.
Purge, Inc.
Into the Vortex
By: Everleigh Allen
Chapter 5
.
The office darkened ominously at the same time the obnoxious florescent lights flickered above. Everyone in the office stilled and looked around waiting to react.
Well, except for Bella.
Bella didn't pay it attention as she took the moment to stare at Edward's picture again. She couldn't help but wonder why she felt so drawn to the stranger.
After several moments she opened the file folder for Edward Cullen noting that his real name was actually Edward Aksel Masen. It wasn't often people had different names once the person's file landed on their desks, but on the rare occasion they did, there was usually a good reason for it.
Bella whispered his name.
Almost instantly, it was as if a warm of blanket was being wrapped around her, not that they had such things at Purge, Inc.
It was comforting to know his real name, nonetheless.
She wondered what in his life could've happened to make him change his name. Perhaps he was trying to be more casual like Jake or perhaps he was hiding something.
She hoped for the latter as she took another minute to study his picture.
Soft, warm color tinted his skin told Bella that he was no stranger to the sun. Perhaps he spent hours or days riding the bikes he worked on in the shop. The dark circles hinted that he was working too many late nights or maybe a he had fitful sleep, or both. But there was a permanent frown line that made her wonder what kind of pain Edward kept behind his deep blue-grey shadowy eyes.
Reading the description, she could see he worked in the motorcycle shop that he owned for the past ten years. He had a partner in the business but there wasn't any information on them so Bella guessed it was most likely a financial partner.
Skipping over his address, she turned onto his death page.
It looked like he was going to trip and fall answering the door. She could see him hitting his head on the edge of his huge tool chest, which was probably why Jake got him and not her.
"Better than being crushed, guy," She whispered to him, knowing he couldn't hear her anyway. "Is that why Jake got your file? Were you going to search out a wrench and take a tumble? We're you answering the door? So, so sad that someone so handsome like you has to die so young. But perhaps not since Jake didn't often off his people on file … or did he?"
"Who are you talking to?" Eric's snide voice carried over her and would've set her nerves on end had she had any nerves. She wished she could have a range of feelings like that rather than the abject indifference she usually felt.
"I was doing my research for my file person. What does it look like I'm doing?" She snapped back at him.
"Did you read it all? You aren't going to deviate from the file are you? Miss Mallory is a specialty case."
Bella bit her lip from speaking the words she'd really want to say. Instead she just nodded and waited him out.
"Good. Remember, extraction first. We can't send Miss Mallory onward without getting rid of all the extras."
"Of course, sir."
Her quick agreeance gave him pause and he stilled giving her a supplicatory look from over his shoulder. "Anything you need to tell me?"
Bella was instantly searching for what she could've missed. "Nothing I could think of at the moment."
He wiggled one of his thick fingers in her direction in admonishment, "Just remember to do your job this time. We're not in the revenge department. We don't decide that stuff."
"Oh, you mean the tornado guy?" Revenge- was that what that was? Because she didn't think of it as a revenge thing at all since she didn't know any of these people nor would she...
"What else do you think I meant?" Eric huffed in annoyance.
Bella could swear she saw one of his shirt buttons pop off from his over inflated chest.
But she just shrugged.
"Do your job," Eric sneered. "That's all. Nothing more, or else there will be hell to pay."
"You sure do love that line, Sir." Bella smiled sweetly. She imagined Eric as Charon at the River Styx and Acheron demanding payment to cross.
"It's effective."
"Hmm," Bella looked away from Eric since his eyes grew darker than they usually were. She knew in that moment that his mind had gone to darker things, most likely pertaining to the sizzle and she had no interest in seeing it from his eyes. She accidently caught it once, seeing an intern sitting at a desk and then next moment the floor opened up to swallow him.
It was disturbing.
Bella couldn't decide if it was something that truly happened or something that he projected at her to see, but she wasn't going to take her chances. She ignored it and didn't dare ever bother to ask anyone else if they had seen anything of the same.
They would deny it anyway.
"How are you going to get the implant girl cleared for delivery?"
"Oh," Bella would have been instantly flustered if she could but still could fluster. She couldn't look at him, "I haven't weighed my options quite yet."
"Her clock is ticking. I'll leave you to it."
She nodded and waited until he left to give a slight look around the office. Barely anyone was around and she felt that she needed to get to Jake swiftly to find out how he planned to get the hooks out of his fishy before she went onward into her afterlife.
And, of course, Bella needed to mentally prepare for her meeting by doing nothing.
Seeing Jake standing across the room, Bella noticed that he was absentmindedly bobbing one of the sock people that were dangling from the ceiling by a string. In an instant Bella was out of her seat and heading in his direction, ignoring the whirling call of the spirit board.
She wondered where Angela went, but decided she didn't care enough to find out. She could see the device on the board moving around in circles before it paused and pointed right at her.
"Stop it," She mouthed at the board which was ridiculous and she knew it. She watched it do several more circles and then stop and point at her again.
This time she didn't ignore it.
Bella forgot all about Jake and went right for the board as if in a trance.
She stood, watching it turn in five circles and then point to her again and again. Each time, she could feel the temperature drop even colder.
"What's it doing now?" Jake whispered conspiratorially as he slid next to her.
"Have you ever seen it do that?"
"No, but it's probably got an energy who has fragmented out of his body enough and this is all they got left to communicate. Totally wicked." He raised his hand for a high five even though it was at his torso and hidden from view.
