Author's Notes:
This is a one-off story. No sequels are planned for this this tale. I thought I'd try my hand at writing a piece about submission. Hopefully I didn't make a mess of it.
All characters engaging in sexual relationships or activities are 18 years old or older.
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Chapter 1
The early winter storm raged and thrashed across the mountain range. It seemed especially angry with the narrow mountainside road Dan was cautiously driving his jeep on. The fierce winds fought to push the jeep across the icy road into the deep ravine below. If it wasn't for the heavy tire chains he'd installed at the base of the mountain he'd already be tumbling down that cliff.
He hadn't intended on being away from his cabin at all before the winter storms arrived. He'd discovered that some of his med kit supplies had expired and needed replacing before he was snowed in for the season. It was definitely a bad idea to skimp on medical supplies when you had no access to a hospital, or doctors, for up to four months. And since he was in town anyway he'd decided to stock up on extra food as, you know, no grocery stores in his neighborhood. With the sudden arrival of what was turning out to be a monster storm he was in danger of not making it back to his neighborhood at all.
He knew the road behind him was empty of cars as he'd been the last one through before the highway patrol closed the gates to the mountain road. By now the road behind would be completely impassable so there was no going back. Not that he intended to. Not when he was almost at his turn off. From the curving mountain road he'd be turning uphill, driving up a rough fire road for two miles then into an even more rugged trail for another mile through the forest to his house. If the storm picked up any more even his customized jeep with its extra clearance wouldn't make it beyond the highway and he'd have to snowshoe in the remaining distance. That was not something he was looking forward to.
Dan's jeep ground its way along the snowy road getting closer and closer to the fire road. A short time later he rounded the last bend and spotted the road marker indicating his turn was just ahead. On his right side was a thin strip of trees and beyond that nothing but sky. It was a scary section of road with minimal guard rails. It paid to take extra care here.
He almost missed spotting the body in the tree as he drove past. Dan's subconscious mind latched onto the image and his foot was pressing carefully on the brake before his conscious mind knew why. Once he stopped he looked back over his shoulder to confirm what he'd seen. It wasn't just an odd shadow or a clump of branches. He could clearly see a body leaning into the branches of one of the trees dangling over the edge of the cliff. He put the jeep in park with the engine still running, set the hazards on, and cranked the heat up to full. He pulled his hood up and gloves on before he stepped out of the warm cabin of his jeep into the wailing storm.
He made his way to the back of the jeep and looked again at where the body was in the tree. He'd have to climb up to get it and that was going to be risky. He pulled his climbing rope out of the back hatch of the jeep and stepped into the harness. Once secured, he tied the end of the rope to the trailer hitch and quickly made his way over to the side of the road. He could see the short section of guard rail had been slammed into, bent over, and broken off. It rested precariously on the edge. There was very little evidence of skid marks as the snow was blowing very hard by this point. He cautiously stepped forward and looked over the edge. Not too far below, maybe 50 feet, he saw the remains of one of those trike motorcycles. What kind of moron would be driving a motorcycle this late in the season? Just to the left of the wrecked bike and sprawled across a broken spruce tree stretching out over the abyss was the moron. Dan could see his legs were bent at an unnatural angle. Hell, his torso was bent wrong as well. Most likely his back was broken. The blizzard was making it very difficult to see the man clearly but he thought he could make out some kind of emblem on the ripped leather jacket. It could be a Blood Brothers jacket but he wasn't sure. Christ, he hoped not. If he was from that gang he was a LONG way from home.
Dan called out to see if the man was still alive but either the storm was whipping the sound of his voice away or the man was dead. He looked up at the body in the tree and realized the helmet had moved to look in his direction so this one was definitely still alive. From here he couldn't tell if it was a slim man or a woman. The baggy leathers made it impossible to tell accurately. He took a few more steps towards the tree and saw its roots were deeply entangled with the rough cliff side. He judged it to be sturdy enough to support his weight if he climbed up. Just as he prepared to step off onto the tree he heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot followed by a feminine cry. He looked up and saw the right sleeve of the leather jacket was torn and there was blood dripping from it. Dan looked down and saw the man below was holding a gun and was struggling to hold it steady. When he saw it swing towards him he flung himself back from the edge. A second shot rang out digging through the ground where he'd just stood.
"What the fuck are you doing?!?" Dan yelled over the edge. "I'm here to rescue you!"
"The bitch is mine! She dies with ME!" he heard the man reply. Another shot was fired but this one hit a branch to the woman's left. The man was deranged! Dan wouldn't be able to get to her before the maniac below hit something vital. And if Dan tried to climb out there he would likely be the target of the next bullet. He'd taken enough bullets in his life. He had to stop him. Quick!
He frantically looked around for a weapon, something he could use to stop the idiot with the gun. Another shot rang out and the woman's helmet snapped to the side as the bullet grazed it. The only thing Dan saw was the broken section of guard rail. He reached down and with a huge effort lifted it above his head. It was damn heavy as chunks of two posts were still attached. Dan shuffled to the cliff's edge just above where the man was. He heaved the metal beam and lumber over the edge and watched as it fell.
The man squealed in terror as the plummeting chunk of steel and lumber rushed down to crash into his broken body. It tore him and most of the spruce tree from the cliff face and they all fell hundreds of feet onto the rocks below. The crushed trike, which had been braced by the tree, slowly slid off the small ledge and tumbled after its owner.
Dan quickly stepped out onto the tree and climbed up to the woman. He called out but she was limp and leaning into the tree. He saw that one of the branches had pierced her shoulder, pinning her in place. It probably saved her from falling to her death. The branch hadn't gone all the way through. He strapped her to his harness then he gently pulled her loose from the branch. Luck was on her side again. There was very little blood so nothing major had been hit by the branch.