Into Winter

Chapter 4-1

Chapter 4

Sean followed the girls, giving them directions from time to time, then he took point for nearly two hours. They meandered around old buildings overgrown with brush. It seemed like there was no one around and the walking was easy much of the way, but they were not concealed very well. They would be readily spotted, should they wander upon someone.

“Sean has a nice ass,” Kim whispered to Brenda.

“Yeah, I can’t stop staring either. Moreover, he’s not bad looking. Maybe not as good looking as Robbie, but I wouldn’t mind crawling into bed with him.”

Kim giggled. “That’s what I was thinking. It’s been a while since I’ve been with a man and I’m getting downright horny.”

“I doubt he’s had a woman since he’s been here,” Brenda added. “You know they don’t do much but work after they’re castrated. Maybe he’s about ready for a little one on one.”

“Or two-on-one,” Kim said, turning around with a sly smile on her face and giving Brenda a wink.

Sean kept glancing back at the girls. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but their constant giggling piqued his curiosity.

Sean spotted some larger trees and dense brush and led the girls in that direction. “We should make camp here and get our clothes dried out. The wet shoes are going to give us blisters and we have a long way to go. It’s going to get chilly tonight and being wet will make us even colder. I don’t think we can risk building a fire.”

Sean led the girls into a clump of trees and brush. “I think this is good enough.” He looked around. “No one could see us in here even if they walk right by us.”

Sean sat on the ground, removed his shoes and socks, and hung them on a tree limb. He took his shirt off next and draped it over another branch.

The girls looked at each other, then followed Sean’s lead, first with their shoes, then their tops.

Sean pretended to not look when they took their bras off, but he couldn’t help himself. He tried to contain his smile when the girls removed their jeans.

Sean turned away so they wouldn’t see him drooling, but they did see him.

Kim smiled. “Take a good look, Sean. We don’t care. The human body is probably the most beautiful thing on this planet, and there are a lot of wonderful things.”

Kim stepped over to Sean and touched his arm. “Turn around.” Sean turned back and gazed into Kim’s smiling face. “It’s okay,” and she kissed him on the forehead. “We’re going to get to know each other probably more than we should over the next couple weeks. We’ll be peeing and pooping, bathing I hope, and there is nothing to be bashful or ashamed about.”

Sean relaxed a bit, but the flush returned when he took his underwear off. He covered himself and sat down on the ground. The girls joined him forming a circle, all totally nude as the sun slowly crept toward the horizon. The girls didn’t try to conceal their breasts and Sean tried not to stare, but he couldn’t help but get a good look. He’d never seen such a beautiful sight.

Sean changed the subject to help him not gawk at the girls. “We can do without food for days, but we’ll need water. Tomorrow is going to be difficult. We need to find a freshwater source and something to carry it in.”

“I’m already hungry and thirsty,” Brenda said.

Sean nodded. “It’ll get worse. There was no food on the boat. We always boiled a few shrimp or grilled fish. You didn’t give me a choice, but why didn’t you bring food?”

Kim shrugged her shoulders. “I guess we thought you’d take care of us once we found you.”

An hour later, their clothes were dry, but their shoes would take the rest of the evening and night at least. They got up and dressed. Sean watched as the girls put their clothes back on, taking another good look at their bodies before they were covered.

After the girls finished dressing, his mind, however, could still see them as they were before and he couldn’t help smiling every time he looked at them. Their beauty burned into his memory and teased his manhood.

Sean eventually snapped out of his dream and pulled some weeds to make the best bed he could under the circumstances. They then huddled together, Sean in the middle, Brenda in front of him, and Kim against his back with her arms wrapped around him.

The girls squirmed for a little while and he could hear them giggling as they tried to get comfortable. They soon drifted off to sleep.

Sean felt a tug on his leg and raised up to see what was happening.

“You little bastard! You thought you could kill me and get away with it?”

“Sonny!”

“I’m not so easy to drown,” he growled. “I’ve got you now and you’re gonna pay. And you sank my goddamn boat!”

“No, Sonny. Please! I didn’t mean to. I didn’t think you’d come with us. We didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t let you tell Sandra where we went. She would torture and kill us.”

Sonny laughed an evil laugh and grabbed Sean by the throat. His hand felt cold, tightening around his neck, and Sonny’s eyes were balls of fire. “I can’t breathe. Please . . . no . . . I’m sorry . . .”

Sean’s body jerked and his eyes popped open, a cold sweat on his face. The girls squirmed. He looked around. All he could see was darkness and the silhouette of the trees above. Sonny was not there.

Sandra awoke at daybreak. She rolled out of bed and hurried to the bath room. Since she hadn’t taken a shower last night, she put on the same clothes. She put a little deodorant on and washed her face, but if she still smelled, then anyone she ran into would have to put up with the odor. She really didn’t care. She hadn’t slept well at all and all she was interested in at the moment was Sean and where in Hell he was. She had crabs to feed.

When Sandra reached the kitchen, there was no sign of Brenda and Kim. How could she have forgotten they took off with that renegade Sean? She grabbed a soda and a banana to eat on the road, but when she crawled into her jeep, she found herself just sitting there staring out of the window.

