A/N: Here's my new chapter, and I'm sorry it's taken so long! It's a
little short, but I hope it helps!
__ Visions From Afar __ Chapter Six __
"Are you ready to go?" Walt asked apprehensively.
Johnny considered telling him no, that he would rather walk back inside the house and fall asleep again, but he denied the urge. "Yes," he said. "I'm ready to go." He glanced at Bruce standing behind him. "Your little puppy didn't leave me until about ten last night," he said sourly. "And he came back this morning before I was even up. How much did you pay him?"
Walt shook his head. "Someday you'll realize people do care about you," he said and turned his back on Johnny. "Did you feed Apollo?"
"I did," Bruce piped from behind Johnny as he limped forward. "He's happily munching away."
"That's good," Walt said fondly as he went to his police cruiser and Johnny and Bruce followed him. "He's a very good dog, you know."
Johnny snorted. "I'm glad you think that, Walt," he said darkly. "You keep thinking that."
They got in the car and Walt started to drive toward the highway.
"Where exactly is this house?" Johnny asked, as they started to slip away from civilization.
"It's not too far out," Walt answered. "She was sort of a hermit, really. Nobody really ever saw her, except when she had to buy groceries. Her house is half a mile away from her neighbors' and they say she really wasn't the social type. They say she had only her dog and they never saw any family members, or even anybody at the house."
"It's starting to rain again," Johnny muttered as the racing ground beneath the car grew dark with water. "What was her name?"
"It was Sandra Anderson," Walt said as he exited the highway and started into a narrow road. "We've tried to contact some of her family, but there hasn't been any luck. It was like she cut off contact with them."
Johnny looked up sharply. "You can't find any family? Was there a boyfriend or anything?"
Walt cast a glance at Johnny. "You can't tell enough of her already? She never left her house. She had only her dog. There's not family, as far as we can tell. She moved her a few years ago and even then, she talked to no one. I'm pretty sure she doesn't have a boyfriend." He parked the car in front of a small, quaint, two-storey house that gave the radiance on homeliness.
"I have doubt of that," Johnny murmured and threw open his door. Two deputies ran up immediately to his door. They stopped when they saw him.
Roscoe seemed to shrink away from Johnny as he stepped from the car. "Hello, Mr. Smith," he said, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. He looked relieved when he saw Walt and said, "Sheriff, there's been no disturbance. The press has been poking around, but I think we've gotten rid of them for now."
Walt nodded gravely and came around to Johnny's side. "Fisher, are there any prints, besides the victim's?"
"No, sir," said the other deputy, glancing at Johnny. "The lab has reported nothing and there's been on luck in finding any living relations."
Walt inclined his head and turned to Johnny. "What were you talking about?" he asked, starting to usher them toward the front door perched at the top of a short flight of stairs, Bruce trailing along after them. "About a boyfriend?"
Johnny shook his head. "I can explain it better when I get inside," he said, letting Walt push ahead to unlock the door. "I'm not even sure if it's anything, but I have to see it to be sure."
"What did you see yesterday?" Walt asked, unlocking the door and pushing it open.
"I'll show you right now," Johnny answered and stepped inside, a draft of cold air hitting him immediately. It was just as he had seen it in his vision: a dark hallway leading into what he could now see was a small living area, a kitchen, empty, and a staircase leading up into a deep darkness. He went immediately to the staircase.
"Don't touch anything!" Walt warned. "Roscoe, turn on the lights in here! What have you been doing? We're blind!"
"We were outside in the car, sir!" Roscoe said nervously as Johnny charged up the stairs. "You told us just to watch the house and wait for a report from the lab. I can assure you, nothing's been inside or out of this house!"
"Just turn on the lights," Walt said irritably. "We're blind as bats in here."
"Bats aren't blind in the dark," Bruce interjected. "I don't understand why people say that, when bats can see just fine in the dark with their echolocation. It's a common misunderstanding-"
"Why are you here, Bruce?" Walt asked exasperatedly as he stopped on the bottom step, watching Johnny climb to the landing.
