any trouble from the cops,” Jay warned him.
Juan jingled the keys. “No shit, man.”
Jay watched the Explorer disappear into the muddy mist and grinned. He called his contact on his cell phone and related the details of Lonny’s transformation. His commander gave him detailed instructions on what he was to do with the liquid inside the bladder. Jay smiled. He liked it. The commander also gave Jay an address where he was to ship the remaining liquid via overnight delivery and hung up.
Jay hated losing Lonny, but his little experiment proved what his mind had only imagined. This new change to Friday’s mission was going to be a gruesome twist. It would certainly grab the government’s attention.
What Jay couldn’t guess was that his discovery would have worldwide implications, too.
Blossom repeatedly scrubbed her face and arms in an attempt to eradicate the sinister sensation pervading her flesh. Damn, what a nightmare! First, she was kidnapped and then attacked by a repulsive creature. It was now apparent why Juan Ponce de Leon never reported his discovery of the fountain of youth and sent that nightmarish bladder to the bottom of the gulf. The liquid was cursed.
When she emerged from the bathroom, her horrible attacker was gone, but its blood dappled the floor and wall. She turned away. There was no way she would spend another minute in that room. The awful malodor of death permeated the small space. Snatching her folded clothes off the end of the bed, she retreated to the unoccupied living room and hastily re-dressed.
Suddenly, it dawned on her that she was alone! Blossom ran to the rear of the bungalow and tried to open the door, then rushed to the rear of the house, but it was boarded shut. Next, she checked the windows in the other bedroom, but they were boarded up as well. She tentatively returned to her bedroom and noticed that the window above the bed wasn’t boarded shut. Throwing back the curtains, she discovered that locked, outdoor shutters prevented her escape. Dammit all to hell!
Thoughts of Clay crept into her mind, and she cried softly. What began as a romantic vacation turned into something just as ugly and horrible as that mutant, Lonny. What next? Despair chipped away at her normally fearless facade. She wondered what kind of terrible operation was going down on Friday. What kind of fanatical group was Jay involved with? Only time would tell, and that’s what frightened her the most. She didn’t want to be an accessory to Friday’s big event.
Lisa Anders cranked up the air conditioning in her car as she returned to the Warnke Construction site. It was an uncivilized five fifteen in the morning, yet the muggy air was already stifling. She punched in a number on her cell phone. Perspiration formed along the hairline beneath her bangs as she waited for the call to connect. She was as nervous as a virgin on prom night.
The phone rang at the other end. The sweat droplets plummeted down her forehead and dripped off her brow. Another ring. Another.
Finally, a hoarse, groggy voice answered.
“Bellamy,” it said.
“ Nick Bellamy?” she asked, although she knew it was.
“The one and the same. Who’s this?”
His question was greeted by silence.
“Look, this better not be a telemarketer, or I’m gonna . . .”
“My name’s Lisa Anders. I’m a professor at Florida State,” she blurted out at last.
“I’m happy for you,” he yawned. “So what do you want, Lisa Anders, at . . . five twenty in the morning?”
“ I . . . need your help.”
“Couldn’t this wait until coffee’s brewed?”
“No!” she replied emphatically. “And besides, I’ve had mine.”
“Good for you.” He yawned. “Now, what’s on your mind?”
“Actually, it’s a matter of life and death, Agent Bellamy.”
“Of course,” he said sarcastically. “By the way, how’d you get my home number?”
Good question, she thought. “Does the name Neo ring a bell?”
“As in Doss ?”
“Bingo,
Juan jingled the keys. “No shit, man.”
Jay watched the Explorer disappear into the muddy mist and grinned. He called his contact on his cell phone and related the details of Lonny’s transformation. His commander gave him detailed instructions on what he was to do with the liquid inside the bladder. Jay smiled. He liked it. The commander also gave Jay an address where he was to ship the remaining liquid via overnight delivery and hung up.
Jay hated losing Lonny, but his little experiment proved what his mind had only imagined. This new change to Friday’s mission was going to be a gruesome twist. It would certainly grab the government’s attention.
What Jay couldn’t guess was that his discovery would have worldwide implications, too.
Blossom repeatedly scrubbed her face and arms in an attempt to eradicate the sinister sensation pervading her flesh. Damn, what a nightmare! First, she was kidnapped and then attacked by a repulsive creature. It was now apparent why Juan Ponce de Leon never reported his discovery of the fountain of youth and sent that nightmarish bladder to the bottom of the gulf. The liquid was cursed.
When she emerged from the bathroom, her horrible attacker was gone, but its blood dappled the floor and wall. She turned away. There was no way she would spend another minute in that room. The awful malodor of death permeated the small space. Snatching her folded clothes off the end of the bed, she retreated to the unoccupied living room and hastily re-dressed.
Suddenly, it dawned on her that she was alone! Blossom ran to the rear of the bungalow and tried to open the door, then rushed to the rear of the house, but it was boarded shut. Next, she checked the windows in the other bedroom, but they were boarded up as well. She tentatively returned to her bedroom and noticed that the window above the bed wasn’t boarded shut. Throwing back the curtains, she discovered that locked, outdoor shutters prevented her escape. Dammit all to hell!
Thoughts of Clay crept into her mind, and she cried softly. What began as a romantic vacation turned into something just as ugly and horrible as that mutant, Lonny. What next? Despair chipped away at her normally fearless facade. She wondered what kind of terrible operation was going down on Friday. What kind of fanatical group was Jay involved with? Only time would tell, and that’s what frightened her the most. She didn’t want to be an accessory to Friday’s big event.
Lisa Anders cranked up the air conditioning in her car as she returned to the Warnke Construction site. It was an uncivilized five fifteen in the morning, yet the muggy air was already stifling. She punched in a number on her cell phone. Perspiration formed along the hairline beneath her bangs as she waited for the call to connect. She was as nervous as a virgin on prom night.
The phone rang at the other end. The sweat droplets plummeted down her forehead and dripped off her brow. Another ring. Another.
Finally, a hoarse, groggy voice answered.
“Bellamy,” it said.
“ Nick Bellamy?” she asked, although she knew it was.
“The one and the same. Who’s this?”
His question was greeted by silence.
“Look, this better not be a telemarketer, or I’m gonna . . .”
“My name’s Lisa Anders. I’m a professor at Florida State,” she blurted out at last.
“I’m happy for you,” he yawned. “So what do you want, Lisa Anders, at . . . five twenty in the morning?”
“ I . . . need your help.”
“Couldn’t this wait until coffee’s brewed?”
“No!” she replied emphatically. “And besides, I’ve had mine.”
“Good for you.” He yawned. “Now, what’s on your mind?”
“Actually, it’s a matter of life and death, Agent Bellamy.”
“Of course,” he said sarcastically. “By the way, how’d you get my home number?”
Good question, she thought. “Does the name Neo ring a bell?”
“As in Doss ?”
“Bingo,
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