Whew, I know it's a few days late, but here it is, the next chapter in my zombie/succubus/mimic adventure which now stars Bigfoot and a pair of Arachne!
Anyway, if you're a new reader, you should at least go to chapter one, this story is a spin-off of another story, and it's definitely plot-heavy. However, I try not to skimp on the (sometimes weird) sex scenes, so don't worry, we shall wait while you catch up!
Returning readers, welcome back! This is officially a cross-over event, with some characters from Last of Her Kind, so I certainly hope you enjoy a deeper look into Velvet and Eulalie's life.
I've loved reading all your comments and letters. I love this little universe I've created, and I get thrilled whenever I read about how excited you are. These characters are very real to me, and I know that a few of you have communicated that they resonate strongly with you. That's truly an author's dreams.
Don't forget to follow me to get notifications through Lit, and check my release schedule on my bio to see when the next chapter is scheduled to drop! This one is a few days late, but I did update in advance so people would know that November screwed me over.
Anyway, Lily is back from the brink of madness and ready to ponder her own existence! Enjoy!
Dreams of Redemption
Lily watched the sun rise over the trees from the front porch of the cabin. The forest was waking up, and she closed her eyes and listened to the fractured bird songs that bounced across the valley. The air was cool, and she was wearing a pair of jeans with a puffy black vest and a long sleeve flannel shirt. She sat in an oversized rocking chair and was using her tail to push off the ground and rock it because her feet wouldn't reach.
The front door of the cabin opened and Darren came outside. He paused when he saw Lily, and then sat next to her in a regular-sized chair.
"That chair's a bit big for you, don'tcha think?" he said.
"I like sitting on big things." She licked her lips and winked at him. He ignored her and sat down in his own rocking chair and let out a groan, then rubbed his knee.
"Coffee?" He held up a thermos. "It's black, so nothing fancy like you city monsters like it."
"No thanks," she replied.
"Good to see you've got your head on straight again." He poured himself a cup of coffee and set the thermos down. Leaning back in his chair, he clutched the cup with both hands and looked out into the woods.
"I wouldn't say it was that bad. I was comatose, not crazy."
"I meant it literally. Two days ago, your damn head was on backward. I went out hunting jus' so I wouldn't have to look at ya." He sipped the coffee and grimaced. "Truth be told, I went out for beers with my hairy friend and then made a supply run. Got some clothes for your friend so that she wasn't stuck wearing the same shirt every day. Sounds like we'll be making another run at the end of the week to get your stuff from a hotel, right?"
She hadn't heard this. A good chunk of the night had been spent watching the others play make believe and role dice for damage. Still, it had felt so nice to be around other people and outside of the Dreamscape that she had watched. The Arachne fascinated her. She had never seen one in person, and Bigfoot had been an excellent storyteller. Once the game had ended, everyone had headed for bed while Dana had filled her in on the week and their flight from Montana. Afterward, Lily had gone to sit outside, eager to have an open sky above her that was real.
"Yes, but the timing will be tough. Can't get there early or we will run into ourselves leaving the hotel, but can't get there late, because I'm sure the Order went out looking for us after we vanished from the pit."
"Nah, I'll just have you go with Bigfoot. If there are trees nearby, he can get you close enough, you can pick up your stuff and be back here in under an hour. Can probably get your stuff before anyone even knows you were there." He laughed, which turned into a cough. "Damn sasquatch can teleport, if you can believe it. Be across the States in under an hour, though it's not as easy as it used to be. Deforestation is a sore subject with him, so try not to bring it up."
"Don't worry, I won't."
"I'm curious, though. When you girls got here, I thought your friend was making up some bullshit story about time travel and what not, and I wasn't quick to trust ya. The girls were so excited though, and I didn't have it in my heart to lock you all in the barn. Eulalie did some computer trick and was able to find a video of you two walking through a town in Colorado, so unless you both have twins, I may as well roll with it. Dana couldn't tell me much of anything about how it happened, but I was hoping you might."
Lily nodded. It had actually been the first thing that Dana had asked her once her fantasy game had ended. "She told you about what happened in the pit, right? About the thing down there?"
"Oh, that part I understood. My girls love to play those games, and their mother did, too. It was the best way to pass the time out here, especially once they learned to read. Much easier on the pocketbook, too. I just don't know how you ended up going back in time."
"Well, that part is actually less complicated. Think of it like catching a fly with your bare hands. When you let go of the fly, do you release it in the exact same spot you caught it?"
Darren snorted. "I'm not catching a fly with my bare hands these days, but I get ya."
"Well, when that thing grabbed onto us, we were briefly connected. These ancient beings, people assume that they're terribly violent, but a big part of that is the human body doesn't stand up well to time distortions. When it finally let go, it didn't put us back where we came from."
"Oh." He frowned, his left eye twitching.
"Is that...a problem?" Lily sat forward in her seat just as Dana came out of the cabin. She had been using Eulalie's computer to watch movies all night, and Lily assumed whatever she had been watching had ended. Dana was carrying a large chair with her, and she stopped in front of them.
"Do you mind?" she asked. Darren shook his head, and Lily closed her eyes. When she opened them, Tick Tock had transformed into a rocking chair that matched the one that Darren sat in, and she set it down next to Lily and joined them.
"It's not a problem for you," Darren explained with a sad smile on his face. "Was just thinking if it was something that was easy, like walking through the woods, that maybe I could use it to see my wife one more time. It was a silly thought, but I figured maybe there was a trick to it that a demon could do."
"Oh." While she hadn't known what to expect, his response was definitely not one she had considered.
"Don't you worry about it," he said. "I got to have a good life with Ana and the girls. Sure, we had some troubles out this way, but nothing we couldn't handle with that hairy ass yeti on our side."
