CHAPTER 6
PLAN B
I had too get to a computer.
What's today? Sunday? I confirmed with my cellphone. So that meant the library and the college were out of the picture.
Where to go?
I drove down the strip and saw what I was looking for an electronics store. One problem the parking lot was full.
This being the billionth dilemna today made me feel exhausted. I could use the energy, but wasn't that wrong? I shook my head. It was my only choice.
I pulled off the access road and into the parking lot. A front spot opened up for me right away I parked, got out and walked inside. I was glad that I had dressed the way I had so that people would think I was browsing and not messing around. I went inside and headed to the computer section located at the back of the store. I walked up to a random laptop and pulled up the internet browser and went to google. I typed in Aster Grant and Hughes Genetic Research. It took a few seconds for the results to pop up. The wifi was terrible. When the results came up I pulled the tag from the front of the laptop I was at and wrote down the address, as I was closing out of the browser and putting the paper in my pocket a young salesman walked up.
"Hi ma'am how are you? I see your looking at the HP there did you need help with anything?" He was charming in an "I smell commision" kind of way. I turned to him and looked at him for a brief second.
"I am okay thanks. I am just looking." I had to get out of here. He looked at me and then he started talking again. Oh Jesus.
"You know we have a credit card promotion going on right now. If you are approved or deal will excempt you from interest and payments for ninety days. Also..." I tuned him out at this point. I was thinking of an escape plan. As I looked around I saw families walking around the store, teenagers looking at MP3 players and cellphones and a couple holding hands looking at movies. I was taking in the moment trying to think of what to do next when I realized that I had been listening to the salesman for a while. I looked up at him just as he was saying.
"So do you think you would like to apply for that card and see if you can take that HP home today?" I was going to say no but all of a sudden there was a huge crash. I jerked my head in the direction of the noise. I saw that one of the mounted TV's had fallen off the wall onto a person. Then the screaming started.
The salesman stood on his toes looking with shock in the direction of the crushed customer. He looked so shock and then he said "Oh shit. Did that really just happen?"
Yes it had and I needed to get out of here before anything else did.
I went to walk past the salesman but I heard something right about me snap and I pushed him out of the way just in time. Glass shattered behind us what looked like a flourescent light bulb had fallen from the ceiling. The guy started stammering and shocked. He was crawling away from where the light had fell. Realizing how close he had been to being impaled. He was in my way though so I pushed myself off the ground and bolted from the store. I tore through the chaos out the front doors and hurdled myself into my car. I had to get the hell out of here before the place blew up. I sped out of the parking lot onto the access road and almost clipped a SUV.
Great! Perfect!
I almost screamed I was so frustrated.
Way to go!
On the brightside I had got what I needed. But was there really a brightside to all of this? I drove just thinking and by time I came back to reality I realized I was on the other side of town. I looked at the streets and figured that I was about forty minutes from where I needed to be. Where did I need to be? Endangering more people? Performing a suicide mission to rescue Amy? My heart wrenched with that last one. What was I thinking? I owed it to Amy. I really did. Then again she had endangered herself. I had warned her to stay away, I had tried to convince her that I was not a good person to have around. And she had conned me she had used my guilt and desperation against me. She had brought Brent's wrath on to me and herself. I hated this. I loathed this more than anything. I would take all the lonely days the world had to offer to get over the agony of this guilt. I had been fine. I was dealing and then Amy came along.
I pulled over and starred out the windshield for a few minutes. So what do you want to do?
"I don't know Okay!" As the words passed my lips I realized how crazy it was too be screaming at myself. I had to decide. Was I going to drive away and never look back? Was I going to abandon the only friend because things had gotten rocky? Was I going to let her die?
I sat for what was probably twenty minutes and then I decided. I would go to AGH I would do what I could to save Amy and then I would figure out the rest.
But I had to think about this though. I couldn't just waltz into the front doors of a AGH. I had no idea if they knew who I was and if they were the ones looking for me they would definitely recognize me right away. Well I guess it is disguise time, but that meant another store. Where was a store that potentially sold disguises that would not be crowded? And then I had a flashback to the day my mother had taken me out shopping. We had gone to buy my first set of makeup. It was one of those ridiculously high priced stores located in a secluded shopping center. Money wasn't an object so I headed there.
As I drove I had to think of what I would do when I got there. There would be people there working and after the last incident I had serious doubts about whether or not people would live this time. I had to calm down. Breath Franky Breath. I had to do this. I had too. There was no other way. I couldn't just walk into that building after all.
As I found my resolve I drove into the parking lot of the shopping center. I parked and walked towards the building. I went through the front doors and my first thought was Why are there so many people here? There had to be about thirty people packed into a small area in the store. I heard the booming voice of the person addressing them talking. It must be a demonstration.
"Don't you hate unsightly hair on your face, legs and underarms? When you use normal waxes your skin can get irritated and it is painful. Don't fret though ladies we have a solution to your woes, the new and improved antiwax. Our patented formula eliminates the need for wax by utilizing natural chemicals to gently disolve hair folicals and eliminate unwanted hair." She was cheery and persuasive. I walked to the big wig display and pulled a blonde one from one of the manicans. I grabbed a pack of hair socks and a thing of ponytail clips and bobby pins. I b-lined for the register and placed my items on the counter. The gum chewing teenage girl at the counter looked snottily at me and started to ring up my items. As she rung them up she started talking in a condescending voice.
"Would you like to sign up for an instore credit card and save ten percent on your next purchase?"
"No thank you." Did she really expect to get sales?
"Did you want to add any soap or shampoo? We are having a buy one get one free sale."
"No I am fine thanks." I said
"Alright will this be all?"
And then I heard it. A woman screaming in agony. I wearily turned my head and looked in the direction. From where I was I could see a woman holding her leg and crying in agony. My eyes followed her arms down to her leg and I could see even from that distance that large boils were forming over the surface of her skin. No way! I had been in here for what ten minutes? This was bad. What was going on? The girl at the front desk was starring with a apathetic curiosity. It was a curious looked at the digital display that showed my total two hundered and fifty dollars. Well I guess it was worth it. I slapped three hundred dollars on the counter and told her to keep the change and I grabbed my bag and walked out. Jesus. I was shaking by time I got to my car but I had to move forward I had to perservere.
I sat in my car and pulled out the ponytails clips and bobby pins. It took me a few times to get my hair into the pontail because I was shaking so bad. Once it was finally up I secured everything with the bobby pins and placed the hair net on and then secured the wig. I looked strange. The wig was realistic but my eyebrows are as dark as my hair. I remembered that I had my sunglasses and I grabbed them from my satchel. I looked like a whole other person. It was funny. I started laughing hysterically. Once I got over my giggles I became solemn and I realized when was going to happen next.
CHAPTER 7
THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH I WILL FEAR NO EVIL OR SOME CRAP LIKE THAT
I drove down the streets to the industrial part of town. There was an assortment of high rises in this area. I looked for the street listed in the address. When I finally found it I parked across the street from the building. AGH genetics was a very modern and tall building with tinted glass paneling up and down the expanse of the building. It looked daunting all that dark glass. You couldn't see in but I was sure all those people inside could see out. I felt a knot form in my stomach; it was like I had eaten a brick.
With unsteady hands I pulled some change out of my wallet to feed the meter and stepped out of the car. I probably looked like your average modern business woman with my blonde hair and mature attire. I glanced in the passenger side window of my car as I fed the meter. I really did look like someone else. Maybe this is what Amy wore to work. This made my nerves worse. What if she was never able to open her grief counseling center? What if I was walking into a trap?
Get a grip you are going to save her.
I glanced at my watch I had about two hours till the deadline the kidnappers had given me was up. Plenty of time to at least do some reconnaissance. At the very least I'd have a plan on how to get out. I looked before I crossed the street and walked up the stairs to the revolving door at the front of the building. As I walked through I saw that the lobby was unmanned except for a young woman in her early twenties. She had her hair stacked on her head in a very fifties beehive do. She was wearing way too much makeup and she was talking animatedly into her headset that wrapped her ear and crossed her face.
I looked around for a second while she was distracted and I saw the women's room. I headed there and once inside I went into one of the stalls. I raised my feet and hid. I waited and sure enough I heard the door open. The sound of heels on the tile let me know it was a woman.
As the girl passed the stall I was in I saw it was the receptionist. She looked under the stalls puzzled and as she headed to the back of the large bathroom I exited the stall I was hiding in. With the most agility and speed I could muster I snuck up behind her and shoved her into the wall. Her head bounced off the tile and she fell to the floor, she was out cold. I was stunned that I had done so much damage but I checked her pulse she was alive and with that I plucked the headset off her ear and dragged her body into the handicapped stall. I propped her up onto the toilet so that if anyone entered they would only see feet. I locked the stall door and wiggled out underneath.
As I stood up I straightened my outfit and wig and placed the headset over my ear. I walked out of the bathroom and into the lobby. I sat behind the receptionist's desk and looked at the screen. There was a list of icons, one labeled calendar, the internet explorer and then I saw one titled employee directory. I clicked and the application opened an excel spread sheet and I saw that there were over a hundred entries. I pulled the ransom note out of my bag and pushed control f and then typed in the number listed. The document scrolled down to the number I had entered the name next to it read Thomas Taylor office number three twenty-five internal affairs. Internal affairs... pshh... more like assassin affairs.
So I had a place to start all I had to do was figure out a reason to go up there. I looked around beehives desk and saw a package sitting underneath it. It was an unlabeled brown box and I knew this was my ticket. I grabbed the box and my bag, I realized this would look suspicious but I couldn't leave it here what if it was found? I headed for the elevator. I assumed three twenty-five meant the third floor so I punched the third floor button and as the elevator silently pulled up my heart almost stopped. When the door whooshed open I let out me breath and I walked strongly and with purpose out of the elevator. I was in front of three zero one and saw a sign that pointed me in the appropriate direction. I walked down the hall and stopped in front of three twenty-five the door had a placard on it that said "Thomas Taylor" so I knew I was in the right spot. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" The man on the other side bellowed. I pushed the door open and walked in shutting the door behind me.
"Yes what do you want?" He didn't even look up from his paperwork.
"Yes Mr. Taylor, I am Lexi, the temp from reception." I tried sounding innocent and dense.
"Yea what are you doing up here?' He seemed annoyed more than suspicious.
"Well you see the other girl went home sick and I got called in and they didn't show me how to work the phone, and this package came for you so I decided to bring it up here." Where did that come from? It really was getting scary how good I was becoming at lying. He motioned towards his desk and pointed still not looking up.
"Set it there and get back down stairs." I walked over to the desk and set it on the spot he had told me. I say on his desk a large brass reading lamp. I paused gathering the courage. He looked up.
"What are you still..." I had found the courage before he had finished. With the lamp I swung hitting him square in the jaw before he could finish. While he was stunned I pounced on top of him. Though I would never call myself built I am very muscular and strong. My mom used to say that I was "strong like ox" when I was younger. Despite this I was still surprised that I overtook Thomas Taylor, he definitely had the build necessary to kill people, but he was easily stunned and by time he regained his mobility I had him on his stomach hands behind his back.
I held his wrists together with my left hand and used my body weight to press him down. With the other hand I held the broken lamp and used my teeth to rip the chord from the back of it. Once I had it free of the lamp, I wound the cord around his wrists and folded his legs up to use the rest of the length to hog tie him. Wow what luck that this guys lamp had a long chord. Was it really though? I looked down at the hog tied man and before he could start screaming I kicked him in the face.
He looked up at me stunned. I looked down at him angry.
"It's Sunday I know hardly anyone is here so you can scream if you want too but I am just going to kick you again, next time though, it is going to be in a much less kick friendly area. Got it?" He looked up at me blankly. I could tell he was confused. I starred him down for a few moments. I knew this was a good tactic but I also knew I had to regain my strength a little bit. Once I felt like I was a little calmer I spoke again.
