I'm sure that you're sick and tired of all these little notices authors of S&M and sex stories have been putting at the top of their files. But just in case you aren't, here's another one: WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! THIS STORY CONTAINS S&M AND NON-CONSENSUAL SEX IF YOU DON"T LIKE THIS SHIT, THEN DON'T READ IT! END OF WARNING Nola41.txt "The Law" "By Curt Strap" PROLOGUE Eight year old Nola closed her eyes, trying to lie still. Her sheets were moist from the humidity outside and her sweat. The rotating fan added nothing except to blow the hot air around and add a hum to the room. The drone did nothing to drown out her mother's whimpers in the next room and the groans of the...two? ...three?...men in there with her. She turned to face the wall. There was a long crack there, and she tried to concentrate on that, tracing the way down from about midway up the wall to her bed. She slipped her hands over her ears so she wouldn't hear her mother and those guys she brought home. She sat up in bed as the squeaking mattress springs and the cries in the next room reached a crescendo. She tried not to think about the sounds coming through the wall. She was almost sick. As far back as she could remember, men had abused her mother. More than once she'd had seen the bruises, cuts and burns her mother had to show for "falling in love" again. And Nola had always been the one left to clean up the mess after the men had left. Many times when she cleaned the bedroom she saw the rope and her father's old razor strop under the bed. Those things were the "persuaders", her mother said, for when she didn't want to do some things with the men she brought home. Nola didn't understand. "Come over and sleep at our house tomorrow," Jeremy said, carefully choosing his words. "Then you'll see something!" "See what?" "What happens if you stories about Jenny." "Tell me now!" "We all get to be in on it next time. Dad says we can play "horsey" too!" He didn't say anything else. Actually it was intriguing. Jenny was Nola's cousin. She was thirteen, Nola was eleven. Jenny had told her that she got punished if she was bad. But that didn't strike Nola as too odd. Nola knew that the her uncle was really strict, especially with Jenny. "Well, in that case, I guess I'll just have to, then, won't I?" Nola said, grinning. Jeremy laughed. * * * Nola walked to her uncle's farm. She felt a little shy, a little awkward about going there today and that was pretty unusual for the devious little eleven year old girl. But she had to find out what Jeremy was talking about. Jenny lived on a farm with a big barn. Mr. Millar was big and fat with bad teeth and foul breath. He always wore plaid shirts that never covered his flabby, hairy belly and old corduroy pants. Mrs. Millar was thin, with big breasts, pug-nosed and pretty. They had three boys besides Jenny. Nola found eight year old Jeremy squatting out by the woods next to the pig pen, squinting into the morning sunlight, surveying the trees. He was already filthy, streaked with sweat and mud. It looked like he had been crawling on his belly in the pig pen. Jeremy was wearing a ragged old pair of shorts and nothing else. He was looking at the tent worms. That didn't surprise Nola. Everyone knew that Jeremy's thing was insects, snakes, spiders, thousand-leggers and slimy slugs. Nola watched his eyes. They were wet and bulging. Somehow like creepy spiders. Spiders gave her goose-bumps, and nauseated her. The worms seemed to happen practically overnight. One day the trees were clean and normal and the next day they were hung with heavy, white pouches of webbing. The bottom of the bags contained something vaguely dark and unhealthy-looking. And if you looked closely enough there was movement. "Dad told me to take care of them or they'll strip the trees!" He led Nola to a birch tree and pointed up. The nest was a big one, wide and deep. Under the tree was a huge red ant hill. Hundreds, thousands of them crawled around. Nola had never been fond of ants. She could smell their iodine odour along with wet earth, grass, and, the smell from the pig pen. Jeremy looked at Nola's expression of disgust and grinned. "Indians used to stake out their captives spread-eagle over ant hills and the squaws would poke them with burning sticks!" Nola shuddered. Jeremy laughed at her uneasiness. He picked up a stick wrapped in rags and soaked in kerosene. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a book of matches. "My God, Nola thought. "Uncle Scott trusts an eight year old with a torch...and matches...?" He lit the torch and held it a moment while the fire burned down and it was safe to use. Just like he had done it many times before. It was still a pretty good blaze, though. He held it six inches or so below the nest. The webbing began to melt. It didn't burn. It dissolved the way styrofoam does. Suddenly, writhing, wriggling bodies were tumbling out, fat, greyish-white worms, some smoking and crackling. You could almost hear them scream. Nola looked at Jeremy. He was wide-eyed, with a goofy smile like when he'd hang his toy knights and soldiers from the mesh of the incinerator and watch their arms and legs burn slowly, imagining God knows what, the plastic dripping and sizzling, black smoke pluming up. It was an image straight out of the horror comics the boys read avidly. It was easy to imagine torchlight, strange instruments and processions, braziers full of hot coals. There must have been hundreds in just that one nest. A layer would burn through to expose another layer. They just kept falling onto the ant nest. The ferocious red ants responded. The worms began rolling and bucking as the ants discovered their soft helpless flesh. "Sick, Jeremy!" Nola said. "That's really sick!" Jeremy's eyes were wild. Nola was disgusted. She'd never seen such slaughter. The worms twisted and writhed. They wanted to live. "This...is kind of..." Her face was pale. "What?" said Jeremy, enjoying himself at Nola's expense. "You're just squeamish!" He looked at her like she was a bug caught in a spider's web. Jenny was putting together a jigsaw puzzle on a kitchen table while a bored Nola watched. There was a half-empty glass of milk beside her. Her father and brothers were watching a video...some horrible horror movie. Jenny was doing pretty well on the puzzle. She had more than half of it done. There was only the sky and the river and some of the trees left not. Nola sipped a Coke while she watched her fit a piece into the sky. Aunt Linda joined them. She was wearing short, tight shorts and a skimpy halter top. It covered as much as a bikini would. Her feet were bare. Nola seized the opportunity to tell a story about Jenny. "Too bad they caught you smoking behind the gym!" Jenny's face turned white. There was eerie quiet. "What did you say, Nola?" Aunt Linda asked, her face