Ebony and Ivory 13

Valentina wasn’t rude, but Silvana was so groggy she had to more or less drag her over to a wooden bench where she made her sit down. Her ankles were secured in wooden blocks, and then, her arms were stretched over her body and once the shackles were removed, her wrists were also locked into a block.

»A torture rack!«, the girl thought, and she squirmed. Though the grip of the blocks was firm, she wasn’t stretched painfully, and she could also not see any device to pull on her limbs. Perhaps, it was just a way of securing her.

»Any last words?«

»Whaauhhmmph!«

When Silvana opened her mouth, Valentina worked the still damp panties that had gagged her before between her lips. She pushed them deep into her throat, to make room for the second pair. Then, she used the cloth strip to secure the gag, but she still wasn’t finished.

»Sure, you want to know how much you delighted Abina!«

Valentina picked the pair of panties that had hooded the Black and dabbed Abina’s moist middle with them. Then, she pulled the panties over Silvana’s head before she forced another scold’s bridle on her. Silvana mewed and her chest heaved, but Valentina just stepped aside, so she could have a look at her co-captives.

Abina was glistering with sweat, and her hair was a damp mess. Her nipples still stood out, and she was more hanging from her chains than she was actually standing. Louise had pierced a little hole into the tape sealing her lips and had pushed a large metal syringe through it. She now used this to instil water into Abina’s mouth – clear, refreshing water, but Abina had to suck it through Marlene’s panties still stuffing her mouth. She retched occasionally, but the way her throat moved told Silvana that the Black also greedily quenched her thirst.

Nabia swayed on her hook, showing severe signs of exhaustion. She too was covered with sweat, and she had her eyes closed; her eyelids only fluttered occasionally when her movements made her soles get touched by the duster, and she was acing and panting.

The worst to look at, however, was Annika. Valentina had used the Martinet on her with engineering precision, so there were no actual lacerations, but her breasts, belly and thighs were reddened, and Silvana was sure that they matched the girl’s back, buttocks and soles. And yet, Annika not only looked ravished – her nipples also stood out hard and erect, and Silvana would have betted her rescue that the glistering between the Policewoman’s legs wasn’t just sweat.

She heard some moans, and when she turned her head towards Abina, she saw the two mean women had loosened her from the Andreas’ Cross and were now forcing an armbinder on her. This time, they didn’t leave out the crotch strap, and Abina reared up and wailed when she was forced onto her knees. Louise took the panties that had once been Annikas and that had hooded Silvana during her trip, put them over Abina’s head, and then added a tight black hood, covering the Black’s entire head. Valentina then tied a leather collar around her neck, holding the leash fixed to it loosely in her left.

»You know«, she began, walking over to Silvana, forcing the hooded Abina to stagger after her, »we also have a real torture rack, and we will maybe use it later, but this nice contraption serves another purpose. Open Sesame!«

On her last words, Louise stepped beside Silvana and began to turn a wheel. Her feet, who, as she realized now, were locked in two separate blocks, began to part. Louise continued until Silvana’s body built a »Y«, and her legs were spread. Then, she tied a belt around Silvana’s waist, and she feared that a crotch strap would follow, but instead, Valentina tied the end of Abina’s leash to it. Then, she grabbed a stool, placed it between Silvana’s splayed legs and made the Black sit down. Abina mewed when this made the crotch strap bite her even harder, but with Valentina’s hand on her shoulder, she had no other chance than to remain sitting and to listen to what Valentina said:

»Once I have told you what to do, you may get up, Abina! Now, as you soon will feel, Silvana is very close to you. You can’t see her, but you still can feel – and you owe her something!«

A faint moan came from underneath the hood, and Abina weakly shook her head. Valentina giggled.

»Oh, this wasn’t an option, Abina! You may refuse, but don’t you think we have ways and methods to make you regret such defiance?«

Abina whimpered. Then, her shoulders shifted, and she once again moaned, as if she wanted to ask something. Valentina brushed over her hooded cheek.

»I know that you can’t use your hands or your mouth! Just try to be imaginative! Oh, and if you don’t start soon, Louise and I will join the game – together with a few toys!«

Silvana could remember the instruments Valentina had shown to them, and obviously, so could Abina, for she shuddered as Valentina let her go. She shifted her position, and her knee touched Silvana’s inner thigh.

»What can she do? Without hands and her lips, all she can – oh!«

Silvana gasped when she saw Abina raise her leg, placing her foot on her thigh. She then put her other foot on the other side, and now, her feet began to brush over Silvana’s skin.

