Crossroads Shadowland Read Online Free PDF

grabbed
a panel and yanked it back. Finding
nothing, he did the same with the next panel.
    If someone had entered the
room, they had to be in the bathroom. With the words, You're dead running through his head like a litany, he crept
toward the open door in the bathroom and
peeked through the two-inch gap. Nada.
    "Shit," he said, whipping around to scan the
room again.
    Plopping onto the edge of
the bed, his head swam. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, and looked up at the letters again. What
did they mean? A light bulb went off. Of
course, they could only indicate one thing—someone or something was trying to contact him and that
unknown person or entity wasn't a
warm-blooded being from this world. Cold-blooded would be more like
it, very cold and very dead.
    Frank grabbed his
wristwatch from the nightstand and checked the time. Twenty minutes until the boys' parents arrived. "Okay,
lost soul, you want to play?"
    He dimmed the lights,
settled into the wingback and leaned his head back. "Concentrate, Frank, you don't have much
time."
    Closing his eyes, he
beckoned the screen. If he focused and all the elements merged, particles of light would filter in. He
didn't need to interpret anything at this
point, had only to study the illumination and scatter all thought from his mind—not an easy
feat.
    The light appeared behind
his eyelids and soon his consciousness shifted; a normal response
before he entered a semi-soporous state. He wouldn't try to decipher the images taking shape, but rather
watch the light and maintain a clear head.
Patience and concentration were rewarded by a connection to his inner spirit, the catalyst for a gradual
shift to a higher level of
perception.
    "Ah, success," he whispered, the shape on
the screen floating before him.
    A slat-chair, the blurred
shape of a human, the hand clutching an object that touched the floor at its feet. Dark matter shifted and
rolled behind the human and a pungent
scent spiraled up Frank's nose. It happened on occasion; aromas, specific scents relating to the image would
find him.
    He coughed with the
realization the smell represented thick, black smoke. Flashes of light, bright orange and smoky-white, split
the sky in the image. A fire? A violent
storm? Through it all, the outline remained as still as a statue. No, not a vague shape, but a bewhiskered
gent dressed in drab clothing. A white
banner of some sort crossed his chest, a sharp contrast to
the dismal scene.
    "Who are you?" Frank asked.
    Long moments passed without a twitch from
the image.
    "You left your calling card; you must want
something from me."
    The shiny object in his
hand moved when he shifted in the chair. Frank put all his effort
into putting a name to the intangible item. Shiny and
pointed, it looked like a weapon of some
sort and one he'd seen before. Where, goddamn it, where had he seen it? The top portion jagged off
from the base. A bayonet, by God, an
antiquated weapon that could have been used in numerous wars throughout the centuries. Images of the photo
album crept forth. Not only had he seen
the bayonet yesterday while flipping through the pages, but he'd seen the soldier sitting in a
chair. The smoke and flashes of light
represented a battle.
    The screen shuddered. "No,
not yet, hang in there, baby." Despite his plea, the image of the solider grew faint. "Not enough, a few
more seconds, come back!"
    Gradually the
pseudo-monitor faded until nothing remained but a cold, black void.
Frank willed his mind to return to the present with an
exasperated sigh, and glanced at his
watch. He'd needed a little more time in his meditative state, yet introductions had been made. His first
contact with the numinous being had
materialized, and he'd bet his ass the spirit had something to
do with the missing boys.
    Now he had to put the
pieces of the large puzzle together and find out what.
    A monumental task.
     
    * * * * *
     
    He retrieved a damp washcloth from the bathroom and swiped it over
the eerie