The Keras Genome Read online

  The Keras Genome

  Keras Demigods Book 1

  Kurtis Eckstein

  COPYRIGHT © 2018 – KURTIS M. ECKSTEIN

  In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the copying, scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the author is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. Thank you for your support.

  ASIN: B07C69K8YW

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  Table of Contents

  Preface

  1. Bloodbath

  2. Escape

  3. Girlfriend

  4. First Day

  5. Best Friend

  6. Attack

  7. Control

  8. Fight and Flight

  9. Hospital

  10. Hotel

  11. Plan A, B, and C

  12. Negotiations

  13. Invasion

  14. Spectator

  15. The Keras

  16. The Keras Genome

  17. Hidden Agenda

  18. Limited Opportunity

  19. Tragedy

  20. Revelations

  21. Acceptance

  22. The Hunt

  23. Pincer Maneuver

  24. Riley

  25. Angel

  26. Mother

  27. Venting

  28. Father

  29. Sleepover

  30. Prom

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Preface

  Noah wished this moment could last forever, not that he wasn’t looking forward to the kissing after the song. But somehow this moment felt nostalgic, even though he was confident there was nothing to compare it to. He felt sad when the song did end.

  She had moved her hands down to his shirt and was clinging to him. He bent down to kiss her when her muscles abruptly tensed up. He was about to ask if she was alright, but then her grip on his shirt tightened.

  “Noah.” Her voice sounded desperate. She looked up at him with despair in her eyes. “Help me.”

  Chapter 1: Bloodbath

  It’s hot. Why is it so hot? My body is burning up. And what is that smell? Noah’s eyes opened slowly. His brain was in a fog as if from a deep sleep. He didn’t recognize the concrete floor pressed against the side of his face. It was dim in the large room, so it took him a few seconds to register his surroundings.

  There was blood. A pool of blood, leading to a heap of dead bodies. The edge of the massive puddle stopped just inches away from him. A severed hand laid limp against the crimson floor, just a few feet from Noah’s face. The white fingers were eerily pale in comparison to the dark surface on which it rested.

  Gasping, Noah jolted up to his knees. The pile of corpses was a heap of dismembered bodies. The smell of death was thick in the air, suffocating him. Noah realized that the round object just beyond the hand was actually a person’s head. The sight was sickening. Trying to catch himself from falling face-first into the concrete floor, he heaved uncontrollably. His gagging and coughing echoed in the large room.

  Where am I?! What’s going on? !

  He quickly scanned his thoughts for an explanation for the horrid scene next him. But there was nothing. Panic began to fill his mind as he realized he couldn’t remember anything prior to waking up a few moments ago. Questions started racing through his head.

  How did I get here? How did they die? What killed them?

  Recalling that every effect always has a cause, fear filled his heart as it dawned on him that whatever killed them might still be there. The blood was fresh. The smell of death was fresh. He looked up again to scan the room, his breath quickly catching in his chest. His racing thoughts froze as terror overwhelmed him. Noah’s brain desperately tried to identify what he was seeing in the dim light.

  Directly in front of him was a large pile of black dismembered pieces…of something. He couldn’t identify what they belonged to, but the sight sent chills down his spine. His hair stood on end, as if his subconscious knew something that he didn’t. The dark mass was at least eight feet tall. Unsure if it was anything dangerous, he remained perfectly still looking for even the slightest sign of movement.

  Dreaming! I must be dreaming! This is all just a bad nightmare! But the cold, hard concrete against his knees felt too real. His pounding heart was so forceful that he could feel his body shake with each beat.

  No…This isn’t a dream.

  Noah suddenly gasped for air, realizing he had been holding his breath. The sudden noise startled him. Ragged gasps filled the large empty space as his heart restarted into a frenzy. More unanswered questions flooded his mind. Where am I? What is this?

  Convinced that the black mass wasn’t alive, he frantically searched around the room again for answers. The empty space was more vast than he had originally assumed, with the majority of the room behind him. The walls were metal, and the ceiling was too high to see in the dim light. Behind him were rows and rows of endless steel shelving that appeared to go as high as the ceiling.

  A warehouse? He wondered. The shelves were mostly empty, indicating it must be abandoned. The air was warm, but it didn’t explain why his body was so hot. He felt like he was going to burst into flames any minute. And the stench of blood and gore was suffocating.

  After deliberately delaying the inevitable, he finally looked back at the pile of human corpses for a closer look. They were all dressed exactly the same. After a moment of thought, Noah realized they were all wearing dark military uniforms. He finally identified the cold black metal lying among them as guns of the mutilated.

  The silence in the warehouse was deafening. Noah’s own breathing sounded like a barrage of noise in the massive, empty space. A chirping cricket briefly broke the silence and startled him. Realizing he was overreacting to everything, he tried to take a deep breath and collect his thoughts. His mind was racing, and he was having a difficult time controlling his panicked gasping .

  Unexpectedly, a creaking door pierced the silence, dwarfing the sounds coming from him.

