On the stone road

Without taking his eyes from the young man, Eric strove to understand what was happening here. Assumptions about the abduction disappeared. The victim is usually hidden in a closed room, but not free carried during the day on a busy city street. However, Eric found it necessary to flee as possible. The internal lock of the car door clicked; Eric turned to the man, he closed his eyes and shook his head.

– Don’t hurry, we haven’t really got acquainted, – with a smile, the stranger turned away, and watched the truck, blocking the road.

– I am not interested! – Angrily told Eric, not losing hope to open the locked door of the machine.

– My name is Anders – briefly introduced the young man, without mentioning his surname. – Last night, we literally encountered on the road. Can you remember?

Blinding headlights, grinding sound of tires on wet asphalt: memories pulled behind a terrible fire picture – bright flame obscured little house on Holm Street, and along with it his father Eric. It was hard to breathe…

– I heard your town is famous for its peace and tranquility – continued to say dark-haired man in a lazy tone, Eric almost didn’t hear him; he was busy with the tightly closed door. – I wanted to find a place to live. As it turned out – rumors are not so true. He turned to Eric, he froze with fear, quickly pulling his hand from the dull panel buttons, thinking – what this person hinted at?

Eric’s thoughts jumped from place to place: “It is unlikely that this oddball was walking on Holm Street in the evening, when I ran into an incomprehensible thingy and I don’t think he was in the park, while rainfall lashed out at Silent Valley. And certainly, he wasn’t in my house!”

– Your timid, puts me in an awkward position. Be so kind, don’t look at me like that – bristly Anders frowned from dissatisfaction. Although his eyes remained indifferent.

His eyes were iridescent and multicolored. As soon as he moved, his eyes immediately sparkled with dark blue color on dark-green color with splashes of golden molding near the pupils. They sparkled like stickers with fairy tale characters that Eric used to collect when he was a child. He had never seen such unusual eyes before. He decided that it ware lenses.

– What do you mean? What do you mean, talking about the untruthfulness of rumors? – Said Eric, suppressing the shiver in her voice.

– You don’t really know? – The man portrayed a surprise.

– No, – calmly lied Eric.

– Yes of course! I understand – he obviously didn’t believe. The strange man pursed his lips into a smile, then took colored eyes, and continued his way.

The driver of the truck was able to budge a barely functioning machine. The road has cleared; the motionless cars finally drove off.

– I want to assure you, that you no longer need to judge yourself with anxiety. You’re lucky, and this is enough to calm down.

– That’s really!.. – Not without sarcasm, Eric responded to this nonsense.

The words of bursting with enigma man seemed absurd to Eric! He twitched as if he was poured with cold water. He was not lucky, most likely he was unfortunate teenager, who was pursued by something terrible. Apparently, Anders didn’t know this, if he thought otherwise.

– Almost all of us had to wade through a swamp of doubt and misunderstanding, alone.

It was not clear that he had in mind this time. Eric didn’t touch by his statement, as well as the young man didn’t listen to his advice, and continued to stay alert.

– Where are we going? – he asked.

In fact, Eric would like to know when was going to be the nearest stop. He was still determined to leave the stranger.

Pressing the brake, Anders parked near a small cafe. Before getting out of the car, Eric asked him:

– Who are you? – Finally, Eric still wanted to understand the intentions of person, who picked him up off the road. And maybe he will be able to comprehend the meaning of his hints.

– Just someone who wants to help you. You are need in support; you need it right now, as never before. And there are not many people, who are able to provide it – quite seriously explained Anders.

The gratitude didn’t follow, because Eric didn’t believe in the help of strangers. His own father had never helped him, why the stranger should do it, especially if he doesn’t know Eric?

– Maybe the way it is, but why do you need it?

Everything has a reason – Eric believed. For example, his friend Noah Holm persuaded his father to take Eric to job not only out of friendship: Noah just didn’t want to spend his days in the company of his parents and brothers, who didn’t care about him.

All events had its reason; Eric considered unselfishness the product of fiction, he wanted to find out why Anders helped him.

– I understand what you’re trying to handle now…

– I doubt it! – Immediately said Eric, without giving Anders the chance to finish. He was sure that no one is able to understand what he was that moment.

