Authors: Lucas T. Harmond
Carthy looked amused. “Josh?”
“Yes!” answered Josh, again becoming aware of his voice.
“Tell me about the people you bought the drug from.”
Josh nodded silently, saw the faces of the drug dealers flash through his mind, got a sense of them briefly and then spoke. “Their names were Mindy, Baz’ and Gary. There was a fourth one but his name was never mentioned. I believe it was Gary who was in charge. There was also...”
Carthy interrupted. “No, Josh you don’t have to data stream. Just visualise the people for a second, see them in your mind. visualise the place they lived in, the street, as much as you can. Can you do that?”
Josh sat silent.
“Josh?”
“I’m doing it now.”
“Okay, good.” Carthy’s brow was creased up into deep concentration.
Josh again saw the same faces, flashes of violence, someone being beaten down an alley. A face of a troubled woman, Gary’s mother. Saw a multitude of different visions and emotions all within the same second. Gary was staring directly at him. His words slurred out in slow motion in the back of his consciousness, some futile threat.
Carthy nodded as if he’d confirmed something he’d already guessed. “Meat puppets,” he said to himself and Rufus shot him a concerned glance. He hadn’t liked the way that sounded.
“Okay,” Carthy said. “Josh, now I want you to try and see where they get the Blue from. I want you to look through their eyes. Can...”
Josh spoke automatically. “Yes!”
“What are you seeing?”
“I’m not sure. It’s dark, I’m under something large. Noise—no— cars! Cars moving overhead. I’m not one of the people who we bought Blue from. No this is someone else.”
Carthy nodded. “No, that’s okay, stick with it. What are you doing?”
“Cold, very cold. I’m waiting for someone—a strange name, Malok I think, yes Malok.”
Carthy shook his head. “It means nothing to me. What else do you see?”
Both Karen and Rufus were watching intently.
“Cages,” Josh said suddenly. “A dark space full of cages. There’s something in the cages but I can’t see what they are.”
Carthy interrupted again. “That’s alright Josh, don’t try to. What else? Try to move back to the drug dealers. The Asians.”
Rufus looked over at Carthy and forced himself to speak. “Hey man, is he okay? I’ve seen what this shit does.”
“Yeah, he’s fine,” Carthy said absently, then continued speaking to Josh. “Yeah that’s right. Good. Okay I need to see how they met the, er others.”
“Hmmm’, that’s confusing,” Josh said and his voice was becoming more distant by the second. More dream-like and vague. His eyes were closed now and Karen at very least was glad. “Conflict of some sort. I can—I can feel someone coming closer.”
Carthy looked startled. “Okay,
okay
Josh move back from wherever you are. Re-focus yourself in the room, you doing that?”
“Is he okay?” Karen asked.
Carthy waved her away. “Are you doing that Josh?”
“Is he...”
“Not now!” Carthy snapped. “Josh?”
“Yes, I’m back in the room.”
“Okay, and I need you to do this quickly. I want you to visualise the drug dealers and I want you to find the next time a meeting between them and the suppliers takes place.”
“Hmmm... that’s not easy, it’s vague.”
“Try Josh, try!”
“I’m seeing a black van.”
“When Josh, when?”
“Night time.”
“Okay I’m gonna’ ask you for a time.”
“I can’t, I can’t focus. Something’s here again.”
“Shit! Okay, the day, Josh! Quickly!”
“I can’t—wait—tomorrow, it happens tomorrow. Someone’s looking at me, reaching out.”
“Okay Josh, quickly come back and blank your mind—
do it now!!!
”
“Shit, what the hell’s happening?” Karen blurted.
Josh had fallen silent, his blank eyes staring through the television set. Rufus followed his gaze and saw the picture was flickering madly.
“Whoa!” he said and looked back to Josh.
Still Josh sat silently.
“Josh can you hear me?” Carthy asked urgently.
“Yes,” said Josh.
“Are you back in the room now?”
There was a slight pause. “Yes.”
“And the others, are they gone now?”
Another pause and then. “Yes.”
Carthy sighed, obviously relieved. “Okay, you did good kid. Rest now.”
REALITY CHECK
“LONG TIME NO SEE, MAN.”
Josh slumped down onto one of the raised bar stools. The long chrome stem was rusted and the fake leather cushion was badly slashed. The bar had the same thick musty smell he remembered and dust motes danced in the muddy light.
Josh shrugged. “Yeah, well, you know how it is.”
