| Supernatural Science Fiction posted October 4, 2021 | Chapters: |
...82 83 -84- 85... 
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The Curse/A Novel of the Breedline series
A chapter in the book THE CURSE
Damaged Goods
by scongrove
| Background Thanks for taking the time to read my chapter. If you catch typos or mistakes, please let me know. Stay safe & I hope you enjoy! |
Previously. . .
Joseph swallowed back his nerves and sent Carrie a text.
I’m stopping by your apartment to pick up my Jeep in half an hour. I will drive you to the restaurant to get your car like I promised.
He stared at his phone for what seemed forever, waiting to see if she’d respond. His heart ached as the minutes ticked by, feeling as though time stood still. He closed his eyes, praying she’d agree to his offer, like somehow, God would feel sorry for him and answer his prayers. He didn’t like the way things ended last night, realizing he’d broken her heart. And to top it off, he’d frightened her. He was desperate to apologize to Carrie, to make things right. Although deep down, he knew he couldn’t repair the damage he’d done. The damage the Shadow had done. It was too late. It would take a miracle, but still, he could pray.
“Look at you, Joseph,” said the Shadow, his spiteful voice compelling Joseph’s lids back open. “Praying to God...” He smirked. “Do you honestly believe he cares about you?”
“Get out of my head, dammit.”
“Admit defeat, Joseph. You’ll never hear from Carrie again.”
Joseph snarled his upper lip. “Go. To. Hell.”
“Oh, I plan on it.” The Shadow snidely chuckled. “And I’m taking you with me.”
Joseph ignored the voice in his head, and before he stepped into the shower, his thoughts went back to Dr. Mendoza. Now, he had to face it all over again. In less than an hour, he’d be at the Jones Therapy Clinic, sitting across from his therapist, dreading whatever was on that recording.
“I warned you about your therapist,” said the Shadow. “We need to take care of her.”
“No.” Joseph shook his head wearily. “I told you. I will not kill for you again.”
“You say that as though you have a choice.”
“You will no longer control me,” Joseph gritted out. “And I promise… I will find a way to destroy you.”
“Oh, we will see, Joseph,” said the Shadow around an unholy cackle. “We. Will. See.”
Continued. . .
Nearly an hour later, Joseph pulled into the parking lot of the Jones Therapy Clinic, where he had an appointment to meet with his therapist. As soon as he put the Jeep in park, he leaned back in his seat, and sighed. God… he felt like his mind was teetering on the edge of insanity, and his heart near the breaking point. Earlier, when he’d taken an Uber to Carrie’s apartment complex to retrieve his vehicle, he still hadn’t heard from her. No mention of her car. Nada.
Finally, after building up the courage, he went straight to her apartment to see if she needed a ride. His stomach did somersaults as he’d knocked and waited. When Carrie’s roommate answered the door, she looked at him like a person about to deliver bad news. Unfortunately, it was. Jessica had explained that she’d already taken Carrie to pick up her car an hour ago, and that she’d left from the restaurant to go to work. She said something about Carrie having an early meeting this morning. He could tell the last part was a lie by the way Jessica lowered her gaze and fidgeted with her hands. Carrie must have told her something about last night. And hopefully, it wasn’t much.
“Aww… I guess God didn’t hear your prayers after all,” said the Shadow, his smug voice driving Joseph back to focus, irritating him further. “If you’d just killed her from the beginning, you would have saved yourself all this grief. Now, Carrie hates you. And she knows our secrets. Something must be done about it.”
“I won’t allow you to harm her,” said Joseph, his heart hammering inside his chest. “I swear…" He hesitated. “I’ll take my own life if that’s what I have to do.”
Joseph sat there, waiting for the Shadow to pop off a smart-ass remark or threaten him in some way. But there was nothing. Only silence. It was so quiet he could have heard a pin drop. He should have been relieved, but instead, it made him nervous. And afraid. Afraid of what the Shadow might unexpectedly do.
When Joseph looked out the window and stared at the clinic, a sudden sick feeling settled into the pit of his gut. I can do this, he mentally tried to convince himself. He glanced down at his watch and took a deep, shuddering breath. I better get in there, he thought as he opened his door, forcing himself to get out.
