The Seed

By Heath Fox

With each war new victims are created. With each war new enemies are born. At a time of celebration for FBI Special Agent Thomas Dewitt a personal tragedy occurs and sends him on a quest to find the murderer of his pregnant wife and unborn child. A quest that will take him into the heart of terrorism and Al’ Qaeda. A quest that will push him to the limit of his sanity and desire for revenge. A choice will be made... save the world from the most lethal terrorist attack in history or...kill the man responsible for the death of his wife and child. From America to Israel to Iraq and around the world The Seed will take you on a journey into the heart of terrorism and it’s origin. Once you begin the journey there will be no turning back.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heath Fox
• Release date: Feb 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458054326

Heath Fox

Heath Fox is the author of the newly released International Thriller The Seed. He's currently working on several new novels including, Invasion, Know your Enemy, Invisible and Beneath the Ice and many others.Heath likes to travel a range of different literature styles and genre's including, science fiction, horror, thriller, poetry and fantasy adventure. Some of his favorite authors include, Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare, Chekov, Maximillian Gorky, James Rollins, James Patterson, Jack London, Clive Barker, Alexander Solzhenitsyn to name just a few. With his vast love of literature and authors he reaches out to the reader with stories that not only keep you on the edge of your seat but ask important questions about life and the world around us.One of his favorite quotes is from Alexander Solzhenitsyn a Russian author who survived many years in a Soviet Gullag and lived in America before returning to Russia after the fall of Communism as a hero to not just Russia but to the world..."It is not because the truth is too difficult to see that we make mistakes... we make mistakes because the easiest and most comfortable course for us is to seek insight where it accords with our emotions - especially selfish ones." - Alexander Solzhenitsyn"I think that if you can reach the reader and cause them to think for a moment about the story you are telling and the philosophy that it embraces, you've given the reader more then just a story. You've given them a lesson that will stay with them and help them grow as a human being." - Heath FoxFuture novels by Heath Fox will be available soon. On this website you will find many samples of his work and lots of interesting things for you will find many samples of his work and lots of interesting things for you to enjoy.

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Copyright © 2008 www.heathfox.com

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 1-4392-2162-6

ISBN-13: 978-1-4392-2162-4

Published by www.heathfox.com at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 www.heathfox.com

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to any person living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author. If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as unsold or destroyed to the publisher. In such case, neither the author nor the publisher received any payment for the stripped book.

Cover and book design by Fern Strout

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Dedication

This novel is dedicated to the men and woman of the Armed forces and Law enforcement worldwide that put their life on the line everyday to keep freedom alive. Thank you for your sacrifice. - Heath Fox

Quotes

He should not kill a living being, nor cause it to be killed, nor should he incite another to kill. Do not injure any being, either strong or weak in the world. - Sutta Nipata II, 14

Conquer the angry man by love.

Conquer the ill-natured man by goodness.

Conquer the miser with generosity.

Conquer the liar with truth. - The Dhammapada

The fool thinks he has won a battle when he bullies with harsh speech, but knowing how to be forbearing alone makes one victorious. - Samyutta Nikaya I, 163

Hate is a curable disease when treated with compassion, tolerance and intelligence. - H.F.

Chapter 1

IT WAS A DARK NIGHT even under a starlit sky. A hot desert wind swept down upon the ground, scooped up handfuls of sand, whipped them around until the exposed parts of your body felt like it was being sandblasted off.

Special Forces Sergeant First Class Allen White cautiously crawled up the sand dune on the outskirts of the small town of Al Basrah in Iraq, not giving thought to the discomfort of the sand that had found its way into his uniform or that was tearing at the exposed skin on his hands and face. He carefully positioned himself and searched the town with his night vision binoculars for the insurgents who his team was assigned to find. An informant reported that an Al Qaeda terrorist cell was hiding in the town. The mission was to take a team of Special Forces soldiers, clear the town of the terrorists, and acquire any useful intelligence that may help put an end to Al Qaeda. Iraq wasn’t going to fall back into chaos as it had come close to a few months before. Insurgence had almost brought the country to the brink of a civil war.

