Hell Town RV Park
For Those Who Believe in Other Worlds
(To start at the beginning, Episode 1 click here. )
(Rated Mature for Adult content)
Chapter 2: On Gate World
(Last Time on Hell Town: After the third lunchtime incident, no one wanted the weird girl to sit with them. She’d hear them whisper: “She freaks out all the time. She’ll embarrass us.” The reputation followed Piper into high school. She was always alone with her voices. Until Leo.)
Stranger Earths: Leo
Leo’s group had been keeping a close eye on Piper since her freshman year. “I think she’s the one we’ve been waiting for,” Leo told his untouchables one day their junior year. (He kept secret the fact he’d been vigilant of her for years prior to his disclosure.)
No one knew for sure if the label, “untouchable,” was coined because Leo’s group was popular and therefore unapproachable by the average student at Ridgeway High. Or because they were the most perfect of human specimens anyone could imagine. Or for some unknown reason.
The girls were tall, long-legged, with enough curve to make them the epitome of sexy. All were blessed with long, flowing hair. There was one blonde, one brunette, and one ginger comprising the female portion of the group. They were a young man’s living fantasy—walking, talking, and breathing—but untouchable.
Equally as appealing was the male faction of the tribe. Firm, lean muscle coated their fit bodies and formed an exact triangle from their broad shoulders to a tapered-waisted six-pack, which merged into an undeniably firm ass. They sported bleached, overly-pampered pompadours in complete contrast to Leo’s shoulder-length, sleek black, no fuss do.
“Mmmmm, yummy.” Fellow classmates sighed and envied anytime the untouchables paraded by looking like a photoshoot for a teen magazine instead of high school students.
They may have been the untouchables to their classmates, but among themselves—and the others like them—they were known as the Time Threes. To Time Threes, and perspective Time Threes, appearance was a primo asset. They knew the human factor gravitated toward physical beauty as opposed to spiritual beauty.
Leo purposely chose his disciples because of their exquisiteness. Their attractive appearances made it easier for them to lure prey. In much the same way an orchid mantis mimics a flower in order to snatch its dinner.
Besides looks, Time Threes’ next treasured gift was their ability to produce a delectable fragrance few humans could resist. The few, who were immune, were the ones the Time Threes coveted the most.
The Coveted fed the Time Threes’ crux, making them even more powerfully seductive. Leo believed Piper to be a Coveted. Plus, she had something even more. She interacted with The Shimmer. Time Threes could see the presence of The Shimmer, whereas most mere humans couldn’t.
The question, why did The Shimmer reveal itself to Piper, had intrigued Leo since the sixth grade when he first witnessed Piper’s lunch time encounter.
Once, in the eighth grade, Leo tried to entice Piper with his scent. She displayed no temptation, but he knew she liked how he looked. He could see it in those navy blue—almost black—eyes of hers. Unnerving. He shivered. Something he’d never been before—unnerved. From that moment on, he studied her. Stalked her during and after school.
He entered her mind at night as she slept and watched her by starlight as she wrestled with her night terrors and bad dreams—some he sent her way. Every once in a while, however, he played in her dreams, giving her pleasures only Time Threes could give.
Pleasures, he himself came to crave. When he kissed the palm of her hand or lay beside her, cupping her body in his, he felt her aloneness leave and enter him. The void—of all that’s physical—gorged his black soul and left him satisfied like a good feed. Who needed flesh, when absorbing her loneliness did the same thing to nurture his crux?
He didn’t share this revelation with his disciples. He doubted they would experience the same satisfaction as he. After all, he was a Time Three. They were merely Time Ones, and had a long way to go before reaching the Beyond. If they ever did.
Leo had invited Piper to their gathering tonight at the low-water bridge. He now wished he hadn’t. And found himself baffled he couldn’t decide what to wear. She’s just a human. What did it matter?
But Piper had become more than just a human to Leo. He didn’t understand it and failed to question the why.
“Hey, where’s my blue shirt? The navy one?” Leo yelled down to his mom. He figured the blue would match Piper’s eyes. He rarely called the woman franticly searching for his shirt, Mom. She wasn’t his real mom. He was adopted. And this one was his third adoptive mother.
His biological mom died giving birth to him, as most of the human mothers did who delivered Time Threes. A few of these mothers fought to hold on to life for their newborn’s sake, but only managed to survive for a couple of days. This was a way of preserving the Time Threes’ secrecy.
—
Females chosen to deliver Time Three babies were entranced during mating. Months later, these women would discover they were pregnant and have no idea as to how it happened or who the father might be. They were scorned by family and friends, which resulted in isolation for the expecting mothers. This isolation Time Three fathers preferred. It made it easy for them to keep tabs on the progress of their spawns by impersonating doctors, preachers, or other caregivers.
Centuries before, female Time Threes found it impossible to bear children due to a genetic flaw in their evolutionary cycle. Male Time Threes left their world and entered The Shimmer in search of compatible mates. They found Earthling females to be adequate hosts for their offspring.
At young ages, Time Three fathers begin teaching their children the ways of their ancestors, how to survive on Earth, and the importance of reproducing more Time Threes.
When Leo was four years old, his true father found him and began preparing him to become his successor on the Time Three counsel. That was one hundred and forty-seven years ago.
