CHAPTER 2: RELEASE

Stepping out from his shelter, a tall and lanky looking man squinted at the mid-day sun. “That was strange.” he thought, scratching his head. “People nowadays do the craziest things on their phones.”

Only a few moments before, he had been awakened by the sound of a young woman screaming at the person on the other end of a phone call. As the man stretched out, working the kinks out of his neck, he recalled the look of panic the young woman had on her face when she had noticed him looking at her.

“Now, I wonder what all that could have been about.” he said.

“You’ll find out soon, I am sure.” a voice sounded in his head. “That was one of them.”

“You can’t be serious!” he replied to the disembodied voice, “She was one of them that you brought me here to find?”

“And to help, if she will let you. You know the person on the other end of the call”

“Wow, if that’s not cryptic, I don’t what is.” he continued, looking around for something to scrounge up for food. Finding nothing but a partially eaten apple, he took a bite before he continued. “I’ve been around for quite a while as you know, I know a lot of people. Humans are everywhere.”

“It’s one of you: forsaken, cursed, and seeking retribution.” said the voice.

“Well that makes it a little easier to figure out, there aren’t that many of us left in this world.” He looked around and noticed the weird look he was receiving from a passerby. “Now that we got that cleared up,” he whispered, “can you be quiet so that these people don’t think I’m crazy, talking to no one?”

There was no response from the voice.

“Thank you.” the old man said.

He sat down on a bus stop bench and opened the bag that he carried with him. It was a smallish bag, made of brown leather, and containing all the personal possessions that he had left. As he pulled out one item after another, he remembered, with great clarity, the situations that related to each of them.

He stopped and stared at one object in particular, a small clay frame with a drawing behind the in-layed, age-beaten glass, engraved with the initials “T.C.”. He ran his fingers around the letters, trying to remember what they stood for but no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to recall his own name. Perhaps the initials stood for his real name, or maybe just the name that he was using at the time. His wife Merissa had engraved the letters before giving him the gift.

The object was a picture that his son had drawn for him many years ago. Even though it was painful for him to recall the memories of this particular object, T.C. made sure to look at it everyday to remind himself of why he was still around. The loss of his family was the hardest thing that he had to deal with through his exceptionally long life.

It had been three-hundred years since his wife and son had been taken from him, and the pain of that loss still hadn’t lessened. Some may think that three-hundred years is a long time, but that was only a fragment of the time he had been cursed to live on the earth… to his own recollection, nearly two-thousand years have gone by.

After the loss of his family, T.C. had decided not to acquire a new identity, “It wouldn’t be worth the trouble.” he had convinced himself. That’s also when the disembodied voice had spoken to him for the first time, agreeing with him. Since then, the voice had been his only companion. It seemed to be trying to help him seek his retribution for the sins that he had been cursed for, but it was taking much longer than he thought it should take.

He placed all the little objects back in the bag, stood up, and started heading in the same direction that the young woman had run off in.

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Dr. Samuals had just finished with the check-up exam on Mechi when the door opened. A woman, seeming around age 35, peeked around the open door and asked if it was okay to enter.

“Do come in Dr. Terence, come and meet this young man.” said Dr. Samuals.

As the woman entered the room, Mechi noticed that she was actually much prettier than he had imagined. She was of average height and slender, with curly brown hair reaching down to just below her shoulders. When Dr. Samuals had first mentioned Dr. Terence, Mechi pictured a woman version of Samuals. This woman was nothing like him, not in stature, or appearance.

“So this is the famed Mechi Vascellum.” she said with a smile. “After three years, it is nice to finally meet you. I have met the body before, but not the spirit.”

She had a strange way of talking, but nothing that made her hard to understand. Actually, that seemed to be the only common thing that the two doctors had between them. Whereas Samuals spoke that way only part of the time, Terence seemed to speak it all the time.

“Hi,” Mechi said, “it’s nice to meet you too. You must be Dr. Terence. Dr. Samuals has told me so much about you.” Dr. Terence looked surprised and gave Samuals a wistful smile. Then Mechi added, “He didn’t actually tell me anything, besides the fact that you fill in for him on his time off.” Her smile faded to a scowl, then she reached out to slap the back of Samuals head but he dodged it just in time.

“You brat!” she snapped at him.

“I’m sorry, Sarah,” he said, pulling himself back to a stable sitting position and straightening his glasses, “I was meaning to give him further information, but you know how I can get side tracked.”

“Yes,” said Dr. Terence, “I surely do.” Then she added, “I did not know that we were on a first name basis, Robert.”

