Kirsten dreaded the possibility she would have to kill a man. Not only did she loathe taking life, killing someone just started another process of having to deal with them. Ghosts could be vindictive. If they felt like being real sons of bitches, they would linger for years and mess with you at every opportunity. Of course, not every astral sensate shared her other talent. Most could only see, hear, and speak to them. Kirsten could hurt them, even to the point of final obliteration, Division 0’s ace in the hole against spirits. So far, she had not confronted a ghost she was responsible for making.
The thought made her sick with guilt.
Her eyes focused on a faint light radiating from a half-closed door further ahead in the hallway. A patch of shadow darted through it, a hint of a man ducking for cover. Kirsten chased, stopping against the wall just next to the room. She kicked in the door and aimed over a flipped bed into an empty room, the walls hung with the tattered remnants of padding. Roaches scurried away from her noise.
Oh, hell, he’s getting to me―I’m seeing things.
Sniveling from beyond the bed, the sound of a terrified man wavered in the air. Relaxing her guard, she moved up to an emaciated and neglected man in a dirty hospital gown. He cowered on the ground in a ball, his fingers gnawed bloody. His bleeding hands did not stain the bed, and he wore the unmistakable presence of the dead. For an instant, they locked eyes, and then he looked up and past her.
You poor bastard, how long have you been trapped here?
“No,” he shrieked, crossing his arms in front of his face. “Not again.”
Kirsten’s attempt to say something to calm him was cut short as powerful hands grabbed her arms. Her head darted to either side as she struggled with a pair of inhumanly large men in white orderlies’ uniforms. One man was dark-skinned, the other fairer, and neither had hair. Both had stark, pale eyes with no pupils. Old, dried blood had smeared across the chest of their dingy uniforms. Grinning with demonic glee, they hauled her into the air as though she weighed nothing at all.
The clatter of her E90 hitting the ground never made it to her ears amidst the nauseating blur of the floor and ceiling trading places. The men, far too strong, overpowered her. She squirmed but could not escape. The sensation of being lifted and thrown around brought back memories of her mother, triggering an involuntary fit of screaming and thrashing. The spinning halted with her face coming to rest on the padded floor with a sharp pop.
Her breath left her in a forced gasp as the straps of a straitjacket cinched with painful constriction around her body and through her legs. She rolled to the side in time to see the two orderlies haul the malnourished patient, protesting and kicking, into the hallway. The orderlies walked right through the wall, pulling the panicky ghost through the open doorway between them. His eyes grew frantic as if he approached his second death; as they dragged him out of sight, he clawed at the air, reaching for her help. In defiance of her trapped arms, Kirsten scrambled to her feet just in time to run face-first into the padded door as it slammed.
No, dammit, let me out!
Her aimless squirming did little against the dirty jacket. As the sensation of being trapped flooded her mind with terror, images flashed on the walls. Her mother’s gargantuan face filled each surface in turn, echoing with a deep demonic laugh. Backing away, Kirsten tripped over the fallen bed and landed sitting with her back against the cushioned wall. As her head hit the padding, clothes appeared in the air above her, swaying. The cell took on the appearance of an oversized closet, and her uniform faded away to a dingy dress and bare, bruised legs. The sight of the hanging coats sent her lunging at the door, screaming and kicking at it over and over until she sagged forward, out of breath.
The E90 lay on the floor, mocking her with its uselessness. Not only did it require her fingerprint on the trigger, it would do more damage to her than it would do to the coat. The whisper of a child’s voice in the back of her mind warned her not to make too much noise, or mother would be angry.
No, Mother’s dead. She’s not coming.
Kirsten concentrated, slowed her breathing, and ceased her impotent struggle against the canvas crushing her arms to her chest.
Not real, this is not real, she chanted.
The presence of her mother seeped into the walls, leaving them tattered pads. Her little girl’s dress gave way to her uniform. The ancient door should crumble at a touch, not behave like stone. Likewise, the straightjacket should be as brittle as paper, not crush her with suffocating force. With a tenuous grasp on her composure, she wriggled around to peek. Her shivering ebbed at the sight of unfastened buckles. An unseen force drew the straps ever tighter.
Just energy. She gasped. I can get out of this.
Her short-lived respite ended with the sudden appearance of the mechanic’s face in the door’s dirt-encrusted window. It almost stopped her heart.
He flashed a gleeful grin and licked the glass. “Time for dying, little one.”
She gave up squirming and opened her senses. The energy imbued into the restraint became tangible to her, like a coat of slime. Her trembling ebbed; she locked eyes with the man in the window.
