Harvest, Quietus #1

Quietus

Harvest

Shauna King

Copyright © Shauna King 2015.

All Rights Reserved.

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Disclaimer: This novel is a work of
fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it, while
at times based on real figures, are purely the work of the author’s
imagination.

Thanks &
Acknowledgements

Love and thanks to my family and
friends, for believing in me and encouraging me.

PROLOGUE

Miami, Florida.

08.08.2018 05.30
a.m.

His phone rang, shocking him out of
sleep. He looked at the caller and sighed. He knew exactly what she
was calling about. And it wasn't to wish him a good day. It was a
good job his dad was on his side or else today's special event
wouldn't be happening.

“
Morning Mom. What's up?” he said with false
cheer.

“
James darling, I know you won't want to hear this, but I
have a dreadful feeling about today. And have you seen the date?
It's one of those days... a number sign or something like that,
anyway, it's a bad omen... what with that and my daily horoscope,
it says, I quote, to avoid risks where you can... you shouldn't
go.”

Annoyance rose inside him. He had to
hand it to her, she'd go to any lengths to stop him, to spoil
things.

He knew how special Evelyn was. She
nearly died twice as a baby. But his mom was far too protective of
her. She stifled her. He knew Evelyn felt imprisoned, like a
princess in an ivory tower, and she needed some escape. He
suspected his mom was the main reason why Evelyn had started to
rebel so badly.

His mother was controlling and
manipulative and always had to have things done her way. He
understood exactly why his dad had left her eight years ago. It
hadn't been any kind of shock. James himself had escaped as soon as
he could, moving away to Miami, to be rid of her overpowering,
intefering presence in his life.

“
The date and whatever else has nothing to
do with it... and you know it. You're just desperate for
excuses.
For crissakes
, chill out, will you? I'm not doing anything I
haven't done dozens of times. I'll be very careful, follow all
safety procedures to the Nth degree, and I'm doing a real easy
one... real easy... you have absolutely nothing to worry about.
Evie will be safer than she is lying in her bed, I promise you.” He
tried to reassure her as he had done many times over the last few
months. Although it all fell on deaf ears. The risk levels they
were undertaking were very low. Almost miniscule. At least his dad
understood that.

“
But Evelyn's so young... far too young for this type of
activity, what the hell are you thinking?” his mother
persisted.

“
Mom, I'm not doing this anymore.” His eyes
strayed to his bedside clock.
Jesus...five thirty?
“Go back to sleep, and stop
worrying about nothing.”

“
Sleep? You think I can sleep when my baby is in danger.
Can't you take her surfing, to the movies, shopping... anything
else... please...? James, I'm begging you... don't do this. Today
will end badly. I know it will... I know... listen to
me...”

“
Mother.
That is quite enough.
Stop
it
!” He
barked down the phone. She sounded almost hysterical. It was
ridiculous.

“
Don't you speak to me like that! You just
don't care, do you? You only ever think about
yourself.
You
and
that job
and all your money and your
goddamn
car
...”

“
Okay, okay!!
I'm a selfish bastard. I'm turning my
cell off now. Speak later. You have a nice day.” He ended the call
before he blew his top.

This wasn't the way he wanted his day
to start. With another awful row with his mom.

He pushed his mother from his mind
before guilt and paranoia started to sink into him, like she'd
planned. He hated thinking it, but she really was a prize bitch at
times. But she was right in some respects. He was selfish. He did
worship money. He enjoyed buying himself expensive
things.

He lay quietly, gazing at his clock,
dozing on and off and watching the minutes turn over. At six
thirty, the alarm sounded, and the radio came on, like usual. He
stretched and took a deep breath. As the feeling ebbed back into
his body, he threw back the duvet and rolled himself up.

After washing and dressing in loose, comfortable clothes,
he entered the kitchen where he made both himself and his sister
Evelyn some coffee and toast and honey. Then he carried her
breakfast to his spare room, where she was still fast asleep. Her
long mass of dark hair was everywhere and she looked so sweet and
innocent. Although he wasn't so sure she
was
so innocent.

At sixteen, Evelyn was at the age
where she thought she knew everything and wanted to be all grown
up, period. When he'd met her at the airport the night before, he'd
been shocked at her appearance. Far too much makeup, heavy perfume,
and very provocatively dressed.

