VisionII: The Black Skull - Reviews
“Fitzpatrick delivers an exciting and intense thriller with paranormal elements from villains to intriguing heroes. He also adds depth to his popular characters as he continues this suspenseful series. Not only is VisionII: The Black Skull chilling to the bone, it keeps readers on the edge of their seats as they read each page.”
Karen Brocklehurst
“This is a book not to miss. Those of you left wanting to know more after the first book will not be disappointed. Delving deeper into the secrets of the Black Skull is engrossing and exciting. The story is a well balanced mix of humor with the carnage. The characters have distinct voices and even the most loathsome has characteristics that endear them to the reader.”
Magen MacDougall
“Fitzpatrick takes you on another thrilling adventure with his second novel, Vision II: The Black Skull. This exciting installment reveals the true source of Jade's powers and that there is more than one side to every story. Most notable in Fitzpatrick's Vision series are the clever plot twists which drive the story forward and keep you anxiously awaiting the next chapter.”
John Shea
“Just when you think you have Jade Walker's world figured out, Dan Fitzpatrick will prove you wrong. The twists and turns that started in the first book, Vision: Evan's Book, only accelerate.”
Ruth Ann Nordin
VisionII: The Black Skull
Smashwords Edition
Dan Fitzpatrick
VisionII: The Black Skull - Smashwords Edition
Published by Dan Fitzpatrick at Smashwords
Copyright © 2010 by Dan Fitzpatrick
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes:
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Dedication
To Lauren,
When we first met, a large part of my soul was broken. It was your laughter, your beauty, your spirit, and your unconditional love that brought me back to life.
Throughout the years, we’ve had our good times, and we’ve had some bad. For better or worse, there is one thing that will never change …
Everytime I look at you, I fall in love with you all over again. The love and joy you bring to my life is immeasurable.
I love you … always
Prologue:
Vision: Evan’s Book: The End
Jade sat at Laura’s gravesite, feeling guilty about being in a relationship with Lily. She was four months pregnant with his child, but he didn’t love her. He did care for her, but he couldn’t get Laura out of his head. She was the woman he truly loved, even after all this time.
He sat at her site for about ten minutes pondering his thoughts until Lily sat beside him. “I thought I’d find you here.”
“I’m sorry, Lily. I just—”
“Don’t apologize,” she interrupted him. “I know you love and miss her. I do too.”
He put his hand on Lily’s baby bump which was bigger than he expected at this point in the pregnancy. “We can’t let my life affect this child. It was bad enough having Siman around, never mind someone twice as dangerous. We have to be very careful.”
Lily stared at Laura’s tombstone. “I know. I don’t want that kind of life for our child either. I know those twenty pages are still out there somewhere. I can feel it. I can’t believe that box was empty!” She looked up at Jade. “I really want this baby to be normal. I mean, what you do is great, but I want our baby to be safe. I want us to be a normal family.”
“We will be,” Jade said.
They stood up at the same time and Lily giggled. “You know, she was going to be the godmother of all of my children.”
Jade laughed. “She would have made a great one.”
Holding hands, they left Laura’s gravesite and headed back to Evan’s new house in the center of Ringford. When they entered Evan’s house, he was at his computer, typing frantically.
“It’s about time you got here!”
“You know,” Lily yelled. “I thought you would have learned a little respect after everything that happened.”
“Yeah, and I would have thought you would have learned to listen.” He looked at her belly. “Has anyone told you that you look like you’re ready to pop?”
Lily looked down at her belly. “Very charming, Evan,” she said. “And yes, people have said that.”
As Lily and Evan argued, which they always did, Jade glanced at the updated FBI’s most wanted list on his computer. After Jade healed from the battle with Siman, he began working as a special enforcer for the FBI. He still lived in his apartment, but he kept his work files at Evan’s house. His job was to track down the most wanted criminals around the country and turn them in.
In three months time, he assisted in capturing over fifty wanted criminals. On a couple of occasions, he had to use fatal force, but it was always a last resort for him. He was fully exonerated of everything he had been accused of by Robert Hurst, and he was free to use his abilities as he wished without any legal ramifications. He still went on visions every once in a while, but they weren’t very frequent. They were mostly to protect women and children from rape and murder. He would typically beat the attacker up a little bit and then turn them in to the police. Still, every now and then, the attackers would fight back and Jade would have no choice but to dispose of them completely. He was basically a glorified assassin.
While examining the FBI list, he suddenly felt nauseous. It was weird to him because since he killed Siman, he felt great. His side effects had disappeared. At first, he thought he was about to have a vision, but this feeling was slightly different. It felt like something was taking over his mind. He couldn’t put a handle on it.
“Lily, I’m not feeling well,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”
She agreed and left to grab her jacket out of Evan’s living room. “If you need us, call,” Jade said. “And that doesn’t include getting you more booze. You can do that yourself.”
Evan opened one of his desk cabinets, exposing about a dozen large bottles of brandy. “I’m covered for the week.”
Jade grabbed his jacket and turned to yell for Lily. “Come on, honey. Let’s go!”
She didn’t respond.
“Lily?” He was becoming frustrated because he really wanted to get out of there. He walked into the living room and Lily was lying on the couch, unconscious. He ran over to her. “Lily! Lily! Answer me!”
Fearing that something was wrong with the baby, he ran back into the main room calling for Evan, but he was on the ground, unconscious. “What the hell?”
Jade ran back toward the living room, but when he went through the doorway, he saw a long, dark corridor. He instantly looked out the window to his right and caught a glimpse of his red-eyed reflection. He glanced down the corridor and heard M. Sebastian Siman over the intercom, laughing.
“No freaking way!” he yelled. He started to run. “I killed you! You can’t be here!”
Frantic, he made it to the door and opened it. There was nothing in the room except for the broken monitors and electrical equipment. He strode behind the PA system into the back room, noting that nothing was in there either.