“I’m not that easy.”
Kirsten snarled as her power overwhelmed the entity. The straightjacket exploded away from her as she flung her arms out to the sides. She dove for her weapon through a flurry of tattered canvas as the ancient restraint disintegrated, and a long-needed rush of air filled her lungs.
She somersaulted over the E90, up onto one knee, and put a blast of azure light through the padded door. Two more beams followed, tracking to the left as the man ran off. Each shot made a half-inch hole in the wall, ringed with embers. She closed her eyes and allowed a few short breaths to calm her nerves in a room too small for comfort. With hands braced on either side, she stomped on the door until it gave out. A wheeze of relief followed her out of the cell. Before she could enjoy freedom, an unexpected noise made her turn.
A gurgle emanated from a doorway down the hall, drawing her gaze past a fallen gurney and over a wheelchair that had been rusting in place since before she was born.
Oh shit, please don’t tell me I hit a cop.
The holes in the opposite wall and rooms beyond had no blood. She edged up to the doorframe, taking in a deep breath while trying to rein in her racing heart. Fragments of conversation floated out of the hiss in her ear. The officers outside reacted to laser streaks coming out of the building; what they said after that drowned in white noise.
The tip of her gun quivered in midair for the second or three it took to find the courage to whirl through the door and aim at the source of the noise...
Division Zero
is available at:
Amazon Kindle * Amazon UK * Paperback
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Other Books by J.R. Rain
STANDALONE NOVELS
Winter Wind
Bound By Blood
Silent Echo
The Body Departed
The Grail Quest
Elvis Has Not Left the Building
The Lost Ark
The Journey (with Piers Anthony)
The Worm Returns (with Piers Anthony)
Lavabull (with Piers Anthony)
Jack and the Giants (with Piers Anthony)
Dolfin Tayle (with Piers Anthony)
Dragon Assassin (with Piers Anthony)
Glimmer (with Eve Paludan)
Lost Eden (with Elizabeth Basque)
Judas Silver (with Elizabeth Basque)
The Vampire Club (with Scott Nicholson)
Cursed (with Scott Nicholson)
The Black Fang Betrayal (with multiple authors)
VAMPIRE FOR HIRE SERIES
Moon Dance
Vampire Moon
American Vampire
Moon Child
Christmas Moon
Vampire Dawn
Vampire Games
Moon Island
Moon River
Vampire Sun
Moon Dragon
Moon Shadow
Vampire Fire
Midnight Moon
Moon Angel
SAMANTHA MOON CASE FILES
Moon Bayou
SAMANTHA MOON BONUS MATERIAL
Moon Extras
Moon Dance (Deluxe Edition)
SAMANTHA MOON SHORT WORKS
Teeth
Vampire Nights
Vampire Blues
Vampire Dreams
Halloween Moon
Vampire Gold
Blue Moon
Dark Side of the Moon
Vampire Requiem
Moon Love
Vampire Alley (poem)
JIM KNIGHTHORSE SERIES
Dark Horse
The Mummy Case
Hail Mary
Clean Slate
Easy Rider (short story)
THE WITCHES SERIES
The Witch and the Gentleman
The Witch and the Englishman
The Witch and the Huntsman (with Rod Kierkegaard)
THE PSI SERIES
with A.K. Alexander
Hear No Evil
See No Evil
Speak No Evil
NICK CAINE SERIES
with Aiden James
Temple of the Jaguar
Treasure of the Deep
Pyramid of the Gods
DEAD DETECTIVE SERIES
with Rod Kierkegaard
The Dead Detective
Deadbeat Dad
Ghosts of Christmas Present (short story)
THE ACCIDENTAL SUPERHEROINE
with Kris Carey
The Accidental Superheroine
My Big Fat Accidental Superheroine Wedding
THE WATSON FILES
with Chanel Smith
Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Shakespeare
Sherlock Holmes and the Lost Da Vinci
WINTER SOLTSICE SERIES
with Matthew S. Cox
Convergence
Containment (coming soon)
ICE WOLF SERIES
with H.P. Mallory
Ice Wolf
ALAN QUATERMAIN ADVENTURES
with Randy Keys
The Spear
ALEXIS SILVER SERIES
with Matthew S. Cox
Silver Light (coming soon)
THE SPINOZA TRILOGY
The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo
The Vampire Who Played Dead
The Vampire in the Iron Mask
The Vampire on the Train (short story)
THE ALADDIN TRILOGY
with Piers Anthony
Aladdin Relighted
Aladdin Sins Bad
Aladdin and the Flying Dutchman