A few steps away, Annika stared at the strange scene, though she only held her head up because her bonds forced her to do so. She literally hurt from head to toe.

Her soles still were sore from the spanking, her legs ached from being folded, and her soft flesh felt numb from having to sit on the beam’s edge. Her buttocks were aflame, and she remembered vividly how she had whimpered when Valentina had slapped not only her breasts, but also her armpits. In addition, she felt humiliated, for the waves of pain, just small enough to not really hurt, but big enough she couldn’t ignore them, had also sent tingles through her body – blissful tingles. Now, Louise approached her, in her hands a large plastic bottle containing a clear liquid. She poured some into her palm and then greased both her hands with it.

»You might need a little refreshment, Annika!«

She cupped her breasts and massaged the oil into her skin. Annika groaned, for she kneaded her boobs not too gentle, though she could also not be called rough. When she took more oil and turned to her sensitive armpits, Annika felt that the oil on her breasts felt – warm. Unnaturally warm.

»Mhhmm? Uuhhmm!«

»Oh, you noticed it already?«, Louise purred, rubbing the liquid over Annika’s back, »It’s a mild rheumatic balm. Actually, it doesn’t do more than providing a little warmth – but since sore skin should be kept cool, it should have a little effect on your pain!«

Annika now indeed felt how the heat made the aches in her breasts and armpits get worse, and she whimpered. Louise poured more oil into her palm and began to massage Annika’s soles.

Nabia would have suffered with Annika, but she was too busy with her own predicament. Valentina had stepped in front of her, slowly spinning the board the Black was tied to around, so she could no longer see the Policewoman. Since this movement caused the feather duster to caress her soles, Nabia gasped and twitched with her feet.

»So tall and strong, and yet so helpless! If your hands were free, you sure could break my skull!«

Her fingers brushed over Nabia’s arms, and she could see how the leather straps ached when she tensed  her muscles, trying to break free. Valentina cupped the Black’s pubic mound and sensed how she writhed as the feathers still tickled her soles.

»Seems you are still a bit – dismissive down there! I am standing in front of the gate, but the door’s firmly locked, and I can’t break it by force!«

She massaged Nabia’s labia whilst placing her thumb on her clit. Nabia groaned and tried to shy away, but to no avail. Valentina now placed her other hand on her chest, between her breasts.

»However, I think the key to that gate is hidden somewhere close! Maybe, it’s in a warm, damp valley just behind this hill!«

Her index and middle finger wandered over her right breast, squeezed her nipple and then touched Nabia’s armpit, tickling her moist, sensitive skin. Nabia twitched and her breath accelerated as she fought to oppress her laughter.

»Or maybe, it’s further down!«

Her fingers slid down Nabia’s side, soft as a breeze, and the Black now twitched from helpless giggling behind her massive gag. The teases shot through her nerves, entangled with those from her soles. And in between, there still was Valentina’s hand on her middle, giving her a tender massage. Nabia balled her fists and stained her muscles, but Valentina’s two fingers were stronger, and their soft brushing and tickling was driving her insane. She panted, and when Valentina poked her side, she squealed; it was an undignified, high-pitched whimper, but Nabia couldn’t help it. Valentina leaned forward and kissed her nipple whilst she started playing a one handed drum solo on Nabia’s belly button.

»Where might the key be?«, she breathed, continuing her attack.

Silvana mewed when Abina placed her feet on her hips and then started to rub over her belly with her toes and soles, but then, she relaxed. After all, the other didn’t have another option. In addition, it didn’t feel that bad. Strange, for she had never been massaged by someone’s feet, but she had to admit that it felt tender, and she might have enjoyed it under other circumstances.

»The only problem is that I have to enjoy it right now!«

Abina slowly worked her way up Silvana’s torso, and now, as if they were advance troops exploring foreign territory, her toes touched the base of her breasts. Then, she began wriggling them, and Silvana felt a warm tingle as the Black’s toes »ascended« her mounds and her feet made small circle moves.

»Perhaps, all I have to do is to relax!«

Silvana let out a fluttering breath, and then, she closed her eyes and felt how Abina’s feet slightly squeezed her boobs and massaged them, whilst her toes, that were surprisingly agile, playfully snapped her nipples and pinched them.

