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  "Todd!" Charles exclaimed with glee, "those Japs are in for a world of hurt. Why once we get those flamethrowers burnin' the grasses, they won't have a place to hide!" Todd reluctantly cowered in Lieutenant Johnson's arms as the firing continued. The young soldier who had accompanied Todd at the frontlines was suddenly thrown back from the barricade with a shriek of terror and flat onto his face. No movement came from the teen's body and while Todd, the one of the two who even acknowledged the boy's existence, saw no blood, he recognized him as dead.

  "It can't be," Todd whispered; looking at the soldier's upturned helmet with a yellow sticker on it, "it can't be."

  "But it is!" Lieutenant Johnson proclaimed with a smile having heard Todd, "Have a look for yourself my boy!" Lieutenant Johnson pointed to the barricade as Todd looked back and forth at Charles's face for any chance of joking, but saw nothing except a smile of satisfaction.

  Todd lifted himself out of the crater, still reluctant to peek over the barrier of junk. He looked back at Lieutenant Johnson as if asking him to finally fess up to the joke, but again there was no sign of surrender. Todd crawled on his hands and knees next to the still body of the young soldier until finally reaching the barricade. Todd sat down with his back against the wall and, with a deep breath, lifted himself up and peeked over.

  On the other side of the barricade there was nothing in sight but a vast landscape and a single, untouched road. Darkness stretched a great shadow over the concrete, foliage, and brush, but there was no movement on the other side of the barricade to justify such gunfire, artillery fire, or the need for flamethrowers.

  "There is nothing out there," Todd whispered to himself before turning to a nearby soldier who fired off countless rounds at once into the desolate landscape, "there is nothing out there!" The middle-aged soldier turned to Todd with an expression of shock.

  "Are you crazy man!" the soldier shouted, "don't you see them!?" The soldier turned back to his gun and fired off more rounds while Todd looked back to the darkness on the other side and continued to find nothing but brush. There was not even a visible blast from an enemy gun and yet the men on Todd's side fired away with trigger-happy fingers before falling dead. Todd turned from the barricade and headed back to the crater where Lieutenant Johnson stood, waiting for Todd.

  "Are you mad?" Todd implored, "There is no one out there!" Lieutenant Johnson turned perplexed upon hearing Todd's statement.

  "No, don't say that," Lieutenant Johnson whispered, leaning in and pointing his finger at the other soldiers, "They will think you are a saboteur!" Lieutenant Johnson lifted himself from the crater and went back over to the building where his fellow officers resided. Todd looked back down the street towards his hotel and then back to the barricade. Enraged, Todd flung himself at the officers' building and threw open the door to see the men continuing in argument.

  "Have you all gone crazy!?" Todd screamed at the men. They all turned silent and looked back at Todd who gave them once last chance for reply and then fled the area, returning back to his hotel room without glancing back. There, Todd sat on his bed and listened to the gunfire through his window. With sudden frustration, Todd rose from the bed and slammed the windows shut. The racket still made its way into his room and into his ears, but he ignored it and sat heavily down on his bed. Todd then reached over to the table next to his bed and snatched up his container of pills as Jason sat quietly on the pillow and watched.

  "You don't like what they are doing?" Jason the teddy bear asked.

  "No," Todd yelled out quickly before throwing pills down his throat.

  "Men will play," Jason replied. Todd turned to the innocent-looking teddy bear with anger in his face.

  "Play!?" Todd cried, pointing to the window, "THAT is playing!? Men, playing like that, killed my wife!" The teddy bear looked down at his bear paws with shame.

  "Maybe it was an accident," Jason the teddy bear said, "everyone makes-"

  "Shhhhhhhh," Todd shushed softly, shutting his eyes and dropping his head with agony, "no more. Not tonight." The simple desire for his own person wishes, having trailed him all along, yet again swept over Todd. He reached over and flipped the lamp off as the booms and flashes outside his window continued. He then silently closed the curtains to the window until complete darkness and personal ghosts filled the room.

  Chapter 6

  "Good morning Mrs. Gilbert," shouted Mike as he and Todd left the hotel lobby. Todd coughed up the night's mucus from his throat and took a bite out of his muffin, wondering why he had succumbed to Mike's early wake-up call. Todd opened the front doors as Mike waved his big, mouse paw frantically through the air with a smile on his face while the elderly woman lifted her head from the newspaper without a fraction of the joy Mike expressed. The mouse-man then passed out the front doors with utter delight and followed Todd.

