Chapter 4
The next few days passed without anything notable happening. I had made the most of being away from college and had got through two books that I'd regretted not taking with me when I left. Aunt Erica never brought up the conversation around my sheer lack of productivity at college, probably sensing an argument would arise if she did. I'd even gone two nights without having the nightmare which I was thankful for. I'd miss Banjo now that I was back at the dorm though. Erica had dropped me off earlier in the morning, giving me the weekend to get back to some sense of normality before my class on Monday.
When I came in the dorm was eerily quiet, no doubt my dorm mates were sleeping off their week of indulgence in preparation for another typical weekend full of more drunken antics. Cassie wasn't in our room when I walked in, and I realized she was likely at work. I was relieved I didn't have to answer any questions about where I had been, but I'd already decided I would just tell her I'd gone to stay with Erica for a few days because I was homesick or something. Obviously that couldn't be further from the truth but she didn't need to know that.
I had sat at my desk with my laptop in front of me, the screen showing my not at all completed paper that was already a week past due, for the best part of an hour. In true Melissa Marks fashion, I decided to bail and go grab a coffee instead. I picked up my favourite denim jacket from the bed, grabbed my keys and purse and set off on my way. There was a Starbucks on campus and honestly that had been the selling point for me coming to this university. I was a coffee snob and it was my personal favourite attribute.
I walked out of the dorm and instantly noticed the warm spring weather we had had seemed to have up and left, as the cold chill of the wind bit at my fingers and cheeks. I crossed my arms, tucking my hands under them as I walked around the side of the dorm building towards the main campus ground. As I did I almost had a heart attack. He was there! The man from the hospital, from my nightmares. I saw him stood in the distance, across the street in the main campus area. He was as still as a statue and was staring over at me as though he knew I was headed his way. I couldn't catch my breath and I froze, mirroring his own stillness. Seconds later a bus went by blocking him from my line of sight and then he was gone in an instant.
I was starting to freak out again when I heard someone calling my name.
"Melissa! Hey!" I jumped as soon as I heard it and whipped round to see Cassie jogging towards me, still wearing her work uniform.
"Oh hey Cass." I said quietly, trying to maintain some sense of composure.
"Are you okay?" She questioned, a concerned look on her face. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"
"Huh? Oh no, sorry. I'm fine I just got a little light headed is all. Lack of caffeine no doubt. Have you just finished your shift?" I pulled it back and tried to distract her from my current state.
"Yah, oh my God it was sooo boring today! Jonny is still trying to get me to go on a date with him so I spent most of the morning trying to avoid him. Honestly why can't some guys just respect when a woman is happily taken?" She said looking genuinely irritated. "Were you headed to get coffee?"
"Yeah, do you want to come with me?" I asked. I didn't feel safe going in the direction of mystery man alone so would be glad for her company.
"Sure! I have time before Ross wakes up." She smiled, checking the time on her phone. I cringed at the mention of his name and wondered whether Jonny would treat her better than Ross did.
I couldn't keep my focus on what Cassie was saying while we sat with our drinks. I kept glancing behind her looking out the front window to make sure mystery man hadn't returned.
"Melissa!" Cassie snapped. "Are you listening?"
"Yes! Sorry. Go on." I said, jumping at her sudden outburst.
"What is with you today? You're so on edge. And anyways, where have you been the last few days?" She questioned. I was thankful I had already planned my reply.
"I just went to stay with my Aunt Erica for a few days. You know how it is, sometimes the homesick-ness gets too much." I stated, trying to not sound too rehearsed.
"Ha, can't relate. I love it here so much. It's nice to have so much freedom and not have to pray two thousand and twenty seven times a day to a God you don't even believe in." She rolled her eyes and I smiled. Cassie had been brought up by her very catholic parents. I cringed internally for them, thinking of what they would say if they knew how she really was. I wondered if they knew about the playboy bunny tattoo she had on her left hip. Probably not.
Cassie droned on with her mind-numbing teen drama for another twenty minutes before announcing she was going to wake Ross up. I decided to stay and grab another coffee so I could read a book for a while, trying to be brave and shake the anxiety I still felt about seeing mystery man earlier today.
