Curse of the Dragon Read online

  Curse of Dragon

  Madison Johns

  Contents

  Book Summary

  Disclaimer

  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

  About the Author

  Also by Madison Johns

  Copyright © 2018 Madison Johns

  Curse of the Dragon Madison Johns

  All rights reserved.

  Created with Vellum

  Book Summary

  Alex Frost’s memory of this morning was vague ... she went jogging ... a dark shadow knocked her to the ground in the forest. That was her last memory of the morning and whatever attacked her altered her in a bad way, a very bad way. Her pupils were black and wicked wounds marred her back. There was only one thing she could do under the circumstances ... buy decorative contact lenses.

  But when Alex hears on the news that a body was found in the same forest she had been jogging in, the wheels begin to spin. She’s in the worst kind of trouble and it’s up to her to find the killer before she becomes the chief suspect.

  Alex’s strength steadily increases as the days pass and she struggles to cope with the continuing changes within herself. She’s hanging up her waitress apron and taking on the role of private detective. Thankfully she’s not alone. Detective Winslow Blake is searching for a killer too, and together they embark on a journey that leads to the paranormal. Is Westland ready for the paranormal? Is the paranormal ready for them? Alex needs to keep her secrets for fear of what might happen if Blake were to learn the truth. But will that prove difficult as the case reaches a fever pitch?

  Disclaimer

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  One

  I stretched for ten minutes before I started running up the trail. Gravel crunched beneath my sneakers as I moved over the nearly-frozen ground. Living in a big city had its perks. I’m close to everything I could ever desire if only I didn’t abhor the crowds. I hated dealing with people generally. But I had a job that demanded that I be pleasant and smile. Okay, so I could be pleasant if I had to. It’s part of working as a server at Hunan’s.

  The Chinese restaurant is tucked in a dark corner of one of the worst parts of town. Seedy is more the word. Nearby businesses catered to the deprived and the depraved -- adult bookstores, XXX theaters and a massage parlor. On the opposite corner stood a boarded-up building where graffiti artists had magically transformed the frontage into a stylized Chinese dragon. I chuckled. I wanted to ask Mr. Lee, Hunan’s owner, if he paid the artists. Mr. Lee struggled constantly to keep Hunan’s open. He threatened to close down every week, but something kept him going – and kept me employed.

  I preferred to run on the desolate trail in the woods. Nobody jogged up here, and I loved the freedom it offered. I never encountered anyone on the trail. I wouldn’t be forced to interact with anyone, at least not any humans. I was quite aware humans weren’t the only ones in the world. It would be foolhardy to believe otherwise.

  A white cloud appeared with each exhale of my breath. It was five in the morning with below-freezing temperatures. It was the only time I had to stretch my body to its limits.

  Mist clung heavily to the terrain and I could barely see my feet. I had an inkling that something was off. I laughed silently to myself at a sense of fear creeping up on me. My heart rate accelerated and I sped up, chased by an imaginary shadow. There were no shadows at five in the morning. I quickly shook off the feeling and focused on not increasing my speed.

  This was the first time since I’ve been coming here that I felt as if I was being watched. Call it a sixth sense or woman’s intuition. I felt eyes on me and I didn’t know if it was man or beast or if they came in peace, satisfied to simply watch me in the still of the forest. I removed my ear buds. There were no cricket chirps or any other sound. No birds singing. No rustling in the underbrush by a deer or fox or even a sly coyote. I didn’t know if it was this silent when I’d started my run. I had my ear buds in and music blaring then. I rather enjoyed listening to classical music when I ran. It relaxed me and I needed to relax. I had a twelve-hour day ahead of me at the restaurant. I was a server and lately tips were shit, but it was my only source of income. I didn’t have a social life and no friends. I was cordial to my customers and enjoyed my co-workers’ banter most days. I liked Lina, who owned the restaurant with her husband, Mr. Lee. She worked the counter and put together the takeout orders. Mr. Lee did the cooking. He could be a hard man to please. If I didn’t call out an appetizer order, or if he thought I didn’t, he’d yell at me in Chinese. Oftentimes he simply didn’t hear me. I had wondered if he was becoming hard of hearing, not that I’d ever suggest that to his face. I wouldn’t say one damn word about it. I valued my job too much and respected them as my employers.

  I reached my car and clicked my remote to unlock the doors, but I never had a chance to open the door. A high-pitched scream echoed in the woods, and when I turned a black shadow flew toward me, knocking me off my feet. I winced in pain when I hit the gravel and struggled to open my eyes. A low humming began in my head and a kaleidoscope of colors flashed before my unopened eyes. I pressed a hand against my chest and felt it expanding and retracting. I wasn’t in control of any of it. My limbs tingled all the way to the end of my fingers and toes until I was numb all over. Opening my eyes was no longer an option and neither was escaping. I allowed the blackness to overtake me.