  More men in military uniforms abruptly flooded the room from an entrance behind the pile of mutilated bodies. Through the opening, Noah could see clouds lit up from the light pollution produced by a large city at night. Guns were pointed in every direction as the armed soldiers scanned the room. One man cursed in response to the horrific sight.

  “Holy shit!”

  Noah could hear others lose their composure and begin cursing as well. Then, within seconds, he was spotted just beyond their slain comrades. Instinctively, he shoved his hands into the air, even before being told to, as all guns pointed directly at him.

  “Put your hands up! Lay face down on the ground!”

  Noah obeyed immediately, not wanting to give them any reason to shoot him. In his eagerness to avoid getting shot, he smacked his head against the ground. Pain shot through his forehead.

  “Lay flat! Hands behind your back!”

  Noah groaned as he resisted the urge to grab his head, and instead put his hands behind his back. The hard concrete floor was pressed against his face. The coarse surface was scratching his skin. Without warning, one of the men slammed his knee into Noah’s back, roughly placing handcuffs on him. The wind was knocked out of his chest, and he struggled to breath but couldn’t for a few seconds.

  The man’s boot was right next to Noah’s face, and with his first gasp of air he could smell the rubber sole covered in a metallically-scented fluid. After the soldier checked his pockets, he forcefully yanked Noah to his feet and began shoving him towards the door. Noah’s legs were weak, causing him to almost trip o
ver himself as he slipped in the blood. Desperate to proclaim his innocence, he tried to speak loudly.

  “I didn’t do anything! Why are you arresting me?!”

  The man escorting him through the mess yelled back in response. “Shut the hell up!”

  Most of the soldiers were still checking the warehouse for any signs of life, but two of them had their guns continuously trained on Noah, walking in sync with him and his escort. Noah dared not try speaking again with the two guns pointed in his direction. Someone unseen spoke on a radio behind him.

  “We are bringing a civilian out.”

  The reply was quick, “Copy.”

  Another soldier held the door open as Noah gratefully took a breath of almost-fresh air. The smell of vehicle exhaust was thick, but certainly better than the smell of death. A slight breeze helped push the suffocating scents away from his face. The temperature outside was warmer than in the warehouse, and the sounds of cars in the distance immediately filled his ears.

  Noah didn’t recognize where he was, and he realized he didn’t even know the time of the year, let alone the date. The warm air indicated it may be close to summer, but he recalled that location played a large role in the temperature throughout the year. Depending on where the city was located, it could be any month of the year at this temperature.

  Multiple military vehicles were directly in front of the entrance to the warehouse, all of them running. There were no lights on in the tiny parking lot, but it was still lighter outside due to the clouds reflecting the city lights. The pavement was cracked, with grass protruding everywhere. Just beyond the tiny parking lot were tall, brick buildings.

  “Where are we?” Noah wondered more to himself. How did I get here in the first place?

  “I said shut the hell up!” His escort demanded. He then roughly shoved Noah towards an unmarked police car. The man didn’t even bother trying to prevent him from hitting his head, as he forcefully thrust him into the backseat of the cruiser.

  Inside, a metal grate separated the front and back. The smell of old cigarette smoke clung to the interior, causing the faint scent of the leather seats to be barely noticeable. Another soldier in a black uniform was already waiting in the driver’s seat.

  Noah’s escort got into the passenger’s side next to the driver. At the same time, one of the two soldiers, with barrels pointed at him, took a break briefly to get into the backseat of the vehicle through the other door. Once the guy’s gun was pointed at Noah’s head, the last soldier closed the door.

  Without a word, the car took off. The silence and tension were thick. No one spoke, or even barely made a noise. Noah was extremely uncomfortable with his arms behind him, handcuffs digging into his wrists and lower back. He had to sit upright to prevent his weight from putting too much pressure on his hands.

  Instead of thinking about the gun pointed at his head, he tried to focus on remembering. The gun was so long that the black barrel was only a few inches away from his face. The soldier had to lean against the door to prevent the barrel from touching Noah. Even without the gun, the man was intimidating. He was so big that he barely fit in the car.

  Glancing at the guy’s face, Noah expected the soldier to be pissed, but surprisingly he looked terrified. His eyes were wide, and he seemed on edge.

  What is he afraid of? He wondered. Should I be afraid? I need to remember.

  Without moving his head, Noah looked out the darkly tinted window hoping to get some clues as to where they were, but unfortunately he didn’t recognize any of his surroundings. Tall brick buildings lined the street on either side. He knew he should be able to recognize this area since he had obviously found his way here, but he didn’t.

  Uncertain if it was a wise decision to ask, he spoke barely above a whisper.

  “Where are we?”

  The man who had escorted him turned around abruptly in his seat. “Dammit! I said shut the hell up! One more word out of you and we’ll put a bullet in your head!”

  Noah jerked back in his seat in response to the sudden aggression, causing sharp pains to radiate from his wrists. As the man turned back around, he slowly readjusted himself.

  It didn’t take long before they were on a main road with other traffic. The street continued to be fenced in by tall buildings on both sides. It looked like they were downtown somewhere. Looking at the clock in the cruiser, it was only 9:08 PM. It felt like it was much later.

