The Land behind the Forest 10

»I will start by explaining the business part, for it is quite unspectacular, to be honest! It’s all about money! However, we are talking about some 50 Million!«

Ligeia paused, and at least Lioba now was all ears. Even Vlad had admitted that her properties were worth 100 Grand at the most. So, was there a hidden gold treasure, or an oil field underneath their feet?

»In the times before the Second World War, when Romania was still a monarchy, this whole valley«, Ligeia made a wide gesture, »belonged to one nobleman! Not Count Dracula, I am afraid, in fact, I have even forgotten his name! However, when this country became communist, the land was collectivized, and the nobleman had died in the war whilst his family had fled the land. And then, the revolution came, ending Ceausescu’s regime!«

She gave a quick history lesson, telling them that after 1989, when it had again been possible to buy land, many had done so, whilst the offspring of the nobleman had also claimed their right to the valley. In the end, there had been some 100 persons and companies owning parts of the valley.

»Your part, Lioba, is one of the bigger ones, but as several people told you, the market value is some 80.000, though it makes up some three or four percent of the valley altogether. However, these few percent are those my company needs to own 51 percent of the valley – allowing us to do more or less what we want here!«

Some loopholes in the Romanian laws, the overall corruption and other aspects would allow Ligeia’s company to sell the land to another company willing to build a factory. Whilst this would of course gain jobs, it also meant the destruction of the landscape, its resources and the contamination of the valley’s water. Andrina moaned, and she looked at Aurica whom she had blamed of disrespecting tradition, just because she had established a small factory with eight employees. Aurica also was dismayed, and she just stared in silence as Ligeia continued:

»This notary, Petrescu, is quite – flexible according to the laws, but he refuses to break them, and we also need the approval of the Land Registry Office! So, we need the original testament, plus a deed of transfer, signed by Dr. Lioba Karnstein! And since you haven’t been too cooperative during the last hours, we will have to make you sign the deed and tell us where the testament is!«

Marvin went for Lioba, grabbed her arm and forced her to follow her inside the hut. Sabrina meanwhile fetched a few more things from the car before she followed the two.

»We have to improvise a bit, but I think we can make you suffer enough!«

Whilst Marvin still held her arm in a vice grip, Sabrina went to the only furniture, an old wooden table, covered with carvings and blackened with age. It was heavy, but Sabrina managed to turn it on its side. When she had pushed it around a bit, she told Marvin to bring Lioba, even warning her about the shards.

The redhead had to mount the now vertical tabletop, so it was between her legs, its upper edge a few inches below her crotch. Lioba had a bad foreshadowing what this was up to.

Sabrina now took a long expansion cord with hooks on both ends, like they were used to secure loads for transport. She took the middle and held it to Lioba’s throat. Then, she pushed both ends under her armpits and threaded them through the gap between her upper arms. When she stepped behind Lioba and pulled the slack out, the elastic rope ran above her breasts and chaffed her armpits.

With the help of Marvin, and using Lioba’s shoulder as support, Sabrina then climbed upon the table’s edge and balance whilst she fixed the rope ends to the ceiling. Lioba carefully tested this new tie, and she found out that due to the elastic rope, she could still bend forward. However, she realized what perfidy Sabrina had in mind when the black haired villainess now tied a normal rope around her left ankle whilst Marvin grabbed her right one and bent id, forcing her to balance on one leg.

»It’s our version of a Spanish Horse – a Romanian Horse, so to say!«

Lioba groaned when Sabrina had finished tying the rope around her ankle and then used it as a leash to pull her foot from the ground. Immediately, she sank on the hard edge between her legs, and since the elastic rope didn’t do much in supporting, most of her weight now rested on her soft flesh pressed against a wooden board that was just one inch thick.

Sabrina and Marvin tied her ankles together, so both her legs had to stay bent, and Sabrina patted her victim’s cheek.

»Just enjoy the inconvenient part whilst we have to deal with the other girls! We will get to the painful part sooner than you will like!«

***

Though it was just a watchtower, the ruin was built after the same aspects than a castle would have been: located on a steep, cliff-like part of the hill, with only one access. So, though it couldn’t be called really high, Vlad had to climb up a few metres with only the hanging ivy as a support.