The creature smiled. It was grotesquely fat, folds of the stuff gathered under its large jaw. It shuffled about behind the bar cleaning dirty glasses with stubby, baby sized hands.
Josh looked up. “So how long
has
it been?”
The bartender laughed. “Shit baby, you know better than to ask that!
How long has it been
! Huh.” He laughed and Josh smiled.
“What can I say, I’m a tourist.”
“So what brings you here J?”
Josh frowned, couldn’t remember at all and suddenly he was questioning where he actually was.
Josh opened his eyes and was staring up at a yellowing ceiling.
“Hmmm—where... the?” His words were clouded between sleep and being awake. Half conceived thoughts. Slowly his senses sharpened.
Josh realised his head was throbbing and he was experiencing a weird sensation which was not unlike an acid comedown. Nothing felt particularly real and he felt a certain detachment from his own body and room. The room, he realised, was not his own.
“This is beginning to be a habit,” he murmured and slowly sat up.
One look at the ceramic donkey in a yellow straw hat on the windowsill told him he was still at Carthy’s rented place.
“Ahh Jesus!”
Josh rubbed his aching temples and, realising that he was still dressed, decided to make his way to the living room.
On the way, he tried to recall what it was he had dreamed about. He remembered sitting at a bar somewhere, talking to...
Who
? As always he felt concerned. Something didn’t sit right with his dream. It had felt too real but the details were muddled now. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get to who he had been talking to. “A friend,” he felt certain of that and he could almost remember who. Almost. Every time he was on the verge of remembering, the thought danced away elusively and deeper into his mind.
Something opened up in his head, bang, and Josh, stunned, fell and braced himself against the wall with a heavy thud.
“What the hell was that?” he asked himself. What ever the vision was had been so extreme that his senses had all but blocked it out. All he had seen clearly was fire and...
and something burning
. “Jesus,” he said again, “what a nightmare.”
The door to the living room opened up and Rufus stood staring at Josh. He saw that Josh was crumpled up against the wall. “Hey man, you okay?”
Josh eased himself back up. “Yeah,” he said, “a vision or something.” He paused. “Carthy’s not here is he?”
“No,” said Rufus and then he frowned. “Hey, how’d you know? Actually you don’t have to answer that. you’ve got that whole mind-meld thing goin’ on.”
Josh wasn’t really listening. “I think we should get the hell out of here,” he told him.
Rufus shook his head. “No good, he locked us in!”
Josh nodded. “Windows?”
“No, we thought of that. Too high, nothing to jump onto. Besides, you were still asleep.”
“Well I’m not now,” Josh looked at the door at the end of the hallway. “Looks pretty flimsy, reckon we could get it off its hinges.”
“Yeah, but I just don’t think it’s a very good idea, what then?”
“I’m not following.”
“Well we still don’t know shit and this Carthy guy seems to be pretty clued in.”
Josh eyed him for a second. “You trust him?”
Rufus shrugged. “I don’t know, doesn’t seem too bad for a demonic cop or whatever he is. Hey do you buy his story?”
Now Josh shrugged. “Don’t know. I’m pretty sure he’s hiding something but I can’t see what it is.”
He was silent for a second. “How is she by the way?”
Rufus smiled. “Which bitch?”
“Well both I guess but, no, I meant Sarah.”
Rufus looked mildly troubled and then looked away to a doorway behind him. “Well Josh man, it’s hard to tell. I mean I don’t know what to say cuz’ I don’t exactly know what’s wrong with her. Half an hour ago she started talking some weird creepy type shit in her sleep, but she seems alright now.” He turned back to face Josh. “I guess,” he said solemnly, “she’s exactly as she was.”
Josh felt anxious. “I’ve got to see her.”
“Well if you’ve got to, but I don’t think it’ll make any difference.”
Neither of them had noticed Karen move to lean in the opened doorway and they jumped when she spoke. “Have you told him?”
“Shit hon’, scared the shit out of me!” Rufus said, hand on his heart.
“Told me what?” Josh asked.
Again Rufus looked solemn. “We’re in deep shit. There was a fire at the flat we found Sarah at.”
“What?”
“A fire,” Karen said. “There was a fire and some poor kid died. Smoke inhalation.”
“Carthy did it!!!”
Karen was startled. “How could you possibly know that?”
“I just do. Look I really think we should get out of here. This Carthy dude’s dangerous and I’m pretty sure he’s lying to us.”
