Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 21:18:43 -0500 From: Todd Grant Subject: The Storm Chapter 1- September Snow If you are underage or offended by the subject matter, please leave. Please send any comments to redfordtodd1_@hotmail.com. I want to give credit to my good friend, Wilson, who has helped me more than he will admit as my editor. Any similarities between a character and a real person, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any actions the reader takes as a result of reading this story are not the responsibility of the author. You may not reproduce, post, or distribute this story in any way without the author's expressed written permission. You may print out one copy or save one copy of this story for your own viewing and entertainment. By reading further, you implicitly are agreeing to the above guidelines. THE STORM <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Chapter 1- September Snow >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Looking at the sky, I could tell that Mother Nature was brewing a major snowstorm. It wasn't unusual for September in the Rockies. The temperature had dropped more than thirty degrees in just a few hours. Pulling on the necessary gear, I prepared to go out and check my traps. I was only a few feet from my door when the first flakes began to fall. Grabbing my snowshoes, if I hurried, I could get back in only a few hours. As the snow worsened, I reflected back on what had brought me here. It seemed like only yesterday that everything was right in my world. I worked construction and I had everything a person could want, except a life companion. In addition to the muscles I had from work I also went to a gym almost everyday. Standing six four, I was just over 240 pounds of muscle. Sandy brown hair and deep brown eyes with a handsome profile made more than one person take notice of me. But it was only the guys that I was interested in and I had my share of those. I would gladly trade every one of them for a man to love who would love me back. I was twenty-six when first I met Lee. He had hired on as summer help with the company I worked for. From the first time I laid eyes on this lanky kid, I had it bad for him. Curly dark hair and green eyes. I towered over him by about six inches, and I knew that he couldn't weigh anymore than 150 soaking wet. He had started in early June. By late July he was definitely filling out. More than once, I caught myself staring at this beautiful boy. We often worked without any shirts due to the heat. Lee had started with almost no definition to his thin hairless torso, but that had changed. He was developing some nice arms and pecs on him. The work assignments changed and he was put with my group. We worked side by side and he never complained. He was nineteen and trying to earn money for college. We talked most all day long. There was a lot in common. Slowly, I was falling even more for this kid. Every time he smiled I wanted to jump his bones, or at least plant a passionate kiss on his seductive lips. All day long, I would steal glances at him. The sweat running down his tanned chest and over his developing six pack. His small nipples standing out from the breeze. The only hair I could see was just a bit under his arms and the thin trail from his navel on down. More than once he saw me looking his way and just smiled. One day I happened to catch him. Was it my imagination, or was he looking at me as well? I had to find out. Well, one thing led to another and I did find out. Within just two weeks, we were living together. The lovemaking was the most intense I had ever known. We even sat and mapped out our entire future together. Only a few months passed when it all came to a brutal end. We lived in a rough section of town and I had never thought about how open that Lee and I had become. But, some people did notice. On that fateful evening, we had just left the house when it happened. "Faggots!" Was the last thing I heard before the pain hit and I lost consciousness. When I came to, I was in the hospital. I hurt in places I didn't know I had. I couldn't move my arms, and it seemed that I could hardly open my mouth. Then a thought struck me. "Lee!" I tried to cry out. A nurse stepped into my view. "Don't you worry about anything but getting better." She said. Trying as hard as I could to make myself understood, I said. "Where's Lee?" After a few more attempts she finally understood. The look on her face was more than I wanted. "He never made it." She told me. The pain in my heart was far worse than the pain in my body. The moans of anguish from me brought quick relief as a needle was stuck in my arm and I was out. I had been in a coma for two weeks when I first came to. After the news about Lee, they kept me sedated for over a week more. My injuries were many. They had beaten us with boards and would have killed me too if a nosey neighbor hadn't called the police. Lee had died on the sidewalk in front of our home. It