Catalyst

by Ross Richdale

"Well, look at the splendid patient I have," he whispered, caught Renee's eyes and flushed bright red as he stood up. "I'll see how our young friend is getting on with that snack."

  ****

  Although there was continuous darkness in the cavern, Renee's biological clock told her morning had arrived, that and the sharp shake on the shoulder.

  "Phone call for you, sleepy head," Courtney said. "My God, can you snore."

  Renee glanced at her watch. Eight-thirty. She sat up, rubbed her eyes and yawned.

  "Well, are you coming? You're wanted."

  "Can't you or Lem take it?"

  "No."

  "Okay, then." Renee found her crutches, crawled out of the tent and hitched herself up. A moment later she was by the microphone.

  "Hello, Renee here."

  "Sweetheart," came the voice. "How are you?"

  "Daddy?" Renee gasped. "What are you doing in Wyoming?"

  "As soon as I heard I flew out, Sweetheart." Even though the speaker crackled, Renee recognized a shake in her father's voice. "You took a bit of finding, you know. How are you coping?"

  "Fine, Dad."

  "But with a damaged ankle?"

  "I have great friends down here looking after me Dad." Renee grinned at Courtney. Lem appeared with a towel hanging around his neck. "I'm all strapped up and it's warm down here. Now that we're found it's just a matter of waiting to be brought out, isn't it?"

  "Oh, Sweetheart, I'm so glad you're okay."

  "You look after yourself, Dad," Renee said. "I'll see you soon."

  "Right..." Jack's voice rambled on for another five minutes before he signed off and Stephanie came online.

  "It will be awhile before we can get to you all, Renee," she said. "We're sending more supplies to you soon so get ready for another frankfurter chain."

  "Okay," Renee replied and switched off to see Courtney gazing at her.

  "Your Dad sounds like a nice old guy."

  "He is."

  "You're lucky, damn lucky. I wish my Dad was out there."

  ****

  Sergeant Gary McKnight was impressed with Jack Bonnett and glanced at Stephanie as the elderly man limped outside. "I didn't want to alarm him but we have a problem. It's a bit of a time bomb down there."

  "How come, Sergeant?"

  "I've been talking to some professor at a university in California who's been studying the infrared photos of the caves. That large red blob our friends are in is more than a cavity. He pointed to a copy on the desk. See how the color changes to a deeper red?"

  Stephanie leaned over the sheet. "I can see a slight difference," she said. "What does it mean?"

  "This particular readout measures density. The colors are reversed for clarity. The darker the color, the less dense the ground layers. Red areas show gaps in the strata. In other words, the caves."

  "Okay. I understand. That's how we found this lower cavity."

  "But it shows more." McKnight grunted. "That slightly darker mass below them is yet another cavity. See the thin cream line?"

  The officer nodded.

  "That's the floor of the cavern they're in."

  "But it's only halfway. They aren't at the bottom."

  "Exactly but worse still. The scientists I talked to said the lower cavern is not filled with air but another gas."

  "What sort?"

  "We don't know but the guess is methane. It appears from successive readings that it is leaking into their cavity. A worse scenario is that it could be compressed and if disturbed could ignite to blow up the whole cavern. A spark from drilling equipment or electrical gear could ignite it."

  Stephanie whispered, "So what do we do?"

  "We're monitoring the air content. Their morale is good, so we don't want to do anything yet. Meanwhile, a route in has been found. It will take a day or more to reach them and as long to bring them out." Gary nodded grimly. "Our job, Stephanie, is to keep their morale up. Let Jack Bonnett talk to his daughter whenever he wishes."

  "And the other two, Sergeant?"

  "Lem Erksberg's wife is coming but we have not been able to trace the girl's parents. It seems she was a runaway who has been in the state only a couple weeks doing casual work in a motel."

  ****

  The day that followed became an anticlimax with the trio having to bide their time and wait. More supplies were lowered, including oxygen cylinders with accompanying masks.

  "Just in case," Gary McKnight replied when Lem inquired why the oxygen was needed.

