Lawked Flame (2 page)

A flicker of light to the right of the truck
claimed her attention; she remembered seeing it last night. Without
thought, she moved in that direction, the ground was solid and she
made good progress. Seconds later, after pushing back some brushes
and leaves, she saw what appeared to be a wide path of stones
tightly fit together. She glanced at the Land Rover and then at
what could be considered a road.

Pushing the thing was out of the question,
but it’d be easier to drive out of here on a path like this one.
Her eyes narrowed on the brush covered stone path again, she was
tempted to head that way but decided against traveling the
unknown.

After two steps in the opposite direction,
she paused, hearing sounds. She held still trying to determine if
the noise was coming nearer. Inching closer to the stone road, she
tilted her head to the side to hear better. Were those voices?
People?
No way
.

Yet, unable to stop herself, she moved in
their direction. With each step the sounds amplified. Definitely
people. Her heart raced in excitement, then she looked back toward
the Land Rover and froze.
Where was it?
Frantic at the empty
space before her, she forced herself to breath slowly, deeply.
Turning, she retraced her steps and came to the end of the road.
After a few seconds of searching, she saw her brother’s truck and
exhaled in a whoosh.

For a moment, she scoped the area alongside
the stone path. A tingling ran down her spine, heightening her
awareness. Her initial estimation of a path of stones was wrong.
This was a long road that curved around a bend. There shouldn’t be
a road in the middle of a forest. Even the trees and plants
appeared different. They weren’t dying like the forest, the
branches didn’t hang low enough to swipe you in the face, and the
colors of the leaves were neither vibrant nor dull. If she had to
put a word on the atmosphere, she’d say it was dim. A tad
off-color.

Fear rooted her to the spot. She had no idea
which would be worse, trying to navigate through the forest and
find her way home, or walking down a stone road to an unknown area.
Both choices sucked big time and neither was stacked in her favor.
Remembering her nephew’s penchant for all things sports, she dashed
to the back of the Rover and looked under the rear seat. Lying on
the floorboard was Greg’s aluminum baseball bat. She stood five
feet, six inches tall and weighed close to one hundred and sixty
pounds. If she put some oomph into her swing, she felt confident
she’d do them a world of hurt. A surge of confidence filled her as
she swung the bat a couple of times.

###

Bat in one hand and a bottle of water in the
other, Alayna strode down the middle of the cobblestone road that
led to what appeared to be some sort of western town. Not western,
she didn’t see any saloons, but definitely not modern. There were
two-storied clapboard buildings with interesting architectural
details flanking the street. Her other brother Tommy was an
architect. He would be able to explain all the scrolls and
expansive woodwork on the exteriors.

As she studied the buildings she wondered if
people lived in this place or if it was the remnants from a
Hollywood movie set. Strange, none of the buildings bore signs on
the outside. Even though they appeared well maintained—no peeling
paint or even a loose board—like the plants and trees they seemed
dull.

The sounds she’d heard earlier had ceased
the moment the buildings had come into sight. A sense of foreboding
rolled over her, and she considered returning to the safety of the
truck. She squeezed the handle of the bat securely as she inched
forward, her eyes roaming the street and buildings for signs of
people.

A bubble of laughter rose up on the wings of
hysteria. She was lost in the woods on a cobblestone road in the
middle of what looked like a ghost town. If she were looking to
develop a fantasy theme park, this would be a perfect spot. None of
this made any sense. At twenty-nine years old with a brutal divorce
under her belt, she’d lost her whimsical glasses and saw things
with a pragmatic eye.

“Mmmay…I…I..h.h.help?” The deep voice
stuttered as though unsure he could speak.

“Ahhhh,” Alayna yelled as she spun around at
his first word, dropping her water bottle as the bat flew forward,
striking him on the arm. Totally unaffected by the blow, he glanced
at the bat and then at her.

Oh shit
. Her heart nearly jumped out
her throat. Chest heaving, palm forward, she backed away from the
serious-looking man. “Where’d…you…come…from?” she choked out the
question. She hadn’t heard his approach.

He frowned. “Come… from?” His eyes were
cloudy.