"I'm here for moral support."
"There are no morals- Johnny, what is it?"
Johnny had stopped and was staring walls.
"Johnny?" Walt asked again, starting to slowly step up. "What's wrong?"
Johnny stared in disbelief at the pictures adorning the walls. "It's not here," he said softly. "Why isn't it here?"
"What isn't here?" Walt snapped, stepping besides him. "Damn it, Roscoe, why is it so cold in here?"
Roscoe didn't reply and Bruce answered, "You should probably close all the windows. Open windows make for cold houses and- "
"SHUT UP, BRUCE!" Walt roared. "Johnny, what is it?"
"I saw a picture when I touched you yesterday," Johnny finally answered, his eyes frantically the walls. "But it's not here."
"What was the picture of?" Walt asked impatiently, glancing down the stairs. "We can't even see in here! ROSCOE!"
"There's a shortage, sir," Roscoe answered. "Fisher is working on it outside."
"Hurry it up," Walt grumped. "Johnny, what did you see?"
"Do you see how these pictures are all store-bought?" Johnny asked, pointing at the pictures.
"I can't see anything," Walt growled and unclipped his flashlight from his belt, shining it on the wall. He examined the pictures for a moment. "They are," he said, frowning. "She just bought the pictures at the store and put them on the wall." He pointed. "Except for that one. That's a picture of her and the dog." He quickly looked at the other pictures. "There's one of a family, but that could be hers or store bought. The dog one is the only one she took," he said. "The other ones came with the frames."
"Yes," Johnny said. "But in my vision, I saw another one. It was real and she restored it, even. I was asking if she had a boyfriend because the picture was of a man in front of a lot of trees. I couldn't see, because it was dark, but it looked like he was wearing Army fatigues."
Johnny and Walt locked eyes.
"But the picture isn't here," Walt said slowly. He yelled down the stairs, "Roscoe, come up here!"
The deputy barreled up the stairs and Johnny peered up into the darkness a little further onto the second floor.
"I'm going up to look," he said abruptly and started to limp as quickly as he could.
"No, Johnny, wait for me- Roscoe, did anyone take anything from this house?"
Johnny climbed the stairs, coming to rest in a lame carpeted hallway. There were only three doors on the floor and one he could immediately see was a bathroom, empty, and the other door he could see was linen closet, the door wide open. The door at the end of the hallway was halfway open, shivering slightly.
He stood in the deep dark, pondering. He felt vulnerable here, chilled. He felt, almost eerily, as though someone was watching him. The door at the end of the hallway again shivered.
Johnny watched the door, feeling his hair slowly fall back as he felt a sudden burst of cold air and Walt bellowed from the landing, "WHERE ARE THE LIGHTS AND WHY IS IT SO COLD IN HERE?"
Johnny suddenly felt a sick feeling drop into his stomach.
"Johnny, I'm coming up there!" Walt yelled and the flashlight beam swung up the stairs.
Johnny felt a chill crawl suddenly up his arm and he started to walk, shaking, toward the door.
"Johnny, wait!"
Johnny reached the door as Walt came up behind him. "Johnny, what are you doing?"
Johnny reached out and opened the door.
The lights snapped back on.
The door creaked open.
On the floor laid the shattered remains of the window, which had been bashed in and broken violently. On the floor was dried blood.
Walt came up behind Johnny and looked into the room.
"Somebody broke in here!" he cried, grabbing his gun from the holster. "ROSCOE!"
There was a loud pounding of footsteps and Bruce and Roscoe raced up.
"I told you there was an open window," Bruce said loftily as Roscoe blanched.
"Somebody broke in here," Walt said, glaring at his deputy. "Why wasn't I told? Why was- Johnny?"
Johnny was frozen, his hand on the doorknob, his eyes stark and glassy as he stared into the room.
