Day One ∞ Early Friday morning, August 10, 1979

THE URGENCY OF "THE DAM" WAS GONE. No longer did he have a compulsion in the back of his mind pushing him on. Danny glanced at the girl beside him as the strange circumstances fleeted through his mind.

It didn't make sense.

Why was he here? Why was she here?

Still in disbelief, he shook his head and wiped his forehead. With the adrenaline rush from earlier subsiding, he was starting to feel tired.

We'll soon reach home. In less than a half-hour, keeping within the speed limit. He decided to turn on the radio to ease his tension.

"—that's three times in the past two weeks!"

"So what you're saying is that this cougar isn't finding enough prey to feed on?"

"That's right. Why else would it be turning over my trash can?"

He changed from the local station to some easy music.

That's more like it. This made up for what he'd had to suffer through at the club. The loud music and cheering had been an assault to his ears. But he'd suffered through it amicably while watching Ray arm-wrestle the Myers brothers and the lifeguards from Lakepoint, figuring, in the meantime, a couple of beers wouldn't hurt.

A couple of beers.

Right.

First time drinking beer since he couldn't remember when and he almost blew it. Fortunately, it was still within his limit, so he could drive Ray home. Ray was something else, though, working hard on "building up self-confidence to match the size" of his biceps. Arm wrestling was his attempt to attract girls' attention and land a catch.

Instead, he was the one taking a girl home with him. That had definitely not been part of his plan.

He shook his head to himself again and glanced at her before the familiar tune of Dust in the wind made him hum. The strains of violins atop acoustic guitars were soothing. His fingers came to life, strumming the air over the steering wheel. He wished he could finger-pick like that.

The song faded as he turned right onto the next county road—and the decade-old hit In the year twenty-five twenty-five took over. He bobbed his head to the music, and it was not long before the treetops up ahead lit up in pace with the beat.

Another one?

Apprehensive, he eased his foot off the gas pedal, slowing down to a walk as he approached the curve.

Those were blue and red flashers.

As the road straightened before him, a line of silent emergency vehicles approached the upcoming bridge. His heart jumped to his throat. He'd better pull over.

As he rolled to a halt at a small service station, a police car, a fire truck, an ambulance, then two black cars flew past—the sudden draft hitting him in the face.

What the hell? He hopped out of the truck, his eyes glued to the last two vehicles as they disappeared around the curve with their pulsating lights trailing in the air.

Maybe it had something to do with the blackout. He looked around. No lights came from the buildings in this area either and this old, one-pump station was closed. But across the road near the bridge, he caught sight of something hovering.

A column of swirling mist.

He blinked. It was gone. Or maybe he hadn't seen anything there in the first place.

Great. Now my eyes are playing tricks on me.

Uneasiness crept over him, attacking his nape and shoulders with waves of prickly chills. He turned around. His eyes darted over the shadows on the truck bed and above the trees to a bank of clouds growing from the southeast, chasing the moon across the sky.

A shudder prompted him to climb back into the driver's seat. Inhaling a deep breath, he turned to his passenger. He wasn't sure, but her face looked drawn. Maybe she was sleeping again.

"Let's go home," he said, more to himself than the girl. He wanted to get out of there. It was beyond late and she needed to get out of those wet clothes.

∞

Danny found the town lit by streetlights and signs as usual, unaffected by the southside blackout. He took a side road through the suburb and eventually turned onto a rutted driveway walled by tall pines. Up ahead, the welcoming porch light shone from a two-story wood-frame house.

"Well... this is home," he said.

The girl did not react. He didn't even know if she was awake. Her eyes remained closed as she shivered, her face looking pale in the yellow light. It worried him. Maybe it was a mistake taking her home. Maybe he should have taken her to the hospital anyway.

As the thought crossed his mind, it vanished—the sense of having done the right thing taking its place.

He jumped out to open the front doors and prop the screen door to keep it from shutting by itself. Then he scooped her out of the truck and noted that she was conscious enough to keep her head from falling back as he pushed the passenger door shut. He carried her inside to the living room and lowered her onto the sofa. As he pulled away and lifted the blanket to her shoulders, tucking it in around her, she relaxed into the cushions.

"Hang in there, Miss, I'll be right back."