Neither of his two friends seemed particularly eager to leave. It was Rufus who spoke first. “I don’t know man,”
Karen finished his sentence for him. “Yeah, Carthy has been pretty nice to us.”
Rufus nodded. “Yeah, as I said he does seem ok and I’m pretty sure he can help us,
with Sarah I mean
.”
Josh just stared at them. “Has he been talking to you?”
“A lil’,” Karen ventured.
Josh looked at Rufus. “Seems okay with me,” he was told.
Josh looked him square in the eye. “You really think we’re better off staying here? I mean honest to God?”
Rufus looked awkward. “Well, yeah.”
Josh continued to stare at him. “
And you don’t think that’s strange that half an hour ago you didn’t trust him at all
?!?”
Rufus laughed. “Wooa woa woa!
Half an hour
? Man you’ve been tripping for something like six hours now!”
Now Josh was stunned. “Six hours, really?”
Karen nodded earnestly. “Yep, about six.”
“Jesus,” Josh said to himself. “I guess that Blue stuff lasts longer than you think.”
“Yeah,” said Rufus, “how are you feeling now?” And Josh read the meaning in his eyes.
“Well no signs of monsterism yet!” He smiled.
“What is all this crap about monsters?” Karen asked concerned.
Josh considered telling her exactly what they’d seen but somehow he felt she was better off not knowing. “It doesn’t matter right now. Look guys do you really think we can trust Carthy?”
Rufus shook his head, “I didn’t say we could trust him! I just think he can help us and lets face it we’re fucked without him!”
Reluctantly Josh agreed. “Yeah, I guess.”
“So what now?” Karen beamed.
“Well,” said Josh. “Now I guess we just wait for him to get back.”
“That’s all?” asked Karen.
“Well yeah, what else can we do?” He paused thoughtfully. “Where’d he go anyhow? Did he say?”
“Nah, he just said he needed to borrow my car for a while.”
Josh was astonished. “
And you just gave it him
!”
Rufus just shrugged. “Yeah sure. Why?”
It was the fact that Rufus thought to ask ‘why’ which bothered Josh. He knew how protective Rufus was of his car and the fact he had just passed it over to a near stranger didn’t sit well.
“He’s been fucking around with your heads!” Josh told them.
“So what should we do?” Karen asked as if she hadn’t heard him.
Josh was silent for a second. He noticed he was beginning to feel lightheaded, but that wasn’t the reason for his silence. “Man, you’re both acting really strange. What exactly
did
Carthy say to you?”
“Nothing really,” Karen said. “Actually we made small talk about music.”
Josh wasn’t listening any more. Could no longer focus his attention. His head was swimming, his senses distant. His field of vision began to cloud over and he felt as if the floor was pulling him down. When Rufus spoke it sounded as if his voice was filtering in from another world.
“Hey! Josh?”
Josh couldn’t speak for a second and he nearly fell over, but someone caught him.
“I’m sorry,” he managed. “Jesus, I don’t know what’s happening. I think I’m gonna’ pass out.”
The corridor faded into darkness and his mind grew numb. He could hear Karen’s voice calling his name but it grew quieter and quieter and then was gone completely.
Josh woke up slowly, slipping in and out of his dream until he lay, eyes open, staring at the wall in front of him.
“Where am I now?” He murmured and raised his head from the pillow. His thoughts were muddled, disjointed and he couldn’t throw the feeling this wasn’t where he was supposed to be. He was in his bedroom, in the flat he shared with three house mates.
“What the fuck am I doing here?” he asked the empty room and looked about.
Something seemed wrong with his room. His computer sat on his desk in its corner, surrounded by disorganised heaps of comics, horror and science fiction novels. All his posters still hung on their walls, a Godflesh poster for the Street Cleaner album on his door, a slightly damaged Ministry poster from the most recent tour they’d done, Stabbing Westward, My Life with the Thrill kill Cult, Machines of Loving Grace all hung exactly as they were. On the surface everything seemed as it should have been.
Josh searched his memory for how he’d come to be there and found it was fragmented. He remembered him and somebody, no, Carthy carrying Sarah’s unconscious body up the flat’s steep stairs. He remembered talking to Carl, a french exchange student and the only one of his three housemates who was currently living with him, the others having gone back home for the coming holiday. He’d made up some bullshit story about Sarah getting too drunk at a party, but since Carl only seemed to understand one in every three words anyhow, it was impossible to know if he’d believed him or not.