"You and a few of your friends kidnapped a girl this morning. Where is she?" He looked up at me with a blank expression then he looked away.
"I have no idea what you’re talking about." He mumbled.
"They teach you how to kill but they don't teach you how to lie? That's some superb training you got there. Now you are going to tell me what you know or I will torture you." I leered at him. I really was trying my best to scare this guy but I wasn't sure if it was working. He laid there silently. I decided that reason was the best tactic.
"Listen, I thwarted security to get up here, I was able to breach your office and I have you hog tied on the floor. It is sufficient to say that I am a crafty bitch. Now you are going to tell me what I need to know or you will find out how crafty I can really be. Now where is she?" That would have scared the crap out of me so I figured it would work on him too but he just laid there.
Now, I was getting mad. I really didn't like being violent. My curse was violent enough, I had never needed to enact destruction myself I was always an innocent bystander but I was getting angry with this guy and I had no idea what to do so I kicked him in the stomach.
No wonder people like too fight. I felt gratified that he was sputtering but then I felt like a monster. I had too control my face to hide the self-loathing. I found my resolve rather quickly when I thought back too why I was here… Amy. I had to go through with this. The tenacious Thomas Taylor had stopped squirming. I looked down at him trying to emblaze my face with as much chagrin as I could and I just starred. For a few minutes he lied there and then I saw a bead of sweat trickling down his face. I had him he just didn’t want to show it. He was trying to be brave but he was humiliated. I looked down at him and said.
“Listen, Your number was on a ransom note left in a girl’s car. I know you know something. I am only going to sit here and reason with you for so long, after that no matter what physical pain I put you through it will be nothing compared to what will happen just from being around me.” That got his attention because after I said that he jerked his head up to look at me. He was partially stunned and partially smug. He must have known who I was from that last part and when his lips parted to form a smile I knew that he was fully aware of my identity.
“So you aren’t as smart as they say. We have been trying to find a way to get to you for a while and then you just walk in here and neatly gift wrap yourself for us.” I was shocked by this a little. Stunned partially because he said I was an idiot and also because I had lost all the power I had gained. One little slip of my mouth and I had wasted precious moments of my time. I had to gain the upper hand back.
“You see Tom I don’t think you understand what a predicament you are in. You have spent over ten minutes with me. I am draining you as we speak. You dear dear tom.” I reached down and tapped his cheek with those words and then I grabbed his face and squeezed it with my right hand. “Are going to tell me what I want to know so that I will leave this office and you can at least have a decent life afterward. Not to mention the physical pain I will inflict in about thirty seconds if you don’t tell me where she is.” I had grabbed his shirt and I was pulling him up towards my face. He must have been in pain, being hog tied I speculate is not comfortable, but I released him from my grasp and he fell onto his own hands and feet crushing them beneath his own body. He looked at me with determination but contemplation, his resolve was waning now.
“Can you really do what they say you can do?” I decided to play coy. I leaned against the wall and looked at my nails like I had seen villains do in movies a million times.
“What do they say that I can do Tom?” I glared at him over my fingers.
“Well when we broke into your house our man was burned all over his face and hands. We had no idea that you were that strong; no one had seen you in years. Can you really destroy people at will?” I had never been able to do anything at will it just happened and I had used a condensed air can on that guy to burn him like that. I decided though, in that moment, that it was best if Thomas Taylor was terrified. I starred him directly in the eyes.
“Yes it is true.” The look on his face was priceless. If this was a movie I would have cheered, but it wasn’t so I just looked at him as sternly as I could and then he cracked.
“STOP STARRING AT ME!” He wailed.
“Not until you tell me where the girl is.” I said with a snarl and I kept looking at him. He seemed to think this had something to do with eye contact apparently their research into my life had yielded less information than I had thought.
“They are holding her in the basement of the building. In the engineering lab. Lab room two point one four” Finally! I walked over to Tomas Taylor turned him on his stomach and took off his shoes. I ripped off both his socks balled them up and shoved them in his mouth and I grabbed the scotch tape off his desk and wrapped it around his head holding the socks in place. He would be quiet now.
I stood up and looked down at him. “Well Mr. Taylor it has been a pleasure and you have been very helpful enjoy the rest of your life.” As I was walking out I saw on his desk a key pass I grabbed it and then I turned on my heels and walked out of his office. I had what I needed, now I just had to figure out a way to get what I wanted.
Having the key pass was a definite advantage but the security cameras in the hallway weren’t. I also had to wonder if the receptionist I had knocked out earlier had come too. And if so where the hell was security? This was so strange; I hadn’t seen one security guard and I knew I couldn’t possibly that lucky. It was kind of unbelievable. I walked determined to the elevator but I saw a stairway instead. I decided to take that. It seemed like the best idea too me after all, if I was a security guard I would take the elevator. Turns out I was right because right as I was going through the stairwell I heard the elevator door ding. I shut the door behind me silently and listened from the other side. Everything was muffled because the door was heavy and probably metal but I heard two men talking loudly to each other.
“We go on break and look what happens! It’s Sunday for Christ’s sake. Who breaks in on a Sunday.” Me that’s who.
Well great they were looking for me now. It didn’t seem like there were that many though, unless they had sent someone to each floor but I remembered just then. I had never closed out of the computer at the reception desk. Stupid! So they were headed straight to Mr. Tattle Taylor’s office. Well surely they were going to know where I was headed in a few moments. I had to hurry. I started booking it down the stairs.
One flight, according to the sign on the wall, second floor.
Two flights, first floor.
Three flights, main floor.
Four flights Man I wish I could have worn sneakers, basement.
I held my breath. I had found myself face to face with the door leading to the basement area. I had no idea what laid before me but I had to carry on. I straightened myself and walked through the door into what seemed to be an alcove type area.
The walls were white painted brick and before me was a tinted glass door. Once again I couldn’t see through the glass but I figured people could see out. I saw no shadowed figures walking on the other side so I approached the door key card in my hand and I swiped Taylor’s card in the slot. The door opened pneumatically with a gasp. I walked through.
I was in a long sterile T-shaped hallway. Extending to my right and left were darkened hallways with no doors just openings which I assumed were more hallways. In front of me was a long narrow hallway. I followed straight and I looked around there were name placards on the doors to my right and down the hall to my left was a wall of glass windows.
Inside the window banks I saw various things. One seemed to be an observation room currently cluttered with toys, puzzles and games all the colors in the room were primary. They test children here?
This was so strange; I continued down the hallway and looked into the windows on the wall. One was set up like an infirmary. There was a man laying on one of the beds an IV hooked to his arm. He looked young but he looked like he was wasting away. I saw that one of the offices to my right was open so I looked inside no one was there. A lab coat with another pass key was hanging over a chair. I took the pass key; it had a woman’s name on it. That seemed more convincing than Taylor’s key.
I walked out of the office and started looking at all the placards on the doors looking for lab room two point fourteen. I was currently by room one point fifteen which meant that I needed to continue down the hall way or go over to the next one. I decided that my last instinct was the best. I went to the beginning of where I started and passed the dying man again, the children’s observation room. I was at the beginning of the hall way and I took a left. I followed down. I turned left when I reached the next hallway. This hallway was laid out differently; there were heavy doors with small glass windows inset into them, the windows looked to be made of safety glass. I tried to glance inside to see if anyone was there but these windows were also tinted. I walked down the hallway.
Two point twelve, two point thirteen, and….
Two point fourteen. . I took a deep breath again and I stood in front of the door. I tried to peer inside and see if I could pinpoint any people in the room. I couldn’t so I slide the pass key into the slot. It beeped to let me in and I grabbed the handle of the door and turned it slowly and silently. I cracked the door so I could see inside and what I saw was sheer horror.
THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH I WILL FEAR NO EVIL OR SOME CRAP LIKE THAT
I drove down the streets to the industrial part of town. There was an assortment of high rises in this area. I looked for the street listed in the address. When I finally found it I parked across the street from the building. AGH genetics was a very modern and tall building with tinted glass paneling up and down the expanse of the building. It looked daunting all that dark glass. You couldn't see in but I was sure all those people inside could see out. I felt a knot form in my stomach; it was like I had eaten a brick.
With unsteady hands I pulled some change out of my wallet to feed the meter and stepped out of the car. I probably looked like your average modern business woman with my blonde hair and mature attire. I glanced in the passenger side window of my car as I fed the meter. I really did look like someone else. Maybe this is what Amy wore to work. This made my nerves worse. What if she was never able to open her grief counseling center? What if I was walking into a trap?
Get a grip you are going to save her.
I glanced at my watch I had about two hours till the deadline the kidnappers had given me was up. Plenty of time to at least do some reconnaissance. At the very least I'd have a plan on how to get out. I looked before I crossed the street and walked up the stairs to the revolving door at the front of the building. As I walked through I saw that the lobby was unmanned except for a young woman in her early twenties. She had her hair stacked on her head in a very fifties beehive do. She was wearing way too much makeup and she was talking animatedly into her headset that wrapped her ear and crossed her face.
I looked around for a second while she was distracted and I saw the women's room. I headed there and once inside I went into one of the stalls. I raised my feet and hid. I waited and sure enough I heard the door open. The sound of heels on the tile let me know it was a woman.
As the girl passed the stall I was in I saw it was the receptionist. She looked under the stalls puzzled and as she headed to the back of the large bathroom I exited the stall I was hiding in. With the most agility and speed I could muster I snuck up behind her and shoved her into the wall. Her head bounced off the tile and she fell to the floor, she was out cold. I was stunned that I had done so much damage but I checked her pulse she was alive and with that I plucked the headset off her ear and dragged her body into the handicapped stall. I propped her up onto the toilet so that if anyone entered they would only see feet. I locked the stall door and wiggled out underneath.
As I stood up I straightened my outfit and wig and placed the headset over my ear. I walked out of the bathroom and into the lobby. I sat behind the receptionist's desk and looked at the screen. There was a list of icons, one labeled calendar, the internet explorer and then I saw one titled employee directory. I clicked and the application opened an excel spread sheet and I saw that there were over a hundred entries. I pulled the ransom note out of my bag and pushed control f and then typed in the number listed. The document scrolled down to the number I had entered the name next to it read Thomas Taylor office number three twenty-five internal affairs. Internal affairs... pshh... more like assassin affairs.
So I had a place to start all I had to do was figure out a reason to go up there. I looked around beehives desk and saw a package sitting underneath it. It was an unlabeled brown box and I knew this was my ticket. I grabbed the box and my bag, I realized this would look suspicious but I couldn't leave it here what if it was found? I headed for the elevator. I assumed three twenty-five meant the third floor so I punched the third floor button and as the elevator silently pulled up my heart almost stopped. When the door whooshed open I let out me breath and I walked strongly and with purpose out of the elevator. I was in front of three zero one and saw a sign that pointed me in the appropriate direction. I walked down the hall and stopped in front of three twenty-five the door had a placard on it that said "Thomas Taylor" so I knew I was in the right spot. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" The man on the other side bellowed. I pushed the door open and walked in shutting the door behind me.
"Yes what do you want?" He didn't even look up from his paperwork.
"Yes Mr. Taylor, I am Lexi, the temp from reception." I tried sounding innocent and dense.
"Yea what are you doing up here?' He seemed annoyed more than suspicious.
"Well you see the other girl went home sick and I got called in and they didn't show me how to work the phone, and this package came for you so I decided to bring it up here." Where did that come from? It really was getting scary how good I was becoming at lying. He motioned towards his desk and pointed still not looking up.
"Set it there and get back down stairs." I walked over to the desk and set it on the spot he had told me. I say on his desk a large brass reading lamp. I paused gathering the courage. He looked up.
