Deadly Passion, an Epiphany (3 page)

Moved beyond words she started to nod, was about to say yes while he plucked the beautiful diamond ring from the box ready to put on her finger, when there was a thunderbolt, a bright flash, an explosion. “Mark…Mark…” she whispered, filled with fear, as she lifted off her chair and literally went flying into a crowd of screaming people as if she’d been shot from a canon. It all happened in split seconds. She didn’t have time to think, to react, until she crashed to the floor. People fell on her, spiked heels pierced her belly and she screamed. She tried to roll away, to fight from beneath the panicking throng. From far away she heard Mark’s voice.

“Megan…Megan…where are you…Megan…”

The weight lifted off her and she lay for a moment, excruciating pain radiating from her arm. What arm? She saw it about a meter away from her body, blood seeping from the torn skin and arteries. She screamed again and again. Through a haze she saw Vera, lifeless and bloodied on the floor, Chad lying across her body, his head severed. Nausea attacked her, bile trickled from her lips, the pain too much to bear, the horror she witnessed too gruesome to comprehend.

“Megan…”

Mark’s voice penetrated her screams. She stopped and turned her head into the direction of his voice.
I never told him the truth…
She saw him on the floor not far away from her, his face covered in blood. Fire suddenly engulfed him. His screams of pain and terror were soon silenced and the flames licked their way steadily toward her, lapping at her clothing. In seconds her clothes caught fire, her hair. The scent of scorched hair and skin was strong, the pain excruciating. She heard shouts, started to feel numb. Firefighters rushed toward her carrying hoses that doused the fire that had started devouring her flesh, before she blacked out.

The lie…

“Babe, is this your first time?”

They’d been dating a month and she’d fallen hopelessly in love with Mark. He wasn’t just a pretty boy. He was caring, thoughtful, kind, sweet, and she felt very lucky that he’d fallen in love with her, too. She lay naked while he stroked her and whispered sweet words in her ear. “No,” she said softly. “I had a boyfriend for a short time.”

The lie was told. There was no going back now.

“Were you in love with him?”

“No. Does it matter? I love you. You’re my soul mate.”

“It doesn’t matter. Heaven knows I don’t have the right to ask you questions. I’ve done my share of dating, but not with anyone that really mattered.”

That gave her pause for thought. He’d bedded a lot of women. Was it safe to have sex with him? It was as if he could read her thoughts.

“Don’t worry. I was very careful who I dated and I always used protection.”

“I’m not worried,” she murmured, seeking his lips. Sure she’d dated, but it had never gone further than a kiss. She wouldn’t let it. Not one of the young men remotely interested her, let alone turned her on. Sex was a dirty word in her vocabulary. She wanted no part of it and for good reason. Her best friend, Vera, often described her sexual experiences and talked about feeling horny. Megan didn’t have a clue what that was, how it even remotely felt. Until Mark. He’d awoken feelings within her she didn’t know existed. In a way she was glad she’d had no interest in exploring sexuality. It made her feel as if she were still a virgin, as if Mark was her first. And in many ways he was.

He claimed her lips, his hand on her breasts, while he undid his belt with the other hand and wriggled out of his jeans. She felt his cock press against her belly, its hardness, and she stiffened for a moment. It was the beast, the monster from her nightmares.

“Relax, babe. I’ll be gentle,” he said softly against her lips.

Her body melted under his gentle touch. The soft stroking between her pussy lips set her blood on fire. She felt an unfamiliar throbbing in that area, a pulsing. When his thumb pushed on her clit, pleasure shot up her abdomen. Widening her legs, she lifted her hips a little, urging him on now. He sucked her nipples one by one until they hardened. Raining kisses down her stomach, her belly, he entered a finger and another. He buried his face between her legs and nibbled on her clit, then entered her with his tongue while cupping her buttocks. A big sigh escaped her lips as he took her to heights of ecstasy, craving, wanting more of what he gave her.

He stopped suddenly and sat on his knees, his eyes black pools of desire as he gazed down at her. She looked at his cock and it didn’t scare her. It looked big, hard, pulsing gently against his belly, swollen with desire for her. The veins beneath the silken skin fascinated her and if she could have reached she would have stroked them. It wasn’t a monster. It was really quite beautiful and she wanted it, wanted him.

