Warlock, page 19
“Nope. Or a doctor doesn’t recognize it.”
“Doctor? It was a therapist or…”
“Psychiatrist,” ended sentence after Alex Antony’s father. «I thought that my request about visit to him would start another fight. You know, teenager, crash, shrink… But he looked on me with his cold glance and asked me “Do you think that in this family it me, who need this visits?””
“What does he mean?”
“We had some problems at that time…I thought that it’s all because of mess around and too many stresses for us. I thought that it was too quick decision. And then he was expelled and that incident with Ms. Prey happened… And I insisted on a shrink.”
Alex lifted his hand, asking for a pause:
“Excuse me. Too many things here,” he tipped a pencil to the page. “Ms. Prey. We heard her version, that Antony done that to her. Do you think that she’s right?”
“At that moment I thought that she was too scared and shocked, so she is projecting her scare at him, but now…Now I think that he might be involved in that story.”
“Why do you think so now?”
Luc shrugged:
“As I had said – too many strange things happened around him and in a sum… I think that he did that in some way…”
Alex nodded:
“Expulsion. What about that? Fred said that it happened to Ms. Prey class, and her arm – is a result of their fight.”
Antony’s father looked at his hands:
“I think so too” he raised his eyes to Alex. “You know, she knew him before the school. She prepared him to classes. Moreover, I think that she felt that something is wrong with him before us. She tried to deal with it, but failed. Her hand… You know what is the scariest thing here? That this incident is corresponds to the spirit of our time – total hybrid. She said that he was attacking her, but when she said what kind of attack it was – everyone thought that it wasn't truth. And you see how many of such things around him – you begin to doubt…”
“Post-truth…” said Barns.
“I’m sorry?” asked Luc, but then nodded. “You can call that too. Maybe it’s a most accurate description of all this case.”
Alex held a pause than said:
“Do you ask him about Ms. Prey?”
“Of course! He said calmly that she made it herself. He said that he thought that it’s something like stigmata. I said that stigmata’s it’s a sign of believers. His answer was – she believed that she all does right. Now she is punished herself badly, and there is no worst punishment that people done to themselves. That was the end of that case for us. But he’s do not turn to school.”
Luc looked on the window for a couple of seconds, and told in a low voice:
“I think at that time I decided to a new schedule on the work… To be less time here… Something scared me… I hoped that doctor would change it…”
Alex looked at Antony’s father very attentively:
“But he can’t?”
Luc waved with his head than closed his eyes and said:
“No.” he sighed and looked on straightly to the camera. “No. A shrink said that my son was totally ok.”
Antony’s father turns to the Alex:
“He gave him a couple of recommendations, but he said that he was all right. Little coldness can be explained with a crash, moving from our country, his age and so on.”
“And what do you think about his opinion?”
“I think that that… That identity, new one tricked a doctor. Yes, it was a normal person, but not Antony at all. A funny thing, if you look from a distance…”
“That was the same doctor which you visited earlier?”
Mr. Tychov nodded:
“Yes. That’s why it scared me – he saw my son earlier. And despite that he said that’s everything is ok. He even didn’t notice scars on Antony’s hands…”
“Scars?”
Luc nodded:
“Yes, pretty fresh. Once my wife asked him about them, and answer was “you need to count perfectly, especially when you have a deal with death” …”
Alex looked puzzled:
“And…And what does he mean?”
“A wife thought that was something like a reckoning… List of the death that he can be connected too. But I think that she’s wrong.”
“Why?”
“There were three scar for that time. I… I do not know about such number of deaths. I think that scars are a part of some ritual, receipt if you want to call it like this.”
Alex turned page on his notepad:
“Can you say me name of your doctor?”
Luc smiled with corner of his mouth:
“He’s dead” seeing astonishment of Alex he continued. “Day or two before Antony’s visit by his schedule. He crashed in his auto. Police said that it was accident. Interesting detail – on shrinks working desk lied a page of paper, and set of honeycombs on it. It was Antony’s picture.”
Alex holds his mouth shut with all his strength, because he thought that his jaw would drop out. He blinked a several times then said:
“Gkhm…” He cleared his throat and asked. ”Excuse me… And what do you think about this?”
“I think that from that time I was really scared, because after the last session Antony said that he thought that we wouldn’t see a doc anymore. I said why? And he answered – he can’t handle things that I show him…”
Now narrators jaw dropped, and he asked quickly:
“And what it was?”
Luc smiled with a sarcastic smile once again:
“He just said – honeycombs. I could not resist and asked – what’s with them? He looked at me with his cold eyes. Like a dead fish, and he answered – everything that he can imagine, anything that he can understand is honeycomb…”
Alex was on the seventh heaven, and even if this moment Luc would say, “stop,” he thinks that he got a perfect interview. But he held a serious impression on his face and asked:
“Do you think that Antony… I don’t know… implicated in this case too?”