»Just another two yards, and I have reached the part from which I can try to sneak towards the castle itself! Just a-«

At that moment, the branch he was pulling at proved to be loose, and Vlad fell down the cliff. Since the branch he held in his other hand was more stable, it slowed down his fall, and he managed not to scream, but when he hit the ground, the sharp pain in his ankle told him that this hadn’t been a soft landing. Gritting his teeth, and aching from the pain, he carefully felt for his ankle that already became hot and seemed considerably bigger than its brother on the other leg.

***

Ligeia took one of the guns and promised to have an eye on Eileen and Salome whilst Marvin and the girls led Aurica and Andrina into the tower, to the edge of the opening leading to the cellar hole. Sabrina, who had brought some more equipment, said:

»There are almost no spiders, and you will even get this!«

She had brought a blanket and a long stick, obviously a broomstick. Having jumped into the hole, she draped the blanket over the ground. Then, she took the stick and wedged it, so it was lying diagonally on the ground.

Marvin now stepped behind Aurica and grabbed her under her armpits to lower her down into the hole. It wasn’t deep, maybe just two yards, but the girl flailed, and with a mixture of anger and amusement, Sabrina scolded and threatened to spank her again.

Once the girl stood on wobbly legs, Sabrina positioned her in the middle of the room and tied her right ankle to the stick. Then, she grabbed Aurica’s other foot and pulled it towards the edge of the room, forcing the Romanian to get down on one knee. The ankle was tied off, so she had to keep the position that was okay now, but would become inconvenient when time passed.

Andrina’s fear of dark narrow rooms kicked in, and she squirmed and flailed when Marvin wanted to lower her into the hole. Finally, the annoyed man put her over his knee and spanked her naked buttocks 20 times, causing her to scream into Aurica’s panties.

»That wakes up some memories, doesn’t it?«, Sabrina purred, pushing her hand into Aurica’s pantyhose and groping her still sore buttocks. Aurica mewed, more from compassion with Andrina than from pain. Though she still couldn’t fully explain her sudden sympathy for the girl, she also couldn’t deny it.

A sobbing, but no longer struggling Andrina was then lowered into the pit, and Sabrina made her stand opposite to the kneeling Aurica. Then, she grabbed the girl’s right ankle and forced it between Aurica’s legs, taking care that the girl had to kneel, too, and that their fronts were very close together as each girl was now literally riding the other’s thigh. When Andrina was tied in a position similar to Aurica, their breasts touched, and even through her pantyhose, Aurica could fee the touch of Andrina’s pubic hair, and the warmth of her middle. She blushed when she realized that Andrina would feel the same about her.

»Now, for just three more things! Marvin, a hand, please!«

The man didn’t complain about becoming Sabrina’s handy-man, and he reached her a belt she slung through both girls’ armpits, forcing them to mesh their boobs together as she buckled it off at Andrina’s back.

»One!«

A second belt was tied around both their waists, and now, the intimate connection of their wombs was even closer. Sabrina now got a small thing handed from Marvin, and she held it behind her back as she asked:

»Can you guess what the third thing is? A little hint, it will help you to pass the time, forget about the darkness, and to enjoy your close relationship!«

Both girls squirmed and mewed when they heard a buzzing sound. With a smile, Sabrina presented them a vibrator.

»Unfortunately, they did only have this one at the flea market in Hermannstadt, and it doesn’t have any special features! But I bought some fresh batteries, and maybe, you figure out some special features by yourselves!«

She pushed her hand between the bellies of her victims, placing the vibrator in Aurica’s pantyhose, as deep between her legs as she could get it. Then, she reached up and Marvin pulled her out of the cellar hole.

»Have fun, Ladies!«, she purred as she closed the lid. When it fell shut, it cut off the anxious muffled screams from the dark prison. Sabrina approached Marvin and placed her hand on his hip, quite close to his manhood.

»This kind of work is really heart-warming, can you believe it?«

Her hoarse voice, and the slight pink rash on her cheeks made Marvin cup her left breast, and she reared up with a sigh, allowing him to grope her for a few moments. Then, she playfully slapped his hand.

»We still have work to do – but then, I might feel open for some new experiences!«

***

Close to where he had landed, Vlad had found another skirt, shorter and made of beige cloth. He had cut that and also cut a few stronger twigs, producing a makeshift support bandage for his ankle. There was still a throbbing pain, but obviously, it was just sprained, and if he was careful, he could stand and even walk slowly, though he had to pause every few yards.

Climbing, however, was no longer an option, and so, Vlad would have to approach the tower from another, less steep way.

