Gateway What Lies BeyondChapter 26
- 3 years ago
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Three hours later, they were walking on the beach. Sara had picked up a bag, so she could collect shells and driftwood. Sloan watched as she played in the waves and tried to claim the perfect shell. She really was a very beautiful woman. He was beginning to wonder if he was acting as goofy as his brother had when he was falling in love with Annie. He did remember that Spencer lost a little of his edge because he couldn’t tell Annie no. No matter how hard he had tried Spencer couldn’t control his love for Annie and it almost cost her dearly. Sloan vowed not to let that happen with this case.
Trying to throw himself back into the detective mode, he scanned the area for anyone who looked out of place, but he still felt a smile on his lips when he looked back at Sara. They walked on until they reached the little beach side restaurant where they had stopped before. The same little waitress greeted them, but this time Sloan never seemed to notice, he simply couldn’t take his eyes off Sara. They shared a sandwich, and both had a tropical drink. Lunch was quiet but comfortable.
“What would you like to do with the rest of the day?” Sloan asked.
“I don’t know, are you tired?”
“No, not really but if you are, we can go back.”
“No, not at all, I was just thinking about going over to the park and walking a trail.”
“Ok, that sounds like fun.”
Several hours later, they were back at Annie’s.
“I need to make a few phone calls and thought maybe we’d go to dinner about 6:00.”
“Good, I wanted to take a long hot bath and read for a while so that would be perfect.”
Sloan waited for Sara to close the bathroom door before he dialed Margaret. They exchanged information and Sloan took notes.
“Has that Johnson guy been bothering you anymore?” He asked trying to sound casual.
“At least once a day. He is nothing if not persistent.”
“What do you know about him?” Sloan finally asked.
“Steve Johnson is the one under investigation by the DA. Don’t you remember that was the case you were offered when you were helping your brother? There are all kinds of rumors about him. You know he was quite the ladies’ man. Rumor has it, his wife knows that he’s quite the ladies’ man too.”
Sloan could tell that Margaret wanted to ask about his association with Sara but knew Sloan would not generate gossip.
“Can you check on a couple more names for me?” He asked.
They exchanged some other information and hung up. Sloan’s next call was to his brother Spencer. They talked family for a while and discussed some business before Spencer finally had to ask.
“So, what’s up?”
“Nothing, why?”
“Because you called, and we talked about anything and everything and you’re still on the phone. Do you need something? Everything ok at the house?”
“Everything is fine. I was just thinking about you and Annie and how you met and all.”
“So, you miss us?”
“No, well yea of course I do but you know what I mean.”
“So, who is she?”
“What?”
“Who is she, Sloan?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You’re off balance. I can hear it in your voice. You used to tell me that you could tell when Annie had me all twisted and off balance. So, I just figured it was a woman.”
“When did you know, you were in trouble?” Sloan finally asked.
“The minute I laid my eyes on Annie and couldn’t breathe. Even now if she gives me a certain look my brain scrambles and I can’t even remember my own name. Women have a very powerful effect over the right man. If this one, is all you can think about than she might be the right one. So, I’ll ask again, who is she?”
“It’s Sara, my new assistant.”
“Oh.” Was all Spencer said.
“Don’t give me that ‘oh’, I know what you’re thinking; never get involved with a coworker. But I do remember that you also broke that rule, and if I remember right it worked out well for you.”
“That it did big brother, that it did.”
Sara was dressed and ready for dinner when Sloan appeared in the living room.
“You look great” Sloan said when he saw her.
“You clean up pretty good too.” She responded.
They walked to dinner by the road but planned to take the beach back. Dinner was of course pleasant. They spoke to several other people who they had become acquainted with over the past few weeks. Sara noticed Molly laughing and chatting with a gentleman and when she noticed Sara, her look changed. Sara just didn’t like the woman, she was hiding something. As the meal ended, she and Sloan had coffee and split a dessert and it was obvious that both were lingering and didn’t want the evening to end. But as they finished the last of the coffee, they knew it was time to go. As they moved through the dining room Sloan was distracted by a man, he had met on the golf course one day. Sara was waiting patiently at the dining room door when she heard a voice call her name.
