Secrets of Liberty Mountain No Man s Land Chapter9
- 3 years ago
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While our dinner is not worthy of a five-star restaurant, the view around us was six-star spectacular. The night was moonless, and the velvet black sky above our heads blazed with countless stars. The Milky Way rose and arched across the heavens in a misty river of light along the eastern horizon. The snowshoe workshop did triple duty as kitchen, dining area, and lounge. We spent as many hours outdoors together as we could stand.
Spooning naked in the blackness is sexy, erotic, and boring. Even newlyweds need to hop out of bed and walk around, if only for a change of view. With dinner finished, Alice and I snuggled in the stove's glow as much from affection as out of a desire to keep warm.
Long after the sense of satisfaction and the mellow comfort of fullness was gone, our mouths retained the taste memory of our meal.
"Did you have enough to eat?" I burped, patted my midsection, and smiled. My belly was at maximum density.
"Not another bite, I'm stuffed." She shifted closer and rested her head on my shoulder, the bill of her cap obscured her face.
"Care for some tea and an after-dinner joint?" My stash of Liberty Mountain weed was enough to give a decent buzz to two bored and stranded hunters. As they used to say while I was in basic training, “Smoke 'em if you got 'em.”
Relaxing a few feet from our hobo stove was delightful. The radiant warmth was almost enough to offset the chill of the below-freezing air. Thank God, it was a windless night.
Cabin fever and frostbite are both threats to survival. Our hunting gear was top of the line but not intended for Arctic conditions. The only way to stay warm was to keep moving. We lost more heat than we generated while sitting together on the frosty couch carved into the sides of the snow drift. A pile of pine branches was both padding and insulation for the icy sofa.
I gazed into the smoldering embers of our little stove as Alice, and I huddled next to each other. I was sure that survival was possible for the first time since our adventure started. My concern now was the quality of life while we survived.
We're stuck in this Godforsaken cave until either the spring thaw arrives, get rescued, or we hike back to base. Four months of co-solitary confinement will challenge the sanity of the most devoted lovers. Trapped with Alice for a third of a year? I shuddered at the thought.
Foolish boy. I scolded myself for being so self-centered. She had to be as concerned as I was; she was after all, also stuck with me for the duration.
We were in for a hell of a ride. Before this was all over, our sheltering cave was sure to become an emotional pressure-cooker. Like it or not, we were going to be stewing in each other's juices. We would either curdle or bond.
"Whatcha thinking?" Alice looked at me and snuggled closer for warmth.
"Nothing much. Just wondering how long it will be before we can't stand snake. We have enough God damned reptiles back there to feed us this winter and half of the next." I pointed to the cave behind us.
"Yuck! Just shoot me now," Alice stuck her finger in her mouth and pretended to gag. "We gotta have a variety, or our taste buds will die of boredom," she sighed.
"No shit. How many flavors of pine needles can there be?" I shifted and held her tighter.
"We know there's a herd of deer in this valley. I can set up a hunting blind in the evergreen stand. Maybe I can bag us a Bambi with a clear field of view," Alice volunteered.
I cringed a bit at her suggestion. Alice's enthusiasm for Bambi-burgers was what got us into this predicament. It was pointless to bring it up since there was nothing we could do about it and no one was keeping score.
"Let's talk about it in the morning after a full night's sleep; we need to pick up and go to bed." I kissed her cheek and rubbed her neck with my hand.
Alice cleaned the pan and our mess kits while I wrapped Rocky's remains in a plastic shopping bag and buried it deep in the hole I'd dug in the snowdrift. Food storage wasn't a problem. We lived in a walk-in freezer.
"We're not going to bed without a bath. You stink, I stink, we all stink," Alice said as she scratched under her boob. Scratching, like yawning, is contagious. I chased a sympathetic itch crawling across my belly.
She was busy melting snow for our bath water while I set about gathering bundles of pine branches for an additional layer of insulation under our sleeping bags. I completed several trips to deliver natural bedding to our tent by the time the pot was steaming away.
The air inside our shelter was chilly, but also noticeably warmer than the frigid night outside. The residual heat coming from the rock faces of the abandoned mine kept ambient temperatures slightly above freezing; not exactly comfy for a nude sponge bath.
