FIFTY

A jute bag was removed from Rose's face, revealing her messy, red hair.

She breathed heavily as she yelled,"Where is my sister?!"

No one responded as she struggled and yelled at them, till a man came and slapped her with the back of his hand.

She turned back to him with a deadly look in her eyes as he began to laugh then said,"Ahh, Rose Welsh, one of the only two heiresses to the Welsh estate, you have a lot of money in your name."

"So it's money you want?! That's why you did all this?!"

"What? Oh no, no, no, I want more, and I'm going to get exactly what I want from you, it's just a matter of time..."

Rose tried to look for a way out but he gripped her chin tightly then said,"There is no way out..."

Then began laughing again.

***

Lucy walked into the visiting area and saw several big men in black tuxedos escorting Luis out.

She began to get nervous then went to ask him what was happening, then he said,"Don't worry Lucy, I'll be fine, just take care of the kids, all of them."

She wanted to ask more questions but was left in the area with the few other visitors and was confused, should she follow him?

Luis changed into the clothes he was given and entered into the limo as ...offered him a contract to sign.

Luis took it up and read through it and already found two things he didn't like by the third paragraph.

He then asked,"Why does this say that after the eight day period, I am still under the legal order to serve you whenever you want?"

"I just said this job will last eight days, finding people with your... expertise is tough and so I have to make do with what I've got."

"And why does this say I have to do everything necessary to ensure your comfort? Including taking a life? I don't do that anymore."

"Like I said Master Spire, people like you don't really change, but don't worry, it wouldn't be much blood and no one will ever know, you have my corrupt and never detected word for it."

Luis took the pen, then stabbed it into a guard's thigh and held...by the collar then asked,"And why does this say you are allowed to use force if I don't comply to your immediate demands?"

"You didn't think this will be easy did you? Well it could be very easy for both you and those you love if you just did what I said when I said it."

He gave the signal and all his men put down their weapons, but Luis didn't put him down.

He looked into Luis' eyes and Luis saw a criminal, someone not to be messed with...he saw himself.

He dropped ...then signed the contract with another pen and asked,"When do we begin?"

***

I ran through the forest for what seemed like hours, till I got to a bonfire, with over a dozen people in animal skins dancing around the fire and two offering blood to it...the patchwork of all the organs missing from the dead bodies, and Nicoline was right in the centre of it all, tied down to a table.

All the people turned to face me as my heart throbbed painfully within my chest, then one removed her mask, Mrs Lewis, saying,"Ahh Thomas, we've been waiting for you."

I looked around, how did they know I was coming?

Walker then removed his own mask, I was going to enjoy throwing him behind bars the most.

Mrs Lewis then said,"Thomas, come, join us."

"What...what are you doing to her?!"I yelled.

Nicoline screamed for help as they bathed her in the same blood they had offered to the organs, then Mrs Lewis responded,"We wish to set her burdened soul free, we wish to create a transcendent."

I then yelled,"What the heck is a transcendent?!"

"A being of absolute perfection, one too marvelous to be born of a mortal mother, so we have to create one of our own, using the bodies of the chosen ones, twelve imperfect souls for one perfect one."

"You're all insane!"

She began to approach me and I took a few steps back, as she said,"Join us Thomas, and you will be rewarded greatly, the transcendent can be whatever, whoever you want it to be, a god, a friend...a dead relative."

I stopped moving back and took a step forward as I asked,"You could bring Mark back?"

She smiled and nodded, the slowly led me into their group, as tears welled up in my eyes.

They placed a small glass in my hand and asked if I could do the honours.

I turned back, to make my solemn request to the transcendent, before doing what I needed.

Mrs Lewis then said,"Tell it what you wish."

"I wish..."I began,"...I wish that you would go back to h*ll!"

I threw the glass, smashing it against Walker's forehead and pushed the organs off of the pole, to the floor, scattering them around.

They tried to stop me but a swat team immediately burst through and held them all at gunpoint.

Nicoline was freed and they were all arrested, but Mrs Lewis' last words were,"You don't know what you've done! She was going to save us all!"

I was just glad she had been saved now.

***

"I knew I shouldn't have come to this college."Nicoline said.

"What do you mean?"I asked.

"My mother and my elder sister both disappeared mysteriously at this same time of year, everyone told me not to come here, but I didn't listen, I was just so foolish and..."

"When was the your sister born?"I asked.

"The same day I was born, but there's a two year difference."

"And your mother?"

"...the fourteenth of August."

' It seemed to run in the family those who were kidnapped...but how did they always get the right people and make them be born at the right time? It was like they were... farming them as livestock. '

Mr Hanson said she should get some rest then came to speak with me privately.

"That phrase you mentioned; Yulec ila, it actually meant a human of great power and achievement, a transcendent, and those markings on the book were of a language never before seen, but from one of the interrogation sources, it was revealed that the first book you saw contained instructions for how and when to...create a transcendent."

I looked at him for a second, then sighed, what is wrong with mankind?

Mr Hanson also returned my second phone, the one that I left at the library and I realized I had one message from Rose...trapped.