Night Enchantress18:01 Dec 10 2011
Times Read: 433
The magic is flowing in the air and the breeze carrying words of chant caressing the sky as a living embodiment. The enchantress standing up on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The waves slamming and crashing against the rocks below. Her voice a husky whisper singing the words that enchanted the eve and could bring men to their knees. Her raven hair sparkling under the diamond night sky. Her white dress flowing in the breeze.
In the middle of the ocean, a thunderstorm brewing, rumbling fiercely. The lightning slashing the sky. The storm tremendous and murderous as if it was looking for vengeance or retribution.
On the hill overlooking a cliff, a man is lying down and looking through a sniper rifle's scope.
He watches her completely enrapt by her presence. He barely breathes when he watches her use her hands to finish the chant. She wanted rain and rain is coming. He could smell the salty water of the ocean.
She drops to her knees. Her hands are covering her face. He sees her shoulders shaking as she weeps.
A letter discarded by her lashes back at him. As if she knows, he is there watching her. His sniper rifle scope is covered. He removes the letter, a cursory glance tells him it’s a sorry to inform you your family member died in the line of duty. He sighs.
He has lost many men under his command as well as having to inform their family members in person and having to watch the devastation hit them. This is what he could see is going on with her. He glances down to see who she has lost. He nearly curses out loud as he reads the names.
He could understand her devastation; she lost both her husband and son all in one day. No one can blame her for being angry, hurt and grieving.
He wonders what she could have done to anger General Mason Braddock. He knows that he’s supposed to kill her and take everything she owns into an undisclosed location which General Braddock chooses.
He looks around and sees his team. They all are thinking the same line as he is. He sighs. He wants answers. He lays the rifle down. He walks quickly and silently. Sgt. James whispers in his mind. “What are you doing?”
He shrugs. “I want to know and need to know who she is. Something isn’t right. I met both her husband and son. You know they were set up.”
Sgt. James responds. “Yes, is that who she lost?”
“Yes.” He is nearly behind her. She spins around. Her sapphire eyes filled with grief and anger. She vehemently asks. “What do you mean they were set up?”
He stops. He balks. “How did you?”
“Know?” She frowns. “I’m telepathic. I’m guessing you’re a super soldier.”
He frowns. “I don’t like being called that.”
“Fine, just tell me what happened to my husband and son.”
He shakes his head. “No.”
She glares. “Why are you here?” She feels as though she already knows the answer. She sighs. “General Braddock sent you. What for? So he can enjoy his handiwork?”
Captain Briguard remains emotionless and doesn’t think about why he is there.
“Captain?” The word shimmers into the air.
Captain Briguard frowns. “Silence! She is telepathic too.” Laughter echoes in the air.
Her brow arches. “Captain. Hmm. should have known might as well come out or I will make you come out.” More laughter filled the air as the rest of the team came out. They walked towards her slowly to make sure they didn’t scare her. Her sapphire eyes widened. She couldn’t believe that General Braddock sent a whole team of super soldiers after her.
Soldiers she created. Soldiers who could never stop until they completely burnout and die. She hadn’t meant to create such a formula but it happened. She wanted to help her husband keep up demands that the military demanded of him. He was the first test subject. It had worked what she thought perfectly on him expect that he couldn’t sleep, had to keep moving. She realized he would eventually die from this and she kept working to find a way to make it safer and more efficient and she did. She gave the reformed formula to her husband and he would have had a normal life except being a more efficient soldier.
She couldn’t do that to her son, so she never told him what his father was. She doesn’t know if it did affect him when she became pregnant during the time but she hadn’t seen any. She really couldn’t tell. He was so secretive towards her and very guarded like any soldier would be but she still thinks that maybe just maybe it did affect him.
Captain Briguard looks at her and is shocked by her thoughts. The other men stand still absorbing it all. He asks. “You created the formula?”
“Yes, I did. The demands on my husband were hard on him so, I created a formula, a basic serum that could help him but well, you know how it went. I created a better one but the death rate on that one was even worse. I couldn’t allow anyone to use it. 2 out of 10 would have died unlike the formula that they are using is 5 out of 10. I refuse to give it up. I rather burn all knowledge of either one.” She sighs.
He looks at her and he could see that she is serious. He could see the anger, disbelief and fierce determination to destroy what she had created.
Lt. Justin King, Sgt. James Martin and Private Nathaniel Jones wait for further orders. They look at her and regard her as an interesting woman who was looking out for her husband. They were however surprised by that she is the one who created it. General Braddock practically took ownership of it. Now they understood their orders from him. He is looking for her formula modifications. He also wanted to destroy any competition for ownership of the formula and wouldn’t allow some mere woman take away the possibility of glory against all enemies.
This man has no honor and shouldn’t be allowed and isn’t fit for command over them. His men agreed with him and nodded in response. They would use their talents to stop General Braddock from injuring this woman any more than he has already done.
It would be their new mission.
She shakes her head. “I don’t need anyone to protect me. I will not have any more deaths because of me. I will however never give the modification to my formula to General Braddock or General Maurice. I know they both want it and will do anything to get it. If you want to protect the formulas, be my guest but I don’t want protection.”
Captain Lucas Briguard looks at her. “You are willing to give me the formula?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you want me to protect your formulas?”
“My dear captain, it is simple. I know you are a good man and a good soldier like my husband and son was and I know you will never let them have my formulas. You have a good team who respect you and will follow orders completely because they find you an honorable man. Where would I find that besides here and now? I know of your orders to kill me and seize my things. I will allow to do that so, you have not disobeyed orders and the Generals would not be suspicious of you or your team.”
