Cave Dwellers (26 page)

   When Ramira landed beside them, Zaac was untying the rope off of Rogue’s neck. “He dropped it when he was supposed to this time,” she said.

   “Yes he did. It looks like we’re going to need another rope though.”

   “If you want, we can get some steak and cheese subs from that place downtown. It’s only a couple of blocks from the Mountain Climbing Store. After we eat, we can walk up to the store and buy some more rope.”

   “Sounds like a plan. They serve the best steak and cheese subs that I’ve ever eaten.” Zaac loved steak and cheese subs. “And it’s been awhile.”

   They flew back up to the garage and gave Rogue and Siri a treat. Even though Rogue didn’t snatch Zaac up when he dropped the rope, he did drop the rope on command this time.

   Zaac and Ramira drove to the sub restaurant in the downtown part of the city. They both ordered steak and cheese subs with fried onions, chips and a Coke. The restaurant fried the thin slices of steak fresh on the grill along with the onions. It wasn’t one of those precooked steak chunks that was nuked in the microwave. This was the real deal. The taste was mouth-watering.

    After their subs, they walked down to the mountain climbing store, and Zaac picked out the rope they would need.

   “Don’t you think it might be best to buy two ropes? In case we have an accident with this one?” Ramira asked.

   “Good idea.” Zaac picked out another rope.

   Zaac paid for the ropes and they headed back to the parking lot where their car was located. They had just passed the first block and were walking along the second when they heard a scream that was then abruptly cut off. It seemed to come from a nearby alley.

   Ramira looked over at Zaac. “What do you think that’s about?”

   “I don’t know but maybe we should check it out,” Zaac replied.

   “You scurry up the side of the building and I’ll walk up the alley,” Ramira said.

   Zaac climbed up the wall of the building and disappeared.

   As Ramira went further up the alley, she could hear a man talking roughly to someone.

   “If you don’t do what I say, I’ll cut your throat right now. If you’re nice and cooperative, you might live to see tomorrow,” she heard him say.

   At this point, Ramira stepped into the picture. She walked within sight of the man and then stopped fifty feet away. She noticed that he had a woman backed against the wall. He held a knife with a curved blade against her throat.

   “What do you think you’re doing?” Ramira asked.

   The man jumped as if stung. He jerked the woman from the wall, shoving her out in front of him. He wrapped his arm around her still holding the knife against her throat.

   “Who are you? If you’re looking for trouble, you came to the right place. I might just let her go and grab you,” the man said.

   “I’ll take that chance,” Ramira replied.

   “I mean it,” he said, waving his blade.

   “You don’t scare me. I could take care of you on my own, but I don’t need to. Want to know why?” Ramira looked up at Zaac clinging to the wall above the man’s head.

   The man looking suddenly confused could not resist. “Why?”

   She pointed above his head.

   The man tilted his head back to look up, only to be met with a fist that pulverized his nose. He let go of the knife to grab his nose and the woman rushed out and sheltered behind Ramira.

   Zaac dropped down beside the man and looked at his handiwork. “It’ll take a very good plastic surgeon to repair that. But maybe I can help. Let me give you a hand.”

   A left to the stomach bent the man over double, where he was met with a right to his jaw that put his lights out.

   A few minutes later he was bound securely to a drainage pipe that ran down the side of the building.

   Zaac and Ramira led the woman out to the street.

   “Do you have a cell phone?” Ramira asked.

   “Yes, it’s in my purse,” the woman answered. 

   “Call 911. When they arrive, you tell them your story. If you leave our part out of it, we would appreciate it. Just tell them a brick fell off of the building and smashed his nose. You happened to have a rope in which you tied him up to the drainage pipe,” Ramira told her.

   “Thank you so much for your help. I was terrified. I thought that he was going to kill me.” She broke into tears.

   Ramira gave her a hug, trying to comfort her. “It’ll be alright now. You’re safe. Call 911.”

   They left as she was dialing 911.

   Frank was working the evening shift. He got the dispatch and was the first on the scene.

   The woman was waiting at the curb when he pulled up. As Frank stepped out of the car, he was bombarded with a hysterical account of what happened. Something about how she was walking down the sidewalk when this man jumped out of the alley and grabbed her. He forced her into the alley with his knife telling her if she screamed he would kill her. When he had her against the wall with the knife against her throat, she let out a scream. Suddenly they heard a noise above and when the man looked up, a brick fell on his nose breaking it. It knocked him out and she tied him up against the drainage pipe and called 911.

