Cold Encounter

Almost faceless; almost invisible, the man strode the wet cobblestones with firm decisive steps. He lifted the collar of his coat up to his cheeks, barely showing his eyes and nose. Although initially worried about his anonymity, he soon found out the winter wind and the relentless drizzle were excuses enough to go unnoticed through the scarcely illuminated alleys.

He did not meet but quite a few people on his way and they were all more bothered at running away from the cold rain than looking at strangers walking down the streets.

The time and weather conditions could not be more appropriate. He obviously would prefer the reddish colourful autumn, his favourite season, but the grey dull winter was perfect for his task… his mission…

He mumbled almost emotionless.

‘Strange modern times… so fed up of these empty touchy people. No wonder why…’

He realised no one would ever know the reason he was there, at that moment and felt almost relieved.

That was the address. He knew the place. He had gone through the plan an infinite number of times, until it was thoroughly memorized. It should be flawless by then. The time was right. Soon it would be over.

He stopped in front of the entrance and typed the code at the gate. The tiny red light switched on. He turned to the camera to have his face scanned. He heard a click and pushed the gate open. The cold rain fell hard upon him while he walked on his firm pace to the building.

***

- I was looking for you.

- I was waiting for you.

He did not smile.

She looked out of the window. Her thoughts were very far away. For a moment it seemed she did not know where she was, nor the epoch she was living anymore. She just wished everything was over by then. She would give her life for one single kiss and embrace… a warm touch of bodies… whatever felt warm in the midst of that horrible winter…

- Everything is so lost…

- Not everything, but most of the things…

She turned around. His eyes were set on her face.

- When?

- In a few minutes.

- Will you come back here, after this is all over?

- Probably. A man’s job is never complete...

She pretended to smile, but her face did not help much. That sadness was so evident and solid, one could almost touch it.

- A cold and rainy day… to crown it with a sordid detail…

- I tried my best.

She looked at him with a despising expression. His face was handsome. One could never guess the intent behind those icy blue eyes. She shivered.

The rain stopped suddenly.

- A gift.

She looked surprised. In her mind there were lots of conflicting thoughts, memories, lost feelings, anguish… but not anger. Not anymore.

She felt light. She wished she had had a last chance; a last moment of love and pleasure…

If she only knew before… she would have lived…

- It’s late.

His eyes were inviting, in a different way. She felt she had no more time. She recalled an old song.

…”What I would give to be lost in your embrace”…* 

He smiled as if reading her thoughts. She smiled back.

- I know. It doesn’t make any sense.

- No. It doesn’t.

He paused. She felt tears rolling down her face.

- I’m ready.

- Then it’s time for the phone call.

- That’s an unusual way of doing it.

She dialled a three-number code. There was a click on the other side of the line.

“You dialled Emergency”...

- I had an accident. I’m dying…  

“What kind of accident? Madam? Madam?”...

She hung up and smiled. Peacefully. Nothing mattered anymore.

His face was handsome. Masculine. Perfect. She lifted her both hands to be held in his.

- It’s time. Let’s just do it…

***

(*Fallen: Benjamin Arthur Mckee / Daniel Coulter Reynolds / Daniel Wayne Sermon)

Tattoo (Part 2 of 2)

- Mine is prettier.

- It is. No doubt it was a very beautiful choice.

- I’ve decided for a more modern design and I think I got it so right.

- Definitely yes. It’s very well done and with a beautiful colour effect... I wouldn’t have made a better choice.

He looked at the picture once again and kissed the etched dragon intentionally tattooed between the two dimples in the lower part of my back. My skin was warm and reacted when his lips touched that strategic point located at the base of my spine.

- I love your curves. These two dimples are so incredibly sexy... And now there is also this dragon so well made and meaningful...

I bent slightly up, as if submitting my body to more welcome displays of affection and he accepted the offer so eagerly, it triggered an almost involuntary and almost irreversible reaction. I could feel he did not want to worry about control over anything, anyway. He just lay down on top of me, kissing every part of my body. I felt so loved and so desired by him, my whole body opened for his caresses and for his so welcomed yearning.

- Uhm ... What was that?

No answer. He just kept on kissing me all over. I cringed as he rubbed his lips behind my ear, triggering waves of goose bumps running all over the extension of my skin. He giggled and took advantage of the discovery. It was his chance.

***

- We are marked forever.

- As if we were genuine soul mates...

- Ahaha! There you come, again, with that soul mate thing...

