Volume I

Chapter 11

I Am A Monster

The door to Jacob’s home burst wide open as he stormed inside with closed fists. A scowl was on his face, an expression of anger unlike anything he had ever shown. So many thoughts were racing through his mind, particularly in regards to what he should do to correct the massive issue that had now presented itself to him, Charles Whittier.

Stomping towards the closet in his hallway, Jacob quickly opened the closet door and began tossing everything out of it. He was blinded by rage, unable to contain his emotions as he threw every box and even the vacuum clear across the room before finally unveiling the bags of money he had stashed in the back.

‘You bastard,’ Jacob thought, ‘the audacity you have to come here… To think you can rip Blaire away just when things were finally starting to go my way…’

Grabbing one of the four bags, Jacob ripped it out of the closet and stormed over to his couch. He threw the bag beside the coffee table, before pacing back and forth in a frenzy.

‘What should I do?’ Jacob thought frantically. ‘Do I kill him? Try and pay him off? Will it matter? I have no idea what Blaire’s family does or does not know, what they’ve been tipped off already? This is fucked, if Deita and the organization find out about this, I’m absolutely fucked!’

“Dammit!” Jacob screamed, taking his fist and slamming it down upon the coffee table. In only a manner of seconds, the table was reduced to the size of nearly nothing. It was hardly half an inch in size, something Jacob didn’t intend to do.

“Fuck!” Jacob yelled. “Now I need a new table! Fuck, just calm yourself you idiot, before you destroy everything you own… Gah!”

Taking a deep breath, Jacob forced himself to calm down as he turned and fell into his couch. He rested back, looking at the ceiling as he realized how emotional he had become. It had been awhile since Jacob lost his temper, his life had been boring and normal for so long. His ties to the organization of which he colludes, was by mere coincidence from a time long forgotten; he couldn’t even understand how they knew his existence in the first place.

Making some easy money, despite the immoral actions he had committed, it never bothered Jacob. The lives of those around him were meaningless, empty. Never had Jacob taken a liking to anyone, friends or otherwise. The past he had endured, the trauma that haunted his nightmares to this day, it had all but made him cold and narcissistic. Every man, woman and child were means to an end. That was, until he met Blaire.

Even now he couldn’t understand it, yet the feelings were there. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and the way she carried herself was unlike the common fodder he surrounded himself with. Her eyes pierced his own, her smile was enough to send him into a mindless lust. Yet he didn’t lust for her, no, he wanted to be with her. The more he learned about Blaire, the more he fell in love with her, and he couldn’t deny it.

Perhaps Jacob had spent too much time isolating himself. Maybe after a lifetime of misery and anger, using his gift to harm others in the most cruel manner possible, had finally been enough for him to crave something more. This was his chance, for the first time ever, that Jacob believed Blaire could lift him from the haze that clouded his mind for so long. Then again, there was the lurking monster inside of him, the one who knew the only actions needed to end this predicament that Jacob faced.

‘Something has to be done,’ Jacob convinced himself. ‘Don’t worry Blaire… I promise you… I won’t let Charles Whittier take you away from where you belong…’

It was loud as the diner was bustling with customers, waitresses rushing about to take orders and fill the cups of those with coffee or something less caffeinated. While the noise didn’t usually bother Jinshin, she grew annoyed as she sat with her arms crossed. Staring at her plate of breakfast, she found her appetite was almost non-existent. Across from her, Deita was cramming as much food into her gullet that would fit. Munching away, the woman gorged herself happily as she took bites of her eggs, hashbrowns and occasionally switched to her oversized pancake with syrup.

“Mmm. Mm. Mmmmm!” Deita moaned, swallowing her mouthful and licking her lips with satisfaction. “So good! I love coming here when I’m in town, I guess I’ll have the opportunity more often from now on.”

Jinshin didn’t respond, merely staring at her plate with an empty expression. Deita smiled at her, leaning forward to emphasize the fact she was staring at the Japanese woman. There was no reaction.

“Hello? Jinshin, copy? You in that thick head of yours?”

“Hm?” Jinshin looked up. “Sorry, did you say something?”

Deita could tell something was wrong, as she put her fork down and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“What’s bugging you? I know you well enough to see when something’s on your mind.”

Jinshin shrugged. “It’s nothing.”

“You aren’t hungry? You haven’t even touched your plate.”

“I’ll take it to go,” Jinshin said somberly.

“Alright, what gives? Spill it, now!” Deita demanded. “I accepted your apology, it’s behind us, alright? You don’t need to mope about it, I got a little upset with you, but I’m over it, okay?”

