by Jemma Chase
Praise for The Disciple
and Other Stories of the Paranormal
“Ms. Chase certainly knows her way around a short story.”
Long and Short Reviews
“Ms. Chase offers an ending that was a complete surprise.”
Single Titles
“I love the dark edged (this term is used so I don’t scare off readers who shy away from ‘horror’) themes.”
I Smell Sheep
“With this...Gini Koch - this time writing as Jemma Chase - explores another style of writing than her usual snark and wit and proves she doesn't need them to keep this reader interested.”
Pearls Cast Before a McPig
Also by Gini Koch:
The Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt Series
TOUCHED BY AN ALIEN
ALIEN TANGO
ALIEN IN THE FAMILY
ALIEN PROLIFERATION
ALIEN DIPLOMACY
ALIEN VS. ALIEN
ALIEN IN THE HOUSE
ALIEN RESEARCH
ALIEN COLLECTIVE
UNIVERSAL ALIEN
ALIEN SEPARATION (coming May 2015)
ALIEN IN CHIEF (coming December 2015)
CAMP ALIEN (coming May 2016)
ALIEN NATION (coming December 2016)
ALIENS ABROAD (coming May 2017)
The Necropolis Enforcement Files Series
THE NIGHT BEAT
NIGHT MUSIC (coming February 2015)
The Martian Alliance Chronicles Series
THE ROYAL SCAM (coming 2015)
THREE CARD MONTE (coming 2015)
A BUG’S LIFE (coming 2015)
RANDOM MUSINGS FROM THE FUNNY GIRL
THE HAPPY ACRES HAUNTED HOTEL FOR ACTIVE SENIORS
Anthologies
CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK VS. ALIENS –
A Clockwork Alien
TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE BAKER STREETS –
All The Single Ladies
UNIDENTIFIED FUNNY OBJECTS 3 – Live at the Scene
TEMPORALLY OUT OF ORDER – Alien Time Warp (coming 2015)
THE X-FILES: TRUST NO ONE – Sewers (coming 2015)
The Disciple
and Other Stories of the Paranormal
By Gini Koch
Writing as
Jemma Chase
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents, and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
The Disciple and Other Stories of the Paranormal
Published by Jemma Chase at Smashwords
Copyright 2015 Jeanne Cook
The Disciple first published by Musa Publishing November 2011
Hotter Than Hell first published by Musa Publishing October 2011
Strange Protection first published by Penumbra eMagazine Volume 1, Issue 3, December 2011
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or any portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, contact the author: [email protected].
The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the internet or via other means without the express written permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic and print editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Editors: Mary Fiore
Cover Artist: Lisa Dovichi
ISBN: 978-1-50865-3653
Jemma Chase
http://www.ginikoch.com
Dedication
To my husband, the man who puts up with my proclivities, bizarre cravings, fascination with the weird, and need for constant heat even when it’s warm out.
Acknowledgments
Thanks and love to my wonderful agent, Cherry Weiner, and my also wonderful critique partner, Lisa Dovichi. Thanks again to all the good folks at Artichoke Head and everyone on Team Gini – couldn’t have gotten this done without all of you!
And many thanks to my family for constant, loving support and lots and lots of red wine (hey, it’s the closest thing to blood I can legally find) and chocolate.
Table of Contents
STRANGE PROTECTION
HOTTER THAN HELL
WAITING
AMAZING
THE DISCIPLE
STRANGE PROTECTION
She was finally able to stop running for a few moments.
She took advantage of the near wall shrouded in darkness, leaned against it, and tried not to pant out loud.
The place seemed deserted; then she noticed the man standing just outside of the small circles of light coming from the train station’s few lamps. He was dressed like a typical businessman — suit, heavy overcoat, gloves, bulky briefcase. She wondered for a moment why he was taking such a late train into the city, then froze, examining him carefully, in case he was one of them.
He was clean-shaven, his hair carefully trimmed and arranged. His clothes looked to be of good quality, but that was all she could discern. He didn’t seem to be doing anything other than waiting. That probably meant he wasn’t with them, was just here, waiting to go home.
She knew she had at least ten minutes before the train arrived, maybe more. She also knew she couldn’t stay in the open the entire time or they would find her. They’d assume she’d run here to escape, and she didn’t want to be a sitting duck.
He’d noticed her before she’d reached the station, but had chosen not to react. He watched her out of the corner of his eye instead. She seemed like a frightened animal and he wondered what had happened to her. He assumed he knew, but then, he’d been mistaken once or twice before, in the past.