- We're matching souls and bodies, then.

- We're people who like to be with each other and our bodies know that. Isn’t that enough?

- "May it be eternal while it lasts"?

- Maybe that's more than enough...

I laughed, pretending I was happy with that, but my mind accepted things quite different from his. He always tried to keep his emotions under controlled loss of control. He used to say that nothing in life would be eternal and that having high expectations could lead to big disappointments. He did not want our "friendship", so to speak, to lead to anything other than the good things we already had.

I knew things could be more complicated than the simplification he tried to imply about the situation. I was not afraid of being romantic or giving myself in and letting myself go ahead, in the name of a feeling I would want to grow stronger. That was how I was. My head was always in the clouds, my body always ready, when we were together. I wanted that to last forever, although I knew it would end… eventually…

- Let go. Let go. Don’t hold back. Be entirely here with me… Give yourself in to this moment… Don’t be afraid…

I knew the risks involved. I knew the pleasures that relationship had brought to our lives... and I liked the whole thing... but I was not sure about him. He seemed to have his mind so far away sometimes… so untouchable. Maybe I was only being paranoid. Maybe I was right…

***

- Do you like it this way?

- I do, but move a little further up, please.

- On here?

- Yes. That’s it.

I examined him carefully, with opportunistic lascivious eyes, my cheeks flushed with desire, and hummed softly, next to his ear:

"You’re on my heart just like a tattoo"... (Jordin Sparks – Just Like a Tattoo)

I ran my fingers lightly over the drawing, which had been etched in pain on the left side of his waist. I kissed, not only there, but in several other parts of his body, as I used to do, when desire surpassed control.

Our tattoos were almost committed to each other. Two dragons so dissimilar, representing two very different meanings, printed on the skins of two very unalike people. But even so, they were two dragons: two creatures of the same species... or maybe not...

***

- Hug me.

- What happened?

- Shhh.

My body was warm, as if it were burning coal. He had no idea what was going on, so he just stood there, not saying a word, listening to my panting breath and feeling my heart pound against his chest. He sensed something was wrong, but he did not know what it was.

- Tell me what's going on.

- Shhh. Just stay like this, a little longer...

We stayed, what seemed like an endless time, in that tight embrace. When, at last, I released him, I said only in an almost desperate whisper:

- Make love with me… Don’t make love to me: make love with me!

He did not say anything, just let himself go... completely... like an inflatable boat, down the rapids, without oars and without rudder.

We made love as if madness had taken over us. Our bodies burned as if they were suffering from a high fever and we had our bloods running, like hot lava in our veins, ready to erupt at any moment. We sought to satisfy an insatiable thirst, while we drank from the same venom, or its antidote, mixed erratically in our mouths and pursued a comfort that did not exist. We let ourselves be taken by the insanity that made that moment unique and intense, in waves that came and went inside us, like the sea throwing itself on the sands of the beach, in that rhythmic, sometimes languid, sometimes energetic back and forth. We sailed in dark deep waters, like a boat without a helmsman, who ran the risk of wrecking the hull on the reefs and the sharp banks of multi-coloured corals.

He closed his eyes, trying to refrain the distress that was taking hold of him, and let out a scream, like an animal in the forest. His whole body convulsed, in repeated spasms. Then that feeling of abandonment and relaxation followed. Our bodies were inert for a few moments, overcome by fatigue.

We stayed in silence, listening to our breaths, which were slowly going back to their natural rhythm.

We lost track of time and fell into a deep sleep. I had a dream I would never tell him about. I was drowning in the dark chilly waters of doubt and I could not do anything to avoid it. I was choking and there was no one else around to give me a hand. I was so alone and cold…

When I woke up, he was still sleeping. That bed looked huge and cold despite the heat outside.

Something seemed out of place. There was a strange atmosphere and for a moment I felt sad. Anguish tortured my chest. That dream made me think of what was happening between the two of us.

My mouth was very dry. I needed fresh water. I got up and went into the kitchen. It was late at night, and there was a pleasant breeze coming through the open door onto the porch, so I went outside.

***

- Hey.

- Hey.

His voice was almost a whisper. I was about to scream in despair. I tried to stay calm. I thanked the night, for my face was hidden in its darkness.

- What are you doing?

- Thinking...

- Do I bother you?

- Of course not.

He came closer and kissed my back and neck, then rubbed his lips, very lightly, all the way down my back to stop at the tattoo, almost invisible in the shade. My skin shivered and I let my body curl toward him in a reaction of agreement. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

- I love your smell.