The team and the captain balk at this. They found it in themselves that they could not kill an innocent woman. They certainly felt that they could not in good conscience kill anyone who was innocent even if it meant death for them. They are soldiers of war not mercenaries.
She gently smiles her eyes still gleaming from tears. “I thank you for your kindness but please kill me and be done with it.” She hands Captain Briguard a disk called “Soldado de la Guerra.”
Captain Briguard chuckles at the name. He arches his brow. “Couldn’t think of anything else huh?”
She laughs. “It seemed appropriate. Since he was a soldier of war as you call yourselves. I can trust that you’ll keep it safe and both formulas are on that disk. Guard it with your life because if it falls in the wrong hands who knows what will happen to innocent lives. I don’t want to be responsible for any more deaths. All my research, data, formulas are on that disk. It is my work and I just don’t want it anymore. You can destroy it or keep it. It doesn’t matter. I won’t be alive to keep it safe. Now do your duty and kill me.”
Captain Briguard looks at her and sighs. “I can’t do that. I will keep the disk from harm but I won’t kill you. I can keep you and the disk safe. My team is best at what they do and we don’t want to kill you.”
His team nods in accordance. They would not and could not harm her. She is important to keep alive. Not just because she is an innocent bystander but also their salvation. They could get the help they needed and they are willing to do everything within their power to keep her alive.
She frowns and sighs. “I will try to help you all but I don’t know if my modified formula will work on you. It kills more people and so I must do more research on how to make that one more efficient without causing so much death. I can use the basic formula and try to remodify the modified version. I don’t know. It will take some time.”
Captain Briguard nods. “We will buy you time and we don’t mind dying. We are walking death as it is. You know what the formula does and you know what you need to do to it. I don’t know much about chemistry but I do know you are a genius. You created this formula and you know what to do with it better than any of us. We will give you anything you need. You can count on us.”
She smiles. “I am glad I have met you, Captain. I will do everything I can to make you better and if I have to I will make even more efficient. I do have an idea where I went wrong with it but I don’t know whether I am ready to implement it onto a test subject yet.”
He nods. “What is your name?”
“I thought you would already know my name.”
He grins. “No. All we were told was to kill you. Never given a name just a picture of a woman which is you.”
She frowns. “My name is Jasmine Shriver. Captain Michael Shriver was my husband and my son was Private Daniel Shriver. I need to know what happened to my family.”
He sighs. “I don’t know what happened to them personally but I can find out. All I know is that they were trapped in Iraq and were in fact assassinated by orders of General Braddock.”
Her sapphire eyes widen. Lightning hit the ground near them. Lightning slammed into the ground around her and the soldiers. They don’t move afraid that the lightning would strike them. Her teeth clenched. Her eyes shut as rain pours down on them. The rain covers her tears but her body shaking at her grief couldn’t be covered. She turns away from them. She screams and the wind tears at hill and the ocean becomes angry and venomous itself. The waves crash against the rocks as if to tear them apart.
Captain Briguard gently grabs her because she began to walk towards the edge of the cliff. She drops to her knees. He can feel her agony well up from her like the waves of the ocean. He could feel the heat of her anger like the lightning. Her screams are the wind.
She is part of nature and nature felt her grief and anger.
He helps her back to her feet and turns her towards him. She rests her head against his chest and he allows her to cry.
She seemed so small and childlike at the time but with grief no one can blame a person.
We became soaked from the rain and she shakes her head. “I am sorry. Please all of you come inside.”
She led us down a path made in nature down to her white two story beach house. The sand reached up to the front door and she had a little mat that said “welcome” on it. She takes a skeleton key off around her neck and slides it into an old fashioned door that seemed out of time and place here. The peacefulness of the beach with a door that seemed medieval with serpentine figures of black and faint gold hues on it, it all seemed so out of place.
“My husband bought this place since I couldn’t stand being in cities. I dreamed of living in the woods or near them. Half a block away from here is a protected forest. I enjoy living here. I sleep hearing the ocean waves lapping at the beach. It makes me feel really connected to nature.” She whispered words and opened the door.
I wonder what she said because the house seemed to be so alive. We walked single form as we were taught to do and she walks into her bedroom and closes the door. I could have sworn the house was breathing because seemed to undulate in her presence.
His men standing there like soldiers of justice. They seemed to stand out in the peaceful nature of her home. Their faces still smeared with black and green camouflage and their semi-automatic guns strapped across their chests and their .45 caliber guns in their holsters and knives strapped to their thighs. They held an air of danger and she knew they were extremely dangerous.
They looked around. Her home filled with feminine touches and military paraphernalia. She had witchcraft books and objects sacred to witches. It seemed she is a nature witch. He found many books with spells and rituals for a nature witch.
She looks at me when she reenters in widow black. “Yes I am a nature witch. I can control the elements which you have seen. Nature and I are connected and I think that is what really scares the general.”
“You are a force to be reckoned with. I think we should be able to protect you just fine.”
She laughs. Her eyes sparkling with humor and says. “If I needed protection, I wouldn’t have asked you to kill me. I don’t need it and I can protect myself just fine. Besides the general is getting antsy since none of you have called in.”
He narrows his eyes. “How would you know that?”
“I know the General very well. General Braddock’s wife is my best friends.” She sighs.
Lt. King’s eyebrow arches. He starts wondering how Charlotte would take that news and decides he would only call her if he had to.