It was Allen’s third tour in Iraq with two weeks to go before this last and final tour was over. Soon he would be home again, for good this time. It was time to leave the wars and battles to younger men. There was no wife and children waiting for him back home in Florida. He had a father and a younger sister who he hadn’t seen in more years than he could remember.

The last time he’d seen them was when he had left home and joined the Army. His father resisted his joining the Army, wanting more for his son than the life that lay ahead. He was young and stubborn and refused to take the advice of his father, who knew exactly what he was getting into. After all, his father was the head of Army Intelligence. He knew what his son’s life was going to be like. He only wanted more for his son, perhaps a future that included them working together someday. A future that as far as Allen was concerned would never be. He resented his father and blamed him for their parent’s divorce. Allen was just too young to understand what caused the divorce.

The Army had been his adopted family for most of his life now and that was the way he wanted it. The life, as he called it, was too hard on marriages and families. His own father and mother were a testament to that. Nevertheless, in two weeks it would be time to start his new life as a civilian and start settling down. Possibly buy a fishing boat and rent it out to tourist and maybe try to make things right with his father and sister. However, tonight he had to put aside his thoughts of his return home. Tonight it was business as usual, the Special Forces way.

Allen focused his binoculars on a small dimly lit house and watched several of the occupants come out and stand on the sidewalk, each armed with Russian AK-47’s.

You getting this, Rickster? Allen quietly whispered over his microphone to Sergeant Rick Donnor his next in command.

Yeah, I’m getting it. Looks like we found the Roach Motel. What are they pointing at? Sergeant Donner replied as he kept recording the terrorist standing outside the house with the video camera.

They’re pointing at something coming up the road. Three o’clock, you see the headlights? I wonder who else is coming to the party?

Looks like three Mercedes coming up the road. Intel didn’t say anything about this. What do you want to do about it? Rick asked.

Upload the video. We’ll let the brass make the next call. That’s what they’re good at. We just find the snake and cut the head off. They decide what to do with it. Allen replied. Rick quickly plugged a cable into the back of the video camera, connected it to a laptop and with the punching of a few keys secured a satellite connection.

Uploading now. Smokey, put me through to HQ. Rick called over to another team member that handed him a satellite phone.

Whiskey November, this is Alpha Squad. We have an upload in progress. What’s your advice? Rick said over the satellite phone.

Alpha Squad, we have the upload. Reviewing the video now. Wait for orders. Came the response, then a long pause filled with static.

Alpha Squad, can you zoom in on the second Mercedes? a man’s voice crackled over the satellite phone.

Roger that. Zooming in. They’re pulling up to the target house. Rick replies. The caravan of cars stop and several people step out of the Mercedes, stand for a moment looking around, then enter the building.

Is that who I think it is HQ? Allen interrupts.

Command, are you seeing who I’m seeing? What the hell is he doing here in Iraq? There is a moment of silence, then a voice responds over the satellite phone.

Alpha squad, you have new orders. Scrub the mission. Keep surveillance on the occupants, especially the man who got out of the Mercedes. It’s Juan Martinez. Don’t lose track of him. Put GPS tags on the cars, over.

Roger that, HQ. That shouldn’t be a problem, out. Rick replies, then hands the satellite phone back to Smokey.

Looks like we’re babysitting now, guys. Who’s this guy supposed to be, Allen? Rick asks.

Juan Martinez, multi-millionaire business man from Colombia. He’s got a lot of shady connections with the international underworld, mostly with the Perez Cartel in Bogota. His primary moneymakers are his medical waste management businesses, strictly legit as far as we’ve been able to prove so far. But the DEA believes he’s helping the Perez family make and ship their cocaine somehow. I had him in my sights while doing surveillance in the late eighties during Reagan’s war on drugs, but he somehow slipped through my fingers. Whatever he’s doing here, I can guarantee it’s not selling Avon. Allen replies.