"We gotta problem. We don't have anything to wash with, not even a face cloth," I scratched my head and tried to think.
"That sucks!" she wrinkled her nose at me as she fired up our Rayovac lantern.
"Great idea! Wish I had thought of it." I hug Alice, knelt, took off my boots and removed my socks.
"What the hell are you doing?" she asked with a puzzled laugh.
"You said socks. I'll use my wool socks as a sponge." I kissed her in appreciation for her cleverness.
"I said it SUCKS, my hard-of-hearing lover," she chuckled, shook her head and kissed my lips with the tip of her tongue.
Creative listening sometimes is an advantage. I hate conversations which become fill-in-the-blank dialogues of frustration.
"We'll smoke after our bath." I set my weed and matches to one side and undressed.
Alice followed my example, and we found ourselves in a race to see who could be naked first. The contest ended as we laughed and kissed in a dead heat at the finish line. A quick game of rock-paper-scissors broke the tie and granted her the honor of first place.
"What will we use for soap?" I asked as I soaked my socks in the steaming water.
"Don't sweat it. Clean is better than dirty." Alice lay on her stomach and motioned for me to start her bath.
Wet sock in hand, I straddled her naked behind and leaned forward to smooch the back of her neck.
"Don't even think about it. Frostbite and foreplay don't go together." Alice twisted around and placed her finger over my lips in a gentle shushing fashion.
I kissed her fingers and winked; message received. She smiled back, rested her head on her forearms, and spread her legs. Bath time. Alice's back was no problem. Smooth, sensual; I cleaned her skin. Naked rounded fanny cheeks? Problem. Slick, sexy, and sinful, I caressed her ass as I washed.
I didn't understand why I was so attracted to Alice. I hardly knew her. We'd been in each other's lives for less than a week. She was on my mind twenty-four seven. I felt the heat of the pressure cooker.
I curiously seemed to be getting a crush on Alice, but that was impossible. Crushes were for kids with pimples who have to be home by midnight. I was an old fart. I didn't do crushes. Then again, who the fuck knows?
I spent a few extra seconds fingering her asshole. Alice giggled as I continued bathing her. If I could get my bunkmate excited and clean at the same time, why not? Efficiency can be pleasant as well as effective.
She turned over on her back as I finished wiping her toes, and smiled. "Be quick; I'm cold."
Working to keep my lust at bay, I sensually scrubbed her neck and chest and refilled my sock with warm water every thirty seconds or so. Alice was responding to my touch; her body blushed with excitement.
I took my turn on my stomach as Alice gave me a sponge bath. Shit! She had the bedside manner of a Zamboni driver; all business. She traded sensuality for speed, dumped half the remaining tepid water across my back, ass, and legs, and wiped me dry in thirty seconds. My other side got the same speed-cleaning treatment. We scrambled under the covers as fast as possible; too frigging cold to linger.
The interior of the sleeping bag was a few snowflakes above freezing. Alice and I clung to each other like refrigerator magnets, maximum skin-to-skin contact to share body heat. Alice's arm wrapped around my chest, and we hugged each other from both sides at once.
The embrace was strong, soothing, and sensual; a beautiful benefit of shared naked warmth. We let silence fall over us like a comfortable cloak as we enjoyed each other's touch. The bubble of quiet ended with the sound of a ripping fart loud enough to echo off the walls.
"Oh shit, oh dear! I'm so sorry," Alice giggled like a shy girl on her first date.
"Well, at least it doesn't stink," I said, before gasping to breathe as the stench of used snake filled the sleeping bag. Shit! That fart bomb could clear a room.
I let rip a gas bubble that I had been keeping under house arrest for the last half hour. Better now than later.
"Well, if you want to be like that," Alice squeaked out a baby fart.
I burst into laughter. What kind of idiots get into a flatulence contest at a time like this? I grunted and answered her challenge with a toot of my own. Game on!
"That fucking reeks! Put a cork in it!" Alice slid her finger in my ass.
"Careful, you're playing with fire." I laughed and kissed her on the mouth as I returned the favor.
We wrestled like two amateur proctologists as I wiggled my index finger in her butt-hole. Alice shrieked with laughter as she screamed and twisted to escape my invading digit.
