  She was being fixed by this familiar yet unknown healer.  The images moved across the television screen, soothing her as bones were moved and repositioned…..and then it was over.

 She turned to look at the figure who had his back to her.  Dressed in sporty casual clothing, if not a bit worn and dirty, he was pure muscle and looked ready for combat, not for what he had just done.

 The questions came without words even though she knew he could not answer them.  He turned his face slightly toward her as she watched him and there was no need for anything more.  This was his world….his only means of existing.

 His face told her his story. She knew why he was there and felt his loneliness, his need to reach out to another who would understand.  He would remain there as she continued her life above.  She would need him again in the future and would wonder why he never showed up again, what the point was in the first place.

As the wordless calls for help flew into each night, she remained broken.   Walking on the surface, a product of curiosity, she remained alone herself, in her own isolated existence but when she turned her face towards others, her story could not be told…..hidden in plain sight.

Moonlight Run

Reblogged from THEMOONCHILDWRITINGS:

Jordan sat in front of the television watching the news.  He laced up his running shoes as he listened to the latest on the drive by vanishings.  There had been a lot of women across the country going for late afternoon walks, never to be heard from again.

Most of them had been seen leaning into expensive cars, or standing close by, appearing to give directions. 

Read more… 215 more words

Moonlight Run Part 2

Jordan took off at his usual even pace,  winding around the same familiar path he’d been taking every day.  As he ran, he thought about the coming winter and how the forest would feel to him then.  He let his day…his week filter through his mind, letting all the tension drain out.

He wasn’t paying attention.  He’d gotten used to running through this area alone with only the animals for company.  It was soothing to him……….

And then he saw him.  A homeless man he’d seen many times before outside the grocery store.  They locked eyes for a moment before the nameless man stood up.  Jordan froze in front of him trying to decide whether to say something or turn back the other way. 

The man suddenly began walking quickly towards Jordan.  His long faded overcoat blew behind him with the briskness of his strides.

“I’d like some money, please.”  the man said to him. 

“I don’t have any on me at the moment” Jordan awkwardly explained. “I recognize you from the grocery store though so I’ll make sure not to miss you next time around, buddy.”

The man stood in front of Jordan for a long moment, staring into his eyes calmly.  For some reason, Jordan found he couldn’t look away.  They both just stood there, strangers in a darkened forest.  A home away from home but for very different reasons.

” No” the man suddenly said.  “I think this would be the perfect time for you to make a very generous donation on behalf of the homeless.”

Jordan didn’t know how to respond.  It was clear that he wasn’t going to be making a quick escape.  Up close this man was not the mal-nourished, uneducated homeless man he usually saw in a parking lot.  He knew what the man was suggesting and wished he’d brought his cell phone with him.  It was time for some quick thinking…or some very quick running.

“You know what?  That’s no problem at all.  I’ll just run home  and bring you back a check, okay?  My name is Jordan, what’s yours?”

“John.  My name’s John but I’m afraid you won’t be running home anytime soon, Jordan.  You see, I’m getting very tired of living like this and you just happen to be my lucky break tonight.  Now, would you like to have a seat and join me over there or do I need to tie you up?”

Jordan looked over at the old blankets and sleeping bag laying under a large patch of trees.  A large backpack leaned up against one with what looked like basic camping supplies scattered all around.  He wondered what his chances were if he just turned and ran.  Would it be worth the gamble?

“It won’t be neccessary to tie me up, John”  he replied, trying to sound as relaxed and casual as possible.  “I take it you would like to wait awhile to give the neighborhood a chance to settle in for the night?”

“You catch on quick” John replied with a half smile. He gestured toward his seating area as he pulled a knife out of his pocket.  “Have a seat, Jordan.  Don’t worry, I want this all to work out as much as you do but if you run I will catch you.”

Jordan slowly walked over and sat on the ground next to the blankets.  He looked around at the now pitch black forest seeing his afternoon escape in an entirely different light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Midnight Intruders Let Attention Blur

Kate sits at her desk reviewing some new client paperwork.  Everyone else has gone home for the day but Kate doesn’t like to leave things unfinished.  She knows how much better she will feel when all her work is cleared away.

 The sun glimmers through the windows as it begins to set. Bright streaks stretch across the carpet and angle across the walls in a way only Kate is familiar with.  Time escapes her as she sits focusing, forgetting about the lovely summer evening.

 Before she knows it, there is nothing but darkness outside.  Kate looks around the office, suddenly aware of how alone she is, sitting in the dark.  She carefully organizes her desk in preparation for the next day, grabs her purse, and heads for the elevator.

 As Kate stands in the lobby waiting, she begins to feel the same awkwardness that washes over her every time she’s the last one to leave the office.

