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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: see Chapter sixteen
~~~~~~~
To End The Evil
Part 25
Homecoming
It was dark but the moon gently illuminated his way through the woods.
The journey had been eventless. He had been able to get a direct flight to New York where he had parked his car before the odyssey had started.
Getting rid of the wheelchair hadn’t been difficult and also the rest of his disguise was quickly shed. He was relieved when he was able to get out of the things. Especially the wig had started to get unnerving.
He had then quickly made his way back to Blue Cove. By the time he had arrived in the small town it had gotten dark. He parked his car at its usual place when he ‘visited’ Parker and walked the last mile or so to get there from the back.
Finally her house got into view. He breathed a sigh of relief and crept on. He could see that there was light in the living room, despite the late hour.
He slowed down to scan the area once more. He didn’t have the desire to run into a sweeper stationed close to Parker’s house to report anything suspicious.
Jarod crouched down and waited a few minutes to see if anything moved.
When nothing happened he crept on and walked up to her back door. He let himself silently in.
After listening for several minutes he went into the living room without making a sound.
He smiled at the sight that greeted him upon entering. Parker lay on the couch on her side sleeping with the telephone lying close to her hand. She had obviously hoped that he would call.
Jarod closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. He was glad to finally be… home. Startled he opened his eyes. ‘Home?’, he wondered… Yes, that was how he felt. He had the feeling of coming home to Parker.
Shaking his head slightly he went further into the room and took a light blanket to cover her with it. He then went back to retrieve his baggage and went down into the basement to hide the bigger ones.
He took several things out of his duffle bag and put them into the lighter backpack to take them upstairs again. At last he took out a small electronic device. Though he was sure that Parker had searched the house for bugs, he wanted to make certain that she had gotten rid of all of them.
He was tired but he knew that he had to do this before he could sleep. He got up from his crouched position and went upstairs.
Jarod opened the door. The moment he stepped into the hall, Parker rushed up to him and threw herself into his arms.
Quickly getting over his surprise he closed his arms around her and held her, savouring the feeling of having her in his arms.
She snuggled up to him and he too, tightened his hold on her.
After what seemed like an eternity, Parker took a step back. She opened her mouth to ask Jarod one of the questions spinning in her head but he hastily put up a hand to silence her. She blinked confused.
Jarod shook his head and showed her the device. Before she could argue he put his finger up to her lips.
When she shrugged defeated, he smiled at her. She easily returned his smile.
Parker turned and walked into the kitchen and Jarod started his search.
~~~~~~~
She went into the kitchen to make some coffee and let Jarod get to his task to search for remaining bugs.
Though she was happy to have him back she couldn’t oversee the deep lines of fatigue on his face. He looked as if he hadn’t slept at all the last few days.
She contemplated letting him go to bed and tell his story tomorrow but on the other hand it was important for her to know what he had been up to the last week and if he had indeed gotten to the Scrolls.
In the end, curiosity got the better of her and she decided to keep her mouth shut and wait for him to tell his story.
~~~~~~~
Twenty minutes later Jarod came into the kitchen with a destroyed bug he had found in his hand. Parker looked at the remains in his palm and he just shrugged.
“I thought I got them all,” she said.
“You got close. This one was hidden quite well. How many did you find?” Jarod asked in return.
“The day after your call I found eight in the whole house and yesterday I found six new ones,“ she replied.
“Nice!” he said sarcastically.
“Very”, she agreed. “You sure that you found each and every one of them”, she questioned, nodding into the general direction of the trashcan, where Jarod had put the remains just seconds ago.
“Yes! This little device is a nice toy with which you can be sure to get ‘all’ bugs,“ Jarod said convinced.
“Well then, you can tell me finally what you did the last week. Grab yourself some coffee and get your ass over to the living room!” she ordered rather playfully.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jarod saluted jokingly.
“I’ll show you ‘ma’am’,” she replied winking at him.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jarod grinned and saluted again.
“Oh, shut up, Jar,” she grinned and walked into the living room with a cup of her own.
Jarod chuckled slightly and followed her. When he entered the room, she was sitting on the couch where he had found her earlier that evening.
She patted onto the couch’s surface indicating Jarod to sit down next to her. Jarod eagerly complied with her wish.
“Well?” she asked expectantly.
“It’s been just a week but I have the feeling that enough happened to last for at least a lifetime,” Jarod mused.
“Then you better get the story started because I expect to hear it all,“ she suggested.
Jarod grinned. When he looked over to her he sobered. “I’ve missed you,“ he said earnestly. He reached out and cupped her cheek in his palm.
