Tickety Tock, page 4
I don’t ask the question out loud. I’ve already guessed Dwarf doesn’t think much of me. Well, I did cause him to crash his bike. He has no reason to look kindly on me.
“Why you stopped?” he grunts.
To cover my unanswerable queries about the powers of the supernatural, I ask my own question. “You ever met a prepper?”
Taken by surprise, his brow scrunches. “Prepper? Know of them. Seen some of them. But met one of them? Nah, not as I remember.”
“Well, I lived with one. When I was young.” I move into the kitchen, kick the rug to one side, and grab the handle of the trap door.
His gun once again appears in his hand like a magician’s trick. “What the fuck’s down there?”
“Down there,” I tell him, with a quirk of my lips, “is my grandaddy’s lair.” I grimace slightly, remembering it doesn’t belong to Grandaddy anymore. “Well, it was.”
Pushing me aside, he demonstrates his manly muscles by pulling up the hatch, then eyes the stairs going downward. “Got a flashlight, doll?”
Doll? That’s a new one. Maybe it goes along with the spark of interest in his eyes. What is it about men that something secret intrigues them? Instead of answering, I go to a drawer and get out the requested item. Astonishingly, given the time since it was last used, it still works.
Flashlight held in his teeth, one hand on the wall to balance him on his wrecked ankle, Dwarf slowly descends the stairs. I don’t have long to wait before I hear the shouted question.
“What’s the combination?”
Rolling my eyes, me holding that information was the reason I intended to go down first, but I have no hesitation letting him know. It was my grandmother’s birthdate. “One-zero-one-one-four-one,” I shout back to him, and add helpfully, “There’s a light switch to your right as you enter.”
A gust of wind blows up, knocking a branch against the kitchen window. Logically, I understand the sound, but that’s enough to again stretch my nerves to the breaking point. I shiver and run down the stairs after him.
“What the fuck you doing? I was going to check it out.”
“Here’s the safest place in the cabin,” I explain, shooting a cautious look behind me. “No one can get in unless they know the code.”
“Which you’ve just given me.” He snorts.
I don’t bother explaining, as I don’t intend to hold on to this cabin for long, security doesn’t matter to me. Pushing past him, I flick on lights as I descend the sloping path into the depths of the extended cellar, heading for the room that I want.
Dwarf follows behind me, soft exclamations letting me know his surprise at what my grandfather constructed. He pulls off into a kitchen and opens the cupboards.
“Haven’t seen this many MREs since I was serving.” He takes one out and looks at it.
I grimace. “They’re probably well out of date, but there might be something in the tins which are still edible.”
“As these weren’t particularly edible when they were fresh, I doubt time will make much of a difference.” He chuckles, and glances around. “How long has it been since your grandaddy was here?”
“He moved to a residential home five years ago,” I tell him, a wave of sadness washing over me as I remember the old man who’d been more of a father than grandfather. When I’d found out and had gone to see him, he was only a shadow of the man he’d once been. It wasn’t only his body but his mind that had given up on him. He hadn’t recognised me, and I barely recognised him.
Dwarf’s eyeing the microwave. “Power come from the generator?”
“No. From solar panels. Grandaddy updated his refuge. Didn’t much care about modernising the cabin above though.”
“To hide this was under here?”
I shrug. “He spent more time down here than in the cabin. Anyway, come.” I lead him along the corridor and into the room at the end.
His eyes widen seeing the chemical toilet and rudimentary shower. “I can see why. It’s got better facilities.” When I open a cupboard, he exclaims, “Well fuck me.”
Again, I raise and lower my shoulders. “He was prepared for any eventuality.” I delve into the medical cupboard and take out a box of painkillers. “How long past their use by date do you think these are good for?” I eye them dubiously.
“Don’t fuckin’ know, babe.” He reaches past me, grabbing a roll of crepe bandage. “But this is what interests me.” Immediately, he sits himself on the commode and starts to wrap his ankle tightly. Once he’s finished, he gingerly tries to stand on both feet, and gives a grin. “That’s better.” He sighs with relief. “Some support was all I needed.” His eyes sharpen. “Got disinfectant in there?”
