La Belle Ile En Mere

Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All characters in sexual situations are 18 or older. Thanks for reading!

How odd that only minutes ago, Constance had pointed her pistol at her own head. Now, she could taste escape. She put her shoulder to the wall and fired at the hinges at an angle she hoped would limit the chance of a dangerous ricochet. She emptied her clip. Her husband screamed in the background. She glanced at him. The humanoid creatures were swarming him.

Ernest was slowly rising to his feet. The bearish creature spun toward Constance and grunted out what seemed like surprise. It charged her.

No time to reload. She yanked on the door. The hinges were deformed, but her hollow-point bullets hadn't done enough damage. "Shit." She looked over her shoulder. The bear wasn't fast, but it carried a ton of mass. It was within fifteen feet. She pointed the pistol at her own head and pulled the trigger.

Constance blinked. She was still alive! She'd emptied the clip at the door.

"Okay, big guy. You want me?" Constance stepped out into the hall, keeping herself between the bear and the service stairway door. "Come and get it."

I really need a red cape to try this.

Constance waited until the last second then feinted left and leapt right. The creature tried to stop, but its mass carried it right into the door. There was a loud crash, and the door popped off the wall, landing on the bear.

As she hopped over the door and creature, landing in the stairwell, she paused to look back at her husband. She couldn't see him.

Was this goodbye?

She sprinted up the stairs, taking three at a time. She had somehow cheated death and prayed the trend would continue. Her hemmed skirts flapped behind her as she fled. The only point against her miraculous escape was that she hadn't been wearing that red cape.

~~

It only took about eight floors for George to grasp that his sister wasn't up for the climb ahead of them. They sprinted the first few flights and then slowed. They were both huffing and puffing. The siblings continued at a jog, George finding a nice, steady rhythm with his breathing. But Lillian's face was bright red, her eyes were wide with panic, and she was nearly hyperventilating. They had just passed floor one hundred thirteen, when Lillian stopped and threw up.

"I ... can't ... I ... just ... can't." Lillian threw up again. She was grateful that her hair was still pinned in place. "And I have to ... pee."

"Lillian ... we're running for our lives." George looked back down the stairway. He didn't hear anyone following, but he could guess they weren't too far behind.

"I ... will pee in my skirts ... otherwise." Lillian was still struggling to catch her breath.

"Okay, there's a bathroom ... right there. But be very, very fast." George knew she needed a break regardless. He watched her run off toward the bathroom. "Océane, open a line to Constance Haversham." He looked at the bank of elevators. They were all powered down and didn't show which floors the lifts were currently on.

"The line is open," Océane said.

"Mrs. Haversham, are you alive?" George grit his teeth, praying there would be an answer. He held his breath.

"Just ... barely ... alive." Constance said. "I'm ... climbing ... right now."

"Thank gods." George exhaled. "We're going to take the elevator. Where are you?"

"One ... twenty-one." Constance paused. She could definitely hear the clatter of boney feet on metal stairs somewhere below her. They were coming. She reloaded her pistol.

"Meet us at the elevators on one-twenty-one. We'll pick you up on our way up," George said.

"Confirmed." Constance pushed through the door into the hall of floor one hundred twenty-one. She found that it was themed tan and brown, with painted palm trees along the walls and a mural of the Amazon desert on the ceiling. That seemed an ill omen to her, but that didn't matter. She sped down the long hallway to meet them at the elevators.

Eight floors below Constance, George waved his sister over as she exited the bathroom. There was still no sign of pursuers, but once they used the elevators, everyone would know where they were. He messaged his mother to tell her to get ready to meet them. He checked on Kapnos, but still she hadn't responded to his messages. He then instructed Océane on what to do next.

~~

Fury and abject terror occupied equal parts of Roy's mind. He didn't know which caused his body to quake. Maybe both. He was stuck in an elevator lift with two creatures and the undead Ernest Zaal. Roy could clearly see the bullet holes in the man's torn jacket and the black splotches that leaked from each mark. But Ernest stood like a man alive nonetheless.

When the power had gone out, the emergency lighting had flickered on. Roy hadn't been paying attention to where they'd stopped. One of the creatures tried to pry the doors open, but it had little success. Ernest and the other creature stood quietly and watched the doors. Roy stayed laconic himself, planning.

