“A great deal. He could not lay out my future entirely, for it would lead to me altering it. What he gave me are clues which I must sort out myself.”
“And where does this next clue take you?”
Sigmeyer rose from the table. “My sloop leaves on tomorrow’s tide, only those aboard her at that time shall know her next destination. If you are coming, bring provisions for a long voyage, and warm clothes. Now we must leave for the Stormfront, my friend has a sack of gold and I aim to drink away as much of it as he will allow tonight.”
Sigmeyer left the room and Vittaro rose to follow, dusky hand clutching his pouch tight.
“Does drink loosen his tongue?” Ramund asked.
Vittaro chuckled. “Far from it. And the barbarian knows I will pay, for it will blissfully seal his lips to all but drink.”
“He already knows I am going to go with the two of you, doesn’t he?”
Vittaro paused to turn toward the sorcerer. “Yeah. He didn’t leave either of us any choice in the matter. This may be the biggest mistake of our lives, but if there is a man alive who is better suited to slaying a dragon, I have not met him. Sigmeyer’s even nastier with a weapon in his hand than he is with words, if you can believe that.”
Continue reading or return to table of contents.
The Dead Zone
Hanna Elizabeth
Rodney and I hemmed and hawed over going to the Halloween Party this year. It meant finding a babysitter for our two little hellions, getting costumes, dressing up. All of it seemed like so much work, but after much deliberation, we decided to go anyway.
I bought a sexy little German Barmaid outfit, with a pink crinoline, and thigh-high socks. I completed the look with a pair of high-heeled Maryjanes. Rodney decided to go for something easy and bought a long black cloak that he wore over a nice black suit. He looked rather dapper as a vampire.
After we tucked Addie and Miles into bed, we gave the babysitter pizza money and made sure she knew what numbers to call in case of emergency. Then we stuffed ourselves into Rodney’s midlife crisis and took off. The gibbous moon was high in the sky, casting eerie shadows on the road. All I knew was that the party was to be held at a friend of a friend’s McMansion at the end of a quiet dead-end street.
“Where is this place?” I asked, breaking the trance-like silence.
“Sorry honey, I was lost in thought.”
“I’m beginning to think we’re lost. The GPS hasn’t said anything in so long, I’m starting to wonder if it’s broken or something.”
“It’s fine. Jay said it was out in the boonies.” Rodney retreated into silence and I watched as the breeze made the tree shadows sway and skitter around our car.
“This road is creepy.” I said, gooseflesh breaking out on my exposed arms and thighs. I wished I’d gone for a long-skirted witch costume instead.
Rodney chuckled, “You’ve been watching too many movies.”
My mind raced faster than the blurred lines beneath our tires, and the soft hum of the engine lulled me into an uneasy trance. All of the day’s troubles came crashing down around me, pressing me into the fine leather seat. They tripped over themselves to gain the spotlight. The way the frumpy Entrance Administrator had scowled when I sat down for the interview at the early learning center. Had I dressed too casually? I can’t believe I cracked that joke about having kids too early in life, only to find out the administrator had her first at nineteen. Stupid. Had I ruined Addie’s chance of being accepted? Was Miles’ cough that wouldn’t go away, something worse? With the constant threat of his asthma flaring, would the babysitter know what to do? Did I give her the new inhaler or the old one? Is it too much responsibility for a teenager? The seatbelt constricted my ability to breathe.
“Maybe we should just turn around and go home.”
“Seriously, Kate? We get one night out in God knows how long and you want to run home, just because it’s too far away?”
I sighed. “No. I just keep thinking I’d rather be in my pajamas with a glass of wine.” I didn’t want to tell him I was stressing about the kids, because he was right. Taking a deep breath, I tried to will myself to relax.
“I kind of like what you’re wearing.”
I laughed and smacked his arm. “You would.”
“In fact,” he stopped the car on the edge of the road, “I’ve been thinking about bending you over the hood ever since we pulled off the highway.”
“Why, that’s pretty lewd behavior for a police officer.”
“Retired. Besides, I know you’ll love the adrenaline rush, Soldier.”
