The Marionette

Chapter 4


Later that day Tobias arrives to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Dallas, TX. He approaches at the double glass doors of the six story building.
There were many people there all dress in black business suits and clean shave which Tobias stood out

Tobias had Long black hair, a black t-shirt, and blue jeans. Not only that he was very decorated with tattoos which were all different symbols of belief. He wore a Celtic cross around his neck that was made of pure silver. For this he would get stares at everywhere he went. Bob thinks he loves the attention, but truthfully he hated it and the attire was his battle armor against the dark arts.

He walks through the front door through the metal detectors guarded with Policemen, After 9-11 every federal building was deemed high risk and was closely protected. He receives his items from the guard and heads to the information desk. Above the desk stood the F.B.I seal in it brilliance. The area was riddled with CCTV, which kept a monitor of the parameter from threats. It also had a telephone, for which a beautiful red head was busy answering it.

She looked in her late twenties. Her amber hair was medium cut, where it curled just below her shoulders. She had green eyes hidden by thin wire glasses. She wore a navy blue blazer with an I.D card, hanging on her right side of her chest, reading Carol Brenner.

“One moment please”
she said with a fake enthusiastic tone. She looked at Tobias and smile as she put on finger in the air in a please wait gesture. With a nod, Tobias turned around and waited patently.

He looks around at the crowded building. There were police next to the elevators going over paperwork. Plain cloth people in line next to the booth as others sit in chairs next to the wall.

The florescent lighting creating an intolerable glare that he put his sunglasses on. It was partly sensitive retinas from working mostly at night and the fifth of vodka he had yesterday in the evening. The temperature was frigid even when the extreme heat of the summer. The change brought chill throughout his body.

She finished her call and and with a high pitch voice
“May I help you sir?”

He turns to face her with a smile. He see her more now she was beautiful to his eyes. He bend over slightly with a soft voice.

“yes, Mrs.” he looks at her badge, “Brenner, I am here to speak with Agent Robert Redsky. We had a meeting today.”

“Hold on one moment please. Let me see if he is in and your name?”

“Tobias Shepard”

She had a flirtatious smile when she turned to the phone. She was someone who he knew he could bed if he wanted to, but his solemn oath to remain celibate forced him not to respond to her body movement. So keep it true he quit staring at her body and focused on the reason his childhood friend would need him on this case.

After a minute of searching for Bob she looked a Tobias still with that smile while she looks up and down in a sexual manner told him.

“He will be here in a minute, you can sit down at that chair.”

“Thank you and by the way that is a pretty smile Mrs. Robinson.”

“It's Carol and available”

His eyebrow lifted as he walks away. He could not resist that. She was beautiful and to his mind a beautiful lady needs to be told so. He could still feel here eyes upon him like he was fresh meat to a starving wolf.

The emptiness he felt about love stopped him from making any relationship work. He decided that he would put away all those desires to save them from getting hurt when he could not give them what they really wanted – Him.

After the events when he was abducted he alienated himself from his family and friends. The town blamed his mother for not being there for him.
She killed herself when he was eight years old.

He found her swaying in the front room when he came back from the weekend he was visiting his grandfather in Dallas. The noose tighten around her neck making her face bloated with foam around her mouth. Her face was in the decaying process with her eyeballs pushing out of her skull. These images imprinted on his mind. They said it was depression, or possibly guilt. He still sees his mom swinging on the rope when he walks into his house on occasion.

Shortly after her death Tobias went to move in with his grand father in his one bedroom apartment near interstate 30 in Mesquite, TX. He spent a lot of his time alone in the room our alone in the cafeteria where the children used to make gun of him. He was alone living with all the madness he was push upon until he met an athlete known as Robert Redsky – Bob for short.

Bob was born into wealth and his family. His father owned a collection of department stores through out the city and its surrounding cities. He had his faults as well he was rich so everyone wanted to be his friend for many, but not Tobias. He wanted to have at least one friend and Bob was it.

Bob's family treated Tobias as one of there own. Tobias' grand father grew ill and couldn't afford to pay for him to go to college. The Redsky family paid for him as well as gave him room and board at one of their cottages in Bryan, TX. The went to college just 10 miles away in college station where he went for his doctor's in history.