She moved out of the shadows, and now he could see she wasn’t wearing any shoes. He wondered if she’d kicked them off in her flight from whatever had her terrified, or if they were in the backpack she wore.
She tried to walk normally but he detected a slight limp. As she got closer, he could tell the dress she wore was extremely thin, not at all appropriate for the weather. He figured she’d had a coat but abandoned it somewhere along the way.
Her hair was tousled, her breath still unsteady, her face slightly streaked with dirt, her eyes wild. But she managed to give him a cavalier smile as she got nearer.
“Car broke down,” she said briefly. “Hope the train gets here soon.”
He nodded. “Give it about fifteen minutes. It runs late on the last trip.”
She grimaced. “Well, it’ll give me time to freshen up.” She laughed, nodded to him, and walked into the restroom behind them.
He looked where she’d been standing. There was a slight smudge there. Blood. He could tell even from a distance. He was never wrong, not about blood.
She managed to clean the cut on her foot somewhat. Putting her shoes on hurt, but she had nowhere left to run now, and trying to get onto the train barefoot might cause too many questions. Questions meant delays, and she had no time for delays.
She washed her face and made sure that the proof was safe in her backpack. She brushed her hair quickly and took the time to tie it back with a scrunchie. She started to sling her pack back on, then reconsidered.
She opened it up again and took out one of the pictures and a pen. She wrote her name, the date, and what was truly in the picture on the back. She gave the address of the house, and instructions to enter armed with silver bullets. Then she slid the picture up into the paper towel dispenser, far enough that it wouldn’t come out right away. It was the best s
he could do, and while she figured it wasn’t going to be enough, at least she’d done something more than give up.
She took a deep breath and decided she was as ready as she was going to be.
She listened carefully at the door before she left the restroom. She heard neither baying, footsteps, nor noise to indicate that anyone else might be outside. Still, she opened the door cautiously, working to keep herself calm.
But there was no one outside, other than the man. She took another deep breath and stepped out.
He could hear her pursuers. They were getting closer. He knew the train wouldn’t get to the station in time for her.
The young woman walked out of the restroom. He could tell she was trying to appear casual and relaxed, but he could smell her exhaustion and fear.
She walked over and gave him another quick smile. “You know, this is a really deserted station. Do you use it a lot?”
He shrugged. “Somewhat.”
“Are you heading home?”
“Going to work, actually. I’m a night person.”
She seemed to be mulling something over. “This might not be a good place for you to be,” she said finally.
“Oh? Why not?”
She grimaced. “You won’t believe me if I tell you. But…you look like a nice man, and you’ve probably got a family you’d like to see again. I don’t know how to suggest this without sounding crazy, but you should probably lock yourself in the bathroom until the train gets here.”
He gave her a small smile. “That does sound crazy. Why should I do that?”
She swallowed hard. “Because there are some…people…coming to, well, kill me. They’ll probably be here very soon. It’s not…it’s not fair for them to hurt you, when they want me, but I think they’re the kind who will hurt you just because you’re here.”
“Why do they want to hurt you?”
“Because I know what they are.”
“And,” he asked, keeping his expression and tone calm, “just what is that?”
She sighed. “Okay, I know you won’t believe this, but…”
Her voice trailed off and he could see her listening intently. He’d already heard what her ears were just now picking up — the faraway sound of an animal’s howl.
“I might believe you,” he said encouragingly.
She took a deep breath. “They’re werewolves. And they’re really close. A lot closer than the train. Look, you need to get to some kind of safety.”
“Why don’t you do the same?”
She shook her head. “They’ll claw down the place for me. But, if they don’t realize you’re here, or don’t think that I’ve spoken to you, you might have a chance.”
“Why are you trying to protect me?” He was rather touched, in an amused sort of way.
She shrugged again. “Because I don’t want them to win, and I don’t want them to get anyone else trapped in their stupid little game.”
“Game?”
She sighed, and spoke quickly. He could tell she was poised between fight and flight. “They lure you out to their country house, on whatever pretext works, and then they give you a choice.”
“What choice?”
“Join them or become dinner. If you choose the dinner option, you get two hour’s head start. If you choose to join them you get an hour’s head start. They get to hunt you down, either way. Unless they’re feeling kind or particularly hungry, and then they just eat you right away.”
He was quite interested in this. “Which did you choose?”
She gave him a mirthless smile. “I chose to take pictures and videotape of them offering this to someone who chose dinner and was put right up on the menu, and then I chose to run like hell.”
“You’re a reporter?” He felt vaguely disappointed.
