The Ethereal Vision

  ***

  Jack woke at seven the next morning, having gotten five hours of sleep. There were crows crying in the near distance, and strange, unfamiliar country sounds surrounded his aural field. He breathed deeply and felt the cold air fill his lungs like tiny ice crystals; it seemed to freeze his mind. He was fully awake almost immediately and sat straight up. Clearly, the cabins were not meant to be used in the winter.

  “Damn,” he said under his breath as he reached up a hand and rubbed his eyes. He instantly thought of Jane and Nora in their bedrooms and decided to check on them.

  He was about to move when he heard the sound of voices: authoritative tones speaking in the distance. He felt his heart beat faster. He sat up slowly and looked out through the corner of the netted curtains. In the dim light of dawn he saw three men in suits approach from the other side of the field. They were two hundred feet away, and they looked completely out of place against the backdrop of short green grass and the brown mahogany of the cabins. He jumped up and ran down to the bedrooms, alerting Jane and Nora of the men’s presence.

  “They’re here! They’re here!” he said with just enough volume to wake them.

  Without hesitation, the two got up and began getting ready.

  “Where are they?” Nora asked.

  “They’re up the field. They’ll be here in a moment. I’ll distract them. Jane, you go right now—out the back. You know what to do.”

  She nodded at him, and he watched as she and Nora proceeded to the back entrance. Then he turned and walked back up the length of the thirty-foot cabin. As he approached the double door at the entrance, the creak of every footstep cast loud echoes around the cold, small interior.

  He laced up his boots, stood and braced himself for the coming encounter. He waited in front of the window of the door frame for a moment and watched them walk directly towards him. Then he stepped onto the porch. They stopped approximately twenty feet in front of him. The man who stood at the centre was tall and well built. In his eyes Jack was troubled to see a devastatingly clear awareness. The two men who stood behind him looked at each other for direction, clearly not expecting such a direct encounter.

  “Is there something I can help you with?” he asked them from across the distance. He spoke loudly, but his voice was strangely muted in the morning mist. The man in the centre, whom he could only presume was Lucas, stepped forward. He was wearing a long trench coat with a suit underneath it. His eyes darted to the right and left as he gauged the situation.

  “We’re looking for someone by the name of Jane Connor. I presume you’re Jack? Do you know where she is?”

  “How do you know who I am?” Jack asked flatly.

  The man’s head tilted to one side. “Where is she?”

  Jack didn’t falter. He moved off the steps and walked out to meet them, stopping five feet in front of Lucas, taking him in. Jack guessed the man was about two hundred pounds. He was athletic too, and Jack had the brief thought that he wouldn't like to be chased by him. Still, he stared into the man’s eyes and didn’t flinch.

  “I’m afraid I don’t have the information you’re seeking,” he said without remorse. Then he pursed his lips into a mocking, lopsided smile; the conversation was over.

  Lucas exhaled and reached under his jacket into a holster around his waist. He pulled out his hand, which was holding what looked to Jack like an advanced kind of Taser. It was blue, metallic and serious looking. Although Jack had never seen such a weapon in plain sight, he thought it looked bigger than a standard firearm. Lucas checked a setting on the weapon, then dropped his arm to his side.

  “Do whatever you want. We’ll find her,” he said, then nodded behind him to his two lieutenants. They separated immediately, one heading for the entrance on the right of Jack, the other heading to his left around the back of the cabin. Jack turned and watched as their figures faded into the dim morning mist. Then he turned back around and returned Lucas’ gaze for a few more moments, never faltering. After a moment, he heard the motorcycle engine kick into life, and the pursed smile reappeared on his face as he heard it scramble away. Lucas’ eyes darted towards the sound, then his teeth came together audibly as realisation spread across his face. The other men ran from behind the other side of the cabin.

  “She got away on a motorcycle,” one of them said, slightly out of breath. Jack looked down and saw Lucas’ fist clench; he half expected Lucas to punch the man. He resisted, though, and then the three of them got into the car.

  “Have a nice day,” Lucas said just before he closed the door. They swerved the car around dramatically and raced up the field, leaving giant muddy tire tracks in the thin winter grass. Jack could still hear the sound of the motorcycle engine as it slowly faded into the distance. He exhaled as Nora walked behind him with tears in her eyes. He extended his arm and she ducked under it, placing her face against his chest.

  “They’re going to get her, Jack.”

  “Maybe not. She’s fast.”