Afraid of the Dark Read online

  Afraid of the Dark

  Chris “Jekyll” Hechtl

  Copyright © 2011 by Chris “Jekyll” Hechtl

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Please do not participate in or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional. Any resemblance to other people is in parody or is purely coincidental. ;)

  Cover art by Chris Hechtl

  Proof read and edited by Chris “Mechmaster” Smith, Thomas Burrows, Brandon Bynum, Jory Gray, and Poon Yee

  “Who wills, Can.

  Who tries, Does.

  Who loves, Lives.”

  -Anne McCaffrey

  April 1, 1926 – November 21, 2011

  Thanks Anne for inspiring words and inspiring generations of people to look to the stars. Including me. May your spirit soar.

  Authors Note

  This is a work of fiction. Although the places are real, the people and events are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Note: The area I based this book on has changed a bit since this writing. Try to be flexible when you Google/map what I'm talking about. lol

  This is also a possible start to a FPS/RPG/RTS hybrid game. Images of the models and animation will be on the web sometime in the future.

  Table of Contents

  ACT I

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  ACT II

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  ACT III

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Epilogue

  Appendix and Resources

  ACT I

  Chapter 1

  Shane grimaced as the light changed and traffic slowed to a crawl. “Great,” he sighed, sitting back and getting comfortable.

  Sometimes one of the worst things about working at the mall was the traffic in the area. People just didn't know how to drive, or just didn't care. Blinkers? Oh those flashy things on the front and back of the car? So what? He thought darkly.

  He'd gotten out early so he could be at his son's game this evening, he was proud of the boy, following in his footsteps.

  Hell, he'd be proud of Nick even if he hadn't. Nick was a good kid, with a good head on his shoulders and he kept his nose clean and did well in school. But the fact that Nick had decided to follow the family tradition, that was quite the feather in his cap. He smiled at the thought and then frowned at the radio as the announcer's rambling finally penetrated.

  “We're still getting reports from NASA that the comet fragments will be breaking up and we should get quite a fireworks show for those of you who stay up to watch tonight. Astronomers believe the debris will be coming down in showers across the planet for at least one day, possibly two.”

  He wondered about that. Everyone knew about the comet, how it had been coming in from outside the system and that the orbital watch crew had just picked up on it only a few days before. They were lucky it was breaking up already. He scowled as the announcer started to go on about how the comet was a gross and blatant oversight on the part of the president and how if someone else had been in office this wouldn't have happened.

  “Yeah right,” he growled, changing the channel. “Sure, like anyone can know something like this is going to happen.” He was pretty sure the government's assurances that it wasn't an ELE, or Extinction Level Event were legit. If it was something like the Shoemaker comet, someone would have said something by now. Oh well, some did, but most of them were fringe loonies and nut jobs.

  That was all anyone everywhere was talking about. The comet. It had overshadowed everything else. A comet heading toward Earth. There would have been panic in the streets if they hadn't found out that the thing had already broken up into small pieces. The prevailing opinion of all the world's greatest scientific minds was that the small, room sized ice meteors would burn up in the atmosphere or skip off to the Moon or deep space.

  It was going to pass the zero barrier any time now. When it did the Earth was in for one hell of a light show according to the experts. He sighed. There was nothing he or just about anyone on the planet could do about it. He'd wanted to head to the mountains or inland but Jen and Jayne had shot that idea down.

  Technically they were right, since it was a comet, a good proportion of its' fragmenting mass was ice in some form or another. Be it water ice, methane, or some other thing. Most of that would burn off when it hit the atmosphere. Ice or just about anything for that matter hitting an atmosphere at the right speed induced friction and superheated plasma was the result. That same plasma would super heat the ice embedded in the fragments, and the shock should make them explode like a fourth of July fireworks display. Quite the show indeed.

  He sighed and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. The traffic light changed and the line started to move. It didn't last though; one car length to go and it flashed amber and then red. He thought the car ahead of him was going to run the red but then snorted as the guy slowed to a stop. Uh huh, he thought with amusement. He wasn't sure if it was his uniform or... no, he looked in his rear view. There was a cop car behind him. Yeah, the guy didn't want to run the red. Smart.

  He'd been a cop, well, deputy at one time before coming back to SoCal. Also a Marine. Now he was a glorified security guard. Well, not quite, he was post commander of the mall, but it still wasn't exactly his dream job, he mused and then shrugged mentally. At least it was work.

  His phone rang. He scowled at it as he recognized the caller ID. Great. Not what he was hoping for. He sighed and then picked up the bluetooth and stuck it in his ear. “Yeah Bill?” he said as the call started.

