The Void Page 22

  “I don’t want us to be broken up,” Jon said suddenly.

  “What?” What a weird thing to say in this moment. Was this one of those life-flashing-before-your-eyes moments? That part before death where you think of regrets?

  “I love you, bunny. I’ve always loved you.”

  There was a sea of emotions inside me now, colliding in the storm of my mind. Regret, sadness, disappointment, anger. Why had we come here? Why couldn’t we be at home, complaining about things we had no reason to be upset about?

  “I love you too, funny. I love you so much.”

  “I’m sorry for bringing us in here.”

  We were sitting flush against one another, but I pushed myself even closer to him. “Don’t be sorry. At least we’re together.”

  After weeks of living with the light on, my eyes still had not adjusted to the dark, and the title of the show had never seemed more appropriate. With nothing to rest my gaze on, I simply closed my eyes.

  “Should we do some exercise? I hear there’s a great kettlebell class around here,” I said as images danced in front of me. At least with my eyes closed I could pretend we weren’t in here.

  Jon laughed a little, and the noise comforted me. The sound was like stepping into your best pair of slippers after a long day at work.

  “When I get out of here, I’m going to take you out for the most incredible meal, and I’m going to stop doing stupid things.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” I said gently. I didn’t want Jon to change. Why had it taken this experience for me to see that?

  “I need to see more of Ryan, too.” His voice went a little high on the ‘too’.

  “You will.” Just like that it was my turn to be the supportive one. My turn to pretend. “We’re going to have the best life together.”

  Chapter 40

  Ryan

  Everything was taking so much longer than I anticipated, and what had started off as me thinking that maybe Jon and Keri had skipped away to elope somewhere had turned into full-blown panic. It was now the afternoon of the fifth day after the challenge was meant to end. If they were still in there, I shuddered to think how they must be feeling. If the first few days had felt so long for me, how would three weeks feel?

  “They might not even still be inside,” Sarah said to me, reaching for my hand.

  The sudden gesture was strangely intimate for someone who didn’t know me, but I gained the impression this was the sort of thing Sarah did. I barely knew her, but I could already tell she was a naturally open and tactile person. She was everything I wanted to be. I let her hold my hand, but I didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure if them being out of the pod was a positive thing. In a way it was worse if they were out and hadn’t contacted anyone.

  “There he is!” Sarah said and bounced off her chair.

  Relief washed over me at the sight of her uncle in the distance. He hadn’t been there when we arrived, and Sarah had insisted we wait for him rather than talk to anyone else. His meeting had gone on long, and we had waited almost two hours. What if something had happened to them in those two hours?

  “Sarah, this is a surprise. What—” He noticed me standing next to his niece and frowned. “Is everything okay?”

  “We need to talk to you. This is Ryan, and his friends are missing.”

  “Missing? How long…actually, come on, let’s sit in my office. Ryan, I’m Brent.” He gave me a firm handshake before heading off to his office with us in tow.

  Brent was a tall man, with broad shoulders and an impressive beard. He was the sort of man who took up a lot of space, his personality as large as he was. He sat behind his desk and gestured for us to take a seat. He locked eyes with me, and told me to tell him everything. Despite his obvious ‘maleness’ – a trait I usually didn’t like – I took an immediate liking to him. Was Sarah’s whole family this likeable?

  I explained the whole situation to Brent, wondering why it felt like I was talking about someone else. The story sounded so bizarre now that it didn’t feel as if I’d ever been in that pod. I half expected to discover I’d made it all up. Brent listened intently, and I was glad we had waited for him.

  “It’s been five days?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Or was it four?” I frowned, trying to do the math.

  “Doesn’t matter. That’s still too long. So, you already phoned the police and they wouldn’t help?”

  “Yeah, they said it seemed more than likely that they were just away on holiday or wanting to be left alone. Apparently kids these days do that all the time,” I mimicked the officer I had spoken to.

  “They do, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t investigate. Give me the name of the person you spoke to. I want a word with them. For now though, let’s not worry about that. Let’s concentrate on finding your friends. You said the experiment was taking place in this area?”

  “Yes. We got taken to a park, and then he drove us to the place.”

  Brent shook his head. “Bizarre. I don’t know much about TV shows, but this doesn’t sound right to me. You only met one guy in this whole process?”

  I nodded. “Larry. Well, and the other contestants, of course, but I already knew two of them.”

  “And the others?”

  “A woman named Melanie, and a comedian named Elton Rigby.”

  “Elton Rigby.” Brent sounded the name slowly, as if trying to place him.

  “Real name Bob Store. I looked him up.”

  “And they’re still in there?”

  “Elton isn’t. I called him. Twice. He’s…well, he’s not very helpful. I can give you his number if you like.”

  Brent bit his lower lip which was barely visible with his beard. “The other one? Melanie?”

  “I have no idea. I don’t know her second name.” I was annoyed at myself for having such little information for him. “I’m sorry. The whole thing is a bit of a blur, to be honest. I…at the time…well, I guess I didn’t think anything strange was going on.”