—
“Did you find it?” Leo shouted again.
“Sorry, sweetie, I’m coming. The stairs are getting hard on your old mom’s knees,” she said as she maneuvered the challenge using only her left leg to step and dragging her right behind her like an anchor.
Leo met the seventy-six-year old woman midway on the stairs and grabbed the shirt from her hand. “I’ll be home late. And I want some bison steak and eggs for breakfast in the morning. Get it done before you wake me.” He grabbed her feeble arm and wrenched it behind her until she released a little yelp. “And make sure the steak is rare. Don’t dare overcook it.”
“I won’t. Promise. You know I can cook a good steak if my mind is right,” she said.
—
Her mind. Her mind. Her right mind. Her brain was like a big pile of rotting scrambled eggs. Leo’s third mom couldn’t figure out how, for the last ten years, she seemed to age rapidly, but her son remained unchanged. And what year was this anyway? And what grade in high school was her son in? Was he still in school? Wasn’t he a high school senior years ago? Had he graduated? Was he going to college? Where did he go every night? All night. Where was her husband? She hadn’t seen him in…? She couldn’t remember. She leaned against the wall and sank to the stairs. She was tired. So very tired. Why? She couldn’t remember.
Her eyes shut and her breathing became shallow. She’d rest for just a minute, she told herself. But her eyes never opened again.
—
Leo knew when his third adoptive mom’s light went out as he had when the other two passed. “Fuck. I’ll have to fix my own bison in the morning.” But as he thought about how his life would change now mother number three was gone, he realized the advantages.
Presently he looked old enough to be on his own. Unlike the first time when he still appeared to be a child. Or the second time when he looked like a teenager. He could pass as a twenty something now. He stuck his chest out and patted it. He could be his own man—no Timeree—now. From time to time, he had to remind himself he wasn’t human.
Another thought turned his stoic nature into almost joyous glee. (Well, as joyous as Timerees are capable.) When his adoptive father died, the life insurance policy paid off the mortgage on the house and the car. He could live there as long as he needed. Go anywhere he wanted. He was sure the Time Three Counsel would take care of the bills.
Leo and his disciples would no longer have to meet at the low-water bridge. But what would he tell Piper as to where his mother was? Long vacay? Worked nights? He’d come up with something to tell her. He was confident.
What he wasn’t confident about was why he cared what he’d tell Piper. A sensation, like tiny fingers, danced up and down his spine and prickled the inner makings of his Timeree core.
To continue reading the Hell Town Web Serial, click on the link below.
Author’s Comment
The WEB SERIAL, or WTH is it?
With the onset of the technology boom, authors are discovering innovative ways to get their works in front of readers. However, though the web serial relies on the internet for distribution, it is not a new idea. It’s much like how writers became known before the days of mass-produced, full-length novels. Earlier writers, such as Mark Twain, released a chapter at a time, on a regular basis, in newspapers or magazines. This is the same concept as the Web Serial. Writers publish their works in bite-sized, one-sitting reads to facilitate the hurried reader. The web helps to make it easily accessible to the writer’s fan base.
Hell Town offers episodes of 1,000 to 2,000 words in length and is considered a tightly cohesive style of web serial. This type intertwines episodes with each other and depends on the reader being familiar with the story. It is meant to be read as one might read a book.
About the Artist
Lara resides in the Texas hill country with her two adorable but exhausting little boys, her husband, and two male dogs. She confesses her life is dominated by male influence.
She graduated from Trinity University in 2009 with her Bachelor’s degree in art and with an art history minor. During her life, she has worn many hats—bartender, barista, massage therapist, newspaper circulation manager, wine shop manager, and the list continues. These life experiences have added a richness and depth to her artwork.
Through it all, she has quietly honed her passions for art. “The starving artist is only a half joke,” she says. “When I had my first son, I surprised myself by finding my niche as a preschool teacher.” A career choice she has embraced for the past five years. “My experience as a bartender—dealing with the drinkers—was a great prerequisite for teaching small children,” she says and giggles.
For several years, Lara put her artwork aside to teach and delve headfirst into the chaotic life of caring for a houseful of boys. “Before children, my artwork had always been calm. Abstracts and nature were relaxing,” she says. “But my older son’s love of monsters and all things grotesque, along with my muse of a husband, have led me to a new path. I now begin a different journey, creating monsters and other worlds for writers. I’m excited to bring to life some of the creepy characters and creatures of Hell Town. Please, let me know what you think by leaving a comment.”
(Note: Lara is a new addition to the Hell Town RV Park Web Serial family. She is a former drama and English student of mine, and is on her way to accomplishing her dream of becoming a freelance artist. The illustrations are the original artwork of Lara and are created specifically for Hell Town.)
We both would love your feedback. And if you are looking for an artist, Lara is available.
Copyright
The RV Files is fiction. Any characters and events depicted in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, extraterrestrials, demons, werewolves, or ghosts—living or dead—is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright ©: 2017 by Clara Bush
All rights reserved. Published by TURTLE TOP COVE LP.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
For information regarding permission, write to:
TURTLE TOP COVE LP.
Attention: Permissions
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South Fork, Colorado 81154
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