Lotus
Nephrys Darkwater
Copyright © 2018 Nephrys Darkwater
Cover Design by Natalia Mediavilla Rodriguez
First Edition: Jinxed Lotus Productions
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance is coincidental.
All Rights Reserved. This publication is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. No part of this publication may be resold, reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher or author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews or certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Table of Contents
The Beginning of the End
Before the End
The Value of a Life
The End Comes
A New Beginning
Finding Some Answers
Memories Return
Lost & Found
More Questions
Revelations
Going Home
Heart to Heart
Home is Where the Heart is
Family
Death comes to us all
A Secret Revealed
In dedication to all the naysayers who said I couldn’t write and publish a book.
A special dedication to Katelyn Silva, the Author Mentor who helped make this book possible. Thanks for everything. Your encouragement and support are very much appreciated.
A special shout out to my beta readers and friends who helped make this book a reality.
The Beginning of the End
This is it. This is how I die.
As Es fell out of the office window, the wind stung her eyes and pulled strands of hair from her ponytail. She floated among desks, broken glass, and other people finding themselves on the verge of death.
Those people that say your life flashes before your eyes when you are about to die? It was more like seeing everything in slow motion, as if her being thrown out a window suddenly plunged her into a movie.
Falling out of a building from over twenty stories up wasn’t how she thought her life would end. Especially when things seemed to finally start going right for once. When Mr. Tom Thornton had called two days ago to schedule an interview, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Although now it seemed like the worst timing.
Before the End
“Get what, honey?” Alicia asked her toddler. He pointed to a brightly colored cereal box with a rabbit on it. She grabbed it for him and tossed it in the cart. Her mind was still working through her life’s recent bad turn and wondering if she should confront her husband and the other woman or just leave him.
As she turned around the corner, she ran her cart into another. She apologized, looking up to see the pastor’s wife. Great. Just who I need to see this morning, she thought. “Hello, Mrs. Williams. How are you today?”
“Oh, Alicia! I’m so sorry! How are you, dear?” she replied.
“We’re fine. Just a day of errands with Jacob,” Alicia said, praying that this encounter would be short. She really didn’t want the little gossip queen to know about her personal problems, if she didn’t already.
“Oh, Jacob! Are you helping mommy today?”
“I am!” he said with a big grin. The three year old had been quite the handful this morning, having thrown a tantrum over his breakfast and then spent over twenty minutes taking off his socks and forcing Alicia to chase him throughout the house. Jacob just had to have his way, so each time a sock went on one foot, before his mother could get a shoe on, he was up and running again.
“Alicia, what’s that on your arm?” Mrs. Williams asked.
“Hm? Oh. That. Jacob bit me trying to keep me from getting his socks and shoes on this morning. Took nearly thirty minutes just to get him out the door.”
“Oh? Well, he is a child. When my kids were that age, . . .”
Alicia tuned out for a bit, nodding occasionally. When the pastor’s wife began talking about her kids, she went on for ages. She always had advice to give on the matter, wanted or not. The way she gave her advice was more like her saying, “I don’t know why you can’t control your child. I had no problem with mine whatsoever. They’ve always been perfect little angels.”
No child was an angel, and far from perfect. They may look innocent, but they were little devils. Alicia knew that from her teenage years spent babysitting.
“Well, thanks for the advice, Mrs. Williams, but we really have to go. Things to do, you know. Have to have dinner ready for Todd and all that,” she said with a fake smile.
“Of course, dear. Hurry on home. And Jacob, you be a good boy for mommy, okay?”
“I will!” he said with another big grin.
As the pastor’s wife turned down an aisle, Alicia moved quickly with the rest of her list. Now all that’s left is to grab some hamburger and milk. Alicia turned from the bread aisle, and she saw a man in a black hoodie standing in front of the meat cooler. She thought she heard him talking to himself. Probably grumbling about the rising meat prices.
“Do you need some help, dear? If you don’t have enough money to eat, I can buy some meat for you.”
Mrs. Williams again. Alicia rolled her eyes as she watched the woman walk up to the man and place her hand on his arm. Then there was a loud pop and the pastor’s wife collapsed to the floor, bleeding quite heavily from her chest and struggling to breathe.
Jacob began to cry as screams erupted around them. Thankfully he didn’t look in their direction and the man with the gun took off. More shots could be heard over the screams. Alicia just stood frozen, her gaze never leaving the pastor’s wife. She didn’t much care for the woman, but she didn’t deserve to die like this.
