Innocence Lost - (Part One)

Region: New Spain (Napa)

Innocence Lost

(Part One)

“So we’re really going to do this?” Tara asked looking back at Cecily nervously.  Cecily just rolled her eyes and looked toward Gina saying “She’s gonna chicken out on us and you know it.”  “No she won’t Cess. Now stop giving her a hard time and be quiet.”  Gina responded flashing a broad smile at Tara while reassuring her.  “This is going to be so simple and when we are done just think about all the money we will have.  We can finally get a place we can call home and not have to deal with shit like this anymore ok?”  Tara agreed, shaking her head yes, returning a nervous smile to Gina.  If anyone could calm Tara down and lead this rag tag group of outcasts it was Gina.  Gina was always the one the group looked to for the smart decisions, any decision for that matter, so today was no different.  The only thing that changed was that instead of bringing their brand of thievery and recklessness to the people of Napa they had a bigger target in mind.  Today they were going to blow up a train, Queen Lo’s train.

Three nights ago Gina had drove into town with the girls following at her heels.  They were tired, filthy and badly in need of a good meal.  Stealing and robbing from unsuspecting travelers was becoming more and more difficult especially in Napa.  Since Hepatitis X ravaged the world and brought out the worst in most places people did what they had to do to survive.  For the last three years the girls had managed to make it on their own with only one another to depend on while avoiding the dreaded military enlistment or other life draining jobs their friends and family had taken just to survive, but now times were getting tough.  People were getting smarter and deadlier.  The general life of raiders and thieves was becoming all the more dangerous with each passing day.  If something didn’t change soon Gina knew that she and the other misfits would soon be a family no more.

Redemption - The Destroyer of Man

Region: Unknown

Shifra slumped to her knees a bit dizzy and stared in disbelief.  “You are the destroyer of man, the mother of tomorrow, but you have lost your way.” whispered the woman that stood in front of her.  The woman’s body shook as tears fell from her eyes while she forced the words out.  Shifra’s head swam as she tried to register what was happening.  She looked from the woman’s mouth to the lab coat she wore and noted the fact that it was peppered in a spray of red.  Is that blood? Shifra thought to herself.  That’s not supposed to be there.  She then noticed the woman’s hands, the right one in particular.  It held a scalpel and they both were painted with a thick red; a red that matched the odd sprinkling across the woman’s white cotton coat.  Shifra struggled to focus on what the woman was saying but for some reason the words were muffled.  She just could not make out what was being said no matter how hard she tried. 

As dizziness swallowed Shifra she turned her eyes away from the woman and to the floor where she knelt. It was then she saw her own lab coat was splattered with the exact same red.  Shifra’s hands were clutched to her stomach where a faucet of thick red syrup flowed out and splashed on the white tiled floor below.  It is blood. It is my blood.  Why is it my blood? Shifra thought to herself.  Still the events of the past few moments had not yet sunk in. When she looked back in confusion at the woman that stood before her she saw her mouth the words “I’m sorry”. A moment or maybe an eternity after she spoke those words the side of the woman’s head burst out in volcanic spray of yet another brilliant red.  Shifra watched, in what seemed like slow motion, as the woman that stood before her fell lifelessly to the floor.  She clearly heard the clang of the scalpel the woman had held hit the floor and bounce along the tile.  As the sound echoed in her head the last clear thought Shifra managed to have was how pretty the woman had looked in white; soon after a thick and inky darkness consumed her.

