KKXV in Demos was blaring on the clock radio next to the bed when Kia woke up. “It’s a bright sunny day here in Demos. Highs in the mid to upper eighties, and no rain in sight. Parents, today would be the day to send the kids outside and get some spring-cleaning done…”
She let the sound of the radio trail off; Kia didn’t care if it was a sunny day. She was only nine, but the thought of going outside to play was not an appealing thought.
Not that she didn’t enjoy playing outside, but she knew it wasn’t an option anymore. He wouldn’t allow it. She had gone out one day since Uncle Joe had picked her up that day at school that day, and he had beaten her until she blacked out, or “fogged” as she thought of it.
Kia didn’t know what had really happened to her parents. When Uncle Joe had picked her up that day, he just said that they where gone now.
Kia couldn’t see why her parents had gone, or where that had gone to. They never mentioned going on vacation, and if they where going somewhere that she couldn’t, then Kelly would always watch her.
Kia liked Kelly. She was neat. Kelly liked to play games and go to the park. She would even let her have some of the forbidden candy that her mom always said would rot her teeth like a bad orange.
In a worst case scenario, gra’ma always watched her. But never Uncle Joe. Kia knew Uncle Joe; he used to come to the house two or three times a week to visit her daddy. All summer last year, he had been there almost all the time. But daddy got real mad at Uncle Joe one day and told him not to come back.
Kia didn’t really mind, she never liked Uncle Joe anyway. He was scary.
Well, he was scary then; he was terrifying now.
She looked up at her arms. She wanted to get up to go to the bathroom, but that was as much as an option as going outside. Her wrists where tied above her head to the bed board. Her ankles where tied together and then down to the end of the bed.
Uncle Joe had undressed her before putting her to bed. He didn’t do this every night, but he did last night. He had then tied up her hands and put her on her belly. Then he hurt her like he had done last summer, except he hadn’t tied her up then. She didn’t even know that she could tell him to stop then, but she had learned in school since then to say no and tell someone if he did it.
Maybe that was why her parents had left her? Where they mad that she had let him do this to her before, and now they where punishing her for it.
Then she heard him coming up the stairs. He had set the alarm for her this morning, and that meant that he wanted her awake so he could hurt her again.
Kia had to pea. She closed her eyes because it was so bad it hurt.
Uncle Joe opened the door.
Kia wanted to change her underwear.
The man opened the door and looked at his new girlfriend. She was a pretty little thing, a waif of a girl. Her hair was long and black, her eyes that particular shade of blue that always drives men crazy.
He had met her in the park about two summers ago, and fell in love at first sight. She had made eye contact that day, and he knew he would have her someday.
She looked up at him pleadingly, and he knew just what she wanted.
It had been like that since there first time. It took him a long time to get her alone so that he could make his move the first time. She was always with her friends or they where at her house with her parents over. But one day he had managed to talk her into letting him come in when no one was there. As soon as he had walked in the door that day, she was all over him, hugging and kissing him. They had fallen on the couch together and a few minutes later, it was all over. He had wanted her so bad that he couldn’t control himself.
It was soon after that that she told him she didn’t want to see him anymore, but just for now. People where suspicious, the two of them where form conflicting backgrounds, He of Jewish faith, hers a strict Catholic upbringing. Both knew that their relationship wasn’t right, or frowned upon at the least. She didn’t want to get into trouble with her family.
He agreed, and she promised that they would be together again.
Then, about two weeks ago, they had met up again. She was walking down the road, and he saw her and offered her a ride. They had wound up back at his house, and by midnight, she had decided not to go home, ever again.
He let her have her own room, but her didn’t think that would last much longer, she was too insatiable.
Now he looked at her and realized that she was asleep. He had set the alarm for her but she had slept right through it. He felt the rage grow inside him for a moment, then she raised her head and looked at him with those eyes, and begged him again….
“Please”, Kia begged. “I had to go so bad. Don’t hurt me again.”
He didn’t seam to notice what she said. He never really did, it was like he was in his own world. He looked down at her and said, “Not now honey, it’s too early. And we both could use a shower.”
And with that, he proceeded to untie her, pick her up and take her into the bathroom.
Uncle Joe wasn’t mean to her. He was almost too kind. He fed her well, let her have the run of the house when he was home. He kept her clean. He even fussed over her cuts and bruises. He never seamed to acknowledge that he was the one who put those wounds there though. He would say things like, “Ouch, It looks like you hurt your self again.”
Now he was cleaning her behind, and making sure to wipe away the blood that had dried up there from their last encounter.
“How did you do that?” he asked, truly baffled. Kia wanted to say, you did it. You did it when you hurt me last night. But you don’t know that you stupid jerk”.
