by Mac Flynn
"When are you supposed to get back from that place, anyway?" He'd given her a general idea of late evening, but she wanted a more specific time.
"I can't really promise anything concrete since I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm hoping for some time around dinner time. Maybe I can stop over at your place for a bite to eat?" He gave her his best puppy eyes, and she laughed.
"I suppose I can feed a stray, but you'd better not bring in fleas." He straightened himself up and gave a salute.
"That I can definitely promise you." Then his eyes glanced over to the clock on the wall. "But maybe we'd better get some shuteye. I've got a long day tomorrow battling the creature from the deep and shaking the old man down for answers."
"Un-hunh, just try not to get arrested because I'm not bailing you out of jail for harassment of an old man," she scolded him while she slid off her stool.
"Not a problem, they'll never catch me alive," he answered in a deadpan voice and straight face. He picked up his empty bowl and intercepted her moving toward the hall to her bedroom. "Now where's my goodnight kiss?"
Amanda smiled and stood on her tiptoes to plant a quick kiss on his cheek, but he swooped in for the full lip action. They pressed against one another vying for dominance until Amanda gave in and let him have control of their locked lips. By the time they separated a minute later both were out of breath and their faces had a red hue to them.
"Not bad, eh?" Tony asked with a smirk. Amanda grinned back and shrugged her shoulders.
"I suppose that'll work."
"If that wasn't good enough for you, then let me try again." He swooped down for a retry, but she dodged around his lips and free hand to end up behind him.
"It's bedtime, remember?" she pointed out. "And if either of us is going to get any sleep, we'd probably better leave it at that kiss."
"I suppose," Tony agreed in a pouting voice.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Amanda skipped off to her bedroom and shut the door behind herself. She leaned her back against the door and reached up to touch her fingers along her warm lips. It felt like forever since she'd been kissed, and she was glad to know she could still enjoy the touch of a human. After having such a relationship with that creature, she feared any physical relations with another person would have felt commonplace and uninteresting.
Thinking of the monster, her eyes drifted over to her worn clothes she'd discarded on the bathroom floor. She walked over and rummaged through her jeans until her fingers came upon the sharp fragment. Amanda pulled it out and went back over to the bed to examine the piece of stone. She still didn't feel the same energy she'd felt from the larger piece, and was still disappointed about that. However, that at least gave her hope that the phantom of Ward would now leave her alone.
When she was done examining the rock, Amanda put it into her purse and slipped beneath the sheets of her bed. After her hectic day she was looking forward to a night of undisturbed sleep, and eagerly slipped into dreamland.
The sun outside her window and sound of movement outside her door awoke Amanda to the next day. She slowly opened her eyes and stretched her limbs. The night had been blissfully uneventful, with nary an unknown sound nor a haunting, seductive nightmare. She sat up and listened to the normal sounds of Tony preparing for his day of work and the trip he was to take. The young woman meant to see him off before his dangerous journey, so she tossed aside the covers and dressed herself.
Tony was surprised and pleased when Amanda stepped out of her bedroom. She looked less pale than yesterday and there was a chipper smile on her lips. He was just finishing up his bowl of cereal at the kitchen counter, and so gave her a toothy grin filled with runny milk and bits of bran. Amanda stopped in her tracks and glared at him.
"That's not exactly the kind of greeting I want to see this early in the morning," she pointed out.
"Sorry, kind of in a hurry. If I get to work early I can block out early." He scarfed down the rest of his food and slid off his stool, but Amanda stopped him before he could get into the kitchen. She put a hand on his chest, and peered into his pale face and blood-shot eyes.
"Did you stay up all night doing research?" she asked him. He sheepishly grinned, which was all she needed knot see to know her guess was right. "Did you really have to do that? It's just going to mean you're even more tired after work when you're driving up there."
"I had to at least catch up to what you've been reading," he defended his actions. Tony stepped around her and slid over to the sink to clean his bowl. "Besides, I was looking at some of the maps of the area. I don't really want to get lost."
