20

CHAPTER 18

11:20 AM Tuesday, Jim's RX7 in Meshoppen Creek.

What had happened to Holly was still confusing as hell. When Shit-heel had rammed them, Jim had jerked her back into the car by the waistband of her shorts, incidentally pulling them halfway down her ass. Then he'd covered her with her body as brown water poured into the little Mazda. As he held her, Jim covered her mouth and pinched her nose shut. Then there was a big scrunching noise like planets colliding and the world flipped upside down. They were swallowed by darkness. She couldn't see, she couldn't breath and her head was filled with howling-scraping-grinding noise as the car was pushed under the bridge. Holly was vaguely aware she peed herself.

Throughout it all Jim held her tight. It was her one connection with the ordinary world of light and hope, not this horrible place of darkness and despair. The ordeal could not have lasted more than a minute but it went on forever.

Finally, some light came back but not a lot. The car made what felt like a soft landing on its roof.

Jim let Holly go but then grasped her hair. He started to pull her out his side of the car but her ankle caught on something. She jerked it free.

They came to the surface in a calm area of the flood, some sort of eddy. Holly pulled in ragged gasps of air. She looked around.

Debris floated all around them. A blue plastic barrel bumped into Holly and she wrapped her arms around it—or tried to. It slipped and bobbed up to smack her in the chin. She let go and sank. The bottom wasn't that deep and she was able to spring off that back to the surface. She came up again to see Jim wild eyed with fear until he saw her. "Holly! You okay?"

"For certain values of—"

Jim grabbed her and kissed her. "You scared the shit out of me when you went under again."

"I'll try not to do that again." She looked around, anywhere but at Jim's face. If she looked at him again she'd probably drown them both by doing what she wanted to do to him right now. "How do we get out of here."

The banks of the stream in one direction were a tangle of weeds and briers. In the opposite direction was the raging current of the stream. The concrete bridge loomed over them upstream and downstream was the mile wide expanse of the flooded Susquehanna.

Jim swam toward the nearest shore then headed upstream toward the bridge. When he got to the abutment he stood up on something, raising his shoulders slightly above the water. "Climb onto my shoulders."

Jim squatted and Holly got astride his shoulders like a couple going into a chicken fight in a pool.

"Can you reach?" He asked.

"No."

Jim's hands grabbed the bottom of her feet and started to lift. "Stand up."

Holly almost tumbled off backwards but grabbed Jim's face to stop herself. Then she leaned forward and walked her hands up the concrete of the bridge abutment. Soon she was standing on Jim's palms with her feet about level with his shoulders.

"Can you reach now?"

"Still no."

"Get ready."

"For what?"

"This!"

Holly shot up into the air and tumbled sideways along the concrete of the bridge until her leg smacked into something hard and sharp. She found herself tumbling into nettles behind the guardrail leading to the bridge. The thing that had gashed her knee was the top of the last post of the railing before the bridge. Holly climbed over the steel cables and got to her feet on the shoulder of the road. She looked down into the water at Jim who was grinning up at her. "Give a girl some warning next time!"

"I did."

"Fuck you did."

"Get help."

Holly looked around. The only houses in sight were dark. "I think people have all evacuated."

"Shit," Jim said. "Can you find a rope or something?"

Holly looked around. "Nothing up here."

"Go look a little further, by the houses? Maybe a garden hose or something?"

"I don't want to leave you there."

"I'll be okay. No gators in the Susquehanna."

"But Shit-heel—my ex, the bastard who rammed us, is around up here somewhere."

"Fuck, when you're right you're right. Hold on..."

A wet sloppy mass came sailing up at Holly. She caught it reflexively. Her hands recognized the feel of the material before her eyes saw that it was Jim's Temple sweatshirt.

"Tie a sleeve to something."

Holly wrapped one sleeve around the guardrail cable and made a crude knot. "This won't be near long enough."

"Story of my life," Jim said.

"Jokes? Is this the right time to make jokes?"

"You want me to start screaming and crying instead?" Jim's sneakers arced up and over onto the roadbed.

"Point. What are you doing?"

Jim's belt came sailing up next, followed a moment later by his jeans. Holly at first tried to tie the belt to the free sleeve of the sweatshirt but the knots consumed practically more length than the belt extended the jury rigged lifeline.