Trust - Chasing Tomorrow

Region: Key West

Lyn & Jack

(Trust is a 4 part story in the Chasing Tomorrow series that centers on the exploits of Ashlyn Weaver, Cassidy Welch and Jack Steiner.  The story is combined here in its entirety so that readers do not need to jump from one part to another)

Trust

She lays there asleep as I watch.  She doesn't know I am there enjoying the rise and fall of her chest and the soft smile on her face as she dreams.  Slowly I shed my clothes allowing them to pool on the dirt floor by her bed as I step towards her.  I raise her worn blanket and stealthily slide in behind her spooning my body against hers. I am greeted with a whispered and welcoming moan.  She nuzzles back against me contouring her body to the shape of mine as I run my hand across her exposed thigh.  She is wearing only a pair of silk panties and nightshirt.  At least that is the guess made by my exploring fingers.  When she finally opens her eyes and looks back at me it is accentuated by her bright baby blues and her warm smile.  She does not show fear or distrust.  She doesn't care how I found my way into her room or why now I am laying with her in bed.  She simply enjoys the moment.  As she stares me down, her mind wondering about something I can’t fathom, I quietly whisper “Good morning Lyn”.  Without uttering a single word her response is simple and immediate; moving her hands to my neck, she pulls me in for a long and sensual kiss that makes us both forget we have places to be today.

A few hours have passed and as she lies against my chest, exhausted and smiling, while slipping in and out of sleep, I stare out into the distance listening to the gulls cry while watching the crash of the waves on the nearby beach.  As I think to myself how I could stay here forever, with her, I almost miss the sounds of approaching boats.  In that same instance Lyn must have heard it too because she is suddenly standing in front of me with her hand shading her eyes, squinting into the blazing sun, past the white sand beach and scanning the blue water for wherever the sound is coming from.  When her gaze finally settles on the two dark objects I spotted moments ago rushing across the water toward the beach in front of us, panic floods across her face.

Instead of Drowning

Region: Unknown

Alice Holt

Instead of Drowning

(One Shot)

I looked around the room and took in my surroundings during a moment of calm. My labor had started so quickly that I hadn’t taken the time to really look over the makeshift delivery room.  As it turned out it was really nothing to look at. Green paint flaked off the walls and the plaster in places was crumbling. Large damp patches grew in the corners of the room and stretched across the celling. The windows were dirty and defused the light that came through in a strange yellow haze. The pipes that ran along the top of the room were rusty and leaked in places leaving a ruddy trail of brown as the water slowly marched toward the ground.  The room had a strange smell.  It was a kind of combination of damp and disinfectant that worked itself easily into your nose. The bed I lay upon was not much better.  An old white metal frame with rusty springs creaked with my every movement. The sheets were clean but could not disguise the disarray beneath them.   Where one of the corners had come undone I saw that the mattress was stained and my nose crinkled at the obvious smell of stale blood and urine.  But I couldn’t complain, at least I would have some help to deliver my baby.

“Ok Alice this is it” I heard the soft timid voice of the midwife, who up till then, had been at my side and helping me through it all, without pain relief I might add.  This was just one of the many major drawbacks to having a child unlawfully; at least unlawfully in the eyes of the community.  A community I never really wanted to be a part of. I pushed down with all my might grabbing the side rails of the bed and planted my feet just as I was told. Then, somewhere in the distance, I heard a faint voice say stop and so I did. “Just pant, it’s time to birth the head” came the voice again. I stopped; quick short purposeful breaths leaving my mouth. I felt myself stretch and burn but I took every ounce of pain, as every mother should for their child.  “Relax Alice” the strange voice said yet again, but this time from a little further away.

A Beautiful Flower in the Black House

Region: China

Shiwang Heng 

Meili Hua Xiang 

A Beautiful Flower in the Black House

(One Shot)

Shiwang Heng huddled in the corner of his cell as the other men ate.  Hunger had been just one of the many hardships Shi had endured since he had been captured and eventually transferred to the Black House.  He looked on with his stomach growling while the other 11 men all had their fill of whatever the meal was for this evening.  Shi watched as two the soldiers, who were on guard, stood outside of his cell and pointed in his direction as they spoke.  One of the women snickered at their exchange of words and then both yelled for the other men in the cell to back off and allow Shi to eat.  He didn’t move.  The guards yelled again and as the men in the cell backed away from the food they either stared angrily at the guards or at Shi.  After a moment and few more foul words of encouragement coming from the guards, Shi stood slowly and walked to the center of the room where plates of brown unrecognizable mush sat.  He didn’t know if this was all some sort of cruel joke or if for once he would actually get a little more than the crumbs that he usually picked from the floor and plates after everyone else had had their fill.  As he grabbed the first pieces of food he shuddered a bit knowing he would pay this moment at a later time.