"He's having a vision," Bruce said quietly.
__ Visions From Afar __ Chapter Six __
"Are you ready to go?" Walt asked apprehensively.
Johnny considered telling him no, that he would rather walk back inside the house and fall asleep again, but he denied the urge. "Yes," he said. "I'm ready to go." He glanced at Bruce standing behind him. "Your little puppy didn't leave me until about ten last night," he said sourly. "And he came back this morning before I was even up. How much did you pay him?"
Walt shook his head. "Someday you'll realize people do care about you," he said and turned his back on Johnny. "Did you feed Apollo?"
"I did," Bruce piped from behind Johnny as he limped forward. "He's happily munching away."
"That's good," Walt said fondly as he went to his police cruiser and Johnny and Bruce followed him. "He's a very good dog, you know."
Johnny snorted. "I'm glad you think that, Walt," he said darkly. "You keep thinking that."
They got in the car and Walt started to drive toward the highway.
"Where exactly is this house?" Johnny asked, as they started to slip away from civilization.
"It's not too far out," Walt answered. "She was sort of a hermit, really. Nobody really ever saw her, except when she had to buy groceries. Her house is half a mile away from her neighbors' and they say she really wasn't the social type. They say she had only her dog and they never saw any family members, or even anybody at the house."
"It's starting to rain again," Johnny muttered as the racing ground beneath the car grew dark with water. "What was her name?"
"It was Sandra Anderson," Walt said as he exited the highway and started into a narrow road. "We've tried to contact some of her family, but there hasn't been any luck. It was like she cut off contact with them."
Johnny looked up sharply. "You can't find any family? Was there a boyfriend or anything?"
Walt cast a glance at Johnny. "You can't tell enough of her already? She never left her house. She had only her dog. There's not family, as far as we can tell. She moved her a few years ago and even then, she talked to no one. I'm pretty sure she doesn't have a boyfriend." He parked the car in front of a small, quaint, two-storey house that gave the radiance on homeliness.
"I have doubt of that," Johnny murmured and threw open his door. Two deputies ran up immediately to his door. They stopped when they saw him.
Roscoe seemed to shrink away from Johnny as he stepped from the car. "Hello, Mr. Smith," he said, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. He looked relieved when he saw Walt and said, "Sheriff, there's been no disturbance. The press has been poking around, but I think we've gotten rid of them for now."
Walt nodded gravely and came around to Johnny's side. "Fisher, are there any prints, besides the victim's?"
"No, sir," said the other deputy, glancing at Johnny. "The lab has reported nothing and there's been on luck in finding any living relations."
Walt inclined his head and turned to Johnny. "What were you talking about?" he asked, starting to usher them toward the front door perched at the top of a short flight of stairs, Bruce trailing along after them. "About a boyfriend?"
Johnny shook his head. "I can explain it better when I get inside," he said, letting Walt push ahead to unlock the door. "I'm not even sure if it's anything, but I have to see it to be sure."
"What did you see yesterday?" Walt asked, unlocking the door and pushing it open.
"I'll show you right now," Johnny answered and stepped inside, a draft of cold air hitting him immediately. It was just as he had seen it in his vision: a dark hallway leading into what he could now see was a small living area, a kitchen, empty, and a staircase leading up into a deep darkness. He went immediately to the staircase.
"Don't touch anything!" Walt warned. "Roscoe, turn on the lights in here! What have you been doing? We're blind!"
"We were outside in the car, sir!" Roscoe said nervously as Johnny charged up the stairs. "You told us just to watch the house and wait for a report from the lab. I can assure you, nothing's been inside or out of this house!"
"Just turn on the lights," Walt said irritably. "We're blind as bats in here."
"Bats aren't blind in the dark," Bruce interjected. "I don't understand why people say that, when bats can see just fine in the dark with their echolocation. It's a common misunderstanding-"
"Why are you here, Bruce?" Walt asked exasperatedly as he stopped on the bottom step, watching Johnny climb to the landing.
