Deadly Passion, an Epiphany

by Gabriella Bradley

  “You rented a porn flick,” he said, his voice gruff.

  “Oh, stop already,” she responded in her sexiest voice. “Come here.” Climbing on top of him now, she lay full length against him, feeling his cock press against her belly. “Kiss me, babe. Make love to me,” she wheedled while raining kisses on his chest, his neck, then rubbing her lips against his.

  “This is torture,” he whispered, but gave in. He kissed her long and hard, his hands now on her buttocks, kneading them, his fingers creeping lower. Georgia spread her legs. She felt him scrunch the negligee up while his mouth devoured her, his hands feeling between her legs. Reaching down, she started to strip his shorts down his hips until his cock sprang free. Then she yanked at the nightie and pulled it up so that his cock touched her pussy. She heard his grunt, felt his reluctance ebb and ardor take over. Rubbing her clit and pussy against his cock did it. He almost ripped the nightie over her head, cupped both her breasts and kneaded them. She flung her head back, her blood now at boiling point, her ardor at an all time high. Pushing up on her hands, she lifted her hips and positioned her vagina above his throbbing cock.

  “Georgia, honey—“

  “Hush, baby, hush. I want this,” she said and started to lower herself onto his erection.

  “Sweetheart, I’m going to—“

  She pushed down hard and felt her hymen break. It didn’t hurt like hell like some of her friends had told her. Sure, Chris was big, and she could feel him all the way, but the breaking of her virginity? Damn, she hardly felt it. She was so wet right now, his fist would have fit. Well, maybe that was a bit of exaggeration, but oh, he felt so good within her, especially now he started to really fuck her.

  Meeting him thrust for thrust, she could hear the movie in the background, the men and women making similar sounds, grunts, squeals of delight and screams of ecstasy.

  “I’m coming, baby! I’m coming!” she shouted. She felt his body convulse into spasms as she flung her head back again, closing her eyes.

  Collapsing onto his chest, she snuggled against him, felt his strong arms cradle her.

  “I love you so much, babe,” he said softly, his breath still coming fast. “You’ve just given me the best going away to war gift a girl could give.”

  “What do you mean?” Georgia sat straight suddenly, still straddling him, and looked at his face.

  “I didn’t want to tell you until tomorrow. We have to postpone the wedding. I’ve been deployed.”

  Her ardor was gone, replaced by fear for him. “Chris, babe, when?”

  “I get shipped out on Wednesday. I have to report to base on Monday.”

  Georgia lay next to him and cuddled against him. “That’s why you were so quiet tonight.”

  “Yes, sweetheart. I didn’t want to spoil our evening.”

  “I’m so glad I seduced you.”

  “Hon, I could be gone twelve months or more. It’s going to change our wedding plans.”

  “I’ll wait for you forever. I love you so much, Chris.”

  He kissed her and then made love to her as she never could have imagined. The chocolate coated strawberries ended up inside her vagina with him eating them out of her. He taught her things she’d only ever read about. It was the best wedding night she ever could have imagined. She doubted that their actual wedding night could be any better.

  Four weeks after Chris’s deployment, his parents came to tell her that he was gone. He was never coming back, except in a coffin. Harry had been her strength, her devout supporter. He’d gotten her through the funeral, was by her side whenever he could. When she found out two months after Chris had left that she was pregnant, she didn’t tell a soul. It was around the same time that Harry confided his love for her and she’d seduced him, just like she’d had Chris. Almost. It wasn’t the same. The feelings weren’t the same, the love she felt for Harry wasn’t what she’d felt for Chris, but Harry had filled that void. And when she told him she was pregnant, he believed the baby was his. They got married right away, quietly, with only their parents present.

  The alien city…

  Georgia wrapped her arms around her body as she thought about the big lie. Fortunately, Megan was a very small baby, barely five pounds. And when her due date came, she’d gone to visit family, so Megan wasn’t born in their hometown hospital. And the big lie continued. Megan had come very early.

