Vestige (4 page)

Are there any missing persons over the age of thirteen?

The 911-call center has received a high volume of calls today. Some of those calls have been for missing adults. We have set up a triage system to deal with the incoming missing persons reports. Our top priority right now has to be the children.

“What a bunch of BS. So, no one is going to look for my dad?”

“I guess not, kiddo. Looks like we’re on our own. Finish your lunch, so we can start looking.”

Chapter Four

Micah didn’t know how long he’d been sitting on top of the kiddie slide. A pile of crushed cigarette butts mounted on the ground below him. The park was empty—no pictures today. If he wanted to restore his daydream of ordinary, he would have to conjure up his own images.

He was just about to move on when he noticed a girl walking through the park. As she drew closer, Micah recognized her. Not only did she attend the same school as him, but she was also the same year. He didn’t have any classes with her, but he frequently saw her in the hallway. Micah had never talked to her before. He didn’t even know her name. Usually, she looked as if she had just rolled out of bed but not today. Today, she looked good…maybe even kind of cute.

“Hey...did you ditch too?” Micah asked as she passed in front of the slide.

“What?” Clarke jumped at the sound of his voice. She looked around for a moment before she saw Micah. “Yeah, I guess…I have a good reason though.”

“Let’s hear it.” Micah hopped down. Upon landing, he hiked up his jeans and approached Clarke.

“I’d rather not.” Clarke flipped her hair back over her shoulder.

“Do you want a smoke?” Micah pulled the pack from his jacket pocket.

“Um...sure.... Why not? The way my day is going, I might as well.”

Micah took a cigarette out of the pack, put it between his lips, and lit it. He then handed it to Clarke.

Clarke hesitated, so Micah extended his hand farther. She took it and studied it for a moment before taking a drag.

Micah watched as she put the cigarette to her lips. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. At first, she looked like she knew what she was doing, but then she didn’t exhale. Instead, her cheeks puffed out and her face turned red. She gagged and coughed as smoke spouted from her mouth and nose.

Micah put his fist to his mouth and tried not to laugh.

“So…I’ve never…smoked…before. What’s…the…big deal?” Clarke continued to cough in between her words. “Do I…know you?” She took another drag.

“I don’t know. Do you?” Micah asked, wounded that she didn’t recognize him. He liked to consider himself as somewhat notorious.

“I don’t have time for this.” Clarke tossed the cigarette onto the ground and crushed it.

Micah watched as she twisted her foot in a tiny circle, grinding her toes against the ground. He caught a glimpse of her ankle under the edge of her jeans. She had a fragile, damsel-in-distress quality that Micah liked. He wanted to save her but from what; he didn’t know.

As Clarke turned to walk away, Micah's stomach lurched. He couldn’t let her leave, not yet anyway. He needed to at least find out her name. “Wait! Wait! Where ya goin’. I’ll go with you. I’m Micah, by the way.”

Clarke stopped, crossed her arms, and looked squarely at him. “I’m Clarke. Don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“Yeah…but she doesn’t own me.” Hah, she did know him. Micah wanted to smile, but he successfully fought the urge.

“Whatever.” Clarke rolled her eyes and resumed walking.

“Where we goin’?” Micah sidled up next to her and matched her pace.

“I’m looking for my dad.” Clarke looked straight ahead.

“Is he lost?” Micah joked.

“He’s been gone since this morning, so yeah, I guess he’s lost.”

“Oh.... Maybe he just got busy with something and forgot to call. You know, it seems like a lot of people have lost their dogs today. Maybe—“

“Haven’t you seen the news?” Clarke interrupted.

“Nah, I never watch the news. It’s too depressing.”

“Maybe you should. All the kids under thirteen have disappeared. Oh and all the dogs are gone too. Even though they didn’t say much about missing adults, I’m worried that—”

“Wait…” Micah stopped walking and stared at Clarke. “Did you say all the kids under thirteen?”

“Yeah.... Why?” Clarke stopped and faced Micah. “What is it?”

“What did they mean by ‘disappeared’?”

“They’re gone, and no one seems to know where they went.”

“Jess’s little brother and sisters are gone. Jess said that they were kidnapped by a cult.”

