Deadly Passion, an Epiphany (18 page)

“Jonas, they’re controlling us somehow. Oh, look! There’s something glowing at the top of your arm, near your shoulder.” She jumped off the bed to approach him but a jolt sent her sprawling back onto the bed. She watched Jonas touch the glowing patch on his arm.

“The same numbers as on the pin. They’ve implanted us with some kind of device.”

“When? I landed here fully clothed in this gown. Was there a stop along the way where they bathed and dressed us and implanted us with a digital device? Maybe then wiped our memories?”

“God, I’m sick of these aliens playing with us like we’re puppets,” Jonas grumbled. “I can’t even say goodnight to you now.”

“I love you, hon. Maybe you should just go to your room for now. I hope we’ll see each other again at breakfast.”

“I damn well hope so, although who knows. Maybe I’ll find myself back on the beach in the morning.”

“I’m sorry.” Tears threatened, but she didn’t give in to them. “Let’s be optimistic. We have to think about the ones left behind, the ones that may not have survived or been picked up by these aliens, like Megan. We should at least be grateful that this place is a luxury hotel compared to what we’ve experienced so far.”

Jonas sighed. “Yes, I know. I’m just so frustrated.”

“We both are. Goodnight, babe.”

Cassie watched Jonas put on his tunic, although he was nothing but a blur in the darkened room. “Night, honey. I love you.” He was silhouetted briefly against the bright corridor until the panel slid shut.

She allowed a few tears to escape now, droplets of disappointment and loneliness. Then she steeled herself and thought about Megan and Mark, wondering what had happened to them, if they were even alive and on the alien planet somewhere, or if they’d been killed in the explosion.

Planning escape…

Mark didn’t have a clue how much time had passed. There had been no new arrivals at all since he’d landed in the mine and since he didn’t know if it was day or night, he couldn’t keep track. It seemed like a century. But during all the time he’d been there, he’d listened, watched, and whenever he had a chance to slip away unnoticed, he investigated the tunnels.

“Your turn, Mark,” Carol woke him from his thoughts. They were playing a game of scrabble.

“I need to tell you something,” he said softly. “Can’t do it here. Too many ears.”

“I’m tired. I think I’ll crash early tonight,” Carol said, but inclined her head slightly indicating for him to follow her.

He waited a few minutes. Glancing around, he saw the others in the room were busy talking or playing games. He packed up the scrabble board and tiles, put the box back on the shelf, and left. When he got to the men and women’s toilets, the door opened and Carol joined him.

“Talk softly,” she warned. “The walls have ears.”

“I’ve found a way out of here.” He leaned sideways and spoke close to her ear. Suddenly, she swung to face him and pushed him against the rock wall. Wrapping her arms around his neck she kissed him squarely on the lips, then buried her face against his neck on his shoulder.

Mark stood stiffly for a moment. She’d taken him in complete surprise, but he quickly figured out what she was doing. Quite a few of the inmates had affairs, so it wasn’t unusual. If anyone happened by, or if there were cameras, it would seem that he and Carol were involved. He seemed to be nuzzling her neck as he bent and whispered softly. “I’ve got a plan. Do you want to go with me?”

Straightening up, her lips against his, she replied, “How?”

“There’s a tunnel, more like a hole really that goes straight up, in one of the caves. I see a tiny pinpoint of light far above.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder again, her lips near his ear. “Oh, I know. Can’t be done. Others have tried. It’s very narrow and nothing to hold onto.”

He let go of her and took her head between his hands and kissed her on the lips, then whispered, “I know, but I think we can do it.”

“And when are we supposed to attempt this? I told you so many times the walls have eyes and ears. The lower mine is much worse than this place, I’ve heard. I don’t relish being sent there.”

“In the middle of the night when the guards change shift. There’s a gap of time. I estimate about fifteen minutes. We can put something under our blankets so they won’t discover us missing until morning.”

“When?”

“Now that I know how and where, tonight. It’ll take us about ten minutes to get to that cave.”

“And you know this how? No clocks, no watches?”