“Well there you go,” he said in response, “I’ve just told him more about you.” He gave her a jesting wink. She returned the wink, walked over to the bed where Mechi was laying, in the process, succeeding with the second try, to slap Samuals on the head almost knocking his glasses off.

“Do not be a smart-ass, Robert.”

“Sorry,” he said laughing, “my bad.”

“What a strange couple of people,” Mechi thought, “A doctor who does lawn work, and a beautiful woman who should be a model rather than and MD.”

The doctors talked about another patient for a few minutes, but soon their attention was brought back to the young man in the bed.

Dr. Terence said, “So what is the diagnosis, Dr. Samuals?” and after listening to the information he gave her, she concluded, “Personally, I think it would be best to keep him here for at least a week to make sure he is going to stay conscious.” Turning to Mechi, she said, “I know a week sounds like a long time, but once you think about it, what is a week in comparison to the three years that you have already been here?”

“I’d be conscious for it.” Mechi thought. He almost said it out loud, but caught himself. He didn’t want to get slapped for being a smartass too, it looked like it hurt.

“He would be conscious for it.” Dr. Samuals said with a laugh, and throwing a knowing look toward Mechi. Mechi noticed that same flicker of green in the doctor’s eyes that he had seen before.

“What the heck? Can Samuals read minds or something? This is getting weird.” Mechi said, then clapped his hand over his mouth. He thought “I can’t believe I just said that outloud, damn-it!”

Both of the doctors glanced at each other and laughed.

“No, no,” said Dr. Samuals, “nothing like that.”

Dr. Terence put in, “For as long as I have known him, he has had sort of a sixth sense about things.” She bent down closer to Mechi and whispered in his ear, “It actually freaks me out a little when he does that.”

Mechi smiled at the comment, but more so because she had gotten so close to him. “Oh, only if I were older.” he thought. This time making sure that he wasn’t talking outloud.

“But to answer your question Dr. Terence, I don’t think that he needs to be here for that long. I’m thinking maybe only one or two days at most, just long enough to run the usual tests.” said Samuals, brushing off a blade of grass from his shirt. “We can always get in contact with him if we find anything that concerns us.”

“What?” Terence replied. “You do realize that Mechi and Yarin’s home is two counties over, do you not? How would they be able to come back if we had to do more tests.” She looked at Mechi, “I would like you to think about staying, at least until we get the test results, that should only take four or five days.”

Even the ‘four or five days’ sounded better than an entire week to Mechi, but the ‘one to two days’ sounded even better. Maybe if they could get along for a couple of minutes, he’d talk it over with Yarin when she got back.

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Something in the voice on the other end of the phone, gave Yarin a feeling like it was reaching out through the phone to grab her. Unnerved by the voice she ended the call. She walked faster and faster until she realized that she was running at full speed through the front door of her apartment building.

Skipping every-other step on the stairs to the third floor, she kept thinking to herself, “Almost there, almost safe. He doesn’t know where I live. Apartment 317, almost there…”.

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Arriving at her door, feeling as though she was being followed, she fumbled with the keys a little but soon had the door opened and was safely inside. She flicked the dead-bolt into place and, just be safe, hooked the chain lock as well.

Throwing the keys into the empty flower pot on the entryway table, she slumped into the kitchen for a glass of water. She filled a glass with ice, poured water in from a pitcher, and gulped it down in one shot, the ice making a hollow, clinking sound. Yarin couldn’t remember the last time she had been so frightened, but now she was safe, she...

“It’s about time, Ms. Vascellum, I’ve been waiting for you.”

Yarins’ eyes widened in shock at the sound. She stood motionless, and hardly breathing, hoping it was just her imagination.

“It’s so nice of you to invite me in, I think I’ll enjoy being your guest.” the voice said with an malicious playfulness to it.

There was something that Yarin realized as she turned slowly to look at the person sitting on her couch. The voice… it had more than one tone to it that she hadn’t noticed before. Everytime this man talked, it sounded like three people talking in unison.

Composing herself, she said, “Carter Haines, how did you find me? I never told you where I lived.”

“I’ve always known Ms. Vascellum, even before I found you.” he replied, his voice turning to a single tone. “Why do you think I never asked you?”

“I figured it was because you were trying to be courteous. What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to talk to you in person. You were very rude to me on the phone earlier, so I figured that you wouldn’t fight me so much if I showed up personally.”

“I’ve said all I have to say to you right now,” Yarin said, trying as hard as she could to remain calm and composed, and turning to face him added, “like I said, Mechi and I are going home when he’s released from the hospital.”

He was an abnormally tall man, thin, and with a complexion that made him look as if he were a bulimic vampire. Even though, she knew he was all muscle, having seen feats of strength that a person of his size shouldn't be able to accomplish.