       “Why am I doing this?”  she thinks to herself.  “I don’t even like this job! I’m so stupid for wasting any amount of extra energy…..just sitting there like that.  This is my life!  I need to go out and enjoy it.”

Kate takes the elevator down to ground level, gets in her shiny new BMW, turns the music up loud, and speeds home with the sun roof open.  As the warm summer air refreshes her senses she begins to relax and enjoy the ride home.

 As Kate pulls into the garage of her highrise apartment, her frustration suddenly returns.

      “I’ve just got to keep busy”  she say’s to herself as she walks down the long wide hallway towards her apartment.  “I’ll cook a nice dinner tonight and take a hot bath.  This is just anxious energy, Kate!  Okay, pep talk over before someone thinks I’m crazy…..”

 The door is unlocked, cats are greeted and pampered, plants are watered.  Garlic and onions chopped and salad rinsed.  Boiling, simmering, baking……..eating.  Television blaring, every light on, every door open while bath water heats and heals………………………………………

 Bed.  Cool sheets, ceiling fan on low, cats purring, book………..lights out.

 Silence screams out through the night, waiting and listening for sound.  Minutes drift by into hours as the clock tick tick ticks in anticipation of time.

 The hissing and growling alert Kate just in time to see her enter the room.  The female doctor moves swiftly towards the bed……..

       “Ssshhhh”  is her only sound towards the cats as she paralyzes them into silence.

Kate starts to sit up as the woman walks toward the side of the bed.  She looks over to see three men standing just outside the bedroom door.  She’s seen them before.  They are military…….she knows.  Three big bad men guarding one woman from another.  Pathetic.

 Next comes the color black and then she’s sitting in the chair being asked questions again.

      “How are your eyes doing, Kate?”  asks the female doctor as she shines a light into them.

      “Good”  replies Kate as she looks around the dark room.  It looks exactly like a regular exam room, nothing special at all.

      “No blurred vision or any changes in your left?

      “No” lies Kate as she feels the woman’s energy change.  She has realized Kate is lying but Kate doesn’t care.  She just wants this “eye examination” to be finished.

 Then Kate’s wish comes true and she’s back in bed but with more figures surrounding her.  These figures aren’t big and bad but they have a job to do.  Kate feels a love for them………a love that isn’t returned in the same way.  But love is love…….right?

 Kate knows what they have to do but suddenly, she knows what she has to do too.  Machines begin to work, paralysis becomes stronger, needles start rotating above her and one is directed straight towards her left eye……..

      “Hey hey! What are you doing? Where are you going? What color are you? What’s your name? how are you feeling? Are you here to help me? Where did you come from? Do you like pasta? When are you leaving? When did you get here? Why are you here? Do you have any pets? Do you have sex? What are you doing? When will you leave? Where will you go after this? Are you married? Do you like it here? Do you like me?…………………………………………………………………………………..paralysis stops.

 Kate lifts her head off of the bed.  It still feels really heavy.  She slowly moves her legs as the yelling starts from somewhere outside her room.

        “Take care of this goddammit!” a deep sounding male voice barks out.  “Send in the teacher NOW before she kills them all!

        “I’m not going to kill anyone” kate thinks “I just didn’t want the needle stuck in my eye!”

 Kate tries to speak to let them know she means no harm but her voice hasn’t come back yet so she tries telepathing to the being surrounding her bed.  She tunes into them and suddenly feels how terrified they are just as another figure comes through the wall beside her head.

        “Kate, it’s okay” her teacher communicates to her.  “This has to be done.  It’s not going to hurt you.”

       “Are you telling me a needle in my eye won’t hurt one bit?  It won’t blind me?”  Kate asks this familiar being who has been with her since childhood.

       “That is correct” her teacher replies patiently and kindly “but this is something that has to be done and you have to lie still so we can finish the procedure.”

       “I’m so scared though.  I don’t even like the thought of something entering my eye.  I’m not sure I can lie still for this one.”

      “Don’t worry, Kate.  Just try your best and remember no matter how scary it might seem, there will be no harm done to you.  I’m with you now.  I’ll stay right here.”

 Kate feels so much better now that her teacher is back.  She hasn’t been able to communicate with her for the longest time and has missed her.  She wants to please her teacher and so she begins to calm herself and lie still.

 The machines start again and all she can focus on is the needle heading straight for her eye.  She keeps her eye open and watches as it gets closer and closer and closer and…………blackness.

 

Kate opens her eyes and rolls over to see the sun shining through the curtains.  She feels drained but glad a new day has begun.  She gets out of bed, stretches, and walks towards the kitchen to make coffee.  Her cats are stretched out on the couch in the living room looking happy and cozy.

       “Hi guys!” Kate calls out to them.  They squint their eyes at her in return and begin to stretch their bodies out for the morning breakfast routine.

