Deathly Revenge

By Christina Brown

Jessie was killed in a car crash, devastated by the way her life was saved, and shocked that her ex-husband was doing more than anyone to help her get back on her feet. Jessie had died and lived to tell about it.

Now Jessie has a stalker, someone who wants her to die again. Viewing Jessie as a modern day monster of the Frankenstein variety, the stalker goes to daring lengths to return Jessie to the land of the dead.

In addition to dealing with the drastic changes in her life, will Jessie survive the stalker's attempts to kill her? Or will the stalker complete Deathly Revenge?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christina Brown
• Release date: Dec 7, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465713971

Book preview

Deathly Revenge

By Christina Brown

Copyright 2011 Christina Brown

Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover art graciously provided by Jamie Corrigan.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my Twitter family and friends. Without their encouragement, and their insanity to keep me grounded, I would never have had the nerve to write anything. I owe this group of angels so much I can never repay.

Kara Stefanowich

Jamie Corrigan

Jessica Pack

Claude Bouchard

Luke Romyn

Chapter 1

It was Saturday, December 18th, and they were on the interstate on their way to do some Christmas shopping. It was a beautiful, clear evening without a single cloud marring the gorgeous blue sky. They were enjoying this rare time together. Jamie, Kara, Jessie, and Eric had been best friends since high school, but they weren't in high school anymore. Between spouses and jobs they seldom had the opportunity to enjoy a 'friend day' now. These days were always pleasant days full of wonderful memories even though they were few and far between. That was until today.

Jamie was driving the sedan, and all four were laughing, singing along to the radio, and having a great time. None of them saw the truck coming.

The driver of the Peterbuilt was drunk and driving the wrong way on the interstate. The two vehicles collided head on in a curve.

She was lying on the road and could feel something heavy on top of her. She opened her eyes as far as she could, only about half way, and saw twisted hunks of metal and pieces of vehicles scattered all over the place. Emergency lights were flashing everywhere, piercing the darkness that was descending. Her eyes closed. She smelled smoke and…was it blood? She forced her eyes back open and wished she hadn't. The lights flashed on and on revealing bodies, covered in white, blood stained sheets from head to toe, lying side by side on the shoulder of the road.

Her eyes closed again. She forced them back open and tried to call out for her sister. She could only gasp.

A stranger in some kind of uniform leaned over her. Shh, he whispered. Don't try to talk right now.

The woman glanced at the young man. In the revolving lights of the emergency beacons she could see the worry in his face. Her eyes closed, and again, she tried to force them open. She couldn't.

She heard beeps and people talking. She had no idea where she was or what was happening to her. She tried unsuccessfully to speak.

Come on, come on! We have to get this done quickly if this woman has any chance at all to survive!

Suddenly, she could see. She was in an operating room. She tried to blink her eyes to shield them from the bright overhead fluorescent lights and its reflections off the stainless steel, but she couldn't. She was being moved…away from her body! What the hell was going on?

She tried to protest. She tried to question. She tried to scream!

She was being moved toward another body. She couldn't see what the body looked like because it was completely draped in aqua sheeting. She saw the inside of the skull coming closer and closer. People were still talking and working frantically, but the sounds were fading, fading, fading away. Darkness enveloped her as she was placed in the empty skull.

The woman was aware of the tube down her throat and the various wires and tubes attached to her. She was aware that the doctors and nurses were coming and going checking on her. She could not tell if they were checking on her every few minutes, every few hours, or every few days. It all seemed jumbled together. Time had no meaning.

Voices again. This time they were vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place them. The woman couldn't open her eyes and couldn't move. She wondered what the voices meant. She had a feeling they were talking about her. She struggled to scream for help. No sound escaped her.

Do you think she’ll ever wake up? a woman asked.

I don't know. God, I hope so, but I just don't know, a man responded.

The doctor wasn't very optimistic, was he?

No, he wasn't. I'm not surprised, though. Nothing like this has ever been done before. You have to prepare yourself for the possibility that it may not even be her if she does wake up, said a second man.

How can you, of all people, say that? It will be her. I don’t know how I know, but I know. If she wakes up, it will be her. The woman gently brushed the hair back from the patient's face.

The owners of the voices walked out of the room.

Even though she could only see the white ceiling of the small room, the woman knew she was in a hospital. The sounds of the machines and the smell of disinfectant were irritating. She tried to remember what had happened to cause her to be here, but she had no memory of anything.

She seemed to be alone. She could neither see nor hear anyone. She could not speak because of the tube down her throat. She could not move her arms to reach for the call button. Trying to keep her eyes open until someone came to check on her proved to be impossible. Less than five minutes later a nurse checked on the patient. She had no idea the woman had just regained consciousness. Everything seemed to be the same as it had been for the last two weeks.

The following morning the same nurse was in the room as the doctor examined the patient. He looked at the nurse with a puzzled expression on his face.

Is everything okay, Dr. David? The nurse asked.

Are all these readings the same as last night?

Yes, sir. They are the same as they've been since the surgery. Is there something I missed?

No, he answered, scratching his head. There is more pupil response than these readouts indicate. I think our patient may wake soon.