Kissing while giggling and laughing is a fun but impossible challenge; too much multitasking.
Alice and I took our seats on each side of Sheila as the last stragglers filed into the amphitheater and returned to their places."Before we resume, I want to thank our kitchen crew for a fantastic, as usual, flash-banquet. Well done, thank you," Sheila said as she held her gavel in the ready position.With plumbing and dietary needs satisfied, a soothing and comfortable afterglow had fallen over the proceedings. It wouldn't last long, but at least we were starting with an advantage....
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"Okay, my turn," I chuckled as I picked up the fat cigar-sized joint of the Sisterhood's weed. Possession of the Canibus talking stick authorized the owner to speak without interruption.I took a heavy hit and passed the blunt to Sheila and took my place in our naked Truth or Dare fireside chat."Please be honest. What do you believe?" The commander's theology drifted all over the map from Pagan to Puritan, seasoned with native lore and eastern thought. Pinning her down was like trying to...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe Society of Sisters and their compound at Liberty Mountain were the pride and joy of Sheila's existence. She devoted almost every waking hour toward her mission of building an organization that could withstand anything the apocalyptic whims of fate might send our way. The Colony's boss was an innovator who served both as a leader and also as a follower.Like the Caesars of old, she had the authority to issue any order necessary to secure the safety of the group. Unlike the dictators of...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"Super glue? Really?" I chuckled as I focused my field glasses on the bonded band of mutually masturbating men crab-walking westward."Your punishment is diabolical," I shook my head in puzzled amazement. "Intruders were killed in the past for less, so why the sudden mercy?" "Not compassion. Karma. What goes around, comes around." Sheila trained her spyglass on the retreating men."They might make town by sundown. If they're lucky." "Karma?" I inquired. "Yeah, Karma. We can run, but...
Fantasy & Sci-FiRattlesnake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is the culinary equivalent of cruel and unusual punishment. I had about had it with rattlesnake by the end of the third meal on the first day. I skipped the midday meal and picked at supper the second day. I hated snakes as much as Seraina did by the evening of the next day.Mood affects perception. The blue funk of disappointment settling over us transformed our dark and cozy shelter into a dank and dismal prison. We slept like babies and fucked like...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"I'm getting too old for this shit," I moaned and plopped into one of the Situation Room's ergonomically designed conference chairs. I massaged the sore spot on my shoulder and shifted and squirmed and as I searched for a less uncomfortable position. Nothing worked. I hurt in places I didn't even know I had.The steaming mug of fresh brewed Colombian laced with the Sisterhood's brandy warmed my hands and took the edge away from the pain in my ass. Java and joy-juice will cure...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"Shit!" Sheila swore as she angrily flipped the turn signal and slowed our Ford Super Duty truck to a crawl and searched for a safe place to pull off the road."Sky, I need my license and registration, they're in the glove compartment," she instructed as she rolled down her window with her left arm pointed over the roof of our vehicle. She waved toward the side of the road, a visual indication to the following patrol car we were pulling off the highway."Stash the Glock in the hump, we don't need...
Fantasy & Sci-FiMy bladder is the perfect alarm clock. The urgent need to go dragged me out of hibernation as the night sky brightened in advance of dawn. I awoke to the gentle sound of Sheila's breathing. Naked, beautiful, and warm, she lay next to me in the relaxed innocence of sleep. Sheila sensed a change in my position, shifted her body, and pressed her bare bottom into my groin as we snuggled together under the covers. My hand remained cupped to her breast. Sheila placed her hand over mine and pulled it...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"Thank you, what’s the deal?" I asked as I took the offered towel from Sheila’s hands and fluff-dried my thinning mane. Hair loss among men is a myth. It’s not so much that our locks leave as that they change location. The stuff that had lived on my head now grew out of my ears."Jen thinks the ionosphere has settled enough for shortwave. At her suggestion, I’ve decided it time we start a twenty-four-seven radio watch. You got the first shift. Listen and log, let’s see what’s going on out...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe stern rap of Sheila's opening gavel muted but did not extinguish the murmuring voices of dozens of private conversations. The posture of the Colony's leader appeared poised and relaxed as she held the gavel in the ready position with her elbow bent at a forty-five degree angle for several long seconds as she waited for silence. Beneath Sheila's placid surface I spotted a ripple of anxiety as she unconsciously polished the gavel's wood handle with her thumb. I've called enough meetings to...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"This is Liberty base. The National Weather Service has issued a revised winter storm warning for our area. Up to thirty-six inches of snow starting tonight at five with blizzard conditions beginning at six-thirty PM. Snow throughout the evening, ending late tomorrow. Winds south by southwest twenty to thirty miles per hour, one hundred and twenty miles per hour gusts exposed ridges. Return home immediately. Please acknowledge.""It's too bad we can't reply to a message we never received," Alice...