  "Thank you, but I don't need your help today Mike," Todd said loudly, obligated by annoyance.

  "That's alright Todd," Mike replied, "I'm just in it for the adventure." The two went down the street and, with Todd in the lead, walked in the direction of the Sheriff's office. From what Todd could see by peering down the street, the barricade at the city limits was still intact and heavily guarded. Half a dozen soldiers were visible patrolling at the barricade. Four large holes, still releasing heat, burrowed deep into the street behind the frontline. Debris littered the area like army ants on a fresh kill.

  Suddenly, a smiling little boy sprinted pass Todd, nearly knocking him to the side. Todd stopped and watched the little boy run by and then cross the Doleman's front lawn before entering the house. Todd stared at the house for a moment, wondering if he had just laid eyes on Billy Doleman, but then turned back down the street with Mike in tow.

  Todd at last came upon the Sheriff's office and stopped at the door. Through the window he could see Sheriff Meyers sitting reclined in a chair with his cowboy boots on the desk. He held an open book in one hand and a half eaten sandwich in the other.

  "Look, I know you wanna come in and help me and all," Todd said, turning to Mike, "but I'd rather you just stay out here." Mike's smile slowly faded into a pair of open lips. His disappointment was obvious.

  "Okay," he gently spoke with a clearly distraught expression. Todd smiled with sympathy, pretending to care, and then walked into the Sheriff's office where Sheriff Meyers sat reading and eating his sandwich.

  "Sheriff Meyers," Todd hurriedly spoke, glancing back at the window to see Mike linger a moment and then leave.

  "Yes?" Sheriff Meyers asked, still sporting his cowboy hat, vest, and Sheriff's badge. He relaxed back in his chair with pride while wiping his mouth with a napkin.

  "I mean to speak with you about Charles Johnson."

  "Oh . . .Ohhh, you mean Lieutenant Johnson," Sheriff Meyers said, catching on and putting his boots on the floor.

  "No Sheriff," Todd denied, "that man is not a Lieutenant, just like you are not a cowboy. Now I don't know what kind of-"

  "Just hol' on there!" Sheriff Meyers interrupted, standing up, "what gives you the right to come in 'ere and tell me who I am? I'm wearing the Sheriff's badge here son." Sheriff Meyers pointed to his glimmering badge.

  "But why are you wearing that?" Todd asked out of aggravation, inquiring on the entire outfit.

  "Well," Sheriff Meyers began, nodding his head, "I'm the Sheriff. Ev'ry Sheriff needs a badge."

  "Noooo," Todd howled and then placed his hands on the desk to lean over and drop his head in frustration. The Sheriff leaned over Todd and stared at him with an evil eye.

  "Look here son," Sheriff Meyers began, "I don't know what kinda game y'er playin', but I'd stop it right here if I were you." Todd shot up from his slump and looked the Sheriff right in the eyes while his arm outstretched in the direction of the town's barricade.

  "There are men out there," Todd said with rage, "They are shooting guns into nothing, thinking it is something! My wife died because of men like that! Now you mean to tell me," Todd pointed his threatening fin
ger at the Sheriff, "that none of them out there had anything to do with a bullet passing into my wife!?" The Sheriff bravely stood his ground with Todd pointing a finger into his face. A tranquil peace passed over Sheriff Meyer's expression.

  "None of those men," Sheriff Meyers said softly, placing a hand on Todd's lifted arm and lowering it, "had anythin' to do with your wife's death." Todd released steam as another man in a cowboy's uniform entered through the back door. This man also wore a badge, but the printing in his star spelled out a different word.

  "Sheriff?" the man asked out loud with his head lowered towards a piece of paper in his hands. His eyes remained fixed on the paper as he neared, not yet seeing either man inside the room, "I was lookin' through these directions for . . ." The man finally raised his head and saw company in the building.

