The Victorious Redemption Complete Series Boxed Set, page 75
Kendrick grinned. “It gives a better effect, don’t you think?”
Delilah turned to Jasmine. “Your turn, princess.”
Jasmine looked up at the moon. Every nerve and sense was alive. She closed her eyes and initiated the process, and her muscles and bones shifted and morphed as she took the stance of the powerful undead beast she was. Delilah and Kendrick studied her with admiration in their eyes. Jasmine stood a few inches taller than them both, and her scythe-like claws were over double the length of their own.
“Beautiful,” Kendrick muttered.
Delilah flashed a warning glare. “Easy, now. The honeymoon’s not over yet.”
Kendrick laughed, sounding like a spluttering lawnmower.
Jasmine glanced around at the forest. “And you’re sure this is safe?”
Delilah laughed. “Don’t worry. The reserve is all ours for tonight.” She winked at Jasmine. “I got clearance from the manager.”
And then Delilah was gone.
She moved so fast that if it weren’t for Jasmine’s heightened senses, she would have lost her immediately. Kendrick took off next, and Jasmine gave chase.
They sprinted through the brush, flexing their true power as they wound between the trees and boughs. Wind bristled their fur as they twisted and darted, attempting to outrun each other. The forest blurred past them, and they reached parts of the park Jasmine had never seen before.
Animals and birds shifted out of their way as they approached. The trio sprang from trunks, climbed up branches, and leaped through the air. The three hell-hides had an infinite playground for the night. Shortly into their run, the alcohol wore off and a genuine smile pricked Jasmine’s cheeks. The feeling of freedom was elating, and the weight of loneliness melted off her as they skirted the park and ran free.
They passed the forest area with the broken and marked trees. Jasmine was able to hear the Mmotia somewhere in the distance, jerked alert at their disturbance. She dove over logs and grabbed at Delilah and Kendrick as they laughed and played and allowed the burdens of the past to lay to rest—for one night, at least.
After an hour of games and running, Delilah pulled to a stop. They had crested a brow of a hill that overlooked the distant city. The lights twinkled like stars on the horizon. They stood beside each other, three creatures of the night.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Kendrick observed.
“Yeah,” Jasmine replied. “It really is.”
“Remember this, Corpse Bride,” Delilah told Jasmine. “This sense of freedom. This ability to run and frolic and stretch. It’s all down to you. Without your help, Kendrick and I would be limited, terrified of the true freedom of hell-hide.”
Jasmine’s cheeks flushed. She supposed Delilah was right.
They all turned their heads to Mother Moon. As one, the three hell-hide beasts howled at the sky, a cry that could be heard from across the city and which would be reported in tomorrow’s paper.
Not that they cared about that at that moment. Only a second later, they took off once again, claiming the forest as their playground and filling the night with wolfish joy.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Are you ready for this?” Jasmine asked Rhonda as they pulled up to the Rorick Barttle Youth Center, a large, one-story facility surrounded by chain link fencing, barbed wire, and security cameras.
The building was divided into a number of sections, each one with metal bars on the windows. Security guards roamed the outside, armed with mace and truncheons. Jasmine shook her head, imagining what it might be like inside but secretly thankful they’d managed to make the switch for the poor kid.
“Of course,” Rhonda replied. “I can’t wait to see him.”
“How about you?” Jasmine asked Eddy. He sat in the back of the SUV with his hand held over his wound site. He looked tired and a little pale, but Jasmine was glad he was finally out of the hospital.
“Ready when you are,” Eddy agreed encouragingly, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
They exited the vehicle and approached the main entrance. After a number of security checks and pat-downs, they made it inside the facility.
A general murmur of chatter filled the air. The place was brightly painted in whites and creams and kept in immaculate cleanliness. Ivan would be proud of the efforts they went through to keep the place spotless. Guided by a guard, they went to a central open area where a number of other visitors were waiting for their friends and relatives.
