An Apple for Zoe: Book One ~ The Forsaken

take him.

The girl closed her eyes and screamed to the top of her lungs as she rode him. James felt the fire consuming him as he was forced into the savage act. The piano pounded away as the sisters had their way with him. The violins mimicked the movement of the girl's legs. He had no more will power to fight. Looking up at the evil that surrounded him a blinding flash burnt across his face causing James shut his eyes tight. The flash came with the image of the number 23 branded into the left breast of the sister who held him down. James screamed aloud as he tried to push away the sister who drove her hips into him. Wildly she thrust away making James wish it was all just a nightmare, but in his heart he knew he had gone to hell and all he could think of was Kirkland.

Again a flashing image came. This time he saw Kirkland standing over him. He was holding hands with the girl Jordan.

'Mike, you've got to get out of here!' begged James. 'Jordan, take him away. Hurry before the pig man comes back!' he said in a panicked voice.

The girl tugged on Kirkland's hand. Kirkland looked down at James with an apologetic and helpless expression. He then looked back at Jordan who motioned for him to come with her. Kirkland looked back to James once more and said, 'God has not forgotten you, Tom,' he said as he let Jordan pull him away, leaving James to the sea of despicable creatures. As James looked up at the sister who was violating him with passionate lust he could see an air vent above her. There, looking down on them was The Pig Man.

 James screamed to the top of his lungs. He screamed over and over hoping it would all go away. The only thought that filled his mind was Kirkland's final words to him that 'God had not forgotten him.' James then opened his eyes. There was no sound. Only the smell of smoke filled his senses. As his hearing slowly returned he began to hear the roar of fire as it consumed the walls of the twelfth floor.

James sat up and saw the fire was closing in on him. He forced his body to stand and clutch the wall for support. He could feel the heat from the fire. Disoriented he tried to find the stairs. James looked behind him and saw smoke was billowing down the hallway towards him. It seemed to have a life of it's own. He tried to run from it but tripped and fell at the landing tumbling down the short flight of stairs. James looked up and saw the bodies of Jake, Bobby and Randy crucified into the landing wall upside down forming an unholy trinity. Their faces contorted into expressions of shock, agony and fear in their eyes wide open. Their shirts were ripped open exposing their stomachs. Carved into each man's body was a single letter. Together side-by-side the letters spelled: O T O.

As James took in the image he began to walk backwards down the stairs, never taking his eyes off the three crucified men. Backing down, James realized Kirkland was not among them. It was then he felt the stabbing pain in the palm of his hand. James descended the stairs into the main lobby of The Aleris Hotel. He walked zombie like, his face and suit was spattered with blood and a mixture of black ashes. Laser sightings began to appear on him as somewhere in the back of his mind he thought he heard words like, 'Stop! On your face now!'

Running in slow motion in his direction and screaming his name was Jessalee. Knocking over swat members and blocking their laser sights, she ran across the lobby to James's side. Her face showed her fear as she saw the blood that covered him. Looking into her eyes he saw her speak but he did not hear her say the name Kirkland with a question. James slowly raised his blood-soaked hand answering her with Kirkland's badge. Her face shifted into emotional agony as she threw her arms around James and cried. As she pulled away, she kissed his cheek in grateful desperation that he was still alive. She turned and wrapped her arm around him as they made their way from the hotel and down to the street.

'He saved me,' spoke James numbly clutching Kirkland's badge to his chest. Then he looked up into the darkened night sky as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

'He saved me.'

Chapter Fourteen Ashton

Special Agent Ashton Summers of the FBI sighed deeply as she dropped six quarters into the coffee machine that stood outside the closed hospital cafe. The bangs of her honey blonde hair dangled loosely across her ocean blue eyes. As she ran her fingers through her hair, which was parted to one side and touched just past the shoulders of her slim but firm five foot six inch frame, it wasn't hard to tell that she was exhausted after driving straight from Los Angeles to San Francisco without making one stop.  She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 1:13 a.m. Yawning, she removed her wire-framed glasses and leaned her head against the side of the machine as it started making spitting noises and it wasn't long before the stream of golden liquid had quickly filled the styrene cup. Stepping back, Summers put her glasses back on so she could watch this marvel of automation do its job. Although somewhat in awe, she couldn't help but feel like she was purchasing a cup of electric piss.

'Thank God I didn't press the button for hot chocolate,' she mumbled to herself.

'You're not really going to drink that crap are you?' asked a voice behind her. Summers jumped with a start, as she believed she was alone. Turning around she saw the face that belonged to the voice.  Jessalee smiled and pointed off to a door that was in the direction she was walking.

'If you want some real coffee, and not those watered down cremated turd flakes, then follow me.' Summers looked back at the coffee machine and saw her recently purchased drink had leaked all over the side of the unit that housed the cup storage.

'Don't mind if I do,' said Summers, quickly following Jessalee behind a door clearly meant for staff or officials of law enforcement only.

The room was an inviting lounge. A sea of blue carpet ran from wall to wall and two darkened rooms with beds were off to the left side for doctors who couldn't make it home after their shift. There were a dozen oversized armchairs placed sporadically throughout the space and a 60-inch plasma television was affixed to the main wall. The sound was low and the channel was set to one of the major cable news networks. Ashton was relieved it wasn't on ESPN.

'No donuts, hope you don't mind roughing it,' stated Jessalee.

'No just the coffee please,' pleaded Summers.

Jessalee reached over and picked up a large ceramic cup and filled it with the steaming aroma of cinnamon and hazelnut. Gently handing the mug to Summers, Jessalee gestured to the table full of creamers, sugars and stick stirrers. Summers felt a brief moment of levity as she smirked at the cartoon drawing on the side of the cup—a patient was running madly away from a nurse with a boiling pot of water. Standing in the doorway looking shocked was the doctor who was shouting to the nurse, 'No I told you to prick his boil!' 

Jessalee glanced over and saw which cup she had given Summers, 'Oh yeah sorry, hospital humor,' she remarked as she took her own mug and offered Summers a seat. Summers forced a tired smile.

'Thank you for the coffee.'

'You're welcome. I'm Jessalee,' she said as she took a seat opposite of Summers.

'Ashton Summers,' she said taking a drink. The coffee was bold and yet had just the perfect amount of comfort in its taste. This was exactly what Summers needed in that moment. Jessalee watched Summers hold the cup as if her life depended on it.

'So what brings the F.B.I here tonight?' asked Jessalee. Summers looked at her with surprise.

'I saw your gun, and leather interview folder. It has the F.B.I. logo embossed into it.'

'You're either a quick study or I'm really obvious,' stated Summers.

'No you're new. When you have lived and worked in this city as long as I have, you get a memory for faces. Plus no one drinks coffee from the machine in the hall, unless they're strangers here. Those six quarters you dropped into it, are probably the only ones in that old thing.'

'Think I could get a refund?' joked Summers.

'I doubt it, but if you want to break into it, I have no problem looking the other way,' joked Jessalee in return. 'Seriously though, what brings you here in the middle of the night? Is it the explosion and fire at The Aleris?'

'Is that what the bright light in the sky was? I saw that. I thought it was a firework at first. I saw it for miles before I got into the city. No actually I'm here to talk with Inspector Thomas James.'