»If things go on that way, Lioba will have grey hairs when I finally rescue her!«, he cursed as he limped through the bushes.

***

When Sabrina and Marvin approached Ligeia, they could see that both Eileen and Salome were obviously frightened, with the Blonde slightly trembling, and the Black’s eyes as big as saucers. Ligeia shrugged when she saw her henchwoman and her chauffeur.

»I just told them about their future lives! Maybe, I got a little carried away when describing the details! Milena, you should have stopped me!«

She waved playfully towards Milena, and the girl could not hide the fact that the combination of Ligeia’s descriptions and some flashbacks of herself being her slave had heated her up. However, when Ligeia whispered her plan for the two girls into their ears, she showed the same sardonic smile as her comrades.

Marvin draped another blanket on the ground, located between two small trees. Meanwhile, Sabrina had cut two long ropes, each some five yards in length. She handed one to Milena, and Eileen and Salome both moaned with alarm as these were doubled and the nooses put around their necks.

»You are untrained pets, and therefore, we have to keep you leashed!«

They were forced to get to their feet, and before they were led to the blanket, their captors made them stagger a few yards away.

»If you need to pee, now’s the last opportunity before a very interesting game you will be enjoying for quite some time!«

Though not only the two villainesses were watching, but also Marvin and Ligeia, Eileen squatted, blushing all over as she followed nature. Salome hesitated for a few moments, but then did the same. Whatever would follow, she definitely didn’t want to increase her uneasiness.

Now, Salome was led to the blanket and told to sit down. Milena tied the ends of the neck rope the tree behind Salome, adjusting the rope so that the girl had to lean back a bit to avoid the noose from getting too tight. Salome panted, knowing that this wasn’t the end.

»We don’t want to bore you, Ladies! Since this is the second time you are in our clutches, you have already made some experiences with our imagination, and of course, we want you to get a few new – impressions!«

Marvin now bent over Salome’s feet and tied a handcuff around her left ankle. Her other foot remained untied, but he turned her onto her left and stepped onto the cuff to prevent her from withdrawing her left leg. Then, he grabbed her right ankle and forced the girl to spread her legs.

»Uuuhhmmph! Nnnngggg! Hhrrrmmmph!«

Eileen had understood the mean plan when Sabrina had tied a handcuff around her ankle, too. She was trying to fight, and she was a tall athletic girl, but her captors were three, and she was tied at wrists and elbows. Sabrina had used the cuff to pull her foot from the ground whilst Ligeia had grabbed her other ankle, and Milena had slung her arms around her upper body from behind. In addition, they also tickled her soles and sides, and so, the gagged girl was quickly out of breath.

Sabrina ducked and slipped under Salome’s raised leg, taking Eileen’s leg with her. Now, Salome also realized what was going to happen, but all she could do was moan and wriggle as the squirming Eileen was pushed forward, so the legs of one girl would trap the upper body of her fellow captive. Both girls cringed when their middles met.

Sabrina threaded the chain of the handcuff through Salome’s neck rope and then cuffed Eileen’s other foot, and on the other side, Salome’s feet were fixed to Eileen’s noose. Then, Milena adjusted the ends of the rope before tying them to the tree behind Eileen, so both girls could still raise a little and their breathing would only be blocked if they tried to fully sit up.

Both were, however, fully occupied with the strange and humiliating contact of their womanhood. Even when they withdrew the little their ties allowed, their labia still touched – soft as a kiss, but they were unable to part them. Already, both were panting, and they mewed and chortled as they tried to move as little as possible.

»Now, girls, as I promised, you will experience something new! Of course, we could rely on old games, like shoving something between those lovely cheeks!«

She playfully slapped Salome’s buttocks, and her thumb brushed through her cleft, causing the girl to shudder from shame and fear. Sabrina added:

»Or, we could prey on another weakness of both of you – your ticklishness!«

Her fingers raked over Eileen’s side, and the girl couldn’t help twitching and squirming, her labia grinding over Salome’s. After a few seconds, Sabrina withdrew, and Milena reached her something she hid behind her back before she grinned down on the damsels.

 »Of course, you are tied that way because we want you to play with each other! And, to be honest, the way we will make you do so follows an old premise: you will, sooner or later, search for lust, for it is the only way to escape worse things!«

She produced the thing she had hidden behind her back. It was a small tube, and she now unscrewed it and put some on Milena’s fingers, then, her own. Both then squatted besides Eileen’s and Salome’s hips.

