Black Forest, Denver Cereal Volume 5 by Claudia Hall Christian Read Free Book Online Page A

car and threw up. Valerie rubbed his back until he
was done. Mike gave him a hand towel. Valerie held out another
bottle of water.
    “ What is all of this?”
Jacob asked.
    “ Drink it and we’ll tell
you,” Mike said.
    He put his hand on Jacob’s shoulder. Jacob
screamed.
    “ What the hell are you
doing to me?” Jacob pulled his shirt back and an angry red palm
print appeared on his skin where Mike’s hand had been.
    “ Oh God.” Tears began to
fall from Valerie’s eyes. “It’s worse than you said it would
be.”
    “ I said?” Surprised, Jacob
turned his whole attention to her.
    “ You told me that you were
vulnerable to this thing,” Valerie said. “You told me to get Jill
and her family to prepare at least a liter of healing water for you
to drink. You said you’d throw it up and if it had truly invaded
your soul this would happen. You told me and Mike to come. You said
that I was the only one who could get through to you no matter
what.”
    Valerie’s cool hand touched his
shoulder.
    “ I said no such a thing,”
Jacob laughed. “When did I say that? Why would I say it? I was fine
until you…”
    “ You tell me Jacob
Marlowe, when have I ever lied to you?” Valerie yelled at him in
her best bossy sister voice. Her index finger pounded into his
chest. “You name one time. Go on. Name one time.”
    “ I…” Jacob looked away
from her.
    “ Look into my eyes, Jacob
Marlowe,” Valerie said. “You do it this instant!!”
    Jacob turned to face his sister. In that
moment, their eyes locked. Valerie sent all the love she had for
her baby brother. His pinprick pupil’s bounced wide. Holding her
gaze, he snatched a bottle of water from her and drank it down.
    He threw up again.
    “ I can’t… I can’t do it,”
he said.
    “ Don’t give up, Jake. You
can’t let this creature take your soul,” Valerie said.
    With a nod, he took another bottle of water
from her. This time, he didn’t throw up. He took another bottle
from her and poured it over his head.
    “ Did you rent the hotel
room?” He shivered in the cold night.
    “ Yes,” Valerie said. “It’s
not far. Everyone’s waiting for you.”
    “ I better go before…”
Jacob lashed out at Valerie with his fists. Horrified, she jumped
back and Mike punched him hard behind the ear. Jacob went down in
the weeds behind the road.
    “ I could see him fighting
it,” Mike said. He picked up Jacob and stuffed him in the car. “I
don’t know what…”
    “ Just drive fast,” Valerie
jumped into the passenger seat.
    Mike sped through the night to the Holiday
Inn Express and Suites where Jill and her family waited. Jacob had
warned them. If he fought with the evil entity, it was likely he
would be invaded by some of its darkness. The darkness would grow
until it controlled him.
    Valerie just never believed it would happen
to her baby brother. She climbed into the back seat and set his
head on her lap. Closing her eyes, she did the only thing she could
think of doing – she said the loving kindness meditation for
him.
    “ Hang on, Jake. You can
fight this thing,” Valerie whispered. “Just hold on.”
    ~~~~~~~~
    Monday early morning — 4:25 A.M.
    Aden ran through the hospital. Skidding to a
stop, he pushed open Sandy’s hospital door and gasped. Her bed was
made. The flowers that had filled the room had been removed. The
forest of metallic balloons was gone. Terrified, he stepped
backward from of the door. He ran down the hallway toward the
NICU.
    “ Mr. Norsen!” the nurse
called after him. “Mr. Norsen!”
    Unwilling to stop for even a moment, Aden
continued to run through the hospital. His horrible nightmare
induced by the evil entity was creeping into reality. He slid
across the waxed floor to the window of the NICU. Rachel’s
incubator was empty. Unsure of what to do, he jogged to the door of
the NICU.
    “ There you are,” the nurse
said. “Gosh, you’re filthy. You’ll need to change. I have some
clean scrubs right