3 Visions from Beyond Time

Jerry Daniels – #TIMELINECODE: 201302030855VHLAXJD113421

Steve had already scampered off somewhere with his girlfriend, so I was left to wander the crowded halls of Verand High. I pushed my way through the sea of students, all too preoccupied with their own conversations to worry about blocking other people's path.

After some struggle and a few dirty looks, I managed to reach my locker. My hand carefully ran down each dent and crevice on my door, smiling at all the fond memories. Well maybe not fond, but they were all times in my life; moments that I wished I could relive. Especially with my parents.

"Jerry!"

My heart skipped a beat. I composed myself, straightened up and relaxed my face.

"Jerry! Hey!"

I closed my locker door and was greeted by Rachel. Her long, wavy hair was curled up in a tight bun, drawing all attention to stunning green eyes framed by a light coat of mascara that highlighted their rich color. She was dressed in a modest, yet elegant skirt and a denim jacket. She definitely knew how to make an impression.

"Rachel," I paused. My tongue was itching to trip me up. The key was taking it slow. "I… uh… didn't expect to see you here."

Rachel had graduated last year. We grew up together and were pretty close until we started to mature. It was at that point, she became the typical popular girl – mean streak and all – and I faded into the background. We'd come a long way since then, though.

"I came to see you off, actually," she said. "Your parents—"

"They're not…" I slowly faded out.

"Jerry, don't say that," she put her hands on my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes. I felt my control slowly slipping away. It was hard to breathe when she stared at me like that.

"Look Jerry…" she began. "I know it hasn't been easy for you. Part of that, well that's my fault. We always promised to look out for each other. You did that for me, but I…" She sighed, "I came up short."

"I don't blame you for anything that happened, Rachel," I said. It was true, I didn't. The truth was, I didn't know who to blame. "I know you don't believe me, but something did happen that day."

"Jerry—"

"Rachel, please…" I said. "My life changed forever that night. All the things I thought I remembered, all the things that happened to me, in a flash, all of that changed."

"Please, Jerry," she said. "not now, okay? Just enjoy this last day and then forget about it. Everything. I mean, you're going to Europe! That's huge! That's a new chapter in your life… a new start. There's no need to revisit what happened the past two years."

I was about to say something, to plead my sanity, but she was right, maybe I should just forget about it all. I was heading for a new beginning anyway – a new genesis. Though something felt off; it was almost like a strange sense of déjà vu, except for the fact that things felt like they didn't happen the way they were supposed to and I had a sudden craving for ice cream.

"You know, I don't say this enough," I felt a warmth in my chest as the words came out. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Rachel."

Her cheeks flushed red and she pulled her arms away, trying to play it off as a casual move rather than a sudden one. "Thanks Jerry. You know what, I think I saw Bessie and the girls, I'm going to go catch up with them."

"Bessie?" I said, but it was too late, she had already bolted. "Ok, then."

A flash of light blinded my view for a second. I hunched over and put my hands to my temple as an excruciating wave of pain washed over me. I silenced the upending groan that threatened to escape, closed my locker, and stumbled towards the closest isolated room – the janitor's closet.

Once inside, I shut the door and collapsed. My voice struggled to cry out as I willfully kept it at bay. I could feel a warm liquid run down my cheek from my eyes. Then, came the flashes – scenes, almost like watching a movie, but these felt real, like memories.

I could see myself in the middle of a barn and I wasn't alone. There was a girl there, we were close; somehow I knew her name, Karen. She leaned in and we kissed. It was like a cloud of emotions had possessed us and we were carried away with passion, but that wasn't the end of it. Loose objects began violently floating around us violently on their own. No, that wasn't right. It was almost like we were doing it.

Then the scene changed. We were in the middle of a construction site. The girl, Karen, was holding me in her arms. I had a wound in my chest. I was dying. She looked down at me, devastated, tears rolling down her cheeks, as she struggled to keep me awake. But I was fading… drifting…

Snap out of it, Daniels!

I dug my fingernails into my palms and small droplets of blood dripped from the wounds. It hurt, but it dulled the other pain and as I opened my eyes, I was back where I was supposed to be, in the janitor's closet.

I creaked open the door and peered down the hallway. It seems that during my "visions" the bell had rung and the students had already made their way to their final classes. As much as I wanted to join them, there was something bugging me. Like I wasn't supposed to be here. Just like that time two years ago, it felt like everything had changed.

As I walked into the barren hallway, a cold shiver trickled down my spine. The lights in the hallway began to flicker. No sound but my own heartbeat. Something was wrong.

I crept down the hallway, on my toes, as if trying to hide from someone, or something. My heart was racing as sweat trickled down my forehead. The clang of a locker behind me drew my attention. But there was no one there.

"This is all in your head, Jerry," I reassured myself. "You're still in the janitor's closet."

An eerie whisper floated in my ear. "Jer… ry…"

I froze, then swallowed a gulp of air. This had to be a dream, or more like a nightmare.

A shadow swept across my path and disappeared as suddenly as it came. I turned tail and bolted down the hallway in the opposite direction.

"Fight, Jerry," a voice said. It was cloaked, impossible to distinguish, but somehow, it felt familiar.

I ignored it and continued running to the end of the hall, taking a sharp left around the corner. The locker doors on both sides swung open with a clang and a cloud of black fog charged out, encapsulating the entirety of the hallway.

Tripping over my feet, I stumbled backwards. I caught sight of a figure in the fog. Instead of waiting around, I ran back the way I came. A door swung close with a loud bang.

I glanced behind me and realized that I was somewhere else. But where? Looking at my current choice of surroundings, I felt strangely at home. A light flickered some distance away as static echoed throughout the room. The weird thing was, the room felt massive. Like it went on forever.

"Hello?" I called out. My voice echoed into the vast, empty space. Where the hell was I?

"Regenesis," a voice came from the darkness.

"Regenesis?" another voice replied. There was something familiar about the latter voice. It almost sounded like mine.

A light came on, centering on two men. One was in his mid-twenties, tidy, slicked back hair and olive skin. He wore a muscle tee and sleeveless jacket over his lean build. It couldn't be.

I approached, itching to get a closer look at the other man, whose face I had yet to see.

"Jerry, listen closely," the man in the muscle tee said. I stopped short. Could he see me? The other man turned around. My heart quickened. He was… me?

"So if all goes right, I'll die?"

Muscle tee guy nodded.

"That's crazy, Damien," the other me said. "Even for you."

"I have a plan," Damien said. "Trust me."

The other me hesitated.

"This isn't real," I said to myself.

The other me's eyes darted towards me. "Who's there?" He pulled out a gun and raised in my direction.

"Wait, no!" I closed my eyes and threw my arms up in front of my face. Silence.

With my heart racing and my lungs struggling for air, I finally opened my eyes and looked around. Hundreds of face stared at me, some shocked, others weirded out. None as disappointing as the worried frown I was getting from Rachel.

"Jerry…" she made to grab me but I backed away, dodging the humiliation and embarrassment her pitying gaze promised.

What a way to end my last day at high school.