The Chosen Read online

  “That’s not my place to say,” Matthews replied.

  Clarice cocked her head slightly. “Strange. I was under the impression we were here to eat and talk.”

  Matthews frowned. “You’re difficult.”

  “Why did you bring me out here, then?”

  Matthews’s jaw flexed.

  Clarice gave him a death stare until he finally spoke up. “Chief Cain called some of the local families last night, warning them that you were stirring up trouble.”

  That was the most ridiculous thing Clarice had ever heard. She replied, “Why would I do that?”

  Matthews took a deep breath. “Frankly, Cain just has it out for your father. Anything that he can do to cause hurt to your family, he’s likely to do.”

  “We aren’t exactly the nicest people. I can’t really blame the guy,” Clarice replied.

  Matthews was shocked to hear the words come out of her mouth.

  Clarice shrugged. “Anyway, you brought me the whole way out here to talk about some family feud?”

  Matthews shook his head. “I wanted to apologize.”

  Clarice listened.

  Matthews looked at his empty platter. “I went back into that cabin you were looking at.”

  “And?”

  “I saw what was on the walls,” Matthews replied. He seemed frustrated. “I don’t know how it ties into the murder or why you’re so curious, but I’ve noticed some weird stuff too.”

  The small shadow climbed up on his back. It tucked its eyes behind his shoulder, hiding from Clarice.

  Matthews continued talking. “I was there, you know.”

  “Where?”

  “At the diner,” Matthews said.

  “I didn’t know that.”

  Matthews glanced out the window. “I was putting gas in my cruiser when I heard the gunfire.” He chewed on his thumb nail. He turned his eyes down shamefully. “I hesitated. Instead of going in, I called in back-up and waited. I finally got outside of my head space and headed for the diner door. Ben Clawford fired his last shot. I stepped aside and saw that he’d taken his own life.”

  Matthews went quiet.

  Clarice watched the thing on his back. It whispered silent words into his ear.

  Matthews said, “Two people are dead now.”

  He fell into a sobering silence. The color seemed to leach from his face as heavy dread came upon him. The whispering impish thing clawed at his ear with its long finger. Matthews’s face darkened with grief. “If I had only done more.”

  Clarice spoke to him plainly. “You’ve been thinking about killing yourself.”

  Matthews glanced up at her, unsure if she heard him correctly.

  The waitress returned with their food. “Y’all enjoy.”

  She walked off.

  Matthews asked Clarice, “What did you just say?”

  “You’ve been contemplating suicide,” Clarice answered. “It’s crawling at your thoughts, filling you with guilt, telling you to stay away from people, wanting to keep you isolated. Wanting you to end it all.”

  “Heh,” Matthews snickered nervously. “You’re crazy.”

  “You’re hearing those thoughts as I speak. I’m right, aren’t I?”

  Clarice’s words made Matthews shifted in his seat.

  “This is absurd,” he said.

  Clarice adjusted in her seat. “Get the food to go. There’s something I want to show you.”

  Matthew’s hesitantly followed her outside. Clarice led him behind the restaurant, then scanned the woods and spotted a small game trail. “This way.”

  Confused and suspicious, Matthews followed behind her.

  Clarice dipped into the tree line.

  “Where are we going?” Matthews asked. He held both of the to-go boxes in a paper bag.

  Clarice found a small clearing in the woods. The trees were thin and tall. Leaves and tangled grass made up the forest floor.

  Clarice stopped at the center. Hands on her hips, she looked around. She took in the sounds of birds.

  “Clarice --”

  She shushed him.

  He walked up behind her, completely confused about what was happening.

  She turned back and looked into his eyes. It was more just a casual glance. It was like she was searching into the root of his soul. Matthews broke eye contact. Clarice put her hand under his chin and made him look at her again.

  She watched the impish black creature burrow into Matthews’s back. He didn’t react, and no blood was spilled as it climbed its way into his spine. Matthews’s countenance suddenly shifted. His confused curiosity that was naturally on his face became glossed over and distant. Clarice mumbled a few words under her breath.