Carter smiled, and Yarin shivered at the sight of it. It didn’t look quite human. “I see,” Carter said, speaking with even more tones to his voice, “So you think you can just up and leave my employment whenever you feel like it?”

“We agreed… ” Yarin started saying, but was unable to finish. Carter had grabbed her by the front of her shirt and picked her up off the ground, slamming her against the door frame she had entered. It happened so fast that she was unable to see him move, after all, he had been about 15 feet away, sitting across the living room, when she had started talking.

“I never agreed to anything, child!” said Carter, drawing her closer to him, “You can’t break a bond like ours so easily, as I’m sure you will find out soon.”

Yarin began to scream, in the hope that someone might hear her and come to her aid, but at that moment, Carter just vanished, dropping her to the floor. She sat there for what, to her, felt like hours, but in fact was only a few minutes. Dazed and scared about what had just happened, it took a moment or two for her to realize that her phone was ringing.

She got up as quick as she could and ran to it, answering a little too excitedly, then relaxing a bit, she tried again.

“Hello, this is Yarin.”

“Hello, Ms. Vascellum, this is Dr. Terence down at the hospital. I was wondering if you would be able to come back in and answer a few questions.”

“Sure.” she said wearily, still straining to keep calm.

“Are you okay, Ms. Vascellum? You do not sound like you are.”

“I’m fine,” Yarin replied, “and please call me Yarin. ‘Ms. Vascellum’ makes it sound like I’m an old cat-lady.” She laughed.

“Of course, Yarin, I just keep forgetting. So will you be willing to come back down here?” Dr. Terence asked eagerly.

“Yeah, give me about an hour, and I’ll be there.”

She hung up the phone without waiting for a reply and collapsed to the floor. “Maybe I’ll just sit here for a little bit longer…” she thought, starting to cry “just a little bit longer.”

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Yarin arrived back at the hospital right at the time she had indicated, but stopped before entering. She looked up at the glass covered building, almost blinding herself with the reflection of the setting sun. She stood for a moment, collecting her thoughts, and telling herself that she needed to focus on the situation at hand. What had happened with Carter Haines could wait until later.

Entering the visitors wing, she looked around cautiously, trying to make sure she wasn’t being watched or followed. Turning toward the out-patient rooms where Mechi had been moved to, she walked with her eyes to the floor. When she arrived, she walked into her brother’s room without knocking. Dr. Samuals was there speaking to Mechi. What the conversation had been about, she didn’t know because they stopped talking when they noticed her entrance.

Giving a look of obvious questioning to both of them, she said “Dr. Terence asked me to come back in to answer some questions, or something to that effect.”

Mechi noticed that she hadn’t even said ‘Hi’ to him, “She must still be upset about earlier.” he thought. He really wasn’t that worried about it because she actually seemed a little healthier, looking like she had gotten some rest. It never occurred to him that she was just covering up how she really felt. It had been a long day for all of them, and it was finally coming to an end. He was exhausted, but he couldn’t help hoping it would drag out, just a bit longer.

“She’ll be back in a few minutes,” said Dr. Samuals, referring to Dr. Terence, “she went to get some actual food for ‘Munchy’ here.

Mechi really hated being called that. The doctors had started calling him that after the third time he had asked for some food within a ten minute period.

“I can certainly understand your appetite,” Dr. Samuals had said, “You’ve had nothing but liquified mush, fed to you by a tube for the last three years. But we need to make sure that your body can handle solid foods before giving you too much. What is it that you’re craving?” he asked.

“A hamburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake.” Mechi said without hesitation.

“I do not think that is a good idea quiet yet,” Dr. Terence interjected, “You should try something less solid and filling until you get a little stronger. I will go down and see what I can find in the cafeteria.” she added, as she headed for the door.

Machi slumped down in the bed in an exaggerated pout, his bottom lip sticking out so far that it actually hurt to keep it there.

The doctors both laughed and copied his expression.

Dr. Samuals said, “Do not pout young man, there must be something that can ease your hunger pangs, let us see what we can find for you.”

There was that strange speech and flicker of green again. No one else seemed to notice it except Mechi. Feeling like he would be happy just to have anything to eat, he agreed.

“Munchy, huh?” Yarin laughed, seeing the grimace on Mechis’ face. “That’s a good one, I’ll have to use that sometime. Especially since you call me ‘Yarn’.”

Mechi knew that would come back to bite him someday. Even though he had advanced in intellect faster than Yarin, due to his photographic memory, he had always mispronounced her name. First, it was innocent, but later turned into a joke he would use to get on her nerves. Now it was her turn.