“Well hello Sara. So, nice to see you again. Are you enjoying your vacation?”
“Oh Carlos, hello. Yes, I am, is Liz with you this evening?”
“No not tonight. Want to join me for a drink?”
“Thanks, but I can’t, I’m just waiting for Sloan.”
“I see.” He said moving closer to her.
Sara did not want to appear rude, but Carlos was just creepy. She had gotten an uneasy feeling about him when they first met and had noticed him staring at her on several occasions. Even though Liz had assured her that he was just a lady’s man Sara still had a bad feeling about him. He was leaning in and whispering in Sara’s ear that maybe they could get together later, when Sloan looked up. Moving toward Sara, he could hear her saying ‘no I don’t think so’. When he got close enough to Sara, she took Sloan’s hand in hers.
“Ready?”
“I sure am.” He said as they walked past Carlos. Once they were outside, he asked,” What was that all about?”
“Nothing really.”
“It didn’t look like nothing.”
“He was just asking me to meet him later for a drink and I said no.”
“Maybe you should.”
“What? Are you crazy, that guy gives me the creeps.”
“Ok, I just didn’t want to cramp your style if you wanted to go.” Sloan offered.
“Feel free to cramp, there is something about him that just bugs me. I’m sure he is probably a nice enough guy but just the way he looks at me, you know.”
“No not really but if your instincts are that strong, maybe you should listen to them.”
“Liz says he’s harmless, just a lady’s man, and that he just flirts with all the women. I think he is the local gigolo and is probably confused why I’m not interested.”
“He’ll get over it if he thinks we’re involved. Every time he sees you, we are together so maybe he’ll give up now.”
They strolled along the beach. Sara slipped off her shoes and let them dangle from her fingers. Sloan had removed his tie and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. After just a few minutes on the sand Sloan laced his fingers through Sara’s. It was just a simple contact but warmed Sara to the core. She knew it was too late, but still if she had any sense, she would drop his hand and run. Run as far and as fast as she could, she was only headed for heartbreak. But that was a place she already knew well. She couldn’t fight her feelings, if this ended in heartbreak then so be it, for now she would enjoy the love. The night was perfect, so romantic. The sky was so full of stars, the sound of the ocean rushing on the beach, a warm and gentle breeze blowing and Sloan beside her. She had already fallen in love with him, even knowing what it would cost in the end. They walked without a word all the way back to Annie’s. Once inside Sloan offered her a glass of wine and she accepted. Her emotions were all scrambled. She really wanted to keep this professional, but she also knew that she wouldn’t refuse if Sloan made the offer to share his bed tonight. Part of her wanted to just grab her book and go to her room but a bigger part of her was hoping for more. However; Sloan had run this same scenario through his head the whole walk home and he was determined to avoid this situation. No matter what his feelings were for Sara, he had to stay in control and when his control weakened, he needed to remember Spencer and the danger they faced because he acted on his feelings for Annie. They sat on the back deck in silence and drank their wine. Finally, Sara stood up and said she was going to bed. Sloan followed her in and took the wine glass from her.
“Good night Sloan, thank you for a lovely evening.” She said and headed to her room.
“Sara” he called to her. She stopped and turned. He had moved closer after depositing the glasses in the sink.
“Yes.” She answered.
He was so close now.
“I just wanted to ask how early you wanted to head to Charleston tomorrow?”
“Whatever works best for you, remember I’m just the date.” She said with a smile.
“You are so much more.” He said folding her into his arms. His lips claimed hers and for more than a moment he was lost. This was right. But before he could surrender to his emotions, his brain reclaimed control and he started to pull away. However, Sara was not ready for him to pull away, she needed this. Finally, she stepped back. Her eyes were smoky, and he looked confused. Sara touched his cheek and whispered, “Good night Sloan.” Then she turned and walked away.
