Ready For You

by D. Love

  “Yes…” I cough out.

  With his eyes pulling together in a glare of hate, he whispers inches from my face, “What’s funny?”

  “You dropped your shovel…” I whisper back, and then slam the shovel upward with my one good arm. With the last of my strength gripping the handle just behind the pointy blade, it cuts into the meat just below his chin, severing his throat, gushing blood everywhere. He screams but a strike of lightning above us drowns out his cries. I push with all my might once more and his screams stop. His body falls over the top of me, pushing me down under the muck. Mud and debris slide into my mouth and the world goes black.

  I can’t breathe. I can’t move. All I can do is see Penny’s beautiful face. Her smile cradles me, sending the fear of death away for a quiet moment. In my fading mind, I whisper…

  “I’m sorry…”

  Chapter 29

  Penny

  The more I run the heavier my footsteps become. The ground is nothing but a slippery mess which makes me slide with every turn I take. Coming to a complete stop, I spin around in circles trying to find the correct path to take. At this point I have no idea where I am at. I took off so fast, needing to save Kain and them I didn't focus on where I was headed. Now I stand here with my body feeling feeble and exhaustion taking control of it. I take a couple of steps leaning against a huge tree trunk. I listen intensely. I lean over placing my hands on my knees begging for help to anyone that will listen. Hearing footsteps pounding towards me, my heart accelerates again. I push off away from the tree and begin running more. Brian shouts at me.

  “Penny I see you. Stop now before I have to really hurt you.”

  There is no way I can afford to stop now. I know he is just going to kill me anyways. I need to keep going as far as I can. To give Wayne and Tina time to help Kain.

  Brian is so close now I can hear when he exhales. I make a sharp turn and hide behind a huge tree on the right off the clearing. Catching my breath, I now decide I am going to have to face him and fight back. I cannot push my body any longer. He is in the clearing now.

  “Penny I know you’re around here. Come out I’m not going to hurt you.”

  My heart beating erratically and I take a deep breath as I step from behind the tree to face the monster that has stolen everything from me. “Here I am.” He actually looks stunned to see me.

  “Come closer Penny, you have to see I love you after everything I have done to be with you.”

  “Really Brian, killing is your way of loving me?” With each word I take one step closer to him. Standing in front of him, I wait on his next move. He’s unmoving at first, then snapping back to his devilish mind he says. “Penny I do love you.” I begin shaking my head.

  “Love is not this way Brain.”

  “You will learn to love me then.”

  “I will never love you.”

  He doesn’t say another word just stares at me without looking at me. Like he is lost and then leaps at me knocking me to the ground. “You will love me.” He says as he sits on my stomach grabbing my hands to pin me down.

  “Kain is the one I love Brain, so no, I will never love you.” I shout at him. That makes him furious and he releases one of his hands from mine. He grabs my neck with his free hand and begins choking me.

  “Well, Penny, I know for sure Kain will not love you back. Because he will be dead I have made sure of that, when I had him buried alive. He probably only has moments left and you will never find him.”

  He gives me an evil smile and starts squeezing hard. I can feel the closure of my lungs gradually taking control and shutting my body down. I turn my head searching for something that will help me get him off of me. I start kicking my legs and he wavers a bit, but still holds on to my neck with force. He taunts me by letting up a little for me to catch air and then applies more pressure. I use my free hand to feel around. I close my eyes so he cannot read my thoughts as I grab a thick broken branch. I waited till he released his hold again and take in as much air as I possibly could. He starts squeezing my throat again and with every bit of energy I have left in me, I use to ram the broken branch straight through his neck. He’s eyes grow big and he starts to talk but only makes a gurgling sound. His hand slips from my throat and I start panting to gain air in my lungs. I push him off of me and watch as he falls to the ground with his hands wrapped around his neck. I roll over getting up on my hands and knees still panting.

  “Where is he Brain?”