- Hmm...

- You're an addiction... I feel like I cannot live without you.

I turned to him, my face neatly hidden in the gloom.

- I'm going away.

- Are you? Why?

- It must be. You're right. This became a real addiction. I'm losing control.

- But that's good, isn’t it?

How I wished that was the whole truth about it, but I had to keep it simple.

- I don’t know. I'm suffocating. I cannot go on like this... I need space for myself... I have a lot to think about...

- I don’t understand…

- I do not even know if I understand, but... I must do something... and it has to be urgently... If I stay, I will make you unhappy...

- Unhappy? How come?

The answer was a lot more complicated than the question, so I stayed quiet. His idea of ​​happiness was so different from mine. He was happy with that situation and I needed more. I just wanted it to give me more peace of mind, more composure, more security. I had to leave before becoming sad and tired of trying to always be there for him and his physical desires.

I looked at him with a mixture of sadness and anticipation in my expression.

He was silent for a few minutes, not knowing how to react. I don’t think he knew what to think. His mind searched for reasons and reasons to justify that decision and could find none.

- I know I must respect your will. There's nothing I can do to change that, is there?

- I really must go.

- Okay then, but this is all very sad...

- We will have so many beautiful memories to keep, will not we?

- Many... We will always have our tattoos, vivid in our skins, to bring them to the memory every time.

- Well, dragons always come back in the spring...

- Do they?

- Uh-huh... With the first full moon...

- I've never thought of that.

He looked me in the eyes and saw my decision was made.  I could not smile, as my soul was torn in pieces. There was nothing else to be said. That was definitely goodbye.

***

I still keep my precious tattoo. It reminds me of great times with a wonderful man… who was never mine entirely. The pain I felt when the needle pierced my skin to imprint that wonderful dragon on my lower back was nothing compared to the sorrow I felt by the decision I’ve made to leave him, despite so many times regretting that...

Who knows how strong I can be and what decisions I still can make in the future, anyway…. Time can change everything… so many times…

All Along the Coastline (Part 3)

Determined to comply strictly with the order not to leave traces behind, the security guards dragged the two prisoners out of the building and into the white van. At gunpoint, the two soldiers had no way of trying to escape on that occasion.

***

The strange little man sat facing the other, not so dissimilar from him, in the large room on the second floor of the modern building, whose façade differed greatly from the well-arranged garden, built at the back of the estate. His expressionless eyes and extremely pale skin, denounced the visitor's origins, who, in spite of everything else, did not seem to be uncomfortable in that place. The other man, a little more agitated and with a frown visibly wrinkled, showed how suspicious he was, of the offer that had just been placed on the table. He could not see the reasons behind the reasons that brought that strange man to that place. The visitor then took the lead.

- You got the sample yet?

- Yeah. We have it. We have already started analysing...

- The sample without the dossier is worth nothing... or better... very little. It will be a waste of time to analyse it without due care and without the necessary information on what to do and how... It is a unique sample and should be processed with extreme caution. The codes are pretty complex and advanced... for obvious reasons.

- Of course. It was not going to be so easy, otherwise it would not stop here like this. But it's a strange business... and expensive... in my view...

- Yes. It's a very peculiar offer, but it's virtually beyond question. The risks are minimal, and the return of capital fully assured, in a very short time. But we must keep our society as a very well-kept secret and follow the plan in its due time. We cannot speed things up too much and raise unnecessary suspicions.

- It sounds too good to be true.

- I do not believe that you still have doubts about the authenticity of the origin...

- Of course I have not, but leave me with doubts about the true intention...

- The intention is to guarantee a future for this civilization... and...

- Who cares about the future of this decaying generation, which thinks only of owning more and more useless things, of making intrigues and carelessly destroying the planet?

The little man laughed.

- That's the intention. One can still hope for the future. Only those who have information like this, can appreciate the results... the earnings and the profits... Do we have a business or not?

- We do. N.M.E. will expand its area of ​​operation and include the production of medical drugs and chemicals, in this way, with a very specific purpose. No one will suspect anything.

- As long as this business stays between us, only. My contribution cannot be brought to light of this...

- Time... is money... We have so much to do, yet. I will transfer the money to the designated account. Please confirm the receipt as soon as you have it and have someone bring the sample and the data to start the process as soon as possible.

- I cannot send anyone else to bring information of this importance along here. I work alone. I'll come myself...

