by S. L. Baum
“What do you mean?”
“Her scent came in. I mean, she’s beginning to diagnose through smells,” Krista explained.
“When? On who?”
“Today, or this week rather. On Trixie. I guess she sensed something a couple of days ago, and then Tawny brought Trixie in today while Eva was there. Anyway, long story short. Our daughter knew her best friend had a strep infection before Tawny even brought her into the medical center.”
Sam sighed. “How does that compare to you, age wise?”
“Honestly, right about the same age.”
“Then she’s on track. That’s good. Don’t you think?”
Krista played with the ends of her hair. “I guess. I just wish I could put this off for her until a little later. I never really felt like I had a childhood. I want her to have one.”
“She does. We give her that. We are providing the family environment that you never had.”
“I know. I know. As much as I am grateful for this gift, and even with as much joy as I receive from Deathtaking, I wish I could put it off for her until she is older. Like twenty-one. That sounds like a good age.”
“We can’t keep her from growing older or delay her from growing into her gift.”
“I wish I could.”
“I know you do,” Sam laughed softly.
“Can’t I put her in a little protective shell where she can be safe and loved and properly cared for?”
“No more than I can do that for you.”
Krista turned to face him. “Do you want to do that for me?”
“All the time. I want to keep you here with me where I know you are safe. When you go out of town to do your thing, I’m a ball of nerves until I get that call from you afterward to let me know that everything went okay. I worry that someone robbed you, that someone physically hurt you, that someone found your body before it was time to awaken. But I push through that worry because I know that you are important, what you do is so incredibly, mind-blowingly helpful, and I am proud to be the person you come home to when it is all over.”
“Samuel, that’s so sweet.”
“I love you. More than you’ll ever know.”
Krista inched her body closer to his. “I know how lucky I am to have you.” She kissed him softly. “And I know that I don’t want to live this life without you.” She kissed him again. “Thank you for always staying, even through the craziness.”
“Thank you for making my life a wonderful crazy adventure,” he whispered against her lips. “I love the taste of you.”
“It’s my coconut lip balm.” Krista smiled and then kissed him once more, sucking his bottom lip into her mouth.
Sam shook his head and pushed the edge of her shirt up with his hands. “No. It’s just you. Your smell, your taste, the feel of your body under mine…”
“Shut up and make love to me.”
“With pleasure.” Sam grinned and then pulled her shirt up over her head. He kissed the top of her bare shoulder and continued lower, trailing kisses down the center of her chest and her stomach.
Krista sighed with anticipation when he slid his fingers under the elastic of her pajama shorts and peeled them off. Her panties were removed next, and then her shirt. When all her clothes were gone, he pulled off his own. Krista shivered from the chill in the room and Sam quickly covered her body with his own. Krista groaned with pleasure as the warmth of his body penetrated every pore of her skin. She loved the feel of their naked bodies intertwined. Thirteen years together, and she could never seem to get enough of him. Sam felt the same way. He’d heard of couples that had grown bored with each other after a few years, but Sam knew that no matter how many years passed, he would never be able to keep his hands off his wife.
Krista raked her fingers down Sam’s back as their bodies moved in rhythm. She grabbed onto him and urged him to go faster, pressing into his lower back. Sometimes the frenzy was her favorite part; when they were both moving without control, desperate to reach the climax. Slow and delicious was quite lovely, but fast and frenzied had its own charm.
Sam lost his ability to control his release. He collapsed onto her and then rolled onto his side pulling Krista’s body with his own. “Damn, woman. I was planning to make that last a little longer.” Sam breathed hard against her shoulder.
“I got caught up in the wonderful feel of it all. You know how I get sometimes. There’s always round two.”
“I don’t know if I’m up for round two.”
“I have complete faith that you will rally,” she told him as she pushed him onto his back. It was her turn to trail kisses all over his body.
Sam released a slow breath and closed his eyes as Krista’s lips, teeth, and tongue teased his naked flesh. “You have no idea how glad I am that tomorrow is a Saturday,” he whispered.
“Because we have all night to do exactly this.” She nipped at his skin. “For as long as we want.” She trailed her fingers down his chest. “And neither of us has to wake up until we want to in the morning.”
“You got that right.”
“I’m always right.”
Chapter Fourteen
Fall turned into winter, then spring, then summer. The seasons kept changing, as they always do. Time passes like a thief; it moves on and no one realizes how fast it has snuck away. Moments are gone before memories can be stored, so cherish each and every moment you have. That was the motto Krista chose to live by the first year she spent in her beloved hometown. And she continued on in that exact fashion.
She was twenty-one when she made the decision to settle in Cedar Creek, and there were times she couldn’t believe that fifteen years has passed. She’d stored as many memories as she could as time moved on, and she was looking forward to the new memories she’d have after another fifteen years. Eva had been with Sam and Krista for almost all of their time together; they had never really had the honeymoon phase of a relationship that everyone talked about. Partly because of that, every so often they planned a few days away, for just the two of them.