"What are you still..." I had found the courage before he had finished. With the lamp I swung hitting him square in the jaw before he could finish. While he was stunned I pounced on top of him. Though I would never call myself built I am very muscular and strong. My mom used to say that I was "strong like ox" when I was younger. Despite this I was still surprised that I overtook Thomas Taylor, he definitely had the build necessary to kill people, but he was easily stunned and by time he regained his mobility I had him on his stomach hands behind his back.
I held his wrists together with my left hand and used my body weight to press him down. With the other hand I held the broken lamp and used my teeth to rip the chord from the back of it. Once I had it free of the lamp, I wound the cord around his wrists and folded his legs up to use the rest of the length to hog tie him. Wow what luck that this guys lamp had a long chord. Was it really though? I looked down at the hog tied man and before he could start screaming I kicked him in the face.
He looked up at me stunned. I looked down at him angry.
"It's Sunday I know hardly anyone is here so you can scream if you want too but I am just going to kick you again, next time though, it is going to be in a much less kick friendly area. Got it?" He looked up at me blankly. I could tell he was confused. I starred him down for a few moments. I knew this was a good tactic but I also knew I had to regain my strength a little bit. Once I felt like I was a little calmer I spoke again.
"You and a few of your friends kidnapped a girl this morning. Where is she?" He looked up at me with a blank expression then he looked away.
"I have no idea what you’re talking about." He mumbled.
"They teach you how to kill but they don't teach you how to lie? That's some superb training you got there. Now you are going to tell me what you know or I will torture you." I leered at him. I really was trying my best to scare this guy but I wasn't sure if it was working. He laid there silently. I decided that reason was the best tactic.
"Listen, I thwarted security to get up here, I was able to breach your office and I have you hog tied on the floor. It is sufficient to say that I am a crafty bitch. Now you are going to tell me what I need to know or you will find out how crafty I can really be. Now where is she?" That would have scared the crap out of me so I figured it would work on him too but he just laid there.
Now, I was getting mad. I really didn't like being violent. My curse was violent enough, I had never needed to enact destruction myself I was always an innocent bystander but I was getting angry with this guy and I had no idea what to do so I kicked him in the stomach.
No wonder people like too fight. I felt gratified that he was sputtering but then I felt like a monster. I had too control my face to hide the self-loathing. I found my resolve rather quickly when I thought back too why I was here… Amy. I had to go through with this. The tenacious Thomas Taylor had stopped squirming. I looked down at him trying to emblaze my face with as much chagrin as I could and I just starred. For a few minutes he lied there and then I saw a bead of sweat trickling down his face. I had him he just didn’t want to show it. He was trying to be brave but he was humiliated. I looked down at him and said.
“Listen, Your number was on a ransom note left in a girl’s car. I know you know something. I am only going to sit here and reason with you for so long, after that no matter what physical pain I put you through it will be nothing compared to what will happen just from being around me.” That got his attention because after I said that he jerked his head up to look at me. He was partially stunned and partially smug. He must have known who I was from that last part and when his lips parted to form a smile I knew that he was fully aware of my identity.
“So you aren’t as smart as they say. We have been trying to find a way to get to you for a while and then you just walk in here and neatly gift wrap yourself for us.” I was shocked by this a little. Stunned partially because he said I was an idiot and also because I had lost all the power I had gained. One little slip of my mouth and I had wasted precious moments of my time. I had to gain the upper hand back.
“You see Tom I don’t think you understand what a predicament you are in. You have spent over ten minutes with me. I am draining you as we speak. You dear dear tom.” I reached down and tapped his cheek with those words and then I grabbed his face and squeezed it with my right hand. “Are going to tell me what I want to know so that I will leave this office and you can at least have a decent life afterward. Not to mention the physical pain I will inflict in about thirty seconds if you don’t tell me where she is.” I had grabbed his shirt and I was pulling him up towards my face. He must have been in pain, being hog tied I speculate is not comfortable, but I released him from my grasp and he fell onto his own hands and feet crushing them beneath his own body. He looked at me with determination but contemplation, his resolve was waning now.
“Can you really do what they say you can do?” I decided to play coy. I leaned against the wall and looked at my nails like I had seen villains do in movies a million times.
“What do they say that I can do Tom?” I glared at him over my fingers.
“Well when we broke into your house our man was burned all over his face and hands. We had no idea that you were that strong; no one had seen you in years. Can you really destroy people at will?” I had never been able to do anything at will it just happened and I had used a condensed air can on that guy to burn him like that. I decided though, in that moment, that it was best if Thomas Taylor was terrified. I starred him directly in the eyes.
“Yes it is true.” The look on his face was priceless. If this was a movie I would have cheered, but it wasn’t so I just looked at him as sternly as I could and then he cracked.
“STOP STARRING AT ME!” He wailed.
“Not until you tell me where the girl is.” I said with a snarl and I kept looking at him. He seemed to think this had something to do with eye contact apparently their research into my life had yielded less information than I had thought.
“They are holding her in the basement of the building. In the engineering lab. Lab room two point one four” Finally! I walked over to Tomas Taylor turned him on his stomach and took off his shoes. I ripped off both his socks balled them up and shoved them in his mouth and I grabbed the scotch tape off his desk and wrapped it around his head holding the socks in place. He would be quiet now.
I stood up and looked down at him. “Well Mr. Taylor it has been a pleasure and you have been very helpful enjoy the rest of your life.” As I was walking out I saw on his desk a key pass I grabbed it and then I turned on my heels and walked out of his office. I had what I needed, now I just had to figure out a way to get what I wanted.
Having the key pass was a definite advantage but the security cameras in the hallway weren’t. I also had to wonder if the receptionist I had knocked out earlier had come too. And if so where the hell was security? This was so strange; I hadn’t seen one security guard and I knew I couldn’t possibly that lucky. It was kind of unbelievable. I walked determined to the elevator but I saw a stairway instead. I decided to take that. It seemed like the best idea too me after all, if I was a security guard I would take the elevator. Turns out I was right because right as I was going through the stairwell I heard the elevator door ding. I shut the door behind me silently and listened from the other side. Everything was muffled because the door was heavy and probably metal but I heard two men talking loudly to each other.
“We go on break and look what happens! It’s Sunday for Christ’s sake. Who breaks in on a Sunday.” Me that’s who.
Well great they were looking for me now. It didn’t seem like there were that many though, unless they had sent someone to each floor but I remembered just then. I had never closed out of the computer at the reception desk. Stupid! So they were headed straight to Mr. Tattle Taylor’s office. Well surely they were going to know where I was headed in a few moments. I had to hurry. I started booking it down the stairs.
One flight, according to the sign on the wall, second floor.
Two flights, first floor.
Three flights, main floor.
Four flights Man I wish I could have worn sneakers, basement.
I held my breath. I had found myself face to face with the door leading to the basement area. I had no idea what laid before me but I had to carry on. I straightened myself and walked through the door into what seemed to be an alcove type area.
The walls were white painted brick and before me was a tinted glass door. Once again I couldn’t see through the glass but I figured people could see out. I saw no shadowed figures walking on the other side so I approached the door key card in my hand and I swiped Taylor’s card in the slot. The door opened pneumatically with a gasp. I walked through.
I was in a long sterile T-shaped hallway. Extending to my right and left were darkened hallways with no doors just openings which I assumed were more hallways. In front of me was a long narrow hallway. I followed straight and I looked around there were name placards on the doors to my right and down the hall to my left was a wall of glass windows.
Inside the window banks I saw various things. One seemed to be an observation room currently cluttered with toys, puzzles and games all the colors in the room were primary. They test children here?
This was so strange; I continued down the hallway and looked into the windows on the wall. One was set up like an infirmary. There was a man laying on one of the beds an IV hooked to his arm. He looked young but he looked like he was wasting away. I saw that one of the offices to my right was open so I looked inside no one was there. A lab coat with another pass key was hanging over a chair. I took the pass key; it had a woman’s name on it. That seemed more convincing than Taylor’s key.
I walked out of the office and started looking at all the placards on the doors looking for lab room two point fourteen. I was currently by room one point fifteen which meant that I needed to continue down the hall way or go over to the next one. I decided that my last instinct was the best. I went to the beginning of where I started and passed the dying man again, the children’s observation room. I was at the beginning of the hall way and I took a left. I followed down. I turned left when I reached the next hallway. This hallway was laid out differently; there were heavy doors with small glass windows inset into them, the windows looked to be made of safety glass. I tried to glance inside to see if anyone was there but these windows were also tinted. I walked down the hallway.
Two point twelve, two point thirteen, and….
Two point fourteen. . I took a deep breath again and I stood in front of the door. I tried to peer inside and see if I could pinpoint any people in the room. I couldn’t so I slide the pass key into the slot. It beeped to let me in and I grabbed the handle of the door and turned it slowly and silently. I cracked the door so I could see inside and what I saw was sheer horror.
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CHAPTER 8
I HAD NO IDEA WHEN I WOKE UP THIS MORNING THAT I WOULD GET A CHANCE TO MEET THE DEVIL.
I HAD NO IDEA WHEN I WOKE UP THIS MORNING THAT I WOULD GET A CHANCE TO MEET THE DEVIL.
The room was a sterile white like the previous ones but it reeked of blood and gore. Along the sides of the room there were tall and wide cabinets filled with God knows what. In the middle of the room was an odd chair facing away from the door towards the wall. The wall it was facing had a screen on it and when I looked up at the ceiling I saw a projector. I walked over to the chair cautiously. There was a figure strapped in. I looked at the crumpled body of what must be a woman in front of me. She had dyed blonde hair on her head there were electrodes and despite the lack of normal clothes, the body was wearing a hospital gown, I knew it was Amy.
I lifted the head of the wilted human and as I did her eyes fluttered open. She’s alive! I held her head between my hands and stifled back the tears as she looked up at me blankly for a moment, and as we stood there her eyes focused and she realized who I was. She looked so relieved and terrified at the same time. I looked her in the face.
“Amy? I am going to get you out of here. Okay? Are you hurt badly?” I didn’t see a scratch or scrap on her, not even a bruise, but she could have sustained damage that was obscured by the gown. She looked up at me weakly and nodded her head in my hands.
“Okay, do you think you can you walk?” I had started undoing the straps I noticed as I let her head go that it fell forward. What had they done to her? I quickly got the leather straps undone. And started taking off the electrodes attached to her head. Underneath them the skin was charred. They had electrocuted her?
This was bad. I couldn’t figure out why they had tortured her. Me. That’s why they did it. It was because of me. They wanted information. I wonder how long Amy had held out and how many times they had shocked her. Why wasn’t she dead? I hoisted her up from the chair and tried to get her to stand. It was no use her legs were jello.
Amy is thin and short and I am rather muscular but she was still dead weight. Also I was afraid, if I drained her in her current state something was going to happen, something irreversible.
What do I do? You get the hell out of here no matter what. I knew in my heart that I was right but I had to help her. She had been tortured because of me. I hoisted her body over my shoulder and she made a sound out of pain.
“I am sorry, just hold on okay.” My voice was pleading with her, pleading her to live. I walked over to the door by the wall the weight of Amy’s body slowing me greatly, but before I could even reach out to open the door I heard commotion in the hallway.
“Check the prisoner.”
Shit.
I wrenched open one of the blue cabinets and stuffed Amy inside and walked in beside her. I shut the doors over us and fiddled the lock from the inside and locked the doors. The door to the torture chamber opened and what sounded like at least three people stepped in.
“The girl is gone!” Shouted a man. Well not really guys. Please don’t find us, please don’t find us, please, please, please.
“How long do you think Taylor was tied up?” said a different man.
“He said just a few minutes, the girl got what she wanted and left. But how would she have gotten down here? This area is extremely secure you have to have a pass key and you’re telling me no one saw her?” He seemed anxious like he was explaining to his boss that this wasn’t his fault. I held my breath and hoped with everything that Amy didn’t make a noise.