– I just want to return my duty! – The man admitted, with the different facial expression and tone of voice.

Eric didn’t understand his words again.

– But you I don’t owe anything. I see you for the first time! Maybe you made a mistake? – For the umpteenth time, Eric was in disarray.

– No one said that I owe you! – Explained Anders with a grin.

Despite this, the questions didn’t end there: to whom he wants to repay the debt? He could only guess. Though Eric didn’t care, he decided that he didn’t relate to the quirks of strangers, and that it was time to leave.

– Why are you running? – Suddenly asked Anders, as if he knew the Eric’s idea.

– You said that you know what I’m struggling, so you should know the answer.

– I only know what you have got – the emphasis sounded on the last word – but why are you running I don’t know.

– And what have I got? – Eric also highlighted the last word.

– I asked first! – Said the young man.

His question was not so simple as it might seem to be. There was no exact explanation. Eric didn’t have anything at all, he didn’t really understand, why did it. After a little thought, he tried to give the answer not only to his companion, and also to himself:

– Maybe… maybe I’m guilty in… something, something terrible. I want to make sure – he admitted.

Only that moment, Eric had the courage to put forward the assumption of his own involvement in the incident with his father. A bright ball, the smashed phone, a hurricane in the city park, the explosion in the kitchen: all pieces of the puzzle had common constant. This constant was Eric.

– What are you going to do if your fears confirm?

– I don’t know, but I won’t come back!

If it turns out that it is really his guilt – the return will be impossible.

– Your turn – reminded the scruffy teenager to the new acquaintance.

– Before I answer, I would like to know what do you think about everything that happened to you in the last days?

Anders continued to amaze by his awareness that he possessed. Perhaps he deliberately unsaid, so Eric excluded the specifics of his response, leaving only the impression of his experience.

– The only thing that comes to mind is his loss. It is likely, I’m going crazy – sad Eric with a grin, and then he hid his eyes behind gray bangs. Eric didn’t want to show his fear.

– My story is similar to yours. Once, I had to run away from home. It was many years ago. I thought I was the threat to my family, so that for the sake of their protection I had to abandon them. It was quite a difficult dilemma.

The surprise flashed on Eric’s face, even before the serene voice of Anders had stopped.

– Indeed, very similar to my story! How can I know that you are telling the truth? – Eric demanded evidence.

– I have no idea, just believe! – Anders advised. It was strangely, but it seemed that he didn’t care: did Eric believe him or not.

– It is not simple! – Eric opposed.

It was too recklessly to trust a stranger, who even behaves yourself eccentrically and sometimes spooky.

– Yes, make a person believe it’s a heavy task, but I will try, – judging by the expression on his face and manner of speech, it’s hardly believed, that he was at least a little bit interested in it.

Because of this fact the mystery has loomed – why did he want it?

– You are still didn’t tell me.

Anders distracted Eric from thinking.

– What exactly? – Eric didn’t understand him again, gradually he began to get used to it.

– You are so much concerned about the situation, that you haven’t introduced yourself yet.

Eric always was not very friendly; it was connected with his positive indifference to other people.

– My name is Eric Lanter.

Before getting into a cafe, Eric had warned that he had no money with him, so that he couldn’t pay for his order. The demarche of the fifteen-years old boy caused discouragement and a very sincere smile on Ander’s face.

All the tables in the cafe room were occupied, so Anderson and Eric located outdoors. A tiny waitress in a white apron brought the menu and immediately ran to the other visitors, who were impatiently waiting for the service.

Today is the boom in the cafe “Blah Bar”! Shaking his head, Eric noticed how much he and his new friend distinguished among other people. Unnatural black Ander’s clothes devoured the light, which was falling on it. He hid his eyes behind sunglasses and waited for the next arrival of the waitress to make an order. Intently examining the proposed food, Anders refused to a main dish, and immediately asked for a dessert – pancakes with lingberry jam. Eric didn’t determine the choice, so that he asked to bring him the same dish. He put the menu aside and looked at his hands, they were soiled with mud: also they beautifully harmonized with a torn jacket, smeared with wet ground.

– We are going to the north – declared Anders.