Fantasy & Sci-FiLike sailors clinging to a raft on tempest-tossed seas, Sheila and I held tight to each other as an ocean of rainbows flooded the sky."Oh, my God! What is it?" she cried as glowing waves of light thundered silently across the firmament. The heavens blazed with a kaleidoscope of color."I don't know," I said as I watched the glowing pastel streamers of brilliance slither along invisible magnetic lines of force like undulating serpents."I think we're looking at the mother of all solar storms. We...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"Okay, listen up!" Sheila knocked her knuckles on the conference table and brought the final briefing to order. "We've got an outstanding weather report, vehicles and crews are ready. We are good to go at daybreak..." she smiled as she waved at the huge flat screen display we had installed several days ago and checked her watch for the time, "which means we're in luck. We have thirty-minutes for one last run-through.""Time for a quick cup of coffee before we start?" I made it halfway across...
Fantasy & Sci-FiWrestling under the covers while playing a game of naked grab-ass kicked our biological heat engines into overdrive. The internal temperature of our sleeping bag was well beyond the comfort zone as our cozy sleeping space became a sauna without steam."I'm tired of anatomy by Braille, I wanna see what I'm doing." Alice tossed the sleeping bag cover back and rose to her knees.Her nude body glistened with perspiration in the lantern's harsh light. Alice's cheeks, neck, and breasts glowed blush-red...
Fantasy & Sci-FiRattlesnake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is the culinary equivalent of cruel and unusual punishment. I’d about had it with rattlesnake by the end of the third meal on the first day. I skipped lunch and picked at supper the second day. By the evening of the next day, I hated snakes as much as Seraina did. Mood affects perception. The blue funk of disappointment settling over us transformed our dark and cozy shelter into a dank and dismal prison. We slept like babies and fucked like...
Alice and I took our seats on each side of Sheila as the last stragglers filed into the amphitheater and returned to their places. “Before we resume, I want to thank our kitchen crew for a fantastic, as usual, flash-banquet. Well done, thank you,” Sheila said as she held her gavel in the ready position. With plumbing and dietary needs satisfied, a soothing and comfortable afterglow had fallen over the proceedings. It wouldn’t last long, but at least we were starting with an advantage....
"That should do it. Time check," Belinda wiped sweat from her brow with her t-shirt as she braced her entrenching tool against the entrance of the newly constructed "bunker-in-a-bag." Unless you were part Mountain Goat, the winding ridgeline trail was the only drivable and walkable unbroken overland route from town to our base. Prior to SkyFire, arrays of remote sensors and wireless cameras guarded the pathway to the Society's home. The sun pulled the plug and left us blind. Our mission...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe moderator leaned back in her chair and studied StarShine for a moment before turning to me and sitting upright."Do you want to become a member of our Society?""Yes," I replied after a short pause. The question had caught me by surprise."Why?" Sheila asked."Survival," I responded.Sheila tilted her head to one side as her eyes widened in an expression of puzzlement. "Survival?""Yes, survival. This is the high mountains in winter. Without the warmth and shelter of this place I wouldn't last a...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe days melted into weeks and the weeks flowed into months as winter searched for spring. For the first couple dozen wake-ups, I started each morning with the unreal feeling that I was at the bottom of a rabbit hole. By the end of the second month, the sense of strangeness decreased, and I was able to open my eyes without breaking into a cold sweat. I was still on the wrong side of the looking glass, but Wonderland had become my home. I didn’t make a journey to Liberty Mountain to search...