“Retired. You know me so well.” Heat flooded my face. Leaning over the gearshift, our lips met. He traced a scorching path up and down my chilled arms with his hands. As our tongues met, he growled, his hands exploring over my too-thin bodice, cupping my breasts and squeezing. I moaned against his mouth. He broke away, pushed the door open, and got out.
I watched him cross in front of the car. He yanked open my door and pulled me out. “What if a car comes?” I asked without conviction.
“There haven’t been any other cars since we started down this road.”
He pushed me against the cold metal. I heard the jingle of his belt, then his zipper. I widened my stance. Running his hands up my thighs and under the rough crinoline he held me tight against him with one arm, while his other found my panties. His fingers slipped beneath the edge of my ruffled pantaloons and explored, getting closer and closer to my center. Rodney’s mouth found the sensitive spot at the base of my neck. The world around me became hazy; the rustling of the trees, the shadows, the stress– none of it mattered. With a shudder, I came, crying out in the darkness.
Before the tremors stopped, Rodney pushed me forward until my face touched the cold metal of the car. Pushing my panties down around my knees, he buried himself inside me. I gasped as he pulled out and entered me again.
“Harder,” I said through gritted teeth, my nipples grazing the hood. The blood rushed to my head as he did what I demanded. I felt my orgasm building again. As it ripped through me, Rodney shuddered to a stop behind me.
Lights danced in the edges of my vision. It took me a few seconds to figure out that it wasn’t the orgasm, but the headlights of a car on the horizon.
“Car.” I said, feebly.
Rodney opened the passenger side door, pulled a napkin out of the glovebox and handed it to me as he zipped himself up and redid his belt. “Time to go.”
I wiped myself off, pulled my pantaloons up, and slid into the passenger seat just as a pickup truck came barrelling down the road behind us.
It came to a screeching halt and backed up, its bumper gleamed in our headlights. The taillights glowed like a demon’s eyes, until the driver put it in park and climbed out.
“Everything alright here?” The stranger asked.
Rodney reached his side of the car, but stood watching the stranger approach. “Everything’s fine. The missus and I are just on our way to a party.”
“A fancy dress party, huh?” The stranger took a step closer, but stayed in the shadows.
“That’s right.” Rodney stood with his legs shoulder-width apart, his back straight, hands hovering at his sides. Typical cop-stance. He was making himself appear bigger than he really was. With that realization, I started looking around the car for his concealed carry. This guy probably didn’t mean any harm, but I didn’t want to take that chance and be unprepared. Opening the glove compartment, I found the Kimber Ultra Carry II that I’d given Rodney for his birthday. It’s a small semi-automatic gun, with big bullets. It would make someone think twice about attacking. After checking to make sure it was loaded, I chambered a round, shut the glove compartment, and then tucked the gun under my leg.
“Well, there ain’t nothin down here but an abandoned farm.” The stranger said.
“Really? I guess our GPS led us astray then.”
The stranger laughed, “Those fancy gizmos don’t work in the dead zone.”
A chill
swept over my spine. “Rodney, I think we should just go.”
Rodney said to the stranger, “Well, thank you for the heads up. We’ll just turn around and go back the way we came.”
“That’s unlikely.” The stranger pointed behind us.
I turned in my seat. Through the small rear window, I saw another pickup truck parked behind us. The doors on either side opened and out spilled two younger, muscle-bound men carrying shotguns. Another one jumped out of the bed. They didn’t look like the kind to spend hours at the gym. I figured they were probably farm boys who ate meat and potatoes at every meal.
“Dear God, please help us. Please see us safely home to our babies.” I prayed. Tears welled in my eyes as I thought about never seeing them again. Pushing those thoughts away, I summoned every ounce of my training as a soldier. I would remain calm. I would make the most of any opportunity against the enemy. We would survive. Dying wasn’t an option.
“Now listen,” Rodney was saying, “we don’t want any trouble here.” He held his hands up, his body tense.
I fumbled with my phone, but the stranger was right, there wasn’t any signal.
