Fear: The Aphrodisiac

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Dr. Huff-Puff I turn the tables in the next two chapters.

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The following morning dawned with me, in my closet. I opened the gun cabinet and withdrew a steel lock box. I quickly left the closet and moved straight to my car. I put the box in the trunk and closed it with a satisfying thump. I went back into the house and pulled out my brother’s old military uniforms. I checked to make sure all the insignias and patches had been pulled off, folded them and tucked into the duffel bag on the coffee table. I went to the kitchen and poured my fourth cup of coffee. I was wired and ready for the day.

Seven o’clock arrived with Col ringing the doorbell. I had him grab the basket of food from the dining table, while I grabbed the duffel bag. He looked at it curiously but didn’t say anything. We carried our burdens to my car and got in. I pulled the blindfold snug over his eye, “No peeking…my game, my rules.” He laughed and nodded. I started the engine and pulled out of the driveway.

I made several loops through the city so he wouldn’t be able to figure we were headed for the hills. Ken’s parents died and left him twenty-five acres of undeveloped land. As kids, Ken and I spent a number of summers, playing with friends, out in the hills. There were shallow ravines and hollows that meandered in between the trees. Ken’s dad had refused to cut any trees down, so I imagined the greenery to be pretty substantial. Ken did assure me that he went out regularly to cut trails for the hunters’ who leased the property during deer season: there would be new prey to stalk before I was done.

We arrived at the place and I stopped the car. Col turned his head in my direction as I started to speak, “Okay, we’re here. You stay in the car while I get everything set up. Don’t spoil the surprise.” I grabbed the duffel bag from the back seat and headed for the shed. I moved the beat-up wood panel by the door to get the key. I opened the shed and took inventory: several rifles, paint ball ammo, rope and an old roll of blue electrical tape. I smiled at the memories of what we used to do with the tape: guerilla snipers and how we used it to tag the ‘dead’. I hurriedly picked up the items I needed and left the shed, locking it behind me.

I walked bac the the trunk of my car and removed the steel lock box. I searched my keying for the right one. I unlocked the box and revealed my pride and joy: a custom-made paint ball pistol. It was small, lightweight, and designed to exert a decent amount of force for the projectiles. I had only used this in target shooting but this day was special. I emptied the box of all the ammo it carried and put everything into the duffel bag at my feet. After I closed the trunk, I moved to an area circled by trees. In the old days, the middle was designated neutral territory: no killing allowed.

I opened the duffel and pulled out a rifle, ammo, and a set of uniforms. I changed into a uniform of my own and loaded myself down with my pistol, ammo and the rope I found in the shed. Finally, everything was ready. I went back to the car and opened the passenger side door. I took Col’s hand in mine and carefully lead him to the center of the circle. I turned him to face me and had to stop him from removing the blindfold.

“Okay, here are the rules. You keep the blindfold on until you count to fifty…no cheating. When you get to y, ty, take off your blindfold. You’re smart so I think you can figure out what happens next.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, confused.

“Remember…my game, my rules. Start counting.” I told him and ran off.

I climbed a tree that would give me clear view of Col’s position. I loaded up my pistol and ran the layout of the property in my head. There were a couple of places that were ideal for ambushing him but I wanted more. He had to be off his game so much, he would make that fatal mistake and I had him at my mercy. I muttered under my breath, “Forty-eight…forty-nine…fifty.” I watched as Col removed the blindfold and look at his surroundings. The smile that had begun to form faltered as he looked for me. Then, he saw the equipment on the ground. I called out, “What’s the matter? Are you afraid of a challenge?” I watched as he spun around and tried to locate where I was.

“The name of the game is ‘Sniper’. First person who gets caught is at the other’s mercy. Like you always say, baby, anything goes.” He shook his head and bent to retrieve theformform from the ground. I dropped from the tree as he started to get dressed. I figured that he would move to the path that led directly away from the car.