The teasing continued, and Silvana kept her eyes closed, adjusting her breath to Abina’s caresses. Or, maybe, it was vice versa. The warm tingle in her breasts felt good, and she let out a deep, long groan, rearing up the little her bondage allowed.

Now, one of Abina’s feet slowly wandered down her belly, the big toe poking her belly button. Silvana shuddered when at the same time, she felt the heel at the upper end of her pubic hair, and she involuntarily chortled when she thought of soon having a foot between her legs.

The heel grinded over her pubic mound, surprisingly gentle and intense at the same time, and Silvana once again moaned. Now, five wriggling toes fought their way through her thatch of pubic hair, like warriors in a jungle. Silvana thrust forward her womb, instinctively knowing that she had to work together with Abina if she wanted to reach the peak.

She wriggled her hips, rubbing her slippery flesh over Abina’s toes, and the Black pushed and withdrew, wriggled and held still, until finally, they had found a way that allowed both to get Silvana over the edge.

»Oouhhmm! Mmmhmmmm! Hhrrrrrrmm!«

Silvana moved faster and faster, throbbed and twitched, and then, she climaxed, screaming through her panty gag so hard she almost fainted and could see coloured rings dance in front of her closed eyes. For an entire minute, she rode the wave of passion, until she sank back, panting like she had run a marathon.

Abina had slid from her stool, and now, she sat on the floor, between Silvana’s legs, her hooded head leaning against the blonde’s thigh. She was exhausted, too, and her feet felt as if she had walked quite a distance.

»Ouuhmmm! Mmhhmmmmm! Nnnnggggg!«

»Mph! Mph! Hrrrrmmmm!«

Beside them, Louise and Valentina had also reached their goal. Louise had creamed Annika’s entire body, and now, she was rocking the Spanish Horse back and forth. Annika, whose body felt as if it was assaulted by a million fire ants, writhed, and she thrust back and forth, adjusting to the beam she had to ride. The waves of pain, each not too big, but adding by sheer number, and the waves of growing arousal added to a big tsunami, and whatever dam she was able to build within her mind, it would soon burst under the immense pressure.

Nabia had tried to fight it, too, but at some time, her body had taken over, realizing that the only relief from the tickling hell was the hand between her legs. Suddenly, there had been two fingers inside her, and when Valentina had started to push forward with surprising strength, squirming her fingers when pulling back, Nabia had groaned and focussed on that new sensation that sent tingles through her she had hardly experienced ever before. She still fought, but now, her body was working against her, and only her will and her strong wish not to allow that bitch Valentina to dominate her was keeping her from succumbing to the red hot iron of lust burning inside her.

As if there was an invisible band between them, she opened her eyes, and her eyes met that of Annika who also was in the throes of passion. And suddenly, though both were helpless victims of their tormentors, they felt a veritable connection between themselves. Nabia’s brown eyes looked at Annika’s green ones, and she could read not her thoughts, but her emotions. Now, it no longer mattered who was touching them; Valentina and Louise were nothing but toys, allowing them to share that moment of sheer lust together.

In a mutual agreement, both Nabia and Annika let themselves go at the same moment, and to them, it felt as if the waves of exploding desire entangled as did their muffled screams and sighs.

When it was over, Louise staggered over to Valentina, hugging her. Both girls were clad with sweat, the babydoll clinging to Louise’s body, and their hair was a damp mess. Both felt almost as exhausted as their victims, but they could hear a thud as the Erzherzog hit the floor with his cane.

»That was a great show, just like in the old days! However, we don’t have too much time, and so, you better start with the great finale!«

***

The 30 minutes it had taken Marlene to get back to the foot of the castle’s hill had not calmed down Marlene’s rage, but it now mixed with some concerns about what she should do.

»Shall I kick in the wall, or ring the bell until they open the door, and then overpower them all?«

She realized that despite all the Adrenaline inside her, she would be no match against a skilled opponent. She only knew about the old man and the blonde woman so far, but what if the Erzherzog had more henchmen at his castle?

Considering all this, she walked up the hill, until she had reached the door where the entrance and the merch shop were. She peeped through the gap in the gate, and there seemed to be nobody inside. Marlene looked around, and though there were a few other people at the parking lot, she was sure that the bushes would hide her from view.

The wall was covered with ivy, allowing her to climb over it. Marlene once again looked if there was someone; then, she entered the merch shop whose door stood ajar.

»Maybe, there’s a key or something!«

This wish was granted partially: Marlene indeed detected a key, but it was for the main gate, and she was already inside. Angrily, she walked up to the moat, where the drawing bridge now had been pulled up, building a gap of some six yards.