took weeks before I was able to leave the hospital. The punks that had attacked us had been let go on a technicality. It wasn't safe for me to live there any more, so with no family of my own, and Lee's family holding me to blame, I left town. I had a nice stash of money saved up over the years and headed west. The one thing I was sure of was that I didn't want to be around people any more. There was a gaping wound in my soul from Lee's death that I thought could never heal. After looking for a few months I found my new home. Bordering on the Rocky Mountain National Park was a small cabin. No people for miles. It was perfect. There I began my new life. Every day I would think about Lee. After enough time I began to blame myself for not being more careful or moving us to a better area. Every day I would weep until the tears ran dry. Gradually I learned all that I needed to survive in this lonely place. Five years had passed, and here I was out in a blizzard checking my traps. The snow was getting worse, I should turn back. The wind howled all around me, and the cold was biting. But, what was that sound? I stopped and listened. Nothing. Just as I was about to turn back, I heard it again. I tried to see the source, but the blowing snow made it impossible. I listened again. It wasn't the wind or an animal. Someone was crying for help. Knowing what to do, I began walking in a widening circle. It took quite a while before I stumbled across the body buried in the deepening snow. I pulled it free enough to tell that it was a man. And he was still alive. Even with all of the added strength I had developed over the years, it wore me out carrying the body back to the cabin. The snow wasn't letting up as I managed to get through the three-foot drift in front of my door. Once inside, I knew I should have started a fire. Exhausted, I laid the man down on my couch. I lit the lamps and began building a blaze in the fireplace and moved him closer to the heat. The few amenities I had added came in handy. Going into the shed I had attached to the kitchen, I started the generator. It was used for only one thing. To run the pump for the well. My other meager appliances, stove and water heater, were propane. I went back to check on my patient. The snow had melted off and I could see him clearly now. It was Lee! Shaking my head, I knew that couldn't be. The hair and the face were almost identical, but for several days of beard growth. But this man was taller. Wasn't he? I brought myself back to reality. His skin was cold to the touch, if I didn't do something quickly he wouldn't make it. Remembering what I had read about hypothermia, I began to strip off his wet clothes. A lightweight jacket, a sweatshirt and a t-shirt. I couldn't help but admire the tanned body that was so similar to Lee's. Getting a towel, I dried off his torso. His breathing was very shallow. It was difficult removing the rest. Tight wet denim made it a chore to skin off of his legs. He was left only in a pair of boxers. I knew that they had to go too, but waited and dried off his nicely muscled legs. Well, time for the show. I removed his boxers. Even in his chilled condition I could see that he was better equipped than Lee. I lifted his naked body and carried him to my bed. Gently lowering him down I made quick work of stripping off my own clothes. Getting next to him, I pulled all of my warmest blankets over the top of us. It wasn't the chill from his body that made me shiver, as I placed my warm body against his cold one. Ever since Lee, I had refused to take another into my arms or my bed. This beautiful young man had to make it. He just had to. His breath was very cool on my cheek. It was then that I recalled about the internal problems of hypothermia. I placed my mouth to his and breathed warm air back into his body. It was difficult to handle; his breath was so sweat. After a while, the air from his lungs seemed to have warmed. For hours, I alternated positions. First it was my front to his back, and then I turned us both around. I used my hands to gently rub the other side of him. Slowly, he was becoming warm again. With fatigue setting in heavily, I fell asleep. I awoke to the feeling of him shivering and the sound of him moaning. Pulling him tight against my front, I held him until the shaking stopped and went back to sleep. Hours must have passed when I awoke again. It felt as though I was burning up, when I realized it was fever raging through the man next to me. I jumped out of bed only to find that the fire needed tending, and quickly pulled on some clothes. Seeing to that first, I then heated some broth. I crushed an anti-biotic and put it in the warm liquid. Carefully, I poured it down his throat. Thinking about it, I took one myself. Wouldn't help if I came down with whatever he had. Still tired, I climbed back into the bed. I drew his now warm body back to mine. It felt so good to hold a man again. Later, hearing a voice, again I awoke. He was mumbling. As