"I'm here for moral support."
"There are no morals- Johnny, what is it?"
Johnny had stopped and was staring walls.
"Johnny?" Walt asked again, starting to slowly step up. "What's wrong?"
Johnny stared in disbelief at the pictures adorning the walls. "It's not here," he said softly. "Why isn't it here?"
"What isn't here?" Walt snapped, stepping besides him. "Damn it, Roscoe, why is it so cold in here?"
Roscoe didn't reply and Bruce answered, "You should probably close all the windows. Open windows make for cold houses and- "
"SHUT UP, BRUCE!" Walt roared. "Johnny, what is it?"
"I saw a picture when I touched you yesterday," Johnny finally answered, his eyes frantically the walls. "But it's not here."
"What was the picture of?" Walt asked impatiently, glancing down the stairs. "We can't even see in here! ROSCOE!"
"There's a shortage, sir," Roscoe answered. "Fisher is working on it outside."
"Hurry it up," Walt grumped. "Johnny, what did you see?"
"Do you see how these pictures are all store-bought?" Johnny asked, pointing at the pictures.
"I can't see anything," Walt growled and unclipped his flashlight from his belt, shining it on the wall. He examined the pictures for a moment. "They are," he said, frowning. "She just bought the pictures at the store and put them on the wall." He pointed. "Except for that one. That's a picture of her and the dog." He quickly looked at the other pictures. "There's one of a family, but that could be hers or store bought. The dog one is the only one she took," he said. "The other ones came with the frames."
"Yes," Johnny said. "But in my vision, I saw another one. It was real and she restored it, even. I was asking if she had a boyfriend because the picture was of a man in front of a lot of trees. I couldn't see, because it was dark, but it looked like he was wearing Army fatigues."
Johnny and Walt locked eyes.
"But the picture isn't here," Walt said slowly. He yelled down the stairs, "Roscoe, come up here!"
The deputy barreled up the stairs and Johnny peered up into the darkness a little further onto the second floor.
"I'm going up to look," he said abruptly and started to limp as quickly as he could.
"No, Johnny, wait for me- Roscoe, did anyone take anything from this house?"
Johnny climbed the stairs, coming to rest in a lame carpeted hallway. There were only three doors on the floor and one he could immediately see was a bathroom, empty, and the other door he could see was linen closet, the door wide open. The door at the end of the hallway was halfway open, shivering slightly.
He stood in the deep dark, pondering. He felt vulnerable here, chilled. He felt, almost eerily, as though someone was watching him. The door at the end of the hallway again shivered.
Johnny watched the door, feeling his hair slowly fall back as he felt a sudden burst of cold air and Walt bellowed from the landing, "WHERE ARE THE LIGHTS AND WHY IS IT SO COLD IN HERE?"
Johnny suddenly felt a sick feeling drop into his stomach.
"Johnny, I'm coming up there!" Walt yelled and the flashlight beam swung up the stairs.
Johnny felt a chill crawl suddenly up his arm and he started to walk, shaking, toward the door.
"Johnny, wait!"
Johnny reached the door as Walt came up behind him. "Johnny, what are you doing?"
Johnny reached out and opened the door.
The lights snapped back on.
The door creaked open.
On the floor laid the shattered remains of the window, which had been bashed in and broken violently. On the floor was dried blood.
Walt came up behind Johnny and looked into the room.
"Somebody broke in here!" he cried, grabbing his gun from the holster. "ROSCOE!"
There was a loud pounding of footsteps and Bruce and Roscoe raced up.
"I told you there was an open window," Bruce said loftily as Roscoe blanched.
"Somebody broke in here," Walt said, glaring at his deputy. "Why wasn't I told? Why was- Johnny?"
Johnny was frozen, his hand on the doorknob, his eyes stark and glassy as he stared into the room.
"He's having a vision," Bruce said quietly.