She closed her eyes. She remembered being on a boat with her Dad when the outboard quit. A passing boater had come along and her Dad tied the painter of their boat to the helper's line. She remembered the simple but effective fisherman's knot her Daddy had used. With that she tied the leg of the jeans to the sweatshirt sleeve.

"Love you Daddy." Holly lowered the crude rope to Jim who jumped up to grab it. He started to pull himself upwards.

The crotch of the jeans split and Jim almost fell backwards into the water.

But the bluejeans held together at the waistband and Jim recovered. He struggled up and onto the road in nothing but socks and a pair of soaked tighty-whities. Holly could not help but note that his self deprecation had been unjustified. She considered pulling out his cock and kissing it right then and there. But no... On second look, not all of that was cock. Some of it was a snub nosed pistol in it's holster. And a badge too! She wondered if he turned around she would see a pair of handcuffs nestled in the crack of his ass. She resisted for a moment paraphrasing the famous Mae West question. Fuck. Why not? "That a gun in your shorts deputy or are you just glad to see me?"

Jim pulled the gun and badge out and set them carefully on the ground. He grinned shyly at her. "Uh... both?"

There was still plenty of mass in his shorts, even if it was likely shrunk from the cold water. Holly shook her head. She resisted again the temptation to pull out his cock. Soon, real soon, she was going to jump his bones. Instead she started pulling apart the makeshift rope.

"Get dressed," She said. "We have to warn Janice about Shit-heel."

Jim held up his jeans and frowned at the split but then started pulling them on anyway. Holly went and got Jim's shoes for him. This made her realize she herself was barefoot. And that she had somehow lost Janice's bracelet.

"How far are we from the cabin?" Holly asked as she pulled out her t-shirt away from her breasts. It felt wet and slimy.

"About a mile." Jim pulled on his sweatshirt and bent to put on a shoe. He pulled it off again and pulled a nettle out of the sole of his sock. "Mile and a half."

Jim stood fully dressed, pockets bulging with gun and badge, causing the split to gap and show white underwear. Holly wanted to laugh but did not. She felt very virtuous. First not sucking him off right here and now and second not laughing at his little boy predicament.

Jim said "There's probably a phone in one of the houses."

"How long will it take us to break in and find one, if it's still working?"

"Fifteen minutes?"

"Be a shit day I couldn't do thirty-two hundred meters in thirteen minutes." Holly turned and ran up the road.

"Fuck!" Jim shouted. "Wait up!"

He started after her but she soon left him behind. She knew her feet were taking a pounding on the macadam but she was still operating on adrenaline and couldn't care. It was mostly uphill so she wasn't breaking any records. She leaned into the slope, putting the balls of her feet into the smooth—mostly—pavement, pulling herself forward, feeling the muscles in her calves and thighs remember their strength.

I love this, she thought. I miss this.

But all too soon she came to the gravel driveway of the cabin and had to stop. She picked her way carefully, stepping on clumps of grass and in puddles. It was this looking for safe stepping places that made her not notice the El Camino until she was practically right on top of it. She froze.

Jim came puffing up behind her. "What's... huff... wrong?"

"He's here."

"Get behind me." Jim pulled out his pistol. He checked out the ugly brown car then went to the front of the cabin. Holly followed. A flickering pink glow was coming from inside. At the door Jim suddenly dropped into a shooting stance and fired. First the pistol's bang and then the wunk of a pumpkin smashing.

And there was Taylor tied up on the ground, Shit-heel with his head all exploded and and Janice looking like she'd stepped off the pages of Lil Abner. Except her dress had... eyeballs?

"Holy Fuck Janice!" She couldn't help herself. "Where did you get that dress?"

Then things had gotten really rush-about until they were all out front in the driveway.

In response to Holly's question about what had happened Janice had muttered something into her cleavage and then said out loud. "It's complicated."

Holly said "Shit-heel rammed us, pushed us into the river. We almost drowned. Oh Janny, I lost your bracelet."

"I'll get you another one," Jim and Janice both said.

A deputy sheriff car pulled into the driveway. Jim hung his badge with one of those little chains around his neck. The other deputy got out of his cruiser and looked Jim up and down. Seeing the split jeans he had smiled.

"Not one word Bill," Jim said. "Not one."

