UNPSYCHIC.

Case 02 :: Chapter 09

Noelle crouched and tipped the wooden box until a black, velvet pouch slid out of it and onto the floor.  Retrieving a butterfly knife from her back pocket, flinging it expertly to reveal the blade, she sliced the fabric open with one swipe. Then used the tip of her blade to rummage through the contents of the bag. 

"Is that...what I think it is?" I squatted down for a closer inspection. Random objects had spilled out from the pouch; bone fragments, rusty nails, shards of glass, dirt, a lock of hair bundled together by twine. But what caught my attention was a folded photograph tucked between the detritus. 

She used the tip of her knife to unfurl the folded photo. It was a mugshot image of Sir Matti in his uniform, possibly for a faculty shoot for a year book or something. But what chilled me to the core were the violent scratch marks on his eyes, as if the person who inflicted them was in a fit of rage. 

"See if you could get a reading out of this," she slid the photo using the tip of her knife. "You might see something useful."

Considering that she refused to directly touch the photo, my eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why are you letting me do it? Is it safe?" 

"The range of your abilities are quite…intriguing." She cocked her head, as she studied me without blinking to the point that I broke away first. "And your safety is solely dependent on how easily you can hone it." She nudged the photo again, urging me to take it. 

I wanted to decline, not sure if I had fully recovered mentally and emotionally from last night. But the thought of someone going out of their way to impose such suffering through dark means, was repulsive. Even if it was to Sir Matti. With my mind set, I nodded, took a deep breath and picked up the photo–

A loud white noise sliced through the air. I immediately let go of it and covered my ears as the ringing grew louder and excruciating with every decibel, as though triggered by just a touch of the photo. My blood surged through my veins, the sensation felt like I was being boiled alive from within. My vision blurred until–

All I could see was red. 

A new kind of fear caught me in its claws. I could feel it physically holding my arms down that I had to pull them free. I got to my feet, blindly running a few steps before stumbling to the ground as I hit something invisible. My muscles convulsed and twisted, my body no longer under my control. The panic continued to build and build, threatening to consume me whole. The pandemonium warped into a loud scream from a distance–

A strong force attacked me from behind and I found myself trapped in a prone position. Unable to move. Unable to breathe. My arms were contorted behind me and on the verge of snapping off from its sockets. The shrieks amplified and I realized seconds later that the screams came from me. 

"Dominic!"

As if being slapped back to reality, I blinked and my vision cleared, as if the red film never blinded me. The face of death from the bronze statuette stared back at me as it laid haphazardly on the ground. It took another minute for my scattered mind to piece together that I was pinned against the floor, the tiles cool to the touch against my cheek. 

"Doc?"

I craned my neck, and it only then registered that Noelle straddled me from behind, twisting both my arms to hinder any movement. I tried to speak. But ended up gagging for air from the pressure of her weight. She immediately released her hold on me and got up, and I inhaled a lungful of some needed oxygen. 

"What…happened?" I croaked, my voice hoarse and dried up. Very slowly, I lifted myself into a sitting position, wincing at the soreness from my shoulder blades. Rivulets of perspiration trickled the side of my face, I had to wipe them off with my jacket sleeve.