She crooked her head. Her eyes softened. “I missed you, too. “
“And I’m glad to be home again,“ he went on.
“Home as if in ‘back in America’?” Parker asked lightly.
“No, home as if in ‘back here in your house, together with you’,” Jarod confessed.
Parker smiled. “I’m glad, too.”
“I’m sorry, that I was gone without a note or something like that,” he acknowledged.
“You could have pinned a letter onto the front door for the sweeper and me to find saying ‘Sorry, I couldn’t wait for you to come back, took my things out of the basement. I’ll be back soon. Jarod’,“ she said ironically.
Jarod chuckled heartily. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“See! But now, get your story started, or wait… One question before you start…,” she began.
“…Yes, I have them!” he said nodding, already knowing what she wanted to ask.
Her eyes lit up and she grinned triumphantly.
“Story first or the Scrolls?” Jarod asked.
She frowned undecided. “Can you make the story short?”
He grinned. “I’ll try!”
“Then I want to hear the story first,“ she decided.
“Congratulations Parker, you worked on your patience,” Jarod said, mildly surprised upon her choice. “Well, here we go…”
~~~~~~~
Jarod had shortly told her about the last week’s events and had then fetched the Scrolls from the basement.
Parker had indeed not been pleased to hear that Jarod had already read the Scrolls but after some reasoning, she had agreed that it had been the right thing to do and that she couldn’t have demanded for Jarod to wait a week before reading them only because she wasn’t with him. She knew that she wouldn’t have had the patience to do so, herself.
Now, they were again sitting in the living room. They were sitting on the couch once more, Jarod seated on Parker’s right side.
During her reading, her eyebrows climbed high up on her forehead. When she sat the documents aside she looked at him.
“No wonder that they tried to keep them away from us,“ she said.
Jarod nodded.
“Do you realize that everything the Scrolls proposed until now came true?”
“I had nearly a week to study the Scrolls, and believe me I read them countless times. It would be a miracle if I hadn’t noticed that!” Jarod replied.
“Point taken,“ Parker acknowledged. “What do you think, who is the ‘one close to us both’ who will help us?” Parker asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe Sydney… or Angelo. We will see,” Jarod shrugged.
Parker nodded. The tear shaped diamond ring on her finger and the matching bracelet-pendant glistered in the soft light. She started reading the Scrolls again. This time she read them out aloud:
“…The Chosen and the Angel will reconnect and from that point on the two of them will work together. It is their destiny to destroy the evil that is the Centre…”
Suddenly, Jarod winced and reached up with his hands to grasp his temple.
“…With the Angel’s help, the Chosen will remember knowledge installed in him…,“ Parker went on.
Jarod moaned softly, trying to block out the pain that roared through his head.
“Jarod?” Parker looked up when she heard him moan in pain. When she saw him sitting on the couch with his hands on his head, a pained expression on his face, she let the Scrolls drop and reached out to him.
“Jarod? What is it?” she asked helplessly.
He closed his eyes tightly and winced again, when more pain shot through his head and pictures invaded his consciousness.
“Jar! Talk to me, please. Are you ok?” Parker called desperately.
“Agh, good god. It hurts,“ was all he could say.
“What, Jarod, what hurts?” she questioned.
“Bright, so bright,” Jarod mumbled incoherently. A new blaze flashed through his head and he moaned again, clutching his temples and sinking onto his side.
Parker caught him and settled his head into her lap. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. “Tell me, what to do, Jar,” she pleaded.
Jarod didn’t reply. He was beyond answering. The flashes came more and more rapidly and each one was more vicious than the last. He winced again, moaning in agony.
“Jar! What can I do?” Parker cried.
Jarod just continued to whimper in her arms. Parker’s tears fell freely and she continued to caress his cheek.
They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity until Jarod quieted down at least somewhat.
Finally he calmed down and relaxed a little, letting his hands drop from his head. Parker caught one of his hands and took it in her own.
Jarod was clenched in sweat and shivering. Parker reached over and took the blanked Jarod had covered her with some time ago, to do the same for him.
“Melina,” he whispered.
“Shhh, it’s ok. It’s over. You are ok,” she hushed, tucking him in.
“Cold, it’s cold; so tired,” he mumbled groggily.
She tucked the blanket more closely around him. “Shh, it’s ok, try to sleep. Whatever that was, it’s over,” she hushed gently, all the while stroking his face.
Jarod didn’t reply but finally his breathing evened out and fatigue took over.
