Thank you, all my lovely readers, for holding on until the end and for your loyal support.
“Marcel! I’m serious; you got to be home before six… no at least by five pm, otherwise you should stay in.” “Not this again. Mom I already told you, the band is playing tonight, I won’t be home until ten… besides I’m twenty-one not eight. When are you going to stop trying to scare me with your stilly superstitions?” “Young lady, this isn’t just some old wise tale; observing the rules of Peter Pak has always been very important to this family.” “Yeah, whatever, can I go now?” The girl rolled her chestnut brown eyes, impatiently waiting for the conversation to end. “Fine…” Sighing loudly, Ruby stared helplessly at
“Can you believe those guys? Men! There’re all the same. How could they just kick me out like that? And Nate… that idiot abandoned me for a few dollar bills and a new set of strings.” Though not completely annoyed with her best friend’s decision to still perform at the club, since she would have done the same…. Marcel rambled on talking to herself as she aimlessly walked along the noisy roadways bustling with the sounds of teenagers prancing off to their accustomed nightlife of either heading to the movies, bar or merely sneaking out of their houses just for the fun of it. “He could have at least let me barrow his car, this place is freaking cold….” She folded her hands seeking warmth from her exposed arms, legs slightly buckling from the sudden chills drifting through the air, wondering why she had chose
“Snap out of it Marcel, it’s only for tonight and it will all be over.” The girl patted her cheeks trying to regain a measure of normalcy, before tightly shutting her eyes taking loud deep breaths, puffing out a mouthful of air, repeating to herself… “Mike is gone; I’m doing this for mom so her mind will be at peace.” After a few minutes she slowly opened her eyes ready to embrace the inevitable ritual, but at the said time her heart suddenly jolted in shock, rapidly drumming against her rib cage as a familiar figure seemed to have glitch in the background of her reflection in the mirror. However, staring intently… or rather, frozen in place afraid of blinking, the shadow seem to have disappeared. “Holy shit! I think I’m losing my freaking mind.” The anxious girl hurriedl
Marcel wasn’t sure if it was such a good idea to have others witness what was happening to her mother, but then again Nate was different. He was her anchor and sanity, her best friend, advisor and counselor. Maybe with his help, they would be able to make her understand the difference between the past and the present, what ‘is’ real and what wasn’t. So as soon as the call was disconnected, Marcel strode out of the kitchen intending on looking out the front porch windows waiting for her best friend to show up, but much to her surprise… there was her mother, walking around like a mindless zombie gathering several items with a clueless expression plastered across her aged face. “Wh… what are you doing? Are those Mike’s clothes? I thought you said you got rid of everything.” The
Marcel was completely stunned by her mother’s sudden outburst. Ruby had basically sprang to her feet and leaped forward in an aggressive manner, trying to shove her out of the front doors all in one swift motion causing the girl to stumble to the floors, panting heavily in pure fear. Neither of the two young folks had anticipated her reaction to be this physical and bizarre. “Aunty, please calm down. Everything’s going to be alright, it’s just the three of us here.” Nate hastily grabbed hold of the woman’s trembling arms in hopes of getting her to realize what she had done, since he could not tend to them both at once. At least he would be able to stop her from lashing out any further, right? “No! Don’t let her poison you! My son is alive, but she’s trying to kill him. That witch wants to kill her own broth
“Wh… what exactly does that mean?” Marcel asked in a slightly quivering voice, awkwardly stepping back with her hips pressed against the counter piece table, nervous yet secretly eager for a response. Sure at times there seemed to be some sort of mutual connection and unspoken feelings of attraction, but perhaps seeing her mother in the state she was now in and the boy’s constant care and protection, she was hoping to find a measure of comfort knowing that her feelings weren’t one-sided… that there was much more to his actions than a simple friendly gesture…. She needed assurance. “I don’t know, you tell me… why would I stick by your side all these years without expecting anything in return? Why would I find it so damn annoying when you even suggest looking for a boyfriend? And why else would I be standing this close to you, desperately trying to stop m
The very next day, Marcel groggily rolled out of bed with eyes barely opened, yawning several times as she managed to make it all the way to the lower flat of the house without stumbling down the stairs in the drowsy state she was in… searching for the guy she thought would still be asleep on the sofa in the room they shared the night before. Apparently, that was the only room in the house he could sleep in… of course she didn’t believe his lousy explanation, but it felt nice knowing he was there, especially since the entire night her mind was battling this strange sensation of uneasiness, at one point she could even swear that Mike had appeared by her bedside just standing there, staring at her. So naturally it was safe to say, she had hardly gotten any rest. “Nate?” Marcel called out in a slightly hoarse voice, walking over to the direction of the kitchen to grab a glass
“I… I’m not sure what she did, by the time I got home it was already way pass six and I guess she must had already done something… I mean mom was acting strange from the moment I came back, but I didn’t notice it until... until it was too late.” Marcel sighed with regret, rubbing both her arm with the opposite hand feeling a sense of uneasiness. “Hey, it’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have stayed back to play with the band. If I had taken you home then maybe things would have ended differently.” Nate stepped closer encircling her in his arms, the last thing he wanted was for her to yet again feel responsible if anything bad was to happen to her mother. “Don’t remind me. I can’t believe you actually made me walk all the way back here. You could have at least let me borrow your car. Some fr