When I bring it out, he motions me to take his makeshift seat, and grabs some cotton balls as well. Then he sinks to his knees, places one of my feet in his lap, and proceeds to clean my injuries.
I hiss as it stings and try my hardest not to pull away. He holds onto one foot firmly, doing what he needs to. Then he moves onto the next.
Frowning, he informs me, “You’re going to be sore for a while.”
Tell me something I don’t know, why don’t you?
After he searches for and finds an antiseptic cream and has applied it gently, he looks up into my eyes. “Fuck, Raven. I don’t know how you kept moving when your feet were cut up so badly.”
Terror, I reply, but only in my head.
But just my expression is all he needs. “Something really scared you, huh?”
Yes. Something had really scared me. Had made me run for my life which I almost ended up losing as I ran into his bike.
As if he can read my mind, his jaw clenches. He shakes his head. “You’re lucky I didn’t fuckin’ kill you.”
I know I could have just as easily have killed him. If he’d been going faster, if he hadn’t seen me, if…
I close my eyes and force myself to breathe. There’s no point considering what could have happened. All I’ve got is a bruised elbow and sore feet, and his ankle is sprained, not broken. That’s something to be thankful for at least.
Suddenly, he yawns widely. It’s infectious, and soon I’m trying to stifle one of my own. He regards me carefully. “Not much we can do until daylight, babe. Why don’t we try and get some sleep?” He glances toward the corridor. “Grandaddy got a bedroom down here?”
I shudder. “Yes, but it’s not where I can stay.” At his cocked eyebrow, I explain, “Claustrophobia. Grandaddy always tried to get me to stay with him, but I couldn’t… it’s okay for a short time, but if I try to relax, all I can think of are the walls closing in, and how we could be trapped down here for days.”
One side of his mouth turns up. “Isn’t that the point, babe? That you could live here for days, weeks, months?”
The thought doesn’t fill me with any pleasure. “I don’t think I’d be able to survive that long without going out of my mind.”
He considers my words, then raises his chin. “Let me use the facilities, have a quick look around to satisfy my curiosity, then we’ll go upstairs and get our heads down.”
As he shoos me out then closes the door to the bathroom to give himself privacy, I glance around, considering my options. Here seems to be an oasis, unlike the building above ground. Would I be able to overcome my nerves and stay down here to sleep? But though going back to the bed I was so rudely awoken from holds little desire, I can already feel my palms beginning to sweat, and know my breathing is getting shallow. If I don’t get out of here soon, I know the signs. I’ll have a panic attack.
Dwarf said he’d come with me. Maybe a man like him will keep even the ghosts away. In life, he’d have been enough to scare my daddy.
Propping myself against the wall, I rest my head into my hands. I’ve been running on adrenaline since I jerked awake from sleep. My feet throb, my eyes feel sore, and I know I’m just running on fumes. He’s right, there’s nothing we can do until morning, and the cabin’s the only place we can use unless I want to brave a night under the trees.
Dwarf will keep me safe.
I don’t know why, but I’m sure of it. I may have only just met him, but he’s got that air about him. I sense he’s a dangerous man, but none of that’s been directed at me, even though I caused him to crash his bike. Sure, he was angry when it had first happened, but he seems to have moved on. I sense he’s a good man to have on my side, and while I’m uncertain the effect bullets would have on someone who’s already crossed over to the other side, I believe he’d do his best to protect me.
Once he reappears shaking water off his hands, I indulge his curiosity. I let him explore, taking a moment to explain the water filtration and ventilation systems, or at least as much as I remembered being told as a young girl. When he opens the door to the final room, I crash into his back as he stops quickly.
“It’s a fuckin’ shortwave radio.” He claps his hand to his forehead. “Should have fuckin’ thought about that in the first place. Of course, Grandaddy would have had a way to communicate.”