Sloan tossed and turned most of the night until he fell into a dream with Sara. When his alarm went off the next morning and interrupted the dream, he was hurt and angry. The dream had been perfect, and in it, she was his and then it was over. Sloan threw the alarm clock across the room. He knew his mood would be bad the rest of the day but before he could even get out of bed there was a knock on his door.
It took two weeks to organize my trip to California. The main reason for the delay was the fact that I had other matters to attend to. I had to check at each of the settlements to address a few minor problems. People always had complaints and as the tribal chief and shaman, it was my job to sit and listen to those complaints and to arbitrate solutions that were just and equitable. On top of that I had to meet with my sub-leaders and talk with them. In particular I had to spend time in the...
Kim, Dunbar, and Burton, all met me when I pulled up at the gate to the compound a few minutes later. Kim was looking at me with concern etched on her face, while Dunbar and Burton were simply eyeing my prisoner. My people, Sygor and Gogra, were standing behind them looking a little out of place. “Are you okay?” Kim asked in English. “Were you hit?” “I’m fine,” I grunted in reply as I climbed out of the captured ATV. “I only picked up a few scratches, but that’s it. Your medic can probably...
I had no time for Sygor, literally. I came back to the settlement late in the afternoon. I was tired, both emotionally and physically, from the two ceremonies that I’d presided over down south, but ready to press on and finish up what I’d started that morning. I was on a very tight schedule, since even on horseback it would take over an hour to ride to the mouth of the valley and where I wanted to hold the final ceremony, and stopping to deal with the fact that Sygor had shown up out of...
Tonko avoided me in the morning. In fact, Tonko avoided everyone that morning. Gogra came over to speak with me before I could even get into line to get some food. “You need to speak with Tonko,” Gogra awkwardly informed me, his voice hesitant, but filled with concern. “You must tell him that everything is all right. He is embarrassed and upset, and only you can speak to him.” I nodded my head in understanding. I’d been going to speak with Burton and the others about the day. Now that would...
Monty came to see me in the morning. He’d flown the drone north yesterday, and he had video for me to look at. He’d taken the drone straight up our valley and through the pass, and then flown it about the plateau, looking for signs of Winslow and his men, and the Horse People. Then before turning the drone back around and flying it home, he’d taken it back down our original valley to see if he could spot any sign of the Hilltop people. I quickly found out that Monty had good news and bad....
“What do we do now?” Monty asked as the Gateway began to cycle down, and the portal between the device and wherever Jake had travelled to vanished before his eyes. “We watch and wait,” Kim stated slowly, looking a little uncertain about what had just happened, “and we hope for the best, and while we’re doing that we get back to work. Regardless of where Jake has gone and what he is up to there, we’ve got responsibilities that have to be attended to. So I suggest we put this out of our heads...
Time flies when you’re busy, and my tribe was definitely busy. We celebrated the fall festival. It was a well needed respite. Six men took mates, including Bogdi, Dunbar, Rugar; and, surprisingly, Tikal. He took Gada as his second wife. We then harvested our crops and got ready for winter. Winter actually came late, and to our pleasant surprise it wasn’t as bad as the winter the year before. It meant that people could get out from time to time to enjoy the weather and to do something other...
I called a meeting the next morning, inviting Ozmat and the other surviving youth to attend. We had things to speak about and I figured the two young men needed to attend, if only so they felt included in our discussions and would know that we weren’t just bullying their people. The second youth’s name was Nolgar. We met outside in the courtyard about a blazing fire. “We’ll be staying here for a few days,” I told everyone who was gathered there with me. “I’ve spoken to Clara and Alexa and...
“I just can’t believe I’m really here,” General Ridgeway declared freely, not speaking to anyone in particular. “This is amazing.” We were sitting in the upper mess hall. We’d just gotten ourselves settled after I’d sent one of the locals to fetch Kim and the others and they’d just arrived. We were all sipping mugs of herbal tea. My people looked just as surprised to see the General sitting at the table with us, as he seemed to be there. Surprisingly, nothing much had been said yet by anyone...
