Stan Lee For Mayor

If you or your younglings watch the new "Superhero Squad Show," you may have seen Saturday's "Election of Evil," where the Mayor of Super Hero City (Lee) loses the election to Egghead, via a charisma device. The Mayor, a paperwork-loving, tone-deaf not-so-super hero, and Wolverine (whose super hearing protects him from mind control, apparently) have to set things right before Doctor Doom and the rest of Villain City (?) come and destroy everything.

I've never had a chance to watch the show, aimed at introducing Marvel's superheroes to a younger generation, but it was a blast to hear Stan Lee. Lee's been known to be kind of a ham (not to mention various bystanders in Marvel's live action films), but I thought that he made the Mayor quite endearing. Obviously, it's apt for him to be mayor since he co-created half the characters in the series. Speaking of which, why is Spider-Man not in this series?

The only thing more fitting would be if Jack Kirby was still alive, so that he and Lee would rule over Marvelland together. Then, all would be right in the world.

The Forbidden Temple of Khyber Gorah - Final Chapter: Checkmate

Rick Daring slowly peeled off the rest of his mask. “It’s over,” he said.

Zeitgeist showed no surprise. “Hmph. ‘Ragdin.’ I should have realized sooner.”

“It took me a year to disappear, reinvent myself, and slowly work my way into your secret empire. I climbed up higher and higher until I found someone important. Like you.”

“Let me be the first to congratulate you,” muttered Zeitgeist. His hand tightened around the trigger of the hidden gun built onto the underbelly of his desk. He pushed the trigger but nothing happened. Zeitgeist’s face was flushed with anger.
“Yes, I emptied it,” said Daring. “I’d be a fool if I didn’t check out your office before confronting you. Without you knowing, of course.”

“Of course,” said Zeitgeist. “You know, we could use a brilliant man, like yourself.”

“Save the sales pitch,” warned Darning. “I’m here to bring your Cabal down. Too many good men have been lost because of your thirst of knowledge.”


“I had to try,” said Zeitgeist. He started to shrug, but his large hands grasped the edge of the desk. He overturned the desk, sending everything falling onto Daring. Daring picked up a lamp and threw it at Zeitgeist’s leg, causing the villain to fall.
Daring jumped at him, but Zeitgeist rolled away, and Daring slammed into the ground. Resilient, Daring got up, barely dodging a punch from Zeitgeist. Daring grabbed Zeitgeist’s arm and sent flying into the bookcase, thanks to a judo toss. Daring managed to get another blow in just as Zeitgeist kicked him in the stomach. Zeitgeist made his way towards the back bookcases, but Daring was far from finished. He launched himself at his opponent. This time, he was successful in sending the two of them over the couch and onto the floor.

Daring grabbed at Zeitgeist, hoping to prevent the villain from leaving, but Zeitgeist brushed him off with relative ease. Zeitgeist picked up a small coffee table and succeed in a glancing blow that sent Daring back to the floor. He brought the table down onto Daring’s head, splitting the table into two.

Zeitgeist frowned. “I was rather fond of that,” he muttered. He walked over to a particular bookcase and removed an ordinary-looking book. The bookcase disappeared into the wall, revealing a small room: an armory with various weapons displayed in glass cases.

Zeitgeist started to fill a backpack, while Daring dragged himself back to consciousness. He shook his throbbing head and slowly got back to his feet. Peering into the secret room, Daring watched as Zeitgeist fill the small backpack. With his back to Daring, Zeitgeist did not know that his nemesis had regained consciousness so soon. Daring quietly started to circle around Zeitgeist, keeping a row of display cases between him and Zeitgeist.

Unfortunately, Daring felt dizzy for a moment and bumped into one of the cases. Zeitgeist immediately turned around, an assault rifle in hand and opened fire. Daring dropped to the floor as glass showered down on top of him. Bullets ate up the wall behind him. Zeitgeist grabbed the backpack and started to run towards a door at the end of the room.

Daring reached up in the torn up case and pulled out the first thing his hand could find. He ran parallel to Zeitgeist, opening fire with the semi-automatic pistol he had taken. Zeitgeist took cover behind one of the columns running through the middle of the room. Daring ducked behind more display cases just as Zeitgeist unleashed another round of fire. Daring returned fire, hoping to wound the villain, but Zeitgeist had no limitations in that regard.

