The Unwanted Secret
Chapter One: The Encounter
Jake Tomkins gripped the barbed wire fence with all the strength he could muster. He didn’t care how much it hurt as long as it helped him escape his current predicament. He didn’t know what he was running from, only that they weren’t human.
Jake had been running for ten minutes now. The thirty-seven year old was no longer as fit and healthy as he was in his youth. Somehow Jake managed to propel himself over the ten foot high fence and he landed awkwardly on the other side. Jake dared not look behind him. All he could hear was the sound of dogs barking, a sound that was becoming louder and louder.
Gingerly, the Father of one picked himself up and continued to run as far and as fast as he could. In front of him was a wooded area. The ground was damp and as well as his tiring limbs, Jake was also afraid of slipping. He knew he couldn’t stop, he had to keep going. His life depended on it.
When he was only fifty yards from the woods, he turned his head briefly but could not make out anything clearly. He could hear the sound of his pursuers’ voices and their dogs barking. He kept running. As he did so he struggled for breath. A hundred yards into the forest and Jake stopped. He had to take a breath. It was dark and he could not see very clearly in front of him. Only the moonlight enabled him to make out the shape of the trees and their branches. He was afraid that he would trip on something or get caught in a snare. Looking behind him, the only thing that the Father of one could discern was the flashing of lamplights in his general direction. After a period of no longer than twenty seconds he started to run again.
Jake eventually came to a stream but instead of crossing it, he walked upstream in the hope that it might throw the dogs off his scent. His right hand was sore from the barbed wire fence. As he moved he dipped it into the water to remove the mud from it. Moving through the stream was a slow and nerve wracking process. The dogs were getting closer and closer. Eventually Jake left the stream and started to run again
Many thoughts flashed through his head. He wondered if he would see his wife and child again. He was so fond of them but now the hope that he might get to hold them again seemed remote.
Jake had many jobs but most recently worked as an office worker with no professional qualifications. He had spent most of his recent career in credit control. This mainly consisted of asking clients for money in order to meet their debts. He didn’t enjoy it but it paid the bills. The second downside to his job was that he didn’t get enough exercise and now it was really showing.
Jake kept running and running until he reached the edge of the woods. He was a little relieved as the sound of the dogs chasing him had become noticeably, more faint. Jake was exhausted both physically and mentally. In the distance he saw a farm. He continued in its direction. There was a farmhouse and several sheds. It appeared that the farmer was in bed as there were no lights on. Jake entered a hay shed, climbed up a stack of bales and lay down. He couldn’t run anymore he had to rest. He lay there on the flat of his back waiting and waiting. Ultimately, he felt so tired and exhausted that he fell asleep.
When Jake awoke he realised that he was no longer on top of the hay bales but propped up in front of them in a seated position. He opened his eyes. In front of him was a male in his forties with red and grey hair. He appeared to be a police detective. He had a pen and notebook in his hands. Behind him were two police cars, two uniformed policemen and a second detective in plain clothes. The other three police officers stood further back and looked to be disinterested in what was taking place.
“Mr Tomkins, My name is Detective Miles Jagger. Your wife was worried about you. She said you’ve been missing for twenty four hours. What happened to you?”
Jake did not know whether to trust the police detective. He was well aware that what he had seen the previous night was out of this world. It would be easy for any third party to convince themselves that he was crazy.
“What happened?” Detective Jagger asked again
There were a million thoughts racing around in Jake Tomkins mind, all cancelling each other out. The end result was that he still kept his silence.
“Mr Tomkins, don’t be afraid. I’m on your side. If you’ve seen something or been frightened by something, it’s my job to help you. I don’t want to intimidate you Mr Tomkins I just want to help you. If it’s too difficult to talk about, by all means take your time.”
Detective Jagger waited patiently. To Jake, he seemed calm and accommodating. Jake wanted to trust him but another part of him told him that he had seen things the night before that even he couldn’t believe his eyes. If twenty four hours earlier Jake was told everything that he knew now to be true, he wouldn’t believe it for a second. There was something about the Detective however that made him want to open up. He couldn’t conceal it for the rest of his life. There was no denying it.
“I….,” Jake started to say, “I saw aliens.”
“What did these aliens look like Mr Tomkins?
“They weren’t human. They were green and purple and different colours and had reptilian like skin”
“Green and Purple?” the Detective asked in a disbelieving tone.