Captain Briguard and the others already knew that Lt. King has a fling with Charlotte Braddock. They find it funny but know if General Braddock finds out Lt. King would be killed without a question. Charlotte is friends with them all and always gives them a heads up when the General is in a bad mood and they all seem to agree that if it is necessary they’ll bring Charlotte into this.
As Jasmine had predicted Captain Briguard’s cell phone rings. The number on his caller id is a reserved number. He knows that it is General Braddock calling. He flips the cell phone open and answers. “Hello.”
“What is the progress of your mission Captain Briguard?”
“No progress sir. The delivery hasn’t been made as of yet.”
He heard dip intake of breath and it hissed out. “Why hasn’t the delivery been made?”
“The delivery has been suspended due to the package is fragile. It is teetering on a cliff at the moment. I want to see if it will fall or needs help falling, sir.”
He could almost hear the gears grinding in his head as he took this information in. He sighs. “I thought the package would be a lot tougher and not so weak but no matter. If the package doesn’t fall, help it and I’ll give you one hour to find out which and don’t disappoint me. I want a report saying delivery has been made and no more messing around. If she doesn’t break on her own then you will break her.” He hangs up.
Captain Briguard closes his cell phone and frowns. “I bought us an hour.”
Jasmine is seething and he could see the anger by the fire in her eyes.
Captain Briguard looks at Lt. King. “King, I want you to call in a favor. You know who to call and let’s see if we can buy more time or at least, try to make it seem like a good idea to keep her alive.”
Lt. King nods and steps outside into the night air as small drifts of rain were coming down and he didn’t care. He takes out his cell phone and calls Charlotte.
Charlotte hears her cell ring. She is in her office and she can still her husband seething at the edges. She doesn’t know what set him off this time about deliveries and packages and a woman. She didn’t like the woman part at all. She looks at her cell and sees that it’s her friend. “Maybe he’ll want to play tonight.” She thinks. She walks into the women’s bathroom since she didn’t want her husband hearing her.
“Hello Lt. Darling, want to play tonight?” she says in a husky voice.
He laughs. “Sorry sugar this isn’t a social call even though it would be fun.”
She pouts. “Ok darling. What’s the matter?”
He grins. “Your hubby is up to no good.”
“When is he up to any good?”
He sighs. “So you know that he’s trying to kill Jasmine Shriver.”
Her blood started boiling. “What!”
He nearly chuckled but knew better. “Yeah, hubby wants Jasmine dead. We bought an hour but he still insisting she should die. Sorry kitten. We plan on keeping her alive and we are willing to risk our lives to keep her that way but she’s refusing our help. I can’t force myself on anyone but for this I will. She is the creator of the serum and she can help us but I don’t know how much time she’ll need or if she will even consider modifying it again to where it could help us. I just don’t know but I do know is I want this woman alive and so does the rest of the team.”
She hisses out. “I will have a talk with dear old hubby and if he doesn’t take the hit off of her, I will kill him myself.”
“I knew I could count on you, baby.”
She smiles. “Yes you can and when this over, you owe me a nice long weekend with perks.”
He laughs. “I knew there would be catch and gladly, baby. I got to go and I’ll see you soon. I’ll be your black knight for my snow white.”
She laughs. “I’ll see you soon that is if I don’t kill my husband.”
They hang up and she braces herself for a battle. She walks out the bathroom and hers click as she walks fast and furious to her husband’s office.
She walks past the receptionist and she stammers and tries to stop her. She fixes a glare at her. “Get out of my way or my high heel will boot you in the ass.” She walks in her husband’s office and slams the door behind her.
The receptionist gawks and goes back to her desk and clicks the intercom. “Sir, your wife is here to see you. I tried to stop her.”
General Braddock frowns and says. “I can see my wife is here. I will deal with you later.”
Her body is shaking with anger. “What the fuck do you think you are doing?”
He blinks and arches his brow. “What are you talking about dear?”
“Who is the other woman?”
He blinks again. “Huh?”
“I heard about a delivery and a package and about a woman. So, who is the woman? You cheating bastard!”
He frowns. “So you overheard my conversation…I sanctioned a kill and yes, the kill is a woman. I don’t see how it is your concern.”
“Don’t lie to me! I know you’re cheating on me. I’m going to Jasmine and then, I’m divorcing your cheating ass!”
He laughs. “You’re such a good actress darling. You know the kill is on Jasmine and you’re willing to die with her. Please do go to her. It would be much so much fun seeing you dead.”
“So you know she is my best friend, I could have helped you with whatever you trying to get from her. But you had to sneak behind my back and try to kill her.” She slams her fist on his mahogany desk. “I should just kill you just for thinking and trying to kill my friend.”
“I heard she is about ready to throw herself off the cliff and it seems only humane to put her down.”
She bares her teeth. “Then I better go to her now, and if I sense you trying to kill her again I will darling hubby kill you. I’ll give you this deal. If I get the formulas and all information on the serum, you will call off the hit and if you try to kill her while I try to finesse these things from her I will burn it. Got me?”
“Let’s shake hands. I’ll call it off. I will give 2 weeks to get it out of her and if you don’t, I will kill you both. Agreed?”
“I will agree to that.” She shakes his hand. He grins with satisfaction. He thinks that if she fails then he’ll be able to finally get rid of that bitch.
She turns away from him and he gets up from his leather chair and moves behind her. He grabs her arms. He holds her and whispers in her ear. “I will kill you if you ever pull another stunt like that again.”
She could feel his hard on because arguing with her always seemed to turn him on. She tries to shake him off her but it makes his grip even tighter. “You know I could take you here and now but I have more class than that.” He lets her go and shoves her a little when she opens the door.
