This is a dream, I thought as I stood in the broken rubble of the destroyed buildings. It had to be a dream, I reasoned, because if I was in the waking world I think I would've lost my mind. I was alone and there was a burnt smell in the air that came from somewhere I couldn't find. My skin felt slick with sweat and grit as if I'd been there longer than the two minutes I could remember. In the distance, someone is calling me but I can't see who it is and I can't find them.
Suddenly, a woman I didn't know was standing beside me. She was a little shorter and a lot younger than me with dark hair. The wind blew the cloak she wore so it billowed behind her revealing her naked body. Her skin was golden from the sun, she was slim but not athletic and her breasts were nice and firm.
"I can help," she said.
Her fingers were ice and fire as they trailed down my chest to my center. I was as hard as I'd ever been. I kissed her and pulled her body tight against mine. My hands slid down her back to cup her round ass. As she kissed me, I pressed her against a remaining wall and lifted her so her legs could wrap around me. I moaned as I came.
The orgasm woke me and I found the woman from my dream standing over me in her dark cloaks. She was staring at me and I could feel her fingers on my forehead. I open my mouth to scream but my body was still in spasms from my dream and it came out as an ecstatic grunting.
"Shh," she said quietly, "It's alright, embrace the feeling and it'll pass quicker."
I don't know if it was because I was still half asleep, but I trusted her. I closed my eyes and laid back. The orgasm left me weak, but I was able to calm myself and speak.
"What the hell's going on? Who are you?"
She touched me again and I flinched but the waves of ecstasy didn't return.
"Alex, I need your help." She looked around as if searching for something. "But not here. Get up and pack a bag." When I didn't move fast enough for her liking, she waved her hand and the blanket flew away from me. "Quickly."
"Look, lady, I don't know you so I'm not going anywhere with you. Get out of my house."
"Alex, please, this is important, I promise."
Warm tendrils spread from her hand into my chest and throughout my body. Confused, I wrapped myself in my blanket and walked across the room. In the bathroom, my confusion cleared a little. I took my time going through my morning routine as I thought. I peed, brushed my teeth, and showered slowly trying to process what was happening. Was I being kidnapped?
I got dressed and left the bathroom. The woman was impatiently waiting for me and my suitcase was sitting at her feet. She glared at me.
"It's about time."
"Who the hell are you?"
"Victoria, and we need to leave."
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on." Victoria reached for me, but I pushed her hand away.
"Fine, I'll explain as much as I can, but not here." She looked around again and I could see the worry on her face. "We're 'running out of time, we've got to go."
I wanted to ask more questions but I was starting to feel something, the walls were closing in and my chest was starting to tighten.
"My car's in the garage."
"No, they can track us that way. We need to jump. It's dangerous, but they're too close for anything else."
She slipped her arms around me. "I've never done this with an Unconnected before. Put your arms around me, and hold on tight. It'd also help if you opened yourself up to my Energy. Hopefully, the connection between us will be enough."
"What are we doing," I asked as I held her.
The warm sensation from her hand returned and I began to relax. I thought I was still dreaming because I was normally much more cautious.
"I smell cut grass, am I having a stroke?"
"Maybe, or it may mean you're opening up to me. Let's hope it's not the stroke." Before I could reply, she said something in a language I didn't understand and light exploded behind my eyes causing my knees to buckle.
*****
I was back in the destroyed city, I was alone again, but I felt pulled by an unseen force. I couldn't tell what it wanted me to do, but I wanted to follow where it told me to go. I heard a noise behind me, but before I could see what made the sound I woke up.
*****
I woke up, still in my clothes, but on an unfamiliar bed with sunlight streaming through the window. I must have slept for hours if the sun's already up, I thought. As I glanced around I assumed I was in Victoria's house because nothing looked familiar. The room was nice, the bed comfortable, but I felt like I was in a guest room.
The bathroom was typical. A medicine cabinet above the sink, a toilet, and a stand-up shower. I looked back at the bedroom and saw my suitcase near the door. I looked through it and saw my clothes and toiletries. Looks like she expects me to stay awhile, I thought.
I left the suitcase on the bed as I looked out the window. We were on the side of a mountain. Below us, in the valley, I could see fields, a forest, and a lake, but nothing to tell me where I was. The hallway walls were covered in photos.
At first, I didn't recognize anyone in the photos then I found a few photos of me at various family celebrations. Was she a stalker? In the living room, my eyes fell upon a picture hanging over the mantle. It was a large portrait of a Roman guard, his wife, and a very young Victoria. Nothing was making sense and the more I found the less I knew.
My stomach growled as I entered the kitchen and I decided to ignore everything else in favor of a basic human need, food. A quick search through the cupboards and the fridge provided me with some nice ingredients I could use to make a nice breakfast.
I looked around as Victoria entered. Unlike me, she'd changed. Her dark clothes were gone and surprisingly she was in a vibrant blue nightie that clung to her curves. Suddenly I was hungry for something more than what I was cooking.
"Mmm smells good," she said drawing in a deep breath. "It's been a long time since I've had anyone cook for me." I nodded not trusting myself to speak. "Just so you know, we're safe. I've got the wards up and I don't feel anyone followed us." I had no clue what she was talking about. "I mean, I did back at your house. It was vague, and coming closer, but we jumped and no one could've tracked us through a jump. And I'm sorry about the side effects, I've never jumped with an Unconnected before. I know it's dangerous, but not as dangerous as what was coming. We had to risk it because they were getting closer. It was the fastest way out, and but we made it so I guess that's all that matters, you get that right?" I stared at her for a long moment and she started twitching. "Jesus, are you going to say anything?"
"What'd you want me to say? You show up looking like some kind of commando and now you're sitting there looking like a fantasy. So, I don't know what you want me to say, but I don't know you. We've never met and you keep talking about things I don't understand. And I don't have a clue what's going on or what to ask."
She poured herself a cup of coffee and as she passed me I could smell her body wash. She smelled warm sweet vanilla. I watched the muscles in her rear as she stepped to the table sitting down. "What'd you want to know?"