An unknown amount of time later… “Ahh! My head… what the f*** just happened to me?” Victor gasped for breath in a daze as if emerging from a suffocating nightmare… coughing several times as he struggled to lift his weak limbs off the titled office floors trying to ease the unbearable pain hammering away at his very bones… his heavy eyes lids almost sealing shut… squinting with thin layers of dried blood trailing along his haggard face, his dark orbs desperate for the sight of light and the call of reality… red droplets of stains on his once white lab coat further adding disgust to the monster’s miserable state. Just a while ago he was no doubt on the verge of going mad with power, determined to kill any and every one standing in his way. But now… was he being forced into accepting defeat without having the slightest idea who his true rival was all along? “The question is not… what ‘has’… but what ‘will’… happen to you.” A strange voice echoed around him, yet almost
“The Depository? But Master she’s our first test subject for the luminary drug trial and the host carrying the antigen to suppress the side effects; we might still need her to keep the others alive.” One of the doctors anxiously expressed his concerns hearing Victor’s command and seeing the girl being placed on another available wheeled bed ready to be taken to her death. “We have the old man and enough patients in the building to form my army; once the process is completed I’ll move ahead as planned.” His brief statement no doubt made those assisting him quite stunned and lost for words as it instantly occurred to them that their leader was perhaps now seeking a different course of action… one contradicting their original beliefs. “What about the villagers… our family…
“No! Don’t touch me! Stay away from me you monster!” Marcel defensively screamed, frantically retreating a few steps, bumping into nearby carts and patients’ bed dreadful of the outcome awaiting them all. Indeed, reality had proven to be far more terrifying than expectations and ones’ own imagination. Maybe she too had underestimated the situation; there was no time to reason, reduce the impact or to create another distraction… it was happening right now whether or not they were truly prepared for the consequences. “Get her!” Victor demanded sullenly, standing in place watching her squirm about in obvious protest, yet he was in no mood to relish the scene… his tolerance was already worn thin. “Leave me alone!” The girl struggled in anxiousness as a guard quickly grabbed hold of her han
“Hey! Be careful… don’t hurt her.” Nate angrily fought to break free from the guards hold as the men rushed forward almost immediately after noticing them a few steps ahead. Though they were ready to put an end to all this… to finally confront the vindictive doctor, that didn’t necessarily mean that they would allow themselves to be harassed without putting up a fight… well, at least the boy wasn’t about to let them injure his girlfriend. However, Marcel simply rolled her eyes at his exaggerating remarks wondering to herself… ‘What did he expect… that they would spread out a red carpet and escort them politely? For heaven sake, they were possibly being led to their deaths, this wasn’t some award ceremony… and besides, how fragile did he really think she was? “Shut
“Oh crap!” the girl blurted out, immediately recognizing the owner of the voice despite the grumbling sound of static frequency announcing his every word from the other side of the small funnel shaped speakers fixed just a few inches below the white reflective pvc ceiling stationed throughout the building. “If I’m not mistake, Nathaniel Estefan should be right beside you at this moment.” Victor paused then emphasized in a casual manner… “Don’t worry… the more… the merrier.” No doubt the duo was rather confused by his reaction. ‘Shouldn’t he boiling with anger or at least a tad bit hostile?’ Marcel glanced at Nate with a look of uncertainty, her questioning thoughts easily understood by the young man. “I’m sure he’s pissed.”
Staring at the personification of pure evil standing right before them, neither woman could cry out in fear, anger or agony even if they wanted to, for their mental battle was not one they could easily overcome at will. “Don’t give me that look; I’m only trying to help.” Victor spoke yet again with a fake expression of pity and concern that could not be disguised as he found a sense of excitement seeing the two innocent souls in such a miserable state. “Then again… blood is always the most important thing and that is… something I’m willing to kill for.” He continued… his prospective obviously differing on a whole other level than what those words would have meant to any other sane individual. “Now I can’t possibly ask you to abandon them in their times of need&hell
Since the remaining M-TIFY containers were nowhere near their reach, the only other logical explanation Victor could come up with was that… ‘Something must have happened in the control room’… as to when exactly it all started, he had no clue. But if it was before the fumes had run its course, then they truly had no idea where the girl could be at this precise moment... everything could very well be a fabricated scenario this time around. Thankfully, when it came to Maxwell he was indeed right where the cameras placed him. ‘What are they planning to do now? Why leave the old man behind after all the trouble they went through to find him?’ “Master, should we also send someone to the cold storage area?” Bradford’s words interrupted the man’s internal reasoning realizing that he had neither disconnected the call nor said an
Flashback ends**** “I think it worked, he wouldn’t be able to see us for at least a few minutes.” Nate let out a loud breath of relief, closing the door behind them. “Yeah, until he figures out what we’ve done.” Marcel mumbled worriedly, choosing not to ask what actually happened to the motionless guards leaned against each other lifelessly like a sack of potatoes; assuming that the boy must have sneaked up on them while they busy squinting into the monitors and easily knocked them out cold or maybe they were already asleep and all he had to do was hit their heads together really hard… of course this was only her imagination. “With all that you’ve done I’m sure he has another outlet to constantly spy on us and if he realizes something is up with the images, this will be the firs
“Master, should we wait and see what she’s up to?” One of the officer asked thinking that the man, just as before would prefer to observe the bothersome girl from afar, afraid of being led into a trap. “Wait?” Victor’s blood boiled in anger at the mere thought of letting her roam freely for another minute, yet he did not intend on acting rashly. “Get the father first and make sure the women are ready for testing… I will personally accommodate these two.” He added, all the while remaining focused on the monitor in fron