   Frank went into the alley and found the man still unconscious against the side of the building. His nose was a total mess. It looked like he had a head on collision with a car. Blood covered his face. He was tied up securely with a mountain-climbing rope. That brought the question to his mind: what was the woman doing with a mountain climbing rope?

   He turned on his flashlight and walked further up the alley. He found the knife laying a couple of feet from the building. This must have been where the man held her. Drops of blood were splattered around the pavement. There was one spot where it seemed to be pooled. He must have fallen there, Frank thought.

   Looking from the place with the pool of blood to the drainage pipe in which he was
tied, Frank had to wonder how he got there. There wasn’t any evidence from the blood that the woman had dragged him over to it. The blood would be smeared along the path. He must have been lifted up and carried across to the drainage pipe. The woman didn’t have the strength to do that.

   Next he looked all around the alley for the brick that conveniently fell off of the building and landed perfectly on the nose of the assailant. There was no brick to be found.

   The woman’s account of what happened had holes all through it. She must have had help. She was covering up for someone.

   Frank called for an ambulance as he went back out to the curb to talk with the woman further.

   “I found the knife which correlates with your story. I couldn’t find any evidence of the brick that happened to fall and save you at the opportune time. Are you sure that you told me everything that happened?” he asked looking into her eyes.

   “Yes,” She replied a little too hurriedly. “I told you all that I can remember.”

   “And the rope. That’s a mountain-climbing rope. You just happened to be carrying this type of rope when he attacked you?”

   The woman was not expecting this question. She had no ready answer. Thinking for a minute, she responded, “A woman never knows when a rope like that might come in handy. Look at how convenient it was to have it on hand today.”

   Now it was Frank’s turn to be taken aback. “Yes, I guess you’re right. It was convenient. A little too convenient.” He added as he walked away toward the assailant.

29

 
The school year was just about over. A couple more weeks, then exams and Zaac would graduate from high school. Ramira had completed her first semester at university.

 
Zaac had been accepted at several universities. He planned to major in scientific engineering. There were a couple of schools that interested him but they were too far away. He wanted to be within driving distance of the chalet.

 
He might keep a car on campus and fly back and forth. Even though money was not a concern, he could still save on air fare. He could fly Rogue down and let him fly back.

 
They were looking forward to the summer as kids always do. He and Ramira was hoping to rent a secluded house on the Outer Banks for a week or two and let Rogue and Siri experience the ocean. It would be interesting watching them catch fish with the waves splashing around.

 
Zaac and Ramira’s mountaintop chalet was finally completed. One Saturday night they were sitting on the deck eating popcorn while Rogue and Siri were chasing one another around the mountain and the side of the valley.

 
“After you finish university, do you have any plans?” she asked.

 
“I have a few ideas. I was thinking about starting a scientific company to do design work. I might even start a manufacturing company to make the products we design.” He looked up at the stars. It was so nice to be up on the mountains at night, he thought. It was quiet and peaceful. Totally relaxing.

 
“I knew that you were probably leaning in that direction. I meant more along the personal line. Do you have any personal plans?” Ramira wanted to know where she belonged in that second set of plans.

 
Zaac knew where she was heading. He decided to have a little fun with her. “My personal plans, huh? I would like to have a home close to an ice cream shop with a huge variety of flavours. He hid a smile.

 
This response brought a well deserved smack on his arm. “You know what I mean.”

 
Zaac could not help but break out laughing. “Yes, I knew what you meant. I could not imagine my life being complete without you, Rogue and Siri in it. As long as we’re together, everything will be fine.”

 
That is exactly what Ramira wanted to hear. She snuggled up against his chest as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

 
A few years at university and then they could settle down to a nice quiet, peaceful life together.

 
She had no idea what their lives held in store for them. These rescues were just the start of lives full of adventure and action which was the opposite of a quiet and peaceful life.

About the Author

   I live with my wife, married thirty-one years. We have two children and two grandchildren.

   I work
as a Baptist minister in Ontario, Canada, but was originally from Walkertown, NC outside of Winston-Salem. I worked as a RRT in two of the hospitals in that area.

   Cave Dwellers
is my first novel. It is the first in a series.

   It reached the bestsellers list within two days of being published. It ranked on April 19, 2013, #4 on kindle in Science Fiction & Fantasy and #15 on kindle in Action & Adventure.

If you wish to contact me, my email address is:

jr
[email protected]