Chapter Nine
Reya sat across from Sheila and Thane, and wondered how much longer it would take to get him hypnotized. Ambient music strummed in the background. They were in a darkened room, Reya on the sofa along a side wall, Thane stretched out on a recliner in the middle of the room, and Sheila in front of him in a cushy chair.
Sheila had been patiently working on him for forty minutes, coaxing him to go under. He did not want to relinquish his consciousness, especially after he’d seen the PSYCHIC HYPNOTHERAPIST SHEILA WAIRE sign on the door of the office.
Newbies. She shook her head. If he only knew how much wisdom he had gathered, how many times he’d been down this road before. Maybe Sheila could enlighten him, because he wouldn’t believe it unless he could see it with his own eyes. Or mind.
His hands were loosely clasping the arms of the chair. His chest rose and fell evenly. His eyes were closed, his face relaxed. Or as relaxed as he got. His hair brushed his forehead, and his big body sprawled across the recliner. The Thane without all the resentment was pretty damn hot.
His soul color had changed, releasing the anger that bound him up so tightly. She kind of liked him like this. Quiet, peaceful, docile. She wondered if Sheila could give her a code word to induce this on demand.
After ten more minutes, Thane was finally where he needed to be and Sheila turned around to nod at Reya. Reya stood up and moved silently behind Sheila’s chair.
As Reya had instructed, Sheila said to him, “Thane, we’re going to go back to when you were young, the night your father died. When I count to three you will be there. One, two, three.”
Thane’s hands jumped a little but he stayed under.
Sheila turned and looked at Reya, who took over the session.
“It’s early in the evening,” Reya said softly as to not jar him. “What are you doing?”
“Playing checkers with my dad. Mom is laughing because I just beat him,” Thane said, his expression and voice light and happy.
“Does anything seem out of the ordinary?” she asked.
“There is a storm. The power is out, but we have candles.”
“Do you hear anything?”
Thane frowned slightly. “Wind, thunder. It sounds like someone is banging against the outside of the house.” He hesitated and turned his head to the right. “Is someone at the door?”
Reya watched the fear cross his face. “Who is it, Thane?”
He nodded his head as if obeying someone. “Mom tells me it’s just the storm. It’s getting worse, so we are going to go into the basement where it is safer.”
A sense of foreboding entered the session, and Reya pressed on. “Are your parents concerned?”
“They try not to show it, but something is wrong, I can tell. We go down to the basement where my dad has his workshop. It’s warm down here. I like the smell of wood and varnish.”
Reya asked, “What happens next?”
“There is a loud bang upstairs, like the front door crashed in. Dad tells Mom and me to hide in the closet, to lock ourselves in. He hands my mother something and kisses her. She’s very upset, but we go into a tall armoire where my dad keeps his guns. It’s a tight squeeze, but we are in. I can see my dad through a sliver between the doors.”
Sheila placed her hand on Reya’s and mouthed, “Be careful.”
Reya nodded, knowing she was about to illicit some traumatic memories for Thane. She hated doing it. It was one thing for her to choose pain as part of her redemption. It was another to put an innocent boy, now man, through it. But she had to know what happened that night because it was coming full circle.
“What do you see, Thane?”
Thane’s body twitched. “A shadow is moving into the basement in front of my father. It’s a man, I think. Now they’re talking, arguing. My father is telling the man to leave. My mother is trembling, I can feel her fear.”
A shadow who was a man? Reya’s heart sank. “What else are they saying?”
“I don’t know. I can’t hear them over the voices.”
“Is someone else there?”
He shook his head. “No, it’s just voices.”
She knew what that was. Reya felt the tension grow as the dark moment closed in. Her voice was even. “Can you hear what the voices are saying?”
He winced. “They’re mean, angry voices. They want to do bad things. They want to make me do bad things.” His face twisted in pain.
“But you don’t,” Reya said suddenly, holding her own emotions at bay. He was so tormented, just a child. She hated them for that. “You’re a good boy.”
“I try,” he said sincerely, his expression softening somewhat.
Remember that, she thought sadly, and pushed him forward, “What’s happening now, Thane?”
