The Spaces Between Us by Ethan Johnson

Author:Ethan Johnson [Johnson, Ethan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ethan Johnson
Published: 2018-05-18T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 44: BURNED

Agnes took off her coat and set it on a chair in the corner of her bedroom, followed by her knit bag. She sat on the edge of the bed and tried to get centered. First and foremost, she needed to know that Marc was okay. She closed her eyes and sent her consciousness out in search of her brother.

Work.

She saw an office park, then a five-story rectangular building. She floated through the walls, as she wasn’t bound by the constraints of physical reality. This method of travel had its advantages and pitfalls. On the one hand, she had greater freedom of movement. On the other, she couldn’t interact with anybody she saw or touch anything.

She also had a greater chance of success if she had been to the place she wished to project to before. Fortunately, she had made a trip out to see him three years ago, and he remained at the same company and at the same desk. Consistency had its merits. When she arrived at his desk, she saw his name plate. His computer was turned off, and his personal items were stuffed in a brown box. Marc still worked there, didn’t he?

She floated around the office. She saw a few people at their desks working. One person caught her eye: A sad-eyed black woman typing an email. She didn’t see who it was addressed to, but she did see phrases like “I wish you would have at least said good-bye” and “I didn’t know you were so unhappy here”. Panic shot through Agnes.

Apartment.

Her consciousness was transported instantly to Marc’s humble one-bedroom apartment. She had been there recently, albeit unexpectedly. The living room was arranged a bit differently than she recalled. The coaster set was missing, as was the coffee table.

His bedroom door was closed. Orange light flickered through the top of the door, where it did not form a tight seal against the frame. The bottom of the door was black, as though something was blocking the light from the other side. She passed through the door, and into a blazing fire.

Marc had stripped his bed and set up incense burners on his dresser and night stand. One of his mattresses was propped up against the wall. The other had fallen over and knocked a lit candle off the coffee table, which for some reason was placed in the center of the room. Gracie’s portrait billowed with grey smoke as the pile of Christmas presents he had unpacked smoldered underneath. Flames leapt up from the carpet and spread to one of the walls. The place was going to go up like a match in mere minutes.

She tried to find some clue as to why such arrangements had been made. It looked like someone… or something… was summoning him. Or he was trying to summon it. There was no sign of a struggle or foul play. Marc was just… gone. His apartment was about to be as well.

Another wall caught fire. Why wasn’t the smoke alarm sounding? Agnes looked up at the smoke detector.

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