  The same questions kept plaguing his mind over and over again.

  Where are they taking me? Why can’t I remember anything?

  Noah realized the man who had yelled at him was mumbling quietly into a cellphone. This prompted him to wonder if he had a phone. But he couldn’t feel anything against his leg in his pocket, and he knew the soldiers hadn’t taken anything from him. From what he could tell, his pockets were empty.

  The ride went by quickly. Within minutes they had turned off the busy road, and with a few more turns they arrived at the backend of a relatively normal looking building. More brick structures caged in the small dark alleyway. There were no lights other than the cruiser’s headlights, which turned off with the vehicle. Both men in the front exited the car, opening Noah’s door with their guns trained on him again. The soldier in the backseat then got out the same time as Noah.

  What is this place? He stopped himself from asking the question verbally. He was beginning to feel more nervous now that they had reached their destination. His heart was pounding like he had just run a marathon. His shirt clung to his torso from the sweat.

  The three men walked him up a short set of stairs that led to a metal door into the building. The entrance was old looking, chipping with brown paint. The door creaked as it opened, revealing an even darker interior. Just inside the building, the tiny room was small and dimly lit by a red light. As soon as the door slammed behind them, another one opened in front, and a harsh white light spilled into the small space.

  The sudden brightness hurt Noah’s eyes. He tried to adjust them, squinting as the men began pushing him down the hallway. The cool air made him suddenly more aware of his sweat drenched clothing. He felt gross, not to mention his legs felt like noodles and his wrists hurt. Yet, despite the chilly air, he still felt hot.

  Everything was white, like a hospital hallway – white walls, white floor, white ceiling, bright white light. The only decorations were a few doors scattered along the sides. A man in a black suit was already waiting next to an open door. He was tall and muscular. He looked to be at least sixty years old with graying hair. His eyes were hardened, like he had seen a lot in his sixty years and was callous towards others because of it. He seemed like the kind of guy who might torture people without losing a second of sleep.

  As they reached the open door, they all filed into an empty room with only a single metal chair in the middle. The walls were completely bare. Noah was roughly forced to sit, hands still handcuffed behind his back. The man in the suit then followed them in and closed the door, proceeding to grab a second folding chair resting against the wall.

  Slamming it down, the man aggressively sat in front of Noah and looked him over before speaking. His eyes were a cold steel-gray, like the eyes of killer. He began with an authoritative tone, indicating that Noah’s responses to his questions were not optional.

  “Why don’t we start by you telling me what you were doing in that warehouse.” He sounded pissed, like he could explode at any moment.

  Noah’s already racing heart started pounding harder. He felt like he was swimming in sweat. Why was it so hot? The temperature in the room was getting hotter by the second. And this interrogation felt to him like he was taking a major exam that he hadn’t studied for. Such a simple question shouldn’t be this hard to answer, yet he still couldn’t remember anything prior to waking up in the warehouse.

  He tried to speak – to say something, anything – but words wouldn’t come out. His voice was caught in his throat, stopped by his pounding heart. He felt panicked.

&nb
sp; What do I tell him?! What do I say?! I need to say something! After a few painfully slow seconds, his interrogator finally spoke more aggressively.

  “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way .” The man began reaching in his pocket, calmly pulling out a small black case. Noah’s heart beat harder, as cold eyes examined him again. After another brief pause, the man opened the case in his lap revealing small metal tools, one of which looks like a scalpel used for surgery .

  Is he going to torture me?! I don’t know anything! I don’t remember anything!

  The interrogator spoke harshly again, “Well?!”

  Noah wanted to talk. He wanted to comply, but he couldn’t get any words out. Fear had him frozen in place. His torturer wasn’t patient.

  “The hard way it is,” he said as he pulled out the scalpel. The tiny razorblade reflected the harsh white light into Noah’s eyes, and the entire room darkened as his focus intensified on the blade. A low roaring began in his ears as the room started spinning.

  “Wait!” Noah said meekly. He knew he was about to pass out. His thoughts were becoming more convoluted. He tried to speak again – anything to keep that tiny razor away from him.

  “I…”

  “You what?!” The man yelled, all his patience gone.

  “I…I…don’t remember…anything…” Noah finally got it out. He briefly felt relieved to have said something, his shoulders relaxing slightly.

  Without warning, the man stabbed the scalpel into Noah’s leg. The blade sliced deep into his thigh without resistance. He could feel his muscle slicing apart, yielding to the sharp metal. Excruciating pain radiated up his spine.

  Noah screamed uncontrollably, while a rough pair of hands grabbed his shoulders to hold him still. The handcuffs dug into his wrists as he instinctively tried to stop his torturer from stabbing him. The man with cold eyes began wiggling the scalpel as he started yelling at Noah. The sharp edge dug even deeper into his leg.

  “We don’t have time for your shit! We know what you are!” The man shoved the scalpel in even further. “We know what you are! And we will rip you apart piece by piece to get answers!”