Supernatural Awakening

Chapter 6: A Forced Hand

"I refuse."

The rejection was crisp, clean, and utterly devoid of hesitation.

Jinx blinked. For a moment, she looked less like a hardened government agent and more like a teenager who had just been told her favorite band s*ck*d. She actually laughed—a sharp, incredulous sound that cut through the rain.

"You... refuse?" She tilted her head, her neon jacket dripping water onto the grimy alley floor. "Do you have any idea what you're saying no to? People would kill—literally kill—to get an interview with the Special Group. We are the elite. The apex. And you're just... refusing?"

Caleb didn't even look at her. He was already hoisting Jenna into a more comfortable position in his arms, his focus entirely on the unconscious girl.

"Then go find those people," Caleb said, his voice flat. "I said no. I don't want your badge, I don't want your missions, and I definitely don't want to be involved in whatever this is."

Jinx’s smile vanished. Her eyes narrowed, the playful glint replaced by something colder, sharper. She gritted her teeth.

"Fine. Be stubborn. But don't come crying to me when you regret it."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a sleek, silver device that looked disturbingly like a medical thermometer mixed with a flashbang grenade. She stepped toward Jenna.

"What are you doing?"

Caleb’s reaction was instant. He swatted the air, his hand blurring with speed, knocking Jinx’s arm away before she could get close. His eyes flashed a dangerous crimson.

"Back off!" he snarled. Jenna, limp in his arms, shivered instinctively at his shout, her face pale with residual terror.

"Relax, Wolf-Boy," Jinx rolled her eyes, shaking her hand out. "She's a civilian. Unless you plan on explaining to her why a headless monster tried to eat her, or why her co-worker has werewolf claws, she needs this. Do you really want her to remember tonight? The blood? The terror?"

Caleb froze.

Jinx pressed on, sensing his hesitation. "Trauma isn't a joke. If she remembers this, she'll have nightmares for the rest of her life. She’ll look at every shadow and see a Brainless Worm. Is that what you want for her?"

Caleb looked down at Jenna. Her brow was furrowed in sleep, tears still drying on her cheeks. Jinx was right. Jenna was kind, normal. She didn't belong in this world of monsters and midnight hunts.

"No," Caleb whispered. "She shouldn't remember."

"Exactly. It's for her own good."

Jinx smirked triumphantly, retrieving the device. She pressed a button, and the tip glowed with a soft, pulsating green light. She gently tapped it against Jenna’s forehead.

Hummmm.

The light washed over Jenna’s face. Her furrowed brow smoothed out. Her breathing deepened. She went limp, falling into a deeper, dreamless sleep.

"Jenna? Jenna!" Caleb called out, panic rising again.

"She's fine," Jinx said, pocketing the device. She turned around, popping another piece of gum into her mouth. "That was a Neuralyzer. Short-range, short-term. It wipes the last two hours of memory. She'll wake up in thirty minutes with a mild headache and zero recollection of the tentacle monster."

She started walking away, her boots splashing in the puddles.

"When she asks what happened," Jinx called over her shoulder, "you'd better come up with a good lie. Maybe tell her she fainted. Or you saved her from a stray dog. Be creative."

She waved a hand without looking back. "See you around, Caleb Vance. You can run, but you can't hide from the Sequence."

Caleb watched her disappear into the storm, her neon jacket fading into the gray. He stood alone in the dark alley, holding the girl he saved, feeling the weight of the lie he was about to tell.

Getting Jenna back to the Quick-Stop was a nightmare.

The rain was relentless, and Caleb had to avoid the main streets to dodge any lingering Enforcer patrols. The store was empty when he returned. Thank god. If the manager had seen him leave his post, he would have been docked a week’s wages.

He carefully placed Jenna on a folding chair in the breakroom. She looked peaceful, like Sleeping Beauty in a convenience store uniform.

Caleb paced the small room, biting his thumb.

"A lie. I need a lie."

What could explain her being unconscious in the rain? A mugging? No, she still had her purse. A fall? Maybe.

Before he could decide, Jenna groaned. She clutched her head, her eyes fluttering open.

"Owww..." She winced, rubbing her temples. "Where... where am I?"

Caleb’s mind raced. He blurted out the first thing that came to his head.

"I found you outside! I ran after you because... uh... because I remembered I owed you money!"

"What?" Jenna blinked, her eyes unfocused. "Money?"

"Yeah!" Caleb was sweating now. "I chased you down to pay you back, but you slipped on the wet pavement and hit your head. You passed out. So I carried you back here."

"I slipped?" Jenna frowned, trying to access her memory. It was blank. A foggy void. "I don't remember slipping..."

"It was a nasty fall," Caleb nodded vigorously. "Concussion, probably. That's why you can't remember."

"And... wait." Jenna looked at him, confused. "You owed me money? You already paid me back for lunch last week."

"Oh! Right!" Caleb laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "My brain is mush. Must be the flu. I'm hallucinating debts. See? I told you I was sick."

Jenna stared at him for a long moment. Then, she giggled.

"You're weird, Caleb," she said softly. "But thanks for catching me."

Caleb let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Yeah. Anytime."

Meanwhile, at the Special Group HQ.

"So," Scarlett Moon leaned back in her chair, steepling her fingers. "You failed."

Jinx pouted, sitting cross-legged on the desk. She looked like a petulant child who had been denied candy.

"He's stubborn, Scarlett! Like, rock-head stubborn. He didn't even let me finish the pitch. Just 'I refuse, go away.'" Jinx huffed. "Why do we even want him? He fights like a bar brawler and has the personality of a wet brick."

Scarlett smiled, a knowing glint in her eyes. "Because he survived Sequence 02037 for twenty-four hours. Because he killed a Brainless Worm with zero training. And because..."

She tapped a file on her desk.

"Because he's interesting."

Jinx rolled her eyes. "Fine. He's durable. But he hates us."

"He doesn't hate us. He fears us. He thinks we're the boogeymen who will lock him in a lab." Scarlett stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the city lights. "But he'll learn. In this world, you need a pack."

Jinx’s eyes lit up. A mischievous grin spread across her face.

"So... as long as he joins, the method doesn't matter, right?"

Scarlett glanced back, raising an eyebrow. "Don't break him, Jinx."

"Oh, I won't break him," Jinx giggled, hopping off the desk. "I'll just... motivate him. I'll make him realize that without us, he's just prey waiting to be eaten."

A passing agent shuddered at the look on Jinx’s face. She looked like a cat that had just spotted a particularly juicy mouse.

"Caleb Vance," Jinx whispered to herself. "You just activated my competitive streak. Prepare to be recruited."