| Supernatural Fiction posted March 28, 2020 | Chapters: |
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THE CURSE/A Novel of the Breedline series
A chapter in the book THE CURSE
The Headless
by scongrove
| Background Thanks for taking the time to read my chapter. It's still in the working stages, so if you catch mistakes, please let me know. Enjoy! |
Previously . . .
When five-year-old Joseph Parker witnesses his mother’s brutal death—by the hands of his abusive, alcoholic father—he mysteriously starts to hear voices in his head that changes his life forever. As this dark, soulless entity inhabits the young boy’s body, it introduces itself as the Shadow and teaches him how to survive and how to focus on one thing. To kill.
Immediately following the incident, police arrested Joseph’s father and later sentenced him to twenty years in prison. Without any other living relatives, social workers placed Joseph in foster care.
By age thirteen, Joseph had gone through ten foster families before a psychologist placed him into a mental institution due to his psychopathic and sadistic behavior where he spent most of his adolescent years.
Twenty-one years later, after mastering the skills of manipulation with the Shadow’s help, Joseph was back in the real world. The day the institute finally discharged him, believing he’d been cured, it wasn’t long before he landed a job as a freelance journalist at the San Francisco Chronicle and his opportunity to avenge his mother after his father was back in society living as a free man.
After Joseph tracked down his father and took his life, it was time to appease the Shadow’s ravenous appetite for human flesh. With his newfound driving force to take lives, the Shadow guides Joseph to a young girl who is alone in a bar.
When the girl leaves on foot, Joseph follows her to what appears to be a deserted street. Before he has a chance to take the girl, two men show up out of nowhere and attack her. As they drag her to a vacant building with the intention of doing her harm, the Shadow commands Joseph to kill the men and take the girl. Prepared to obey the Shadow, Joseph’s features begin to transform into something evil and demonic. As he moves in to strike, something big with speed of lightning suddenly leaps out of the fog and viciously attacks both men while the girl manages to get away.
When Joseph realizes it’s a werewolf, he watches in stunned disbelief as it rips the girl’s attackers to pieces.
Continued . . .
When Carrie told Frank and Manuel what had happened to her earlier, including the part about the werewolf, it completely rendered them speechless. Although, if she had told this to anyone else, she’d been hauled off to the looney bin and put in a straitjacket. Considering what the two detectives had experienced in the last year—discovering a secret species of supernatural beings with the ability to shift into wolves, as well as real live battle angels and much more bizarre creatures—they believed her every word. Nevertheless, they told her to keep the incident, especially the werewolf part, under wraps until further notice.
After they took Carrie’s statement, promising they would check things out and search for her purse, they drove to the crime scene. Even though they didn’t know her attacker’s identity, they had a pretty good idea who saved Carrie. By her description of the wolfish creature, it had to be Jena. However, they still weren’t a hundred percent sure. There was a possibility it could have been someone or something else.
By the time they arrived to the location, the area was completely deserted. As Frank parked alongside the street, Manuel said, “You think we should contact Tim Ross?”
“Let’s check the crime scene first. Besides, it’s four o’clock in the morning. There’s no reason to wake the Covenant until we get the facts. Besides, if we call Tim, he’ll have to notify Tessa. I hate to wake her at this hour since she’s got her hands full with twins boys.”
Manuel checked his watch and sighed. “Yeah, you’re right,” he grudgingly replied. “Let’s go see what kind of mess we’re dealing with.”
“This is the part I hate about my job,” Frank said as he took the keys from the ignition. “Although by now, you’d think I’d be used to bloody body parts.”
“Suck it up, buttercup,” Manuel mocked Frank as he reached to open the passenger door.
Frank smirked and stepped out of the vehicle. “Thanks for all the moral support, partner,” he said, narrowing his eyes at Manuel.
Manuel ignored Frank’s comment and aimed a flashlight toward a dark alley that led to the vacant building Carrie had mentioned. “Carrie said those bastards dragged her over there,” Manuel said, directing the portable light ahead.
When they got closer, the glare from the light displayed spray-painted profanity and obscene gestures all over the front of the brick building. As they searched the area, Frank shook his head. “I just wish one of those bastards were still alive so I could...”
“So do I, partner,” Manuel said as Frank’s voice trailed off. “But I’ve got a feeling if this was Jena, she didn’t leave much behind or alive for that matter.”