As I read I felt the fear melt away. I loved reading. It was the perfect escape from my own life and was available at any time of day. That's the sole reason I chose to study English lit. While I didn't care about getting a diploma, I would take any excuse to read more.
I looked up from my book when I got distracted by the chime above the door, signaling someone was coming in to the store. As I glanced up I saw them enter. A tall, stocky man with beautiful dark skin. He wore all black and interestingly wore an eye patch, adding to his intimidating look. 'That's not something you see every day.' I thought. He made his way over to the counter and I saw he was followed by the most stunning red haired woman I had ever seen. She too was tall, wearing skin tight jeans and a white tank top with a black bomber jacket draped off her shoulders. She had a figure to die for. I felt myself becoming more and more insecure the longer I looked at her and hoped she hadn't noticed my staring. I couldn't be sure as she had sunglasses on - despite the grey overcast weather outside.
I quickly went back to my book but my concentration was shot, and my second coffee was gone too, so I decided to head back to the dorm. As I grabbed my things and went to head out, I could have sworn the red headed woman had followed my every move, but because of those damn sunglasses I couldn't tell.
That night the nightmare came back. The same routine still in place. I was sat in the uncomfortable hospice chair at my dad's beside, book in hand while he slept peacefully.
"That twinkle in his eye was undimmed. The twinkle that gave an entirely undeserved suggestion of wisdom and charm. The twinkle that could make you walk down the aisle with a man almost ten years your junior and regret it within months. The twinkle you soon realize is actually the beam of a lighthouse, warning you off the rocks." I spoke the words of Richard Osman to him, not knowing if he could hear me.
Like clockwork his eyes snapped open and were full of black nothingness. He slowly sat up in his bed and I turned, following his gaze to look at mystery man, who in turn looked right back at me. I could see him clearer this time. He was frowning, his mouth in a tight straight line surrounded by stubble. His eyes weren't fully black, but they were as cold and dark as the day I first saw him. They gave me the impression he was desperately alone, just as I was. He felt more familiar to me tonight.
"Melissa." He said, his voice much quieter and clearer than it had previously been. "Don't run from us. We need your help. We're sending Shield to get you."
I woke up calmly, my breathing and heart rate at a normal steady pace. I was confused but I wasn't scared. I knew that a message had been delivered. What I didn't know was who had sent it and why it needed to be sent to me. If someone needed help, why would they come to me? I was nobody, the definition of useless and unhelpful. I couldn't even write a paper on The Great Gatsby, how was I supposed to help someone with whatever was important enough they needed to send me a message through my subconscious.
I laughed aloud at the ridiculousness of my own thoughts. People don't send messages via dreams! I must have truly gone insane. I had started seeing people in my dreams and in the streets. I was hallucinating and that was the only rational explanation. Maybe my head injury was worse than they thought. Maybe I should go back to the hospital. Would they listen to me or would they just lock me up because I was deranged?
But that word, 'Shield'. He'd said they we're sending Shield to get me, and I recalled the nurse Claire had mentioned Shield too. Was that supposed to mean something to me?
I shot out of bed, being careful to not wake Cassie who was still sleeping soundly across the room from me after crawling in drunk at 2am. I grabbed my laptop off the desk, opened Google and typed in 'Shield', waiting for the results to load. I couldn't have ever imagined what I would be reading. News article after news article about countless attacks all around the world. There were hundreds, if not thousands of references to them and I couldn't fathom how I had missed any of this, let alone all of it. The had been multiple attacks in New York, most of which I remembered, but I had never heard of Shield before. I had always chalked it up to terrorists and lunatics.
I spent hours looking into Shield. I established that the word 'Shield' was an acronym. It stood for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. They were an organization founded to protect the United States from threats. I read about their advanced weapons but none of the technical jargon they used made any sense to me. I read about how they worked with "extraordinary agents", but the articles suggested that these agents were just another form of advanced weaponry. My mind was a blur and I couldn't bring myself to delve any deeper so I closed my laptop and laid back down. I was shaking from head to toe and my thoughts were racing. It was a miracle that I managed to fall asleep, right as the sun started to rise.