“It’s not that.” Jinshin sighed, looking up at Deita. “It’s Benjamin…”

“The little shit? Did he say something to upset you?” Deita scowled. “I’ll crush that little asshole with my heel! What’d he do, what did he say!?”

“He didn’t do anything,” Jinshin responded. “I’m not entirely sure, but he seems upset about something and he hasn’t spoken to me since.”

“Who cares?” Deita rolled her eyes. “You seem to care way too much about what that little asshole thinks. My offer still stands, I’ll gladly take him and give him a more suitable position of which he deserves! Just say the word, sister!”

Jinshin shook her head. “I don’t expect you to understand.”

“Okay fine, you win.” Deita raised her hands and admitted defeat. “I’ll set aside my personal opinions. We don’t have to agree, but at least let me be someone you can confide in. Seriously, Jinshin, what’s going on? Just tell me, I’ll keep it appropriate I promise.”

This seemed to entice Jinshin, though she remained hesitant. Deita didn’t push, but kept a steady gaze as Jinshin nervously shifted in her seat.

“I think… I think Benjamin was upset by the way you spoke of Liz,” Jinshin said truthfully.

“Oh? Did my little details hurt his feelings?” Deita couldn’t help but snicker. “So he’s upset because I told the truth?”

“No,” Jinshin responded. “He is upset because I refused to get involved. I think he wanted me to stop you from harming her, that vore stuff you mentioned, I don’t know.”

“No kidding?” Deita cackled some more, but tried to contain herself due to surrounding strangers. “So the little shit learns of all the nasty shit I’ve done to her, and thinks he gets to play hero all the sudden? Wow, that’s hilarious. Hey, Jinshin, why don’t you let me borrow him? I’ll eat the bitch in front of him, maybe bite her head off and spit at him! Ha! That would get him to shut up, what do you think?”

“Deita…” Jinshin glared at her.

“Okay fine… But really, why are his pathetic attempts to save some random person he doesn’t even know, bother you so much?”

There was silence. Jinshin looked back down at her plate, unable to give an answer. Deita leaned back again, narrowing her gaze as she came to a sudden realization.

“Oh wow, you really do like him, don’t you?”

“What!?” Jinshin was surprised. “I mean, he was a gift from-”

“The master, yeah whatever,” Deita interrupted. “You and I both know that’s a load of horse shit. Maybe that was true at first, but this demeanor of yours is telling a different story.”

“I may have told him about my past,” Jinshin revealed. 

“Oh really?” Deita grinned from ear to ear. “Well who’s breaking the rules now? Avaramix wouldn’t be pleased to hear you divulging secrets like that…”

“I see your point, so where are you going with it?” Jinshin realized that Deita was right, and she had been outed as a hypocrite.

“Nowhere,” Deita answered. “I’m not a rat, unlike someone at this table! Besides, clearly you like this one, who am I to judge? I’ll use my toy as I see fit, and if you want to date yours, why should I care? As far as a remedy goes for his attitude, well, I can’t help you there. Sorry sis.”

“He’ll get over it in time,” Jinshin responded. “So, is she still alive, then?”

“I left her in the bottle at the motel,” Deita answered. “Probably not tonight, I want to cram her in my pussy and see how long until she gives out. I’ll give eating her a try sometime tomorrow, once we get settled into the new facility.”

“You are a strange one,” Jinshin smiled and shook her head. “You really can be cruel, Deita.”

“I’ve seen how cruel you can be too, when you want to be,” Deita chirped. “I’m just waiting for the old Jinshin to make a reappearance. You have certainly grown more timid as you’ve gotten older.”

“I suppose so,” Jinshin said, her thoughts returning to Benjamin as she reminded herself of his request not long ago.

She decided not to mention this detail to Deita.

It was getting late, and after laying down in her bed for most of the day, Blaire had finally mustered the strength to get herself out of bed. She had been distraught ever since her encounter with the private investigator that had been hired by her family. The details that were unknown to her is what hurt the most. What did her family know, or not know about her whereabouts? What did Jacob mean by saying he would handle it? Blaire hadn’t even heard from Jacob since then, and he seemed rather angry as well.

Mustering the strength to move her legs, Blaire begrudgingly headed towards her living room. The misery she felt at the idea of being forced to return home, was enough to handle on its own. The thought of accidentally getting Jacob involved because of her own crime, that was something else entirely.