  It was well into the night and Courtney was snoring when Lem rolled over in his sleeping bag and saw Renee was also awake.

  "I think I'll go for a stretch and look at the glowworms," she said.

  "Can I come?" Lem replied in a hushed voice.

  "I'd like that."

  Lem held Renee's crutches, while she used her bottom to slide her sleeping bag out the front of the tent. She accepted his help, staggered to her feet and placed the crutches under her armpits.

  "Thanks, Lem. It's good to be mobile again."

  "Take it carefully," Lem replied. "Remember, your ankle is probably broken."

  Renee smiled and nodded.

  They moved slowly across the hard floor with Renee manipulating her crutches successfully. Their world was silent and within a few moments the light faded into the distance like a foggy streetlight. They stopped and Renee dropped the crutches aside, leaned against a massive stalactite and reached for Lem's hands. Without a word he moved forward, tucked his massive arms around and hugged her close.

  "Lem," she whispered. "Will we really get out of here?"

  "I think so."

  ****

  She was so close he could smell mint toothpaste on her breath. Without thinking he bent forward and found soft lips pressed against. That first kiss became frantic as she wriggled into him and he could feel soft breasts rubbing against his chest.

  His body immediately responded.

  But he knew how lonely he was. He wanted this young woman. More than anything in the world he wanted her. It was more than physical attraction he was sure but something that he hadn't felt for years.

  Expecting a sharp rebuff, he moved a hand up and placed it on her breast.

  "Oh, Lem," she whispered but did not move away.

  Nervous fingers lifted up the sloppy jersey she wore and whether it was by design or luck he did not know but her blouse came with it. He could see heaving white breasts hidden by a scanty black bra. She kissed him again, an almost violent French kiss.

  Now Renee was helping. With a shy smile she undid his shirt buttons and tugged it off. Nothing was said but her warm eyes of passion focused on his as she wriggled back a step, undid her bra and let it drop to the ground.

  He reached forward and slowly ran his open palms over her breasts and held her nipples between his fingers. By now they were on the ground with redundant clothing and all pretense thrown aside.

  While her fingernails scratched his bare back, she moved against him with passion Lem found difficult to control. My God. All thoughts to hold back and relish the moment were overridden by the sperm that bloated his organ. He held onto her quivering buttocks, moved forward and entered her in gigantic, frenzied thrusts.

  ****

  "Your ankle?" Lem looked worried as they redressed and he searched for the crutches. "I hope I haven't hurt you. I should have stopped."

  "Why?" Renee said with a smirk.

  "It's just that..." He held the crutches out and helped her to her feet.

  She put her arms around his neck. "I believe we needed each other and it happened. I'm proud what we did, not ashamed."

  He bent forward to kiss her soft responding lips.

  They walked hand in hand back to the light of the camp, found their sleeping bags and slipped in beside the still sleeping teenager.

  ****

  CHAPTER 6

  It was almost eight o'clock when Renee awoke to see Courtney staring at her in the dull light from the outside bulb.


  "Lem's gone to have a shave," Courtney said. "I wonder why." She fixed Renee with her blue eyes and swished a piece of blonde hair off her face. "Did you enjoy the big fuck last night?"

  "What?" Renee replied. Courtney's frank manner was disconcerting.

  "Don't try that big innocent talk with me. I know you were screwing the hell out of each other for over an hour."

  "Not that long," Renee said as blood flooded her cheeks.

  "Shit, you did it. I was only joking."

  "Hush up, Courtney. There are some things I don't wish to discuss."

  "Did he rape you?" Courtney's voice became strangely hushed.

  Renee was about to take the comment as a joke but hesitated. Something about the girl's demeanor made her frown.

  "No," she said in a serious voice. "We made love. It just happened but I wanted it that way. Do you know what I mean?"

  "No," Courtney growled. "Men don't love. They fuck and damn the consequences."

  "Have you had a bad experience with men, Courtney?" Renee chose her words carefully. She knew if she was flippant or sounded inquisitive, the girl would retreat into herself.