hard. "Nothing, Auntie, nothing!" "I heard what you said about Jenny being caught smoking." "Scott!" She stood up. "No, please, no," Jenny begged her mother. "Please don't..." "Scott?" she called again, louder this time. "Can't you see we're busy," he yelled. "Jenny got into trouble at school again today." There was a click and the TV went dark. Scott came into the room followed by the three boys. Their eyes took in Linda's exposed flesh. Jeremy's eyes were riveted on his mother. The sight of her breasts, bare along their tops, seemed to suck his breath away. He stared at the smooth slopes, the valley between them and felt an erection begin to push against his shorts. Willie saw the way her white shorts were drawn taut against the smooth curves of her buttocks. His throat tightened. His heart pounded faster and he felt a tight pressure in his groin. "What happened this time?" he asked. "Nola said she caught smoking." "That so, Nola?" "I wasn't, just Jenny!" He smiled. "I'm not accusing you." "Question is," he said, taking another drag of the cigarette. "Question is, what else have you been doing?" "Nothing." she sighed. "I didn't do anything else!" Scott nodded again. "Come here," he said. Jenny just sat there. "I said come over here." She didn't move. "You want to ride the rail, right now!" Scott ordered. "What?" Beside her, Jeremy began to giggle. "Out to the barn!" "Dad, Nola's here!" "Don't argue with me." "Dad, please...please...not now!" "Move it, girl!" "No!" "What's that? What'd you say?" "You don't have any right to..." "I have all the right in the world. Get out to the barn!" "No!" "I said now, Jenny!" "I won't!" "I'm telling you to." "I won't!" "Oh yes you will. If I have to get these boys to help!" Jason snorted, laughing. Willie was still standing in the doorway. He looked excited. Jeremy was grinning. "Get out to the barn now!" Jenny looked her dad straight in the eye. She took a breath. And for a moment she managed an adult, almost stunning dignity. "I told you, Dad," she said. "I said no, not ever again." No one said a word. They were astonished. They'd never seen anything like it before. Kids were powerless. By definition. Kids were supposed to endure humiliation, or run away from it. No protests. You did not simply stand there and calmly say no. The kids were still too young for that. So that now it was pretty amazing. Scott smiled and stubbed out his cigarette in the cluttered ashtray. And now it was his turn to stare Jenny down. It lasted a moment, the two of them facing each other. Then Jenny's composure shattered. "Please, Dad, not when Nola's here. Can't you wait?" Her hands were balled up into fists, white at the knuckles. She stared at Nola, who stood with a thin smile on her face as she watched the drama. Nola wondered how many other times this play had been acted out. But in a way she was relieved. This was more like it. More like what she was used to. Kids giving in to adults. Jenny reached out and grabbed Scott's arm. And it was like she was a whole other girl now, scared, helpless, desperate. "I'm begging you!" she said. It was a terrible mistake. Scott turned and smacked her. He slapped her again as Jenny backed away, and again as she stumbled, off balance, and fell to her knees. "Willie? Jason?" Willie circled her. Jason looked confused. "Hold her!" Willie moved in and took her right arm. Jason took hold of her left. She didn't resist. "Take her out to the barn!" And then Jenny did fight, trying to get to her feet, bucking and rolling against them, but they had her tight. Willie was enjoying himself, that was obvious. Jason looked excited. Jenny squirmed to her feet. Willie twisted her arm behind her back and yanked it up. She yelled and doubled over and tried to pull away, shaking her left arm hard to get it away from Jason in a kind of simultaneous panic and she almost made it, she almost got it free. Until Jason tightened his grip and yanked her left arm up. Then Scott stepped forward again. For an instant he just stood there, studying her, looking for an opening. Then he jabbed her, in the stomach, with his fist. Jenny fell, choking, and gasping for breath. "Shit," whispered Jeremy who was standing beside Nola. Willie looked at his father. "Well I guess she just won't do it," said Scott. "This girl doesn't want to do anything I say!" Willie and Jason still had her arms. And now they started twisting. She doubled over. Willie twisted harder. His brother did the same. She jumped with the pain and gasped and shook her head. "Okay, boys, frog-march her to the barn. We got us some correcting to do!" Willie and Jason worked hard on her arms. Jenny slumped forward. She was crying. Nola eyes were riveted on Jenny. * * * Willie and Jason led her outside, keeping both of her arms up high so that she had to bend over. Jeremy led the way and Scott followed. Nola lagged behind. They marched her to the barn. She twisted and bucked, frightened, screaming. She was strong but not as strong as the twins. * * * "Get her out of that dress now! Unzip her, Willie," Scott said. "Me!" "Yeah!" Everyone was a little surprised. He unzipped the dress carefully, pulling it away from her body as though shy of touching her. His face was red. His fingers were awkward. He was trembling. He slipped the dress off her shoulders. "Don't let them do this, please...please?" she cried. Scott smiled then nodded to Willie. Jenny closed her eyes and stood very still and rigid while Willie took the short sleeves and dragged them down over her arms to expose the white cotton bra she wore underneath the dress. "The rest," said Jeremy, breathless. Willie tugged the dress down over her hips, down over her legs to the floor. Jenny was wearing thin white panties. Her leg muscles jerked and trembled. He stepped away from her again and looked at her. Everyone did. We'd seen Jenny in her two-piece bathing suit. But this was different. A bra and panties were private girl-things and only other girls were supposed to see them. The only other girl in the barn was Nola. And Jenny's father was allowing this outrage, encouraging it. The boys were sweating. But Jenny was sweating more. Drops dripped from her armpits, glistened in her navel, across her belly. Willie stepped forward. He slid the right strap of her bra off her shoulder then the left. Jenny's breasts slid upward slightly, straining to be free of the cups. Willie unsnapped it from the back and let it fall from her body. Her breasts were bare. Jenny was sobbing. They were whiter than the rest of her body, pale and cute. They shook with her crying. It was erotic. The nipples were pink and long. Just like the women in Playboy. Willie knelt in front of her and reached up. Then his fingers hooked into the panties and dragged them down over her hips, down her legs. He took his time savouring the moment. A small triangle of pubic hair in which droplets of sweat