Bloodline Awakened Supernatural Thriller Series: Books 1-3

by Jason Paul Rice

  A nurse, a pumpkin, a boxer, a vampire, Beetlejuice, a firefighter, a sexy princess, a green pumpkin, Superman, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, a Ghostbusters outfit with an awesome proton pack.

  It made perfect sense, but was too obvious. Keeping my eyes peeled for the authorities, I plunged further into the rectangular warehouse and passed more costumes.

  A pregnant nun, a Viking, Jason from Friday the 13th, a female pirate, Cleopatra, a zombie, Freddy Krueger, Jon Snow, Robin Hood, a demon, the devil.

  I turned down another aisle and didn’t find anything. Frustrated, I took a deep breath and blew up my cheeks, not yet exhaling the air. A strange feeling centered in my belly and my gut burned. Assuming it was just a hunger pang, I turned left and ran into someone in a police costume.

  Good costume. Getting a close-up look of the badge, I realized it was a real cop. Turning to get the hell out of there, he hooked my right elbow and tugged me back. “You aren’t going anywhere, you fucking cop killer.”

  The party was over. The Jersey Devil had bested me with this setup.

  Chapter 35

  SUDDENLY, THE GROUND started to move, and the costumes shook around, falling off the shelves and racks.

  My panic quickly vanished when I realized it was my guardian angel, Artoise, causing the seismic shake. Man, was I glad he showed up.

  The earthquake subsided and stopped completely as my guardian angel’s 3-D projection appeared right in front of me. “You’re...you’re lucky I’m awake.” He sounded drunk, and staggered toward me. “You need to get the hell out of here. Now.”

  With everyone else frozen in place for the next fifty seconds, I slapped the officer’s hand away and headed for the door. Artoise followed me, and cried out, “I’ve got even better news.”

  I snatched a costume on the way out, and wondered what good news Artoise could possibly have. I hit the sidewalk with the image of Artoise walking a not-so-straight line next to me. He tried to keep up, and said, “The Gods and Alayna analyzed the video of you committing those murders. They’ve figured out that it wasn’t you. They are ready to forgive you if you just return to Clara Spiritus. If you apologize for not fully trusting them by escaping, all will be forgotten.”

  “They turned their backs on me when I needed them most. Plus, if I go back now, I can’t stop the Jersey Devil from locking the gates of hell. That’s something I would do for my mother’s honor, not the Gods or Alayna.”

  “My time is almost up, but remember what happened last time you tried the Jersey Devil. Also, we haven’t been able to notify the police, so you are in constant danger of getting arrested. Or worse. Your choice.”

  The image started to flip like an old TV screen before fading and disappearing.

  I jumped in Reginald’s car and drove to a deserted parking lot so I could form a plan. I couldn’t go back to Clara Spiritus and leave the citizens of Pittsburgh to fend for themselves. The relief of receiving the Gods’ forgiveness faded quickly, although it did take a huge weight off my shoulders in that I wouldn’t have to dodge any magical hitmen from the Deep Burrow.

  I would just return to the Gods after I stopped the Jersey Devil and smoothed everything over. That was what my mother would be proudest of.

  Moving the seat back, I tore into the costume I had been forced to steal.

  Anubis the Jackal.

  I liked all mythology and the dark, scary costume should cover my entire body and head. I had obtained so many bumps and bruises that I was easily identifiable. I changed in the car.

  The jackal mask with red eyes, ears standing up on top of the head and exposed fangs covered my face and didn’t hurt the stitches in my forehead.

  Visibility and internal temperature weren’t the greatest, but it would have to do.

  After about a half-hour, I put the mask back on, hoping it would send the answers into my head. I was on the run from the Pittsburgh Police and all surrounding units. If they caught me, I was a dead man.

  I fell asleep for what seemed like five minutes and woke up to loud beeping. A tow truck was backing up in front of me.

  I grabbed the staff, left the mask on, and got out of the car. I checked the time. 4:11.

