advance.”
“How did you manage to get it on short notice then?”
“I’m a freelance accountant. I happen to do the bookkeeping for the place. I wanted to do something special so I called in a favor.”
“Are we allowed to walk around?”
“Yes, madam. I’d love to show you around.”
Chef Baurdine gave us the grand tour, complete with a chance to help prepare our meal on the line.
When the meal is near completion the chef has us return to the table so he can finish it up and bring it over.
“What is it you do?” I ask her as I cut into my salmon.
“I’m a photographer. I do some work for the paper, but I mainly do weddings.”
“How did you get into that?”
“My father did it as a hobby. He would take me out with him every weekend. We would visit the most beautiful places and take some amazing pictures. We would be gone all weekend sometimes. Mom almost filed a missing persons report one year.” She started to laugh.
“I take it your mother is supportive of it?”
“She wasn’t around much either. She was a nurse at a local hospital, so she worked some very long hours. She usually had to work the weekends so that was my dad’s time with us.”
“Divorced?”
“No. But, it was hard to tell sometimes.” She took a sip from her wineglass. “What about your parents?”
“Died in a car accident when I was a teenager. I ended up spending my high school years living with my aunt.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. My aunt treated me like I was one of her own, maybe even better sometimes.”
We finish our dinner and take a walk out on the riverfront. I half chose the restaurant because of my relationship with the owners, and half because of what I had planned for the second half of the date.
“You are taking me on a cruise? I’ve wanted to do this since I was a kid.”
“I know. I had one of my friends ask yours at the bar the night we met.”
She grabbed my hand and we walked onto the ship. I didn’t reserve a cabin, like some men would have on a night like tonight because I want to see her under the moonlight.
“I wish I brought my camera. It is so beautiful out here.” She looks over smiling.
“We’ll just have to do this again, some day.” I turn towards her and we lock our hands together. We spend a few moments staring into each others eyes before I finally grow the nerve to bend down and give her a kiss.
I stay with it as long as I can. If I could go back, I would make sure it never ended.
-4-
I wake up just as the smell of smoke enters my nose. Looking around, I notice a dozen corpses around me. I reach down, pick up my knife, and try to get my bearings. The last thing I remember is charging into the woods to take care of three demons that attacked Uriel’s complex. I know I managed to kill one but none of the corpses here looks like the other two.
I walk towards the walls of the compound. Thankfully Eunie didn’t destroy those. That is the one thing I fear the most is losing control around other people. He doesn’t really care who he happens to kill. To be fair, he only gets to play when I’m within steps of eating it. But, it doesn’t make me feel any better knowing that.
I work my way towards the gate. I get close when one of the soldiers manning the gates raises his weapon.
“Hands where I can see them, tough guy.”
“I’m on your team, numbnuts.” I raise my hands slowly in the air.
“Thats not how I saw it. You managed to kill ten good men before you finally collapsed. We should have killed you last night. I won’t make that same mistake today.”
“Stand down, sergeant.” Uriel walks in from behind him. “He told your men to stand down and get me. You sent your men to their deaths, not Mitch.”
“How was I suppose to know that he was as twisted as the fucks he charged after?
“You weren’t. Your job was to have your men man the walls and protect the encampment. If you send men
“How did you manage to get it on short notice then?”
“I’m a freelance accountant. I happen to do the bookkeeping for the place. I wanted to do something special so I called in a favor.”
“Are we allowed to walk around?”
“Yes, madam. I’d love to show you around.”
Chef Baurdine gave us the grand tour, complete with a chance to help prepare our meal on the line.
When the meal is near completion the chef has us return to the table so he can finish it up and bring it over.
“What is it you do?” I ask her as I cut into my salmon.
“I’m a photographer. I do some work for the paper, but I mainly do weddings.”
“How did you get into that?”
“My father did it as a hobby. He would take me out with him every weekend. We would visit the most beautiful places and take some amazing pictures. We would be gone all weekend sometimes. Mom almost filed a missing persons report one year.” She started to laugh.
“I take it your mother is supportive of it?”
“She wasn’t around much either. She was a nurse at a local hospital, so she worked some very long hours. She usually had to work the weekends so that was my dad’s time with us.”
“Divorced?”
“No. But, it was hard to tell sometimes.” She took a sip from her wineglass. “What about your parents?”
“Died in a car accident when I was a teenager. I ended up spending my high school years living with my aunt.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. My aunt treated me like I was one of her own, maybe even better sometimes.”
We finish our dinner and take a walk out on the riverfront. I half chose the restaurant because of my relationship with the owners, and half because of what I had planned for the second half of the date.
“You are taking me on a cruise? I’ve wanted to do this since I was a kid.”
“I know. I had one of my friends ask yours at the bar the night we met.”
She grabbed my hand and we walked onto the ship. I didn’t reserve a cabin, like some men would have on a night like tonight because I want to see her under the moonlight.
“I wish I brought my camera. It is so beautiful out here.” She looks over smiling.
“We’ll just have to do this again, some day.” I turn towards her and we lock our hands together. We spend a few moments staring into each others eyes before I finally grow the nerve to bend down and give her a kiss.
I stay with it as long as I can. If I could go back, I would make sure it never ended.
-4-
I wake up just as the smell of smoke enters my nose. Looking around, I notice a dozen corpses around me. I reach down, pick up my knife, and try to get my bearings. The last thing I remember is charging into the woods to take care of three demons that attacked Uriel’s complex. I know I managed to kill one but none of the corpses here looks like the other two.
I walk towards the walls of the compound. Thankfully Eunie didn’t destroy those. That is the one thing I fear the most is losing control around other people. He doesn’t really care who he happens to kill. To be fair, he only gets to play when I’m within steps of eating it. But, it doesn’t make me feel any better knowing that.
I work my way towards the gate. I get close when one of the soldiers manning the gates raises his weapon.
“Hands where I can see them, tough guy.”
“I’m on your team, numbnuts.” I raise my hands slowly in the air.
“Thats not how I saw it. You managed to kill ten good men before you finally collapsed. We should have killed you last night. I won’t make that same mistake today.”
“Stand down, sergeant.” Uriel walks in from behind him. “He told your men to stand down and get me. You sent your men to their deaths, not Mitch.”
“How was I suppose to know that he was as twisted as the fucks he charged after?
“You weren’t. Your job was to have your men man the walls and protect the encampment. If you send men
Similar Books
To Catch a Treat
Linda O. Johnston
Lorik The Protector (Lorik Trilogy)
Toby Neighbors
Hunting Wolf: Black Mesa Wolves #3
J.K. Harper
The Odin Mission
James Holland
Burial
Graham Masterton
Furyous Ink
Saranna DeWylde
Demonkeepers
Jessica Andersen
When Hell Freezes Over
Darrien Lee
