Warlock, page 8
As always I choose one thriller flick (action, drama or detective – does not matter), other one – is horror. And last one – the cause of this midnight writing. I saw a picture about poltergeist in a house like ours. I thought that it could scare me now, but I didn’t feel anything. Nothing at all.
I thought a little, and think that I found a cause. Some time ago, reading S. Kings novels (yeah, I read something, despite my hate of school program), I thought that some of his thing don’t interest me because of their low quality. And now I think about context. Think of it – how can picture about haunted three story house scare a former USSR citizen, who lives with all his family of four persons in one-room flat of forty square meters. In a good case. In that state, if someone tells them – here’s a house, but it’s haunted, so you can refuse it – “Fuck you with all this ghosts!” – that’s what you’ll hear as an answer. Really, starving man doesn’t understand full one. The same small things that differs me from all people around me in a scale of a country you can find in any segment of life. Someone calls it mentality – but I don’t think that such thing exists. Some emigrants that leave USSR and came to the US long time ago even speak without accent, and you can’t distinguish them from locals, and their children – is pure Americans. Therefore, in this case, I will think all about habits and will of the emigrant to change himself.
Maybe someday this thing with ghosts in house will scare me, and I’ll talk with a neighbor by the seats in movie theatre in pure English, but now… Now I sit in American house, on American chair, eating American chips and drinking American coke (Hell, their taste differs!), and laughing on the horror. Pity.
Other story is a screenplay and director’s job in this flick. It’s a thing line between a scare of that you see, and that you feel. True horror doesn’t need all boo’s and jumping on you with a loud scream. It’s a too cheap to be classy. And the funniest thing that all this jump scares work to opposite effect – after third one viewer don’t give a shit to things on the screen. Yeah, he jerks after every screamer, but I’m sure that heartbeat reaction is smaller every time.
So, what’s a good horror, smartass – you can ask me?
It’s not difficult to answer. Perfect horror – is that one that can push on universal buttons of every person. Or, at least, great group of them. It may have a tight specialization – for example, S. Kings “It” can scare clown-phobic in a first place, “Gravity” – agoraphobic one’s and “Saw” - claustrophobic, etc. There can’t be universal scare – all people are individuals, but skill of giving goosebumps without “BOO!” out of the corner – is a great and rare.
That’s why I like a genre of one-line scary stories. Look at this:
“Last man on the earth sit to dinner, and there was knock on the door”
Same feeling when I hear the voices. These days they are frequent then before …”
“Diary entry #15.
Second day of my loneliness at home. And half of it I feel a headache.
From time to time, I have hard times with my head. It starts when I was three, and with intervals for a week or two, I’m disabled because of hard migraine. All local doctors and even invited from a capital examined me and can’t find anything. That time I hear word “cancer” for a first time in the context of disease. But it wasn’t a cancer or tumor, or something that scary. Doctors said that these paroxysms must be less frequent with an age, and they were right. Now they occurred once in a month, but still in a full power.
How is it like? Hm… It is hard to tell, but I will try. Funny, it is a first time when I try to describe it when it has happened.
So, it’s like a light with spikes. I have photophobia during these attacks, and people around me said that I’m pale like a wall. Sometimes there is vomit, but that was when I was younger. Now puke is pretty rare. So, it’s a spiked light that grow inside my head, filling everything with itself. After a couple of hours of trying to fight it I’m understand that I can’t think of anything except of it. Light, light, light.
Pills do not help. During an attack’s I think that excellent help will bring me decapitation… However, I found that sleep is the better way to heal. I fell into the Morpheus kingdom like a bag with a bricks, and sleep like a dead man. Then I wake up like a shiny coin.
That’s why I can’t write anymore – paper is too bright, and I can’t find English words anymore…”
“Diary entry #16.
Yesterday I had one of my paroxysms. It’s rude, but I got used to them. Except of one thing – I heard that woman’s voice once again. When I was almost under the deepest and darkest waters of the land of dreams, I hear her. She said something that I can’t recall now, but if my feelings are right it was an invitation.
Then was a dream. Sit was strange. Not because I don’t see or remember them – no. It was strange because in the state of my migraine’s I can’t see anything at all. But yesterday…
I saw a small town. Not like this one where I live now or had lived before. No. It was something like mediaeval small towns as they now described in a RPG games, or fantasy movies. Full of stonewalls and muddy roads. It was ruined. Or leaved by any living souls hundred years before. Anything was abandoned, roofs was fallen inside, and windows – dark as a night. It was evening, despite two moons above my head, everything was pretty dull and grey. I walked by the muddy and curved road, examining the paving stones under the layer of mud. An echo from my sloppy steps reflected from the stonewalls couple of times, creating a feeling that I wasn’t alone.
I had stopped for a couple of times and looked around. In the same second total silence was around me, trying to creep under my clothing. Finding nothing at all, I renew my walk. I turned a couple of times to nearby streets to find – maybe I can find something or someone in this ghost town.
And then, I see something. Shadow runt in the opposite street. I jump to the nearest corner and leaned out. I was wrong – it wasn’t someone run – it was a shadow from a fire.
