| General Science Fiction posted August 30, 2021 | Chapters: |
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The Curse/A Novel of the Breedline series
A chapter in the book THE CURSE
The Biters/Part Two
by scongrove
The author has placed a warning on this post for violence.
| Background Thanks for taking the time to read my chapter. If you spot typos or mistakes, please let me know. Stay safe & enjoy! |
Previously. . .
The putrid scent of rotting flesh hit Jena and she recoiled. She looked at Lenny, then to others and it was clear by their foul expressions they smelled it, too.
“Christ,” blurted Jace, covering his nose. “It smells like something died in here.”
Then, out of nowhere, several dark figures emerged from the shadows. As they moved closer, gliding across the floor like haunting phantoms, their pale, but youthful faces finally came into view.
Jena peeled back her wolfish lips and uttered a long low menacing growl, keeping her eyes trained on the vampirish creatures.
“What the hell?” Jace’s booming voice instantly halted the strange group of girls.
“They’re… Biters,” Lenny hesitantly said.
They all wore sleeveless dresses made of red chiffon, possessing a style between vintage and a gothic-chic fashion that accentuated their pale-white skin. Their bloodred eyes flared with hunger as they roamed over the occupants before them. There was at least a dozen of them, ranging between the ages of sixteen to eighteen, all similar with coal-black hair that hung past their shoulders in a tangled mess. As they peeled back their red-coated lips, strings of saliva dripped from their sharp-pointed teeth.
“What have you done, Henry?” Lenny’s voice shook with outrage.
Henry started to laugh. “There is nothing more dangerous than a group of Biters that hasn’t fed in days.”
The thirsty teens, hissing like cobras, slowly stalked closer and closer.
Jena was in a rage. She stood her ground, claws fully extended, ready to spring.
“Lovely, aren’t they?” said Henry, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He focused his eyes on Lenny. “You didn’t think they were all extinct, did you?”
Lenny’s eyes, along with the others, looked befuddled. And worried. “How?” asked Lenny.
“I’m a scientist, remember?” Henry replied. “Where there is a need, there is a way. I think it’s rather genius. What do you think?”
“I think you’ve lost your damn mind,” said Lenny.
Henry smiled and called out, “Dinnertime, ladies.”
The physician’s words were like ringing a bell to an all-you-can-eat buffet as the vampirish girls rushed onward; fangs bared, hissing and growling.
Continued. . .
“Shit,” Jace muttered, looking to the others for guidance. “They’re practically kids. What the hell do we do?”
“Go!” declared Jena, her eyes darting over her Breedline companions. Her lupine voice rose with power. “Get out of here, all of you!”
Tim turned toward Jena and before he had the chance to voice his opinion, one of the Biters leapt onto his back. He gasped in pain as she sank her fangs deep into his shoulder and greedily sucked his blood in hungry pulls.
As soon as Manuel got a clear shot, he fired his weapon. The silver bullet ripped through the vampire’s flesh like a hot poker. Blood spattered and smoke rose. She immediately retracted her razor-sharp teeth and screamed in protest.
Tim quickly grabbed the girl by her long, matted hair and slung her to the floor. She instantly arched her back and bared her teeth at him, crab-walking away, hissing like a wounded feral cat.
The other fanged teens formed a circle around the group as if they were waiting for the right opportunity to spring into action.
Without warning, everything shifted as though time stood still, and the room erupted into chaos. A Biter at the far end lunged out like she’d been launched from a cannon and clung onto Jace’s chest, using her cat-like claws.
“Get the hell off me!” Jace shoved at the girl, who screeched like a banshee, but the vampire would not let go. She clawed at his shirt, ripping the material and the skin underneath. When she opened her mouth, Jace felt hot breath on his face and the stench of decay. The split second she went for his throat, he grabbed a clump of her ratty hair. He tugged and yanked at the long strands, straining to evade the sharp tips of her ivory fangs.
As Jem turned to rescue his brother, another Biter leaped into the air and landed on his back. “Son of a—” he grunted, doing his best to fight her off as she went to work on his back with her angry, sharp claws.