gleamed shocked the boys. They saw freckles on her upper thighs. They saw the small fold of flesh half hidden between her legs. They studied her. Her breasts, the hair between her legs, her shaking belly, her heaving thighs, her cute ass. The room reeked of sex. Jenny's eyes were still shut tight. It was as though if she couldn't see us then we couldn't see her. "Tie her over the rail," Scott said. Nola realized she was holding her breath. She was going to see the infamous rail that so interested Jeremy. They led Jenny to a round wooden post fastened between two pillars in one corner of the barn. Willie forced her to lean forward over the waist-high, horizontal beam. She didn't resist and Willie took her arms and tied her wrists to the bolts in the floor. He did the same with her ankles. Everything was exposed to the leering eyes. Jenny closed her eyes again. Only this time there were little pools of wet around them. Tears streaked her face. * * * They went at her fast, spanking her ass with no let-up while she screamed and howled. They hit her hard, Willie and Jeremy especially. Her crying and the sound of the searing belt coming down filled the barn. * * * The boys were really into it. Especially Willie. He was passionate. It was hot in the barn and the sweat rolled off him, streamed out of his red hair and down across his forehead. As usual he had his shirt off showing off his gross body. The smell of his sweat rolled off him too. He smelled salty and sticky-sweet, like bad meat. Nola watched for a long time. Then she went back to the house and sat with her aunt who was working on Jenny's puzzle. The television was still silent. They could hear the crack of the belt and the laughter and crying from the barn. They sat there saying nothing. Nola got herself a Coke from the fridge. Sounds of torment from the barn taunted Nola. "That bother you?" Linda asked. "Yes," Nola said. But she didn't say it as though it did. It was just a fact of life. "A lot?" "Yeah!" Nola nodded. There was nothing much to say after that. Nola watched and drank coke. Linda had the puzzle almost finished. "I can't make them stop, y'know?" her aunt said. "I know." Nola finished the coke. "I would if I could," Linda said. Nola wondered if it was true. And for the first time she looked at Nola, eyes thoughtful. "Course I would." She went back to the puzzle again, frowning. "Maybe they'll get tired," Nola said, realizing as soon as she said it how lame that sounded. Linda didn't answer. But then the sounds did stop and they heard footsteps. It was the boys. They were flushed. Their shirts were off. Willie's belly, a fat, dead-white ugly roll, rolled as he walked. They ignored Nola and Linda and went to the refrigerator. They opened Cokes. "You gotta really give it to her," Willie said to Jeremy. "She ain't chicken, she can really take it!" Willie's voice was like ice. "Do you think we should bring something out for Dad?" Jeremy asked his brother. "Yeah. I guess. But we got to wait. Dad wants to be alone with her for a bit!" After about an hour, they took a beer from the refrigerator. They started to walk back to the barn. We watched them disappear. "What about her boobs, want to whip them?" And then he said something else but the sound of their footsteps drowned it out. Nola looked at her aunt. If she'd heard what Willie said she gave no sign. She worked on the puzzle. Hands trembling, afraid to listen and just as scared not to, Nola worked with her. * * * "Why'd you tell on her?" "What?" Nola said. "Tell on Jenny. Set her up?" "I don't know.....!" "Sure you do. Tell me? Why?" "Jeremy....." "Oh, yes, dear sweet innocent Jeremy..." her voice trailed off. "I should've guessed." "Well, if you liked the matinee you'll sure like the late show!" "I don't understand..." "You will, Nola. I don't know what you know about sex. Not much, I'll bet. There are some guys, and boys too, I guess, who have special sexual needs. Scott is one of them. Sure, he gets off, working Jenny's ass with the strap, but its only the beginning. He needs more. Much more. First it was twins who got it, then Jeremy. I was the one who worked on him while Scott and the twins watched and got...well...got...turned on, if you know what I mean." Nola didn't know what to say. She remembered her mother...and thought about telling her about this...She couldn't imagine her mother naked with a bunch of little boys...or could she???... "They'll take me out there next. And it won't be pretty. I hope you hadn't planned on getting much sleep tonight. The boys' haven't seen me all bare yet but you saw how their eyes took in everything!" Nola just stared at her fascinated by her comments. Linda's stomach hurt. She felt like curling up and hugging her belly, and shutting her eyes tightly. She wanted to close out everything-the whole cruel world. "And it won't be the strap. You ever see what a cane or some supple switches can do....No, I guess you haven't...but you will.." * * * Mrs. Millar had almost finished the puzzle when she heard footsteps behind her. The four of them were behind her. Scott was holding a rope. He made a loop at one end of the rope and dropped it around her neck. "Time to play horsey!" Scott said. "Give little Nola a real good show!" He handed the rope to Jeremy. He jerked the rope, yanking her off the chair. She fell to her knees. "Get on her back and ride her to the barn," Scott said. Jeremy got on her back and tugged the rope. She choked. Then Scott grabbed the rope and pulled her toward the door. "Walk," he said. Willie left the room first. Jason walked behind Nola. Scott kept the rope taut. When she didn't walk fast enough, the rope jerked her forward. On her hands and knees, urged by Jeremy's feet prodding her sides and Scott tugging on the rope, she crawled to the barn. She tried to think but she couldn't concentrate. Her mind seemed blurry. Here arms were no longer numb. They hurt and tingled. * * * FATHER SENTENCED FOR ABUSING DAUGHTER By Thomas Claridge Court Reporter TECATE - A 40 year-old man who abused his daughter was jailed for twenty-five years. Accepting the prosecutor's suggestion that Scott Millar be sent to the penitentiary, Judge Michael Moldaver of the Tecate Superior Court described the case as one of the most tragic he had encountered. "I have before me a man who physically, sexually and psychologically abused his daughter in ways that can only be described as cruel, insensitive, inhuman, and indeed almost unthinkable," he said. At the three-week jury trial, a witness, Nola Augustine, testified that she was in the Mitchell home on the night of May 30th and saw an attack on the young girl. Defence lawyer Robert McGee said that in his experience as a criminal lawyer and a former prosecutor, "I have never dealt with a case anything like this." Judge Moldaver said the jury's verdict reflected a conclusion that the girl