During the summer months they always tried to get away as a family. During the school year, they took advantage of Abe’s willingness to let them travel on their own while he stayed with Eva. The warmth of Florida, the feel of sand between her toes, and a cool drink in her hand. That’s what Krista was looking forward to when the plane took off into the air, and Sam held her hand and brought it up to his lips.
Abe grabbed the tackle box and two fishing poles and loaded them into the little off-road vehicle. It was a decent walk, and a tiny bit of a hike, from the house to their fishing area, so he was grateful for the sturdier bridge that Sam had insisted on having built a few years back. After clearing a level road, the trip had become much easier. His joints didn’t want to cooperate the way they used to. Abe still fished every week, but usually at a closer spot, where the fishing wasn’t quite as good. He didn’t get anywhere near the amount of nibbles as he did when he was sitting near the dock. He loved that old dock. He had many great memories that centered around that hulk of floating wood.
With Krista and Sam away for the weekend, Abe was glad to be spending time alone with Eva. She was getting to be a lovely young woman, fourteen years old and a freshman at the secondary school. She was still smart as a whip and the most beautiful, talented, and sassy girl in town, as far as he was concerned. But he knew he might be a tad biased; no one could compare to his special girl.
“You going to drive us there?” Abe asked Eva, knowing full and well what her answer would be. The girl drove that vehicle every chance she could, since she was still too young for a regular driver’s license. She’d have no trouble passing her driver’s test when the time came.
“Of course! Unless you plan to wrestle me for it.”
“Well, if you want to wrestle I might have a chance, seeing as you are just a girl,” he teased.
“You did not just say that!” Eva looked at him in shock.
Abe clapped his hands. “Only to get your goo
se, and it looks like I did,” he said with a laugh.
“You know, there is a girl playing varsity football at school this year,” she informed her uncle. “Girls are amazing.”
“Good for her. And you know I’m teasing you. Honestly, I’d be the first to tell you that girls can give us boys a run for our money.”
Eva gave her great-great uncle a pat on the back. “Much better answer.”
Abe gave her a wink. “I’ve always got your back, girlie. So, should we take some food with us for lunch today? We got a little hungry yesterday.”
They’d gone fishing the day before, for a longer amount of time than they’d planned, and they were both starving by the time they got back to the house.
“I’ve already got it covered. I made some PB-and-Js, grabbed some of those snack size chip bags, and I’ve got a few bottles of water. They’re all in my backpack. Is that good enough?”
“Is there another sandwich that is loved by wee ones and us old dudes alike? I’m even craving peanut butter and jelly. You are a woman after my own stomach – I mean heart.”
Eva rolled her eyes. “Uncle Abe, do you ever talk without throwing in some silly sayings?”
“I’m an old man, a very old man, so I’ll talk how I want. Let’s get a move on.”
“Alright, Grumple.” Eva shook her head and got in the driver’s seat.
Abe smiled at the nickname that she’d started using for him when she was in the Third Grade. He didn’t mind it; he knew it came from a place of love. “Grumple is ready to go.”
She drove down the path, over the bridge, and along the narrow road her father had cleared. When they reached the wide open clearing she slowed to a stop and parked near the fire pit. The dock was waiting, the sun was shining, and she hoped the fish were ready to jump out of the water and onto her hook. She got out, slung the backpack over her shoulder, and grabbed the tackle box before Abe made it out of his side of the vehicle.
“Let’s get a move on, old man.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Bring the poles and meet me at the end of the dock,” she told him as she hurried toward the water.
Eva took off her shoes when she got to the end of the dock and dipped her toes in the cool water. Abe always told her the fish wouldn’t come if they saw her feet, but she knew the fish would still be there. She always caught at least one and she almost always had her feet in the cool water. The chair they had left on the dock, the day before, was waiting for Abe when he finally reached her.
He sat down with a sigh. “These old bones are starting to protest against this hike.”
“What hike? We drove all the way.”
“Not all the way,” Abe protested. “Aging is not a fun thing.”
“You make old guys look cool.”
“I make old guys look old.”
Eva got up and kissed Abe on the cheek. “I love you.” She picked up her pole and got it ready to cast. “Hey, did you know that I’m going to be a junior bridesmaid in a wedding?”
“I heard about a weddin’ between two of our Cedar Creek teachers. It seems that the lovely Miss Marjorie Montgomery has graciously accepted to join up with Mr. Daniel Williams.”
“She was my Third Grade teacher, and I had him for Sixth Grade.”
Abe smiled at her. “They were lucky to have you in their classes then, and they’re even luckier to have you in their wedding now. You’ll be the perfect junior bridesmaid, a gorgeous addition to that wedding party. You might even overshadow the beautiful bride. You make the sun shine.”
“Thank you. I may have a power, but making the sun shine isn’t it,” she told him as her baited hook landed in the water and sank under the surface.
Abe gave an appreciative nod toward the water. “You’re getting pretty good at that.”
“I learned from the best, who learned from the best, or so I’ve been told.”
Abe harrumphed in appreciation. “I did teach your dad a thing or two about fishin’.”
“Are we catching for dinner or is it a throw-back kinda day?”
“We’ll throw ‘em back. I don’t think I’m in a fish cleaning mood.”