I listened I could make out his words. "Joey, don't you ever get enough? You already screwed me twice tonight. Go ahead, you know I like it too." He said. His hips began to move and he pressed his ass tightly against my crotch. He wiggled around. "Joey, you really like my tight little butt, don't you? Who would have thought that a freshman kid like me could land the captain of the football team? Can we sixty-nine again later?" His hand reached behind and grabbed my now throbbing erection. As he began to guide it between his cheeks, I pulled away. "Joey, don't be mad. I have to leave tomorrow; it's my one big chance. I know we've been together since high school and I really do love you. You know I've never been with another guy. Please come with me. Joey, don't say those things. I'm not going to sell my ass in Hollywood. Calm down. Joey, what are you doing? What's with the gun? Joey put it down. Get that damned thing out of your mouth! Joey, don't! Joey!" He screamed. His whole body began to shake as he sobbed. I felt myself crying too. I turned him over and took him into my arms and held him tightly. After a while, the sobbing stopped. He pushed away. "Who the hell are you?" He said. I looked to see an angry young man. The expressions and those eyes were so like Lee's. His eyes rolled back into his head as he passed out. He was still feverish. It was another full day of nursing before he regained consciousness. While I waited on my patient, I assessed the situation. There was more than enough food to make it through several months, even with two people. Water wasn't any issue. How bad did the snow bury us? I tried going out the front door but it was almost completely blocked. Going through the shed, I tried the backdoor. The snow was only up a few feet there. Pulling on my gear, I went out. What I saw took me by surprise. Around my back door was the shallowest point I could see. My small cabin was almost covered. If there weren't a thaw in the next few weeks, we would be cabin bound for months. When I returned, I checked the man to make sure he was okay. He was still sleeping. Feeling a bit chilled, I decided a hot bath might help. Stripping off my clothes, I did something unusual. I looked in the mirror. It had probably been over a year or more since I had last bothered. From the time that I had moved in I had become the stereotypical mountain man. I hadn't shaved or cut my hair in over five years. You could almost mistake me for big foot. What would happen when my patient awoke and saw something like me? I almost scared myself looking at my reflection. How would he take it? This wouldn't do. Finding what was needed; I began to trim my beard. As it got shorter, I kept at it until it was gone. Next, I went at my hair. I wasn't any kind of professional at it, but I soon had myself looking much more human. In fact the only difference I could see in my face from five years ago was the haunted look I now had in my eyes. My body was another matter. Living in the wilderness was my workout. I was built even bigger than I had been years ago, but still no body fat. Little Jimmy began to rise. I had even given up masturbation years ago. My body looked after itself with the occasional wet dream, so I ignored my urges. This time was no exception. Shivering again, I got into the old claw-foot tub and soaked, hoping that the heat of the water would reduce my chills. I fell asleep. The water was cold when I opened my eyes. The fire was almost out. Getting out of the tub, my body was aching. I couldn't afford to come down sick with a man that needed my help. As I dried off, I looked over to the bed. He looked so much more peaceful. God, he looked so much like Lee. I went to the cupboard to get myself some anti-biotic and found that there were only two left. Feeling confused, I tried to figure out where they had all gone. There was almost a full bottle the last time. Making some more broth, I used one more. The last one I would have to save for him. He was in far worse shape than I was. Or, so I thought. As I began to pour the warm liquid down his throat, he choked on it. His eyes opened, and he looked confused. "Joey?" He asked. Smiling, I shook my head. "No, I'm James MacPhee." He nodded and closed his eyes again. I managed to get the rest of the broth in him and then laid down myself. The heat became intolerable, as I threw off the covers. My body hadn't hurt this badly since the assault and I was burning up. Somehow I managed to build the fire back up. I fixed the last of the pill-broth and took it to the man. That's when he came fully awake. He looked at me with wide-eyed for several minutes before he spoke. "Who are you? Where am I?" Again, I introduced myself. I told him of how I had found him in the snow and brought him back. Also, I explained how sick he had been for the last few days. "My name's Tim Saunders. I can't thank you enough for what you've done mister." He said. Then he told me of how he had been hiking with some friends. Going off from them a short distance, he took a leak. When he tried to find them again he couldn't. Thinking that they were playing a game with him, he had looked for quite a while before he thought to call out for them. Of course by then it was too late. He was completely lost. Luckily he had some food with him. It was three days of walking before the snowstorm had hit. He didn't remember much after that. My head was starting to spin and I was suddenly very cold. I closed my eyes for just a second and passed out. Images of Lee filled my head. It was like a video showing our lives together. When it got to the part where we were assaulted, it played over and over again. More than once, I opened my eyes to see him standing over me with a look of deep concern. I smiled up at his beautiful face and told him each time how much I loved him. He would smile back and tell me that he loved me too before I closed my eyes again. The only feedback I had from my body were those of hot, cold and pain. Time had no meaning to me. I seemed to float in and out. Sometimes Lee was telling me to drink some nasty tasting stuff so that I could get better for him. So I drank it. At some point I was feeling warm, not hot or cold. My body wasn't hurting so much either. I was trying to remember what had happened as I opened my eyes. I could feel an arm around me. Looking to my side I saw Lee. But it couldn't be Lee. Then I began to recall the storm and all that had gone on. This was, and then I drew a blank. He had told me his name and I couldn't think of it. My full bladder told me why I had waked up. I eased out of the bed so as not to disturb the man, and went to relieve myself. When I was done, I felt ravenous. Never had I felt so hungry. Slipping on some clothes, I went down into the root cellar and brought up some goods. I opened some canned bacon and put together some powdered eggs. I topped that with a can of stew followed by some chili. All of that in less than fifteen minutes. I hadn't been thinking clearly or I would have known better. My stomach rebelled at too much solid food in such a short time. Barely was there a chance to reach for the bucket before I tossed everything I had eaten. The sound of my retching was all it took. In just seconds a strong arm was around me holding tightly. I closed my eyes hoping that the nausea had passed. One more round and it was over. With his help I made it to the sink. I brushed my teeth and rinsed several times until the nasty taste was gone. "Don't you know that you shouldn't try and eat so much after being empty for too long?" He asked. I felt so stupid. "Sorry." I muttered. Looking at his now clean-shaven face I admitted, "I can't even remember your name." "It's Tim Saunders." He hugged me tightly. "There is no way that you should ever apologize to me for anything. Not after what you must have done to save me." Looking into those eyes of his, I almost became lost. "I had to save you. You will never know why, but I just had to." He responded, "but I do know. It's because of Lee. You've been delirious for the past five days. Over and over I heard about your tragedy. I fully understand." Tears began to fill my eyes. "I know you do because of Joey." I said. He began to cry as well. "Yes, because of my Joey." We held each other closely as our tears fell. After a time, he pulled away. "There's something that you couldn't possibly know." He said. He got his wallet and took a photo from inside. When I looked at it a different kind of shiver ran through me. It was as though I were staring at a picture of myself from several years back. The resemblance was very strong. Without a word, I crossed the room to a small chest. Opening it I took out the photo. There were streaks on the glass where I had shed so many tears just looking at it. I wiped it with my sleeve. Tim began to shake his head before he even looked at the picture. He just stared at it for a long time. "Do you believe in fate?" He almost whispered. "I don't think that either one of us has any choice in the matter." I replied. I looked deeply into his eyes. "There has been no one in my life in the last five years. Ever since I lost Lee." He responded. "It's been the same for me these last three years since Joey left me." There was no question in my mind where this was heading. Taking him in my arms, we both trembled and our eyes were tear-filled as our lips touched. For just an instant it seemed that the whole world came to a halt. Then it was like nothing I had ever known. Not even with Lee. The tenderness of Tim's kiss was only matched by the intensity I felt. The taste of him combined with our tongues gently exploring each other's mouths was more than I could handle. I pulled away after several minutes and sucked in great amounts of air as I pressed even more tightly to him while looking deeply into his soul. He was doing the same when we reached our orgasm simultaneously. With a slight smile on our faces, we kissed lightly enjoying the afterglow.