I hadn’t remembered it myself. My heart leaps. We can summon help for him and a taxi for me and get out of this place.
As he eagerly steps forward, flicking switches, I watch in anticipation. But to his obvious disgust, and my disappointment, the radio stays dead.
“Fuck it!” He slams his hand down on the desk and starts checking the power leads. He opens the cupboard underneath and then swears again.
“Fuckin’ rodents have made a nest.” He shines the flashlight so that I can look. “Chewed right through the wires, see?”
I do. There’s a big battery underneath the old-fashioned radio, and even to me, it’s clear the terminals are corroded. Slumping against the wall, I feel my burst of optimism leave.
He stares in, picking up one wire then the next. He rubs at his eyes and shakes his head. “Fuck, I’m too tired to focus tonight, but maybe I can fix this in the morning.”
“You can fix it?”
He gives me a cocky grin. “Baby, I’m a Marine. I can fix anything.”
A useful man to have around indeed, I think to myself. But I’m impatient. “You can’t do anything now?”
Easing himself out and to his feet, he shakes his head. “I’ve been riding for hours. I’m beat.” He waves his hands around. “I’m sure your grandaddy’s got tools somewhere, but we’re going to have to search them out. I’m gonna need to concentrate if I’m to get this thing working and not fuck it up. I’ll be better after a couple of hours of downtime.” He looks at the devastation on my face. “Raven, I’m not going to leave you alone. There’s nothing in the cabin, I’ve already checked, and in any event, I’ll keep my gun close to me. The only things here are the ghosts that haunted your sleep.”
Only, he hasn’t a clue. “It wasn’t a nightmare,” I say through gritted teeth.
He doesn’t believe me. Physically, he turns me around and pushes me into the corridor. “Let me recharge my batteries then we’ll get out of here. Okay?”
Chapter Five
Dwarf
Whatever scared her out of the cabin tonight is still lurking in her head. Actually, I’m certain it’s always been in her mind.
I’m sure the cabin will be safe enough. There was no sign of a physical intruder when I checked it out—no noticeable footsteps other than hers, and nothing looking out of place or disturbed. Though she’s clearly loathe to go back to bed, I’m convinced that with me with her, both of us will get some rest.
I do get she doesn’t want to sleep in this dugout. While being under the earth wouldn’t bother me, I have a similar dislike for submarines. I can swim like a fish, but none of that’s any good at the depths they go under the sea. I’d only had to experience it once but being under the water severely fucked with my head. So, yeah, I can understand how she feels. Claustrophobia’s a bugger when it hits.
My ankle, while better now with the support on it, still throbs to the extent I optimistically take a couple of the out-of-date painkillers, knowing they won’t kill me, just might not do anything to counteract the ache. Then I lead the way up out of the bunker that I’m fucking impressed Raven’s grandfather had built. It was a serious endeavour, and I suspect his life’s work. From what I’d seen, I’d like to have met him. He probably was an interesting, if obsessed, dude.
Raven might not have liked being underground, but her tension seems to grow worse when we emerge into the cabin again. With my hand to the small of her back, I encourage her forward, snagging a second flashlight from the drawer as we pass. She’d already explained it would be prudent to turn off the generator, else there was a danger we’d run out of gas.
Not for the first time, I wonder what had brought her to this cabin. If I wasn’t dead on my feet, maybe I’d have asked her, but it seems irrelevant at this point. We’re both trapped here. Plenty of time to salve my curiosity when we get out.
Although strapping my ankle had made me able to walk a little easier, the rest of my body needs sleep. The early start this morning, the draining time spent with Miles, and then that nightmare journey, I’ve nothing in reserve to give.
That radio is going to be a bugger to fix, and I’ll need all my wits about me. But after silence descends as we turn off the thump and grind of the generator, I feel happier than I had earlier. I won’t let that radio defeat me, and once it’s working, then help will soon be on its way. Right now, I’d even kiss Bonk if he appeared in front of me.
