No Refuge by Richard Bard

Author:Richard Bard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, thriller, suspense, adventure, mystery, action, terrorism, paranormal, psychics, teen youth
Publisher: Richard Bard

Chapter 18

JAKE STARED at the bathroom mirror.

Damn, I’m ugly, he thought, rubbing his face. His new skin still itched, and his droopy right eye reminded him of Quasimodo. But unlike the unfortunate fictional character from Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, he’d found mutual love.

And forgiveness.

He pulled out the miniature pyramid. Its slick surfaces and precise edges had once felt alien to him. Now they were a comfort.

A part of us, Francesca had said. Tap into it.

He couldn’t duplicate the physical circumstances in the cave, but he sure as hell could tap into the emotions they had evoked. After blowing out a long breath, his eyes went flat and he focused his thoughts on the ink-black surface of the alien object.

The mini rose from his palm to hover before him, its energy filling the room and making the hairs on his skin bristle. He opened his mind, recalling—no, reliving—the vibrations he’d experienced when he first connected to the pyramid in Afghanistan, vibrations with the same tonal quality and frequency that had accompanied the vision in the bear cave. He thought of the vast underground space he’d seen, and the inexorable lure he’d felt to seek it out in the jungles of Brazil, and the shock he’d felt at seeing Alex—

Jake’s eyes snapped closed, his body shook, and his mind was transported to the interior of a vast cavern. The vision shimmied like a mirage over a desert. He strained his mind to clarify the view, and the few details that appeared made him realize it wasn’t a natural space. The walls were curved and symmetrical, supported by esophageal ribs, and the domed ceiling shone with metallic brilliance. He glimpsed a crystalline console of some sort, and a hovering holographic image of…

Me.

The vision vanished behind a fog, and a presence entered his mind.

“You must come.”

The contact jolted him, but he forced himself to remain open. There was an urgency behind the words, and its pull was relentless.

“Bring him.”

Jake tensed as his mind was transported to a view of Alex sitting at a desk in front of a window overlooking a narrow, downtown street. It was as if Jake was looking over his son’s shoulder. The same two girls he’d seen on the bus stood beside Alex, one staring out the window. It was dark outside, but streetlamps illuminated the colorful structures across the street. They had a Spanish colonial look. He didn’t recognize the location, and the foreign feel of the place was disquieting.

Alex’s head suddenly spun around, and he mouthed, “Dad?”

“I’m coming,” Jake said, unsure whether or not Alex could hear him.

“Time is running out…” The strange voice trailed off and the vision began to fade, but before it vanished, Jake blinked like a camera shutter, capturing the scene surrounding his son, storing every detail in his mind.

And then it was gone.

The mini dropped into his palm, ice cold against his skin. He stared at it in wonder. What other secrets did it hold?

And who—or what—is the presence linked to it?

He sucked in a lungful of air.

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