COLD SUNRISE

I experienced thousands of flashbacks of all my childhood memories at once in my head, most I couldn’t quite recall clearly, others I had been fond of and would never forget like my mom taking me to school every day when I was little, checking my schoolbag if I had everything I needed before bestowing a kiss on my forehead and letting me go.

At night she’d come to my bedside reading a story book to me before tucking me to bed, sometimes I’ll fall asleep while she’s reading that’s if it was along and boring ones . Some weekends we visited the carnival Diane would fill my little bag with all types of candies and chocolate, we played a few video games together, paid the funhouse a little visit and the haunted one too. Finally we would end our tour on the rollercoaster which I found to be very exciting, thrilling and a bit scary at the same time it was just both of us against the world back then.

I remembered when I first asked Diane about my dad because the only memory I had of him was through the old photos they had taken together, I also recall clearly how hard it was her to give an answer. how do you explain to a little kid that his father is stuck in a coma most likely to never be conscious again until someone does him a favor and pull the plug on him, how do you make a little kid understand that.

Her answer had always shadowed the truth and it was positive like every good mom.

“honey, your dad is very sick but not for long okay, you’ll see him someday again when he gets better.” She used that same line for years rephrased in so many ways knowing I needed my father, she did it to keep my hope burning bright maybe hers too whenever she looked at me. Sometimes I’ll look at the pictures of the times they shared together and I’ll stare at the door of our house imagining one day he’ll walk through, I waited for years for him to show up but he never came until the day I turned ten and finally got the brains to figure out he likely never will.

The moment I opened my eyes I realized I was standing in woods in the middle of nowhere, my entire world felt disoriented surveyed my surroundings filled trees and darkness. I noticed my own heart skipping so quickly that i witnessed the moment slow. I knew I was having a panic attack with a question that kept banging inside my head “what the hell just happened to me, how did I get here. Where am I?” all I remember was walking through the men’s room back at the supermarket. This was like the dream before waking up in a place with no idea how I got there, am i dreaming right now? I felt a heavy shock inside my body that brought me down to my knees and I threw up everything I had eaten all day mostly because of beer it was the weirdest point in time to get a hangover and it answered my question this was no dream. The effect of the alcohol began wearing off, for a second I felt like myself again. I pondered on how to figure out my location before trying to find an exit out of this place, I pulled out my phone from pocket logging on to my G.P.S which still indicated I was somewhere in Franklinton I sighed in relief not bothering about the details.

Then I heard a male voice from the left direction shrieking continuously in pain, the voice died.

Then another voice this time it was a lady weeping, begging for her life without a second thought I ran towards that direction not minding whoever her assailant was. from a distance I discovered a lengthy grass field surrounded by the trees, I had this strange feeling in my gut about that man whom I followed to the restroom at the gas station had something to do with me being here at this moment, I can’t explain how he did it but I was sure. On the field were four people standing in front of a lady circled around by large burning flames, she knelt in the middle weeping like she’d been trapped. It was a full moon that night I was able to identify three of her assailants as males and the last one behind a female more like a girl, beside the weeping woman, seemed like something I recognized to be a body laid dead burning furiously, I presumed it to be the man I heard his screams before and now he’s dead, It was a horrifying scene. I hid behind a large tree to avoid being spotted, with one side of my face I kept my gaze at them to see what was going on.

“ why are you here, why are you after my family , who sent you sent you?” said a voice enraged as they all approached her coming closer to the fire, one of the males appeared bare bodied moving closer than the rest, all of a sudden there was something strange about his arms they were burning, burning live with flames and he wasn’t distressed or in pain

“ easy Chris, lighting her up like a match stick won’t do us any good,” another male voice said composedly, walking closer to the shirtless guy, for a second there I saw his face clearly as they stood beside each other, it was lock Lansdale then I could guess the others ones where his siblings. The last two joined and I was able to make their faces too due to the burning ring of flame, i imagined to be some kind of occult pagan or voodoo stuff. The girl standing next to the other guy Adam was raven, I came to a concluding question about the four of them. “really, who are these people?” and looking at the whole scenery I’m guessing they killed the guy beside the lady, “what do they want from her.”