“I don’t know about that. They said that they didn’t have any suspects yet,” said Clarke.

“I gotta go. Sorry...I hope you find your dad,” Micah yelled to her as he ran back through the park.

*****

Clarke watched Micah until she could no longer see him. Her shoulders slumped. “Way to go, Clarke,” she muttered. He was the first person she had seen all afternoon. It sure would have been nice to have had some company. The empty streets were starting to make her jumpy.

She continued her search until the streetlights came on. She had looked everywhere that she could think to look: the neighbor’s house, the parks, and even downtown. It was time to head home. She needed to eat something and to check in with Mary. Hopefully, Mary found her dad. If not, they could resume the search after dinner.

As soon as she made it home, she ran back to the kitchen. Her heart sank when she found it empty. “Mary…. Dad…. Is anyone here?”

Silence. Her stomach twisted into a knot. She was alone.

For lack of anything better to do, she started dinner. As she filled a pot with water, she tried to convince herself that Mary would be back. Clarke put the pot on the stove and turned on the gas. She watched the water, waiting for it to boil. With every breath that she took, she inhaled the loneliness of the empty house. When bubbles finally broke the surface, a boiling sound filled the kitchen. Clarke had never noticed how loud water could be. She dumped a whole box of spaghetti into the pot. She wanted to make sure there was enough for Mary and her dad.

Once the noodles were ready, Clarke fixed herself a plate and turned on the TV. Electronic beeping and buzzing echoed in her ears. An emergency alert had replaced the news.

EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM

Civil Authorities have issued a Civil Danger Notification

Until Further Notice

Within seconds, a robotic voice replaced the beeping.

The following message is being transmitted by the request of The United States Government. An unknown number of citizens have gone missing. Authorities are trying to locate the missing persons. Residents are asked to stay in their homes. If you must go out, do not travel alone and carry proper identification.

Please do not call 911 to report missing persons. Emergency Call Centers and local law enforcement agencies are no longer fully staffed. The United States Military has been dispatched to assist local authorities.

This notification applies to all receiving this broadcast. Please stand by for further instructions.

As soon as the message ended, the beeping and buzzing began again.

The plate of noodles slipped from Clarke’s hand and fell to the floor. She stood motionless, trying to process what she had just heard. Her heart pounded as anxiety and fear paralyzed her. How was she going to find her dad now?

“Mary.... Where are you?” she whispered.

Chapter Five

Micah ran up the front stairs of his house but paused before opening the door. What was he going to find on the other side? Would his mom be angry that he didn’t come home as soon as he had received her text? Would she still be hysterical? He tried to tap into any good feelings he had towards his family. If Owen was missing, he didn’t want to add to his parent’s distress. He wanted to be there for them. He wasn’t sure if he could do that, but he was going to try. Micah opened the door and walked into the hallway. “Mom...Dad...”

“Micaaah,” called his Dad from the living room. His voice cracked, and his words slurred.

Micah found his father sitting alone on the couch.

“Dad, what are you doing?” Micah picked up the bottle of Johnnie Walker Gold and swirled around the small amount of liquor left in the bottle. “Did you drink this all yourself?”

His dad’s face twisted as he began to cry. “Micah, whatz going to happen to me? Huh?”

“Is Owen gone?” Micah held his breath.

“Owen firzt…then your mother.”

“Mom? Is she out looking for Owen?” It had been a long time since Micah paid any attention to his dad. But in that moment, Micah really looked at him and was taken aback by the sagging, run-down shell of a man he saw sitting in front of him. And the contorted expression on his father’s face didn’t help matters much. When did he get so old?

“No, Micah, shez with Owen,” his father slurred.

“Wait…I’m confused. So Owen didn’t disappear? I thought all the kids under thirteen were gone.”

“Your mom and Owen both dizappeared.”

“Come on, Dad…snap out of it. Where’s mom? How long has she been gone?” Micah wanted to slap his dad across the face.

“One minute…shez here and next…shez gone. Ooooh God…what am I gonna do!” His father put his face in his hands. “She promizd she wouldn’t leave me, Micah. She promizd that she knew what she waz doin’ and thiz wouldn’t happen to uz.”