It ate away at her to no avail, the thought of Jacob getting blamed as if he had anything to do with Blaire’s actions. While she was flattered at the idea of Jacob wanting to defend and help her, at the same time she didn’t know if he was aware of just how powerful her family truly was.

Approaching the couch, she spotted her phone which had been left to charge on an end table. She picked it up, checking her notifications and hoping to see a text or miss call from Jacob. There wasn’t, he hadn’t reached out at all. Blaire sighed, opening her contacts and finding Jacob. She hesitated for a brief moment, but eventually called him.

The phone rang for long enough, and it became obvious that he may not answer. Blaire thought that maybe Jacob changed his mind about her, and perhaps he was distancing himself from the dilemma that she faced. However, these thoughts were purged from her mind instantly as the call was answered before she could end the call.

“Jacob?” Blaire spoke softly into the phone.

“Hey, are you alright?”

“Yeah I’m fine, just been in bed most of the evening to be honest. I’m not bothering you, am I?”

“Of course not,” Jacob assured her.

“I want to apologize for earlier,” Blaire said. “I should have been more honest with you, and the last thing I want is for you to get in trouble for whatever happens next.”

“I understand. It’ll all be alright, I promise. I spoke to the sheriff I mentioned earlier.”

Blaire was surprised. “You did? What did they say?”

“It’s being handled,” Jacob lied. “With no evidence, and the fact you are of legal age to do whatever the hell you want with your life, there’s nothing Charles can do to force you home.”

“But if he tells my family I’m here, they’ll do everything in their power to get me back to Seattle!” Blaire cried.

“It’ll never happen,” Jacob promised. “I know you’re scared, and I understand. I’m going to his motel tonight, I’m going to find a way to convince him to drop this. I’ll do whatever it takes to get him to agree, I promise. I’ll call you tomorrow morning afterwards and give you the update.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea Jacob, you really shouldn’t get too involved. If my family ever found out about you…”

“Don’t worry about that, alright? Besides, what choice do you have? You can’t just roll over and let these assholes control you for the rest of your life. It’s time to be free, Blaire. Please, put your faith in me, I promise I’ll find a resolution that will turn this entire ordeal in your favor.”

“Don’t make me a promise you can’t keep…” Blaire pleaded.

“Never,” Jacob answered. “I would never do that to you, Blaire.”

The sun had long set, the cool air becoming crisp and sharp. The temperature had dropped substantially, as Charles pulled into the parking lot of his motel. It had been a long day, and he managed to uncover as much information on Blaire and Jacob as he could. There hadn’t been much, especially regarding Jacob. Charles was almost infuriated at the lack of information he could find.

There were no records of family, none of graduation or even college. As far as work history went, the only paper trail he found was in regards to a food wagon that Jacob had run for a short period of time. Visiting some of the local places, very few seemed to know Jacob very much except that he was a friendly face of the community.

This led Charles into investigating the local community charity work that a few non-profits ran in town. Jacob had worked for a lot of them, but still nobody seemed to know much about Jacob and his past. Charles had never found an individual with such a mystifying lack of evidence regarding their existence. It was uncanny, and it made him question his involvement with Blaire.

While the findings of his investigation plagued his mind, Charles opened  his motel room door and entered the room. He closed the door behind him, locking it as he took off his coat and hung it on a rack. Kicking off his shoes, he made his way through the dark hallway and towards the main space.

The darkness made it difficult to walk without bumping into things, and Charles sighed at the annoyance of having to stay in such a run down motel. The only light was a lamp near the couch, which he made his way towards before quickly tugging on the chain as light filled the dim room. Almost instantly, he froze with fear as a figure sat across from him, in the recliner chair at the end of the room.

“Who’s there!?” Charles shouted, squinting his eyes as the dim side of the room slowly became clear in his vision. His eyes widened, and he immediately recognized the figure.

“Took you long enough,” Jacob spoke, “didn’t you say you’d be waiting here? In case Blaire and I changed our minds?”

“How did you get in here?” Charles asked curiously. “The door was locked!”

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you,” Jacob answered. “Sit down, we have a bit to discuss.”

“Unless it’s turning Blaire over to me, we have nothing to speak of!” Charles hissed. “Now get the hell out of my motel room!”

“Two and a half million in cash,” Jacob said, ignoring the demand.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Charles spat.

“I’m willing to pay you,” Jacob clarified. “Two and a half million dollars in cash. The bag is on the couch, right there.”

Charles turned, and indeed there was a hefty duffel bag. The man eyed Jacob suspiciously, slowly walking over to the bag and unzipping it. He was shocked to see it filled to the brim with cash, just as Jacob had said.