Eric hasn’t decided, whether he would go with him yet. On the one hand – he had nowhere to go; he had no shelter at the time of clarification of the mysterious events. On the other hand – it was unwise to go who knows where with a stranger.

– Why is the north? – He asked, sticking a fork in a pancake.

– I live there for many years – said Anders, scouring jam by fork. His impressively smooth movements combined with detachment, which increasingly commanded his appearance. At least, Eric got to know the motive for selected destination.

– Tell me about yourself – briefly bestowing with a smile, asked Anders.

His facial expressions was constantly changing from friendly, but not always plausible, on the detached, sometimes slightly sinister.

– You already know my name – Eric didn’t notice how he turned to him to “you.” – I am fifteen years old. This year, I had to leave school and go out of town, where people believe that on my head was poured a jar of gray paint, when I was a child. With the first I’m afraid, that nothing will come, and with the second, as you can see, there were no problems. How all this came up, I don’t want to explain – he felt uncomfortable. Anyway, Eric doesn’t have a tendency to revelation.

– And you don’t need to do that, I know everything – calmly said Anders – anyway, I understand. Perhaps, you will fell yourself be easier when I tell you the truth. But maybe you will not.

– Really?! Why so? – Eric became indignant.

– People are extremely unpredictable creatures.

– I promise to be restrained! – Eric insisted, squeezing his lips and making a resolute look, as much as he was able.

– You should really try – his voice sounded in a mandative tone. – Well, let’s suppose, that everything in this world has a certain energy, due to which it exists. Whether it is a person, animal, plant, and even star in the sky: all has its own key to life. Also, let’s suppose that someone honored to receive a share of someone’s energy by chance, for example of our planet.

The only word that forced Eric after hearing was:

– Suppose…

– Assume – continued Anders – the energy source of our planet – the flame that never dies, but can only grow and grow. And when its size exceeds the allowable, there occurs an emission – the release of excess energy.

– Like a volcanic eruption? – Eric puzzled, trying to imagine, what Anders said, and also trying to suppress a smile.

– A kind of, but not so big and spectacular. When the source is getting rid of excess energy, it emits a tiny beam that carries the incredible strength. If the release doesn’t happen, the source will continue to grow, resulting in a burst.

– And how often there is an emission? – Eric asked, solely to maintain the conversation.

– Every time when the same month replaced the thirteenth time.

Anders silenced and watched the stupor, into which fell Eric.

– That is… every twelve years and one month? – He said.

Anders nodded.

– Are you saying – we live on a bomb? – Eric couldn’t help laughing, but then stopped fun time, making out potentially possible surge of anger.

– This bomb always disarms itself, don’t worry – calmly explained Anders, while Eric spun uncontrollably, digesting his words, not the food.

What Anders said was unthinkable, though it sounded convincing, but it was crazy!

– Even so, – for a second, Eric imagined that this is possible – what I’m involved in this?

Anders’s expression became stern maliciously. The waiting has dragged and the tip of the index finger of Eric was threshing on a circular table top.

Leaning forward, dark-haired man finally spoke:

– Usually, when the beam escaped from any ejection, it disappears in the vastness of space surface, but sometimes, this ray can hurt a person. Its invisible invasion of the human body creates the illusion of appearance: lightning, flash of light, and much more.

All Eric’s limbs froze, as if he had fallen into a tub of icy frenzy. He immediately remembered what had happened to him on the porch of his house, on the last day of summer. A glowing ball, which had fallen from the sky, crashed into him. After this phenomenon, with him and began to occur unexplained events, which were accompanied by devastation and death.

From the Ander’s words followed, that there was no balloon, it was just an illusion, caused by the emission beam. Unfortunately, all that happened after it was the reality.

No, no, no! Is Anders hoped that someone would believe it, in all this nonsense? Eric couldn’t decide: believe it or not?

– And what will happen if … “suppose” – Eric blurted, thus expressing doubt – emission beam gets into a man?

– He should cease to believe and just accept it!

– No. Do you mean to tell me, that I was influenced by some kind of ray emission? – Eric came to the conclusion that he didn’t believe a single word of a madman.