“ please…, I beg of you don’t hurt me I’ll tell you everything I know.” she pleaded, from her tone I could tell she was terrified of them.

“ I was sent by the elders of the council to get a location of where your family now resided, it’s said to be almost ten years since the Lansdale’s parted way with them for good, renouncing the rules, their culture and all they stand for, we were assigned to keep track of you and report back.” She stated frighteningly with her Mexican accent, lock gave a crocked smile, and laughed.

“funny, because I feel insulted, the elders could have sent a half breed or a true born to do their dirty work instead they sends an ordinary bruja after us, a human witch, its disrespectful to me.” He mocked with an angry yell,

“ I think there was another with them but he escaped when he first saw us or maybe he’s around somewhere hiding, watching,” raven said cautiously.

“ if there’s anything or anyone out there I would be able to sense it’s presence from here stretching as far as a 30 mile radius, there’s nothing else except the ordinary,” Adam replied.

“ please don’t kill me I have told you all I know, I have a son please....” She pleaded again.

“oh! Your right Madame I wouldn’t have to if you were a normal human. But here’s the snag, you posses a little bit of supernatural talents which may somehow be dangerous for my kind though it can’t hurt us but the knowledge of our existence and whereabouts can and you have valuable Intel on my family by just figuring out our current location which poses a threat.” Lock replied.

“ I could ask Adam here to reset you or expunge your memories of this very event but it won’t be enough, the council has an extractor or with your little talent perhaps you can trigger those memories back either way I can’t risk it, I have to do everything as much as possible to ensure the safety of the people close to me You understand that don’t you?” he walked through the ring of flame standing in front of her as she frighteningly backed away.

“No! No! Please don’t kill me.” Her voice quavered while she wept.

“ you were foolish Ma’am , if you had considered your son you wouldn’t have accepted the councils job in the first place or have anything to do with the first and most powerful eternal beings on earth, How did you imagine this would end.” Lock chuckled again squatting in front her and the burning flames around them settled.

“ I’m going to be merciful with you and not ask my pyrokinetic friend back there to let you feel the torment of fire, I promise to make everything quick and peaceful. Take my hand ma’am ,” he stretched forth his right hand offering.

“please…I didn’t have a choice,” she said once more weakly at that moment I knew he was going to kill her.

“neither do I but trust me, everything will be fine.” He said easily assuring her.

Hesitantly she stretched forth her arms into his and next I don’t know what I think I just saw, what my eyes had shown me was after she took his hand her body froze like a statue, from her head down slowly began fading, crumbling into dust until she was nothing but sands. I had a terrifying astonishment on my face felt like my jaw almost dropped I couldn’t get hold of myself for seconds until I turned my back against the tree trying to process what I thought I just saw. I had always known the Lansdale’s to be different but in all my imagined scenarios I never expected this, this was something else. “ what are they,” the question in my head for what I had just witnessed lock do was an act of God with my bare eyes, which is impossible to any man and in a million years I may never be able to comprehend what I had just seen. They were all murderers that’s one thing I know for sure.

“from dust you were brought fourth, to dust you shall return, don’t worry about your son he will find someone else to love.” Lock added picking up some of her remains and letting it slide away through his palm.

“was that really necessary lock, killing her I mean, she was a mother you could have simply asked Adam to reset her.” Raven questioned with her tone a bit furious.

“Yes it was,” He snarled at her.

“it is always necessary, that why our race has been able to survive this long, these are the rules. She was prone to become anomaly if left alive the council sent her here ,I know how they think, either way they would have killed and her entire family when they’re done with her, the knowledge of our existence by humans means knowing too much. Wherever she is right now I bet her soul is thanking me.” Lock claps the dusts away from his palm, he composed his tone before speaking again.

“ I get it, you all are young and sometimes rectifying an important situation like this may take a toll on you at this stage of your lives but out there, there’s a lot going on that you can’t possibly imagine and if I didn’t do it one of you would have to that’s how the world works, Adam and Chris understand that. She’s was just a means to an end raven learn to deal with it.”

Jeez! What a speech, if that’s how that sociopath justifies murder then he’s very a sick bastard. From the moment I first saw him I knew there was something off about that guy, i heard a sudden quick foot movements coming from the opposite direction of someone trying flee the woods which made an Alerting noise and the Lansdale’s quickly faced my direction.

