Special Talents by J. B. Tilton

here. And we need to get him someplace safe and secluded."
     
    "I know of a place," said Scarborough. "It's on the outskirts of Silver Spring. Very secluded. It shouldn't take us long to get there."
     
    "Good," said Jeremy. "Now, help me get him to the car. The sooner we get out of here, the better."
     
    Together Jeremy and Scarborough picked up the man and began to carry him to the parking lot. Janet hurried ahead of them and held the doors open as they carried the man through them. A few minutes later they were driving out of the parking lot heading for Silver Spring, Maryland.
     
     
     

CHAPTER NINE
     
    The young man opened his eyes and looked around. He was in what appeared to be a bedroom and a young woman sat next to his bed reading a magazine. He apparently had been bathed and shaved and was dressed in a pair of pajamas. As he looked around the room the woman noticed he was awake. She got up walked to the door.
     
    "Dr. Sloan, he's awake."
     
    A moment later Jeremy and Scarborough came into the room. Jeremy sat down in a chair next to the man while Scarborough took a seat in a chair at the foot of the bed. Jeremy picked up the man's left wrist and began to check his pulse.
     
    "How do you feel?" he asked.
     
    "Okay I guess," said the man, rubbing his head with his right hand.
     
    "You still have a headache?"
     
    "Yeah, all the time. Sometimes they get really bad. Where am I?"
     
    "You're in a private residence on the outskirts of Silver Spring," said Jeremy taking some pills out of his pocket. "Here. Take these. They should help with the headache."
     
    "What are they?"
     
    "Painkillers. It's okay. I'm a doctor. What's your name?"
     
    "Conrad. Conrad Miles."
     
    "Well, Conrad, you gave us quite a scare. You passed out in the food court. You could have been seriously injured."
     
    "Not that it would matter. Look, I don't have any money. And no insurance. I can't pay you for any of this."
     
    "I'm not concerned with payment," said Jeremy. "My name is Jeremy Sloan. I'm a psychiatrist. This is Richard Scarborough. He helped me bring you here."
     
    "A psychiatrist? That's perfect. I suppose now you're going to put me in some nut house and pump me full of drugs. Isn't that what you do with crazy people?"
     
    "What makes you think you're crazy?" Jeremy asked.
     
    "Normal people don't hear things. Things that aren't there."
     
    "You hear things? You mean, like voices? Inside your head?"
     
    "No, not voices. Things. I don't hear any voices telling me to do stuff. But I hear things. Like right now I'm hearing stuff about Homeland Security. And people with special talents. Threats from terrorists."
     
    Jeremy just looked at Scarborough. Neither of them had mentioned anything about Homeland Security or terrorists. How could this young man possible know that?
     
    "How old are you?" Scarborough asked.
     
    "Nineteen," replied Conrad. He just looked at Scarborough. "And I don't need your pity. I just want to be left alone and have the things out of my head."
     
    "Who said anything about pity?" Jeremy asked.
     
    "No one. But it's written all over him." He looked at Scarborough. "He feels sorry for me. Like I'm some kind of freak that people need to feel sorry for. I'm no freak. I may be crazy but I'm no freak. I just want to be left alone."
     
    "We'll let you get some rest," said Jeremy. "I'll have some food brought in for you. I'm sure you can use it. We'll talk again in a bit when you're headache has subsided. Right now, just get some rest."
     
    "What was all that about?" Scarborough asked when he and Jeremy had moved into the other room. "I never said anything about feeling sorry for him."
     
    "Not directly," said Jeremy. "But you do feel sorry for him, don't you? Because of what your uncle went through."
     
    "Yeah, I suppose so. Like I said, no one should have to live like that."
     
    "And that talk about Homeland Security and terrorists. Neither of us said anything about that."
     
    "What about in