by James Hoch
They all started laughing.
"I'll take that as a no." Both of her palms immediately produced two energy balls that crackled loudly. She pitched one at a group of men. The ball exploded with a ten-foot energy blast that instantly incinerated the attackers. "That's the last time you will ever laugh at Madeline Blackwell," she yelled. As the remaining people dispersed, she hurled the other ball of fury at the roadblock. Debris flew in all directions, clearing the road.
As Madeline walked up the steps of the RV, rubbing her hands together as if they had been soiled, she muttered, "That was fun. Let's get going. How long until we stop for the night? I'm getting hungry."
"An hour or so. If my memory serves me correctly, there is an old Good Sam campground in Laramie."
"Great. After that workout, I'm ready for dinner," she said, sitting down on the sofa.
"There's some cheese and sausage in the fridge," Quincy said, driving past the smoldering debris left on the road. "And a nice cold beer. That should hold you over."
Smiling seductively, Madeline came up behind her driver, nipped his ear and whispered, "I'd rather have you for a snack right about now." Suddenly, the motor home pitched to one side of the road.
The next few days were uneventful and Madeline was rapidly getting bored. It took almost two days to get to Salt Lake City because of the wreckage and debris on I-80. There were numerous turned-over semi-trailer trucks and car piles.
That night, Madeline felt frisky. She invited her driver, Quincy, to join her for dinner. She could tell he was a bit nervous and reticent. So with a bit of batting of her eyes, smiling seductively, and telling him that she was lonely, he was putty in her hands.
"Come back in an hour or so," she said. "I need to freshen up a bit. Go tell my chef to have dinner for two." Quincy nodded politely and left.
An hour later, almost to the minute, he knocked on the door, and Madeline yelled for him to enter. She was in the back bedroom putting on the finishing, glamorous touches. He stood at the front of the motor home with his jaw practically hanging to his knees. Of course, Madeline had that effect on men when she wanted to. She just adored their reactions.
Madeline, knowing that she was dressed to seduce, walked into the room with a strut that would rival any supermodel on a runway. For a top, she chose a sheer black blouse with an enticing black lace bra underneath. Madeline wore black satin Harem-style lounge pants and short black stiletto boots. Those alone were guaranteed to reduce Quincy into a blubbering mass of malleable flesh.
"Good evening, Quincy. Sorry to keep you waiting," Madeline said, striking a pose near the table. "Please have a seat. Would you care for an adult beverage?"
"Um…a…well, a…yes, anything's fine," Quincy said, trying to catch his breath. He spoke like a man who had just received a frontal lobotomy.
Ah, I got my mojo workin', Madeline thought. Men are so easy to manipulate. Clearly women are the dominant species.
Quincy kept staring at Madeline like a deer in headlights as she brought out a bottle of Pendleton. As she reached into the freezer for ice, she lifted one leg behind to reveal a little of the stiletto boots. She could have sworn she heard his heartbeat from across the room and quite possibly the sound of soft panting. She poured two glasses and walked over to the sofa.
"Here you go, Quincy. I hope you like Pendleton," she said leaning down so that he could get an eyeful of cleavage and a whiff of perfume.
"Terrific. It's been ages since I've had a good whiskey and Pendleton is the best. Thank you," he said.
Madeline noticed his hand shaking as he took the glass from her. She sneered, knowing he was beyond putty; he was now more like a warm, sleepy puppy. She giggled inside.
They chatted for a while about the trip, the weather and other mundane topics. Every so often, Madeline would switch crossing her knees to flash him a look of her alluring, sexy boots.
A soft knock on the door, followed by an announcement from the chef that dinner was ready, came just at the right time. She was getting bored, not to mention enormously horny. She asked Quincy to go unlock the door. The chef and his assistant came in with several covered plates. A young teenage girl kept sneaking glances at Madeline as she set the table. Madeline smiled at her as she moved her black stiletto boot up and down.
