‘The crooks who shot my friend are still at large and he’s the only one who got a good look at them,’ Matt explained. ‘I’m afraid if I take him to a hospital, they’ll try and finish him off.’
Silence.
‘Uncle Max? I’m begging here. He’s my best friend …’ Matt’s voice faltered in desperation, but before he could summon the words to beg again, the gates parted before them. ‘Thanks, Uncle Max.’
They drove up the drive and parked at the front door, where a handsome middle-aged doctor stood waiting for them in his bathrobe and slippers.
‘Book?’ Kyle stirred momentarily and called out as he was lifted from the car by Zoe and Matt.
‘Now that’s the last item on earth I thought Kyle would be calling for in a delirium,’ Matt commented to Zoe, who was very pale and upset. ‘Well, he’s still with us, so he’s going to be okay.’ He conjured a smile of reassurance.
‘Holy shit, Matthew!’ His uncle observed the patient, while relieving Zoe of Kyle’s weight. ‘Your friend needs a surgeon.’
Matt looked at his uncle with a knowing and desperate expression on his face.
Max didn’t have any children of his own. Matthew was his favourite relative because of his happy-go-lucky attitude to life, and he couldn’t bear to see his nephew so distraught. He served Matt a wink of encouragement. ‘Luckily for you and your friend, the finest surgeon at that hospital around the corner is currently in my bed.’
‘You’re kidding?’ Matt’s spirits soared. ‘And Kyle thinks I’m a lucky son-of-a-bitch!’
‘But … this is a hell of a situation you’re putting us in.’ He felt he had to warn Matt against taking his lady friend’s involvement for granted. ‘If your friend here doesn’t pull through to sign a release form, we could both be in a lot of shit!’
‘Then let’s get moving,’ suggested the beautiful brunette who had appeared in the doorway and was now holding the door open for them with a concerned look on her face.
‘Quickly,’ she urged. ‘If your clothes are anything to go by, he’s lost a lot of blood.’
CHAPTER SIX
WORTH LIVING FOR
Time began slipping into the past for Kyle.
Zoe’s kiss filled his senses, as it was the only instance of true tenderness that his soul-mind could recall; this moment of pure bliss preceded a great release and then a short uncomfortable, excited period as their lips parted. ‘This is a kiss,’ Zoe said invitingly.
The fear of love that lodged in Kyle’s throat grew in intensity. The ardent look in Zoe’s eyes shocked this fear back down to his heart, where it had been at home so long.
Zoe scoffed and smiled once more. ‘That wasn’t a kiss.’
She cares for me, he thought as his consciousness was ripped away from Zoe and catapulted back through his friendship with Matthew, which had brought a little of joy and hope into his life.
Back beyond the day they’d met was a long, dark stretch of life that Kyle had suppressed from living memory. Yelling foster parents and siblings mingled with the lectures of doctors and social workers into a noisy, unpleasant montage that sped rapidly by, and so Kyle was spared reliving every beating, and every long period of dulled pain from the heavy drugs fed to him to subdue his angry outbursts and suppress his fantasies.
From the harrowing halls of foster homes and orphanages his being travelled outdoors. There, in a large rolling field, way back in his early youth, Kyle sat chuckling at the antics of the unique otherworldly creatures surrounding him. ‘Ron, Ron,’ he cheered, as Kyron demonstrated how a boomerang was thrown. When the weapon was returned to the creature, it was presented to Kyle as a gift: ‘From your people.’
The boomerang. This had been something so sacred to Kyle as a youngster that he’d kept it a secret, locking the item in a metal box and throwing away the key to ensure that no one could destroy, steal or otherwise take it from him. He’d carted the box around with him for so long that he’d forgotten why, or even what it contained. He still had the box somewhere, hidden amongst the relics of his long-suffered past.
All visual perception faded; the sound of a beating heart and the chant of a ritual gathering became the centre of his focus. He felt powerful beyond measure in this darkness, and filled with higher purpose, until a bright, persistent flash of light lulled him into a state of feeling nothing more than warm and content.
A deep red mist inflamed the darkness and a familiar foul odour caused a cold dread to besiege Kyle’s being.