I step out from my hiding and walked to the source of disturbing in this world of total decay. Slowly, step by step. I hear that blood bumped in my veins with the same tempo. Step-bump-echo said “step” from the opposite wall – pause – step – bump, and so on. I had stopped for a couple of times, and my heart stopped with me, listening to the silence around hoping not to hear steps of someone else. I was so afraid that can’t turn my head around. It was that state of fear when something unknown is not as horrible as noticing of its existence.
I walked to the little clearance, like a square ahead of the administration, and saw a figure, that sit beneath a fire. It was in the robe, like a monk. It was grey and old. I can’t see him at all, but I hope that this was a man. He can be anything – a giant insect, a blob, or even something without body at all. So, I’m hoped that this was something that I can understand. He leaned a little, and throw something into the fire. Red tongues lick it in a second, and destroy it with a little flash.
“You said that it would be today,” the figure said calmly, but I hear him perfectly because of the same echo. “And now you even don’t show to me… I’m asking you, Tulpa!”
The figure of the woman appeared in the fire. She was naked, as I can see.
“You promised…”, he begins, but she lifts her palm to her head in a gesture “Shh.”
Then this palm she straightened and pointed on me, saying:
“Right there”
She looked at me, and her finger pointed on me. Directly!
The figure turned to me. I saw a darkness under its cape. I saw a smile on face in a fire. Fire face. She was smiling.
And then I waked up. It was a morning of this, new day without a headache.
But one thought doesn’t leave me all this day – voice of that fire girl was the same voice that I hear before, and her name was Tulpa.”
Chapter 7
A half hour later to the cells descended Colonel Jr. He looks like child that doing something wrong, but when he stopped in front of the bars, he stood more strictly.
“Good day, Mr. Barns. Looks like our meeting transferred”
Alex smiled, and stood up from the couch where he lied:
“It’s a great overstatement, you know”, he shakes policemen’s hand through the bars. «I have a meeting tonight, and hope that I’ll be there on time.”
John nodded:
“Hope so,” said son of the chief. “It’s really interesting what you find here.”
Alex shrugged, and began to walk inside of his cell:
“For now I doubt that we find something that you don’t know.”
“Anyway. We both know that people talks differently with police and with journalists.”
Alex smiled:
“Oh yeah”, he stood and looks curiously to the John. «But here is one thing that I can’t understand”
“Yes?”
“Why do you think that we’ll find something more?”
Colonel Jr. leaned to the bars of an opposite cell, and smiled dreamily.
“I think you had mentioned for this time, that we have pretty close populated locality here. Such…” he slightly waved his head from side to side. «Such a community, maybe.”
Now, a smile faded from a policeman’s face:
“And here we live in such tight connections that here are no things like rumors, for example. Everyone knows everything about everyone. You hear some gossip in church, and half day after it’s a rotten news, because it’s a well-known fact” …
Alex slammed his own head in his imagination – he totally forgot about church. Usually, in a small town like these churches was in a first row of places where he finds needful information. However, Alex concentrated on a son of a chief, who continued:
“But this case…” He looked in the eyes of Alex, “This case made them put this knowing under their skins. I see how its burns them, and they feel that it’s wrong, but…”
He thinks for a couple of seconds and then said with a bitter smirk:
“You see it’s in their eyes. It’s imprinted on the retina, but their faces told you “what?””
Alex nodded – he knew these feelings. Despite that fact that now, he is a citizen of a big city, where no one cares about everyone; he spends his childhood in a small town. Moreover, he perfectly knew that such effect mast be caused by extraordinary and really horrible story.
“… And, by the way, you much closer to them in this case.”
Alex blinked in a way how does people when they get up in the morning and asked:
“Why?”
“I’m your fan, you know.”
Man in the cell nodded.
“But they don't count you for serious man, you know?”
“Thanks a lot!”
“You understand me,” said John. “If we ask them – they close up. And when you die it…”
Barns ended:
“Your father close me up”
Colonel Jr. waved his hand:
“Father plays some games that I don’t understand sometimes, but this people want to talk. They’ll do this for many reasons – five minutes of glory, or just interest about you, but…”
John Colonel made a couple of steps to the bars of a cell:
“But first of all – they need to talk about this. But you must give them understanding of that fact that when they can talk about it.”
After saying this, he went to the door, where twenty minutes ago went his father.
“Soon I’ll give you something to eat.”
The door closed behind him.
Alex some time looked on the opposite side of the room, and then he walked to the bench and lie on it. He knew such situations were used to them, and use to think about job.
He thought about the things that should be done first. If Jim did not forget – Next interview would be with Antony’s teacher. In addition, Jim had said that he found former classmate of their guy. That is good, thought Alex, it should bring some background of their hero, what person he was in their former country, and they can show how he had changed. Good. Then what? Another try for parents? We should find his father’s contacts, because obviously mother is not a good informant. And after? He had not any ideas and confessed to himself, that he hoped to this three… or two and a half meetings. “Not a perfect plan, Alex,” he thought and sits on the bench. He felt slight dizziness and looks around. The world divided to two parts – light one, and darker one. Like negative and positive of an old photo card. After a moment, this effect faded, but Alex thought that he finds perfect model for this town. In a normal state, you see common society, but with a slight impact, you can see how general things show their dualism. Everything can show to you this double nature, but in cases like this you see how far bright side and dark one separated.
