2 Gateway

“How you feeling?” I opened my eyes. The room was fuzzy.

“Justin, is that you?”

“No, just lay still and rest.”

Adrenaline tried to alert my brain that I was in danger, but failed. The panic attack left me drained but I had peaked and was slowly starting to recover. I laid still, too disoriented to move. I was no stranger to overwhelming fear, but to throw up and black out like that, it can’t be good.

I gathered enough strength to sit up. Every muscle was numb. I scanned the room for a clock but couldn’t locate one. The mirror next to the bed told me I looked the same, normal on the outside, anything but normal on the inside. My dark eyes carried an air of sadness to them. That was nothing new. I kept my brown hair short and my t-shirts plain; doing everything I could to remain as unambiguous as possible. I hated drawing attention to myself. If I did, people would look at me; if they looked too close, they might see the truth.

Computers and gadgets lined every square inch of the room. A large dark figure was fast approaching. My blurred vision remained but I sensed no danger.

“How’s the head feeling, Will?” The figure spoke with a dry raspy voice.

“It hurts.”

“That’s normal; you’ll feel like yourself in a few hours.”

“Where am I?”

“Let me be the first to welcome you. You’re at Gateway. The figure said with an excited tone.

“Gateway.”

“Don’t be afraid. Gateway is the name of our operation.”

“Ok, can you show me the exit please?”

My vision was clearing and I could see that the large shadowy figure had features of his own. I would guess early forties, wrinkles around the eyes, and a few gray hairs at the temples. He was snacking on a fried chicken drummie and drinking a can of soda. He could do without the snack since he was obviously overweight.

“Hey! Mind your own damn business.” He said.

“What are you talking about?”

“You think I’m fat, so I told you to mind your own damn business.”

“Um, I don’t think you’re fat. What gives you that idea?”

“Well, first of all you just thought I could do without this chicken since I was obviously too heavy. That’s how I know you think I’m fat.” He calmed after putting me in my place.

“But, I didn’t even say anything.” I glanced away, unable to make eye contact.

Justin entered the room. I was glad to see his face and have the attention diverted away from the awkward conversation. “Hey Will, how ya feeling?”

“Ok I guess, but what the hell is going on?”

“I guess I should fill you in on a few things huh. You are still in the haunted house. This house was formerly a halfway house for patients at the old hospital. You weren’t supposed to get your hands on those old files. I think it overwhelmed you. The truth of the matter is, we, um, sort of set you up.” Justin’s eyes were glued to the floor.

“What!” Justin stood silent, continuing to count the tiles on the floor. I raised my hands. “You mean to tell me this whole thing was a setup. You brought me out in the middle of nowhere just to scare the piss out of me. What the hell is going on Justin?” The forcefulness of my voice compelled him to shed his reluctance to speak.

“Ok, this was an initiation. Congratulations! You are our newest member. You’ll get a membership packet in the mail and we’ll need a picture for your photo ID.”

"I always knew there was something shady about you. I guess this is my proof." I raised my middle finger and extended it towards Justin.

“Looks like you’re starting to regain some of your old self, great.” Justin’s sarcastic smile raised my blood pressure. “Will, listen, we brought you here for a reason. You see, we’re investigators, the supernatural kind.”

I leaned back on the couch. “Are you kidding me? Like on those stupid cable shows.” I purposely rolled my eyes. Justin didn’t find the humor in it.

“Our group, we’re paranormal investigators, you know, investigate hauntings. Ghosts and things."

"Ok, a lot of kids are into that, especially in Millersville. Why be so secretive about it? Why not just tell me rather than give me a heart attack?"

Justin glanced away from me, pausing for a second before speaking. “You wouldn’t have come.”

“And you know this how?”

“Because you fear God."

"What are you talking about?" Justin’s shallow breathing indicated the conversation was making him uncomfortable, he rubbed his chin and changed the subject.

“The entire earth and its inhabitants are made of energy, energy that breathes life into all things. Science has proven that energy can never be destroyed, only altered and manipulated. At its core the energy is powerful and pure, but there are forces that seek to misuse it. The energy can be gathered and collected. The more we obtain the more we can alter and control it. We just don't know how. That’s where you come in. The energy is drawn to you. You have certain gifts. Gifts that give you an unique advantage. Your fear holds you back, but in a way it's your greatest power. When you're strong enough, and I mean He-Man strong, we're going to break in and you're going to break them out.” Justin stared.

“Are you saying I’m some sort of chosen one?”

“Don’t flatter yourself! There are no chosen ones. Every person on this planet has the ability to obtain the energy. We're all chosen ones.” The heavyset man’s lip curled at the corner. I kept my silence.

“Will, meet Corbin.” Justin said. I nodded politely towards the man’s direction. He never returned the gesture.

“Why the initiation? I still don’t understand why you didn’t just ask? What does fearing God have to do with anything?"

