“Sorry,” she giggled. “I guess you hear that quite a bit, don’t you?”
“You have no idea,” he said dryly. That usually led to a lot of bar fights; that and calling him “missy”.
“So, Toro, are you hungry?”
“Starving” he said, grinning. Just then his stomach rumbled loudly, and he blushed again.
Richard was practically bouncing off the walls when he learned that Tiger was awake and feeling better. He spent the morning in the bedroom talking Tiger’s ear off and asking a thousand questions until Elvi shagged him out so that Tiger could rest.
Tiger had his meals in bed that day, but he was feeling well enough to get out of bed by the next morning. It was easier to eat at the table and they could all talk as they ate, gossiping and catching up on the news from the capitol.
Elvi revealed that she had been a nurse before she’d married and talked about her work with plants and what she’d used on Tiger. Once they’d moved so far away from any medical help, she’d learned all she could about natural medicine. She poured a hot drink for Tiger that helped dull his pain and actually tasted pretty good.
Tiger promised to check out the transmitter later to see if he could get it working. Richard had been kind enough to help him dress in the spare pants and shirt from his backpack, but the weather was warm enough to forego struggling into his wet boots. Blushing as he thought about it, he didn’t bring up the question of who had stripped him while he was unconscious. Frankly, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
After breakfast, Elvi took his hair down and shampooed it for him, massaging his scalp as he leaned over a big wash tub, alternately groaning and laughing at the luxurious sensation. She combed it out afterwards and once it was dry, she braided it again for him, sighing as she worked. He wondered what that was all about but decided not to question it. She was right…. it did hang down to his butt. Once he was cleaned up and moved around, stretching his abused muscles, he finally started to feel human again.
After ten days of field rations and starvation he was so glad to taste real food again. Elvi was a fantastic cook. He’d miss it once he moved on. Normally he’d find an excuse to hang around for a while, but now he felt like he was racing the clock. Each tick bringing him closer to possible disaster.
All too soon it was time for Tiger to leave.
He’d helped out around the farm as much as his bum arm would allow and had managed some minor maintenance on the truck with Richard’s help, explaining to Richard exactly what he was doing so that he could do it the next time.
Every day he ran through his sword kata, practicing his footwork and spinning his katana around to keep his muscles limber and his reflexes sharp. It didn’t take long to get rusty if a swordsman didn’t practice diligently. Having his left arm bound threw his balance off a little but he learned to compensate for it quickly. Soon he was ready to take the world on as the new ‘One-Armed Swordsman’. Richard was absolutely mesmerized by the way Tiger could spin his katana around in one hand without once dropping it, so Tiger taught him some moves, but with a wooden sword he made for him.
As promised, he’d fixed the transmitter. “It was just some loose components. Happens over time. As they warm and cool, they tend to loosen up. If it happens again, just check to see if they need to be re-seated but be sure the power’s off first. If I survive this clusterfu… ah, um… situation, I’ll make sure they ship you an updated model,” he promised.
He decided to remove the strapping from his injured arm for the journey home and just wear a sling. If something happened along the way, the last thing he wanted was to have his arm tied up, and he could ditch the sling quickly if he needed to.
Richard and Elvi stood on the porch, trying not to tear up and failing miserably. They hugged Tiger carefully and kissed him on the cheek. He shifted uncomfortably, blushing, then dropped a kiss on each of their foreheads.
“Promise us you’ll see a doctor for treatment but be careful. Don’t let those government psychos get their hands on you. Stay in touch and let us know how it all turns out,” Elvi told him. “Stop in if you’re ever out this way again. I’ll fix you a nice home-cooked meal.”
She leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “If things don’t work out and you need a place to hide out till… well, you know, you can come back here. We’ll take care of you.”
“Thanks. I promise to do the right thing. Don’t worry” he said. What he didn’t say was what the right thing was and when he planned on doing it. He had more important things to do first, like finding a cure before he was unable to travel or function normally; before they locked him up and threw the key away.