  But it’s no use. He only stares at me slowly losing his will to live. I finally get enough air back in my lungs to stand. Slipping a couple of times before I am able to stand up straight, I give one last kick to his stomach and run. I run searching frantically for a grave. “Kain where are you?” Between screaming for Kain and running I feel like I’m losing my mind. I run to the next tree leaning on it screaming again for Kain. Never getting a response I keep going. Finally realizing I am lost in the middle of the woods I start panicking. I fall to my knees, beating my hands on the ground. “Please God help me.” Starting to cry, I am only able to choke out the words. “Help me find him.” Sitting on my legs, I continue to plead with God to show me the way. My mouth is so dry, I can barely talk. “Help me” I use my eyes to scan the area. I see nothing that looks like a grave. “Please someone help me.” I say again only it comes out a whisper. I start crawling now, patting the ground for a grave. I will not give up. Still crawling digging my fingers in the ground, the mud fills my fingernails giving me a boost to continue further. Tears streaming uncontrollably down my face and I stop. I give God another plea then begin to cry harder. I try wiping my face but the mud from my hands gets in my eyes making them sting. I grab the bottom of my shirt and pull it up using it to wipe them clean. Now being able to see better, I flinch when a lightning bug swoops past me. I must be delirious because I know they are nonexistent in Nevada. Thinking about how Zack and I use to argue because he called them fireflies and I called them lightening bugs. I have no idea why that thought comes to my mind but then I notice another one. I crawl closer and see two more.

  I pull myself to stand again seeing more a little further away. Just as I am about to come upon them, I see more. I start looking and their almost lined up like a map. I continue to follow them I finding more ahead. “Zack.” My hand covers my mouth and tears begin to fall again. “Are you trying to show me something?” Still following them I see a ton of them hovered over a spot on the ground. Running as fast as I can I drop to my knees and look down. “Oh my God, Kain” I push my legs down in the hole balancing myself and begin to dig with my fingers to remove the dirt off Kain faces. Once I have his face cleaned free of dirt. I start breathing in his mouth to give him air. “Breathe Kain.” I repeat it again. “Breathe Kain please.” Finally he spits and coughs. I start moving the rest of the dirt off him screaming for someone to help us.

  “Penny”

  “Yes Kain, I’m here I am going to get you out of here.”

  “Penny”

  I finish getting the rest of the dirt moved off of him coming back up by his face. “Oh my God, Zack helped me find you.” And start kissing him on the cheek and forehead. I hear voices now hollering for us. “Hello, this is the State police, anyone out here?”

  I stand up shouting back. “We’re here, please help us.”

  I see their flashlights search through the trees. I wave my hands still shouting. “Over here please help.” They arrive quickly helping me out first. I sit on the side as they help Kain. I close my eyes as one of the lightning bug lands on my hand.

  “Thank you, Zack. You saved me and you saved Kain.” All the emotions built up in me comes pouring out. I start heaving and crying at the same time. “Oh Zack, I will always love you. Thank you. I will never forget you.” Before I can say anymore Tina comes running up yelling my name. She grabs me in a tight embrace cradling me as I cry. She wraps me tightly in a blanket assuring me everything is okay now.

  “Zack saved us, Tina.”

 
“Shh Penny, everything is going to be okay.”

  “Where’s Brian?”

  “I killed him, Tina.” And I begin crying again.

  Chapter 30

  Kain

  RECOVERY

  DAY 3:

  Sore is an understatement. Pain is everywhere, but I am getting better. Thanks to my guardian angel, Penny. After spending almost 48 hours in a hospital induced coma, I awoke to a blurry and agonizing world. There are bright lights, beeping machines, and way too many tubes sticking out of me. I hurt everywhere, but the first thing out of my mouth when I finally awoke is…

  “Penny.”

  I am told she spent every waking moment by my side, with the exception of the emergency surgery on my shoulder and stomach. But, if they would have let her come in the operating room, she would have. The last 24 hours had been filled with tears of relief, and regret. Now, lying here with Penny sitting next to my bed, I felt complete.