“We need to find her! She is extremely dangerous and smarter than we thought. Dr. Molokai go check the hallways, if she is carrying dead wait she can’t have gotten too far and initiate lock down, she can’t escape.” No! I was getting locked in here? What was I going to do now?
“Yes sir.” A woman’s voice said. They stood silently as I heard her walk out. Then the boss man spoke.
“How did this happen?” He sounded angry in an authoritative way. I was scared of this man.
“I don’t know, I can’t tell you. We didn’t know, we were unaware.” He was stammering and sputtering.
“You know what this means don’t you James? I don’t want to do this but I have too. Now have a seat.” I heard the other man plead with the authoritative one. What was going on? I shifted in the cabinet silently and found a narrow sight line through a slight gap in the doors. The authoritative man was much larger and in a very expensive suit, the other was small balding and in a lab coat. I watched as the suited man forced the one named James into the chair. He strapped him in and went over to one of the cabinets nearest him and pulled out a box, he opened the box and began placing fresh electrodes to James’ head and a few on his arms. He then hooked thin wires to all of them. He turned the projector on and switched another knob on the chair.
“I need you to tell me what you know James, you know how this works. I just need you to think about everything you know about this girl.” All of a sudden movie like pictures started appearing on the screen. I saw a lab top with a chat room open on the screen. Two hands typing and I saw the screen names briefly before the image jumped to another. One of the screen names had been mine, the other belonged to James Servantes, the doctor who had asked to test my blood.
That bastard! He had tricked me. He had tricked me into explaining my problem. He had told them everything. My mind raced. What about the dossier? There was definitely information in there that I had never told him. James was just one cog in the machine. I looked down at Amy. Was Amy a pawn as well and why had they tortured her if she was? I began having doubts but I figured that Amy had to be an innocent bystander; she would have never put herself in this situation if she wasn’t. I made a plan just in case.
I watched through the slit in the door, scenes upon scenes played out on the screen and then after five minutes or so they stopped.
“This is all you know?” The suited man sounded displeased.
“I told you sir this is all I know.” His anxiety was so intense it made my heart jolt even though I now loathed James Servantes I still felt sorry for him.
“Well I am sorry to hear that” the suited man said. “You have been very helpful to me James, I hate to do this but you are no longer of use.” And James Servantes screamed as the suited man flipped the switch and electrocuted him.
I had to hold my breath to keep from gasping and then I had to keep holding it to keep from throwing up. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air so strongly. As the sounds of screaming subsided I knew that James Servantes was dead. The suited man was walking out of the room when I heard Amy wretch. No!
The suited man heard it too because I heard the footsteps of his wing tipped shoes stop. He walked over to the cabinet. I heard the jangle of keys and then the doors flung open. He stood in shock and then grabbed me by the hair.
I still had my wig on so I ducked out of his grasp and barreled past him. I stood there. Every instinct in my body told me to run but Amy was lying there in a puddle of vomit. I couldn’t leave her. Not after all of this.
The suited man noticed my eyes dart from him to Amy to the door and he knew my dilemma. He grabbed Amy and I reached out to try and stop him. He held her to him with his arm across her chest and we he spoke I could have sworn he was the devil.
“We finally meet Felicite.” He smiled coyly.
“It’s Franky.” I shouldn’t be testy in this moment but I get passive aggressive in stressful situations so he would have to just deal with it.
"Well Franky, it seems that we have underestimated you and I have a problem with that because I don't underestimate people." He leered at me.
"Well sir, I hate to be rude but it seems you have been doing a lot of underestimating. First Servantes and then me and who knows who else." But I was trying to be rude. Also I was trying to stall for time. I needed to think of what to do next. He was holding Amy and even if I took him down I would still have to carry Amy out of the room. He continued to speak as I was thinking.
"Yes James was an unfortunate mistake but you Franky you are quite a pleasant surprise. I had no idea that you would even come and then you stunned me by breaking into my secure business; assaulting my receptionist; and interrogating my employee to get what you want. However, I am disappointed you got caught my pet. We can fix that though." He sneered.
"Yea, you could let me and Amy go." I chimed in.
"No, no, no. That will not do at all. You see you are going to stay here and do what I want you too." He talked to me as if I was a child. I hated that. I was seething at that moment.
"And how do you plan to do that? You know that it would never work out you and I." I looked at him slyly that was meant to be an attack on his virility but I don't know if he caught it.
"I have my ways. Allow me to introduce someone too you." He motioned to the corner of the room I turned and out of the shadows walked a tall silhouette, the body was broad shouldered and muscular. He was young and lean and as my eyes made their way up to his face I knew who he was.
"Brent?" I whispered.
"It's good for you to see me Franky." Brent leered at me through his scared face; he looked ominous. How was this possible? I looked at him closely and I noticed that he had a slight shimmer and he was slightly opaque. Again I asked how this was possible.
"You see Franky," The no named suited man talked to me again. I swiveled my body towards him keeping Brent in my peripheral. "Your friend Amy has been quite useful to us. We have been trying to recreate the frequency that reconfigures displaced energy and Amy here has given it to us." He nuzzled her neck when he said that last part. I almost killed him. He as sick this was a twisted man.
"Why did you do this?" I crossed my arms across my chest and let my face become steely and distant. I wanted him to think that I didn't care.
"Well why wouldn't we? You seem to have this complex Franky, it's a selfish complex but it is exploitable. You wallow in your guilt and grief. Your friend has helped us, not willingly of course as you can see by her current state, to make it possible for you to see your guilt face to face. I will admit that at first we thought maybe we would bring back your dead parents or someone else who had suffered from what you are; but then we found out from Amy's brain that Brent was a much more effective tool. The high school romance, the only boy you ever cared for, the boy who was never able to become a man and we had you." Amy's eyes were open and she was starring at me with so much sorrow and regret. I knew this wasn't her fault and I told her so.
"Don't feel guilty Amy. It isn't your fault." I rounded on Brent keeping the suited man in view. "Well Brent you should be proud of yourself. Tell me though, what drove you to make a pact with the devil?"
"It's quite simple Franks. You see Dr. Aster is a visionary and he has given me at least part of my life back. He has given me what I had craved for the past five years, he has given me life again." He leered at me. There was something in his eyes something I couldn't place. Uncertainty, regret, indecision? I decided to exploit that weakness.
"Brent! You are such an idiot. First of all do you think they can broadcast that signal everywhere? There is no way they could. You are stuck here. Second, this isn't life this is just the ability to see you. You can't touch people. You can't hold things. You can't feel, sense or experience anything. You are the same as you were before. And if this is about vengeance then you can't do that either. Also as long as you are dependant on them to give you this you will be in their control. Don't you think if they can figure out a way to reassemble you that they can take that away, permanently? Brent you idiot these are the people that killed you! Why would you help them?" I was livid at this point. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my body and I just wanted to kill someone or scream. I felt tears welling up in my eyes, but I refused to cry. I held them back until my eyes blurred. I turned to Dr. Aster I was seething at this point.
"You are a monster but you are wrong about me. I don't care about Brent. I feel no guilt for his death, in fact I am quite happy he is no longer alive. He deserves what he got." At that moment I meant that with every fiber of my being. I knew that I could only despise someone who would help such an insane and evil person. Brent was truly dead to me in all the ways possible. I had closed off my heart to him. I searched Aster's eyes for a while waiting for him to speak and all I saw was contemplation.
He finally spoke. "Well, I really don't think you mean what you just said, as impassioned as it was, but even if you did, we still have the matter of your friend here." He looked at her in a perverse way. I was so angry he was doing this. He would pay.
"If you kill her I won't tell you anything. You will have no hold over me." I thought this was logical and sound reasoning, I also thought this may very well save Amy's life.
"Kill her why would I want to kill her? She is so useful and she is also so young, beautiful and weak. Why would I deny myself this?" and then he kissed her neck, I saw Amy cringe and I cried out for him to stop. This was a worse fate than death, being in the hands of this deranged man was the sickest thing that could happen.
"If I do what you want will you let her go unharmed?" I was defeated but I had to finish what I started, I had to save Amy. I looked at Aster pleading. I realized that I had no way to secure that Amy was going to be safe. Say something! I was so fustrated my thoughts just reached their boiling point. I could feel my breath shuddering my body.
"You don't seem to understand the concept of leverage. If I let her go and assure her safety you can then say no to what I want you to do. If I keep her here then when you decide to be noble or selfish I have a bargaining chip. So I will not let her go. As for not harming her I can see that happening. Now do we have a deal?" I had to think. Where would he take us? Where would we go if I agreed? Would we be able to get out of here? I had to take the deal. It was our only chance at the moment.
"Fine. I will go with you." Aster cackled in triumph. I felt myself shudder with anger and then I took control.
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CHAPTER 9
REGRET IS JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS
While still holding Amy, Satan, I mean Dr. Aster, opened up one of the cabinets to his left. He grabbed something and then walked up to me. I hated him with so much vehemence that I felt my stomach turn from the bile of disdain. I decided at that moment that he would pay. I was sure of it.
“Turn around please Felicite.” He was curt, not polite, with this. I did as he asked and he crudely shackled me with his free hand. He grabbed me by the shoulder and marched me out of the room. His nails dug into my shoulder and I could feel them even through my leather jacket. We walked down the hall to the beginning and made a right. We followed till we got to the hallway where I had started out and we made another right. He marched me down the hallway and stopped in front of the infirmary windows. I saw the withering man lying there once again.
“I thought we would stop here so you could admire your handy work.” Dr. Aster said. I looked from the man to him his chin was nuzzled in the crook of Amy’s neck and he was peering in at the sickly man in the bed with a look of amusement.
“What do you mean my handy work?” I said skeptically and sarcastically. I had never seen this man and for him to die he would have had to spend a significant portion of time with me.
“Well you see, you are a part of him. He is dying because of what you are.” He was trying to be mysterious and coy with his response. I wasn’t going to have it.
“You know you are annoying and I barely know you.” Probably not the best response to give the devil but I did it anyway. I wanted him to know that I was not going to take this lying down. I would be obstinate any way possible.
“Well, well ma’am aren’t we feisty? I like a challenge so all you are achieving with your sarcasm and passive aggression is joy.” He looked at me with a questioning smile to make sure I saw his point. “You see a few months ago you may remember Dr. Servantes asking you for a sample of your blood so that he could run tests. Well, unlike the story you were given, we did receive the blood. We told you it was lost so that you would not desire test results and also so that James could break off communication. We found a willing participant in an intern. His name is Matt if you care. Anyway, we injected Matt here with your blood, you being o-negative helped the cause. Instantly, we saw the effects take place. Matt slowly started to deteriorate. We had only injected him with a small portion of your blood so that we could run tests on the rest. He only had about a quarter of the vile and here is the result. We tried everything we could think of to save him. We did a full blood transfusion and even radiation. He is still dying. Your blood is killing him.” He finished looking cheerfully at the glass partition again. How could he be so happy someone was dying?
I looked at the dying kid in front of me. According to Aster he was too young to die. He had only been an intern. I felt horrible. How had they convinced him to take this suicide mission? Why had they used a human donor? Had they thought he would make it? Had they thought he would be like me? Did they really want another person like me?
I had too many questions and not enough answers. I felt grief sweep over me, another name to add to the long list of people I had hurt. Another tally mark on the cosmic point system, another tip of the scale. I hated myself. I wanted to fight this depression sweeping over me, after all I had to stay strong, but I could find no will to do it. I decided to get answers. If I was going to do this I was going to be informed.
“Why did you do this?” I asked I knew he could hear the sorrow in my voice, I knew he could sense my self-loathing, especially after what he said next.