Roman kicked at two Biters who had slithered over like fast moving serpents and attached themselves to his legs. He howled as one of them snaked her head around and sunk her fangs deep into the muscle of his calf.
Drakon hurriedly grabbed one of Roman’s attackers by the hair of her head and pried her loose. As he hoisted her up, her feet dangled. Instantaneously, she went into a full-blown tantrum, kicking, clawing, and screaming.
“For crying out loud,” said Drakon, struggling to avoid the vampire’s vicious assault. Then, in one swift motion, he snapped her neck like the crack of a whip and tossed her aside. The moment he went to free Roman from attacker number two, a pair of arms latched onto him from behind. He tightened the muscles in his neck as icy fingers clutched at his throat.
When Nicolas and Lenny took on four of the little bloodsuckers all at once, it was like fighting a pack of mountain lions with your bare hands.
“Stay back!” Manuel shouted, pointing his weapon at the remaining Biters who had their blood thirsty eyes locked on him and his partner as though they were their next meal.
Beside him, Frank kept his gun raised. “Dear God…” He quickly made the sign of a cross, realizing their bullets were useless against the deadly creatures. “If you can hear us.” He quickly looked up, praying God would hear him. “Please, give us a sign.”
Right before Manuel and Frank decided to unload a few rounds into the vampires, who were now getting closer, a thunderous roar stopped them in their tracks. The second the two detectives craned to look behind them and saw that it was Jena—still in the form of her wolfish creature—they stepped back, sighing in relief.
When Frank faced forward, he saw the look on the vampire’s faces, their terror evident. As Jena stalked toward them, little by little, they shrank back, hissing and cowering.
As if on cue, Jena sprang at the creatures, her powerful claws slashing their throats as swiftly as any animal of the wild moves to slay.
Manuel and Frank stood stock-still watching the horror as Jena severed the vampire’s heads. It all happened within seconds. The remaining vampires, who had attacked the others, quickly backed away and melted into the shadows.
Fury shot through Dr. Henry Michaels as he took in the decapitated Biters. “You’ll pay for this!” he shouted, averting his eyes from his precious children, and then focusing on Lenny with a murderous glare. “You’ll all pay for this!”
Fiona was crying, whimpering behind the hand pressed firmly over her mouth.
Lenny stepped closer. “Please…” He frantically looked to the terrified expression on Fiona’s face and then back to Henry’s wild, crazed eyes. He’s a monster, he thought. “For God’s sake, Henry…” He was practically begging now. “She’s your mother.”
Henry lowered his hand from Fiona’s mouth and raised the other, the cruel curved blade glinting. “Good-bye, Mother.” Then his voice rose in mad laughter.
Fiona’s eyes went wide. “Please, no…”
Lenny lunged, but it was too late. Henry sliced the blade through the side of Fiona’s neck, slashing deep, snapping through bone. Then, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Her head fell sideways, and blood sprayed like a crimson geyser. The moment she went limp in Henry’s arms, he released her. As Fiona toppled to the floor, her rounded eyes stared blankly and her mouth moved wordlessly, clearly forming the words, I love you, Henry. Within seconds, the last breath left her lungs, and she went still.
“NO!” Jena roared. She lunged, moving so fast, Henry never knew what hit him. She grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and opened her jaws, showing ivory fangs that belonged to a werewolf, not a vampire. He opened his mouth to scream but was cut off as Jena tore at his throat. Henry made wet gasping noises as blood gurgled from his lips. Then, with a powerful twist, tearing through flesh and bone, Jena ripped his head clean from his body. As she swung Henry’s severed head, sending it sailing across the room, his lifeless body dropped to the floor in a grotesque heap.
Lenny stood paralyzed as deep sadness weighted him, realizing his fate, and the fate of his beloved, had just been sealed. “Jena…” he finally found his voice, crying out. “No!”
Nicolas and the others watched as Lenny stared down at Henry’s headless body, reading the slump of his shoulders, the defeated expression on his face, and knew a part of him had just lost the last bit of hope he’d been clinging onto. Then Jena approached, wearing a look of sympathy marring her wolfish face. She gently placed her clawed hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry, Lenny. The curse… I couldn’t stop myself.”