To be continued…
~~~~~~~
Part 25
Homecoming
It was dark but the moon gently illuminated his way through the woods.
The journey had been eventless. He had been able to get a direct flight to New York where he had parked his car before the odyssey had started.
Getting rid of the wheelchair hadn’t been difficult and also the rest of his disguise was quickly shed. He was relieved when he was able to get out of the things. Especially the wig had started to get unnerving.
He had then quickly made his way back to Blue Cove. By the time he had arrived in the small town it had gotten dark. He parked his car at its usual place when he ‘visited’ Parker and walked the last mile or so to get there from the back.
Finally her house got into view. He breathed a sigh of relief and crept on. He could see that there was light in the living room, despite the late hour.
He slowed down to scan the area once more. He didn’t have the desire to run into a sweeper stationed close to Parker’s house to report anything suspicious.
Jarod crouched down and waited a few minutes to see if anything moved.
When nothing happened he crept on and walked up to her back door. He let himself silently in.
After listening for several minutes he went into the living room without making a sound.
He smiled at the sight that greeted him upon entering. Parker lay on the couch on her side sleeping with the telephone lying close to her hand. She had obviously hoped that he would call.
Jarod closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. He was glad to finally be… home. Startled he opened his eyes. ‘Home?’, he wondered… Yes, that was how he felt. He had the feeling of coming home to Parker.
Shaking his head slightly he went further into the room and took a light blanket to cover her with it. He then went back to retrieve his baggage and went down into the basement to hide the bigger ones.
He took several things out of his duffle bag and put them into the lighter backpack to take them upstairs again. At last he took out a small electronic device. Though he was sure that Parker had searched the house for bugs, he wanted to make certain that she had gotten rid of all of them.
He was tired but he knew that he had to do this before he could sleep. He got up from his crouched position and went upstairs.
Jarod opened the door. The moment he stepped into the hall, Parker rushed up to him and threw herself into his arms.
Quickly getting over his surprise he closed his arms around her and held her, savouring the feeling of having her in his arms.
She snuggled up to him and he too, tightened his hold on her.
After what seemed like an eternity, Parker took a step back. She opened her mouth to ask Jarod one of the questions spinning in her head but he hastily put up a hand to silence her. She blinked confused.
Jarod shook his head and showed her the device. Before she could argue he put his finger up to her lips.
When she shrugged defeated, he smiled at her. She easily returned his smile.
Parker turned and walked into the kitchen and Jarod started his search.
~~~~~~~
She went into the kitchen to make some coffee and let Jarod get to his task to search for remaining bugs.
Though she was happy to have him back she couldn’t oversee the deep lines of fatigue on his face. He looked as if he hadn’t slept at all the last few days.
She contemplated letting him go to bed and tell his story tomorrow but on the other hand it was important for her to know what he had been up to the last week and if he had indeed gotten to the Scrolls.
In the end, curiosity got the better of her and she decided to keep her mouth shut and wait for him to tell his story.
~~~~~~~
Twenty minutes later Jarod came into the kitchen with a destroyed bug he had found in his hand. Parker looked at the remains in his palm and he just shrugged.
“I thought I got them all,” she said.
“You got close. This one was hidden quite well. How many did you find?” Jarod asked in return.
“The day after your call I found eight in the whole house and yesterday I found six new ones,“ she replied.
“Nice!” he said sarcastically.
“Very”, she agreed. “You sure that you found each and every one of them”, she questioned, nodding into the general direction of the trashcan, where Jarod had put the remains just seconds ago.
“Yes! This little device is a nice toy with which you can be sure to get ‘all’ bugs,“ Jarod said convinced.
“Well then, you can tell me finally what you did the last week. Grab yourself some coffee and get your ass over to the living room!” she ordered rather playfully.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jarod saluted jokingly.
“I’ll show you ‘ma’am’,” she replied winking at him.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jarod grinned and saluted again.
“Oh, shut up, Jar,” she grinned and walked into the living room with a cup of her own.
Jarod chuckled slightly and followed her. When he entered the room, she was sitting on the couch where he had found her earlier that evening.
She patted onto the couch’s surface indicating Jarod to sit down next to her. Jarod eagerly complied with her wish.
“Well?” she asked expectantly.
“It’s been just a week but I have the feeling that enough happened to last for at least a lifetime,” Jarod mused.
“Then you better get the story started because I expect to hear it all,“ she suggested.
Jarod grinned. When he looked over to her he sobered. “I’ve missed you,“ he said earnestly. He reached out and cupped her cheek in his palm.