- You need to trust humanity more... especially...

The irony was not welcomed by the little man, who replied,

- I have many reasons not to trust anyone... more specifically from here.

- Very well. It's fair... for now. After all, business is business.

***

The rented car was parked at the edge of the ravine. A man in a black suit was leaning against the vehicle, staring out at the sea and smoking an unfiltered cigarette. He glanced at his watch and looked out at the road. The white van was coming up the highway.

- It's about time!

The man threw away what was left of the still lit cigarette and waited. The car pulled up close to him. The driver, also dressed in a dark suit and wearing sunglasses, got out of the vehicle and came toward the man waiting for him. The passenger, sitting in the front seat, also got out of the van and joined the others.

- Let's get this over with.

A crash in the back of the vehicle caught the three of them by surprise. Two young men came out, one from each side, running at full speed, dressed only in their underwear, and each one turning their pants in their right hands and coming straight to the attack on the three other men, who were not expecting such kind of attack. Two men were hit in their heads by something solid and they fell to the ground. The third man pulled a pistol off his jacket and fired, just as he felt something very hard hitting his hand as fell down to the ground too, his senses failed. He had been hit in the head by the other man.

- Fast. Let's tie these three up, before they react again.

The two of them hastened to tie up the three security guards after stripping them of their dark suits, leaving them only with their underclothes on the edge of the cliff, but not in view of the passers-by. To make it difficult, they threw the van down the cliff, before they got into the rented car and left. They would have to get rid of their car on the first occasion, so they went down the coast to the big industrial city, still up north. There it would be easier to change cars and go unnoticed. The intention was to disappear for a while.

***

- It's going to take a few days, until we sort all this out and we can finally get out of here.

- It’s not that bad. They’ll give us provisional cards. We must avoid being seen around however.

- We must report these people! They will continue to chase us and do...

- We do not even know what they're up to. What we know is very little. What would we say and to whom? And who would believe us, anyway?

- Damn it!

- We have to know more about this company and the shenanigans they are involved in before doing anything.

- Are you crazy?!? No way. Let's go back to our lives, before anyone finds out we're in such a mess.

- We cannot leave things like this. It is not right. There is something big going on here and we have to find out what it is, otherwise we cannot do anything to change this situation.

- But we do not have to change anything. It's none of our business.

- Yes, we do. It's up to us now. Or do you think being beaten and treated like animals is part of a normal life? Our holidays are spoilt anyway. We're hiding here, and we still need to have our documents reissued before we get back to our lives and to our holidays. That's not fair. Besides, we still have more than a whole week to go...

- Let's get out of here as soon as possible.

The young man wearing glasses looked at his friend but knew that his battle was over. The other man was not going to rest until he'd settled the case or put an end to his anguish.

- Well, I'm hungry.

-Let's go out, then. We have little money left from the amount we took out of the security guards. We must be reasonable until we can settle the case with the bank.

The two men left the rented room in the small B & B on the outskirts of the city, where they could go unnoticed and have just a few expenses, with the little money they had left. The car was tucked away in one of the nearby streets, but not the same as the B&B, so they would not be discovered if someone came looking for them. Nobody knew them, and they did not ask for anything, either. They were strangers living incognito... for a while...

***

The Cafe was practically empty when they left, after a quick meal. The night was cool, even for the hot day it had been. They walked side by side, not talking much. Each one was very busy with his own thoughts. The street, where their accommodation was located, was almost deserted. The two of them walked lightly while a few cars passed by them, and when they did, they avoided being exposed to the headlights, lowering their heads, so as not to be recognized. 

The man wearing glasses stopped, mute, looking ahead and very seriously. His partner looked at him and followed the direction of his gaze. Coming out of the street where their car was parked, they saw the white van. The big red letters painted on the side of it did not hide the origin of the vehicle, nor the purpose of being there. The two of them jumped over a wall and crossed a vacant property to the other street and hurried up the steps to the room where they were staying.

- We got to get out of here. How did they find this place?

- I do not know, but now it's too dangerous to stay here now. They must have contacts everywhere...

A noise downstairs, followed by muffled voices and doors slamming, left them on alert. A woman shouted out loud. The last thing they heard, before jumping down from the balcony into the dark street, was the sound of a man's voice calling out,

- Where are they?

The young man wearing glasses only had time to hear his friend whisper and pull him by the arm, though an opening on the broken wall:

- Quick! This way! 

***