Then came the gray time. All was a confusion of cop cars, fire trucks and ambulances. A very tall and very stiff state trooper—she felt like she was talking to and android—asked Holly a lot of questions. She answered in monosyllables, not caring or thinking about what she said. Someone wrapped Holly in a blanket. Someone else handed her a foam cup of coffee but her hand shook too much and her fingers crushed it, splattering scalding liquid all over hear hand and arm. Jim came and guided her to the cab of Taylor's truck. Jim turned it on and made the heater run. Then a state trooper practically tried to arrest Jim for some reason only to be stopped by a fat man in a Sheriff's uniform. Jim gave his gun and his badge to the fat man who put his hand on Jim's shoulder and told him everything would be okay.

An ambulance came and took Taylor away. Janice tried to go with him but they wouldn't let her. She made a fuss and almost got arrested. Jim stopped that and led her to the truck. He put her in the driver seat and they talked, heads together for a while.

White light blinded Holly. There was a big camera lens by the window of the truck. Someone was tapping on the glass. Holly gave them the finger. Janice threw the truck in gear and it started to move. The light receded suddenly. While they drove Janice talked but not to Holly—it was like her friend had a microphone nestled between her boobs. Holly was too tired to wonder about that. She didn't even bother to listen. It took too much effort. Everything took too much effort.

They got to Jim and Kit's place. Janice led Holly under the half open garage door but they couldn't get in the house itself because the kitchen door was locked. Janice picked up a dumbbell and was about to smash their way in when she suddenly stopped herself. Instead she talked to her tits again. Her dress fell off and flowed under the door. The door popped open and they went inside.

Janice stripped Holly and they took a hot shower together. Then they crawled into Jim's bed and cuddled. Suddenly Janice started shuddering and Holly grabbed her tight, feeling tears on her shoulder. She murmured things into her best friend's hair until Janice fell asleep.

Holly knew she herself slept because she woke up screaming.

Jim was there beside her and his arm wrapped her up while a big hand stroked her hair. Janice was there too. Her fingers stroked Holly's face. Holly was sandwiched between them.

"What can I do to make you feel better?" Jim asked.

Holly turned her head and kissed the palm of his hand. Then she turned her whole body into him and nuzzled his neck. "I like to fuck."

Janice snorted.

Jim didn't say anything. He grabbed her knee and rolled over onto his back. Holly found herself on top of him. Four hands were stroking her back. Holly stared down into Jim's blue eyes and stroked his face with her fingers. She tickled his lips, the lower one catching on her fingertips. He nibbled at her fingers.

They shared a long soulful kiss, touching and exploring with their lips and then their tongues. While big hands held her, their weight on her back, smaller hands teased the lips of her cunt. Then she felt Jim's cock bump clumsily against her inner thighs and crotch. Janice's hand poked and prodded at Holly, choreographing Jim's entry into her. The head slid along the back wall of her pussy as he filled her. Fill was a good word, he was very thick. She smiled down at his face. "Yum"

Holly pushed herself up off his chest to seat him more solidly inside. Then she clenched, gripping him as she worked her hips in a tiny figure eight.

"Ugh," Jim said.

Holly smiled down at him. She stroked is face with her fingers and kiss the air across the distance between their faces. Jim's hands grasped her hips. He responded to her motions with small but powerful trusts of his own. She felt his skin sliding within her and realized she had never actually seen his cock before and that he wasn't cut. He was her second uncircumcised man, Taylor being the first. She wondered if she would develop a bias for them. Then Jim pushed up into her and she stopped wondering about anything.

"Top," she said. "I want you on top of me."

With his cock deep inside her, Jim's hands held her at the back of her neck and and the small of her back as he picked her up and turned her under him. For a moment they were still together. The weight of his hips the back of her thighs. He did have a small pot belly and it rested on her own lower belly. His thick arms were pillars on either side of her. She reached up and stroked them. Then his pectorals.

"Fuck me hard," she said.

Jim smiled and pulled back his hips, ready to slam into her, but he pulled too far and left her. His cock slid up through her pubes when he trust.

"Shit!" he said.

"Hold still," Janice said. She guided Jim's cock back to the opening of Holly's cunt. When he was in, Holly saw her friend pat his ass.

She giggled. "Nice save girlfriend."

Janice kissed her.

Jim pushed in again. He set up a slow, cautious rhythm. As he got his measure, he began fucking Holly more confidently. She closed her eyes and reveled in the feel of it.

Suddenly Jim stopped and stiffened. Janice murmured something to him. It sounded like a question. Holly felt a drop of sweat splash on her face. She did not open her eyes. Instead she wrapped her legs and, as much as they would fit, her arms around the massive man on top of her. The bed creaked as she heard Janice moving around. Then Jim slammed into Holly hard.