“Siman!” he yelled.
Jade felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and fell to the ground. As Jade lost consciousness, his mind began to wander. The first thing that went through his head was that ever since he started having visions, they had always come at the absolute worst time. He feared that Lily and his child were in trouble while he was busy in a vision. He couldn’t explain Evan being unconscious, and he couldn’t understand why he would be back at the schoolhouse. He hadn’t been there since Siman and Robert were killed.
He slowly lifted his head up and found himself in a dimly lit room. He attempted to walk but soon realized that he was chained to the wall by each wrist. He pulled and pulled, but the chains wouldn’t give. He saw someone strolling through the shadows in front of him.
“I should have finished burning your body,” he yelled. “Let me down, and we’ll settle this once and for all. Come on!”
Someone, hidden in the shadows, shushed him.
“Come on! Let’s go!” he yelled, only to be shushed louder.
When Jade became quiet, the person began to speak. “Don’t worry, Walker. The mother of your child and your trusted friend are safe, at least for now.” The voice sounded very distorted, like a robot with dying batteries.
“Who are you?” Jade yelled.
Footsteps echoed toward him.
As he tried to focus on the sounds, a plastic device landed on the floor in front of him. He couldn’t tell what it was.
“It’s a voice altering device,” the woman said.
He lifted his head and saw an extremely beautiful woman with long, jet black hair, beautiful white skin, the perfect amount of make-up on her face, and the body of a goddess. She was wearing a spaghetti strap semi-short black dress, which exposed her shiny, freshly shaved legs, just above her knees. He closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. When he opened his eyes, he couldn’t believe who he was looking at.
“Hello, Ms. Walker,” Laura said.
He smiled at her. “Thank God. It’s only a dream.” Jade began to chuckle, feeling a little embarrassed.
“Nope, afraid not,” she snapped.
“Well, you’re dead,” Jade uttered. “So, unless I’m also dead, this can’t be real.” He put his head down and closed his eyes. “You can wake up now!”
“You’re wasting your time, Jade.”
He looked up at her again. “You’re dead! I watched you die. We buried you!” He became quiet. “We mourned you.”
“I know exactly how you mourned me!” she bitterly replied.
Jade kept telling himself that this wasn’t real and that he was arguing with a ghost. He decided he must have been in a dream, like the one he had the day after her funeral.
“You’re not arguing with a ghost, so stop telling yourself that it’s the same type of dream you had after you slept with my best friend. You remember that day, don’t you? It was right after my funeral.”
Jade glanced up, more puzzled than ever.
“I’m going to get to the point, Walker,” she said coldly. “You didn’t see me die. You saw somebody else die. Everyone has a look-alike in this world. Fortunately, I found someone pretty damn close. Didn’t you learn anything when you killed Agent Flynt’s look-alike?”
Jade kept his eyes closed, thinking to himself that what was happening was impossible.
“Walker, it’s not impossible!” she said impatiently.
His head shot up and he looked at her as she continued to speak.
“My lifelong best friend is pregnant with your child, a child who was conceived the day after my funeral.” She turned around and began to pace the room. “Now, I have Lily and Agent Flynt, but don’t worry because I’ll make sure that baby is well taken care of.” She got directly in front of him and gave him a small peck on the lips. She smiled and moved away. “Agent Flynt is going to die in a few minutes, just because I don’t like him, but Lily has a little more time.”
Jade started to struggle. “Bullshit!” he yelled. “You don’t have her. You can’t have her. If you did, that would mean that you have my abilities and you don’t have what I have.” He put his head down and closed his eyes. “You’re not even here! You’re dead!”
Laura shushed him as she pressed her fingers to his lips. “She’s here and I’ll prove it.”
She held her hand to her ear and through the walls, Jade could hear screaming.
“Jade! Help me!”
“Kind of reminds you of Jessica Cole, doesn’t it?” Laura asked sarcastically.
Jade struggled, despite the confusion. “Lily!” he screamed.
Laura walked up to Jade and got within arms reach of him. “You’re going to die, Ms. Walker. But, I think I’ll let you live long enough to see that little baby born. It’ll make your demise hurt that much more. Do you even realize the power that child will have?” She backed up and put her hand to her mouth. “It’s kind of ironic that I see you in the same position you saw me in when you thought I was dying.”
Chills ran up Jade’s spine when she laughed. This wasn’t the Laura he knew and loved. This Laura had a thirst for blood and vengeance.
She pulled the gold hatchet from behind her. “I always knew I would get this back.” She twirled it around her fingers as Jade always did. She threw the hatchet into the wall next to her and it stuck. “I can’t believe Agent Flynt would steal from a five-year-old girl!”
“Whoever you are, you’re crazy!” Jade said.
Laura laughed. “You know who I am, Walker. Don’t you remember falling in love with me? Remember, our first date at Gracie’s and kissing me passionately at Amy’s Coffeehouse? You even whisked me away to Puerto Rico on a rescue mission!”
“What do you want?” Jade asked.
Laura turned so Jade was looking at her backside. “Do you like what you see?” she asked him, slightly shaking her butt.
“You’re freaking nuts!”
“I’m not nuts,” she said. “People call me, Laura. Laura Siman!”
Jade couldn’t believe his ears. “What did you just say?”
She turned around and stared at a powerless, flabbergasted Jade, her eyes now black. “You killed my father, M. Sebastian Siman, and when the time is right, you will join him!”
Laura pulled out a four-inch blade and smashed Jade in the face with the handle. The impact knocked him out cold. She turned around and walked out the door.
Hanging from his wrists, Jade Walker was, once again, unconscious.
Chapter 1:
Daddy’s Little Girl
June, 2002
“Laura, why don’t you just ask him out already?”
“I don’t think he would go out with me,” she said, looking at Jessica.