“I’ve still got a brain and I can count. We can—“ Footsteps sounded and he quickly pressed his lips against Carol’s, his hands on her buttocks. Her lips opened and for a moment her tongue entered his mouth. He couldn’t help himself. He kissed her back and felt a twinge of desire. It had been so long since he’d held Megan in his arms, felt the body of a woman against his, it was no wonder his cock and body reacted to Carol pressed tightly against him and to the kiss.

The footsteps passed and faded. He tore his lips away, feeling guilty now. He’d betrayed Megan. His erection immediately shrank. “I’ll meet you right here, near the toilets. Do you know when the guards change shifts?”

Carol nodded. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “If others are awake in your dorm and notice you leaving, they might snitch. It’s very risky.”

“After lights out, it’s pitch black in the dorm. I’ll carry my boots. It’s worth a try. If you’re not here, I’ll go alone.”

She didn’t say anything and started walking. He fell in beside her. Wordlessly, they parted when they got to the door of his dorm. The door closed behind him and he lay on his bed, still wearing his clothes. When the door opened and others started to come in and get ready for bed, he quickly crawled under the blanket and pulled it up to his chin.

The guards arrived, two of them, as usual. They walked through the dorm to make sure all were accounted for, then took their place near the door. The lights went out.

Mark opened his eyes and waited for them to become accustomed to the dark. As he’d told Carol, it was inky black inside the dorm. He couldn’t even see the cot next to his. Lying on his side, every now and then he saw one of the guards shine a flashlight through the dorm, letting the beam play over the sleeping bodies. Each time, Mark closed his eyes, then opened them quickly again. He couldn’t risk falling asleep.

Time crawled. While he waited, his thoughts dwelled on everything, on the explosion, on Megan, and like it had for a long time now, on Robin. He fully realized now that it had been his fault. The girl had no license and he should never have allowed her to get behind the wheel. Neither of them was in a condition to drive. And what made it worse—he’d gotten her all sexually riled up while she was driving. It was his fault. That made him a murderer. She hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt and his car had no airbags. That he came out of the accident alive was a miracle. And to top it all, he didn’t even go to her funeral. Guilt gnawed at him every night and he wished he could step back in time and do it all over. Man, he’d live his life differently.

His thoughts drifted back to Megan. He missed her so much. Where was his sweet girl? Did she survive the explosion? No, impossible. He’d seen how terribly hurt she was and how the fire consumed her before everything went black. His heart ached as if a thousand needles were stabbing it. Tears threatened but he swallowed hard.

It took forever but finally the guards opened the door and slipped out. Quick as a flash, Mark sat on the side of the bed, took his boots off, and stuffed the pile of clean clothing under the blanket. He had no clue if it resembled a body but it would have to do. He really didn’t have anything else except one change of clean clothing left for them every day.

Carrying his boots he crept softly to the door and opened it as little as possible, then slipped through and closed it. He quickly put his boots back on and ran to the toilets. Carol was there, waiting for him. He held a finger to his lips and motioned her to follow him. They ran as fast as they could without making too much noise. Mark knew exactly where he was going. The cave was just off an old abandoned tunnel. He stopped for a moment once they were inside the tunnel. Light emanating from the adjacent tunnel lit the entrance dimly. He held his hand out to Carol and pulled her along. He’d counted the steps to the cave. Once inside the cave, he dared to whisper.

“We’re in the cave now. Hold my hand but stay close. I know exactly what to avoid and how far to go.”

“Mark, I’m scared. It’s blacker than black in here. I can’t see a thing.”

Mark chuckled. “You? Scared? C’mon, woman. You don’t have a scared bone in your body.” He tugged gently at her hand and counted his steps looking up as they walked. He stopped suddenly.

“Look up,” he said softly.

“I see it,” Carol said, sounding excited now. “How do we get up there?”

“For you, easy. You can stand on my shoulders. When you’re inside, place your hands flat on either side of the tunnel and your feet on either side. Push hard. This isn’t going to be easy.”

“How about you? How will you get in there?”

“Don’t worry. I’m crouching down. Now feel for my shoulders and put your feet on them.” He felt Carol place her feet on his shoulders. She hung onto his head for dear life. He stood up slowly. “Let go of my head and reach up, Carol. You should be almost inside the tunnel if you stand.”

She didn’t weigh much, so he could finally stand upright. He was tall and if he reached, he could feel the edge of the hole.

