Chapter   1 – Into the Twilight Zone (unedited)

I slowly opened my eyes.

I was lying down, on a couch in an office.  As the light flooded in through my pupils, everything cleared from a semi-blurred focus.

“What happened?” I asked.  I sat slightly up to see the back of a man.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Miss Wells,” he said as he poured some coffee.  “Want some java?”

“No thank you,” I said.  “Where am I?”

“My office,” he said.  “You fainted… from nerves I imagine.  It happens.  Sometimes we forget that identifying one’s attacker can be an unnerving experience.”

The man finally turned and when I saw his face, all the blood drained from mine.

He looked like he stepped out of a horrifying episode of The Twilight Zone.  I don’t know how else to say it, but he had absolutely no face to speak of… very small black dots for eyes, pushed very close together, no ears, a nose smashed close into his skin, a long slit for a mouth that didn’t move when he spoke.

He didn’t look human at all, not even remotely.

Even his skin had a grayish tint to it.

I stared in utter shock and fear.

Hold it together, Dee.  There has to be some reason for this… some explanation… something other than you were transported to some other-worldly dimension while unconscious.

He held out a manila envelope.  “It’s Mr. Davies’ personal effects,” the creature said.
He tried to hand it to me, but I didn’t move.

“Why don’t I just put this in your bag here,” he said as he slipped the envelope into my bag.

I sat, frozen, not knowing what to do or even make of my predicament.

“Something wrong?” he said.

“What?” I said, as I retreated to the far side of the couch.

Who is this guy?  This… monster?  What does he want from you, Dee?

My heart pounded so hard, I thought I was going to throw up blood.

My body shook as tears filled my eyes.  Finally, words spilled out like water from mud.

“What… what happened to you?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

He moved in closer, but I backed away.  I was about to scream for help when he finally responded.

“Oh, you mean the scar,” he said.  “I got it in a bar brawl.  I pulled a drunk off my partner’s back when I was a rookie.  I thought it was barely noticeable, it happened so long ago.  But, being an artist, you probably catch the details, huh?”

“Scar?” I said.  I saw no scar.  I saw nothing on his face that would make me think he was even from this world.  “What…”

“Look, this guy,” he said.  “I’m not allowed to tell you his name… the man who killed Mr. Davies and attacked you.  He was searching for something in the house when you walked in on him.  You wouldn’t happen to know what, would you?”

I didn’t answer.  I barely acknowledged he was even talking to me, let alone asking me a question.

“Miss Wells,” he continued.

“What?”

“Do you?”

“What?” I choked out.  “I don’t understand.”

“Mr. Davies’ killer was searching for something when he was interrupted,” he repeated.  “Do you know what it could be?”

“No,” I finally blurted out.

“Well, whatever it was, we don’t think he found it.  We searched his place up, down and side-ways, and couldn’t find anything either.”

He moved in closer to me, but I jumped up.

“I have to go!” I said.

“Go?  Where?” the man asked.

I didn’t answer.  I just walked as swiftly as I could for the office door.

But, the door opened from the other side.  Another man opened it and popped his head in.

I retreated in horror.

He looked exactly like the first man.  He had a bizarre flattened nose and two black beady eyes.  When he spoke, his slit of a mouth didn’t even move.  It was like it was painted on just below the nose.

“How’s she doing, Captain?” the second man asked.

He looked at me and noticed I was conscious, though he probably didn’t realize I was slowly backing up in terror.

“Well, well, well,” he said.  “Welcome back to the land of the living.”

The first man laughed.  His face didn’t move, nor did I see any expression change.  Yet, I still heard laugher coming from his direction.

“That’s exactly what I said!”

“You ready to identify your assailant, Miss Wells?” the second man said.

“Of course she is,” the first man replied for me.  “Right?” he said as his face tilted in my direction.  I saw no expression, but I got the distinct feeling that he was looking for confirmation… confirmation from me.

Both men looked at me.

They looked exactly the same.  Their features… or lack thereof, were the same.  There was nothing to distinguish one from the other.  I didn’t even see hair on top of their gray skinned head.

“Well, let’s get this over with,” one of them said.

One of them, the Captain I think, took my arm to give me some stability.  He didn’t know that he was more the reason I was shaking than the impending line-up.

We walked into the main room.  Policemen and suspects were going on with their business, just as before when I lost consciousness.

They all looked the same, cut from the same mold.  All were identical and with non-human horrific faces.

I couldn’t see motion in the faces.  I saw no happiness or sadness… no pleasure or pain.

I couldn’t even distinguish between genders.

If it wasn’t for the fact that some had breasts and female clothing, I wouldn’t even know who were male or female.

I looked at the doorway at the other end of the long room and quickly deduced that somewhere on the other side was where the line-up was destined to be.

I dragged my feet and slowed my pace.

“Something wrong, Miss Wells?” one of them asked.

Another man joined us.  “Come on, it’s this way,” he chimed in.  The voice sounded like Detective Stone, but I couldn’t tell for sure.

“The bathroom,” I said.  “I need to go to the bathroom.”

“You can go when we’re done,” the man said abruptly.  It had to be Detective Stone.

I mustered all the courage I could.  “Bathroom,” I demanded.  “I need to go now.”

The other man took charge. 

Could he be the Captain, Dee?  Who is he?  Who are all of them?

“It’s down the hall to your right,” he said.

I backed up and quickly ran for the hallway.  It was just a hallway and a door leading to the bathroom, but to me it was a rest stop and salvation all rolled into one.

#

I kept my eyes on the well-used porcelain sink and tossed water on my face.  As the clear liquid dripped away, I cradled my eyes in my palms.

What’s happening, Dee?  Do you have any clue at all?

I thought back… back through the last week that led up to that moment...