He hated her but when her usefulness was no longer needed he would kill her himself. He would take great pleasure doing it to. He could almost in vision it in his head. He daydreamed about her death for a little while longer and took his disposable cell out and calls Captain Briguard. “There is a change of plans, if she hasn’t thrown herself off the cliff leave her alone. I’m having my wife come over there to take care of her and see if she can get what I need from her. If not, well…they both die instead of just that woman. Understood?”
“Yes sir.” Captain Briguard snaps the phone shut and hisses through his teeth. “How the hell did they make him a General? Well, at least we don’t get to kill you now but be careful around Charlotte she’s after the info now. Otherwise we have to kill both of you.” He sighs. He didn’t want to responsible for either of their deaths.
Charlotte calls Lt. King. “I gave you guys 2 weeks. If that isn’t enough, well kiss me goodbye and her too. He wants her and me dead if I don’t find out about those blasted formulas. I will not use my friend like that. Ever.”
Lt. King looks at the Captain and he nods. He understands. They all do. Jasmine sighs. “I just wish this could all be over. Take the information to Charlotte and let him have it. I don’t want her death on my hands or be a part of her demise.”
She walks outside and it starts pouring and her temper snaps even further. Cursing a storm as the storm raged on top of her. She walks into the forest and goes to a secret training course and exercise area where she had hidden it. She walks to the punching bag and starts hitting it with ferocity of her anger and grief. She didn’t stop until her hands became swollen and bruised. She started kicking it because her anger had not subsided and she was even angrier that she had hurt herself.
She couldn’t believe how bad a day she was having. How the hell did this all happen and why of all days now? When had her life been turned upside down and she felt so torn apart that she didn’t know what she could do and where she could turn for help when it seemed everyone is against her.
She knows Charlotte would never use her and yet it seemed that she had to be in order to save her life and how many lives would it destroy when the data got into that greedy self centered piece of a crap thing that was called a man? What could she do? What can she do? She crumpled into the ground of the forest and let herself weep because she couldn’t hold out and couldn’t pretend that everything was alright. Couldn’t pretend nothing affected her and she didn’t suffer like everyone else did.
She felt so alone and she wondered if she would ever stop feeling completely and utterly alone. Her agony would have chocked the world if she didn’t stop and she didn’t want the weight of the world on her shoulders when it always felt like it was.
How and why did she have to create the monstrous serum that made men killers and would kill anyone discriminately?
The men leave her alone so that she can put herself back together and they try to figure out a way to keep her and the formula safe.
Captain Briguard looks at the disk in his hand. He tries to think that possibly they could switch disks in it but then it put Charlotte in danger. He sighs. It seemed to circle around and around to no end. How can they keep them both safe?
Jasmine picks herself up and looks at the training center she made for her husband. They built it where it looked like it was part of the forest but in actuality she created it with her powers and made it near impossible to find unless you knew where to look.
She has an obstacle course, fighting area and even a track. All the areas are fully equipped for different needs.
She made it for her husband, herself and for her son so, they all could keep in shape and brush up on their skills. She is quite proud of what she created.
She needed to keep her grieving from getting in the way of the soldiers and her friend. She needed to be able to keep her head together. She had to find a way to save her friend as well as keeping that formula out of the General’s hands.
No one knew that she has already created the modifications on the formula that would keep it non lethal and didn’t have the same side effects as the formula that the soldiers had taken does. She knew how to create it where it didn’t have the side effects but also knew the potential of anyone finding out would be disastrous.
She wonders whether to tell the soldiers or not but then if she did, her friend would tell the General and it would put her in more risk and she didn’t want them to be in danger. She would keep this to herself unless she absolutely had to tell them. She didn’t like being deceitful but it was more dangerous for them if they knew and would be a greater risk to have the General to know about it.
She starts running around the track to clear her mind before she goes back to her house. She doesn’t want them to know or any clue about the modified formula. She has to stop thinking about it.
As she is running the track, she comes up with an idea. She thinks about it and figures if they give Charlotte a formula that looks like the serum but is actually a placebo. The placebo would look and act like the actual formula but will only last for a short period of time. She’ll let Charlotte know that it is a fake formula and give her time to make her own exit strategy. She could do that and it could save her friend as well as keep the real formula out of the General’s hands.
She runs back to the house. The door opens before she reaches it and runs right into Captain Briguard. “I was just about to look for you.”
She smiles. “I think I have a plan that will work to keep Charlotte and me safe for a little while. I could lay it out for you and when Charlotte comes here I can tell her as well.”
He nods. They go in together.
She sits at her mahogany dining table and writes down the formula she has in her head that will work. She lays out her plans with the soldiers as they sit at the table watching her work. She looks up when she finishes and smiles. “There that should do it. Hmm. What do think?”
Private Nathaniel Jones smiles and says. “I think you’re amazing.”
She blinks and blushes. “Thank you.”
Meanwhile at the Marine Base, Charlotte is pacing her office. She fumes at her husband attitude toward Jasmine who was once their friend.
Now he is treating her like she’s an enemy. Why did this have to happen? If only that formula had never came into his view. Now he’s so obsessed obtaining it he’d run over or kill anyone who got in his way. It saddens and deeply disappoints her.
General Braddock is sitting behind his desk. He opens the middle right side drawer of his mahogany desk. Inside is a red tinged varnished box with a golden clasp and lock. He opens the clasp and uses his golden key that he wears around his neck to open it. Inside the box is a pressure syringe filled with Soldado de la Guerra.