The moat didn’t look spectacular, and it was overgrown with grass and thistles. Marlene guessed she could get down unhurt, but then, she would be some four yards below the entrance, and the rock was smooth and almost vertical.

»Why can’t it be a nice palace, with nice open stairs!«

The word »stairs« echoed through her head, trying to connect with her memories, and suddenly, Marlene darted back to the merch shop. It also acted as a small snack bar, and thus, there was beer and soft drinks, all stapled in plastic crates. Not bothering that some of the bottles broke, she emptied all about 20 crates and carried them to the moat, throwing them into it. Then, she climbed after them and started to staple them.

Beer crates are surprisingly stable when stacked, and so, Marlene managed to build a makeshift flight of stairs, allowing her to reach the gap between the wall and the drawing bridge. When she had passed that obstacle, Marlene was clad in sweat and her limbs hurt, but now, she was inside the actual castle, and still, no one had taken notice of her.

»Sure, there is a phone inside! Once I have found them, I can call for help!«

Carefully, she approached the main door, but it was locked, and so, Marlene walked along the wall until she detected a small window opening to what looked like an office. When she threw a stone through the glass, it sounded terribly loud, and Marlene hid behind a barrel and waited for several minutes before she dared to open the window and climb inside the office.

There was a landline phone, and to Marlene’s relief, it worked. She thought calling the Police now, but decided against it. She needed proof first, so the cops could catch the Erzherzog and his thugs red-handed.

She sneaked onto the corridor that led to a few stairs leading up to the lobby where their tour had started. Now knowing where she was, Marlene could skip the rooms she already knew, and she tried the handles of the doors that were marked »private«. One opened, and Marlene slipped inside another corridor.

There were three rooms, the first being a surprisingly modern bathroom, equipped with handles and other security measurements for elderly or disabled people. Marlene also could smell the specific scent of hospitals and retirement homes, and she noticed that there was a veritable battery of all kinds of pills standing on the bathroom sink.

»So far, the bathroom of a sick old man!«

She left and entered the next room. It was a bedroom, dominated by a large bed. The only thing that looked interesting was a desk with several letters lying on it. Marlene looked at them, and she could see some from an Austrian bank. She skimmed these, noticing they were reminders, telling her the Erzherzog, aka »Mr. Bergenau«, was in debt. Not severely, but there was a minus of some 20.000 Euro on his account.

There were other letters, showing a blazon containing the Rod of Asclepius. It was letters from a private clinic in Vienna, and since Marlene had done some of the paperwork when her grandmother had died, she knew that they were medical history forms, telling the Erzherzog his diagnosis. The man was terminally ill.

Marlene felt a wave of pity, but then, it was replaced by fear: what if this man thought he had nothing to lose, and had one last devious plan in his rotten mind?

She checked the nightstand, and there, she found a small pistol. It looked like a toy gun, or something a Cancan dancer might draw from her garters in a comedy movie from the 1920ies, but it looked real, and Marlene took it, feeling a bit better. Then, she went for the last room.

It contained a leather armchair, with an electric control to allow getting up easier, and a large TV screen. Under the TV, Marlene saw an old VHS recorder, and the shelves were filled with old video cassettes. She checked the covers, telling her that it was all porn. To be more specific, it was all SM and bondage stuff, including several volumes produced by »Alois Archduke’s Adulteries«.

The covers showed what one would expect by such a genre, but the works of the Erzherzog’s had a realistic look that was rather appalling than arousing, even if one was into rougher kinks. She remembered their research about the Erzherzog having spent time in prison for »trying to get all too realistic« in his works.

An ice cold shiver ran down her spine as a picture began to form in front of her eyes: the Erzherzog was a pervert and most likely a sadist, and he obviously still was obsessed by it. And now, diagnosed with only a few months left to live, he wanted to do one last movie – starring Silvana!

Her legs suddenly got wobbly, and she had to stagger to the door frame and to take a few deep breaths. Her fingers trembled, but she forced herself to pull herself together.

»I must find them! This castle isn’t that big, they must be somewhere!«

Her first idea was the torture chamber, but she and Hilmar had been there just hours before, and though it had been a bit creepy, there had definitely not been real people tied to the devices, just paper mâché dummies. She left the Erzherzog’s rooms and went back into the lobby.

