Dark Mind (The Dark Mind Trilogy Book 1) (28 page)

28

When he awoke, it was dark outside. Pushing himself up onto his elbow to look around the room, he noticed his mother dozing in a chair against the wall. He lay back down, trying to force more sleep, but he was too alert, his mind turning in circles. The information his mother had told him had not even begun to sink in and, as he stared at the ceiling sorting it all out, a frantic thought came to him.

“Mom!” he half-whispered. “Mom?”

His mother stirred and her eyes opened a crack. “Huh? Wha-? What's wrong, Honey?” She glanced down at her watch and rubbed her eyes.

“Did you ever get an agreement that required you to do something bad or else some other bad thing would happen? And then did you not do the first part and the second part didn't come true?”

Meredith shot upright. “What was the agreement?” Her voice was deadly serious.

“That was the whole thing with Travis.
I got an agreement to kill Dr. Stern or Amy would die on Monday. Travis came to help me prevent that from happening and he did.”

Meredith was still. Her eyes bore into his.

Cole's breathing quickened and his chest tightened up. “Mom? What's wrong? It worked. She made it.”

Meredith's lower lip began to tremble. “It's still Monday.”

“Mom...?”

“You're absolutely positive about this agreement?”

“Of course I'm positive. I even had a premonition about it.”

Meredith bolted out of her chair. “We've gotta get you out of here. Are you strong enough to walk?”

“What? But Mom...”

“Don't argue with me! Get up!”

Driven by panic, Cole rolled out of bed, landing on his feet. He wavered from lightheadedness and grabbed onto the bed for support. Meredith's arm wrapped around his shoulders, steadying him.

“Put these on,” she said, indicating his clothes. “Can you sense Amy? Can you tell if you've lost the agreement yet?”

Cole threw his clothes on, adrenaline clearing his vision. “What do you mean? How is that possible?”

“Never mind.” She poked her head out the door. “All right, let's go. Quickly.” She took his hand and led him through the hospital, avoiding eye contact with the few people roaming the night halls.

Once they were safely in the car, Cole said in a small voice, “Are we going to protect Amy?”

“No.” Meredith started the car and sped out of the parking lot.

“What do you mean, no? Why not?”

“You can't protect her. The closer you are to her, the more likely that you'll be the one to kill her.”

“Oh my God. Mom, no. I would never. So what are we going to do?”

Meredith stared straight ahead, squinting into the darkness. “We're going to save her.”

Cole let it go. He had faith in her. He sat back in his seat, tapping his foot impatiently and dreading a call on his mother's phone. The car ride was torture; worry and fear rattled his already confused mind. A few minutes later they arrived in front of their house.

“I thought you said we couldn't protect her,” Cole said.

Meredith left the engine running and opened the door. “Wait here. I need to have a word with Beth and pick up a couple things. I'll be right back.”

Cole watched her hurry up the path and disappear through the front door, leaving him to stare after her. He fidgeted in his seat, unable to cope with the suspense.
What is she doing? Come on.

A minute later she reappeared and hurried back to the car, stuffing a couple pairs of gloves and a small pouch into her pocket. “Beth is going to call if anything happens,” she said as they drove away. “Just pray we make it in time.”

“What did you bring from the house?” he said, his eyes focused on her pocket.

“It's some things I keep in case of emergencies like this.”

Cole didn't ask what she meant. He was beginning to suspect where they were headed but refused to believe it. After another agonizing drive his fears were confirmed as they pulled to a stop in front of the familiar sign, “Dr. Rita Stern, Psychologist.”

“Mom?! No way... You can't be serious.”

Meredith killed the engine. “Do you want to let Amy die?”

“Well... no... but...”

“Then you don't have a choice. Get out.”

Cole reluctantly opened his door and stepped outside. “There has to be another way. Please.”

Meredith quietly walked to her son. She leaned her face towards his, placing her hands on his shoulders. “My mother once told me, 'You can't cheat agreements no matter how much it may seem like you can.' I didn't believe her and I tried... oh, I tried.” Her eyes filled up with tears, but she blinked them away. “I won't let you make the same mistake I made. You see this?” she said, pulling out her phone. “As soon as this rings, she's dead, and every second we delay could cost her life. You can do this. Find the courage. Listen to your inner voices. Deep down, you know you want to. It’s why we're here. It's our purpose. That's how I see it and that's how you should too. Now, come on.” She pulled him to the front door of the office and rang the bell.

“Mom, no. What are you doing?”

“Shh.” She rang the bell again and, a moment later, footsteps could be heard from inside.

The door creaked open and a haggard Dr. Stern, her always neat hair in a stringy mess, stood there, eyes half-closed, in a flowing white nightgown. “Huh? What are you doing here? Why aren't you still at the hospital?”

“I'm so sorry to wake you,” Meredith said. “Can we come in for a minute? It's an emergency.”

“Wha- oh, yes, of course. Come in.” Dr. Stern stepped back to let them in and shut the door behind them. “What happened?” she said, stifling a yawn.

“I think it's best if we sit down and talk in the office,” Meredith said, leading the way.

“Um, all right,” Dr. Stern said frowning.

Cole lagged behind them, trembling, wondering how his mother could appear so calm. He knew only one thing for sure; he had already tried to push himself to murder but had been incapable of doing it. He doubted a second chance would prove any more successful. He hated to admit it at that moment but he cared for Dr. Stern. Just that afternoon she had saved his life.

He found his mother sitting on the couch and Dr. Stern in her big chair.