Life at the Black House was not easy for the guards let alone the men who were held captive within its walls.  The labor camp was more of a last resort for the region’s men who were deemed useless.  If you were a soldier in the Empress’s army who got in trouble for one thing or another being assigned to the Black House was your punishment and possible chance at redemption.  At least that’s what the women were told if they were transferred to the Black House.  In reality many knew they would never leave the god forsaken place, but rather than face a life on the run from the Red Army, most chose to do as they were commanded so that they at least survived.  For the men that were held within the walls of the Black House it was an even crueler twist of fate.  This was their last chance at life.  The men at the Black House were considered failures in many regards. The only thing left for them to do was forced labor and if they could not accomplish that then they were no longer of any use to the Empress of China or her people.

Trust (Part Four)

Region: Key West

Lyn, Jack & Cassidy

As I walked back into the house, the very one I had ran from early this morning in such panic and distress, the first thing I noticed was an amazing smell hanging in the air.  The lights were dim and a bit of music played softly in the background.  I turned questioningly toward Cassidy who was standing behind me in the doorway; she brushed past me leaning toward the wall and flipped on the switch.  “Don’t worry loverboy, Lyn will be back later tonight she’s on duty right now and well we gotta keep our appearances up you know? Are you hungry?”  She didn’t wait for my response as she walked out of the hallway into what I knew was the kitchen from having been there the last few nights.  I stepped into the kitchen and spotted some covered pans on the stove that were simmering and puffing steam into the air.  At least now I know where that wonderful smell was coming from, I thought to myself as I surveyed the area and watched Cassidy rummage around in the freezer. 

Retrospect - A Nathaniel Alistair Adventure

Region: Unknown

Nathaniel Alistair

Retrospect

(Retrospect was a 5 part series centered around one of Nathaniel "Nathan" Alistair's adventures.  
The story is combined in its entirety here so that readers do not need to jump from one part to another)

It was dark and Nathan was getting tired of waiting. He had been squatting down behind a row of trash cans for nearly an hour now, patiently, his legs were getting very sore. He could feel a tingly and burning sensation crawling up his thighs as his muscles begged for a reprieve. As an added insult he happened to be standing in a small puddle and could finally feel the moisture creeping up through his boots and into his socks.  The gang of girls just a few yards away from him had been loitering and doing nothing of any importance for nearly an hour now and Nathan had just about had enough. He shifted his body just a bit to find a more comfortable position and as he did so he accidentally bumped into the can closest to him, causing it to make a small bit of noise. “Shit” he thought to himself as he held his breath.

The girls in the alley, five of them in total, all roughly around the age of 16, were smoking and telling stories about the good old days had gone quiet the moment they heard an unexpected sound. “What was that?” one asked the others looking in the direction of the trashcans. “I don’t know” replied another. They all turned together to face the row of cans on the right side of the alley with their inquisitive eyes squinting into the darkness. Nathan began to panic, he looked left and right, trying to figure a way out of this mess. As he studied the area he stayed motionless, breathing ever so lightly. “Should I go check it out?” Another girl piped up. “We can all go together” responded one of them. Nathan decided it was now or never. He had to make a run for it. He squatted down further prepared to spring up and run for his life as the girls drew closer. But luckily for him, it was at that moment, when all hell broke loose. Across the alley from him another row of empty cans banged and fell as a loud caterwaul pierced the night followed by a symphony of cats and girls all screaming at the same time.

Nathan didn’t move an inch and it may have been that inaction that saved him right then and there.