Nauseating, fluorescent light burned my eyes, as I followed Al up the steps into a toxic-smelling room, lined with nauseatingly-green tiles on the walls and floor. I squinted my eyes, attempting to focus them against the light.
We were in a men’s bathroom. Almost surely, a men’s bathroom that someone had recently used. It was the worst smell I had ever been subjected to, but I was amazed at how flawlessly the door blended in to the floor when it was closed.
I gasped at the sight of the creature that was staring at me from the far wall. Unhealthy shades of blue, purple and black surrounded the monster’s eyes, and its face was covered in blood. Tufts of blonde hair frayed wildly around its face, and... I realized the hideous beast was me. I was growing to dislike mirrors.
“Angie,” Al said, nodding to the bathroom exit.
He poked his head through the door, looking around quickly before leading me through.
We were in some sort of grocery store, though it was very small. Shelves, lined with cans and boxes of food, made for very little room in the aisle ways. At the other end of the shop, I could see a glass door, and on the other side of that glass door... was darkness. I had totally forgotten that it was the middle of the night.
Realization forced me to stop in my tracks, violently yanking on Al’s hand.
“What?!” Al asked urgently.
“If it’s the middle of the night, why are all the lights on?” I questioned in a whisper.
No sooner had the words left my mouth, than the sound of a cocking shotgun announced itself from behind us. Al sighed, drooping his head as he raised his hands in defeat. I mimicked him, but with the added bonus of wobbly knees and just the smallest fear of peeing my pants.
“You’ve got ten seconds to tell me what you want,” a male voice interrogated.
My ears perked. The voice sounded so familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Our heads lifted in hope, as we realized whoever this person was, he was not from The Facility.
“We were just passing through town, and needed some supplies. We thought you were open,” Al lied, quite convincingly. I was impressed.
“People don’t pass through here, and that door was locked. Turn around,” the voice demanded.
I gulped, turning as slowly as I could to face the person who was holding us at gun point. I kept my eyes closed tightly, imagining that it would make being shot in the face a little less horrible. I waited for something to be said, but silence hung in the air like humidity on a hot summer day.
“Angie?!” the voice cried, and suddenly I knew why it sounded so familiar.
“Wait... Are you? NO! Angie, don’t open your—” but Al didn’t have time to finish his sentence.
Just as I set my gaze upon the most amazing face I had ever seen, something extraordinary took place. As soon as our eyes made met, pillars of blue light radiated from my body, dancing and swirling with the orange light that was emitting from the body a few feet in front of me. The piercing pain between my eyes was not enough to cause my gaze to shift from him.
It felt as if my entire being was changing, becoming more whole, and combining with the being across from me. In that moment, I was connected to every living thing on the planet. I felt the wind in the trees, and the waves of the oceans. I felt so complete, I was unsure how I had survived before, feeling any differently. This was the way people were meant to live their lives—in total tranquility and oneness. It was all so clear.
The light pulled us closer together, until our faces were only an inch apart. We placed our hands on each other’s cheeks, our eyes now solid currents of light and energy. Nothing else mattered. I was exactly where I was supposed to be, with exactly who I was supposed to be with. All the questions in the world were asked and answered in that moment. Time stood still, sped up, and ceased to exist. I understood peace, as every emotion joined together to create a new feeling I had never known.
In my peripheral vision, I noticed a sparkle within the intertwining beams of light. No—there were two sparkles, circling us and growing larger. The beams of light supporting the glittering objects seemed to condense into the objects themselves. Before I knew it, the lights were gone, and two beautiful gems rested on the floor in the small distance between us.
I was amazed by what I had just experienced, and had difficulty forcing my vocal chords to work. It was as though I had expanded to the size of the universe, but was being crammed back into my puny, confining body.
“Ahem!” Al cleared his throat, after the man and I had been standing in silence for a while.
“Al,” I said, finally removing my hand from the man’s cheek, “this is Lakin.”
“I figured. It’s nice to meet you. I’m happy for you that you bonded. It’s amazing that we ran into you. But we really don’t have time for this right now. Grab your crystals, because we have to go,” Al said frantically, waving us toward the front door of the shop.
“What are you doing here?!” Lakin asked, as I scooped up the gems from next to our feet.
They were beautifully faceted, with iridescent shades of blue and orange glimmering in the light. Each had a rigid side, which fit perfectly against the other when held together. I had never seen anything like them. The closest thing I had seen to them was the necklace Al had given me for my birthday. In fact, they were nearly the same shape and size.
