Blood Ties: Chpt.3

O O O



         Slowly she walked across the corridor to the living room. The voices were louder, arguing now, she was sure of it. Thomas was talking about some deal he'd made, but she couldn't remember him telling her about any deals. Remembering the creaky boards along the corridor she snaked her way around them. Soon she was just a few short feet away from them and could hear what they were saying, although it made no sense to her.

         "Look Thomas, you've got no choice but to pay us. Gardner died last night; none of the original financiers are left except you. You have to pay us."

         The voice was oddly familiar to her, but she couldn't place a face to it. Then another voice spoke up and, with a sharp pain, she realized who it was.

         "Demitri, if we give him another day or two he'll pay full, you know that. Why not just give him the time?"

         It was her younger brother. Jacob. And then she remembered who the other man was, it was Demitri, one of Thomas's work friends, he'd been at the company party earlier in the year. Moving closer to the living room her fear grew as she heard more.

         "Look Demitri, Jacob's right. I can pay full later. We just found out Jen's pregnant, and I took off yesterday and today. I get a paycheck tomorrow, I'll pay you then."

         Jennifer could hear the fear creeping into Thomas's voice.

         "Thomas I don't give a fuck about your life or your troubles. You took money from this venture, now it's time to pay us what you owe. I need the-"

         "Demitri don't you understand what I'm fucking telling you?! I can't pay you now! Just give me some ti-"

         "No. You've tried the boss's patience and mine too much. Now you're gonna pay the price."

         Thawaap. The noise startled Jennifer, and the next one startled her even more, it sounded like a large sack of potatoes hitting the ground.

         "Hey, why the fuck did you do that?!" It was Jacob, his fear cracking his young voice.

         "Look Jacob, nothing against you, but it has to be this way. Plus he pissed me off."

         Thawaap. The falling noise again. Her fear and sanity were reaching its breaking point, she slowly moved backward. Thoughts of reaching her handgun in her purse danced on the edges of her terrified mind. Footsteps, closer, 'Move!' she thought to herself, 'Move it!'

         And then there he was, staring and grinning at her. Demitri.

          "Hey Jen, glad you could join us." His jovial face and tone was too much for Jennifer, she began to faint.

         With black edges creeping into her vision, she slid to the ground. The only thoughts she had were of the child, 'Please don't hurt the baby, please, please, plea-'.

She faded into unconsciousness-



O O O



         -and woke up in a world of confused darkness.

         "Oh look, the main attraction is waking up! Feeling groggy? That would be the pain meds coursing through your veins. You took a really hard hit in the explosion, the doctors had some trouble putting Ms. Humptey Dumptey back together again. But they did a good job so I'd trust them more than the Kings Men." He chuckled at his dull wit.

         It was Demitri, his voice had a high nasal whine Jennifer easily recognized. But he was wrong, she wasn't groggy. She did however feel slightly lightheaded, and she decided to keep that fact to herself. A bandage was wrapped tightly around her eyes, keeping them shut against her will. She could feel her tight clothes had been stripped from her and replaced with a hospital gown. Her hands and feet were strapped tight to the side of the bed she was in by some sort of synthetic rope. Overall she felt like shit, and Demitri knew it.

         "Since you've been out for over 27 hours it's my job to fill you in on recent news. You know, you really made a mess in Manhattan. Your little 'creations' are wreaking havoc in the east end of the island. State Government has quarantined Manhattan overall and the whole east end. The whole of the New York is under martial law, and states surrounding Manhattan are considering it also. What was your plan? Create a scene and disappear? Well, I don't really care and it didn't work did it? Cause we got you. You really fucked up. Using the same hideouts? Rookie mistake, but we caught you cause of it."

         The shame of that mistake flushed her cheeks noticeably.

         "Ah, I see your none to happy with that, huh Jen?

         "Shut the fuck up Demitri."

         "No can do fuckerino. Once we get you to Whistler, your shit meat, so I'm gonna talk my ass off now, OK?

         "Not at all, fuck head."

         Demitri violently lashed out with his fist, pounding Jennifer's abdomen, but she didn't give him the satisfaction of hearing her pain. He punched again, and again, and again. It went on for what felt like an hour, him never tiring, and her never making a sound. Soon the blows numbed her midriff, and Demitri tired of his game.

         She could hear his shoes on metal floor as he stormed off to vent his rage on some other victim. Taking quick shallow breaths she formulated the beginning of a plan.



