Marie (Teumessian Trilogy Book 1) (10 page)

“Are you sure he is here?” Frederick asked Bruce as they approached the rundown apartment complex.              

“If he isn’t at the facility then he is here.” Bruce replied, as they approached the door of the apartment.

”Shall we knock.” Frederick said with a chuckle as he knocked on the door.

“Go the fuck away!” Justin yelled from the inside of the apartment.

“See, he’s here.” Bruce said as he kicked in the door. There was Justin slumped in the leather chair. He didn’t even look up.

“So am I late getting back?” Justin said with a laugh. He was slurring his words, his filthy blonde hair was askew and his face was unshaven and a mess. Needle marks riddled his left arm.

“You’re pathetic,” Bruce said as he walked over and pulled Justin from the chair and threw him on the floor.

Justin just laid on the floor, eyes barely opened, ‘What do you want from me?” He moaned.

“Time for you to be useful again.” Frederick said with a smile.

“Well I am always at your service,” Justin said rolling over to his knees hanging his head and placing his hands out in front of him with his palms up.

“I want to know how you were communicating with them.” Frederick said to him, lifting Justin’s head and looking him in the eye.

“Why they’re dead,” Justin replied

“Because Michael’s dead, but she isn’t and she has cost us a lot and it’s time to bring her in before she does us in.” Bruce replied.

“So I get to help you hunt her down. Lucky me” Justin said sarcastically.

“Look, you dumb shit, she is the reason all of this has happened and now she is killing your friends so you are going to help us or you can watch all of your friends die one by one at her hand until she eventually decides to kill you too.” Bruce yelled at him.

“How did you communicate with them?” Frederick asked again impatiently.   

Justin laughed, “How do you think? It’s called social media dummy, you all never checked that, I guess that level of ‘technology’ was beyond all of you.”

“What?!” Bruce yelled.

“Um yah you all gave us freaking computers and never bothered to see what we were doing on them. I mean yah we were watching porn but come on it’s a great way to stay in touch. You all were soo concerned about the doctor giving me messages you didn’t even care how I was getting the messages to Michael, just where he was,” Justin said as he fell over and passed out.

Bruce just rubbed his head, “Well, what do we do with him now?”

“Drag his ass back,” Frederick replied.

Bruce walked over to Justin’s unconscious body and kicked him. “Get up. We are going back.”

“Yay,” Justin moaned.

Bruce and Frederick took Justin back to the facility and straight to Ivan’s office.

“You look like shit.” Henry laughed pointing to Justin.

“You look great too,” Justin replied.

“Sit” Ivan ordered.

Bruce shoved Justin into one of the leather chairs.

Frederick threw a tablet to Justin, “Get on and contact her and tell her to meet you.”

Justin was rubbing his eyes, “It doesn’t work like that.”

Frederick got red in the face, “How does it work then?”

“It’s a code and there is no telling if she is even checking it anymore. It was Michael who was checking.”

“Just fucking do it, you’re wasting time.” Henry ordered.

“Fine, it’s simple, I put up a picture of the beach or something and put the number of days and minutes till my ‘vacation’. They are coordinates days to latitude and minutes to longitude to where a message has been left for them.”

“How did you get the messages to the locations?” Ivan asked.

“Guards are bribable”

“I don’t care, now send her to your apartment.” Frederick replied.

“Why?” Justin replied going in and out of consciousness.

Bruce slapped Justin in the face. “Wake up, you know why. Now do it!” Bruce yelled.

“Fine whatever” Justin replied, as he logged into his account and posted a picture of New York City and the coordinates of his apartment and hit post. ”Ok now what?”

“Now we take you back to your filthy hole and we wait.” Frederick said, pulling Justin from his chair to his feet.

Chapter 15

Marie had been on the move since the incident at the motel; she had no direction but she knew. She had to get as far away as possible, she figured she would travel south and maybe go to Mexico. She had money so she could travel and with cash it was very easy to move by the bus systems. She had been struggling to believe what had happened in the past several days, but she was driven to survive. Michael wouldn’t have wanted her to give up or give in to them. Eventually, she found herself in Phoenix, Arizona and there she decided she needed to acquire a disposable cell phone with internet access. She couldn’t believe that Justin had given them up and if he had he had to have been tortured or something. He would never willingly hurt either of them. She had to see if he had left them any messages, maybe he needed her help. Marie located a local drug store and was able to purchase one without any fuss and quickly made her way to the bus station. She immediately opened it and plugged it in to the wall in the bus station bathroom. She opened up the internet and logged into her account. She let out a sigh, there it was a destination for Justin’s newest ‘vacation’ and coordinates. He did need her or at the least he needed to get some information to her. She couldn’t let herself believe anything else. Justin was the last piece of her past, she was clinging to hope that he was still on her side. She decoded the location and realized it was a spot in Los Angeles. She made her way from the bathroom to the ticket counter and purchased a one way ticket to Los Angeles.             

“So we are just going to sit here until she maybe shows up?” Justin asked as they entered his apartment.              