  When consciousness returned I was in my bed. I wriggled my fingers and toes to assure myself they weren’t numb. I then shook my head and slid out of bed and slipped into the strapless sandals that were my version of slippers.

  I winced as I rubbed the back of my shoulder and made my way into the bathroom, where I removed my shirt. With my back to the mirror, I inspected the source of pain. Long, reddened and inflamed wounds marred my back near both shoulder blades.

  The dream.

  No. I never went jogging this morning and a frightening shadow hadn’t knocked me off my feet and rendered me unconscious, I told myself.

  I hopped in the shower and nearly fell to my knees at the stinging pain. I didn’t have time to deal with this right now. I made quick work of my shower and hurried into the bedroom, where I tugged a brush through my long brown hair. I gasped when the clock read eleven o’clock. I pushed the curtains aside. Daylight, which meant I was beyond late for work. Mr. Lee would rant at me in Chinese, but I was okay with that. I had taken all the available shifts. All the newer servers never lasted long. It’s not a cash cow when it comes to tips, but it kept me in my little apartment.

  I called Lina, who told me she had covered my shift for the day. She assumed I was sick when I didn’t show. Lina was aware that wasn’t something I normally did, but it didn’t stop me from feeling guilty about it. Lina and Mr. Lee count
ed on me, and I hated that I disappointed them today.

  I walked back to the bathroom and wiped the fog off the mirror and hung the towel on the rack. I dried my hair and twisted it into a knot at the back of my neck. I smiled into the mirror and I did a double take. Heck, I did a triple take. My eyes looked strange. I hurried into the bedroom and flipped on the light and stared into the full-length mirror on the back of my door. I backed up in horror and fell to the floor as I covered my eyes with my hands. My body trembled and my mind raced back to the dream. It hadn’t been a dream after all, something happened to me when I tried to leave my jogging site, something bad.

  I crawled to the mirror and tears rolled down my cheeks when my eyes didn’t look much different than the first time I caught my reflection. My eyes had turned from green to demon black. What happened had happened to me out in the woods?

  What in the hell am I going to do? I can’t let anyone see me like this. It was hard enough to look at my own eyes. I thumbed through a magazine and came across an ad for decorative contact lenses. I had seriously thought about buying a pair just for kicks. Now they were necessary.

  I got dressed in a hurry and buried my head in a baseball cap, pulling the bill down to make it impossible for anyone to see my eyes.

  The mall was only a few blocks away. I hurried to my car, glancing away from anyone entering my building. My car was parked at the curb. Mr. Asshole, as usual, had parked in my spot in the garage. Mr. Asshole’s apartment was down the hall from me, where he lived with his mother. I have wanted to give the buzz cut weirdo a piece or two of my mind, but honestly it wasn’t worth the confrontation.

  Before I got in my car I jumped at the blare of horn and a driver who swerved at me. I would have flipped him the bird if the entire side of my car didn’t have a strange substance all over it. I gingerly touched it and rubbed it between my fingertips. The black residue felt similar to charcoal, reminding me of a smudge you’d get from closing the flue to a fireplace. My car hadn’t been anywhere near a fire or heat source.

  I wiped my fingers on some tissue, climbed behind the wheel and merged into the traffic. Everyone speeded on this street even though there’s a posted sign that clearly states it’s a 30 mph zone.

  I normally would have jogged the few blocks to the mall, but under the circumstances I drove. I couldn’t risk anyone getting a good look at me. Parking in the mall lot was a nightmare, but I managed to find a spot someone had just backed out of. I pulled the bill of my hat down again before I hurried into the boutique that had an entrance on the outside of the mall.

  I strolled the aisles, avoiding the outrageous hats that were an accessory for church years ago. I had no idea they were even sold anymore. Maybe that’s my problem; I don’t go to church. Maybe that’s why this happened to me. I scooped up boxes of a variety of colored contact lenses. I wasn’t sure which color would cover my black eyes the best.

  I glanced down at the register as I made a big show of trying to find my money for my purchases. It might just save me from having to respond to the cashier’s chatter. They’re endless human resources-preached chatter didn’t normally bother me, but today was not the day.

  “What’s the weather like today?” the cashier asked as she rung me up.

  “Look out the window. That’s pretty much it.”

  “Oh, I see. The weather man says it’s supposed to rain the rest of the week.”

  I only nodded this time and slid my money across the counter to her.

  “You bought every color in the rainbow of decorative lens. Are you —.”

  I grabbed the shopping bag and threw the boxes in the bag myself, anything to get out of this store and away from the cashier’s chatter. Her eyes widened as she gave me my change and said, “Have a nice day.” I was out the door before I noticed that she’d given me the normal spiel. Have a nice day? Not likely.