Lord help her. He, like their surroundings,
seemed dull. “Yes,” she drawled. “You were not here a moment ago.”
She stared at him, taking in his light green long-sleeved canvas
drawstring shirt and matching pants. His hair was an odd mixture of
blondish-brown.

He blinked repeatedly. “Moment ago?” he
asked, his words clearer.

Backing away, she glanced back the way she’d
come, wondering if she could make it to the Rover.

“I am sorry if I frightened you.”

Alayna jumped as her head whipped around to
the see the stranger had closed the space between them. “Damn it.
Stop that. Stop sneaking up on me. You’re going to give me a heart
attack.” D
amn, Speedy Gonzalez.

For a moment she thought back to when she
was in her office dealing with one of her staff, they'd enjoyed
walking up on her like that. Afterwards, they’d all laughed at her
reaction, sometimes it’d been funny. This was not one of those
times. Her hand rested on her wildly beating chest as she kept an
eye on Speedy. He remained passive, staring at her as though
she
were the anomaly. “My car broke down in the forest, is
there someone here who can get it started? Or what about a phone,
do you have a phone?”

He frowned again.

Frustration clouded her mind and unhinged
her mouth. “Stop that. You know what a phone is, just let me make a
few calls and I’ll be on my way.” Fear snapped her mouth shut. No
one knew where she was, and she was giving this guy attitude. She
hoped he had thick skin and would ignore her outburst.

“Car. Automobile, method of transportation,
it failed you and now you require assistance. Is that correct?” He
offered what could've been considered a smile, if he hadn’t
appeared to be in pain.

Her estimation that she’d stumbled into some
type of mental garrison gained momentum. What if they didn’t allow
her to leave since she discovered their illegal secret? This young
man shouldn’t be out on the street without supervision. Mentally,
she fast-forwarded every television program and movie she’d ever
seen with this type of set-up. It didn’t look good for her.

“Yes,” she said.
Take me to your
leader
. “Is there anyone here who can help me?” Images of the
young man taking her into a castle-like building tickled her
imagination, her mind rolled images one after the other of spoofs
she’d seen and for a moment she forgot the harsh reality of the
situation. No one knew where she was, and a man she didn’t know,
didn’t respond to a hit from a baseball bat.

Moments later, the door opened on the
cocoa-colored old Victorian building in front of her, drawing her
attention. The mental images screeched to a halt as a large man
wearing similar clothes, except they were tan, as the smaller man
in front of her, stepped out.

The dude had to be at least six-four and was
wide like a linebacker with an angular face and a short neck. He
didn’t seem happy and remained by the door, staring at her.
Instinctively, she tightened her grip on the bat, pushing back the
mental replay of how ineffective it’d been against the much smaller
man. It’d probably feel like a gnat or fly to this one.

“Who’s he?” she asked. She was suddenly more
comfortable with the smaller man than the silent giant who simply
stared at them.

“He will fix your vehicle as you
requested.”

“I also asked for a phone.” Her eyes slid to
him, hoping he’d give in to that request as well.

“There are no telephones here.” Although
he’d infused sympathy into his voice, his eyes said he wasn’t.

Alayna stared at him a moment longer. Had
she thought his eyes cloudy? Once again she’d misjudged, they were
a light green, like the color of mint tea. In fact, his outfit
matched his eyes perfectly. A shiver of unease went through her.
Had she stumbled into a testing facility where they cloned people?
Or ran experiments or something worse? She opened her mouth to ask,
but slammed it shut, dreading the answer. Looking up at the porch,
she noticed the big guy had left and was halfway down the road.

Pivoting, she charged after him. “Stop,” she
yelled. He continued forward. “Stop right now, damn it.” Her voice
deepened as fear choked her.

He froze, looked over his shoulder and
waited.

Panting, she finally caught up with him.
Digging into her pocket, she pulled out the keys. They glinted in
the weak sunlight.

He looked at them and then at her, a
question in his eyes.

“You need the keys to start the Land Rover.”
She waited until he offered his palm, and dropped the keys into his
cupped hand. “Want me to come with you?” She walked next to him and
stared back when she noticed he hadn’t moved.