  In my haze, I noticed the tow truck driver was lining up Reginald’s car. I screamed, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m towing your car. What’s it look like?”

  I wanted to throttle him with magic. “I see that. Who told you to tow it?”

  “The lot owner. You got a problem with it, talk to him.”

  I hadn’t seen an attendant when I had pulled in earlier. I realized talking to the lot owner wasn’t going to get me anywhere, so I turned to the tow truck driver. “Look man, I’m right here with the keys to the car. You stop what you’re doing here, and I’ll give you sixty dollars. Stone cold cash. And you don’t have to do anything. Free money.”

  The short, compact man in overalls rolled his eyes at me again. “It’s already been called in to the company. Once I drive here, they get their money. Unless you got, oh let’s see now. With taxes and fees, it’s like two-hundred and forty dollars. So unless you can lay that kind of cheese in my hand, your car’s going on the rack.”

  “Nothing can be done?” I asked, almost pleading.

  “Not unless the lot owner, who our company has been doing business with for years, calls it off. And you got about ten seconds for that.” He laughed at me.

  I had nearly forgotten about Reg and how I had promised to pick him up. Using my quick thinking, I dialed up a number on my phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Satoku, it’s me.”

  Silence. An unnerving silence. I said, “Hello.”

  She finally said, “You need to turn yourself in, Mike. The police have been instructed to shoot you on sight, my mom said. What the hell do you want from me?”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “Yeah right, you’re not murdering me, asshole.”

  “What? No. That’s a total fabrication. I was set up. The video in the police station isn’t me,” I tried to explain.

  “So what? It’s like some Running Man type shit?”

  “Exactly, but on a crazy demonic shifter level that this city has never seen. The demon setting me up is a master shifter. I think he had one of his minions shift into a body that looked exactly like me and do all that killing.”

  She scoffed, “You aren’t helping your cause, crazy man.”

  “I realize that and I’m not even calling for myself. I’m calling for Reginald.”

  “What? Is there something wrong with him?” She spoke with concern in her voice.

  “No. Well yeah, but really no. It’s just he wants to get downtown to see the eclipse and I was supposed to pick him up, but...”

  She cut me off. “But you don’t have a car.”

  “Actually, I borrowed his car, thank you.”

  “Then why don’t you pick him up?”

  She turned that around in a hurry. I said, “I can’t. Long story.”

  “Yeah, you seem to have a lot of long stories. Mystery girlfriends too.”

  The life of a wizard, what can I say. “I don’t blame you for that or what is going on at the moment. The way things look right now, I don’t blame anyone for thinking I did it. Hate me for the rest of your life, but could you just give Reginald a ride down to the city? He wants to go to the Party at the Point. Please.”

  “I might have to take you up on hating you for the rest of your life. From what I’ve seen inside you, it’s hard for me to believe you did it, by the way.”

  My chest heaved as I breathed a huge sigh of relief. It meant everything to hear that. It was strange to have such strong feelings for a girl I hadn’t kissed. “I’ll be able to prove it when we meet at midnight. If you still want to do that?”

  “Fine, but you will have to prove to me that you didn’t do it. I’ll know if you are lying. For sure. You have to let me do just one thing to prove your in
nocence,” she said.

  “Deal. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  “This is simple.”

  “What do I have to do?” I wanted to know.

  “Let me stare into your eyes for thirty seconds. Straight. No blinking.”

  I thought about it for a second. She had some sort of special ability she was hiding. I didn’t have any negotiating power. “Sounds like a plan. Are you going to pick up Reg?”

  “Of course, I am going to pick him up. Not because of you, by the way. I’m picking him up because Reginald is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. I’m leaving right now before I go to work. I’m still not sure about you.”

  “That’s totally fair and I promise, I will make this all up to you.” I wasn’t exactly sure how.

  “We’ll see,” she teased and hung up the phone.