  “Boss you still around?”

  “Nope, I'm stuck in traffic on the way home,” he said, not wanting Bill to know he was still on Fredrick. It would be just his luck that something happened and he had to turn around.

  “Got a case of shoplifting. We missed two, a girl and guy, but the third was caught. Our old buddy.”

  “Oh?” he a
sked.

  “Julio,” Bill said unnecessarily.

  “Again? What is the guy stupid?” he asked.

  “No, just persistent,” Bill said as the street light changed. He pulled forward and then sighed as he made it to the next light. School was out nearby, but apparently there was a soccer game on. Just his luck. That explained why traffic was knotted up.

  “Hand him over to the deputy on duty. I take it the store is pressing charges?”

  “Julio's been banned from the mall. Too right they are pressing charges,” Bill replied with a snort.

  “Gotcha. You know the forms to fill out. You've done them often enough.”

  “He and his friends have given me enough practice you mean,” Bill said dryly. Which was true. Julio was a banger, but one who liked to talk a lot of smack and get into mischief. The guy wasn't very bright though to get caught shoplifting. Again. You'd think he'd remember the cameras in the stores. Pure arrogance.

  “All right, I've got a game to see. Hold the fort till later Bud.”

  “Will do. Tell Nick to kick ass but keep cool about it,” Bill said.

  “Yeah,” Shane said sighing. “I'll try to do that. Out,” he said hitting the off button. “Just another fun day in sunny Moreno Valley,” he said as the light changed and the line started creeping forward once more.

  Moreno Valley is largely a bedroom community. People commute to Orange and LA County daily, sure there were a few that worked in Temecula, San Bernardino, or Riverside, but the bulk of people in the sleepy city went further abroad for their work.

  He counted his blessings. Being a guard wasn't quite what he'd wanted, but it had some of the same problems as he had run into as a deputy. Theft was an obvious one, also chasing off people who were lingering or catching people who vandalized.

  That was pretty much it for him, they had the occasional domestic dispute or lost child, but it was normally pretty quiet this time of year. He wasn't looking forward to the holidays though.

  The good thing was that he was home regularly and didn't have the stress of a long commute or the constant threat of getting shot or stabbed in a routine traffic stop. Jen had been particularly grateful about that. Of course, being the boss didn't hurt either. He made the next turn and felt his back relax as he passed through the gates to his familiar neighborhood.

  It had been another hot summer day, it was burning hot now that September had arrived. Now that it was five pm it was cooler, down to 85. He grinned a little. That was the good thing about working at the mall, he was in air conditioning most of the day.

  He checked his phone for the time and then nodded. He'd got off work a couple hours early to see his son's football game at 6:30. He had just enough time to change and eat before they had to head out.

  It was an idyllic day, perfect in its own sleepy way. The kids were at play outside with the neighbors after finishing their homework. He waved as they got out of the way. “Hey Jayne, home early too?” he asked pulling into the driveway.

  Jayne, their next door neighbor was Jen's best friend and some teasingly said his second wife. She'd been a rock when Jayne had been diagnosed with leukemia, helping out with the kids and making sure she was available any time Jen needed a shoulder. It was good that she worked at the mall too. She'd helped him pick out an anniversary gift for Jen last year. She had saved his hide when he'd forgotten a birthday too.

  “No, just my usual time,” she said, flashing him a smile as she rifled through her mail at the mailbox. “Nick got a game?”

  “Yeah are you going?” he asked. She shook her head.

  “Pass,” she said, running her hand through her brown pixy cut hair, some would call it a butch haircut. Jayne smiled, eyes lighting a little as Jen came out and waved.

  “I've got to get a ton of papers in for the next holiday project. And I promised my mother I'd give her a ring.”

  “No hot date?” Jen teased, coming over with a slight swagger. She'd finally gotten back some of her zest and energy and was eager to live life to the fullest again.

  “No, mores the pity,” Jayne sighed.

  “What happened to Georgette? She was a hotty,” Jen asked, using the key to open their mail box and get the mail. Jayne shook her head.

  “She unfortunately turned out to be a waste of my time. she said she was bi, but she was using me to get her ex jealous.”

  “You saw through it right off?” Jen asked, concerned.

  “No, but I picked up on it when I read the stuff she posted online.”

  “Oh.”

  “So... just me and my trusty vibe for the night,” Jayne said teasingly. Jen rolled her eyes but couldn't quite fight a smile from her face. Trust Jayne to rib her about something like that. At least she did it when the kids weren't around. She glanced at the twins down the street. They were busy playing tag.