‘Game over.’ The green winged devil appeared before him. ‘You lose!’ The other demons echoed the ringleader’s laughter as they manifested around their ex-patron. ‘We’d offer you a drink in condolence, but …’ the demon gestured at Kyle with both its hands, ‘ … no body.’
Kyle’s consciousness drifted down and did a full three hundred and sixty degree turn in search of himself. I’m nothing more than a ball of consciousness.
‘Afraid so.’ The demon raised both of its hairless eyebrows. ‘Your subtle bodies probably burnt up during descent,’ it theorised and shrugged. ‘Well, that’s death for you.’
Death! Kyle objected. I can’t be dead. There’s too much going on in my life! I’m finally starting to piece it all together … I can’t die now!’
‘Don’t complain to us.’ The green devil folded his arms. ‘If you’d listened to me you’d still be living. But no … you had to go put your faith in those natural elementals. Who, just for the record, have all abandoned you.’ It grinned. ‘And as we are now forced to find ourselves a new source of sustenance, we’re also going to piss off and leave you.’
Do you know if there’s a way back? Just answer me that. The appeal sparked a round of laughter.
‘We don’t owe you anything.’ The fat, greasy demon protected the huge burger it was stuffing into its mouth.
‘Can’t help you, kid,’ said the grey demon, casually blowing smoke rings out its ears.
‘Dead is dead, dude,’ the staggering drunk belched in conclusion.
‘And as you never dragged your consciousness out of the rubbish dump, you can now stew in the marvel of your accomplishments.’ The demon held wide its green-winged arms admiring the vast wasteland. ‘Enjoy the fruits of your labour.’ The demon vanished with a wave, as did the others, one by one.
Did my selflessness in death count for nothing? The thought had great volume, though only in his mind. The atmosphere around his being remained undisturbed, which seemed to confirm the demons’ claim that he no longer held any sway in the outcome of creation, for better or worse.
‘There is no way back.’
In retrospect, Book’s parting words seemed more like prophecy. Kyle realised how much he’d been enjoying Book’s wise tutelage, but felt that the unexplainable gift from the cosmos had been wasted on him. He’d never fully appreciated or believed in the magic that had been his to wield since birth. He’d beheld and befriended an entire world of beings that no one else seemed to know existed. Others had made his otherworldly talent seem like a curse because they feared or envied him, and he’d been stupid enough to surrender his own judgement and believe that the majority must be right.
Just as I am doing now, he noted, when from within himself came a mournful howl, which yet seemed worlds away. It was Kyron and the beast sounded restrained and panicked — like he wanted to come to Kyle’s aid, but was unable to do so, and thus howled out a plea for help.
I don’t believe it. This thought had a defeated overtone, but as it echoed through his consciousness Kyle realised what a profoundly powerful statement it was. And why would I believe a pack of life-sucking killjoys? They’ve been hacking away at my self-esteem for most of my life, encouraging me to be less than I am. Well, I don’t believe I am powerless to decide what is to become of me.
A mild tremor rumbled forth from Kyle’s present location and, despite the disquiet that it caused him, Kyle was relieved to discover that he was not without influence after all. Still, anger wasn’t going t
o get him where he desired to be. If anything would pave the road back to the land of the living it would be the will to love and nurture.
A curious idea began to play with his consciousness and Kyle became preoccupied with this premise: Did he possess the will to create, just as he possessed the will to destroy? Could he heal this place with his good intentions, just as he had damaged it with his outbursts and detrimental desires?
Kyle focused on a small crack in the parched ground, imagining a green stalk sprouting forth. When this did not eventuate he entertained the notion that there was a certain due process in nature that needed to be adhered to; that it was simply unrealistic to believe that lush vegetation could grow in such a situation. Due process, he resolved. He then imagined a small cloud growing and that the cloud was his spirit filled to overflowing with the desire to honour and protect all life.
This desire rained down to feed the seed of his mortal self and grow it anew. After this storm had flooded the landscape and dispersed the red haze, rays of sunlight burst through the cloud, shining love and strength upon the seedling of himself.