Eva cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted to the surface of the water. “Ya hear that, fishes. If you get caught, you still get to swim downstream a little later, but make sure you try to evade the next great fisherwoman.”
“I think I’ll try fishing from the edge of the clearing.” Abe pointed to one of his not-so-secret spots. It was a little further upstream and there was a high-backed seat made from a smoothed out log to mark the spot, in case he ever forgot – which he wouldn’t. His mind was still sharp as a tack.
Eva looked around wildly. “What? What are you pointing at? I don’t see anything? Certainly not your secret fishing spot.” Her voice seemed to smile with sarcasm and it was music to Abe’s ears. Eva was full of life, she was feisty, and he loved her for it. No one could put a smile on his face faster than she could.
Abe stood up with his pole in hand, walked to where Eva was fishing and ruffled her hair. “I’m getting too old to tease.”
“You’ll never be too old for me to tease,” she said with a smile.
After an hour or so, Eva took a sandwich out to Abe and sat down on the log next to his. It wasn’t as smoothed out as his seat, but it would be fine for a few minutes. She didn’t think she could fish from it all day, though; her butt would get numb from the hard bumpy texture.
They ate in relative silence. There was something about the creek that made a person relax and just enjoy the scenery. Eva kissed Abe as she got up to leave and sniffed the air as she walked away. The water seemed to have a funk to it, something that she hadn’t smelled before. She hoped that someone hadn’t dumped something in the water further upstream and contaminated it.
The minutes ticked by but neither of them seemed to be catching much of anything. She hadn’t heard Abe give his usual holler all day, and she hadn’t had the chance to squeal with delight. But Eva didn’t mind. Abe always said, “You don’t go fishing just to catch a fish. You go fishing to catch a breath.” She knew he meant that it was a time to simply relax, let your worries melt away, and simply enjoy the scenery. If you caught a fish along the way then that was a wonderful bonus.
Another whiff of the odor she’d smelled earlier came her way. “Ugh, Abe. Do you smell that? Something has gone from bad to worse. Either someone is illegally dumping in the creek or an animal caught a couple fish close to the shore and left the remains to rot out here. It’s like something rotten mixed with something sticky sweet. Abe? Seriously, do you smell it or am I imagining things?”
She turned the handle on her reel to bring up the hook, but Abe didn’t answer her question. Eva looked back to where Abe was sitting, but he wasn’t looking her way. He had his head turned to the side.
“Uncle Abe, did you fall asleep back there? Is it naptime?”
She heard a quiet strangled moan coming from him and she immediately dropped the fishing pole and stood up with a jerk. The pole sank down into the water as she rushed away from the dock and ran to where her great-great uncle sat. The closer she got to him, the stronger the decaying odor became. It was then that she realized the smell was coming from him. How had she not sensed something earlier?
“Oh my god. Abe, can you hear me?”
His eyes acknowledged her question.
“You’re having a heart attack.” Eva knelt down on the ground beside him. She felt a strange jolt run through her body brought on by how near Death was to her. It was something she’d never felt before. A strange tugging was going on inside of her, it was like her insides were trying to grab onto something. The power was clearly present, but she had a nagging feeling that it didn’t want to come out.
“I think I can save you. I can feel the power inside of me, Uncle Abe. I think I can force it to work. It’s got to work. It’s got to keep you from dying. I have to try.”
“No,” Abe spat the word out. “You can’t”. His eyes were hard.
“But I can. I’m telling you, I can feel it. Why would it tease me like this if it wasn’t ready for me to use? I’m going to be a Deathtaker eventually. So, why not today?”
Abe’s body spasmed and he was able to bring his hand up to his chest. He grabbed at the agony he couldn’t get to, the seizing pain inside of his chest. There was no way Eva could get him to Doctor Baker before it was too late, and even then he’d have to be air-lifted to Greenville. And there was no telling what kind of quality of life he’d have, even if he were able to survive. But something deep down told him that none of that would matter. It was his time. He knew it.
“Eva.” It was the only word he could get out before he fell unconscious.
She screamed. She raged. She grabbed onto him and rested her head against his chest as tears spilled from her eyes. Eva refused to believe she was going to lose him.
Closing her eyes, she concentrated. She let all the noises by the creek disappear. The chirping of birds, the wind through the trees, even the water running across the rocks, it all fell from her radar. Nothing mattered except her ability to connect to his body. A forced connection. It was something Chai had done many times, but her mother, only a few. Her mother hadn’t been able to tell her much about it, but she knew that the only way to save Abe was to force a connection.
Her Deathtaker power was immature, but she could feel the threads of it reaching out from inside of her. It extended out from somewhere deep within and penetrated the barrier between her and Abe. The tendrils of power wrapped themselves around his death and began to pull it toward her. It twitched, and tugged, and wrenched until the death finally let go of Abe and allowed itself to be dragged into Eva’s body.
The harder she concentrated, the more discomfort she felt. Eva cried out when a sharp pain pierced her heart and a phantom jagged knife ran its way through her body. Every instinct she had told her to let go of what she was holding on to, to release the death and let it travel back into its original host, but despite the pain she tightened her grip. She refused to let go.