| Supernatural Fiction posted April 26, 2021 | Chapters: |
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The Curse/A Novel of the Breedline series
A chapter in the book THE CURSE
Jena's Escape/Part Two
by scongrove
| Background Thanks for taking the time to read my chapter. It's new, so if you catch typos or mistakes, please let me know. Stay safe & enjoy! |
As Jena and the redheaded woman made their way through the tunnel, furious barking, coming from a distance, startled them. In unison, they stopped in their tracks and turned to look.
“How much further?” Jena asked, keeping her voice low and the weapon trained on the woman.
“There’s an exit port not far from here,” she replied. “We should be there in less than twenty minutes.”
“Hey,” Jena said, snapping to attention. “You wouldn’t happen to have a cell phone, would you?”
“It won’t do you any good. There’s no service down here.”
“All right.” Jena waved the flashlight ahead. “Let’s keep moving. And as soon as we get to the surface, I’ll be using that cell of yours.”
“Whatever.”
“Oh, by the way…” Jena added. “What’s your name?”
The woman briefly turned and fixed her dark eyes on Jena. “What do you care?”
“I don’t. But humor me anyway.”
“It’s Kian,” she roughly said to Jena. “Kian Adams.”
“And your sister?”
“What does her name matter to you?”
Jena furrowed her brow. “You know, you have a bit of an attitude problem. Remember who has the gun. Just answer the question.”
“Fine,” Kian grumbled. “Her name is Karina.”
“Ah,” Jena said, arching a brow. “That figures.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because…” Jena said with a slight chuckle. “Parents who have twins always come up with matching names.”
“So? What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing,” Jena remarked. “Just makes me appreciate being an only child.”
“You know if they catch you,” Kian said with a clear smirk in her voice. “They’ll most likely kill you.”
“Well, they better bring on their A-game then.”
“Aren’t you afraid?” Kian queried.
Jena tilted her head a little. “Of what?”
“Dying.”
“That’s impossible for me,” Jena explained. “Seeing that I’m immortal and all.”
“But…” Kian came to a halt and looked over her shoulder with an inquisitive stare. “How is that possible?”
The sound of dogs barking grew closer.
“Come on,” Jena urged. “We don’t have time for chitchat. Let’s pick up the pace.”
When they finally came to a dead end, Jena trained the flashlight toward a ladder that led to an opening above.
“Well, this is it,” Kian said. “If you climb to the top, it should lead you to your freedom.”
“You first,” Jena said, directing Kian toward the narrow, rusting ladder. “Get climbing.”
“Oh hell, no. You’re not taking me with you.”
“I said…” Jena raised her voice. “Get climbing.”
Kian rolled her eyes and groaned as she made her way to the ladder. The second she climbed onto the first step, she looked back at Jena and said, “If you let me go, I’ll give you the names of some very important people.”
Jena looked up at Kian in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“There are people in higher positions,” Kian went on to explain. “People in charge of Dr. Michaels research.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know anything else.”
“You don’t understand,” Kian said. “These people will stop at nothing to get what they want. My sister and I took this job because we were desperate for the cash. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. When they find out you escaped and took me with you, they’ll think I talked. And before they can get to me… they’ll kill my sister.”
“You know I can’t just let you go.”
“Please…” Kian’s voice took on a pleading tone as she craftily tried to trick Jena into letting her go. “Karina is the only family I have.”
Right, Jena thought. She didn’t believe a word of it.
“Dr. Michaels hired bounty hunters to bring me in, and I don’t believe for one minute he gave you or the others the names of the masterminds behind all this.” Jena pointed the Ruger 9mm in Kian’s direction. “So, get your ass in gear before I pump you full of lead.”
Kian angrily shifted around, cursing under her breath, and began to climb her way up to the opening. When her pace slowed, Jena tapped on the railing from a few steps below and hollered, “Pick it up.”
Kian cursed again and climbed faster, until finally, she managed to get to the top. The minute she pushed her way through the opening, she instantly brought her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun.
As Jena maneuvered herself to the top and rose to her feet, the warmth from the golden rays felt good against her face. The time it took her to survey their surroundings, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, realizing where they were.
“I take it you know where we are,” Kian said.
Jena nodded and pointed toward the west. “Let’s keep moving in that direction.”
“So, where are we going?”