  And now I can never make it right again. I lied to Harry. Dear sweet Harry. He’s been such a good husband. I do really love him and I’ve got no right to be thinking about Chris and the intense love I felt for him. Chris is a distant memory now. It would devastate Harry to find out that Megan wasn’t his daughter. But I shouldn’t have lied. I should have told him the truth. He would have loved her just as much.

  Sitting on a big rock watching the water cascade down into the pool they always bathed in, she splashed water onto her face. “Oh, Harry, where are you, darling?” she said aloud. “I’m so sorry I lied to you. I wish I could do it all over again. I’d do things differently. But what the hell do we know when we’re so young? I’m sorry, Harry. I’m so, so, sorry.”

  A light reflected in the stream. Georgia stared at it, wondering what it was, when the light expanded and enveloped her. It felt good. It didn’t frighten her. Thinking it was just a reflection from the sun, she reached out to it and felt herself pulled. Her mind spun and she felt her body twirled and lifted. “What…what…”

  “Stay calm. Everything will be fine,” a soft voice said, a voice she vaguely recollected but couldn’t put a name to. Her mind numbed. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift within the cocoon of light.

  She landed on what felt like a bed of feathers. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked at her surroundings. She was in a room. An ultra modern room. Everything was white. The walls, the furniture, even the floor looked to be made of white porcelain. Georgia felt beneath her. She lay on a bed, a mattress so soft and comfortable that it molded completely to her body. The duvet that covered her was made of the finest white satin and so light she could barely feel it. She sat up. “Where am I now?” she whispered, still glancing around. The far wall was made of glass. Carefully she swung her legs over the side of the bed and placed her feet on the floor. She stood, noticing she now wore a long pale blue silky gown. Walking slowly to the window wall while feeling the soft material of the gown, she looked out at the scenery beyond it.

  “A city of light,” she murmured. “Unbelievable. I’m in a weird dream.” Gazing over the sea of light emanating from thousands of windows just like hers, she noticed a tower, taller than any of the buildings surrounding it. Lifting her head, she looked up to see how tall it really was. High up above, she saw the tower’s spire. But it wasn’t quite a spire. It was a circular module, wider than the tower. It rotated very slowly, emanating a bright, white light that bathed the city below in its glow.

  Georgia closed her eyes and opened them again. Nothing had changed except she noticed that at times the light changed to soft pastels, pinks, blues, greens, yellows, but they were of the faintest hue. Filled with wonder at the fantasy spectacle, Georgia stepped back and finally sat on the floor, wondering when she’d wake from the fantasy that she presumed to be induced by the hot sun and some sort of sunstroke. She’d wake soon. Cassie or one of the others would find her. “Harry, Harry…” she said softly. “I miss you so. Where are you?”

  Chapter Eleven

  Tunnel collapse…

  Harry wiped the sweat off his brow. How long had he been in this place from hell? He’d found out soon that there was no escape. Time blended. He had no idea if it was day or night when he slept. For all he knew he could have been working nights and been sleeping during the day. There was no time, no way of knowing. Beth, one of the female workers, had become his best friend. She always sought him out whenever she could and he’d learned a lot about her. She’d been a hooker when she met her husband, and their first child wasn’t his, but he didn’t know that. Beth had done drugs, heavy
drugs, and she’d killed a man who’d abused her. Her pimp had gotten rid of the body and so she never paid for her crime, but she made it clear to Harry that the killing ate at her soul. That, and the lies.

  “Harry, watch out. Guard is coming,” she warned him and poked him in the ribs.

  “Sorry.” He continued with what he was doing and shoveled harder. He had no right to judge Beth—her crime was less than his own, and the murders of the men played havoc with his soul and mind. Oh, God, I wish I’d done everything differently. I wish I’d involved the authorities. I had no right. No one has the right to take another’s life.

  He glanced at Beth after the guard disappeared around the bend. “Beth?”

  “Yeah, what?”

  “Do you ever think about the man you killed?”