A green stalk sprouted from the moistened ground, and around it green stalks reared their heads in all directions. So clearly did he see this happening that Kyle could not define the event as real or imagined. A great forest grew from his one tiny seed, and the enormity of the vision caused an explosion of pride and joy in his being. All trace of any hellish existence had been smothered and Kyle now beheld a landscape of rare beauty.
‘You can make it happen.’ A woman stood beside him, one whose face was now familiar.
Mother.
She smiled fondly, although her expression reflected regret: ‘You must go back and see to it.’
With this encouragement his mother vanished in a wash of white light, submerging Kyle in the awareness of having form once again.
Pain! The throbbing ache in his side was so intense that it caused Kyle to stir; it felt like his whole upper body was bruised and pinning him down. He was very stiff and very cold. The blinding white light of his vision didn’t disappear as he parted his eyelids, but then a shadow appeared and slowly sharpened into an image.
Zoe’s weary expression lifted as she noted his eyes upon her. ‘He’s awake,’ she whispered, but her gaze and broad smile did not waver from the patient. ‘It’s about time … you had us worried.’
Matt, who’d been dozing in a nearby chair, snapped to life and came to stand beside Zoe. ‘Hey there, 007, how’re you feeling?’ Matt smiled, but the dark rings around his sunken eyes betrayed his anguish.
‘I died, didn’t I?’ Kyle knew without question that he had — he remembered everything.
The smile slipped from both Zoe and Matt’s faces, and Matt nodded as his uncle stepped forward. ‘This is my Uncle Max … he’s a doctor, remember? You’re at his place and no one else knows you’re here.’
‘Except for this lovely lady.’ Max referred Kyle to the surgeon. ‘Dr Frederica Urov, whom you have to thank for reviving you and patching you up.’
‘You can call me Fred,’ the surgeon advised, as Max stepped in to give Kyle a quick check.
‘How long was I dead?’ Kyle inquired calmly.
Matt was discomforted by this seemingly morbid question, but he was straight with his friend. ‘The longest five minutes of my life.’
‘Mine too.’ Kyle realised that it had seemed longer.
‘How do you feel?’ Frederica asked. ‘You lost a lot of blood, but lucky for you the bullet passed right through you without hitting any bone or major organs.’
Kyle felt great, despite his injuries. Reborn even. ‘I’m good,’ he replied, ‘although my chest is a bit sore.’
‘I gave you a transfusion; that would have done wonders.’ The surgeon confirmed that he was doing as well as could be expected. ‘Your chest is probably a little bruised from the resuscitation. You’ll be fine in a few days, but no strenuous exercise for a while, or you might split those stitches.’
His friends did not appear to be faring as well as Kyle was in the wake of the ordeal. ‘I’m really sorry for whatever I put you guys through last night.’
‘No problem,’ Matt’s mood lightened. ‘Just don’t do it again.’
‘If you’ll just put your autograph on these release forms, which state that you won’t sue us for helping you, Fred and I will be happy about our part in your misadventure.’ Max handed Kyle a pen.
‘Well, considering I was dead, I can hardly complain!’ Kyle would have laughed if it wasn’t agony just thinking of it, and he was happy to sign his name on the forms.
‘Right, then.’ The doc took his lady friend by the hand to lead her from the room. ‘We’ll be back to check on you a bit later.’
‘Sorry about your weekend away, Uncle Max.’ Matt trailed them to the door.
‘Not to worry,’ said Max, ‘there will be other weekends. But you can stop calling me Uncle Max. It makes me sound like a senior citizen.’
‘Fair enough, but … I haven’t told you the whole truth about what happened last night.’ Matt felt he should come clean with Max, after all his uncle had done for them.
‘Oh, really,’ Max exaggerated. ‘Matty, I don’t want to know.’
‘But the police —’
‘The police?’ Max inhaled deeply and then waved off the warning. ‘If anyone comes here looking for your friend, I’m pleading ignorant. I was just doing a favour for my nephew,’ he emphasised. ‘It’s up to you to explain to the police, and your parents, what happened. Fair enough?’
Matt nodded solemnly.
‘Your friend will be all right to move in a day or so … so see to it.’
Yes, Unc — I mean, Max … I will.’
