Through the Mindhole

By Robert S. Wilson

Through the cracks in space and time,
That exist within the mind,
There are other worlds than these.

Through the slates of slumber's gates,
I slipped between and now I see,
There are other me's than me.

When FBI agent Chad Nelson catches up with the only suspect in a string of disturbing serial murders, the strange man he's been chasing uses a power beyond Nelson's imagination to send him somewhere... else.

And when he wakes up in the body of another Chad Nelson--a brilliant violent serial killer--he struggles to understand what has happened to him.

But he soon learns the nightmare has only begun when he wakes again paralyzed in his own body now taken over by the "other" Chad Nelson--the serial killer. As the days go on, alternating back and forth between both worlds Chad must find a way to get out of his other self's body and back into his own. But the only way back... is through the mindhole.

"Robert S. Wilson proves himself a master of the dark fantastic."--Tim Waggoner, author of LIKE DEATH and THE HARMONY SOCIETY

"A writer on the rise, Robert S. Wilson's fiction is highly original, deftly written, and shows a refreshing commitment to (and respect for) craft and depth."--Greg F. Gifune, author, THE BLEEDING SEASON

"Wilson is a dark force to be reckoned with."--Trent Zelazny, author of DESTINATION UNKNOWN and FRACTAL DESPONDENCY

• Language: English
• Publisher: Empire of Blood Books
• Release date: Sep 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393690597

Robert S. Wilson

Robert S. Wilson is the author of SHINING IN CRIMSON and FADING IN DARKNESS, books one and two of his dystopian vampire series: EMPIRE OF BLOOD. He is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated editor of BLOOD TYPE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF VAMPIRE SF ON THE CUTTING EDGE, a co-editor of HORROR FOR GOOD: A CHARITABLE ANTHOLOGY and NIGHTSCAPES: VOLUME 1, and lives in Middle Tennessee with his family and a silly obnoxious dog. His short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, online, and paper publications, and his cyberpunk/horror novella EXIT REALITY was chosen as one of e-thriller.com’s Thrillers of the Month in July 2013. His debut fiction collection WHERE ALL LIGHT IS LEFT TO DIE is scheduled to release on September 23rd, 2014. He is currently working hard to finish a number of novels and novellas all at once like a blind juggler given knives and led into oncoming traffic.

Book preview

THROUGH THE MINDHOLE:

A NOVELETTE

ROBERT S. WILSON

Through the Mindhole: A Novelette

Robert S. Wilson

Copyright 2014 by Robert S. Wilson

Electronic Edition

Through the cracks in space and time,

That exist within the mind,

There are other worlds than these.

Through the slates of slumber’s gates,

I slipped between and now I see,

There are other me’s than me.

—Author unknown,

Through the Mindhole from:

The Dream Traveler’s Suitcase and Other Tales of Folly

Slick rain gushed between the bottom of Chad’s shoes and the thin sheets of metal strewn across the rooftop as he ran after the man in the gray hoodie and faded blue jeans. The guy had led Chad up the stairwell of some random building after four blocks of running through the dark puddle-soaked backstreets of downtown Indianapolis. The murky clouds oozed along as Chad nearly slipped. The man in the hoodie was coming to the end of the building and frantically searching for a means of escape when Chad stopped to catch his breath and take out his revolver.

The man turned slowly, pointing his bare palm in Chad’s direction. With the rain and the hood covering most of the man’s face, Chad couldn’t make out any discernable details. He carefully lifted the side of his jacket, revealing his badge.

FBI—Agent Nelson. I just wanted to ask you some questions.

The man turned and glanced over the ledge then back at Chad, a thick stream of rain dripping down the middle of his hood. Thunder rang out so close and so loud it startled the both of them and before Chad could stop himself he was aiming down the barrel of his weapon. Something glowing and yellow exploded from the man's palm toward Chad and for a split second he could make out the man's features. Chad fired off a single shot just before the yellow light engulfed him. Then everything went black.

~

The darkness stretched out into an abyss. The sounds of its emptiness ricocheted off walls that weren’t really there, weren’t really anything. In a flash of light, the last thing Chad remembered replayed itself and in that split second of yellow fire, he saw a different face underneath that gray hood...

It was his own.

Without a doubt. He’d shaved that face too many times in the mirror to be mistaken. Before he could process what he had witnessed, the scene faded to nothing. All sense of self seemed to dissipate, replaced by a thick black anonymous awareness. An awareness aware that it wasn’t alone.

Time seemed to go on forever before the fog of perception lifted and Chad knew who he was again. He could see and hear nothing, but he could still sense that other someone there. The other’s mind chattered with imagery and ideas and somehow Chad could mentally hear it. It grew louder and louder until it resonated with his own internal dialogue like the long ringing of a church bell that’s just been struck.