Page 22 - Demo

2030-JONE
She nodded then went to bring water and her first aid kit. As he drank, she undressed him. He grabbed his gun and laid it beside him as she stepped back remembering.
“It’s okay,” he said, “you can’t be too careful.”
She cleaned him up and helped him to the bed.
“Get me some rope,” he said.
She gave him a hurt look and brought a rope. Feeling better
now, he tied her secure but not tight. “Sorry kid, it’s for your own good, believe me,” he said.
The pain in his chest was subsiding and his leg felt better. He fell into an uncomfortable sleep.
“Noooooo! It wasn’t my fault! I was not the one in charge!” His voice jolted him from sleep as he sat upright in the bed.
He froze momentarily, with his eyes moving rapidly from side taking in his surroundings. He exhaled deeply realizing he was temporarily safe but not quite out of harm’s way. He had just es- caped another terrible ordeal in his dream. He quickly reached for his gun. It was still under the pillow undisturbed. He turned and realized that his captive was no longer there. For a split second he thought of cops bursting in to take him then forgot it. He threw the covers back with a queer feeling of safety. Ah, standing felt much better to him, his strength was rapidly returning.
The door swung open causing him to turn abruptly as Arnetta came through it with breakfast and a smile. A little surprised, he decided to wait until he sat to ask questions. For now her smile was the sunshine. Both sat facing each other. Tom started to speak, but was stopped when she placed her index finger over his lips. Her brown eyes seemed to draw all of the questions from his mind. As he had noticed through his pain, she was truly a strik- ing woman. Makeup seemed only to camouflage the true beauty she possessed. He was glad she was without it.
Okay, she wrote ask, your questions, I will answer.
“Where are my clothes?” Tom asked.
“I took everything with blood on it and burned it this morn-
ing,” she wrote.
The Reaction Factor 21