Mind Slide – Excerpt
Mason slowly opened his eyes, although he still couldn’t see much. His senses of hearing and smell slowly caught up with the rest of him. He could make out a faint outline of a tree in front of him. He heard crickets and leaves rustling all around him. There was a slight breeze at his back. The scent of nature touched his nose.
He was in the woods.
“Mason, are you okay?” Doc asked.
The voice was right next to him, like Doc was in the woods with him.
He nodded, and immediately felt silly. His body was still in the lab. It was only his mind that had taken a trip.
He looked at his hands and could barely see them in the darkness. It was a habit he developed a long time ago. He always thought it was strange that during a mind slide he actually thought he had a body.
“Yeah, Doc, I’m here.”
He heard Ronald. He could hear everything in the lab as well as the woods around him. It took many mind slides to get used to that.
“This is amazing. His vitals are all steady. Not a single spike.”
“That’s not important now, Ronald. Mason, what do you see? Be aware.”
He winced. Be aware. He hated when they said that. He always felt like they were trying to program a robot.
But they did succeed over the years. He had the use of all five of his senses and a memory that defied explanation. He was very good at being aware.
“Give me a second,” he said.
He described the woods around him as the relaxing music danced in his ears. He could never get a good feel for temperature, but there was a persistent breeze. The trees were thick and dense. He didn’t hear traffic of any kind. The moon peeked from behind the clouds every so often, providing some light. It was very peaceful, very lonely.
“Do you see Kelly?”
Brian interrupted. “Wait a minute. Are you trying to tell me the kid is psychic? He can bend spoons and crap like that?”
“Hush!”
Mason looked all around him. His heart sank. He had the feeling Kelly’s dead body wasn’t too far away, and he would drag his foot right through her. He wasn’t sure if he could handle that.
“I don’t see Kelly anywhere. But, wait-”
He could see a break in the woods up ahead. He walked forward, not even bothering to move around the trees. He walked through them, feeling the bark and sap as he passed through each one. He stopped when the trees came to an end.
There was a dirt path, large enough for a vehicle.
One direction led deeper into the woods. The other led to a house.
He took a breath and slowly approached using the dirt road. He made sure to narrate everything he saw. It was still difficult to see, but the house looked to be in good shape. It still had all its windows and a wrap-around porch. The wind blew the front screen-door back and forth. The house was completely dark. He wasn’t even sure if there was any electricity. There were no cars. He didn’t see or hear anyone, especially a pretty teenaged girl.
“Blood pressure is going up slightly,” Ronald announced.
“Wouldn’t yours?” Mason said. “I’m in the middle of the haunted forest here.”
“No, Mason, only your mind is,” Doc said, stating the obvious. “Nothing there can hurt you. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“How many times have you all mind slided? None? So maybe-”
Mason went quiet as he stopped near the steps leading to the porch. There was a puddle of something on the dirt.
A thick, dark something.
It trailed away from the house in a thin line before disappearing down the path. He knelt down and ran a hand through the puddle. It was thick and warm.
He took a deep breath, knowing what he had to do next.
“Mason? Talk to me.”
“Just hold on a sec.”
He repeated to himself as he moved his lips closer to the puddle. He wasn’t really tasting it. But he had to put his tongue to it, had to simulate the act of tasting in order for his sense of taste to process.
It never got any easier.
He stuck his tongue in the puddle.
He wretched and gagged. His body must have done the same in the lab, as he felt a hand on his forehead.
“Mason? Are you okay?”
“Blood pressure is still going up.”
“I’m okay, I’m okay. There’s a huge puddle in front of the house. It’s not blood. Motor oil, maybe? I’m not sure. It’s warm.”
“That means a car was just there. Do you see a mailbox of any kind? Or house numbers by the door?”
“No mailbox. Let me take a peek at the door-”
“Please someone help me!”
The scream froze Mason in place. It was faint, but definitely female. He cocked his head from side to side, listening for anything. He only heard the wind blowing through the trees.
“Mason?”
“Shut up. Just shut up for a minute.”
The female voice called out again. “Please! Is anyone up there?”
Up.
She was in the basement.
Mason ran around the side of the house, looking for any kind of basement window. He found several, all spaced apart. He didn’t hesitate pushing his head through the first dirty glass window he knelt in front of.
The sounds of nature outside disappeared. The musty smell of earth touched his nose. The light varied from black to almost-black as clouds passed in front of the moon.
He saw a pair of pale legs in the corner.
They didn’t move for a second. That scared Mason more than any experiment he ever had to do. Then they shifted slightly on the dirt floor. He saw a chain on her ankle and heard what sounded like crying.