“wait! I can sense something now,” Adam announced.

“but how is that possible I should spotted them already, there are two them one is the half breed possibly the one we’re looking for and the other is a human hiding behind a large tree around that area.” He pointed, my heart raced as i shadowed myself completely in the tree holding my breath still.

“ Another witness!” lock stated with an irritated tone, I knew my cover was blown and I had to make a run for it because I can’t begin to imagine what these people will do to me the minute they find me, I took to my heels running deeper into the woods like the other strange fellow did.

“Adam! Raven! Find the human Chris and I will go after the half-breed.” Lock ordered from behind as I ran aimlessly as fast as my leg could carry me with the little energy I had, luckily while running west I found an exit out the woods leading the highway I sprinted further without looking side ways to discover the speeding truck at my left heading towards me, all I saw was the head light that penetrated my eyes and I got hit.

My head was spinning as I laid helplessly on the ground, I felt my hot red liquid streaming down my face and at the same time I couldn’t feel a single thing in my body, there was this steady transient noise in my ear which prevented me from hearing any sound. The lights of the truck was on I guessed it had stopped and when I blinked my eyes I saw my two pursuers kneeling over me, Adam and Raven at both sides I could see the shock that swept her face as soon as she saw it was me, then both of them began arguing inaudibly it almost seem like she was crying at the same time still yelling at her brother. My senses were numb, I tried to keep myself conscious but couldn’t. at the final moment before my eyes slowly began shutting down Adam placed his hands over my head and everything else went white, it was peaceful.

THE SLOW CONTINOUS SOUND OF THE BEEPING MONITOR HAD AWOKEN ME, I opened my eyes

Stressfully to find myself laying on a bed in a spacious brightly lit warm room with an IV suck in my right arm. I knew I was in a hospital but I had problem remembering what happened.” My head was puzzled along with a slight agonizing pain from my lungs down to my feet, I took notice to my right arm being fully bandaged same with my fore head, I looked out the window beside me it was dusk. I shifted my gaze back to the room, I saw a figure in dark trench coat and hat staring at me through the windows close to the door, suddenly there were swift flashes In my head, memories from that night at wades party began to resurface. First when I left the party to trail the stranger who seemed to be stalking me, how I followed him into the rest room at a gas station to later find myself standing in the middle of nowhere in the woods. Next I hear a male voice shrieking in pain and a woman pleading for her life, I try to figure out what was going on to witness lock Lansdale eradicate the her in an impossible way with his siblings standing by his side, somehow they discovered my presence in the vicinity and came after me, I ran for my life because I knew seeing what they’ve done had become a major problem for them if they planned on keeping it a secret, I sprint into the highway to get slammed by a speeding truck. That I’m alive right now is quite a surprise to me I thought they would have seized the opportunity to finish me off. They are murderers all of them, they hide whatever they are from everyone else that’s why they keep to themselves so people wouldn’t have to find out their dark secret, they might totally be more different than everyone thought, the better word for it freaks. The thought alone drove a shivers to my spine, in one crazy night my whole world had turned upside down. This town is insane and no one evens knows it or bothers, the stranger looking through my window right now is most likely to be the same man I trailed that led to all of this, he walks past my window at the exact moment a doctor walks in.

“My God! Your already awake how are you feeling?” The female doctor asked she looked young her early thirties maybe, dark hair, Approaching with her patient record.

“ a little sore all over my joints “ I muttered.

“ just a little sore,” she sounded I’m used.

“you my friend are the luckiest person I have ever met, you were hit by a truck travelling at an estimated speed of 45 to 50 mph theoretically you should be dead with half your bones dislocated and broken. when we first brought you here you had obtained a fractured skull from the top of your right eye to your left cheekbone, a severely dislocated shoulder, perforated lungs with a spinal fracture, you slipped into a coma before you arrived, On your first week here your survival seemed highly unlikely even if you did you’d never be the same.” She stared curiously at me when I picked on something she had said, “my first week?”

“Wait! Wait! Ma’am , please how long have I been here?”