“No, you are going to sit here and wait for her and when she shows up you are going to stall her until I arrive,” Frederick replied, shoving Justin into his leather chair. “See, eyes on you,” Frederick said as he installed a small camera above the door frame of the apartment.

“Ok, big brother, whatever you say.” Justin replied with a laugh.

“How are you still high?” Frederick asked.

“Sometimes the pain is worse than any high so you just get high on it.” Justin replied, barely able to hold his head up.

“That makes no sense. Just stay put” Frederick replied as he walked out the door.

Justin sank down into the chair, glanced around the room looking for his stash. He figured if he was going to die at least it would be better to be too high to care. He found it under his mattress, and laid down on the mattress as he drew up a nice strong dose of heroin. He tapped the needle then stuck it in his arm and half pushed the plunger down. Justin felt the room spin. He knew that feeling and everything went black.  

Marie took the long bus trip from Phoenix to Los Angeles. She was alone with her thoughts again and that never brought her peace. She just kept thinking of the life she had lost, her life with her son and with Michael. She could never see happiness happening for her again, just her own survival and for that she could only think, why? Why was she fighting so hard for survival what did she have to live for? The tears had returned, tears of pain a pain that she couldn’t ignore. She felt like a little girl again, the loss and the anguish of her entire life. She felt weak and could only hold herself as no one was there to hold her anymore, no one to help make the pain go away. She wanted to give up to just get off the bus and give herself up to them or end her own life. But it caught her eye again, that little ring, still barely clinging to her finger. The stone was gone but the band remained. She just couldn’t bring herself to remove it. If she gave up everything she and Michael had fought for, their freedom, their son’s freedom, would have been for nothing. She had to avenge them she had to stop them for hurting anyone else ever again. She wiped the tears from her face as the bus pulled into the Los Angeles station. She composed herself and placed her backpack back on her back and climbed down from the bus. The station was busy and she knew she could easily move around without being noticed. Big cities she was finding were easier to hide herself, the more people in the crowd the less likely she would stand out, especially since she was still wearing that black leather outfit covered with the now clean grey hoodie. She hadn’t bothered to find new clothing, the leather was growing on her and she found it easy to move around in. She felt confident in it and that confidence gave her strength. She made her way through the busy bus terminal and started to make her way towards the coordinates Justin had left her; it wasn’t too far from the bus terminal so she figured she would just make the walk. As she slowly started to make her way through the crowded streets of Los Angeles, however as she walked she felt her pace quicken. Large groups made her uncomfortable. She liked them for them being able to hide her but the large groups of people were nothing she was familiar with in her life growing up in the facility. As she found her way through the city the streets got dirtier and the neighborhood’s rougher as she moved to the coordinates Justin had sent her.

Twenty minutes later, she finally arrived at the apartment complex. She slowly made her way to apartment 10B were the coordinates landed. She stood in front of the door and took a deep breath. She hadn’t seen Justin in well over a year and she never knew what had become of him. She knew what Austin had told her and what she had seen on Austin’s face and in his voice but she had no way to know if Justin had gone the same way.

Marie reached out and turned the door knob and the door slowly opened. She felt her heart drop. There he was unconscious on a filthy mattress. She rushed to him,

“Please wake up” she begged.

Justin slowly opened his eyes, “I’m sorry I’m soo sorry.” He replied barely able to hold his head up.

“What have they done to you?” she felt herself beginning to tear up. She tried to lift his head. She barely recognized him, he was a shadow of the man she remembered. He mumbled something but she couldn’t understand him, “You poor thing” she cried as she brushed his messy hair from his face.

“I’m sorry” he let out again.

“For what?” Marie replied

“For this” He reached up and stabbed her in the neck with a needle. Marie felt a surge of pain in her neck. She turned her head to see Frederick walking into the room. Her head started to spin and she felt herself losing her vision and the world go black as she hit the floor.

Chapter 16

Marie awoke on a damp, cold concrete floor, as she pushed herself up she noticed her wrists were shackled with long chains to the floor. She pulled at her right wrist but the chain wouldn’t give.

“You won’t get very far that way,” a voice came over a speaker located on the far right corner of the room.

Marie knew that voice but not where she was. The room wasn’t familiar. It seemed like she was in a basement, a concrete basement, almost a bomb shelter. The smell was wrong for the shelters at the facility; this was not where she was. She looked around and saw just one single door directly in front of her across the room. She looked up to her right and saw a security camera on the wall.

“What do you want from me!?” she yelled at the camera.

“Shh now be a good girl.” The voice came over speaker again.

Marie gnarred her teeth “Fuck you Frederick!” she yelled at the camera “I know that’s you, I know you’re up there you sick shit!” tears of rage were running down her face.

“Oh did you miss me?” Frederick said with a laugh over the speaker.

“I hate you!” she yelled.

