Dissolve (9 page)

Chapter 8:

We once again entered the car in silence. All of us were so keyed up, the tension was palpable. No one quite knew what to say on the subject. I knew that I was creeped out and not even close to calming down. Someone wanted to make it clear that they could get to us at any given time.

Just returning to that hotel room was going to give me nightmares. There wasn’t much of a choice given the situation. We had a limited amount of time to save this Shane guy and the clock was ticking. I tried to shake off the paralyzing fear and watch as Noah opened the map of Florida. He was navigating Nessa to the first cemetery we had chosen to check.

About fifteen minutes later we pulled up to the parking lot and looked at the looming gate signifying we had made it to the Ragland Cemetery. The pointed wrought iron fence was tall, intimidating and appeared to surround the perimeter.

“How are we going to do this exactly? They are closed and that fence is tall,” Noah asked.

“I think I have an idea,” Nessa said. “Cora and I can lift you up and you can pull yourself over to the other side. Then, Cora can give me a boost and you can help me over on the other side of the fence.”

“What about Cora?” Noah prodded.

“Easy, she will dissolve and reform on this side of the fence. I will grab her clothes through the gates openings and she will redress on this side. It’s the best plan I can think of,” Nessa admitted.

“I agree, it sounds like the best plan. Let’s get going. Time is wasting and we don’t even know if we are at the right cemetery,” Noah said.

Nessa and I just nodded, cupping our hands together for his feet. We counted to three and Noah jumped into our hands and we swung him up on queue. He reached the top and used the bar just below the jagged points lining the top of the fence to pull him safely over before dropping to the ground with a thud.

“One down, two to go,” he said in relief.

“Okay Nessa, lets pull you up onto my shoulders and let you pull yourself over and into Noah’s arms. Then I will do what I have to do,” I told her.

Nessa nodded nervously but did as I told her and we managed to align her a little shakily with the top of the fence. Once she had her hands on the top bar, I used my hands to thrust her up the best I could. She flipped over and Noah caught her with a pleased grin before setting her down. She said thanks before they both turned to me.

“Showtime,” Nessa said.

This time I tried it standing up, swaying on the breeze and shutting my eyes. I took a few calming breathes and imagined floating away like a balloon, weightless. It wasn’t long until I dissolved into a million swirling particles and slipped through the fence effortlessly. I snapped back into place and scrambled to pull my clothes from the other side of the fence. I got redressed although I was growing more comfortable with the nudity I was so often inflicted with.

Nessa nodded to me and we turned to face the dimly lit cemetery. The old fashioned street lights were sparingly placed throughout, giving off an eerie feel. Headstones made of limestone and marble of all shapes and sizes jutted out of the rolling landscape. A row of white crosses line a spot by the side fence. In the middle, a few mausoleums blocked the view of the back half of the cemetery.

We made our way through the rows of headstones scouring the scenery for any newly buried plots. I was so busy looking for fresh plots that I missed a jutted out headstone and my feet came out from beneath me. Luckily Noah was there to catch me and I sighed in relief. Moving forward I was much more careful to watch where I was going.

I was trailing behind now, deep in thought. We were forgetting something and I couldn’t put my finger on it. “Guys, I think we are forgetting something, I just can’t remember what the hell it is.”

“Damn, we forgot the shovels,” Noah said shaking his head.

Nessa was quick to jump in, clearly spooked in the cemetery. “Cora and I will go back and get them, you continue looking. We will find you once we have them.”

Nessa placed her hand in mine and we turned before we can hear any protest from Noah. She must have read that I was feeling less than comfortable in this situation. A week ago, we were leading normal lives and thinking about weddings and clothes.

I couldn’t even think about the fallout back home. My mother would know I was innocent and Beverly had probably already labeled me as the murderer. I thought about what a mess it all was until I thought about the real mess we were now ensconced in. Now, we were on the run and involved in something so big we couldn’t escape it.

Once we got to the fence, Nessa nodded and I followed the process of dissolving. As soon as I was on the other side, she handed me my clothes and I tossed them on with haste. Then she handed me the keys and I ran for the car. As soon as I retrieved the three bulky shovels, I tossed them over the fence a few feet away from Nessa. Then I handed her the keys back before doing my disappearing act.

This time, I grabbed my own clothes after snapping back into my own body and put them back on. Nessa laughed at me and I realized my shorts were on backwards. I shot her a playful look and turned them around. We grabbed the shovels and headed back into the cemetery, searching for Noah. We were soon plunged into an eerie darkness in the back of the cemetery, following the star strung inky sky for guidance.

It was dark that is, until a large spotlight swept over the cemetery grounds. Damn, we were going to get caught. Nessa and I rushed to hide behind a mausoleum until the light had passed and the lights projection had subsided. Taking a deep breath, I returned to searching for Noah.

“Over here,” Noah said.

We both turned towards his voice and saw him crouching over a freshly buried grave.

“How do you know if this is the right one?” I inquired.

“That is the thing. I didn’t at first. Look at the name on the grave though. It reads “Dan Shonesaw” which can translate to Shane Dawson if you switch the letters around. It is no wonder we couldn’t find anyone buried anywhere with his name.”

“Looks like we get started then,” I said reluctantly.

We each grabbed a shovel and began to dig. Sweat was running down my face in droplets before I slowed to wipe it away. It was taking longer than I expected to reach the casket. Tired and thirsty, I returned to digging.

About a half hour later I heard a thud and looked up. Noah had finally hit the casket. “Bingo, now we just have to get the last of the dirt off before we can open it.”

We continued to shovel piles of dirt until the glossy black casket was mostly uncovered. Noah laid down his shovel and wiped his sweaty, dirty hands on his jeans. Then he looked at both of us as we looked on in half anticipation, half fear. We nodded and he slowly began to work the latches and open the top half of the coffin.