He placed the tip of his cock at her entrance and pushed carefully. “Damn, you’re tight,” he murmured while withdrawing and pushing his fingers in again. He rotated them, pushed them back and forth, until she came and her cream gushed over his fingers. Quickly, he replaced them with his cock and this time inched in a bit at a time.

Megan felt him filling her, stretching her. It didn’t hurt. It was utter pleasure upon pleasure. She reached to him, urged him to take her into his arms. As he did, he pushed in all the way and lay still for a moment, until she wrapped her legs around him. It was beautiful, it was heavenly, it was beyond description. Her body had a mind of its own as she grasped his buttocks to take him even deeper into her. Clenching her vaginal muscles, she captured his cock.

He groaned softly. “You’ll make me come too soon, my love. I want us to climax together.”

She had no idea what that was, how it felt, but soon found out when the fire he’d ignited within her built to such a height, it needed to be doused and the only way to put it out was for him to reach his climax. He shuddered and she relaxed her muscles allowing him to fuck her, faster, harder, until she screamed her release. His shout sounded like one of triumph, like a tiger pouncing on its prey. His strokes calmed, relaxed, she felt his cock reducing to its flaccid state but still within her. He gathered her into his arms.

“I love you, babe, more than you can imagine.”

“And I love you, Mark.” Quietly she lay in his arms. Was it even possible to fall so deeply in love in a month of dating? “Mark, you didn’t use a condom and I’m not on the pill. What if—“

“I’m sorry. I should have asked. I usually carry them, but I love you so much and wanted to really feel you. Wearing a condom is like taking a shower with a raincoat on.”

She giggled, a picture forming in her mind of them under the shower wearing raincoats holding an umbrella. “I don’t want to get pregnant. I’ll go see a doctor to get a prescription for the pill.”

“I think I’m ready for a family, but I guess you’re not yet. You’re young. You’ve hardly lived an independent life and here you’re involved with me and I’m ready to settle down.”

“It’s not fair to ask you to give me time,” she murmured. “I really do love you, but we’ve only been dating a month and—“

“Not to worry. I’m not about to run. You can have all the time you need, my love.”

He kissed her, tenderly at first, until she felt passion ignite within her again. Hesitantly, she reached for his cock and stroked it. He was hard for her, wanted her as much as she wanted him. She stroked the silken skin, the protruding veins, caressed the monster she’d feared for so long, the thing that disgusted her, terrified her—it had become her friend now, an object of desire, of need. For one short moment memories surfaced of the past but she quickly buried them again.

“Babe, what’s wrong?”

Megan looked up into his eyes. His gaze was filled with passion but also concern and tenderness. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

“I read sadness in your eyes with a hint of fear. There’s something you’re not telling me. Talk to me, babe.”

How would he react if he knew? She hesitated. He deserved to know the truth. No. It was too soon. Time only could tell her if he was really her soul mate, if they were meant to be together. “Make love to me again?” she whispered against his lips while she encased his cock and moved the skin back and forth.

Out of the coma…

“Don’t try to move too much, Megan. We’ve brought you out of the induced coma you were in, but you’re far from being out of the woods.”

“Induced coma? Where am I?”

“You don’t remember. Probably just as well. You’re in the hospital, my dear, after suffering a horrible accident.”

A vague memory surfaced. “The explosion, the nightclub—“

“Right. Best not to worry your brain too much right now. We need to concentrate on healing, getting you up and about again.”

“I was in the water. A giant squid got me and spit me out on the sand. Miles of sand and—“

“Dreams. Strange, most people have told me they didn’t dream while they were in a coma.”

Her eyes felt as if they were filled with sand from those dunes, gritty and watery. “Everything is blurry. I can barely see you. You’re a nurse?”

“Yes. My name is Monica.”

“How long have I been here?”

“About three months, I think. Let me look at your chart. Yes, just over three months.”

“My parents? Cassie? Mark? Vera? Chad? What happened to them? Are they okay?”

“All in good time, dear. You need to concentrate on getting better right now.”

“I want to see Mark, my parents and—“

“They were sent to a different hospital, Megan. I’m sure they’ll visit you as soon as they’re able.”

“Able? Were they hurt badly?”