  Matthews let the food drop from his hand.

  His right arm began to shake uncontrollably.

  Clarice kept looking into Matthews’s eyes, but, in a sense, she was no longer looking at him. She placed her palm on his chest.

  “Leave him,” she commanded.

  A heavy frown sank Matthews’s face. His spasming hand reached into his pocket.

  “Leave him,” Clarice said again.

  Matthews pulled out a pocket knife and flipped out the blade. The moment the weapon’s edge caught a glimpse of the sunlight, his hand stopped tremlbing.

  Clarice watched the blade’s point in the corner of her eye. She saw it draw near. Pins and needles erupted across her body. She planted her feet and kept her hand on his chest and her eyes locked on his.

  Dark waves briefly misted around Matthews's eyes.

  “Leave him, now.”

  Matthews quickly jerked his knife upward and held it against his own neck. A tear of blood trickled down where the knife’s point pressed. He was going to cut his throat.

  Clarice had one more shot. “Leave. Now!”

  Something changed in Matthews’s eyes. The black imp shot out of his back and vanished into the sky. Black birds took flight and scattered across the golden sunset.

  Matthews’s countenance shifted back to his normal confused self. He took a step back and looked down at the knife. His expression was a mixture of shock, confusion, and fear.

  Clarice knelt down and picked up the food bag.

  Matthews felt his neck and winced. “What was that?”

  “You feel different, huh?” Clarice asked.

  Matthews looked around the woods. “What just happened?”

  “Ruah,” Clarice said.

  “What?” Matthews exclaimed.

  “It means spirit. You had one on you. I helped get it off,” Clarice replied.

  “I don’t…” Matthews squeezed his eyes shut. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It doesn’t have to. You felt it leave,” Clarice said. “You’re lighter and less foggy in your thoughts, yes?”

  “This is too weird,” Matthews replied.

  “Yes or no?”

  Matthews replied. “Yes, but… It was like something was controlling me.”

  “That was the Ruah,” Clarice said. “They latch on to certain people and convince them to do things. It starts out with a lie or reoccurring thought they whisper into your mind. After tormenting you long enough, you begin to obey the thought, which in turn is obeying them. With that in mind, it allows them to direct you to follow their current whim. It could be hurting someone, hurting yourself, or a mix of both. Some are powerful enough they can take full control immediately. Don’t’ worry. The one on you wasn’t one of those.”

  Matthews paced, trying to process what just happened.

  Clarice plopped down on a portion of the felled tree that didn’t have fungus. Putting her to-go box on her lap, she started to chow down with her plastic fork.

  Matthews paced, mumbling. “How did that… but…”

  “Take a seat,” Clarice beckoned him over. “You’ll go insane if you try to figure this stuff out by yourself.”

  Matthews hesitantly wandered over to her and sat down.

  Clarice handed him his to-go bag. br />
  Matthews set it aside. “So how did this thing get on me?”

  “I don’t know,” Clarice asked. “But, I’m sure there was a time when you started to entertain some dark thoughts.”

  Matthews thought on it. “I’ve wanted to make a difference. You know, show people that I was more than just some nobody. But I felt like… like I was trapped in an endless cycle of failures. This Clawford killing was the last straw. After that, I started thinking about taking my own life. Every night I would have these graphic dreams about shooting myself. I just thought it was remorse.”

  “Remorse is an open door,” Clarice said.

  “What do you mean?”

  Clarice realized that this would be a little harder than she thought. “Think of our thoughts and emotions as a portal, okay.”

  “... Okay?”

  “When we focus on something, perhaps a sad memory or a powerful childhood experience, it begins to shape and mold how we act. If I’m having a sad day, most likely you can sense it. Unless you’re really self-absorbed. Or if I’m mad, you’ll probably tell something is off and stay away. These strong emotions are gateways for Ruah. For example, when they see you lost in sorrow, it becomes an open door from them to speak lies to you. The more lies, the stronger they become, until eventually they possess you.”