“So you feel sorry for the dumb kid. You know he chose this for himself. We did inform him that this was a suicide mission. We did let him know all the variables.” He cocked his eye brows at me seeing if I had changed my outlook. I hadn’t so he kept talking.
“Well Franky I would say this all started about twenty five years ago. We were doing research into the abilities of the so called paranormal, but as you had, we also discovered that these people were more like leaps in the evolutionary chain. Their brains and bodies were working to harness the laws we now associate with quantum theory. In our research we stumbled upon two very unique individuals. Both were similar to you. One was a man and one was a woman, they seemed to possess the ability to surround themselves with positive energy at will. This astounded me because as you may know this made them very prosperous. Both were substantially rich, both were at the peak of health, both were intelligent and both were attractive. They had a power that went beyond anything I had ever seen. A power that meant we could change the world. If our military possessed it, even if I possessed it, then there would be no sickness, there would be no poverty. This gift could end wars, and save millions of lives from the jaws of death. But we couldn’t harness it. We had no idea if this was genetic or caused by environmental factors, or even perhaps just happenstance. I reasoned with myself that there were two such people so that could not be true. So we devised a plan to test what was the cause of this miraculous anomaly, we engineered a child. We engineered you.” I looked at him in awe. I took in the whole scene, he seemed genuinely amused by my reaction to this revelation and he continued.
“It wasn’t hard to convince your parents to have you, because after meeting each other they had fallen in love anyway. When you were born we told them to raise you normally and to never tell you what you were, there was a great deal of paperwork involved to assure they wouldn’t. We watched you as you grew, but soon we realized that you were different. You did not have control like your parents, you were a black hole. Your parents were able to resist your abilities because they could take back what you had stolen, but every other person who entered your life ultimately suffered. We found with time, you became reclusive and we realized that was probably for the best. You were far more than we had ever expected you were too much to handle.” He was trying to paint me as the monster in this situation but I knew too well that I was not the monster, he was. I hated him. I hated him for giving me this life, for making me this way. I hated him for taking everything I ever cared about from me.
“However, Brent came into the picture. We could see you were infatuated, we could see that he cared about you and when you two were scene together that day at the park we had to act fast. Brent had stopped at a gas station to fill up his car on the way home and while there, one of our operatives placed a bomb underneath his car. You know the rest of the story as Amy had told you. We had to do what we did to push you over the edge but Brent did not die for a year after the accident. When he did though, we had you, and you locked yourself away solving the problem for us. There was one glitch though, your parents loved you. We had it on good information that they had breached their contract so we had to take them as well. I was always sorry about that but like Brent it was their own fault.” He paused for me to take this in.
I could not remember a time where my parents had told me anything like this. They had never mentioned that I was different, they had never talked to me about what they were. They had never made me feel like I wasn’t alone. I racked my brain for what had killed them and then I found the sliver of memory from four years ago.
It had been late at night and I had been crying in my room. Crying for Brent, myself and for everyone else that ever had to know me, and they must have heard me because they both came in. My mother cradled me and my father told me it was okay, he told me he understood. He said that they would fix everything. They died a week later. I was eighteen.
They had left me a significant trust fund, most of which went to the house I now live in and their funeral. I had blamed myself for their deaths for so long. I had thought they had been lucky to live as long as they did, that I had been lucky to have parents until I was an adult. I guess it never had anything to do with that. It had all been because of the twisted man in front of me.
I shook my head trying to etch-e-sketch away the memories. I couldn’t but I was back to reality. I was back in the hallway in front of the devil, the dying man, the traitor and the victim.
“Why do you now want me to work for you if I am so dangerous?” I really wanted to ask him how he had managed to turn to the dark side, but I saved it. I already knew the answer, greed.
“That’s the first good question you have had all day. Well we still want your gift. We just have to know where we went wrong so that we can start again. Also, we feel what you can be used as an advantage we have seen what you are capable of. You would make a great operative in our initiative to track down those with abilities we have not been able to find, we think you would have a lot of luck at this. That is what we need you for. Now, I want you to know this will be painful and tough, but I guess I will get to be the only one enjoying it.” He gave me a malicious smile before I saw his hand quickly move up to my neck and felt the searing pain run through my body. My body crumpled to the ground and I lost consciousness.
I woke up on a cot in a white room. I sat up with a start and looked around. The cot was against a white cinder block wall. The room was small and cramped on one side was a bank of mirrors. I knew they had to be two-way mirrors because why else would they be there. Against the far wall was a chair with fresh clothes on it. I got up and looked at them, they were mine. This made me instantly furious, they had been in my house! I took a deep breath and laid back down on the cot. I looked at the white ceiling and got lost in thought. I never heard Brent enter the room. I guess he didn't make a noise, one of the perks of being a ghost I guess. He startled me when he spoke.
"Why do you hate me?" He said. His voice wasn't upset or remorseful. That is what you would expect someone to sound like when they asked a question like that. I put my arm over my eyes, refusing to look at him. I took a moment to respond.
"Are you really that astounded? How could I not hate you?" I was weary, my neck was starting to throb from where Aster had used the stun gun, at least I was assuming that's what he had used. I felt like I had been hit by a semi-truck.
"How can you hate someone for what they are?" He asked with a childlike curiosity. If my eyes weren't covered he would have seen me roll them. He had become rather philosophical since he had died. It was rather annoying. I finally replied exasperated.
"Because this is not who you are Brent." I just felt tired, I felt like I needed more sleep, but I had no idea how long I had been out or where Amy was or what I needed to do to save us both.
"I am fairly certain I am who I have always been, same as you. I may not have a body but I never lost my personality or intellect. I am still the same man. I have never hated you for what you are. I have never been able to even fathom it, so how can you hate me for what I am?" I was getting aggravated. Were all dead people this frustrating?
"Listen, what I am is not a matter of choice. I did not chose this for myself, you chose to be an asshole and work for the devil. Now leave me and my hate alone." I rolled over onto my stomach and put my head in the pillow. I wanted him to go away. I closed my eyes and started to drift asleep and then he appeared in my mind. I had forgotten he could do that. I was going to scream if he didn't leave me alone. I started but before I could Brent motioned for me to shut up. He started to speak.
"Franky, I am sorry for what has happened between us, this was the only way to help you. You have to save yourself. What you are is bad in the wrong hands. You have to get out of here. I can help you but you have to trust me." I shook my head. I couldn't leave Amy behind, there had to be a way to save her too. She had done too much for me to just give up like this. I had to fix everything.
I thought to Brent "I need to save her. I have too." My minds image of him gave me a scowl.
"Franky you can't save her. You have to get yourself out first. I know you are trying to make up for not saving me, but like I said that was never you fault and Amy is just one life versus millions and even billions if they get their hands on what you are. Do you really want that weighing on your conscious for one person. Think about it Franky." His voice had a hint of smugness and authority, like he knew he was right. Like he thought his reason was bullet proof but my emotions shot large holes in his logic. I had already made my decision.
"You can't understand this because you are dead and pretty much heartless but she is all I have. She almost died for me. I can not abandon her now." I turned over and opened my eyes and jumped about ten feet off the bed. Brent had been hovering over me. I felt violated and shocked all at the same time. What the hell! He rolled over onto his side in mid air and starred at me.
"What?" He said rather casually.
"What? What do you mean what? I know you haven't been away from humankind to not remember what boundaries are. You just crossed one kid." He smiled. God he was frustrating. "Alright well since you completely freaked me out tell me how to get out of here." He put a finger to his lips in a shushing motion and then he pointed and winked at me. He then disappeared. I hated this vanishing act crap, it was unfair.
Just then the door to my cell opened and in walked Dr. Aster and a tall woman in a lab coat. Her hair was in a long ponytail and she was very pale and hauty looking. She was wearing horn rimmed glasses. Dr. Aster started the introductions.
"Felicite this is Dr. Molokai our resident physician. She is here to check you out and make sure you are okay after that little fainting spell earlier."
"Fainting spell? You mean when you tasered me?" I crossed my arms over my chest and cocked an eyebrow at him, I was challenging him to admit his wrong doings and I was surprised with his answer.
"Why yes, that is exactly what I am talking about." He was infuriating and also without remorse. I hated this man more than I hated anyone.
Dr. Molokai walked towards me and motioned for me to sit. She grabbed a small flashlight out of the breast pocket of her lab coat. She shined it towards my eyes.
"Look ahead please. Thank you. Now please bend your neck so I can see the contact wound." I did as she asked. She looked it over and then stood up. She started asking me questions after that.
"Do you feel any pressure in your chest or head."
"Yes." I replied
"That is too be expected. How would you rate the discomfort you are in on a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst pain you have ever felt?" Was she serious? I was not going to sit here and act like a child in a doctor's office.
"Where's Amy?" I finally asked. "You promised me she would be safe. Where is she?" I waved Dr. Molokai away. I wanted answers.
"She's safe for now. As long as you do what we say she will remain that way." He seemed sincere but I had to get out of this room on my own terms.
"Excuse me if this seems rude, but I don't trust you. I want to see her. I want to speak with her. If you take me to her I will comply." I looked at him skeptically. I didn't know if it was worth a shot but it seemed like it.
"It is not rude my dear, your would be a fool to trust me, and I can't have fools working for me." He motioned to Dr. Molokai and me as he opened the door. We walked out of my cell, my plan was falling into place.
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CHAPTER 10
THERE IS A FINE LINE BETWEEN GENIUS AND INSANITY
THERE IS A FINE LINE BETWEEN GENIUS AND INSANITY
I walked out of the room with Dr. Molokai and Dr. Aster flagging me on either side. My cell led into another room filled with monitors, recording equipment and computers. It was cramped and dark inside that small room and I could see that I had been right about the two way mirrors. We walked on through a door in the rear of the room and out into a white and fluorescent lit hallway. This seemed to be a different part of the basement. Maybe a hidden, or extremely secure area, because there were very few doorways, and also no signs of life besides the three of us. Maybe not knowing how dangerous I was paranoid the good doctors into removing the personal. Maybe it was still Sunday and everyone was off at home. Hopefully, that was the case. Who knew how messy things were about to get.
We pressed on into the vastness of the corridor and out to the end of the hall. This was definitely a different part of the basement, because the main hallway in this section was unpainted cement. I heard a gentle humming fill the ambient noise of this section. I turned to Dr. Molokai, determined not the speak to the other evil next to me.
“What is that noise?” I asked out of sheer curiosity. I felt it was best to know exactly where I was.
“Well it is interesting that you asked, Adrian would you care to explain?” She turned to Dr. Aster. I found it funny that his name was Adrian, the meaning was very poignant. Adrian looked at me and he turned us down the hallway, the humming got louder and he opened a door to the left of us and we walked in. Inside was a large whirring mechanism. As I looked I noticed that the machine was made of a large and luminous sphere in the center with encompassing ellipses and circles twirling around in various orbits. It looked like a very large version of an atom.
“This is our perpetual motion generator.” Adrian started by saying. “This machine generates ten times more energy that a wind turbine and needs a hundredth of the amount of energy to sustain itself. We currently power the whole building with this one machine, but we could power twenty buildings this size. However, this technology is very dangerous and so it is still being tested. What do you think?” I looked at the machine in awe and suspicion. This couldn’t be it. Why was this a secret? It could solve the energy crisis. I instantly realized a huge design flaw all the moving parts were interconnected and all had to be working properly in order for the machine to function. This must have some maintenance issues, and some dangerous potential.
“What is at the core? What substance did you use to create such a strong magnetic field?” I asked. Adrian turned to me with a skeptical eye, he seemed intrigued that I had deduced the workings of the machine in such a short time.
“Well, that is for me to know and you to find out. I can’t have you knowing all our secrets.” It must be something big and dangerous or else he was just trying to annoy me. Well this was an interesting development. “Well let’s not doddle any longer. We need to get to business, let’s lead you to your comrade.” With that we walked out of the room, me with a long look at the machine.