Well, looks like we got ourselves a genuine celebrity, boys. Let’s make sure Mr. Colombian drug smuggler stays on the radar. Rick says.

Rick, Jell-O, Smokey, get down there and put GPS tags on the cars, then get back here. Allen orders his men.

Roger that, be back in no time, boss. Rick replies and heads off down the sand dune toward the house with his men. Little did they know that they have uncovered an essential player in a plot that will take the world hostage. A plot set in motion by Al Qaeda to cripple America and plant the seed of fear in the rest of the world’s leaders.

Chapter 2

OSAMA BIN LADEN’S NUMBER TWO MAN in Iraq was an understatement for ambition, as well as ruthlessness. He started his career in Al Qaeda as a foot soldier in the nineties after the Gulf War carrying out drop and run missions where he would leave packages of explosives in restaurants, shopping malls, and buses throughout the Middle East and Europe, then disappear as if into thin air. His reason for joining the terrorist organization was simple, to kill all Americans and Westerners and those who support them. However, this wasn’t always so. He wasn’t always a ruthless killer. There was a time in his life when he was a peaceful family man. A time that was long gone. All that was left now was the pain.

It was a smart bomb during the Gulf War that made the transformation for him from an electronics engineer to one of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists in the world. A smart bomb which was capable of not only transforming him, but also killing his wife and children as they slept in their beds. From that moment on he had only one thing to live for, revenge against the Americans and anyone who supported or associated with them. It was his personal Jihaad. Al Qaeda conveniently provided the conduit for venting his rage.

Over the years he had built up quite a bloody resume that included a number of bus bombings in Israel, to the training of the terrorists who destroyed the World Trade Centers in New York. He was one of Osama Bin Laden’s top confidants and soldiers. He had earned the right to be his second in command in Iraq, as well as one of the world’s most wanted terrorist’s. It was his Medal of Honor.

His name was Abdul Adl Issar before the smart bomb changed him into the terrorist the FBI, Interpol, and Israeli intelligence came to know as the Ghost. This was what he called himself because this is all that the smart bomb had left. His whereabouts had never been known, as well as his true identity. Only a handful ever did know outside of Al Qaeda. And they didn’t live long after finding out. Over the years, he has been able to effortlessly walk through all types of security, evade capture, and disappear as if by magic. This was what he was good at. This is what he had become. Not even so much as a picture of him was believed to exist. He was virtually a Ghost.

Tonight the Ghost was in Al Basrah beginning the steps for launching his most diabolical attack on the Americans and the west. It was a plan that will strike at the heart of every world leader and plant the seed of fear in the hearts of everyone who defies Al Qaeda or supports the Americans. It will be the greatest terrorist attack ever conceived or committed in world history, even unthinkably eviler and greater than 9/11. The number of lives lost will be staggering if he succeeds.

The Ghost men escorted Juan Martinez into the small house on the outskirts of Al Basrah and into a room where the Ghost had been waiting patiently for him. The smell of roasted goat and foreign spices lingered in the air as he entered the dimly lit house. It was an unusual meeting, to say the least, a Colombian businessman and suspected drug smuggler and a top terrorist of Al Qaeda. Nevertheless, Juan had something that the Ghost wanted and would pay dearly for, something essential to his plan of destroying his enemies and planting the seed of fear in them, and at ten million dollars it was well worth the price.

Good evening, Mr. Martinez. Welcome to my country. I’m very happy to see you’ve made it. I trust your travel here was uneventful. The Ghost said, raising himself from a floor covered with beautifully crafted rugs and pillows.

My travel was fine. Let us get down to business. I have little desire to stay in this country, as you call it, longer than I have to. The stench of this country is unbearable. How do you people put up with it? It’s uncivilized. Do you have the money we agreed on? Martinez says insultingly, forgetting just whom he is doing business with. The Ghost graciously smiles at him and puts aside Martinez’s insult for the moment.