"And will you?" Other than the direct road to the mountain, she wasn't that familiar with the area.
"Well, I might have if I hadn't taken a look at all those roads. It's a pretty confusing area, what with all those back roads and small pockets of civilization. They've got a lot of old buildings up there, and even a couple of cemeteries I could look into." At mention of such a gloomy place, Amanda wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. Tony noticed her action, and went over to set his hands on her shoulders. "It'll be all right, it's not like I'm planning on joining those locals any time soon."
"That doesn't make me feel any better," she scolded him.
"Then just remember my promise about coming back and you'll be fine." He planted a soft kiss on her forehead, and then pulled back to look into her eyes. "I'll call you when I reach the gas station before I head up to the mountain and after. Would that make you feel more comfortable?"
"It would be a start." She'd rather he stay away from the mountain and stick with researching at the local libraries, but this is what she'd decided on yesterday. Tony had given her the choice to decide whether he should even go there or not, and she chose answers over safety. There was no going back now. "But keep care of yourself, all right? Don't do anything risky."
"Me? Take risks?" His nose was upturned and there was a fake expression of horror on his face. Then he brushed away her words with a wave of his hand. "I'd never do any such thing. What sort of uncivilized man do you think I am?"
"The kind that got milk all over his shirt." She nodded down at the aforementioned clothing, and he followed her gaze to the spots of white liquid.
"Oops, better get changed and get out of here."
Tony rushed to his room to put on a cleaner shirt, leaving Amanda to think over his trip one final time before it began. Her boyfriend would be stepping foot onto that dangerous mountain to appease his curiosity and find the answer to her nightmares. She couldn't help but admire his courage, particularly since he'd felt what lay up there, waiting for some naive or foolish human to trespass on that rocky ground which surrounded the decrepit cabin. Tony fit the description of the foolish type, but she hoped his forewarning of the dangers would at least keep him off the possessed mountain when night fell.
Just then Tony emerged from his room with a new shirt and his bag slung over his shoulder. He also carried his laptop carrying case in his free hand, and he noticed she was curious about his taking the machine. Tony stopped in front of her and set the laptop down on the floor.
"I saved a few directions on the thing and some notes, so if I get lost or get some time to read I figured I could use it," he explained to her.
Then there was a moment of awkward silence between them, as each was weighed down by the dangers Tony was to face. Amanda feared that if she spoke only tears would be her words, and Tony noticed those pooling bits of salt water on the tips of her eyes. He smiled and reached up to brush a hand on her cheek.
"It'll be all right, Mandy, I'll be back before you know it," he promised her. "Besides, you'll be having too much fun with Sylvia to think much abut me."
"You know that's not true," she countered, but in a gentle voice. "I'll be lucky to get any food down me until you call to tell me you're off that horrible mountain."
"I promise I'll be off of it long before it gets dark. I don't want to be up there with that
thing any more than I have to, but there might be something important in the cabin that could help us figure out something about the creature."
"I know, but I'm still going to worry about you."
"Then I'll be extra careful and call on time." Tony leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her lips. When they parted he was glad to see her eyes were closed and there was a soft blush across her cheeks. "Now be a good girl and enjoy your last day of vacation."
"Thanks for reminding me," she dryly commented. He tapped her nose with a finger and grinned.
"Always glad to help." Then Tony glanced at his watch and groaned. He picked up his laptop and shuffled to the door as though his legs were clamped together in manacles. "Time to go to the old slave fields. Now you try to behave while I'm gone, young lady, and don't forget to lock up."
"You just worry about yourself," Amanda insisted as she followed him to the entrance. She opened the door and he paused in the doorway for one last look over her. His eyes were so scrutinizing that she squirmed beneath his thorough gaze. "What? Find something wrong?"
"Just wanted to remind myself why I'm doing this, that's all."
"And did you think it's still worth it?" Amanda wasn't sure if she was thrilled or annoyed when a lecherous grin slipped onto his lips.
