Perilous Journey 16

PERILOUS JOURNEY - 16

All rights reserved. Other than downloading one copy for strictly personal enjoyment, no part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, except for reviews, without the written permission of the author. However based on real events and places, "Perilous Journey" is strictly fictional. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Further, as in real life, sexual themes unfold gradually. Comments on the story are appreciated and may be addressed to the author at carl_mason@verizon.net

If you would like to read additional stories by this author, please turn to the "Authors/ Prolific Authors" link at the beginning of the Nifty Archive.

[Author's Note: Thanks for joining me on another adventure! I look forward to hearing from you and comparing thoughts. And, say, where would we be without Nifty...especially when the times are rough and the crazies are out in full force? Will you join me in making even a small financial contribution to the Archive in order to keep this site free and, as it has always been, an important part of our lives? Thanks again, friend!]

This story contains descriptions of sexual contact between males, both adults and teenagers. As such, it is homoerotic fiction designed for the personal enjoyment of legal, hopefully mature, adults. If you are not of legal age to read such material, if those in power and/or those whom you trust treat it as illegal, or if it would create unresolvable moral dilemmas in your life, please leave. Finally, remember that maturity generally demands safe sex.

CHAPTER 16

(Revisiting Chapter 15)

"Well, we all have things to do, Scottie," Ted McCoy said, his voice suggesting that the conversation was winding down. "Nevertheless, I should mention one more thing. I've got a youngster sitting in one of my jail cells. A black-and-white picked him up yesterday. Other than sleeping one night in the park, he'd done nothing wrong. Until things settle down, however, we're enforcing tighter vagrancy rules. He's a good kid, Scott. I've known him as a camp counselor for at least two years. Bryce arrived here on the bus a couple of days ago only to find that his camp had closed down due to the troubles. We've been unable to contact his parents or the camp operator. He's low on cash. I'd count it a real favor if you or Rob would stop by and see if there's anything you can do for him."

(Continuing Our Story: Almost Neighbors)

After sending Rob to begin rounding up the troops and signing in with the lockup officer, Scottie continued down the hall towards the station's small number of cells. Appearing suddenly, he surprised the city's one guest in the last cell. His hands to his face, a very hunky youngster, probably in his late teens sat despondently on a steel bench bolted to the concrete wall. His shirt off in the heat, his running shorts slung low, he was a picture of dejection. As one who appreciated late adolescents, Scott took a second look at the young man who didn't even raise his eyes. Not that he was perfect... Indeed, he was a little on the short side. Nevertheless, he was handsome, cute, and pleasant looking with a body that suggested a lot of serious work. A horny grin quickly passing across Scott's face, he thought that this had to be his day to meet some really good looking young men! He doubted that this one had spent much time in jailhouse cells!

"Hey! You're Bryce?" Scottie asked. The lad abruptly looked up, his one-word answer almost inaudible. "Yeah..." "I'm Scott Thayer," the boss said cheerfully. "My family has a camp up here in the Adirondacks. I've known Chief McCoy since I've been able to crawl - and he's a good guy. He asked me to look in on you and see if I could be of any help." (Pause. Silence.) "Unless I'm way out in left field, he likes and respects you. Problem is, Bryce, the Town Council's been riding his ass to tighten up on people wandering around town. Evidently, the two cops in the black-and-white didn't know you, saw you sleeping in the park, and hauled you in. Hey, man, could we talk for a while...inside maybe? I need to sit." (Pause.) "Like a soft drink?"

"First good offer I've had all day!" Bryce replied with an engaging grin and a firm voice. "Come on in...if you can squeeze between the bars. Somehow, I'm guessing that you won't be able to manage that anymore than I could!" "You've got it," Scottie answered. "Give me a moment and I'll get the sergeant to unlock the gate to your castle.

Moments later, Scott was sitting on the bench with Bryce. Grinning apologetically - and just a bit lecherously - the tan-haired hunk was rolling the cold soft drink can over a (very) nice body as he vigorously stretched. Fortunately, Scott managed to control his automatic response! "I had a frosh scholarship to Rutgers for football, Bryce said sadly. "We live just outside North Brunswick. I'd been spending my last days of freedom with a friend out near Pittsburgh when...things happened. Haven't been able to locate my folks since, and Chief McCoy hasn't been able to locate the owner either. I guess I was lucky that the owner of the boys' camp where I was supposed to work sent me a bus ticket for Paul Smiths (an Adirondack town north of Saranac Lake). You just can't get into North Jersey or the New York metropolitan area. At least I had a job here so I came on up."

A bit hesitantly, Scott mumbled, "We had a family plan that called for heading for our camp in a major emergency. Haven't heard a word from any of my extended family. Nor has my son, Robbie, heard a word from his best friend who went up to the Island to see if he could locate his family." Bryce excitedly broke in. "Is Robbie's friend a dark blond about six feet wide, eight tall and, maybe, 290 lbs of muscle?" "Yep," Scottie answered even more sadly. "Hell, man!" the tanned jock exploded. "I know who he is! I've got a newspaper photo of new High School All Americans pinned up on my bulletin board at home! Man!" (Pause.) The former camp counselor stopped in mid thought, in painful realization that the same beast was tearing at both their guts!

After a couple of minutes, Bryce asked Scott if he had any really hard and dirty work around the Thayer camp. "After football," he said, "I really let myself go. You know, the senior year in high school... Gotta get back in shape!" (Pause.) "Did you think I'd say no?" Scottie answered with a smirk.