»Isn’t it ironic? I mean, you are currently chewing on those panties in your mouth – and between your legs and on your pussies, where panties are supposed to be, you will get – toothpaste!«

»Mhhhrrrmmmmm!«

»Uuuhmmmmmm! Nnnnggnnnggg!«

Both girls wailed when Milena and Sabrina now rubbed the toothpaste over their pubic mounds and between their legs. The minty fresh cream burned on their soft flesh, and they helplessly squirmed and spasmed, trying to rub it off.

»Seems we found an aphrodisiac for less than a Euro per tube!«, Sabrina laughed. For a while, all four criminals watched as the two girls writhed in agony, whimpering and squealing through the panties stuffing their mouths. Then, Sabrina pulled Marvin with her, as they still had Lioba to take care of. Ligeia took Milena’s hand; her cheeks were reddened, and when she spoke, her voice sounded hoarse:

»I miss the time when you were my slave, and I could just order you to go down on me, to fulfil my desires!«

Milena let out a fluttering breath, and she offered no resistance when Ligeia pulled her towards the SUV and opened the backdoor.

***

In the hut, Lioba was already feeling exhausted. Once the villains had left her alone, she had tried to pick on the knots tying her ankles, but only been able to loosen one of the several knots before she had to stop. The inconvenient feeling of having to sit on the wooden edge had turned into a dull pain, and the elastic ropes just offered too little support. On the other hand, they prevented her from sliding towards the end of the table, and if she had tried to get off the tabletop, she would have dangled from the ceiling, with the risk of dislodging her shoulders.

She groaned when she saw the man and the petite woman return. Sabrina immediately checked her bonds and noticed the loose knot. She tightened it; then, she took a zip tie and fixed Lioba’s thumbs to her big toes before wrapping her fingers with tape.

Meanwhile, Marvin ripped away her pantyhose. Though it had offered little protection either from being watched or from having to sit on the wooden edge, Lioba felt even further exposed and vulnerable. Sabrina cupped her breasts. Lioba tried to stay calm, but when Sabrina slightly raised her, taking some pressure from her soft flesh, she groaned with relief. As on keyword, Sabrina withdrew, giggling as Lioba reared up and her chest heaved.

»Marvin! As I promised, we will get more physical once I have all the information Ligeia needs! However, if you are here with me, I might get distracted! So, there is one last menial labour for you to do – and when you return, I should be ready for you!«

The chauffeur was torn between impatience and anticipation when Sabrina told him that he had to walk back to the factory, to fetch Lioba’s car. However, after Sabrina had whispered some details about his reward into his ear, he finally left the hut. Sabrina smiled at Lioba.

»Men, amiright? Oh, he will get what I promised, for I may need him in the future! However, for doing so, I have to be not just warmed up, but hot as fuck!«

She fetched something from a small bag, and Lioba then mewed when Sabrina placed two clothespins on her nipples. Then, she saw the other thing in her hand: it was a stick, with a leather pad on one end. Lioba guessed it was a flyswatter.

»I think we start with a classic countdown!«

She stepped behind Lioba, and a moment later, a painful slap hit her right buttock.

»200!«

Counting from 199 to 197, she hit Lioba’s other buttock, followed by her exposed soles. The broad leather pad wouldn’t leave permanent damage, and each slap alone just caused a painful tingle, but when she returned to her right buttock whilst counting 196, the new impulse seemed to add up to the remnants of pain from the last slap, and as the countdown went on, four growing herds of pain sent strays of suffering through Lioba’s body.

***

»Don’t panic! Don’t panic!«

Like a mantra, Andrina again and again repeated these two words in her head, forcing herself to keep her eyes squeezed shut. She knew that if she opened them, there would be the same darkness, an effect that would get her over the brink to thrashing and screaming – or, in her case, to moaning and squirming.

The girl trembled slightly, and she couldn’t help that her breath accelerated, though whenever she took a breath, her breasts pressed even harder against Aurica’s. At least, it distracted her from the feeling of Aurica’s close presence further down.

Still, she couldn’t understand why the other had joined her in her dungeon. Sure, she would still have ended up naked, bound and gagged, but she would have been above the ground, able to distinguish night from day.