  “Hey, you…” I mumble.

  “Kain, you need to sleep. You remember what the doctor told us yesterday.”

  “I’ll sleep when I’m dead…” I say, with a wink. It actually hurt to pull my eyelid closed, but I didn’t want her to know that. Penny scrunches her nose in a look of, “Are you kidding me? You almost died and you’re joking about death!”

  “Not funny,” she says, playfully.

  Glancing down at the bandages around my waist and chest, I sigh, “So much for my killer abs…”

  Leaning down and placing her hand on my face, Penny says, “No more jokes, Kain. You need to heal. I need you to heal.”

  “It’s okay, Luv…I’m here. I’m good. Thanks to you.”

  Turning from me, slightly, “It’s my fault.”

  “What?”

  “It’s my fault that this happened to you. If I never had reached out to you to do this book, well then…” her voice breaks as new tears fill her red and puffy eyes.

  “Don’t ever say that. You were meant to find me. We were meant to find each other. Nothing about that is a mistake.” I reach up to her, caressing her arm. “I would gladly go through this again if it meant I would wake up to your beautiful face. No regrets.”

  “Kain…” she whimpers, turning back to me. Her face is still carrying too much guilt, and it hurts worse than the gunshot wound in my belly to see her like that.

  “Penny Lane, I love you.”

  “I love you too…”

  “Then that’s it, no more guilt. Stop it. Your only job now is to be happy.” I sit up in my bed a little bit, and continue, “Be mine, and I’ll never leave your side.”

  “I think I can do that,” she whispers, and then kisses me softly. Her guilt seems to fade away, and I fall back into my stiff hospital pillows.

  “Penny?”

  “Yes, Kain…”

  “Thank you for saving me.”

  DAY 20:

  Getting better every day. Especially with the support and love of Penny. She has been on an extended vacation out here in Las Vegas. The first couple weeks living at the hospital, helping with my healing and therapy, and now, helping me get settled in my cabin again. Wayne and Tina had spent almost a week getting it all back to normal. Cleaned up and rehabbed. It looks almost brand new again. No blood, no broken glass, no burn marks.

  “See, I told ya, good as new!” Wayne says, waving his arms around the living room of my cabin like a spokesmodel. A spokesmodel on crutches that is. His wound wasn’t nearly as bad as it looked at the time of the attack. His leg is healing fast, and he spent every day teasing me about it. With another spin, he almost loses his balance and clings to the edge of the couch. Penny laughs at his silly exuberance. Wayne bows, tipping his hand as if he is wearing an invisible hat.

  “Enough…ya big dork,” I joke. He laughs and then claps his hands together.

  “So, you two good?” he nods toward us.

  “Yeah, why?” I ask. At that moment his cell phone lights up with the familiar chime of an incoming Skype call. He scoops up his phone and fixes his hair quickly.

  “Skype date!” he calls out, and then answers the call. “Tina! How’s my sexy girl doing today?”

  “Mmm…how’s my cowboy doing today?” Tina says from the screen with a flirty wave.

  “Better now!” he quips.

  “I told you that you were addicted to that thing!” I interrupt, nudging him as I slink by. “You friggin Skype whore…”

  He rolls his eyes before running to the bedroom for some privacy, “Talk to you two later!”

  “You’re right, Kain, they’re totally addicted. I can’t blame them though, were we any different?” Penny asks, sliding up next to me. The pain radiating through my stomach fades a little as she does, and for the briefest moment, I don’t feel hurt at all. I love when she does that.

  “Yes, we are very different.”

  “How’s that?”

  Groaning begins to escape from the bedroom and I say, “Umm, we at least had the decency to wait for some privacy.” I laugh, and it makes my stitches burn a bit. Penny leans into me, comforting the new pain. A wide smile fills her face, and she looks as if a new idea has awoken in her mind.

