| Supernatural Science Fiction posted July 6, 2021 | Chapters: |
...70 71 -72- 73... 
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The Curse/A Novel of the Breedline series
A chapter in the book THE CURSE
The Dream/Part 1
by scongrove
| Background Thanks for taking the time to read my chapter. If you catch typos or mistakes, please point them out. I hope you enjoy! |
After a while, Carrie finally gave up on Joseph and went upstairs to her bedroom. She’d sat by the window, staring out for at least an hour, waiting for him to come back for his Jeep. Had he taken an Uber? Surely, he wouldn’t have walked back at this hour. It was already after eleven and his apartment was at least ten miles from here.
She lay down across the bed and buried her face in her arms. Instantly, her eyes welled up with tears. Before they spilled onto the sheets, she quickly wiped them away. She wanted nothing more than to fall asleep—a sleep so deep, it would qualify as a coma—and forget everything that had happened between her and Joseph. But her mind betrayed her, and her thoughts kept wandering.
Carrie recalled every strange and frightening sequence of the evening. Bits and pieces of images flashed inside her head like the pictures of a moving photo book. It was of Joseph’s handsome face. His mesmerizing blue eyes. Eyes filled with empathy and compassion. It was as though they could see into her soul. Then, his features shifted. They were darker now. Sinister. Terrifying. Evil. His eyes were like two soulless pits, black as a crow’s. The images swirled together on an endless loop, flipping back and forth. He went from alluring to unsightly. Attractive and then to hideous… like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Suddenly, the images of Joseph were replaced by Kevin. Her dead ex-boyfriend. And she’d been the one who found his body. The whole thing had been a nightmare. And she’d already been through hell. The grizzly state of his body would be permanently embedded in her memory. There was so much blood... Oh, God. It was everywhere. Thinking about it made her body rigid with fear. The fact that he’d been murdered in cold blood—his heart completely ripped from his chest—was so hard to swallow, but when Joseph had confessed to the crime tonight, it had left her feeling broken. Her heart felt shattered into a million pieces.
Her mind was a whirlwind. Should I contact the police? Maybe it was best to talk to her Uncle Frank since he was a detective. No, she thought. I can’t do that to Joseph. He’ll go to jail, and it wasn’t really his fault, was it? He’d told her about the voice in his head. It had been controlling him since childhood, making him do these horrible things. Joseph was a good person. She was sure of it. There was no way he was capable of murder. But the voice… it wanted to kill her too. Was she in danger? Oh, God. Please tell me. What should I do?
The guilt was more than she could endure—the doubts, the decisions, the regrets, replaying the terrifying images of Joseph’s demonic features and the things he’d told her. It all seemed so surreal. Why is this happening to me? And how am I supposed to deal with this?
Then, her whole body recoiled from the dreadful reality of it all, and for several agonizing moments all she could do was lie there, her mind torn between right and wrong.
As her heart thudded in her ears, beating at a wild tempo, she put her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes tight. Thinking too much was painful to her now. And the slightest thing just might send her over the edge.
“Make it stop,” she cried out, her body curling into a ball. “Please, God. Make it stop.”
Finally, Carrie broke. She covered her face and as she started to sob into her hands, it was like a dam breaking in slow motion.
A knock at the door startled her, followed by her roommate’s voice. “Carrie… are you okay?”
Carrie swallowed back tears. “Y-Yes.” She stared at the door and sniffled, praying her roommate wouldn’t come in. “I’m fine, Jessica.”
“Are you sure? I thought I heard you crying.”
“Sorry.” Carrie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “It must have been the TV. I didn’t mean to wake you. I thought you were staying at Ryan’s tonight.”
“No.” Jessica’s voice muffled on the other side of the door. “He had to work an early shift at the hospital, so I decided to sleep in my bed tonight.”
For a moment silence settled between them.
“Carrie, are you sure your all right? I could have sworn I heard you—”
“I’m sure, Jess.”
“Okay then.” There was an awkward pause. “Well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
Carrie cleared her throat. “Good-night, Jess.”
And then, something flickered in the back of Carrie’s mind. Oh, damn. My car. It was still at the restaurant.
She quickly called out, “Hey, Jess.”
“Yeah…”
“Can you give me a ride to Corso’s in the morning?”
“Corso’s?” asked Jessica, her voice sounding puzzled.
“Uh, yeah.” Carrie sighed. “That’s where I left my car.”
“What? Why’d you leave your car at Corso’s?”
“It’s a long story. And it’s getting late. I’ll tell you about it in the morning.”
“Uh… okay. G’night, Carrie.”
“Night, Jess.”
Exhausted beyond reason and with a weary sigh, Carrie burrowed deep into the purple goose down comforter her aunt and uncle had given her. It was her favorite color and had been a Christmas gift. The second she laid her head down, she closed her eyes. As she slipped into a deep sleep, her eyes moved underneath her lids. She was dreaming now.
To be continued. . .
She lay down across the bed and buried her face in her arms. Instantly, her eyes welled up with tears. Before they spilled onto the sheets, she quickly wiped them away. She wanted nothing more than to fall asleep—a sleep so deep, it would qualify as a coma—and forget everything that had happened between her and Joseph. But her mind betrayed her, and her thoughts kept wandering.