»All I did was brushing her hair over her ear! Was this all it took to get over months of rejection, even hatred?«

»Oouuhmmm!«

Aurica shifted her position, and Andrina felt the vibrator’s buzzing on the top of her thigh. She had never seen such a thing in real life, but the internet had told her about their existence, and what they were made for. Could it be that Aurica was-

Somehow, Andrina would have expected to be appalled, or at least afraid of Aurica – reacting to the vibrator. She was afraid, but there was also something else. Curiosity. Excitement.

Aurica whimpered, and, following an impulse, Andrina pressed her cheek against the other’s, rubbing it against the other’s skin. Due to their gags, it was also tape rubbing over tape, but the next sound Aurica made sounded less miserable, and she repeated the tender gesture. A wave of warmth washed through Andrina’s body, and it seemed to take away some of her fear.

***

It wasn’t actually pain between her legs. After all, it was toothpaste, not hydrochloric acid. Eileen could best describe it as the itching tingle of a bee’s stitch, but multiplied by hundred. And, like a bee’s stitch, it felt impossible not to scratch.

Salome was feeling the same, and so, they desperately rubbed their labia and pubic mounds against each other, trying to ease the irritating feeling. Both girls were covered with sweat, and their squirming and panting caused the other’s calf rub over their breasts, adding to the irritation, especially when soft skin brushed over the sensitive skin at the back of one of the girls’ knees. There were more such irritations, as their constant movements caused the neck ropes, though they were loose enough to not block their breathing, brush over their necks, and of course, their feet were close to the other’s hair. Again and again, Salome’s curls brushed over Eileen’s soles whilst the blonde’s sleek tresses got entangled between Salome’s toes, causing the most blissful shudders when she tried to pull it free.

None of them could have said at which point their movements had changed. It had to do with exhaustion, of course, but both were athletic girls with quite some stamina, and even if they had to breathe through their noses, they weren’t close to collapse. Also, the toothpaste more and more mixed with their sweat, and the burning effect ceased. So, the girls would have been able to stop squirming and grinding.

However, at some point in their struggles, another feeling had started to build: a blissful tingle, accompanied by a heat they could even sense over the damp warmth already there. It felt as if their labia were exchanging a long, passionate kiss, a thought that was both hilarious and exciting, and the occasional smacking sound added to their arousal. Eileen tensed her thigh muscles when Salome relaxed hers, and vice versa, and they wriggled their hips, allowing the kiss of the slippery, toothless mouths to become hungrier and more demanding.

***

Lioba wasn’t a sniffling sissy, and she had quite some self-control. In addition, she knew what this was all about: Sabrina would torture her until she would tell them where the testament was and would also sign the deed.

The problem was that Lioba had no idea where the testament was. Most likely, Vlad had taken it, given the fact it had been replaced by a drawing from his daughter. Had it been a precaution? Or was he following his own agenda? Where was he? Had he seen a chance to disappear, decided that he had done enough for the woman he barely knew? Was he trying to get help?

Lioba whimpered when another wave of pain strayed through her body. Her eyes were watering, and she had not been able to oppress all sounds of pain, but at least, she hadn’t sobbed yet. Not that it had been easy: Lioba’s jaws ached from biting down on Eileen’s panties so hard, and she thanked God that the girl had only worn them for a few hours before they had ended up in her mouth.

She had even managed to scream only once when Sabrina had added her first perfidy to the torturing: when the countdown had neared the end, she had deliberately counted wrong.

»Aww, dammit Lioba, now, I have to start from the beginning!«

Now, even Sabrina felt exhausted, and she massaged her wrists before she stripped down to her bra and panties. Lioba barely noticed it. She more hung from the elastic cords than she was actually sitting, sweat glistering on her skin. She knew that her buttocks and soles now had the colour of her hair, and still, each felt as if a piece of red hot iron was pressed against it. The throbbing pain added with the rather dull one between her legs and in her clamped nipples, and Lioba cursed her strong constitution for not allowing her to faint.

»Time for a break, sweet Lioba, don’t you think? After all, the aim of the game is not to destroy you before we got wat we wanted!«

She produced a jar that contained a blueish cream and unscrewed it before stepping behind Lioba. It was a cooling ointment, and the redhead groaned with both pain and relief when she lubed her sore soles and buttocks. Deep, long, guttural sounds, lacking all countenance when the sweet coolness of the ointment eased the pain, though she knew that sitting or walking would not be an option in the near future.