"You're probably right," Bella replied, tapping his hand slightly. She knew he was wrong, very wrong. No matter where she moved, the dial landed on her after doing its five circles. "But it's not really communicating anything is it?"
"Nope. Ask Angela when she comes back, just to be sure."
"Good idea. I will."
Bella then moved behind Jake and the dial started to spin faster until it launched into their direction.
"It possessed!" Jake cried out as they both ducked before it hit either of them.
"Duh!"
"I mean more possessed than it usually is!" He cackled as they picked themselves off the floor, Bella and Jake slowly walked back to their desks; both a little edgy. "So, that was so fun."
Bella looked right at Jake with her mouth gaped open like a fish. "That was not fun. It's doing weird circular pointy things at me."
"Okay, so fun for me, less fun for you."
"Thanks." Bella sneered. "So, Eric said to clear Lauren. How are you planning to do that?"
"Ugh," Jake grunted and stopped. "You gave me the chick from Hell, you know that? She has more holes in her than a piñata after party."
"I thought you were going to go really dirty with that one but I am glad you didn't."
"I still might," He swiveled his chair in a fit. "This piñata has no candy. There's nothing sweet about her at all. I'll do what I can with the breather, but I can't promise a miracle. She's not hole-y enough for that!" He cackled. "Plus she was your case and you may still have to push the final poof button."
"Why do I have to do it? Didn't the file change when you got it?"
He shrugged, "Not that I can tell. Here," He handed her Lauren's file and watched as Bella thumbed through it, not seeing anything about her upcoming death.
"How come there's no death date or how she goes?"
His silence was enough of an answer.
"This can't be right, Jake. You had Ed- er- Axel and Tanya's files together and you got Lauren's. He still dies in my file."
"Look who's messing up her job again," He chuckled, shaking his head. "They are going to send all your slips in a tornado with the way you're going."
"Shut up." Bella hissed, looking around the office for listening ears. "Do you remember her backstory in case Eric comes by?"
"Dating some meat head, going to die by being shot, I hear." His nonchalance was unnerving her.
"How did she land on my desk if she's going to get shot?"
Jake shrugged, indifferent. "You know I asked myself the same thing? I even came up with an answer."
"Well, what is it?"
"I have no idea nor do I care," Jake grinned.
"Lovely." Bella thumbed through the papers before she opened it up to see the woman's picture had altered a bit from the first time she saw her, which happened often since they start moving into their death day, their soul starts looking for an out beforehand, in most cases.
Tanya's eyes were impossibly dark, which looked almost like bruises. Bella instantly gasped and looked up at Jake who just nodded as he pushed his buttons on his switch board.
"Tell me this isn't what I think it is?"
"Yep."
"Who beat her up?"
"Not privy to that," Jake shrugged. "My guess would be the perp which could be my third file but since it's on my desk and not yours I can't be too-"
"Can I see it?"
Jake stopped pushing buttons and picked up the file folder and handed it to Bella.
"I forgot you got another one," she whispered, seeing Eric move through the room on the opposite end. He was throwing socks up onto the mountain and watching them roll off with the help of Ben. They seemed to be making bets which socks would fall the fastest and where.
There wasn't much to do there to for entertainment, obviously.
Bella opened the other file and saw a very angry man staring back at her. She took in a sharp breath which caught Jake's attention in an instant.
"What?"
"Nothing."
But there was something about that man and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was almost like she knew him, but there was no way that was even possible. She thumbed through the pages to see how he would die, too, but all it said was another possible gunshot.
At least it would be fast and easy.
"How did you get a gunshot guy? And how are these all related? Why did I get Lauren and you get the two guys with Tanya? I don't understand."
"I think you're overthinking this," Jake bit out with annoyance. "But since you asked, I'll answer. We do our job, Bella, which does not consist with solving the convoluted possible murder mysteries that is none of our concern." Jake's eyes darted to the side and Bella followed seeing Eric rush towards her.
"What are you still doing here, Bella? You have your 2 o'clock!" Eric yelled at her. It was enough to rattle her and forget about the man in the folder. It suddenly dawned on her to wonder what she could've done to warrant such a meeting.
"I was just going now," She snapped back.
Eric huffed before moving back to the sock mountain.
"Bye, bye, Miss Hurricane Eye…" Jake sang badly, "Pushed the peddle and did meddle and then made someone die," Jake sang louder with his air guitar.
"Shut up," Bella muttered, glaring at Jake who was sitting with his files on his lap.
"This'll be the day that you die…oh, wait." He snickered.
"Funny. Just clear the candy from Lauren piñata. Don't forget."
"Yeah, yeah."
.
A/N:
Look, I know this story isn't for everyone and I know I will and do make mistakes throughout it and I will fix them as much as I can. I don't mind the reviews that point out mistakes constructively that I can quickly find, fix it and repost it. I don't have a beta- I don't know of any, and I don't want to have to shut off guest reviews but there are some mean ones and I will if I have to so there isn't any karmic dynamic. There are better ways of spending your time and mine other than reading stories you hate and having a verbal exorcism of meanness via your "guest" review.
All my other reviewers are awesome and I will tuck you all in my pocket and keep your words forever.
I try to make new, interesting stories that are fun to read because there's a lot going on in the world we all want to forget about it. I work, I paint, I write, I take care of my sickly husband and my kids the best I can. This helps me keep my sanity.
I spend most of my days teaching people how to release their karmic debt, etc. I am also a Reiki Master Teacher, so if you watch shows like, The Dead Files and the like, you know of the people who come in and collect the fragments of souls left behind within the space. It is a fun job.
Have a blessed day.