The first order of business the next day wasn’t Sygor. Neither was it chasing after the two men that Winslow had sent to hunt Struthers and the others, weeks ago. Instead, it was food. We were low on food and had too many mouths to feed. What food resources that we’d brought along with us had been used up. All we had was the left over plunder that Winslow had been dragging along behind him as he’d trekked westward, and whatever fresh meat my men brought in. We needed either a resupply of...
The wait lasted longer than I’d hoped. We ended up staying in our hides for almost forty-eight hours. The wait had gone on for so long, that I had begun to think that Lottie’s distress call hadn’t been heard. I was actually contemplating the thought of bugging out and heading home. I would have, if I hadn’t instinctively known that if someone did show up here after we’d pulled out, then the shit would undoubtedly hit the fan, once those people realized that the compound had been taken, and...
I met with the men first. To put it bluntly, they were the most important. Our biggest issue with the men was the fact that most came from different villages. While they were all River People, and most were fishermen, a lot of them were suspicious of each other; particularly the men who’d been captured and used as slaves. It meant getting them all to come together as a single group was hard. In fact, I had to meet each major group of men separately first before moving on to the next stage;...
We rode out again the next day early in the morning, and headed east again to another small valley that stood just north of the one we had checked the day before. This one was even smaller in size than the first one. It had a small stream flowing through it that actually fed into the river that flowed out of the first valley. The valley was quaint, but nothing special. It took us an hour to get to it on horseback, an hour to check it out, and an hour to ride back to the base. We made it back...
Kirov didn’t make it through the night. My people had staked him out as ordered, and the sentries had been told to keep an eye on him. They did, at least for the most part, and then someone turned a blind eye in the middle of the night. When that happened, one of my people had slipped out into the night and they had slit the man’s throat. I wasn’t happy about it. While I hadn’t expected to get anything out of the man, beyond what Struthers had told us the night before, I had wanted to ask him...
“We need to clear out of here quickly, Doc,” I told Dr. Beaufort a second or two later, my voice taking on a hint of urgency as I spoke to her. “It’s not safe to stay here.” We’d all been just standing there looking about and taking in the death of Jenkins and the four hunters, who’d all been alive, just a moment ago. I think we were all simply stunned. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for us to recover. “Agreed, Mr. Ryerson,” Dr. Beaufort replied without giving it any thought. “What do you...
I will not brag that my chat with my people in December resolved all the difficulties facing our budding community, and I will not imply that my relationship with the other women improved once I’d bedded Binda. In truth it didn’t, in either case, though life did get easier in a manner of speaking. People started coming to me to arbitrate for them when something came up. Even Sygor seemed to have relaxed a bit. It helped that he’d taken an interest in Trika. Trika was a cute girl who was...
We had broad smiles on our faces when we rode into our valley, four days later. It had been a quick, uneventful trip and we were grateful to be close to home. We’d been gone from the cave for over a month now, and we were all looking forward to getting home. It was therefore with some regret that I told my companions to rein in and walk the remaining few miles to our enclosure. I had to remind them that anything could have happened in our absence, and that to just ride in without scouting...
I didn’t kill Gus in the morning. I did, however, have a long chat with the man. Gus Richards was a twenty-four year old California born young man, who’d gone to college and he’d gained himself a degree in English Literature. He’d done well academically, but a general degree had meant nothing when it had been time to find work. He’d ended up having to work two jobs, both in the food services industry, just to make ends meet. Some time along the way between graduating college and working for...
Burton met me when I got to the other side. He looked rough, but in one piece. We hugged each other in greeting, as did Dunbar and Kim. Then he slapped me on the shoulder and told me that I was a sight for sore eyes, and was grinning when he said it. I smiled back warmly in reply, and told him the same. With greetings exchanged and heads counted, Burton turned and led us off towards his encampment. He guided us up a hill and through the trees for about half a mile. He explained as he went...