“To a safe place,” Jena replied, thinking of her beloved Nicolas and everyone at the Breedline Covenant. “Where I belong.”
Before they started off, Jena tucked the flashlight into her rucksack and extended her hand out to Kian. “I’ll be using that cell phone of yours. I’m sure you’ve got service now.”
With a smirk, Kian reached into her back pocket and retrieved her phone. “Knock yourself out,” she said, placing it into the palm of Jena’s hand.
“And the security code to access it?”
“It’s 0926Karina,” Kian said, snarling her upper lip.
“Thanks,” Jena said as she typed in the code to unlock the phone. “So why 0926? What’s the significance?”
“It’s mine and Karina’s birth date.”
Jena smiled at Kian’s response and quickly dialed Nicolas’s number, praying he’d answer. And to her surprise, he picked up on the first ring. “Hello…” His voice was shaky but there was a thread of hope infused in it.
She smiled against the phone. “Nicolas… it’s me. Jena.”
“Thank God…” He blew out his breath. “Where are you, sweetheart?”
“I’m at the Berkeley Fire Trails.”
“Are you okay?”
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m fine.”
Her words made his shoulders sag with relief. And as much as he wanted to get his hands on her kidnappers, he willed himself to quell the fury that burned within him. For Jena, he would try his best to remain calm.
“Sweetheart…” he briefly hesitated, keeping his tone even. “How did you manage to get away?”
“My Fairy Godmother came to my rescue,” she simply said.
“What are you talking about Jena?”
“It’s a long story.” Jena laughed a little. “But if it weren’t for a kind old lady, I wouldn’t be here talking to you now. I’d still be strapped to an operating table and most likely someone’s research project. And now, she needs our help. We have to go save her, Nicolas.”
“I promise, sweetheart. We’ll do everything we can to help her.”
“There’s one more thing,” Jena said. “The phone I’m using belongs to one of my kidnappers. I’ve got her in my custody as we speak.”
“Her?” Nicolas queried. “Are you talking about one of the Adam twins?”
“How’d you know?”
“Detectives Sanchez and Perkins were called to the crime scene right after you were taken. The manager of the Parkside Café called it in and helped them identify the two women. We know they’re linked to A&E Pharmaceuticals.”
“That’s where I was held captive,” Jena said. “A physician named Henry Michaels is responsible for all this.”
“You keep moving, sweetheart. I’m on my way.”
“I’ll see you soon,” Jena said. “I love you, Nicolas.”
“I love you too,” he choked out.
To be continued. . .
“How much further?” Jena asked, keeping her voice low and the weapon trained on the woman.
“There’s an exit port not far from here,” she replied. “We should be there in less than twenty minutes.”
“Hey,” Jena said, snapping to attention. “You wouldn’t happen to have a cell phone, would you?”
“It won’t do you any good. There’s no service down here.”
“All right.” Jena waved the flashlight ahead. “Let’s keep moving. And as soon as we get to the surface, I’ll be using that cell of yours.”
“Whatever.”
“Oh, by the way…” Jena added. “What’s your name?”
The woman briefly turned and fixed her dark eyes on Jena. “What do you care?”
“I don’t. But humor me anyway.”
“It’s Kian,” she roughly said to Jena. “Kian Adams.”
“And your sister?”
“What does her name matter to you?”
Jena furrowed her brow. “You know, you have a bit of an attitude problem. Remember who has the gun. Just answer the question.”
“Fine,” Kian grumbled. “Her name is Karina.”
“Ah,” Jena said, arching a brow. “That figures.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because…” Jena said with a slight chuckle. “Parents who have twins always come up with matching names.”
“So? What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing,” Jena remarked. “Just makes me appreciate being an only child.”
“You know if they catch you,” Kian said with a clear smirk in her voice. “They’ll most likely kill you.”
“Well, they better bring on their A-game then.”
“Aren’t you afraid?” Kian queried.
Jena tilted her head a little. “Of what?”
“Dying.”
“That’s impossible for me,” Jena explained. “Seeing that I’m immortal and all.”
“But…” Kian came to a halt and looked over her shoulder with an inquisitive stare. “How is that possible?”
The sound of dogs barking grew closer.
“Come on,” Jena urged. “We don’t have time for chitchat. Let’s pick up the pace.”