  "Deputy Harris," Sheriff Meyers said, "this is Todd Morgan." The Deputy walked over and shook Todd's hand. The cowboy was younger than the Sheriff with a clean face and optimistic vibes. His white teeth formed a perfect smile.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you sir," the Deputy spoke as Todd nodded in agreement. The two men released grips as Deputy Harris turned to Sheriff Meyers.

  "Do you still have that screwdriver?" asked the Deputy.

  "Look o'er on the table," the Sheriff answered, pointing to the distant corner. The Deputy tipped his hat and then headed off to the corner table. After watching the Deputy stroll to the distant side of the building, Todd stepped back over to Sheriff Meyers.

  "How do you know, Sheriff," Todd whispered, continuing with their conversation, "that none of those trigger-happy mongrels had anything to do with-"

  "Because I know," the Sheriff whispered back, lashing out before Todd could finish, "trus' me. They weren't anywhere near her that day."

  "Then who killed my wife?" Todd whispered harshly, nearly loud enough for the Deputy to overhear. Sheriff Meyers immediately grew uncomfortable with the question that Todd had suddenly posed. The Sheriff's eyes shifted in the direction of the Deputy who lifted the screwdriver and looked at the Sheriff in return. Sheriff Meyers happily nodded at the Deputy, placing a quick smile on his face as he vanished back out the rear doors.

  "I don't know that," Sheriff Meyers replied with his head turned, the smile having faded away, "I arriv'd too late. A crowd had a'ready gather'd by then." Todd grew angry with the Sheriff's uselessness in the matter.

  "Do you even know if she had any enemies, or anyone who would want to hurt her?" Sheriff Meyers placed his fingers on his lips as he thought for some answer to please Todd with, but nothing came to mind and he shook his head in despair. Todd dropped his head with a sigh.

  "Everyone lov'd Helen," the Sheriff said, "I don't think a single person hated her." Todd lifted his head with sudden interest.

  "Everyone?" Todd asked, wondering whether the Sheriff had wrongly phrased his intended statement, or if he had merely lied.

  "She was a kin' lady," Sheriff Meyers said softly, leaning forward with his head bowed in distress, "whenever she come to visit, everyone seemed happier, like she brought with her a joy. She loved this place as much's we loved her visits. You have to understand . . . s'not many people in this town." Todd turned around with the last few weeks on his brain. Then the timeframe expanded, and the last few months were on his mind. It suddenly hit Todd that her weekends, her friends, her visits, had all been there; in Kinston.

  "Wait, wait," Todd said in disbelief, "you all knew her?" Sheriff Meyers looked around at the empty office.

  "Well . . . ya," the Sheriff replied, clueless that Todd was uninformed, "She come 'ere on the weekends for the past few months. It was only . . . the last time she visit that she stay'd longer than the weekend . . ." Todd was quickly shocked with what he had heard. He was always under the impression that his wife was visiting a familiar friend in a familiar city. She had always told him that.

  "She never mentioned this town," Todd barely whispered.

  "What was that?" Sheriff Meyers asked politely, not hearing what Todd had said. Todd ignored Sheriff Meyers, turned around, and slowly made his way towards the door. Dumbstruck, Todd's lips expelled no reply as he left Sheriff Meyers within the building's silence.

  The sky outside was filled with gray clouds that blocked the sunlight and cooled the air. A breeze blew fluttering leaves alongside him as he walked alone down the sidewalks back towards his hotel. The dark gloom in the air was similar to that which veiled Todd's memories of his wife. Along his way, he crossed the creepy house where Bobby Doleman had been spying on, but Bobby was not in the bushes this time. Instead, Todd's attention was taken by a younger boy laying on the Doleman's lawn; the same boy who had almost run into him that same morning on the sidewalk.

  "Billy Doleman?" Todd asked politely to the strange boy lying on the lawn.

  "Yes?" the adolescent replied, lifting his head to see a stranger on the sidewalk in front of his house. Todd was suddenly at a loss for words, not only because he was speaking to a meager and carefree child of whom he had only seen once before, but because he was unaware of how to approach the conversation topic that he had wanted to discuss.

  "I . . . I heard that you . . . . hear voices?" Todd stuttered. Billy Doleman stared up at Todd with his freckle-covered face and gently shook his head.

  "No sir," Billy said squinting, exposing the gap between his two front teeth, "I don't hear voices." Todd's remaining hopes died along with any trust left in the townspeople of Kinston.