  "Men," Courtney answered. "It's really the reason I decided to cut my last ties with my old life and head out here."

  "Go on, I'm interested."

  "Well, as I told you, I cleared out from home. What I didn't add was that Kathleen came with me. We thought we'd travel south to Florida. You know, no winter, beaches, surf and jobs everywhere." She laughed sarcastically. "It didn't work out that way."

  ****

  "I'm sick of it all," Kathleen said as she glared at Courtney over the old stained table in The Shaky Skeleton, a bar where the manager didn't care that the girls were underage.

  Courtney sipped her beer and screwed up her nose. It tasted awful but she was not about to admit this to Kathleen. Ever since the accident, these places made her nervous.

  Kathleen stared at her half empty glass and muttered, "I'm being sent to another boarding school next term. I told Mom I wasn't damn going and all hell broke loose. The old man backed her up, too. I've never seen him so angry since I was a kid." She gulped down the remainder of her drink. "Want another one?"

  "No thanks."

  "Suit yourself," the other girl retorted and wandered through the crowded room for a refill. She returned with two drinks. "Just in case you change your mind." She grinned, plunked herself down and glared at her friend. "What was I saying?"

  "You had a row at home. At least you still have your own father. Mine's gone."

  "Yeah, I heard about your mom's boyfriend and his little slut of a daughter you have to put up with. My God, I'd wring her damn neck if it was me."

  "So what do I do?" Courtney said.

  "I'm leaving," Kathleen replied in a hushed voice. "Wanna come?"

  ****

  "I thought it was a joke but Kathleen had it all worked out," Courtney said to Renee." She had a new Toyota to replace the wrecked car. One Saturday morning in early June we headed a thousand miles south down I-75 and ended up in Florida."

  "Didn't your parents realize what had happened?"

  Courtney shrugged. "I'm not sure. Kathleen didn't seem to worry and I was so screwed up I didn't think about it." She sighed and gazed at the glowworms. "We intended to keep going to the Florida Keys but went across to Jacksonville instead. It was too big, so we went south to a town called Saint Augustine. The beach has white sand that goes for on for a hundred miles, I'd say. It's a beautiful area but was crowded with the summer influx by the time we arrived. Do you know the area?"

  "No. I've been to New York and Niagara Falls but nowhere else in the east."

  "Anyhow, that's when we got tired of driving. In Saint Augustine we found a campground that rented RVs as mobile homes. They were a bit tatty but the rent was reasonable and we were allowed to stay as long as we liked. Most campgrounds have a three-week restriction over the summer."

  "So what did you do?"

  "Went job hunting," Courtney growled. "I soon found out how the other half live."

  ****

  Much to Courtney's relief, the manager of the White Sails Restaurant gave the girls' resumes a cursory glance and seemed more interested in their physical attributes than any academic qualifications they may have had. Perhaps this was just as well for the documents were faked.

  "You're lucky," he said without a smile. "We're short staffed so we can take you on."

  He took out a document and pointed to the main clauses. "You get fourteen dollars and twenty cents an hour with ten percent deducted from your tips to distribute to the kitchen staff. Watch the British tourists. They aren't used to tipping and may need a polite reminder."

  Courtney shuddered. This cold man was not her idea of a good employer. However, after a spending the week searching, their optimism had disappeared. Dozens of inquiries, a lesser number of interviews and one embarrassing moment when a woman called to confirm their high school record, made them ready to take anything available.

  "Your hours start at 6:00 p.m. and include cleaning up after the restaurant closes. After 2:00 a.m. there's a small overtime allowance." The manager appeared grim. "This rarely happens. The uniform you wear is provided but can be worn only on the premises, so you change when you arrive. Jake Cadasso is the kitchen manager and your immediate superior. You can start this evening."

  ****

  "We need to find cheaper accommodations," Courtney muttered to Kathleen three weeks later. "By the time taxes are deducted, our income barely covers the cost of hiring the RV and food. There's nothing, not a cent left over. I've had to dig into my savings to pay my share of the car expenses."