He keeps it there so once just once he’ll be able to obtain that incredible power that will make him seem almost young again and maybe possibly keep him alive several more years.
He wonders how much longer before General Maurice finally croaks. He should have kicked the bucket years ago.
He isn’t a bad General just annoys him with his goodness and well being for his troops. He would rather have his soldiers disciplined and follow orders as directed without anyone questioning his authority or motives behind the orders.
He had seen so many of Maurice’s soldiers questioning him and his tactics and he would cheerfully explain. He couldn’t understand why he would take such audacity of a soldier not staying in his place. He never allows his soldiers to contradict him or speak out of turn. He always made examples out of those who tried to speak out of turn or asked him to explain his reasoning for doing such things. To him you get orders, never ask why and do what you are told that is what he was told when he was soldier and that’s what he expects from his. You never disobey or you might as well be a traitor or a coward to do otherwise. That is what his father and the marines taught him as he grew in the military and as he grew in rank.
He always hated his father because his father wanted perfection and always told him that he was never good enough to be his son or a soldier and maybe that is why he raised up in the ranks very fast and efficiently killed his own parents. He would have thought their 18 year old son would kill them and make it look like it was a robbery gone badly. He smiles at that memory. He did enjoy killing them and he still feels no remorse for it nor has ever felt any remorse from killing anyone. He finds it fun and almost like an aphrodisiac. He didn’t let his rage get in the way when he killed them.
After killing them, he makes it a habit to kill at least once a month. He allows his rage to do the killing and it is always brutal and it gives him such a release. Of course after he kills his victims, he goes home to have fun with his wife. He really does hate her. He is waiting for the perfect time to kill her. He has thought about a thousand scenarios of how to kill her and get away with it every time. He is always good at getting away with killing people. He still hasn’t been caught. He figures he never will and only after he is dead and gone will they find the folder in his computer that he has had locked until his death. In his will, they will get the code to open it and they can’t arrest a dead man and he kept all the details of his victims’ deaths. He sometimes looks at it late at night when his wife is asleep just to remember and relive it. He kept pictures in the folder as well and one of these days his wife will be in it. He smiles and that someday will be very soon.
He locks his door and opens the file. He looks at the pictures and smiles. He loves looking at the empty eyes. He knows he is the one who made them look like that. He finds it very erotic and he tries not to sneer when he sees the picture of his wife still alive. Soon there will be one with her dead next to it. He would love to see her eyes void of life. That would be the best gift for him and for the idiots who love or even like her. Tragedy for them but not for him and he will celebrate her death with a glass of champagne and a very cheap hooker that he can kill afterwards.
His wife Charlotte is on the road driving to Jasmine’s beach house. Her Mazda Rx-8 black as night and fast as sin drives along the highway. She tries thinking of ways to ask for the formula without making it seem like she has no choice in it. Of course she doesn’t want to die nor does she want her friend to die but still, she is hesitant on doing it.
She drums her fingers nervously on the steering wheel at a traffic light. She sighs. Rain starts hitting her windshield. She looks at the dark and foreboding sky and thunder boomed loudly and the wind blowing fiercely and lightning forking the sky. Almost like a warning telling to forget this whole thing and go back to the safety of her home but she knows that it’s more dangerous to be at home then to be in this weather.
She knows her husband would look forward to her death like she does his but she’d never attempt to try to kill him because she fears he won’t ever die. Not that he is incapable but is so menacing and terrifying person that if she caused his death he would haunt her until she died. She just couldn’t make herself that desperate to be away from him to do something like that. She would rather divorce him and take half of everything he owns but then again, she would never survive the divorce.
She could hardly see and windshield wipers worked as best as they could. She got off the road and parked in a restaurant parking. She gets out of her car and holding her jacket over her head and rushes into a little family owned restaurant and didn’t even bother looking at the name of it. She opens the black rimmed and glass door into the waiting area. The place seemed eerily empty. Her high heels echoing on the tile flooring and the maitre d is not at his station. The place seemed empty of anyone. She nervously says. “Hello? Anyone here?” Her voice echoes. She shivers. She walks further into the restaurant and it looks dim and shabby the walls peeling and cracking, the tables scratched up and needed revarnishing, the curtains dingy and torn and dusty. The windows have cracks in them and seemed sealed shut by paint. She walks into the kitchen and sees no one in there. The kitchen is filthy and dirty with food stains everywhere and smelled of old food which reeked and made her gag.
She is completely alone in a restaurant that shouldn’t have its doors unlocked and yet they were. She looks out the windows and sees the storm is still going strong and didn’t look like it would be ending anytime soon. She wonders what happened here and why it looked like it hadn’t been used in a while and why it was so filthy. If they were going to sell this place wouldn’t they have at least cleaned it or did it get shut down by the health department?
She looks at the wooden chairs in the dining area and it scoffed up from long years of use but seemed to be solid. She notices a door that looks like it might go to restrooms or outside or to a basement. She wasn’t sure. She opens the door and sees a staircase going up into complete darkness.
Well, I am not going up a deep dark staircase. I am all ready creeped out enough. She shuts the door quickly and chill runs down her spine. She could find a flashlight or a candle or something to light her way up the staircases but she isn’t that curious about what is up there. She just has an eerie feeling and she is chilled to the bone.
She sees a fireplace near the far wall of the dining area. She sees blocks of wood but no way to light it.