  Matthews stared at her for a moment. “I still don’t understand.”

  Clarice pinched the bridge of her nose. “There is a certain type of foreknowledge you need to grasp before we touch on the deeper things. Tell what you think about life.”

  “It’s good, I guess?” Matthews said, completely missing the context of the question.

  “Life as in the universe.”

  “Big bang. Evolution. Is that what you’re talking about?” Matthews asked.

  Clarice drew in a deep breath through her nose. “Think about the wind for a moment. You can’t see it, but you know it's there.”

  “Right.”

  “Now think of the universe in the same way,” Clarice explained. “There are things that can’t be perceived by natural senses.”

  “So like ghosts?”

  Clarice shook her head. “No. Ruah been around a lot longer than us. They live in another dimension. Some might call it the spirit realm or the astral plane. They’re alive like you and me but are very different for us.”

  Matthews tried to wrap his head around the information. “Okay, let’s say this true…”

  Clarice drew up a deadpan expression. “You just witnessed it.”

  “Yeah, but…” Matthews’s voice trailed off.

  “You nearly slit your own throat,” Clarice said. “You can deny it all you want, but I’m asking you to look at the evidence.”

  Matthews shut his eyes for a moment. He opened them again. “What do they want?”

  “Many things,” Clarice replied. “It’s mostly about dominance. I don’t know their every scheme or agenda, but they are alive and active. They enjoy toying with us.”

  “Are they all evil?”

  Clarice hated that question. “I’ve not met any good ones, let’s just say that.”

  Matthews struggled to process that. “So who are the good guys?”

  Clarice had struggled to answer that for a long time. “…Humanity.”

  “You’re kidding,” Matthews replied.

  “From what I know, it’s us versus them.”

  “But if we can’t see them or hurt them, how do we win this war?” Matthews asked. “It all sounds rather hopeless to me.”

  “Is it? Look at what just happened to you,” Clarice said.

  Matthews couldn’t argue with that. “Still, how did you do it?”

  “I saw the Ruah,” Clarice said. “I can’t explain how or why, but I see them all over the place. The first step is to believe. We, as in the human race, are completely blinded. That’s just where they want us, too. How can you fight an enemy that you don’t believe exists?”

  Matthews nodded along with her wisdom. “You can’t. So what’s the solution?”

  “Some people can sense them in different ways,” Clarice replied. “As I said before, I can see them.”

  Matthews’s brows came together in deep contemplation. He shifted his eyes and whispered. “Are there any more around here?”

  “It’s quiet now,” Clarice replied. “Not every emotion or thought is from a Ruah. Sometimes we’re just obsessed with something or blinded by our own desires. However, they are much more prevalent than you think.”

  Matthews quieted down. He picked up his lunch. Not much had spilled when he had dropped it. He started eating as he stared off into nowhere.

  “It’s a lot to process, huh?” Clarice asked with a small grin.

  Matthews nodded slowly as he chewed. “Clarice, I don’t know if you’ve just introduced me to the Matrix or if you’re crazy.”

  “Time will tell,” Clarice replied.

  She started eating again. The lukewarm chicken retained its savory flavor.

  The soft breeze spoke through the trees.

  “Has it always been this way? Seeing them, I mean.” Matthews’s question broke her chain of thought.

  Clarice turned to the cop. “The first time I remember it happening was when I was eight.”

  The front doors of Jasper Elementary pushed open. A horde of six hundred students spilled onto the sidewalk and hurried to the buses and their parents’ cars. After forty minutes, the school was empty. Clarice sat alone on the curb. Iron clouds painted the skies. She opened a book on her lap and lazily flipped through the pages. Her brown ponytail rested on her shoulder. She had on a baby blue shirt with two buttons on top and a pleated skirt. Her little shoes were blue as well. Though she was a country girl in a country school, her mom liked to experiment with different fashion styles. It made her stand out from her peers.

  She turned another page in her book and blew upward, getting a few of bangs out of her eyes. There were no signs of cars. She checked her little wristwatch. It was nearly four o’clock. Mom and Dad were busy on the ranch today. They had promised to get her as soon as they were free, but Clarice wondered when that would be.