Zeitgeist pinned Daring down with his heavier firepower as he made his way to the door. His gun clicked empty just as the door opened. Zeitgeist slid through the threshold as Daring took aim. His gun jammed just as the door started to close. Tossing it away, Daring pushed the button next to the door, listening to motors operating the elevator. After a moment, the elevator returned, and Daring descended into darkness.

The elevator door opened into a maze of dimly lit corridors. Daring looked both ways and had no clue which way to go. He closed his eyes and listened. He could faintly hear footsteps, and Daring started to follow the sounds. It was an arduous journey following what he hoped was Zeitgeist. It was twenty minutes later that he ran into a wall literally.

His spirit was not dashed however, as he started to examine the wall in front of him. It was not long before the wall yielded its secrets to Daring. The wall opened, and Daring was surprised to find himself in the local spaceport. The crowds of people and creatures, racing to and from their flights, did not notice Daring appearing as if out of nowhere.

Zeitgeist smiled to himself. There was no logical reason that Daring could find him in these crowds. Especially since Zeitgeist had turned his jacket inside out and put on a convincing wig and facial hair. He strode up to the counter and introduced himself to the robot attendant.

Showing one of his fake ids, he said, “Please have my private shuttle ready. I’m in a hurry, please.” The robot scanned the id and processed his request. Paperwork printed out of a slot in its chest. Zeitgeist signed the appropriate areas and was escorted down to the tarmac. Zeitgeist’s eyes searched the crowds around him as the spaceport cart drove him to his destination. There was no sign of Daring. Perhaps he lost his pursuer in the crowd. Nevertheless, Zeitgeist did not let down his guard. Even when he climbed up the stairs to the waiting shuttlecraft.

It was only when he walked into the cabin of the shuttle did his blood turn cold. There waiting for him was Rick Daring.
“Sit down,” commanded Daring, waving his gun towards a nearby seat. Zeitgeist reluctantly obeyed. “Pretty disappointing, huh? I bet you thought you lost me, huh?”

“I know I did,” replied Zeitgeist.

“Perhaps you did, but I stopped a moment and thought things through. No one with your vanity is going to sit in coach. Not when you most likely own your own shuttle. It didn’t take long for port authorities to help me narrow the field, and here I am.”
Zeitgeist glanced over to the door leading to the cockpit. “Don’t worry,” continued Daring. “We have two of security’s brightest pilots flying us home. It looks to be a smooth flight.” It was not long after that the shuttle lifted off the ground.

As they made their way up through the atmosphere, Zeitgeist made a small request. “There is a bottle of Dom Perignon 2098 in my personal refrigerator. I’ve kept it for special occasions. If I’m going to prison, I might as well drink it.”

It seemed like an ordinary request, and there was a bottle matching the description in the fridge. Daring pulled it out and put it on the table next to Zeitgeist.

“Enjoy,” said Daring.

“You don’t want some?”

“I don’t drink.”

“A pity,” said Zeitgeist as his hands clasped the bottle’s neck. He swung the bottle like a bat and smashed it against the table. Gas erupted from the fake bottle. Daring was immediately overtaken by the gas. Zeitgeist covered his nose and mouth while he pulled a .22 caliber gun out of a hollow heel. Daring lay on the floor, dazed and disoriented. He heard gunshots and Zeitgeist’s large feet against the floor.

Daring reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a cigarette case, but inside were rows and rows of pills. Plucking a white one, he held it between two fingers and broke it open. He felt a rush of pure oxygen enter his nose, and the effects of the gas were temporarily eliminated. He stumbled into the cockpit only to find the pilots dead, and the shuttle was making a steep decline into a mountainous region.

Daring started to pull at the yoke, using all of his flight training he acquired over the years. The shuttle was sluggish in response. The fact that bullet holes littered the controls was not helping Daring’s situation. He managed to level off the shuttle, but it was not going to make it over the incoming mountains.

Daring abandoned the cockpit and found that the emergency rafts, jetpacks, and even the old fashioned parachutes were all riddled with bullets, except for one that Zeitgeist had used to escape. Daring went to the opened starboard door. He fought against the whipping wind and jumped out of the shuttle. He landed ten feet below in a pile of snow. He looked up just as the shuttle crashed into the mountains. It was then that he collapsed, either from the gas or from physical exertion.

