Read Online Memory Wipe (The Gene Thief Series Book 3 - Short Story) by Jason Cole - Free Book Online

Chapter 1
     
    “Ugh.” Kira rolled her head around to work out the stiffness from her neck, trying to awaken from a long slumber.
    “Man, Tank. I don’t remember the last time I slept this long. Must be that extra security of having you around big boy.”
    She reached her arm off the couch to pet him, but she felt the cold wooden floor instead. She opened up her eyes to see if he had moved to a different spot on the floor but she saw nothing.
    “Tank?” There was a little mix of curiosity and concern in her voice.
    She stopped moving to see if she could hear his big paws clunking around on the ground as she called them.
    “Come here, boy.” She turned her head, pointing an ear towards the kitchen. Complete silence.
    Usually he would be snoring, or crying for breakfast, but she heard none of that. A feeling started to arise inside of her. Worry and concern turned into panic and fear. There were no claw marks on the door and the windows were bolted shut. Kira was at a loss, unable to imagine where he could have gone, or how he could’ve gotten out.
    She rubbed her chin as she thought, and she landed at the same conclusion. A frightening conclusion. Someone had taken Tank from her. She felt this weird feeling inside, her throat had a frog in it, and her eyes were getting watery. Not recognizing this feeling, it stressed her out even more. Tears? This was something she was used to seeing in other people, weaker people. Tears meant emotions out of control and that meant potential liabilities and vulnerabilities. Neither of these were traits she could afford as a gene thief.
    The apartment had an eerie silence too it, the lack of Tank’s presence was unsettling. Already she missed that little whimper that woke her up in the morning with his big eyes looking up at her waiting to be fed. Who would do this? Who would dare do this? She didn’t have any answers yet but she knew one thing, they would be dealt with harshly. Tank was the only other living thing in this world that she loved, and no one would get away with taking him from her.  Some people were going to regret their decisions.
    She sat down on the barstool in the living room. She placed her head into her right palm and her left arm rested on the table. A paper rustled on the table under the weight of her arm. There was a letter on the table. Quickly unfolding it, she read inside.
    We have your fat mutt and thanks to his insatiable hunger it was easier than we thought. One fuckin steak and he was walking with us as if we had raised him ourselves. He’s been crying so much that we had to put a muzzle on his face and lock him up. I hope you’re tougher than this bitch dog you got.
    She had to take a break from reading. The rage inside of her was making the lines blur together. She could feel the pulse behind her eyes quickening, her hands turned into fists and grabbed fiercely onto the piece of paper. Her mind was already fantasizing what she would do to these lowlifes.
    What scared her the most was that they were able to open her door, lure him out, and remain undetected. Never in her life had something like that happened before. No one could even walk down the hallway without her knowing. If someone was in the elevator, she knew it.
    The only thing she could think of was that Tank offered her a comfort she had never felt before. With him around, things felt like they were okay. Life was in order, and he would protect her. Now it was time for her to protect him, and that was exactly what she intended to do.
    Kira went down her mental list of diseases she could infect them with, genes she had accumulated that gave rise to some nasty symptoms. Bone degradation, over stimulation of nerves, insomnia, depression, schizophrenia, the list went on. She put the paper down and looked out the window, intertwined her fingers, and pondered. Kira didn’t consider herself the violent type, but she was willing to make an exception.
    She settled down a bit and snapped back to