Frank extended his hand and pointed toward the ground a few feet ahead. “Jesus. Is that what I think it is?”
When Manuel shined the flashlight in the direction Frank was pointing, they both cringed and took a step back. Lying in the grass were the severed heads of Carrie’s attackers. The one that had a repulsive odor was staring blankly at nothing with dead, glassy eyes, and his bug-eyed sidekick was barely recognizable. His skull appeared crushed like an elephant had stomped on it.
“Yep,” Manuel finally said. “It looks like two human heads to me. I believe it’s a good time as any to make that call.”
“We better do it soon,” Frank said. “It’ll be daylight in a few hours and we sure as hell don’t want this reported in. Captain will have a damn heart attack if he thinks there’s another werewolf on the loose.”
“No shit,” Manuel shot back. “While I call Tim, look for your niece’s purse.” He handed Frank the flashlight. “She said she dropped it somewhere around here. We don’t need Carrie connected to any of this. If word gets out, we’ll have another panicked outbreak on our hands.”
After Manuel got off the phone, he said, “Tim, Drakon, and Roman are on their way.”
“Speaking of Roman,” Frank said. “How’s it going with him and your sister?”
“By what Lailah tells me, they’ve been talking about tying the knot.”
Frank’s eyes widened. “Already?”
Manuel nodded. “I guess somethings are just meant to be.”
“Are you okay with your sister marrying Roman?”
“Yeah,” Manuel said. “Roman’s a good guy. In addition, he treats Lailah like a queen and I feel confident he will keep her safe. As long as it stays that way, I’ll give him my blessing. Lailah deserves happiness after everything she’s been through. I still can’t believe she’s back.”
“I can’t get over the fact that she was a battle angel,” Frank said. “Lailah lost her life at such a young age and then became a kick-ass angel. Not to mention the powers she had. I’d never guess in a million years an angel would be able to conjure fire with their wings, much less bring back the dead. And now she’s human again.”
“I know.” Manuel let out a heavy sigh. “Go figure.”
“Well, I’m glad everything worked out for her.” Then, Frank changed the subject and asked, “So, what did Tim say about the sketchy situation we’re in? Oh, and did he notify Tessa?”
“Yes, Tim said he’d let Tessa know what’s going on before he leaves. As soon as they get here, they’ll take care of this before someone discovers Jena’s leftovers.”
Frank frowned at Manuel. “That’s a sick way of putting it.”
“Well,” Manuel said, shrugging it off like it was nothing. “Just saying it like it is. So, did you find your niece’s purse?”
“Hell no,” Frank groaned. “I’ve looked everywhere, but it’s nowhere in sight. Do you think Jena could have picked it up after she—”
“Ate those guys?” Manuel said, finishing Frank’s sentence.
When Frank nodded with an unsettled expression, Manuel said, “She could have, but we still don’t know for sure if it was her. Although, there’s only one way to find out.”
“You think we should call Nicolas?” Frank suggested. “He is the closest person to Jena.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to try,” Manuel said.
“I’ll wait to see what Tim says when he arrives with the others,” Frank said. “I just hope this isn’t going to be a habit with Jena.”
“She’s not going to stop killing bad people. Jena is cursed for eternity.”
“I know, but what are we supposed to do?” Frank queried. “Follow her around and clean up the mess she leaves behind?”
Manuel nodded. “You’ve got a point there, partner. I guess that’s something we need to discuss with the Covenant. We can’t have bits and pieces of dead bodies left all over the city. All hell will break loose, not to mention the press. If this was to get out, they’d have a damn field day over all this shit.”
To be continued…
When five-year-old Joseph Parker witnesses his mother’s brutal death—by the hands of his abusive, alcoholic father—he mysteriously starts to hear voices in his head that changes his life forever. As this dark, soulless entity inhabits the young boy’s body, it introduces itself as the Shadow and teaches him how to survive and how to focus on one thing. To kill.
Immediately following the incident, police arrested Joseph’s father and later sentenced him to twenty years in prison. Without any other living relatives, social workers placed Joseph in foster care.
By age thirteen, Joseph had gone through ten foster families before a psychologist placed him into a mental institution due to his psychopathic and sadistic behavior where he spent most of his adolescent years.