The Society of Sisters and their compound at Liberty Mountain were the pride and joy of Sheila’s existence. She devoted almost every waking hour toward her mission of building an organization that could withstand anything the apocalyptic whims of fate might send her way. The colony’s Boss was an innovator who served both as a leader and a follower. Like the Caesars of old, she had the authority to issue any order necessary to secure the safety of the group. Unlike the dictators of ancient...
Chapter 1I stuffed my last cardboard box of personal belongings into the cargo hold of my girlfriend's Toyota Rav4, jumped into the passenger seat, and waited while she fussed over a map with directions to our new home. Darlene was like that - a stickler for details.She flipped her shoulder-length hair out of her eyes for the umpteenth time and squinted to read the tiny letters. Mapmakers tended to hide the most critical information in the smallest print known to man.Finally finished, she...
Fantasy & Sci-FiI peeked past Sheila's shoulder as she looked over the semicircle of women from the Science Team gathered around Jennifer as the dark lady of data studied the computer screen in front of her workstation. Her fingers flew across the keyboard while she scanned hundreds of files, crunching numbers and extracting the data she needed.The thirty-four-year-old Boston descendant of Zulu warriors became a legend within the Society as a math prodigy with an uncanny ability to ferret out hidden trends and...
Fantasy & Sci-FiI peeked past Sheila's shoulder as she looked over the semicircle of women from the Science Team gathered around Jennifer as the dark lady of data studied the computer screen in front of her workstation. Her fingers flew across the keyboard while she scanned hundreds of files, crunching numbers and extracting the data she needed.The thirty-four-year-old Boston descendant of Zulu warriors became a legend within the Society as a math prodigy with an uncanny ability to ferret out hidden trends and...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"These mountains are as dangerous as they are beautiful. They might appear to be lovely and majestic but don't let 'em fool you. The beauty hides the heart of a killer," Brenda explained as she dug through her inventory, looking for a pair of gloves in my size."Got 'em!" she yelled as she held the object of her search aloft, a pair of insulated gloves joined the rest of my new wardrobe.A slim and attractive woman in her mid-thirties, Brenda served as the colony's quartermaster. Medium sized,...
Fantasy & Sci-FiIn the confined space of the cave, Alice's distressed cry reverberated off the walls, so loud my ears hurt. I scrambled to be at her side. She sat in a fetal position with her arms wrapped around her knees and her whole body trembling like a leaf in the wind. Fear distorted her face, and her eyes closed so tightly her facial muscles twitched with the effort.A tiny voice uttered from her lips, repeating a single word again and again: snakes. Kneeling next to Alice, I put my arm around her...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi“These mountains are as dangerous as they are beautiful. They might appear to be lovely and majestic but don’t let ‘em fool you. The beauty hides the heart of a killer,” Brenda explained as she dug through her inventory, looking for a pair of gloves in my size. “Got ‘em!” she yelled as she held the object of her search aloft, a pair of insulated gloves joined the rest of my new wardrobe. A slim and attractive woman in her mid-thirties, Brenda served as the colony’s quartermaster. Medium...
Thank you, what’s the deal?” I asked as I took the offered towel from Sheila’s hands and fluff-dried my thinning mane. Hair loss among men is a myth. It’s not so much our locks leave as they change location. The stuff which had lived on my head now sprouted from my ears. “Jen thinks the ionosphere has settled enough for shortwave. At her suggestion, I’ve decided it time we start a 24/7 radio watch. You got the first shift. Listen and log, let’s see what’s going on out there.” She hesitated...
"With all due respect, do we have any idea how ridiculous we look?" I stepped over the long picnic bench next to the community dining table as I stood to speak. My rear end protested.After several long hours of note taking, my fanny was in no mood for a new session. My flat ass had a bad case of meeting butt. My hand was cramped, and after a day of biking thru the mountains, I hurt in places the sun didn't shine."This does not bode well," I said as I closed my notepad and set it to one...
Fantasy & Sci-FiWe returned to our room after breakfast to find a note from Sheila pinned to our door. She was reminding us to join her on the front deck for an introductory tour of the colony and the surrounding area. The instructions also suggested that we dress for the weather. Our walk-in closets looked like walk-in dumpsters. Everything we had brought with us in the Rav4 had been piled in the storage spaces like an unorganized jigsaw puzzle. I busied myself picking out an appropriate wardrobe for our...