She grabbed Jacob and rushed over to Mrs. Williams. Blood soaked her clothes and was pooling around her. Alicia didn’t know what to do. Her mind was blank, emotionless and numb. Before she could figure out what to do to try and save the dying woman, she realized Mrs. Williams was no longer breathing. She’s gone.
Alicia slowly regained focus, Jacob’s wailing fading in from a background noise to the most prominent sound. The man might come back for them. There wasn’t any reason he wouldn’t. Alicia had seen his face. Saw him kill. They’d be next. Needing to protect her son, Alicia snatched him up and ran through the door to the meat processing room.
Ӝ
David felt so lost, so hopeless. All he could do was stare at the cold raw meat in front of him. Ever since he lost his son in the accident a few weeks ago, his life has been on a downhill spiral. They had just been playing ball in the front yard. He was filling up the kiddy pool for Thomas when he heard the screech of tires and a loud thump.
He had turned around and there lay his son. David’s body had moved on its own, before his mind had even fully processed what happened. He rushed over to the car and pulled out the driver. He wanted to pummel him for hitting his son, but the kid looked liked he was going to shit his pants.
He’d followed the teen’s gaze to his son. Neighbors had gathered and were watching him. The woman from next door who always babysat Thomas when David needed a sitter was crying over Thomas. She looked up at him as he walked over and shook her head. Thomas was gone. He was laying right there, but he was gone.
David didn’t remember much after that. He barely remembered the cops, the funeral, the goodbyes. The trial didn’t go so well, either. The teenager was speeding when he came through their neighborhood because he was too busy texting.
Due to the funeral costs, he hadn’t been able to afford to pay bills. He sold everything he had just to have food to eat. He lost his job right before Thomas’ funeral due to his drunken state and lack of emotional control. He had gone in to work one day with an awful hangover and some whiskey in his tea. He overheard a coworker talking about his kids and how he would never allow them to play in the front yard. He went on to say that David was an irresponsible parent and deserved his pain.
David lost it. He didn’t even remember what he did to the guy. Now here he was, standing in front of the meat in a grocery store. Penniless, hopeless, and gun in hand. He knew he shouldn’t do what he was planning, but he needed the money.
“Do you need some help, dear? If you don’t have enough money to eat, I can buy some meat for you,” a woman said from behind as she placed her hand on his arm. He heard a gunshot and saw the woman’s face twist in pain. She had startled him. He hadn’t meant to shoot her. Oh, well. Too late now. Guess I should get this over with, he thought as he stepped over the woman and ran down an aisle.
Screams had erupted throughout the store and he heard a small child wailing somewhere close by. David pointed his gun towards the ceiling and blasted a couple of shots. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. Hadn’t meant to. He just wanted the money. That’s all.
When he reached the front, he ran to the closest register. He rounded the counter and found a person hiding there. The employee looked up at David, scared out of his mind. David pointed the gun at him, full of anger once more as he looked down on the innocent teen. He wanted justice badly, but killing the wrong teenager wouldn’t be justice. It would be murder. But been there, done that, he supposed. He killed that woman. She was just trying to help him and he killed her.
David shook his head. No time to think about that now. The cops should already be on their way. I need to get the money now. And fast. “Get up! Give me all the money in that drawer!” he barked. The kid just sat there, frozen in fear. “Now!” David yelled.
The kid put up his hands and stood slowly. He opened the drawer and handed David the money. “Open another.” David said.
“I-I c-c-can’t.” the kid stammered. “Only m-management can o-open a drawer other than mine.”
Before David could say anything more, he heard the sirens. Figuring the cops would surround the front, he ran towards the back. There’s always a back exit. He slipped through the butcher’s door and into the back storage. Once again, he noticed the cries of a child were somewhere nearby.
Ӝ
Alicia had hidden herself behind a large crate just before she heard the door slam against a wall. He’s looking for us. He knows I saw him. He’s going to kill us. She was panicking, but the man ran right past them. She heard him slam into the exit door as she had. He was banging on it, trying to get it to open, just as desperately as she had. Jacob had quieted down some, but he was still too loud. The gunman had surely heard him. Alicia’s ears perked up. Sirens. They might get out of this alive.
Ӝ
No matter how hard he tried, the door wouldn’t budge. Why lock an emergency door? Giving up on the back door, David decided to go through the front. He turned and began searching for the crying child, needing a hostage to get out of this without being shot by the cops.
He heard the whimpering coming from behind a large crate of bread. He rounded the edge of the crate and found not just a soiled child, but a terrified mother as well. The boy was just a bit younger than Thomas was, but with blond hair and his mother’s terrified green eyes. He could tell she wanted to run, but had accepted her fate. He pointed the gun at her as she stared him down. “Get up,” he said.