And this was a saving nuance – he had a job that have a teenager hero, and they try to live on a sharp border. That is why they cut themselves so often and most of the scars they get in this age.
Alex smiled to himself and thought that he wouldn’t surprise if in this second to this room come in an FBI agent and told him those owls is not what they seem to be. Every society has its own balance point, which if you push it can transform civilized people into the savages, who cut throats for nothing. And he thought about what he would do if he finds such a point here.
---
In that moment, Jim sat in their van, and waited for a call from Janine. He sends her video of Alex’s arrest (if that performance can call it so.), and now he looked to their smartphones that was under a windshield and hoped that one of them would ring.
The same moment Barn’s phone made a buzz, and scared Jim, despite that he waited for a call. But when he looked on the screen, he only can silently cuss out – display showed “Antony’s teacher.” He forgot about interview. And it was almost seven. He cursed one more time, and put green button.
“Mr. Barns,” said woman. Jim hears irritation in her voice. “I thought that you interested in our meeting, but I see…”
“Mrs. Prey,” said Jim. “Alice”
“Who is this,” she said. “Is that some kind of joke?”
“No, it’s not a joke, Alice. My name is Jim Helper, and I’m a friend and co-worker of Alex, and I had forgot call to you. I’m sorry.”
“What… What happened?” – Jim hear tones of a real scare in her voice.
“Usual thing to us – Alex in a jail,” he tried to smile and hoped that his mood will transfer via satellites to woman on the other side of this conversation.
“WHAT? Oh… O-o-o-h… Let me guess – you went to Antony’s house?”
Now it was Jim’s turn to be surprised:
“Yes, but how…”
“Never mind. Do you lead all this jail things?”
“No, but…”
“Jim,” she said temperedly, he recognized teacher’s tones. «I can help you; if you’ll give me number of yours lawyer.”
Jim look to the contact list on his phone and give her number of the Janine.
“Thanks,” she said. “Hope that you’ll be here soon”
Then she ends conversation, and Jim began to wait for the following events. The last was not long in coming. In a half an hour Alex’s phone rang once again. Jim, who managed to sleep a little jump on a driver’s seat. He took his friend’s smartphone and saw “Alice Prey” on a screen? Then he tapped to the green button, and said “Yes, Ms. Prey?”
“Jim, I don’t know your number, so I dialed Alex’s.”
Jim nodded then thought that she doesn’t see him, and answered:
“And I’m thanking you for this,”
“You can tell me this face to face. In an hour, I think. I’ll wait for you at the same place, where we agreed to meet.”
“So…” he was a dispersed as everyone who was waked up so fast.
But she doesn’t recognize this sleep tones in his voice, and said:
“Janine soon calls you. Wait for you, Mr. Helper”
Then she hangs a phone. Jim lifted his hand, and crumpled and rubbed his face. He looked at the watch – he had slept almost for an hour. The sun began its way to the sunset, and its light disoriented Jim – it seems like a minute ago everything was different. Such a feeling appears when you try to look in a big mirror – to the world on the other side. Everything there is looking as always, but your own guts tells you that it’s not real world.
Jim shakes his head, like a dog that went out of a pond and opened his eyes as wide as possible. No – he is here, and this is a real world – wheel of their van, police department and useless half of a day. He smiled – there was a warm sunlight outside – just like Alex wants to shoot some intros.
Five minutes later, when a smartphone ringed, Jim was so deep in he’s mind, that ring made him jump. This was his own phone, and it was Janine. “Yes, honey,” he said after tapping a green button.
“Helper, you know how I hate this greeting of yours,”
He smiled:
“And I don’t see any reasons not to use it then. Wat’s up?”
She signed:
“Thanks to your third eye we have evidences that detention was conducted with violations of the procedure. And thanks to your girlfriend we know that that yelling woman is unstable. As a result, Alex will be released soon.”
Jim smiled. At least something good.
“Thanks honey!”
“I’ll kill you, Helper. One day.”
She disconnected. Jim opened the door, and step out of a van. Fresh air met him, and bones and muscles immediately hinted to him that sleeping on the driver seat wasn’t a perfect idea. He sat down a couple of times, and warmed up, like before workout. Then he takes his camera, as Janine said – His third eye and put on the forehead. When Alex walks out of the police stations is always being a good show – he collects such situations for a future episode about making their show. Every good show has such one – like “here is our editor, he is a sociopath – in other way he may be our narrator and here is our producer – he made a million on our show, but lost two millions…” and so on. Jim also knows by word how he will introduce Janine – as sexiest lawyer ever, possessor of the hottest voice and all in this way. Then she surely kills him. And her girlfriend maybe would help her. On the other hand, she will laugh with him. Odds is equal.