Micah sat down on the couch next to his father and set the bottle of whiskey on the floor. “Dad, you’re not making any sense. What wouldn’t happen?” Micah rubbed his temples with his fingers.

“Damn legacy…. And you…you have no idea what to do. I can’t help you. I can’t even open the fuckin’ thing. Only you or Owen can.” Micah’s dad lifted his head and let out a low, gritty laugh. “Imagine…you…savin’ the world. She waz so sure that she waz right.”

“Dad will you please make some sense! What legacy? What can’t you open?” Micah stood. “Mom…are you here?” he yelled.

“Nope, shez gone. Poof...just like that.” His dad tried to snap his fingers. “And I wazn’t good enough to go.” He held his thumb against his chest. “She knowz that I need her. Why would she leave me? She knowz I can’t do thiz without her. You think she could’ve pulled some stringz.”

“What can’t you do without her...look for Owen?” Micah felt as if his head was about to explode.

“Owen…ppff…hez fine. Itz you thatz in trouble—you and me. She should‘ve just done what she waz suppozed to do. She knew thiz could happen in her lifetime, damn it.”

“Okay Dad, you need to stop drinking this stuff and go to bed. I’m sure things will be back to normal in the morning.” Micah was done. Arguing with this drunken man was pointless.

“Thatz a good one, Micah. Thiz mornin’ waz the lazt normal mornin’ of your life. Itz all over, son. Thiz iz the new normal.” His dad tried to stand but fell back onto the couch.

“Whatever...I just wanted to help.” Micah shook his head. He picked up the bottle from the floor and handed it to his father. “Here, old man, drink yourself to death for all I care.”

Micah stormed up the stairs to his room and slammed the door. He was too pumped up to sleep, so he threw a blanket over his shoulder and climbed out of his window. Once safely perched in the tree house, he wrapped himself in the blanket and gazed up at the night sky. He let his mind wander until he fell asleep.

Micah heard his dad calling for him. He opened his eyes. He was still in the tree house.

“Micah…hey Micah,” his dad repeated. He sounded as if he had sobered up.

Micah stood and looked out the window. His dad was down in the driveway, looking up at him. It was dark, but Micah could still see clearly. Something was wrong. His father looked pale, and his disfigured head bobbled on his trembling frame. His white t-shirt dripped with black ooze, or was that just the shadows? Micah rubbed his eyes. “Dad? You look weird. Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, son. I’m so sorry. I didn’t think about you. I couldn’t stand my pain, so I—”

“Dad, Dad, it’s okay. I’m fine,” Micah interrupted.

“It’s going to be hard. You need to be brave, braver than I’ve been,” his father continued.

“Are you still drunk?”

“Good bye, Micah.”

“Dad? Wait, I’m coming down.”

At that moment, the brown pit bull appeared next to Micah. It was barking at his dad. No…wait…it was barking at the shadow floating up the driveway.

“Who’s there?” Micah shouted. “Dad, someone’s coming.”

“Stay there, son. Don’t come down. You have a job to do. I’m sorry I won’t be here to help you. Everything you need is in the house. Remember what your mother taught you.”

The man dressed in the suit stepped out from the shadows and stood next to his father. The dog went crazy, barking and snarling at the stranger, just as he had done in the last dream.

“Dad, what’s going on?” Micah asked.

“I have to go with Mr. Grimshaw. Stay here. When you see your mother again, give her my love and tell her I’m sorry. Don’t worry about them—your mom and Owen. They’re safe, and they’re together. You’re the one who’s alone…and who has to fight.”

With that, Mr. Grimshaw put his hand on his father’s shoulder and whispered into his ear. His dad waved to Micah and walked down the driveway towards the street. Grimshaw looked up at Micah and then turned to follow his dad.

“Dad…don’t go! What am I supposed to do?” Micah had a bad feeling. He needed to stop his dad before it was too late.

Grimshaw looked back over his shoulder and spoke in a deep whisper. “He belongs to me now—one more for my army, one less for yours.” The corners of his lips curled up into what Micah, at first, thought was a smile but ended up looking more like a sneer. Grimshaw reminded Micah of a wild animal about to attack.