“There’s a flash of light and a loud sound.” Thane’s voice rose in sudden panic. “My father just fell to the floor! He’s not moving!”
Sheila squeezed Reya’s arm, and she said quickly, “It’s okay. You’re safe. You and your mom are safe.” Her voice cracked. She could almost feel his pain, feel the helplessness he went through. She understood the anger and frustration he held now. If she’d been him, would she have turned out any differently?
“But my father isn’t moving,” Thane said, his tone full of panic. “Dad!”
“Your dad can’t hear you,” Reya said firmly, but kindly, feeling everything he was experiencing. She couldn’t seem to break from him. “He’s just sleeping. He’ll be okay.”
Reya caught Sheila frowning at her and ignored it. She had to get Thane through this. She had to get through this.
“What is the shadow doing?” she asked.
“He’s looking at the cabinet. At us. I think I made a noise. He’s coming toward us. He’s coming right to me!”
“He can’t harm you,” she repeated, keeping her voice soft, despite the emotion rising in her throat. “What does he look like?”
“Just a shape, a dark man. He’s trying to open the doors.”
Reya moved closer to him and put her hand on his. It was burning and damp. “Don’t be afraid, you are safe.”
“He keeps trying, but he can’t open it,” Thane continues, his words jaunty. “He can’t get inside.”
“Relax, take a deep breath,” she said. She felt such sadness for him, and anger at the Universe for allowing that to happen to him. Even if he did choose it. “What does he do next?”
“He moves away from the doors. I can’t see him. I think he left.”
“What about the voices?” she asked, relieved the worst was over.
“They’re gone, too. The storm has passed.”
Reya closed her eyes. “So it’s quiet.”
“No,” Thane said sadly. “My mom is crying.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” Reya said, trying to keep control of her voice. “I want you to remember everything you told us and everything you saw and heard. But you won’t feel the pain and sorrow you did at that moment. Do you understand?”
“My dad’s still sleeping,” Thane said.
Reya swallowed the guilt and let a tear drop. Then she turned to Sheila and nodded for her to bring Thane out.
* * *
“It was Surt, wasn’t it? It’s the same man who’s setting innocent people on fire,” Thane said. His head hurt, his heart hurt, and he was pissed. He remembered that moment, when his father was murdered. He’d thought about it a million times, but this time was different. He could still smell the sawdust and feel the cool metal of the cabinet he and his mother had squeezed into. Most of all, he could see the bastard who killed his father.
Reya walked beside him out of the psychic’s office. “We can’t be sure.”
He was so worked up, so furious, that he could barely contain it. Seeing his father die all over again, as a man, as a cop, made him feel helpless. He’d always wanted to find out who killed his father. Now he knew.
“A black shadow that materializes into a human shape? Who else would it be?” he snapped. “How do I find him?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “He could be anywhere.”
Thane swung around to face her. Her eyes flashed as she glared back at him.
“You know him, but you don’t know where he is?”
She narrowed her eyes. “It’s not like people on the other side wear signs. We have a hard time tracking them. They could be in any place, in any form, in any dimension. Besides, we aren’t in this so you can exact revenge for your father’s murder.”
The hell he wasn’t. He turned and started walking again. “This is the deal. We stop Surt from setting innocent people on fire. If in the process, I discover that he killed my father, I get to exact my revenge.”
Reya swore softly. “You can’t kill him, even if you wanted to.”
“I’m a legacy,” he said. “What kind of power does that give me? Can I locate beings from other dimensions? Can I engage them?”
“Well, see now, I really don’t want to tell you,” she said.
He stopped her by the arm. “What does it give me?”
And then her arm was gone, and he was grabbing air. Right before his eyes, she faded to air. He could still see her, but she was transparent.
“Go ahead,” she said lifting her chin in challenge. “Try to exact revenge on me.”
He swiped at her shape. Nothing.
She rematerialized and started walking again. “That’s why you can’t kill Surt.”
Son of a bitch. If he wanted Surt, he’d have to work with her to get him, and then stop him. Maybe along the way, he’d figure out what the curse of legacy got him besides being a target.
Thane caught up with her in two strides.