A few moments later, his heart went into overdrive as he went to push open the door that led into the clinic. He briefly paused and stared at his reflection in the door’s glass. He looked like he’d been on a bender from hell. His face was pale, and dark circles rested below his eyes. The blue color of his irises appeared darker, haunted by a pain-filled hopelessness. Most likely it was due to all the stress and sleep deprivation. He was ready to say the hell with it and turn right back around. But Joseph knew he couldn’t escape Dr. Mendoza. His therapy sessions were mandated by the mental institute the day he’d been discharged. Although it was only for a year, still, he found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. Either do the time or be forced to go back. His choices were few and far between.
He inhaled a deep breath, opened the door, and exhaled as he stepped inside. It wasn’t long after he’d checked in at the front desk, the nurse had called his name and escorted him to the room he’d been dreading.
“Make yourself comfortable, Mr. Parker,” said the nurse, holding the door open. “Dr. Mendoza will be with you shortly.”
Joseph forced a smile. “Thanks.”
He took a seat in an oversized chair directly across from his therapist’s desk. Seconds later, the door opened, and Dr. Mendoza stepped into the room.
“Hello, Joseph,” she said, greeting him with a smile, the kindness in her warm brown eyes easing some of his bottled-up tension. “It’s good to see you again.”
Joseph rose from his chair. “Yeah…” he muttered, offering her his hand. “You, too. And I’d like to apologize again for our last session. I didn’t mean to run out on you like I did. I guess I had a stomach bug or something.”
She took his hand in a brief shake, clearly noticing the exhausted look on his face. “There’s no need for apologies. I completely understand.” She tilted her head, staring at him with a concerned expression. “Joseph, are you sure you’re feeling okay? Your face is white as a sheet.”
“Uh, yeah,” he said, releasing her hand. “I just… haven’t been sleeping well. But I’m fine.”
Her brows drew together. “How long has this been going on?”
“A few days, that’s all.”
“Please.” She gestured him to the oversized chair. “Let’s get started, shall we?”
“Um… sure,” he said, slowly sinking into the padded leather cushion, his nerves skyrocketing.
She took a seat behind her desk and faced him. “Joseph, I can tell something is on your mind. Would you like to talk about it? Perhaps whatever is keeping you up at night.”
He leaned back, exhaling a small sigh of relief, praying this would take her focus off the recorded voice and she’d forget all about it.
The Shadow laughed inside Joseph’s subconscious. “Really Joseph? Haven’t you learned by now? Praying will get you nowhere. Besides, your shrink isn’t letting that shit go.”
Silence hung in the air.
“Joseph…” Dr. Mendoza raised her voice. “Did you hear what I said?”
He snapped back to focus. “Sorry. Um… it’s about Carrie.”
“The young woman you’ve been seeing?” she asked.
Joseph nodded. “I think we broke up last night.”
The therapist leaned forward with her hands clasped and narrowed her gaze. “I’m sorry to hear that. Did something happen?”
He glanced down at his hands. “I-I told her.”
“Careful Joseph,” the Shadow warned. “You’re treading on thin ice.”
Dr. Mendoza stared at him confused. “Exactly what did you tell her, Joseph?”
Joseph looked up. His eyes were full of regret. “I told her about my past.”
“The part about your parents or the institute?”
“Both,” he said, swallowing the knot that had formed in the back of his throat.
“Oh, I see.” She nodded. “And how did Carrie react?”
He nervously gripped the chair’s armrests. “She seemed shocked at first, but then compassionate and considerably understanding.”
“Well, that’s good,” said Dr. Mendoza, smiling a little. “So, what makes you think you’ve broken up?”
“Because…” His mind reeled, trying to come up with an answer. She’s in danger. But he kept that to himself. “I think Carrie deserves someone better. Someone without a past. Someone normal.”
“Did you tell her that?”
“Yes,” he hesitantly replied.
Dr. Mendoza straightened. “Tell me why you believe you’re unworthy of love, Joseph?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Probably because I’m damaged.”
“Just because you’ve had a rough start at life doesn’t mean you’re unworthy of someone’s love. Everyone has something in their past, Joseph. And I’m sure Carrie has things in hers as well. We all fight our own demons, but that doesn’t mean we are damaged goods.”
