A bright, yellow light broke my sleep, and I moved to push the glass panel away from my face. My hands slowly reached upward, only to strike air. I fully opened my eyes and awaited the eventual adjustment to the darkness. When it finally came, I realized that I was no longer in my ship, nor any other similarly familiar place. My warm, throbbing arm reminded me of the previous night's events, and I scuttled to my feet, only to fall back again.

"Where am I? What did you do with me?" I inquired to no one in particular. Looking around I found a small, rounded campfire in the middle of the room.

"Woah, hold it a moment." A gray, old voice instucted me firmly, yet kindly. "Before I answer any questions, you have to answer a few of mine."

"Where are you?" I still felt quite faint, and my vision was obscured by red and black blotches that danced across the room. "I can't see anything." That was not completely true, as the dim light pulsating from the fire could be noticed from time to time.

"Hold still, you damned fool!" A single thin, bony hand grabbed my left arm. Searing hot fire ran across my body, and I let out a yell. "Fine, you do it!" A wet cloth landed in my lap, still soaked with warm water. "Go ahead and die. Dilluting the gene pool." He chuckled.

"Who are you?" I added to my list of questions lightheadedly.

"I could ask you the same question. I guess I'll tell you my side of the story before you get the chance to ask anything else." I heard the a skidding sounds as he pulled an object across the room, presumably a chair. "When I found you, you were face-down in a pile of mud, or at least I suppose it was mud. You never can tell in these forests." He chuckled for a moment. "At any rate, I was walking with Wolf when-"

"Wolf?" I asked, my head turning towards his voice.

"My dog, Wolf."

"Which is it?"

He placed his head in his hands. "He is a dog." He informed me slowly. "His name is Wolf. Understand?"

"There must be a lot of confusion about that."

"Not really. Just you. But it can be excused. You aren't at your fullest right now." I nodded my head in agreement. "Back to the point, I was walking my dog when he started going nuts. He stuck his nose straight into the air and started sniffing, like he caught some scent on the wind. He started jerking along the path from side to side, and I finally told him to go and see what it was. After all, he was trained to hunt, and I had no idea what it could be. Soon as I gave the command, he took off into the woods like greased lightning, jumping over trees, dodging rocks, the whole nine yards, until I couldn't even see him. Naturally, I went off after him. When I finally caught up to him, he was sniffing around you. I knew at once what it was he had been smelling, as you were lying nearly on your face in a pool of filth and blood, your own of course. First thing I thought was that Wolf here had done it, though he had never been known to attack a human before. But then I saw your arm, and the knife in it. So naturally, I turned you on your back, then ran back here and got the first aid kit, leaving Wolf to watch for predators and other forms of danger. This world may seem docile enough for the city-folk, but out here there's things the likes of them've never seen. Ever seen a grell-bear stand twenty feet tall?" He asked me with wide eyes.

I shook my head, partially as an answer and partially in disbelief. I suppose anyone could end up telling a few tall tales, especially after living alone for so long.

"Where was I?" He looked somewhat puzzled.

"You ran home for the first aid kit." I suggested.

"Ah, yes. When I got back I bandaged that arm and started to drag you home, carefully, but quickly. Didn't know how long you had been out in that cold, and you might have lost as much heat as you did blood."

"You didn't turn me over to the hospital?"

He looked down at the knife that was once in my arm, but now on the table. It's edges, I now saw, were covered with a series of larger and smaller jagged edges, slanting towards the hilt. Looks as if it were designed so that you would have a hell of a time getting it out after it was put in. "I don't think you would want me to send you there. What do you think they would do after one look at the knife that was in you? You'd be in the gallows before you could say 'self-defense'." He was right and I knew it. Such a knife was undoubtedly illegal, and where you find illegal weapons you find blame. Doesn't matter where the blame should be lain, it would end up on my shoulders.

"I guess you're right, but that still doesn't explain why you didn't turn me in."