I moved as quickly and quietly as possible across the property. Ken must have been out recently; a lot of our old, hidden trails had been cleared. Only he and I knew about these trails; I wondered if Ken had some idea of my plans. I would have to thank him with a story. I ran across something unusual: camo paint. I loved that guy…he knew me so well. I applied as much as I could without slowing my pace.

Very soon, I came upon a shallow, leaf-filled ravine. Col would be running past at any moment. I jumped down, lay on the ground and covered myself with leaves. Only my eyes remained exposed. I heard heavy breathing and swearing coming in my direction. Someone sound pissed off…oh well. Soon, he came stalking by, “What the hell is that crazy bitch thinking? I can’t lose this one…she has got to learn her place: at my side or beneath me naked.” He paused by the ravine to catch his breath. I held as still as possible, barely breathing. I thought to myself; I’m beneath him all right. I watched as he turned to survey his surroundings. He moved to the north and I slowly sat up. I lined up my sights and aimed at his ass. I carefully squeezed off four rapid shots: bull’s-eye! I dove back down into the leaves before he could see me. “Where the fuck are you?” I heard him scream. “This quit being funny a long time ago.”

I quietly moved away from where I had been hiding. He sounded shook up and just a little off his game. Soon, very soon, I would put him out of his misery and in his place. I spent the better part of the day moving across the property and took as many cheap shots as possible. I climbed trees, hid under leaves and even covered myself with dirty mud by hiding next to a log in a puddle. I also wondered, again, how much Ken knew of my misadventures. I found beef jerky, trail mix and bottles of water along paths only he and I knew about. I was very surprised when I came upon a two-way radio with a note attached: ‘Go the channel 13 and use your call sign’. What the hell? This wasn’t part of my plan.

I switched the radio on and spoke, “This is Leopard Queen…who’s got my twenty?” A familiar voice drawled over the speaker…Ken!

“This is Wolf Boy…what kept you? Over.”

“Wolf Boy! What the hell are you doing out here? Over.”

“Leopard Queen…you sounded funny when I talked to you the other day. I did some checking at the Nut House and all the squirrels kept talking about was you and some guy. You’re freaking them out…I was instructed to pass the message along. I’ve been watching you for a while now. Nice to see you haven’t lost your touch for drama, over.”

“Thanks…also nice to know the squirrels can’t keep their traps shut. Are you currently at look out point Xeno? Over.”

“Roger that…get your butt up the tree. He’s on your six and moving fast.” I moved quickly and complied. Col passed by me with no clue I was just a couple of feet above him. That was a close one.

“Wolf Boy…what do you want to know? Over.”

“Nothing, Leopard Queen; you can tell me when you’re ready. It will be interesting to hear. What bee do you have in your bonnet? Over.”

“Check out Dead Man’s Curve. I need to find the quickest way there without being seen. Over.”

“Shit, Leopard Queen. You know the answer to that without my help. Go through Suicide Point and up A-hole’s Gulch…duh. Over.”

“I’m aware of the route to be taken. I need your Wolf’s eyes to go Eagle. Over.”

“Roger that…the eye is in the sky. Head on over to your next location; I’ll keep watch over Target Turkey. Over.”

“Hey…didn’t we call one of your bros by that handle? He said he would rather be called Bubba than Turkey Target. Over.”

“Get focused, Leopard Queen. We can rehash memories when you aren’t waist-deep in crap of your own making. Hold your position…he’s coming back.” I shook my head; Ken was always there for me even if I never said a word to him about my problems. I watched Col move away from my position once again. “Move out…he just cleared the rise.” I dropped from the tree after I secured the radio to my belt.

I started to run to the northeast towards Suicide Point. It was just a pile of rocks to the casual observer but we christened it Suicide Point because many lives were ‘lost’ rather than surrendered. A-Hole’s Gulch was a narrow ravine that always got backed up and jammed with people; it was easy to take a couple of shots and get the blockage moving again. I moved through the area rapidly and entered the dead zone. Dead Man’s Curve was best known as the place of last stands. The path came around a blind curve that ended against a small cliff surrounded by trees. It was here that I chose to lay my trap.