As the two girls stood in the hallway before class was about to begin, they glanced at the guy walking down the hallway. Laura stood in awe over the boyish good looks and the model type style.
Jessica grinned. “You’re such a wuss. I bet Lily would ask him out.”
Lily approached them. “I would ask who out?” she asked, curious.
Jessica pointed at Laura’s crush down the hallway.
“Sorry, he’s not my type,” Lily replied, chuckling.
Laura stared at Lily in shock. “How could he not be your type? He’s everyone’s type! Look at the abs, the biceps, the tight jeans, and the way he—”
“That’s the problem,” Lily interrupted. “It’s too risky. Besides, he probably just wants to get laid.”
“Perfect! That’s just what she needs,” Jessica joked.
As nine o’clock approached for their second class of the day, the three girls sat next to each other. They gossiped about their college happenings; hook-ups, guys, finals, and the annual bash happening that evening.
The teacher came inside to direct the class, but it didn’t stop the three girls from chatting it up. Throughout the hour long class, they were repeatedly shushed by the teacher and, at one point, were told that they were acting like teenagers and to leave if they were going to be disruptive.
As the hot spring Friday ended, the girls headed home to change for the annual June bash at Ringford University.
“You know, you’re probably going to be the only one without a date tonight. You do realize that, right?” Lily asked, glancing at Laura.
Laura smirked. “Well, who are you going with?”
Lily wrapped her arm around Jessica. “I’m going with my bitch!”
The three of them continued to laugh and joke until someone from behind them stopped them. As Laura turned around, she almost vomited. Standing directly in front of her was the guy she’d had a crush on for the past six months.
“Laura?” he said quietly.
Laura’s mouth was wide open but words weren’t coming out. Lily and Jessica were quietly laughing as Laura remained in awe. “Um … Hi … Um … Chr—”
“Christian,” he finished the name for her.
“I know what your name is.” Laura giggled.
“Well, why couldn’t you say it then?” Christian teased.
Laura looked over at her friends who were still laughing. She turned her back to them so she wouldn’t be distracted. “What’s going on?”
“Are you going to the party tonight?”
“No … Yes … No.”
Christian seemed amused. “Well, which is it?”
Laura was dying inside. She couldn’t believe she was acting this way. She was always so outspoken and never showed any kind of nervousness whatsoever. Laura decided to turn the tables on him. “Are you going?”
“I’ll go if you go.”
Laura smiled. “I guess I’ll see you there.” Christian walked away without saying anything else, leaving Laura in a state of panic. The girls came over to her and giggled. They were making jokes while Laura stood still in embarrassment with her hands over her face. Even though they were all in college, they acted like they were still in junior high.
At eight o’clock that evening, Laura and Lily were together, getting ready at their house. Laura was wearing a short, black mini-skirt with a white halter-top while Lily wore a long, red summer dress decorated with a white and pink floral design. Laura wanted to look hot for Christian but Lily wanted to look a little less easy.
As they entered the party, a couple of guys approached them with plastic red cups. The girls took a small sniff of the stale beer and put the cups down on the nearest table. Laura quickly scanned the room.
“Why don’t you just go find him?” Lily asked.
Laura turned toward Lily but was looking over her shoulder. “What the hell do you think I’m doing?”
“Stop being such a little sissy and go find him. I’ll go find Jessica.” Lily gently pushed Laura away from her.
As Lily strolled away, Laura slowly circled the room. She was greeted a few different times but nothing that led to any kind of significant conversation. She didn’t know too many people in college. She spent most of her time with Lily, Jessica, or both. She hadn’t been much of a party girl since high school.
As she walked toward the back of the house, she started to feel a little queasy. At one point, she had to balance herself upright with the edge of a couch. She was beginning to feel very light-headed and had the sudden urge to sit down.
As she sat on the couch wondering why she felt the way she did, a familiar guy sauntered up to her. “Hey, Laura, are you alright?”
Laura looked up at the guy and smiled. “I’m fine, Jake. Thanks.”
“Alright then!” Jake yelled. “Keep going!” He handed her another plastic red cup.
She cringed at the odor of the stale beer and actually tossed it aside, not caring where it landed or who it hit. She didn’t even notice that it spilled all over the couch. For a few minutes, she remained on the couch until she started feeling like herself again. She got back up and took a deep breath. She glanced around the room some more, trying to find Christian. He was nowhere in sight. As she moved her head around, slowly becoming nervous that she may actually spot him somewhere, she noticed a staircase.
She inched toward the staircase and the weird feeling in her stomach suddenly came back, only this time it didn’t really feel like nausea. In a way, she thought it felt good, kind of like she was high, only she wasn’t. She couldn’t explain how it felt. It was a mix of butterflies and the feeling of being full after a great meal. She really didn’t know how to feel about it.
As she walked up the steps, she was hit with an urge to rub the back of her neck, which she did. She continued rubbing the back of her neck while wondering why she was sweating. She felt her face, and it was drenched with sweat, only she wasn’t hot.
When she stopped in her tracks, she heard a voice whisper. “Laura, it’s time!”
Laura glanced behind her, but nobody was there. She turned back to the top of the staircase and wondered where the voice came from. Since she didn’t see anyone, she shrugged it off. She figured that she probably heard some nonsense from one of the four hundred people downstairs.
She continued the walk up the stairs and eventually made it to the top. She peered down the hall and saw a few closed doors. She started to walk when she suddenly had a sharp pain in the back of her neck.
“Laura, I’m here. I’m with you.”
She whirled around while in pain, holding her neck. At this point, Laura experienced a slight panic. Breathing heavily, she hurried down the hallway to escape whatever it was she was experiencing. Her first thought was that someone had laced her drink. The only problem was that she didn’t have any. She tried to get into one of the rooms but the door was locked.
“Laura, you can’t escape your destiny. It’s time!”