  “There was no reason for you to, but you might have more information than you think. Tell me what happened, from the time you went in, to the time you came out.”

  Brent made me go into more detail than I was prepared for, but the scrutiny made me remember things I hadn’t thought about. The direction of the car from the park, at least the beginning of it, to the way the room looked before we went into pods. He made me log onto his computer and forward him all the email correspondence I’d had with Larry, along with any thoughts and feelings I had toward the guy.

  “He had a car!” I said with excitement as I remembered the way we’d all stopped to admire it on the way in. “It was a…” I tried to remember what he’d told us. “A Chevrolet Impala. 1956. No, 1958. Blue. Like slightly brighter than light blue.” Not the greatest description of such a beautiful car, but I was still pleased I had finally come up with something noteworthy. I could tell by the way Brent was scribbling furiously into his notepad that he thought so too.

  “Good, good. There aren’t many of those around.”

  “I don’t think Larry drives it around, though,” Sarah said. “Every time I’ve seen him he’s been walking. He told me once that walking clears his mind.”

  “That’s okay,” Brent said. “I don’t think he’d drive a car like that around anyway.” He picked up his phone and began making calls, and I knew for the first time that we were onto something. “We’re going to find your friends,” he said to me. “You did well by coming here.”

  I hadn’t done well. I should’ve come to him a long time ago. I shouldn’t have given up after one policeman told me they couldn’t help. I’d simply spoken to someone who wasn’t in the mood to do their job that day, and I’d stopped trying.

  “Sarah,” Brent interrupted my thoughts and I snapped out of it. “This Larry guy. Did he seem like a bad guy?”

  Sarah shook her head. I knew she had a soft spot for the guy. “No, definitely not. He’s one of the sweetest guys in the w
orld. He seemed harmless.”

  Brent sighed. “They always do.”

  Chapter 41

  Elton

  Life continued. That was just how it went, wasn’t it? It didn’t matter who you were, or what you were going through, life didn’t simply stop for you. It had been several weeks since I’d walked out of that pod. Every time I turned on the telly, I expected to see me sitting on the floor, ripping my joke book to shreds. It was silly, of course. It would take a long time for the show to see the light of day. There would be editing, promoting, and whatever the hell they did before The Void was aired. Still, I thought I’d have at least heard something from Larry or one of the producers by now. Hadn’t Larry said something about an interview? Or did they already have enough footage of me making a fool of myself? I tried not to think about it too much, but the thoughts had a way of getting into my head anyway. I’d gone in there with an agenda, but things hadn’t turned out the way I’d hoped. Since coming out, it had been hard to see the funny side of life. I hadn’t expected to be confronted with my own reality so much. I thought being alone would be fun. I thought I would be hilarious. I thought my little one-man show would send me to stardom. The whole idea seemed so pathetic to me now. I needed another gig. I needed money.

  Anyone coming to my house would assume I was doing well for myself. I made sure they thought that. A four-bedroom house, a hot tub, a bloody chandelier. I’d created a reality steeped in lies. What nobody knew about me was that every month I simply got further and further into debt. They didn’t know nobody had slept in the other three bedrooms in years. They had no idea that my phone’s contact list was filled with people who never called me. Only my mum called me without fail, every Monday at four. She used to call at four-thirty, giving her exactly thirty minutes to talk to me before her soapie came on. That changed when I tried to lengthen the phone call for as long as possible to make her miss the first few minutes. I would take great pleasure in hearing her squirm, trying to hurry on the conversation.

  “Why are you in such a hurry?” I’d ask her. “Don’t you want to speak to me?”

  “Of course I want to talk to you.”

  “Is there somewhere you’d rather be?”

  “No. Of course not.”

  She’d moved the call half an hour earlier, and I had never bothered with the sabotage again. Trying to find conversation for over an hour was not something that seemed worth it to me. Especially when all she really did was ask me questions I didn’t want to answer. I glanced at the clock. It was quarter to four. She’d be calling any moment now. The phone rang, and I jumped. My mother always insisted on calling me on my home phone, and the loud shrill echoed in the far too large living room. Quarter to? Was there some new show she wanted to watch? Or was she hoping for a long conversation this time? She’d be foolish in thinking so, because right now I wasn’t even sure if I had enough for five minutes of talk.

  “Hi, Mum,” I said as I always did when I picked up the phone. She always got upset with this, asking me how I could answer the phone like that without knowing who was on the other side. She clearly thought my social life was a lot bigger than it really was. I was constantly telling her about all the parties I went to, the gigs I worked at, the people I met, even if most of the time they were lies, or at least exaggerated versions of my reality.

  “Is that Elton Rigby?”

  I frowned. The voice on the other side was definitely not my mother’s this time.

  “Uh, yes. Who is this? Is my mother okay?” If this wasn’t my mum, then maybe something had happened to her. Guilt tugged at my heart. I’d been particular bitter with her during our last conversation.

  “Mr. Rigby. This is Officer Brent Stephenson. Do you have a minute to talk?”

  Chapter 42

  Melanie

  The door was opening. The door was opening. The door was opening.

