Black Sun by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 38

Sleep did not come easily for either of them, in spite of the usual partaking of late evening cannabis. Abigail needed to relax and forget, and eventually she would function as she had before, but with a heightened perception of her surroundings. She could no longer afford to get distracted by the things that interested her. The price was simply too high. Yet, there was something else, something that would, at some point, rise up from her soul as her protector. It would be at that time that her priorities would be clear, and she would react to danger with the instincts of a wild animal – her humanity in a temporary state of blackout.

The light of a mid-summer morning streamed in through the apartment window, washing over the waking bodies of Ryan and Abigail. Sensing the sun's warmth, Ryan quickly stirred to life and carefully making his way around Abigail's soft warm body, he took it upon himself to prepare the morning meal. Given the distance they were about to travel, Ryan thought it's best to prepare a large breakfast. Having obtained a small propane camping stove, he opened a window, set the stove nearby and brought one of its two burners to life. He wasn't much of a cook, but having everything he needed, he was able to prepare a breakfast they likely would not have again for quite some time.

Having turned off the stove's burner, Ryan began setting out paper plates and plastic utensils. The smell of such a meal filled the air, and soon Abigail's senses pulled her out of bed. “Oh my God,” she began. “What is that?” Ryan turned to her with a slight smile. “C'mon, sleepy head,” he began. “Time to get up.” Throwing the covers back, Abigail jumped out of bed and headed straight for a full plate – scrambled eggs, toast, and biscuits. And of course, coffee. It wasn't a four-star meal, but it was gone in ten minutes.

“Jesus Christ,” Abigail said.

Her words had been suddenly interrupted by a loud and somewhat embarrassing belch.

“Oh, shit. Sorry.”

Ryan grinned in amusement, taking her gastric eruption as a form of approval.

“So, you made all of this?” she continued. “And I thought you were just here as my man-slave.”

They both giggled at the true intention behind her words as she sat back to rest while her body processed what might be their last hot meal – at least for the immediate future. Soon after, it was Ryan's turn to expel the bubble that had been building in his stomach, expressing itself in a loud gust of pungent air. While Abigail began laughing at the magnitude of his earth-shattering belch, Ryan found the experience a disgusting embarrassment. “Oh, excuse me,” he said. “Shit, that's embarrassing.” Abigail continued laughing at his expense, not knowing that the gas he brought up came close to launching his breakfast at the same time. Ryan knew that should this happen, it would have sent Abigail into hysterics. He got the feeling that she found amusement in the disgusting things that sometimes happen to people, and her laughter over a belch that nearly became a gastric disaster seemed to be proof enough.