Laura began to whimper and quietly started to plead for help. She moved to the next door and it was also locked. She began to cry out loud in panic as the voice became clearer.
“Laura, you don’t need to hide. I’ve been watching over you. You’re safe now.”
“Leave me alone!” She turned around and started to walk backwards, continuing down the hallway. Still holding the back of her neck, she looked around frantically but still didn’t see anyone.
“Laura, your time has come!”
“What do you want?” she yelled at the top of her lungs as the door next to her flew open with three guys falling out of the room. Laura screamed and fell to the ground.
The men just laughed at her and kept stumbling down the hallway to the staircase.
Laura quickly got up and ran into the room that the drunks came out of. She quickly scanned the room. The room was filled with trash; beer cans, cigarette butts, empty plastic cups, empty pizza boxes, and even some broken glass. She looked across the room and noticed that the bathroom light was on.
“Laura, you can’t escape your calling.”
Laura yelled out again and ran into the bathroom. She immediately turned on the cold water and began to splash her face. She leaned over the sink, her knuckles white as she gripped the cool porcelain.
“Laura, look in the mirror.”
“No! Leave me alone!” She wiped the tears from her face. She wept for a minute with her hands in her face, uttering quietly, “Leave me alone, please.”
Without thinking about it, she shifted her head upward and looked into the mirror. She froze. In the reflection, she was completely wet. Water was dripping down her face in slow motion as she stared into her black eyes.
She was unable to move. She couldn’t do anything. She tried to speak and nothing came out. She tried to close her eyes but she had no luck. After staring at her reflection for a few seconds, she took a deep breath and was finally able to close her eyes. Her mind went totally blank. She didn’t know who she was, where she was, or anything that had just occurred. She was blank.
When she opened her eyes, a large, monstrous man stood behind her. He had dark buzzed hair, dirty teeth, and black eyes.
Calmly, she asked him, “Who are you?”
“Laura, go into the bedroom,” M. Sebastian Siman responded.
Without questioning the huge man, she turned toward the closed door that was on the other side of the main room. Even though she now remembered everything vividly, for some reason, it oddly didn’t bother her at the moment. She didn’t understand why, but everything felt as it should be. She felt like she didn’t have control over her own body or mind. She stepped toward the room in a trance. She quietly turned the knob and opened the door slowly.
As the door opened, the sounds of quiet moaning became louder. She saw the bare back of a woman whose hair was flying all over place. She also noticed a pair of hairy legs on the edge of the bed, half covered by a wrinkled blanket. The woman straddled the man, riding him hard.
Laura just stood there and watched in an emotionless state. After a few seconds of watching the couple having sex in front of her eyes, Laura snapped, “Having fun?”
Jessica glanced over her shoulder and screamed. As Laura stared at her, Jessica quickly covered herself up in a panic. “Laura!” she yelled. “What are you doing in here?”
Jessica stumbled over and fell off the bed, exposing a sight that brought feeling back into Laura’s body. The sight made her blood boil. Laura stared at the man in the bed. “Christian?” she asked, sounding distant.
He looked at her but didn’t seem to care that he got caught with another woman.
Laura then looked at Jessica who remained on the floor. Laura smiled. “Answer my question! Are you having fun?”
Embarrassed, Jessica began crying. “Laura, I’m sorry. I …”
Laura closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “No … No … No. You don’t have to explain yourself. After all, I never made a move, right?”
Jessica looked at Laura, confused. “Are you alright, Laura? I know you’re probably extremely pissed at me, but you seem different. Your eyes are … are you wearing contacts?”
“I’m fine,” Laura said. “I’m sorry. I’ll leave now. By all means, continue.”
Laura turned around and stared back into the bathroom. Although fully conscious, she had no idea what was happening to her, or why whatever it was didn’t seem to bother her. The voice in her head had petrified her, but she couldn’t remember why. Then when she looked in the mirror, she saw black eyes staring back at her, and that didn’t seem weird to her either. With all of the abnormalities happening to her, she felt perfectly normal. In fact, she felt great.
She rubbed the back of her neck again while standing at the doorway, and she suddenly felt a hand touch hers. She suddenly felt a burst of anger that she had never felt before. She grabbed the hand and turned around.
Jessica was standing in front of her with a disturbed look on her face. Her mouth opened in fear. “Laura, what the hell? You’re hurting me!”
Laura grabbed her by the throat with her other hand and slammed her against the wall next to them.
Christian jumped off the bed. “Laura, what the fuck! Get off of her!”
Laura felt herself becoming overwhelmed with power and energy. She began to squeeze Jessica’s throat and it felt good to her. She felt a presence behind her and she quickly turned around while still holding Jessica by the neck. Christian rushed toward her and he ended up slamming into Jessica, bashing her head into the wall. She fell unconscious to the floor. Christian also fell to the ground.
He spun around and saw Laura standing over him. He looked at her, his eyes wide with fear. “What the hell?”
Laura then grabbed him by the throat and lifted him with ease. As Christian struggled, she squeezed tighter and tighter. She could hear him trying to mumble something but she couldn’t quite make it out. Suddenly, she heard a voice in her head.
“Please don’t hurt me. I’m sorry.”
Slightly confused, she dropped him to the floor. She stared at him for a second and then walked away. As she started to move, the same voice entered her head.
“You fucking bitch! I’m going to kick your ass!”
Laura suddenly appeared behind Christian who hit the wall dead on. He quickly turned around and saw her standing in front of him. “What the …” he began.
He was interrupted by Laura who grabbed him by the back of the head. She turned around with his head in her grasp and ran toward the window. With all of her power and speed, she launched him out head first, shattering the glass.
As Laura stared out the broken window without even as much as a change in her pulse, she heard the deafening screams of numerous people below. She backed away from the window and looked down at Jessica who was still unconscious on the floor. Laura then sauntered out of the room and back into the bathroom.
