Curse of the Asuune

Chapter 8

While Mark waited for the officers to try and move Claud, he looked again at his arms and noticed the two puncture marks were gone. How could they have healed so quickly without leaving a mark? They must have been at least an eighth of an inch in diameter, very large needles. Where did the marks go? What was more, his headache was gone as well. He seemed to have recovered from his wounds in what could have only been hours. What was going on? He felt like he was in the best shape of his life.

A few minutes later, the officers came back and grabbed Mark, cuffing his hands roughly behind his back. What they intended was to scare him, show him who was in charge but secretly Mark was amused at how it didn't even hurt. If he had wanted to, he could have made it very difficult for them, but he had done enough damage to his case. Assaulting an officer would only make it worse. Mark let them push him around and even faked discomfort to make the officers think he was learning his lesson.

"Your lawyer is already here, smartass. No need for that phone call," one officer said.

The two officers walked him down the row of cells and to a locked room with sturdy walls and one window. There were doors leading to the room from either side. The window looked very thick and was reinforced with bars. This must be where he was to meet his lawyer.

The officers sat him roughly in a wooden chair in front of a metal table that appeared to be bolted to the floor. On the other side of the table was an older man who seemed to be decently healthy. He looked thin and physically fit for a man in his late forties maybe early fifties. At least that was the age Mark guessed him to be.

The man wore an important looking black suit with a red tie. In front of him was an equally expensive looking briefcase that was open. The lawyer was rummaging through the briefcase, possibly looking for Mark's file, but all Mark could think was. 'Who is this guy? Why is he here? And what was that horrible smell?'

Something in this room wreaked so badly that Mark could barely keep his lunch down. He had never smelled anything this bad. Maybe one of the guards had left their lunch in the room for weeks, or maybe a small rodent had died in there?

"The cuffs please," the lawyer said impatiently to one of the officers.

"I don't think that's a good idea, he just assault-"

"I'm sure it was an accident," the lawyer said and gave a knowing look to Mark. "Now, the cuffs please!"

"Don't blame the county for your injuries. We warned you," the officer said and removed Mark's cuffs then left the room. The loud click of the door lock hurt Mark's ears, and he winced.

"You'll get used to it," the lawyer said. "It gets easier to deal with."

"What?" Mark asked. How did the lawyer know about his sensitivity to sounds?

"The noise, you get used to it. You will also learn to control your strength better in time. I'm quite certain you didn't mean to hurt that man," the lawyer said with a fiendish grin.

"What? Who are you?" Mark asked impatiently.

"Sorry, Mr. Albet. My name is Alexander Gregor, with Gregor Legal Services. Please call me Alex." Alex held out his hand.

Mark stuck his hand out and shook Alex's hand. Alex gripped Mark's hand tightly, but Alex was much stronger, and soon it became painful.

"You see, I'm like you. My employers wish for you not to rot in jail until you finally kill someone. That would expose our kind so, I'm here to get you out." Alex then stood up and shut his briefcase.

"But what about my defense? Don't you want to hear my side of the story?" Mark asked, confused.

"Nope, don't care. I'll get you out on bail then we will have a discussion about what to do next. Good day." Alex turned and knocked on the door to the other side of the room to get the officer's attention.

"What do you mean you're like me? What am I?" Mark pleaded.

"Shh," Alex said with his finger to his lips. "A discussion for after you are released. I'll be in touch. And try not to hurt anyone else. It will be hard enough to get them to release you, don't make things worse."

Alex got up and walked to the door opposite from the one Mark came through and knocked to let the officer know he was ready. The officer let Alex out of the room, and then the two officers from before came in and forcefully cuffed Mark. He made the same fake sounds to let them know they were hurting him, even though they weren't. This would make things go easier, he thought. He needed time to think, frustrating the officers would only make this take longer.

Mark sat in the cell alone. This was the first time he had been alone since it happened. He went over every detail in his head. Then it hit him like a boot to the chest. Jen was dead. He would never see her smiling face. He would never again hold her as they fell asleep. He would never kiss her. He would never hear her voice, the voice that still gave him butterflies in his stomach. He would never see her again! He didn't care what the officers thought, he didn't care what anyone thought. The love of his life was dead. Mark started to cry.