"Will there be anything else, Miss Madeline?" the chef asked.
"Mario that smells absolutely exquisite. No, I'm sure we'll be fine. Thank you."
After dismissing everyone, Quincy with his best gentlemanly manners, pulled the chair away from the table to seat Madeline.
"Thank you, Quincy. Such good manners," she said kissing him softly on the cheek as she sat down.
Quincy stumbled briefly as he sat down. He was either a bit tipsy from two glasses of Pendleton or her little kiss made him woozy.
Following dinner, it didn't take long to seduce Quincy. Madeline slowly undressed him. After taking off his shirt, she marveled and commented, "Impressive abs. You have a six-pack. I don't think I've ever had a lover with such a physique."
He blushed and thanked her. His lovemaking was very good, in fact, one of the best. Madeline was satisfied, very satisfied.
The next morning when she awoke, she felt the other side of the bed and discovered that Quincy had gotten up. Madeline frowned. Too bad, I would have enjoyed some morning sex. Oh well, no rest for the wicked. Now there's an appropriate saying for me. She laughed and stretched.
"Good morning, Miss Madeline. I have fresh coffee for you," Quincy said, putting a steaming cup on the nightstand.
She reached over and grabbed him by the shirt. Pulling him down, Madeline then kissed him passionately.
"I'm sorry to interrupt this, but there is someone here to see you," Quincy said.
"It better be good," she said impatiently.
Quincy backed away from the bed and excused himself. Madeline got up, peeked out the window and saw three large men shuffling around outside the front RV door. She put on a bathrobe and told Quincy to ask the men in. Picking up the coffee, she took a big sip.
When Madeline walked into the front of the coach, the men were crammed onto the sofa. Standing near the dinette table, Madeline asked, "Who are you and what do you want?"
All three men stood up clumsily and tipped their hats. Images of The Three Stooges flooded into her memory, and she almost giggled.
She told them to be seated as she topped off her mug with more hot coffee.
One of the men reported the status of the two massive armies waiting in Oregon. Another asked if she would be visiting the troops.
"Gentlemen, I appreciate your visit and I am very happy to know our soldiers are doing well. As for a visit, well, hmm…I don't know if that's going to be possible at this point. I have other more pressing matters to attend to. However, please send them my regards. Now, if there's nothing else for you to report, I'll bid you good day."
The third man cautiously put up his hand as if he were the shy kid in first grade.
Madeline grinned. "Yes, what is it?"
"What happens after the…um…battle?" he asked sheepishly.
"Excellent question," she said pacing around the kitchen area. "We begin a new world, one that is dominated and controlled by me. And I want you to know all my loyal soldiers will be rewarded with untold riches, property, and countries for that matter. We will rebuild the planet to serve…darkness. It is clear that humanity desires evil and has embraced it wholeheartedly over the years."
Chapter 29
The morning we crossed into California, the weather felt especially warm and pleasant. Not only was the temperature perfect, but also everyone's upbeat spirits generated an air of optimism. Jerky rode on my shoulder as usual and for a while purred heavily in my ear.
"Are you going to do that all the way up California? I'll lose my hearing."
The cat licked my ear and went to sleep.
I looked up to see a hawk circling high above. I've seen that bird before, I thought as I shielded my eyes
. It seems to be following us.
"Heckel, I have something to tell you that might sound a bit strange," Sela said as she positioned Tempest next to Hope to ride alongside.
"Strange? Sela, in case you haven't noticed, we've been hip-deep in strange for the last several months. Nothing you can tell me will sound strange. Trust me. My mind is so wide open you could drive a John Deere tractor through it."
"See that hawk up there?" Sela asked.
"Yeah. I think it's been following us."
"It's my guardian angel," Sela said proudly.
I could tell she was dead serious. Hmm, now let's think about this for a minute. Strange? Yes, that would most certainly fall under the category of strange. Hard to believe? Maybe not, given our present circumstances.