Eric lost his confidence in Anders. The guy reached for a glass of water. Taking the vessel in hand, he raised it to his lips, intending to make a couple of sips. For an instant, the glass scattered on the gravel, all the water in the glass spread over sweatshirt and jeans crotch of Eric.

– Not only you was – Anders said coldly.

His focus remained unnoticed by the public eye. The visitors of the cafe kept carefree chatter or hastily tucked into lunch, so as not to be late for job. Nobody paid attention to the guy with the gray hair spilled over the water.

– You are afraid because you don’t understand. All we tremble in horror before the unknown, but the feeling must be overcome, otherwise the question would be deprived of the answer – Anders said.

– The point is not in it!

Eric didn’t want to believe Anders for one simple reason.

– So, it’s…

“My fault, I killed him…” – Eric finished by himself; now he knew the truth, cruel, intolerable truth.

Eric didn’t have the strength to put up with the murder. He felt unbearably sick of himself. He remembered the sound that told him of the death of his father, how he smashed his head against the wall. He killed him! That terrible night he will never forget. The hope of innocence has extinguished, like a flame on the candle wax, which was flowing down a candlestick. Eric’s feelings out of desperation moved into general indifference.

– I’ll help you, Eric, – Anders pulled him a hand, which was clad in coal glove without fingers, and stopped half way, before reaching the middle of the table.

In any other circumstances, Eric would have considered him the crazy fanatic. Perhaps he really was, but then he was crazy too. The delusional explanations of Anders were delusional explanation for the events that occurred to him: there were no other explanations.

Taking advantage of the general silence, Eric began to comprehend all that told him Anders: an energy source, emissions, and other unimaginable things. There was something ticking inside him, likely it was a shock. After all, not every day is said that the beam from the heart of the planet gets to you. If it had not unfortunate consequences may be Eric was drowning in admiration.

– How… how are you going to help me? – He asked quietly, staring at colored eyes, through the sun glasses.

– The same thing was with me, as with the others. An ugly moment in life became a transition to a different reality, with other rules and regulations, – slowly said Anders. – We’ve all got the power: someone found it for free, while others thought that it was curse.

– And who we are? – Eric asked.

– Just the carries of an extra source of energy, – easily and naturally Anders ranting, as if he was talking about something, which is taken for granted.

– Is there a shorter name? – Eric growled.

– If you want, you can come up with yourself: there is no objection. Judging by your appetite, we can leave. – Ander’s eyes pointed at untouched pancakes in Eric’s plate.

– I haven’t given consent yet, – reminded him Eric.

In response Anders chuckled, then spoke sternly:

– My suggestion is not an invitation.

– If so, what’s the point was to persuade me? – Eric puzzled.

– This option is not as troublesome – it was obvious that for someone like Anders, this reason was considered quite significant.

– Why do I think this is a threat? – Ironically asked Eric.

– Most of caution, but certainly not a threat! I’m sure you’ve had time to inquire about the strength, and of course the danger that carry the energy carriers, – his words forced Eric to think about her father; he immediately darkened. – Apparently – yes. Then you must understand that control is needed.

I did not realize what I was doing … – justified Eric to nowhere, not knowing exactly to whom it was: to himself, to Anders, to father?

– Now it is not important, important not to let this happen again. And I’ll help you, Eric. However, for this you have to stay with me for a while, and I will teach you to control your energy.

In fact, this need was a real gift for Eric, though he didn’t recognize it. He will be provided with the time and place to glue himself after the fall.

Of course, he wanted to go home, he imaged how his mother was going crazy because of his loss. Eric thought she should know that he is alive, in order she could live in peace within herself. But just what to say to her? What if Eric’s plan won’t work, then he won’t be able to subdue the energy and it will subdue him, how then to be? He didn’t know how to act, how was better to do.

Immersed in himself, Eric wondered: how not to soil his soul with blood once again.

– How much time it will take? – He asked, still thinking about his mother, who didn’t know where her son was.

– It depends on you, – Anders said in didactic tone.

Eric imagined how his emotional pain completely dissolves, freeing him from the heavy shackles. “No, of course not! Nothing can heal me! Guilt will stay with me forever. It is a worm that eats the apple from within. It will destroy me … "– donated by self-doubt, it grinded a tiny hope of a happy ending.