had suffered many powerful emotions, including fear, anger, rage and hostility that had been building in her as a result of more than five years of abuse and domination that she had been forced to endure at the hands of her father and brothers. The judge recalled evidence that Mr. Millar had abused his wife and daughter regularly beating them with a strap and cane. Describing the daughter has having been "belittled, degraded and made to feel she was a failure" by a father who also threatened to expose their sexual activities, the judge said, "the girl was afraid to tell anyone about the abuse. Jenny Millar was a battered and abused child who became caught up in a love-hate relationship with her father from which she could not extricate herself." Noting that Mr. Millar had refused treatment, the judge imposed the maximum sentence for the offenses. The boys were delinquents, not criminals. Under the law they were innocent by definition, not to be held accountable for their acts, as though everybody under eighteen were unable to tell right from wrong. Their names were never released to the press. They had no criminal record and no publicity. TECATE JUVENILE COURT Jason, Willie, and Jeremy went to juvenile court and Nola testified. There was no prosecutor and no defense attorney, just the Honourable Judge Andrew Gold and a handful of psychologists and social workers earnestly discussing what to do with everybody. Even from the beginning what to do was obvious. They were placed in juvenile detention centres-reform schools, until they turned eighteen, the stiffest sentence you could get in those days. At eighteen they were to be released and their records destroyed JENNY'S ORDEAL EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JENNY MILLAR By Karin Anderson Crime Magazine "It's a long story. I was thirteen before I got away from the farm. But I was determined to get away, go to university and be a teacher. I knew it would happen someday if they didn't kill me first." "You thought they'd kill you?" "It's just a miracle they didn't." "God," Karin Anderson muttered. "They were madmen, crazy, probably worse!" "What did they do to you?" "What didn't they?" "But you were only a kid." She shrugged. "That didn't stop them. But they got a lot more...active...when I hit nine or ten. And then when I started to get breasts...It wouldn't have been so bad...I guess, but they had to always be hurting me. Not because they were angry, either. They did it for kicks. It...turned them on. They'd get my clothes off and tie me up. Sometimes, they used handcuffs. They'd do things like hang me by my wrists from a tree limb or whatever else was handy or make me 'ride the rail' and whip me with their belts or switches...God, I've been whipped with just about everything you can imagine. When they weren't doing that, they'd use other things on me, or...anyway, they'd get themselves worked up into a frenzy by torturing me, and then they'd...you know, rape me." Karin felt as if her mind had been stunned. Men had done those things? To Jenny? To the girl sitting right here beside her? She frowned at her. "They really did that stuff?" "Yeah. It wasn't just to me, either. Mom got it and plenty of times, they got strangers. They'd give a ride to a hitch- hiker, maybe, and then she'd be the one they used. Sometimes, they'd even run a car off the road if there was a woman in it." "My God," Karin muttered. "I guess some of them must've ended up dead. But I never saw anyone get killed. I'd go into the house and hide while they did the stuff they liked. And I'd hear the woman's screams. And them laughing and squealing and having a great time. And I'd be glad it was her and not me." "It's...terrible. How could people get away with stuff like that?" "We were miles away from town. I guess the cops never even realized anyone was missing and I couldn't tell. They said they'd kill my mom." "Why didn't you and your mom get away?" "I don't know how Mom got mixed up with Scott. Maybe she didn't have a choice. That's what I like to think, that he took her prisoner or something and she couldn't get away from him. But they got married. At least I think they did. I don't know why she'd do something like that unless he forced her into it. Unless Mom was some kind of an awful person and she actually loved him. I hate to think she was that way, though. Besides, she had to 'play horsey'!" "Maybe she would've gotten me away from them. Or maybe not. Maybe she just let it all happen, anyway. I guess I'll never know." "How did you get away?" Ken asked. "It was when I was thirteen. They stopped to pick up this hitch-hiker. She was just fifteen or sixteen, I guess. Anyway, she was about to get into our van. I just couldn't stand the whole thing anymore. So I yelled and warned her and she ran off. She got away. So they took me to the barn. They spent...I don't know, hours...working on me. When I woke up I stumbled out to the road and some people picked me up. I spent time in the hospital." "Did you tell the police about it?" "Most, I guess. Then there was the trial and everything. And Nola testified for me." BUST NETS 15 STUDENTS TECATE - Fifteen junior high school students were busted yesterday after a three-month drug probe involving an undercover officer posing as a student. Twenty police officers moved in on the school at 8:30 a.m. to make the arrests. "The students arrested were identified as consumers and traffickers," said Sgt. Nola Augustine. "They were dealing in hashish." The operation began March 7 with a female officer enroling as a student at the school. The students, aged 14 to 18, were charged with a total of 40 counts relating to trafficking and possession of drugs. Chapter 1 After dinner at the exclusive Crow's Nest Country Club, Nola was presented with the prestigious Executive Merit Award. After her well-rehearsed and professionally delivered acceptance speech, she finished a second bottle of champagne, discreetly sharing the expensive wine with her twelve-year old daughter, Tashia. The influential and distinguished guests shared polite after dinner conversation until one A.M. It was nearly two before Nola and Tashia were able to load their suitcases in the new car. The luggage included a special locked briefcase. They had planned a one month summer vacation at a secluded cabin in the rugged canyon area. The intent of the vacation was to engage in some intensive mother-daughter bonding in a primitive setting. At least, that's what they told their friends. In fact, they planned to purchase two first class tickets from their secret horde of cash for an executive world tour. * * * Nola was the city's deputy police chief. She was well known and respected for her zeal to rid the community of the degenerate scum that preyed on the helpless, addicting them to the evil vices of the world. She had received dozens of civic awards and