He’d heard of a doctor further north who was supposed to be making progress with his research on the virus. Tiger would have to return to Fort Yamano and file his report first, which would definitely not include his being bitten, then he’d have a shuttle drop him off closer to the doctor’s research lab so he wouldn’t waste time traveling by land vehicle. He had some leave coming so no one would question his absence.
“I’ll be back to visit as soon as I’m able. Keep up your practice squirt,” he told Richard. He stepped off the porch and headed back the way he’d come. So much had happened in three short weeks. How had his life become so screwed up? Turning back toward the cabin, he waved and smiled, then turned back to the trail and headed out, the smile gone; a shudder passing through him as if someone had just walked on his grave.
Chapter 3
Tiger actually made pretty good time on the return trip, since he wasn’t tracking anyone this time. Reaching the town of Aurora by late afternoon on the fourth day of travel, he could either pass through Aurora to get to Fort Yamano, which was another couple of hours by foot or detour around the town, which would add another couple of hours travel time.
Since it would be dark soon, he considered getting a hotel room for the night. Much as he missed his own bed, he was exhausted and didn’t want to end up having to sleep out in the open on a bedroll again before he reached home.
Some areas of Aurora were a little seedy looking, but he planned on going straight to the hotel and staying put for the night. He was so tired; food was the last thing on his mind. He could get a good night’s sleep, have breakfast and then call one of his team-mates for a lift in the morning.
A lot of military families lived in Aurora because Fort Yamano just didn’t have enough housing for soldiers with wives and children. It was a nice little town, but every town had its share of sleazy characters.
Heading off the main drag, he spotted a hotel he’d heard about from some of the other soldiers. It wasn’t the kind of establishment he would normally frequent. It was a place that men would take their dates to for the night, but it was clean and cheap, and he’d only be there for a few hours.
Passing the entrance to an alley, he heard the voice of a young man pleading with someone near the back of the building, but he couldn’t make out the words. Tiger stashed his backpack and rifle behind a dumpster and removed his sling.
Moving quietly down another cross alley, he peeked around the corner and saw nearly twenty guys who looked like gang bangers roughing up a boy who was probably twelve or thirteen. He was small and skinny. If he weighed a hundred pounds sopping wet Tiger would have been surprised. He had his hands up, trying to protect his face.
“Please, let me go. I haven’t done anything to you. What do you want? I promised my brother I’d be home before dark. I need to go. I won’t tell anyone, I promise!”
“We know who you are, and we know who your brother is. He’s been trying to get support to drive the gangs out of Aurora. Fucking flyboy. Maybe we’ll just send you back to him in little pieces with a nice note attached.” The leader, a large muscular guy dressed in black leather, backhanded the boy, splitting his lip and flinging him back towards the entrance of the alley. He cowered on the ground and whimpered, edging away from the gang.
Tiger hadn’t brought his handgun, not wanting to waste time
digging in his pack for it. This situation was totally unexpected. The high-power sniper rifle he’d left behind the dumpster just wasn’t practical to try to use in a gang fight in an alley with twenty guys.
He started to turn back and return the way he’d come so he could grab his gun and contact the local MP’s for help, but when the thugs suddenly started pulling knives out and closing in on the kid he froze.
Not sure what to do, Tiger scampered up the fire escape to the roof, his katana slung across his back. He moved quietly to the edge directly over the boy. If he could drop down between the kid and the rest of the gang, maybe he could hold them off till the boy could get away. He was fast and deadly and had fought larger groups in the past. Of course, he’d had the use of his left arm and a second weapon at the time.
With no way to call for help, he had little alternative. There was no telling what might happen while he was gone if he just walked away now. If he didn’t move quickly, the kid would be sliced and diced.
“Maybe we’ll just have a little fun with you first” the big guy said with a nasty smirk. “You know this is the red-light district, right? You understand what that means?” The rest of the gang began to cat-call and laugh. “You still a virgin cutie? Ever done it with a guy?”