With flying gravel and a sandy whoosh, Frosty's motorbike cleared the crest of the granite ridge in an airborne glide before skidding to a wobbly stop about a dozen yards down the slope. "It's Alice and Darlene with five guys wearing uniforms from the sheriff's department." Belinda took my hand and pulled herself up to the top of the incline. "They are under guard, wearing handcuffs. Did they see me?" She lifted her binoculars to her eyes and scanned the rise at the far end of the trail along...
Fantasy & Sci-FiWith flying gravel and a sandy whoosh, Frosty's motorbike cleared the crest of the granite ridge in an airborne glide before skidding to a wobbly stop about a dozen yards down the slope. "It's Alice and Darlene with five guys wearing uniforms from the sheriff's department." Belinda took my hand and pulled herself up to the top of the incline. "They are under guard, wearing handcuffs. Did they see me?" She lifted her binoculars to her eyes and scanned the rise at the far end of the trail along...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe tour of the Liberty Mountain camp consumed most of the day, and I welcomed the chance to sit down and collect my thoughts. We were back in the cabin with about twenty minutes to spare before dinner service, and I wanted to use the time to clean up before supper. Darlene had left me on my own for the evening to rekindle a long lost friendship or love affair. Her parting words for the evening were, "Don't get into too many beds and if you do, save a spot for me." I had a real affection for...
Fantasy & Sci-FiConsciousness came slowly, on the installment plan, one sensation at a time.I groaned and opened my eyes to a room full of sunshine. Dancing clusters of sparkles and glowing dust motes drifted in the sunbeams filling my field of vision as I attempted to focus and give the optical center of my brain a chance to sort out the dazzling array of visual information. For several seconds I stared at the ceiling and tried to remember where I was. Naked, comfortable, and warm in bed with my partner next...
Fantasy & Sci-FiChapter 7As the applause died down, I took a seat on the table's bench next to Sheila and tried to relax. I felt like I had just run a marathon. Darlene gave me a warm hug and a glass of ice-cold water and sat with me. I don't know which I appreciated more; her company, the hug, or the beverage. I guzzled the water down in one long gulp. Public speaking is lonely and thirsty work.The sisters stopped by in ones and twos to exchange small talk with Sheila before retiring for the evening. That was...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi“I’m getting too old for this shit,” I moaned and plopped into one of the Situation Room’s ergonomically designed conference chairs. I massaged the sore spot on my shoulder and shifted and squirmed and as I searched for a less uncomfortable position. Nothing worked. I hurt in places I didn’t even know I had. The steaming mug of fresh brewed Colombian laced with the Sisterhood’s brandy warmed my hands and took the edge away from the pain in my ass. Java and joy-juice will cure...
Darlene stepped around the front bumper and gave me a hug as she whispered "Did I mention that this is an all-woman survival commune?" in my ear."You forgot to share that little detail with me. What the fuck are we going to do now?" I whispered back.Darlene was like that. She tended to skimp on the details and fill the void with trivia or useless information. Darleen held my hand as we broke from our embrace, and spoke to the assembled women on the porch. "I would like you to meet my lover,...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe moderator leaned back in her chair and studied Starshine for a moment before turning to me and sitting upright. “Do you want to become a member of our Society?” “Yes,” I replied after a short pause. The question had caught me by surprise. “Why?” Sheila asked. “Survival,” I responded. Sheila tilted her head to one side as her eyes widened in an expression of puzzlement. “Survival?” “Yes, survival. We’re in the high mountains in winter. Without the warmth and safety of this place, I...
“This is Liberty base. The National Weather Service has issued a revised winter storm warning for our area. Forecasters are calling for up to thirty-six inches of snow starting tonight at five o’clock with blizzard conditions beginning at 6:30 PM. Snow will continue throughout the evening and into late tomorrow afternoon. Winds south by southwest twenty to thirty miles per hour with gusts up to one hundred and twenty miles per hour along exposed ridges. Return home immediately. Please...
Alice and I hurried toward the source of illumination like moths to a flame. A glimmering halo of white light surrounded the hole Alice cut through the snow drift at the tunnel’s entrance. I crawled into the air shaft that she’d excavated and punched through a thin cap of frost at the end and was instantly dazzled by blinding sunshine. “Alice, come here and take a look, you aren’t going to believe this,” I shouted over my shoulder as I emerged into the open air. The blizzard had passed us...