Already Jake was regretting having said anything.
“Yes.”
“Anything else?”
“They didn’t have fingers as such. Everything about them was different apart from the fact that they had arms, legs, a head and a body. Their skin was different.”
“Is that a fact?” Detective Jagger asked in amazement.
“Yes,” Jake responded reluctantly. He was already frustrated with himself for being to open and honest. He got the impression that the Detective was trying to undermine him. Jake didn’t like it when someone made him out to not be of sound mind.
“Where did you see these aliens Mr Tomkins?”
“About four miles from here, beyond the forest.”
“I need to investigate this thoroughly. Can you bring me there and show me?”
The Police Detective helped Jake to his feet. And put his arm on Jakes shoulder for a few seconds.
“We’ll have to get your hands seen to. They look pretty cut up.”
Detective Jagger, his partner and Jake climbed into a Zedra saloon car and drove to the area that Jake had referred to. Hardly a word was spoken on the way. Jake assumed that none of them believed his version of events. It made him feel despondent and conflicted. If he wanted to see his wife and kids again, he might have to try being dishonest for a change.
On Jake’s instruction the police vehicle arrived at location about a mile and a half on the far side of the wooded area. The three men climbed out of the car and followed Jakes lead. They arrived at the place where Jake claimed to have seen the extra-terrestrials. It was exactly as Jake remembered it except for the fact that there were no aliens located there or any sign that they had been there.
They were now three miles out of town. It was a walk Jake liked to take every now and then, but it was such a remote location that few people ventured there at that time of night. In daylight it was a large open green area with sheep grazing on it and a few bushes here and there. The sheep were so accustomed to cars and passers by that they showed no fear.
“How tall were they Jake?” Detective Jagger asked.
“Definitely more than six foot.”
“So we should then be able to see their footprints. Am I correct?”
“I guess so.”
Even Jake was doubting himself, but felt it hard to admit that he had imagined the whole thing.
“I don’t see any evidence of footprints. Do you Jake?”
“They were here,” Jake declared. “It was definitely here.”
“I’m not doubting you Jake. We’ll have a team of forensic experts comb over this entire area. If they were here, our team will be able to prove it. Come on Jake. Let’s get you home.”
Jake breathed a sigh of relief. All he wanted to do was to go home. Those were the very words he wanted to hear.
The three men climbed back into the car and headed back towards the city.
As Detective Jagger drove he asked Jake a question. “What brought you to the wooded area anyway? It’s a little out of the way, isn’t it?”
“Curiosity…. I used to play there when I was a kid. I like going there. It brings back memories. I go there every now and again.”
“Has it changed since you were a kid?”
“In parts it did and in other parts it remained the same. I found an old tree where we carved our initials.”
The leather car seats were quite comfortable. It felt better than sleeping on hay bales, with hundreds of tiny mites creeping all over him. He also didn’t miss the smell of methane getting into his clothes and nostrils.
“Myself and Brandon here always like talking about our youth. They say it’s the happiest time of your life. At least to some people.”
“Which baseball team do you follow, Jake?”
Part of Jake didn’t completely trust the police detectives. In the back of his mind he wondered if every question was a trick question.
“I prefer football to be honest. I’ve never been to a baseball game.”
“I must have been about a hundred times. Never miss a Yankees game whether it’s on TV or in the stadium except when I’m working of course.”
“What football team do you support?”
“The Eagles.”
Jake’s mind was really focusing on what would happen next. It was preying on his mind constantly. He wondered if they would arrest him. A large part of Jake just wanted to go home to his wife and kid and get back to life as it was before the last twenty four hours.
“Can’t say I care much for football.”
“Do you work Jake?”
“I work in an office. At least I have done for most of the time. I was also out of work for a while. I’m a bit of a jack of all trades. I can do a bit of everything when it comes to DIY. My wife says it comes in handy around the house.”
The conversation died down for several minutes. After a while, Jake noticed that they had missed a turn off for his neighbourhood.
“Shouldn’t you have taken a turn back there?” Jake asked.
“Don’t worry Jake, we just have to make a short pit-stop first,” Detective Jagger declared in a reassuring tone.
The driver continued along the same road for several minutes, before taking a right and stopping in front of the gates of a large building with a large grass area. The building looked like it was several decades old but well maintained. It was about a hundred metres in length and five floors high. It was painted soft yellow with white wooden windows. The name on the gate read St Widnes.