THE WALKING PLAGUE TRILOGY
with Elizabeth Basque
Zombie Patrol
Zombie Rage
Zombie Mountain
THE SPIDER TRILOGY
with Scott Nicholson and H.T. Night
Bad Blood
Spider Web
Spider Bite
SHORT STORY SINGLES
Vampire Road
Skeleton Jim
The Bleeder
Vampire Rain
The Santa Call
AS J.K. DREW - YOUNG ADULT AUTHOR
STANDALONE NOVELS
The Emerald River
The Angel and the Gift
Forever Silent
Dare to Enter a Distant World
The Enchantress (with Randy Keys)
Spirit Mountain (with Alexandra Swan)
YOUR CHOICE ADVENTURES
Deep Sea Danger
The Legend of Eagle Eye Mountain
Playoff Pressure
THE ROBOT TWINS
The Mystery of the Walking Statue
The Secret of Stonehead Island (with Randy Keys)
KID QUEST ADVENTURES
The Secret of the Sphinx
J.R. RAIN PRESENTS - SELECT TITLES
NOVELS
Little Wolf (by K.T. Tomb)
The Stargoose (by Robert Siegel)
Dracula Rising (by Jackson Stein)
VAMPIRE NATION
by H.T. Night
Vampire Nation
Enemy of the Nation
BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLADE
by Eve Paludan
Burning
Afterglow
Radiance
THE MEDIUM MYSTERIES
Echo Park (by Elizabeth Basque)
Silver Lake (by Elizabeth Basque)
Hollywood Hills (by Eve Paludan)
City of Angels (by Chanel Smith)
THE HUNTRESS TRILOGY
by Chanel Smith
The Vampire With the Golden Gun
The Vampire in the High Castle
The Vampire Who Knew Too Much
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Other Books by Matthew S. Cox
STANDALONE NOVELS
Caller 107
Operation Chimera (with Tony Healey)
The Summer the World Ended
Chiaroscuro: The Mouse and the Candle
Nine Candles of Deepest Black
The Eldritch Heart
Wayfarer: AV494 (coming soon)
Citadel: The Concordance Sequence (coming soon)
Prophet of the Badlands
Archon’s Queen
Grey Ronin
Daughter of Ash
Zero Rogue (coming soon)
THE DIVISION ZERO SERIES
Division Zero
Division Zero: Lex De Mortuis
Division Zero: Thrall
Division Zero: Guardian
THE DAUGHTER OF MARS SERIES
The Hand of Raziel
Araphel
Ghost Black (coming soon)
TALES OF WIDOESWOOD SERIES
Emma and the Banderwigh
Emma and the Silk Thieves
Emma and the Silverbell Faeries (coming soon)
TEMPORAL ARMISTICE SERIES
Nascent Shadow
The Shadow Collector (coming soon)
THE ROADHOUSE CHRONICLES SERIES
One More Run
The Redeemed (coming soon)
VIRTUAL IMMORTALITY SERIES
Virtual Immortality
The Harmony Paradox (coming soon)
THE FADED SKIES SERIES
Heir Ascendent
Ascendent Revolution (coming soon)
THE WINTER SOLSTICE SERIES
with J.R. Rain
Convergence
Containment (coming soon)
ALEXIS SILVER SERIES
with J.R. Rain
Silver Light (coming soon)
ANTHOLOGIES
The Far Side of Promise
The Divergent Fates Anthology
NON-FICTION
The Dysfunctional Conspiracy
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About J.R. Rain:
J.R. Rain is the international bestselling author of over seventy novels, including his popular Samantha Moon and Jim Knighthorse series. His books are published in five languages in twelve countries, and he has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide.
Please visit him at www.jrrain.com.
Join his newsletter here.
Follow him on Amazon.
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Read his blog here.
Join his Facebook Group.
And read all the “Vampire for Hire” Kindle World books here:
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About Matthew S. Cox:
Originally from South Amboy NJ, Matthew S. Cox has been creating science fiction and fantasy worlds for most of his reasoning life. Since 1996, he has developed the “Divergent Fates” world, in which Division Zero, Virtual Immortality, The Awakened Series, The Harmony Paradox, and the Daughter of Mars series take place.
Matthew is an avid gamer, a recovered WoW addict,
Gamemaster for two custom systems, and a fan of anime, British humour, and intellectual science fiction that questions the nature of reality, life, and what happens after it.
He is also fond of cats.
Please visit him at www.matthewcoxbooks.com.
Follow him on Amazon.
Follow him on Pinterest.
Add him on Twitter.
Add him on Facebook.
And read his blog here.
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