"Woof" Holly said. As Jim set up a pounding rhythm, his massive tool she said "T-that's t-the way. F-fuck me l-like that."

She felt him irresistibly fill her and withdraw again and again. Each trust pumping her up higher and higher until Holly felt her body stiffen and her thighs tremble as flashbulbs seemed to go off in her head. "Oh shit that's... that's so fucking good."

Jim kept going. Pumping. Pumping. It didn't take long for it all to build up and happen again—the trembling and flashing lights behind her eyes. Perhaps not as intense as the first time but as good as she could hope for on any day.

Jim was dripping sweat on her but he kept going. His pumping perhaps even a little faster now. Holly felt a small knowing hand on her clitoris, rubbing expertly. She was so far into it that she had to check her own fingers to see if the hand was her own. It wasn't. She turned her head and opened her eyes. Janice was smiling at her.

"You are so beautiful," Janice said.

"Y-you are t-too," Holly said. It was just so so hard conversing with an orgasm pending! "Jan... oh... J-Jim... I'm gonna... I'm gonna—"

"Come baby," Janice said.

"Uh... Yeah," Jim said. "Wuh... What she said."

Holly couldn't help it. She laughed. The trembling of the laughter in her belly set her off. "Oh—sheet!"

"Guh... gonna come," Jim said. He trust into her a final time and stiffened. Holly felt him swell up and then pour into her. She grabbed his ears and pulled his face down to kiss him. The kiss lasted three whole toe curls.

They all lay down together grinning like idiots. Eventually Janice climbed out of the bed. "You two sexual athletes rest while I make us some lunch."

She padded away. Holly watched her best friend's muscular buns feeling that friendship like a warm egg on her belly. Such a good friend.

Janice...

Janice and her talking eyeball dress that opened doors for her...

Holly sat up in the bed.

"Janice! What the fuck! You have got some explaining to do girlfriend."

~~~*~~~

CHAPTER 19

3:30 PM Tuesday, Tyler Memorial Hospital west of Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania

"What we got?" someone female asked.

"Bullet trauma," someone male answered.

"Hunting season come early?"

Taylor cracked open his eyes. From the fluorescent lights and dirty ceiling tiles going by, not to mention the faces peering down at him, he guessed he was in a hospital.

"Where?" the woman asked. She had brown eyebrows and hazel eyes. She was perhaps forty and dressed in an old fashioned nurse uniform.

"From the blood, back entry, no exit wounds," the man said. He was wearing the blue uniform of an ambulance crew with the badge of an EMT. He looked like an ex football player going to fat. "But you know how—"

"Yeah," Taylor said. "Got me twice in the back, lung and kidney, I think."

The woman cocked an eyebrow. "People shot in the kidney don't talk much."

She was right, of course. Taylor should be dead. Or at least near speechless with agony, not talking lucidly with strangers. "You're right. Perhaps I was mistaken."

She took his pulse. "How do you feel?"

"Okay I guess, considering." He did. He felt almost completely normal if tired and sore with a bit of a headache. "May I sit up?"

"If you can."

Taylor swung his legs off the gurney. The woman, who's name tag on her blue scrubs identified her as an ER nurse, looked down at the blood stains on the gurney with wide eyes. She walked around behind Taylor pushed his sweater up his back.

"Is this some kind of joke?" The EMT asked.

"What do you mean?" Taylor turned and looked the other man in the eye.

The other turned his gaze away. "Maybe on you? Some paintball trick?"

"Paintball? Something new?" Had the sport been invented this early? Obviously it had.

"Been around a few years now."

"There's blood but not a mark on you," the nurse said. "Some old scars, no open wounds."

"Well that certainly is odd," Taylor said. "It felt like someone drove an icepick into me with a hammer."

The nurse came back around and put a stethoscope to his chest. Then she took his blood pressure. "Either you were never hurt or you have been miraculously healed. What are you, a vampire or something?"

Taylor smiled. "Would you like to examine my teeth?"

She looked away and blushed. "That won't be necessary."

"I don't like mysteries," the EMT said.

"Is it your job to investigate mysteries?" Taylor asked.

"That's for the cops," The EMT said.

The nurse said "Speaking of which, they will want to talk to you."

"Wouldn't they have sent someone along with me?"