"Most definitely."
"Uh-hunh, well, I think it's time you got to work." She turned him to face down the hall and gave him a push for encouragement. "And remember to call me!"
"I will, don't worry about it," he called back.
"It's not that I'm worried about..." she replied in a voice too low for him to hear.
Then Tony was gone and Amanda stepped back into the apartment. She closed the door and leaned her back against the hard surface. Amanda wished she could say every thought was stuck on Tony and his leaving, but she'd be lying. There were quite a few other thoughts floating around in her mind, and those focused on the rock still hidden in her purse. She made sure the door was locked behind her in case Tony should return for some forgotten item, and then made her way to her bedroom.
Amanda still needed to pack all her stuff for her trip back to her apartment, but right now she was completely focused on the small, hard fragment. She grabbed the purse and sat down on the bed to rummage through the contents. There generally wasn't a lot of stuff loose in her purse, but like all small bags a vortex existed in the depths that caused everything to be nearly impossible to find. She searched the miscellanea which comprised of her car keys, some lipstick and lots of loose change, but there was no sign of that fragment. Surely the piece was so small she merely had a hard time finding it amongst all those coins, and shoved her hand into the bottom of the bag.
Amanda yelped when something pricked the end of her finger. She yanked her hand out of the bag and was surprised to find the fragment of rock stuck to the end of her finger. The sides were more jagged than she remembered, and they were most definitely impaled into her skin. She tossed aside the bag and watched for a moment in fascination as blood slowly pooled up from the cut. Then she reached up and pulled at the stone. The fragment was easily removed and the wound wasn't as large as she feared, but still she cast a scowl at the offending object in her open palm.
That's when Amanda was suddenly hit with an intense sensation of pain mixed with pleasure. She gasped out quick breaths of air and dropped the stone to clutch at her stomach. Her insides felt as though they were twisting around inside of her while at the same time a heat swept over the pain in a strange attempt at assuaging the agony. Amanda climbed atop the bed and winced when the pain came in sharp, quick clips, one after the other. She curled up into a fetal position even as her muscles tensed and contracted, rising and falling with the wave of heat and agony.
Just when she felt the churning of her body would never end, the pain slowly began to subside. The pain slithered away deep into her body and then disappeared altogether. Only the heat remained to comfort her, and after such a terrifying experience she found the sensual strokes of warmth weren't enough to ease her mind nor body. However, her rasping breath slowed to an even tempo and and her muscles relaxed enough for her to ooze over the bed covers.
After a few minutes the young woman felt well enough to sit up. By that time even the heat had dissipated, and she was left with only the residual effects of both the pain and the pleasure. Amanda reached up and held the side of her head in her palm while she tried to straighten out her thoughts. There had to be some explanation for the sudden, inexplicable occurrence just now, and she wasn't so naive to disregard the cut she'd received from the fragment.
She happened to glance down at her finger and her body froze. The cut had completely vanished. There wasn't even any sign of irritated skin. Amanda reached up and tapped the spot where the wound had lain, and found that when she applied pressure there was a slight tinge of pain. That meant the skin above the slice healed, but not the muscle beneath it.
"All right, Amanda, just calm down and think this thing through." There were blood splotches on her skin, would confirmed what the pressure of pain told her. The cut had happened, but then vanished. "I'm sure there's some reason the thing is trying to cut you and cause you that much pain." Her shoulders slumped and she shuddered. "And I'm sure I'm not going to like it."
Amanda let out a shriek when a loud ring echoed through her room. Her head snapped toward the purse and the side pocket of said item, which was where she kept her cellphone. She scrambled to pull the device out before the person reached her voice mail, and was just in time to catch the last ring.
"Hello?"
"Hey Mandy, it's me, Sylvia. I was just wondering if I could come up to your place after lunch, since I managed to get most of the day off." Amanda had to admire her friend's innate ability to ditch work for some comfort time with her.