She wished she knew some more powerful swear words to curse him with, but she was too young, and too isolated.
He was in the tub with her, and they where both naked. She could see his thing was getting bigger. That was a bad thing. She knew what he did when his thing got big. “See what you do to me?” Uncle Joe said. “I can’t get near you without this thing acting up. How about a little breakfast?”
He took his thing in his hand, and pushed it toward her mouth. Kia didn’t want that thing in her mouth again. It hurt her jaw, and tasted nasty. But he pushed it between her lips before she could object.
As he pushed it past her teeth, Kia bit down.
The next few seconds seamed like an eternity.
“You bitch!” the man, known at the moment as “Uncle Joe”, screamed. He drew back his arm and punched the girl as hard as he could. She hadn’t let go of his penis yet, and the blow made her jaw tighten. With all of his strength, he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her away.
He stood over her, still holding her by the hair and screaming, “What did you go and do that for!” Smack. Kia saw stars again. “You just had to say no!” Smack. “That fucking hurt!” Punch. This last on the nose, blackening her eyes. Kia was loosing consciousness.
He turned her around and bent her over the side of the tub. “Well, if that’s the way you like it…” he muttered.
At this moment, he saw someone walk past the bathroom door.
This confused him enough that he forgot about his anger. It was his own house. A two story Victorian deal with creaky boards and squeaky door hinges. The front door sounded like a train wreck when it opened. He knew no one else was in the house. But he had seen someone.
He was sure it was just his imagination, but he had to look.
The man known as Uncle Joe got up, forgetting about the beaten and half-conscious Kia, and walked naked into the hallway.
There, standing in front of the steps, was a young man. He felt that he should know this man, but at the same time knew that this was impossible. The youth was pail as death. He was maybe fifteen, maybe thirty. One of those ageless “goth” people that roam the night thinking they’re vampires.
“Michael, What are you doing?” the apparition said.
“Leave me alone. Who are you? What are you doing in my home?
The man seamed too real. Like he was the only real thing in the hall. It unnerved him.
“Michael, I asked you a question. What are you doing to that girl?”
“What girl?” the man said. “And how did you know my name?”
“Answer my question Michael, and I’ll think about answering yours.”
The man was getting angry. He did not like his home being violated, his name revealed. He thought to himself that if this infidel didn’t go away, he would have to kill him.
“You can’t kill me Michael, and I can’t kill you, not like that. You don’t remember that, do you? You don’t remember anything do you? Now what are you doing to that girl?”
Confused, and a little scared, Michael answered, “she’s my girlfriend. We’re consenting adults. You figure it out.”
“What happened to you Michael?” the boy/man asked. “I didn’t think even you where this sick. The others, they all got sick too, and I knew you where not immune. I expected better from you.”
Michael felt dizzy. This person was effecting him in some way he could not understand. Somehow, he knew he could do it too.
He fought back with his mind, and the boy/man started to fade.
“Michael! No! Please, let me help you.” He said, slowly rematerializing.
He’s stronger than me, He thought. But I can fight him if I try.
“Who are you?” He asked in a small, almost childlike voice.
“Someone, who loves you Michael,” he said. “Let me help you. Let me help you remember.”
The boy/man reached out toward him, and tried to take his hand. Their fingertips touched, for just a fraction of a second. Michael saw wars. He saw hatred. He saw confusion. But he also saw love. He jumped back away from him, and fell to the floor.
He sat there searching his memory, which seamed to go back much more than his 30 years of life on earth. “Who am I?” he asked.
Kia felt like she was floating for a few seconds. Then she woke up in what seamed like a warm light. At first she though she was dead and in heaven. Then she looked up and saw it was just the sun coming in through the bathroom window.
“Kia, take my hand”.
She jumped at the sound of the voice. Looking weakly around the room, Kia saw a boy reaching toward her from the floor of the bathroom. The boy was older than she was, about fifteen or so. He was tall and scary looking, sorta like the boy in “Edward Scissorhands”.
“I can’t hurt you Kia, but Michael can, already has I see. I want to help you, but you have to trust me first. Reach out to me Kia”
Dazed and aching from her beating, Kia didn’t know what to do. She tried to speak, but she didn’t have the strength.
“elp me” she managed, and tried to reach for the boy. She failed.
Out in the hall, she could hear Uncle Joe arguing with someone. She hoped whoever it was had come for her.
“I didn’t come for you Kia,” the boy said. “I came for him. But I can help you. Only you have to reach me because I’m not allowed to interfere unless someone makes me. If you reach out for me, I can help you. Come on girl, you can do it.”
Kia reached out again for the boy in black, and grabbed her hand.
