Lights in the sky

A thorough rewrite of my story Figments. A man is obsessed with the paranormal in a way to consumes every facet of his life.

Jonathan was staring at the landscape outside his apartment window, the coffee cup felt heavy in his hand. The air was thick and it made him tired, a walk would do him good. He scanned the landscape for shadows.

For months he had had this feeling that someone was following him around, and he had seen dark shades in the periphery of his vision. When he turned to look they always disappeared. When he walked near the park he was sure that he could see shrouded shapes hiding in the darkness, which left him with this constant feeling that someone was watching him from a distance. These feelings haunted him all day.

Jonathan put down his cup and looked around. The apartment was a mess, he started searching through the piles of paper that hid his couch from view. He knew that his keys were somewhere inside of the apartment, the big question was: where?

While rummaging through a pile of worn out books, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone else had been searching through his stuff when he wasn't around. If this feeling was accurate it would be related to the people following him around. He wondered who these people were and why they were taking an interest in him. He had his theories, it had to be either the government or someone worse. This thought frightened him.

He found something, he felt something cold and metallic between his fingers, he looked at it with his worn out eyes, it was his keys. He tried to smile to the best of his abilities, the results were terrifying.

But no matter who they were and what they wanted with him, he had an edge, for the past year he had been observing all the strange things that happened around him and he had taken notes and tried to figure if there were any patterns in his observations. This had only increased the number of sightings, luckily Jonathan knew it would be wise to cover his tracks.

With his keys in hand he went out the door, and locked it behind him, though he was unsure what good it would do, considering how often they broke in without him noticing.

So you found a pattern?

Pete asked, he extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray and leaned forward with his arms crossed.

Jonathan was silent for a while, reflecting on how to put his findings into words.

Yeah, I've marked all the places where there have been sightings onto a map. I was hoping to find a connection between all these weird happenings.

Jonathan paused for a moment.

It's all happening in a circle...

Pete lifted one of his eyebrows, thinking things over.

So something is in the centre?

Pete had a feeling that Jonathan was struggling to say something that was weighing him down.

Jonathan didn't respond, he seemed to be lost in thought.

Pete leaned forward.

Isn't it risky to leave stuff like that in your apartment? If, and this is a big if, there are people searching the place on a regular basis?

He was staring Jonathan straight in the eyes.

Jonathan got nervous, Pete was right, what if these people found his research? But he had also taken his precautions.

It is hidden, I don´t think they are aware of where it is. I think they've been at my place several times already but they obviously haven't found what they were looking for. I'm trying to find a new place to hide the stuff.

Pete seemed to be less worried by this answer.

Maybe I could take a look at it, my place seems secure, I've never been followed by suspicious people as you claim to have. And frankly I have my doubts about this whole thing.

He leaned back and took a sip of his cigarette, oozing self confidence. But there was something in his eyes, a glimmer of doubt emanating from his core. Like Jonathan, Pete also seemed to be holding something back and suddenly he broke the silence.

Okay, I have my doubts! But there is something I have been meaning to tell you. I feel like it could be important. I had a personal experience this weekend, when I was driving on the usual stretch between my home and my lake house. It was right in the middle of the woods, you know that road?

He waited in anticipation. Nothing...

well I was driving when I saw something really f*****g weird. Look, the hair on my arms are raising just thinking about it. Here´s the thing, I saw a light, a very bright light coming from inside the forest. You got this place on the map, right? And I saw a light, I can´t exactly explain it, and I didn't see a heck of lot more than that... It's just weird that's all, it doesn't mean that I'll start believing every word you say, but it was very weird...

Pete was staring at Jonathan in anticipation. The room was silent, he started to feel the awkwardness creeping in.

Hours had past and it was getting dark. Jonathan stood on the middle of the street staring up at his apartment window. There was a light. He was sure that he had left the apartment unlit, he felt uneasy as he observed the window. Shadows moved past the windows, he felt cold and started sweating, he found it hard to swallow as the shadows danced in the faint glow of light. Quickly, he hid in an alley next to the entrance.