However – it worth of trying.

The rays of the sun gently fell to the ground; passers-by every now and then denuded: they rolled sleeves, took off their jackets, unbuttoned cardigans for the greater contact with the warm reflections of light.

The Ander’s car, as he himself, stood out the lack of certainty. It is hard to understand to what decade it belongs, and to what brand. Polished to a high gloss car shone in inky-black tones on the convex hull, and on the lid it shone in a silver color.

Eric didn’t examine the car; the reason for the lack of enthusiasm was not so much in indifference, as in hatred. Throughout his life, he had to watch as Karl Lanter with great joy squandering money on rattletrap, rather than on his family. The obsession with machines had forced Mr. Lanter acquire new goner, and in connection with the meager income he had to get rid of the old one. Thus, he changed a rotten to another, desperately trying to find the same car that would fully meet the high demands of his ego. Despite the hostility to his father, Eric also hoped that soon he would find his dream on wheels, because debts grew from year to year, but not his salary.

Eric fell into the seat and closed his eyes, embarrassed in front of the wonderful weather. After twenty minutes, Anders left him alone with himself. During this time the dark-haired man didn’t utter a single word, it seemed, that the limit of revelations was exhausted. Eric sat and looked at his knees, trying to put things in order in his head: but his trial has failed.

Anders returned to the car, holding a few cartons.

– Here it is, – he handed the bag to Eric – I bought some clothes for you. For your clothes it’s time to go in the trash. You look… in a very inappropriate way.

– Come on.

Eric felt worse than he looked. Eric forgot that he was not alone, he was silent, until they left the big city behind. The travelers moved on the endless road that ran to the Arctic Circle. The nearer they approached it, the darker became ash cloud, which were stretching to the sky above them.

The free landscape behind glass windows gradually turned into the high mountains.

– Maybe you want to ask something? – Anders said, after a few hours of the road.

All this time there was silence in the car: the young man realized that Eric needed time to get used to the thought of what he had become. Therefore, he didn’t want to disturb him, and he didn’t do it after a silent response to the question. Eric wanted to stick to the quiet, hovering within him. The silence protected from verbal sounds, which attracted reflection on memories.

The music started in the car, Anders turned on the radio and immediately switched the radio wave, when the leading spoke about the missed teen.

– Sorry.

The radio announced about the disappearance of fifteen years old Eric Lanter, a resident of the small town of Silent Valley. The last one who saw him were local citizens, who stumbled on him in the ruined city park: it was about 20:30 p.m. The leading started to say that in the same town, there was another tragedy, because of this fact the teenager so quickly declared wanted. By the time he was going to clarify what kind of tragedy occurred in a small town, Anders pressed the switch button.

Carl Lanter burst without warning, angrily saying: “Don’t even think, just to forget it!” The torments of Eric fivefold increased strength.

The silence didn’t help, and then Eric has chosen a different strategy – to drown in the world, about which he hadn’t heard previously.

Unexpectedly, he realized what a strong sense of curiosity was bursting him.

– I hope you picked up a warm jacket for me – he started talking, looking out the window at the snow-capped mountains that grew out of the ground.

– You won’t need a jacket – said Anders, turning off the main road, on a country road, that leaded through the fields.

– Explain —asked Eric with a grin.

Perhaps, the surprising was foolish, but he still wanted to know – why he didn’t need a warm jacket in the middle of the north, which was shrouded by the cold?

– Excess energy source much warmer than down jacket. It is like a fire that settled in your blood and bones. All the energy is concentrated in it. Due to this, such as we don’t feel the cold at all.

– What about the heat? – Inquired Eric, when he was already surprised, in order to marvel even more.

– In this case, the body temperature normalizes energy, and will also continuously maintain the balance of body fluids. By the way, if you use the energy of sources for a long time – the media will be weakened and will need to meet the normal human needs: such as food and sleep – until the energy is recovered. So, many carriers avoid places, which are known for its hot climate. There their energy consumed much faster than in any other place, and they can’t affect it. With increasing temperature the energy is consuming automatically, without the consent of the carrier. While with decreasing energy is not consumed.