  "I know, but where can we go? The other workers are no better off. Sylvia lives in a truck parked in the service entrance of the restaurant and Marianne shares a pokey apartment with eight others."

  "Eight?"

  "Yeah. One of those extended Hispanic families. Compared with them, we're well off."

  "Only because we had a bit of capital when we arrived," Courtney grumbled. "My three thousand is down to one. In a month there will be nothing left. To be frank, what we earn does not cover living expenses. It's stupid."

  "So what do we do? I'm not going home."

  "Ask Jake for a raise. There's that clause in our contract about us being entitled to an extra supplementary benefit over the holiday season because of higher living costs. It won't be much, I know but every bit counts."

  "You can," Kathleen replied. "That man gives me the creeps. Oh, I know he's friendly enough but I don't trust him more than our slimy manager."

  "I will," Courtney retorted. "And I'll do it tomorrow."

  ****

  Courtney stopped and took a sip from a bottle of water before glancing at Renee. "Through Jake we got the raise. I thought he was a nice guy and I was flattered by the attention he paid me. Every night after old Hrabowski left, that's the manager, the staff had a few drinks together before we went home. One perk of the job allowed us to finish opened bottles. It was relaxing and nothing serious happened until that night."

  "Did he come on to you?" Renee asked sympathetically.

  "The bastard did more than that," Courtney replied and burst into tears.

  "I see," Renee added and placed an arm around the youngster. "Would you like to talk about it?"

  She expected a rebuff but Courtney sat back, took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears away. "Yes, Renee, I would."

  Renee faced the tent flap over Courtney's shoulders when Lem appeared. She caught his eye and nodded towards the troubled girl. He slipped silently away.

  "Jake asked if I'd like to go to a nightclub for an hour or so and reckoned nobody would care I was under age, so I accepted," Courtney began.

  ****

  It was the early hours of the morning when Jake and Courtney headed back to his car after a breathtaking round of three nightclubs. Though apprehensive, she was never challenged to show proof of her age but this could have been because Jake slipped
some bills into the bouncer's hands at two places. It was a hot, steamy night and Courtney was relaxed and slightly under the influence of wine.

  "I've got a few friends at my apartment," Jake said. "How'd you like to drop in for a coffee, then I'll run you back to the RV park?"

  "Sure," mumbled Courtney.

  A few moments later Jake pulled up outside a high gabled house, one of dozens that lined the street. He led her up a flight of stairs to the apartment. The inside was old but relatively tidy.

  "The others will be along in a moment," the man commented casually. "Go on in." He held the door open.

  Inside, Jake's attitude changed. An expectant look came into his eyes. As the teenager walked up the tiny corridor, he grabbed her shoulders, swung her around and kissed her passionately on the lips. Courtney was surprised but responded and didn't object when he led her to the couch in the sitting room. His hands went up her arms and pulled the blouse to her shoulders before plying fingers reached into the gap between her breasts.

  Very quietly she took his wandering hand and removed it. "Stop it," she whispered in a frightened voice. "I think you'd better stop. I don't want to go all the way."

  Jake said nothing but stood up, walked back and locked the door. He returned and grinned. "Take your bra off."

  Courtney stared at the man in horror as she realized what he insinuated. "I don't want it." She quivered and attempted to maintain control. "Take me home, please, Jake."

  He laughed and moved forward with steely eyes looking directly at her. "You owe me, kid."

  Without warning he lunged out, grabbed her in a vice like grip and none too gently paralyzed any defense movements. Courtney screamed but was ignored and the rest became a blur of sheer terror. The man had a hand over her mouth, swore when she bit him and moved it down to her throat.

  She could smell his stinky breath, all alcohol and cigarettes and gulped for air. The grip on her throat relaxed but by now she was on the floor. Courtney shrieked as the man exposed himself and moved in.

  "You bastard." She wept as he ignored her pleas to stop and completed his foul deed. Hot tears of terror and humiliation poured down her cheeks, the long sobbing tears of one physically and emotionally violated.

  ****