Several years went by and he can understand several ancient languages and there mythology. He graduated and stayed in Dallas to help Bob with cases that were in his territory.

This was the first one he actually ask him to come to his office. This is abnormal of him. He sits and stares at the clock to the left of the young lady and waits as the clicking makes a beat in his head. He sees all the people as the start to move slow. All the colors started to blend and his mind starts wandering.

He looks again and the lady at the desk disappeared. He looked to the left and to the right and it was like the world vanished. The clock itself started to slow down to a stop.

He gets up and walks out side and the doors where locked. His motions began to be more frantic as he shakes the doors trying to open them.
There were no movement, not even an inch. The door seals up in front of him and the top of it starts spilling blood.

In fright he walks back and feels an object behind him. When he turns around he see his mother swinging in front of him. Her whiten eyes stared at him with anger.

“You did this to me. You killed me. I hate you,” She spoke in a raspy voice

The choking sound of his mother started Tobias and forcing him to move back. His feet slips over an obstruction. He falls back and smashes his head on the tiled floor. The hit brought white sparks in his eyes and a shooting pain coming from the back of his head.

Dizziness he was feeling made him grounded to the floor. His hands and knees pressed the ground as he hunched over. His head feeling like lead could barely lift up.

He eventually sits up, but is overcome by the trauma if bends over and starts to vomit. The vile taste and the texture of the food made him gag more. He sat back down on a puddle of puke.

Still feeling the effects he looks forward at where his dead mother was and found nothing. The winds started to accelerate and paper debris floated all around him. The wind increasing more every moment that he starts to see a tornado forming.

The furious cyclone erupted lighting bolts and was surrounded be black clouds. The paranormal object started to come closer ripping objects from there perch and tearing up the ground. Flying dust and rocks start to shoot toward him like bullets. He holds out his hand trying to block the objects from his face.

The weather subsided and it was quiet. He looked around to see everything in ruin. Nothing survived the blast. Tobias looked up and was blinded by the sun. The glorious fireball illuminated the room through a opening in ceiling. Wires, sparking and water pouring from the cracked sprinkler system just above him.

He walks to the desk where the girl was working. Nothing left but her bones lying lazy on the chair. He comes closer to her. Each foot step broke tile making a crunch sound.

He arrives to see her face to face. As he investigates the poor woman's remains the telephone rings. In hesitation he glances over at the phone. The ringing started to get louder hurting his ears.

Tobias preoccupied by the phone doesn't the boney hand of the corpse reaching for him. The fingers firmly reached his should and squeezed firmly. It felt like tiny daggers in his flesh, pushing his head back pressing his neck and shoulders on the hand.

The skull comes to his ears. Breath flies on him like a heater burning the side of his face. In a ghostly soft voice she speaks

“Tobias, you will be one of us”

In horror he shake away the hand and turns around to walk backwards. He is approached by another hand. Without warning he let out a scream.

“Tobias, wake up it's me Bob,”

Tobias awakes to see Bob's hand on his shoulder. It was a dream he thought as he greats his old friend.


Bob was a little older the Tobias. He was balding on top just above his crown. He had dark brown hair with a hint of gray. His blue eyes where magnified by his prescription glasses. He stood five foot, eight inches and wore a blue suit.

He looked at Tobias with a welcoming smile and holds out his hand. Tobias grabs it and pulls himself up.

“You can sleep anywhere”

“Just about.”

“Good to see you again,” Bob said smiling as he places his hand greeting Tobias.

“so whats going on? You never have come over here.”

With a concern look in his eye we stares at Tobias. He speaks low so that it will not travel too far.

“We have a serial killer who just killed a fellow blue. It is going to be a little crazy here in a minute. Come with me to my office, we can talk there.”


With a nod Tobias followed Bob to the elevator. Before the doors open he glances at the receptionist. He felt bad like he killed here in real life. He smiled at her and she returned the favor.

The bell ringed and the doors open. They both walk in and the doors close.