Roy's pistol was in Ernest's pocket. Roy could see the outline of the thing. If he could get it, he could finish Ernest off for good. And maybe take out those creatures, too. At close quarters, he'd be able to stick the barrel of the gun right up to their eyes. His nostrils flared as he readied himself for action. That smell. His horrific companions had such an odd scent. It was clear in the cramped lift compartment. They smelled like ... a brandy hot toddy.

Cinnamon ... the fuckers smell like cinnamon.

Just as Roy was about to move his trembling hands toward Ernest, the lift lurched. The power had returned, and they were descending again. The creature that had been trying the doors turned and backed Roy into a corner. His opportunity vanished. He'd have to wait and see what waited for him at the bottom of the tower.

~~

"Okay, no more running. I hope this works." George hit the button for one hundred twenty-one, and the doors slowly closed. The hum of the elevator as it ascended was oddly comforting.

"Thank you for doing this, Georgie. I wasn't going to make it." Lillian hugged her brother tightly, burying her face into his shirt. Not long ago, she would have curled her mouth in disgust at the scent of sweat that permeated him. Now she smiled. It was manly and reassuring.

The elevator stopped at one hundred twenty-one. The hiss of a pistol greeted their ears the second the doors opened. George pushed his sister behind him, pulled his pistol, and stuck his head out. Constance was a few feet away in her dueling stance, shooting at two ivory, humanoid creatures as they approached. The creatures were about twenty yards away and closing. George leaned his arm out of the elevator and opened fire. "Get in."

Constance looked over her shoulder at the Zaals. Despite the situation, a stupid grin took over her face. "You never cease ... Mr. Zaal." She leapt into the elevator. George pressed the button for one hundred fifty-four and pulled his arm back in.

"The doors are certainly ... taking their time." Constance trained her pistol on the open lift doorway. George did the same.

"Océane?" But even as George said it. The doors began sliding closed. He sighed with relief. Just then, boney fingers appeared in the disappearing gap, but they didn't make it far enough to trigger the doors to reopen. George didn't fire. He didn't have to. The doors closed. They heard a metallic scrape as the creature clawed at the outside of the door. The elevator ascended again.

"That was close." Constance kissed George on the cheek. "Oh, gross, you're all sweaty." She giggled.

George laughed maybe a tad too loudly. He was so relieved. Not long ago, he'd thought she was dead for sure. Now he was looking into her pale green eyes.

Lillian glanced between the tennis pro and her brother. They were grinning at each other like idiots. Almost dying did strange things to people. She hugged George again protectively as the elevator sped upward. "Will Mom be ready for us?"

"Yes." George nodded. "Océane, are any of the other elevators moving?"

"The second lift has descended to the first floor," Oceane said. "The fourth lift has stopped on one hundred thirteen."

"They're coming after us." George's smile faded.

"If we get to the top first, can't we cut the power with those creatures still in the lift?" Lillian looked up at her brother with wide eyes.

"Yes." George nodded.

"The second lift ... um ... do you know if my husband is on it?" Constance's smile vanished, too.

"Yes, we think so." George nodded.

"They're taking him to the Newest Guest?" Constance paled at the thought. That's what they'd wanted to do to her.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Haversham." George didn't know what else to say. Whatever awaited Roy at the bottom, it was worse than he deserved.

The elevator slowed to a stop. The doors opened. Anna squealed the second she caught sight of her children. The moment the doors were wide enough, she rushed in and hugged them both to her bosom. "My gods ... my gods ... I feared the worst ... but you're okay."

While the Zaals were basking in good feelings, Constance hit the button for the suites at the top of the tower. The doors were slow to close again, so she hit the button again and again, finally breathing a sigh of relief when they shut. She looked at Anna, who was holding her son's face in two hands and planting kisses all over him. Was it maternal ... or something more lusty? It looked like a mother's genuine affection. Her pulse sped up as she watched them.

George caught Constance's prying eyes on them, and he gently grasped his mother's shoulders, holding her at arm's length. "Are you alright, Mom?"

"Yes." Anna nodded. She wasn't all right, but at least they were together. "What's next?"