When they finally came to a dead end, Jena trained the flashlight toward a ladder that led to an opening above.
“Well, this is it,” Kian said. “If you climb to the top, it should lead you to your freedom.”
“You first,” Jena said, directing Kian toward the narrow, rusting ladder. “Get climbing.”
“Oh hell, no. You’re not taking me with you.”
“I said…” Jena raised her voice. “Get climbing.”
Kian rolled her eyes and groaned as she made her way to the ladder. The second she climbed onto the first step, she looked back at Jena and said, “If you let me go, I’ll give you the names of some very important people.”
Jena looked up at Kian in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“There are people in higher positions,” Kian went on to explain. “People in charge of Dr. Michaels research.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know anything else.”
“You don’t understand,” Kian said. “These people will stop at nothing to get what they want. My sister and I took this job because we were desperate for the cash. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. When they find out you escaped and took me with you, they’ll think I talked. And before they can get to me… they’ll kill my sister.”
“You know I can’t just let you go.”
“Please…” Kian’s voice took on a pleading tone as she craftily tried to trick Jena into letting her go. “Karina is the only family I have.”
Right, Jena thought. She didn’t believe a word of it.
“Dr. Michaels hired bounty hunters to bring me in, and I don’t believe for one minute he gave you or the others the names of the masterminds behind all this.” Jena pointed the Ruger 9mm in Kian’s direction. “So, get your ass in gear before I pump you full of lead.”
Kian angrily shifted around, cursing under her breath, and began to climb her way up to the opening. When her pace slowed, Jena tapped on the railing from a few steps below and hollered, “Pick it up.”
Kian cursed again and climbed faster, until finally, she managed to get to the top. The minute she pushed her way through the opening, she instantly brought her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun.
As Jena maneuvered herself to the top and rose to her feet, the warmth from the golden rays felt good against her face. The time it took her to survey their surroundings, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, realizing where they were.
“I take it you know where we are,” Kian said.
Jena nodded and pointed toward the west. “Let’s keep moving in that direction.”
“So, where are we going?”
“To a safe place,” Jena replied, thinking of her beloved Nicolas and everyone at the Breedline Covenant. “Where I belong.”
Before they started off, Jena tucked the flashlight into her rucksack and extended her hand out to Kian. “I’ll be using that cell phone of yours. I’m sure you’ve got service now.”
With a smirk, Kian reached into her back pocket and retrieved her phone. “Knock yourself out,” she said, placing it into the palm of Jena’s hand.
“And the security code to access it?”
“It’s 0926Karina,” Kian said, snarling her upper lip.
“Thanks,” Jena said as she typed in the code to unlock the phone. “So why 0926? What’s the significance?”
“It’s mine and Karina’s birth date.”
Jena smiled at Kian’s response and quickly dialed Nicolas’s number, praying he’d answer. And to her surprise, he picked up on the first ring. “Hello…” His voice was shaky but there was a thread of hope infused in it.
She smiled against the phone. “Nicolas… it’s me. Jena.”
“Thank God…” He blew out his breath. “Where are you, sweetheart?”
“I’m at the Berkeley Fire Trails.”
“Are you okay?”
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m fine.”
Her words made his shoulders sag with relief. And as much as he wanted to get his hands on her kidnappers, he willed himself to quell the fury that burned within him. For Jena, he would try his best to remain calm.
“Sweetheart…” he briefly hesitated, keeping his tone even. “How did you manage to get away?”
“My Fairy Godmother came to my rescue,” she simply said.
“What are you talking about Jena?”
“It’s a long story.” Jena laughed a little. “But if it weren’t for a kind old lady, I wouldn’t be here talking to you now. I’d still be strapped to an operating table and most likely someone’s research project. And now, she needs our help. We have to go save her, Nicolas.”
“I promise, sweetheart. We’ll do everything we can to help her.”
“There’s one more thing,” Jena said. “The phone I’m using belongs to one of my kidnappers. I’ve got her in my custody as we speak.”
“Her?” Nicolas queried. “Are you talking about one of the Adam twins?”
“How’d you know?”
“Detectives Sanchez and Perkins were called to the crime scene right after you were taken. The manager of the Parkside Café called it in and helped them identify the two women. We know they’re linked to A&E Pharmaceuticals.”