commendations for her outstanding achievements in crime detection and prevention during her fifteen-year career. And it was almost certain that she would succeed police chief Jack Daly when he retired in October. She was already a member of the Police Board and was a deaconess in the city's largest church, the fundamentalist Church of God that promoted law and order even if civil liberties were violated. The Mayor and the Police Chief were elders of the same church. Nola profited, in secret, from the sale of smuggled liquor, cigarettes and drugs. She took a fee, modest, of course, from Johnny Colombo in return for information about police patrols and investigations into smuggling activities. In addition, not all the goods seized from Colombo's competitors during routine police patrols reached the evidence lockup. Although Tashia attended an elite and fashionable private young women's academy, she sold the marijuana and hashish that Nola skimmed from the lockup to grade five and six students at the Junior High School. And so what if the shit dear little Tashia peddled seemed to cause social problems. It was not their fault that eleven-year old Laura Austin was found naked, wandering in the park, stoned on gin and pot, a victim of a vicious beating and rape; or that twelve- year old Tammy Bruce committed suicide in a violent rage induced by an overdose of hashish; or that juvenile crimes of theft and prostitution increased to pay for alcohol and drug dependencies. Deputy Chief Augustine promised to bring the criminals responsible for the ruined lives before the courts and she hinted that those responsible were part of organized crime. Nola and Tashia prospered. * * * Chapter 2 "Mom,....." She hesitated. ".....I've gotta pee something horrible." "What?" "It's all I can do to hold it." Nola laughed. Tashia squirmed. Her hand came up in front of her face and rubbed her ear. "It's not funny," she whispered. "I could use a pit-stop myself," Nola said. The car slowed, glided to the right, and tipped slightly as one side dropped from the pavement to the gravel. It slid forward, then stopped. Both doors of the Sundance swung open. Tashia climbed out. Then Nola was pulling her by the hand, leading her in a rush toward the other side of the road. Still clutching her daughter's hand, she plunged through undergrowth beyond the edge of the road. The nearest group of trees was off to the left. She headed that way, running, Tashia racing along at her side. Almost there. They leaped over a channel of tire ruts, each landing with one foot on the centre rise and bounding over the second rut. Then Nola released her hand. Tashia dashed to a nearby tree and ducked behind its trunk. Not quite out of sight. The trunk was narrow. Nola could see her right side, grey and flecked with moonlight, as she yanked the sweatpants down to her ankles and leaned back and sank to a squat. The trunk held up her windbreaker. She glimpsed the pale curve of her hip, the side of her bare leg. When she heard her daughter's stream start splashing the ground, she turned around, unzipped her jeans and lowered them, squatted and began urinating. She finished, wiped herself with a kleenex, stood up and pulled up her pants. Tashia was still going. "All done," she said finally. Nola heard her footsteps approaching. "Boy, do I feel better." Nola patted her rear and grinned at her. "Good thing we stopped when we did." "Just in the nick of time, I'd say." They turned toward each other. Nola wrapped her arms around her. She hugged Tashia hard, kissed her forehead. She was trembling. "Cold?" Nola whispered. The image was so vivid it was a shock when she looked down at Tashia. The girl clutched herself tightly. Her face was white and pinched, the grey eyes huge. That look. She had it when she pleaded hysterically to have the lights on at night. And she had it after the bad dreams and the screaming spells. But not here, not now... "Tashia?" Nola cupped the pointed chin and tried to tip her face, but her head was too rigid. "Tashia. What's the matter?" "Mom, the dark place." She stared past Nola with a peculiarly fixed gaze. The darkness was cave-like, and for just an instant Tashia knew it was the darkness that houses bats, ghoulies, ghosties, long-legged beasties...and she knew something else lurked there. Denizens of the other side. Things with sharp yellow teeth and foul breath and...something feral and rotten. Nola drew a shaky breath. Tashia shrank away, looking totally betrayed and abandoned. Then she willed herself to be calm. But pain stabbed at her temples like a needle sharp splinter driven deep into the back of her eyes. "It's not so bad now. It's pretty late. What time is it?" Nola released her and stepped back. She fingered a button to light the face of her wristwatch. "Three-fifteen." "We made pretty good time." "I guess we'd better go back to the car." "Guess so." She took a step toward the nearer rut of the tire tracks. She walked down into the rut, then onto the higher ground of the centre strip. Nola, staying at her side, strode along the worn path. "Do you like me tall?" Tashia asked. Her eyes were level with Nola's. Everything was normal again. "Different. But I wouldn't want anything changed about you." "Nothing?" "You're perfect just the way you are." "My boobs are too small." "They'll grow. You're still a little girl!" "Mom....!" Suddenly, "Weird!" "Weird?" Halting, Nola raised her hand and thrust it forward, pointing. "Look!" Tashia turned her head to the front. Not more than ten feet farther ahead, the tire tracks seemed to end. Tashia hadn't paid much attention to them before, but she'd thought they would lead back to the main road. Just at the edge of the woods, however, a tangle of limbs and bushes blocked the way. "We can circle around," she said. She pulled Nola's hand, but she resisted. "No. Wait. Don't you think this is strange?" Tashia shrugged. "Let's take a look." Releasing Tashia's hand, Nola rushed to the obstruction. She crouched and tugged at a branch. It slid toward her feet. Leaning forward, she lifted a small bush from the pile. She tossed it aside. "What are you doing?" She stood up and faced her daughter. Her voice was hushed, excited. "Somebody put this stuff her. To hide the way in." "So!" "Somebody took the trouble to hide this road." Nola turned her head. Tashia did the same. The pair of tracks stretched away and faded into the darkness of the forest. "If we follow it far enough," Nola whispered, "I'll bet we'll find something interesting!" Chapter 3 "Shit, look at this." Crouching over the pile of limbs and bushes, Nola lifted one end of a long two-by-four. Its length was spiked with jutting nails. "Almost poked myself," she muttered. "Could've had the fun of a tetanus shot," Tashia said. Nola picked up the rest of the board, swung it around and hurled it aside. * * * When they finished