It seemed like such a nice place, Jake thought to himself.
“What are we doing here?” Jake asked out of curiosity.
“I’m just following procedure,” Detective Jagger replied. “We just have to bring you in for a quick check-up. All very routine. You’ll be out in no time.”
Jake climbed out of the car. He was escorted by Detective Jagger, while Brandon, the other detective, remained in the front passenger seat.
On the inside, the building looked like a hospital. There was a reception area at which a young woman with dark hair and glasses was seated. There were three benches nearby where seven members of the public were patiently waiting. The floor appeared to be made of marble and there were several employees dressed in nurse-like uniforms walking around in a busy manner.
Before Detective Jagger reached the reception desk, he was greeted by a middle-aged, pale skinned, overweight woman. “How are we today, Detective?”
“Wilma. It’s nice to see you again. This is Jake Tomkins. He claims he saw aliens. I just need to have him checked out.”
“Let me guess. Did he say they were green in colour?” Wilma said giggling. “Did he say he wanted Mulder and Scully on the job? We get that all the time. So many people watch too much science fiction and it goes to their heads. Don’t worry Detective. I’ll look after him.”
Wilma took Jake by the hand. “Come with me Mr Tomkins.”
Jake was led down a long corridor and left in a small room with a small table and two chairs. The floor was tiled with small cream coloured tiles and was surrounded with white walls.
“You just wait here, Mr Tomkins. Dr Bochon will be with you shortly.”
Jake waited there for several minutes. He kept thinking that he wanted to go home. He didn’t care about the aliens anymore after all nobody seemed to believe him. The office worker just wanted to go home to his family. The only thing he did not know was whether he would be safe at home. He just wished that things could go back to the way they were.
Dr Bochon entered. He was a thin middle-aged man with dyed black hair and glasses. He carried in his hand a clip board and a pen.
“Hello, Mr Tomkins, I am Dr Bochon,” he said. “I’m just going to put you through a quick test.”
From the clipboard, Dr Bochon removed a blank report card and several other cards that appeared to be blank. He revealed the first of the cards by turning it over.
“Now, what do you see here, Mr Tomkins?” the Doctor asked.
To Jake the answer seemed obvious. “That looks like two circles overlapping.”
Dr Bochon did not seem impressed. “What else could it be?” Jake asked himself.
“And what do you see here?” the Doctor asked as he showed the next image.
“That looks like a blob.”
“And what does the blob look like?”
“Like a puddle of water.”
Again Dr Bochon breathed a heavy sigh as if he wasn’t satisfied with the response.
Dr Bochon showed Jake a further twelve images and at no point did the psychiatrist seem content with his answers.
“Alright Mr Tomkins, that concludes my series of tests.”
“Can I go now?” Jake asked anxiously.
“I’m afraid Mr Tomkins that you are in no fit state to go home. You will remain here until we say you can go. You are a danger to yourself and others.”
Jack was stunned. He hadn’t harmed or threatened anyone. Maybe it was just one awful nightmare.
“I don’t understand, Doctor. What have I done wrong?”
“Your responses were off the scale Mr Tomkins and allied to your behaviour last night and also this morning I would say that you are in no fit condition to go home.”
The patient was becoming increasingly more frustrated. He did not want to be there any longer. It now appeared as if the decision to go home was totally out of his control. He felt as if his rights had been violated and there was nothing he could do about it. Doctor Bochon did not seem like a reasonable man.
“I really did see aliens Dr Bochon. I wasn’t imagining things.”
“The facts do not stack up Mr Tomkins. You are clearly delusional. I believe you when you say you think you saw extra-terrestrials, but thinking you see something and actually seeing something are two different things. The human mind can play tricks on people, particularly at that time of night. Trust me Mr Tomkins. I have a wealth of experience in this area and have read every book on this subject.”
The psychiatrist seemed calm and confident. His face seemed devoid of emotion. He was not for wavering even if Jake could not understand his logic.
“Dr Bochon, I don’t care anymore about what I saw last night,” Jake pleaded. “I just want to go home to my wife and child. I’m perfectly fine. Really.”