“That’s where I was held captive,” Jena said. “A physician named Henry Michaels is responsible for all this.”
“You keep moving, sweetheart. I’m on my way.”
“I’ll see you soon,” Jena said. “I love you, Nicolas.”
“I love you too,” he choked out.
To be continued. . .
A reference for terms and cast of characters in this chapter, especially for new readers:
BREEDLINE - A species of humans that have the ability to change from human form into wolf form if they are born an identical twin. They are not like the old legend of the Lycanthropy myth. The Breedline species can shift into their wolf at will. The moon has no power over them. They do not pass their ability to other humans. Although they live among humans, their species is secret. In wolf form, they have super-strength, speed, and heightened senses. Compared to humans, Breedlines have tremendous advantages when it comes to health. Their bodies heal fast and are not subject to illness or diseases. The only thing that slows their healing process is silver. It is their kryptonite. Besides old age, a silver bullet to the brain is the only way to kill a Breedline.
All male Breedlines change into their first wolf at the age of eighteen. Female Breedlines do not go through the change until they make love to their Breedline bonded mate.
BREEDLINE COVENANT - The Breedline species must live within the boundaries of their Covenant. There is one in every state. A council governs its laws and oversees the species population.
BREEDLINE BONDING - The male Breedline spends his life searching for their bonded mate. When two Breedline species experience a bond, they instantly feel a simultaneous, desirable attraction. The bond is for life. It is possible for them to have more than one mate in their lifespan.
Jena McCain - She is an inspiring artist with the ability to speak with the dead. Jena was attacked and bitten by an age-old creature and cursed with a lust for human blood. Now that she is to become the creature and hunt humans, instead of killing innocent people, she will only hunt evil.
Nicolas Ratcliff - He is immortal with the power of invisibility and supernatural speed. He works for the San Francisco Police Department as a detective. He's bonded with Jena McCain.
Detective Manuel Sanchez - He is a homicide detective at the San Francisco Police Department who late discovers he carries the Breedline genetics. His partner is Detective Frank Perkins. His sister is Lailah.
Detective Frank Perkins - He is Manuel Sanchez's partner and discovers the secret world of the Breedline. Born as a human, Frank pledges his loyalty to the Breedline. Fighting alongside his partner, they take an oath to help the Breedline protect the world from corruption and unknown creatures that prey on the innocent.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. BREEDLINE - A species of humans that have the ability to change from human form into wolf form if they are born an identical twin. They are not like the old legend of the Lycanthropy myth. The Breedline species can shift into their wolf at will. The moon has no power over them. They do not pass their ability to other humans. Although they live among humans, their species is secret. In wolf form, they have super-strength, speed, and heightened senses. Compared to humans, Breedlines have tremendous advantages when it comes to health. Their bodies heal fast and are not subject to illness or diseases. The only thing that slows their healing process is silver. It is their kryptonite. Besides old age, a silver bullet to the brain is the only way to kill a Breedline.
All male Breedlines change into their first wolf at the age of eighteen. Female Breedlines do not go through the change until they make love to their Breedline bonded mate.
BREEDLINE COVENANT - The Breedline species must live within the boundaries of their Covenant. There is one in every state. A council governs its laws and oversees the species population.
BREEDLINE BONDING - The male Breedline spends his life searching for their bonded mate. When two Breedline species experience a bond, they instantly feel a simultaneous, desirable attraction. The bond is for life. It is possible for them to have more than one mate in their lifespan.
Jena McCain - She is an inspiring artist with the ability to speak with the dead. Jena was attacked and bitten by an age-old creature and cursed with a lust for human blood. Now that she is to become the creature and hunt humans, instead of killing innocent people, she will only hunt evil.
Nicolas Ratcliff - He is immortal with the power of invisibility and supernatural speed. He works for the San Francisco Police Department as a detective. He's bonded with Jena McCain.
Detective Manuel Sanchez - He is a homicide detective at the San Francisco Police Department who late discovers he carries the Breedline genetics. His partner is Detective Frank Perkins. His sister is Lailah.
Detective Frank Perkins - He is Manuel Sanchez's partner and discovers the secret world of the Breedline. Born as a human, Frank pledges his loyalty to the Breedline. Fighting alongside his partner, they take an oath to help the Breedline protect the world from corruption and unknown creatures that prey on the innocent.
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