She wonders where they keep any supplies for lighting the fireplace. She takes out a handkerchief and makes it into a mask over her nose and mouth. She figures it would most likely be in the kitchen. She pushes open the metal door and this time the overwhelming smell of decay, rot and old food didn’t assail her nostrils like last time. She started opening drawers and finding silverware and other kitchen supplies. The last door to the bottom has long matches, tapirs and candles, lighter fluid and even oil lamps still filled with oil. She takes an oil lamp and matches and lighter fluid out. She sets the oil lamp down on a counter in the kitchen. She goes out into the dining room and puts wood in the fireplace and puts lighter fluid on the wood and lights a match and throws it into the fireplace. She returns to the kitchen and puts the lighter fluid away. She takes the lamp with her and she sees the fireplace burning with a newly lit fire.
She puts the oil lamp down and lights it and puts the matches in her pocket just in case she needs them again. She walks to the door and opens it and walks slowly and cautiously up the stairs. The stairs creak and groan under her weight and she keeps the lamp held up high making sure that nothing comes out at her. She is nearly at the top and she smells something absolutely awful.
She didn’t know what it was. It smelled of death, decaying flesh, spilt blood and god knew what else.
She gags trying not to throw up. She holds it up high and on the beam on top of the stairs she sees a swinging decaying corpse. Around her is dried blood, decaying guts and other what was people. She screams and runs down the stairs.
She shakes and quivers and calls the police. She hysterically told them what she saw. They told her to wait there but she couldn’t just couldn’t stay in that building. She goes outside into the pouring rain shaking from shock and pukes out in the parking lot. She runs to her car and sits in it staring blindly at the building. What use to be a restaurant filled with living staff but now they were upstairs where they had been massacred. Who could have done such a thing? Why?
She stays in her car even when she hears the sirens but looks blindly ahead. She is in complete shock.
They transport her to a hospital so that doctors can keep an eye on her. The police wanted to talk to her once she is able to speak.
Once the police left, a man comes out of his hiding place and laughs. The bodies were removed but the smell would stay for a while. The man smiles and calls a friend. He laughs over the poor shocked woman and how he wished he was able to grab her before she had fled but he really wasn’t concerned. No one had seen him and no one knew how they died, who they were, why they died and how long they had been dead. They could estimate time of death but still how would they ever find out who killed them. Too much time had passed and who would be able to tell the police when all the witnesses were all ready dead.
He laughs with glee and happily skips around the room and almost bounces down the stairs gleefully.
He walks out of the restaurant and walks down the street and turns into the wooded area and walks into the woods and disappears.
Jasmine calls Charlotte’s phone and it goes straight into voice mail. Jasmine paces in her living room wondering where she is and if she is okay.
Jasmine turns on the news to see what is happening and sees a report on Charlotte being in the hospital and what she had found. Jasmine clasps her hand over her mouth feeling sick. She runs to the phone and calls the hospital.
The head nurse tells her she is fine and is under sedation due to what she had seen. They will be keeping her under observation until she is fully recovered.
Charlotte stays in the hospital for a week.
Jasmine and the soldiers keep working the plan to make sure it is good enough to tell Charlotte about.
Jasmine works tirelessly on the formula to make sure it will work right. She doesn’t make it too easy for him to figure out that it isn’t the right formula. She is making it work for at least a week and then they will go back to being normal soldiers.
It will be enough time for Charlotte to escape or find refuge somewhere. It just has to work.
Jasmine keeps herself locked away down in the basement and the soldiers are staying in the woods because they felt it would be more comfortable for them to do that since they were suppose to have to kill her and would seem suspicious to have them in there.
Captain Briguard keeps watch on her house. He never sees any lights but the basements coming on and off and seemed she hasn’t been sleeping at all. He frowns. He hopes she is eating. He hasn’t seen her at all and it gnaws at him.
He wonders if he should check on her but if he did that would that blow his cover? The men seem to be laughing at him because he could hear them chuckling in their heads.
He frowns grimly and tries to harden his heart from caring whether the woman lives or dies but he finds he can’t help but worry about her.
Not like he owed her anything but it seemed that he should hate her or feel angry towards her since she is the one who created them this way but he just couldn’t. He couldn’t harden his heart towards her or towards any innocent person. She meant well and yet that was what was going to get her killed.
He knows she would gladly sacrifice herself for the greater good and he couldn’t in good conscience allow her to do that.
Lt. King walks to Captain Briguard and puts his hand on his shoulder. “Stop worrying so much. You are like a mother hen towards this woman.” He chuckles. “She will be fine. We won’t let anything happen to her and for goodness sakes, don’t let anything happen to you.”
Captain Briguard smiles and says. “I know. I shouldn’t be worrying. I just can’t stop thinking about her. She is in my mind and I can’t get her out.” Sigh.
Jasmine laughs. “Just keep watching the house and see if there is any danger coming our way and I can take care of myself just fine, thank you very much.” There is a slight bite in her words that makes Captain Briguard wince.
Lt. King laughs good heartedly. It made Captain Briguard smile. He enjoys having his men happy even if it is at his expense. He laughs and shakes his head. At least she had a good sense of humor.
Lt. King returns to his post and sees the black Mazda driving down the road towards Jasmine’s house. “We got company and very hot company at that.”
Captain Briguard groans when he gets flashes of Charlotte doing the naked tango with Lt. King. “Keep those thoughts to yourself!”
Lt. King laughs and grins. “Sorry Captain. It came unbidden.”
“Uh huh, sure it did.” Jasmine says and laughs. “I really don’t like seeing my friend like that.”
Jasmine is blushing fiercely and is glad that no one could see it.
