MayanCraving (6 page)

Nancy glanced from her sister’s blank stare to his look of
concern. She ignored the sympathy in his eyes. Loosening her hold on Robyn’s
shoulders, Nancy brushed the hair out of her little sister’s eyes before
pulling the girl into her arms. “It’s okay. You’re okay now.”

His voice soothed, “She’s been through a lot. She’ll come
around. In the meantime, let’s try to get the girls out of here before someone
realizes we’ve arrived and killed some of their big uglies.”

“All right,” Nancy said.

Warmth emanated from the limestone column and she pressed
her hand against it. Immediately her mind became part of something she barely
comprehended. The power of it coursed through her, filling her thoughts with
Mictlan and his need to rule her. All things on the Earth came under his
ultimate power.

Energy rushed from her hand down her arm. Her nipples
pressed against the cotton of her T-shirt and she leaned into the rough stone
to increase the sensation. When the energy reached her core, the orgasm that
followed seemed to tear her apart.
I need more
.

In some dark corner of her mind, she heard herself scream
out in ecstasy and then pain as it was all torn away.

Her eyes began to focus. She found herself on the ground.
Asher’s body covered her, his eyes looking down into hers in horror. Pain
scorched the inside of her head. She heard weeping to her right. The seven
girls were all huddled by the small cave entrance, crying.

She turned back to Asher. She held her pounding head. “What
happened?”

“I was going to ask you the same question.”

Pushing him away slightly, she half expected to find herself
naked on the floor, but she still wore the jeans, T-shirt and cotton flannel
she’d arrived in. “We need to get out of here,” she said. “This place is his
source of power and he already knows we’re here. More specifically, he knows
I’m here.”

Asher didn’t say anything. He helped her to her feet and
started herding the women through the same passage Nancy and he had used to get
in. It was a struggle to convince the traumatized group to move away from the
pillar. Eventually they responded.

Nancy grabbed a small pile of filthy clothes from the ground
and tucked them in her bag before she ducked through the exit.

They made their way back through the narrow passage and
outside into the open. Asher said, “Can you keep them moving, Nance?”

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t think we can walk all the way back home.” He
smiled, but even in the dark she could tell he only put on a brave face. “I’ve
got to find us some transportation. Just keep moving away from here, toward the
cave from last night. I’ll find you.”

He handed her the AK-47 and a handgun from the back of his
belt.

“You may need these.” She wanted to say he would definitely
need his weapons and how foolish he’d be to give them up, but she didn’t want
to alarm the already terrified girls.

“I have another gun, plus the bow and arrows. I’ll be fine.
You just keep these girls safe and I’ll find you as soon as I can.” He quickly
kissed her cheek, then turned and walked into the darkness.

She should have said something. She should have thrown her
arms around him and told him that she loved him. Did she love him? Where had
that thought come from? “You’re a fool,” she said to herself.

No one disagreed.

Of the seven girls, Robyn was probably the oldest at
nineteen. Two of them, a little blonde and an African American, could not be
more than thirteen. Nancy’s hatred for Mictlan doubled, thinking of what these
children had suffered. Another African-American girl who was probably in her
late teens seemed the most alert. She held the hands of the two youngest girls
and Nancy thought she understood what was happening.

The remaining three were Mexican teenagers. Nancy didn’t
know if they even spoke English, but only one of them seemed aware of the
situation. The other two were huddled together weeping.

“What’s your name,” she asked the older girl.

Her deep brown eyes looked confused for a moment. “Grace.”

Nancy smiled. “I’m Nancy. We’re going to get out of here.”

Grace nodded and followed, still clutching the hands of the
youngest two.

Robyn also seemed more alert. Taking hold of two of the
Mexican girls’ hands, she helped pull them along through the night.

* * * * *

Nancy continued to guide the women north. Nothing appeared
to be chasing them, so after about a mile, she stopped to help the women put on
some clothes. Robyn watched as Nancy pulled an old shirt over one girl’s head.
Robyn’s fingers touched Nancy’s hair before dropping back to her side. Once
again her eyes lost focus.

Nancy’s heart sank.