What we found, was a blond haired guy in his late teens or early twenties dead or even unconscious. Noah hurried to unlatch the second half and he lifted the boy up onto the grass above. The boy didn’t even stir. Nessa and I exchanged worried looks. This could turn out to be a horrible situation. Digging up a guy in need is one thing, but digging up a dead guy was just plain morbid.

Noah pulled himself out of the grave and returned to the boy. He brought his ear down to the boy’s mouth and took a deep breath. He told us he was still alive, but just barely.

“Looks like we were just in time,” Nessa said. “How are we going to wake him up? We have to get him out of here and back to the motel.”

“I am fresh out of ideas, does anyone have any other ideas?” I asked.

Obviously, we hadn’t thought this out, because everyone exchanged blank stares. No one quite knew what to do now. I racked my brain for any plan to form, desperate to get out of here now that we found what we came for.

Noah slapped Shane’s cheek gently, but there was no response. He checked his pulse and reports that it was weak but there.

“We are going to have to go out the same way we got in, only we will have to lift him up and over the best we can. I don’t see any other way and we need to get the hell out of here,” Noah said.

We nodded solemnly and I collected the shovels.

“Leave them. We have no need of them now,” Noah told me.

Noah lifted the boy in his arms and we followed, making our way back to the patch of fence towards our car. It took nearly ten minutes to find our way back, careful not to trip on any more headstones. Once we made it to the fence, Noah set the boy down and sighed.

“Okay, here is the real test. Now we have to get his unconscious body over the tall pointy fence,” I said.

Nessa’s eyes lit up and it was clear a light bulb had turned on inside.

“What’s up Nessa?” I asked.

“An idea, that’s what is up. Cora, could you get the car and pull it up as close to the fence as possible?”

“Yeah, I think I know where you are going with this and it is a great idea,” I said.

Without bothering to fill Noah in, I concentrated on dissolving. It was getting easier each time I did it and this time was no exception. I reformed on the other side and Nessa was already tossing me my clothes and the keys. I slid on my flip flops and reached the ground, scooping up the keys. Wasting no time, I hurried to the car and tried to get as close as possible by sidling up to the fence just inches from it.

Noah finally nodded in understanding. “Ok, you go first Nessa, I will lift you up. Then I will lift him up and you two can carry him down. It is a brilliant idea.”

Nessa made it over without a problem and we stood on the edge of the car, leaning over to grasp the unconscious guy. The points of the fence grazed the bottoms of our arms but we managed to get him into our grasp and lowered him to the hood of the car. Three down, one to go, but it was clear that Noah had thought it through and had it covered.

He grasped the wrought iron fence and climbed up it using the car as leverage through the bars. Then he lifted himself up and over, landing on the hood of the car, leaving a small dent.

Once he made his way down, we all went to check on the unconscious guy. He was still out cold through all that and Noah carried him to the backseat before getting in himself. I slid into the passenger seat and let Nessa turn the engine to a loud growl before we high tailed it out of the cemetery.

“We cut that really close. It is a good thing we didn’t start at the other cemetery,” Noah commented.

“Yeah, but now we have a guy near death that for all we know could be a serial killer. We don’t know anything about this Shane Dawson guy and yet we trust him with our lives,” I replied.

“Three against one are good odds, especially against a guy just short of comatose. Don’t forget that it wasn’t very long ago that you took a chance and trusted me, even though I wasn’t sure I could trust you.”

“True, I guess we have to take a chance. He could be in just as much danger,” Nessa agreed.

I looked back and studied the unfamiliar boy. His blond hair was dirty, assuming from the whole buried alive experience. He looked to be close to our age, maybe slightly younger, about nineteen or twenty like I had originally thought. His clothes were filthy as well, but stylish. His faded jeans and tee fit him perfectly. I wondered if Nessa could read his mind in this condition. Before I got the chance to ask her though, she cut off my thought.

“No, I can’t read his mind. I tried and it is no use. He is just barely alive right now. Maybe after some rest and actual oxygen, I will get a read.”

“At least your powers are useful. I can shift, yet haven’t even gotten to use it yet,” Noah complained.

I shook my head at the irony. “Here is a shot, try to change into coma boy here.”

He looked like a dog with a bone as he closed his eyes and looked to be deep in concentration. I looked back to observe as he slowly mimicked the boy next to him. They were so alike, they could actually be twins. It was so unreal, I gave an involuntary shiver. Noah just smiled like the cat that ate the canary.

“Okay hot shot, turn back please, that is creeping me out,” Nessa said.

With a look of reluctance and a slight pout, Noah returned to his usual self and almost clapped at his accomplishment. Still, the boy next to him didn’t stir. He just lay there, unconscious.

We were all wondering what the hell this Shane guy had to tell us but no one dared to say so. We sat in a welcomed silence once again until we stopped for gas. Nessa pulled up to the pump at the quiet gas station and stepped out. First she added more oil to the engine, and then she proceeded to pump our gas.

“We should get some snacks in case he wakes up. He will probably be traumatized and hungry. Let me go get him some stuff,” Noah told me.

I opened the door and pulled forward the seat so I could let him out, then sat in silence with the unconscious guy in the back seat. Two days ago I never would have dreamed of grave digging, let alone people with powers. I just wanted to get to the truth of Tom’s murder and that seemed to get further and further away. It also appeared far less likely as we got deeper in our journey.

I wiped a stray tear as Noah and Nessa returned and we headed back to the motel. Nessa and Noah chatted back and forth the remainder of the way back, but I stayed out of the conversation, choosing to revel in my own thoughts at that moment. About five minutes later, we made it back and Noah carried Shane inside.