»Dear God, if you want me to find Silvie, you better send me a sign! After all, you already took the man I love, so you owe me a favour!«

Her grief threatened to overwhelm her, but then, there was a sound come from one of the corridors: a faint scratching, followed by the clacking sound of heels on a tiled floor. Marlene ducked behind a chest, the small gun in her sweaty hand.

It was Louise, who had been with them at their tour, but Marlene only recognized her from her black framed glasses. Her hair was in a mess, and beside the pumps, she only wore a babydoll and panties, both so transparent from sweat Marlene could not only see her nipples, but that she had shaved her pubic hair off.

Louise disappeared in a room beside the exit, and a few seconds later, Marlene heard a splashing sound, accompanied by a sigh of relief. Then, the toilet was flushed, and the blonde left, heading back to the corridor from which she had come.

Marlene sneaked behind her, and now, she could see that one of the cupboards was actually hiding a door. Louise slipped through it, and the cupboard swung soundlessly back in place. Quickly, Marlene darted forward, and she managed to stop the door just before the locking mechanism could snap in and lock her out.

Through the small gap, Marlene could see a spiral staircase leading downwards, and then, she heard a sound that felt like an icy grip at her neck, though she had heard it many times before, and all too often even produced it: it was the moaning of a gagged woman.

Marlene knew that now would be the perfect moment to silently withdraw to the office, call the Police and wait for them, hiding somewhere with the gun in her hand. However, she still had only seen Louise, and though she was taller than her, she was definitely not armed, and the Erzherzog also wasn’t a physical threat. She had the gun, plus the element of surprise – and if there were more thugs in the cellar, she could just retreat then.

She kicked off her shoes and thanked God that the door’s hinges were well oiled and produced no sound as she now slipped inside. With one of her shoes, she blocked the door; then, she sneaked down the stairs, step by step.

»Phew, that was the highest time!«, she heard Louise say behind the only door down here. It also was just ajar, and from behind it, Marlene could hear more moaning, and she stepped forward so she could peep inside.

Her eyes fell on a chair, with the old man sitting on it. He had a fine film of perspiration on his forehead, and beside him stood a tall woman with black hair only clad in panties reaching him a drink. Louise stood some yard apart from the two, and Marlene could also see something that forced her to oppress a gasp.

It was Nabia, and for a terrible moment, Marlene thought that she had been hanged. Then, she saw that she was tied to a board the size and shape of a man, held by copious amounts of leather straps that dug deep into her naked flesh. Even her head was immobilized by straps, one going over her mouth of which Marlene was sure it was thoroughly gagged.

»Louise, you mean girl«, the Erzherzog now complained, »you went upstairs to relieve yourself, though you know that I like watching!«

The blonde curtseyed and said:

»Forgive me, Your Highness! Maybe, you will forgive me if the pleasure of watching is granted to you by our guests!«

»We can make them when we arrange them for the grand finale, the black-haired said, and the Erzherzog nodded, sipping from his drink. Now, Marlene was sure that it was just him, Louise and the panty-clad woman.

»Freeze!«, she shouted, stepping forward, the gun in both hands. Marlene had never fired a real gun, but on blank distance, she would hit her target.

Louise shrieked, Valentina gasped and spun around, and the Erzherzog dropped his glass. Marlene aimed at the old man.

»Your game is over, Erzherzog – or may I call you Porno-Alois?«

The man grimaced angrily, and Marlene was about to add that he now would pay for Hilmar, but she forced herself not to think of him now. If she cried, she would lose her focus, and she was still one against three.

Now, there was some high-pitched humming as the captives noticed what was going on. Marlene now could see Annika, sitting on what looked like a headless rocking horse, her skin glistering and reddened at her breasts and thighs. To her left, she could see a leg with the ankle secured in a wooden block, and from behind that, suddenly a black woman appeared, wearing a hood, and her breast thrust out unnaturally. She jumped up, but was pulled back by the leash around her neck and slipped to the floor. The Erzherzog seemed to have recovered from the surprise and asked:

»What do you want?«

»First of all, I want you to free these women! Then, I will think whether I will call the Police or finish you off by myself!«

To her surprise, the Erzherzog chuckled.

»Killing me? You know that you’d do me a favour, don’t you?«

Marlene blinked before she answered:

»And how about your henchwomen? They are not doomed to die from terminal cancer!«

The Erzherzog’s face showed a bit of grief, but suddenly, Louise sank to her knees, staring at her with raised hands.