We left back out into the hallway and followed down the lit corridor to another room. We stopped in front of a door with a small inset window made of security glass. I looked inside.
The room looked to be padded, like it was part of a mental ward. Sitting in the corner of the room was Amy. She was dressed in all white, a tunic like shirt and pants. They had even dressed her like a mental patient. She wasn’t crazy, this was an attempt to diminish her. I instantly became angry.
“Why the hell is she in a looney room?” I turned on Adrian and Dr. Molokai. I looked at the pair sternly.
“Well we can’t have her escaping or hurting herself, you make think we did it. This was the only solution.” He looked at me smugly as if this was my fault.
“Well I want to talk to her.” I crossed my arms over my chest and planted my feet, they were going to give me what I wanted or else. I starred them down for a few minutes as both Dr. Molokai and Adrian gave each other poignant looks and finally they conceded.
“Well if you insist.” Adrian moved to open the door and let me inside. I walked in and sat on the floor across from Amy reaching carefully into my pocket as I did trying to conceal what I was taking from inside. Both the demons stood in the door and watched me and I looked at Amy. I felt a knot form in my throat as I observed her. The skin around her temple was blistering from where the electrodes had been and her hair was dirty and matted. I waited to speak until she looked up at me. She needed to see my face for this.
“Amy are you okay?” She looked at me with awe. She had seen what was in my hand. I frowned at her, letting her know that she needed to conceal her expression. Her face changed slowly to fear.
She just starred at me like a battered woman. She looked worn and forlorn, there was no hope in her eyes.
“I am so sorry. I tried Amy I really did. I don’t know what to do, but they say if I cooperate they won’t hurt you. They will keep you safe.” I placed my hands clasped into her lap and dropped what I was holding discreetly into it, she was sitting cross legged so it fell into the expanse onto the floor. I then leaned in and put my hand to her face. I looked her squarely in the eyes. I wanted to convey what I was trying to get through her head in the best way I could.
“You need to do whatever you can to stay safe. If they come after you or hurt you, they may not tell me. You need to send Brent if you are not safe. He can tell me what is happening. I know that this is hard, but you have to be brave. Remember, send Brent and be brave.” I took my jacket off and draped it over her shoulders.
“Hand me that jacket, Felicite.” I heard Adrian say from behind me. I picked it up and handed it to him.
“She’s cold I can feel it in her face.” I looked at him sternly as he checked the pockets. He wasn’t going to find anything. He handed it back to me and motioned for me to give it to her. I draped it back over her and hugged her. I whispered in her ear.
“You will be okay. I promise.” And then I got up and walked out with the devil doctors. I glanced back briefly into the room as Amy just sat there a look of shock on her face. All I could do was pray that she would make it and as I glanced back into the room one last time I saw the assurance I needed, her face became determined and stony.
I pressed on with the two in front of me. I looked to my left and right trying to find anything that might be useful in my half of the escape plan. I searched vainly until we reached a corridor. I saw sitting against the wall in the hallway a cart full of equipment. On it sat several flasks, vials and beakers. One of the stopped vials had a diamond on the outside. I reached out and grabbed the vial quietly, since my captors were in front of me they didn’t see me and I placed the vile into my pants pocket. I looked down to see if it was noticeable and it wasn’t. I kept walking.
We walked until we got back to my cell and we stepped inside the room with all the electronic equipment. I leaned against the wall as the two doctors sat in office chairs and pulled up files on the various computer screens. I looked around for what I needed and I found it. Just then Adrian started to speak.
“If you will turn to the monitor on the wall and look we have your first mission ready.” I turned to the wall he pointed at, inset into it was a large television. It illuminated the room as it turned on.
A picture of a girl with rust red hair and pale features appeared on the screen. She looked to be in her mid twenties. Her smile was dazzling and her eyes were a light green. I did not recognize her which was a relief.
“This is Haley Weinstein, she is of great interest to the company, we need you to ascertain her services willingly or by force and bring her here.” I looked over at Adrian his head was propped on his clenched hands and his elbows propped on the desk in front of him. He starred at me. I had to play the part.
“Why do you want her?” I thought that was a good question.
“Well we she is of great interest to us, she seems to possess the ability to control electrical current.” He looked at me with great zeal, he was excited I could tell. I hated him.
“She seems? As in you don’t know for sure? Why would you send me after someone if you don’t know for sure what they can do?” This made me angry, how many people were they watching? How many people were they unsure of? How many files of women and men did they have just like this one?
“Well that is why we are sending you. We hope that your apparent gifts will give you an advantage. Here is your bag back minus anything to help you escape and the dossier. We will give you twenty four hours to study it. Now if you will go in to your room and allow Dr. Molokai to give you a shot we would be very appreciative.”
“A shot of what?” I said holding my ground and looking skeptical.
“Why my silly girl you didn’t think we would let you leave without a way to find you? Dr. Molokai has created one of the smallest tracking devices known to man. So small in fact that it can literally be injected into the blood stream of a living person.” They were going to track me! I needed to act now.
I looked at him. I pulled the vile from my pants pocket and looked at it for a second it said Nitro methane, and then I hurled it to my intended target, the electrical hub on the floor, As the vile broke and the chemical inside was released a huge flame rose in the middle of the room, it was enough distraction to turn and run, and that is exactly what I did.
I ran, I ran as fast as I could. Making turns down the twisting corridors to my next stop. I sped up as I heard the whirring noise ahead of me. I reached for the door to the room and I entered. In front of me was the perpetual motion machine. I looked around the room and found one of the light fixtures on the wall. I reached up and using my body weight, yanked it down. With the light fixture in my hands I turned back towards the machine and counted to ten.
I knew this was suicide, I knew it but I had no other choice. Brent had been right. This wasn’t just about me anymore, this was bigger than that.
Eight. Breath.
Nine. Breath
Ten. One last breath.
I hurled the light fixture into the rotating blades and I turn and reached for the door. I flung it open and dove onto the floor, sliding into the hall way in front of me. I got up to start running, just in time.
The explosion rippled through the hallway and the shock waves ripped through my body, I fell onto the floor and flung myself against the wall curling up into a ball with my hands over my face. Shrapnel flew all around me, but none of it touched me.
It was over as soon as it began and when I opened my eyes it was pitch black. I waited for my eyes to adjust. They didn’t, it really was completely dark.
I had to get out of here but how?
I couldn’t go back the way I came and I was unsure as to how long I had before the building collapsed. I am sure it didn’t blow apart the whole building. Then again the machine was located in the basement so the structural integrity of the building was definitely challenged.
This was not my best idea.
I was on my feet by this time and as I walked and felt against the wall lights popped on. They were dim but they still hurt my eyes. A backup generator? I hadn’t planned on that even though I should have. Well this was a stroke of both good and bad luck.
I looked around at the destruction I had caused. Down the hall where the machine had once been was a massive hole in the concrete. Exposed wiring and rebar stuck out along the edges of the expanse. Lights were hanging from the ceiling some of them still flickering. Debris was everywhere. It looked like a scene from a movie and yet this was less than I had expected.
I stumbled down the corridor to the hallway I knew I needed to be at. I was hoping I had been right. I was hoping she was still there. I reached the corridor where Amy’s cell was and I looked inside the inset window and there she was. Huddled in the corner with the leather jacket over her head and torso. I slammed on the door, trying to get her attention and not anyone else’s. She peaked her head over the coat and beamed at me. She looked so happy. She ran over to the door and forced the key car underneath the padding through to the bottom. I saw it protrude from the bottom just a sliver and pulled it the rest of the way out.
Once the key card was free I slid it through the lock and the door opened. She was free. She bolted out of the room slamming the door behind her.
Then we started running. All I could here was our breath and the soles of my shoes and her slippers skidding down the corridors till we made it back to the exit. We were at the beginning the place where I had started.
I felt my heart skip for joy as I reached for the door. Just as my hand touched the knob I heard Amy scream.
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CHAPTER 11
JESUS, DID JESUS GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS?
JESUS, DID JESUS GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS?
I whipped around to face the source of the commotion and there stood a withered man in a hospital gown he released his hand from its the place on Amy’s stomach. I looked in horror at the discharged syringe protruding from her waist.
Matt collapsed onto the floor next to Amy. He had used all his strength to complete this act of malice. I looked in horror from him to Amy and then back again. I was sure what he had done but I had to be positive.
“Tell me you didn’t?” My voice was hoarse and strained.
“I did.” He croaked his eyes starred at me intently so much hatred was behind them.
I had to act fast. I dove to the ground, pulled out the syringe and ripped open Amy’s shirt. I didn’t care about the social norms that I was breaking as I laid my lips to her stomach and began to suck. I had to the get the blood out. I had to save her.
Very little came from the small puncture wound caused by the needle so I bit and sucked more. She screamed as I did this and flailed her hands and legs. I grabbed hold of her and spit out the blood and went down for another mouth full. I had no idea if this was going to work. It saved people from snake bites, but could it save them from human blood? I had no assurance and no way of knowing whether or not I was doing her a favor. After a few minutes I stopped and ripped the bottom of my shirt and placed the fabric on the wound applying pressure with my hands.
We had to get out of here now, there was no more I could do at the present moment. I helped Amy up off the ground and told her to apply pressure and stay alert. I swiped the pass card and opened the door, not looking back at the dying man on the floor. He had made his choice.
Amy and I hobbled to the elevator and pressed the button but I realized just as I did that the elevator was not going to work. We would have to take the stairs. We exited back into the hallway and continued down. I found an out of place doorway in the wall and opened it with the pass card. Inside was the stairway.
We climbed up the stairs with gusto just hoping to make it to the main floor. When we finally saw the doorway I swiped the key card and we tumbled out on to the marble floor of the lobby. We were let out right by the elevators. Only problem was the lobby was full of people.
We stood up looking to see if anyone had seen us. Of course they had. And they were all starring. There had to be at least twenty people in the lobby, and I could hear sirens in the distance. I did the only thing I could think of.
“Get out the building is not sound! It’s going to collapse!” With those words everyone panicked and rushed to the front doors. I grabbed Amy’s arm and headed in the opposite direction. There had to be another way out of the building.
We ran down corridors and hallways and we headed to what I thought was the east side of the building. There was a street along this side and there had to be a second entrance, a loading dock or something. We ran and hit dead end after dead end. We were never going to get out.
Finally, I saw the bright red hallelujah sign reading “Exit” above a metal door and we bolted through, out onto the darkened street. We were in a loading area or alley way. I couldn’t tell and I didn’t care, I could hear the building moaning. It was about to collapse.
I grabbed Amy’s arm and began running. We ran until we got to the other side of the building where I had parked the car. People were everywhere and the fire trucks had arrived. In the confusion I unlocked the car and helped Amy into the passenger’s side. I ran around to the other side and got in. I put the keys in the ignition and revved the engine to get the people out of the way.
The cops hadn’t shown up yet so no one was around to stop me. I put the pedal to the metal and when we were out of sight of the building and all the people, I slowed down to five above the speed limit. I had to get Amy somewhere safe but where was safe?
I still had my bag slung across my chest, I had almost completely forgotten that they had been stupid enough to give it back. I stopped at a red light and began rummaging through to see what I had. They had given me my wallet minus any cash. Those bastards there had been at least two hundred dollars in there! My ATM card was still there and so were my credit cards. Now to find a hotel.
I drove looking as I went. I knew most of the hotels were located in the downtown area but I had to stop for another reason, I needed supplies for Amy’s wound. I stopped at a drug store a few blocks later and got out. I was in and out in about fifteen minutes.
I got back in the car and drove away. We drove for about an hour until I found a decent enough hotel on the outskirts of town. One where I was sure they wouldn’t mind me not using my real name, but would be cautious enough not to give out my room number. I left Amy in the car and walked in. I walked up to the front desk as I did the clerk looked at me suspiciously. I checked myself in the mirrors behind the desk why she was starring and saw that I looked like a hot mess. I looked back to her a little ashamed but resilient.