We marched into the fishing village around noon that day. I led the way into the village once Gort and Ohba had verified that there weren’t any armed men there. My troops had been deployed around the village so that if anything did happen, my people would be in place to respond. I went in with Dunbar, Carmen, and two men from Durt’s squad. Our arrival caused quite a stir. The village stood about ten feet above the high water mark and roughly thirty feet from the water’s edge. It consisted of...
Our arrival at the Horse People’s encampment caused quite a stir. The Horse People were camped up on a hill overlooking the far side of the lake. Because the river was still near to overflowing its banks, my party had to ride beyond the lake and then uphill quite a bit from it, to find a passable ford. Then we had to ride back down the stream we’d crossed and over to the hill where the encampment stood. Our progress had been marked by the hunters of the tribe well in advance of our arrival....
Life got interesting shortly after my party took off to go hunting, and the two young women returned to their people in the compound. I’d paced about for a bit, waiting for something to happen. I’d figured that once the two young women got inside the compound and they’d told their story to this Womack character that he’d be back up on the roof of the command post container shouting down at me. Hopefully from there, we’d strike up a dialogue. I didn’t expect him to throw open the gate to the...
Durt led us into the forest. The trail we were following was narrow. It quickly turned away from the broad flowing river and headed inland, climbing uphill as it meandered about trees and outcroppings of rock. The rest of us followed him in silence. For the most part the trail was bare earth and mud. It climbed one hill and then it slid down the other side, falling into a ravine or a gully only to start climbing again, the hill that lay beyond it. It was wet and miserable in the forest....
I had actually met Cadar a few times in the past, when I had visited the Horse People just after I had taught Agar how to ride. The man was medium tall, in his late thirties or early forties, well weathered in appearance, yet still physically fit and healthy looking. He even had all of his teeth. He had been a hunter on the verge of retiring when I had first met him, but like Agar and Gogra, the man had seen the benefit of using bows, hunting lances, and riding horses. He’d caught onto what I...
For the next three days we rode on, heading westward the whole time, unwavering in our pursuit of Winslow and his men. We rode for the most part in silence. It gave me time to think and to reflect on how things had changed for me and my people over the last several weeks. I started wondering if it really was for the good. To say that killing Ferguson hadn’t affected me would have been a lie. The man wasn’t inherently evil, but he had killed people who shouldn’t have been killed. Giving me the...
We arrived back at the base early in the morning, rousing Koo from her bed to activate the Gateway and receive us. Once back and after reassuring her that everything was all right, we ditched our gear and we headed off to breakfast. By the time we’d eaten, Kim, Monty, and Hendrick had been rousted as well, and they had come and joined us in the upper mess hall. It was one of the few structures still standing on the base. While they ate their breakfast, and my people drank tea, we...
Dwayne again on my laptopI was still out and so far from home that long weekend.My business trip had been delayed another couple days; so I called my sweet Ana and told her I was very sorry, but I would come back home on Monday.She laughed and answered: “Do not worry, hun, tonight Dwayne will come again to warm you side of the bed… I will set my laptop on the night table… you can watch us”.I was a little bit mortified, after watching that huge black bastard enjoying Ana’s cunt and even...
This story is a fantasy I just had and like to share with you. As the story isn't finished yet, I would love to hear your comments, advice and additions to the story. Please contact me at [email protected] .If you've enjoyed this story, please write me too - then I might write more!Synopsis:Norway 1940: A female civilian seduces a military leader of the German occupation forces, eventually turning him into her tool to gain power. Bus as the soldier is too paralyzed by her charms, he let...
I saw to it that all our water bottles and skins were filled up before we started. We ate a couple of energy bars for lunch and then we headed out. It took us all day to work our way down from the cave to the edge of the tree line. The first five hundred yards was so steep that all three of us had to shift one sled, and then return for the other, to get them both down. I had to tie a rope to the sled and anchor it with my weight as Clara and Gabby guided the sled down the slope to where the...