»Please, don’t hurt me, I didn’t-«

Before she had finished her sentence, Louise let herself fall forward, grabbed Marlene’s ankle and pulled. She fired as she fell backwards, and the shot echoed through the room. She landed on her back, and she wanted to get up again, but when she tried to raise her hand holding the gun, she felt a pain at her wrist. Valentina had jumped forward and stepped on her hand. Louise, still holding her ankles, prevented too much struggling, and despite Marlene’s wriggling and pulling, Valentina could pluck the gun from her hand. She stepped back, aiming at the panting woman.

»They say ›the more, the merrier‹, but with your permittance, Your Highness, I would now call this a private society!«

The old man seemed a bit puzzled from the rapid turn of events, but he nodded, and Louise stepped over Marlene and closed the iron door. Then, she turned the key and also closed two big hinges, nodding towards Valentina.

»Now, we will remain undisturbed for the next few hours – and that’s all we need for the grand finale! Too bad that Valentina and I will miss the pointe, but I am sure that the news will be full of it once they find what is left!«

At gunpoint, Valentina now directed marlene to get further inside the room, and now, she could see that the leg she had seen indeed belonged to Silvana, who was tied with her arms above her head and her legs spread. She stared at Marlene through the leg openings of a pair of white panties pulled over her head, and held in place by a set of two iron rings. Marlene noticed that she also was glistering with sweat, and now, she also sensed the overwhelming scent of female arousal in the musty air.

»I thought that the collapsing bridge had caught you all! You are a tough woman, eh – what’s your name?«

»You killed them! Hilmar! And Marcus! You killed them, you bastard!«

Now, Marlene could no longer hold back her tears, and Silvana, when hearing about Marcus being dead, also screamed through her gag. Valentina showed a hard expression on her pretty face as she now said:

»Well, if you keep on playing sniffling sissy, you may follow them sooner as you like! Now, take off your clothes!«

However, Marlene, who had sunk to her knees, kept on sobbing, her shoulders twitching. Valentina shook her head and made a gesture towards Louise. The blonde reached for a chain dangling from the ceiling, with a leather belt fixed to its end. With the help of Valentina, she leashed it around Marlene’s ankles, and then, they pulled her upwards, so her fingertips were some woot above the floor. Marlene, still sobbing, waved her arms, shouting and swearing.

»Now, shut the fuck up!«

»Murderers!«, Marlene replied, and Louise grabbed her scalp, pulling her towards her. Marlene’s fist hit her chin, but though she staggered, Valentina now landed a chop on Marlene’s neck. With a croak, she collapsed, dangling silently from the ceiling.

»Phew, what a temper! I think you will enjoy the last show, Your Highness!«

The Erzherzog massaged his temple, but he forced a smile on his face. Letting his eyes wander over the now five captives, he croaked:

»I really would have loved to ban my last opus on celluloid, too – but now, it seems I will be the only one to ever enjoy it! Well, there could be worse ways to leave this world than sitting in the first row in such a unique show!«

***

Using a marking post as a makeshift crutch, Marcus had managed to get back to where a steep path led up to the parking lot from which they had started. His ankle hurt, but at least, it wasn’t broken, though he could not put his weight on it, and he could not get faster than limping speed.

»Fuck, I look as if I have just fallen off a cliff!«, he joked grimly as he worked himself up the path, grateful for the railing that allowed him to ease his injured leg. He was exhausted when he had reached the upper end. Now, he just had to limp a few more yards until he had reached the van where he could at least find some water and a fresh T-Shirt.

»And then, all I have to do is to break into that damned castle, beat the shit out of Count Pornula and his goons, and carry Silvie into the sunset! Peace of cake!«

He staggered towards the car, opened the side door and let himself fall into the load, needing a short rest before he could crawl forward, pick a bottle and drink some water. Here, he heard the sound of a car on the gravel, stopping beside the van.

»The castle is closed!«, he ached as he heard someone get out his car. To his surprise, the van then slightly moved as someone climbed inside. He turned his head and saw a man that reminded him of Will Smith in »Men in Black«: not only was he tall and black, he also sported a black suit and sunglasses. He even had a gun in a shoulder holster, protruding from under his jacket.

»When Nabia asked me to help you track the phone, I of course became curious, and so, I tracked your laptop, too. The signal led me here, and on my way here, I heard some news in the radio about this small town having a dramatic rise in criminality during the last 24 hours. I have to admit that my curiosity has grown since!«

He sounded calm, but now, he drew his gun and aimed at Marcus.

***