Ella Awakened (21 page)

“Hey man,
what’s going on?” Burke asked as Carl got out of his vehicle.

“Got a call
this morning.  Looks like a suicide.  Brady identified the girl as Julie
Swanson, girlfriend of the guy you brought in last night.”  Carl kicked at a
pebble and pursed his lips.  “Sad, she was a student here at the university –
had her whole life ahead of her.  It’s hard to lose someone you care about, but
it’s so tragic that she took her own life.”

Burke
watched the men pull the transport table from the back of the van.

“Room two,”
Carl called.

“So what
happened?  Where was she?” Burke asked.

“She was
found in the same location Daniel Parker died.  Some of the college students
went there this morning to put out flowers and what-not and there she was in
the gully.  They called it in.  She’d cut her wrists and bled out.”

“Damn,”
Burke said, wondering if that was what really happened.  “I guess we’d better
get started.”

“The girl’s
parents will be here in about an hour.  I don’t think they’ll want an autopsy. 
Cause of death is apparent.  I’ll write up the death certificate and help you
with the other autopsy.  I’m gonna run and grab something to eat first, if you
don’t mind.  The call interrupted my breakfast.”

“Of course,
take your time.  I’ll get started.”  Carl headed towards his car, and Burke
went inside.

Burke signed
the paperwork accepting delivery of the unfortunate young girl, and then headed
down the hall to the second autopsy room.  It was Julie all right.  Man!  Was
she an obsessive girlfriend who felt she couldn’t live without someone?  A man
who she doubted even loved her in return - or was there more to this then met
the eye?

Burke walked
to the head of the table and laid his hands on her head.  He closed his eyes
and waited.  A few minutes later he was stumbling backward, eyes wild.  He spun
in a circle and reached for a cabinet to steady himself, but fell to his knees
anyway.  He took a deep breath.  “Oh no,” he said out loud to the empty room.

He took his
cell phone out of his pocket and called Ella.

“Hey!” she
answered Burke’s call.  “I just got back from the market.  I decided on chicken
alfredo and a garden salad.  How does that sound?”

“That sounds
great love.  Listen, something’s come up and I need you to come to the office.”

“I was just
going to go for a run.  Can I meet you in about an hour?”

“No Hutsool,
I need you to come now.”

Ella
suddenly registered the anxiety in Burke’s voice.  Her stomach clenched in
fear.  “What’s happened?  Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m
all right.  Just come to the office.” 

Ella hung up
her phone and grabbed her keys and purse.  She didn’t even bother to change. 
She was dressed in fitted calf length running pants and a cut off sports top. 
Something was wrong and it was hard to suppress her panic.

Ella made it
to the Office of the Medical Examiners in less than twenty minutes.  She jumped
out of her car, not even bothering to take the keys out of the ignition, and
ran inside.  Burke must have heard her because he poked his head out of the
second autopsy room and said, “I’m in here”.

Ella stopped
short just inside the door.  She immediately recognized the girl on the table
as Julie from the previous night.  “Oh my gosh!  What happened, Burke?”

“Carl’s
ruling it a suicide, but that’s not what happened.”  Burke took both of Ella’s
hands in his.

“It was the
Demon, wasn’t it.”  It was more of a statement than a question.  Why else would
he call her?

“Yes, it was
the Demon.  He didn’t even take her energy; he took most of it, but not all of
it.  He slit her wrists and left her alive enough to bleed out.”

“Why?” 
Obviously Burke was upset or worried.  Ella couldn’t help it; she was starting
to get annoyed.  She hated suspenseful crap.  She felt like there should be eerie
music playing in the background.  Burke was just staring at her.  “Oh for
crying out loud!  Just show me.”

Ella pulled
her hands away from Burke, walked around to the head of the table, and laid her
hands on Julie’s head with her fingers spread.

Burke
grabbed her shoulders and spun her around.  “Wait just a minute.  I need to
prepare you for this.  The Demon did this to send a message.  He knows about
the visions and he tells me to tell you to back off.”

Ella’s jaw
fell open.  “Are you telling me this girl was senselessly murdered to send
me
a message?”

“The Demon
is pure evil, Ella.  Nothing he does is anyone’s fault but his own.  Don’t you
dare blame yourself for anything.  Just help me figure out how to put a stop to
it.”

Ella turned
and placed her hands on Julie’s head again.  “I know Burke.  Just show
me...please.”

Burke
wrapped his arms around Ella and placed his hands over hers.

Ella was
standing next to the gully where Daniel had died... been killed... she didn’t
know what had happened.  She had loved him so much.  Three years they had been
dating and everything had been perfect for over two and a half of them.  The
police had questioned her last night but then let her go.  She looked at the
daisies in her hand.  Daniel had brought her daises on several different
occasions.  She could feel the sting of tears behind her eyes – it was a wonder
she had any tears left.  She’d cried non-stop since she’d gone after Daniel
last night.

“Are you
okay?”

Julie looked
up and saw a young man with an unopened beer in his hand.  He saw Julie glance
at the drink.  “Just bringing my pal one last brew,” he said and jumped into
the gully.  He put the drink on the ground next to the rock that was still
stained with Daniel’s blood.  “Let me help you.”  He reached his hand up.  She
took it and slid down the rocky hill on her heels. 

Once at the
bottom, she laid the flowers next to the beer.  “How did you know him?” she
asked.