My fears of being trapped in this isolated spot, unable even to walk out due to my injury, somewhat appeased as I walk up the stairs beside Raven, I allow myself to analyse the rest of my pains. Fighting to keep the bike upright had pulled at a range of muscles that weren’t used to being used for that reason. My back, shoulders and chest all ache.
A good sleep, and then awakening refreshed for the new day is just what the doctor ordered. I’m looking forward to getting my head down.
Raven’s steps start to drag as we approach the room where her sleeping bag is. Her need for more rest is obvious, but her reluctance to close her eyes is palpable.
As we enter the doorway, I pull her into my arms, unable not to notice how well she fits there. She’s a couple of inches shorter than myself. In heels, she’d possibly be taller. But being a short shit myself, I’m used to girls towering over me. She’s slight, but soft with curves in proportion to her figure.
My cock twitches and I tell him to back down. It’s only that I was so focused on using a sweet butt when I’d returned to the club that it now senses a target. Raven might be female, but I doubt she’d be willing. I know my drawbacks and that I’m not the most desirable man on the planet. For some reason, most women like someone they can look up to. A protector in their eyes is someone they can shelter under. Time after time, I’ve been passed over in favour of my brothers who stand over six feet tall.
They overlook that I might have other things to offer. I may not have the height, but I’ve big feet and hands, and a cock which doesn’t fail to deliver.
Not that Raven will see that tonight. Though mores the pity. If I overlook that I’m not sure whether all’s right in her head, she’s really quite attractive.
Maybe I can persuade her sex is a good stress reliever? Nah, citizen women want more than a casual fuck. She’d probably be looking for a happy ever after, and there’s no way I could even consider giving this unbalanced woman that.
She wrecked my bike for starters.
I slide out of my cut, glance around, and finding nothing better on offer, drape it carefully on top of her open suitcase.
Raven’s standing, unsure what to do with herself.
I decide she could do with direction. “Get into your sleeping bag.”
“You staying here?” Her voice seems to wobble.
I search her face, but the worry seems more that I’d leave her, not that a strange man would be sleeping in the same bed.
“I’ll be here. Along with my gun.” And knife, but of that I don’t enlighten her. Looking down at the useless phone that’s still by the bed, I notice it’s four a.m. The late hour seems to make me feel even more tired, and I want nothing more than to get some shut-eye.
She glances to the bed, then back at me. By the flashlight, her face looks haunted. “Will you… will you hold me?”
As long as she doesn’t mind my dick poking into her. “I can do that, sweetheart.”
My assurance seems to get her moving at last. Without undressing, and who can blame her, she slides into the sleeping bag. Without further ado and only removing my boots, I slide on the mattress behind her. It’s not the best place I’ve ever prepared to sleep, but certainly not the worst either.
I fidget as I find the best place to evade the lumps and broken springs. Then I put my arm over her, pulling her to me. A quite unpleasant, musty smell fills my nostrils, so I try to concentrate on the womanly smells coming from her. Those, in contrast, are more than palatable.
“Relax, I’m here. I’m not leaving you.” She’s still too tense. I slow my breathing, hoping she’ll pick up my cue and follow. It takes more than a moment, but slowly it starts to work. Gradually, she synchronises the movement of her lungs to my own. I wait until she goes lax in my arms and only then allow my body to fall limp. I have a few minutes where my brain can’t keep hold of any thought, then know no more as I fall fast asleep.
“Tickety tock. Tickety, tickety tock. Come to Daddy.”
What the fuck? I come awake like a shot, my hand reaching out for my gun. I blink my eyes in the darkness.
I’ve had a dream. Inwardly, I snort. Raven’s fear must be catching. I close my eyes and force my body to relax once again.
Until I hear a whisper, “Tickety tock. Time’s running out. Don’t make Daddy come to find you.”
I inhale sharply. I’m wide awake. I hadn’t dropped back to sleep. Had I? I pinch myself to make sure.
“Tickety tock!”