"Nossy went to the top of the tower. She's had do-not-disturb turned on ever since. I suppose we'll be ready for anything when we get there." George checked his pistol. "I'm running low on ammo."

"Here." Anna tore buttons off her bodice and handed them to her son. The bodice opened and exposed ample cleavage and her bra, but it didn't bother her as it should have.

"Thank you." George put the buttons into the cartridge and readied himself for their arrival at the top. "Océane, the second the doors open, cut the power to the elevators. Where is the fourth lift?"

"The fourth lift is ascending. It just passed floor one hundred sixty," Océane said.

"Okay. Good." George could feel their lift slowing down. It passed one hundred ninety. They'd have time. With a gentle chime, the lift arrived and they stepped out into the familiar hall outside the suites.

"Cutting power. Lift four stopped at floor one hundred eighty-five just before I cut power. The doors are open," Océane said.

They quickly entered the suites, Constance and George in the lead. There was no one there but Océane's cleaning robots. The humanoid machines were repairing the boardwalk, which had been torn apart. Also, oddly, the lagoon was empty of water. They did a quick check of the rooms, but no one was there. "Where's Nossy?" George went back to the main doors, closed them, and began reconstructing their barricade.

"Um ... who's Nossy?" Lillian helped her brother push a large desk into place.

"It's a nickname your brother has for Mrs. Valentine." Anna pointed to a spool of air hose and five EV suits that a janitor had placed near the Japanese restaurant. "What are those doing here?"

"Océane? What's with the suits and hose?" Constance leaned against the completed barricade. She needed a shower and a change of clothes.

"The Oldest Guest left those." Océane's tone hinted that she had something more to say.

"Um ... okay. Be a good computer, Océane, and tell me where the Oldest Guest is." George ran his hand through his hair.

"I will ping the Oldest Guest and see if there is a response," Océane said.

~~

The ping came up as a silent notification on Kapnos's screen. She was still in the lifeboat, vacillating on what to do. When she saw that the ping had come from the suites, her decision was made for her. Her friends had survived and returned. She had wasted so much time deciding that she no longer had to come to a decision. She opened a channel to George right away. His face instantly filled the screen.

"You're alive!" He said.

"So are you!" Kapnos could see his mother, sister, and Constance in the background. "Thank Jupiter!"

"We're back. Where are you?" He squinted and studied her background. "Are you on a ship?"

"Your father gave me the location of the eye in Morse code. I drowned the creatures I found in the lagoon and retrieved the eye. I've been readying the lifeboat for flight." Happiness flooded through every part of her being.

We're leaving together. I'll have many more years with George and his family.

"I'm only three floors below you. Get down here and we'll leave. I ..." She could hear the hallway door open out in the hotelier's office. A second later, a distinct snarl filled her ears. "They're here! They've found me. Your father must have told them."

"Launch, Nossy!" The words were out of his mouth before his mind could puzzle out the consequences of his actions.

"Are you sure?" Kapnos whispered. She peered down the hallway that connected her ship to the office. There was a horrific, ivory face peering back at her. The face was human only in so much as it was built of human parts. She saw metatarsals and vertebrae surrounding two brown eyes. She hit the launch button, and the doors hissed closed in a nanosecond. There was a metallic clank that shook the ship, and then gravity shifted to the side as the ship thrusted away from the dock. She fell across the cabin and hit the wall. Then the thrust fired from the back of the ship, and she was hurled toward the bunk, catching one of the seats and dangling in mid-air.

"Nossy? Nossy? Are you safely away? Did the creature get in?" Anna nibbled on her gloved fingers in fright. She could see their friend hanging on for dear life. And then, Kapnos was weightless and floating before them.

"I'm okay." Kapnos pushed off from the seat and glided to the pilot's seat. She strapped herself in this time. I'm going to find an empty dock and pick you all up."

"George." Constance tugged at George's ragged sleeve. He didn't respond. He was clearly thinking things through. "George, the creatures are only three floors down. We need to vacuum seal a floor below us ... keep them from getting here. If they get here, our barricade won't hold forever."

"Mrs. Haversham is right." Anna nodded. She would have wondered at this woman using her son's given name, but her mind was otherwise occupied.