“Damn it.” I said under my breath. My heart thumped, and I felt sweat beading on my forehead.
“This here’s how it’s gonna work,” said the stranger, “Y’all are coming with us. Give us any trouble and we’ll shoot you. Understand?” The stranger looked at Rodney, then through the windshield at me.
I nodded, gripping the gun tighter. Every self-defence class, everything you read about abduction says not to let your attacker take you from point A to point B. But heaven help me, these guys had guns too and they were a damned sight bigger than mine! If I could just manage to shoot one of them, it might give us enough time to get the hell out of here.
I whispered, “Kimber” to Rodney, but wasn’t sure he heard me. Quickly, I palmed the small gun just as one of the guys from the truck behind us opened my door and yanked me out. The ogres’ eyes darkened upon seeing my outfit, a snarl of a smile crossed his face. He was about to say something when I shifted the gun and squeezed the trigger, catching him in the stomach. He staggered back, shock spreading across his wide face. I spun around, dropped to one knee, and shot out one of the tires of the truck behind us. It was a bad angle, but I thought I could hear the tell-tale hiss of air escaping before chaos ensued.
Rodney was already behind the wheel by the time I scrambled into the car and shut the door. As Rodney pulled out, I powered down my window and fired a shot at the back tire of the truck in front of us. The stranger was nowhere to be seen. Presumably, he’d taken cover. I heard him shouting at the others to “fucking shoot them” but they were too busy with their buddy who was lying on the ground, bleeding.
One of them must have come to their senses though, because buckshot peppered the side of our car as we fishtailed on the gravel shoulder, “Get down!” Rodney yelled, but it was too late. Feeling as though someone clubbed me in the shoulder, I knew I’d been hit.
“Shit.” Rodney realized what had happened, as I put my hand over the wound to staunch the blood. With the amount of adrenaline pumping through me, I barely felt it. I was more worried about them coming after us.
“Go. Go. Go!” I yelled.
As we sped back the way we’d come, I glanced over my shoulder to see if they were following. Sure enough, one of the trucks turned around in the middle of the road, tires squealing.
“Damn it. They’re coming.” I said, “Go faster.”
“Keep trying your cell phone. Maybe we’ll get within range of a tower.”
I dug for my cell phone, but found Rodney’s instead. Holding it up, I searched for that elusive signal. Just one bar and I’d feel safer. “Nothing.”
“Try the GPS. There’s a button for emergencies on there.”
I touched the screen and activated voice recognition. “Emergency,” I said aloud.
“I’m sorry,” the computer said, “Your request can not be fulfilled at this time.”
“Call 911!” I yelled at it. Still no luck.
“God-damn it!” Rodney hit the steering wheel with his palm.
I knew he was frustrated. As a retired police officer he wasn’t used to running away, but sometimes you had to run away in order to survive. I glanced behind us and saw that the truck’s headlights seemed closer than they should have been. “They’re gaining on us!”
Rodney rammed his foot to the floor, flinging my head back against the seat. The night whizzed by in a blur. After a few minutes, I chanced another look back and with great relief saw that their headlights had shrunk to mere pinpoints of light.
“I think we’re losing them.”
“How’s your arm?”
“Fine. Just don’t slow down.”
“Wasn’t planning on it.”
Taking a curve, the Z-6 BMW handled like it was meant for racing. I’d never been so happy that Rodney had indulged his midlife crisis.
What had taken us an hour to traverse, took us only twenty minutes to retrace. At the end of the road was a farm I hadn’t noticed the first time. It sat back off the road, and even from this distance didn’t look like a working farm. A rusty tractor sat out front like an old dinosaur, swallowed up in a field of long grass. Moonlight shone through the dilapidated barn, highlighting the doors’ gaping mouth. A single bald lightbulb on the porch revealed its chipped paint and aging façade.
“I wonder if that’s where they live,” I mused.
“Could be. I’ll have Hal run the address and see what they come up with.”
When we came to the ramp to the interstate, I asked Rodney, “Think we’re safe?”
“I don’t think I’ll feel safe until we get back to civilization.”