Yaryn turned to face Dr. Samuals. “So what was it that you and Dr. Terence wanted to talk to me about?”

“Right to business, I see. We were discussing how long your brother should remain here for further testing.” He replied, “I think that it should only be one or two days, but Dr. Terence believes he should stay longer. What are your thoughts Ms. Vasce… I mean, Yarin?”

That strange speech again, still only noticed by Mechi, but no matter how he tried, with Dr. Samuals facing away from him, he couldn’t see if the flicker had happened as well.

Yarin had to think about this, no matter what problems were between Mechi and herself, she had to think about his well-being above anything else right now. On the other hand, the looming threat from Carter Haines kept creeping into her mind. She wanted to get away as soon as possible.

The door opened, and Dr. Terence entered carrying a tray with what looked like, mush consisting mostly of a meat-substitute with a few vegetables thrown in for color. “Oh good,” she said, when she looked over and saw Yarin by the bed, “you are here. Now, as soon as I give ‘Munchy’ here his much deserved meal, we can talk.” and immediately suited action to the words.

Yarin laughed at the thought that these two, highly respectable, doctors could be so weird as to give Mechi such a nickname. And the fact that they actually used it made it all that more enjoyable. She was thinking about all the fun she could have, tormenting her brother with it, when Dr. Terence’s voice broke into her day-dream.

“The fact that your brother has just barely woken up from a three year nap, causes me to worry that he might revert. That is why I would like him to stay at least four days, until we are able to get the test results back from the lab.” she said.

“I agree,” stated Dr. Samuals, “but recent studies show that returning quickly to a familiar setting helps recovery. If they’re able to return home, to their real home, it could help them adjust quicker to the new life situation.”

Yarin interrupted their argument. “I understand what both of you are saying. I know this is really unlike me, but don’t you think that we should include ‘Munchy’ in this conversation?” She shot a triumphant smile at Mechi for his reaction. “I know that the test results are important, and it would be helpful for us to stay, but there are things pushing us to leave as soon as possible.

“Alright,” said Dr. Samuals, turning to look at Mechi, “what do you think Mr. Vascellum?”

“Yes, let us hear your opinion on it.” Dr. Terence put in, also turning towards Mechi as he took another slurp of his meat-vegi mush.

The pressure of the three squablers looking at him, and pushing for a response was almost too much for him to handle. Here, his sister was indecisive and thinking it through like an adult. And the only two actual adults were arguing like children.

“An answer would be nice, ‘Chompy’...” Yarin started to say, then thought for a minute. “No, ‘Chompy’ doesn’t really fit.” A second later her sentence was completed but came out as sort of a stutter… “An answer would be nice, ‘Chompy’... I mean ‘Munchy’... eh, Mechi.”

The three waiting for an answer giggled a little but refrained from actually laughing. Even Mechi had thought it was funny. He smiled, but didn’t feel at ease for the impending answer he was asked for.

In all the time that he’d been around, Mechi couldn’t recall a single time when Yarin had asked him for a opinion on anything. Even at a really young age, playing games of imagination, she had always taken control, making it impossible for him to have even the slightest say.

The pressure finally made him blurt out, “I’m not sure. Today has been such a long and tiresome day, that I don’t know what to say right now.”

The other three all gave him a look of derision and immediately started talking to each other again.

Finally, Dr. Samuals turned to Yarin and said, “So, young lady, it looks as though the final decision is in your hands.”

Mechi noticed that the doctor had said this with a concentration so hard, that he seemed to bore into Yarin with his eyes, as he said it. And even though Samuals was facing almost at a ninety degree angle from him, he could see a tiny flicker of light, but this time, it was more yellow than green. “Yep,” Mechi thought to himself, “I’m losing my mind. I have to be. Otherwise, why would I be seeing…”

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by his sister. “I actually think that we should wait until tomorrow to make a final decision,” she said, “it seems like we’re all too worn down to try figuring out anything right now.”

“Very well, we will continue this discussion tomorrow then.” said Dr. Terence with a small feeling of dismay.

“Good idea young lady. That’ll give our patient some rest and maybe he can contribute as well.” Dr. Samuals inserted with a laugh although he didn't sound completely thrilled with her decision.

With that, the group said their ‘goodbyes’ and dispersed. Mechi was finally alone with his thoughts. “What was that?” he wondered. “What is happening to me?”

“What do you think you’re doing? There’s only so much he can handle right now.”

“I had to give him something to think about. It’s almost time to start having fun.”

“I don’t need to tell you to be more careful this time. We can’t be sure of the consequences.”

“Ha! That makes this even better.”