“No. You should go back and refresh
yourself.” The coarseness of his voice made her wonder if he’d used
it in a while.

Her stomach growled, reminding her of some
needs that required her attention. She’d eaten all of her picnic
foodstuff between last night and this morning. Still, she didn’t
want to leave a complete stranger alone with her brother’s vehicle.
“No, I’ll get something after we get the truck started.” She waited
for him to join her.

“It may not start. It may need a tow,” he
said, his words stilted.

“Do you have a tow truck? Or will you call
someone from town?”

He frowned. “Call?”

“Never mind. Let’s get started.” She turned
in the direction of the Rover, swinging the bat in tandem with her
steps. The way seemed longer and by the time she saw the outline of
the truck, she was winded. She pointed as though he’d miss the only
vehicle sitting slumberous in the forest. “There it is.”

She stopped at the clearing, head bowed,
hands on her knees, and breathed heavily. The air seemed heavier,
less fragrant. Sniffing, she turned in the direction of Mr. Silent
and stopped, embarrassed that he’d caught her smelling him. She’d
always had this thing for scents, and many times she’d make
decisions based on the way someone or something smelled.

Her face warmed as she turned away.
“Sorry.”

He grunted, opened the door and popped the
hood.

Alayna peeked around him at the intestines
of the truck. “What’s the matter with it?” she asked. She was
impatient to get the thing running so she could deposit it safely
in her brother’s garage and think about everything she’d seen.

He grunted again, walked over to the
driver’s side, reached in and turned the key. Fingers crossed, she
prayed for a miracle. Nothing. She heard the car door open and then
close. He returned to the front, looked at her and pulled the hood
down. She jumped at the sound.

“Any clue why it won’t start? I don’t think
that’s ever happened before,” she said as he started back in the
direction they’d just come from. He didn’t respond and he didn’t
slow down. Tired, deflated, and unable to keep up, she slowed her
pace to get her bearings.

Where the hell was she? Should she follow
him and try for more assistance? During the short time she'd talked
to green eyes she couldn’t put her finger on what it was, but
something wasn’t right. She revised her mentally challenged camp
theory. Maybe a commune? Nature lovers compound? That’d explain no
phones, wouldn’t it? Hell, she had no idea, no one she knew was
into that type of thing. Her stomach growled again. Not only was
she tired and hungry, she needed a shower.

“Do you require additional assistance?”

Alayna jumped, dropping the bat this time.
Her hand flew to her throat. “I asked you not to do that,” she
snarled, furious with herself for being so skittish. “What are you
doing here?” Her eyes widened when she saw the clapboard buildings.
Had she walked back that fast without realizing it?

“I was told you were hungry.” He waited for
her to speak, his light green eyes curious, but other than that she
couldn’t pick up any hidden agendas.

“I am.” She hated admitting she needed
something from him or Mr. Silent. She hadn’t finished cataloging
them and this place. Her rounds of what if’s had just begun. “Can
you tell me something?” She looked him in the eyes, picking up on a
flash of alarm. Her stomach clenched. Something was definitely
wrong here.

“Yes.”

“What’s the name of your town?”

She wasn’t sure how she knew his tension
eased but she did. He relaxed.

“Lawkharven.”

“Lockhaven?”

“No, you say it as you say the word law.
Lawkharven.” He enunciated again.

“Oh, okay. Got it. What’s your name?” She
stood in the middle of the road, rambling. Which made her wonder
which of them had the problem?

“I am called Lorenzo. And you are?” He
smiled at her and she froze. The man was drop dead gorgeous in a
boyish-man kind of way. His eyes sparkled. His teeth gleamed,
making her think he’d had some serious dental work. He’d put most
of the male models on the covers of magazines to shame. Lorenzo
would be a wet dream for a few of her friends, both male and
female.

“Alayna. Call me Alayna.” She broke their
connection by glancing around, not wanting him to get the wrong
impression. He was good-looking, but she wasn’t interested. Having
a cheating ex-husband break your heart did that to a woman. “Where
can I grab a bite to eat?”