‘Oh, shit! No! No way!’ Tiger thought. They couldn’t be serious. He felt his PTSD creeping up on him like a heavy fog (which the military doctors also didn’t know about). If he didn’t make a move now, both he and the kid were dead. No way could he just sit through this. He had to move before the nightmare sucked him in and incapacitated him; before he made a sound and they all became aware of him.
Drawing his katana and holding his saya in his left hand he dove forward and did a somersault over the edge, landing lightly directly in front of the kid. He shoved him with his foot toward the end of the alley and screamed “Run! Get the fuck out of here now!” The boy only hesitated for a second or two, then ran like a bat out of hell. Tiger spun back around.
The thugs looked thunderstruck. Gawking like idiots with their mouths open, they looked around at each other and glanced at the roof like they expected more men to come pouring into the alley. When they realized the one little guy with the sword was all they had to contend with, they converged on him.
Tiger spun in a circle, slashing and kicking and twisting in unimaginable moves, blocking their weapons with his saya and moving so fast they couldn’t even see him coming or get a bead on him. He bounced off a wall and took one man’s arm off at the elbow, then rolled and sliced another man across his achilles tendon. His katana cut through them and their weapons like a hot knife through butter. The few handguns they had on them were quickly disabled and they couldn’t get close enough to use their knives.
In minutes he had cut down half of the men and wounded several others. He was poetry in motion… right up until someone managed to lob a glass bottle and hit him hard in the temple. He landed on his hands and knees, his katana and saya skittering across the alley, lost amid the debris littering the ground, blood running down the side of his face and into his eye. He shook his head, trying to clear his vision and struggled to get back on his feet, but someone stepped up from his blind side and threw a punch; he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
They started to work him over until the leader stepped up. “What d’ya want to do with him Chris?” They gathered around, waiting for his answer. “He killed a bunch of our guys and Shark and Ripley are hurt pretty bad. Should we gut him?”
“Nah” he smirked. “That’d be too easy, besides he’s too pretty. I have better uses for him. I want him to hurt and I want him to remember who did it to him. I’m gonna punish him and then he’s gonna be our new boy-toy.”
He looked around and spotted a coil of rope nearby. Sneering, he pointed to the rope and the chain link fence at the back of the alley. “String him up facing the fence.” Picking Tiger up, they dragged him to the fence and propped him up facing the chain link. They spread his arms and legs out to the sides and wrapped the rope around his wrists and ankles, weaving it through the chain link.
Chris sauntered to the back of the alley, unbuckling his belt and sliding it through the loops of his pants. It was long, with an ornate buckle that wasn’t very heavy but had sharp edges. He filled a discarded beer bottle with water from a nearby faucet, then brought it over and poured it over Tiger’s head. Tiger jolted awake and sputtered, trying to yank his arms down but unable to move more than his head and hips.
Chris flipped the belt casually over his shoulder and pulled his knife out. He wrapped Tiger’s braid around his throat several times, yanking it tight and limiting his ability to breathe, then he grabbed Tiger’s shirt and slid the blade from the collar all the way to the bottom, ripping the sides apart and baring Tiger’s back.
Stepping around to Tiger’s side, Chris gripped his jaw, turning his face so they were eye to eye. Leaning in, Chris grated “Remember this and remember me. Somebody gag him so the sheep can’t hear him howl.”
Chris stepped back, pocketing his knife, and slid the belt off his shoulder, wrapping the end of the belt around his fist. He leaned back and swung the buckle at Tiger’s back with all the venom he could muster. Tiger screamed into the gag and clutched at the chain-link, his face tilted up and his eyes squeezed shut, bloody tears running down his cheeks. Chris swung again… and again… and again. He lashed Tiger until he passed out, then woke him up and did it all over again.
Finally, when Tiger’s back was raw and blood was soaking into his pants, Chris made sure Tiger was awake and could hear him when he leaned in and wrapped his arms around Tiger’s waist, unbuckling his belt and undoing his fly.
