The Mind Bender

Chapter 13

Dane slowly stood up and darted his eyes around the room. Sherri lay sprawled on the floor. His initial reaction, though slowed down by fluster, was to rouse her by shaking her arm. "Ms. Sherri." But she remained unconscious.

Around him were students whose faces were on the chair, arms hanging idly by the sides. Some had fallen on the floor. Stricken by the fear of what he had possibly done, he stormed out of the room and found a few more people on the floor in awkward positions that made him infer they fainted or fell unconscious.

Dane grew scared. As young as he was he knew of nothing that could cause mass unconsciousness. He absolved himself, convinced himself his ability to stun people couldn't be that tremendously far-reaching. Slowly, his guilt betrayed him.

Images of his dead father ran across his mind as he grew scared and restless, darting his sight across the hall to see bodies here and there. Dane started to cry. Dread enveloped him.

He couldn't be blamed for this. It wasn't his doing. Something else might have caused this, maybe aliens or some epidemic. Or so he thought. He ran toward the door, and when he opened it he was taken aback by the sight of a tall figure.

"Calm down, son." The man who wore a familiar hat and coat smiled at him and held out his hand.

"Frank!" The boy grabbed the man's coat and shook it. "I didn't do it."

Frank hushed him. "It's okay. Let's walk."

He allowed Frank to grab his hand, and they walked out. The silence in the surroundings was ghostly. Frank opened the car and let him in. He dashed into the car through the other door and sat on the driver's seat. The car sped off.

He gazed outside the car to see people lying on the ground in ugly positions. His eyes remained red. So was the tip of his nose.

"Don't worry. They're not dead," Frank said as he maneuvered the wheel. "They just passed out. They'll be awake sooner than you think."

"What happened to them?" Dane asked without looking at Frank.

"You let out a massive psychic wave that knocked everyone out."

He turned his head to Frank, face sullen and frightened. "But I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did." Frank gave him a quick serious glance. "What happened back there?"

"I was hearing those voices, and my head was hurting. All I wanted was for them to stop."

"And the voices did stop, right?"

Dane gave him a nod. Guilt burned inside him as if chastising him for something he ought not to do. "Will they be all right?"

"They will be. Just calm down."

Dane heard sirens. As they sped along the road where many cars had stopped in peculiar directions, an ambulance sped in. "What's going on?" He followed the ambulance with his eyes.

"Some people were injured as they fell unconscious."

"It's my fault." Then he remembered his mom. "I have to call mom." He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed Elaine's number. He stuck on his ear and waited for an answer. "She's not answering."

"Don't worry. She's be fine."

"I have to make sure nothing happened to her."

"Give me the phone." Frank held out his open palm while keeping his eyes on the road.

Dane frowned. "But I need to call her."

"No, Dane. Give me that phone."

"But..."

"I said give me the phone." Frank grabbed the phone from his hand.

Dane sat bewildered and fixed a stare at the man who drove him.

"I'll hand this back to you. Right now, it's not safe to call anyone." He slipped Dane's phone into one his coat's pockets.

"Why?" Dane furrowed his forehead. He's starting to feel weird. Again, he attempted to read Frank's mind but could not. He saw him flinch. He saw the man's eyelids flutter.

"Whatever you're doing, stop doing it. It won't work on me." Frank lost his usual warm, friendly tone. This time, he sounded cold and distant.

Dane felt the car racing. He read the speed dial, and saw the needle pointing at 90 mph and moving past that mark. "Mr. Astor, can you slow down a bit?" He heard no answer. His heart started to race. As the houses thinned, the town gave way to the countryside. "I thought you were driving me home."

Frank grinned. "You don't belong there, Dane."

The familiar line made Dane's eyes open wide. Slowly he turned his head to the stranger. "You're the strange man who was talking to my mom in her sleep."

"I'm a kind man, son." Frank smiled.

Panic-stricken, Dane yelled. "I'm not your son! Stop the car!" The ten-year-old grabbed the man's arm. The car swerved right.

"Calm down!" Frank turned the wheel left.

"Stop the car!" the boy squealed, his shoulders trembling as he breathed heavily while looking lividly at the man who he had trusted a few moments ago. He tried to pierce his mind, but doing so felt like he bumped his head into something hard.

"I said stop whatever you're doing!" Frank took something out of his pocket. "Behave yourself." He wrapped a cloth into Dane's face.

The boy struggled for a moment, but soon felt his muscles relax. He tried to scream, but he weakened rapidly. And then his vision blurred.