clearing the barricade, Nola rubbed her hands against the front of her sweatshirt and said, "Okay, let's check it out." "What do you mean?" Tashia asked. "Take a little ride and see if we can find anything." "Now?" "No time like the present." "We can't do that," Tashia said. "Sure we can," Nola replied. "It won't take long." "We shouldn't do anything until we come back from vacation." Nola shrugged. "Another half hour or so isn't gonna make any difference. It's the middle of the night. We've got lots of time before we have to be at the airport." Turning around, they walked to the car. This is crazy, Tashia thought. They climbed into the car and Nola started the engine. "I tell you what," Nola said. "We'll give it five or ten minutes." She began pulling the car forward, swinging it into a slow U-turn. "We'll just make a short run up that road and if we don't find something quick, we'll head on into the city and come back next month for a thorough search. How does that sound?" "Oh, I guess," Tashia muttered. The car rocked and bounced as Nola steered onto the dirt road. "It's no big deal," she said. "Fifteen or twenty minutes, one way or the other, won't make any difference to our vacation." Tashia shook and swayed with the rough motions of the car. We shouldn't be here, she thought. But she supposed that Nola was right. A brief delay shouldn't matter much. But she didn't like this road. Not at all. Somebody had tried to conceal its entrance. The barricade had been their clue that somebody didn't want visitors. This is really bad, she thought. Tashia was spooked. "It's been more that five minutes," Tashia said. "No place to turn around," Nola said. "I'm not about to back all the way out to the road." A pretty lame excuse, Tashia thought. She could see through the windshield. Though trees bordered the twin ruts, they were far enough back for Nola to turn the car around if she wanted to. "We're not exactly hemmed in," Tashia said. "Just a little farther," Nola said. "Then we'll...damn!" Nola glimpsed a clearing ahead. Then the bright pale beams of the headlights vanished as if sucked back into the car. Nola jammed on the brakes. The car lurched to a stop. "Holy shit," Tashia muttered. Nola saw it. An abandoned car with its left side in the bush. "What are you going to do," Tashia gasped. "Check it out. It's a hell of a place to leave a car." She stopped in front of it. "I don't see anyone inside." Nola couldn't see anything through the dark windshield. But she'd seen nobody during the moment her headlights had flooded the car. "Wait here." She shifted to park and set the emergency brake but kept the engine running. "Back in a second." "I'm coming with you." "Tashia!" She opened the door and got out. Nola flung her door wide. She called, "Just hold on and wait for me." Tashia waited for her at the edge of the road, hunched over slightly, arms hugging her chest. "It's warm in the car," Nola said. "I'm not gonna sit in there alone. In fact, I'm not so sure we should've even stopped. I don't like this." Though the road was flecked with moonlight, none touched the car. "Anybody there?" Nola called No answer. Side by side, they walked closer to the car. Nola realized she was shaking. She felt a sudden rush of relief when she noticed the car's lopsided position. "Its got a flat!" Tashia stayed behind Nola as she walked around the front bumper, paused for a moment to look at the flat, then stepped up to the driver's door. Its window was rolled up. Bending over, she peered in. The interior was black. "Can't see a thing." "God, if there's someone inside there..." Nola stepped back and tried the door handle. It lifted. The door was unlocked. She pulled it open. A loud buzz. She flinched. Tashia gasped. But the dome light was on, the car empty. Leaning in over the steering wheel, she saw that the key was in the ignition. She plucked it out and the noise stopped. "Weird," Nola muttered. "Why would anyone go away and leave the keys in the car?" "I don't know. Unless they just went off to take a leak, or something. I'm gonna honk the horn." Nola pressed the steering wheel's hub. The horn blared through the night like the blast of an angry bugler. she let it go on for a long time, paused to listen, then gave the horn three short toots and another long one. Tashia tapped her back. "I think that's plenty." She stopped. The silence seemed oppressive. As if the noise of the horn had deadened her ears in much the same way that a brief, brilliant flood of light would've left her blind in the returning darkness. She listened for sounds of footsteps in the woods beyond the car. But she heard nothing at all. "I don't think anyone's around," she whispered. "It just doesn't make sense to leave your keys in the car and go away." "I know. But everybody isn't sensible. Besides, remember that the road was blocked." She sat down behind the steering wheel. As she leaned sideways, reaching for the glove compartment, she noticed a leather handbag on the floor. It was tucked in close to the passenger seat. "A purse." she said. "You're kidding!" She picked it up and showed it to Tashia. She shook her head. "Should we see who it belongs to?" "It'll be pretty embarrassing if we're caught at it." "Well the horn didn't bring anyone running." "Go ahead," Tashia said. "I'll keep watch." She pulled the door toward her, leaving it ajar so the light would stay on, then opened the purse. She glimpsed a billfold, a checkbook, some tampons, a pack of chewing gum, a hair brush. She removed only the billfold. She unsnapped it and flipped it open. The driver's licence had a photo of an attractive brunette who appeared to be in her early twenties. "Linda Hawkins," she read. "You'd better put it away," Tashia said. She sounded nervous. "Just a second." She spread the bill compartment. A couple of twenties, a ten, a few ones, and several credit cards. She pulled out a Visa card. It was issued to Linda Hawkins. Nola stuck the bills and the Visa card in her pocket along with the drivers licence. "Think I could pass as Linda Hawkins, Tash? It'll help our cash flow." Tashia just giggled. She returned the billfold to the purse, and wedged the purse back into position where she'd found it. Taking the ignition key with her, she climbed out. She threw the door shut and the car went dark. Tashia followed her to the trunk. She opened it. Darkness inside. Dim shapes. Bending over, she searched with her hands. She felt suitcases, some smaller luggage, and a spare tire. "There's a spare," she said. "Maybe it's no good." "Or Linda doesn't know how to change tires." Nola shut the trunk and turned to Tashia. "Can we go now?" her daughter asked. "I'm not sure. I need to think. Something's wrong here!" "I know, It's all pretty queer. But I'm freezing. What else can we do?" "Search down the road a little more!" Nola said. "Maybe we'll find another purse!" Nola