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll just give him a piece of my mind.”
Reya slanted him a look. “You can’t lie for shit.”
“And you think I’m a lot stupider than I am,” he said. Although after he said it, it didn’t sound quite right. “I know he’s involved. My father’s killer is the only connection between me and this entire mess. And he’s the only one who could have pulled it off without leaving so much as a trace behind.”
“There are more like him. A lot more.”
But Surt was the only one who stood out, and he’d bet his life on that. “Why now? After thirty years? Why is he back?”
“I don’t know,” Reya said. “I can’t believe he’d want to kill you just because you saw him murder your father. Surt is not that patient. If he wanted you dead, he would have done it long ago.”
He heard the distraction in her voice. Whenever she did that, she was thinking about something he wasn’t supposed to be privy to. “Take an educated guess.”
She bit her lip. “It’s a busy time for Earth.”
He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. “Explain.”
She halted and frowned at him. “I’m not supposed to. It could screw up the whole fabric of time and space.”
“Christ,” he swore. “If it will help with this investigation, then you need to. Because I’m the professional investigator here.”
“Then figure out what kind of threat you pose to him,” she countered.
She had a point. “I can’t unless I know all the facts.”
Reya sighed. “Fine. Earth is a third dimension planet that is destined to be a fourth dimension planet. And then a fifth. Enlightenment is the process. Ascension is the leap.”
Every time he asked for an explanation, he regretted it. “The planet itself is going to ascend? How is that even possible?”
“The planet is alive; it has a soul. It has the opportunity to ascend. It will do so slowly over time and by degrees until it becomes a reincarnation place solely for fourth dimensional beings.”
He held onto his tenuous train of thought. “What’s the difference between dimensions?”
“Dimensions are based on frequency, the vibrational level of energy. This is the third dimension. Tactile reality. The vibrational level here is heavier than the fourth dimension. The higher you go, the lighter your frequency.”
“Doesn’t sound so bad,” he said.
“It’s not bad. It’s just hard. The soul has to earn the right to ascend to a higher dimension, which takes eons of experiencing and maturing. The fifth dimension is lighter and even more positive than the fourth. It changes our reality to pure light. There’s no construct of time. Only the present, but the present can be anywhere, anytime. After that there is no darkness, only light.”
He was starting to lose her, but he wasn’t going to admit it. Damn, he knew he should have stuck with Physics class. Who the f*ck knew he’d actually need it someday? “Fourth and fifth still have darkness?”
“Right, but their pull, their influence, is weaker in higher dimensions. Which means it’s not as much fun. Not as many souls to control. No riches, no wealth, no illusions, no lies.”
He was beginning to get it. “Dark entities lose their power.”
Reya started walking again. “Exactly. They hit a ceiling. Their only options are to stay in the lower frequencies. That’s where their power lies.”
“If the Earth eventually ascends to the fourth dimension, where do all the third dimension souls go?
“They have to reincarnate on another planet.”
The pieces clicked into place. “There must be other planets out there like Earth.”
She nodded. “There are, but you have to understand, Earth is an extraordinary creation. It’s a beautiful world, unique and peerless in this part of the universe. These human bodies are miracles. Everyone wants to come here, even as hard as it is.”
He grinned. He’d finally figured her out. “And that’s why you’re doing the Redeemer bit. To ensure your spot in the higher dimension.”
She cut him a hard look. “I’ve been on the dark side. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Besides, I’m not starting over again.”
He could understand that if he cared about his soul. At this point, he’d sell his soul to find his father’s killer. All he had to do was find the devil.
“You think Surt is trying to prevent to the planet from ascending because he doesn’t want to start over either?”
“Yes,” she said with a frown. “He’d lose Earth like all the other Controllers. The worldly pleasures, the control, power, and the greed that they’ve cultivated will disappear”
Thane was having a hard time believing any of this was true. On the other hand, he’d seen some weird shit so far. “Sounds like he’d need a lot of help to stop a planetary ascension. Any idea where he’d get it from? You said it yourself, it’s not easy crossing dimensions.”
