Heart of the Resonant: Book 1: Pulse (Resonant Series) Read online

  Contents

  Heart of the Resonant

  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

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Heart of the Resonant

  Book 1: Pulse

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 by B. C. Handler

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

  Disclaimer:

  This book is intended for a mature audience 18 years of age and older. Explicit content of a violent and sexual nature is contained within.

  Chapter 1

  I really should've grabbed a large coffee, I thought while also trying not to think about how much class is going to drag on. Since we just finished an exam last session, today is going to be pretty lax, so I’ll be able to let my mind wander until my brain realizes it’s awake.

  I stared at the old scars on my knuckles and began fantasizing about winning the WBA belt, as I usually did on dreary days like this.

  Of course, that ship had already sailed.

  As much as my father and I bonded over boxing, he told me that I should be doing something with my head, not my fists. He won the golden gloves when he was sixteen and had an undefeated amateur career, but struggled to make it in the big leagues. Basically, he spent his youth busting his ass to bust other guy’s asses, only for him to get his ass busted up, and then having to bust his ass working construction jobs to make chop. That was too much ass-busting that I shouldn’t experience––his words, not mine. He’s a good man, just not very poetic.

  Being in that transitionary period of my life where I had to forgo dreams for reality was a tough sell. A shame, and it hampered my ambitions, but a man’s gotta live. My parents have been good to me so I could have a chance to get a decent job; the least I could do is secure my future. Some days were still a challenge.

  I remember talking to Mom about it a few mornings ago, and, of course, the first thing she goes to is philosophy. She told me a Buddhist story titled “Inch Time Foot Gem.” A short story that ends with a poem telling the reader that every day, every moment, is a gift. It was my mom’s subtle way of telling me not to bitch and be happy I’m alive. I nabbed a book of Zen koans from the university library to get more wisdom, but the other stories just made me confused. My mom was wise to pick out the one I needed to hear.

  She had a point, after all. I may not be able to have the fancy life of a world champion, but there would still be the other small things I appreciated: books, 80’s movies, the boys at the boxing club, and the occasional charcoal sketch.

  Can’t forget Caroline, the Asian girl who sits in front of me in economics. It was those little things that made my day-to-day less shitty.

  It was a bit of a complicated thing with Caroline, though. Just seeing her walk into class and sit was enough to melt my heart.

  Caroline made econ the only class worth looking forward to; I loved staring at the back of her head, admiring her soft and silky looking hair. But at the same time, I would feel like a damn fool being so infatuated with a girl who probably forgot my name.

  We had icebreakers the first day of class a month ago, and I got the chance to chit chat with her a little, but I didn’t make much of an impression if her lack of investment was any indication. Since then, we’ve only uttered a few words in passing. That’s why it was complicated. The deep admiration she filled me with was enough to put my mind in a permanent fog. Had my tongue been looser, I’d be stammering like Porky Pig. Better to keep my trap shut until something organic happened.

  The only plus side of that situation was that things haven’t gotten sour between us. The road of my life was paved with several exes where things got nasty.

  Still, I’m content just starting at that lovely hair of hers. So beautiful in the way it bounces when she turns her head; the way it caught the sunlight and produced a magnificent black luster was glorious; the oversized sweaters that hid that lithe body of hers were so alluring. I can still remember one particularly hot day that she removed a sweater to reveal an adorable black-tank that showed off the lovely swells of her chest, her slender neck, and that soft, flawless skin of hers. Her lovely heart-shaped face was mesmerizing; her glasses always looked like they were falling off so they always rested on that pretty nose of hers. And behind those spectacles were sharp, black eyes that carried a mysterious allure.

  Her face was a thing of art that deserved to be appreciated. It was so enchanting that I didn’t realize we were staring at each other.

  She looked at me expectantly and gave me a small smile. I smiled back and said, “Hi.”

  “Um?” She pointed behind me.

  Someone rustled a stack of papers by my face. I turned and saw a guy holding out a thick pile towards me. Our tests from last Thursday. I pulled my sheet from the pile and handed off the pile to Caroline. She retrieved hers and turned back around to pass it the person in front of her, returning me to nothing but another face in the classroom.

  I stared down at my test and saw one hundred percent with a smiley face along with a “good job” comment. I smiled to myself and continued to stare down, making it look like I was admiring my effort. But on the inside, I was screaming.

  WHY AM I SUCH AN IDIOT?! SHE THINKS I’M WEIRD NOW! FUCK ME SIDEWAYS!

  The PA crackled to life, a voice echoing through the halls and classrooms of the entire university.

  “Attention all faculty and students, commence lockdown procedures. Lock all doors and turn off all lights and don’t approach the door unless it’s an officer. This is not a drill.”

  Oh shit.

  Everyone rushed and huddled into the corner of the room away from the door while the professor followed lockdown protocol. We’ve endured enough drills throughout our school lives to know what’s up, but that still didn’t mean everyone took this seriously.