Unaware of any of these events, the Brilliant 5 had said their goodbyes to Zoey Walker. Junior walked Zoey to her shuttle.
“You’re sure you won’t reconsider?” he asked.

“Well, if the world’s going to end in 20,000 years, the least I can do is visit my parents more often,” replied Zoey.
“Why are you going back to Earth? They don’t have anything that will get you back to this side of the galaxy.”
“Maybe I don’t want to come back.”

“Can’t you and Sara make up? It’s not good to leave on such bad terms. The two of you are the best of friends. Can getting back at Zeitgeist really be worth more than your friendship with Sara?”

“There’s nothing you can say that will change my mind,” said Zoey.

“Then take this,” said Junior, placing a small device in Zoey’s hand. “Teresa made it so we can communicate over long distances.”

“Even on Earth?”

“Even on Earth.” Zoey gave Junior a small smile and hugged him. “Thanks for everything,” she said as she walked up the ramp. Junior stood and watched as her shuttle took off.

“You should have said something,” he said as Sara walked up behind him.

“It’d only make things between us worse. She just needs to cool off.”

“This happen often?” asked Junior.

“No, but it makes me feel like her mother when she does.”

Just then, there was a hollering that neither had heard before. Old Timer was racing towards them.
“What’s the rush?” asked Junior.

“Daring’s alive! They just found near some wreck! He’s alive!” Old Timer continued to holler.
Sara’s hearts raced as she heard the news. She knew that her old friend was alive, never doubting it, but it was a relief to hear it from Old Timer nonetheless. But her happiness was hampered by Zoey’s departure. She kept thinking if she handled things differently, then maybe…

But that was the past, and she was in the here and now. Zoey was more than capable to be on her own, and Sara would see her again someday. Their friendship was stronger than this. Now was the time of celebration, of rejoicing. There would be time later for contemplation, anticipation, and absolution

Written by J M Emmons. The story and all characters are copyrighted by J M Emmons.

A Conversation: Comments on Chapter 14

Yes, Chapter 14 is mostly a talking chapter. I apologize, but there was a lot to tie up before we move on to the conclusion. The chapter also introduces a slight dilemma for our heroes. After all, what would you do with something that promises to be the ultimate source of knowledge? (Some may answer that we already have Wikipedia, but even its reliability is questionable.)

In posing this question in the form of a debate, I tried to illustrate both sides as neutrally as possible, though astute readers may guess which side I would be on. If people actually read this story, I would take great pride if this chapter does not generate controversy, just a conversation. Or even just inner thoughts, if by chance you're the solitary reader. Not that I claim my writing for higher, intellectual pursuits.

Hopefully, the cliffhanger was not too obvious. If it was, sorry, but I thought it was somewhat clever. Next week, we wrap this serial in a bow, and I give some serious thoughts on what to do next.

A Simple Gift

If you're one of those people who don't like downloading music and are still waiting for John Williams' "Air and Simple Gifts" to be released on CD, now your wait's over.

"Air and Simple Gifts" will be available in the all-encompassing Yo-Yo Ma Collection. By just buying this 90 disk collection, you will finally be able to hear the four minute song. It is limited to 200 copies, since there's only 200 people on the planet who can afford the $790 set.

If you think I'm making this up, click here.

Dealbreaker

The time for celebration of the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ, has also been a time for great deals.

Seriously, phenomenal deals. And we capitalists aren't at all ashamed of it. In fact, we'd have to be crazy to sell you a toaster for $5.00. Lowest APR ever. Buy 1 Get 1 Free. No, my friend, you're not dreaming. It's our year-end clearance sale. Everything in America must go and fast. By January, we'll be getting tons of new junk from China and Taiwan so the old stuff's got to go.

Why pay off your mortgage when you can buy a flat screen LCD for $399.99? Credit card bills piling up? Put them off till next year after all the Christmas shopping is done. If you're already in debt, what's a little more? Living in a culture of have-nots is a strenuous, full-time occupation, and if you don't have the latest High Def Blu-Ray Big Screen Something-or-Other, then you might as well be homeless.

And just when you want to label me a hypocrite, I do admit that I like saving money, and finding the best deals. I am fortunate that my tastes aren't too expensive, and that I can afford whatever I buy. If times were tougher for me, I hope, by the grace of God, that I am wise enough to follow my own advice.