Of course, Mr. Martinez. Let us get right down to business. I like that, a man who has priorities. The Ghost says and motions for him to find a place on the floor. The men sit across from each other while their bodyguards remain standing ever diligent and untrusting. The Ghost then leans over, opens a laptop, and punches a few keys.

As soon as I have the item, the money will be transferred to your account in Bogota. I believe we agreed on ten million dollars. I trust that you’ve brought the item? The Ghost says.

I have it right here. I have no problem telling you that I’m relieved to finally get rid of it. For one to know just what this is is to know death itself. Martinez replies, then reaches inside the breast pocket of his jacket and takes out what looks like a small stainless steel canister and tosses it to the Ghost. The Ghost catches it and examines it closely.

And this is truly worth ten million dollars? It will do as I requested it to do? The Ghost asks with a smile.

The contents will do what you want it to do. Completely undetectable by any security measures. Just inject it at least fifteen minutes before you wish to use it. It’ll take that long for symptoms to manifest. Once symptoms manifest, anyone in the immediate area will become infected. It’ll spread like a wild fire. You have no idea just how difficult it was for me to make that. The Americans have been everywhere, it seems, since the start of this infernal war. It was excessively expensive to get viable samples from Indonesia. Now transfer the money to my account. Martinez gruffly requests.

Of course, but first, Mr. Martinez, I’d like a demonstration of the item’s ability to do the job I’m paying you quite considerably for. Ten million dollars is quite a lot of money to just take somebody’s word. Don’t you think? Humor me, would you, Mr. Martinez? The Ghost says. The smile quickly leaves his sun-bleached face as he raises a hand gesturing to two of his soldiers. Two of the Al Qaeda soldiers move towards one of the bodyguards who accompanied Martinez, grab him by the arms, and force him to the floor. Another soldier keeps a gun trained on the remaining bodyguards who quickly decide to stop reaching for their side arms.

The Ghost opens the cover of the canister and a quiet suction noise permeates throughout the room. He then removes the vile inside, injects a needle into it, and pulls back the plunger to extract a portion of the liquid it contains. He hands the needle to another of his men who walks over and plunges the needle into the arm of the bodyguard being held down. The man screams in defiance and tries to resist, but is helpless against the Ghost’s men, who outweigh him by at least one hundred pounds apiece. The Ghost motions with his hand again, and the two men pick the man up and drag him off to an isolated part of the house.

Do you realize what you’ve just done? Martinez protests to the Ghost.

Of course I do. You may have your money and leave after I’ve seen that you’ve kept your word and the item works. I’m not a fool, Mr. Martinez. And I’m not a pleasant man when someone tries to fool me. If the item works, you’ll get your money and be able to leave. This should take about fifteen minutes, from what you have told me. The Ghost replies, leans over to the plate in front of him, and takes a piece of bread and puts it in his mouth.

In fifteen minutes we’ll all be as good as dead. Once he starts to show symptoms it’ll spread to anyone and everyone around. It’s an airborne pathogen. Are you mad? Martinez replies as sweat is starting to drip down his face and add to the apparent fear

Reviews for The Seed

[tiffy_reads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Creepy as hell. Will have you never looking at 6 year olds the same way again. Definitely scary and a good thriller.

[murdeson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was extremely good and it had a mysterious chill to it! It very much satisfied me as a girl who enjoys something scary to read!

[jjaylynny · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Needlessly dark and hopeless, and you know I usually love this kind of shit. A great sense of place and atmosphere, but relentlessly cruel.

[akmamma · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Seed takes many classic aspects of the horror genre and ramps them up enough that you cannot put this book down. Many have used a child as the protagonist of a tale of horror, but not many have accomplished such a tale from such a classical stand point. If you have children, you may start sleeping with the light on again.