  “You think some homeless guy wandered into the building again?” Jase asked Andrew.

  “Nah, security would’ve told him to fuck off instead of throwing us into lock down.”

  “You think it’s one of those school shooters?”

  “It’s probably that weird guy Justin. I heard he was caught jerking off in the library at his old high school. Seems like he’d come in here with a machine gun,” Andrew said with a smirk.

  “Ha, bet.”

  “You two cram it or I’m dropping you from my course!” our professor hissed.

  Those two always acted like this. They lacked any real decency and always joked about serious matters with blatant disregard. Don’t get me wrong, I have a sense of humor, but there’s a damned time and a place. This wasn’t it.

  While those two were talking about who else they think would cause a shootout, I realized that Caroline was sitting next to me. She had
her face buried in her knees and trembled almost uncontrollably.

  “Hey, you okay?” I asked gently.

  She lifted her head, her eyes watering behind her glasses. “What if it is a crazy guy with a bunch of guns? What if he…” she trailed off and dropped her head into her knees and let out a whimper.

  “Hey,” I said as I placed a hand on her shoulder, “don’t think like that. We’ve got armed officers on campus and if there is someone dangerous, then it’s like one against six. Hopefully they’ll resolve before anyone gets hurt. Let’s just sit tight and let the police sort this out, okay?”

  She lifted her head once more to stare at me with those watery, yet charming, eyes of hers. “Okay,” she nodded. She scooted closer and took in some steady breaths.

  Not the sort of organic situation I was thinking, though it’s something. Classes are going to get canceled for the rest of the day, so I might as well ask her for coffee or something.

  A loud crash and a blood curdling scream killed that pleasant thought in my mind. Everyone fell uncomfortably silent and stared wide-eyed at the door. Silence loomed for a little while until everyone jerked from the thunderous boom of a gunshot, but what followed dwarfed that concussive blast.

  A loud, unbroken roar reverberated from the hall. A deep primal fear awakened within from that unnatural noise, a fear I’ve never had the chance to confront. I was reduced to a child: scared, helpless, confused, unsure of what to do aside from sit still as my blood pounded in my ears, attempting not to fall into hysteria. Caroline anchored me to rationality; her hand clutching my forearm so tight that her nails drew blood. The light pain kept me from slipping, my mind ever alert for whatever was to follow.

  There was another gunshot. It was close. Outside our room close. Shortly after the shot was another quaking roar. Bangs, crashes, and the sound of pounding mixed with the gunshots, then there was a blood curdling cry. Then it all stopped abruptly.

  A girl named Melissa started to sob and people around tried desperately to shush her. Another girl wrapped her hand over her mouth to snuff her cries. Caroline, too, clamped her own hand over her mouth to choke back sobs.

  Something barreled right through our door in a violent crash, ramming right through all the tables and obliterating the professor’s podium to splinters. And what I saw was truly something birthed from nightmares.

  A charcoal-colored humanoid thing stood in the center of the room with its back to us, its shoulders heaving up and down, head hung so low that from behind it looked like it was headless. The thing stood over six feet; its arms impossibly long, so long that they hung past the knees of its thickly muscled legs. The muscles on its back and arms were incredibly sinewy. Thick, black claws adorned the ends of its gangly arms and legs.

  My gaze slowly traveled to the mangled corpse at its feet. I saw what was left of one of the officers who acted as security for our campus. His right arm was missing; his left bent at an impossible angle, and a large portion of his abdomen gone, revealing crimson organs and the snowy bones of his ribcage. His dead gaze fell right on me, his expression signaling a painful death.

  This was a monster. And I was in the same room as it.

  The monster turned its body slowly to face us, the sight petrified me. Its face was almost featureless; no sort of facial structure, no nose, the eye sockets were sunken in with two white globes for eyes, looking so empty and lifeless, and its mouth was just a narrow horizontal slit. The face was so uncanny and lifeless that it looked like an incomplete latex mask. Only it was no mask.

  Its jaw slid forward slightly and the skin peeled back to reveal a ghastly array of pointy teeth. It was like watching a Geladas monkey yawn, but this monster did not look sleepy. It looked hungry.

  Jase made a beeline to the door, or the hole where the door was, and sprinted desperately away. The monster’s head whiplashed to the side, its neck bent at an unnatural angle while it saw Jase run. The monster grunted, then took chase. Moments later, we all heard Jase’s blood curdling cry from down the hall. Pandemonium coursed and people rushed to the exit, screaming and shoving like rats scrambling through a narrow burrow.

  I stumbled to my feet as my fear induced paralysis lifted, but only managed a few steps before turning back. Caroline was still sitting against the wall with her face buried in her knees.

  “Caroline,” I said in a hushed tone, “we have to get out of here.” I snapped my head to the door, which was still empty, but I had no idea for how long.