The Forbidden Temple of Khyber Gorah – Chapter Fourteen: Intermezzo

A warm shower never felt better in Sara’s life. She toweled off her still wet hair as she left the bathroom. A new white jumpsuit was set out on her bed. She gazed out of the expansive window into the cityscape at night. She was tired and weary, yet Sara could not suppress a small smile.

Sara dressed and went to the adjoining hotel room to meet with Johnny Highpitch, Marissa Tulvak, Teresa Becker, and Lee Edwards, whose one arm was in a sling.

“You look rested, Sara,” said Marissa. Sara nodded her thanks and sat down in the chair next to Edwards.

“We have gathered here to decide the fate of the strange device we found in the temple of Khyber Gorah.”

“I believe we are calling it the Omnisphere,” said Teresa. “Obviously, we need a team of scientists to thoroughly examine what information resides within it and do the best to catalog it.”

“This is based on the assumption that the data stored in it is all true,” countered Sara. “We have no idea from where it came from.”

“We can’t fact-check something that claims to be from the future,” remarked Johnny.

“That’s why I say we destroy it,” said Sara. “It’s deadly enough in the wrong hands, but it could do even worse damage in the right hands. It’s better we not know than to act on misinformation.”

“Why are you so convinced that the Omnisphere is some kind of Trojan Horse or Pandora’s Box?” asked Teresa.
“It’s hard to say no to a fountain of knowledge,” said Johnny.

“That’s exactly it,” said Sara. “It’s a temptation. It’s simply too good to be true.”

“But it could contain valuable information of species not yet discovered,” said Marissa.

“It could,” said Sara. “But the Omnisphere is just too dangerous to keep around. Too much knowledge is just as deadly as too little knowledge. We could end up letting the Omnisphere dictate our choices.”

“I must admit that your scenario is a bit overdone,” huffed Johnny. “You’re making it sound like it’s some kind of doomsday weapon.”

“Just think of the benefits we could gain from it,” said Teresa.

“Daring told me once that there was once a great network of computers called the Internet,” said Marissa. “It was an open and free system, but there was nothing in place to regulate content, so rumors and gossip has as much validity as the facts.”
“So, even if we can’t verify the information on it, why destroy it?” asked Teresa.

“Because the Cabal knows it exists, and they’ll keep coming after it until they get it. If we destroy it, then neither of us will have it, and it may save us a great deal of bloodshed in the process,” said Sara. “There’s just too many questions and not a whole lot of answers.”

Teresa sighed. “I guess we should put it to a vote?”

Teresa and Johnny voted to keep the Omnisphere. Sara and Marissa voted to destroy it. All eyes turned to Lee Edwards.
“What say you?” asked Johnny.

“Well, this discovery would make me famous,” started Lee. “But I think that Sara’s right. When I think about this Omnisphere, I become afraid.”

“You’re just afraid of change,” said Teresa. “Think of all the medical advancements we could make. The new technology alone…”

“What about all the new weapons that could be stored on it?” asked Lee. “Those alone would cancel out whatever lives we saved otherwise. We barely have a grasp on the technology we’ve created for ourselves, much less advanced technology from the future. We’re just not ready for it.”

“Then, it’s decided,” said Sara. “Tomorrow, we will take the Omnisphere to an undisclosed location and destroy it.” Sara stopped Lee as he started to leave with the others.

“Can you get me Old Timer?” she asked.

Meanwhile, Zoey clutched her sides as she laughed. “Stop that,” she said between gasps. “That hurts.” They had just come back from an evening on the town, and both were dressed in appropriate eveningwear.

“You’re lucky Marissa’s such a good surgeon.”

“The Kevlar helped.”

“Well,” he said. “I don’t think I mentioned that during the briefing. It still needs tested, seeing how both you and Lee got shot.”

“True,” admitted Zoey. “But it did stop two of the bullets.” Junior sat down next to Zoey. They sat quietly on the balcony of her room.

“You’ve been kind of moody lately,” said Junior lately.

“Post-operation blues,” said Zoey. “Actually, it’s this whole thing with the Omnisphere. Sara wouldn’t let me get near it, and I’m convinced it has information on Zeitgeist.”

“The man who experimented on you a long time ago,” said Junior. “Are you still obsessed with him?”