It happened the morning of day fifteen of our sojourn into the past, a week after having met Gort and Unna. By then Unna was up and about, wanting to prove her usefulness. To my amazement I found out that the little girl was smart. I know I shouldn’t have assumed otherwise; but then again, I’d spent the last dozen years or so of my life being a soldier. I hadn’t been exposed to kids, and I had no idea about how smart they really were. I found out the error of my ways when Unna pointed out to...
Our trek back to the cave took us four and a half days of walking. The main reason it took so long, was the fact that I wanted to do some sightseeing. I picked a route that took us down towards the lake, before swinging west. I wanted to get a good look at the lay of the land in this region. Before leaving, I’d held a short council with the men of the village and the shaman. Many were concerned that I was leaving them without a leader. I didn’t care too much about that, given that we were...
The next three weeks were work, work and more work for my little community. While on the trek back to the cave, I had learned that it was early summer in the region. That meant we still had time to establish ourselves as a community. However, every day was important. We needed to gather food for the coming winter, we needed to gather firewood to keep us warm, and we needed to protect ourselves from both the elements and any predators that might turn an eye in our direction. Clara, Gabby, and...
Clara gagged the man for me and Bogdi tied his wrists with rawhide. Then I plopped him down on his ass, next to the gate into the compound. With that taken care of I went hunting. Seeing that the door to the upper level was open, I decided to try my luck there. The stairs were steep. They led up to a hatch in the ceiling that was like a hatch on a warship. It had a big metal wheel that you turned to open the hatch and then you pushed it up. The hatch was already open and secured in place by...
I was down below our valley, amongst the tree shrouded slopes that dominated the terrain south of where we lived. I’d been down there hunting often over the past two summers, once all the construction had been taken care of up at the enclosure. It was a great place to stalk deer and wild boar and even an occasional bear. I was with Gogra, Rugar, and Sygor that day. We were on foot, our horses trailing behind us on lead ropes as we walked the hillside path in search of our prey. The gunshot...
We didn’t make it off the plateau and into the pass without an incident with the Horse People. Fortunately it was a very minor incident, at least from my perspective, and one that I didn’t mind addressing forcefully. More importantly, it didn’t take more than fifteen minutes to resolve. By midmorning we were into the foothills and winding our way upward into the pass. It was a clear warm day and the trail was good. I was feeling good, even after the long night I’d experienced the night...
It continued to snow for the next two weeks. By the time it actually stopped, the valley floor was covered in so much snow that without snowshoes, a person sank down almost to their chest. It made moving about very difficult, at best. The snow didn’t stop me from getting my work done. Time was of the essence! I couldn’t waste a moment of it, just because the weather was against us. While what I could actually achieve was limited, a lot did get done. I spent the first couple of days...
The helicopter was totally unexpected. We were deep in the forest, just north of the compound, when the big bird flew overhead. Naturally, it caused a hell of a lot of panic. “Fuck,” I cried out angrily as my horse kicked up a fuss, attempting to bolt, while at the same time trying to keep Ohba’s horse from taking off as well. “Merdé!” Clara exclaimed in French, also trying to keep her seat, “What the hell was that?” “A helicopter,” I shouted back to her, just before swinging off my horse...
I flew out with Burton and his team. Clara didn’t want me to go, but I told her it was necessary as I wanted the opportunity to see what the terrain was like south of our location. More importantly, I felt I needed to be there just in case Lottie decided to act up, and tried to screw up the operation. Dunbar was riding shotgun, but he needed someone there to keep an eye on Sarah during the flight, particularly after Burton and the others had been dropped off. We’d covered up the shattered...