  "Oh . . . I'm sorry," Todd said, turning away.

  "But I do talk to my dresser if that's what you mean," Billy said before Todd could take a step off the sidewalk.

  "What?" Todd asked, turning back to Billy.

  "Yea, I talk to it, and it talks to me."

  "No teddy bears?" Todd asked curiously. Billy Doleman lowered his head in thought and then shook it.

  "Nope," Billy replied, looking back up at Todd, "just the top drawer of my dresser."

  "Well, what does it tell you?" Todd begged, taking a step closer to Billy who remained still and trouble-free.

  "Hmmm," Billy shrugged, plucking a leaf of grass from the lawn beneath him, "just about planets and stuff . . . and my brother." The same hopelessness as before reverberated back into Todd's stomach.

  "Anything else?" Todd asked with eyes wide.

  "Hmmm, nothing important," Billy said as he looked up at Todd, "Why mister?" Todd just looked away, avoiding the boy's gaze. A heavy guilt fell over Todd before he could even utter any innocent words.

  "I hear voices too," Todd said.

  "I don't hear voices," Billy lightheartedly said, taking his attention away from the man in front of him. Todd stepped back towards the street, looked both ways and then walked to the other side. The entire journey back to the hotel and back to his room was void of any contact with Mike, which would have brought happiness on any normal occasion, but disappointment yet again hung in the air and taunted Todd.

  Todd unlocked his room, went in and shut the door before turning on the lights. This time, instead of sitting on the pillow, Jason the teddy bear sat on the edge of the bed as if expecting company. Todd stepped towards Jason with eyes fully concentrating on the koala bear who only looked back up at Todd; waiting as usual.

  "Are you an alien?" Todd asked.

  "Yes," Jason replied.

  Chapter 7

  Todd folded his arms and took a step to the side, gathering his thoughts and his questions, quite surprised at such a sudden answer. Jason the teddy bear sat, with satisfaction, quietly on the bed as if waiting for more inquiries. Todd picked up another container of pills as he stared down at the teddy bear like an interrogator.

  "You dropped all those things that they have out there?" Todd asked, pointing his finger at the room's window.

  "Yes," Jason replied. Todd paused for a moment, quietly anticipating an explanation from the teddy bear. A spell of anxiousness for the teddy bear to break down and admit to some scheme overtook Todd, but Jason did nothing but sit and s
tare, as he had always done.

  "But why?" Todd asked, "Why here? Why give us that stuff?" Todd asked with a polite subtlety.

  "Because we like this place," Jason said.

  "We?" Todd asked, taking more interest in the matter. Jason looked down and then back up as if trying to identify the problem.

  "Yes," the teddy bear said, "there are many of us."

  "Where?" Todd asked, looking around with his arms extended in an inquisitive manner, "why can't I see the rest of you?"

  "Todd Morgan," Jason spoke, addressing his listener, "you are forgetting that I am not this teddy bear. I am merely projecting mental thoughts into waves of vocal frequencies. There is no possible way for your inferior eyes to detect any of our presences. Also, it is in my capability to send these messages to you from millions of light millennia away." Todd stopped breathing for a moment as he absorbed what the imaginary teddy bear in front of him had just said. Jason looked Todd up and down before continuing in a calmer manner, aware of shock he had induced into Todd. "I am afraid there is not a word in your planetary civilization to describe what state of matter I occupy." Todd slowly sat down next to the teddy bear while still grasping the container of pills in his hand. He felt his fingers beginning to unscrew the cap by instinct.

  "So," Todd gasped involuntarily, bearing in mind all that had just been explained, "You are in some kind of other dimension?" Todd glanced down at the entity he could see sitting next to him."

  "Not exactly," Jason explained, "but you're not too far off." Todd looked straight ahead and nodded as if he could understand as much as he appeared to.

  "So do you know this much about every person you . . ." Todd paused, "and your people encounter?"

  "Oh no," Jason spoke, "we are only interested in your planet."

  "Oh?" Todd inquired, "Why just us?"

  "Because," Jason replied, "of all the frequencies and signals we have intercepted, we all enjoy your television programs the most." Todd lost his breathe and blinked at, experiencing a new world as he tried to comprehend his alien friend's last statement.