She crooked her head. Her eyes softened. “I missed you, too. “
“And I’m glad to be home again,“ he went on.
“Home as if in ‘back in America’?” Parker asked lightly.
“No, home as if in ‘back here in your house, together with you’,” Jarod confessed.
Parker smiled. “I’m glad, too.”
“I’m sorry, that I was gone without a note or something like that,” he acknowledged.
“You could have pinned a letter onto the front door for the sweeper and me to find saying ‘Sorry, I couldn’t wait for you to come back, took my things out of the basement. I’ll be back soon. Jarod’,“ she said ironically.
Jarod chuckled heartily. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“See! But now, get your story started, or wait… One question before you start…,” she began.
“…Yes, I have them!” he said nodding, already knowing what she wanted to ask.
Her eyes lit up and she grinned triumphantly.
“Story first or the Scrolls?” Jarod asked.
She frowned undecided. “Can you make the story short?”
He grinned. “I’ll try!”
“Then I want to hear the story first,“ she decided.
“Congratulations Parker, you worked on your patience,” Jarod said, mildly surprised upon her choice. “Well, here we go…”
~~~~~~~
Jarod had shortly told her about the last week’s events and had then fetched the Scrolls from the basement.
Parker had indeed not been pleased to hear that Jarod had already read the Scrolls but after some reasoning, she had agreed that it had been the right thing to do and that she couldn’t have demanded for Jarod to wait a week before reading them only because she wasn’t with him. She knew that she wouldn’t have had the patience to do so, herself.
Now, they were again sitting in the living room. They were sitting on the couch once more, Jarod seated on Parker’s right side.
During her reading, her eyebrows climbed high up on her forehead. When she sat the documents aside she looked at him.
“No wonder that they tried to keep them away from us,“ she said.
Jarod nodded.
“Do you realize that everything the Scrolls proposed until now came true?”
“I had nearly a week to study the Scrolls, and believe me I read them countless times. It would be a miracle if I hadn’t noticed that!” Jarod replied.
“Point taken,“ Parker acknowledged. “What do you think, who is the ‘one close to us both’ who will help us?” Parker asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe Sydney… or Angelo. We will see,” Jarod shrugged.
Parker nodded. The tear shaped diamond ring on her finger and the matching bracelet-pendant glistered in the soft light. She started reading the Scrolls again. This time she read them out aloud:
“…The Chosen and the Angel will reconnect and from that point on the two of them will work together. It is their destiny to destroy the evil that is the Centre…”
Suddenly, Jarod winced and reached up with his hands to grasp his temple.
“…With the Angel’s help, the Chosen will remember knowledge installed in him…,“ Parker went on.
Jarod moaned softly, trying to block out the pain that roared through his head.
“Jarod?” Parker looked up when she heard him moan in pain. When she saw him sitting on the couch with his hands on his head, a pained expression on his face, she let the Scrolls drop and reached out to him.
“Jarod? What is it?” she asked helplessly.
He closed his eyes tightly and winced again, when more pain shot through his head and pictures invaded his consciousness.
“Jar! Talk to me, please. Are you ok?” Parker called desperately.
“Agh, good god. It hurts,“ was all he could say.
“What, Jarod, what hurts?” she questioned.
“Bright, so bright,” Jarod mumbled incoherently. A new blaze flashed through his head and he moaned again, clutching his temples and sinking onto his side.
Parker caught him and settled his head into her lap. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. “Tell me, what to do, Jar,” she pleaded.
Jarod didn’t reply. He was beyond answering. The flashes came more and more rapidly and each one was more vicious than the last. He winced again, moaning in agony.
“Jar! What can I do?” Parker cried.
Jarod just continued to whimper in her arms. Parker’s tears fell freely and she continued to caress his cheek.
They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity until Jarod quieted down at least somewhat.
Finally he calmed down and relaxed a little, letting his hands drop from his head. Parker caught one of his hands and took it in her own.
Jarod was clenched in sweat and shivering. Parker reached over and took the blanked Jarod had covered her with some time ago, to do the same for him.
“Melina,” he whispered.
“Shhh, it’s ok. It’s over. You are ok,” she hushed, tucking him in.
“Cold, it’s cold; so tired,” he mumbled groggily.
She tucked the blanket more closely around him. “Shh, it’s ok, try to sleep. Whatever that was, it’s over,” she hushed gently, all the while stroking his face.
Jarod didn’t reply but finally his breathing evened out and fatigue took over.
To be continued…