  “Hmmm…”

  “Hmmm, what?” I ask, afraid that I already know what she’s about to say.

  “They’re cute together, aren’t they…”

  I shrug, “Sure.”

  “I’m just thinking about a sequel to our book. Ya know, they would make great characters…” she says, smiling as if it was meant to be. I shake my head, and then kiss her passionately.

  “I’m still enjoying our story,” I whisper.

  “So am I,” she whispers back.

  DAY 56:

  “Hurry up! They’ll be here any minute,” I say, nervously sweeping the last of the dirt off the porch of my cabin.

  “Calm down, Kain. You and Penny have the rest of your lives together. Just chill out,” Wayne says, eagerly pacing in place, staring out at the driveway. He couldn’t wait to see Tina either. They were both only minutes away, having just flown in from Virginia. Tina’s coming out here for only a week. Seven days to help settle her best friend out here in the desert…permanently. Penny has accepted my invitation to move in together. The plan is to spend our year here in the mountains of Las Vegas, with vacations back east in Virginia. I am happier than I have ever been before. Happy, but extremely nervous.

  “I just want this to be perfect for her…” I say, trying to settle my nerves. My wounds are almost completely healed now. That is the only reason Penny even left for home in Virginia. She refused to leave until I was totally back on my feet physically, and emotionally. When the day arrived that it was clear I was almost back to normal, we had a long discussion about our future together. Penny stood speechless for at least two minutes when I first asked her to move in with me. She accepted with tears in her eyes and we planned her move instantly.

  As the white and yellow taxi in the shape of a minivan pulls into my driveway, I hold my breath.

  “Penny,” I whisper. Quickly, I run to the door of the vehicle as it rolls to a stop. Instantly, Penny is in my arms, squeezing me so tight till I can’t breathe. She automatically feels for my wounds, making sure I’m okay, and then kisses me long and passionately. Tina jumps from the truck and sails into Wayne’s arms.

  “Are we really doing this?” Penny says, in my ear. Her breath teases me. I squeeze her harder, not saying a word. “I love you, Kain Brooks.”

  Taking her hand and leading her to the cabin, I call out to the surrounding wilderness, “I love Penny Lane!” My voice rolls along the trees, echoing everywhere. She jumps into my arms and I carry her inside the house. Wayne and Tina follow shortly after.

  An hour later we find ourselves standing around Penny’s moving boxes and bags in the middle of the living room. We all hold a glass of chilled wine, saluting each other. We spend the next few hours laughing and joking, before Wayne and Tina leave for the night. Wayne has booked a suite at the most expensive casino o
n the strip. His plan is to spoil Tina every minute she is here.

  I make Penny and I dinner before we unpack some of her things. She politely tells me that she wants to take a shower, and that I should join her in a few minutes. With a kiss to her shoulder, I whisper…

  “I’ll be right there.”

  As the water turns on, and I hear the familiar sound of Penny’s voice humming her favorite song as the first drops of water hit her body, I reach over to my bedside table and slide open the top drawer. Quickly, I pull out a small box, wrapped in a red ribbon. It is just small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. I click it open and the brilliant flecks of light twinkle in my hand. A diamond ring with all the trimmings taunts me. I stare at it in a trance.

  “Kain?” Penny says, from the archway of the bathroom door. “You coming?”

  It takes all my will to not stare at her stunningly beautiful naked torso. I slip the box back into the drawer and close it swiftly.

  “I’m on my way,” I smile.

  The night ends with us snuggling closely together in bed, holding the first official paperback copy of our book. We take turns flipping through the pages, pointing and laughing at our favorite parts. Together we remember the journey that our words took us on. Her fingers trace the new scar along my stomach, showing me that I’m safe in her hands as well. With a final kiss to Penny’s lips, I cradle her in my arms and hold her tightly until she falls to sleep. With the softest of whispers, I say…

  “Tomorrow, we start our lives together.”

  To be continued…