 Kate feels the sunshine warm her feet against the kitchen tile and realizes how happy she is this morning.

       “This is the beginning of a new day” she says to herself as she looks out her kitchen window at the beautiful blue sky.  “I am alive, living this life right now and I choose to be happy.”

Kate smiles to herself for a moment, looks out the window again and then opens the refrigerator in pursuit of eggs.  It is indeed a new day with endless possibilities.   

 

Moonlight Run – Part Three

The silence was excruciating.  Jordan sat on the damp forest floor waiting for the moment he would be told it was okay to leave.  He just wanted to get whatever John had in mind over with and get on with his life.  He felt stupid for not being more cautious.

“It’s true” he thought to himself.  “There is no safe neighborhood or area of town.  I’ve got to be more aware of my surroundings from now on.  How could I not see him up ahead?!?”

 

John sat there by an old oil lamp reading a book.  He seemed content, almost peaceful as Jordan stole glimpses of him out of the corner of his eye.  He wondered what his story was.  How could this articulate and intelligent man end up living like this?

“Let’s go” John suddenly said, snapping his book shut.  He stood up and stretched, took a few things out of his backpack and then looked down at Jordan still sitting on the ground.

“Okay” Jordan said hesitantly.  “Should I just start walking and you’ll follow?”

“That’s the plan”  John replied.

 

They  walked out of the forest and made their way over to Jordan’s neighborhood.  It was past midnight now and almost every window was dark.  Jordan tried to make out who might still be up.  There were a few flickers hitting the glass of some bedrooms, the occupant’s oblivious to any outside activity.

Jordan saw his house  up ahead now.  He could only hope that he’d feel a little more in control once they got inside……

 ”Hand over the keys, Jordan” Johns voice demanded from behind him.  His tone was very absolute…dangerous now.  He knew exactly what he was doing.  The John from the forest had been left right there, a shadow in the dim light, reading a ragged book.

 

Jordan reached into his pocket and gave him his house keys.  They walked up the stairs and John reached around to unlock the door, still making sure to stay positioned behind Jordan.  As they walked inside, John instructed Jordan to turn the front hall light on and show him to the kitchen.  The refrigerator door was opened along with numerous cupboards.  Food was thrown onto the counter, and then John stopped what he was doing and looked over at Jordan.

“So, here’s what we’re going to do” he told Jordan.  “You’re going to grab whatever food and drink you would like right now and for the rest of the night, you will be down in your basement being as quiet as the little mouse that you are.  I’ve decided that I want to relax and you are definitely in my way of doing that.  Now, Jordan, I want you to trust what I’m about to say to the depths of your entire being, okay?”

Jordan stayed silent keeping eye contact with John and just nodded once in acknowledgment.

“If you make one sound, I will hear it.  You will sit in one place for the rest of the night and only stand up when necessary.  If I hear too much movement…infact, if I hear anything out of the ordinary, I will kill you.  Don’t underestimate what I’m saying to you for even a second.  My hearing has become attuned to the most subtle of movements over the years and I promise I will rip you to shreds if you try anything, understand?”

“I understand” Jordan replied.  “I’m not going to give you any trouble, John.  My home is yours tonight.  Take whatever you want.  This is my own fault.”

“You’re damn right it’s your own fault but atleast you understand and seem to have learnt from it.  That’s one thing you have going for you that the others didn’t, Jordan.  I have a good feeling about you, young man.  I think you will be the first to see the light of day.  You see, the others underestimated me.”

They both stood leaning against the kitchen counters, staring at each other.  Two men with nothing in common except a new understanding.  First impressions had faded away.

Jordan spent the night lying on a couch in his basement.  In the morning, he headed up the stairs, exactly as he’d been instructed and faced a new day.  He knew he would never see John again and was thankful for that but also for what he had gained…a new perspective.  He would never look at life or the people he encountered the same way again.

Calls were made and his vacation began.  He packed and prepared the house, leaving the front lawn to be mowed last.  As Jordan pushed the mower down the driveway, he saw Abbey, his neighbor leaning into a silver Mercedes down the street.  She caught sight of him and waved.  Jordan waved back wondering who she could be talking to along the side of the road.  The car didn’t look familiar at all……..

“Hey, Abbey!  is everything okay?” He shouted over to her

“Sure, Jordan” she yelled back “I’m just giving Cindy here some directions.  She just moved in a couple of streets away.”

Jordan saw Abbey lean into the car again talking to the new neighbor.  It looked so innocent but something about the picture bothered him.  It seemed familiar in some way.  He shrugged to himself, still feeling overwhelmed by the previous night and began his last chore before he had to catch a flight out of town.