“The whispers you hear,” she said. “If you heard them when your father was murdered, that wasn’t us. We wouldn’t have done that. And the killer was alone. So he must have had other people with him, but few are strong enough to come over.”
Thane shook his head. “Who else is there?”
“Dead people.”
Of course. “What’s with you and dead people?”
“Not just any dead people,” she said. “The Undecided.”
The other side made Earth look like a family picnic. “What are they?”
“Souls who haven’t left Earth after their bodies failed. They are tied here by their own delusions or unfinished business.”
“Ghosts,” he summarized.
Her pace slowed as they approached an intersection. “They haven’t decided whether they want to go to the light or the dark. They aren’t corporeal anymore, but they can still influence the third dimension.” Now she sounded distracted as she stared straight ahead. “They are supposed to be off-limits to both the light and the dark. No interference in their decision.”
Thane heard sirens rise in a chorus ahead of him. Whispers flooded his mind. “You think Surt isn’t abiding by the whole noninterference thing?”
They approached the intersection together and turned the corner. The entire street was chaos. Cars were on fire, looters were throwing trash cans through store windows, and people were fighting each other in and out and over their cars.
“No, I don’t think he is,” Reya said, taking in the anarchy. “I think he’s using them to wreak havoc.”
Thane heard them then, the whispers. But this time, he could actually catch phrases and feel their influence.
“Take what is yours. Join us. Be powerful,” they said. Feelings of fear, anger, and anxiety flowed over him. From the scene playing out in front of them, he wasn’t the only one who felt it.
He told Reya. “I can make out the words now.”
She pursed her lips when he turned to look at her. Then someone threw a bottle at them and it shattered into pieces on the sidewalk. It was Hell on Earth.
* * *
Orson shook his head vehemently. “No. It’s forbidden.”
Reya said, “Well, we just spent the last hour battling through people who were acting like zombies. They were definitely being influenced by something or someone. Look at this, you think this happens for no reason?”
She pointed at the TV playing out the same chaotic scene all over the city. Law enforcement was overwhelmed. The mayor had just announced a temporary state of emergency with a curfew. All he had to do was figure out how to enforce it.
Thane sat on the couch, frowning. “The whispers are everywhere. And people are listening to them.”
Orson squinted at him. “How can he be sure?” he asked Reya.
“I’m right here.” Thane looked vaguely in his direction.
Reya eyed Thane. “When did you figure out Orson was here?”
“Just now,” he said, and then caught her eye. “There is someone else here with us, right?”
She debated lying just to mess with him, but decided against it. He was in a foul mood to begin with. “Yes.”
Then she turned to Orson. “Have you found Surt yet?”
“We believe he’s in the city somewhere,” Orson said. “It’s possible he’s taken tangible form.”
“Great, that’s great. He’s human,” Thane said and watched the flat screen.
Orson replied, “Correct, but we don’t know who or where yet. He’s working very, very hard to conceal himself.”
“And I wonder why,” Reya muttered. “If he’s using the Undecided, he has an army at his disposal. It’s probably keeping him busy. Anything on the burn victims?”
“I’m still working on that. There are a lot of them and they’ve just returned to the spirit world. I can’t access them yet,” Orson said, as he wrote it down in his notebook. He looked up at her. “I’m sorry I can’t give you more. I’m trying.”
“I know,” she said, feeling suddenly weary.
Then Orson disappeared.
“He’s gone,” she said to Thane.
“Does this mean I can hear all dead people?”
“Probably.”
“Can’t wait to see what comes next.” He took the paper out of his pocket and sat back down on the couch to study the drawings. Reya looked at the clock. It was 3 p.m.
“I thought you were going into work this afternoon,” she said.
He looked up. “I can’t.”
“You’ll lose your job,” she reminded him.
He nodded. “I know that.”
Then it struck her. For revenge, he would quit his job. Not for the safety of humanity. Not to save his own soul. One whiff of vengeance and he was locked and loaded. It reminded her just how far gone he really was. Was she too late? Could she make any difference even if she tried?
“So what do we do now?” she asked.
He stood up, shoved the paper in his pocket, and grabbed his jacket. “To see if my mother knows what these are.”