  “Yes. I can still see his face in my mind. He was in his early twenties, handsome, quite the stud. I took his future away from him. The abuse wasn’t really all that bad. He seemed to think I liked it, so he continued and thought my screams were faked. To him it was a game, a sex game. If my pimp hadn’t given me a gun, it never would have happened. I pointed the gun at him and he laughed, thinking I was still playing. I was high as a kite and I pulled the trigger. I’ll never forget his face as long as I live.”

  “Are you sorry?”

  “Hell, yes. I wish I could live my life all over again. I would do so many things differently.”

  “Your husband knew none of it? The man you killed? That the baby wasn’t his?”

  “Nope. I don’t know who the baby’s father is. Being on drugs, I was really careless before I met Jack and I’d slept with so many men.”

  “Was the baby alright? I mean, you were on drugs and—“

  “Yes. I met Jack the first month of my pregnancy. He put me in rehab and helped me get clean. I only slept with him the one time. I fell in love with him the first time I met him and owned up to him about my addictions. He never knew I was a hooker. After I came out of rehab, we married right away because Jack was transferred to a different state. I left my past behind. Or so I thought. It haunted me and still does. I regret what I did, wish I could do it all over, but alas, I can’t.”

  “I murdered three men.” It was the first time he’d ever admitted it to anyone.

  “Are you sorry?”

  “Yes. More now than ever. I think that’s why I ended up here. Somehow, my mind has blanked out a portion of my life, the part where the cops found the men and I went to jail and stood trial. I don’t remember any of that.”

  “I think that might have happened to me, too,” Beth said. “My past finally caught up with me. Like you, I don’t remember anything beyond the accident and waking up here.”

  “I wish there was a way we could find out how long our sentence is.”

  “Probably life. Look how long I’ve been here.”

  “True, but you don’t seem to have aged. That’s really strange. Especially since we’re so far below the surface.”

  Beth sent him a lopsided grin. “Maybe that’s why we don’t age. No sun to damage our skin.”

  “Hear that? It almost sounds like thunder,” Harry said, looking up at the rock ceiling.

  “Hell no. That’s a rockslide. Look at those beams. They’re cracking. Run!”

  He felt Beth grab his hand. Too late. The wooden supports gave way and the ceiling caved in on them. Helplessly he watched as huge boulders buried Beth. Another large chunk of rock face broke off. Harry tried to roll out of its way but his legs were pinned beneath a pile of rubble and rocks. He could hear men and women screaming, mingled with the roar of more tunnels caving in, just before the rock crashed down on his head and he knew no more.

  Finding the others…

  Groggily, Harry sat blinking at the bright sun blazing down on him. “What the hell?” he muttered.

  “Harry? That you? Where are we? The tunnel caved in and we were—“

  “Buried. Well, you were. I was partially buried and then a rock came straight for my head.” She sat not far from him. His vision cleared. Rubbing his eyes, he shook his head. Tall grass surrounded them. “Are you okay?”

  “I seem to be, but I don’t get it.” She stood. “Harry, stand up. Look at this.”

  He jumped up and gazed around. “I don’t believe this. It’s impossible. We’re still below ground and hallucinating.”

  “We’re both having the same hallucination? Gimme a break,” Beth said, swiping at her clothes and sending clouds of dust and small rocks into the clean air.

  “You don’t even look hurt. A ton of rock buried you, Beth, and I was buried up to the waist. How in God’s name did we end up here?”

  “Maybe we were rescued and this is the surface?”

  “Where are the rescuers? Hello! Anyone out here?” Harry shouted several times. He looked around wildly for any sign of life, but they seemed to be completely alone. He gazed around, turning slowly. Far in the distance he saw a forest and an endless sea of tall grass, verdant green mountains far away opposite the forest.

  “What do we do now?” Beth asked.

  “I’ll be damned if I know. We can head for those mountains or for the forest. What do you think?”

  “The mountains. Who knows what lives in that forest, and we don’t have anything to defend ourselves with.”

  “Okay. They’re very far away. We’ve got no water, nothing, and that sun is blazing hot.”

  They started to wade through the waist deep grass, Harry leading. He stopped suddenly and pointed. “Looks like we’re not alone here. Someone or something has trampled the grass, and more than once by the looks of it.”