“you’ve been in this hospital for three weeks and two days.”

“Three weeks!” I exclaimed uneasily I thought I just arrived here yesterday.

“you’ve been through a great ordeal my friend, your grandparents pressed heavy charges against the truck driver.”

“Frank and Judy are they okay?”

“ it’s been tough on both them, they spend a lot of time here with you.” She answered

“ do you remember anything at all that happened that night,”

“ No, not really I just knew I went partying at a friend’s house, after that I can’t clearly remember anything else.” I lied.

“ your miraculous recovery began after a girl had paid you a visit two weeks ago, she’s tall, very pretty, blond haired too she kept showing up until this week, she said her name was Raven, I’m guessing you two are close?”

I was quite shocked getting that information from her, there must be some reason for her visits.

“ uhhh, No, No, we’re not, she’s just someone I know,” I said hesitantly, she’s partly the I ended up here why would she even bother to visit.

“ well I assumed you two must be pretty close because of how much she kept showing up, whomever she is either her luck mysteriously rubbed of on you or there’s someone upstairs whom your damn important to that he even had to pull some strings to magically fix you up and I don’t believe in magic my friend,” she said intrigued.

“ I’m doctor Cathy Shannon anyway and I suggest you still need to relax, get more rest.” She concluded and about leaving,

“ Doctor please can you get in touch with my grandparents, I’ll like to see them.” I requested “ sure I’ll do that.”

I rested my back again this time staring at the ceiling I couldn’t help but think how worried sick Frank and Judy must have been, I can’t believe I laid here for three solid weeks for witnessing a scene that’s most likely going to get me killed, a true description of being at the wrong at the wrong time. There’s no reason to hope, not after what I saw and no one will believe me either.

“ AHAH! it seems sleeping beauty is finally Awake.” A sudden familiar voice spoke from the door mockingly, my gaze swiftly darted back to the entrance to find the Lansdale boys together stepping into the room in uniformly, uncomfortably i quickly rose from the bed with the instinct to run, firstly placing my right leg to the floor, a sharp electrifying pain struck my nerves.

" come on, relax mate you’ve just awoken from a very long sleep and your body isn’t what it used to be anymore.” lock Lansdale said sitting at the end of my bed. “beside, where are you going run to.”

" Are you here to kill me, i swear saw nothing that you guys did in the woods That night.” i blabbed out as my heart raced twice faster than ever before, i was frightened enough to even piss myself the expression on Adams face turned into disbelief

“Impossible, he shouldn’t be able to remember that.” he comments

“Looks like your memory erasing trick didn’t work on this one bro.” Chris added, gently patting Adams shoulder.

“I don’t understand, i have dealt with more complex minds than his, every information he know about himself is clear to me as day. That night right after the accident i made sure his last memories of all that he saw was completely expunged, but somehow he’s still able to remember, he’s just an ordinary isn’t he?”

“No, he’s not,” lock replied smiling, staring curiously at me.

“Not like everyone else though, i can’t figure out how or why, there’s just something a bit odd about this one which i find very fascinating.”

" and I’ll give you an answer to your question Mr. bale or Nathan whichever you prefer,” he stand up walking to shut the room door. ” No, not today and that’s because i had already planned to kill you in coma the second night you arrived here knowing your inevitably bound to become a problem. then my sister Raven discovers the idea and get’s furious, trust me you don’t want to be around her when she’s pissed, for some unknown reason she’s got this sudden sentimentality towards you and Raven’s never sentimental about anyone, you’re the first. that Mate is the only reason you’re still breathing.”

" you definitely look better than two weeks ago, thanks to my sister she’s been coming over regularly to patch up one damaged limb to another not arouse too many questions i guess, if not you’d still be stuck in oblivion till you quietly wither away. “He said.

" so if your not here to kill me, then why are you guys here?” i asked, Chris gave a faint laugh at my question.

“he’s right lock why are we here, i don’t give a damn what Raven say’s let’s kill him and get this over with,” Chris suggested coldly.

“don’t mind him mate, Chris is just trying to scare you that’s all.” lock muttered to me, ” but we’re here to make a point incase you were able to remember what you saw that night, which you’ve proved now you actually did, instead of taking you out as formally planned I’ll show you a little trick my brother Adam can do.”