91.28 - 91.62 While our dinner wasn’t worthy of a five-star restaurant, the scenery around us was six-star spectacular. The night was moonless, and the velvet black sky above our heads blazed with countless stars. The Milky Way rose and arched across the heavens in a misty river of light along the eastern horizon. The snowshoe workshop did triple duty as a kitchen, dining area, and lounge. Spooning naked in the blackness was sexy, erotic, and boring. Newlyweds need to hop out of bed and...
“Shit!” Sheila swore as she angrily flipped the turn signal and slowed our Ford Super Duty truck to a crawl and searched for a safe place to pull off the road. “Sky, I need my license and registration, they’re in the glove compartment.” She rolled down her window with her left arm pointed over the roof of our vehicle. She waved towards the side of the road, a visual indication to the following patrol car we were pulling off the highway. “Stash the Glock in the hump. We don’t need any...
“Okay, my turn,” I chuckled as I picked up the fat cigar-sized joint of the Sisterhood’s weed. Possession of the cannabis talking stick authorized the owner to speak without interruption. I inhaled deeply and gave the blunt to Sheila and took my place in our naked Truth or Dare fireside chat. “Please be honest. What do you believe?” The commander’s theology drifted all over the map from Pagan to Puritan, seasoned with native lore and eastern thought. Pinning her down was like trying to...
"We need to talk" is usually the two slices of sweet bread covering a shit sandwich. I have yet to hear those innocent sounding words when they weren't followed by news to which I didn't want to listen.The last time a boss called me into the office using that invitation, I left with a security escort to the front door with a severance check in my back pocket."Have a seat," Sheila patted the empty cushion and motioned for me to sit. "We've got a lot to talk about and not much time. The meeting...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi"We need to talk" is usually the two slices of sweet bread covering a shit sandwich. I have yet to hear those innocent sounding words when they weren't followed by news to which I didn't want to listen.The last time a boss called me into the office using that invitation, I left with a security escort to the front door with a severance check in my back pocket."Have a seat," Sheila patted the empty cushion and motioned for me to sit. "We've got a lot to talk about and not much time. The meeting...
Fantasy & Sci-FiSheila had the soul of a cavalry commander and lived the warrior's code of old. Feed your horses, your troops, and yourself. In that order. Her declaration of a banquet of gratitude was a brazen departure from the typical bullshit command response to a crisis which was: when in doubt, run in circles, scream, and shout. With the generous help of brandy and buds, Martha's magnificent meal of thanksgiving had brought everyone, myself included, back from the brink. "Come on in; the water's fine!"...
Fantasy & Sci-FiEverything I knew about Sheila told me she was a master gamer with the skills of a chess genius. She did not offer me a job to alleviate unemployment, instead, she appeared to be working a gambit of some sort. The uncertainty of purpose generated within me a wave of anxious observation while I awaited developments. The chess pieces on the board were changing their position of their own accord. =^.^= "She wants you to be her what?" Darlene giggled in questioning amazement at my...
Fantasy & Sci-FiIn the confined space of the cave, Alice’s distressed cry reverberated off the walls so loudly my ears hurt. I scrambled to be at her side. She sat in a fetal position with her arms wrapped around her knees: her whole body trembling like a leaf in the wind. Fear distorted her face, and her eyes closed so tightly her eyebrows twitched with the effort. A tiny voice uttered from her lips, repeating the same word again and again: snakes. Kneeling next to Alice, I put my arm around her shoulder...
My sleep was shattered by three sharp raps which crashed through my slumber like gunshots in a nightmare on the morning of the third day."What the hell!" I hurled myself from my bed, stomped across the floor and jerked open the door."Do you have any idea of the time?" My growl faded to a reluctant sigh as Sheila pushed past me into the quarters Darlene and I had shared since our arrival at the compound last fall."Good morning, Sky, time for coffee," she said with a slight smile."It's not...
Fantasy & Sci-FiOur return to the cabin became a déjà vu moment and a mirror image of when I first arrived with Darlene about ten days ago. As our rescue vehicles approached, it appeared as though Sheila and the entire membership of the Society of Sisters waited on the cabin's balcony in freezing cold. The upper deck erupted in shouts of joy and hand waves of welcome when Seraina dismounted from the snowmobile. The boisterous display of affection slammed into a wall of silence as I climbed off the passenger...