“Basketball hoop, table tennis…” Eddy looked around admiringly. “All it’s missing is the hopscotch.”
“It’s horrible,” Rhonda declared, her face pale.
“It’s a damn sight better than it could have been,” Jasmine warned her. “It might be hard seeing your brother in a place like this, but I promise you, what he was going to go through was a far sight worse. At least in this place, he’s not surrounded by juvenile murderers and psychopaths. This place is for straightening out those who have done wrong on a small scale and for whom there is still a chance that they’ll do okay in society. Trust me. This is the best of a bad situation.”
Rhonda nodded, though she seemed unconvinced.
They waited a few more minutes as more visitors filed through. When the clock hit the hour, a whistle blew, and the murmur of chatter grew louder. One by one, boys and girls in orange jumpsuits filed into the sun. They shielded their faces with their hands and searched for their visitors.
Rhonda craned her neck, impatiently hunting for Tommy. When the boy appeared through the crowd, Jasmine couldn’t hold her back. She sprinted at her brother and threw her arms around him excitedly.
Two guards stepped in to pull them apart and issue a quick warning.
Rhonda and Tommy strode toward Jasmine and Eddy. Tommy looked much better than he had the night of the shooting, though that wasn’t saying much. He looked pale, with heavy bags beneath his eyes. His hair was ruffled, and when he smiled, it was with the heaviness that only maturity and experience could bear.
“Are you two the ones who helped me get out of that other place?” Tommy asked, looking between Jasmine and Eddy.
Jasmine nodded. “We are.”
Tommy studied her through narrowed eyes. He turned to Eddy. “And you’re the one I shot?”
Eddy nodded, motioning to his stomach where the bandaging was still located.
Tommy’s lip quivered, and he held back tears as he leaned toward Rhonda. “I’m so sorry… I thought it was all a misunderstanding. Some kind of nightmare. But seeing it… Seeing you… I’m so, so sorry. I never would have—”
Jasmine raised a placating hand. “We know. It’s not your fault. It was never your fault.”
They led Tommy to a nearby picnic bench, where they sat under the scrutiny of an alert guard.
“Thank you,” Tommy said to them both. “I can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve done for me, despite… Well…” He pawed away tears. “Despite what I did to you.”
Jasmine glanced at Tommy’s stomach, wondering if the wounds she had inflicted were still there, or if he even remembered her from that night.
“We found her,” Jasmine stated. “We found the woman who did all of this to you.”
“So it’s true?” Tommy asked, turning to Rhonda. “What you’ve said is true?”
“I told you,” Rhonda replied. “Why would I lie?”
“So you’re…” he asked, pointing at Jasmine. “You’re really a…”
Jasmine extended a single bone claw from her finger, allowing it to creep flat across the table. She hoped the security guard couldn’t see it.
“Holy hell,” Tommy exclaimed.
Jasmine quickly retracted the claw.
“Bugs…” Tommy mused. “The lady that did this was really using bugs?”
Jasmine nodded.
“What kind?” Tommy asked. “What creatures could do something like this?”
“We don’t know,” Jasmine answered. “That’s something we’ve got to find out, still. The important thing is that you are safe, Eddy is okay, and that, thanks to some good friends of ours, your time in this place should be short.” She leaned closer to Tommy. “Provided that you’re well behaved.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” Tommy promised. “That’s easy in here. I just attend the workshops, do as I’m told, and stay out of trouble.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Jasmine returned with a grin.
Rhonda excused herself and her brother, leaving Jasmine and Eddy at the table. The pair ran over to the basketball hoops, taking an offered ball from a worker before taking it in turns to shoot hoops. They chatted to each other and played, occasionally laughing as the ball bounced in all directions.
Warmth filled Jasmine’s heart. “That’s how it should be. A boy like Tommy shouldn’t be involved in street crime, and a girl like Rhonda shouldn’t be sneaking out of her aunt’s to make a point. It should be this easy, the kids playing and having a good time.” She thought back to her time running the park with Delilah and Kendrick and how rejuvenating and fulfilling that had been for her. “It should be this simple.”