The screams of everyone became louder and louder. She quickly looked around the room to people frantically running outside. She jumped up and looked around. She had been on the couch sitting in a puddle of beer next to an empty red plastic cup. “What the hell just happened?”
Lily ran over to Laura, “What are you doing? We need to leave, now!”
“What’s going on?” Laura asked, confused.
“Let’s just go, please,” Lily said hesitantly.
Shocked, Laura watched as more people struggled to get outside. “Lily, what the hell is going on?” Laura asked frantically.
Lily put her head down and Laura could tell she was clearly distraught. “I guess you didn’t find Christian.”
Laura’s head shot up and she suddenly remembered everything that occurred upstairs. She hurried out the door, knocking into people that were standing on the patio. The women cried, covering their mouths with their hands while the stunned men stared at the scene in front of them.
“Laura! Don’t go out there!” Lily called after her.
It was too late. Laura shoved past the group and looked at the dead body of her long time crush, completely mangled in a pool of blood. She put her hand over her mouth and stepped back. She glanced up at the broken window which she clearly remembered throwing him out of.
Lily reached Laura and put her arms around her, trying to get her away from the gruesome sight.
“What did I do?” Laura asked, her voice trembling.
“What do you mean, what did you do?”
As the police and ambulance made it to the scene, Laura and Lily stood by, observing the swirl of activity. Laura bolted for the house. Lily followed her. “Laura, what are you doing?”
Laura stopped and turned back to Lily. “Jessica! She’s upstairs!”
Both girls ran up the stairs and Lily followed Laura into the room. Jessica was starting to awaken as they arrived. She looked up at Laura and began to tremble in fear. “Get away from me!”
Laura just stared at her, confused.
Jessica grabbed onto Lily, holding her throbbing head. “Where’s Christian?”
Lily looked up at Laura who was now crying. “Laura, help me get her up.”
Jessica jumped back and stared at Laura. “What did you do to him, you crazy bitch?”
“Jessica! What’s going on?” Lily asked.
Jessica chuckled, still holding her head. “This psycho just tried to kill me!” She looked at Laura. “What did you do to Christian?”
Even though Laura knew what had happened, she didn’t know what to say. She was completely lost. She responded the only way she could. “Jessica, I’m sorry. I don’t know …”
“What are you talking about, Jess?” Lily asked. “She’s been downstairs all night.”
Jessica gave Laura a confused look and then turned toward the window. “Oh my God!” she yelled out, running to the window with Lily close behind. She looked out of the shattered window and let out a petrified scream. “You threw him out the window!” Jessica screamed to Laura.
Running past Lily, Jessica ran in Laura’s direction as if she was going to attack. She stopped in front of her and took a swing. Laura grabbed her fist before she made contact. She began to squeeze as Jessica screeched and fell to her knees.
“Laura, let her go!” Lily demanded.
Laura looked at Lily and released her hand.
Jessica grabbed her hand and cried on the floor.
Laura stood over her. “Like Lily said, I’ve been downstairs all night.” Laura turned around and began to leave the room. Laura had the same feeling she had when she threw Christian out the window. As she reached the doorway, she stopped and turned back to Jessica and Lily. “Tell me, Jessica, what were you doing tonight?” Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked out of sight.
As Laura strolled down the stairs, she was trying to figure out what the hell had happened in the past thirty or so minutes. She was a little shaken up, but under the circumstances, she was fairly calm, and it scared her to death.
After answering some questions from the police officers on the scene, Laura walked home alone, which was about two miles away. As she reached her and Lily’s home, she once again heard the voice. “The time has come, my daughter.”
Present Time
“Where the hell are you, Walker?”
As Evan paced the small, dank closet he was in, he was trying hard to figure out who was keeping him locked up like a caged animal. “Walker, where are you?” he continued yelling out.
Evan’s attention went to the door when he heard the sound of it unlocking. He ran behind the door to hopefully attack whoever it was that was entering. As the door slowly opened, he came from behind and without thinking, lunged. Before he got anywhere, he was grabbed by someone who wasn’t even looking at him.
He struggled a bit but the power was too much for him. As he grabbed onto the hand wrapped around his neck, Laura turned and faced him. He stopped struggling when he realized who it was.
“Agent Splynt! Pleasure to see you again.” Laura threw him back against the wall.
“You!” he said with uncharacteristic confusion.
Laura held up her hands and gave him a big smile, acting like she was sincerely happy to see him. “How are you? It’s been such a long time!”
“This is impossible! You’re dead,” Evan uttered, holding onto his throat.
“That’s what people keep telling me.” Laura glanced down at herself. “I sure as hell don’t look dead.” She put a finger to her mouth and looked up with her black eyes as if she was thinking. “So, I guess that means … I’m not dead!”
Evan moved toward her slowly. “How are you alive? Jade watched Siman kill you.”
“Come on, Agent Flynt!” she yelled. “I thought you were smarter than that. Let me ask you this: did you see me die?”
“I saw your body,” he said. “Siman killed you. Your bloody corpse ruined part of my carpet.”
Laura began to laugh. “Ah, my poor father. As brilliant as he was, he was too reckless.”
Evan was taken aback. “Your father?”
“Did I stutter? Laura asked sternly. “Yes, my father. You know, the one you spent your whole life searching for and had a hand in killing?”
Evan closed his eyes and walked by her. “Jesus Christ!” he mumbled.
“Nope, Laura Siman; however, you can still call me Ms. Brock if you want to for the next,” she looked at her imaginary watch, “five minutes that you’re alive.”
“Where’s Walker?” Evan asked, unaffected by the death threat.
“Don’t worry. He’s alive, for now anyways.”
“What do you want?”
“What do I want? It’s simple. I want to take away from Walker what he took from me.”
Evan became confused. “What the hell are you talking about? What do you think Walker took from you?”