“Mr Tomkins, I’m only concerned for your well-being and the well-being of your wife and family. If someone is delusional then they can become a threat to themselves and others. First you imagine aliens exist, then you imagine that they are going to harm you and then you come to your senses and realise that the aliens you thought were trying to harm you turn out to be your wife and kid. I pick up the paper nearly every day to find that someone who is delusional has stabbed their loved ones. This all starts Mr Tomkins with a delusion. It can get worse if it is not treated. I am here to help you Mr Tomkins so that you don’t live your life full of regret. You don’t want to be another statistic in a newspaper. You don’t want your wife and child to become the victim of your delusions. Let me help you Mr Tomkins. Let me help you.”
Jake didn’t believe the psychiatrist. He was sure of what he saw. It was commonplace for people to believe in the existence of aliens and not all of them people were locked up. However Jake just wanted to go home and it appeared that no matter what he did or said only Dr Bochon could allow him to go.
“How long will this treatment take Doctor?”
“As long as it takes. Usually that’s no more than a week or two.”
Jake didn’t want to stay there more than five minutes. However, he convinced himself that all he had to do was say yes to everything Dr Bochon said and then after a week or two everything would be back to the way it had been.
Four weeks later Dr Bochon welcomed Jake into his office. It was the first time Jake had seen Dr Bochon’s office. It gave him faint hope that he might be released soon. Most of the time Jake saw the doctor in his cell or as the psychiatrist referred to it, the Recuperation Room.
The office was relatively neat and tidy. Behind Dr Bochon, in both corners were two bookcases filled with books. His desk had a photograph holder but as the picture was facing away from Jake he could not see who it was. There was also some stationery, a writing pad and a glass of water. The walls either displayed educational qualifications or pictures of the Doctor being presented with awards. The walls were light yellow in colour and his desk was wooden with a pine finish.
“Good morning Jake,” the drugpusher greeted him. “How are we feeling today? Have we improved?”
Jake had never contended that he was anything but ok. In the last four weeks he had gained two stone, felt nauseous and fatigued but otherwise he was ok. Dr Bochon didn’t care about the side effects. He had for the past month or so insinuated that Jake’s thought processes were not quite logical. Jake always believed that he was one of the most rational and logical beings on the planet. It just so happened that he saw two alien life forms less than a dozen yards away from him. Jake understood that to most normal people that would seem strange so for the past twenty seven days he maintained that it had been a figment of his imagination.
“Yes, of course Doctor, I feel better every day.” Jake replied. He had forgotten about the fifty-eight large purple spots on his arms, back and stomach that had broken out in the last few days. When he squeezed them they released a thick yellow fluid. Jake however refrained from mentioning them as he believed they might deter his release.
“How do we feel about the aliens today?” Dr Bochon asked.
“I must have been having a bad day on that occasion Doctor. As I have mentioned previously for the last twenty-seven days it must have been a figment of my imagination. I don’t believe in aliens. It could have been a nightmare, but for the past twenty-seven days I have convinced myself that I was wrong. There is no alternative. I really don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Twenty-seven days? Are you sure?”
“Well, I was thinking of a ball park figure.”
“Let’s see. You were admitted on the fourth. It is now the first. Why yes. You are probably correct.”
“Well it was just a guess.”
It was at this point that Jake heard a buzzing noise. It sounded like a fly but Jake didn’t want to be distracted from the conversation. As soon as he came to this decision in his mind, the fly landed on Doctor Bochon’s nose. It must have tickled a little but the Psychiatrist was not to be side tracked.
“What did you mean when you said that you didn’t know what you were thinking?”
“I guess that’s what I meant. I can’t explain what came over me to cause the hallucinations.”
The fly stayed on Doctor Bochon’s nose and only moved around a fraction. Still the Doctor was undettered.
“I see.”
“How is your bowel movement?”
“Ok,” Jake lied. It would have been apart from the constipation.
“Have you started to get an uncontrollable twitching movement in your face?” The doctor asked as if to demonstrate a twitching movement.
Jake started to worry about how he’d feel in another four weeks.
“Do your bones feel brittle?”
“What do you mean Doctor?”
“Have your bones started to flake or ache or break off.”
Now that Doctor Bochon had mentioned it Jake did feel a worsening pain in his bones in the last four days but he didn’t want to mention it.
“No, not at all Doctor?”
“Good.”
The fly appeared to become bored and flew away. There was a short pause before Jake was asked all the routine questions he had heard before.
“How do you feel about your wife and child?”
