Other Lives

Other Lives

By

Alex Black

Also by Alex Black

Watch For

Unholy Matrimony

Coming Soon

Other Lives

SOMETIMES, WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW, CAN HURT YOU…

Alex Black

Praise for Alex Black

"Somewhat chilling… Sixth sense-like thriller…"

— Kirkus Reviews — Kirkus Reviews

"Comical…"

— Kirkus Reviews

"Readers drawn in by the quiet, effective spookiness…"

— Kirkus Reviews

"They keep the pages turning…"

— Kirkus Reviews

"Effective demonstration of why the things that go bump in the night aren’t nearly as bad as the skeletons in the closet."

— Kirkus Reviews

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2006 by Alex Black

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

For Katie,

My first and biggest fan ever

The little children

shall rise up again,

and triumph over man’s

wicked deeds.

— Anonymous

Acknowledgments

I owe a great deal of gratitude to my wife and son for their patience and understanding during the creation of Other Lives. Without them, none of this would have been possible.

Many thanks to Diane, my second biggest fan. Without your encouragement and support, I could never have made it through this process. As promised, my first copy will go to you.

To all, thanks again!

CHAPTER 1

Karen tugged on his hand. C’mon, slow poke. I know you and Dad don’t need the exercise as much as I do, but I dragged you away from your project ’cause even brainiacs need a little sun every now and then.

Taking a deep breath, Charlie picked up his pace.

Karen continued, "We’ll just walk to the end of this block, then back home, ok?"

Charlie forced a smile and nodded.

As they approached the corner, a woman called out, Ma’am, ma’am?

They both turned to see a woman rapidly approaching. It didn’t take long for Karen to recognize her. It was Alice Brooks, Karen’s neighbor and the town busy-body. She took a flier from the top of a stack and handed it to Karen.

Have you seen this girl?

Karen looked at it thoughtfully as Alice stapled another to the pole.

Karen looked up, I don’t think so. Why?

The woman paused to tuck in some loose hair, and then turned to point.

She lives there, in that white and blue house. She’s been missing for three days now.

Oh yes, I think I read about her. She disappeared after her sixth birthday party or something?

The woman nodded in agreement, her face filled with pity.

"Yes, it’s very sad. I mean, we’re a small town. You’d expect this sort of thing in L.A., but here in Amarillo…" she shook her head.

Karen pointed at the nearby school building.

Does she attend this school?

The woman hesitated, appearing distracted as she leaned to look around Karen.

Finally she replied, Uh yes. Yes, she does.

Alice was still leaning, fixated on something behind Karen.

Karen, turning to see what the woman was staring at, saw Charlie slowly stroking the poster on the pole, with no expression on his face. Obviously embarrassed, Karen asked, Charlie, what are you doing son?

Charlie continued to stroke the poster, oblivious to his surroundings.

Karen placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a little shake, Son, what is it?

He appeared startled, as if waking from a dream. He slowly raised his arm, extended it, and pointed. After a short silence, he said, She lives there Mother.

Karen turned to see that he was pointing at a corner house, Who lives there son?

Still pointing at the house, he said nothing, turning once again to stare at the poster of the missing girl.

Karen heard the woman smacking in annoyance and she quickly corrected him.

No honey, this little girl lives down the block.

With no emotion, he responded, No Mother. She lives there now…under the dirt.

The woman took in a horrified gasp as she stumbled backward, attempting to place distance between herself and this frightening child. Karen swiftly turned and began to plead, Please Alice, I am so sorry. He didn’t mean anything by that.

The woman stormed off as Charlie began to sway, appearing weak, ultimately collapsing into his mother’s arms.

* * *

Karen had been struggling for some time, trying to understand what was happening to her family. She could remember a time when her son still referred to her as ‘mom’. He used terms like ‘yeah’ and ‘huh’. A time when she could count on him to slip up and get into minor trouble throughout the day. He would come and steal a hug and a kiss from her for no apparent reason. He was her little boy then. So what was he now? He acts differently, speaks differently and sometimes… every now and then, she could swear he looked and even smelled differently. She had little experience in the ‘mom business.’ Her own mother had a somewhat ‘hands off’ philosophy when it came to raising children, but her father more than made up for this. She grew up in Guymon, a small town in the Oklahoma panhandle, so living in a larger city took a bit of getting used to. She was a mousy looking girl growing up and…come to think of it, she was still mousy looking but in a beautiful way, in ‘The girl next door’ sort of way. Although of late, you wouldn’t have been able to tell it, had you been basing it on her husband’s behavior. He liked to keep busy, too busy. He was busy with work and when he wasn’t working, he was busy with hobbies. When he was not busy with either of those, he seemed to be busy in his mind, off in a world of his own. Karen only lamented the fact that when it came to interacting with his family, he was not so busy. And when it came to his son’s strange and ever changing behavior, he was missing in action altogether. He often made Karen feel like a hysterical woman, making much to do about nothing. And now, now, the last thing she needed was for the town busy-body to personally witness some juicy gossip— not that a lack of witnessing ever stood in Alice’s way before.

