Regenesis (Book 1): Impact (12 page)

He
froze. His heart raced and instinct told him to run, but he remained still and
listened. After a few minutes that felt like hours Nick let out a tense breath
and slowly entered through the hole he’d created in the wall. Nick guessed no
one was in the building, as he assumed someone would have inspected the sudden
noise and he would have been caught. Instead he found his way through the halls
without any resistance. Aside from the little amount of light he was given to
work with, he quickly found his way toward the entrance of the school, and
found what he searched for.

It
was lit better there, as there were more windows and a skylight to allow what
little ambient light Bothell offered on such a cloudy night. To his dismay
there was no sign of where his brother died, no traces of blood, place markers
left behind by police, no stray bullet hole in the tiled floor. Yet he still
felt a pit in his gut that confirmed Nick’s fears.

Nick
trembled, fell to his knees, and stifled his sobs. His brother was dead.

---*---

August 17
^th
,
2029

6:02 PM

East Sussex, England

“I
cannot believe we’re late,” Audrey muttered to herself while she focused on
applying her bronzer. “Alan will be wroth, as always.” She sat in the passenger
side seat of an aging blue four-door sedan while her eyes were fixed on her
reflection in the mirror on the sun visor. Audrey spoke clearly and quickly
without allowing a single error or flaw to her make-up, “He’s never been overly
fond of me though, not that I blame him, with the way I act toward him. But
this is my mother’s birthday, not his, so I never know what entitles him to
carry on the way he does when things do not fall exactly into place, the way
he’d prefer them to.”

Here
we go. Another night of this ceaseless complaint. And I know I won’t hear the
end of this for hours or days afterwards. Alan isn’t any help though, the way
he acts toward her. I know she’s only his step-daughter and they’ve bonded
about as much as I have with Audrey’s bother Jack, but would it kill them to
drop their eternal battle for one night? For her mother’s birthday? For his
wife’s birthday? Hell, this war between them won’t end until one of them is
dead or out of the family.

“Are
you sure it doesn’t play into the fact that he’s your stepfather and that you
aren’t his child?” Jason asked her. “I mean, you’ve fought with him on everything
ever since we met, love. In fact, I only do recall one instance where neither
of you two argued, and that was our wedding day…and that was because Jack
didn’t even allow him to say more than two words to you.”

“Come
off it Jason,” she told him as her perfect brow furrowed. “Don’t defend him.”

“I’m
not Audrey. I’m simply trying to remind you that you’re not doing much more
than adding fuel to the fire.” He saw that his comment did not sit well with
her and quickly drummed up an addendum, “And besides, you know how he is; he’ll
probably spend the whole evening in the kitchen.”

“That’s
only because he’s preparing a meal fit for the–”

“Audrey,
don’t worry about it so much.”

“I’m
making the salads you know. I’m going to have to deal with him.”

“Then
call me in and I’ll keep you safe,” he joked. “Alan doesn’t argue with you if
I’m present.”

“That’s
because he’s been afraid of you ever since you had that black eye from that bar
fight with your buddies a year back.”

I
didn’t realize that’d set him on edge at all. And why would it? It wasn’t as if
we started that fight, we just happened to end it.

“Then
maybe I should rough him up a bit for you if he gives you any trouble.”

Audrey
didn’t give him the satisfactory smile or smirk he wanted, but Jason could tell
it had lightened her mood, if only slightly.

That’s
a good lad Jason. Make things worse before this night even begins.

Jason
drove them out to East Sussex from their home in Twickenham in unrest. The ride
itself wasn’t bothersome in the least; his wife’s agitation toward the attitude
and manner her stepfather had not yet even displayed irked him. Their
expeditions and gatherings put him off altogether, but he knew how much Audrey
loved her mother and siblings, and as such he stomached whatever grief it caused
him.

It’s
only for an hour or two, and there’ll be drinks, yes. That’ll take some of the
edge off, though not nearly enough, as I’m driving home too.

“Will
your brother and sister be there as well?”

“Yes,
and Jack’s family too,” she informed him. “Suzy’s boyfriend couldn’t make it
though, as he had to pull the late shift tonight at his job. No doubt they’ll
be in contact throughout the evening.” She focused on curling her eyelashes for
a minute before she set her things aside in a small striped pouch and apologized
to him, “I know I shouldn’t act this way, but, well, please try to understand
how all of this makes me feel.”

Jason
told her to try and put it out of her mind and enjoy the evening.
You can
vent all you need Audrey, especially if it’ll keep you from fighting it out
with Alan.

--          --          --

“I
only wish that you would have the decency to call if you’re going to waylay the
party Audrey.”

“‘The
decency?’” she echoed, “How dare you–who the hell do you think you are Alan?
And just so you are aware, you could have just as easily started without us!”

I’m
never going to hear the end of this, am I? I simply wish Alan had half a mind
to keep his mouth shut rather than continually provoke her…He should know
better. All this family needs is more contention. You’re not helping anything
Alan.

Jason
sat in the parlor of Audrey’s mother’s home with his mother-in-law on his left
in a reasonably comfortably floral armchair and his brother-in-law on his right
next to him on the matching sofa. Although his mother-in-law was the focus and
reason for the party, she took the liberty of serving each and every one of
them tea, slices of strawberry short cake, wine or whiskey (depending on the
taker), as well as an assortment of chocolates. (What perturbed Jason most was
that supper still hung on the horizon).

They
all do their absolute best to ignore the tempers in the kitchen and go about
without acknowledging it whatsoever…its Abigail’s bloody party and she doesn’t
even give a damn that we were fifteen minutes later than we agreed to arrive.

“Tell
me Jason,” Abigail started up suddenly, “How is your work going?”