  “Try a cucumber. I hear it does wonders for your complexion,” she retorted, closing the door and locking it before swaggering back to her man. She gave Jayne an over the shoulder smirk as she slapped Shane on one rear cheek, cupping it for a moment. “Me, I'll have mine later.”

  “Not too much later if you keep that up lady,” he growled to her playfully, catching her before she could get out of reach and wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her long and lovingly.

  “What was that for?” she asked.

  “Do I have to have a reason?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. Her eyes twinkled.

  “When you put it that way,” she said, hands going up around his neck to pull his head down for another kiss, “no, I don't,” she finished as the kiss broke and they went forehead to forehead.

  Jayne shook her head, feeling a slight pang of jealousy over the by play but respecting their love. If only she could find someone like that she thought again.

  “Come on hubby,” Jen said, playing with his tie. “We've got dinner and you need to change before the game.”

  “Which game are we talking about?” he asked, smiling as she led him inside. She waved to Jayne with one hand and then shot him an amused look. “We'll see lover boy,” she said, smacking his rear again as the garage door closed behind them.

  Jayne thought about blowing off the paperwork and going to the game, it wasn't like the papers were that important. She'd gotten most of it done, she just wanted to go over it one more time. The planning for the upcoming holiday season was done, the execution remained. Really all she was doing was make work, checking to see if all her 'I's were dotted and 'T's crossed.

  Really though, lately she'd felt like a third wheel with the O'Neill family. It wasn't that she wasn't invited, it was just that... well, it felt a little awkward. She'd also picked up on some glances, dirty looks, and mutterings people had been making too. It wasn't enough to prick Jen's radar, but she didn't want it to become a problem for their marriage.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Shane watched his wife as she moved away from him to handle the bills and get to work on dinner. He smiled as she shook her hair out. Shoulder length, well, a little beyond it, but still gorgeous. A little thin, but chemo had a way of doing that. Fortunately the chemo hadn't burned all her hair out, and the intervening time since her treatments had ended had been long enough for the remainder to grow out and for some to grow back.

  She'd been lucky to find a bone marrow donor so soon. It had cut down on her illness and eased her recovery. Fortunately the graft had held too. She wasn't quite one hundred percent of what she was before, but she wasn't letting the thought of what she had lost stop her. It was like she had something to prove. She lived life to the fullest now.

  Jen was lean and lithe with just the right curves to her womanly body. She wasn't happy about crossing the big four oh, but she didn't look like she was there. More like a woman in her thirties, maybe late twenties. Yoga and an active life style kept her trim. Keeping up with the kid's schedule had pretty much done the rest.

  Hell, their active life style and his experience in the corps had done the same to him. He c
ould still do his max pushups every morning and unlike his coworkers his butt and belly weren't sagging. Their nightly walks kept him trim. That and their other nightly activities as well. He smiled, loving how her lips curved and pursed as she silently read through a letter. She waved it and slapped it down on the counter before noticing he was still there.

  She took in his admiring glance and blushed a little. “Go on, go change. Dinner should be ready in twenty,” she said making shooing motions. He snorted and walked off.

  Jen watched him go out of the corner of her eye and felt the blush fade. Men, she thought with exasperated affection. Only one thing on their tiny little Cro-Magnon minds, once they hit puberty that was it. She hadn't looked forward to Nick's joining of that fraternity. So far though he'd been okay. At least so far. Though he had started responding to the gushing girls who fawned over the star football player. If he was anything like his dad, and he was showing all the signs that he was, it was going to be a ticklish couple of years coming up.

  She'd have to pace herself, she told herself firmly as she went to work on dinner. Really, she'd need her energy for the whole night, so she couldn't get too excited during the game. She hated that her energy levels weren't what they used to be. Ever since the cancer... she sighed, putting the thought aside.

  It wasn't like she wasn't still doing things, she'd just learned to pace herself more and focus her efforts where it counted. The kids had taken up the slack, and she was glad of it. She was proud of them, not only for their maturity, but for not griping about it.

  Take the animals for instance. She volunteered at the shelter and was a foster animal care giver and trainer. That didn't take a lot of energy, just time.

  Admittedly dealing with some people sometimes did. The animals... well if she was busy one of the twins or even Nicky were more than willing to walk or play with them. The kids were good about that.

  The PTA... Well, that she had been forced to cut back on. Jayne had stepped in as her surrogate for a bit, she'd been better at that than trying to help out at the shelter. She bit her lip over the memory of the near disaster that had been.