Twenty-one years later, after mastering the skills of manipulation with the Shadow’s help, Joseph was back in the real world. The day the institute finally discharged him, believing he’d been cured, it wasn’t long before he landed a job as a freelance journalist at the San Francisco Chronicle and his opportunity to avenge his mother after his father was back in society living as a free man.
After Joseph tracked down his father and took his life, it was time to appease the Shadow’s ravenous appetite for human flesh. With his newfound driving force to take lives, the Shadow guides Joseph to a young girl who is alone in a bar.
When the girl leaves on foot, Joseph follows her to what appears to be a deserted street. Before he has a chance to take the girl, two men show up out of nowhere and attack her. As they drag her to a vacant building with the intention of doing her harm, the Shadow commands Joseph to kill the men and take the girl. Prepared to obey the Shadow, Joseph’s features begin to transform into something evil and demonic. As he moves in to strike, something big with speed of lightning suddenly leaps out of the fog and viciously attacks both men while the girl manages to get away.
When Joseph realizes it’s a werewolf, he watches in stunned disbelief as it rips the girl’s attackers to pieces.
Continued . . .
When Carrie told Frank and Manuel what had happened to her earlier, including the part about the werewolf, it completely rendered them speechless. Although, if she had told this to anyone else, she’d been hauled off to the looney bin and put in a straitjacket. Considering what the two detectives had experienced in the last year—discovering a secret species of supernatural beings with the ability to shift into wolves, as well as real live battle angels and much more bizarre creatures—they believed her every word. Nevertheless, they told her to keep the incident, especially the werewolf part, under wraps until further notice.
After they took Carrie’s statement, promising they would check things out and search for her purse, they drove to the crime scene. Even though they didn’t know her attacker’s identity, they had a pretty good idea who saved Carrie. By her description of the wolfish creature, it had to be Jena. However, they still weren’t a hundred percent sure. There was a possibility it could have been someone or something else.
By the time they arrived to the location, the area was completely deserted. As Frank parked alongside the street, Manuel said, “You think we should contact Tim Ross?”
“Let’s check the crime scene first. Besides, it’s four o’clock in the morning. There’s no reason to wake the Covenant until we get the facts. Besides, if we call Tim, he’ll have to notify Tessa. I hate to wake her at this hour since she’s got her hands full with twins boys.”
Manuel checked his watch and sighed. “Yeah, you’re right,” he grudgingly replied. “Let’s go see what kind of mess we’re dealing with.”
“This is the part I hate about my job,” Frank said as he took the keys from the ignition. “Although by now, you’d think I’d be used to bloody body parts.”
“Suck it up, buttercup,” Manuel mocked Frank as he reached to open the passenger door.
Frank smirked and stepped out of the vehicle. “Thanks for all the moral support, partner,” he said, narrowing his eyes at Manuel.
Manuel ignored Frank’s comment and aimed a flashlight toward a dark alley that led to the vacant building Carrie had mentioned. “Carrie said those bastards dragged her over there,” Manuel said, directing the portable light ahead.
When they got closer, the glare from the light displayed spray-painted profanity and obscene gestures all over the front of the brick building. As they searched the area, Frank shook his head. “I just wish one of those bastards were still alive so I could...”
“So do I, partner,” Manuel said as Frank’s voice trailed off. “But I’ve got a feeling if this was Jena, she didn’t leave much behind or alive for that matter.”
Frank extended his hand and pointed toward the ground a few feet ahead. “Jesus. Is that what I think it is?”
When Manuel shined the flashlight in the direction Frank was pointing, they both cringed and took a step back. Lying in the grass were the severed heads of Carrie’s attackers. The one that had a repulsive odor was staring blankly at nothing with dead, glassy eyes, and his bug-eyed sidekick was barely recognizable. His skull appeared crushed like an elephant had stomped on it.
“Yep,” Manuel finally said. “It looks like two human heads to me. I believe it’s a good time as any to make that call.”
“We better do it soon,” Frank said. “It’ll be daylight in a few hours and we sure as hell don’t want this reported in. Captain will have a damn heart attack if he thinks there’s another werewolf on the loose.”
“No shit,” Manuel shot back. “While I call Tim, look for your niece’s purse.” He handed Frank the flashlight. “She said she dropped it somewhere around here. We don’t need Carrie connected to any of this. If word gets out, we’ll have another panicked outbreak on our hands.”