  I really couldn’t believe that had gone well considering how everything looked right now. I hung up with her and immediately called Reg. It rang several times before he finally picked up.

  “Young buck, what’s happening?”

  “Slight change of plans.” I didn’t want to tell him about the car. “I’m kind of stuck in a situation here so...”

  He cut me off, “No worries, I can watch the show from my back porch.”

  “No, Reg, that’s not what I was going to say. Satoku is going to pick you up and bring you downtown before she goes to work. You can get dropped off wherever you want and I will come and meet you. She isn’t happy with me right now and doesn’t really want to see me.”

  “I can understand that. You’ve backed yourself into a corner right now. It’s cool, I’ll meet up with you in a little while then.”

  “Reg, can you do me one more favor?” As if he hadn’t done enough for me.

  “Probably. I’ve been told I’m pretty crafty.”

  I smiled. “Can you bring Colossus with you?”

  “Man, that’s a long time to have a dog out and about at a big party.”

  “I know, I just don’t want to leave him alone or even worse, with Ronald.”

  He laughed. “I’ll bring the dog. I’ll call you when I get to the city.”

  “Sounds good then.” I exhaled, and thought about what excuse I could give him about the car. Everything seemed to be happening so fast.

  I walked around for a while until Reg called and I met up with him and Colossus.

  Chapter 36

  REG WAS DRESSED AS a Ghostbuster sans proton pack and he had even found a costume for my dog. The pullover looked like a vampire cape with a white shirt and red bow tie. I smiled and immediately felt guilty about it. I needed to stay focused and not let my guard down, but the dog looked frickin’ adorable.

  I scared the hell out of Reg when I rolled up on him in costume. “It’s me, Reg.”

  He smirked and nodded. “Nice costume. Scary. I can’t recognize you for anything.”

  If my best friend didn’t recognize me, it was a good sign, although it slowed me down a step or two.

  My dog resisted at first because of the Anubis costume until he smelled and licked my hand, figuring out it was I. We stopped at a public bench and I sat down so we could form a plan.

  The sun started to fall and people in costumes walked by on the sidewalk heading to the big party at the Point.

  “Did you think about trying that place that the Jersey Devil took you to after that date?” Reg asked.

  “Hmmm. That’s not a bad point. I still don’t know exactly where that place was. I should have paid more attention on the way out of there, but I’m not sure I could get back there.” I hoped Reg would drop it because I didn’t want to tell him about his car.

  “That’s a real problem because you know they aren’t going to be able to get a pack of a thousand shifters into the city without being noticed. They are going to be out in the middle of the woods or a big field maybe.”

  I thought for a moment. “Maybe you are right about the field, but the woods would taint the power of the eclipse. If you want to stay down here while I check out those ideas, feel free. I know you don’t need me to have a good time and you don’t have to worry about all this nonsense. Plus I don’t want to get you hurt.”

  “Ha ha. I could kill you with my bare hands right now. That’s mighty nice of you, but I think I can handle myself just fine. If you want, we can drive around together and try to put the pieces together.”

  That was a horrible idea. I couldn’t risk having Reg mad at me right now. It would mess with my emotions. Emotions were very important in magic, which did not bode well for me right now. “Why don’t we give it some more thought before we just start driving around aimlessly?”

  “Damn, that thing looks real right there,” Reg said, and pointed to a person in a werewolf costume.

  “That looks too real.” I sprang to my feet with my dog in my arms and we followed the person. The streets were crowded, and the werewolf kept weaving in and out of packs of people. Reg and I stayed hot on his or her heels. The tall, costumed person headed toward the Point.

  The Point was also called Point State Park, located at the confluence of the three major rivers in Pittsburgh. The city held festivals in the area including the Eclipse Party at the Point going on tonight. Thousands of people were expected to be there.

  I had to find out what was going on here.

  Chapter 37

  I SPEEDED UP AND CLOSED in on the wolf, kicking his ankle, causing him to fall forward on his knees. I blended into a small pack of people. The wolf jumped up, looking around for the culprit.

