Chapter 13

For months after Thomas’s encounter with Walker, Thomas kept to himself. After the man died in the fountain, the town was alive with rumors and gossip, most of them centered on Walker and Garfield. After Walker’s threat, Thomas didn’t go out of his house very much except to go to work. As a scientist, Thomas was naturally curious, leading him toward his obsession with the visitors and Walker’s involvement. In light of recent events, Thomas backed off and remained silent about the threats and Garfield’s unusual behavior.

Following the death of the man from the fountain, many people asked Thomas what he knew, creating conspiracy theories between Garfield’s black box and the man’s inexplicable death. Thomas told each of them that he didn’t know what happened but he was working on finding out in conjunction with the doctors. For his safety and the safety of his family, Thomas put his work on hold. His research wasn't nearly as important as his life or Sam’s. Revealing Walker wasn’t an option either; continuing with his daily routine seemed the only way to go. Thomas wasn’t sure how far Walker’s reach truly extended.

As Thomas was returning home from work one night, he watched workers putting up structures on the sides of the streets, structures inspired by Caleb’s lightning. Walker called them “light bulbs.” These bulbs acted in the same fashion as lanterns did but were much brighter and apparently easier to maintain. The workers had to dig under the streets to connect each bulb to Caleb’s house, to the source of the blue lightning. Thomas was clueless about the mechanics of the bulbs, of the lightning, but for once in a long time he decided to leave it alone.

While passing one of the new bulbs, he noticed a man walking toward him waving a piece of paper at him. “Thomas! Thomas Conway!” Thomas stopped just past one of the lights and waited for the man to reach him. “Yes?” The man arrived short of breath, reaching out with the piece of paper. “The name’s Isaac.” He smiled at Thomas, shaking the paper in front of him urging him to take it. Thomas grabs the paper and looks at the writing: Tonight. Basement. Motsin’s Pub.

He looked up to ask Isaac what it meant when he noticed Isaac was already quickly walking away. Thomas looked down at the paper again and read it one more time. He sighed as he crumbled up the paper in his hands and continued to walk home, throwing the paper into a trashcan under the next bulb.

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During his walk home, curiosity got the best of Thomas. He frequented Motsin’s Pub with his co-workers but never knew there was a basement to the establishment. When he arrived, bulbs were already installed for the next few blocks, casting eerie shadows over the fronts of buildings when people would walk by them. He could hear the clinking glasses and the cacophony of drunken yelling from inside the double doors. He stepped inside, the waft of alcohol hitting him, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Thomas looked around for an entrance to the basement, but instead of finding any staircase he laid his eyes on Sam. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was scanning the room. Did she know I was going to be here?

Thomas walked up to Sam, forcing a smile as he approached. “What are you doing here, Sam?”

“I should be asking you that, Tom.” She raised an eyebrow and handed him a slip of paper that said Tonight. Basement. Motsin’s Pub.

“Sam, where did you get this?” He looked at her in utter confusion.

“A man dropped this off at our house a while ago, asked me to give this to you.” Sam paused. “What does this mean? What’s going on?” Someone different must have given this to her.

“That’s what I came here to find out. I’m not hiding anything, Sam, I promise.” Thomas looked around and found an entrance to the basement behind the bar. “Here, come with me. Find out what’s going on with me.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “Fine.” Thomas grabbed her hand and led her over to the entrance to the basement, making their way down the creaky steps. There was another door at the bottom of the stairs that was cracked open, a streak of light shining the floor in front of it. Thomas pushed it open to find a room set up with chairs facing the front of the room, a podium overlooking everything. There were nine or ten people sitting in the chairs, leaving most of the room empty. Thomas recognized the man at the podium as Isaac, the man that gave him the letter. “Thomas, so glad you could join us!” Isaac pushed the rim of his glasses back onto his face. “Please, have a seat. So glad you could join us as well, Sam.” He smiled and watched them as they took a seat toward the back.

A man sitting two rows in front of them turned around and put his arm on the back of his chair. “Hi Thomas. Sam.” He nodded at the two of them. “The name’s Roy. Glad to have ya.”