  “What do you think, Harry? Animals?”

  “Could be. Or natives. We seem to be in a tropical area. Let’s follow the path.”

  They trekked for quite a while. Harry felt his mouth drying, his lips starting to crack, but he continued doggedly. Every now and then he glanced back at Beth who seemed just as determined to reach the mountains. If only they had some water. Something, anything to quench their thirst. A headache started and his tongue felt thick. He had no idea how long they’d been following the trampled grass but it had to be hours. If there was no water, how did the grass stay so green? He plucked a hand full and chewed on it but spit it out just as fast. It tasted bitter.

  “I feel dizzy,” Beth said and stopped.

  “Dehydration. We’ve had nothing since breakfast and we’ve been walking in this hot sun for hours.”

  “So if we don’t find water soon, we’ll die anyway. At the same time, none of this makes sense. I’ve been thinking while we were walking. I’m not hurt. You’re not hurt. Yet a ton of mountain fell on us. If we were rescued, where is everyone?”

  Harry nodded. “I can’t figure it out either. We can stop walking, sit down and wait to die, or we continue and hope to find some water. The grass is very green. There’s got to be water somewhere.”

  “Maybe it rains at night.”

  “Then there’s hope for us yet. Looking at the sun, it’s just after noon. I suggest we keep going for a bit until we get too tired and then wait for the night,” Harry said. “If anything, there’ll be dew on the grass in the morning.”

  “Hey, isn’t it weird, I haven’t seen any birds and no insects.”

  “Me either. No flies, no butterflies. Nothing. Maybe we should have headed for that forest instead,” Harry said.

  “Too late now. Oh, my God! Look! Lightning from a blue sky?”

  Harry looked up to where she was pointing. “I’ll be damned.” The lightning flashed across the sky then suddenly struck not far from them. It disappeared again. “Maybe some kind of electrical storm,” Harry suggested. Some smoke spiraled from the spot where the lightning had struck. “Let’s go and have a look.”

  They waded through the grass until they came to a bare circle, the grass scorched. In its center lay a man. Harry and Beth stopped and stared at the man, who scrambled up and stood to face them.

  “Harry Leigh? What is this?
Where am I?”

  Harry felt anger well within. “Dennis? How’s that possible? You’re dead. I buried you myself.” Once again the disgust and angry thoughts attacked him. This was one of the monsters that had defiled his daughter. “This time you’re going to pay for what you did, fuckhead! I don’t know how you survived, but soon as we get back to civilization, we’re going to the cops!”

  Beth grabbed his arm and held him back. “Harry, listen to yourself. You killed this man, yet here he is. Yet another thing that doesn’t make sense.”

  “Harry, man, I’m so sorry. I was drunker than hell. If I could turn the clock back—“

  Harry tried to contain his anger, fought the urge to beat the living shit out of Dennis. After he’d calmed a bit, he said, “How did you get here, Dennis? Where have you been all this time?”

  “I stood trial. They sentenced me to work in some kind of pit shoveling coal and looking after a monstrous furnace. I’ve been there a long time, plenty of time to sober up and think about my life.”

  “You remember your trial? Strange that I don’t know anything about that. It was, after all, my daughter you raped.”

  “I don’t know, man. I’m just telling you what I remember.”

  “Do you remember me shooting you?”

  “No. I remember drinking with the boys, taking a leak in the bush somewhere and next thing I was in a courtroom on the witness stand.”

  “Where was this courtroom? Who was all there? This is nuts. I know you were dead and I buried you.”

  “Are you sure, Harry?” Beth asked.

  “I’m damn sure. I shot the three of them in the chest. It was a twelve-gauge shotgun. No one can survive that. And even if he was still alive, did he dig himself out?”

  “How deep did you bury them?”

  “A few feet. But if he survived, the whole town would have known about it. There was no trial. The man’s dreaming.”

  “Damn, Harry. I’m telling you the truth! I paid for what I done wrong. The worst was what I did to your little girl. I can’t ever forgive myself for that!” Dennis shouted.