"Oh, sure, that'd be great." She glanced around at the room which was very much not in her apartment. Then Amanda looked at the clock on the phone and was relieved to see she still had a few hours to rush over to her apartment and fend off all the food that'd gone bad. "Just give me a call when you're coming over and I'll make sure the door's unlocked." There was suddenly silence on the end of the phone, and for a moment Amanda thought the call had been dropped. "Hello? You still there?"
"Yeah, but, well, why do you need to lock your door?" Sylvia didn't exactly sound afraid, just confused and curious.
"Oh, well, just in case." Amanda wasn't sure why she'd said that just now. It wasn't like her apartment was in the worst part of town. On the contrary, her place, while not as nice as Tony's apartment, was in a relatively quiet side street off the beaten path of criminals and traffic.
"Just in case of what? The bogyman coming to get you, or is this a serious problem?" Amanda winced when her friend nearly hit the nail on the head. She certainly feared a man of sorts, but Sylvia wouldn't believe her even if she did try to explain about that Professor Ward.
"It's just that I've been having nightmares, that's all," Amanda half-lied. The first experience with Professor Ward was a work of fiction, but for the others she no longer had any doubt as to the reality of every encounter with the creature. They were real, not some waking nightmare or hallucination.
"Well, I'll be sure to bring my tennis racket and shoo them away." Amanda had this terrifying vision of her friend whacking her in the head.
"How about you leave that at home and just stay up with me watching movies? That sounds, well, less strenuous." And definitely safer for herself.
"I guess, but I won't have as much fun-I know! I'll liven up your life with some movies I bought!"
"You can bring anything you want, within reason, just make sure to bring yourself. You're the one I'm inviting, not your stuff," Amanda reminded her exuberant friend.
"Oh right, um, then I guess I'll see you in a bit then."
"And don't forget to call when you come over," Amanda reminded her. The voice on the other line sounded almost hurt.
"I'm not that forget-oh crap. Gotta go, boss is co
ming." Then the other line went dead. Amanda glanced at the time on the phone. Her friend had called during work hours, a definite no-no in their office.
Amanda shook her head and put the phone back in the purse. Her bruised finger scraped against the device and she glanced down at the healed skin. She shuddered at the remembrance of the pain in her stomach and the heated thrill which tried to sooth her. Then she recalled that the thing to blame for this recent weirdness, the fragment of stone, was missing. The young woman looked all around herself, and finding nothing she stood to her feet.
The covers must have eaten it or she'd knocked the stone away from her during her fit. There was no obvious sign of fragment, so she crawled slowly over the bed while at the same time brushing her hands against the covers. She was sure to be wary of sticking her fingers into those jagged points, but she needn't have worried. That effort proved to be without reward. Then she pulled off the sheets, tossed aside the pillows and checked under the bed. All was for naught, for the thorough perusal of the area found no sign of the troublesome object.
Amanda wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or thrilled. The fragment would no longer be able to haunt her thoughts and prick her fingers, but her chance at another sensual rendezvous with the gentle, seductive side of the creature was not utterly gone. Tony took the larger piece with him to work, and she had no intention of going back to the mountain in the hopes of finding another. The risk was too great, and her abhorrence for the cabin too powerful for her to return there.
"Great start to a day..." she grumbled to herself. She was without her knight in shining armor for more than a day, had cut her finger on a strange rock and mysteriously had it healed, and now she still had to get ready for Sylvia coming over to her place.
Which reminded her, she still needed to get to her place.
Amanda packed her clothes and personal items into her bag and made sure she had the spare key to Tony's apartment before she left. If she forgot anything, she'd always have the option of coming back inside to get at it. Then she trudged her way to her car and took the short drive to her apartment. She didn't have the best rooms in the place, being on the third story and with a view of the alley between the next residential building, but there was a good deal of privacy for which she was thankful. No one could glance into her window without a pair of binoculars, and right then one of the apartments beside her was currently unoccupied. The noisy family had moved out a few weeks before, and she had peace and quiet again.