That made two of us.
~ * ~
At the hospital they took x-rays, numbed my shoulder, removed the buckshot, bandaged me up, and shot me full of painkillers. And then the police showed up. Because it was a gun wound, they took our statements, promised to check out the address we’d given them, and then left.
“Do you think they were just humoring us?” I asked, as they disappeared out the door.
Rodney sat on the edge of the bed. “Why do you think that?”
“I dunno. Just a feeling.”
He smiled as he brushed my bangs away from my forehead and then took my hands in his. “Sweetie, you’ve lost a lot of blood. Your perception might be a little bit off.”
Taking comfort in the warmth of his skin, I rested my head back against the pillow and allowed myself to enjoy the prescription painkiller high coursing through my system. “True.”
After a small nap, the nurse came in to give us instructions on how to care for my wound, a script for an anti-inflammatory, another for pain, and I was discharged.
While Rodney took the babysitter home, I trudged up the stairs and checked on the kids. I’d never been so grateful to see them. I visited Miles first. He’d kicked off all of his covers, his face serious, his PJ’s soaked with sweat. Pulling his blankets up, I leaned over and kissed his damp forehead. After a few minutes, I went through the Jack and Jill bath to see Addie. Smoothing the blonde strands of hair away from her face, I sat back in the chair where I often read her bedtime stories, and watched her sleep. Rodney’s cell phone buzzed in my hand. I’d forgotten I even had it.
I looked at the screen and saw my picture. Answering, I whispered, “Ah, you found my phone!”
The call dropped. I stared at the blank screen for a moment, wondering if Rodney was all right, then shrugged it off. He probably butt-dialed. I shoved the phone into my bodice and sat back.
I must have dozed off, because Rodney woke me when he got back. “Come to bed, Kate.” My shoulder was throbbing so I took my medicine, stripped down, and crawled into bed.
“It all seems like a nightmare.”
Careful of my shoulder, Rodney pulled me closer. “I called Jay.”
“What did he say?”
“I told him what happe
ned and he said we turned down the wrong road.”
“I’d say so.”
~*~
“Kate.” Rodney was shaking me. My arm protested the jostling and I whimpered. I struggled to surface from a dream in which I was trying to get to the kids, but every time I thought I’d found them, someone or something would try to stop me.
“Wake up, Kate. I think someone’s in the house.”
My eyes snapped open to find my husband leaning over me, his hot breath on my face. “What?”
“I think someone’s in the house. You need to get up. Go to the kids and lock yourselves in.”
It was difficult trying to grasp his words through the haze of sleep and drugs. “Where are you going?” I clutched his shirt in a death grip.
Peeling my fingers away, Rodney opened my nightstand and retrieved my gun. He pressed it into my hand. “I’m going downstairs to check it out.”
“No. You can’t!” I protested, but he was halfway across the room.
He grinned. “It’s probably just the cat.”
“We don’t have a cat!” I pleaded to his retreating form.
I scurried out of bed, grabbing my pajamas and noticed the door to the closet where we kept the gun safe was ajar. I hoped that meant Rodney had grabbed one before he woke me. I grabbed Rodney’s cell phone and hurried out the door. Stealing down the hall, I listened hard for any sign of Rodney or intruders. Hearing nothing but the beating of my heart, I slipped into Addie’s room. Locking the door, I went through the Jack and Jill bath to Miles’ room to do the same. I couldn’t defend two rooms, but I could defend one, so I retraced my steps.
Picking Addie up was made even more difficult with a hole in my shoulder. Pain ripped through me, but I managed to carry her into her brother’s room without waking her or crying out. I considered that a success. However, I knew if someone was really in the house, then we were sitting ducks. I trusted Rodney’s instincts and his skills, but he could easily be outnumbered and outgunned. I thought back to the men from the road, a shiver rippling through me. Grabbing for the pile of clothes I’d chucked on the chair in the corner, I pulled on my pajamas. Finding Rodney’s cell phone I punched in 911.
Terrible Cherubs: Tales of Sinners, Mistakes, and Regrets Page 14