By the end of February, Marta had bounced back from giving birth and she’d wangled for herself an invitation into my bed. The tall woman was an enthusiastic lover and while her primary focus was on being bedded by me, she had no problem with the fact that there were four other women in my bed or that they liked to get involved. Since everyone in the bed ended up happy once all the moaning and groaning was over, no one minded that Marta had a habit of monopolizing my attention. It did however...
I left Sygor to watch Winslow’s headquarters, while the rest of us packed up and headed out to sweep the rest of the buildings about us. I wanted to make certain none of the bad guys were hiding in them, before doing anything else. I figured that securing our back would give me time to come up with a plan to take Winslow down without getting half my men killed. As we left, I ordered Tonko and his men to take the prisoners we had over to the mess hall and leave them there, for now. It would be...
“Gort and Unna are too perfect,” I declared in reply. “Just look at him. I might be totally mistaken, but besides the fact Gort needs a good bath and to have his hair shampooed, he doesn’t look like I would expect him to look, given all the briefings that Dr. Jenkins gave us on what the locals looked like. Oh I know that technically there really isn’t that much difference between early modern man and us; but there were a few, and I’m not seeing them in either Gort or Unna. In fact, given that...
We made it to the mouth of the valley five days later. We were all tired and sweaty and most of us just wanted to get home. It was midday and the weather was hot. Thankfully, the end of our trek was near and as we turned into the valley our spirits picked up. Then it happened. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something in the air. “Stop,” I cried out as my mind registered what I’d actually spotted. As I spoke I dropped the travois I’d been pulling and grabbed my carbine....
Katherine didn’t bite; or, to be more precise, she didn’t bite my cock. She did leave bite marks on my shoulder when I pounded her through her fourth straight orgasm, while she lay under me with her tits jiggling with every thrust, on a bearskin that Clara had thrown down by the stream where the women had bathed me. I didn’t mind at all. Katherine’s biting me helped to keep her from disturbing the wildlife with her cries of pleasure. The woman was definitely a screamer. I met with Rolf...
I hadn’t been prepared for that. Fortunately, Katherine was, and answered the calling flash with a quick reply. “Don’t,” I snapped when I realized what she was doing. “This could be a trap.” “It’s not,” Katherine responded dismissively, although she did lower the flashlight she was holding, shoving it once more into her coat pocket once she’d turned it off. I just glared at her sternly in the dark and then I glanced back towards the compound. By then the message was coming in. It repeated...
Kim’s people showed up shortly after Ohba and I had conversed. I had the young woman stay in the kitchen area, while I took Kim and the others into the communications centre to have a chat. The room was bigger than the kitchen area, but it was still a tight squeeze for all of us to get into it to have a chat, even after displacing the people who were already there. Kim introduced me to her four technicians before we got down to business. Not surprising to me, three of them were women. The...
The shot hadn’t come from the compound. That much was certain. It sounded a lot further away than where we were in relationship to the compound. It also sounded a little further to my left, towards where I’d fought the assholes that had shot at me. It made sense, as I remembered the terrain in that area. That was where the trail from the southwest came out of the forest on the other side of the valley where the compound stood. Obviously, whoever had fired the shot was somewhere off along that...
I held a council of war the next day, right after breakfast. I invited Kim, Clara, Dunbar and Burton, Gogra, Rugar, and Tonko, and Penny. I had matters to discuss. The fact of life was that I had to start taking Quantum a little more seriously than I had been. I had thought that we had months to prepare to confront them, without worrying that they’d show up suddenly and unexpectedly. As their base was hundreds of miles away, I had let myself treat the problem as if we had all the time in...
The capture of the two Cougars changed my plans completely. I still intended to use the ‘Heather’ to land a raiding party on the seaward side of Winslow’s base, but instead of me leading that raid, I sent Burton. He took his original team plus Dunbar. They also took along a pair of guards to watch Terry once he’d dropped them off beneath the cliffs that overlooked the sea. Their orders were the same as before; capture the two shelters and the occupants of them, strike down any of Winslow’s...