Laura became agitated and walked toward Evan who began to back up, only he backed up into Laura who put her arms around him and hugged him. “He screwed my best friend on the day of my funeral,” she whispered. “Now, they will both pay by giving me their child.” Laura pushed Evan away from her. “Ask Christian Morris what happened after he banged one of my best friends.”
Evan turned and looked back at her. “Christian Morris?” He turned his head around and looked at the floor. “I’ve heard that name before.” He looked back at her. “Wasn’t he the college student who jumped out of a window at a spring break party a few years ago?”
Laura smiled and clapped her hands. “That’s very good. You see, you’re not a complete loss.” She appeared about two inches from his face. “Now, figure out what really happened to him,” she said in an eerily quiet voice.
Evan stayed right in Laura’s face. “You’re crazy,” he said. “Just like your psycho father.”
Laura began to back away from him with an intense look on her face.
“I hope he’s burning and rotting in hell!”
He was going to continue but was stopped by a loud scream. “Somebody, help me!”
Laura looked at the door and then slowly back at Evan. “To be continued.”
She disappeared right in front of his eyes.
“She has Lily too?” he said quietly.
He began to frantically look around the small room for something sharp. There were only a few old musty cardboard boxes in the room. Hoping to find something useful, he tore apart the boxes, pouring everything on the floor. He was looking for anything that would cut flesh. After a few minutes, he found a pair of plastic scissors with a barely visible blade. He examined the blade. “I never thought I would be doing this.”
He took off his jacket and rolled up the sleeve of his shirt on his left arm. He ripped a piece of his jacket off and put it in his mouth. With the blade, he began to cut a long incision in his forearm. He screamed into the piece of jacket and began to sweat profusely. After he managed to cut a bloody two-inch incision, he placed the piece of jacket over the cut and held pressure to it.
After a few seconds, he gave the wound a quick wipe and quickly placed the cloth back into his mouth. He then proceeded to reach into the wound with his thumb and index finger. He screamed once again into the cloth and actually started to cry in pain. As blood was pouring from his arm, he held his breath, trying not to look.
Within a few seconds, he pulled out a small metal device the size of a quarter. It had a tiny red button on it the size of a match head. He quickly put the cloth back on the wound and wrapped it a few times. In extreme pain and out of breath, Evan yelled, “Now would be a good time to rescue me, Walker.”
Evan pressed the tiny little button which began to blink green.
Jumping like he was rudely woken up, Jade glanced around the room. He quickly looked at the chain holding his right wrist to the wall and then to the other. He tried to look behind him and then he pulled his arms inward, hoping to break the chains.
“Jade Walker, are you trying to escape?”
Jade looked forward and Laura was standing right in front of him. “Or, you can let me go and make life easy for both of us.”
Laura giggled. “How would that be easy for me?”
“Well, if you let me go, maybe I’ll let you live.”
Laura stared intently at Jade and then broke down, laughing.
Jade chuckled back and asked in a calm tone, “How come I can’t transport?”
Laura stopped laughing. “I’m not stopping you.”
Then why the hell can’t I go anywhere? Jade thought.
“You can’t go because you don’t want to be away from me anymore.”
Jade looked at her but didn’t say anything.
Laura gave him a wink.
This bitch is crazy.
Laura chuckled again. “That’s the second time I heard that today.” She opened the door and was about to leave.
“Wait! Don’t leave yet.”
Laura spun around. “You’re free to go, but remember, I can find you whenever I want, and I will. Let the games begin.” She once again glanced at her imaginary watch. “Your daughter will be here before you know it.”
Jade’s heart almost fell out of his body. “My daughter?”
Laura smiled at him. “I’ve always wanted a daughter.”
“You won’t get near my child. I’ll kill you first!” he yelled.
Laura laughed at him. “Oh really? Let me tell you something, Walker. You won’t kill me for two reasons; one, you simply can’t because you don’t have a prayer in hell of defeating me; and second, you still love me too damn much to hurt me.”
Jade suddenly appeared in front of Laura, free from the chains. Unafraid, she looked him in the eye.
“And I have two reasons why you’re wrong; one, I was told I couldn’t defeat your father, which I did; and second, you’re right. I do love you.” He paused, gave her a quick, deep kiss, and put his mouth to her ear. “But I’ll kill you anyway.”
Laura took a step back from Jade and began to walk away from him. “Do you remember when we first met and I told you that you had big ones? Well, you really do.”
Jade walked in her direction. “Where are they?”
Laura smiled. “It’s over, Walker. They’re mine. Agent Flynt will die soon, and Lily is being taken care of.”
Jade vanished and appeared in front of Laura again. “You don’t want to do this with me, Laura.”
Laura disappeared and appeared behind Jade. “You think you can take me, Walker? Give it your best shot. Here, I’ll even give you a handicap.”
Laura took the gold hatchet out of the back of her black dress and handed it to him. He accepted the hatchet and immediately swung it at her head. As he repeatedly swung and hit nothing but air, she remained standing with her hands behind her back.
After about a dozen quick swings, she began to check her fingernails and yawned. “Are you done yet?”
Jade was out of breath at this point and didn’t respond. He couldn’t help but think, Can I actually defeat her?
Laura grabbed the hatchet out of Jade’s hand before he realized what happened. “No, you can’t.” She disappeared and didn’t come back.
Jade closed his eyes and tried to think really hard about where Evan and Lily were. He figured maybe he could try to use his mind to find them, but he wasn’t having any luck. He paced around the room, extremely frustrated.
He put his hands on his face and, for the life of him, couldn’t understand what the hell was going on. He flashed back to his very first vision and he was equally, if not, more confused now than he was back then.
As he walked toward the open door, he figured he would go through and just yell out their names. He then thought that they were probably not even in the building, especially since Laura just let him go. He knew she had something up her sleeve, and she wouldn’t make things that easy without some type of plan.