“No. I’m a bereaved family member. They took my little brother last month. He called me on his cell phone while he was on the run to tell me what they’d offered. He chose to join them and asked me not to look for him. But I didn’t see him with the pack.”
“But he could be. He could be hunting you right now.”
“Yes.” She cocked her head at him. “You’re taking this rather well.” She was starting to look and sound worried.
He gave her a reassuring smile. “I’ve heard it before.”
She looked frightened now. “How so?”
“The mental asylum’s close by. Patients do escape.”
“I’m not a mental patient,” she hissed as she began to back away from him.
He reached out and took her arm gently. “Perhaps not. But no one else is likely to believe you. After all, they’re based out of that asylum.”
“You know about them?” Horror and curiosity warred on her face.
“They’re my neighbors, so to speak.”
“Why haven’t you stopped them? Told someone? Anything?” She sounded close to tears, but he could tell she was actually going to try to run off again. He thought she was rather pretty, and knew she’d look even better once she’d had a chance to bathe and relax.
He made up his mind. “Well, you know how it is. Better the neighbors you know, annoying habits notwithstanding, as opposed to someone new moving in. I don’t want prying eyes any more than the werewolves do.”
The baying was much closer and quite clear. He could tell she heard it. “What are you going to do to me?” she whispered.
He gave her a friendly smile as he drew her closer. “Offer you a…different choice. After all, if you’re going to die one way or another…”
She waited, feeling far better than she had just a few minutes ago. He was watching nearby but where they wouldn’t spot him easily. She knew he’d help her — if she needed it.
But she knew she wouldn’t. New senses told her that her brother wasn’t among the pack, and that meant they’d eaten him. So, killing a couple of them would be only fair. She’d promised to only kill one or two, because, as he’d mentioned, if they ate all of them, what would they do when they needed food and no one else was available?
She felt stronger, and safer, than she had, not only tonight but in a very long time. Her new protector was also rather handsome, and she found the prospect of living with him quite acceptable, especially since her only other alternative had been a messy and unpleasant death. Not like what he’d offered.
She considered getting the picture she’d stashed, but chose to focus right now on the pack. She could always get it later. Or not. After all, someone going to check out her lead would likely end up like her brother or her — dead or undead.
But, the werewolves had arrived, and she turned her attention to them. She found she was quite looking forward to showing them that, when it came to hunger and hunting, nothing had an appetite comparable to a newly made vampire’s.
HOTTER THAN HELL
“I don’t handle the cold well,” she said.
“I can see that.” I could. The woman sitting across from me was bundled up like it was the dead of winter – parka, scarf, beret, earmuffs, gloves, and boots – yet she was still shivering.
Admittedly, the air conditioning was blasting. Then again, it was the middle of summer in Phoenix, Arizona, meaning it was hotter than hell outside. But she’d come in dressed like this.
“I know you can’t make it warmer.”
“Nope. Not unless I want a small riot.” I might have been the boss, but when you’re running a successful firm, you aren’t doing it alone. I knew what would happen if I turned the A/C down. “I keep it on the warmer side, though. My girls prefer it that way.”
Warmer, of course, meant it was cooling to 70 degrees instead of 64. But there was only so “warm” the men who worked for me could take. Higher or lower wouldn’t make for a happy staff, and they were more important than one client.
“I’m sure you do. It’s not a problem. I’m used to it.” She had big blue eyes, and curly hair the color of dried blood framed her face, but when the light caught it, there were glimmers of golden highlights.
It was hard to be positive, but she didn’t look like she was waif-thin underneath her layers. I studied her face and put her at the slightly voluptuous, heading toward the charmingly chubby side of the house.
“So, how can I help you?”
She sighed. “I’m looking for someplace very hot.”
“You’ve found it.”
She shook her head. “No, Mister Masters, I haven’t. Oh, I heard the rumors that Phoenix was hotter than Hell. While the weather is pleasant outside, it’s not hot enough for me.”
“Medical condition?”
“You could call it that.”
“You should see a doctor, then.”
“My condition is innate, and not life-threatening. Merely…uncomfortable. No, I’m looking for someplace that truly is hotter than Hell, and I was hoping you could help me to find it.”
“You need a travel agent, not a P.I.”
“I tried that. I’ve been all over the world, and all I’ve gotten is several different and interesting forms of cold or flu. No, I need someone who can actually find hidden things. Your reputation says you’re the best private investigator available. I heard that in both Los Angeles and New York. So, here I am.”
My reputation wasn’t overstated. However, I’d gotten it by being able to get rid of the crazies. “I’m sorry, but my caseload is full.” I stood. “Let me walk you out.”