“I need a room for tonight. With two beds if possible.” The clerk typed on the computer she didn’t seem too happy about having to work. I looked around the lobby and didn’t see a soul and when I had pulled into the parking lot there had only been a few cars. If this was a normal circumstance I would have taken my money and walked out but it wasn’t so I dealt with the rudeness.
“We have a room with two queen beds available they are going for one oh nine a night plus tax. Would you like to take it?” Normally in a place this dead I would haggle a little but like I said this wasn’t normally.
As she was clicking her mouse and typed, I had the presence of mind to remember that Amy and I couldn’t share a room.
“Actually, I am really sorry can I do two rooms with king beds. Sorry.” She looked at me with annoyance.
“Sure do you have a method of payment and I.D.?” I reached into my satchel.
“This is my card but can we put the rooms under a different name?” She looked at me skeptically. I hoped that I was draining her because she was frustrating me. I kept calm though. I needed to be able to stay here.
“That’s fine. What name would you like to put them under?” I paused to think of what name. She looked at me with impatience this time.
“Mallory Gaston.” I said after the name popped into my head. She typed in the information and then ran my card.
“Can I have those rooms close by each other, by any chance?” She looked at the computer with a scowl.
“Sure ma’am let me get you checked in now.” She handed me two sets of room cards in envelopes and a piece of paper to sign. I signed it and took the keys. The room numbers indicated that Amy and I were either right next door to each other or across the hall. I walked out to the car and got in. After I parked grabbed the drug store bags and helped Amy out we went in through the side door of the building. We followed down the hall to the elevators and went up stairs to our floor. I helped Amy into her room and then looked to locate mine. It was right across the hall from hers. We went into Amy’s room and I helped her onto the bed. I grabbed the ice bucket and took it to the bathroom, I washed my hands and then filled the bucket with water I grabbed the bag with the medical supplies in it and began the task of disinfecting and cleaning Amy’s wound.
Once I got all the blood and dirt out I swabbed it with rubbing alcohol. She hissed in pain as I did. I winced but I had to do it. Once the bite mark was clean I placed a large water proof bandage over the top of it.
“I am sorry Amy.” I moved away from her and threw all the wrappers and used gauze in the trash. When I got no response I went to the bathroom and dumped the water into the sink. As I walked out of the bathroom I caught Amy’s eyes and she responded.
“What did he do to me?” She was quizzical but behind the curiosity I could tell she was scared. I pulled a chair up next to the bed and sat down. I hunched over my elbows on my knees and I ran my hands through my hair and then I looked up. Her face had transformed, she was definitely afraid now. I leaned back in the chair rubbing my hands over my thighs trying to gain traction on what I was about to tell her. I finally got a hold of myself and let the words go.
“The man in the basement, his name was Matt. He was an experiment done by Dr. Adrian Aster, one of the founders, to figure out the effects of my blood on other people. He was trying to find out whether what I am could be diluted into another body and possibly not be as dangerous. He was wrong. After he injected my blood into the Matt, he started to deteriorate. I don’t know how rapidly and to what extent because they have done several treatments in order to help him. What he injected into you, or at least what he said he did, was my blood. I tried to save you. I am so sorry.”
She rolled her head and starred at the ceiling. She talked to it instead of me.
“So he went after me trying to kill me with your blood? Why me?” She didn’t seem sad or somber just contemplative. I leaned forward again with my elbows on my knees and I talked to the floor.
“I told you. I am too lucky for that. He couldn’t have killed me with my own blood. I don’t know how he got it in the first place. I had only sent them a vile and they said they used it all.” And then I looked down at my arms I sat up with a start and rolled up the sleeves to my shirt and saw the needle mark in my right arm and the bruise slowly forming.
No.
They had taken my blood and Brent had known. That is what he was trying to warn me about. My blood was a biological weapon that could be spread to countless individuals through a single inoculation. How much did they take? How much had they planned too? Who would they use it on?
I got up from the chair taking the keys to my room out of my pocket. I placed one on Amy’s end table.
“I have to think. There’s my room key if you need anything just come get me. I also got you some sweats and toiletry stuff at the drug store. Feel free to charge room service to the room.” I went to walk out. I couldn’t sit there and look at her, she was the consequences of what I was. I grabbed my half of the toiletries and clothes and as I grabbed the door handle I stopped.
“I am sorry Amy, you have no idea how much this kills me. I never wanted this to happen to you. I am going to do whatever I can to make it right, I promise.” And I walked out of the room and across the hallway to my own room. Once inside I flung myself down onto the bed and buried my head into the pillow.
I was back where I had been earlier in the day. Once again Amy’s life held in the balance of things but this time I had no confidence that I could save her. Why couldn’t it have been me? I would have been fine with that.
I looked at the clock it was close to eleven the news would be coming on soon. I turned on the television and found the local news and I grabbed the bag of toiletries and headed to the bathroom leaving the door open so I could hear. I hoped in the shower and about five minutes in I heard the distinct voice of a news anchor come on.
“In breaking news tonight mayhem in downtown tonight…. The downtown head quarters of the AGH Genetics building collapsed after a massive explosion in the basement occurred this evening. At this time there are no causalities but a few members of the staff are in intensive care. We will update as the news comes in.”
What did he say? Did he say no causalities?
It is probably not good to be unhappy people are alive but I had hoped that the destruction I had caused would put me in the clear. I was hoping at the very least everyone who knew about me and my abilities had left this world for good so I could go back to living my life. I thought what I was would be inclusive enough to pick off not only the people I loved but the people I despised as well. It seemed that was not the case.
So I had another problem on my hands. Not only did I have to save Amy I had to get my life back. This was turning out to be the worst weekend ever.
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CHAPTER 12
WHEN OFFENSE DOESN’T WORK GO FOR THE JUGULAR
WHEN OFFENSE DOESN’T WORK GO FOR THE JUGULAR
First and foremost I had to get home. My laptop was there, all my credit cards, my bank information, my other important documents and my clothes. If I was going to accomplish what I was planning I needed those things.
I put on the scrub pants, t-shirt, and sweat shirt I had bought at the drugstore. I slipped into my shoes. I did not match at all but who cares about style when you are being hunted by a maniac genetic company? Not me.
I walked out the door and went into Amy’s room. I heard her breathing softly the television was on some lame late night show. I snuck over quietly to the desk and wrote a note on the telephone pad. It said:
Amy,
If I am not back when you wake up don’t leave until morning.
Franky
And I left one of my credit cards and my car keys on the end table, then slipped out of the room.
I walked through the lobby and saw the sleeping security guard and the front desk clerk lazily starring at a small television on the counter. I walked up to him. He rounded his eyes on me and looked annoyed.
“Hey can you call my a cab?” I asked leaving out the pleasantries. The clerk sighed and picked up the phone and dialed.
“We have a pick up at the Grand Haven Hotel on West Eden street… Yes she will be waiting in the lobby...Thanks Bye.”
I walked to the front entrance went through the revolving door and sat outside on a small bench out front by the cigarette receptacle and waited.
It was a cool night the breeze underneath the carport was comforting, but it smelt like rain was coming. People always though it was weird that I can smell when it is going to rain, it was a strange skill after all. I was always right too which was strange as well. On top of that I could smell when it was going to snow as well which was even stranger I guess.
I am a strange person all around. I sat there in idle thought for a while as I waited for the cab and then I drifted back to what Brent had said to me in the holding cell.
"How can you hate someone for what they are?" He had said. I realized that it was easy to do but did I really hate Brent? Was I really okay with what had happened to him? At that moment a song popped into my head and I began humming. I then sung the chorus softly to myself.
“So fuck you, fuck you, fuck you. And all we've been through I said leave it, leave it, leave it. It's nothing to you. And if you hate me, hate me, hate me. Then hate me so good that you can let me out. Let me out of this hell when you're around.” Damien Rice was right.
I was going to hate Brent, hate him so good that he would be out of my life. At that moment the cab pulled up and I got in. I handed the cab driver my credit card so he could run it and gave him directions to the street my house was on. We pulled away from the hotel, nothing but the faint sound of the radio waffling through the air of the vehicle. About fifteen minutes into the drive the taxi driver spoke to me.
“You a prostitute?” He asked looking back at me in the rearview mirror.
“Do I look like a prostitute?” I looked right back at him in the mirror, my eyes steely.
“Well, no but why else would a pretty girl like you be leaving a hotel so late?” He glanced back again to see if I was mad.
“Let me give you some deductive tools for the next time you have such an inquiry. One, if I was a prostitute then I probably would have paid with cash because I wouldn’t want confirmation of where I had been. Two. if I was a prostitute I would not be wearing scrub pants and a sweat shirt. And finally three, I would not be able to use the words deductive, inquiry or confirmation properly in the same paragraph.” I looked out the passenger window as I casually said this but I saw his reflection in the glass he was embarrassed. Well good. At least I accomplished something today. He was quiet for a moment.
“Look, I am sorry lady. I guess I don’t have any manners, you know?” I nodded and looked out the back window. We drove in silence the rest of the way.
As we approached the long open street my house was on, I had the man pull over at the corner. I got out of the cab and stood on the corner until he drove off. I snuck down the sidewalk to my neighbors house and hopped the fence. I slunk across their yard till I reached the fence separating my property from theirs. I looked through the slats of the fence into my yard. The lights to the house were off. Well that posed a problem but I didn't see anyone lurking around which was good. I would have to make it to the shed on the other side of my property to get a flashlight. I looked around for something to use as a weapon, and I saw stuck into the dirt of the flowerbed I was standing in a pair garden shears. Bulky, but effective. I grabbed the sheers and hoisted myself one handed over the fence. I landed softly on my grass on the other side.
I stood for a second listening, trying to discern any noise. All I heard was the wind rustling through the trees. I ran to the cover of the house and flushed myself against the wall. I crouched as I passed along the deck.
I was still side stepping along the expanse of the deck when I heard the two male voices approach through the side gate. I dove underneath the deck and crouched in the shadows poised for action.
"I still can not believe we can't find Green's body anywhere. How the hell would a girl like that get rid of a body so fast? I mean there is not a trace in the house." I heard the first man with a young and anxious voice say to the other.
"Well according to the Chief she is highly resourceful, I am not surprised that she was able to get rid of a body. I mean she did melt the guys face, break into headquarters, manage to extort and torture Taylor and then blow up the building." The other man's voice was level and a deep baritone.
Man I had a wrap sheet and the kicker was I had obtained it all in one day. The men kept talking but suddenly I couldn't hear. I had a problem.
I felt the warm tickling sensation spread on the inside of my nose. I looked up and pinched my nose shut with my fingers. It was no use. I reached up with my hands just in time to pad the sound but the sneeze was loud and it echoed under the deck.
"What was that?" The anxious man said.
"Spread out and check the area." said the other.
Great now I was a sitting duck. I sat poised and waiting, waiting for the sweeping flashlights that were flooding the area with lights to catch me in their rays.
"It sounded like it came from over here." Said the younger man. His flashlight swept the ground by the deck and I heard him crouch down by the side. He shinned his flash light under and before the beam even touched me I thrust the sheers to where he was. I felt the blades sink into something, I ripped them out and heard a thud and the flashlight fell and rolled on the ground. The beam rolled to show the boys face as he scrunched it in agony. He let out a howl and grabbed his stomach. he was writhing in pain.
I heard the heavy yet swift footsteps of his comrade and I poised myself again. As the man crouched into the flashlight beam I struck him in the leg. I didn't want two deaths on my hands but I had to wound him enough so I spread the sheers and twisted as I pulled them out. Where did I get these instincts from? Jesus I was scary, even to myself.
