The Gift Of Intuition
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I was sitting in a diner when my phone started buzzing. It was an unknown number, so I ignored it and continued to eat my sandwich. But then the call came through again as if the caller had been watching me carefully, waiting for the perfect moment to call. The screen read “Dad.” My fingers froze over the phone and all thoughts of food vanished from my mind.
“Hi Dad,” I said, trying not to sound like I’d just swallowed something sour.
A deep voice answered, which didn’t help the sour taste any. “Is this Sam?”
“It is now.”
There was another long pause before he spoke again. “Are you okay? You haven’t called us much lately.”
I looked down at the table, suddenly uncomfortable with having my every move watched by someone else’s eyes. “We’re both fine. Just busy. And, well—” I hesitated. “Do you know about your grandpa?”
Silence fell over the line until finally, Dad replied, “You mean your father?” His words were clipped and sharp. He sounded annoyed that we still referred to him as Grandfather, even though it made sense given how old Dad must be.
“That’s right,” I said quickly. “He left us a few years ago, but he’s still listed on our family tree. Is there some reason why he isn’t included anymore?”
My dad sighed loudly into the phone, causing everyone within three booths to look our way. But he didn’t answer and after a few seconds of silence, he added, “What do you want to know, Sam? What can I tell you that will make you understand?”
“How could you have kept something like this from us forever?” That wasn’t fair. My mother would have never let anything get between her and me, no matter what happened. Even if she’d tried to protect us, I knew she would’ve told us as soon as she discovered anything.
After another pause, Dad spoke softly. “This is not something we should talk about over the phone.” There was such desperation in his voice, and so much hurt, that my heart ached for him. “Please, come home. We’ll explain everything, and you can decide whether or not you want to find out more.”
But the thought of being under the same roof as my grandfather terrified me. I didn’t know what I’d do. Would I scream and yell? Cry? Or would I run away? Probably all three.
“Let’s take care of one thing first,” I said. “Tell me where you live.”
“In Virginia Beach,” he said immediately.
“I’m coming home,” I decided. I had no idea when, exactly, I might manage it, but that didn’t stop me from saying it aloud.
***
Dylan was driving too fast down the narrow road, and I was gripping the door handle like it would somehow keep me safe. I could practically feel my heartbeat pounding through the metal. “Slow down!”
“No,” Dylan said simply and pressed the accelerator harder into the floorboard.
The car shot forward, sending up a spray of gravel behind us.
“Stop! Don’t go in!”
“Relax. Everything’s fine,” he said.
But I could tell by the way his hands shook at ten-and-two that he wasn’t telling me something. The engine roared against the ground and dust rose high around us as we drove deeper into the woods.
Trees and brush flashed past my window, making it impossible to see any landmarks other than a small clearing ahead. Dylan swerved off the road and slammed the brakes hard against the ground, but we didn’t slow down much before slamming back onto the blacktop.
“Did you lose the car?” I asked.
He smiled at me. “You think we lost the car?”
Something big crashed through the trees beside us and we both jumped in shock. When I opened my eyes again, it had disappeared from view and Dylan was looking over his shoulder towards the clearing. “Stay here,” he said.
And I did because even though he looked mad enough to spit fire, he wasn’t threatening me. At least not physically.
Instead, I got out and went around to the trunk. There was no spare tire, only the tools we’d brought along for repairs, but I found an emergency tool kit tucked behind the back seats and took it out anyway. A little bit of knowledge goes a long way in situations like this.
As soon as I’d taken the lid off, Dylan walked back to the open driver’s side window and pulled something wrapped in a towel out of the front seat. He tossed it to me without explanation. I caught it awkwardly in one hand, surprised at how large and heavy it felt. It was warm to the touch, but I couldn’t really tell how hot it was, just that it seemed different.
It looked like a lumpy brown ball, and I held it up in my fingers. It was hard to imagine what it might be. Some kind of meat product? Whatever it was, it had been heated recently and smelled of spices.
“What is that?” I asked.
Dylan glanced up at me, then turned back to the woods and shouted into them. “Who’s there? I’ve got a gun!”
For a split second, nothing happened, and I thought we were in trouble—but after two seconds the sound of someone approaching made itself known. Two sets of feet thudded across the ground, heading our way. The stranger who’d spoken from the woods stopped a dozen yards away and waved us closer, his eyes flicking down at my hand.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “We haven’t eaten since yesterday morning.” His eyes lit up with excitement. “Is that venison?”
His friend had appeared from the woods on the opposite side of the clearing, walking towards us with a huge smile on his face. “Yeah, you’re gonna love it, man,” he said. The two men were tall, with broad shoulders and long limbs, like they worked out regularly.
They wore matching white baseball caps that shielded their faces from view. But from the shape of their heads, I guessed they were young adults; perhaps college-aged, or maybe a little older than that.
They both reached the car at almost exactly the same time, and the guy in the passenger seat grabbed me by the arm while his companion opened the back door. “Come on,” he said. “I’ve got some beer and we can sit outside and eat in peace.”
I didn’t want to get out of the car yet. Not until I knew who these guys were and what their intentions might be. The stranger had already unbuckled his belt and was unzipping his pants to pull free the knife he carried. I could see a flash of silver in the moonlight, and it occurred to me that I wasn’t armed either.
“Wait,” I said. “Where are we? What kind of place is this?”
The man who’d offered me the jerky laughed and put his hand on the side of my head like he was about to kiss me. “This isn’t your world anymore. It’s ours now. And you should know the truth.”
My mind exploded at his words and everything blurred together all at once. My vision darkened and my stomach lurched when the ground fell away from under me. In the distance, I saw Dylan standing over his overturned car, blood running out of his mouth, but I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t noticed him right away.
“No!” I shouted, and then suddenly I was alone, floating in empty space. The stars were bright overhead and the smell of grass was strong in my nostrils, so real it burned my lungs. I closed my eyes tight against the pain and waited for things to start falling back into place.
There was light in front of me, a blinding glare that grew in intensity until it forced me to close my eyes and take shallow breaths. It was hot. Hotter than anything I’d ever felt before. The air itself boiled, sending heat waves up into my body and making my skin burn and itch as if I was lying too close to a campfire.
My hands shook uncontrollably, but I still clung to them, afraid that losing control would mean losing my grip altogether.
The light was getting brighter, filling up the emptiness. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to get away, to find shelter, but it was impossible. I was locked within the center of a vortex of fire and light, and I was going to die unless I fought through it somehow.
I wanted to cry, but tears wouldn’t come. Instead, all my strength drained out of me and I crumpled to the ground. My body felt cold and weak, and every breath hurt more than it should have been able to. I curled up on myself and shut my eyes to block it out—just a moment longer…
I heard a voice, soft and distant, calling out from somewhere far ahead. It sounded like a woman, though not one that I recognized. “Hello? Help! Hello? Is anyone here?”
But she was gone, and the only other sounds were mine, rasping out of the blackness around me.
The End