His mother patted the empty seat next to her. “Come, Cole, sit down.”

He obeyed, placing himself unsteadily on the soft cushion.

“Good, now tell Dr. Stern what you were telling me.”

Cole's head snapped up to look at his mother. “What? Mom, no.”

“It's okay, Honey.” He noticed a slight quiver of her lip but she covered it up with a quick smile and a tousle of his hair. “Go ahead.” She stood and walked to the other side of the room, behind Dr. Stern's high-backed chair.

Cole opened his mouth but found he had no voice.
What does she want me to say? The hell is going on?
It all seemed surreal. He was in a room with civilized people, Amy was safe, and no one was about to die. It was too ridiculous to accept. He looked up to his mother for support but she just signaled with her eyes to look at Dr. Stern.

Dr. Stern clasped her hands and leaned forwards. “It's all right, you can tell me.”

Cole struggled to produce a syllable but his mind was drawing blanks. “I, uh, I...” Behind Dr. Stern, his mother had bent down in the corner of the room. When she stood back up, she approached silently, staring down at the top of Dr. Stern's head.

Dr. Stern's eyes narrowed. “How did you get released from the hospital so soon?” She turned her head around to see Meredith standing there. “Meredith? What are you d-”

In a blur of movement, Meredith swung her arm over the top of the chair, smashing the flower pot in her hand across Dr. Stern's face, sending her sprawling out of her seat. Dr. Stern lay on the rug, clutching the side of her head and moaning. Cole, in a state of disbelief, stared wide-eyed at the scene, his mouth hanging open.

“Mom, how could you?” he whispered. Even as he said it, though, the familiar whispers had returned with unprecedented strength.

Meredith was breathing heavily, her eyes also glued to Dr. Stern. Cole sat there, terrified of what would happen if Dr. Stern recovered, but even more terrified of what would happen if she didn't. Before he had begun to process what was happening, Meredith was holding out a syringe that was filled with liquid.

“Take this,” she said in a grim voice that Cole had never heard before.

When Cole didn't move, she knelt down to look him in the eye, but he looked away. “Listen to me. I know it's not pleasant but it's something you have to do. You have to be the one to kill her or it doesn't count. Look inside yourself to find the strength you need.”

Cole's eyes were glued to the syringe. “What is that?”

Meredith's head whipped around as a loud moan caught her attention. Dr. Stern was on her back, trying to push herself up into a sitting position. Meredith shoved the syringe into Cole's hand before she jumped on top of Dr. Stern, sitting heavily on her chest and crushing her back to the floor. Dr. Stern had recovered enough consciousness to struggle and she writhed hopelessly, in a desperate attempt to get Meredith off her.

Cole sat motionless, watching the fight, unable to cope with reality.

“Do it, Cole!” Meredith shouted. “Think of Amy! She could die any second. Let the voices come through.”

“I can't,” Cole said. “I just can't.” Yet, even as he said those words, he was less sure of it. The whispering was becoming an audible voice in the back of his mind, egging him on, willing him to commit this atrocity. Willing him to love committing it. Willing him to develop a desire to commit more. He grabbed his temples as the voice became a pounding monsoon. “Aaahhh, Mom, what is this? What's happening to me?”

The struggle was getting more desperate and Meredith was starting to lose control of Dr. Stern. “Don't resist. Let them in,” she shouted.

Cole relinquished the remainder of his mental guard and the pounding immediately ceased, leaving behind an eerie calm.
I have to do this. I don't have a choice.
The voice overtook the forefront of his mind, now in complete sync with his consciousness.
It's the right thing to do. I want to do this. I'll enjoy doing this.

A guttural scream issued from deep inside as he allowed the voice to take control, blurring his consciousness. He was only dimly aware of the events that were happening around him, as if he were watching from far away and someone else were directing his movements. He had never used a syringe before, but with the voice's guidance his hand moved with the assurance of an expert.

Through the haze, a twinge of remorse faltered his resolve, but the voice in his head attacked with full force, and all the guilt and sadness were washed away by an immense thrill. He was not even aware it was over until Meredith lifted herself off the body and gently pulled Cole away.

“Are you all right?” Meredith said.

He was still one with the voice but some of the haze was lifting. “Um, yeah, I think I am, actually. I don't feel... anything.” He was surprised how calm his breathing was, how steady his hands were.

“You will feel the trauma once you disengage the voice from your mind, but I'll help you through it. I'm sorry to have to subject you to this but sometimes you need to let it take over.”

“Why didn't you help me let it take over before I needed it?”

“It's not easy the first time. I
knew it would happen in the heat of the moment, same way it happened for me. But once you learn how to control this altered consciousness you can turn it on and off at will.”

Cole looked up at his mother, then down at the body. “I don't want to make it go away. My whole life I've been afraid.
I like this.”

“I can understand that but...
we'll talk about this another time. Stay here and don't touch anything outside the office. I'm going to get a garbage bag and some luggage. We'll clean up and pack her bags, quickly. We have to get you back to the hospital before the nurses make their rounds.”

“Yes, Mom.”

Meredith left the office. Cole knelt down by the body to look at the face that was forever frozen in a peaceful slumber. He looked at the watch on the limp wrist. It was 11:37. He sat back on his haunches to wait for his mother, feeling more powerful and alive than ever before.

END OF BOOK ONE

About the Author

Matthew Goldstein has been writing for most of his life and is currently employed as a Game Designer where he writes for video games. He received his degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He lives in upstate New York. This is his first novel.