He looked to Jena, glanced back at Henry, then at Jena once more. “He was our only hope. And now…” His eyes grew somber as he lowered them. “My kind will cease to exist.”
Jena lowered her hand and held her wrist out, offering it to Lenny. “Take it. My blood is the cure.”
Lenny stared at Jena’s wrist in confusion. “B-But…” He turned to face her. “It’s not been tested. How do you know it will work?”
“I don’t,” said Jena with a shake of her head. “But what choice do you have?”
“I—” Lenny paused as the others approached. Even the two human detectives stood alongside Nicolas and the Breedline crew, who looked as if they’d went a couple of rounds with a dozen wild cats by all the scratches and bite marks, not to mention their clothes. It looked like they’d been through a shredder.
“Lenny,” Nicolas murmured. “Have faith, my dear friend.”
To be continued. . .
The putrid scent of rotting flesh hit Jena and she recoiled. She looked at Lenny, then to others and it was clear by their foul expressions they smelled it, too.
“Christ,” blurted Jace, covering his nose. “It smells like something died in here.”
Then, out of nowhere, several dark figures emerged from the shadows. As they moved closer, gliding across the floor like haunting phantoms, their pale, but youthful faces finally came into view.
Jena peeled back her wolfish lips and uttered a long low menacing growl, keeping her eyes trained on the vampirish creatures.
“What the hell?” Jace’s booming voice instantly halted the strange group of girls.
“They’re… Biters,” Lenny hesitantly said.
They all wore sleeveless dresses made of red chiffon, possessing a style between vintage and a gothic-chic fashion that accentuated their pale-white skin. Their bloodred eyes flared with hunger as they roamed over the occupants before them. There was at least a dozen of them, ranging between the ages of sixteen to eighteen, all similar with coal-black hair that hung past their shoulders in a tangled mess. As they peeled back their red-coated lips, strings of saliva dripped from their sharp-pointed teeth.
“What have you done, Henry?” Lenny’s voice shook with outrage.
Henry started to laugh. “There is nothing more dangerous than a group of Biters that hasn’t fed in days.”
The thirsty teens, hissing like cobras, slowly stalked closer and closer.
Jena was in a rage. She stood her ground, claws fully extended, ready to spring.
“Lovely, aren’t they?” said Henry, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He focused his eyes on Lenny. “You didn’t think they were all extinct, did you?”
Lenny’s eyes, along with the others, looked befuddled. And worried. “How?” asked Lenny.
“I’m a scientist, remember?” Henry replied. “Where there is a need, there is a way. I think it’s rather genius. What do you think?”
“I think you’ve lost your damn mind,” said Lenny.
Henry smiled and called out, “Dinnertime, ladies.”
The physician’s words were like ringing a bell to an all-you-can-eat buffet as the vampirish girls rushed onward; fangs bared, hissing and growling.
Continued. . .
“Shit,” Jace muttered, looking to the others for guidance. “They’re practically kids. What the hell do we do?”
“Go!” declared Jena, her eyes darting over her Breedline companions. Her lupine voice rose with power. “Get out of here, all of you!”
Tim turned toward Jena and before he had the chance to voice his opinion, one of the Biters leapt onto his back. He gasped in pain as she sank her fangs deep into his shoulder and greedily sucked his blood in hungry pulls.
As soon as Manuel got a clear shot, he fired his weapon. The silver bullet ripped through the vampire’s flesh like a hot poker. Blood spattered and smoke rose. She immediately retracted her razor-sharp teeth and screamed in protest.
Tim quickly grabbed the girl by her long, matted hair and slung her to the floor. She instantly arched her back and bared her teeth at him, crab-walking away, hissing like a wounded feral cat.
The other fanged teens formed a circle around the group as if they were waiting for the right opportunity to spring into action.
Without warning, everything shifted as though time stood still, and the room erupted into chaos. A Biter at the far end lunged out like she’d been launched from a cannon and clung onto Jace’s chest, using her cat-like claws.
