Feature Friday: Astraea Press Collaboration of a Short Story Continues...Part 3

Part 3 of the continuing short story collaboration of Astraea Press author is by J.F. Jenkins author of Legend of the Oceania Dragon.

Ellea walked towards the tall, thin man cooly. Confidence oozed from her as her shoes echoed on the floor. He didn't notice her until she sat next to him, and even then it was only a brief glance. She pulled out her badge, and then the picture of Mary Jo.

"Do you know this woman?" She asked.

The man studied the picture, slowly running a hand over his rough, unshaven, chin. "Psycho, yeah, I know her."

"I heard you two were involved. Is that true?"

"Yeah, we dated." He said cooly, and then took another drink from his beer. "It lasted a few months. I didn't like her too much, but she did some pretty kinky things if you know what I mean." The man glanced past Ellea and at Deuce.  His smirk widened when he watched the other man bristle slightly. "Yeah, you do know what I mean, don't you. I recognize you from all of the pictures she carried. You and the little brat she obsessed over."

Deuce's fists clenched at his side. Ellea reached a hand out to his arm, in an effort to calm him. Fighting wouldn't be productive.

"The boy is missing. Mister?" Ellea raised an eyebrow, hoping this man would offer up a name.

"Mister Eli Stover," he nodded at her. "He's missing you say? Too bad. I wouldn't put it past her to have taken him. I meant it when I said she's psycho."

"Do you know where she went Eli?"

"I haven't seen her since we broke up about a month ago." He downed the last of his beer, simultaneously waving the bartender over to fill him up again. "I may have had a brief encounter, but the details are getting a little fuzzy."

Ellea rolled her eyes.  "I'm guessing they'll be less fuzzy after I pick up your tab."

"It would help."

"Fine, now tell me what you know."

"When I met Mary Jo, she was pretty unstable." Eli explained, grabbing his newly filled mug. "She stopped taking her medication, so she was all kinds of a walking disaster. She just wanted to feel good. Who am I to deny her?"

Ellea nodded, but said nothing. What a pig.

"It felt good helping her out. She started to relax a lot more. Things were going good. I actually kind of like her when she's sane." He took another large gulp. "Then it went south. She found religion. Those were her words at least. In my opinion, she found a cult. They call themselves the Natural Assembly. They didn't sound bad at first. She told me how they preached peace and understanding, acceptance of all. They're in touch with nature and respect the Earth. Kind of hippy sounding, but to each their own right? Well, my opinion changed pretty fast."

"Why's that?"

"Because she killed my dog for one of their witchcraft rituals." He stated, his dark eyes meeting Ellea's. Their expression dead serious and filled with intensity. "Naturally, that was kind of a deal breaker. I dumped her so fast her head spun."

"What kind of ritual was this?" Deuce asked in disgust, beating Ellea to the punch.

Eli shrugged non-chalantly. "She said she stopped something bad from happening to the county - something big. Mary Jo was all kinds of honored because the leader had told her it was her responsibility to protect everyone. Only she could do it. She was to use it as practice for the bigger picture. She believes she's the chosen one. The one who will save the world."

Wow that's a great spin JF! To see what happens next come back next week for part 4. To find out more about JF and her books check it out here.