Luc shrugged:
“I don’t know… If I assume just for one second that he could do such thing… Sorry, I do not know what say to you about this…”
“Ok”, Alex wrote down something in a notepad. And underline it. “Finale of our story – incident at school dance. Can you say something about it?”
Antony’s father looked to the side then turned to Alex:
“Before…” his voice jumped a little, and he stopped. He looked to other side, on a window and continued. “I know that he wants to go there. He said that he was expelled from lessons, but not from the dances. And he fought with a teacher, not with friends.”
He turned to a narrator:
“You see, I think that shrink wasn’t so wrong. That person was ok, but he was ok in his total wrongness. He had a plan, and I am sure. Moreover, that plan consist of killings – I’m sure in this fact too. For a week before dance night, we heard his talk in his room. There were two voices, I’m sure that that was he’s talk, but… But neither then do neither now I am not want to know how that dialogue looks. We… We just wait when it stops…There were a smells too, and like voices – we do not know what’s it being. Smelled like roasted fur and… You know something metallic. Taste like when you put a cut to the mouth.”
“Taste of blood?”
Antony’s father winced:
“Let’s stay on “metallic” …”
“That night I was at work… Hiding…I saw a storm and knew that our house was cut off the electricity – my wife called me after the lightning stroke our local station. And when we are talked, he went out… She asked him when he would turn, he answered “never” …I…I want to mistake, but I heard sigh of relief in the cell…She… She hoped that it would be truth…”
He turned from window to Alex:
“You know how funny we looked in hospital, when they called to us? We were afraid and… happy. We hoped that he would not return, and looking on him in… in the morgue we… We hoped that it all ended. In a horrible, bloody way, but ended… They called to us and said that our son… That he’s…”
Luc dropped his head and close eyes with his hands.
Alex awaited a minute then said:
“Mr. Tychov? Luc?”
“Yes”
“You don’t need to…”
“But I want to,” answered Antony’s father. His hands dropped down. Then he wiped his face with a sleeve, reminding to Alex the same actions of Fred. Luc calmed down, and then continued. “I do not know what happened there. I heard a version of the cops and some rumors. And I believe in all of them. Everybody has their own experience, and they believe in it totally. Even the wildest one, where Antony lifted from the floor – I think that it may be truth too. Everything in this case can be.”
Alex noted in his notepad “Everything can be truth, and it depends on what do you believe in”, underline it and asked:
“What was after that night?”
Luc shrugged:
“Burial. Aftershock. Ours, towns, social… I heard that next day chief had a meeting in a town center with once who was at the dance. I heard that two bolts that hit in one same place twice ruined electricity down. Third, bolt stroke right into the hall where dances took place. That’s why you’ll never find any video or photo from any cellphone.” He smiled a little. “Everything that can give us progress may be shut down by nature powers. We are little creatures in this world…”
Mr. Tychov sits with a slight smile looking at his hands, and then said:
“We became an outcast here. In addition, just now I can feel Antony’s feelings when we move here…Sometimes I wanted to go to his room, but even then, after his… I was afraid. I do not know how I would feel, or what more frightening what would I find there. A week after I am entered the room… It was neat, but has that atmosphere that I told you… I had a bad migraine that day. However, month later I can stand there for an hour or so. I found that symbols, honeycombs, on the walls and corners. And turn on his computer…”
Mr. Tychov stopped, because of Alex. A narrator straightened hilariously turned page of his notepad, searching for something. After a couple of moments, Barns named a precise date of this event, and said:
“Wednesday at sixteen thirty-two.”
“Maybe,” said Antony’s father. “I’m not sure. Why do you ask this?”
Alex smiled and answered:
“That was our invitation,” he said, rounding up this note with a pencil. “We received an email from your son. Then we found that he’s dead for the month or so.”
Luc nodded:
“I think that he failed to send it when everything shut down. Anyway, you need to be grateful for that letter – because of it I’m agreed to tis interview…” he looked on Alex. “Seems like you found much bigger story then about the ghosts in email. I think that I cannot help you anymore here… Except of you have questions?”
“Just one,” said Barns. “Can we see Antony’s room?”
Mr. Tychov stands up and said:
“After me, gentleman”
Saying that he goes out from room to the stairs, and guys go after him.
---
Two flights of the stairs and they stayed in front of the door. One look on it can tell you that this is the boy’s room – there were poster with the philosoraptor meme, with a sign "If god stop believing in himself - would he be an atheist? « Antony’s father smiled pointing on picture:
“He liked such a humor,” said Luc, opening the room. “Hope, you’re forgive me, if I would be downstairs?” He looked around the room. “I don’t want a migraine today.”
Guys nodded, and with a bitter smile, Mr. Tychov went back.
Jim entered first. Alex knew procedure and looked after his friend. Helper turn his camera to panoramic option and slowly turn around. When his face goes to the door, he coldly said, “scat”. Alex hided in the corridor. Then a narrator heard “come in”, when Jim turn head from the door and switched his camera to the interior mode. “Behind my back,” said Helper, going to the walls.