He kicked off his shoes before running upstairs to Gina's room. His older sister was fast asleep, wrapped in her sheet. He jostled her shoulder several times before she started stirring.

"Yeah... Yes, I'm sleeping—come back tomorrow." She mumbled something else and turned her back to him, burying her head in the pillow.

"Come on, Sis, wake up. I need your help."

She rolled over, shielding her eyes from the ceiling light. "What time is it?" She fumbled for her alarm clock and groaned. "Three-twenty?... What happened to your sense of—"

"Please, I'm serious—I need you right now."

Gina sighed and yawned, grumbling as she slowly pulled on her pink robe. "It – had – better... be important... Or I'll strangulate you."

"It is. I've got a girl downstairs who needs your help."

Her foot halted its search for her slipper. "A girl? What girl?" She squinted at him and sniffed, crinkling her nose. "Wait... You just came home? Are you drunk?"

"I'm not drrrrunk," Danny deliberately dragged out the r to provoke his sister, stepping back.

Now she was fully awake, eyeing him suspiciously. "You were drinking at that party—I can smell it. And you still drove? Tell me, how many did you have?"

He put up his hands, retreating to the door. "It was within my limit—I swear, I didn't drink that much."

"Yeah? And if the police stopped you?"

"Would you just come already? She needs your help." He waved at her, then hurried back downstairs.

The girl hadn't moved, but she still shivered intermittently. Danny sank down on the coffee table, inspecting the scrapes on her face. They were minor, but still disturbing.

God knows what you've been through.

Gina arrived beside him, dragging her slippers.

"Look at her," she said after a moment. "What have you done to her?" She bent to feel the side of the girl's neck.

"Nothing. That's how I found her," he said in a hushed voice. He got up to give his sister room, pushing the table back.

She shook her hand twice as if shaking off water and pushed the girl's hair away from the neck, exposing the intricately patterned collar. "That felt like static electricity," she muttered, "from her necklace? Hmm... I don't think she has a fever."

"That is," he continued as Gina lifted the blanket, "I almost ran over her. Near Hardridge. She didn't seem too sure of what she was doing out there."

"Almost? What if you had?" She shook her head and straightened herself. "She's in a bad way. You know, she might even be in shock. Why didn't you just take her to the hospital?"

"She didn't want me to. Besides, I know you know first aid."

"Aaah... Ha. And just when did you start following instructions?"

He rolled his eyes as his sister gave him a mock look of suspicion.

"I'm going to call the ambulance," she said. "It's the right thing to—"

A wave of tiredness flooded Danny as Gina stared at him. After a moment, she rapidly blinked and shook her head as if to clear it.

"Um... What were you saying?" she asked.

"That you know first aid?" He had the oddest feeling he'd just spaced out and missed some time.

"Oh." A puzzled furrow appeared between her brows as she pushed a long lock of hair behind her ear. "Right... Take her to the guest room. I've got to get her out of these clothes." She went ahead of him.

He frowned. Something was definitely off—he couldn't figure it out. But he had more important matters to attend to. Lifting the girl again, he propped her head against his shoulder and carried her upstairs. Gina was spreading an old beach towel on the guest bed when he entered the room. He placed the girl on it, and then they both stood there, looking at her.

"I don't get it. What were you doing all the way down there by Hardridge Creek anyway?"

Danny grimaced. "I just ended up there, I guess."

"Ended up there?" Gina shook her head as she walked around the bed to scrutinize the girl and her clothing. "All alone in the middle of the night? I'm assuming?"

"That's the same thing I asked her—"

"Take off her boots."

"—but she doesn't know," he continued as he bent to comply. "Look, it's the honest truth. I don't even know who she is." The supple boots flopped unceremoniously as he put them aside.

"Okay. Keep an eye on her." Gina disappeared again.

Danny sighed and remained standing beside the bed. "Don't worry," he said to the girl. "She'll take care of you."

Her chest rose and fell with a deep breath, the gently curved eyebrows contracting slightly. He watched her closely, but she made no other movement, no indication that she'd heard what he said.

Still, he felt the need to say more. "You're safe here."

The tension around her mouth seemed to relax, but that was all.