A female nurse walked passed my room when Adam called her over like he needed assistance with something important.

" how can I help you Mr..”

“Adam, call me Adam.” he replied politely with a charming grin.

" please do you mind stepping in for a brief moment, what i need your assistance with is a bit sensitive.” she nodded walking in and Adam shut door quietly behind her.

" yes?” she said inquisitively taking notice to the three of them in the room, he approaches her strangely staring directly into her eyes for a sec, the expression on her face turned blank, cold and expressionless, she stood frozen like she’d been hypnotized, i knew he had done something to her but couldn’t explain what.

" she’s set.“Adam said backing away from her, and the nurse stood in the room like a statue.

" This is the fun part i love about you brother, the way make them dormant, controlled like puppets it’s amazing.” Chris waved his hands around her face, her eyes open and dead like a porcelain doll.

" Adam maybe the most calm natured amongst us but he’s quite a show off sometimes.” lock comment’s with his twisted sense of humor.

" hello my dear, do you have a scalpel on you? cause I’d very much like to make use of one.” he asked her.

" No,” she answers mechanically with no absolute sense of her conscious mind present in her.

" hmmm, well can you get one for me,”

“yes,”

" alright go ahead love and i expect you to be back.” lock ordered.

she left the room turned into a programmed robot on a mission, Jesus! Before today i never thought mind control was possible let alone even exist such things were only in fiction movies, whatever he planned on doing next i had a feeling it wasn’t good.

“ you see Nate, I like to describe my kind as transcendent beings because the natural laws and principles that binds all sentient creatures applies not to us, which gives us an evolutionary dominion above all living things. The universe is infinite, chaotic and crude, most people believe in a higher power, a form of supremacy that controls and intertwine the fate’s, lives of everything in existence, We are not directly that higher power but I can say somehow we are part of it existing in the dark. For our sake it’s best the knowledge of our existence remains a secret.”

“ like I said, I won’t say anything to anyone. I’m more worried about the nurse, not your story, what are you going to do to her?” I asked grimly.

“oh! She won’t be harmed of course if that’s what your suggesting, I just want to use her for a little experiment more like a demonstration.”

A few minutes later the nurse returned to the room shutting the door behind her and kept standing still like a machine, lock smiled taking notice her presence.

“ good my dear you’re back, you’re such an obedient thing aren’t you?”

“yes.” She answered.

“ please don’t hurt her, she’s got nothing to do with this,”

“ relax Nate, I want to you to calm down and enjoy the show.”

“ do have the scalpel with you now dear,” he asked again.

“ yes.”

“ wonderful, now I want to take it out and slice open your wrist.” He ordered as Chris pushed the waste bin at the end of the room towards her.

I watched the nurse pull out the scalpel from her breast pocket without a single thought or reasoning slitting her wrist open slowly and blood streamed down her hand into the bin. Her face cold and idle as before with no feeling of sensitivity or anything like she felt no pain at all, the bleeding made me feel a bit nauseated.

“ my God! Please you guy’s should stop this okay, I get it, I get it, I won’t breathe a word to anyone about what I saw that night I promise, please just let her go.” I begged forcing to hold my quavering voice.

“No Mate, I don’t think you understand completely,” Adam chuckled sternly, before grabbing by the throat

“ The whole world is my hostage I can do whatever I please with whomever I want and get away with it invincibly without so much as a slap on the wrist , so if you even try to whisper or explain what you think you might have seen to anyone, I’ll be using you’re old man frank as my tool after I find you and make you watch me order him to kill his wife you’re Judy your grandma, then I’ll convince him to put a shot gun in his mouth and blow his brains out while you witness your entire life fall apart you understand?” he muttered glaringly his grip pressing on my neck, I nodded in acceptance and almost chocking at the same time, he loosens his grip letting go.

“ Wow, how dark natured of you brother I never thought you had in you.” Said Chris in his twisted sense admiration.

“Alright boy’s I guess we’ve all established our propensity for directness, there’s a poor thing bleeding over here she’s served her purpose I think it’s high time we let her go Adam.” Lock grinned coldly.