* * *

A week had elapsed since Charlie lost consciousness. Karen was returning home from the pediatrician’s office, with the results. Charlie had been given a ‘clean bill of health’.

She entered a convenience store to pay for her gas.

Will that be all, ma’ am?

Yes, thank you.

As she was waiting for her change, she looked around. She glanced down at the newspaper rack beside her. The photo caught her eye. Where do I know that from? She wondered. Her blood went cold as she read the headline:

Rottweilers maul six-year-old to death. Man buries body to avoid consequences.

She was staring at a photograph of the house that Charlie had pointed out. Karen was numb as she headed for the exit. Bolting through the door, she held her arms outstretched, toward the red sports car she’d stepped in front of, as it screeched to a halt. All of the customers had now stopped what they were doing and stared as Karen continued to her vehicle, mumbling incoherently.

The clerk stood in the drive as she sped away. He held a fist full of money in the air, Ma’am… ma’am? You forgot your change!

CHAPTER 2

Good morning, sweetheart.

Morning, he responded, in a groggy voice. With his eyes still half-closed, he poured.

They sat quietly for a moment as he half-heartedly blew on his coffee. Karen chewed slowly as she deliberated how to rekindle the conversation without annoying him. Finally, she slowly shook her head and said, I don’t know, I’m just worried about him.

David threw his head back, looking about the ceiling as he adjusted his robe. He sighed loudly, Charlie!?

Yes, I’m just worried about him.

He threw his arms up in defeat, Okay, I’m awake! he said in a high-pitched voice. Whata’ya want me to say? Whata’ya want me to do? I’ll do it!

David, why can’t we have this discussion without arguing?

He leaned forward and whispered loudly, Because I don’t think there’s anything wrong with him, and I don’t want people to know my family is seeing a psychiatrist! He stopped, took a deep breath and sipped on his coffee.

In a meek voice, she retorted, "It’s not your family being treated."

Sweetheart, as far as I’m concerned, it reflects on all of us.

You can’t believe that there’s nothing wrong with him. Your son, your little boy, walks around in a constant state of depression. He doesn’t have any friends. He doesn’t want them. He…he…doesn’t seem to need them.

Look, I didn’t have a lot of friends when I was eight either.

No! That’s just part of it. David, he’s a little boy. There are things he says, things he knows, that a little boy…he knew the location of a little girl’s body for God’s sake! she then burst into tears.

Okay, okay, he said in a calming voice, I just thought that maybe you misunderstood him that day or something. I said I’ll do whatever you want.

Alright, she said, wiping her eyes, I’ll make an appointment Monday.

* * *

Charlie came in fully dressed, with his hair neatly combed. As he began to pour his cereal, he said, Good morning Mother. Good morning Father.

Karen asked, Did you brush your teeth?

Yes Mother, I always brush my teeth.

Yeah, I know, she said, appearing mildly exasperated, I don’t know why I ask anymore.

Karen stood and began to clear the table. David stared at Charlie for a moment with an entertained expression.

You know son, when I was your age, I used to like to eat fun cereal. You know—shapes, marshmallows? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kid who likes Grape Nuts.

Yes, I know Father, but that’s not a healthy meal to start out the day.

Karen, standing at the sink, cocked her head, giving David her ‘I-told-you-so’ look. David quickly changed the subject.

So, what are you gonna do today big guy?

I thought I’d work on my science project. I don’t understand it; the data is all there and there are no variables, but the compound’s consistency changes each time.

No, David responded quickly, almost interrupting, "I meant, what are you going to do outside? You haven’t even opened the bug-collection kit I bought you. I thought you’d like it. It’s kind of scientific."

Y-e-s, he said slowly, but I can’t keep the bugs against their will, away from their loved ones. I’m sure they wouldn’t like it any more than I did.

There was a loud crash as Karen dropped a dish onto the kitchen floor. She knelt down quickly to pick up the pieces.

How clumsy of me, she said, her voice trembling, trying not to show the tears welling up in her eyes.

What did you say? David asked Charlie, incredulously.

Charlie remained silent for a moment, realizing he’d done it again. He didn’t mean to frighten his mother; it just happened sometimes.

Charlie gulped loudly, "I mean, they wouldn’t like it any more than I would. May I be excused?" he said quickly as he scampered out the back door.

Silence emanated throughout the house the rest of the morning.

* * *

As David was passing, the telephone rang. He answered, Hello? Yeah just a minute. He handed it to Karen, It’s your sister.

Hi Kris, how’s it going? She looked at the calendar and cringed, Oooooh, tomorrow’s not a good day. Yeah, I promise I’ll make it up to you the next time you’re passing through. No, I haven’t heard from Dad since the last time we talked. Did your brother give you the news? Believe it or not, Kaden is actually taking the big plunge. Yeah, sometime in February, but it’ll be held in Alaska, because he’s not eligible for military leave. Yeah, I guess just a justice of the peace kind of thing. Yep, I can hear them crying in the background. Okay, sis. Love ya. Bye.