A few minutes went by before he looked up again.  Abbey was gone and then it hit him.  He stopped mowing and ran over to her house, ringing the door bell a few times.  There was no answer.  Could she have taken off somewhere with the new neighbor?  “Oh well”  he thought to himself.  “It couldn’t be what I thought! It was a nice looking woman in the drivers seat.  I’m just being paranoid.”

Jordan caught his flight, landed in Hawaii, and settled into his hotel room with a nice cold beer that evening.  It was then, turning on the evening news that he learned of Abbey’s death.   

 

Moonlight Run

Jordan sat in front of the television watching the news.  He laced up his running shoes as he listened to the latest on the drive by vanishings.  There had been a lot of women across the country going for late afternoon walks, never to be heard from again.

Most of them had been seen leaning into expensive cars, or standing close by, appearing to give directions.  Neighbors or onlookers never thought anything of their last glimpse…until much later.

Jordan shook his head in disgust at this latest trend.  “How could so many weirdos like this be out there?  Where did they get the cars and what was happening to these women?  It’s obviously way more than one person doing these kidnappings”  Jordan thought as he grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

The sun was just making its last appearance, peeking through the clouds after a grey rainy day.  Jordan began making his way through the neighborhood, grateful for the late summer cool down the downpour gifted.  He had been running through the nearby forest lately for added shade and privacy.  He lived in an upscale yet eccentric neighborhood.  Lot’s of artists mixed in with professionals added to the activity in the evenings.  Jordan enjoyed this but sometimes missed his days living a more solitary life up in the mountains.

As Jordan entered the forest, a last patch of sunlight burst through the trees.  He stopped for a moment, turning his face into the light, listening to the birds chirp happily and flutter through the trees to settle in for the night.  “What a lovely evening” he thought to himself as he took off into the shadows……

 

 

 

The Alien Vampire

 The room was dark and small, more like a short wide hallway.  She stood there waiting………waiting for the next challenge, or was it a test?

 

The sound of air rushing within the walls around her seemed to calm the speed of her thoughts as she took in every little detail that surrounded her.  She knew the unknown.  It was familiar to her.  Even what she’d never really faced before.

 

Tonight the face came slowly through the darkness. One step at a time,  one deep murderous breath pushing closer into her line of sight. 

 

            “Oh, shit……hello?” she spoke through the shadows as it became clear how tricky this new situation would really be.

 

She felt his energy and suddenly became consumed with terror.  This harsh emotion was unfamiliar to her.  She was used to the feeling of fear, she had felt the adrenaline pumping many times before, but this was different.

 

The door she’d been thrown from was locked.  All part of the game with waiting, watching eyes in mysterious box seats she could never quite make out.

 

            “Hello, hello? Can you speak? Do you understand me?” she began almost shouting through what looked like an even smaller space.  The walls were closing in on her through each gasp of air but she knew she had to keep talking.

 

Then his eyes suddenly became visible as she tilted her head up and immediately knew there was no longer a need for words.  He wasn’t listening.

 

There he stood with glowing white eyes and a body of steel.  There he stood, seven feet tall and ready for a quick kill.  She wondered how many he’d been given before and how they tried to escape before death ripped them to shreds.  She would fight until the very last second.  She would give them a show they had never seen before.

 

He took another step closer to make himself completely visible, eyes never leaving her with amused expression.  Now he waited.  What would her move be that would lead her to the dead?

 

The kick came with both feet through the door.  She didn’t care what it was made of……it was her only way out.  Her back slammed against the concrete floor hard but the door was wood!!!  Why was the door made of wood?  She pulled her body up and punched through the hole she had made.

 

             “How could this be happening?” she thought to herself.  She’d escaped the impossible.  How could it be so easy?

 

Then she was surrounded by dark figures in the next room with machine guns pointed and commands screamed at her from all directions not to make another move.

 

            “WHY!?!” she screamed back at them.  “Why won’t you fucking help me?”

 

Then she heard the deepest, loudest most otherworldly growl and the rest of the door was ripped off it’s hinges.  He ducked his head as he stepped through and grabbed her with one hand around the torso as he lifted her in the air.

 

She didn’t waste a second.  This little bug would sting and bite until the end but as she struggled and bit and kicked, she could only feel him waiting again.  The fight stopped.  For the first time in her life, she knew she had finally met her limit as she passed the next move onto him.

 

As she was stretched out and held like a sandwich in each hand, his head lowered down and licked her stomach once.  Then he bit with a torturous throbbing intensity. 

 

The screams didn’t last long before the numb set in and the feeling of being drained was the only thing lingering within her soul.  Bullets flew by met with more darkness and then she was on the table looking into bright lights.  She hoped it didn’t take long.  She needed to get back home.

 

The pumps and tubes surging with red life began to warm her again as she lay patiently…………..waiting.