Sabrina plucked the clothespins from her nipples and put some of the cream on them, too, groping and fondling Lioba’s breasts in the progress. Again, she lifted her up a bit, and Lioba reared up and once again moaned when the dull pain between her legs was replaced by a throbbing when circulation sat in again. Sabrina purred:

»Seems that there’s another spot that needs some attention!«

She used one hand to lean Lioba back a little, so she could start to give her pubic area a tender massage with her lubed fingers. Lioba knew that she should do something – protest, shake her head, try to fight her off – but all she could do was to enjoy the relief, and when Sabrina withdrew, she mewed with disappointment.

»Don’t get disappointed, sweet Lioba! We will soon start with the next round! It’s something that would be even more entertaining if you were ticklish – but I think some parts of you are now sensitive enough to get something out of it!«

She went for the small bag and showed two sticks to Lioba. They looked like handles, or like two thick pens. Then, she took one in each hand and held them under Lioba’s eyes, so she could see the other ends. It looked like a miniature wheelbarrow, with a little teaspoon over a spiked metal wheel. With her thumbs, Sabrina let both wheels rotate. Then, she stepped behind Lioba.

»These are meant for tailoring – but they can also serve other purposes!«

Lioba wheezed when the spiky wheels rolled over her sore soles, though Sabrina was using almost no pressure. She pressed a little harder when she led them along Lioba’s shapely legs, only to turn to a soft, but nevertheless tingling teasing when she had reached the girl’s buttocks.

»Scream for me, sweet Lioba!«, she breathed, and when she added some pressure, Lioba couldn’t help but obeying that order.

***

Forced to avoid all ways that were too steep or too uneven, and also having to stop repeatedly, Vlad had taken some time until he could see the main road some 30 yards in front of him. He knew that if he now turned slightly to the left, he would meet the path leading up to the castle. He decided to limp for another 100 steps, or until he could see the path, before he made the next pause.

»Then, it’s just another 300 yards, or some 1000 steps, given my current way of walking, and I am at the castle! And then, all I have to do is to get rid of the three or four armed persons there, and we can ride into the sunset!«

Vlad wiped the sweat from his forehead and leaned against a tree, taking weight from his aching ankle. He didn’t dare to sit down, for he feared that his body would simply refuse to get up again. When he was just about to stagger on, he saw the shadow move between the trees. Vlad ducked, but he also tried to see who it was.

The path leading to the road was just some ten yards away, and Vlad had a good view on the approaching man. It was the one that had attacked him, the one he had seen again at the petrol station, together with the blonde woman.

He reached into his pocket, drawing the pocketknife. The blade was just some five inches long, and him cutting twigs had sure not helped to get it sharper, but it was better than nothing. A wave of adrenaline pumped through his body, and he was sure that in his fit of rage, he would be able to attack the man and stab him before he had the chance to block him.

Then, however, Vlad thought twice. It wasn’t so much the fact that the chauffeur was taller, more athletic and most likely a more skilled fighter than him. With the knife, and with the element of surprise, he might have had a chance of defeating him, at least injure him bad enough that he was out of the equation.

However, the man would not go down silently. Vlad vaguely knew that if he would ram the blade into a certain spot of his lungs, he would not be able to scream, but he only had heard it in the famous interview with Christopher Lee, and he somehow doubted that he would be able to hit the right spot without any practice and with only one try.

»Even in the best case, he would still be able to alarm his accomplices! Let’s face it, I am not Lioba’s ex! He sure would have saved her already and would now either carry her to bed, cradled in his arms, or enjoy his Wodka Martini, shaken, not stirred!«

So, he let the man pass, wondering why he left anyway, and why he was not taking his car. Then, it occurred to him: Lioba’s car was obviously still parked at the factory! Vlad did a quick calculation: the road would meander through the forest until it reached the factory’s parking lot, and the man, who wasn’t a local, would sure not try to take any shortcuts. Thus, he would need at least half an hour to get there, plus another ten to fifteen minutes to return.

»All right, I am not getting my revenge, but he’s temporarily out of the equation, and I still have the element of surprise!«

Vlad knew that there was still the two women of whom at least one had a gun, and not only did he have an injured ankle, he had not fired a weapon since his military service some 18 years ago, and if one didn’t count the punch in the face this morning, his last brawl had also been when he had been in his early 20ies.

»Well, I guess that’s why they call it the ›Hero’s Journey‹, and not ›The Hero’s Leisurely Walk in the Park!«

***