He strode down the corridor and couldn’t help but think, Siman’s daughter?
His thoughts were cut short by a loud sound coming from above him. He couldn’t really tell what it was, but it kind of sounded like a chopper. He suddenly had a smile on his face and said out loud, “Evan really does have great connections. Here comes the cavalry.” Jade was relieved, and he was able to relax a little bit.
He transported himself to the rooftop of the school house and saw a chopper closing in. He didn’t think it would be such a good idea to be seen at this point so he transported back into the schoolhouse.
“Walker, it’s about fucking time!” Evan yelled as Jade looked at him in awe. “Come on, we have to go, now!”
Jade stopped him. “Whoa, slow down, Evan. Are you okay?”
“Not now, Walker. Get us out of here!”
“What about Lily?” Jade yelled. “I can’t leave her here with her.”
“I take it you know, huh?”
“I know alright. That’s why we have to go get Lily and get the hell out of here.”
“Walker, she’ll be fine. We have to go, now!”
“I’m not leaving without her, Evan!”
“Walker, listen to me. Laura wants the baby. She won’t harm Lily as long as that baby lives and breathes inside of her body. Now, take us out of here!”
Jade began to yell obscenities at the air. He grabbed onto Evan’s arms and Evan screamed in pain.
“Of all freaking places you could grab!”
Jade had no idea what that meant, but he couldn’t have cared less. Jade looked down and noticed a bloodied piece of Evan’s jacket on his arm. “What the hell did she do to you?”
“It wasn’t her, but it’s the reason we have to go. Come on!”
Jade grabbed the back of Evan’s neck and gave a little squeeze as Evan twinged. “Is that better?”
Evan stared at him with the evil eye until they both disappeared.
They appeared in the school yard behind an old rusty slide on the playground about a hundred yards away from the helicopters. They were far enough that they couldn’t be seen, but they were close enough to see everything clearly. There were now five choppers and numerous huge vans surrounding the school. Jade was curious. “Evan, what the hell is going on?”
Evan held up the device he took out of his arm. “I had to contact emergency reinforcements.”
“Where did you get that?” Jade asked.
Evan responded by lifting his cut up arm.
Jade chuckled. “You had a device in your arm for emergency reinforcements and you are just now using it! If this crap ever ends, I’m going to kick the shit out of you!”
Evan shushed him and pointed to the main entrance of the school. Laura came walking out in her sexy black dress. It looked like she had just taken a shower. Her long black hair was wet. She stood in the doorway as about a hundred men in uniform were holding machine guns and shotguns in her direction. She slowly put her hands up and stepped toward the armed men.
“We need to get out of here,” Evan whispered.
“You don’t want to see what happens?” Jade responded.
“We don’t have time. We have somewhere we need to go.”
“You have a better place to be right now? Where are we going?”
Evan rubbed his fingers through his thinning hair and looked at Jade. “Walker, we need to go somewhere that I hoped we would never have to go.” He looked back at Laura who was being approached by the armed men and continued, “Now, we don’t have a choice.”
Jade stood up and gently grabbed onto Evan’s unhurt arm. “Where to?”
“SKP Headquarters.”
Chapter 2:
SKP Headquarters
Jade and Evan returned to Evan’s home in Ringford, New Hampshire. Evan had purchased the home a few weeks after the final bloody battle with M. Sebastian Siman. He lived there and ran the organization with Jade as a sidekick, even though the organization wasn’t much of anything anymore. He spent most of his time searching for the missing pages of his father’s book.
After Jade had finished healing from the battle with Siman, he made national news everywhere. He became somewhat of a celebrity, but he didn’t feel that what he did deserved any type of positive attention. Even though it was a very unusual occurrence, the media respected his privacy and didn’t bother him too much. He tried to keep a low profile and he was also able to keep his face hidden. People only knew about him if he explained who he was.
Shortly after the battle, he had been offered a job working as a mole for the FBI, which he regretfully accepted. His job was to hunt down those on their most wanted list using his vision ability. In just three months time, he had captured over fifty criminals. In some circumstances where he had no other option, he needed to kill them. Even though he was working for a different organization, he was doing what he was made to do.
“Evan, I thought your home was the SKP headquarters,” Jade said as Evan recovered at his desk. Evan was about to respond but Jade cut him off. “Lily!”
He bolted out of the room and entered the living room where the catatonic body of Lily, the mother of his child, was. She had been taken by Laura as they were trying to leave to go home hours earlier. After her house had been blown to bits, Lily stayed with Evan at his hotel, before it exploded. Since then, she and Jade had been living together, waiting for the arrival of their baby.
As Jade leaned over her and stared at her face, Evan walked in behind him. “What’s happens to the baby since her body is technically here?” Jade asked.
“The baby will continue to grow as if nothing has changed. Remember, even though Lily is catatonic, she is still living and breathing,” Evan responded.
“Okay, what if she gives birth?” Jade asked, walking away from her. “What? Is a baby just going to pop out of her right here?” Evan put his head down, and Jade walked close to him. “What is it?”
“Don’t worry about it. She’ll be back before she has that baby.” She has to be.
Jade could sense that Evan was hiding something, but since Evan was never good at explaining things, he figured he would let it go until a later time. Jade walked back over to where she was lying on the couch. He took a blanket out of the closet and placed it gently over her body. He then picked her up and carried her into Evan’s bedroom. He gently placed her on the bed, kissed her forehead, and put his hand on her baby bump. He leaned down to her ear and whispered, “Don’t worry. I’ll find you.” Jade stood up and walked back to the living room where Evan was. “So, where is this SKP headquarters? I thought your home was SKP headquarters.”
“Jade, you have to understand that when there is such an important organization such as the SKP, there is always a master headquarters. Mine was only a branch.”
“What the hell else is there? You told me there were only a few people who knew about that goddamn book!”