Ӝ
Alicia stood, every bit of her shaking in her fear. He waved the gun, indicating for her
to move. She tried to keep her eyes on him, but he grabbed her arm and turned her around. She thought he would shoot her from behind.
“Move,” he demanded.
Alicia began walking. They moved through the butcher’s area and through the door leading to the store. They walked past Mrs. Williams’ body and down the aisle towards the exit, the gun digging into her back and the man’s fingers bruising her arm. The sirens were louder now that they were in front of the store.
Upon reaching the registers, two police cars pulled up alongside the first responder. Sirens blaring, lights flashing. Alicia began to cry. Her possible salvation was so close at hand, and yet she feared it was not for her. Would only Jacob leave here alive? Would she be dead and gone, buried with gossipy Mrs. Williams while her son would be raised by his cheating father to end up like him?
Ӝ
David moved behind the woman and grabbed her neck. “Don’t move. Don’t scream. Don’t do a damn thing.” They watched as the officers entered the store with guns raised. “Drop you weapon! Release the hostages and get down on your knees with your hands on your head! Do it now!”
“You will let me walk out of here!” he yelled. “Or I will shoot this woman! I’ve already killed one! What’s one more?”
The officers glanced at one another and back at David. He pushed the woman and they began walking. More cars pulled in, the situation becoming harder to get out of. David didn’t want to die here. Not like this. As he thought about the mess he was in, he realized how he could use the woman and her child to earn his freedom.
Ӝ
Alicia stopped crying but she was still shaking. This man was using her and her son as a shield so the cops wouldn’t shoot him for what he’d done. The officers stepped aside as they passed, never dropping their guns. The man continued to poke her with his gun as they exited the store. Four officers stood with guns pointed at them. All she could do was cling to her son and pray that everything would be over soon.
Ӝ
Ryan barely noticed the road whizzing by as he thought about how his shift was going today. It was complete chaos. When he awoke that morning, he hadn’t expected to be doing this. Here he was, on a high speed chase trying to catch a guy who had murdered a woman and robbed a grocery store. And to top it all off, the lunatic was now holding a woman and her kid hostage. Not for the first time, Ryan wondered just what made people do stuff like this. He determined he wouldn’t lose a life today. Not his, not his partner’s, and certainly not the lives of the hostages.
“We’re turning on to West Court, are you guys ready?” he radioed his fellow officers.
“Yep, spikes are out and road is blocked. He ain’t goin’ nowhere,” said his partner, Chuck.
Now we just have to send him their way and put a stop to this crazy chase. Thankfully all traffic has been blocked from this road, so there are no cars or people to maneuver around. Ryan slammed his brakes and yanked on the emergency brake when the car in front of him braked and started to reverse without notice. Ryan was trying to stop his car or at least slow it down. He and the gunman made eye contact and his blood boiled. That lunatic was holding a gun to the toddler’s head.
The gunman was yelling at the woman, but try as she might, she couldn’t go anywhere. Her tires were spinning, sending smoke swirling around both vehicles as her car pushed against his cruiser. Her car was boxed in by other police cruisers and they surround her vehicle with their guns pointed right at them.
Ӝ
At this point, Alicia wished the man would just shoot her and get it over with. No matter what happened to her, her son must survive. Her baby must live. Jacob was wailing again. The man was screaming at her and no matter how hard she tried, her car just would not budge. They were surrounded by armed cops. Maybe they were all gonna die. She stopped trying to move the car and rolled down the windows. The gunm
an gave her a blow to the head, still yelling at her.
“Shoot him! Shoot him, now! I don’t care what happens to me anymore! Please! Please just save my son!”
Ӝ
Once his car was parked, Ryan hopped out, pulling his firearm up and aiming for the gunman. The woman had stopped trying to escape and rolled down the windows. The man slammed his gun into the back of her head. Then the woman screamed at them to shoot the lunatic. Sure, lady, but we’d rather you and your kid not die here today.
As Chuck crept up toward the vehicle, the officers in eyesight of the gunman held his attention. The gunman was gripping the toddler so tight he was turning blue and his gun was now pointed at the back of the woman’s head.
“Do it! Shoot me! Just do it!” the woman screamed.
Chuck tossed a smoke bomb into the car. The gunman was cursing loudly as the coughing woman crawled out of the vehicle. The child was screaming for his mother, a good sign he was breathing again. But the gunman wasn’t coming out. Minutes ticked by like hours, the woman screaming at them to save her son. The smoke began to clear and then shots rang out.
Lotus: Dark Lotus Chronicles One Page 1