“I don’t really hate him. Not anymore, I guess, but it’s like being adopted. I have these questions in my soul, and he’s the only one who can answer them.”

“What if you never find him?”

“I don’t know,” replied Zoey, suddenly becoming aware of how close they were sitting.

“Would it tear you up inside?” She felt Junior’s eyes looking deep within her.

“Maybe,” she said. His warm hand caressed her cheek. She could feel him drawing her closer until…

“Are you two lover birds in here?” came a cantankerous voice from the doorway. Old Timer came stomping through the room and out onto the balcony. “Well, there you are. What in sam hill are you to doing out here?”

Junior stood up at this. “What do you mean what are we doing out here? We’re enjoying the night atmosphere.”

Old Timer made a face, like he just swallowed something sour. “Phooey. You been to one city, ya seen ‘em all, I sez.” Old Timer turned to Zoey. “Sara was asking about ya. You okay and stuff?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” replied Zoey. “Just a little sore still.”

“That’s good to hear,” said Old Timer with a toothless smile. Old Timer nodded at Junior. “Let’s get going, squirt.”

“What?”

“Sara’s got a job for us tomorrow, and I want ya bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.” Old Timer started to push Junior back into the room.

“I can’t understand a word you say,” protested Junior.

“Ya don’t gotta. Just keep moving,” said Old Timer as he kept pushing. Zoey walked over to edge of the balcony, as the commotion moved farther and farther into the hallway. Zoey sighed when silence finally returned, almost. She heard the soft footsteps on the carpeting.

“Hello, Sara.” She said without looking.

“Feeling better?” asked Sara, not at all surprised.

“Yes, of course,” said Zoey as Sara joined her by the balcony. “It was probably your idea for Junior to help me recover.”

“They’re going to destroy the Omnisphere tomorrow,” said Sara. “I’m sorry.”

“Why am I not surprised? You always get what you want.”

“Just what would you do if you found him?” asked Sara.

“I don’t know, talk to him? You already know how bad I am with a gun. It’d just give me a sense of closure, I guess.”

“Only characters in a story get closure,” said Sara. “I never found closure.”

“So you should be like you?”

“No, but this man’s dangerous. He’s not someone you just ‘talk to.’”

“And you’re the world’s greatest negotiator. You’ll find a way. He owes me, Sara.”

“And what do you owe me? I’m the one who found you and nursed you back to health.”

“Congratulations. It took you five minutes to bring that up,” snapped Zoey. “Why can’t you respect my decisions?”

“I’m just trying to help you.”

“Wrong, you’re trying to protect me.” Zoey stalked off the balcony and out of the room.

Sara leaned against the balcony’s fencing and quietly exhaled. She pulled out of her pocket a liquid plasma hard drive. Within it was all the information on anyone with an alias of “Doctor Zeitgeist” from within the Omnisphere. She slowly closed her hand into a fist until the drive was dripping down onto the floor.

“Damn you, Zeitgeist,” she muttered.

Doctor Zeitgeist was possessed with an unearthly rage. For the first time in a long time, he felt the bitterness of defeat. Bile burned his throat as his large hands pushed everything off of his desk. It was rare for him to lose his composure, but the lost of his men and his loss of face in front of the rest of the Cabal was too much for him.

But the sight of the chessboard, untouched by his rage, calmed him immediate. What did it matter? There were other games to start, more important strategies in play. He was still untouchable.

The door creaked open and in walked his assistant, Ragdin. “You idiot,” snarled Zeitgeist. “I told you I was not to be disturbed.”

“It’s urgent,” insisted Ragdin.

“Yes?” Ragdin tossed something onto his desk. It was a pair of handcuffs. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“Put them on.”

“I’m in no mood for this,” roared Zeitgeist.

Ragdin pushed his fingers against his face until they broke the skin. He twisted his hand, making the tear larger. Soon, he grasped the tattered remains of his face and tossed it onto the desk next to the handcuffs.

“You’re under arrest for crimes against humanity,” said Rick Daring. “Put them on, or face the consequences.”

Click Here to Go To The Final Chapter

Written by J M Emmons. The story and all characters are copyrighted by J M Emmons.

The Forbidden Temple of Khyber Gorah – Chapter Thirteen: In Ride the Five!