After Manuel got off the phone, he said, “Tim, Drakon, and Roman are on their way.”
“Speaking of Roman,” Frank said. “How’s it going with him and your sister?”
“By what Lailah tells me, they’ve been talking about tying the knot.”
Frank’s eyes widened. “Already?”
Manuel nodded. “I guess somethings are just meant to be.”
“Are you okay with your sister marrying Roman?”
“Yeah,” Manuel said. “Roman’s a good guy. In addition, he treats Lailah like a queen and I feel confident he will keep her safe. As long as it stays that way, I’ll give him my blessing. Lailah deserves happiness after everything she’s been through. I still can’t believe she’s back.”
“I can’t get over the fact that she was a battle angel,” Frank said. “Lailah lost her life at such a young age and then became a kick-ass angel. Not to mention the powers she had. I’d never guess in a million years an angel would be able to conjure fire with their wings, much less bring back the dead. And now she’s human again.”
“I know.” Manuel let out a heavy sigh. “Go figure.”
“Well, I’m glad everything worked out for her.” Then, Frank changed the subject and asked, “So, what did Tim say about the sketchy situation we’re in? Oh, and did he notify Tessa?”
“Yes, Tim said he’d let Tessa know what’s going on before he leaves. As soon as they get here, they’ll take care of this before someone discovers Jena’s leftovers.”
Frank frowned at Manuel. “That’s a sick way of putting it.”
“Well,” Manuel said, shrugging it off like it was nothing. “Just saying it like it is. So, did you find your niece’s purse?”
“Hell no,” Frank groaned. “I’ve looked everywhere, but it’s nowhere in sight. Do you think Jena could have picked it up after she—”
“Ate those guys?” Manuel said, finishing Frank’s sentence.
When Frank nodded with an unsettled expression, Manuel said, “She could have, but we still don’t know for sure if it was her. Although, there’s only one way to find out.”
“You think we should call Nicolas?” Frank suggested. “He is the closest person to Jena.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to try,” Manuel said.
“I’ll wait to see what Tim says when he arrives with the others,” Frank said. “I just hope this isn’t going to be a habit with Jena.”
“She’s not going to stop killing bad people. Jena is cursed for eternity.”
“I know, but what are we supposed to do?” Frank queried. “Follow her around and clean up the mess she leaves behind?”
Manuel nodded. “You’ve got a point there, partner. I guess that’s something we need to discuss with the Covenant. We can’t have bits and pieces of dead bodies left all over the city. All hell will break loose, not to mention the press. If this was to get out, they’d have a damn field day over all this shit.”
To be continued…
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.
Tessa Fairchild (a.k.a. the Breedline Queen) - She was born into the human world and later discovers she's a Breedline. Abandoned by her parents, and raised by her aunt and uncle, Tessa has no knowledge of being born a twin. After she meets Jace, they become bonded mates. During her first change into her Breedline wolf, she shifts into the new Breedline queen. She is an inspiring artist.
Tim Ross - He is a Breedline species, and the head council of the California Covenant.
Detective Manuel Sanchez - Raised by a single mother, Manuel never knew his real father. At age thirteen, his older sister Lailah was murdered, and never solved. Consumed by Lailah's death, Manuel chooses a career in police enforcement hoping someday he will catch her killer and bring justice to his sister. Now in his fifties - living his life as a bachelor and a homicide detective -he discovers he is not entirely human, and has inherited his father's Breedline genetics.
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. 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.
Tessa Fairchild (a.k.a. the Breedline Queen) - She was born into the human world and later discovers she's a Breedline. Abandoned by her parents, and raised by her aunt and uncle, Tessa has no knowledge of being born a twin. After she meets Jace, they become bonded mates. During her first change into her Breedline wolf, she shifts into the new Breedline queen. She is an inspiring artist.
Tim Ross - He is a Breedline species, and the head council of the California Covenant.
Detective Manuel Sanchez - Raised by a single mother, Manuel never knew his real father. At age thirteen, his older sister Lailah was murdered, and never solved. Consumed by Lailah's death, Manuel chooses a career in police enforcement hoping someday he will catch her killer and bring justice to his sister. Now in his fifties - living his life as a bachelor and a homicide detective -he discovers he is not entirely human, and has inherited his father's Breedline genetics.
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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