The doctor and nurse left the room.

She heard the familiar voices again and still had no idea who they belonged to even though she felt she should.

I can't believe she could wake up any moment, said a woman excitedly.

Could, Kara, could, cautioned the man. You still need to brace yourself just in case it's not her.

The patient searched what she could of her broken memory. Kara. Who was Kara? Did she know a Kara?

Kara said, I just don't know how to tell her about Jamie. She's going to be devastated.

Who is Jamie? Who will be devastated? Are they talking about me? Am I Jamie, or will I be devastated?

Kara, it may not be Jessie, said the man more forcefully.

Eric, of course it's Jessie. Jamie would not have it any other way!

She opened her eyes and was finally able to put faces with the voices. They both rushed to her side. The woman, Kara, gently brushed the patient’s hair back from her face. The man, Eric, reached for the nurse's call button.

The nurse poured some water for her to soothe the dryness and irritation in her throat caused by the tube that had been removed.

She looked around the room. The gray walls and floor were dull and depressing. There were no windows and the only air circulated in through a vent in the ceiling by the door. The door and the wall it was situated in were glass. They were covered by a dull gray curtain.

I'm Dr. Michael David. How are you feeling? asked her doctor.

He was a scrawny man. His blue eyes were almost as dull as the gray of the room. His hair was short, brown, and curly. His only redeeming qualities were the gentleness and concern in his voice.

My head hurts, the woman managed to croak out.

Let's see what we can do about that, he replied. He wrote something on her chart and handed it to the nurse standing behind him. The nurse read it and quickly left the room.

Dr. David turned back to the patient and asked, What is your name, Sweetheart? Can you tell me that?

She opened her mouth to answer, but hesitated. She looked at the doctor. He was patiently waiting for her answer. She looked at the Eric and Kara standing quietly in the corner of the room. He was handsome. His blue eyes watched her with expectation from his square, blond hair-rimmed face. Kara, her black hair hanging to her waist while her bangs teased her green eyes, seemed ready to burst with anticipation.

She looked back at the doctor and tried to clear her head. It's…my name is…I…I don't know. Why don't I know my name? She was nearly in tears.

Kara gasped and put her hands over her mouth. Eric put his arm around her shoulder.

Now, now. Calm down, the doctor put his hand on her arm. You’ve suffered a head injury. It may take a little time for your memory to return. The important thing is that you are awake and your vital signs are good. Do you think you could stand a few tests? MRI? CT scan?

Yes. I think so. If it will help, yes, she answered him, trying to get a grip on her emotions. She was so confused that it never even occurred to her to ask them who she was. She reached for the cup of water on the table in front of her and knocked it over. I'm sorry. It was closer than I thought it was. She bowed her head.

Don't worry. I'll have the nurse bring you more water and change your bed while you're having your tests, the doctor said. He started out the door and motioned for the couple in the corner to follow him. She could hear them talking outside.

Don't panic yet. Her memory loss may really be due to the accident rather than the surgery, the doctor quietly informed the woman and man.

Do you really think that's the case? asked Eric.

I honestly don’t know. There is no normal in this situation. Remember, this has never been attempted before. There is absolutely nothing to compare this situation to, answered the doctor.

What do we do? How do we act? Dr. David, do we tell her who she is? Do we tell her about Jamie? Kara sounded nearly frantic.

We can't tell her anything. We don't know what to tell her because we don't yet know who she is. We only know who she used to be, the doctor responded calmly.

The three walked away as the nurse came in with a cup of water and some medication. She took the pills and wondered what the doctor meant. Her head hurt worse than ever.

The couple was in her room waiting when the patient returned from having tests run. Once she was in the bed and comfortable, the nurse brought her more pills.

Just something to help you relax, the nurse answered her questioning look.

After she had taken the pills and the nurse had left the room, the woman turned to the couple. Who are you? she asked.

My name is Eric McCall, and this is Kara Nichols, he said, indicating the woman.

No, she said. Who are you?

They looked at each other before Kara replied, We're here to help you. Whatever you need, anything you need, you just let us know.

I need to know what's going on here. I need to know who I am.

She wanted to ask them more questions. She wanted to know who Jamie and Jessie were. The pills were already working their magic. It was time for sleep.

They were in the car. Every one was laughing and having such fun. Jessie couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed herself so much. Eric was in the back teasing Kara by singing a song to her that she’d loved in high school but hated now. Kara, of course, was pretending to be offended. Jamie was driving and laughing at the comedy in the backseat.

Jamie had never been more beautiful and carefree. Divorcing that bum, Patrick, had been the best thing for her. She had a new home, a new job, and a new boyfriend. She had a beautiful life ahead of her.

I love you, little sister, Jessie said to Jamie.

I love you, too, old woman! laughed Jamie.

Jessie turned back toward the front of the car just in time to see the truck…

She woke up screaming. Eric and Kara were immediately at her side. A nurse came running into the room. Then another. The first nurse sent the second to call the doctor.

Sitting in bed gasping for breath, she managed to grab Kara's arm. "Where's Jamie?