He eyed me carefully. "Turn you in for what? All I know you did is get stabbed by someone with an illegal knife."

I realized that I was only getting myself into more trouble. Shutting up would be a wise choice at the moment.

He broke into laughter. "Oh settle down, I wouldn't turn a man in unless I thought there was danger that he would kill me, or possibly Wolf. In either case, I would probably kill the man myself before turning him in. More humane than whatever they would do with him downtown. And I know you wouldn't do either of those things. I can look into a man's eyes and see much more, if you know what I mean." He chuckled a moment. "Perhaps I am becoming senile yet."

Without warning there was a sudden rapping on the door, breaking our concentration. "Open, up, this is the town patrol."

His eyes suddenly grew wide, as did mine. He kneeled down and wispered, "Follow me, I know where you can hide." I followed him into the kitchen where he opened the pantry door and motioned for me to walk inside.

"Open up! We know you're in there, old man!"

"Coming! Just a moment! I just got out of the shower," he called back. I crawled inside the large, walk-in pantry and hid in the corner as he closed the drapes and the large, wooden door. I heard him pull the latch, as well, though I doubt it would keep anyone out who really wanted to get in.

There I sat, in the dark, waiting. Waiting for life. Waiting for death. Waiting. In the quiet, I heard their voices as he opened the door.

"Have you seen anyone around here, old man?" An officer said, sticking his head through the door.

"Oh, no. No one until you officer," he told them in a false voice. He obviously wanted to sound far more feeble than he actually was.

"I see. And where did this come from?" A second officer asked. I could not see anything, and thus I was almost tempted to look out from the pantry. Almost.

"Perfectly good explanation. Found it nearly dead out in the woods, and dragged it back home." I drew a sharp, cold breath. Could he possibly give me away? "Best venison dinner I ever had." I released the breath in one long rush of relief.

"What was that?" the first officer asked.

"What was what?"

"Did you hear something Rob?" The first officer asked the second.

"I don't think so."

"It came from in there. You mind if we have a look inside, old man?"

"Do you have a warrant?"

"Sure do." There was a rustling of papers, presumably the warant.

"Let me see that," the old man said doubtingly.

"No. Now let us in."

"Come on." There was a shuffling sound as they stepped inside, followed by the sound of a closing door. "Sit down. Want anything to drink?"

The silence indicated a shaking of heads.

"Good, because you wouldn't get it if you did." He chuckled.

The officers remained devoid of laughter on the subject. "Can we take a look around?"

"Sure you can, as soon as I see that warrent. Up close."

"Look, even if this wasn't a warrent, we could come back with one."

"So you're saying that you don't have a warrent?"

"I didn't say that.

"You certainly implied it.

"Look, we'll be back in an hour. Then we'll see. You'll see. Everyone will see."

"Yeah, well I'll see you later. Out."

"Out?" The officer asked him, mockingly.

"Yeah, as in the word that comes after 'get the hell' and before 'if you intend to keep your face organized in its current possition'. Understand?"

"Of course." There was a squeaking as he opened the door and allowed the officers to shuffle out.

Once they were gone, he slammed the door shut and walked back to the pantry. "That was a bit close."

"Too close. Why'd you let them in?"

"Would have looked suspicious if I hadn't, wouldn't it?"

"I guess so. I've got to get out of here in under an hour. Under a half-hour, to be safe."

"Of course. Do you have a way off the planet?"

"Yeah, I've got a ship. I know what you're thinking. I've got to get to it."

"Exactly, but that may not be as easy as it sounds. They don't know your name, do they?"

"I can't think of any way they could."

"Then they probably can't hold you back from it. What about visual recognition? Have they seen you?"

I thought back for a moment. "I don't think so, but this is no time to take unneccisary chances. I'll be careful nonetheless."

"Of course. You can never take chances. Here," he said, reaching for a long cloak hanging on the door. "Take this."