“Now you’re hurting my feelings” Frederick replied with sarcasm in his voice. “Don’t you worry I will be down to catch up soon.” Frederick said with a laugh. Suddenly water came from the ceiling and dumped on her head, “Until then you just cool off” Frederick laughed. The water was ice cold. Marie was shaking, she felt her heart racing, she could feel the blood flowing through her veins and it was giving her focus. The tears had left. For her, all that was left was rage.

She took deep breaths pushing herself to control her emotions and channel her rage. “Breath in breath out” she quietly repeated to herself. She just sat there in that puddle of water staring at the floor for what felt like forever just breathing deeply, focusing her mind, regaining her strength. She heard the door slowly open, she looked up to see Frederick standing before her. He looked different. His usual military outfit, the standard of the company, was gone. He was just standing before her in a black suit and bright red tie.

“Do you like my look?” Frederick said with a smile. Marie just stared at him, her eyes locked on his. “I’m sure you have figured out you are not back ‘home’,” Frederick said.

“If that’s what you call a home” Marie replied, not even blinking; her eyes still locked on him.

              “Well welcome to your NEW home” Frederick said waving his arms around, showing off the concrete walls.

“You can’t keep me here” she snarled at him.

“Oh I can and I will. You see, I’m done taking orders from everyone else. You are my prize and I will unlock your secret and exploit it for myself. See, I already have a buyer. I like to dress up for her.” Frederick said with a smile

“What are you talking about, my secret? I have nothing you want!”

“Oh yes you do.” Frederick said pulling a gun from his chest pocket. He aimed and fired striking her in the arm. The blow knocked her back to the end of the chains. She was against the wall now holding her arm to stop the bleeding. “Now, why are you doing that? You know that it will stop.” Frederick put the gun back in his chest pocket. Marie slowly removed her hand from her arm and looked at her wound. It was barely a scratch, hardly any blood had flowed from her arm. She glanced over the scars on her body and she looked back up at Frederick. “See, my dear, somehow you can heal a bit faster than most people and I intend to find out why.”

“So you’re going to keep me here and what experiment on me?” Marie stood up.

“I will drain every drop of your blood if I have to,” Frederick replied with a smile.

Marie charged at him but quickly came to the end of the chains, she pulled at the chains again but they didn’t budge.

Frederick laughed and slowly walked up to Marie. “You can struggle and wiggle and cry all you want, but you’re mine now.” Frederick slowly started to turn and walk away.

“Frederick!” Marie yelled. “So I can struggle and wiggle and cry and I will still be yours?” she said with a smile on her face. Marie was twisting her wrists around and knotting the chains but Frederick was too distracted by her attention.

“Oh, yes, my dear and what a pretty prize you are.” He smirked walking over and touching her face.

“I will never be yours,” she replied breaking the ends of the chains connected to the shackles on her wrists. She swung the shackle on her right arm, striking Frederick in the face. Frederick fell backwards grabbing his bleeding left cheek. He reached for his gun but Marie was quicker. She grabbed it from him and struck him again in the face. Frederick stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. His back against the wall.

Marie walked towards him, gun pointed directly at his face. “You can’t hold me, you can’t contain me.” Marie said with a smile on her face, she was calm clear and directed. Frederick started to move to get up.

“I don’t think so” Marie said, firing the gun into his right upper thigh. Frederick slumped back down to the floor, grabbing at his leg and crying out in pain. “Oh I’m soo sorry, did that hurt?” Marie replied with a smile and fired the gun into his left knee. Frederick cried out in pain. Marie stepped forward and stood over Frederick’s bleeding legs and pointed the barrel of the pistol directly at the center of Frederick’s forehead. “Sucks to not be able to heal faster don’t it?” Marie was still smiling. For the first time in her life she felt like she was in real control and it felt good. Frederick was shaking from pain and was trying to raise his hand to strike her but Marie caught it with her right foot and smashed it into the ground. Frederick cried out again in pain. Marie squatted over Frederick’s legs with his right hand still under her boot and readjusted the gun to her left hand and placed it back against his forehead. “This would be too kind of any end for you.” She said taking her right hand and reaching touching his chest, she moved her hand towards his waist and around to the side of right side of his belt. She grasped the knife out of its holster and pulled it up to examine it. It was an elegant six inch blade. “I like your knife. I think I’ll keep it” she smiled and held it to his throat “But I think I will use it first to test it.” She said as she slit his throat.

She felt pride in what she had done as she watched the blood run from his throat as he gasp for air, she was in control, true control, no tears, no pain, no questioning herself. She leaned in and looked directly into his eyes as life slowly left him. She felt no remorse or sympathy for him. She placed her lips to his and sucked the blood up from his throat and into her mouth, then spit it back into his face. She wiped the knife on his shirt and ripped the black holster from his belt and attached it her pants. She reached her hand to her mouth and started to wipe the blood from her lips. Then she remembered the camera and smiled. She stood up grabbed the chair from the corner of the room and repositioned it under the camera, climbed up onto the chair and looked directly into the camera and planted a wet bloody kiss on the lens.

She hopped off the chair and walked out of the room through the open door.