‘Then all’s well,’ Max concluded. ‘But you owe me one.’
‘I know it,’ Matt assured him. ‘I owe you big time.’
Max and Frederica departed, and Matt returned to watch over Kyle.
Zoe was biting down on her lip to restrain her tears as she gazed down at Kyle, yet she needed to satisfy her curiosity. ‘You remember dying, Kyle?’
‘Every second.’ Kyle looked up at her, and as raising his left arm obviously pained him, Zoe gently took his hand in both of her own. ‘You were the first thing I saw in the afterlife.’
The comment made her laugh and cry at once. ‘Perhaps that’s because I was holding you when you passed out.’ She raised his hand to her face and caressed it against her cheek.
‘Or perhaps it was because I needed a good reason to come back,’ Kyle retorted and wanted to cringe when he considered how confused Matt would be by the sudden attraction of his best mate to his would-be girlfriend.
Zoe strained to smile through her tears. Matt was clearly feeling uncomfortable, so Kyle quickly switched subjects to one more pressing. ‘We have to warn Burke.’ The realisation ripped through him like a bullet. ‘Get me up.’ As he moved to raise himself, the pain made it impossible. ‘Ouch!’
‘You’re not in shock any more and the drugs are wearing off.’ Zoe readjusted Kyle’s bedclothes like a fussy nurse, when she noticed he was shivering. ‘The ordeal your body went through to shock your being back into your body is going to take some time to heal.’
‘I’ll warn Burke,’ Matt impressed on him. ‘You’ve done enough.’
Kyle frowned, shaking his head in protest. ‘Not as much as I should have.’ He wasn’t going to risk losing his father before he ever got the chance to meet him.
‘Rubbish,’ Matt objected. ‘That bullet was aimed at me and don’t think I don’t know it. Me and my big ideas. I’ll handle this investigation from here on in. It should never have become your problem.’
As Matt gathered his things, Kyle resigned himself to his lot, not yet ready to explain his own reasons for being so involved. Although he strongly suspected that Timothy Burke was his long-lost father, the Book of Dreams had yet to confirm this for sure. Book! Kyle was gripped by another fear. ‘My bag. Do you still have it?’
&n
bsp; Matt, who was loading his camera, placed it aside and reached for the item in question. ‘Yeah, it’s right here.’ After removing the stolen files from it, he was puzzled. ‘But, besides these, there’s nothing in here.’
‘What?’ barked Kyle, alarmed. ‘Let me see.’
Matt held the bag open in front of Kyle, so that he could view the inside for himself.
The book resided in the bottom of the bag, right where he’d left it, and Kyle smiled broadly in relief. ‘Incredible … here.’ He wiggled all ten of his fingers, eager to take possession of his property.
Matt became a little concerned for the mental wellbeing of their patient when Kyle cuddled the empty bag to his person like it was a teddy bear. ‘Well, if you don’t need me for anything else, I’d better get down to the jail.’ Camera loaded, Matt packed it away in its carry case.
Zoe put the files into Matt’s bag and then refrained from handing it over to him. ‘I’ll walk you out,’ she suggested, a little awkwardly.
To Kyle, Matt seemed reluctant to agree, and he pretended not to notice how jealous Matt was that Kyle was being left in Zoe’s care. The bullet might have been aimed at Matt, but it had been meant for Zoe; Kyle had ultimately saved her life. Had this simple twist of fate been the deciding factor in who won her heart?
Kyle gave Matt the thumbs up in parting. ‘Be a legend, Matthew. There’s a real big story out there with your name on it.’
Matt returned the gesture, somewhat shocked by Kyle’s encouragement.
‘And be careful,’ Kyle added as Matt gathered his luggage and Zoe moved to escort him out of the room. ‘Nivok might have reported us to the police … although I suspect he is the kind of man who likes to take care of problems himself.’
‘I won’t get shot, if that’s what you mean.’ Matt mocked the predicament Kyle had landed himself in. ‘I know what I’m doing,’ he assured his friend in a cocky fashion.
‘Yes, you do,’ Kyle admitted in all seriousness. Matt was again stunned at the change in his friend’s attitude.