[stahl2ricco · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good, dark, scary read! The girl in this, Charlie, makes the girl in "The Bad Seed" look like a nun! Basically, she is dealing with the devil, just as her father before her. Can he help her in time? Or will the entire family be destroyed by the power of Mr. Scratch? It's a pretty tough story, with the father really suffering immensely as his little girl follows in his dark footsteps. And the ending was not something I saw coming or was even prepared for! If you like 'em dark, this book will fill your need. And it's a pretty quick read too!

[sumisbooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

***SPOILERS AHEAD***It was okay...Jack's daughter Charlie is starting to act very strangeafter a car accident that was endured by the family. Strange things are also happening around the house that are scaring his other daughter and his wife. And he's starting to get a bit afraid as well.Okay the first part of this book was so slow moving! I feel like the beginning is all just the same information being repeated over and over again. the story doesn't finally start to pick up until over halfway through the book. And the book doesn't really start to get good until about five chapters till the end.When things finally do start to happen, it is all very typical and predictable for a demon possession story. I do like the flashbacks that Jack has though. They add depth to his character and are very well done and not disorienting to the reader in any way. The other characters really don't have the depth that Jack has but then again he's the main character so I can't complain.There are two things that I want to tip my hat to Ania Ahlborn for:One is the amount of detail in her books. For lack of a better way to put it, it is perfect. There is not too much and there is not too little and it leaves a lot to the imagination which makes it all the more horrifying.The second is that she never leaves a happy ending it seems. Anything and everything bad can and will happen in her books. As an aspiring writer myself, I write my short stories in this manner and I find it to be much more grabbing for the reader.This was not one of her best books but it was okay and a fun read. I would recommend it as one of her books.

[charrlygirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I didn't know what to expect from this book. It was recommended by several other readers I trust, so I thought I would give it a shot.

It was very different from anything else I've read recently. The story was told through alternate chapters/sections going from the past to the present. I won't get into the story line as plenty of others already have. I will say that the ending of this book absolutely ROCKED!

I originally thought that perhaps "Seed" was the first of a series because by approximately 90% into the book the story showed no signs of winding things up. Then I sat down to read the final 10%, and things definitely wound up, just not in a way that I had EVER suspected. It was VERY original and that's what I am looking for most these days, originality.
I will be watching for anything else by this author.

[thereadingmermaid · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

***SPOILERS AHEAD***It was okay...Jack's daughter Charlie is starting to act very strangeafter a car accident that was endured by the family. Strange things are also happening around the house that are scaring his other daughter and his wife. And he's starting to get a bit afraid as well.Okay the first part of this book was so slow moving! I feel like the beginning is all just the same information being repeated over and over again. the story doesn't finally start to pick up until over halfway through the book. And the book doesn't really start to get good until about five chapters till the end.When things finally do start to happen, it is all very typical and predictable for a demon possession story. I do like the flashbacks that Jack has though. They add depth to his character and are very well done and not disorienting to the reader in any way. The other characters really don't have the depth that Jack has but then again he's the main character so I can't complain.There are two things that I want to tip my hat to Ania Ahlborn for:One is the amount of detail in her books. For lack of a better way to put it, it is perfect. There is not too much and there is not too little and it leaves a lot to the imagination which makes it all the more horrifying.The second is that she never leaves a happy ending it seems. Anything and everything bad can and will happen in her books. As an aspiring writer myself, I write my short stories in this manner and I find it to be much more grabbing for the reader.This was not one of her best books but it was okay and a fun read. I would recommend it as one of her books.

[susancrowe01 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book should have been a 5 star but the reason I rated it 4. (and some may think this is crazy). The way the author called the children by both given name and nickname throughout the entire book. The girls are Charlotte (Charlie) and Abigail (Abby). At the beginning of the story it was very confusing. Not so much with Abby as with Charlie. At first I thought there were 3 kids. Ok, let everyone know that her name is Charlotte, once, and then call her Charlie the rest of the time. There were a couple of instances where she would refer to Charlotte and Charlie on the same page. That just bothered me. But other than that, the book was great !! The ending was perfect. Now there is a path for possibly having a Seed 2 or some kind of sequel. I would love to see that. I would say this is the scariest book I have read since Pet Sematary.