I scrambled up a tree at the base of the cliff. In the widest crotch among the branches, I stopped and pulled out the rope. I started to form loops and knots to make a decent snare. When I was younger, I spent a couple of months as a Boy Scout.woulwould have lasted longer if it hadn’t been for the test to earn the Life Saver’s merit badge. I should have never worn that white t-shirt the day it was my turn to be the drowning victim. Oh well, c’est la vie.

I tossed on end over a sturdy branch and dropped the loop end to the ground. Fortunately, the tree I had chosen had cover almost to the bottom. I slid out of the tree and covered the loop with dirt and leaves to hide it from view. I climbed back into position and pulled out the radio. I keyed the mike, “Wolf Boy…where’s my target? Over.”

“He’s sitting under the tree you abandoned fifteen minutes ago. Boy, does he look pissed! Over.”

“Yeah, copy that. Brace yourself…here come the war cry.” I took a deep breath and shrieked a warbling yodel that had to have carried over to the next county. I’ve been told that my war cry caused dogs to howl and made eardrums bleed.

“Damn woman…you still send chills down my spine with that cry. It always meant that someone just bought the farm. Hang on…looks like you got his attention. He’s moving towards Suicide Point.”

“I copy…Suicide Point. When the sparks fly, I need you to bail. I want no witnesses to the slaughter.”

“No fair! This was starting to get interesting too. Promise to share the details and I’ll bail. He’s past Suicide Point and enroute to A-Hole’s Gulch. Over.”

“Sugar…if you have to ask, then you’ve forgotten whand ond of person I am. Remember, I don’t repeat gossip so listen the first time. Position?”

“He’s stopped…do the cry again.” I cried out once more. “Target is moving in your direction. Damn, now I have goose bumps. You’ll flat out kill me f you do that one more time. Over.”

“Now, you know why we never hooked up…one of us would have died from all the drama.”

“He’s through the Gulch and on the path for Dead Man’s Curve. Get ready…almost there.” I peered through the branches for visual confirmation of his arrival. Moments later, Col appeared around the bend, a little worse for wear. His face was red and his uniform bore witness to my sneak attacks; he was splattered with paint. He moved closer to the tree I was hiding in and then stopped when he noticed the cliff. “What’s wrong?” I called tauntingly.

He moved closer to the tree, stood in the loop beneath it and looked up. I grabbed my end of the rope and jumped out of the tree. The loop caught around one of his ankles and jerked him upside-down. I smiled in passing as I went down. I landed in a crouched position and jerked the rifle out of his hands. It wasn’t even loaded…idiot. I ran the rope around the tree and tied it off. He wasn’t going anywhere. I grabbed the radio and keyed the mike once again. “Wolf Boy, this is Leopard Queen. Mission accomplished…get the hell out of here. I better not catch you, understood? Over.”

“Mean old bitch…” I heard him sigh. “Understood…just hold up your end of the deal.”

Col stared at me as the blood rushed to his head, “You had someone watching this the whole time?” I looked at him from over my shoulder and smiled evilly.

“Something about my personality stirs a protective streak in my friends when I’m threatened. I didn’t know Wolf Boy was out there until I noticed help along the way.”

“Okay…fun is fun. Now, get me down!” he shouted. I pouted as I shook my head.

“Sorry darling…I can’t do that just yet. You have to be taught a lesson on how to handle a…how did you put it? Oh yeah, a vicious bitch like me.” I laughed at the look of shock on his face. I pulled a short length of rope from pocket and bound his hands together.

“Don’t go anywhere…I’ll be right back.”
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I swear to get the second part up ASAP...if you\'re interested in how Col learns his lesson.