“Actually, yes,” replied Sara to the question asked by her triumphant captors. She cleared her throat and spoke with utter conviction: “Do you happen to have the time?”

“Scarface” was slightly taken aback by the odd request, but hid it as best he could. “Time? What does it matter?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know the exact moment you were put to death?” countered Sara.

“I’d rather not be put to death at all,” put in Zoey.

“All right, all right,” said Scarface. “These armors don’t have watches, but you’ve been here about a day. Happy?”
“Was that so hard?” said Sara with a smile. Before Scarface could reply, Sara let out a high pitch whistle. The troopers hesitated, uncertain on what to do. The whistle awoke the sleeping snow beast. Its sharp eyes noticed all of the potential meals walking around. With the last of its strength, the creature leapt at the nearest trooper; its powerful jaws bit into flesh unprotected by cracks in the armor.

The screams of the unfortunate trooper brought the others to his rescue, firing at the snow creature. During the chaos, Sara, Zoey, and Lee made a break for it, hiding behind the large altar.
“Now what?” asked Zoey.

“Relax,” said Sara as she rummaged through her backpack. “Everything’s going according to plan.” She pulled out a flare gun and fired it out of the opening in the ceiling. Unfortunately, the flare also attracted the attention of the troopers. It was not long before they had guns jammed in their face again.

“Some plan,” remarked Zoey.

“Wait for it,” said Sara. The ground started to tremble. The troopers looked temporally disoriented, but there was full-blown confusion when a flying saucer crashed through the ceiling of the temple. Four people repelled down from an opening in the saucer.

“YEEHAW!” came a familiar voice.

“Is that…?” asked Zoey.

“Yer dern tootin’ it is,” replied Sara with a smile.

“Looks like you guys needed a helping hand,” came Junior’s voice in their receivers. “Luckily, I found out that we had been followed and while I was waiting for your signal, I made a few calls.”

Junior did not need to elaborate that it was his fellow members of the Brilliant 5 that had answered his call. The four teammates cut through the squad of off-balanced troopers with relative easy. They fired electrical beams that temporally stunned people by scrambling their nervous system.

“Marissa!” shouted Sara. “We have a wounded over here!”

“Sara! Zoey!” came Old Timer’s voice. “Long time no see.” Marissa bent over Lee and quickly applied a bandage to his wound.

“We saw you earlier,” said Johnny Highpitch. “You were pitch perfect.”

“You’re a wonderful teacher, Johnny,” admitted Sara to the music maestro.

“Thanks for field testing my equipment,” said Teresa Becker, joining the others.

“You mean, none of this was ever used?” asked Sara.

“No, didn’t Junior tell you?”

“I’ve dressed his wounds as best I can, but we need to get him back as soon as possible,” said Marissa.
“We sure got these rattlers on the run,” said Old Timer, firing at the last of the troopers.

“We need their leader,” said Sara. “Did any of you see where he went to? Did you, Zoey?” There was no reply. “Where’s Zoey?”
Scarface was making his way towards the lower level, when Zoey tackled him to the ground. His gun fell from his hand and into the foot-deep layer of snow. He turned to see Zoey pointing a gun at him.

“Who are you working for?” asked Zoey. Scarface didn’t say anything. He just glanced at where his gun had fallen. “Not so talky when I’m not handcuffed, huh?”

“Listen, doll, why don’t you put the gun down before you hurt yourself?”

“I want a name. Right now.” Something flashed in her eyes, and Scarface knew she meant it. “I’m exactly where I swore I’d never be anymore: getting shot at by self-obsessed people like yourself. Now, tell me who you’re working for.”
“I don’t know his real name,” said Scarface at last. “But he’s known as Doctor Zeitgeist.”

“What?” Zoey couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice. In her moment of shock, Scarface made a dash for his gun. His fingers wrapped themselves around the gun, and he spun around, emptying three bullets into Zoey’s chest.

A sadistic grin crawled over his face, as he watched Zoey clutch her chest. Before finishing her off, he took one step backwards. It was the last thing he ever did. For behind him, partially hidden in the snow, was the shaft that Zoey had previously climbed up.

Zoey collapsed into the snow. Her breathing was ragged, and pain engulfed her chest. She could hear footsteps crunching the snow, but everything around her seemed to fade away…

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Written by J M Emmons. The story and all characters are copyrighted by J M Emmons.