His gaze slid below her chin to the silver collar. It was unlike any necklace he'd ever seen before. Its patterns and symbols branched from a concentric triangle-circle of small, dark stones at the front—the center a cavity like a larger stone was missing.

He couldn't help but be curious. Bending, he touched its uneven surface without disturbing her. It was cold, though not hard as he'd expected. The pattern shifted under his touch, making his fingertips tingle.

"Check the dogs, would you?" he heard behind him, and he snatched back his hand. "Before they wake up the whole neighborhood."

"Dogs?" he echoed. Now he heard the aggressive barking outside.

Gina didn't notice his distraction. She rested a bowl of warm water on the bedside table and pulled a first aid kit, a couple of rags, and nightwear out from under her arm and placed them on the bed next to the girl.

"And then fix some tea."

"Tea?"

"Yes. Chamomile. It's in the top left-hand cupboard. Make it sweet. I'll take care of this." She pulled an antiseptic bottle out of the kit and poured some into the water.

"Some tea."

"Mmhm." Gina looked up at him. "Something the matter?"

His ears heated up. "N-no... Nothing." He backed out of the room and hurried downstairs and outside to the ruckus. He found the big German shepherd mix tugging furiously at its ten-foot chain by the kennel, but the half-grown fox terrier was nowhere in sight.

"Quiet, Zorro! Zorro!"

The dog finally paid attention, making a short run toward him before sitting down, panting. But it kept turning its head, looking toward the woods bordering the backyard with short growling whines.

"Laddie!" Danny called, staring at the trees in the semi-darkness. "Lad!"

Zorro started barking and growling again, but there was still no sign of the other dog.

"Seriously, Zorro." He needed to make that cup of tea. "Shut up! What is it with you? Save the jealousy and let Lad have his fun."

He jogged back to the front and pulled the screen door with him as he stepped inside. He left the front door open to remind himself to park his truck in the garage before going to bed. Then he got to work in the kitchen, filling the kettle and putting it on the stove, taking out a cup and the pack of chamomile. He turned to rest his back against the counter while he waited, rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn.

The next moment, a long complaint sounded from his stomach, reminding him that he hadn't had dinner yet. He cast an eye on the kettle before uncovering the plate Gina had left out for him. Baked chicken, potatoes, and beans.

All cold.

Who cares? His stomach certainly wouldn't lodge a complaint about that. Without giving the microwave oven a thought, he sat down at the table and dug in.

He tried to force his sluggish brain to think while he ate. He hadn't had the chance to absorb the events of his unusual encounter yet. What persistently came back to him was the disturbed water, the mist, and the silence.

And the emergency vehicles.

They couldn't've been after the girl... could they? Maybe they were...

Absently, he got the kettle and poured boiling water over the tea bag to let it brew. Then he returned to the last piece of tasty cold chicken, a leg, stripping it quickly to the bone.

The girl.

She'd almost drowned. Had she fallen or jumped into the water from a sinking boat? Or had she—heaven forbid—been pushed or thrown? From what?

That must be what the emergency vehicles were after.

The sound of quick steps down the stairs broke his train of thought. He looked up as Gina appeared in the doorway.

"Tea ready?" She seemed a bit flustered.

"Brewing. Just the sugar left."

He followed her with his gaze as she hurried to the counter. Then she abruptly turned to him.

"You know she's blind, right?"

"What?"

"Blind. You know what that is, right?"

"For heaven's sake, Sis—"

"I don't think she can see. Her entire eyes, they're black, her eye whites and her irises—like, empty-like—dark and... I don't know." She shook her head slowly, a lock of dark auburn hair falling to her face. "I've never seen eyes like that before. Reminds me of a... movie..."

"Huh?" He frowned. He couldn't quite digest that. "Okay," he added as he remembered. The girl had not once appeared to use her eyes. "So she's blind. I didn't notice, but it wouldn't surprise me."

He studied his sister. She looked troubled, staring vacantly across the kitchen.

"What's the problem?"

She took a deep breath as if to reply. But then she changed her mind and retrieved the sugar bowl.

"She'll need a lot of rest. I got her out of those wet clothes. I've cleaned and dressed the cut on her knee, as well as her other scrapes."