Evan laughed. “I was telling you the truth. The SKP is more than what you know. The SKP is involved with a lot more than just the vision children. I’m only one part with one specific project, and that one was mine. I know nothing of the other projects. I don’t even know how many exist.”
“You couldn’t share this information with me earlier?” Jade snapped. “What other projects are there? You made it sound like this was the only one.”
“It was never important to bring it up before,” Evan responded. “Look, we don’t have time for lectures and lessons right now. We just need to get there before it’s too late.”
“Before what is too late?” Jade asked.
Evan gave him a pointed look and walked into his bedroom.
“Let me guess. I need to trust you, right?”
Evan came back into the room wearing a different suit and carrying another. “Put this on.”
Jade took the suit and started to put it on. As he was getting dressed, he finally decided to bring up the unspoken situation. “Evan, what the hell just happened back there? I mean, Laura Brock, alive with the vision ability, and not to mention, Siman’s fucking daughter!”
“I don’t know, Walker, but I can tell you one thing: it is not a good situation. If my feeling is right, which I hope for all of our sakes it isn’t, then you have a much bigger problem than M. Sebastian Siman ever was. That’s why I had to push the button. Pushing the button that has been imbedded in my arm for over thirty years sent a signal to headquarters that something catastrophic was going to happen. When they get the signal, he sends the reinforcements. That’s who we saw apprehend Laura. Now, come on. We have to go.”
As Evan drove the two of them to the SKP headquarters, Jade was, once again, practicing old habits; asking many questions. “Who is this ‘he’ you were talking about?”
“I don’t know his name. I’ve never actually met him.”
Jade laughed and threw his head back against the seat. “Have you ever talked to him?”
“Sure I’ve talked to him. He’s my connection. He’s a very powerful being.”
“So, he’s the one you are always on the phone with?”
“Yes.”
“How come you never pushed that damn button during the Siman saga? Things could have been over a lot sooner and with a lot less deaths.”
“Yes, it could have helped,” Evan began in a frustrated tone, “but when I joined this organization, I was sworn to never push that button unless there was absolutely no other choice. Siman didn’t qualify.”
“Not like I’m complaining that you rang for help, but—”
“Shut up, Walker!” Evan interrupted.
Jade was beginning to feel helpless and clueless again. Ever since he killed Siman and Robert Hurst, he didn’t have any confusion, any questions, or any type of negativity, at least under his circumstances. Now, he was back to square one; confused, frustrated, and completely clueless.
About an hour later without much speaking, they arrived at a large plain the size of a football field. The field had perfectly cut grass and no sign of life anywhere. Evan parked the car in the middle of the field and started to get out. “Um … Evan, I think we should stick to the problem at hand.”
“We’re here,” Evan responded.
“I give up,” Jade said and proceeded to get out of the car. As Jade followed Evan out into the middle of the field, he couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen. “Are we waiting for a UFO or something?” he sarcastically asked. “Is it going to whisk us a thousand light years away?”
“Put a sock in it, Walker,” Evan said impatiently. Evan took out his cell phone and starting pushing buttons. He put his ear to the receiver and waited for about three seconds. “We’re here,” he quickly said and immediately shut off the phone. “Stand back, Walker. This is going to get shaky.”
Jade started to pace around a little bit, wondering what was going to happen. “I thought you said you’ve never been here,” Jade said.
“I haven’t.”
“Then how do you know the routine to get in?”
Evan ignored his question and started to move backwards. “Walker, watch yourself.”
At this point, Jade was getting frustrated. “Look, Agent Flynt, my only concern is to find Lily and my baby!” Jade yelled. “I’m not in this to be nice or to be respectful. I’ve had it up to here with your attit—”
Before Jade was able to finish the sentence, he was knocked backwards and fell on the ground back first. As Jade lied there, somewhat embarrassed, the ground was shaking like there was an earthquake. Jade looked up at Evan who was staying fairly balanced on his feet even though he was quite wobbly. Jade began to crawl backwards as the ground started to break in half. “Jesus Christ!” he yelled as he started moving further away from the crack.
After about twenty or so seconds, the crack became wide and some light mist was coming from the opening. The hole in the ground was about ten feet long and ten feet wide. Evan walked over to where Jade was and held out his hand.
“I told you to watch yourself,” Evan said with a smirk as Jade accepted his hand.
They both walked over to the opening and looked down. The hole dropped about six or seven feet to a metal platform which led to a metal staircase with about fifty stairs. They couldn’t see where the stairs led from where they were standing. The odor was making them both nauseous. It was like the hole hadn’t been opened in years and the smell of rotten mold was finally able to get out.
“Here we go, Walker. Remember, the people you’re going to be dealing with in there are very serious people,” Evan nervously warned. “They don’t have a sense of humor, and they don’t take any shit. Watch what you do and what you say.”
“That sounds like someone I know,” Jade said, studying the hole and the stairs.
Without hesitation, Jade jumped down the hole and waited for Evan who took a little longer. Jade practically had to catch him because he lost his balance on the landing. As the two men looked down the endless staircase to darkness, they were both nervous.
As Jade started the descent, Evan grabbed his shoulder. “Walker, I don’t know what to expect in here. Watch yourself and don’t do anything stupid.”
Jade basically ignored him and continued down the stairs. Evan slowly followed. The stairs echoed as they walked, and they were surrounded by spotless metal walls.
“These walls will protect us from being taken,” Evan explained.
“What do you mean?” Jade asked, continuing the descent.
“Well, before this place was built, they decided to build it underground and surround it with an electromagnetic field. This was to protect headquarters from intruders.”
Jade looked at Evan. “Siman?”
“He couldn’t transport in here, and if he did find a way in, he couldn’t transport out. There are only two ways in and two ways out of here, and we just entered one of them. I don’t even know where the other one is. I was never told. The only people that know are the ones who live in here.”
“Where did the choppers and vans come from?”