  I checked the sidewalk where the werewolf had gone down and noticed blood stains. I rejoined Reg and told him that the shifter was real. We kept following the shifter and I noticed two more costumes that looked too real. Another werewolf and a tiger that strongly resembled Suzette after she had shifted. It couldn’t be.

  Why this early?

  I leaned down and whispered to Reg, “I got a feeling he’s going to do it at the Point. Almost everyone is going to be in costume, so his shifters will kind of blend in.” I wouldn’t admit it, but it was pretty frickin’ brilliant.

  “That ain’t no good. How you gonna put a stop to all that?”

  “I still don’t know that yet.” We passed a group of cops and I lowered my head, forgetting I was in costume. “Let’s get down to the party and see what’s going on.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Reg said with a smile.

  We got to the Point, basically a big open field with vendor stands and drink bars scattered throughout the venue. We grabbed a couple of wildly overpriced beers that I graciously bought with Reginald’s money. A few hours went by and the place began to fill up. We walked toward the tip of the Point with giant fountains of water at the confluence of the rivers.

  A stink of wet dog started to fill the open area and I noticed more shifters, more police, and I even thought I saw Alayna’s henchmen from the Deep Burrow. I knew one thing, my magic detector sounded the alarm, loud and clear. I stopped after the first beer so that I could get my mind ready for magic. I couldn’t use the entire playbook with so many innocent people around, so I needed to be sharp.

  The entire eclipse process was supposed to take about four hours and end just before midnight. I started to wonder if the shifters were trying to absorb as much of the eclipse as possible. The total eclipse was only supposed to last an hour and a half. I assumed the Jersey Devil was going to make his move during that time.

  I hadn’t seen the demi-devil or his human figure yet as we strolled around the party. I wondered if anyone other than Reg understood how dangerous this situation was. The shifters had murdered only days ago and now they were mingling with drunken, unsuspecting partygoers.

  We walked around for hours and the full eclipse was going to end in a half hour. We were deluged in a sea of shifters, but the leader couldn’t be found. My stomach churned at the prospect of the Jersey Devil locking the gates of hell. Failure seemed imminent, but we kept searching.

  I needed
to get a better view and took the mask off for a quick peek. The chilly Halloween air felt good on my sweaty head and I could hear the rushing rivers and fountains. I spun around a few times trying to find my ultimate enemy. I made eye contact with a cop and his partner pointed at me.

  Damnit.

  I threw the mask back on and could barely see as I led Reg into a crowd of people. We moved toward the fountain and I felt confident we’d lost the boys in blue. We slowed down and the search continued for the demon ring leader.

  The shifters had started acting like zombies and bumping into everyone as they staggered around. In their defense, they did look like heavily intoxicated partygoers too. Pressing my hand against my chest, I felt naked without my necklace and triskele amulet.

  Bingo.

  Found him. Her rather. The Jersey Devil in female human form sat on a bench about twelve feet away. He didn’t notice me because of the costume, and all the magic floating around the party. I blended in on those accounts. I handed Colossus to Reg.

  “The memory” crept into my head. Not now. My knees threatened to give out, and I worried my magic would abandon me now. I didn’t have time for this. The image of my father nodding his head and slamming the front door shut mercifully ended the trip down memory lane.

  “Ignis et imperium. Ignis et imperium.” Focusing on the task at hand, I let my magic build inside, opening the reservoir and going to a level I never had before. I had to be careful not to kill anyone as power and fire combined for a lethal combination inside my chest.

  I was debating which form of magic to use when the gunshots rang out.

  Chapter 38

  I IMMEDIATELY FELT a searing pain in my trapezius and dropped to one knee. I was shocked that the police had fired into a crowd of people. Mayhem broke out and party people scattered in every direction, which ultimately helped my cause. The screaming and yelling was so loud I couldn’t tell if more shots were being fired. I was shocked the cops would fire into a crowd. They must really want me dead.