“Since you deprived us of our fun with the little virgin, you’re going to take his place. Ever been fucked by a man, or are you a virgin too?” He yanked Tiger’s pants and briefs down to his thighs and slapped Tiger’s ass several times, leaving red handprints behind. Opening his own fly, he pulled out his dick and pressed Tiger’s butt cheeks open. He spit on Tiger’s hole, then shoved his thumb in and worked it around, stretching him out. Tiger groaned and clenched his muscles.
“You know it’s just gonna hurt more if you do that,” Chris snickered. After a minute, he shoved a couple of fingers in and continued to work Tiger’s hole. “Don’t want to rip you open or we won’t be able to use you again for a while. Once just isn’t enough for all the trouble you’ve caused us. You’re going to be with us for a long, long time sweet cheeks,” Chris whispered to him.
He was starting to get excited now, his dick getting hard. Finally, he pulled his fingers out and spit on Tiger’s hole again. He lined his dick up at Tiger’s entrance and shoved in all the way, so he was fully seated, and Tiger screamed into the gag again. Holding there, he put his hand around the coils of Tiger’s braid and twisted till Tiger started to wheeze, his hot breath whispering into Tiger’s ear.
“You’re my bitch now. This ass belongs only to me. You’re going to come back with us, and I’ll chain you naked to the floor so I can fuck you whenever I’m in the mood. If you don’t behave, I’ll let the boys have you.”
He put his hands-on Tiger’s ass then and fucked him hard and fast, coming inside of him while the gang watched, licking their lips and jeering, some masturbating as they waited for their turn. He stepped back after he came and tucked his dick back into his pants, zipping up and putting his bloody belt back on.
Tiger just shut down. He couldn’t believe this was happening to him again. He saw the world through a red haze and wasn’t even sure what was real anymore. It felt like he was burning in hell.
Just then they heard sirens closing in from a distance and a patrol chopper zoomed by close overhead flashing a searchlight around. They zoomed away following the gang bangers as they scampered through the maze of alleys, like rats deserting a sinking ship.
Chris slapped Tiger’s ass again and said “see ya ‘round sweet cheeks” and took off running. They just left Tiger hanging there, bleeding, with his
pants down and cum dripping down his thighs. Scattering into the dark… gone in a heartbeat like the ghosts in the forest.
The alley was silent except for Tiger’s labored breathing. A can rattled at the entrance to the alley and he jolted, eyes still squeezed shut. ‘Oh, god, is he coming back?’
A small body rushed to Tiger’s side. The kid pulled the gag off and rubbed Tiger’s cheek gently, whispering “Be still. I’ll cut you down. Help’s on the way.” Tiger jerked his head around and opened his eyes. Was this part real or was he still stuck in his head, back in the warehouse at the training center? The kid had come back? Did he call for help?
He could hear sirens getting closer. ‘Please be for me… don’t leave me here,’ he chanted in his head. The boy looked around and saw Tiger’s katana lying on the ground near his saya. He retrieved them and came back to Tiger’s side. Tiger rasped “Careful. it’s very sharp.”
The kid was crying, tears running down his cheeks. “I’m sorry. I tried to get them here as soon as I could. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault.”
“It’s not” Tiger croaked. He was so hoarse from screaming into the gag and being half strangled he could barely speak. “Don’t cry. I’m glad you’re safe. They would have killed you. You did what you could.” As the boy prepared to cut the ropes, Tiger said “Wait. What’s your name?”
“Jake,” he sniffled.
In a barely audible whisper, “My name’s Tiger. Pull my pants up first Jake. Once you get me down, we won’t be able to do it. I don’t want to be seen like this. Don’t mention this part to anyone.”
“O-okay.” Jake got Tiger redressed and cut through the ropes. As the ropes fell away, Tiger slid down and ended up lying on the floor of the alley with his head and shoulders against Jake’s chest, while Jake leaned back against the fence. Jake dabbed around Tiger’s head wound carefully with his scarf to keep the blood out of his eyes, then he just sat and rubbed Tiger’s arms and cheeks to help restore his circulation and to try to comfort him.
Tiger Page 3