"Océane, enable fire suppression on floor two hundred two." George slumped against the barricade. "Those fuckers won't be able to get through that."

"Language, George." Anna frowned at him.

"But we've got a big problem now." George didn't even bother to respond to the ridiculousness of her reprimand. He'd earned a curse word or two. "All the docks are below us. We're sealed up here with no way to get to Nossy." George suddenly felt exhausted. All his limbs pulled at him like lead. "Nossy, are you there?"

"Yes." Kapnos nodded into the screen. Her poor George looked dreadful.

"Stick around, okay? We're going to figure this out," George said.

"Am I safe here?" Kapnos looked around. There were bulbs of water and packets of food behind a translucent cabinet door. She would have sustenance.

But what of the Newest Guest?

"Yes. The hotel doesn't have any weapons. Unless you count fusion reactors." That brought on another thought. He needed the hotelier's computer to blow the reactors. Now there was no way to stop the hotel from reaching Earth.

~~

Temporarily safe and with no pressing tasks, the survivors set about resting and refreshing themselves. Constance retired first to her room, showered, and slipped into bed. She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Lillian headed to her room next. She had pushed herself hard after the autodoc had mended her. Her body felt like it had been run over by one of those bear-like creatures. She didn't even bother showering. Instead, she fell asleep on top of the covers.

That left mother and son, and the repair robots, out in the vandalized, waterless lagoon.

"Come back to my room, sunshine. Let me see to your injuries." Anna took his hand in her gloved hand and held it up. She clucked at the abrasions she found on his knuckles.

"I'm fine, Mom." George had to admit that he was somewhat the worse for wear. His body was depleted, and he could feel the sting and ache of minor cuts and bruises all over.

"Of course, of course." Anna pulled him by the hand toward her room. "You saved your sister. You saved us all ...

again!

You're a big hero. I'm sure you're fine. But let me mother you." She smiled sweetly at him over her shoulder. "Heros need mothers, too."

"Yes ... they do." Warmth spread through George. They were together again, and they were safe. At least for the moment. They entered the familiar room where they'd spent hours locked together as one. George stood as his mother undressed him.

"My gosh, you're beat up." Anna spoke with a hushed voice. She inspected a particularly bad bruise on his leg. "What happened here?" She continued to undress him.

"Something grabbed me when we couldn't see. I killed it." George shrugged.

"And you carried your sister with this bad leg?" Anna couldn't help but notice that his thing wasn't hard. That was so unusual for him. His long, heavy penis dangled between his legs. It looked peaceful in its current state.

"It's not that bad." George eyed the bruise. It did look ugly.

"You should have let the autodoc fix you up." Anna went to the bathroom and soaked all the hand towels in frigid water.

"It looks worse than it is." George stood naked, waiting for his mother.

"Well, even so, let me take care of you." Anna bustled back into the room with an armful of sopping towels. "Lie down on the bed." When he'd done as she asked, she bent over him and began cleaning his cuts and applying cold compresses to his bruises. When she worked her way up to his face, she couldn't help but give him a peck on the lips. "What a brave young man you are." She looked down at his soft penis. "I was wondering if you'd want me to take care of your needs with my hands and mouth. Would you like that?" She glanced at his face. His eyes were closed. "Georgie?"

George let out a small, soft snore.

"Yes, of course." Anna finished caring for his wounds. "You need your rest to heal up." When she was done working as a nurse, she undressed herself, showered, and crawled into bed naked. She scooted up close to him and draped her leg over his, careful not to touch any of his injuries. She lifted her breasts to get them comfortably pressing against his lean side, and then placed her arm over his chest. "I'll rest with you, if you don't mind."

George didn't respond. He was sleeping peacefully.

Anna tried to focus on the return of her children. But thoughts of her husband intruded. She wondered what Ernest was doing at that moment. Clearly, he had retained part of himself despite what had happened to him. He had helped them find the eye. Maybe there was still hope. That thought left an emptiness inside her. Some women married the perfect man only to find out years later that they were wedded to a monster. Anna had married Ernest understanding that he wasn't perfect, but he was blessedly good enough. Her mind struggled to accept that he'd become an honest-to-goodness monster. She sighed, squeezed her son, and tried to get some sleep.