I climbed out from underneath the deck on the other side away from the bodies. I grabbed the flashlight by the kid and shined it on Mr. Baritone. He had a cell phone in his hand. I kicked it away and picked it up slamming it shut. I showed the light into his eyes and started talking.
"Why are you here?" I said standing over the man.
"We were sent to clean up your mess." He said in agony and contempt.
"Well, why didn't you leave when you found that I had done it for myself?" I was breathing heavily and I felt the burden of what I had just done to these men but I saved face and pushed forward in my mind.
"Well we were told to bring you in after the building collapsed." He said.
"Well then, how many of you are there?" I looked at him sternly. "Don't lie to me."
"It's just us, they figured we could handle it." He looked at me straight in the face. He was lying. I stepped on his hand.
"How many others are there?!" I repeated.
"There's two inside the house!" He cried in pain.
"Better not be lying." I turned and walked away. With the flashlight and the sheers I bounded towards the house and up the deck. I opened the backdoor silently as I could and stepped inside. I had a definite advantage here, this was the house I had lived in for the past three years. I knew every inch and every creek of the floor plan and they didn't. I walked silently through the kitchen and I ducked behind the island.
I sidestepped over and peaked my head around the side of the island. I saw into the living room. Two men were sitting on my couch both asleep. A faint glow hit their face, they must be asleep. I eased myself up trying not to make a noise. Once I was standing I tiptoed through the kitchen to the hallway next to it and walk up the four steps to the hall. I went to my bedroom first.
Once there I shut the door quietly, I would hear them before they saw me. I grabbed my duffel bag off the shelf in the closet and started stuffing it with clothes. I grabbed a couple pairs of sneakers and double of everything. I wasn’t sure Amy would be able to go home and get her own clothes. She would just have to deal with my sense of style. When the bag was full I figured that would have to do. I went to the end table and grabbed the box of bullets and a full clip from my end table. I then approached the door to my bedroom and placed my ear against it. This felt oddly like earlier today, all I heard was the soft drowned out noise of the television. I opened the door and crept into my office. There on my desk was my laptop and the charger neatly placed side by side. I reached into my desk drawer once again looking for my gun. It wasn’t there. I rummaged for a few seconds trying to be as quiet as possible.
“Looking for something?” A gruff but smug voice rang out. I froze when I heard it. And I looked frantically for what I needed and then I saw it on the book shelf where I had left it.
“Yes.” And with those words I grabbed the gun swung around and shot the man in the doorway of my office in the gut. He grabbed his side where the bullet had hit and he fell to the ground.
I looked at him. I knew what they did in the movies, they killed him off, but I couldn’t do that. I could not bring myself to kill him. I stood there in shock watching the man die and I grabbed my laptop and charger. I had to get out of here.
I left the study in haste and headed to the kitchen. My keys were hanging on the wall by the phone. I grabbed the keys to my motorcycle. When I turned to head to the backdoor I found I was looking at the barrel of a gun.
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CHAPTER 12
WHEN OFFENSE DOESN’T WORK GO FOR THE JUGULAR
WHEN OFFENSE DOESN’T WORK GO FOR THE JUGULAR
First and foremost I had to get home. My laptop was there, all my credit cards, my bank information, my other important documents and my clothes. If I was going to accomplish what I was planning I needed those things.
I put on the scrub pants, t-shirt, and sweat shirt I had bought at the drugstore. I slipped into my shoes. I did not match at all but who cares about style when you are being hunted by a maniac genetic company? Not me.
I walked out the door and went into Amy’s room. I heard her breathing softly the television was on some lame late night show. I snuck over quietly to the desk and wrote a note on the telephone pad. It said:
Amy,
If I am not back when you wake up don’t leave until morning.
Franky
And I left one of my credit cards and my car keys on the end table, then slipped out of the room.
I walked through the lobby and saw the sleeping security guard and the front desk clerk lazily starring at a small television on the counter. I walked up to him. He rounded his eyes on me and looked annoyed.
“Hey can you call my a cab?” I asked leaving out the pleasantries. The clerk sighed and picked up the phone and dialed.
“We have a pick up at the Grand Haven Hotel on West Eden street… Yes she will be waiting in the lobby...Thanks Bye.”
I walked to the front entrance went through the revolving door and sat outside on a small bench out front by the cigarette receptacle and waited.
It was a cool night the breeze underneath the carport was comforting, but it smelt like rain was coming. People always though it was weird that I can smell when it is going to rain, it was a strange skill after all. I was always right too which was strange as well. On top of that I could smell when it was going to snow as well which was even stranger I guess.
I am a strange person all around. I sat there in idle thought for a while as I waited for the cab and then I drifted back to what Brent had said to me in the holding cell.
"How can you hate someone for what they are?" He had said. I realized that it was easy to do but did I really hate Brent? Was I really okay with what had happened to him? At that moment a song popped into my head and I began humming. I then sung the chorus softly to myself.
“So fuck you, fuck you, fuck you. And all we've been through I said leave it, leave it, leave it. It's nothing to you. And if you hate me, hate me, hate me. Then hate me so good that you can let me out. Let me out of this hell when you're around.” Damien Rice was right.
I was going to hate Brent, hate him so good that he would be out of my life. At that moment the cab pulled up and I got in. I handed the cab driver my credit card so he could run it and gave him directions to the street my house was on. We pulled away from the hotel, nothing but the faint sound of the radio waffling through the air of the vehicle. About fifteen minutes into the drive the taxi driver spoke to me.
“You a prostitute?” He asked looking back at me in the rearview mirror.
“Do I look like a prostitute?” I looked right back at him in the mirror, my eyes steely.
“Well, no but why else would a pretty girl like you be leaving a hotel so late?” He glanced back again to see if I was mad.
“Let me give you some deductive tools for the next time you have such an inquiry. One, if I was a prostitute then I probably would have paid with cash because I wouldn’t want confirmation of where I had been. Two. if I was a prostitute I would not be wearing scrub pants and a sweat shirt. And finally three, I would not be able to use the words deductive, inquiry or confirmation properly in the same paragraph.” I looked out the passenger window as I casually said this but I saw his reflection in the glass he was embarrassed. Well good. At least I accomplished something today. He was quiet for a moment.
“Look, I am sorry lady. I guess I don’t have any manners, you know?” I nodded and looked out the back window. We drove in silence the rest of the way.
As we approached the long open street my house was on, I had the man pull over at the corner. I got out of the cab and stood on the corner until he drove off. I snuck down the sidewalk to my neighbors house and hopped the fence. I slunk across their yard till I reached the fence separating my property from theirs. I looked through the slats of the fence into my yard. The lights to the house were off. Well that posed a problem but I didn't see anyone lurking around which was good. I would have to make it to the shed on the other side of my property to get a flashlight. I looked around for something to use as a weapon, and I saw stuck into the dirt of the flowerbed I was standing in a pair garden shears. Bulky, but effective. I grabbed the sheers and hoisted myself one handed over the fence. I landed softly on my grass on the other side.
I stood for a second listening, trying to discern any noise. All I heard was the wind rustling through the trees. I ran to the cover of the house and flushed myself against the wall. I crouched as I passed along the deck.
I was still side stepping along the expanse of the deck when I heard the two male voices approach through the side gate. I dove underneath the deck and crouched in the shadows poised for action.
"I still can not believe we can't find Green's body anywhere. How the hell would a girl like that get rid of a body so fast? I mean there is not a trace in the house." I heard the first man with a young and anxious voice say to the other.
"Well according to the Chief she is highly resourceful, I am not surprised that she was able to get rid of a body. I mean she did melt the guys face, break into headquarters, manage to extort and torture Taylor and then blow up the building." The other man's voice was level and a deep baritone.
Man I had a wrap sheet and the kicker was I had obtained it all in one day. The men kept talking but suddenly I couldn't hear. I had a problem.
I felt the warm tickling sensation spread on the inside of my nose. I looked up and pinched my nose shut with my fingers. It was no use. I reached up with my hands just in time to pad the sound but the sneeze was loud and it echoed under the deck.
"What was that?" The anxious man said.
"Spread out and check the area." said the other.
Great now I was a sitting duck. I sat poised and waiting, waiting for the sweeping flashlights that were flooding the area with lights to catch me in their rays.
"It sounded like it came from over here." Said the younger man. His flashlight swept the ground by the deck and I heard him crouch down by the side. He shinned his flash light under and before the beam even touched me I thrust the sheers to where he was. I felt the blades sink into something, I ripped them out and heard a thud and the flashlight fell and rolled on the ground. The beam rolled to show the boys face as he scrunched it in agony. He let out a howl and grabbed his stomach. he was writhing in pain.
I heard the heavy yet swift footsteps of his comrade and I poised myself again. As the man crouched into the flashlight beam I struck him in the leg. I didn't want two deaths on my hands but I had to wound him enough so I spread the sheers and twisted as I pulled them out. Where did I get these instincts from? Jesus I was scary, even to myself.
I climbed out from underneath the deck on the other side away from the bodies. I grabbed the flashlight by the kid and shined it on Mr. Baritone. He had a cell phone in his hand. I kicked it away and picked it up slamming it shut. I showed the light into his eyes and started talking.
"Why are you here?" I said standing over the man.
"We were sent to clean up your mess." He said in agony and contempt.
"Well, why didn't you leave when you found that I had done it for myself?" I was breathing heavily and I felt the burden of what I had just done to these men but I saved face and pushed forward in my mind.
"Well we were told to bring you in after the building collapsed." He said.
"Well then, how many of you are there?" I looked at him sternly. "Don't lie to me."
"It's just us, they figured we could handle it." He looked at me straight in the face. He was lying. I stepped on his hand.
"How many others are there?!" I repeated.
"There's two inside the house!" He cried in pain.
"Better not be lying." I turned and walked away. With the flashlight and the sheers I bounded towards the house and up the deck. I opened the backdoor silently as I could and stepped inside. I had a definite advantage here, this was the house I had lived in for the past three years. I knew every inch and every creek of the floor plan and they didn't. I walked silently through the kitchen and I ducked behind the island.
I sidestepped over and peaked my head around the side of the island. I saw into the living room. Two men were sitting on my couch both asleep. A faint glow hit their face, they must be asleep. I eased myself up trying not to make a noise. Once I was standing I tiptoed through the kitchen to the hallway next to it and walk up the four steps to the hall. I went to my bedroom first.
Once there I shut the door quietly, I would hear them before they saw me. I grabbed my duffel bag off the shelf in the closet and started stuffing it with clothes. I grabbed a couple pairs of sneakers and double of everything. I wasn’t sure Amy would be able to go home and get her own clothes. She would just have to deal with my sense of style. When the bag was full I figured that would have to do. I went to the end table and grabbed the box of bullets and a full clip from my end table. I then approached the door to my bedroom and placed my ear against it. This felt oddly like earlier today, all I heard was the soft drowned out noise of the television. I opened the door and crept into my office. There on my desk was my laptop and the charger neatly placed side by side. I reached into my desk drawer once again looking for my gun. It wasn’t there. I rummaged for a few seconds trying to be as quiet as possible.
“Looking for something?” A gruff but smug voice rang out. I froze when I heard it. And I looked frantically for what I needed and then I saw it on the book shelf where I had left it.
“Yes.” And with those words I grabbed the gun swung around and shot the man in the doorway of my office in the gut. He grabbed his side where the bullet had hit and he fell to the ground.
I looked at him. I knew what they did in the movies, they killed him off, but I couldn’t do that. I could not bring myself to kill him. I stood there in shock watching the man die and I grabbed my laptop and charger. I had to get out of here.
I left the study in haste and headed to the kitchen. My keys were hanging on the wall by the phone. I grabbed the keys to my motorcycle. When I turned to head to the backdoor I found I was looking at the barrel of a gun.
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