I looked at the long, black cloak for a moment. "Oh, that's inconspicuous." I said sarcastically, laughing a bit.

He laughed for a moment as well. "I guess you're right. A bit too suspicious."

"I'll be fine as I am, as long as no one sees the bandage. There's probably a call out for someone with a large bandage, judging from all the blood I've lost that they must have found."

"Good point." He rolled down my shirt sleeve. "There, no one can tell the difference." He looked at a nearby clock. "We've got to go." He walked over to the doorand hesitated, looking out the window beside it. "No good, they're probably crawling over the trail. Not enough of them to be patrolling both sides, I don't think. Not yet, anyhow. You'll have to find a way around this part of the path."

"Sure, I've got a good sense of direction. Where can I get out, though? A window?"

"Good idea. Follow me." I walked behind him until we reached a back room. He pulled up the blinds and hoisted the window open all the way. He then stuck his head out and looked outside. "Now go. I'll try and stall them if they come back, keep them for tea, dinner, dessert, sleep, and possibly breakfast." He grinned. That would hold a few of them for a short time, I was sure. "No more time for chat. Go!"

"Wait, I never even heard your name!"

"I can't tell you my name and you know it. Don't tell me yours either."

I smacked myself gently over the head. "Of course." Crawling out the window, I looked back and made a final statement. "Thanks! For everything!" I called, but softly enough not to be heard from more than a few feet away.

"Any time," he replied, closing the window and blinds.

Looking around for officers, I lowered to my hands and knees and snuck through the underbrush. I was nearly into the larger trees, from which point I would be able to stand and run, when I heard something nearby.

"Hey Rob, did you hear that?" A voice, not unlike that of the first officer, spoke.

"Hear what?" the second officer, Rob, exclaimed.

"Coulda sworn I heard something. A twig popping or something."

"You've been hearing things all day. Probably a squirrel or something.

"Musta been a big squirrel."

"Okay, you don't believe me; go check it out."

"Nah, never mind, you're probably right."

"Better. Now keep an eye on the house. He's got to come out some time, and when he does... BLAM!" he said this last word with a bit too much enthusiasm, in my opinion. I could imagine the entire scene, though by no means did I want to.

Carefully, quietly, I snuck up behind the two, on my hands and knees. Once I was withing arm's reach, I set my hands gently upon each of their disruptors and pulled them out, very, very slowly. I set these at my sides and pulled out each one's set of handcuffs. Once they were in my hands and open, I moved slowly up towards their hands. The first one stirred as he felt the movement and his hand moved back only to hit my face. He jerked around with a cry of surprise as he reached for his empty holster, but I slapped the restraints on the before each could move away, attatching them at the wrists. The second one let out his own cry as I did this.

Their attempt to move towards me once the 'cuffs were on was quite pointless, as it only resulted in jerking their hands and pulling them to the ground. I bent down and picked up one of the guns.

"Don't move," I told them both, keeping the gun aimed between them so that I could shoot either one at any moment. I took this moment to kick the other gun far into the woods. Picking it up at that time would expose me to an instant boot in the face. "Okay, now move towards that tree." I spotted a thick tree to the left, maybe six or seven feet in diameter. More than enough to attatch them around it.

They did as I said, and I proceeded carefully towards them. "Now put your backs to the tree, and move your free hands together." Following the procedure, they looked terrified. "Now throw your keys. Into the brush over there." They did as they were told, and returned to their position. I then handcuffed their two remaining hands together, permenantly attacthing them to the tree. "Okay," I said, walking away. "As soon as they see you are missing, they will be here to unlock you." I broke into a run. "Good luck!" I called in a cheery, vengeful tone. I wanted them to be held up for a while, but I definately didn't want them dead. Humiliation and murder were two very different things. I continued to the landing pads that should be directly ahead. It could take as long as an hour, but I would arrive. And I would be free.

<- more stories

discuss this story ->