Collide
Collide
By Ashley Stambaugh
Published by Astraea Press
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.
COLLIDE
Copyright © 2014 ASHLEY STAMBAUGH
ISBN 978-1-62135-264-8
Cover Art Designed by AM DESIGN STUDIOS
To my husband, Greg, for always believing in me.
Chapter One
Melina Rowe peered out of her bedroom window and wrinkled her nose. It was late October, so she knew it was cold outside, but it also appeared to be windy. These weather conditions weren’t her favorite, but she was determined to continue with her morning runs until snow prevented her from doing otherwise. She pulled her long brown hair up into a ponytail, slid a fleece headband on over her ears, and zipped up her coat before heading out her apartment door and down the stairwell to her bookstore below. The store didn’t open for another hour, so she had plenty of time. She took a quick look around and then turned to exit through the back.
Starting off in a slight jog, she followed her normal path toward the park, taking in the city in its early morning state as she went. Traffic was light, and there was only a handful of people out and about. The sky was a dull gray, and brown, dried up leaves swirled and danced around her, giving the city an even gloomier feeling. She hoped the blustery wind didn’t mean rain was on its way.
After only a few short blocks, the wrought iron gates that surrounded the park appeared alongside her. She picked up her pace and rounded a corner to her right, making her way toward the entrance, when she came upon an elderly man walking from the opposite direction. They met each other so suddenly that neither of them had a chance to move out of the way. Melina collided with the man, and it was in that moment that it happened.
As soon as their bodies made contact, she felt a powerful surge of energy pass through her and then a bright white light exploded between them, knocking them both away from each other. Melina, who had been knocked to the ground, pushed herself up to her feet, wondering what had just happened. The sensation that went through her body was like nothing she had ever felt before. It was very sharp and intense, like an electric shock, but at the same time it was soothing and warm. The feeling still lingered in her body as she finally looked over at the man.
After catching his balance, he looked over at her, and she noticed his expression of confusion and shock. His mouth opened as if to say something, but nothing came out. He stared at her for a moment and then finally he spoke to her.
“You,” he muttered.
“Excuse me?” she asked, returning his confused look.
“You’re one of them.”
Melina’s brow creased. She had no idea what he was talking about, but what he said made her feel a little uneasy. “I… I’m sorry, sir.” She slowly stepped away from the man and took off running into the park.
“What was all that about? I’m one of them?” Melina shook her head as she tried to get into her stride, but her body still tingled from the power surge, which made it difficult to keep running. “What is going on?” She immediately stopped and began to rub her arms and legs. A few seconds later she heard a voice behind her.
“Miss…”
Melina jumped slightly as she turned around and gasped in surprise. The old man she had just run into stood only a few feet in front of her. How did he catch up to her so quickly?
“Miss, I didn’t mean to frighten you. I was simply caught off guard.”
Looking at the man in his long, black trench coat with a matching fedora and his snow white hair, she was momentarily reminded of her late grandfather. He appeared to be in his mid-seventies and had a tall and slender build. Despite his fragile look, though, Melina still felt uncomfortable around him.
“I don’t mean to be rude, sir, but I really need to go.”
Ignoring what she said, he extended his hand out to her. “My name is Walter.”
“Nice to meet you, Walter, but I really have to go.” She gave him a brief smile as she turned to leave.
The old man wasn’t giving up, though, and didn’t want to let her go. “Melina, wait!” he said as he reached out to her. “It’s important that I speak to you.”
A strong gust of wind blew up out of nowhere, causing Melina to stumble backward. The wind muffled what the old man said to her, but she could’ve sworn she heard him say her name.
“What did you say?” she asked, turning to face the man. Fear mixed with confusion masked her face as she cocked her head to the side and pointed at him. “How do you know my name?” She slowly started to inch away from him.
“Please,” Walter said as he stepped forward. “Come with me, and I’ll explain everything.”
Melina shook her head as she backed away even farther. “No. Stay away from me.” She turned to leave again.
“Melina, please don’t go. You’re special, and you need to know what’s going on. I know it may sound a bit strange to you but—”
She whirled back around. “It
may
sound a bit strange? No, it
is
strange! I don't know what you did to me earlier, but I want you to leave me alone.”
“I didn’t do anything. It was you. If you’d only let me explain, you’d understand,” Walter said as he took a step toward her.
“No!” she yelled. “You stay away from me you, you… freak!” She spun around and took off running toward the gated entrance.
****
Melina sprinted all the way back to her bookstore. Once inside, she bolted and locked the door and headed straight up to her apartment. She shimmied out of her coat and tossed it on her bed as she began to pace back and forth.
“Melina!” a voice yelled from downstairs.
Knocked out of her deep concentration, Melina jumped when she heard her name.
“It’s Tess. Are you here?”
She relaxed a little. It was her good friend and store manager, Tessa Birch. Tessa had been her best friend since they were both six years old and had met in their first grade class. Melina had been the shortest in their class, and her pointy pixie like features had been hard to miss. Tessa had been abnormally tall for a six year old and seemed to have lost half of her baby teeth at the same time. Both feeling a bit like a fish out of water, they’d hit it off from day one and had been inseparable ever since.