"Okay, good." He turned back to clear the table. As he grabbed the plate, something dark slipping by caught the corner of his eye. He snapped up his head, focusing through the doorway at the hallway. "What's that?"

Gina followed his gaze, then looked back at him. "What's what?"

He blinked again, shaking his head. He was exhausted. "Never mind," he said. "My eyes are tired. I've been seeing things all night." He rubbed them with a thumb and finger, then took the plate to the sink.

"It's okay," she said. "I'll wash it."

"Thanks."

He left the kitchen. As he entered the hallway, a warm breeze hit him.

The truck.

But the screen door was slowly swinging shut. He stared at it for a moment, frowning.

Didn't I close it?

He couldn't remember.

Going on autopilot, he parked the truck next to Gina's car and pushed the creaking doors shut. As he walked back to the porch, he noticed the dogs were almost quiet—just an occasional small growl or whine. Glancing around, he glimpsed a movement of light between the pine trees near the driveway. He paused and stared, his tiredness momentarily forgotten.

A hazy, swirling column of mist. Again.

He blinked.

It was there.

He took a few steps onto the lawn.

It was still there.

This time, he was sure his eyes weren't playing tricks. It must be a swarm of lightning bugs—that's what it is, what I saw earlier.

He could believe that. And he would have—if he'd ever seen them swarm in his yard before.

Fascinated, he took a few steps past the rose bush to get a better view, staring at the three-foot pillar of mist, twirling with specks of faint color. It hovered between the trees, slowly growing in size.

He stepped closer, his heart pounding.

The swirling moved as a coherent body of light, contracting behind a tree then expanding to the other side, moving away to his left. He stepped in the same direction, then again when it moved further.

What is this? It was responding as if it were conscious, playing games with him.

The air tingled, causing goosebumps to run along his arms, his hairs standing on end. For some inexplicable reason, he felt compelled to call out.

"Hello?"

To his surprise, the swirling slowed down, the column branching out into an arm reaching for the next tree, gradually becoming denser.

"Danny, come here! Quick!"

Startled, he glanced back at the trees. Now there was nothing there. He exhaled with a puff and ran inside to find his sister in the hallway looking up. Closing the door behind him, he followed her gaze to the girl at the landing, dressed in his sister's burgundy nightie, an odd dark haze surrounding her. It faded as she hung onto the railing, swaying alarmingly. He rushed up the stairs two steps at a time and caught her as she tried to take a step and her legs gave in.

"Easy now. You need to rest." He scooped her up and carried her back to the bed. When he straightened himself and looked at her face, he started—she was staring back at him without recognition.

Staring at him... with an intense shade of green.

She inhaled sharply. "Where am I?"

"Don't worry, you're safe." He smiled in reassurance and pulled the sheet to her chest. "Get some sleep, okay?"

She closed her eyes without another word. Sighing, he stepped back and turned off the ceiling light. As he shut the door, he found Gina behind him.

"She's okay. And she's not blind," he said, hushed.

"What? But I—" She reached for the door handle, but he stopped her.

"Let her rest. We're all tired. You can check in the morning." He looked pointedly at his sister. "Okay?"

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I think I'll call Phil over tomorrow and have him check her. Just in case."

"Oh, right, he's a doc. Good idea."

"Get some sleep now. It's after four." She patted him on the arm and returned to her room. "Good night," she said before she disappeared.

Danny remained undecided by the guest room door, blinking, his eyelids suddenly feeling heavy.

"Night," he replied, distracted. A numbing tiredness descended on him in one sweep, leaving room for only one thought.

Sleep.

But he couldn't move.

As he stood there, a buzzing started in the back of his mind. It got irritatingly louder, and he rubbed his head and face in an attempt to clear it. Then he froze as he recognized a voice he was not hearing.

And it spoke to him.

Without a doubt, it was speaking to him.

—Watch over her, Daniel.

— ∞ —

©1989/2016 by kemorgan65

https://youtu.be/_Vl3lydJy9s

The 1977 hit by Kansas: Dust In The Wind  

https://youtu.be/pc8mJU9OaRQ

1969 hit by Zack & Evans: In the Year 2525  

Credits:
*Banner image from a previous cover design I made, with a 'tweak'.