O O O



         Sniffing the air around her Jennifer decided no one else was in the room, and slowly pulled her hands up. Nope. No give whatsoever. Whoever had tied her hands had done a superb job.

         But upon checking her feet she found a good amount of give in the rope. Slowly and methodically she twisted and pulled her legs, rubbing the skin bloody but getting the rope looser. After what felt to her like eons the loop around her feet became large enough for her to pull them out. As she did her accelerated healing began. The slight tingle of cells growing and replacing damaged tissue brought her out of her lightheadedness quicker than any punches could have.

Her daily routines had included strength training and gymnastics for the last 40 years, allowing her to bend in a variety of ways, and her accelerated healing complimented it nicely. Her muscle fibers healed quickly, her tendons repaired themselves almost instantly, and her body didn't need oxygen. These things added to her already impressive ability to twist and contort her body. She used her skills as she twisted her right foot and leg toward her head. Once there she pried loose the cloth tied around her head with her dexterous toes. Her eyes darted back and forth observing every detail of where she was.

         To her it looked like she was in a bed in the back of a large trailer, the room was closed off by a sheet metal wall and door a little beyond the bed. That had to have been where Demitri left, and so would she. Demitri had said she was being moved to some place, but nothing was swaying with movement. However, she could hear the very slight noise of passing vehicles which led her to guess that the trailer was on grav-supports to halt movement. 'Better get moving, I don't want to meet the welcoming party,' she thought to herself.

27 hours. The number took some getting used to. As far as she could remember she'd never slept for more than 12 hours, even right after she'd been turned. She could only hope Demitri had spoken the truth about Manhattan.

         Looking around her Jennifer noticed a small shelf jutting from the right wall about thigh level. It held a clean pair of her clothes, apparently Jacob had grabbed some of her clothing from the house before they blew it apart with her inside it. How they had gotten in stumped her. She had set the security to change the first doors biometrics to alert her of any prior movement throughout the day by not allowing her access. Whatever had gotten past her security was smart, and probably a vampire, she reluctantly decided.

         Laying back Jennifer began to pull and stretch her arms in an effort to get out of the bonds on her wrists. Pulling the rope only bent the steel bar of the bed. Whatever the rope was, it had immense tensile strength. Relaxing her right arm Jennifer channeled all of her strength to it, and with a frightening jerk pulled it up and backward, finally breaking the rope. She quickly began pulling and tearing at the other rope until it too failed.

         She began rubbing her raw, and already healing, wrists while her temper flared. 'Fucking Demitri. I'm gonna drain you asshole. That, or I'll make your death very painful.' Swinging her legs to the floor to stand up Jennifer noticed the iv in her arm. Whatever it was pumping into her obviously hadn't had a sedative in it, or she'd still be out. She pulled the iv and watched the small trickle of blood that formed. Momentarily entranced her eyes locked on its tiny stream.

         'Blood.'

         The thought had risen unbidden in a voice she hadn't heard in many years, since before her life had been changed so radically.

         Her lips found their way to the needle hole, and slowly she guided her tongue around the puncture, savoring the small flashes of pain and the metallic taste of her living flesh and blood. Her pupils contracted and the ice blue flames of her eyes seemed to have been stoked by an all-consuming rage. She decided on a course of action.

         Removing the hospital gown, she checked her body for any marks or scars. The only one's she found were small puncture scars about the size of dimes with entry points on the right side of her right breast and exit holes on the left side. For the first time she could remember Jennifer cursed her breast size, had they been a cup or two smaller she wouldn't have any scars.

         After she finished inspecting herself and decided her body was fine she donned the clothes on the shelf. They were her standard fare, and why Jacob had bothered to get them was beyond her at this point, revenge was the only occupant in her mind.

         After she finished dressing Jennifer sniffed around the door, checking for the scent of anyone near.  No one.

         She slid the door open and stepped through.

         For the first time in her life she couldn't believe her eyes.



O O O



         "What news General? Did he actually capture her or is he hallucinating?"

         "He actually got her Acciords. They're still in New York, Jacob's waiting till she's fully healed to move her. He's afraid of delivering a dead subject." Whistler maintained his stance looking out of the conference room window. He was determined not to let Acciords see how shaken up he was.

         "Well General, does Jakowski know? Or should I bring him down right now?"

         "Leave him Acciords. He might intervene to help her, they were lovers once, or so he says. I told him that Jacob would have her here soon, but nothing else, and I expect you to do the same. I don't feel comfortable working with those freaks."