“We’ve had a
couple of classes together and studied over a beer or two.”  He sat down and
leaned against the rocky bank.  Julie sat beside him.  As she turned to look at
him, he grabbed her face.  She couldn’t even scream; she was absolutely
transfixed as his eyes turned red and his mouth stretched wide displaying rows
of sharp spikey teeth.  He began to inhale over her face.  Just before she lost
consciousness, he stopped and looked directly into her eyes.  His voice
slithered around rows of teeth.  “Healer, I have a message for the warrior. 
Tell her if she pursues me I will kill her aunt, uncle, cousin and her pretty
little curly haired friend.  Then I will happily kill the warrior herself.” 
Healer,
Julie thought,
what? 
The monster took a knife wrapped in cloth and
slit both of her wrists before pressing the weapon into her own hand.  This was
more than her mind could manage, and she passed out.

Ella fell
back against Burke.  She recovered faster than she had last night.  There was
fury in her eyes as she took the bottle of water Burke held out to her.  “I’ve
gotta go,” she said and was instantly on her feet.

“Wait a
minute,” Burke grabbed her hand.  “We need to talk about this Ella.”

The door to
the autopsy room opened and Detective Brady walked in. 
What have we here?
 
Ella the hot intern looked even hotter in her workout clothes.  She and Burke
were staring intently at each other.  “The girl’s parents are here.  They
obviously didn’t regard the speed limit,” Brady said.

Please
don’t leave,
Burke
silently beseeched Ella.

I need to
think, Burke.  I’ll be at your house when you get home tonight. 
She turned and walked away.  Burke
couldn’t follow her.  Brady was here and so were the girl’s parents.

~~

Ella went to
the city park.  She ran as fast as possible without drawing attention to
herself.  Three people had died here.  What was it about this park that made
the Demon keep coming back?  Now he had threatened her family, her friend and
herself.  She was livid.  She was going to find him, and she was going to kill
him.  She still couldn’t help but feel like she was missing something.  If he
had sent the message through Burke, why had Burke been left out of the
threats?  Did the Demon not know what she and Burke were to each other, or did
he not care?

Ella stopped
running and paced back and forth across the path.  Finally, unable to divine
the answers on her own, she knelt down and bowed her head. 
Mother of All,
give me strength to fulfill my destiny.  You allowed me to awaken, you brought
my soul mate across the universe.  Guide me and show me what to do.
  Then
she said out loud, “Demon, I hope you are watching me.  I hope you can hear me
now.  I will not rest until I have crushed the very life from you.  I will
eradicate you from this world.  I will stop at nothing, and I will look into
your eyes and smile as I cut your head from your body.”

The Demon
watched Ella from the shadows and grinned as he listened to her warning.  Good,
the warrior had quite a bit to occupy her mind now.  Let her worry about her
family.  He cared nothing about them.  He cared nothing about the warrior.  She
was a nuisance at best.  She was not the one he feared, and she was not the one
he needed.

About the Author:

S. E. Duncan
is a graduate of Old Dominion University.  She lives in Virginia with her
husband, two children, and a variety of critters.  Between working, hanging out
with a den of cub scouts, and taxiing her beautiful children around; she
somehow managed to fulfill her dream of becoming an author. 
Ella Awakened
is her first book.

The sequel
to
Ella Awakened – Ella Provoked –
will be available by late fall 2013. 

Please connect with the author and
check for updates on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/EllaAwakened

Read on for a preview of
Ella
Provoked.

Preview: Ella Provoked

Burke
breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled up in front of his house and saw
Ella’s car in the driveway.  He’d been a nervous wreck all afternoon.  After
leaving the seventh message on her cell phone, he had finally given up on trying
to reach her that way.  She’d told him she’d be at his house when he got home. 
He had left the office as soon as possible, wondering the whole way home what
he’d do if she wasn’t there.

Burke ran
into the house and called her name.  She wasn’t here - he’d know it if she was.

I’m in
the greenhouse. 
She
spoke in his head. 

Burke
hurried through the house, out the back door, and down the slate path.  She sat
in the lone chair in the middle of the room.  “Ella!” he said.  “I’ve been
worried sick.  Why didn’t you answer your cell phone?”

“I don’t
even know where it is to be honest with you - maybe in the car.  I went for a
run, then came out here to sit and think.”

Burke went
and knelt on the floor in front of her.  He put his hands on her knees.  “Are you
okay, Hutsool?”

“Yes...
no... I don’t know.  I’m pissed off and frustrated.  I just keep running it all
over in my mind – the incident at the popcorn machine and both visions.  The
only consistency I can come up with as far as his appearance goes is his
eyes.”  Ella leaned her head back and ran her hands through her hair.

“What about
his eyes?”

“They don’t
change – I mean before they turn red.  They’re always the same shade of green. 
Also there’s no limbal ring.  You know, the dark outline around the iris.  There
aren’t any specks of color on the iris like most people have either.  His eyes
are just that flat moss green throughout.  I’d think he was wearing colored
contacts, but when he takes his victims he’s close enough that you’d definitely
be able to see the outline of the contact, and it’s not there.  Not to mention
if he had on contacts his eyes probably wouldn’t turn red the way they do.”

“Well that’s
something, Ella.  It gives us
something
to look for.”  She hadn’t
mentioned the threats – the message – yet.  Should he bring it up?  She was
upset, distraught, and frustrated.  He could feel the tension when he touched
her.  This woman was his whole world and he was very in tune with her
emotions.  There was something else bristling under the surface. 
Determination.

Ella finally
raised her head and looked at him.  Her hands were resting on the arms of the
chair.  He was right there in front of her and though she was desperate to, she
made no move to touch him.  She had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what she
was about to say.  “I’m going to tell Jeremy,” she finally whispered.

Burke’s face
fell. “You can’t tell him, Hutsool.”

She remained
still, her only movement was to flex her hands and grip the arms of the chair a
little tighter.  “I’m sorry you feel that way, but I’m telling him anyway.”

Burke pursed
his lips.  He stood up and paced around the room.  “He won’t believe you,” he
said at last.