Urging her charges forward, she held her breath and watched
for movement in the darkness. She saw nothing, but a twig snapped and a low
growl followed. A pack of five enormous wolves skulked out of the darkness and
surrounded them. They had moved in so quietly in the pitch black of the cloudy
night that she had not heard a thing until it was too late.

With no cover in the vast desert, they were easy prey.
Aileen called these things werewolves, but there was nothing human about the
abominations. Perhaps this species had been regular wolves at one time, but now
only evil mutation remained. Matted fur covered the beasts, as did filth and
blood, and their mouths dripped fetid saliva.

It didn’t matter if the pack was sent by Mictlan or if
starvation drew them toward an easy meal. Nancy would not let the girls be
killed, or worse, retaken. She knew she couldn’t kill them all with the AK-47
before the wolves would get to one or two of the girls. She ignored that
knowledge. Fighting was the only option.

Mictlan needed these women. Nancy knew, from her short
contact with the pillar, that he’d used them to draw power. The Lord of the
Dead needed that formation in the cavern as a conduit to channel energy from
his realm. The women served like batteries. The sensation felt staggering and
highly addictive. Even the thought of it made her wet between her legs.

The smell of wet dog and festering flesh beset her senses.
She tried to keep her eyes on as many as possible, but she knew the one to her
left was the alpha and focused most of her attention there. The others looked
toward him as if waiting for a signal. The beast looked her directly in the eye
and she focused on his drooling fangs.

Nancy called out, “Lie down. All of you lie down.”

Miraculously, they complied with the help of Robyn and
Grace. Nancy took a deep breath. Her hands shook, but with a combination of
fear and adrenaline, she opened fire on the stalking werewolves in a sweeping
motion. She killed three, starting with the Alpha, before the other two knew
what had happened. The fourth one lunged and she fired. The werewolf fell to
the ground with a yelp and a thud, but the fifth wolf had already leaped at
her. She had no time to fire before the impossibly heavy animal landed on top
of her and its teeth gripped her shoulder.

Using her other arm to keep the wolf from biting down on her
throat was all she could do. Pain seared her shoulder where its teeth pierced
her flesh. Her mind reeled with thoughts of survival and her impending death.
She heard noises, crying and screaming from the girls.

Nancy’s arms ached with the strain of holding off the much
stronger animal. She tried to punch with her wounded arm while still keeping
the beast at bay with her other. Then something else bumped her arm and side.
The werewolf stopped moving. Nancy pushed again, the hairy body gave way to her
efforts and it fell to one side.

A large rock lay on the ground next to her and Robyn stood
above her looking down. Her expression a mix between rage and fear, she no
longer looked lost. “Nancy?” she asked.

“Yes, Robyn, it’s me.”

Nancy got up. Her body ached, and her legs felt like rubber.
The werewolf moved its head. Robyn stepped back, but Nancy pulled the handgun
from her belt and put one round in the animal’s skull.

The blood would attract other predators. Nancy needed to get
the girls moving again. Her exhaustion would have to wait, since stopping in
the middle of nowhere was not an option.

A half hour later, Nancy’s vision started to blur. She would
have to stop soon and began to think about how she would get the others to
continue without her. Robyn was more alert by the moment and Grace would
understand. She stumbled. Robyn’s arm came around her waist and they continued.

“Thanks,” Nancy said.

Robyn didn’t respond, but Nancy thought she felt her grip
tighten.

A short time later, they stopped near some low, leafless
trees. Nancy wrapped her blouse around her bleeding shoulder. The wound hurt.
She bit her lip against the throbbing of infection that was setting in quickly.

“Let me.” Robyn pulled the makeshift bandage tight.

They walked on. The dark was only broken by the occasional
appearance of the moon from behind clouds. Something small scurried away from
their footsteps. Nancy imagined they had disturbed a lizard and hoped it had
not been a snake. Either way, the animal had moved away. She shivered in the
cool night air.
This could be shock. I may not make it. I’m going to have to
tell Robyn and Grace to lead them.

The drone of an engine drew close behind them. Another surge
of adrenaline spurred Nancy to turn with her gun ready. The others
instinctively crowded behind her.

The last thing she had expected was a yellow school bus to
come barreling down the road or Asher’s smiling face to be behind the wheel.

