Free Welsh Road (The Depravity Chronicles) by Joshua Grove Page B

don’t
keep me in suspense,” Jackson said. “I’m aging here, Walters.”
    “Well, there was
a small group of rocks, similar to the ones on the ground,” he said.
    “What else?” Sam
asked, causing Jackson to give him a look.
    “What else ?”
Jackson repeated.
    “A piece of
paper,” Walters reported. “Well, not really paper, like, you know, the paper we
use today.”
    “No, I don’t
know,” Jackson said. “That makes no sense. It’s paper, but not paper. Which is
it, Walters?”
    “I would wager a
guess and say it’s papyrus, you know, like ancient paper.”
    Jackson rolled
his eyes. Anna wondered if anyone ever came to like the commissioner as a boss.
Hell, even as a person. He certainly knew he was in charge, and he liked it
that way.
    “And what does
this ancient piece of paper say, Walters?”
    “We don’t know.”
    “Meaning what?
That you can’t fucking read?” Jackson sneered.
    “It’s in an
ancient language, sir,” Walters said. “Hebrew, most likely. We’re going to have
someone look at it.”
    “Good idea,”
Jackson said. “Make sure you find someone who can read.” He hung up the phone.
    “Looks like we
have another papyrus,” Anna commented as she looked up to the branch that held
the hanging rope.
     “Get somebody
up there,” Jackson ordered.
    As they waited,
Anna took out her phone and texted Trevor.
    Remember the
rule, Trevor. Do NOT leave campus.
    It didn’t take
long for him to respond.
    Relax, Mom. It’s
all good.
    Anna sighed as
another lanky man climbed down from the tree, paper in hand. She looked at the
writing along with Sam and Jackson.
    “Anyone around
here Jewish?” Jackson asked. Before waiting for a response he answered his own
question. “Yeah, me neither.”
    Anna and Sam
exchanged glances. They were both thinking the same thing: please let this not
be another summoning spell.
    What they
couldn’t have known was that the writing on those pages was dramatically
different than a summoning spell. It was much, much worse.
    Suddenly, leaves
began falling from a group of trees about thirty yards ahead of them.
    “What the hell?”
Sam cursed.
    “Oh, Christ!”
Anna cried, immediately regretting it.
    “What? What did
you see?” Jackson asked.
    “Nothing,” Anna
responded. “I thought I saw something.” Anna had seen something. It was
only a shadow high in the trees, but she distinctly saw a large figure jumping
from branch to branch.
    “Let’s check it
out,” Jackson said.
    “You go ahead,”
Anna said to Jackson and Sam. “I need to make a few phone calls.”
    “We won’t be
long,” Jackson said as he, Sam, and a handful of other officers jogged toward
the falling leaves.
    Here we go again , Anna thought
for the second time that morning. She pulled out her phone and dialed.
     
     
    * * * * * *
    4
    Jena recognized
by her surroundings that she was at a school. She also remembered that Anish’s
office was Room 334. But when she heard the explosion and several male voices,
she started to reconsider his invitation. Just as she turned to leave, she
heard Anish say that the door was open. She took a deep breath and plunged into
what she knew would be a dangerous venture.
    “Ah, Jena,”
Anish said from behind his desk. There were two other men there, but they
seemed somewhat young to be college students. One boy had jet black, spiked
hair and the other boy was simply adorable.
    “Hi,” Jena said
to Anish.
    “What’s wrong,
my dear?” Anish asked, reading the weariness on Jena’s face.
    “I’m not sure,”
Jena answered. “I had another blackout.”
    “When?”
    “Well, I just
came out of one before I knocked on your door. And one on the way home from the
hospital.”
    “Okay, we will
discuss this. First, I would like you to meet two very good friends. Jena, this
is Trevor,” Anish said as the spiked hair boy greeted her.
    “And this is…”
Anish began, but was cut off by Jena.
    “Simon,” she
said.
    “What?”