Georgia, so what did it matter if he failed to fully commit her name to memory? Nothing would be gained by manipulating her further, and she could find her own way home.
The player did, however, admire her body and longed for it from the passenger’s seat. She was soft in all the right spots, and although she was older, she was still young enough that gravity had not taken effect. He knew it would be an eventful night, and he was looking forward to every hour of passion they would conjure.
Tiffany had only been driving a few minutes when George heard her mumble something under her breath.
“What was that? I didn’t hear you.”
The woman pushed her soft, brown hair behind her ear and smiled. Without moving her lips, George heard her voice echo inside his head as she glared at him. “Your wish is granted,” the voice hissed with a wickedness that frightened even him.
The air in the cabin turned cold to the point of being painful. The woman’s eyes began to glow red, and George could see the razor-sharp points of her teeth. She looked like pure evil, and as George tried to catch his breath, he realized he was in trouble. His eyes were becoming heavy, and as the sensation overwhelmed him, he slipped into unconsciousness—all the while hearing the echoes of Tiffany’s laughter inside his mind.
“I have plans for you, George,” Tiffany said as her eyes gleamed. “Shall we leave this pathetic Earth of yours?”
Suddenly, the RV collided with an oncoming tanker and both vehicles twisted into a pile of metal. Fuel poured across the freeway from a gaping hole in the tanker’s side.
The semi exploded with a horrific force, tearing a six-foot deep crater out of the concrete. At its widest point, the hole was 30 feet across. Many of the vehicles that had stopped were thrown. Some of them landed as far as 70 feet away from the epicenter of the blast.
The police investigating the scene accounted for the body of the man driving the semi, along with the other nine drivers the blast had consumed. Victims were scattered in every direction, many landing in charred, bloody pieces.
“It seems as if there was no one at the wheel of the RV,” the Highway Patrolman told the reporters who arrived on the scene. “It’s like a driver was never on board.”
The short, chubby reporter told his viewers: “In total, there are 14 dead. Those injured are being transported to the hospital. At this point, I’m not sure how many.”
Well, fellow soul … I don’t know if you’re one of the souls who can remember old Earth, but those were the events that happened there more than 14,000 seasons ago. Allow me to take you forward to a whole new world:
THE WORLD
OF GRAYHAM
CHAPTER 2
Against Our Will
IT WAS DARK, BUT not pitch black, yet George Nailer could not see a thing when he woke from his coma. Disoriented, and with no idea where he was, he sat up. His back ached, and his muscles were sore. He reached down to touch the surface he was sitting on—solid, hard, and cold. Now he understood why his body felt like hell. I wonder how long I’ve been asleep, he thought.
George remained patient as he sat in the darkness. He rubbed his eyes and waited for them to adjust. After a while, he was able to make out what he thought were the edges of the room. The nearest wall in front of him was at least 30 feet away, and it extended high enough he could not tell where it ended. The edges of what appeared to be two large doors sat in the wall at its center. They were shadows, and it was impossible to tell what they were made of.
Turning his head to the left and to the right, two large pillars extended up and out of sight. Beyond, another 30 feet or so, were the edges of yet another pair of walls that stretched up and into the darkness without end. This place is pretty big. He tapped his knuckles against the floor. Must be some sort of marble.
George continued to study his surroundings. To his surprise, he realized he was not alone. Two figures, not more than two feet apart, lay motionless on top of two altars. Both daises seemed sturdy, smooth and emanated a dull, shallow glow.
There was not a wall beyond the altars. Instead, the room and the pillars stretched into the darkness. This