Psych Investigation Episodes: Episode 1 (A Young Adult Scifi / Fantasy) (6 page)

But would they believe a word he said? That
there were people with these staggering abilities who could read
minds and … change things? Andy was one of them, and even
he
wasn’t sure he believed it.

The woman paused. “What’s the matter, young
man? Why are you crying all of a sudden? Don’t tell me some girl
broke your heart at school.”

Andy hadn’t realized that his tears began to
flow, but with small sobs, he knew he couldn’t contain
them.

“
I’m so sorry. I’m so very
sorry.”

“
I don’t understand. What do you
mean ‘you’re sorry’?” The compassion in her eyes added another
layer to Andy’s guilt. Without realizing it, Andy’s sobs turned
into whimpers.

"They treat me so horribly. Every day they
treat me like I am trash, like I am dirt. The pushing, the
bullying, it never ends. I made a deal with the devil and now I
can’t go back. I won’t be able to go back!”

“
I … I don’t understand. Is there
someone I can call, ah, your mother, perhaps? Why don’t you come
inside? My son’s home is just on the next block, and I’m sure
whatever’s bothering you I can—”

The woman panted. “Dear me, it’s become hot all
of a sudden, hasn’t it?” She wiped her face with her
sleeve.

Andy extended his arm, palm open. The woman’s
eyes flashed with confusion. For a few seconds, she met his tearful
gaze, and then came the screams.

“
Something is wrong with me, with my
face. My face is burning!”

She wiped away another trickle of sweat, only
this time, her sleeve took with it a small strip of flesh, leaving
behind a pink bloodied trail that ran across her forehead. Her
screams intensified. Andy ignored them, focusing on the energy
gathering within him.

“
Young man!” she screamed. “Please,
call for help. Something is happening to me!”

Andy heard her cries, felt them rip at his
soul, but he pushed them aside. Her skin softened and then in
pieces, small at first, fell from her face, revealing the dark red
tissue underneath. Soon her screams became wails. She clawed at her
face, furthering the damage, each swipe removing larger clumps of
bloodied skin. Neighboring houses turned on their porch lights, no
doubt curious about the commotion. Andy hurried the
process.

He watched in horror as the last bits of flesh
fell away from her face, revealing a terrible sight. It resembled
something out of a horror film. Soon, even her screams were hushed,
as her lips melted from her face.

As her last moan escaped her, and her lifeless
body fell to the floor, Andy realized that his tears had dried.
This was it—he had done it, and regardless of whatever pain he
felt, Andy knew the next two would come easier, especially
Richard.

Richard
. The name echoed in his mind,
replacing guilt with anger. He would die a dog’s death, far worse
than the old woman’s. All of this was his fault, his
responsibility. He forced Andy’s hand. He was the underlying cause
of Andy’s misery.

Several people emerged on their porches, and
Andy bent down to retrieve the box. He ripped it open and took the
toy helicopter. With the toy firmly in hand, he turned to flee the
block. No one could’ve seen his face, and even if they had, Andy
hadn’t laid a single hand on the woman. There would be no
evidence.

For five minutes he ran at a full sprint, until
two blocks later he reached the corner of the street and doubled
over, panting for breath. His emotions were a mess. He felt guilt,
anger, terror, but oddly enough, also a creeping
exaltation.

Struggling to catch his breath, Andy jumped
when he felt a hand slide along his shoulder. He spun around and
almost shrieked. It took a moment to register the girl in front of
him. His mind scrambled to form words.

“
You … What are you doing
here?”

The madness was evident. Even a small child
would feel unease by looking into those dark, yet hauntingly
beautiful eyes.

“
One,” Requiem said. She held out
her hand. As if automated, Andy placed the toy in her soft palm.
She turned around and walked back into the night.

Too startled to follow or call after her, Andy
stood with a blank look on his face. Had she followed him? She
hadn’t been on the bus, and he hadn’t seen her during the walk. She
was the type to stand out.

When did she …?

He forced the thought from his mind. Maybe one
day he would come to understand the two and perhaps shed some light
on their secrets. But anything beyond his immediate mission was out
of his control. He could only do as instructed, or suffer the
consequences.

He gathered his strength and continued on.
Richard would,
must
, be next. Andy had earned
this.

“
Incredible,” Paro said. He surveyed
the room around him. The smell of smoke was thick in the air. Burnt
desks and papers scattered about. The chalkboard had turned purple
from the heat. “It’s amazing no one was hurt. This is far more
damage than I expected.”

Paro could see he was not the only one
surprised. Michael, usually cocky and self-absorbed, stood in
silence. The room was destroyed, perhaps never again usable. The
walls were ruined from the heat and the soaking they had received
from the firefighters. Though horrific, Paro had to admit the
destruction was impressive.

Sarah shook her head. “What does this tell us,
Paro? Do you think this is the work of a mischievous
kid?”