Eddy shrugged and agreed. “Except that it’s not, huh?”
“Except that it’s not,” Jasmine confirmed.
“I could help make it simple,” Eddy suggested.
Jasmine sat back, confused. “What do you mean?”
Eddy considered this. He had a new maturity in his stare. “I could set them up. Think about it. I’ve got links and connections with all this property that I can use. I can get them established in an independent living situation near my home, a place that they can call theirs and wander to and fro freely. I’ve got protection and guards and spies monitoring the place, so they’ll both be safe there under my watch.”
“Your watch?” Jasmine repeated with a smile on her face. “You?”
Eddy continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted, as if he had rehearsed and thought about all of this ahead of time and now spewed it out to Jasmine. “I can get them set up in my line of business—y’know, developing the community. I think that’ll be better for them both, rather than destroying it or adding to its scum. I can take responsibility for them, show them a better way, and give them the opportunities their aunt never would have given them. Well, once Tommy is out, that is. And I’d want to start them both together. It would make sense, wouldn’t it?”
Jasmine didn’t know what to reply. Where had this Eddy come from? The man she knew before, barely out of teenage years himself, was self-focused and cared only for his own protection. Had the bullet knocked something inside Eddy and engaged his paternal muscles?
Jasmine studied the kids. Their joy was contagious. “Are you sure you’re ready for something like that? It takes a lot to look after kids, much less two scrappers like these. And, besides, you’re barely more than a kid yourself. Are you aware of the kind of burden this would be on your life?”
“I am,” Eddy insisted, watching the kids intently.
“Let’s also not forget that the Queen is still at large,” Jasmine continued. “If you’re going to protect these kids, it has to be from her, too. She’s still after you, Eddy. You’ll not only have to watch your back, but these two as well.”
“There’s never a good enough excuse in life to stop living, Jasmine,” Eddy pointed out. “No matter what’s out there, when one dream is done, you start chasing the next. I set out a year ago to help build up the community, and now I want to build the people inside it. These two…they’re so pure of heart. They deserve that chance, and I can give it to them.”
“If you say so,” Jasmine responded, sounding skeptical but secretly knowing Eddy would do great things with Tommy and Rhonda.
“Besides,” Eddy added. “Sitting in that hospital bed day after day… Life’s too short, y’know?”
Jasmine leveled her stare at him.
“Well…” Eddy chuckled. “For us mere mortals, anyway.”
Jasmine tried to picture it, Eddy playing father figure to the two youths. Although it seemed an absurd idea, there was something raw and honest to it. She had no doubt Eddy would be a good influence on Tommy and Rhonda, and they desperately needed that in their lives. Since Rhonda’s letter was sent, Sandra had left Jasmine alone, even though Rhonda still hadn’t been home.
Perhaps it wasn’t her home anymore. Perhaps Rhonda was ready to move on to better things. What would be better than Eddy taking the pair under his wing and showing them the ropes of what it took to be a good and moral human—even if his methods were sometimes a little questionable.
The sun shone down on them as they watched Tommy and Rhonda. If all of this meant Eddy was going to have a new purpose in life, maybe that meant Jasmine should too. Things had grown particularly quiet until the Queen had invaded the Nest, so maybe it was time to grab the bull by both horns and accept the task at hand.
One way or another, Jasmine was going to hunt down the Queen and bring her to justice. No matter what it took, no matter how long. Jasmine would find her, and she would squish her like the insignificant bug that she was.
MICHAEL’S AUTHOR NOTES
SEPTEMBER 8, 2022
Thank you for reading this book and these author notes as well!
Apple has moved forward… I’m sitting still. I think I’m growing old.
I JUST got off the latest Apple update for their iPhone, Watch, and AirPods reveal for 2022, and I’ve learned something about myself.