"Our methods are progressive, somewhat New Age. You're from Millersville and not on Team Outsider. That means you come from the tradition that believes the dead should be left dead." Justin spoke.

I knew what he was getting at. I'd seen the TV shows, how people attempted to contact spirits and meddle with things they shouldn't. I was no Puritan but Justin was right. I did consider myself to be a good, God fearing Christian. Lord's Prayer before bed. Come Lord Jesus be our guest, before every meal. Church on Sundays. I prayed a lot, but mostly out of desperation. At least I knew better than to mess with this stuff.

All around me, buzzers began buzzing, beepers began beeping, and lights began flashing. My headache intensified as I stumbled like a drunken sailor back to my bed. Justin and Corbin raced to a computer, intently studying the screen.

“Hey Corbin, check this out.”

“What is it?”

“It’s another message. There’s an image and the word Exit written beneath it.”

Corbin puzzled over the image. “I wish they could just talk. This metaphorical communication is maddening.”

“Sorry man, just the way it is.” Justin shook his head in sympathetic agreement.

I fought the searing pain in my head and made my way to the computer. I looked at an image of two adult men, one holding a small worn book and the other on his knees. The man with the book had pristine features, not a scratch or scar on his face. His clothes were bright and he appeared to be draped in a flowing white gown. One you might see in a painting of the Greek Gods. He stretched his hand as far as it would go to the man on his knees who was pinned against a stone wall. The man was unresponsive, dirty and beaten, his face distorted with unforgivable disgrace.

“Who are they?” I asked.

“No clue. Haven’t seen or heard from them before. What time is Monika supposed to get here?” Corbin turned to face Justin.

“Not sure, she said she worked until ten o'clock and was going home to bed afterward. I’ll get a hold of her and convince her to come in.”

Air traffic controllers with a plane spiraling towards the earth had nothing on Justin and Corbin as they pounded on buttons and tried to keep up with the data being hurled out of the printer. Their setup was elaborate. How they could afford all of this?

“Who’s Monika?” I asked Corbin.

“Monika Kingsbury is like you, only stronger.”

“Stronger? What do you mean?”

“She could bench press a house, where as you'd be lucky to lift the bar off your chest.” Corbin said. My guard tightened with his comment.

“Geez Will, don’t get so defensive.”

“I wasn’t being defensive.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Justin came back into the room and announced that it took some convincing on his part but Monika would stop in and try to establish a connection.

“Connection to what?” I asked.

“The men in the image.”

I sensed Corbin and Justin weren’t telling me everything I needed to know. I needed answers and they weren’t giving any. “I’m leaving.” The declaration spun both of their heads around.

“Leaving! Where are you going? You can’t leave now.” Justin said.

“Please then, one of you tell me what this is all about? Where the hell am I? Who the hell is Monika? And why does it feel like I am standing in the middle of Google’s IT department!”

Behind me, a door flew open and a beautiful young woman came marching in. She walked with her head held high and spoke with a voice that demanded her presence, better be worth it. I sensed both Corbin and Justin held this woman in high regard. My eyes wouldn't leave her. She wasn't dressed to kill, a simple ensemble; blue jeans and a plain faded gray sweatshirt. She was older, but not by much. Early twenties, maybe just out of college. There was an unnamed presence about her. She looked like she just got off the third shift at the Millersville meat packing plant, but possessed a natural beauty only a lucky few are born with.

“Geez, you come from a slaughterhouse or what?” Shock and guilt flooded my body the second those words came out, stress and confusion getting the best of me. It was out of my character to respond that way. On most occasions, I can only mumble a shy hello when first meeting someone, especially someone as pretty as Monika. I went over a list of excuses to explain my rude and uncharacteristic behavior. I couldn’t spit any out. The only resort was to assure myself that all would be forgiven due to my lethargic condition.

“Excuse me? Are you saying I’m a cow?”

“No. No, I actually, I’m not sure why I said that,” hoping my honesty would soften the blow.

“You better not be making fun of me for spending all day neck deep in turkey crap and then covering the second shift at my aunt's cafe. I might smell like today’s meatloaf special but what gives you the right?"

“No ma’am. I was just, um, you work where?”

“Who the hell is this guy?” Monika asked, turning to see Corbin’s jaw stuck wide open.

“Oh, hey Monika, let me introduce to you to Will. He is our newest member, I guess.”

Corbin made a weak attempt to introduce us. Monika shook her head, wanting nothing to do with me. Like the new kid at school, I kept my distance. Despite her apparent hatred of everything about me, I wanted to know everything about her.

Long blonde hair flowed just past her shoulders. She exuded a slim waist and perfect chest that any woman would be jealous of. Deep blue eyes pierced my soul on the rare occasion I had enough courage to gaze into them. This girl would be a handful, but worth every effort to get to know. Would she will ever feel the same about me?

“What? Are you just gonna stand around?” Monika waved Justin along.

“I’ll get the table and candles prepared,” Justin said.