His smile faded when he looked more closely at her face and
her shoulder wrapped in a bloodstained shirt.

As if a switch had been flipped, all Nancy’s energy rushed
away from her body. Her legs finally gave way and she sat down in the sand.
Asher jumped from the bus and herded the others inside. They were reluctant,
but finally complied with Nancy’s weak encouragement. Then he came back, lifted
Nancy off the ground and into the safety of the bus.

“Where did you get the bus?” she asked.

“Near the Pyramid. Started right up and had a full tank of
gas plus an extra stock of fuel in the back.”

“The demons must have been using it then.” She stated the
obvious.

“I know, but it was the only option. Like I said, we can’t
walk home and the motorcycle won’t hold nine.”

She barely saw his hand move and she looked back into the
bus. The girls were all huddled into the front seats, but she could see the
glint of chrome in the back. “You picked up the Indian?”

“It was on the way.” He shrugged. “Besides, we may need it
for something.”

As the bus headed north toward Teotihuacan, Robyn moved to
the front seat to sit with Nancy. It was a good sign. Nancy sank down into the
seat. She felt like her muscles and mind had been on alert for five years and
finally she could relax.

Asher looked at her in the mirror. “You better clean that
bite before it festers. I took the tequila and there are some antibiotics and
sulfa in my bag.”

Nancy moved to grab his bag, but her sister touched her
shoulder to keep her in place. Robyn dug through the pack, first finding the
alcohol and cleaning the wound. The pain was excruciating. Nancy clenched her
jaw so she wouldn’t scare the others. Surprised by the good job her sister had
done dressing the wound, she found herself wondering what Robyn had gone
through during the last five years. Taller than Nancy remembered, Robyn had
sharp angular features, probably due to how thin she was. Her entire demeanor
had changed from the happy child who had gone to Florida with her parents.

“Thanks.” Nancy took two pills from Robyn and a swig of water.

“It’s okay,” Robyn said softly. “Who’s he?” she asked.

“He’s a friend of mine. Asher Dove.”

“Strange name.”

Asher said, “it’s nice to finally meet you, Robyn. Nancy has
told me all about you.”

“How did you know?” Robyn ignored Asher and asked.

“That you were alive?” Nancy shrugged her one good shoulder.
“I just always knew. I’ve been trying to find you since the beginning.”

Tears began to roll down Robyn’s face, making tracks in the
dirt on her cheeks. Nancy wiped them away and hugged her sister tightly. “I’m
sorry it took me so long. Everything will be better now.”

“He’ll come for us,” Robyn said.

“I know. We’ll be ready for him.”

“You can’t beat him. He’s too powerful,” Robyn said through
her tears.

Nancy looked up, catching Asher’s eye in the rear view
mirror when he gazed up to look at them. “We beat him before, we can do it
again,” she said.

“Damn right we can.” Asher smiled in that crooked way of
his.

* * * * *

Dawn had broken by the time Asher finally pulled the school
bus to a stop. He drove off the main road and around a group of hills.
“Hopefully we’ll have a few hours before they come looking for us. I’m going to
go try to obscure the tracks left by the bus. You get some rest. Try to keep
everyone on the bus.”

Asher returned a half an hour later. All seven girls were
asleep on the bus. Nancy sat on the rocks, surveying the horizon to the south.
Nothing moved, but she knew it wouldn’t be long.

“Did you get any rest?” he asked.

“I dozed for a while, but I started to worry and came out
here to keep watch.”

“How are they doing?” He gestured toward the bus.

She shrugged. “I guess they’re okay. Two of them can’t be
more than twelve or thirteen, and God only knows what they’ve been through. I
only touched that thing for a minute and it was…”

“What?” He took his place next to her and pulled her close.

“I can’t describe it, Ash.”

“It made you come.” She heard a trace of anger in his voice.

“
He
made me come. Mictlan is somehow inside that
thing, drawing power. He needs the women. I don’t know exactly. He takes and
takes and the sensation is so intense, they must become addicted to it. I don’t
know how else to explain it. I couldn’t make myself let go. Once I touched it,
I only wanted more. It enslaved me in a way that terrified me. I feel as soiled
as if he’d really touched me.”