Original Fiction: JACKED, Book One of The Origin Dime Chronicles, Episode 9

In this episode, Jack meets up with his creepy visitor and gets chased by giant possums!

Garbage covered the floor of the hall a foot deep, and a growing sense of dread overrode Jack’s increasing comfort with his surroundings.

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Whatever evil was; it was here, he could sense it.

He took a deep snort, finding the scent he needed and raising the curiosity of a tall, skinny Nosher with purple hair, who immediately decided to mind his own business when Jack turned a steely gaze toward him and raised a single eyebrow.

Jack moved down the hall, sniffing at each door. Finally, he found what he was looking for and pushed the door open into the pitch-black room.

He was aware of a complete lack of light.

Somehow, he could still see, with a slight, blue “aura” hovering around objects and bodies, of which there were a lot.

No one reacted to his entrance, except a few curious glances as he moved into the room. He found a corner and sank down with his back to the wall, getting the lay of the land. The room was stirring with Noshers, most were human, but several of them he could not identify, or even relate to something familiar.

There was a large, muscle bound guard near the door. Jack had missed that on his way in. The guard had a menacing looking weapon hanging from a sling over its shoulder. It rested lightly in the creature’s claw-like “hands." The guard seemed to be staring at him. Great.

He let his gaze move over the room; bodies writhed in piles, looking more like a den of snakes, or insects than anything else. In one corner, he finally found it. Sitting, very much like him, taking in its surroundings with a big, goofy grin across its once human lips, was his Nosher buddy from the Mad Cow.

Jack sniffed and knew in an instant; this was the one from the Mad Cow.

He smelled faintly of processed cheese food and burned French fries, a smell that Jack had grown to know as homey. He looked different, here in this setting. He was decidedly less menacing, but Jack wondered if he still had his gun.

The guard moved, pointing his weapon at a newcomer who had just stepped into the room. The guard grunted and the newcomer reluctantly lifted his shirt, revealing a revolver. The guard snatched the gun and tossed it straight up overhead, where it clanged to a magnetic grid, well out of reach.

The whole grid was filled with knives, handguns and a few miscellaneous chains.

"No gun," Jack guessed. That was good.

Jack shifted along the wall, moving towards his intended victim. He took his time, hoping a plan would develop inside his Nosher addled brain. Nothing did. Finally, he was within reach of his target.

The Nosher looked over at him, in surprise. “Crap,” Jack thought, “he recognizes me.”

“Did you bring food?” The Nosher hissed and sniffed Jack like a hungry dog. “You smell like food.”

“Fresh out,” he said, then noticing the Nosher’s disappointment, “But, there’s food, up there.” Jack said, lifting his chin to the ceiling.

The Nosher looked up greedily, slowly figuring out that Jack was referring to the next floor up.

He crumpled to the floor, “Not that hungry, not enough to risk that guard.” He said.

“Why not, they need us, right?” Jack was getting into character.
The Nosher laughed cruelly, “They need the keys. Us? They don’t need us. They’ll just make more.” He turned to the wall and started picking at a run in the wallpaper.

Jack sat, quietly, wondering if it would work. He decided to try it again. He closed his eyes and imagined the guard asleep. He did not know how long he had been thinking it when a loud snore hit is ears, and he looked up. The guard had not moved, had not even closed his eyes, but there was no doubt, he was asleep.

“Cool,” snarled the Nosher, “I like you.” He stood and walked over, waving his hand in front of the guard’s face. Several nearby creatures motioned for him to stop, they shrank back, but the guard did not even blink.

Jack moved up behind the Nosher and guided him out of the door. Together they walked down the hall and toward the stairs up to the eighth floor. As soon as he was out of sight, he removed the case containing the blocker and syringe from his pocket.

He followed the Nosher who bounded up the stairs, sniffing hungrily.

Jack unsnapped the case and slipped the signal blocker out.

The upper floor seemed to be empty, which suited Jack’s plan perfectly. The Nosher stopped a couple of steps ahead of him, presenting Jack with a perfect opportunity.

He stabbed the transmitter into the pale skin at the base of the Nosher's neck. The creature snarled, then his eyes fluttered, and he looked at Jack with terror. Just as quickly, his eyes fluttered again and opened as tiny, confused, sleepy slits.

Jack stabbed the syringe into his arm and watched as the entire thing dissolved, drug and syringe, with a small puff of smoke, into thin air. The Nosher stiffened, breathed in with a huge sob and was instantly awake, and very, very human.

“Where are we? Are we still in the harvesting center?” He asked, looking around. He seemed to relax as he realized there were no Noshers nearby.

“Yes, we are still in the building where I found you. We have to get out of here. I have some friends who will help you.” Jack said. He moved out into the hall; the man followed him.

“My name is Ja-ake,” he said, but he seemed unsure.” How did you wake me up? I never saw any of us wake up.”

“I’m Jack; let’s stay quiet until we’re out of here.”

He moved down the hall towards the Southeast corner. When he reached the last door on his right, he turned the knob and pushed it open. A window was standing ajar in one corner of the room.

The chute was there, exactly where the map had said it would be. Jack ran to the window, with Jake in tow and threw one leg over the sill. He turned back to help Jake in first. Jake balked halfway in and backed away pointing down the chute.

From below, Jack heard ripping and saw at least four sets of eyes, and as many mouths filled with angry teeth. As he watched, what looked like man sized possums tore into the side of the chute. They started up the side of the building heading straight up the only means of escape.

When Jack turned back, Jake was leaving the room. There would not even be time to imagine a solution, as he had downstairs with the Nosher guard. He ran out into the hall and grabbed Jake, ducking through a door about halfway down the hall.

Footsteps pounded up the stairs.

He shut the door behind them, and turned to see Jake standing staring into a corner of the room, frozen in place.

From the corner stepped the Nosher girl from the elevator, and Jack’s heart almost stopped. He was afraid to let go of the door, but certain she would snarl and alert the guards or the giant marsupials that were making their way noisily through the window two doors down.

He grabbed the girl from behind and clamped one hand over her mouth, to prevent screams.

He wrapped the other arm around her waist. Jake still stood frozen.

“Little help here?” Jack whispered hoarsely. Slowly, he realized the girl was not struggling. He slackened his grip on her waste and turned her around, “If I take my hand down, will you scream?”

The girl’s intense lavender eyes were crystal clear. She slowly turned her head, left, then right, keeping her eyes locked on his.

He removed his hand, “So, you’re the one who smells so clean.”

She whispered, with a small grin. She bit the corner of her bottom lip, “I knew there was another Aedapt here. Come with me.”

The girl opened a small door behind her, leading into a closet. She reached through and twisted a coat hook; a concealed door in the rear of the closet rocked open.

Jack reached back and snagged Jake by the wrist. The three of them moved quickly through the back of the closet. The door of the closet snapped shut just as the door to the main room blasted open.

Bits of plaster and splintered wood filled the air as the door to the hall blew back against the wall. The fat guard stood in the doorway, a halo of smoke rising from the barrel of his weapon. He paused, then charged into the room, sniffing.

“Won’t they find us?” Jack asked.

***Will Jack escape with the Nosher? Who is the Aedapt girl? Find out in the next episode, of JACKED! ***

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