“we wouldn’t want her to collapse here would we?”

How could he be able to squeeze out a smile on his face so easily after what they’ve done, ”

“ you don’t remember anything you’ve seen in this room except for the patient laying there, and for the cut on you’re on wrist you sustained it accidentally while carrying a pile of broken glass from a shattered mirror your bedroom and it slipped.” Adam muttered to her gazing straight to her eyes again.

“ Now tell me, how did you get that cut on your wrist?”

“ I accidently got injured carrying a pile of broken glass at home from a shattered mirror in my bedroom.”

“very good, and has anyone visited the patient in this room lately?”

“ No, they’ve been no visitors, the patient has been alone all day.” The nurse replied.

“Alright miss, you can return to whatever you were doing after you patch up wrist, you’re free, you can go now.” He released her, the poor lady left the room as ordered. I feared part of her may have been damaged somehow though she may not realize it, I hoped after this they won’t stalk her in a dark alley or make her commit suicide since manipulating people seem to be Adam’s specialty.

“ Not to worry Nate, she may feel a bit disoriented for now but she’ll be fine and back to normal in a few hours after she gets some sleep. You should see the look on your face” lock chuckled pushing the waste bin to the end of the room.

“ I bet we’re done here folk’s, I sincerely hope you heal up nicely Nate. Ciao.” He softly patted my shoulder at that spot where I dreamt he burned leaving a scar to my skin, that was when I noticed my body had been trembling the whole time and they walked out together.

I sighed deeply in relief gently resting my head back to the pillow trying to wrap my thoughts about their presence here, when I saw my grand-parents standing at the door looking at me with an unbelievable joy and relief in their faces, Judy ran wrapping her hands around passionately.

“ Holy heavens, it’s a miracle you’re awake. I never stopped praying I knew you were in there somewhere and God would find a way to bring you back to us.” She tightened her embrace, I groaned lightly feeling a slight pain on my shoulder, she quietly let go.

“ I’m sorry honey, I kind of forgot.” she apologized I nodded with a light smile.

“ if you decided to scare us Nate, I want you to know you did one hell of a good job.” Frank grinned at me and I saw the gratefulness in his eyes, God may have found a way to keep me alive but I was scared for the kind of realty I had awoken into, it’s no longer the type that states water makes things wet and time is fluid not when the impossible is being displayed before my own eyes.

“ how are you feeling, are you okay?” Judy asked anxiously.

“yeah, I’m fine. Just some part of me still feels a little sore.”

“ don’t worry honey, it’s all going to be fine okay, you’ll get better I promise.” Her face looked puffy from crying with bits of discolored skin on her lips. I wished getting better will just be as easy as Judy said I understood her frustration that made her spend more time with me in the hospital while I was unconscious, her son has been in coma for seventeen years and now her grandson slips into the same state of unconsciousness same as his father after a couple of weeks he show up in town, brutal isn’t it?

I got better visitors the next day, Allan, Wade, Ashley, Scarlet. They all showed for me, Judy must have told Allan that I was awake, from his glum mood and face I could tell he’d also been worried sick, he blamed himself for what happened to me as his fault because he convinced me come to the party in the first place. I tried soothing him told him not be too hard on himself that my current predicament was of my own doing when I decided to leave the party not him, being with them again felt warm comforting, made forget I had difficulty moving most of my body part, the perfect sensation I needed at that moment, somewhere inside my head I kept expecting Raven to show up one day, pay a visit after everything that has happened like she normally did when I was unconscious from what doctor Shannon had told me. Though It would be quite awkward if she did because I’m I not be sure of how I’ll react or what might say to her. at least I’ll get chance to be mad at her and she won’t hurt me or threaten me like her brothers did maybe she cares maybe not, she never came.

The week ran out, I got weary of staying in the hospital, stuck in bed inactive then I cherished my room bed for once it’s warm open sided and hell a lot better than this one so I complained to frank, he had along conversation with the doctor in charge, they eventually agreed upon my discharge since there’s been a lot of improvement in my recovery but I won’t be able to walk normally for a while due to my fractured right leg from my kneecap down, I was given a leg brace with an underarm clutches to aid my movement till my leg is fully healed.