“I can’t wait to see them again.” Jake responded with a smile on his face. Inwardly he hoped that if he showed signs of wanting to be with his family, the Doctor might take pity on his patient.
“Have you any worries or concerns?”
“No.”
“Do you feel like harming anyone?”
Jake was a pacifist by nature but if there was a picture of one person he would put on his dart board it would be Doctor Bochon himself.
“No, not at all.”
“Do you ever feel like someone or something is controlling you?”
Apart from Doctor Bochon, Jake didn’t feel like anyone or anything was controlling him.
“Of course not.” Always they were the same questions and always Jake gave the same answers. Jake just wondered if Doctor Bochon put the same answers down on Jakes file every time.
“You have been on five thousand milligrams of Harmfel Acute Tablets for the past week. I’m increasing that to seven thousand milligrams.”
“Why the increase Doctor?”
“It’s clear to me that you are not in the best of health.”
Apart from the purple spots, drowsiness, nausea, brittle bones, blurred vision and constipation Jake felt perfectly fine.
“What do you mean Doctor?”
“Until we get to the bottom of what made you imagine the aliens you claim you saw and until I am entirely satisfied that you are cured, then I’m going to have to keep altering your medication until your state improves.”
“What is it that makes you think my mental state is imperfect, Doctor?” Jake said in an attempt to remain calm.
Well firstly you said that you can’t explain what happened and secondly you were right about the “twenty-seven days”. It shows me that you are counting each and every day and therefore I cannot trust your answers. I think Mr Tomkins that you are giving me answers that I want to hear and not being truthful. I can’t help you unless you are truthful with me.”
Despite his calm and pleasant nature, Jake felt like pulverising Doctor Bochon. He only feared that if he did his arm might prove too brittle and fall right off. Alternatively if his blurred vision got any worse, he might not be able to see where the Psychiatrist was. As long as Dr Bochon was there Jake believed he could end up staying in this place for ten years. His health however would probably give up after one week never mind ten years.
Two weeks later, Jake entered into Doctor Bochon’s office. He wasn’t quite walking properly, but limping through the door at a slow pace. The latest batch of drugs he was on were causing muscle spasms throughout his body and he was in great pain. He was barely able to sleep at night and felt very faint. He could collapse at any time. Jake’s concentration was also poor as a result of the lack of sleep.
The patient sat down in the chair opposite Dr Bochon. Strangely though, in the corner of the room was a person in a mascot’s outfit. The costume looked like a cartoonish, two footed elephant and was nearly six foot tall. At one point it waved to Jake
“Is everything alright, Mr Tomkins?” Doctor Bochon asked. “You keep looking to my left, as if there is something or someone there. Is there someone there Mr Tomkins?”
“No not at all,” Jake replied as if he was afraid to admit it. “Sometimes I do that, stare into a corner or at a wall. I’d say it was normal. Wouldn’t you?”
“There is someone sitting there in the corner of the room, Mr Tomkins,” Dr Bochon declared. “This is my associate Doctor Wilkes,” the psychiatrist said before pausing for a few seconds. “How would you describe my good friend Doctor Wilkes?” the man behind the desk asked.
“Well, he’s positively nondescript, I would say, Doctor Bochon,”
“Come now Mr Tomkins. Is he bald, overweight, red haired, green haired? Tell me. How would you describe him?”
“I’m sorry Doctor but I should have mentioned to you that my eyesight is very blurry as a result of this medication so it is hard for me to see anything clearly.”
“It seems to me that you are also suffering from hallucinations, Mr Tomkins, but are afraid to admit it.”
The mascot waved to the patient once more. Jake tried not to look.
“Is there anything else you want to tell me, Mr Tomkins. Is there anything else you are hearing and seeing that really aren’t there.”
“No Doctor.”
“You might be able to fool some Doctors, Mr Tomkins but you can’t fool me. I’m increasing your dosage by twenty percent.”
Jake wanted to cry, but he couldn’t even raise his hands to his face without experiencing pain and he wondered if his tear ducts would actually work. Over the next few months Doctor Bochon would refer to this day and the elephant in the room. He would point it out as evidence that Jake was not of sound mind. The middle aged Father believed that if he was crazy, it was the medication and lack of sleep that was the main cause of it. He was however afraid to say this, for fear of a higher dosage being administered to him. Welcome to hell, he thought to himself.