Melina took in a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down. She slid her headband off and started toward her bedroom door just as a tall, slim woman with curly blond hair appeared. It was Tessa, all dolled up and dressed to the nines in sleek black dress pants and a white silk blouse.
“Hey, Melina. How are… you?” Tessa’s brow furrowed as she stopped and looked at her friend. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah yeah, I’m fine,” Melina said quickly as she met Tessa at the doorway and tried to scoot past her. “Let’s get the store ready for opening.”
Tessa put her arm out to stop her. “Wait. What’s bothering you?”
“Nothing. Let’s go downstairs.”
“Melina.” Tessa grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the room. “Come on now. You haven’t even changed out of your running clothes.”
Melina’s bright green eyes looked into her friend’s dark blue ones and knew that Tessa wasn’t going to give up. “Right.” She stepped back into her room and walked over to her closet as she pulled her shirt up over her head and let out a heavy sigh.
“When I was out running earlier, I accidentally ran into an old man and… something happened.”
Tessa’s forehead creased as she crossed her arms in front of her. “What do you mean?”
“Well…” Melina paused, unsure of how to explain it. She had never lied to Tessa before, and Tessa always listened to her stories, no matter how crazy they were. She decided to just be straightforward. “It was like some sort of energy passed between us, or more like exploded between us. It knocked me to the ground.” She turned back to her closet and grabbed a light gray sweater and a pair of jeans from a shelf and quickly put them on. She preferred casual and comfy, just the opposite of Tessa, like usual. When she turned back around, Tessa was looking at her with raised eyebrows.
“I’m not joking,” Melina said as she finished changing her clothes. “It was the strangest sensation. I can still feel it a little.” She rubbed her arms slightly and then started to pace the room again.
“After we collided, the man pointed at me and said I was one of them. I ran from him, but he followed me into the park. He told me I was special and that if I went with him, he’d explain everything to me. And… he knew my name.” Melina paused for a moment and raised her eyes to look at Tessa.
“How?” Tessa asked. “Does he know you from the store?”
Melina shook her head as she shot Tessa a worried glance. “I’ve never seen him before in my life.” She let out a long sigh then said, “What a weird morning.”
“I think crazy would be the better term,” she heard Tessa say.
Melina let out a short laugh. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Right about what?”
Melina gave her friend a curious look. “You just said that crazy would be the better term.”
“Did I say that out loud?” Tessa asked. “I didn’t think I did, but how’d you know that’s what I was thinking?”
“I thought I heard you say it.”
Tessa shook her head.
“Huh.” Melina placed her hands on her hips as they both looked at each other with puzzled expressions. “Weird…” Scratching her head, Melina drifted out of the room and headed toward the stairwell that led down to her bookstore. Once she reached the doorway, she turned around and looked back at Tessa. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I think I need to take a breather, maybe go out and get some coffee. Do you want some?”
Tessa nodded, still looking curiously at her friend. “Sure. Take your time. I’ll open the store.”
Melina gave her a small, nervous smile. “Thanks. I’ll be back shortly.” She grabbed her dark green peacoat from the hook by the door and slid it on as she made her way down the stairs. As she stepped out the back door, the brisk wind was quick to greet her. She pulled her hair tie out and shook her long wavy hair around her shoulders to help keep her ears and neck warm.
She walked down the alley to the street and then turned to her right toward the coffee shop that was only a couple of blocks away. As she walked, she replayed the events from the morning in her mind.
Who was that old man? And what did he do to me?
The feeling still tingled in her fingers. Melina shook her hands out in front of her, but it didn’t help much. The sensation wouldn’t leave. She shook her hands a couple more times and then attempted to ignore the lingering feeling as she approached the coffee shop.
She opened the door, and as she walked inside, she heard a mixture of low whispers. Her pace slowed as she looked around for the source of the murmurs. There was only a handful of customers in the shop, and none of them were talking. She came to a stop and gazed around the room in disbelief. Was she hearing their thoughts?
She focused on the couple sitting closest to her and tried to pick out their thoughts from all the others, but it was impossible. The more time passed, the louder and more jumbled together the whispers became. And all the buzz in her head was starting to give her a headache. She put her hand up to her forehead and closed her eyes when suddenly she heard a loud, clear voice say, “May I help you?”
The noise in her head immediately ceased. Melina looked up and came face-to-face with a plump, red-haired woman standing behind the counter. She looked at Melina expectantly.
“Uh, yes, yes. Two regular coffees with cream and sugar, please.” She scanned her eyes around the room, expecting the murmurs to start up again, but the woman was back with her drinks before anything happened. She paid the woman, picked up the drink holder with her coffees, and as she turned to leave she brushed against the man standing behind her. As their arms touched, Melina was forced to stop and close her eyes as a vision sprung into her mind.
She saw the man she had just run into. He was leaning over a sink, looking at himself in a mirror. His face was red and blotchy, and tears streamed down his face. The man looked down at the sink, and she saw a toothbrush laying on the left hand side and a knife on the right. Suddenly the man grabbed the knife and cut a deep, excruciating slit in his left wrist. Melina screamed out in pain then was jolted backward as the vision left her.
Her eyes popped open as she pulled her throbbing wrist in toward her body. She looked around and noticed the entire coffee shop was staring at her. The man from the vision gave her a curious look but nothing of recognition. She glanced around the room one more time and then hastily left without saying a word.