  She scrunched her mouth to one side as she thought about walking. Even as a kid, she wasn’t very patient. A truck rumbled down the road and pulled to a stop in front of her.

  The passenger door faced her. Her height prevented her from seeing the driver.

  “Hey,” a man called out from the inside.

  The heavy exhaust assualted Clarice’s nose. She closed her book and carefully got to her feet. She looked through the window and smiled.

  Johnny sat in the driver seat. Clarice had seen his handsome face a dozen times before. Johnny worked as a farmhand for her father. The skinny man had a large belt buckle, tight pants, a tucked-in shirt, and dark shades.

  “Hello, little missy.” Johnny smiled, wide and friendly.

  “Hi Johnny,” Clarice replied.

  Johnny glanced around at the school. “You waiting for your folks?”

  Clarice spoke with uncertainty. “They’ll be here soon.”

  Johnny glanced up at the clouds. “It’s gonna rain soon. You want me to drive you back to the ranch?”

  Clarice hugged her book close to her chest and nodded.

  She got inside the truck. Johnny drove.

  “School good?” Johnny asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

  “It was okay.”

  Johnny kept his mouth shut. They drove for another few minutes. Clarice noticed that he hadn’t looked at her the whole time. His tight shoulders gave him an awkward posture, and light perspiration dotted his forehead.

  “Are you okay?” Clarice asked.

  “Huh?” Johnny said, taken out of his daze. “Oh, don’t you worry about me. I’m always fine. Say, why don’t we pull over here for a second. There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

  The truck pulled to the side of the road. In typical Jasper fashion, one side of her was woods, and the other sid
e was an endless yellow field. Johnny put the car in park. He turned down the radio and positioned himself to face Clarice. He wore an awkward smile. Sweat stains bloomed below his pits.

  “You ever have anyone tell you how pretty you are?”

  Clarice crossed her arms. “My mom and dad sometimes do. Most of the time, Peter just makes fun of me.”

  “Well, I think you are a princess,” Johnny said.

  Clarice blushed. A shy smile grew on her face.

  Johnny unclicked his seat belt. “You know, every princess needs a prince.”

  He put his hand on her knee.

  Clarice glanced up at him, but what she saw was something else entirely.

  The human-like figure loomed over Johnny’s shoulder. Its face was pitch black with red tiger stripes. A large toothy grin grew from ear to ear. Its jaw had two layers of teeth. One was jagged, and the other was normal. Its white eyes had no pupil and were full of lust.

  Clarice’s eyes doubled in size. She screamed loud enough to make Johnny grimace.

  The thing behind him smiled wider.

  “Calm down!” Johnny yelled.

  Clarice twisted back and grabbed the door handle. She pulled it open and scrambled out. Johnny tried to grab her. His fingertips brushed against her shoe but didn’t grip her. She thumped at the bottom of the ditch. Eyes watering, she bolted into the woods.

  “Clarice! Wait!” Johnny shouted.

  Clarice ran fast and hard, feeling every muscle in her body strain and pull. A root grabbed her ankle. She spilled onto the forest floor, taking a mouthful of dirt. Winded and dry-mouthed, she looked over her shoulder.

  Her eyes scanned the trees.

  “Clarice!” Johnny shouted.

  Holding her breath, she got to her feet and ran deeper into the woods. She found a hollow tree stump that had jagged crown. Clarice hid behind it and pulled her knees close to her chest.

  Johnny cursed up a storm. “You come out right now! I’m warning you!”

  Clarice struggled to catch her breath. She felt she was too loud. She covered her mouth with both hands. She tasted dirt on her palms. A raindrop splashed down on her nose. She glanced up. Dark clouds dripped rain on her cheeks and forehead. Clarice un-balled herself. She got to her feet as the rain started to pick up. She peered over the tree trunk.

  Woods. The sound of rain. Leaves rustling. There didn’t appear to be any sign of Johnny.