Carrie recalled every strange and frightening sequence of the evening. Bits and pieces of images flashed inside her head like the pictures of a moving photo book. It was of Joseph’s handsome face. His mesmerizing blue eyes. Eyes filled with empathy and compassion. It was as though they could see into her soul. Then, his features shifted. They were darker now. Sinister. Terrifying. Evil. His eyes were like two soulless pits, black as a crow’s. The images swirled together on an endless loop, flipping back and forth. He went from alluring to unsightly. Attractive and then to hideous… like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Suddenly, the images of Joseph were replaced by Kevin. Her dead ex-boyfriend. And she’d been the one who found his body. The whole thing had been a nightmare. And she’d already been through hell. The grizzly state of his body would be permanently embedded in her memory. There was so much blood... Oh, God. It was everywhere. Thinking about it made her body rigid with fear. The fact that he’d been murdered in cold blood—his heart completely ripped from his chest—was so hard to swallow, but when Joseph had confessed to the crime tonight, it had left her feeling broken. Her heart felt shattered into a million pieces.
Her mind was a whirlwind. Should I contact the police? Maybe it was best to talk to her Uncle Frank since he was a detective. No, she thought. I can’t do that to Joseph. He’ll go to jail, and it wasn’t really his fault, was it? He’d told her about the voice in his head. It had been controlling him since childhood, making him do these horrible things. Joseph was a good person. She was sure of it. There was no way he was capable of murder. But the voice… it wanted to kill her too. Was she in danger? Oh, God. Please tell me. What should I do?
The guilt was more than she could endure—the doubts, the decisions, the regrets, replaying the terrifying images of Joseph’s demonic features and the things he’d told her. It all seemed so surreal. Why is this happening to me? And how am I supposed to deal with this?
Then, her whole body recoiled from the dreadful reality of it all, and for several agonizing moments all she could do was lie there, her mind torn between right and wrong.
As her heart thudded in her ears, beating at a wild tempo, she put her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes tight. Thinking too much was painful to her now. And the slightest thing just might send her over the edge.
“Make it stop,” she cried out, her body curling into a ball. “Please, God. Make it stop.”
Finally, Carrie broke. She covered her face and as she started to sob into her hands, it was like a dam breaking in slow motion.
A knock at the door startled her, followed by her roommate’s voice. “Carrie… are you okay?”
Carrie swallowed back tears. “Y-Yes.” She stared at the door and sniffled, praying her roommate wouldn’t come in. “I’m fine, Jessica.”
“Are you sure? I thought I heard you crying.”
“Sorry.” Carrie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “It must have been the TV. I didn’t mean to wake you. I thought you were staying at Ryan’s tonight.”
“No.” Jessica’s voice muffled on the other side of the door. “He had to work an early shift at the hospital, so I decided to sleep in my bed tonight.”
For a moment silence settled between them.
“Carrie, are you sure your all right? I could have sworn I heard you—”
“I’m sure, Jess.”
“Okay then.” There was an awkward pause. “Well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
Carrie cleared her throat. “Good-night, Jess.”
And then, something flickered in the back of Carrie’s mind. Oh, damn. My car. It was still at the restaurant.
She quickly called out, “Hey, Jess.”
“Yeah…”
“Can you give me a ride to Corso’s in the morning?”
“Corso’s?” asked Jessica, her voice sounding puzzled.
“Uh, yeah.” Carrie sighed. “That’s where I left my car.”
“What? Why’d you leave your car at Corso’s?”
“It’s a long story. And it’s getting late. I’ll tell you about it in the morning.”
“Uh… okay. G’night, Carrie.”
“Night, Jess.”
Exhausted beyond reason and with a weary sigh, Carrie burrowed deep into the purple goose down comforter her aunt and uncle had given her. It was her favorite color and had been a Christmas gift. The second she laid her head down, she closed her eyes. As she slipped into a deep sleep, her eyes moved underneath her lids. She was dreaming now.
To be continued. . .
NOTE: This is not part of the chapter. A reference for characters in this chapter, especially for new readers:
Carrie Randall - She is Detective Frank Perkin's niece. She works as a substance abuse counselor in Berkeley, California. She has a love interest in Joseph Parker.
Joseph Parker (a.k.a. Joseph Harris) - He works at the San Francisco Chronicle as a freelance journalist. At age five, an evil entity invaded his body after his father murdered his mother. While his father was sent to prison for his crime, Joseph was placed into several foster families until finally forced into a mental institute after diagnosed with schizophrenia and psychopathic behavior. As time passed and with the evil entity's guidance, Joseph was later released into society.
The Shadow - An evil entity who has possessed Joseph Parker. Its main purpose is to gain access to souls by using its host to kill, consuming human flesh.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Carrie Randall - She is Detective Frank Perkin's niece. She works as a substance abuse counselor in Berkeley, California. She has a love interest in Joseph Parker.
Joseph Parker (a.k.a. Joseph Harris) - He works at the San Francisco Chronicle as a freelance journalist. At age five, an evil entity invaded his body after his father murdered his mother. While his father was sent to prison for his crime, Joseph was placed into several foster families until finally forced into a mental institute after diagnosed with schizophrenia and psychopathic behavior. As time passed and with the evil entity's guidance, Joseph was later released into society.
The Shadow - An evil entity who has possessed Joseph Parker. Its main purpose is to gain access to souls by using its host to kill, consuming human flesh.
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