  I spent the next few hours trying on the contact lenses until I found the ones that worked the best. The aqua didn’t look a bit real, but they’d do the trick for now.

  Flipping on the television, I changed channels until I ran across the twelve o’clock newscast. It was noon already?

  Matt Flint, the midday anchor, was somber as he said, “Local police are investigating a murder near the hiking trails in the mountains. But the police department is releasing few details.”

  I trembled and a knot formed in my gut. How exactly had the victim been killed and did it happen at the same time I was in the woods ... or my car? Maybe whatever attacked me had attacked the victim. My mind was a blank about this morning other than being attacked by a shadow. I didn’t remember getting in my car or driving home. Had I stopped at Starbucks and gotten my chia tea latte? I didn’t have an empty cup lying around, so I guess I never made it there. I always went there before I returned home. I would never have hopped into bed after jogging. Exercise hyped me up too much.

  What happened out in the woods, and why did I survive and someone else die?

  Detective Winslow Blake’s desk was situated in the middle of the detectives room of the Westland Police Department. He had been promoted quickly to lieutenant in the three short years that he’d been on the force. Each desk in the room had a computer, phone and more files on the desk tops than you’d see in an accountant’s office during tax season.

  I sat across from Detective Blake, who was distracted as he spoke on the phone that has been incessantly ringing since I’d walked in the door. Deep furrows marred his brow and his brown eyes twitched as he listened.

  His jaw squared whenever he was focused on a case, and right now he had his game face on. He took his job seriously and worked long hours, resulting in two failed marriages. At six feet tall with thick dark hair and broad shoulders, he was a woman’s dream man. Most women would consider themselves fortunate to come home to a good-looking man like Blake.

  I’d met him six months ago when he followed up on my mugging report. I never expected to be mugged when taking out the trash at Hunan’s, but again, it’s in the seedy side of town. I struck up a friendship with Blake after he routinely came to the restaurant to make sure I was okay. I’m not a woman who needs a tough guy to look after me, but after everything that happened I’m rethinking ... well ... everything.

  Blake put his phone down and forced a smile. “Sorry about that. It’s been a hell of a day.”

  “I imagine,” I said. “I watched the noon newscast.”

  “Did Hunan’s close?”

  “No. I just took a day off.”

  Blake leaned back in his chair. “I can’t believe that.”

  “Everyone needs time off.”

  “That from a woman who works six days a week.”

  “I could say the same about you,” I countered.

  “Yes, but at least you don’t have to haul your ass out of bed at ungodly hours. I don’t think I’ll be getting any sleep until I find the killer.”

  “Tell me about that. The news didn’t give many details.”

  “They weren’t given many details. I can’t afford to right now.”

  “Where did you find the body?”

  Blake gave me a once over and met my eyes. “That’s new for you, Alex. I never thought of you as the decorative contact lens sort of woman.”

  Damn man could see right through me.

  I shrugged. “I thought I’d give it a whirl.”

  “I like your green eyes better.”

  “These are almost green. They’re aqua.”

  He shook his head sadly.

  I smiled. He really could be a sweet man when he wanted to be, which wasn’t often.

  “Getting back to the body, who found it?” I asked.

  “An old man was heading to a trout stream near the trails. He tripped over the remains.”

  “Oh, so it did happen near the hiking trails?”

  His eyes locked with mine. “Did you go jogging this morning?”

  Oh, here we go. I hesitated, readying to tell him an elaborate lie, but he would see
right through it. He knew my habits better than I did.

  “Yes, about five this morning.”

  He leaned forward, his pen on his notebook. “And?”

  “And I went jogging.”

  “Did you jog your normal trail?”

  “You say it like I own it.”

  “Well, you kind of do. Not many people go jogging in the forest, especially at five in the blasted morning.”

  “I’ve been jogging at five since I was in high school running track. Why?”

  “Most women would think it a little risky to jog up there. It’s too desolate -- and there’s a nice jogging trail along the river.”

  I leaned forward and said huskily, “I’m not a normal woman.”

  Blake shook his head as he tapped his pen on the notebook. “How about you stick to the trail in the park for now, at least until this case is solved?”

  “You haven’t told me much about it; the case, I mean.”

  “A body was found in the woods.”

  “You’ve said as much. Can’t you share a few details?”

  Blake’s face hardened. “I trust you, Alex, but this can’t leave this room.”

  “Mum’s the word.”

  “I mean it.”

  “It’s that serious?”

  “Yes.” His chest expanded as he took a breath and said, “I’ve never seen a body in this condition before.”

  “What do you mean by that?” I whispered.

  “It was torn apart. Like an animal had gotten ahold of it.”