“Corbin, can you please shut these damn lights and beepers off! They're driving me nuts!” Monika said. “I’m going to prepare.”

It didn’t take a genius to see the pattern. Monika had a bossy, take charge and gives orders personality. The kind I hate. I don’t have a problem taking orders from a female; it’s not that. It’s the way people like her go about it that gets under my skin.

“Yeah Will,” Corbin said. “You just seem to get used to it after a while. She doesn’t mean anything by it, it’s just her way.”

“Oh really, thanks for letting me know.” She’ll quickly change her way. I don’t deal with those types.

How did Corbin seem to know what I was thinking, it’s not like I told him I didn’t like the way Monika barged in here and took control.

“Ok, I think everything is set. We’re ready to roll. Hey Will, can you hit the light switch on the wall there?” Justin asked. The noise and lights stopped, there was calm.

“Um, sure,” I replied, blindly doing what I was told.

Justin and Corbin lit two-dozen white long stemmed candles and placed them at various spots around the room. Corbin looked towards me, “the candles create a warm, inviting atmosphere.” I nodded in agreement to avoid awkward disagreement. The side door flung open and Monika walked in. She wasn’t the same person I met earlier. She failed to make eye contact with any of us. Her mind crossed into a different reality from our own.

“Are you ready Monika?” Justin asked. Monika starred forward. “Alright then, everyone form a circle and hold hands. Clear your minds and focus on the computer image.”

The symbols drawn on the basement wall flashed through my mind sending warning signals to my brain. “Wait! I know what this is. You guys are trying to channel the spirit of that crazy old doctor, Sunny Miller. I want no part of it. Let me out of here!”

Justin sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t be ridiculous, Will. We’re not naive brainless Outsiders. We're here to help people. Please, humor us for a minute.”

“No, I don’t do magic or séances or whatever this is. It isn’t right.”

Corbin looked at Justin. “Told you he wouldn’t go for it. Too afraid of God’s wrath.”

"Tell ya what. If I pass out or get struck by lightning during this you can have all the computers in this lab." Justin said.

"Some wager, they're all mine anyway." Corbin laughed.

"Come on, Will, I'm only joking. Nothing bad's gonna happen. Maybe you're more like the Puritans than I thought."

Justin's arrogance struck a nerve. Against the advice of the angel on my shoulder I decided to play along. I wasn't a religious extremist like the Puritan preachers in town. Justin and Corbin weren’t going to make me look like a fool in front of Monika. I took Corbin’s right hand and Justin’s left as we formed a triangle with Monika in the middle. She sat on top of the table with her legs crossed, palms turned outward, and eyes closed. Monika’s breathing started to slow and deepen. She hummed a weird chant that I was unable to make sense of. We waited fifteen minutes, with sweaty palms and tired hands. The whole thing felt pointless.

“Tell us what's troubling you? Why are you attempting to contact us?” Monika said. A few minutes of silence passed. “Tell me what your pain is.”

"Escape." Voices made themselves known but weren’t from human vocal cords.

“Can you give us your name?” Monika asked. “Why do you keep repeating the word ESCAPE?” My body felt weightless, my mind turned off all thought, attention focused inward to the bodiless voices. “Who are you?” The voices whirled around us, sounding from all sides.

“Names are unimportant.”

“Why do you need us?”

“For the rescue mission. We've never been this close, to finally have the key amongst us. We're going to-"

“Are you in pain?” Monika asked.

“I think you just cut them off.”

“What do you mean I just cut them off? Now we’ve lost them, thanks a lot noob!”

“Why in the world are you blaming me?” My neck was on fire, boiling blood pounding against the vessels.”

“You shouldn't talk,” Monika growled.

“What did I do?”

My grip tightened around Corbin’s hand. “Dammit Will!” He shouted, pulling away. I broke from the circle, took a few steps back and arched my spine. Monika’s icy gaze sent a clear message. She was uneasy about having a new guy being let in on the group’s secrets.

“Alright everyone, enough." Justin asserted himself as leaders do. "We need to focus on finding out who these voices belong to and see if we can get them back ... but we can’t do anything more tonight. It’s past midnight and I think we all should get some rest. We need to prepare for what’s to come.” Corbin and Monika packed their belongings and left without speaking.

“I know you have a lot of questions, Will, but put them aside for now. I’ll fill you in as we go. We're doing an investigation this weekend. There’s a house in a small town north of here. I’d like you to come. Just watch, see what we're about, what we do. Don’t worry about the others. They're just highly dedicated to the work we do. It’s not easy for them to trust.” Justin and I left the old Victorian house and walked down the gravel road to my car.

“How do you know it’s haunted?”

“There have been five owners in the past three years. That’s a major red flag.”

“Sounds like termites.”

“Glad to see that sarcasm again, Will. Just try and get some rest.” Justin didn’t fist bump as he normally did when I dropped him off. I had a million questions that I wanted answered … but I was exhausted.

“Ok Justin, see ya at school tomorrow.”