         "So am I to assume that you're afraid of them, or that it's something else? Well, either way I expect reports on where they're at every 2 hours. Have the science team prep whatever it is they need to prep."

         "Fine. By the way, the last batch of subjects is still alive and mutating. After we finish studying the Source, Roberts believes all of them will live and mutate. Whether we can control them is another thing entirely.

         "But in the end you'll get what you want, and I expect to get what I want. Have my payments ready. I'm leaving after Jacob brings the Source in. You can take this as my formal resignation." Whistler turned around to face Acciords who, as usual, was staring back at him with a cocky half-smile.

         "That's okay General. After she's brought in you won't be needed. The payments will be waiting. I'll be in my quarters." And with that Acciords turned around and headed out of the conference room.

         Whistler let out the breath he'd been holding. With trembling hands he took out a red handkerchief and began to absentmindedly polish his uniform buttons. Whenever his nerves got the better of him he resorted to polishing things. 'What the fuck have I allowed to happen,' he thought to himself, 'What have I begun?'



O O O



         Her eyelids felt like they weighed a ton, but she eventually opened them. Her wrists and feet were bound by rope, and she was wedged into a corner of her parents living room. Her parents were tied like she was, but they were also blindfolded and sitting on their couch.

         And then she saw Thomas. He was fully dressed and standing next to the couch her parents were seated on.

         "Ah, you're finally awake. Look Jen, I'm sorry but I have to do this. It's not my choice. If it was I'd just leave now. But I can't. I'm so sorry."

         She could see tears running down his face in the light of a small lamp he'd turned on.

         "What's going on? Jennifer, Thomas, what's going on?"

         "It's okay Mr. Redding. It'll all be over soon."

         "What are you doing Thomas? I thought Demitri did something to you!?"

         "He did."

         Thomas slowly removed a pistol equipped with a silencer from the inside of his jacket.

         "What are you doing Thomas?"

         "Jennifer, what's going on?! Jennifer, what's hap-"

         The pistol made a sound like someone sneezing softly, and she watched as blood, bone, and brain matter sprayed the wall behind him. The small entry wound oozed what had only seconds before been inside.

         "NOO! NOOO! WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT!?!"

         Her father's body slumped backward into the couch cushions, and her mother sobbed silently.

         "I had to Jennifer. I had to. You wouldn't understand."

         "Understand what? You fucking killed my father! Why!?"

         But Thomas didn't answer. He aimed at her mother and pulled the trigger. The same grisly scene presented itself to her eyes, except this time played out on her mother.

         Thomas left the room at a brisk pace.

         "NOO! NO!"

         She screamed until her burned as if ripped to shreds, and even then she still made futile  attempts to call out.

         Eventually he came back with a large gasoline can in hand.

         "Look Jen, I have to do this. If I hadn't killed them they would have died in even worse ways. But I can't spare a bullet for you. I'm truly sorry. You'll never understand the pain I'm in. I'm sorry."

         "What are you doing," she asked, "why are you doing this?"

         "I'm just following orders. I have to."

         He walked over to the couch and doused it with gasoline, even from across the room the smell was overpowering.

         "No, no, no, no, no," she repeated again and again to herself.

         She brought her knees up to her chin and hugged her arms around her legs.

         Eventually Thomas got to where she was, and continued to pour gasoline near and around, but not on, her.

         "I'm sorry. Please believe me," his voice choking up, "I don't want to do it. Goodbye."

         He walked towards the front door, stopping only to remove a lighter from his pocket. He flicked the top off and thumbed the wheel. Jennifer could see the small flame. He tossed the lighter into a puddle of gasoline, which promptly went up in hastily spreading flames.

She could feel the heat. Her tears had run out. The smoke was getting to her. She could no longer breathe. The flames were coming closer.  She began to resign herself to her fate. And then she felt it. It was moving.





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If you liked this here's the links to Parts 1, 2 & 4.

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Part 1

ID: 1570109   (Rated: 18+) Blood Ties: Chpt.1  Jen, a unique vamp, and a sweeping gov. conspiracy. by John Patricks

Part 2

ID: 1577177   (Rated: 18+) Blood Ties: Chpt.2  More about Jen is revealed, conspiracy abounds. by John Patricks

Part 4

ID: 1581954   (Rated: 18+) Blood Ties: Chpt.4  New players are introduced, Jennifer breaks loose. by John Patricks