“Get the hell off me!” Jace shoved at the girl, who screeched like a banshee, but the vampire would not let go. She clawed at his shirt, ripping the material and the skin underneath. When she opened her mouth, Jace felt hot breath on his face and the stench of decay. The split second she went for his throat, he grabbed a clump of her ratty hair. He tugged and yanked at the long strands, straining to evade the sharp tips of her ivory fangs.
As Jem turned to rescue his brother, another Biter leaped into the air and landed on his back. “Son of a—” he grunted, doing his best to fight her off as she went to work on his back with her angry, sharp claws.
Roman kicked at two Biters who had slithered over like fast moving serpents and attached themselves to his legs. He howled as one of them snaked her head around and sunk her fangs deep into the muscle of his calf.
Drakon hurriedly grabbed one of Roman’s attackers by the hair of her head and pried her loose. As he hoisted her up, her feet dangled. Instantaneously, she went into a full-blown tantrum, kicking, clawing, and screaming.
“For crying out loud,” said Drakon, struggling to avoid the vampire’s vicious assault. Then, in one swift motion, he snapped her neck like the crack of a whip and tossed her aside. The moment he went to free Roman from attacker number two, a pair of arms latched onto him from behind. He tightened the muscles in his neck as icy fingers clutched at his throat.
When Nicolas and Lenny took on four of the little bloodsuckers all at once, it was like fighting a pack of mountain lions with your bare hands.
“Stay back!” Manuel shouted, pointing his weapon at the remaining Biters who had their blood thirsty eyes locked on him and his partner as though they were their next meal.
Beside him, Frank kept his gun raised. “Dear God…” He quickly made the sign of a cross, realizing their bullets were useless against the deadly creatures. “If you can hear us.” He quickly looked up, praying God would hear him. “Please, give us a sign.”
Right before Manuel and Frank decided to unload a few rounds into the vampires, who were now getting closer, a thunderous roar stopped them in their tracks. The second the two detectives craned to look behind them and saw that it was Jena—still in the form of her wolfish creature—they stepped back, sighing in relief.
When Frank faced forward, he saw the look on the vampire’s faces, their terror evident. As Jena stalked toward them, little by little, they shrank back, hissing and cowering.
As if on cue, Jena sprang at the creatures, her powerful claws slashing their throats as swiftly as any animal of the wild moves to slay.
Manuel and Frank stood stock-still watching the horror as Jena severed the vampire’s heads. It all happened within seconds. The remaining vampires, who had attacked the others, quickly backed away and melted into the shadows.
Fury shot through Dr. Henry Michaels as he took in the decapitated Biters. “You’ll pay for this!” he shouted, averting his eyes from his precious children, and then focusing on Lenny with a murderous glare. “You’ll all pay for this!”
Fiona was crying, whimpering behind the hand pressed firmly over her mouth.
Lenny stepped closer. “Please…” He frantically looked to the terrified expression on Fiona’s face and then back to Henry’s wild, crazed eyes. He’s a monster, he thought. “For God’s sake, Henry…” He was practically begging now. “She’s your mother.”
Henry lowered his hand from Fiona’s mouth and raised the other, the cruel curved blade glinting. “Good-bye, Mother.” Then his voice rose in mad laughter.
Fiona’s eyes went wide. “Please, no…”
Lenny lunged, but it was too late. Henry sliced the blade through the side of Fiona’s neck, slashing deep, snapping through bone. Then, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Her head fell sideways, and blood sprayed like a crimson geyser. The moment she went limp in Henry’s arms, he released her. As Fiona toppled to the floor, her rounded eyes stared blankly and her mouth moved wordlessly, clearly forming the words, I love you, Henry. Within seconds, the last breath left her lungs, and she went still.
“NO!” Jena roared. She lunged, moving so fast, Henry never knew what hit him. She grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and opened her jaws, showing ivory fangs that belonged to a werewolf, not a vampire. He opened his mouth to scream but was cut off as Jena tore at his throat. Henry made wet gasping noises as blood gurgled from his lips. Then, with a powerful twist, tearing through flesh and bone, Jena ripped his head clean from his body. As she swung Henry’s severed head, sending it sailing across the room, his lifeless body dropped to the floor in a grotesque heap.