"And how do you know that?" I asked calmly looking ahead.
For the next half hour or so, Sela described her encounter with Rose. When she was done, I looked over to see the hawk perched on her shoulder.
"This is Rose," Sela said happily as if she were introducing her best friend.
I stared at the bird for a few moments and finally said, "Pleased to meet you."
"Jerky is your guardian angel," Sela reported matter-of-factly.
"Really? Hmm, that would make a lot of sense." Jerky nipped my ear again as if confirming what I just said.
As the morning lingered on, Sela related more about what Rose had told her regarding the additional help in the form of guardian angels.
"All people going into the battle will have their very own guardian angel at their side. That will double our force," Sela said confidently. "That's the extra help I asked for. Isn't that exciting?"
"Yes, it is. However, I wonder if we should keep this quiet for a while. Information like this might be a bit…um…"
"What?"
"The term overwhelming comes to mind. Not to mention hard to believe, fantastic and earth shaking. Sela, I'm just thinking that this might be a bit much for some people to handle. Let's just wait a bit."
"I think it's awesome. I always knew I had a guardian angel."
"Yeah, but did you ever think it was a hawk or a little girl named Rose?"
"No, but how cool is that?" Sela asked as Rose took off from her shoulder and arched high into the air.
After a little over a week, we made it to I-5 somewhere around Los Angeles. A large group of survivors heard about our merry band of would-be warriors and asked to join. News of our quest had preceded us. Our numbers were increasing. We stayed three days in L.A. and rested up. We took one day to scavenge around the area for any food or other usable items. A couple of the L.A. survivors pointed out prospective areas to hunt. We came back empty handed in the food department. However, Sela found a few pieces of nice jewelry.
Our new L.A. members shared food with our group. They had an old grocery store that they stocked from their own scavenging efforts. There were even some fresh vegetables that they rationed off to everyone.
"I imagine this will be hard to leave," I said to one of the L.A. members as I waved my arm across the aisles of food.
"Yes, however, when the battle is over, we will come back. This is our home. We'll work hard together to make Los Angeles a great city again."
I had a twinge of sadness come over me, knowing that some of these folks might not ever return.
The day before we left, Sela and I took a ride out to the ocean. We sat on the beach and watched the waves slide across the sand.
"How are you feeling?" I asked Sela as she laid her head in my lap.
"Very relaxed and I believe our child is quite happy."
"What makes you think that?"
Sela looked up and smiled at me. "I can tell," she said running her hand over her belly. She took my hand and had me rub the area.
"Oh, a kick."
"I felt it too. Guess Bob or Betty wants to say hi," Sela said giggling.
"Bob or Betty?" I said skeptically.
"Well, it's better than saying 'the kid.' We haven't come up with any names yet."
I stared at the ocean and started to think of names. We started tossing out ideas. Some sounded possible while others made us laugh.
"Wow, I never realized this would be such a difficult task," I said.
"How about Heckel Junior?"
"No, no, no," I stated emphatically. "I wouldn't want to subject anyone to such a dreadful name."
"Oh, it is not dreadful at all. It is unique and has character and I think it's especially memorable because of the story behind it."
"Just think…I could have been a bassoon."
"Instead of the world's savior."
I tickled Sela and she said, "Careful, Bob or Betty will get mad at you."
After a few minutes more of discussing names, we got up and walked along the beach looking for shells and smooth glass. As the sun slid closer to the horizon, we decided to head back to our camp.
When we got there, Jack came running up to us.
"Missy is gone," he said anxiously, slapping the sides of his legs and practically running in circles. "We think someone abducted her."
Sela took Hope from me after I dismounted. Jack took my arm and led me to his camp. Vonnie was in their tent crying.
"Tell me everything," I said as I sat down at his fire.
When he was done explaining how Missy was taken, Jack put his head in his hands and started crying.
