Oblivion (3 page)

FIVE

Jason

Something about
Jeremiah was odd. He talked to me while others were in the room, and they did
not seem to notice him. I could look at him, and hear him, but they couldn’t.
It made me wonder if more than my memories were missing. Did I go crazy along
with losing myself? Did Jeremiah actually exist? I eyed the nearly invisible man
warily.

“I assure you,
Jason, I am very real.” He smirked and leaned against the wall as if he
couldn’t be more relaxed.

That was another
thing. The man always seemed to answer my questions before I was able to ask
them. “Why can’t anyone else see you?” I asked, after waiting for the doctor’s
footsteps to recede.

“Because I won’t
let them,” he huffed, standing straighter to explain. “It has nothing to do
with your sanity. I have the ability to hide myself from view. When I don’t
want to be seen, I won’t be. It is that simple.”

“You disappeared
for a little bit while that doctor guy was in here. Where did you go?” I asked.
It upset me how much I already came to rely on this one person who seemed
willing to talk to me. How was I to know if he was even someone I should trust?

He considered me
critically for a moment. “I want you to know one thing, Jason,” he said
urgently. “The only thing I am trying to do right now is help you. You can
trust me. When I disappeared, I was contacting someone who might be able to
help me get you out of here. That person may also be able to assist you in
reclaiming your memories.”

At this point, I
couldn’t figure out how anyone could help mend my broken mind. “How could
someone help fix this? I remember nothing about myself. I don’t even know if I
have family, Jeremiah! Do you know how that feels?”

The man surprised
me by nodding. “I do. Several years ago a man tortured me until I remembered
nothing of my life before him. I forgot my wife, and my unborn child.”

Taken off-guard, I
flinched back a bit before leaning forward on the bed. “Do you know…? Do I…? Do
I have a family?”

Now the other man
paused, his scarred face looking pensive. “You do,” he finally admitted. “But
don’t ask about them right now.” His voice was practically a growl when he
spoke about my family, and I wondered what had happened to make him so angry.

Even though I was
dying to know more, I didn’t want to push Jeremiah too hard. And, honestly, the
man seemed like he could get dangerous if he got angry. “Okay. So who did you
talk to? Who’s coming to help us?”

“Oblivion,” he
answered.

Frowning, I looked
at him. “I have no idea what that means, who is Oblivion, and why do they not
have a normal name.”

“Oh, he has a
normal name,” Jeremiah explained. “However, for now I will use this name for
him. At least until the boy earns my trust.”

“Boy? As in ‘kid’?”
I asked. “How is a kid going to help us? And what could a kid possibly do to
earn the name Oblivion?”

“By definition,
the name means ‘the state of forgetting.’ In this instance, though, Oblivion
can
cause
the state of forgetting. He is a powerful person, but doesn’t
have enough control to allow me to trust him.”

I definitely
didn’t like where he was going with this. “He can
cause
the state of
forgetting? Did he…did he make
me
forget?” I asked, unsure whether I
wanted to know the answer. “I thought my amnesia was from the accident?”

Clenching his eyes
closed for a split second, Jeremiah shook his head. “No. I have some insight
into how your mind works, and I could feel the moment when the memories were
stolen. Although I did not recognize exactly what happened at the time. Once
you woke, it was clear what the disruption was. It is possible you could have
ended up with partial trauma-induced amnesia regardless, but this was caused by
Oblivion. I am still unclear whether he knowingly caused it, or if he simply
lost control of an ability that is still new to him.” Now he sounded more
thoughtful than upset.

I wanted to be mad
about the stolen memories, but the way Jeremiah talked about the kid… I
couldn’t help but feel like Jeremiah was hesitant to place all blame on
Oblivion. And I couldn’t be angry at a kid. It did seem most likely that this… Oblivion
person had taken my memories by mistake.

I tried to focus
on something other than my lack of memory. “Does everyone have some sort of
ability? So far everyone you’ve mentioned to me does.”

“No,” he answered,
a slight smile on his face. “Those of us with powers are a rarity, despite the
number you have come across recently. We simply seem to gravitate toward each
other. You have recently drawn the attention of some people who are trying to
learn more about people like us. I have no idea what they will do to you now
that they have you, but there are cameras all over the place. I’m not sure I’ll
be able to sneak you out.”

“And that’s where
this… Oblivion person comes in?” I asked.

“Yes. I think he
will do what is necessary to clear a path for us. I made you a promise, Jason.
I will not leave your side while you’re here, and I will protect you from harm.
You are my friend.”

He definitely
sounded sincere, but how could I be certain? How could I know he was
trustworthy enough to believe his promises?

I stared up at the
ceiling, happy for the moment that Jeremiah had turned the lights on again.
Being in the dark literally as well as figuratively would have been too much
right now.