Did Kim and Brenda warn Sean that I was out to get him? Why would they do that? They never even met Sean. Was it Robbie who started this whole mess? Maybe the girls just wanted a way to get to Peaceful Valley and Robbie. Where could they be going on the shrimp boat? What the hell is going on?

Sandra cranked the Jeep up and headed for the Bayfront. She kept going over and over the reasoning for Sean leaving on the boat.

He’s going the wrong direction. Maybe he was afraid to cross Corpus Christi. Brenda and Kim were born and raised here. They couldn’t be leading him somewhere else. For some reason, he thought the boat was his best option, but he’s definitely going to circle around and head toward Peaceful Valley.

I could never find him out there. There are a thousand square miles of real estate between here and Peaceful Valley. I’ll just have to hope we can catch him at home when we go there for Robbie, Beka, and Florence.

Sandra pulled up to the stall where Sonny’s boat was supposed to be. It wasn’t there. The two boats she sent out to find him were in their stalls. She got out and walked over to the one where the captain whistled at her. He was not on the boat and neither was his deckhand.

When Sandra got to the other boat, it was vacant as well. “Where the hell is everyone?” There was absolutely no one around on any of the boats, and if there were, they were still asleep.

Sandra walked back to her Jeep and plopped down in the seat. She zipped her jacket. She was chilled by the cooler weather despite the fact she was burning up on the inside. She gripped the steering wheel, laid her forehead on her hands, and closed her eyes for a minute.

Shit! My world is crumbling around me and there seems to be nothing I can do about it.

She felt the tear trickle down her cheek.

Tap-tap-tap on her window. She wiped her tear quickly and raised her head. She was startled to see a face peering through the glass at her. It was the captain who whistled at her.

Sandra rolled the window down. “It’s about time someone showed up around here.”

“It’s cold and there’s not all that much to do on the boats. Why get here at the crack of dawn?”

“Well, where’s Sonny, Sean, and their passengers?” Sandra asked.

“We didn’t see anyone or anything. Buddy went ten miles south in the Intracoastal and I did the same to the north. There was no sign of the boat or its passengers.”

“Nothing at all?” she asked, with a confused look on her face.

“No, ma’am.”

Sandra didn’t say another word. She rolled the window up and started the Jeep. She ground the gears in frustration as she headed toward the Police compound.

“Conrad!” she yelled, stepping through the door into the office.

Conrad walked in from the hallway. “Why is it dark in here?” He walked over to the door and flipped the switch with no result.

Sandra walked out the door and Conrad followed.

“I drove to the Bayfront,” she said. “Sonny’s boat has not been found. Sean has to be heading for home, but we’ll never find him between here and there. We will catch up with him at Peaceful Valley. When we track down Robbie, we’ll bring both the boys and all the girls home.”

“I want you to check with all your men and make certain they report anything suspicious. I want Corpus wrapped up tighter than a drum. Check with me in a few days and I’ll make sure everything and everyone are shipshape at the Farm.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Sandra drove back to the Farm and rounded up a few of the ladies she thought she could trust. She invited them into the house and asked a couple of them to prepare some drinks and snacks for the meeting that would start as soon as they were ready.

When the hors d’oeuvres and drinks were brought in, Sandra started the discussion. “There has been way too much s**t hitting the fan around here lately and it’s going to stop . . .”

One of the girls raised her hand.

“What?” Sandra snapped.

“Where’s Brenda and Kim?” she asked, obviously wishing now that she hadn’t interrupted Sandra.

“Gone,” was the only explanation she gave. Sandra pointed her finger at the girls one at a time, naming tasks for each. “Anyone stepping out of line ever-so-slightly will be shoveling manure for the rest of your life.”

No one said anything except to respond to Sandra’s assignments with a polite ‘yes, ma’am’. Sandra was in no mood for even the slightest dissent. The ladies knew what she was capable of and that she would revel in slitting their throats or lining them up in front of a firing squad. They had all seen Sandra at her worst. Shoveling manure would be little more than a slap on the hand.

Sandra stood up and most of the ladies scurried out of the house. The two exceptions were Sandra’s new cooks. They went to the kitchen and got started on lunch. Outside of the clatter of dishes, they were quiet for fear Sandra would overhear them. The new orders that they would only be allowed in the house to prepare, serve, and clean up during mealtime said Sandra meant business. Outside of meals, the house would be locked down and to herself.

The next morning, Sean woke abruptly. The wet tongue of a large black dog lapped at his face. He appeared to be a cross between a black Labrador and a German Shepherd. Sean rolled over and reached out to pet him. He shied away, but with Sean’s urging, he returned to be petted.

Sean got the girls up and they both showered the canine with affection.

“Where do you suppose he came from?” Kim asked.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Sean replied.

“Do you think he belongs to someone around here?” Brenda inquired.

Sean shrugged his shoulders.

The dog sniffed at Sean’s hand.

“I’m sorry mutt but we don’t have anything for you to eat. All I can do for you now is give you a good scratch on the back. Come with us if you want, but we can’t feed you.”