“Quite
well miss–er…Abigail.”

“What
is it that you do again?”

“He’s
an accountant mum,” Jack said with a smile. “Honestly, what’s the point in
asking if you’re only going to forget and pester him once more?”

“It’s
fine,” Jason assured her.

“Watch
your tongue young man. I don’t care for it too much.”

“I
didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Don’t
lie to–”

“How
is your birthday getting on Abigail?” Jason intervened.

“Oh
it’s been wonderful,” she told him without any regard toward the previous
statement from her son. “Jack and Samantha took Alan and me out to lunch at a
very quaint little seafood restaurant on the water where Alan and I shared a
lobster, crab, and shrimp platter and Jack…Jack, what did you and Samantha have
again?”

“Tilapia,
and Samantha had mahi-mahi.”

“That’s
right! Anyway, I spent the morning reading the news online…do you ever read the
news Jason?”

“When
I can.”

“You
really should make it a priority,” she lectured him. “One must keep abreast of
the events of the world unless they want to be left behind.”

“Of
course.”

“What
was it that you read mum?” Jack asked, in order to spare the two of them a
tangent.

“Well
there was an interesting article about a little boy in Taipei who saved his
mother and father from carbon monoxide poisoning in their home. Apparently the
boy was well asleep in his bedroom around midnight and he woke up, ran into his
parents’ room, and carried each of them outside before he called for medical
help.”

“Yes
that’s very interesting,” Jack mused kindly.

“You
don’t understand Jack, the boy is only five years old,” Abigail told the two of
them. “How could a young boy like that even know what carbon monoxide is? Let
alone know that he and his family were minutes away from dying because of it?”
Jack opened his mouth to offer an explanation but Abigail cut him off and
continued, “And how could you explain how he carried his mother and father
outside on his own?”

“Maybe
they lied for the spotlight?” he suggested.

“There
were nearly half a dozen witnesses who saw the boy carry his parents outside of
their home by himself.”

“Then
I don’t know what to say mum. The whole world’s gone mad.”

Jason
drowned out their argument and glanced about the room while he sipped an
unfamiliar wine. Jack’s wife Samantha occupied another room elsewhere while she
breastfed their son and tried to settle him down for the night amidst the
arguing in the kitchen.
Alan and Audrey are only getting louder…And I’d
wager they don’t even remember why they’re fighting either.
Jack’s eldest
boy Ronnie sat slouched back on the other side of Jack on the couch with heavy
eyelids which threatened to steal him away for the remnant of their evening.
Poor
kid. I can’t imagine ever torturing a kid with all of this monotony. If it
weren’t so late and I wasn’t trapped here I’d volunteer to take him out for a
show or a treat or something. Anything really, just to get us both out of here
for a few hours.
The youngest of the Castell children, Suzy, stood outside
on her mother’s porch with a lit cigarette between her fingers. She kept a
small cell phone pressed against her right ear.
The boyfriend, I’d guess.
Audrey tells me they’re getting more serious, though she hardly tells a thing
to her mother or Alan…or to Jack for that matter. Even Audrey seems to have
some difficulty relating to her, though I don’t blame her…Suzy’s a rather
guarded individual.

“Oh
let’s just drop it mother,” Jack finally said. “We must be boring Jason out of
his skull…why don’t you go ahead and tell him about your afternoon?”

“My
word Alan, leave it alone!” Audrey barked from the kitchen. “I told you it was
never our intent to delay you and your grand party–”

“I
never said–”

“Do
not interrupt me! I swear I could throttle you!”

Damn
it I’d really hoped they could act sociable for one night, but this is enough.

Jason
excused himself from Jack and Abigail’s company and headed straightway for the
kitchen. “Is everything alright here?” he asked with an obvious understanding
of their situation. Both Alan and Audrey pursed their lips and backed away from
one another; neither managed to formulate a reply, so Jason persisted, “Alan,
how long until supper?”

He
cleared his throat and told him it wouldn’t be more than fifteen minutes.

“Good.
Now, how about you go and visit with your wife for a bit and leave Audrey here
with me?”

Jason
waited until Alan agreed and left the room before he walked over to his wife
and wrapped his arms around her waist.
Irritating fellow. Folds easily
enough though.
“I’m sorry about all of this Audrey.”

She
placed her slender arms around his neck and apologized as well. “He riles me up
and I can’t bear to let him win.”

“I’m
sorry, but don’t let him ensnare you so easily okay? You’ve spent the whole
visit here locked in a duel with him.” Jason smirked and told her not to waste
her time on him.

“You
don’t understand Jason. He doesn’t critique every single little thing you do.”

“Like
what for example?”

“I
made the salads for the evening and he not only criticized my chopping
technique but the salads themselves.”

Jason
glanced around the filled kitchen amongst the platters and bowls filled with
meats and soups and vegetables and bread until he found the salads. He only
briefly inspected them before he asked what was wrong with them.

“Alan
wanted Caesar salads, not house salads for starters. But he snidely added that
I added too many onions and too few carrots, and I should have minced the onion
and shredded the carrots.”

“What’d
you tell him when he said all of this?”

“I
told him to go to hell.”

Jason
chuckled and admitted that he would have done the same. “But it’s a salad
Audrey, who cares if it isn’t to Alan’s standard?”

She
shook her head and simply told him that it bothered her. “He just irritates me
Jason.”

He
frowned and told her he knew how she felt. “I went through this when my father
remarried,” Jason explained. “Why do you think I hardly said two words to her
over the years?”
Not that we’ve ever kept in contact with her. Dad’s been
gone for seven years now and I don’t keep in touch with Olivia at all, not that
she would want to anyway. A card at Christmas to her and one from her, but not
even every year.