“Okay,” I finally
said, desperate to trust him. I was feeling overwhelmed, but wanted to learn
anything I could. “Do you know anything more about this place? How did I end up
here?”

He thought for a
moment. “You were involved in a dangerous case, with a man who was going to
kill you. Or sell you to the highest bidder…”

I choked slightly
at his offhand comment. The guy was going to sell me? As if I was a piece of
furniture or something? What kind of people did I get mixed up with?

Jeremiah continued
as if he hadn’t noticed my reaction. “I managed to follow as he drove away with
you, but then something happened to the Hun…the man, and he crashed the car.
Unfortunately, I didn’t realize soon enough that there was another vehicle
following you. They swooped in and snatched you out of the trunk of the car.”

“Who had me? You
almost said the name, so what stopped you?” I was beginning to suspect that
Jeremiah didn’t want me to remember everything. Why else hold back information
that could lead to memories returning?

“Very well,” he
sighed, running a hand across his face. “It isn’t that important. The person
who had you was a man named Hunter. He was kidnapping teenagers and using them
as prey. He forced them to run through the woods as he used his powers to keep
them trapped, and kill them. Do you really want to remember all that?”

What kind of life
was I living? Why was I involved with people who would kill children? Or people
who would hold me as a prisoner?

I felt breathless,
as if I’d been running for hours. Whatever I had been part of, whatever
horrible people I’d come across, whatever was in my past was part of me. Part
of who I needed to become again in order to have a better chance to escape.

“I think… I think
I need to know. Knowing what happened in my past could help me with what’s
happening now.” And it would help me understand if Jeremiah was truly trying to
help; if he was a friend, or only pretending to be.

Sighing, Jeremiah
responded. “Very well; I will tell you whatever you need to know. For now, know
that you are a very special person, Jason.”

Special. What was
so special about me? Why would someone want to go through the trouble of
kidnapping me and holding me captive? “Why?” I asked softly.

The other man
cocked his head at me, and I clarified. “I mean, I get that I have some sort of
ability. I have to, right? You said I did something to draw their attention.
What exactly is it that I can do?”

Pursing his lips,
Jeremiah answered. “Depending on what you’re doing, you are either a Tracker: a
person who can use the echoes of footsteps to follow a person, or an
Earthshaker: one who can cause earthquakes and destroy buildings. From what
I’ve seen in the past, your earthshaking ability is influenced by your
emotional state.”

Blinking at him, I
said stupidly, “I can cause earthquakes? Destroy buildings? So how in the world
did I end up here?”

Huffing out a
quick breath that could almost be called a laugh, the other man answered,
“Hunter. He had similar abilities, and was able to disrupt your powers. Then
you were incapacitated by the car accident, where these people grabbed you.”

“Hide yourself,” I
hissed, suddenly feeling vibrations in the hall. “Someone’s coming.”

Without
hesitation, Jeremiah faded into the corner again and turned off the lights,
leaving me still questioning my sanity. Everything he told me was crazy. How
could I believe it?

And yet…the
vibrations I felt earlier indicated the approach of the doctor. The vibrations
now were getting closer, but they felt different. “Have you seen anyone else
here, Jeremiah?” I asked quietly.

“In your room I’ve
only seen you and the man who was here earlier.” His answer did not thrill me.
I could tell he wasn’t overly happy either. Why would another person now choose
to appear? The answer came to me suddenly: Because I am finally awake. Whatever
these people want with me, I have a feeling it is about to start.

The man who
entered the room now seemed to be a person in charge. He was dressed similarly
to the doctor, but it seemed to be more a way of hiding his identity. A shiver
ran down my spine. I am at their mercy, and still they feel the need to hide
themselves from me. But maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe it means they aren’t
certain of their ability to hold me prisoner.

“Jason, I’ve been
looking forward to meeting you.” His voice was pleasant enough, but still made
me
cringe. Or maybe that was the fear of what he was going
to do. Either way, he made me quite uncomfortable.

Leaning forward a
bit, my hair fell over my eyes, and I glared up at him. “What do you want?” I
asked.

“I believe my
associate already told you we have what we want.”

Scoffing, I snapped,
“You have me. Fine. Now what do you want me for?”

“You are… unique.
I want to know exactly what makes you tick. I have a range of tests to figure
out exactly what you can do. Eventually, we will work up to finding out
how
you can do it.”

Testing. It didn’t
sound too bad. “And if you don’t cooperate… well, let’s just say you really
want to cooperate. I have some friends who will make sure you do what I say.
Understood?”

I nodded numbly,
wondering how exactly I was supposed to do everything they wanted. Sneaking a
glance at the corner where Jeremiah hid, I hoped the other man would come up
with a plan to get us out. Because without memories of what I can do, I have a
feeling cooperating will be nearly impossible.