“How do you even have this much cash?” Charles asked in shock. “Who the hell are you!?”

“You’ll never know,” Jacob responded. “Is it a deal? Or not?”

Charles scoffed. “Do you have any idea how much money her family is paying me? I can’t just take a bribe! Especially a bribe from a damned criminal! What is it? Drugs? Prostitutes? How the hell did you even get this money?”

“Five million dollars,” Jacob offered. “Will five million dollars get you to leave Valdez, and never inform Blaire’s family of anything you found here?”

“Not a chance!” Charles huffed. “I’ve already been paid! I can’t just take a bribe and stop this, it’s too late!”

“You can take the money, go back, and tell them Blaire is dead for all I care,” Jacob said harshly. “Tell them she was raped, murdered, died of a drug overdose. I don’t care what you tell them, as long as it halts their pursuits to ever come looking for her again.”

“You are demented if you think I’d do such a terrible thing,” Charles yelled. “I did some digging on you, by the way! No family records, no school records or college records. You’re a bloody ghost! I bet you’re hiding something, I can smell it on you!”

“I see…” Jacob sighed, remaining silent as he stared up at the ceiling.

“This little game of yours will come back to fuck you in the ass, you bastard!” Charles berated. “You should have minded your own business. I’ll do whatever it takes to figure out what you’re hiding! Whatever it is, if you have Blaire involved, her family will be outraged!”

“You know what?” Jacob sat up, his eyes gazing at Charles with a deadpan expression. “I tried to do this the moral way, but I suppose I gave humanity too much credit. I had almost forgotten, just how much you insects make me sick to my damn stomach.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Charles was growing nervous, this young man was acting very odd and strange. Feeling as if his life may be in jeopardy, he readied his right hand in the event he had to pull out his firearm.

Jacob slowly began to approach him.

“When I was a child, one day I noticed that I wasn’t like the other children,” Jacob said. “I did have a family, once. They were terrified of me, because the curse I was born with was unable to be controlled. I caused chaos wherever I went, and eventually a covert government agency got their grubby, filthy hands on me.”

Stopping midway towards Charles, Jacob turned and faced the window. The blinds were open, and he found himself staring out towards the stars.

“Even though I was a child, they didn’t see it that way. All they saw was an opportunity to experiment, and find ways to utilize my abilities for war. Nobody knew of the experiments, and nobody ever came to rescue me. I prayed every day for a hero to free me from the hands of evil, and every day I was ignored. For almost a decade I was tortured and tested on, any semblance of my humanity being stripped away as a boiling hatred began to brew within the dark, cold confines of my broken heart.”

Jacob turned his gaze back towards Charles, who looked at him with a concerned expression. Jacob noticed his hand at his side, and smiled.

“One day, after all their failures, they finally succeeded with one particular experiment,” Jacob continued. “Only it wasn’t a success that benefited them, no. In fact, it had only benefited me. You see, I was never able to control my curse, it always controlled me. They made a grave mistake by correcting that shackle that was bound to me since birth. I killed them all, one by one, getting revenge for what they did to me.”

Jacob took another step forward, his smile turning into a sadistic grin.

“It was then that I realized my greatest error. You see, Charles, I had always prayed to God for a hero to come and save me. But it wasn’t a hero that saved me, no. It was evil that saved me. It was the monsters who tortured and beat me for ten years, that ultimately gave me the tools I needed to become the very monster I am now, to finally free myself from their grasp.”

“I don’t understand…” Charles whimpered, lifting his shirt and grasping his holster. “Why… W-why are you telling me this?”

“Honestly?” Jacob lifted his chin slightly. “I’ve never told a single soul what I just told you. It’s been eating at me for so long, I’ve fought the monster inside of me so many times I can’t even remember how much. I’ve been questioning my actions lately, what I’ve done, but now I see everything clearly. I owe that to you Charles, so I figured you should know the truth about what I am, before I kill you.”

Silence filled the room faster than the eye could blink. Charles was sweating profusely from his forehead, those final words weighing down on him heavily. Jacob only stared at him, that creepy grin unfazed and persistent. It was these brief final seconds that Charles remained composed, before drawing his firearm and aiming it towards Jacob.

But instantly, Jacob had vanished. Charle’s eyes grew wide, as he began to aim the gun each and every way. No matter where he turned, however, Jacob was nowhere to be seen. Despite the impossibility, he had completely vanished right before Charle’s eyes.

“Where are you!?” Charles shouted. “Show yourself! Fuck… Where did he go!?”