Just as she touched it, she thought she heard Uncle mike say the funniest thing.
She thought she heard him ask who he was.
“Your sick Michael”. “Tell me who I really am boy.” Michael demanded. He knew something had been taken from him. His memory was warped, but he was sure that he was not who he thought he was. He thought he was Michael Brighton, cattle hand and farmer by trade. He somehow knew now that this was not wholly true.
The boy/man seamed to grow stronger then. He grew bigger. Not taller or bigger in any physical way, but bigger none the less. And there was a change in his stance. Someone was standing beside him now. It was his girlfriend.
“What are you doing out of the bathroom, you bad girl.” He said to her, like a man kiddingly admonishing a child for something that isn’t really bad. The girl looked confused, but quickly hugged to the boy/man.
“What’s going on here” Michael demanded. He was not happy, and growing angrier. “Who the fuck are you?
The boy/man changed. He had been wearing tight fitting black pants and an orange T-shirt. His hair was red and his eyes almost black. This time he did grow taller, his pants and T-shirt changed into a cape, and then a hooded cloak. His features became indistinct, and in his hand appeared a scythe.
The girl next to her, a beautiful young woman, was bruised and beaten. Her cloths where rags and she was dirty. She looked as though she was dead.
Michael fell to the floor in pain, his head burning with recognition. His memory was restored. He knew EVERYTHING.
“I know” he said, standing up with newfound vigor. “I know who I am and who you are.”
“Then you know that even you have no power over me”. The figure in black said. It wasn’t so much a voice as a whispered thought. It was also a threat. “Stop what you have been doing. You still have some time left before you have to be returned.”
Michael thought for a minute. To Kia, it was an eternity.
“No”. He said.
There was a pause. The air grew thick and greasy. Kia could sense a battle being waged, but had no idea of the implications.
Michael began to sweat. His brow creased in concentration, and he was visibly weakening.
“Don’t make me do this Michael. I don’t want to. You still have time.” The figure in black was pleading.
Suddenly, the forces at work in the hall grew still. Michael slumped to one knee. Then he spoke. “I may have been mistaken. I returned form the guph, thinking I could change things. And I still can. But I chose to forget my past, there was a reason for that. What I’ve been doing here in this life is what I should have done last time.”
Michael stood still for a moment. The figure in black seamed to be biding its time, giving a condemned man a chance to confess.
Again, he began to speak. “I had plenty of time to rethink things in my purgatory. Can you imagine what it would have been like had I taught this then?” he laughed. It was not the laugh of a sane man, or a sane prophet.
“I have more followers than nearly any other prophet in history. I can change the world. They feared me in life. I haven’t been able to hurt them in 2000 years! I had power then. I will have it again!” He was raving now. Like a roadside prophet. “While I’m here, I can. I can give them real reason to follow me now! I can show them the true meaning of happiness!”
At that, he ran, still naked past Kia and her unnatural benefactor. He ran down the stairs and out the door, screaming the whole way, “I am the master. I am the king! I know everything! Follow me my children! Follow me for I am God!”
Kia looked up at the figure at her side. He was the boy again; his curly red hair fell into her face as she spoke.
“I’m sorry you had to see that. I’m glad you helped me Kia. My name is Eternity.”
Eternity knelt beside Kia, and brushed his hair out of his eyes. “He’s gone now. He can’t hurt you.” Then after a moments pause, “Do you want to remember this?”
Kia thought for a minute. She didn’t want to remember everything, but she wanted to know that this had happened. She felt that she had lived an experience that could change the world. She wanted to share it with as many people as she could. It was an experience that could change lives, make the world a better place. But she would have to write it down first, write it down so she could teach it to others.
She nodded her head, somehow conveying all this to the boy named eternity. “I’ll take you home now.”
“…And now for the KKXV morning news. Our top story, A man claiming to be God was shot and killed by police as he held captive a young girl at knife point on downtown Mainstreet. The man, Michael Brighton, was a farmhand who worked around Demos enough that nearly anyone who saw him had known him at one time or another.
Brighton was considered by most to be a kind friendly and trustworthy man, but had recently had a falling out with his current employer.
In other news, missing nineteen year old Kia Telouot was returned home to her parents today after having been lost in the woods for nearly three weeks. It is believed the young woman, who is mentally handicapped, survived by eating berries and drinking from a stream. Rescuers found her wrapped in a black cloak that they believe she took from a hunting cabin sometime last week. She is said to be healthy and shows no signs of ill other than a bruised nose from a fall in the dark.
Kia says that she is working on a book about her ordeal that she hopes everyone will read. She says it’ll be better than the bible. Good luck to you Kia.”