He stood covered in darkness, observing the entrance to the apartment complex. But no one was neither coming nor going. Hours past and Jonathan started to feel tired, he started to drift and leaned against the wall to avoid falling down, he sat on the ground while leaning, when he fell into a deep sleep.

It was almost dawn when he awoke. He peeked around the corner and looked up at the apartment. The light was on but the shadows were gone. There was no sign of breaking and entering when he got to his apartment door and it was still locked as when he had left the place. But the light was on, he was sure that he had left it off when he took off, and what about the shadows?

Everything was normal when he entered the apartment, he moved towards the corner of the apartment, where a couple of floorboards were loose. He calmed a bit as it didn't seem like anyone had been noticed, he started to move the floorboards revealing what, with a bit of imagination, looked like a map scribbled onto a paper lying on top of piles of notebooks. The scribblings were covered in lines of red string and post-it notes with microscopic text. All the scribblings seemed to be marking places in the area forming a circle, and in the centre of this circle, was Jonathans apartment.

He was sitting in the tiny part of his couch that wasn't covered with paper and empty bottles, thinking about his meeting with Pete. They had known each other for years, at first Pete had been sceptic, but he had shared his story with Jonathan which showed that maybe he was starting to see things from Jonathans perspective? Albeit unwillingly, but you can't ignore the truth when it starts invading your privacy.

I don't really understand, but who am I to say.

A debate in tv was keeping Jonathan company as he was half asleep on his couch. He was getting to old to sleep on concrete floors in dark alleyways.

It's just, I don't know, it just seems like you'd have to disregard a lot of evidence to believe in this stuff.

Like, this one guy saw a light that flew back and forth against the wind and then suddenly it just takes to the skies at an impossible speed and there's no way that he's either lying or mad? Maybe he saw something else, maybe it actually was a weather balloon this time, but no, it has to be aliens, it's always aliens.

And then you'll ask why these things always happens at the same places. That has got to proof something, it can't just be a coincidence.

It's the same story as with ghosts, houses rumoured to be haunted are more prone to feature sightings of the supernatural. Why is that? The woman on the TV was facing a man in a brown suit sitting in a chair beside her. He was just about to object as Jonathan fell asleep and when he awoke hours later, the TV was showing static. It was late.

I find it hard to ignore these things, how do your ignore the reality you inhabit?

Jonathan was sitting in a chair, face to face with his therapist Linda. She was looking at him attentively, listening to every word he said with a welcoming and encouraging smile on her lips. Linda got up from her chair and started talking.

I can't tell you how to ignore it, as long as you feel that it is real, if it's real to you then that's just how it is. What we need to sort out is why you feel this way and how we can get you to a better place.

You say you have anxiety attacks and that you have a hard time feeling happiness? It sound like you are having a depression, which wouldn't be unnatural with all the things you are experiencing. The thing is, the more you delve into this stuff, the more it will weigh you down. It's very common that people who believe in conspiracies are more depressive than people who avoid that stuff.

She was standing by a table in the corner of a room, filling coffee into two cups, when she turned and faced Jonathan.

There's medicaments that I can prescribe that will help you, if you are willing to go down that route. I would highly recommend it, in time you will feel better and you might feel less of a need to chase lights in the sky to feel a sense of fulfilment in your life.

Jonathan took the cup that Linda was offering him. He was quiet for a while.

You don't really believe a word I say? I feel like you are mocking me, I will take the pills, not for you, but for my brother. I promised him that I would go to therapy and that I would take it seriously, but I don't really feel like any of you is understanding what I'm going through. There's something out there and it has taken a great interest in me for whatever reason.

Months ago, Jamie the brother of Jonathan, had visited Jonathans apartment. The door had been unlocked and Jonathan was sleeping on his couch in darkness. Jamie, was shocked by the state of things and had offered to help Jonathan cleaning the messy place. After a long talk where Jonathan had told Jamie everything, he had reluctantly agreed to seek help, knowing that when therapy failed it would prove everything.