Lenny stood paralyzed as deep sadness weighted him, realizing his fate, and the fate of his beloved, had just been sealed. “Jena…” he finally found his voice, crying out. “No!”
Nicolas and the others watched as Lenny stared down at Henry’s headless body, reading the slump of his shoulders, the defeated expression on his face, and knew a part of him had just lost the last bit of hope he’d been clinging onto. Then Jena approached, wearing a look of sympathy marring her wolfish face. She gently placed her clawed hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry, Lenny. The curse… I couldn’t stop myself.”
He looked to Jena, glanced back at Henry, then at Jena once more. “He was our only hope. And now…” His eyes grew somber as he lowered them. “My kind will cease to exist.”
Jena lowered her hand and held her wrist out, offering it to Lenny. “Take it. My blood is the cure.”
Lenny stared at Jena’s wrist in confusion. “B-But…” He turned to face her. “It’s not been tested. How do you know it will work?”
“I don’t,” said Jena with a shake of her head. “But what choice do you have?”
“I—” Lenny paused as the others approached. Even the two human detectives stood alongside Nicolas and the Breedline crew, who looked as if they’d went a couple of rounds with a dozen wild cats by all the scratches and bite marks, not to mention their clothes. It looked like they’d been through a shredder.
“Lenny,” Nicolas murmured. “Have faith, my dear friend.”
To be continued. . .
Artwork: Google/Facebook
NOTE: This is not part of the chapter. A reference for terms and cast of characters, 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
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.
Jace Chamberlain (a.k.a. the Beast) - He is a Breedline species who later discovers he was born with a curse of the Beast, inherited by the Chiang-Shih demon. His bonded mate is Tessa Fairchild. He's an IT engineer and the lead singer and plays acoustic guitar in the band Chaos.
Jem Chamberlain (a.k.a. the Chosen Son) - He is a Breedline species and Jace's identical twin brother. He carries the gene of the Chiang-Shih demon, which gives him the power to create a portal and a force of electrical energy used as a weapon and other powers he discovers later. His bonded mate is Mia Blackwood. He's an IT engineer and the drummer in the band Chaos.
Tim Ross - He is a Breedline species and the council head of the California Covenant.
Drakon Hexus - He is a Breedline species and bonded to Cassie Chamberlain.
Roman Kincaid - He is an Adalwolf trained in military tactics, hired as a special breed of warriors from Brazil.
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.
Dr. Henry Michaels - He is the head physician at Adam and Eve Pharmaceuticals, hired by the government to perform research on his own patients to create a new species.
Fiona - She is a vampire and Dr. Henry Michaels' mother.
Lenny - He is a vampire who has been led astray by Dr. Henry Michaels after he promised to find a cure for the vampire virus that is killing his species.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. NOTE: This is not part of the chapter. A reference for terms and cast of characters, 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
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.
Jace Chamberlain (a.k.a. the Beast) - He is a Breedline species who later discovers he was born with a curse of the Beast, inherited by the Chiang-Shih demon. His bonded mate is Tessa Fairchild. He's an IT engineer and the lead singer and plays acoustic guitar in the band Chaos.
Jem Chamberlain (a.k.a. the Chosen Son) - He is a Breedline species and Jace's identical twin brother. He carries the gene of the Chiang-Shih demon, which gives him the power to create a portal and a force of electrical energy used as a weapon and other powers he discovers later. His bonded mate is Mia Blackwood. He's an IT engineer and the drummer in the band Chaos.
Tim Ross - He is a Breedline species and the council head of the California Covenant.
Drakon Hexus - He is a Breedline species and bonded to Cassie Chamberlain.
Roman Kincaid - He is an Adalwolf trained in military tactics, hired as a special breed of warriors from Brazil.
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.
Dr. Henry Michaels - He is the head physician at Adam and Eve Pharmaceuticals, hired by the government to perform research on his own patients to create a new species.
Fiona - She is a vampire and Dr. Henry Michaels' mother.
Lenny - He is a vampire who has been led astray by Dr. Henry Michaels after he promised to find a cure for the vampire virus that is killing his species.
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