I’m seriously growing old.
I was online chatting with my youngest son, Joey, during the Apple event (he is the only huge Apple fan in the family – apparently, I raised two other sons and broke them, somehow.) It was a bit of a letdown for me.
Or, I could say that their other products are still pretty damned good, and I don’t need to upgrade?
Well, except for the AirPods Pro. As soon as I get back to the United States and get a few extra minutes, I’ll swing by the Apple Store to grab THAT upgrade. Hearing is important as I get older…
I can hear myself right now, as a matter of fact. I’ll look around, cup my hand around my ear and yell, “Whatjasay?”
After the event, I typed this to Joey in our Slack channel:
I’m going to become ‘that’ dad who says, ‘who needs a screen for a phone? Bah... I just need buttons and a dial tone! Back in my day, we could fold our phones in our pocket.’
Seriously, I see myself sitting out on the front lawn, white socks pulled up to the top of my calf, yelling at the dog to get off my lawn. If I had a lawn, that is. We live in a desert. Not much lawn in a desert to worry about.
I realized towards the end of the Apple presentation (they streamed it) that I wasn’t going to get what I REALLY wanted… a ‘One More Thing’ where Tim roles out their VR Glasses and hardware product.
If he had done that, I would have run to Cupertino (which would have been a hell of a run… so consider that a bit over the top) and jumped up and down at the front of the stage yelling, ‘TAKE MY MONEY!’
After the purchase, I would THEN tell my wife about the purchase. The ‘better to ask forgiveness’ rule would have firmly been put to use. Hell, she’s been with me long enough to know that when it comes time for Apple Reveals (she sees them on the news and knows I’m going to watch it) that a purchase might be in my future.
And that is the rub. I now find myself not rushing out (or anxiously waiting) to make the money to buy the next Apple thing. The last Apple thing I bought is just still too good.
I should probably switch back to Microsoft… Nah.
(For the Record, I didn’t become an Apple fan until Apple switched over to Intel chips, and I could run Microsoft software on the laptop. I was a developer (using Microsoft software) at the time.)
So, barring something magical, I think I’ll sit out this version of the iPhone and wait to see what they come up with next year.
Joey grabbed the Apple Watch Ultra… He’ claims’ it will help his credit score by making timely payments. He jumped from the Watch 2 all the way to this one. I couldn’t last that long. I wanted the heart monitoring after my issues two years ago, so my watch isn’t that old.
As I look at my wrist and notice I’m not wearing the watch. Way to go… no watch, no benefits.
Ok, that’s my Apple update for this year. I hope I didn’t bore you too much, and thank you for taking a moment out of our Zombie-Werewolf story to listen to me chat about Apple.
I look forward to chatting with you in the next book!
Ad Aeternitatem,
Michael Anderle
MORE STORIES with Michael newsletter HERE:
https://michael.beehiiv.com/
AN UNHOLY REUNION
THE VICTORIOUS REDEMPTION BOOK FIVE
CHAPTER ONE
Jasmine placed her pen on the bar and turned to a fresh page in her notepad. The crisp blank white page reminded her that she still had nothing substantial to hold on to.
She picked up the pen and tapped it to her temple, hoping some inspiration or electricity would jump from its tip and help her. She remembered being this stuck in an investigation once, a little over a year ago when Deshawne Pierce had changed her life forever. Although he was confined to the watery depths of a deep lake, she couldn’t help feeling that this was somehow a type of revenge orchestrated by him.
She sat back on the stool and stretched. It had been a few hours since kicking-out time, and the only people in the bar were Jasmine and Ivan. Already the place was pristine. The air stank of bleach and cleaning products. Each table was polished to look brand new. Jasmine had always wondered if the charm behind smaller bars and taverns was because of the dusty carpets and the lingering smell of long-spilled alcohol festering in threadbare booths, but now she understood the magic was in the clientele.