  She lifted her tear-stricken face from her knees. “I… I can’t… I can’t… I...” She dropped her head as her body heaved from heavy sobs.

  Fear had crippled her. I was scared, but calm, composed. Panicking never solved anything. Panicking was the fastest way to a dirt nap. Which seemed like a very real possibility in this impossible situation.

  “Caroline, if you don’t want to die, take my hand.” I spoke firmly and outstretched my arm. The situation doesn’t call for coddling. She needs to understand. “We’re definitely going to die if we just wait here for that thing to come back. Please.”

  She peeked from above her knees and stared at my hand. Her chin trembled and she choked back another sob. Caroline tangled with her emotions for several long seconds, but, slowly, her shaky hand reached out. I hoisted her up and fixed her with a proud smile.

  I poked my head out into the hallway to see if anything was lurking around the corner. It looked clear, but when I observed the door, rather the hole, the monster had ripped the door’s hinges from the very frame.

  Whatever it was, it was strong.

  The hallway looked like a set from a horror movie. Claw marks riddled the floors and walls, blood was splattered about, and it looked like our classroom wasn’t the only one to get breached. The thought of another one of those things filled me with dread, but I didn’t see anything around, so I took comfort in that. However, further down the hall to my left, just around the corner, I could make out a familiar looking pair of jeans and sneakers. Jase’s. I stared more closely and saw that there was a pool of blood collecting around his legs and soaking the denim. Moments later, the legs were dragged out of sight. My face went white and I slipped back into the classroom.

  We have to go. Now.

  I let out a breath and waited till fear left my face. I turned to Caroline to see how she was doing. Fresh tears were still slipped past her eyes and she trembled like a leaf in the wind, but it looked like she had a handle on herself.

  “Okay, Caroline, here’s the plan: I’m going to go out into the hallway first, then you follow. Slowly. Be sure to be very quiet. Then we’re carefully going to walk to the other end of the hallway, down the stairs, and into the parking lot, okay?” She let out a shaky breath and nodded. “Good,” I said with a reassuring smile.

  I saw my backpack amidst the mess left by the monster barging into our room. No sense in leaving it behind, I suppose.

  With my backpack slung over my shoulder, I peered out and looked both ways, then took cautious, deliberate steps into the hallway. I glanced back to make sure the coast was clear, being especially vigilant towards where Jase was dragged off. A morbid thought, but I do hope whatever took him would have its appetite sated. For the moment.

  I waved Caroline out and she crept into the hallway like a mouse leaving its den. I gestured her to start down the hallway, then followed. I walked sideways and kept my view on the puddle of blood around the corner, praying nothing comes. We got to the other end without incident and rounded the corner. Then stopped dead in our tracks.

  My stomach sank and Caroline pressed herself into my back. At the other end of the hall was the stairwell that would be our escape; unfortunately, there was another one of those monsters ripping apart a girl just in front of the doors. It squatted close to the ground with its back to us while it ripped into corpse with sickening, wet, sloshing sounds.

  Caroline wasn’t so far gone that she started shrieking madly, so there was that. I gave her leg a squeeze and jerked my chin
to the other end of the hall. She understood my meaning, then we both started backing away.

  My mind was racing miles a second as I thought of alternative routes. There was the elevator down the hall at our fork, but it was old and noisy; from what I gathered, those monsters were fast. We’d doom ourselves waiting for the elevator. Whatever pulled Jase away was still eating, so the other stairs was a no go. That only left navigating the labyrinth of hallways and corridors until we got to the other exit in C-building. It was all connected to all three floors on this section of the building. Once we got into C, we’d be able walk down to the ground level and to where my car was parked. All we had to do was make it to the end of the hallway so we could be on our merry way.

  But, like one concrete fact prevalent in life, things never go the way you want.

  As Caroline and I where shuffling backwards, she dragged her sneaker, producing a loud squeal that bounced of the tiles and white brick walls.

  It cocked it head to one side and peered over its shoulder with one frosty eye. I thought of Nietzsche when its eyes met mine, that little bit about fighting monsters lest you become one and about staring into the abyss, but I don’t think he ever considered the possibility of real, tangible monsters in every sense of the definition when he shared that enlightening piece of information. I could forgive the monster bit, but I understood the abyss part; when you gaze into the abyss, it stares into you. I saw it and it saw me. I saw its hunger and need to kill, and it saw my fear and need to survive.

  I seized Caroline's wrist and ran.

  Caroline’s arm damn near got dislocated from her socket when I jerked her from a frozen stance to a full on sprint at the drop of a hat. It would’ve been stupid to have shouted “run” and then proceeded to run instead of just doing it flat out. A bit overly conscientious, I know, but I wasn’t in the mood to waste any precious seconds that would put distance between me and that monster.

  Monster.

  It was an actual fucking monster.