Alex stepped in the room and looked closely. It was interesting picture, no matter what reason lead them here. It was common teenager room, but a little difference was pretty nice. First of all - language on the books and pictures. He knew about origin country, but it was unusual even if you prepared to things like this. Second thing – as Fred said, Antony liked retro things. He had posters with a “Throne”, “Thing” and “2001: A Space Odyssey.” On the shelves, he saw old fashion games and CD with a hand writing in Russian.
Third – was signs. They were little. Almost unseen, here and there they were illustrated on the walls and furniture. Not bigger then the nail, and pictured with a lines they were pretty hideous, but when your eyes saw one of them mind knows where to search. And it appears that they everywhere. Honeycombs mostly, but there were other symbols too, polygons consisting of crossing lines or just broken lines. But when he stepped to the walls near the corner one more step he saw a little dots on the honeycombs. They were randomly putted there, some inside of the figure, some – outside.
“Here,” Alex said, pointed on the east wall, that now was lighted by the dawn sun. Jim fixed signs that interested Barns, and goes to the other corners. Alex stayed here and switched his attention from one honeycomb to other. He thought that here and now he can find some order, some sequence, and logic maybe. He hoped that looking from a figure to figure his mind can predict next one, like in the tests where you asked, “what figure must be in the end of the line?” and you must choose from the several variants. But signs laughing on his consciousness, and more – he felt dizzy. He thought that it was because of changing little signs that were drawn under the ceiling. Alex switched his sigh to the Antony’s bed, and for the second he saw dragon scales instead of a green blanket. Moreover, it was a crazy thing, but he can swear about it – he saw how dragon scales lifted and going down. A giant green dragon that sleep.
Alex close his eyes, and squatted.
At the same time Jim’s voice ahead of him said “C’mon.” Barns heard two or three plastic clicks. Without changing his position, he asked:
“What’s wrong, buddy?”
“Charge… He… He’s gone from the battery A…,” there was another, well-known clicks – Helper changed battery in his camera. “Here, “ Jim said. “What the f…”
Alex opened his eyes and, trying not to fall straightened up:
“What?”
“Charge. Battery A – empty. And B… Half of it is gone!”
A narrator looked to the bed, to reassure that it’s not a dragon, and their voices wouldn’t wake him up, and asked:
“Maybe you forg…”
“If you managed to say something about my memory – stop right there. You know how it is important to me.”
Alex nodded – he knew this quality of Jim, and he never forgot anything that connected to work or technique, especially – work electronics.
“Some magnetic field?” asked Alex.
“I don’t know… It’s a bad place, dude…”
Alex shakes his head and noted that dizziness gone. Most part of it for sure. He asked:
“Time that we have for shooting?”
Jim looked to the camera:
“Little more thaaaan… Thirty minutes”
Alex nodded:
“Enough. Shoot his books, please, I want to translate their names later, and any signs. Thanks”
He looked to the bed once again. That dragon doesn’t want left his head. There was something with him… Something on the merge of consciousness and sub consciousness, that wanted to lift to the layer of understanding. He tried to think about it a little more – then dropped this idea. He thought about Helper’s words – “bad place”, and that was absolutely truthful expression. Something was wrong here, but what?
Alex looked under his sneakers and saw rocks in form of honeycomb in the mud. He turned around to check is that their tracks, but when his eyes turned to place where he saw mess on the floor – there was empty place.
“I’m feeling bad,” said narrator. “I think I’m begin to understand what does Luc said about influence of this room.”
There was some rustle under the stairs, but they weren’t care.
Jim looked around:
“Uh-huh, and he said that it became weaker. Can you imagine what impact it had when Antony was alive? Image has some interference…”
Alex can’t throw a sleeping dragon from his head. He thought that its stranger idea in his head, but can’t drop to look on it from different angles. What about dragons he knows? Different meanings in different cultures. Sometimes they can talk, and sometimes – it’s a symbol of some nature powers like water or fire… What’s with dragons?
They heard another humming sound from far away, and low voice.
“Let’s go from here,” said Alex. Dizziness comes back, and he felt like throwing up.
Jim looked on him, nodded, and turned his camera off. In the doorway, Alex stood like a stone, and Helper stumbled upon him.
“What?” asked Jim, but Alex do not hear him – his head was full with one word – “dragon.” Then near it, like under the dark water on the surface appeared another one – “Wisdom”
He said it aloud:
“Wisdom”
Helper stepped aside and frowned:
“What?”
Voice and hum from under the stairs become little more loudly.
“Dragon. It’s a wisdom,” said Alex, and in two steps, he comes to the bed. “They… They had gems in their heads. Magical jewelry of wisdom.”
He laid on the floor and looked under the bad on the head side, where pillows lie.
“It must be…”
Now Jim can understand what a rustle and voices was about – it seems that Mr. and Mrs. Tychov talked about something.
Alex stretched farther, deeper, and finally said:
“Here”
And in the same moment, they hear the scream. Not far from. It was something between bawl and lament of a half-crazy person. Barns said from under the bed:
