James Axler – Crossways

“Triple creepy.” Jak had let one of the taps run until the water flowed clear. He dropped his head to drink, his mane of white hair tumbling over his narrow, bone-pale face like spray from a winter waterfall.

Doc had been walking around that section of the redoubt, looking at the blank walls, testing the limits by finding the locked and coded sec doors that closed off other parts of the place. Now he had rejoined the others.

“Creepy is a better than adequate word to describe the siblings, my young fellow,” he pronounced. “They are as strange a couple as I’ve seen in many a day’s march, are they not? Gog and Magog of Deathlands. Old Brother Right and old Brother Wrong. Both Ossa and Pelion. Scylla and Charybdis. Are they not the topless towers of”

Ryan patted the old man on the shoulder, getting a blank stare from the watery blue eyes. “Running off at the mouth again, Doc,” he warned.

“Really? My dear fellow, then it would appear that apologies are in order.”

“Never apologize,” Mildred said, putting on a gruff voice. “It’s a sign of weakness, pilgrim.”

Dean came out of one of the cubicles, grinning broadly. “Shitter has a jet of water that gushes up and cleans your ass for you,” he said. “So strong it sort of feels like it’s going to push your ass clean out the top of your head.”

Doc tutted. “The sooner that stripling gets a decent education, the better for him and for all of us.”

“You’re right, Doc.” Ryan glanced at his wrist chron. “Enough, friends. Let’s get some quality sleep.”

But he and Krysty had things to do before they slept, finding the stillness in the farthest of the dormitories to be lovely, dark and deep.

RYAN RAN THE TOP of his tongue around his lover’s nipple, making it stand up hard and hot.

Krysty sighed sleepily. “I hate to be a party pooper, but I’m feeling real tired. I think twice is going to be enough for tonight.”

Ryan laid his head on her magnificent breasts. “Guess you’re right. Out in a few hours to findwho knows? Just that it makes a good change to have a reasonable bed and reasonable security for a night.”

“I know.” She kissed the top of his head and stroked his cheek. “You could do with a shave.”

“There were razors in the bathroom, still sealed in that shrink-wrap stuff.”

“Cold water, lover,” Krysty said, shuddering. “Mebbe wait until we get somewhere that’s got hot water.”

“No.” He stretched. “If there’s hot water, there won’t be decent blades. Those predark whitecoats sure knew about putting an edge on fine steel.”

Krysty ruffled his hair. “All right. Certainly make you a little less ugly.”

“That wasn’t what you said a few minutes ago.” He grinned, his teeth white in the glow of the all-night sec lights.

“Then was then and now is now, lover.” Suddenly she threw her arms around him, holding tight. “Be careful, Ryan.”

“Always am. But why now? Why especially now? You got a feeling about the stupe brothers?”

Krysty half smiled. “I think of them as the smelly brothers. But stupe’ll do. Yeah, there’s a bad feeling, like it’s set on the back burner, but that doesn’t mean there might not be trouble from them.”

Ryan swung his legs out of bed. Feeling reasonably secure, he’d stripped off his clothes. He eased on his shirt and his underpants. “Well, I’ll look out for the boys. I’m going to have a piss and a shave. Back soon.”

A NARROW PASSAGE RAN alongside the dormitories, so Ryan could get to the bathroom without having to disturb everyone else.

At the last moment, his combat sense jarred a little by Krysty’s feeling, Ryan had picked up the eighteen-inch panga, carrying it in its sheath as he walked through the night-silent redoubt.

The only sound as he walked past the open doors to the other large rooms was Doc snoring, like a buzz saw running at full throttle in the heart of a summer forest. The old man slept in a dormitory along with Jak and Dean. Mildred and J.B. were together in the third of the row of rooms.