“I’m in,” Carol said.

“Now start going up, a little at a time. I’ll be right below you soon.” He waited, heard her muttering under her breath several times, heard her foot slip once or twice, but she struggled on and up. He wished he could see something but had to guess where she was before he could start his climb.

Feeling behind him, he rolled the big rock he’d found the day before, beneath the hole. It took all his muscle power because the rock was huge. Climbing on top of it, he was three quarter of the way inside the tunnel. He crouched as much as he could and jumped hoping and praying he wouldn’t fall. Slamming both hands against the side of the tunnel, he felt his feet barely reach the edge of the hole. He pushed against the sides with all his might and managed to lift one foot, then the other.

Mark let out his breath and started the climb. “Carol, I’m inside. How are you doing?”

“It’s hard, but bit by bit I’m climbing.”

“Good, keep it up. We can’t stop. I’ve got no idea how far it is to that bit of light, but we can’t risk losing ground and time. Once they discover we’re gone—“

“I know. You realize that if I fall, I’ll take you with me.”

“So, don’t fall.”

“I think I know a better way. If we lean our back against the wall and put our hands flat on either side of our bodies, our feet on the other wall, I think we’d climb faster and it’s safer.”

“Mm, you’re smart.” Mark tried her way and yes, found that he could get up the tunnel easier that way. In a way it was fortunate that the tunnel was so narrow.

Slowly, as they climbed, the light above became brighter and bigger. It spurred them on, gave them hope that they’d make it.

Mark’s heart beat faster when a ray of sunlight lit up Carol above him. “Carol, sunshine. I can see you.”

“I know. Looking up, we still have quite a ways to go, but it’s getting lighter all the time.”

They climbed steadily. It became harder because the higher they climbed, the more the walls became damp, and then quite wet. It was everything they could do to stay wedged between the walls and not slip.

Mark looked up and saw the light just feet away from them. “Carol, we’re almost there.”

“Yes, just a few more feet.”

Mark waited until she reached the edge and watched her slowly disappear from his sight. He continued on until he, too, reached the edge of the hole. A hand appeared over the side and Carol’s grinning face looked down at him.

“Grab my hand. I can’t believe we made it,” she said, beaming from ear to ear.

Once on top, he could hardly comprehend that they’d made it and he was looking at green grass and a blue sky. Sweat dripped off his forehead, stinging his eyes. He wiped his forehead, his face and took a few steps forward. Taking a deep breath, he relished the fresh air. Tearing his shirt off, he raised his hands to the sky. “Thank you, God!” he shouted.

“Oh, my God. Look at your back!”

“I can’t see my back, silly woman. What’s wrong with it?”

“You’ve scraped the skin off your back. You’re bleeding.”

“Mm, I don’t feel any pain. Turn around. Your shirt is torn to ribbons and you’re bleeding, too.”

Carol nodded. “From the rough rock wall in the tunnel. I don’t care. We’re free. Maybe it’s a dream. I can hardly believe it’s all real.”

Mark dropped down on the tall grass, flattening it. “You’re damn right it’s real. I can smell this grass.”

“I wonder where we are,” Carol said, inspecting her bleeding hands.

Mark stood, held his hand above his eyes and gazed around. “I see some kind of forest far away. Over there is a rocky ledge. I’m going to take a look.”

He walked to the ledge, with Carol following him. They stood on the edge and looked down a steep cliff. “Damn, a beach, water, and I see people down there.”

“Yeah, and I see ropes to get down. I don’t think my hands can handle it, though.”

Mark looked at his own hands that were just as raw and bleeding. “My shirt might be in shreds, but I can tear it in strips and wrap them around my hands. Damn, I’m going down.”

Carol didn’t waste a second. She took her shirt off, heedless of her naked breasts. They had not provided her with bras. Tearing strips off the tattered shirt, she bound her hands. She tried to tie the remainder around her breasts, but it didn’t work very well.

Mark was first to go. The big knots in the ropes, which looked to be made from vines, were footholds. His hands hurt like crazy now, but he didn’t care. When he was close to the beach, he jumped to see a group of people watching them. Carol soon joined him, covering her breasts with her arms. She’d lost the material she’d wound around her breasts as she was descending.