It was four months since Jonathan encountered any dark shapes, his couch was visible and he hadn't looked under the loose floorboards in a long while. He generally felt better and he had taken a pause from his weekly meetings with Pete. It was night and Jonathan was lying on his coach watching TV. He changed the channel and the lady from earlier was sitting in a familiar chair next to a man in a brown suit. They were having a heated discussion. The man was making wild gestures as he tried to convince the lady that he was right.

Why are you being so cynical? I know what I've seen and I have spoken to countless of people who could corroborate on my experiences. You suggesting that it's all just some shared delusion, a ghost story to be mocked, is frankly insulting.

The man was angry and there was a feeling of discomfort among the audience members. The lady was looking at the man, it was obvious that she felt that he had crossed a line with his outburst.

I don't know what to believe, how do you expect people to respond if all the evidence is easily disproved?

The lady calmly responded.

There's evidence that people can have experiences of the supernatural when they expect to have these experiences. And it's contagious, there's an old story of witches in Loudun in 1634, where an entire convent of nuns convinced each other that they were in fact witches working for the devil.

No one has ever managed to actually film a UFO of any kind without digital trickery. And yet conspiracy theories are widespread. If there are so many UFO's out there, why can't we just film one?

It should be easy with the all the smartphones available to the public.

The man was fuming, but he stayed silent as Jonathans eyes closed and the sounds of the TV started to fade.

Jonathan was violently awakened by the ear piercing sounds of the ringing telephone. It was late and still very dark, he put the speaker to his ear.

I´m sorry for calling late, but something has happened.

Petes voice was fearful.

I've been seeing the shadow people that you've been talking about. This evening I saw them inside my house, they might still be there for all I know. I'm at my lake house, I don't think they know where it is, but I really need your help...

A sound could be heard in the background, a sound like Pete had dropped the phone. Shortly after his voice returned.

Ah s**t, there's someone outside, I need to be quiet I have to get out of here. Jonathan I need your help, I don't feel well and these things... They've been following me for weeks. I... I have to go now.

His voice was gone and it was replaced by an obnoxious beeping. Confused and tired, Jonathan dropped the speaker. He had to go to Petes lake house and it had to be fast, before something happened to him? But what was going on, why was Pete seeing shades? After months of therapy and medication Jonathan and Linda finally agreed that it wasn't real. But if it wasn't real, then what was happening to Pete?

Jonathans mind was racing when he heard a sound from the street outside of his living room, he felt a sensation of nausea powering through his body. He looked out the window and he saw shades gathering, he had to get out of here before it was too late. He felt like he was being lowered into cold water and turned pale, his head was pounding with pain.

He ran through the door to the back alley, no one was here yet, he got to his car and drove away, avoiding the main street where he had seen the gathering of shadows. He had to get to the lake house, luckily he had been there before, the last time he and Pete had met in person. While he was driving he started thinking about Linda, why was she so eager to get him to stop his investigation? What about Jamie, he was the one who had hired Linda, somehow they must have been working with the shades all along. Jamie must have seen his notes and known that Jonathan was closer to the truth than the shades could allow him to come.

It all started to make sense, while Jonathan was driving his mind was racing to connect all the pieces, everything was connected, no loose ends, the pieces had to fit somehow.

That's when it became clear to him that Linda had to be an agent, she was hired to stop Jonathan from uncovering the truth. And his own brother, his own flesh and blood was the instigator, the mastermind behind it all. Jonathan grew more and more terrified as everything fell into place.

He cursed himself for not realizing this earlier. When driving he could see the shades all over the place, they were hiding in the forest that surrounded the road, they weren't easy to see, but he noticed them. There were faint pulsing lights in the skies, Jonathan turned of the headlights hoping to conceal himself, though he knew that they knew exactly where to find him.

The closer he got to the lake house, the more of them there were. He drove faster through the darkness while he tried to keep his mind straight. His head felt like it could split into two any second. Any second now, the pieces fit. They all fit.