Fantasy & Sci-FiMorpheus, the God of dreams, wrapped us in a cocoon of dreams. But when he did, he forgot to include a bathroom. I awoke with a four-alarm "urgent need to go" moment as my bladder trembled in an effort to hold back a flood of Biblical proportions. It would be wonderful to wake up nice and slow like I once did in my younger days. I used to enjoy the delightful transition from slumber to wakefulness. No such luck. Personal plumbing issues are now at the top of my morning's To-Do List.I groaned as...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe gentle nudge of Alice's hands dragged me out of my sleep. "Dennis, I'm sorry to wake you, but I've gotta piss so bad I can taste it. I need your help," she said as she pulled me into a sitting position. Our warm and cozy tent had turned into an icebox."You gotta be kidding; since when do you need help taking a piss?" Reaching under my makeshift pillow, I fished out my light and turned it on. In front of me, a naked Alice sat huddled, her breath streaming like smoke from her mouth, and...
Fantasy & Sci-FiStripping was going to be awkward. Getting naked in front of a group of nude women was the last thing I wanted to do, especially with a growing boner. Even so, I decided that I had no choice but to comply. Clearly, I would eventually have to join the clothing optional norm of the colony.Taking a deep breath, I braced myself and unbuttoned my shirt, took it off, and laid it on the table. I then took my shoes and socks off and placed them next to my shirt. I undressed as slowly as possible,...
Fantasy & Sci-FiChapter 4The dining area was located just off a large commercial kitchen at the far end of the great room. A supersized picnic table lined with benches provided more than enough seating capacity for the thirty-seven females who made the Colony their home. The table itself was a stunning thing of beauty. The tabletop surface consisted of wide pine planking sanded to a silky smooth sheen and then coated with dozens of layers of polyurethane.I took a good hard look around as we descended the...
Fantasy & Sci-FiThe next room turned out to be the bedroom Sheila shared with her partner, Lucia. The walls were hand-hewn pine planks decked out with bookcases and several very well done nude watercolor portraits of women.A queen-size four-poster bed covered with a beautiful handmade quilt took up one wall, and a rustic looking nightstand with a large table lamp adorned with a stained glass shade provided most of the light in the room. The balance of the lighting came from a stone fireplace with several...
Fantasy & Sci-Fi“With all due respect, do we have any idea how ridiculous we look?” I stepped over the long picnic bench next to the community dining table as I stood to speak. My rear end protested. After several long hours of note-taking, my fanny was in no mood for a new session. My flat ass had a bad case of meeting butt. My hand was cramped, and after a day of biking through the mountains, I hurt in places the sun didn’t shine. “This does not bode well,” I said as I closed my notepad and set it to one...
The protracted stillness in our fabric cave floated from awkward to uncomfortable as we each waited for the other to speak. Silence and rubber bands share at least one thing in common. If you stretch them far enough, they’ll snap. In our case, the break came when Alice’s stomach rumbled in hunger. A few moments later, my gut responded in kind. “I’m famished. What’s for dinner?” Alice wanted to know. “We’ve got bouillon and tea. What’s your pleasure?” I inquired. “I want something to munch,...
With a sandy whoosh in a cloud of flying gravel, Frosty’s motorbike cleared the crest of the granite ridge in an airborne glide before skidding to a wobbly stop about a dozen yards down the slope. “It’s Alice and Darlene with five guys wearing uniforms from the sheriff’s department!” Belinda panted as she took my hand and pulled herself to the top of the incline. “They are under guard, wearing handcuffs. Did the men see me?” She lifted her binoculars to her eyes and scanned the hilltop at...
“Okay, listen up!” Sheila knocked her knuckles on the conference table and brought the final briefing to order. “We’ve got an outstanding weather report, vehicles and crews are ready. We are good to go at daybreak...” she smiled as she waved at the enormous flat-screen display we had installed several days ago and checked her watch for the time, “ ... which means we’re in luck. We have thirty-minutes for one last run-through.” “Time for a quick cup of coffee before we start?” I made it...