“Thanks.” Sam whispered. Roy turned back around to the front of the room to where Isaac was standing. “Now,” Isaac began, “where was I?” Isaac was only a foot taller than the podium, standing on a box to clearly see everyone. He was a skinny man, his shirt hanging loosely over his arms and chest. When he addressed the room he seemed to lack much confidence. Thomas pitied Isaac having to stand in front of a small crowd when it so clearly bothered him, but also admired his attempt to speak.

“As you know, Garfield was not the first of the visitors to act…strangely. I…believe he knew something that we don’t. When he,” Isaac pushed his glasses back up, trying his hardest to refrain from pausing too often, “When he began pushing on his chest by the fountain, I…don’t believe he was trying to kill him. I believe he was trying…to help him.”

Sam glared at Thomas, coming to the realization of what this meeting was about. “I thought you were done with this, Thomas,” Sam whispered, angst in her voice.

“I swear to you I didn’t know,” Thomas replied, worried she wouldn’t believe him. Sam closed her eyes and put her hand up. “I don’t want to hear it.”

She stood up and made her way through the door, leaving Thomas speechless in the back of the room. He got on his feet planning on following her out the door to calm her down, but Isaac stepped in front of him, blocking the exit. “Please, Tom, this won’t take long.”

It damn well better not take long. Thomas looked down at Isaac and sighed. Deep down he knew he should follow Sam out that door and never return to this basement, but he never got the chance to openly talk about the visitors to anyone. He took the seat closest to the door, his muscles tense. Isaac returned to the podium, stepping onto the box.

“Thomas,” Isaac began, “I asked you here because you were there when that man died at the fountain. You went to Walker’s house after it happened.” He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “We were hoping you could tell us what happened.” Thomas scanned the room at all the eyes now turned to him in anticipation. Roy turned around and smiled, nodding at him. Thomas again contemplated getting up and leaving, putting this all behind him, but he was tired of this burden he carried, the burden of keeping a secret. “Please, come on up.”

Isaac stepped off the podium and sat in the front row. It took Thomas some time to stand up and make his way to the front, looking around the room one more time before sighing heavily. He prefaced his story by letting them know he had been threatened if he ever recounted what happened. Thomas refused to tell his story until every person assured him that it would not leave the room. Once Roy nodded his acknowledgement he began his story, starting at the demonstration of Garfield’s black box all the way through following Garfield for hours. After mentioning being knocked out and seeing the blinking red dot, silence and disbelief enveloped the room.

“I woke up later in Walker’s house, and that’s when he threatened me if I ever told anyone. I gave him my word.” So much for that. I hope I don’t regret this.

Without another word, Thomas stepped down and took his seat. “Thomas,” Isaac said as he stood up, “do you think you could…take us there?”

“Where, exactly?”

“To that red dot. The one you saw before Walker hit you.” Thomas chuckled, looking down at his feet.

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not? Don’t you want to find out what it is? Where Garfield went?”

“Of course I do, but it’s not worth losing Sam.” His eyes widened. Thomas forgot about Sam, about her storming out. He needed to get home to her before he causes any more damage. “I need to go. I’ve already told you too much.”

“Thomas, please. At least tell us how to get there if you don’t want to go.” Goddammit, Isaac. Can’t you just let it go?

“If I tell you, will you leave me alone?” Isaac nodded at Thomas. “You have my word.”

I hope he’s better at keeping his word than I am.

Thomas told Isaac and the rest of the room how he got to the red dot, conveying that for most of it he was just following Garfield so his directions may not be the best. Isaac took note of every word to make sure he had the most accurate directions possible. They seemed determined to find the red dot. Thomas only wished they wouldn’t get caught like he did.

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Daniel Helmink pulled back from the crack in the door and ran upstairs to the pub, bolting out the front doors. The streets were brighter than usual with the bulbs going up, but it was still dark out; not every spot on the streets was well lit. Daniel ran to Walker’s home as fast as he could, his little legs moving quickly and quietly.