He couldn't imagine she'd left home
like that. She wouldn't have dared and he knew mom wouldn't have
allowed it. And to cap it off, to test him further, she'd whipped a
cigarette out of her purse and lit up on the way back to the car.
James had just quit smoking himself. He knew all about the
addictive nature of it. That and drink and other things. He didn't
want her to get hooked on the little cancer sticks. He'd been
really angry with her at that point, and they'd had words. A lot of
words. But they'd smoothed it over since. He'd always got on so
well with her before, and he wanted that to continue, through this
stage she was going through. He wanted to be there for her to guide
her away from some of the things things he'd done, and deeply
regretted. He thought she actually might listen to him. They had a
special relationship, one which began when he first held her in his
arms when she was a tiny, premature little baby, and he was eleven
years old. Her tiny eyes had opened and she stared at him and he
stared back in wonder. Her effect on him had been profound. How
tiny, helpless and dependent on others. He fell in love with her
instantly. And when she'd hovered on the brink of death... her
lungs failing... the whole experience had opened his eyes to the
meaning of life. He'd never felt so scared.

Love.

How precious it was. Up till recently,
it had scared him. He'd not dared to let himself love, because he
feared the pain of losing it. But he was starting to reconsider
that.

Seriously.

He was lonely. And he had to admit to
feeling broody. He wanted to be a father. One by one all his
friends and colleagues were settling down, getting married, having
kids... and to his surprise he'd been getting more and more
envious. He actually wanted some of that.

He placed the plate and mug on the
bedside bookcase and then opened the blind slats a little, peering
through them. It wasn't light yet, and the sky was a mass of
pre-dawn streaks. James was used to getting up early, as he had to
be on the desk at 07.30 a.m, for work.

He touched her on the arm.“Up you get,
kiddo. It's time to go,” he said cheerfully.

She raised her head and gave him a
dirty look. She wasn't bright and chirpy like he was first thing in
the morning. In fact, she was a rattler, ready to
strike.

“
Oh for God's sake...” she snapped, well in character, and
making him smile, “It's still dark. Why do we have to get up so
frickin' early?”

“
For a number of reasons.” Which he wasn't going to explain
while she was so grouchy and not really listening. “C'mon, move
yourself, grumpy. Don't go back to sleep.”

He chuckled as he slapped her lightly
in the region of her backside.

“
Go away,
Jammy boy
,” she said testily, and covered her
head with her pillow.

In his younger years, her pet name for him used to grate on
his nerves... it was not cool, and he was a cool guy. But now he
had matured, and he just smiled, finding it sweet and amusing.
“Your breakfast is sitting next to you, getting cold. And we're
leaving in half an hour. Move your ass,
Evie girl
.”

He returned to the kitchen to drink
his coffee by the window, and gazed outside blindly, his mind
wandering. He'd originally had misgivings about his sister's visit,
as she'd definitely cramp his style, but now, he was more than
pleased she was here for the next seven days. She'd given him a
great opportunity to break his unhealthy bad habits, to remove
himself from that world and think, seriously, about his life
plan.

He needed this break. His lifestyle
had caught up with him. He shouldn't be feeling so tired and jaded
at twenty seven years of age, but all the socializing he had to do,
burning the candle at both ends, was dragging him down. He couldn't
blame his job entirely, as a lot of it was self induced. He'd
partied way too hard and far more than was necessary. And he'd
enjoyed it in the beginning. Swanky restaurants and bars, heavy
drinking, clubbing, loads of beautiful girls passing through his
bed. But it had lost it's appeal lately. It was beginning to feel
like a shallow existence. He was tired of it, mentally, and it was
time to tone things down, before his life and health went
pear-shaped.

He knew he needed a girlfriend.
Someone special to get close to. Someone to come home to. Someone
to care for and love.

He heard Evelyn moan and groan to herself as she sat up in
bed and he smiled. They'd have a real blast together.
Morning's
aside.

Evelyn had bugged him for an age about
the cave diving, but until she was sixteen, he agreed with his mom,
that she was too young and hadn't really had enough scuba
experience. But his dad had helped with that, and now, they were
all set, eight days after her sixteenth birthday. He was really
buzzing for her.

She'd finally get to see what it was
all about.

The power of the caves was
addictive.

Being deep down, under the surface of
the earth, submerged below tons of rock, in the cold, pitch
black... it was another world.

And it blew his mind.

Chapter 1

Hernando County,
Florida.

Nursery Sink.

08.08.08
13.30p.m.

I'm lost in my thoughts, churning my
whole life over in my mind as I arrive at my
destination.