* * *

Karen opened her eyes abruptly, staring at the textured ceiling above her with the aid of the light from the full moon. She felt very strange. She’d gone from a sound sleep, to wide awake within a fraction of a second. She began to get a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. It reminded her of the feeling she had gotten once before, when a friend showed her a gory videotape depicting tragic accidents, in which life after life was snuffed out. She got out of bed and headed for the medicine cabinet in search of something to settle her stomach. As she was passing Charlie’s room, she paused to look in on him. He was not in his bed. Panicked, she rushed from room to room, searching for him. She entered the living room and stopped. She could see his silhouette in the window, facing north, motionless. She walked up and stood behind him for some time, as tears streamed down her face. She could not bear to see her son appear so tortured, desperately in search of something, but what? What could be tormenting him so? Before Karen could finish reaching up to muss the hair on the back of his head, Charlie spun and returned to his room, as if on autopilot. She watched him as he rounded the corner into the hallway.

With her right hand, she spread the drapes and looked to the north. Immediately, her body filled with dread, causing her to withdraw from the window with a light gasp. She walked quickly to the hallway, looking over her shoulder; sure that something was watching her. She pushed Charlie’s door open to find him fully covered, sound asleep, as though nothing had taken place. Karen then found herself doing what she’d done a thousand times before as a child. She dashed through her bedroom door, dove into bed, and buried herself beneath the blankets.

* * *

The following day, Sunday, David was surfing the Internet. Karen grabbed his shirt sleeve and dragged him to the back door. Together they watched as Charlie knelt on one knee, staring down into space, motionless, without expression.

After a few minutes, Karen said, I wonder where he goes?

In an exhausted voice, as though he were continuing to fight a battle he had already lost, David said, I still think you’re pushing this too hard. He’ll grow out of it. He turned and walked away with his shoulders slumped, feeling helpless.

* * *

As they were finishing up, David asked, Hey, after lunch can I get some help from the two of you?

Yes Father.

Sure honey. What are you gonna do?

Half of my fishing gear is stored in boxes up in the attic and I just want to get it all together. I’ll hand the boxes to you, on the ladder, and you can hand them down to Charlie.

They finished eating and cleared the table together, just like a real family. Without delay, they followed one another into the garage. Karen and Charlie gathered around like cheerleaders as David went to pull the stairs down. The stairs had descended about a foot or so when the rope broke. Caught completely by surprise, David flew backward, first landing on his backside and then rolling backward, flipping, and finally landing face down. The cheerleaders went from startled, to concerned, to amused, laughing so hard that they couldn’t even speak. David quickly scrambled to his feet, trying to pretend nothing had happened. Still laughing, Karen approached him, bent over, holding her stomach with one hand. Abandoning her smile, she opened her mouth wide as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Are you all right? she uttered.

David playfully grimaced in disgust, demonstrating his disapproval at the fact that they were laughing at him.

"I’m sorry honey, we’re not laughing at you. It’s just that…that looked hilarious!" With that, she started laughing all over again.

David pretended to be angry, "Okay, okay, it wasn’t that funny!"

Charlie removed his hand from his mouth just as the laughter was beginning to subside, "That was funny Father!"

Still pretending to be upset, he responded, Yeah, ha ha, very funny!

Charlie continued, Mother, it was just like the time you fell from the rope swing and ruined your Easter dress. He then burst out into a fresh round of laughter, prompting his father to do the same.

Karen abruptly stopped laughing at receiving Charlie’s statement, Why did you say that?

He immediately knew why she was asking. He wished that he could stop doing this to his mother.

Son, I’m asking you a question. Why did you say that?

He appeared slightly frightened as he raised one shoulder and cocked his head toward it. He slowly responded, I don’t know.

Puzzled, David said, Am I missing something? I didn’t hear him say anything out of line.

No, I’m asking him if he felt like something compelled him to say that.

David shook his head, I’m still lost. I don’t get what you’re saying.

"David, I never told Charlie that story. I never told anyone that story."

David closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled loudly, as if to say, ‘Here we go again!’ He then threw his hands up and left the garage.

I’m only curious son, you’re not in trouble. I was only wondering if that story just now entered your mind, like someone was telling you about it—or telling you to say it? He looked at her for a long time, thinking. He didn’t want to aggravate the situation by saying the wrong thing. No, it wasn’t like that…I think…I was there.

She was astounded. She had no idea how to respond to that. Well…uh…that’s impossible son. I was just a little girl!

Charlie had now adopted a distant stare, Yes…I know, I was watching you from the tree line.

* * *

Karen struggled through the next few days, filled with anxiety, eager to get help for her Charlie.

CHAPTER 3

Ahh, here it is.

Karen and Charlie stared at the gold plaque on the door. Dr. Steven J. Rosenbaum III.

Charlie looked up in awe of the huge, stone, lions that flanked the massive double doors. Above the doors, chiseled in marble, was the Parthenon inscribed with the words, Medeor et Puer.

I wonder what that means, Karen said, attempting to ease any fears Charlie might be having, as she held the door open.

It means, ‘heal the child,’ Charlie replied in a quiet voice as he stepped through the doorway. She stood in wonder, her eyes following him through the doorway, unsure how he could have known that. She realized that she was much more nervous than he. Upon entering, they were met by the receptionist.

"Hello. You must be Mrs. Marcum. Please be seated. The doctor will be right with