smiled to herself. This was turning out to be a real adventure. She knew that she could assume Linda's identity for some free goodies. Chapter 4 Nola saw it first. A cabin. She guessed it was a cabin. At the far end of the moonlit field. Maybe a hundred yards away. But all she could see of it was some rectangles that seemed to hover above the ground. Windows. Faint, glowing patches of crimson. Apparently, the windows were shrouded with red curtains. "Looks creepy," Tashia whispered. "Lets turn around and leave." "No way." Nola said. "We can't quit now." "I don't know," Tashia muttered. "Looks like somebody might be in there." "If it didn't have lights on, we couldn't have seen it. They're on for us." "I really don't like this, mom!" "Don't be such a baby, Tashia. Look, let's just leave the car and sneak up on the place. We'll check it out. We don't have to go inside, but we've gotta a least take a closer look. I mean, maybe there's some more goodies in there!" "I guess as long as we're careful," Tashia muttered. "Tashia, why don't you take care of the courtesy light? We don't want it coming on when we open the doors." She reached up to the roof and tugged at the light's plastic cover. One end snapped loose. Fumbling underneath it, she twisted the bulb and plucked it free. "Got it." She stuffed the bulb into a pocket of her sweatpants. "Let's go." Nola said. Both doors swung open. Climbing out, Tashia noticed the quiet way Nola shut the driver's door. She shut her door gently, pushing until it latched. We're scared shitless, Tashia thought. Tashia joined Nola at the rear of the car. Her keys jangled. Finding the one she wanted, she bent over the trunk and slid it into the lock. "What're you doing?" Tashia whispered. "Flashlights and weapons." Nola turned the key. A quiet sound. The lid of the trunk slowly rose. She leaned into the darkness, lifted a suitcase, turned around and offered it to Tashia. Tashia took it, stepped back and set it down at her feet. "Get your flashlight," Nola whispered, "but don't turn it on." Nola took out her revolver. Reaching behind her back, she lifted her sweatshirt out of the way. Tashia saw a band of pale skin above her belt as she shoved the barrel down the seat of her pants. "I don't know about this," Tashia muttered. "What don't you know?" her mother asked. "Look how you're arming yourself. If it's going to be so dangerous, shouldn't we forget about it?" "I'm just taking precautions. If I honestly believed we'd be running into trouble, I wouldn't go anywhere near the cabin!" Tashia realized that her own right hand was deep in the pocket of her sweatpants, fingering her Swiss Army knife. "Why don't you wait here?" "I go where you go." Nola led the way across the field. Tashia stayed close behind her. Tashia shivered as she walked. She wished she'd had her coat. The chilly breeze seemed to pass right through her top. She watched the way it ruffled Nola's hair. Her hair looked silvery in the moonlight. Her grey sweatshirt was pale. It's so damn bright out here, she thought. If somebody looks out one of those windows... She could see it better now. Three crimson windows. One glowed slightly brighter that the other two. It looked so forbidding. The whole field was bathed in milky moonlight, but not the cabin. It was at the very edge of the forest. Overhanging limbs shrouded its bulk with shadow. Except for the red of its windows, the cabin looked even darker than the woods. Somebody must live in it. What kind of person... A few strides from the side of the cabin, Nola and Tashia halted. They stood motionless, staring up at the windows. Listening. Gazing at the covered windows, Nola held her breath and listened. She heard her own thudding heartbeat, cries of some distant birds, the wind hissing through the forest, the whisper of leaves rubbing against the roof of the cabin. But no sounds at all seemed to be coming from inside. Somebody must be in there, Nola thought. Nola started forward. Tashia followed, close to her back. Nola heard Tashia's shaky breathing behind her. They stopped at the rear of the cabin. The windows were masked with red fabric, just like all the others. Nola looked at Tashia, then turned away. Bending forward, she peered around the corner. She eased back and faced Tashia. "The door's open," she whispered. Tashia went cold and crawly inside. She felt her nipples shrivel up tight. "I don't like it at all," Tashia said, her voice low and shaky. "It'll make it easier for us," Nola whispered. "Shit," Tashia said. "Somebody's gotta be in there." "I'm not quitting now," Nola said. "Remember, I'm a cop. Nobody will mess with me!" Nola reached under the back of her sweatshirt and pulled out the revolver. "We'll just take it slow and easy. Any sign of trouble, we'll get the hell out of here." "Here goes nothing," Nola said and stepped around the corner of the cabin. Tashia went after her. The forest was just to the right, some of the trees almost close enough to touch. If anything goes wrong, Tashia thought, we can run in there. So dark. So many trees. Plenty of places to hide. Just this side of the door, Nola stopped. She stood up straight and raised her left hand. Tashia halted. Nola moved into the light, turning toward the doorway. Then she stepped into the cabin. As she disappeared out of sight, Tashia entered the brightness and followed her mother. Nola had obviously seen nothing alarming. Her mother was staring at something. Her lower lip was clamped between her teeth. She met her daughter's eyes. Looking worried, she lifted her gaze and peered into the semi-darkness beyond her head. "What?" Tashia whispered. Nola shook her head, pressed a finger to her lips for silence, then started walking. She was staring at something. Something on a bench near the window. Whatever it was, Tashia thought, it must not be any big deal. Nola was just staring at it, not running away. She followed her. Not as cold as outside. But almost. And the air smelled bad. Like a nasty bar, a dive. A mingling of stale smoke, sweat, alcohol, urine and a legion of other foul aromas. Wrapped in a blanket was a woman. She was stretched out motionless on a the bench. The blanket covered her from neck to feet. Over her chest, it rose and fell slightly with the motions of her breathing. Her brown hair was a tangled mess. Her face glowed bright red as if she'd spent far too long in the sun. Her lips were dry and cracked. A dark bruise smudged the left side of her jaw. In spite of her condition, Tashia could see that she was pretty. And not very old. Probably in her early twenties. She wondered quickly if this was her home. And did she live here alone? Though she felt compelled to stare at her, Tashia forced herself to turn away. She had the horrible thought that they had found Linda Hawkins. A bench on the other side of the room was heaped with clutter; grocery bags, crushed