“Yes, they were. Many people were hurt and killed.”

“Was it a bomb? A terrorist attack? It all happened so fast.”

“Ah, here’s Doctor Channing. She’s doing very well, Doctor. Quite alert for having just woken from a coma.”

“Hello, Megan. I’m Doctor Channing. I’m sure you have many questions.”

Megan saw the doctor through a blur. He seemed older, gray hair, but she couldn’t make out his features. He pulled a chair next to the bed and sat. “I remember the explosion. I must have been hurt bad to have been in a coma for so long.”

“Yes, you were. You slipped into a natural coma not long after your arrival. When you woke from it, we decided to place you into an induced coma to help you heal.”

“I can barely move.”

“You suffered third degree burns to half your body. You also had many broken bones, ribs, puncture wounds from stilettos in your abdomen, and you lost an arm. Your eyesight will slowly return to normal. It’s a miracle you’re alive.”

“My arm? But I feel both of them. I just can’t move the left.”

“That’s common. I’m so sorry, Megan. The limb was too damaged for us to try and reattach it. But there are excellent prostheses available now. With therapy—“

“Stop! I don’t want to hear any more.” Tears escaped, salty liquid that stung her eyes. In a softer voice she asked, “What about Mark? My parents? My friends? Can you tell me anything about them?”

“I’m sorry. They’re not in this hospital. I’ll see if I can find out for you. Meanwhile, you need to rest. Soon enough you’ll be starting intensive therapy.”

“How much longer will I be in the hospital?”

“Your recovery will take a long time. It also depends on how strong you are, how hard you’re willing to work toward a full recovery.”

“Full? That’s a laugh. I’ll never be whole again.”

“That kind of attitude will not help. You can be as whole as you wish to be. There are many worse cases, people that have fought hard to overcome and conquer their disabilities.”

“Please find out about my parents, Mark and my friends. If possible, phone numbers?”

“I’ll do my best. Nurse, can I talk to you for a moment in private?”

Through the blur, Megan saw the nurse inject something into her IV before following the doctor. She closed her eyes and thought about Mark, about his proposal. The glimpse she’d caught of him before she passed out became clear in her mind. His face bloody, hair and clothing on fire, his screams…

The Mine…

Mark managed to sit on his knees. Desperately, he swiped at his burning clothing, to no avail. He could smell the singing of his skin, his hair. Tears streamed from his eyes, soaking his cheeks. His head felt like a sledgehammer had smashed his skull. A steady throb dulled all thought, except one name. Megan…He called out to her, thought he heard a faint response.

Cold water suddenly doused the fire. “There you go, mate,” a man said behind him. “You okay? Better get Medicine Man to look at that head.”

“Medicine man?” Mark turned to look at the speaker. An older man dressed in overalls, holding a wooden bucket, looked back at him worriedly. “Who are you?”

“Me name’s John. What’s yours?”

“Mark.” His eyes slowly stopped smarting and he gazed around looking for Megan. The swanky club was gone. In its stead he saw a dark tunnel faintly lit by torches with men working in it. It almost looked like a mine.
A mine? I’m hallucinating
. “Where is everyone? Where am I?”

“We’re all here, mate. You’re the latest arrival at the Director’s gold mine.”

“Arrival? Gold mine? Director? God, I’m in a nightmare.”

“Didn’t you sign up for this?”

“Sign up? Stop fucking bullshitting me! Where is my fiancée? Her parents? Our friends?”

“Stop the fuckin’ attitude, mate. You are where you are. That’s all there’s to it. Ain’t no women here.”

Mark wanted out of the nightmare. He closed his eyes, waited, opened them again only to find himself in the same place. He stood, his clothing hanging in tattered burned strips from his body. A hammer pounded inside his brain and his body hurt like blazes. He looked at his hands while answering, saw the third degree burns and wondered how he was conscious and standing. “I was in a nightclub with my fiancée and there was an explosion. I was hurt, something hit my head, then the fire got me. That’s the last I remember.”

“Yeah. Likely story. Wait ‘til the Director hears this one.” The man laughed.

“What the fuck! Who’s this Director? Take me to see him!”

“I’ll be fucked if I know, mate. He talks to us from some contraption on the wall in the common room. Don’t think anyone’s ever seen him. Come with me.”