“But not just everyone has been institutionalized for most of their life,” he said. “I mean, I’ve never experienced everyday things until only recently. My job at the Chronicle is the only employment I’ve ever had. I don’t own anything, except for my vehicle. And Carrie…” He let out a weary sigh. “She’s the first girl… I’ve never…”
“So maybe you’ve had a late start in life,” said Dr. Mendoza, shrugging a shoulder. “What does that matter? It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person or abnormal. You’re still so young, and you’re selling yourself short, Joseph. I see an intelligent, handsome, responsible young man, worthy of love. And you have more than enough time to experience all those things. Most people don’t have their life in order by age thirty or even older for that matter. I think you’re making good progress here.”
Joseph’s brows lifted. “You really think so?”
“Yes, I do. But you’ve got to give it a chance. Stop worrying about disappointing other people and start believing in yourself. Just because your life started out tragic, doesn’t mean it has to continue that way. You are worthy of so much, Joseph. Look how far you’ve come already.”
They continued to talk about Joseph’s relationship with Carrie and the new position at the Chronicle he’d been interested in applying for. Time seemed to slip by, until finally, Dr. Mendoza glanced at the clock on the wall, realizing their session had ended thirty minutes ago.
“Oh dear,” she said, moving to her feet. “Look at the time. I’m sorry, Joseph, but we’ll have to end it here. I’ve got another appointment scheduled in ten minutes.” Her expression grew serious as she moved from her desk. “I was really hoping we could discuss where we’d left off during our last session. You know… about that mysterious voice I discovered on the recorder.”
Joseph nodded and quickly rose from his chair. “I’ll schedule another appointment before I leave. Besides,” he paused, glancing down at his watch. “I need to get to work.”
She came forward and took hold of Joseph’s hand. “Of course. We’ll discuss this another time.”
“Lucky bastard,” said the Shadow, sounding dissatisfied. “And I was hoping for a reason to kill your shrink. But there’s always… next time.”
“And don’t forget, Joseph,” Dr. Mendoza added. “You deserve to be happy. And I hope things work out between you and Carrie.”
“Thanks, Dr. Mendoza.” Joseph’s lips turned up into a half smile. “So do I.”
To be continued. . .
Joseph swallowed back his nerves and sent Carrie a text.
I’m stopping by your apartment to pick up my Jeep in half an hour. I will drive you to the restaurant to get your car like I promised.
He stared at his phone for what seemed forever, waiting to see if she’d respond. His heart ached as the minutes ticked by, feeling as though time stood still. He closed his eyes, praying she’d agree to his offer, like somehow, God would feel sorry for him and answer his prayers. He didn’t like the way things ended last night, realizing he’d broken her heart. And to top it off, he’d frightened her. He was desperate to apologize to Carrie, to make things right. Although deep down, he knew he couldn’t repair the damage he’d done. The damage the Shadow had done. It was too late. It would take a miracle, but still, he could pray.
“Look at you, Joseph,” said the Shadow, his spiteful voice compelling Joseph’s lids back open. “Praying to God...” He smirked. “Do you honestly believe he cares about you?”
“Get out of my head, dammit.”
“Admit defeat, Joseph. You’ll never hear from Carrie again.”
Joseph snarled his upper lip. “Go. To. Hell.”
“Oh, I plan on it.” The Shadow snidely chuckled. “And I’m taking you with me.”
Joseph ignored the voice in his head, and before he stepped into the shower, his thoughts went back to Dr. Mendoza. Now, he had to face it all over again. In less than an hour, he’d be at the Jones Therapy Clinic, sitting across from his therapist, dreading whatever was on that recording.
“I warned you about your therapist,” said the Shadow. “We need to take care of her.”
“No.” Joseph shook his head wearily. “I told you. I will not kill for you again.”
“You say that as though you have a choice.”
“You will no longer control me,” Joseph gritted out. “And I promise… I will find a way to destroy you.”
“Oh, we will see, Joseph,” said the Shadow around an unholy cackle. “We. Will. See.”
Continued. . .