And I have no
desire to see what they will do to me if I don’t.

SIX

Jeremiah

Jason’s fear is palpable.
His captor’s threats are obviously getting to him, and, at this point, there is
very little I can do about it. The hallways are covered with cameras. Getting
in was hard. Getting out would be nearly impossible. “I’m sorry, Jason.” I hid
myself from him and the other man. Sneaking around to find a way out is my best
bet, and it would be best for him as well. Although he may not be happy when I
disappear on him; especially after promising not to leave.

Before Jason’s
friends and his
brother
arrived, I needed to know as much as possible
about the facility, and those running it. Sneaking out was easy. The newly
arrived man had left the door standing open. The only thing I had to avoid was
the camera outside the door. At least for now.

Outside the room I
heard footsteps approaching. Hiding in a small alcove, I waited for whoever was
coming. The sounds grew closer, and two men in dark uniforms walked by. They
looked like typical security guards, but they carried automatic weapons. Along
with what looked like cattle prods. Nasty. They were scary enough on their own
but, if Jason could remember what he went through, they would hold a different
level of terror.

He had an
understandable fear of electricity after what Mason did to him. And, after what
he went through at Hunter’s hands, the fear was likely compounded. It might be
a good thing Jason couldn’t remember anything.

The guards also
wore high-tech glasses that looked to be equipped with… video cameras. This
could be bad. My ability does not work with cameras, and if they were viewing a
live feed…

Melting back into
the shadows I tried to stay as still as possible, not wanting the guards to turn
in my direction. The cameras on the glasses seemed like an odd security
measure. Unless… did they somehow know about people like me? There were
undoubtedly others with abilities such as mine. If they knew about Jason’s
powers, they could potentially know about others as well.

One of the guards
was talking as they walked past. “…believe they actually got him. If the rumors
are true, this guy could destroy the whole building.”

His friend nodded.
“Seems like too much of a risk, if you ask me. Why bother with learning about
these freaks? They should all be put down.”

Not something I
wanted to hear from the men surrounding Jason, and who could potentially see
me. The second guy, at least, seemed like he might be a bit trigger-happy. Not
a good trait for a man holding an automatic. I followed them for a little
while, hoping to hear more conversation, but apparently they were done talking.

I watched the
walls closely, making sure I kept out of view of the security cameras, at least
until I could get one of the guard’s uniforms. It would take more energy than I
wanted to expend to make sure all who could see the security screens wouldn’t
see me. Somehow, I feel weaker now than I used to, and I do not want to waste
the energy if I don’t have to. If I could get a uniform, at least from the
camera’s view, I would fit in.

There were several
rooms along the hall, and, once I stopped following the two guards, I tried to
check them out. ‘Tried’ being the operative word. All of the doors were locked;
all except one which led to a laboratory.

I made my way
toward the back of the room where there was a glass refrigerator. Vials of
blood and several different drugs were lined up neatly on each shelf. There
were microscopes, and a glass chamber big enough for a man to stand in, and
canisters of gas connected to the chamber. What kind of tests did they have in
mind for Jason? None of these things would help them figure out his abilities.

Or was this for
someone else? There was a computer in the corner of the lab, but it was
password protected. I looked more closely at the blood vials in the
refrigerator, but they were labeled with numbers, not names. From what I could
tell, there were several samples from three different people.

I couldn’t
remember them getting any blood from Jason, oddly enough. Why they wouldn’t was
beyond me. Why wait until he was awake and ready to fight before getting a
sample? The drugs were labeled similarly to the blood. No names on the vials,
only codes.

Footsteps were
approaching, and I began to wonder why this room was left open. There appeared
to be no reason for it to be…spinning away from the computer, I ran for the
door. I realized too late that there was a security camera over the door of the
lab. I suspect they know I’m here. A suspicion that proved accurate when I
opened the door, only to face five guards in a semi-circle around the door.

Three of them held
their guns on me; the other two raised their cattle prods. I released the power
hiding me from their normal sight, and raised my arms in surrender. Despite
obviously knowing I was there, two of them took a step back in surprise. I
wanted nothing more than to push through them, grab Jason, and run. But I’m
outnumbered. Fighting them right now would not help me. Or Jason.

One of the men
grabbed my shoulder and spun me toward a wall. They zip-tied my hands behind me
and turned me to face them once again.

One of the
cattle-prod bearing guards touched his ear. “He’s in custody. We’ll take him to
room 23 and secure him.” He paused for a moment, listening to the reply. With a
curt nod at his companions, they began to march me down the hall.

I turned to glare
at them, my voice lowered into a warning growl. “You won’t hold me long. And I
will tear this place to the ground.
”