"Come on, Jack. We'll get her back right now. They can't be that far away," I said, slapping him on the back.
With his face filled with determination, Jack got up. "I'll saddle up a horse."
I ran over to get Hope.
"Take Tempest. He's faster and stronger," Sela said, coming up behind me.
"No, Hope knows me. She'll do great."
Jerky came running up and as soon as I was on top of Hope, she jumped up, landing on my shoulder.
"Maybe you should stay here," I said, turning to the cat.
Sela grinned and raised her eyebrows. "Remember what I told you."
"Fine. We'll be back as quickly as we can." I turned the horse in the direction where Jack was waiting.
"Be safe and hurry," Sela said. "I love you."
"I love you too. Have your guardian close by while I'm gone. Things are…are getting…bad."
I met up with Jack and we rode north hard for about an hour. The sun had set, leaving the full moon to act as our lighting source. An occasional passing cloud proved an annoyance.
"I think I see a light up ahead," Jack whispered as we stopped on top of a small rise.
"Maybe we should leave the horses here and sneak in," I suggested.
"Can't you go in with your powers and just demand her back?"
I shook my head and said, "I'd rather get her without a big display. Besides, we need to find out more about who we are dealing with. I don't want to jeopardize either of your lives. How about you stay here and I-"
"Hell no!" Jack declared. "That's my little girl."
"All right. Let's try the sneak-in-and-grab-her approach." I dismounted from Hope and tied the horse to a nearby small tree. "We'll be right back, girl," I whispered to the horse and petted her nose.
Jerky followed close on my heels. Jack was on my right. He had the look of a crazed lunatic. "You all right?" I whispered.
"I will be. I just hope she's still alive."
I didn't reply. My insides were slowly churning with fear. "Calm down. Everything's fine," I muttered to myself, trying to boost my confidence. As we got closer to the flickering light from an enormous bonfire, I heard hollering. Jack and I inched our way to a cottonwood tree that had a few large bushes surrounding it. We looked out at about fifty people standing around the fire.
"Do you see her?" Jack whispered.
My eyes swept the crowd of people. "No. Let's…wait a minute. Is that her way over on the other side of the-"
"Yes, I see her," Jack said as he started to walk out into the crowd.
I grabbed his arm and motioned for him
to stop.
"Stay close to me. We'll hang in the shadows and make our way around to her."
As we got closer to Missy, I started listening to what the leader was blabbering as he pranced around the bonfire.
"Our sacrifice to our goddess will be looked upon favorably."
The crowd roared with favor and Jack quickened his pace.
"Our goddess will bring back prosperity to us and restore our world. There is only one way to bring back what we have lost and that is to embrace our goddess, Madeline. She has promised us a rebirth. She has promised us riches."
The name, Madeline, made me stop in my tracks and shiver, causing all the hairs on my neck to stand erect. So, now there are cults worshipping Madeline. Great! That's not going to be good.
We finally made our way close to where they had Missy bound and gagged. Before we approached her, I whispered to Jack, "We grab her, sneak away and then run like hell."
He gave me the thumbs-up.
We inched our way to come up behind Missy. I whispered in her ear to stay calm. I cut the rope and she spun around and started to sneak away with us.
"Stop!" a voice commanded.
"Oh shit," I said.
"Do something," Jack barked.
"We'll be leaving now," I shouted back.
Just as we took off running, three large mountain lions appeared in front of us.
"What the…" Jack shouted.
"I think they're with us," I yelled back. "At least, I hope so." We ran and the trio of large cats attacked the few men who were closest to us, allowing us some distance. Some of the other men chasing us turned around and fled at the sight of the mammoth cats.
We got to the horses. Jack threw Missy up on the back of his horse and sped off. As I mounted Hope, I looked back to see the large mountain lions fending off several men.
Suddenly a large crack from a rifle ruptured the shouting and quelled the yelling from the cult mob. I looked ahead to see Jack slump.
