Read Online Hybrid by Greg Ballan - Free Book Online
Authors: Greg Ballan
Tags: Horror/Suspense/Thriller
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“Promise you won't think I'm crazy.”
“This is me, Erik.” Shanda pointed to her purple hair and wild attire.
“Okay,” he replied, letting out a deep breath. “There are times, when I really focus, I can double, almost triple, my physical strength. It's like my body has some kind of built-in overdrive or something. I feel like I've been plugged into an adrenaline high. I've tested it before, at the gym when nobody was around.” He paused, reluctant to continue.
“And?” Shanda urged him on.
“I was able to bench-press over 750 pounds, and I weigh just over 185 pounds—nearly four times my own body weight. A few days ago during a martial arts workout, after an argument with my ex's husband, I got angry and pulverized six cement blocks with my bare hands. The head instructor said he only knew of a few men who could break four of them, and nobody who could break six. I think I could have done more, a lot more.”
“Erik, that's fantastic. Don't be ashamed of whatever abilities you have; they're gifts, not a curse.” She paused. “I always thought you no longer believed in this kind of thing, that maybe you were turned off by them,” she added, hinting at the still unknown reason for his termination of their relationship. Shanda secretly felt hurt that Erik had not confided in her earlier.
“I still believe. How can I not when I'm reminded of it every day practically?” he replied. “It's just that if I told anybody besides you they'd think I'm nuts. Sometimes, I just want to fit in and pretend that I'm just like everybody else,” Erik added with a sour note.
Shanda needed to hear him say that for some reason. It was good to know that she wasn't rejected for who she was.
Erik looked directly at her, his eyes burning with intensity. “Do you ever wonder why?” he asked in a whisper. “Have you ever been curious as to how we got these abilities in the first place, or what our lives would have been like without them?” He had a deep longing in his voice.
“Yeah, I guess, sometimes I think about it. But I've never wanted to lose the power, I accept that it's a part of who and what I am. I think it's more of a blessing than a curse,” Shanda replied. “What do you think, Erik? Are you blessed with these abilities, or are you cursed with them?”
“If they'll help me find Lisa Reynolds, I'll consider them a blessing. Otherwise, they haven't exactly helped me throughout my life,” he retorted with a half smile.
Erik started pacing, thinking about the case again. “There always has to be a motive, a reason. If Lisa Reynolds was abducted and kept alive, something isn't making sense. Why haven't the Reynolds been contacted? If she's been murdered, where is the body? If it's in the woods, it could take weeks to recover,” Erik mused as he paced back and forth. “No!” He smacked his fist into his open palm. “We don't have all the pieces yet. It's not making any sense. There's a hole in this thing big enough to drive a tank through.” He turned toward Shanda, knelt beside her. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah, I'll be fine in a few moments. It's weird; I've touched objects before, but I've never felt such powerful feedback as I've gotten from those two objects. Strong emotion leaves residual energy that can be sensed, but usually its only one emotion. I felt fear from that necklace like I've never known. What I sensed from the other package was the same fear with a trace of something else. Something I still can't place, but I know that it's not good. If I had to describe it with one word, I would have to say malevolent or maybe even evil.”
Erik walked over to his phone. “I need to get a hold of somebody. If this is really Lisa Reynolds', I need to turn it over to the police once it's been properly identified.” Erik dialed a series of numbers and waited patiently.
“Hi, Steve, how are you? How was the movie?” Erik asked. “Look, I'm sorry to call you at home. I wouldn't do
“This is me, Erik.” Shanda pointed to her purple hair and wild attire.
“Okay,” he replied, letting out a deep breath. “There are times, when I really focus, I can double, almost triple, my physical strength. It's like my body has some kind of built-in overdrive or something. I feel like I've been plugged into an adrenaline high. I've tested it before, at the gym when nobody was around.” He paused, reluctant to continue.
“And?” Shanda urged him on.
“I was able to bench-press over 750 pounds, and I weigh just over 185 pounds—nearly four times my own body weight. A few days ago during a martial arts workout, after an argument with my ex's husband, I got angry and pulverized six cement blocks with my bare hands. The head instructor said he only knew of a few men who could break four of them, and nobody who could break six. I think I could have done more, a lot more.”
“Erik, that's fantastic. Don't be ashamed of whatever abilities you have; they're gifts, not a curse.” She paused. “I always thought you no longer believed in this kind of thing, that maybe you were turned off by them,” she added, hinting at the still unknown reason for his termination of their relationship. Shanda secretly felt hurt that Erik had not confided in her earlier.
“I still believe. How can I not when I'm reminded of it every day practically?” he replied. “It's just that if I told anybody besides you they'd think I'm nuts. Sometimes, I just want to fit in and pretend that I'm just like everybody else,” Erik added with a sour note.
Shanda needed to hear him say that for some reason. It was good to know that she wasn't rejected for who she was.
Erik looked directly at her, his eyes burning with intensity. “Do you ever wonder why?” he asked in a whisper. “Have you ever been curious as to how we got these abilities in the first place, or what our lives would have been like without them?” He had a deep longing in his voice.
“Yeah, I guess, sometimes I think about it. But I've never wanted to lose the power, I accept that it's a part of who and what I am. I think it's more of a blessing than a curse,” Shanda replied. “What do you think, Erik? Are you blessed with these abilities, or are you cursed with them?”
“If they'll help me find Lisa Reynolds, I'll consider them a blessing. Otherwise, they haven't exactly helped me throughout my life,” he retorted with a half smile.
Erik started pacing, thinking about the case again. “There always has to be a motive, a reason. If Lisa Reynolds was abducted and kept alive, something isn't making sense. Why haven't the Reynolds been contacted? If she's been murdered, where is the body? If it's in the woods, it could take weeks to recover,” Erik mused as he paced back and forth. “No!” He smacked his fist into his open palm. “We don't have all the pieces yet. It's not making any sense. There's a hole in this thing big enough to drive a tank through.” He turned toward Shanda, knelt beside her. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah, I'll be fine in a few moments. It's weird; I've touched objects before, but I've never felt such powerful feedback as I've gotten from those two objects. Strong emotion leaves residual energy that can be sensed, but usually its only one emotion. I felt fear from that necklace like I've never known. What I sensed from the other package was the same fear with a trace of something else. Something I still can't place, but I know that it's not good. If I had to describe it with one word, I would have to say malevolent or maybe even evil.”
Erik walked over to his phone. “I need to get a hold of somebody. If this is really Lisa Reynolds', I need to turn it over to the police once it's been properly identified.” Erik dialed a series of numbers and waited patiently.
“Hi, Steve, how are you? How was the movie?” Erik asked. “Look, I'm sorry to call you at home. I wouldn't do
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