“I will answer your questions later. We have to leave—right now,” Al exclaimed, pushing us both toward the door.
We fell abruptly into the cold air of the night, causing my lungs to stumble at their first real breath of fresh air. I inhaled deeply as we ran, smiling at Lakin next to me. I hoped Al knew where he was going.
“Lakin, where are we?” Al asked, leading us into a protective patch of woods.
“We’re in Freedom, Maine,” Lakin answered, grasping my hand as if he would never let it go.
Al stopped so suddenly, we almost toppled right over him.
“...You are serious,” Al said, eyeing Lakin suspiciously as he read his thoughts.
“Yeah, why?” Lakin responded, taken aback by Al’s change in demeanor.
Al chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief as he carried on.
We ran for what seemed like ages, against the cool, Maine air. Exhaustion enveloped me, causing the woods around us to seem more mystical and terrifying than they probably were. I jumped at every snap of a twig, expecting a guard with a gun to pop out at any moment. I wondered what was happening inside Lakin’s head, he must have had so many questions; nearly as many as I did. I trusted Al to answer them all in time, but I could feel them building up inside me, seeping through my skin. I wondered how long it would be before I turned into a big, gooey puddle of questions.
As the sky was turning gray with light through the treetops, the sound of running water found its way to my ears. I didn’t know why, but the sound was comforting, spreading a feeling of warmth throughout my body. After crossing over a small road in the trees, the faint glimmer of light against moving water caught my eye.
“Where are we going?” I asked, wondering if we were near the ocean and Al had somehow arranged for a boat to be waiting for us.
“Freedom Pond,” Al answered plainly.
“Why? There’s nothing there,” Lakin said, confused.
Al returned to his silence, leading us closer to the water. Beauty struck me as we neared the edge of the pond. Trees branched out from our sides, lining the shimmering sight with dark green foliage. The water was peaceful and still, and seemed to go on forever. I wondered if the rest of the world was as radiant as this.
Al led us to a small, wooden bridge, but instead of walking over it, he directed us to the magnificent waterfall underneath. I stared in amazement, as we traveled down the steep bank. Al stopped at the very edge of the stream that the water gave birth to, looking back at us with a smile.
“Will you tell us where we’re going, now?” I pleaded, enjoying the first break we had taken since leaving The Facility.
Al gave us the most mischiev
ous smile, before removing a ring from his finger, which contained a crystal not unlike the one around my neck. The gem shined brilliantly as he held it out in front of him, splashing through the knee-high water toward the waterfall. Lakin and I stared in disbelief as the shower of water parted above him, revealing a solid, stone wall. Al caressed the wall gently, leaving a trace of white light from his palm against the rock. The light spread out like a spider web, until it formed a doorway to a dark tunnel, which I was less than excited to enter.
“Come on,” Al said, waving us through the entrance.
“Is there a back door, or something? Maybe one that looks just a little less creepy?” I asked cautiously.
“No. Now, come on,” Al demanded, waving more aggressively.
Lakin and I moved carefully, stepping slowly into the cold, clear stream. It didn’t seem necessary, but I ducked my head as I traveled under the parted water, into the damp, stone tunnel. Lakin and Al followed behind me, the stone wall closing to block out all light and sound.
Al’s face lit dimly at the click of a lighter. He held his hand over the flame, absorbing a ball of flickering light into his palm. Having refrained from using his abilities for the majority of his life, Lakin watched the phenomenon with the wondrous eyes of a child.
In all the excitement of the evening, I hadn’t noticed the growing blood-stain on Al’s shirt, just below his left shoulder. The blotch was dark and shiny against the light from his palm, and a hole sat neatly in the center of it. It hadn’t occurred to me that William’s bullet may not have missed its target.
‘I’m fine.’ Al’s voice echoed in my head, and I left it at that.
It was difficult to judge time as we walked through the tunnel, but I was relieved that we no longer had to run. My legs ached, informing me how incredibly out of shape I was. Grasping at the stabbing pain in my side took up so much of my attention, I was almost too side-tracked to notice the light at the end of the tunnel. I was definitely too side-tracked to comprehend what I was looking at, once we entered into the light. Perhaps it was just too astounding to fathom.
We left the simplicity of the tunnel, and entered into the utter impossible.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Lily of the Valley