Nearly an hour later, Joseph pulled into the parking lot of the Jones Therapy Clinic, where he had an appointment to meet with his therapist. As soon as he put the Jeep in park, he leaned back in his seat, and sighed. God… he felt like his mind was teetering on the edge of insanity, and his heart near the breaking point. Earlier, when he’d taken an Uber to Carrie’s apartment complex to retrieve his vehicle, he still hadn’t heard from her. No mention of her car. Nada.
Finally, after building up the courage, he went straight to her apartment to see if she needed a ride. His stomach did somersaults as he’d knocked and waited. When Carrie’s roommate answered the door, she looked at him like a person about to deliver bad news. Unfortunately, it was. Jessica had explained that she’d already taken Carrie to pick up her car an hour ago, and that she’d left from the restaurant to go to work. She said something about Carrie having an early meeting this morning. He could tell the last part was a lie by the way Jessica lowered her gaze and fidgeted with her hands. Carrie must have told her something about last night. And hopefully, it wasn’t much.
“Aww… I guess God didn’t hear your prayers after all,” said the Shadow, his smug voice driving Joseph back to focus, irritating him further. “If you’d just killed her from the beginning, you would have saved yourself all this grief. Now, Carrie hates you. And she knows our secrets. Something must be done about it.”
“I won’t allow you to harm her,” said Joseph, his heart hammering inside his chest. “I swear…" He hesitated. “I’ll take my own life if that’s what I have to do.”
Joseph sat there, waiting for the Shadow to pop off a smart-ass remark or threaten him in some way. But there was nothing. Only silence. It was so quiet he could have heard a pin drop. He should have been relieved, but instead, it made him nervous. And afraid. Afraid of what the Shadow might unexpectedly do.
When Joseph looked out the window and stared at the clinic, a sudden sick feeling settled into the pit of his gut. I can do this, he mentally tried to convince himself. He glanced down at his watch and took a deep, shuddering breath. I better get in there, he thought as he opened his door, forcing himself to get out.
A few moments later, his heart went into overdrive as he went to push open the door that led into the clinic. He briefly paused and stared at his reflection in the door’s glass. He looked like he’d been on a bender from hell. His face was pale, and dark circles rested below his eyes. The blue color of his irises appeared darker, haunted by a pain-filled hopelessness. Most likely it was due to all the stress and sleep deprivation. He was ready to say the hell with it and turn right back around. But Joseph knew he couldn’t escape Dr. Mendoza. His therapy sessions were mandated by the mental institute the day he’d been discharged. Although it was only for a year, still, he found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. Either do the time or be forced to go back. His choices were few and far between.
He inhaled a deep breath, opened the door, and exhaled as he stepped inside. It wasn’t long after he’d checked in at the front desk, the nurse had called his name and escorted him to the room he’d been dreading.
“Make yourself comfortable, Mr. Parker,” said the nurse, holding the door open. “Dr. Mendoza will be with you shortly.”
Joseph forced a smile. “Thanks.”
He took a seat in an oversized chair directly across from his therapist’s desk. Seconds later, the door opened, and Dr. Mendoza stepped into the room.
“Hello, Joseph,” she said, greeting him with a smile, the kindness in her warm brown eyes easing some of his bottled-up tension. “It’s good to see you again.”
Joseph rose from his chair. “Yeah…” he muttered, offering her his hand. “You, too. And I’d like to apologize again for our last session. I didn’t mean to run out on you like I did. I guess I had a stomach bug or something.”
She took his hand in a brief shake, clearly noticing the exhausted look on his face. “There’s no need for apologies. I completely understand.” She tilted her head, staring at him with a concerned expression. “Joseph, are you sure you’re feeling okay? Your face is white as a sheet.”
“Uh, yeah,” he said, releasing her hand. “I just… haven’t been sleeping well. But I’m fine.”
Her brows drew together. “How long has this been going on?”
“A few days, that’s all.”
“Please.” She gestured him to the oversized chair. “Let’s get started, shall we?”
“Um… sure,” he said, slowly sinking into the padded leather cushion, his nerves skyrocketing.
She took a seat behind her desk and faced him. “Joseph, I can tell something is on your mind. Would you like to talk about it? Perhaps whatever is keeping you up at night.”
He leaned back, exhaling a small sigh of relief, praying this would take her focus off the recorded voice and she’d forget all about it.
