Immortal Bodies

Chapter 12--Forsighted Caution

"What are we going to do?" asked Riley, raking a nervous hand through her hair.

Dylan shook his head. "I have absolutely no idea. I mean, who would make that call?"

They were standing at the back of an empty lot where there was no one around except for an old man smoking what looked like weed, but was a few yards away.

Riley was shaking all over. The thought....The very thought of being called to a Mental Facility....

"I don't know. It would've had to have been someone that knows. About her Seeing. Who else knows besides the three of us?"

Dylan shook his head. "I don't know. It would've had to have been someone tat knew they'd be getting rid of her for good. Do you know of anyone who doesn't like her? Who just may have happened to overhear?"

As soon as he said it, something in her mind clicked like a pen and she knew. She knew she knew, she just needed to catch him in the right spot.

 She replayed the conversation over in her head, and realized that he didn't just dislike her, he despised her!

"I know who did it!" She exclaimed. "Just....Stall them from making her take the lie detector test and I'll be back!"

"Wait--" he started to protest.

But she was gone, sprinting down the narrow corridor.

***

Annaliese had had enough of this room. She wanted out. She couldn't do anything to calm her mind. She had paced, sat, stood, tried of thinking she was in her own room at her own house and that her father was with her, but nothing worked.

She had taken to running her hands along the wall--a trick her father had taught her when she was little. He said that if you had the right intentions, that you would feel something other than wall. She wasn't really sure what that was supposed to mean, but surely something, right?

But all she was feeling was wall, and there was nothing more than a small, white square room.

No wonder they called this a Mental Facility.

About a quarter of the way around the room, she felt a knot in the wall, something that felt different than the perimeter of the room

The knot, she realized, was knob, as if it was piece of wall that could come undone--

Annaliese was kneeling now, and pushed the knob in with her hands. She pushed as hard as she could--and nothing. It wouldn't budge.

She pushed even more, even harder, sure that this was a way out. Sure that if she pushed with all of her might she'd get somewhere.

And she felt the knob go inwards. A chunk of the panel went in, a sizable whole, about the size of a shoebox. She panel had come off the wall completely and she slid it back out, setting it on the floor beside of her.

Annaliese could only see darkness in the hole she'd made. And she was obviously too small to fit through it....

She stuck her hands through, trying to see if anything was in the hole. Her fingers grasped a papery thing, and when she pulled it out with a skip of her heart, she realized it was a folder.

A mental-record folder.

And on the tab, it said, in big, bold letters, Chandler Blake.

***

Dylan's heart was slamming inside of his chest. He could do this, or never get Annaliese out of this place. He had no clue where Riley went, but knew that she wouldn't be back soon. That was for sure.

He pressed his back to the wall white washed wall that led into the jumble of rooms, and one of them was Annaliese's. The officer standing in front of her doorway was leaning on the frame--he was young, too, maybe a few years older than Dylan, and muscular.

Could he really do this? Could he really bite someone else and drink their blood?

Dylan thought of the first time he had drunk someone's blood. He'd felt energy pulsing through him like a burst of electricity painting his veins. It felt--amazing.

He could do this--he could do this for Annaliese right? And besides, it wasn't like this was for him. He didn't like human blood--he stuck with bats and other small animals. The blood wasn't as energy fulfilling, but it still was a good substitute.

Dylan stepped out of his hiding spot.

***

Chandler Blake.

The name sounded in her mind--screamed at her, actually, making her heart stop inside of her chest. She didn't know what to make of this. Her father was in here?

With shaking hands, Annaliese opened the folder, and saw files of papers. She picked out the first one, which turned out to be a letter, in small, cursive writing:

Chandler--

I don't know how much longer you can keep this from your daughter. I don't know how much longer until the Gatekeeper tries to kill her again....But it won't be long. I can make sure of that. The Immortal Bodies are treachorous creatures, harsh demons that want nothing more than to steal away one's soul. You should let the Gatekeeper capture you--and if not for me, do it for your daughter. Do it for Annaliese. I can understand your reasoning for not wanting to leave your home, but you should. It's been such a long time. I just hope you understand.

--Jack

***

"Did you do it?" Riley gripped his shoulder and tugged Christian around.

Christain narrowed his eyes. "Did I do what?"

"Make that call? To get rid of Annaliese?"

"How do you--"

"Because as twisted as this is, as you are, you still shouldn't ruin someone's life like that. It's twisted and evil and rotten to the core!"

They were in a dark street, towards her house, when Riley had spotted him walking. The moon, still waning from Friday night, shone brightly, a halo of milky brightness surrounding it.

"Okay, yeah, I did. So what? Riley, tell me what the hell is going on, because I'm so confused."

Anger flared up through her, and she clenched her fists. "It's none of your buisness! Just stay out of it!"

"I can't!' His eyes glinted in the dimness--they were under a street light in the neighborhood, and Riley could see his chocolatey brown eyes glint with confusion. "I heard you and Dylan talking! I heard what you said about Annaliese seeing demons, and I don't get what's going on! Why? Why do you keep lying about this to me? I'm your best friend! We don't keep secrets from each other!"

"Demons," Riley started, "Are dangerous creatures, and just because you don't understand what's going on doesn't mean that you have to ruin Annaliese's life! You can either make that call and tell them it was a joke or somehting or I swear to God, I'll never speak to you again."

Christian pulled out his phone. "Yeah, I'll make the call, but that doesn't mean I'll ever talk to you again."

"Great, it's not like I was planning on it." And RIley stormed away, without a single look back.