We rose early the next morning to get ready to go. The women started breakfast while I went outside with Tonko and Bogdi to tend to our horses. Tikál joined us after a few minutes, offering to help out. Between the four of us, we led all the animals to the river so they could have a drink and then turned them out on the grassy area between the river and the ruined enclosure so that they could graze. By the time we were done, it was time for us to eat. I sat with Dunbar and Burton as we ate....
by Philip Johnson As the category indicates, this is a non-erotic story, so don’t get mad at me when you don’t find much sex in the following story. Chapter One The name Paradise Found sounded somewhere between somewhat cheesy to plastic luxury. But the first thing a person noticed when they pulled up to the front entrance was true luxury. Not over the top luxury, but quality everywhere. The construction made it look like an old mansion that had survived the ravages of time in nearly...
Runaways Runaways By JensenDenmark 1. Holiday Amber met me at the park. We had left our High School separately so we could not be sighted. I rode my skateboard at the path toward the park. It was a shame that we had to keep it so secretly. Amber waited for me. She was 15 like me. ?Darling. I was afraid that your mother had picked you up.? ?No. I told her that I had to study extra for a project.? I kissed her. ?Lets go down to the creek, so we can have some undisturbed time.? The creek...
Huggs surprised Rascal with a nice picnic on the Blue Ridge Parkway after she got off of work one Saturday. While Rascal was at work, Huggs prepared a small array of finger foods that they could enjoy with some wine. Once Rascal got home, Huggs told her to take a nice long shower because they were going to have a picnic on the parkway. Rascal must have saw the gleam in his eyes, because Rascal quickly asked, “It will not just be us at this picnic?” Huggs had to confess that another gentleman...
Gabby started by squatting down across from where the boy was standing so she could speak to the boy without shouting, and to look him in the eye. She started with the old stand by in trying to communicate with the pointing to herself and saying her name and then pointing to the boy. It didn’t take long for the boy to catch on. The boy pointed to himself and said, “Gort.” From there Gabby moved on to Clara’s name and then mine. Once the boy had repeated those, Gabby got into the really...
We camped by the lakeside reeds again once we’d trekked back from our hunting camp. It took us two days to get there. As I had pointed out before, the terrain was rougher on the far side of the lake and there were a number of small streams to ford. With our heavy load, it took a little effort to get back. The women settled us in, as usual. The men took up watch over the site, keeping an eye out for any uninvited guests, both two legged and four. While they did that, I took the kids duck...
The horse had speed. I think it was the first time that the horse had ever been let loose to stretch her legs, and she was making up for all those years. I hung on tightly and just went along for the ride. Eventually the horse got winded. By that time we were past the lake, and halfway to the foothills. When she did start to slow down, I decided it was time to see how willing this animal was to be ridden. I reined in gently until the horse came to a standstill. Then I turned her around, back...
It was three full days before Gabby eventually showed up at the compound with the work team that I’d requested. With her were Rugar, Tonko, Tula, Gabon, Gort, Geeta, Bogdi, Zela, and Thela. They had the three horses with them and our two sleds. Piled on the sleds and tied down, were the travois for the horses and a couple of spares. I welcomed them with open arms. They greeted me with looks of surprise. I had been expecting that. I could understand the surprised look on their faces. I must...
It took four weeks for us to empty the compound, and in truth we still left a lot of stuff behind. Unfortunately, it started raining near the end, making dragging travois and crossing fords much more difficult than they had been previously for my people. It actually rained all the way home to the cave, on the last trip. The locals moved in with little or no problem. By that point the communication issue had been resolved. It also helped that all of them knew at least half of the people in my...
November led into December and we became even more cave bound than before. It snowed almost every week for at least three to four days per week, and it was definitely cold outside the cave. Sneaking off to the latrine was a major endeavour. In fact, chamber pots started springing up in secluded corners of the cave. The women had brought them with them from the hilltop village and from the Horse People. They helped, but they needed to be emptied every day, too. Water also became a problem...