Charlotte is dressed in her favorite blue dress and walks quickly in her high heels. She knocks on Jasmine’s door.
Jasmine opens the door and smiles. “Hi Charlotte. I am so glad you are here. Come on in. It’s been a while. I was almost afraid you were not coming. I need to discuss some things with you and I hope you’ll find it agreeable.”
Charlotte enters and follows Jasmine into her living room. “I know I should have come earlier. I would have. I got out of the hospital today and rushed over here. You know why I am here. I know I shouldn’t be. I just.”
Jasmine smiles. She hands a manila envelope to her. “Here is a formula almost exact but it only works for a week. I hope that is plenty of time for you to escape him if not, then I will go to him and make the formula for him but he can never have my real formula. Do you understand?”
“Absolutely. Yes, this should be adequate enough. I am sorry so sorry for your loss.”
“It’s not your fault.”
He frightens me and I feel as though he is looking for a reason any reason to kill me. I need to get away from him and keep you from being in danger. Oh Jasmine.” She weeps in her hands. Her body trembling. Jasmine wraps her arms around her friend. She gently caresses her. She lifts her head from her hands.
“It isn’t your fault but it is mine. I will keep you safe. If you need help escaping, I will gladly help you and you know you can count on me. You are my dearest friend and I must admit I never liked your husband. He always seemed too happy about disgusting subjects. He seems to relish in tormenting you or at least making you hate your own self. He looks at us like we are insects and he is a god. I don’t like him at all but since you are my friend I didn’t say anything. I am sorry. I wish I could change things. I wish I never made that formula in the first place but I loved my husband and needed to help him in any way I could. I know you understand.”
“I do.” Charlotte holds Jasmine’s hands and smiles at her. “Thank you.”
She rises from the white couch. She hugs Jasmine gratefully. “What would I do without a friend like you?”
Jasmine smiles and says. “I don’t know probably wouldn’t be in this predicament.”
Charlotte laughs. “True but then again, it would have been a different circumstance and I would have to figure out how to save myself. I don’t know how you do it. How you could save my life? I wouldn’t but then again, I’m entertaining to keep around.”
She laughs. “Not just entertaining but a great friend that I admire and trust. I know you would save my life if it was the other way around and I know you have a very cunning and clever mind. When you’re good you’re very good and when you’re bad you are absolutely wicked. Besides, I am sure Lt. King wouldn’t mind have a rendezvous with you. He’s been acquiring about you since he heard you were in the hospital.”
She smiles and replies. “I would like that a lot but how am I or where would I.”
Jasmine laughs. “You can use my house. I need to take a walk and plan on swimming for a while in the ocean. I hope that will be more than enough time.”
Charlotte shakes her head. “I can’t believe you’re condoning on me using your house of all things.” She laughs and smiles brightly.
Jasmine leaves and watches as Lt. King walks towards her house with a happy grin on his face. She didn’t want to know and she didn’t care to know how well they got along.
She walks towards the beach and down sandy trail to the beach. She walks silently and wonders what will happen next in her life. She looks out at blue-green ocean and smiles. She sees a small school of fish swimming silently and beautifully choreographed dance in the water that makes her wish she was a fish in the deep ocean where no one could ever hurt her again.
She wraps her arms around herself and wonders why couldn’t see left nature alone and let her husband be normal instead of being this super soldier she created. She groans. She tries to think about anything else but the death of her family is too much.
She wonders if she’ll ever have a life or will she be on the run for the rest of her life. These dark thoughts in her mind she doesn’t hear Captain Briguard coming towards her.
“There is a life after a tragedy and I hope you do get one. I know the circumstances are horrible but still it could be worse.”
“How so Captain?” She turns and looks into his eyes.
“We wouldn’t have met.”
She looks at him. “I don’t want to be rude but I am glad we met but I really don’t feel.”
“Not yet but you will. I just know you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and I do want to get to know you but I know you need time.” He grins.
She shakes her head. She takes off her white t-shirt and khaki shorts and Captain balks. “Uh…what are you doing?”
She laughs. “I’m going for a swim.” Underneath her clothes she is wearing a blue bikini.
“Where’s your towel?”
“I don’t need one. I’ll dry off by the sun and besides it’s too late to go into my house without hearing them. I don’t need to hear it.”
He laughs. “I know what you mean. The rest of the guys are groaning from having to hear it. Maybe they should come down to the beach and drown it out with the ocean.”
She nods. She walks into the shallow and when she reaches hip deep she dives in. She starts swimming laps her body slicing through the water.
The soldiers walk down and watch her. They enjoyed not only the ocean but the amazing swimmer. She seemed like a mermaid in the water. They wondered if she sang while in the water like a sea nymph or siren.
She comes up out of the water coughing up water. She laughs. “I heard that!”
They laugh. She was a like a sister or something. They all felt protective of her not only because she is their hope but also because she is one of the sweetest women they have ever met.
She swims for a while. Charlotte even came down to see what is going on. Why there is a crowd of men down there. She shakes her head. Lt. King walks behind her and wraps his arms around her. “They all adore and like her and will protect her even against her own self.”
Charlotte smiles and says. “She’s great. I’m glad I am her friend and so glad she is mine. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She has this light around her that draws people to her. She loves people and they love her. I’m sure she’ll be happy again or at least pretend she is so no one will worry about her. She doesn’t like people unhappy and especially doesn’t want them to interrupt their lives to help her when she needs it. She has always refused help even though she would need it. I guess she doesn’t know how to. She is wired to be self-sufficient and shouldn’t need it or shouldn’t have to need it or something.” She shrugs. “”Or she doesn’t want to be a bother to anyone.”