  I had thought of this moment for what felt like forever, and I was almost certain it wasn’t really happening. As the door opened, light began to flood into the room. I was lying on the floor, unsure of how I had even gotten there, and I shut my eyes in case I was hallucinating. This wasn’t real. None of this was real. I was going to wake up and be disappointed from yet another all too realistic dream.

  “Melanie? Melanie, are you okay?”

  A voice. A real voice.

  I opened my eyes. Above me were three faces. Two men I had never seen before, and Ryan. I sat up, then held onto the floor for support as the room began to spin. No wonder I had been lying on the floor. I was too dizzy to do anything. Ryan got to his knees, and took my hand.

  “Ryan,” I whispered his name. “Ryan. Is that really you?”

  “It’s me. You’re safe now.”

  “What? How? I…” I couldn’t seem to find my voice. My mind filled with a hundred questions, but I didn’t know which one to answer first. I was still too worried all of this was a dream, even though his hand felt so real in mine. “Are you real?” I finally asked.

  “I’m real,” he said. “You’re safe. Come on, let’s get you out of this room.”

  “Melanie, everything is going to be fine.” The voice came from a man with a beard. A cop. I could tell by what he was wearing. He introduced me to his partner, but their names disappeared in my head the moment he spoke them.

  They helped me up, and the sudden movement made me double over and heave. Nothing came out. I’d already thrown up the last of my meal some time ago.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. You’re fine,” Ryan said. I was glad he wasn’t letting go of my hand.

  I noticed the cops taking in the room, and I followed their gaze. It was strange seeing the room again after being in the dark for some time. It seemed different to me now that the door was open. Less threatening. The room was a mess, as if a wild animal had been let loose inside. I saw the marks from where I’d tried to inch my way out with my pencils. Had I really thought that would work?

  “Come on,” Ryan said gently. “Let’s get you out of this place.”

  I noticed how good he looked. How clean he smelled. He didn’t seem like he had been trapped in a room for weeks. Was it only me then? I followed him out, blinking rapidly as we walked, my eyes still adjusting to the sudden light. It was then that I noticed the room, the one where we’d sat just before going into the pods for the first time, and I saw two familiar faces. A choke escaped me as I took them in. Keri and Jon. They looked like I felt, their faces pale, their hair damp, and bewilderment in their eyes. Our gazes met, and Keri burst out crying. I went up to them, and was surprised when Jon stood up to embrace me. Jon without the H. He seemed different to me now. Keri hugged me too, and I grimaced slightly at the smell of her hair. I didn’t say anything because there was a big chance I was only smelling myself.

  “What happened?” I asked them both.

  “We don’t know yet,” she said. “They were—

  She didn’t finish her sentence, because one of the cops walked in with a steaming cup of tea and buttered bread rolls for all of us.

  “I’m sorry. It’s all I could get.”

  Neither of us minded what we ate, as long as we were getting something. I’d had many dreams of food while being in that pod, but this buttered bread roll was far better than anything I could’ve conjured up. The tea, much sweeter than I usually had it, was like drinking nectar from the gods. I almost wept as it trickled down my throat. It should be too hot to drink, but I didn’t care. The burn reminded me I was alive.

  Chapter 43

  Ryan

  Six months later

  I was fully absorbed by my bean bag, and so relaxed I was certain I had morphed into it. I cradled a beer while watching a documentary on bees. It wasn’t what I wanted to watch, but the show I was enjoying had ended and I was far too lazy (or stuck) to get the remote. My phone buzzed in my pocket, mimicking the bees on the screen, which made me laugh as I answered it.

  “Do you always answer the phone with a laugh
?”

  I smiled. There was nothing better than the sound of Sarah’s voice, which now greeted me every morning and night.

  “Hey, Tigger. I’m just happy to hear from you. Also, I was watching a documentary on bees.”

  “And, as we all know, bees are known for their comedy,” she said.

  “What book do bees love to read?”

  “What?”

  “The Great Gats-bee.”

  Sarah laughed. “That was terrible.”

  “You’re laughing,” I pointed out.

  “Out of politeness,” she said. Then she laughed again. “The Great Gats-bee! Okay, I loved it.”

  “It pleases me greatly that you find me funny.”

  “It pleases me, too. So, I’ve got something to tell ya.”

  “Should I guess?” I asked.

  “Probably, but I’m too excited to wait. I’ve booked my tickets. I’ll be there next week Wednesday.”

  “For…for good?” The words stuck in my throat.

  “For good.”

  Was there such a thing as too much happiness? I had never felt this happy before, as if I was so filled with joy it was overflowing. No wonder my body felt akin to the beanbag. Happiness had made me soft. “You’re really moving in with me?”

  “If you’ll have me.”

  “Oh, I’ll have you.”

  For the past six months we’d spoken every day and met up once when she’d surprised me with a visit. Ever since that visit we’d talked about moving in together, and I’d waited for her to officially make the move. My apartment was tiny, but we didn’t mind. We’d make it work. It had taken a few days in a small room alone to show me that life wasn’t about where you were, but who you were with. We spoke for over an hour now, discussing the big move and making plans.