The Shadow laughed inside Joseph’s subconscious. “Really Joseph? Haven’t you learned by now? Praying will get you nowhere. Besides, your shrink isn’t letting that shit go.”
Silence hung in the air.
“Joseph…” Dr. Mendoza raised her voice. “Did you hear what I said?”
He snapped back to focus. “Sorry. Um… it’s about Carrie.”
“The young woman you’ve been seeing?” she asked.
Joseph nodded. “I think we broke up last night.”
The therapist leaned forward with her hands clasped and narrowed her gaze. “I’m sorry to hear that. Did something happen?”
He glanced down at his hands. “I-I told her.”
“Careful Joseph,” the Shadow warned. “You’re treading on thin ice.”
Dr. Mendoza stared at him confused. “Exactly what did you tell her, Joseph?”
Joseph looked up. His eyes were full of regret. “I told her about my past.”
“The part about your parents or the institute?”
“Both,” he said, swallowing the knot that had formed in the back of his throat.
“Oh, I see.” She nodded. “And how did Carrie react?”
He nervously gripped the chair’s armrests. “She seemed shocked at first, but then compassionate and considerably understanding.”
“Well, that’s good,” said Dr. Mendoza, smiling a little. “So, what makes you think you’ve broken up?”
“Because…” His mind reeled, trying to come up with an answer. She’s in danger. But he kept that to himself. “I think Carrie deserves someone better. Someone without a past. Someone normal.”
“Did you tell her that?”
“Yes,” he hesitantly replied.
Dr. Mendoza straightened. “Tell me why you believe you’re unworthy of love, Joseph?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Probably because I’m damaged.”
“Just because you’ve had a rough start at life doesn’t mean you’re unworthy of someone’s love. Everyone has something in their past, Joseph. And I’m sure Carrie has things in hers as well. We all fight our own demons, but that doesn’t mean we are damaged goods.”
“But not just everyone has been institutionalized for most of their life,” he said. “I mean, I’ve never experienced everyday things until only recently. My job at the Chronicle is the only employment I’ve ever had. I don’t own anything, except for my vehicle. And Carrie…” He let out a weary sigh. “She’s the first girl… I’ve never…”
“So maybe you’ve had a late start in life,” said Dr. Mendoza, shrugging a shoulder. “What does that matter? It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person or abnormal. You’re still so young, and you’re selling yourself short, Joseph. I see an intelligent, handsome, responsible young man, worthy of love. And you have more than enough time to experience all those things. Most people don’t have their life in order by age thirty or even older for that matter. I think you’re making good progress here.”
Joseph’s brows lifted. “You really think so?”
“Yes, I do. But you’ve got to give it a chance. Stop worrying about disappointing other people and start believing in yourself. Just because your life started out tragic, doesn’t mean it has to continue that way. You are worthy of so much, Joseph. Look how far you’ve come already.”
They continued to talk about Joseph’s relationship with Carrie and the new position at the Chronicle he’d been interested in applying for. Time seemed to slip by, until finally, Dr. Mendoza glanced at the clock on the wall, realizing their session had ended thirty minutes ago.
“Oh dear,” she said, moving to her feet. “Look at the time. I’m sorry, Joseph, but we’ll have to end it here. I’ve got another appointment scheduled in ten minutes.” Her expression grew serious as she moved from her desk. “I was really hoping we could discuss where we’d left off during our last session. You know… about that mysterious voice I discovered on the recorder.”
Joseph nodded and quickly rose from his chair. “I’ll schedule another appointment before I leave. Besides,” he paused, glancing down at his watch. “I need to get to work.”
She came forward and took hold of Joseph’s hand. “Of course. We’ll discuss this another time.”
“Lucky bastard,” said the Shadow, sounding dissatisfied. “And I was hoping for a reason to kill your shrink. But there’s always… next time.”
“And don’t forget, Joseph,” Dr. Mendoza added. “You deserve to be happy. And I hope things work out between you and Carrie.”
“Thanks, Dr. Mendoza.” Joseph’s lips turned up into a half smile. “So do I.”
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.
Artwork: Facebook/Google
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.
Artwork: Facebook/Google
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