“I’m right here,” Jacob spoke into Charle’s ear, and the man jumped in terror.

Turning around, Charles went to aim his firearm at Jacob, but before he could turn around it was too late. In one swift act, Jacob grabbed his firearm with his hand, and the gun vanished into thin air. Just like that, his only weapon and means of survival had disappeared in an instant.

“What the hell!?” Charles panicked, backing away as Jacob walked towards him ominously.

“What’s the matter?” Jacob teased. “Lost your gun? Here, let me help you find it!”

Jacob reached out, and with one touch of his finger on Charle’s cheek, the man shrank down almost instantly.

Charles couldn’t even comprehend what had happened. He felt Jacob touch him, and the next thing he knew he was rushing towards the floor in an instant. His clothing grew and grew, shrouding him in darkness as the man hit the floor painfully.

“Ack! What the hell is going on!?” Charles flailed about, but no matter where he ran there was nothing but darkness, and the feeling of fabric trying to constrict him. After several moments, he finally burst out of his shirt and into the light.

“Where am I!?” Charles looked around, and a daunting realization came over him. The room was enormous, he was in the same place he was this entire time. Even worse, as he gazed up, Jacob now loomed over him.

“Holy shit!” Charles screamed.

“What’s the matter?” Jacob asked. “Oh, my size. It scares you, doesn’t it? Here, maybe this will ease your mind.”

Once more, instantly, Charles watched in absolute disbelief as Jacob suddenly shrunk down and matched his size. It was so fast, he could hardly see it happen. There was one key difference, however. Charles realized he was naked, his clothes hadn’t shrunk with him. He covered himself, watching as Jacob approached him once more after shrinking down. Jacob, however, was fully clothed. He appeared no different than before, aside from the fact he and Charles were now barely half an inch tall.

“There we go,” Jacob smiled. “Interesting view from down here, isn’t it? It’s been a while since I’ve reduced my own size, perhaps I should do it more often.”

“The experiments… The curse you mentioned… Holy shit, you weren’t joking!” Charles pieced it all together, and became nauseous. Had he realized what Jacob was capable of, he never would have thought twice about fleeing Alaska.

“You really should have taken that money,” Jacob hissed, coiling his arm back and delivering a blow straight to Charle’s jaw.

The man hit the carpet, the fibers wrapping around him like tall, itchy grass. That punch was devastating, unlike anything that he had ever felt in his life. Feeling his jaw with his hands, and groaning painfully, he knew his jaw was completely broken.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot,” Jacob said, straddling Charles and looking down at him. “Despite what it appears, my abilities involve the reduction of molecules on an atomic level. However, the side effect is becoming increasingly dense, as well. Though, I have found that I can reduce my own atoms and increase my density, without shrinking myself. Only works on me, I can’t do so with others. That being said, when I beat you to death right now, please know it will be extremely painful.”

“P-please… D-don’t!” Charles held up his hands, pleading for his life.

“I am a monster,” Jacob responded harshly. “Goodbye, Charles.”

Gritting his teeth, eyes filled with rage, Jacob bent down and began to punch Charles in the face over and over again. Each blow was like a truck collision. The cracking of bones, the gushing of blood, it was messy almost instantly. Charles was alive for only two punches, feeling his skull cave in and his jaw come unhinged. His nose had gushed blood, which splattered all over Jacob’s face.

It was the third consecutive punch that ended Charle’s life. The strength of Jacob’s hit was so immense, it snapped Charle’s neck and killed him instantly. However, Jacob continued to wail on the man, beating his now lifeless body to unrecognizable pulp. His heart raced, adrenaline pumping, forehead sweating. It took everything Jacob had to finally stop himself, once he realized that almost nothing remained of Charle’s head. Just like that, at the size of half an inch, he had beaten the man to death.

Jacob stood up, and began to step back. As he did so, he stepped on something. Looking down, he saw the now shrunken gun which he had reduced in size before Charles could fire the weapon, and alert the authorities. Then, Jacob returned to his normal size.

“So small, the maids will toss your dead corpse into the trash,” Jacob adjusted his shirt, and composed himself. He reached down and picked up the tiny gun, crushing it in his fingers so it was smashed to bits. Then he walked over to the bag of cash, and shrunk it as well. Crushing the bag of money, he walked past Charles and gave his dead corpse a good stomping. Jacob wanted to make sure that nothing could be recognized by the maid, not even a chance.

Finished with the business he had with Charles, Jacob began walking towards the front door.

“Should have taken the money, Charles.”