Charlotte’s cell phone rings. The caller id says a number she doesn’t recognize. “Hello?”
“Did you like my work? Your husband does. He says he might let me play with like I did with restaurant family.” He laughs and hangs up.
“Who is this?” She realizes she’s talking to no one and her heart beats wildly with fear.
Lt. King wraps his arms around her waist. “What is it?” He holds her close and she holds on to him like he’s a lifeline.
“The person who killed the family who owned the restaurant just called me. Apparently my husband might use him to kill me since he said that my husband likes his work.”
Lt. King hold gets a little tighter as Charlotte tries to burrow into his arms. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” Lt. King lays his head on top of hers. Charlotte shivers as she remembers the scene at the restaurant. “Give me your phone maybe we can triangulate the phone number. I am so sorry my love. You know I will protect you.”
They walk back to the house and Lt. King and Nathaniel work on their lap top. They find out that the call came from General Maurice’s house.
Charlotte’s heart beat accelerates.
She calls his house and no one answers. She calls the office.
“Hello General Maurice’s office. How can I help you?”
“Hi. This is Charlotte. Is General Maurice there?”
“I’m sorry. He’s left for the day. Can I take a message?”
“No, thank you.” She hangs up before the secretary would ask more questions.
She tries his house again.
Meanwhile at General Maurice’s house, General Maurice is laying in bed bound and gagged while he watches a man torturing his wife. The rope has cut into his wrists and ankles as he struggles to get loose.
She is bound and is hanging from the ceiling by a beam across the room. His wife is crying in agony and asking. “Why?”
The man just smiles as he slashes her with his hunting knife watching the blood dripping down. Her blood all over the floor and walls from her swinging naked body and the nightgown she was wearing torn to tatters by the aggressiveness with his knife. Her body marked up with cuts. She’s bleeding but it wouldn’t be a fast death. The cuts are minor and none of the arteries were nicked.
He smiles grimly and laughs as she cries and begs for mercy. He has no remorse or feelings. He looks at General Maurice as he slices her throat and hears the blood gurgling bubbling sounds out of her throat and mouth. He smiles grimly and says with satisfaction after his kill. “General Braddock sends his regard.”
He walks aggressively towards General Maurice. He tries to get away but can’t because he’s bound to tightly to the bed frame. He has nowhere to escape. He stabs him repeatedly with all the rage and anger that he feels inside.
He walks away without a second glance. He wipes his blade clean with a tattered piece of the nightgown that had belonged to the wife.
He drops it and puts the knife back in its sheath and leaves the house.
He walks into the woods and disappears without a trace. He is like a ghost. A shell of a person who once could have changed the world for the better but decided to bring hell instead.
He figures since they put him in hell. He should give it back to them. He still sees the day in academy where his brother got everything handed to him and how he had to work for everything and had to prove he was and is better than his brother will ever be.
General Maurice chose his brother over him but General Braddock accepted him. He saw he is better and will always be better than his brother.
Of course his expertise is used frequently when he’s needed.
His expertise to kill, scare and even threaten those who get in the General’s way.
He wouldn’t mind getting a hold of the General’s wife. She would be a lot of fun. He would definitely take his time with her and enjoy every minute of it.
Of course it is up to the General whether he gets that pleasure or not. He hopes he does. He balks. Hope? He scoffs and wonders. “When was the last time he had ever felt hope, he doesn’t remember.”
Hope is a disease for the wretched people who believed in a nameless god. He doesn't believe in any gods nor would you ever wish to. If he had, then he knew he would go to the real hell. He once upon a time believed in a god but screwed. Preachers told him god gives us trials. Well, god could shove trials up his rearend. He was tierd of being last and his brother always being first
He slits a throat of a man who just happened to get in his way. His mood foul in reminder of a life that he wished was his. Of course, he has one thing that his brother doesn't have. Besides no conscience, he has a wife and two sons. He trains his children to be perfect soldiers and keep up his deadly legacy.
His sons are taught how to be efficent killers like their father. Father taught them how to kill, where to kill, how to cover thier tracks and even how to frame others too.
His wife is clueless but is in her own happy world of materials and doesn't care about her children as long as she has all the things she wants and desires. She's a world reknown chemist.
His sons names are Robert and Josh.
On his way home, he sees several police vehicles zooming towards his street. He frowns. Have they caught me or figured out I killed the General? No that's too soon. He wonders what is going on.
He finds the police at his neighbors house and sees two officers dragging his screaming hysterical wife and sees police talking to his sons.
They seem find. Confused he parks his car and walks up to his sons. The police officer named Jack Cain stops him. "I'm sorry sir no one allowed here."
"I live here. What's going on? Are you ok Robert? Josh?"
"We're fine dad. Sara got killed. Not sure why they are taking mom."
He notices a twinkle in his sons eyes and knows what they did. He is so proud of them. He hated their mother Sora. She was such a bitch anyway.
The police come out with evidence bags of chemist tools.
The major one he saw was the arsenic that she kept at the house.
He arches his brow. He tries not to laugh when a tray of cookies is bagged too.
He asks. "Can I take my sons out of here?"
"Yes, of course. You're free to go." He squats down and tells the boys. "If you remeber anything, let us know." He hands them a card. Nods and keeps working.
He drives his kids to the nearest hotel and laughs all the way there. "Arsenic cookies? I couldn't get her to cook dinner."
COMMENTS
-