 “
I doubt it, Sarah. This was
done by a Psych with experience and exceptional power. To be able
to bring about this much destruction untrained, I can only assume
it has to be one of the suspects we’re after, the Telekinetic, most
likely. To cause this much friction, though. We’re dealing with
someone very dangerous.”

Paro swallowed before continuing. “And being
that it was done in this particular class worries me, as I’m sure
it worries you all, too. The best we can do now is go through each
name on the list, carefully and thoroughly, and see if we can find
anyone who might be worth looking into. This punk is taunting us,
daring us to find him or her.”

Kazou flipped through the pages of a file,
pausing a moment to examine a name. “What about this kid? Richard
Davins. He’s a known bully, frequently suspended, even has a
criminal record.”

“
Doesn’t seem likely. I’ve actually
looked into him already, and he’s not a good match. Think about it.
Here’s a kid who regularly vents his frustrations by torturing the
people around him. Every whim or desire he acts out without regard
for consequences. No, we’re looking for someone a bit more
reserved, someone harboring years of rage. Whoever’s doing this
isn’t likely to be the emotional sort. They probably have excellent
control over their emotions and an even temper.”

Michael, apparently recovered from his lapse of
disbelief, wore a toothy grin. “That hot little biology teacher we
passed looked totally suspicious. Hey, I bet she knows something. I
should go … investigate.”

With a massive crack, the sound of smashing
wood resounded in the classroom, as Paro’s fist split a burned desk
in two. “Be serious, damn you. Lives are at stake here.”

“
Easy now, Paro—anything odd you do
will have to be explained,” Sarah said.

Paro calmed down at the sight of her smile,
ashamed at the sudden display of his temper. The desk collapsed
with Paro’s use of inhuman strength. “Just say it was weakened by
the fire.”

Sarah walked toward the rear of the room. She
looked at the spot where math posters used to hang, only to see
charred paper containing a blackened, incoherent slew of
numbers.

“
No matter how you look at it, this
was a fortunate event. For one, no one was hurt. Now, for the first
time in months, we have a lead on one or both of our killers. We
have finally narrowed it down. Be thankful for their arrogance,
because there are now thirty-two names in front of us, instead of
thirty-two thousand.”

Paro nodded. “But still, Sarah, these kinds of
things put us all at risk. It’s not easy to cover up. If this
continues, then people
will
start to ask questions. At any
rate, we’ll each have to look into these kids, at least as many as
we can without drawing suspicion. I’m sure we’ve all got our own
guesses as to which one or two are worth looking into. Pick who you
think most likely and find out what you can.”

“
In that case, I’ll look into this
Richard.” Kazou looked to Paro for permission, and Paro returned a
nod.

One way or another, all of this would come to
an end. The fool that was taunting them would regret every life
stolen. In the end, they were always caught, and nothing would
change that now. There would be hell to pay.

A small draft of air entered the house as Jack
whirled in, slamming the door shut behind him. He threw his bag on
the kitchen table and sprinted up the stairs. Reaching the top, he
paused a moment and tried to catch his breath.

Jack would have been home hours ago, but Adam
had made that quite difficult, nearly hauling Jack back to his
house and pestering him with his ridiculous questions and theories.
Now it was after dark, and Melissa would arrive shortly to tutor
him. She would be there within the hour, leaving him little time to
prepare.

“
Mom, where are you?" he called. She
wasn’t downstairs, and she wasn’t in the basement. The pool of
light under her bedroom door and the vacuum-sounding hum were the
only indications Jack needed. He dashed the few feet from the foot
of the stairs to her bedroom door.

“
Hey, Mom, are you in there? I could
really use some help right now.”

“
Just a second, hun, I’m drying my
hair.”

Jack tapped his foot while the seconds whittled
away. After a minute that felt like ten, the door opened to reveal
a blonde, short-haired woman with an amused expression on her
face.

She was in her mid-forties, short, and she
carried herself with an air of resolve. She was a pretty woman,
kind, and fun loving. For most of Jack’s life, his father had been
away on business of some kind or another, seldom finding the time
to visit and not for long on those occasions. Most people thought
Jack’s parents were divorced, but his mother was very much in love
with his father. It wasn’t a typical relationship.

“
Now, tell me what it is that’s got
you all worked up. And why are you out of breath?”

Panting, Jack held up a finger, taking a second
to catch his breath.

“
Mom, listen, I need you to help me
take down all my posters and wall scrolls.”

Alana blinked in confusion while Jack danced
around and moaned.

“
What do you mean? Why do you need
to take down all that stuff? And why all of a sudden?”

“
I can explain as we go, Mom, but we
really need to get this done. There’s no time. Oh yeah, and grab
some of Dad’s old sports posters and stuff and help me throw them
up. I don’t even care which ones, just grab any of them. Except
golf, definitely no golf posters. Wait, does he even have golf
posters?
Ah man
,
why did
Adam hold me up for so long?”