[deathsmistress · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was kind of like Paranormal Activity, but in the form of a book. Which is to say that it was a pretty spooky read.Honestly, I enjoyed this book very much. For me, the storytelling was solid. At one point I stopped reading and thought, man, that's some pretty spooky shit. The ending wraps up the story, but also gives the reader hope of a sequel. I hope there is because ill be the first to buy it.If you like scary, then you should give this book a go.

[marksouza · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

With her debut novel, Seed, Anna Ahilborn delivers a horror thriller as dark as anything from the pen of Richard Bachman – and yes I know Bachman was a pen name for Stephen King’s dark, bare knuckles, no-holds-barred persona.Seed is the story of a young family in Louisiana struggling to get by. One of them carries a dark, infectious secret that threatens them all. After years of normalcy, a shape in the dark causes Jack Winter to swerve off the road with his family in the car resulting in a crash. His family is seemingly unharmed, but Jack is left to wonder if "it" still stalks him.The characters are richly drawn and the reader cares about them from the start, making the horror just that much more effective. The story starts like the shifting of sand on a hillside and quickly grows into an avalanche by the end taking all in its path. This novel takes no prisoners.

[katlb82 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It must be really difficult to write a horror story. After all, we are battered to the point of death with it in so many ways - movies, television, and books- that it’s easy to become a little immune and even a little cynical about the genre as a whole. A book must be so much more difficult – you don’t have any special effects, ghosties jumping out of the shadows in full surround sound in a dark movie theatre, or bimbos to shout ‘don’t go into the basement!’ at (and they are my favourite part!)I love horror, but it’s been a long time since I read one that was truly spooky and made more than a passing impression on me. For that alone, Ms. Ahlborn is already ahead of the game.I was sold right from the get-go – the fluid writing and vivid, but not overpowering, descriptions of the Deep South had me swatting imaginary mosquitoes and dreaming of fried chicken. The Winter’s are the average struggling-to-make-ends-meet family, which makes them all the more likable and believable – the kids are cute, Aimee is the loving mother and Jack is the father who just wants his family to be happy and safe while working hard to build a better life for his wife and kids.It’s difficult to write a review without a spoiler, so all I will say is if you love horror buy this book. You just may want to consider carefully whether you read it alone in the dark!

[stacey.turner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read Seed on the recommendation of another author, whose opinion I trust. She said she couldn't put it down and I was looking for a new book to read. So I bought Seed. And it was scary. What is it about small children being involved with evil that just creeps up out? Is it the taking of something that should be innocent and molding it into the ultimate horror that fascinates us? I'm not sure why it's so unnerving, but I will never look at a six year old quite the same again.Seed deals with some very interesting themes; demonic possession, murder and the idea that possession could be "inherited". I've never seen that particular idea done before. It makes for an engrossing read as you follow a father's quest to save his daughter from an evil he himself wrestled with as a child. The book is filled with some very creepy moments. The psychological horror mounts and the atmosphere is tense. I was (figuratively) on the edge of my seat. The book has some powerful elements.The writing is well done. The grammatical errors and typos are few, which for me is a big plus! But there were a few more things I would have liked to seen. We're never quite certain just where the demon came from or how the father got past it and lived an almost normal life for several years. There's a bit of ambiguity about how it all got started. And the ending is too quick.That said, I would still recommend the book. There are enough great elements to more than balance the ambiguity. There are some truly horrific moments, some awesome forethought and an all around creepy vibe. I'm very interested to see what Ania comes up with next.For fans of movies like The Omen or Case 39, for fans who like creepy children or for those of us who just like to be scared- Seed delivers the chills.