beer cans; a hubcap heaped with ashes and dead cigarettes; packages of cookies and chips, some still unopened and others crumpled; piles of rags and dirty clothes. "I'll check out the rest," Nola whispered. Tashia glanced at the woman. She still slept. Nola and Tashia made their way through the cabin. Near the rear wall were three mattresses piled with blankets and clothes. Sleeping places for three more people. Where are they? Tashia wondered. What if they come back and find us here? What if they're hiding, right now, just outside. She watched Nola pause, standing by one of the mattresses, turning her head as she looked at the two nearby steamer trunks. The tops of the trunks were littered with junk. On one was a Coleman lantern, its twin mantels hissing, filling the cabin with light. Nola moved on. She held the revolver ready to fire. She looked from side to side, checking for movement or sound. At last she reached the back door. Thank God, Tashia thought. Nothing. Nola turned to her daughter. "Anything?" Tashia whispered. Nola shook her head. "We oughta have a look in the trunks. Maybe there's..." "Mom, we've gotta get out of here." Tashia said. "Right now. We've gotta take her with us." "What's the....?" "The stink of this place. The way it looks. And her." She suddenly crouched, slapped a hand across the mouth of the sleeping woman, and hurled the blanket away. The woman was naked. Her skin glowed scarlet as if she'd been broiled all day by the sun. She was bruised, striped with welts, seamed with shallow cuts from a knife blade. She had raw burns on her shoulders and breasts and thighs. Her wrists were roped beneath the bench, her ankles were bound together with rope. Under the bench were half-used candles and matches, blackened toothpicks and a weathered leather belt. Nola saw all this as the woman lurched awake, eyes springing open. As she bucked, trying to sit up. As Tashia gasped, "Holy shit!" As Nola groaned and muttered, "My God." As the woman pulled her arms against the ropes. As she settled down and lay motionless on the bench and glanced at the faces above her. "We're here to help you," Tashia said, and lifted her hand away from the woman's mouth. "They hurt me!" she blurted. "They hurt me and they..." "Who?" Nola whispered. "An old man and three younger guys!" "Where are they?" "I don't know." "Let's get her and beat it." Tashia moaned. Nola pushed the gun into the waistband of her sweatpants and slipped a hand under the back of the woman's neck. Tashia had her knife out. Crouching, she began to saw through the ropes at her wrists. A blast slammed Tashia's eardrums. Nola dropped to the ground, grabbed Tashia by the ankles and pulled her to the floor. A roar thundered through the cabin. Nola grabbed her revolver and aimed toward the three fat men who rushed through the door with shotguns. The men stopped and aimed shotguns at her head. "No!" Tashia shrieked. "Drop the gun! Or ..." the nasal voice gloated. Nola let go of her revolver. "Push it away from you with your fingers!" Stunned, she obeyed. An skinny stooped old man wearing only boxer shorts slipped through the door and crept toward the captives. He was a shabby spectre. He had lost all of the blubber and his once neatly-groomed full beard was a tangled mess. Except for his bald head he was furry with grey hair. His face was greasy with sweat and his eyes were huge. Nola recognized him. Although the years in prison had wasted him Nola recognized Scott Millar. And Jason and Willie and Jeremy. And there was no doubt that they had recognized her as well. "So Nola, you finally came over to play 'ride the rail and horsey'! And you brought a little girlie for me. You remembered! Jeremy has a great rail over an ant hill waiting for you!" (To be Continued) A Comment from the Author: The comments and suggestions posted by readers are what keep the authors going. The same is true for me. I've got a general direction I want to go with NOLA series from here, but that's all. The door's wide open for specific scenes and characters. I'd love for all you "Anons" out there to contribute your suggestions. If nobody does, the NOLA series will probably go on anyway but the more suggestions I get the better the product, I hope. Please post any comments to Leather Rose BBS (312-665-0111). All new Nola files will be posted exclusively on LR BBS. And a Question: Does anyone out there still like whips? Or for that matter canes, straps, paddles, tawses, martinets, cat-o'-nines, riding crops, or even an occasional good old fashioned bundle of birch switches? I haven't seen a good flagellation story in ages. What ever happened to naughty young schoolgirls getting their asses caned by lecherous old headmasters? I'm not talking about spanking people. That's its own little club, and they mostly frown on us hard core B&D and S&M freaks. I'm talking about the whip 'em till they bleed world. Are any of us "flag" freaks still out there? I would like to hear from you. Curt Strap August, 1994 Listing of the NOLA series as of 18 August 1994. If you have any suggested titles and scenarios let me know. Nola1.txt "The Beginning" (Nola's introduction to S&M) Nola2.txt "The Chief of Police" (Nola on a Turkish Island) Nola3.txt "The Augustines" (family's introduction to S&M) Nola4.txt "The Reverend" Nola5.txt "The Island" (Inspired by Mister Phil) Nola6.txt "Nola's Children" Nola7.txt "The Rape Photographer" Nola8.txt "The Porn Producers" Nola9.txt "The Nurse" (torture by Viet Cong,incomplete,ideas?) Nola10.txt "The Children At Play" AKA Children.zip Nola11.txt "The Game" AKA Sarah.zip Nola12.txt "The Doctor" (limited distribution) Nola13.txt "The Farm" (limited distribution) Nola14.txt "The Model" Nola15.txt "Un-titled" (incomplete) Nola16.txt "Blackmailing Nola" Nola17.txt "The Spy" Nola18.txt "The Tudor" AKA Simone.zip Nola19.txt "The Inquisition" AKA Inquis.zip (Nola in 1492) Nola20.txt "The Cottage" (incomplete) Nola21.txt "The Convent" Nola22.txt "The Cop" AKA Karla.zip (incomplete) Nola23.txt "The Reporter" Nola24.txt "The Musician" Nola25A.txt "Nola and Tashia" (Nola humiliated by daughter) or Nola25B.txt "Nola and Jeremy" (Nola humiliated by son)(same sty) (The wonders of Wordperfect's search & replace) Nola26.txt "The Prison Matron" (limited distribution) Nola27.txt "The Complex" Nola28.txt "The Cruise" (includes Pamela1.zip to chap 7) Nola29.txt "The Scout Troop" Nola30.txt "Tashia" Nola31.txt "The Exhibitionist" Nola32.txt "The Asylum" (limited distribution) Nola33.txt "The Cellar" Nola35.txt "The Businesswoman" (Caught in a double-cross) Nola36.txt Un-named as of today Nola37.txt Un-named as of today Nola38.txt Un-named as of today Nola39.txt "The Terrorist" Nola40.txt "The Indians" (inspired by Mister Phil) Nola41.txt "The Law" (a shady policewoman gets hers) There are lots more that haven't been edited yet. Curt Strap August 18, 1994