said the Talisman didn’t exist.”
Andrew smiled. “Even a vampire can change his mind.”
They walked in darkness and silence for several minutes, Tommy praying that the
batteries in his flashlight wouldn’t give out. He knew his vampire friends could see in the dark and Andrew would guide him over any obstacle ahead, but he hated the idea of maybe not being able to see his surroundings—or something that might jump out at them from the shadows. However, so far so good…
Marcus and Roger stopped so suddenly that Tommy barrelled into Roger’s backside
despite Andrew’s hand gripping his arm.
“Ow!” Tommy rubbed his crotch. “Christ, you really do have buns of steel!”
“We’re here,” Marcus said.
Tommy inched forwards as far as Andrew’s grip would let him. “Holy crap,” he
muttered, gaping at the chasm that yawned at his feet. Even when he shone his flashlight downwards he couldn’t even guess how deep it was.
Gotta be hundreds of feet deep at least… And we’re going down there?
“You may stay here, if you’d rather,” Andrew said quietly at his side.
Tommy jumped slightly, aware that right now his thoughts were an open book to
Andrew. “No way,” he muttered. “With the choices I’m given right now—go down there
with you into that creepy place or stay here alone, in this creepy place—guess what I’m
gonna choose?”
www.total-e-bound.com
BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 66
Roger chuckled. “There was a time when I’d have been saying the same thing. All
right—” He waited until all four of them were poised on the edge of the abyss. “Let’s go!”
Tommy gasped out loud as he and Andrew stepped off the rim together, Andrew’s
arms securely locked around Tommy’s waist. This time their speed was controlled, not
having the need to evade any observant eyes through night vision binoculars. Nevertheless, the rush of air around him took Tommy’s breath away and the rock walls he saw in the beam of his flashlight sped by them at an alarming rate.
Just when he was beginning to think the pit was the bottomless one of legends he’d
read about when he was a kid, his feet touched solid ground. He let out a long sigh of relief, and for a moment he was content to stay in Andrew’s arms, resting his head on his lover’s shoulder.
Man, but when this is over, I am going to write a book. Like anyone would ever believe this could happen. And it’s not over yet…
“This way.” Marcus’ voice came from a long way off. It seemed he was impatient to
move on. “There is an open shaft over here. It looks like it’s the only way out of the pit.”
“Oh great,” Tommy groaned as Andrew released him. “Couldn’t be stairs, could it? No,
it had to be another freakin’ hole in the ground.”
They found Marcus and Roger standing by some rotting timbers over a gaping hole.
Marcus bent and picked up a length of rusty chain. “I would hazard a guess that this might be the remains of an ancient lift that collapsed in on itself many years ago.”
“You mean there were people here using this thing?” Tommy shone his flashlight on
the broken remains. “But how did they get here? You guys broke through that wall up there.
There was no entrance. Even the guys that built the bunker haven’t been in here.”
“This, I suspect, is the original entrance,” Marcus said. “Everything else we have
travelled through came after this.”
Beside him, Tommy felt Andrew’s body stiffen as if he had been alerted to—something.
“You hear that?” Andrew murmured.
“Yes,” Marcus replied. “Someone approaches.”
“What?” Tommy yelped. “Someone, down here?”
“Not in corporeal form,” Andrew said.
Oh, for cryin’ out loud… “What d’you mea—?”
www.total-e-bound.com
BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 67
“Dakar!” Andrew shouted. “We sense you nearby. Reveal yourself and tell us why you
are here.”
A low chuckle resonated off the rock walls that
Andrew smiled. “Even a vampire can change his mind.”
They walked in darkness and silence for several minutes, Tommy praying that the
batteries in his flashlight wouldn’t give out. He knew his vampire friends could see in the dark and Andrew would guide him over any obstacle ahead, but he hated the idea of maybe not being able to see his surroundings—or something that might jump out at them from the shadows. However, so far so good…
Marcus and Roger stopped so suddenly that Tommy barrelled into Roger’s backside
despite Andrew’s hand gripping his arm.
“Ow!” Tommy rubbed his crotch. “Christ, you really do have buns of steel!”
“We’re here,” Marcus said.
Tommy inched forwards as far as Andrew’s grip would let him. “Holy crap,” he
muttered, gaping at the chasm that yawned at his feet. Even when he shone his flashlight downwards he couldn’t even guess how deep it was.
Gotta be hundreds of feet deep at least… And we’re going down there?
“You may stay here, if you’d rather,” Andrew said quietly at his side.
Tommy jumped slightly, aware that right now his thoughts were an open book to
Andrew. “No way,” he muttered. “With the choices I’m given right now—go down there
with you into that creepy place or stay here alone, in this creepy place—guess what I’m
gonna choose?”
www.total-e-bound.com
BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 66
Roger chuckled. “There was a time when I’d have been saying the same thing. All
right—” He waited until all four of them were poised on the edge of the abyss. “Let’s go!”
Tommy gasped out loud as he and Andrew stepped off the rim together, Andrew’s
arms securely locked around Tommy’s waist. This time their speed was controlled, not
having the need to evade any observant eyes through night vision binoculars. Nevertheless, the rush of air around him took Tommy’s breath away and the rock walls he saw in the beam of his flashlight sped by them at an alarming rate.
Just when he was beginning to think the pit was the bottomless one of legends he’d
read about when he was a kid, his feet touched solid ground. He let out a long sigh of relief, and for a moment he was content to stay in Andrew’s arms, resting his head on his lover’s shoulder.
Man, but when this is over, I am going to write a book. Like anyone would ever believe this could happen. And it’s not over yet…
“This way.” Marcus’ voice came from a long way off. It seemed he was impatient to
move on. “There is an open shaft over here. It looks like it’s the only way out of the pit.”
“Oh great,” Tommy groaned as Andrew released him. “Couldn’t be stairs, could it? No,
it had to be another freakin’ hole in the ground.”
They found Marcus and Roger standing by some rotting timbers over a gaping hole.
Marcus bent and picked up a length of rusty chain. “I would hazard a guess that this might be the remains of an ancient lift that collapsed in on itself many years ago.”
“You mean there were people here using this thing?” Tommy shone his flashlight on
the broken remains. “But how did they get here? You guys broke through that wall up there.
There was no entrance. Even the guys that built the bunker haven’t been in here.”
“This, I suspect, is the original entrance,” Marcus said. “Everything else we have
travelled through came after this.”
Beside him, Tommy felt Andrew’s body stiffen as if he had been alerted to—something.
“You hear that?” Andrew murmured.
“Yes,” Marcus replied. “Someone approaches.”
“What?” Tommy yelped. “Someone, down here?”
“Not in corporeal form,” Andrew said.
Oh, for cryin’ out loud… “What d’you mea—?”
www.total-e-bound.com
BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 67
“Dakar!” Andrew shouted. “We sense you nearby. Reveal yourself and tell us why you
are here.”
A low chuckle resonated off the rock walls that
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