Death Cursed (Death Touched, Book One)

Chapter 5

Jack glanced down the empty hall and ran a hand through his short hair. "Damn it. . ."

He sighed and dropped his hand into his pocket for the pack of cigarettes. A quick light and a puff, and he strode down the hall to the intersection of the two halls where he leaned against the wall a foot away from the corner. He folded his arms over his chest and listened to the soft sniffling from around the corner.

"You okay?" he asked her.

"How can I-hiccup-be okay?" Nena replied with a nose full of tears and wet cheeks.

A sly grin slipped onto his lips. "Because you're with me."

Nena wiped her tears from her face and glared at the corner. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

He took a puff on his cigarette and shrugged. "It's the truth." She peeked around the corner and narrowed her eyes as she studied him. He arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"Are you something else, too?" she questioned him.

A small smile slipped onto his lips. "You mean whether I'm going to grow a tail and horns? No."

Nena took a step out of her hallway and into his. "Then why are you here? Are you. . .are you like me?"

Jack plucked the cigarette from his mouth and looked down at its lit red end. "Scratch and I go back a long ways. You could say he dug me up to help with this little pet project of his and now I'm working my way to retirement."

"And what exactly do you do?" she wondered.

Jack opened his mouth, but a ringing from his coat pocket stopped him. He drew out a cell phone and answered it. "Yeah?"

"I'm done analyzing the gun you found with the girl," a deep voice replied.

Jack arched an eyebrow as Nena moved closer. "And?"

"You'll have to come down here and see for yourself, otherwise you won't believe it."

Jack's eyes flickered to Nena who was staring at her tear-soaked hand. "All right. We'll be right there." He hung up the phone and studied her intense expression with a raised eyebrow. "You feeling okay?"

She pressed her finger against her wet palm and frowned. "If I'm-well, you know-than how come I can cry?"

Jack smiled down at her. "That's something even Scratch can't figure out. Me? I think it's God's way of reminding you you're still human, even when you're dead."

"Still human. . ." she whispered.

He pushed off the wall and jerked his head toward the elevator. "Anyway, you want to see what I do? We could call it your first outing in the agency."

Nena lifted her eyes to him and nodded. "Yeah. I. . .I want to know more about what's going on here-and with me."

Jack flicked his cigarette away and grinned at her. "Good girl. Now let's go."

They re-entered the elevator and Jack pressed one of the middle floors.

"Where exactly are we going?" she asked him.

"The shooting range. It's near the ground level of the Agency compound," he told her.

Nena furrowed her brow as she watched the light move away from the lowest button. "Were we below ground?"

"Yep. Old Scratch hates to be cold, and he isn't too fond of the sun, either."

"Then how come he had that window that looked out on the city?" she wondered.