Upstairs, Scottie found that McCoy was still in his office, though Rick Patterson had departed. "Hey, Ted, any chance of releasing Bryce Lawrence to me on his own recognizance?" Grinning, Ted got on the phone and asked the duty sergeant to bring Lawrence up front together with his stuff. Putting the phone down, he commented that, given his record keeping skills, he doubted Bryce would ever receive a court summons. As the young men began to leave, he stood up and pointed his index finger directly at Scottie, laughed like a hyena, and snickered, "Damn, Thayer. You're just too easy!"

(The Eye of the Storm)

'Damn that McCoy!' the elder Thayer thought. 'The way he's jerks me around is just plain sick! Too bad he's such a good friend. He needs someone to ring his bell!' (The boss was only venting a little steam, but it made him feel better!) 'On the other hand,' he thought, 'we've had nothing but trouble. Maybe having Woody and Bryce link up with us signals a better time for everyone.'

This thought persisted as the boss, Rob, and their newest recruit entered the Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake. Needless to say, Woody Harris was waiting... impatiently. Following a brief conversation with medical staff - and his nearly leaping out of the wheelchair once outside - they were on their way. Frankly, it was a good thing that Bryce and Rob were both along. Woody had taken no more than a dozen steps before he began to look completely played out and slowly collapsed onto the lawn. Scott got one glance at their faces as Bryce caught him and helped him to lie down. 'Well,' he thought, there are two guys who are going to be tight friends!' After the doctor had rushed outside and, after a few minutes, assured everyone that Woody would be ok, the tan haired one lost no time picking him up and depositing him in the Jeep. Indeed, the "vagrant" had his two big hands on Woody's traps all the way back to the Lodge!

The gang had already had lunch when the Jeep returned, but Hunter and his lunch assistant, Brother Ross, had food on the table for the threesome before the other teens could smell it! (Teenagers... While the new arrivals swallowed their lunch, they stood around like a herd of vultures, first on one foot and then on the other, clearly lusting for additional chow!) It did come out during lunch that Ross and Kip had been at camp with Bryce two years ago. Ross argued enthusiastically - with Kip's warm agreement - that he had been the best counselor at the camp. When the last crumbs had disappeared along with the last gulps of bug juice, Hunter reminded them that they had passed all their qualifiers for the afternoon's canoe races. When a great shout had stopped rattling the dining hall windows, Hunter suggested that they take Bryce and Woody upstairs and give them a hand choosing their bedroom and setting it up. Immediately, the guys were off like a herd of wild buffalos! Scott and Hunter actually had to move away from the staircase lest they be trampled! Laughing all the way, they policed a couple of plates and glasses before moving out onto the beach.

After five or six minutes, a line of teens shot out of the Lodge, down the stairs, and over to the canoes drawn up on the beach. Sure enough, the two new members of the gang were last in the procession...and plucked just as clean as all the other birds! "Bryce! Woody!" Coach Hunter yelled. "How comfortable are you bozos in the water?" Not exactly enthused about having everyone's attention focused on their...condition, the two newbies swallowed heavily before speaking. "Swimming and canoeing were two of my responsibilities as a counselor!" Bryce replied. "I was on my school's JV swimming team for the last two years, and the coach said I had a real crack at the varsity in the fall," Woody added. "And canoes?" Hunter growled. "Well...I've only been in one twice - but I liked it...and I'm still here," the silvery-blond muttered with determination." "Don't worry, Coach," Bryce interjected. "I can teach him what he needs to know...without drowning him!" Drowning out the sarcastic laughter from the troops, Hunter snarled as if he'd been Coach since the time of Noah and the Flood, "Ok, bozos! Swim out to the raft and get back here before I have to start supper!" Two bodies hit the water as if they were one!

Standing next to Hunter as the teens chattered a few feet away, Scott couldn't help but whisper, "Hey......Coach. How about that eye candy?!" Coach only smiled softly and said, "Careful, Boss! I'm going to demand a higher salary if you make me go hard in public!" With a salacious glint in his eyes, Hunter added, "There are, of course, alternative forms of payment!"

It was a great afternoon during which everyone had a blast! With but one exception, each team won at least one major race! The exception? After the teen championship had been decided (Grant and Johnny in Canoe #2), the lads decided that their champions should compete for the GRAND championship against a canoe paddled by Scott and Robbie. Though it took the boys an inordinate time to get the race organized (one way across the lake as marked), they finally got their act together. Amidst a great deal of cackling and arm pounding, Woody (with some assistance from Bryce) stepped up to the "start line". Nearly falling into the lake in the process, he violently waved the judge's flag and the two canoes were off! Despite having missed a warm-up period, the "Boss Canoe" quickly surged into a comfortable lead and kept it for some time. It was only when it had covered perhaps three-quarters of the course, that it began to falter.

Putting even more sweat into the paddling, as Rob and Scottie were obviously doing, seemed to have less and less effect. Though the contenders were some distance out in Little Moose Lake, the especially appreciative rooting section was able to see the bodies of the two canoeists suddenly lurch and fall off balance. Rising voices and rather violent gesticulations said something was terribly wrong. All became clear when the two canoeists abruptly lifted their paddles high out of the water. The blades of both paddles had sharply snapped off. Tragedy had not yet run its course! Their attention diverted by the problems with their paddles, the two bosses had failed to notice that their canoe was fast riding lower and lower in the water! In fact, like the Titanic, it quickly slid beneath the waves as they held the bladeless shafts of their paddles in rigid salute. Fortunately, in a very few minutes, they safely reached the shore where their minions afforded them a raucous reception. (The incident - always regarded as a major teen victory - would not soon be forgotten!)

Scott's hopes that Fate would begin to deal some better cards than they had received during the immediate past seem to have been answered. The boys got along famously. Scottie opened the well-equipped fitness room in the Games hall which, even though it was already summer, was always in use. Indeed, the combination of fresh air, demands upon their bodies in a more physically challenging environment, and a host of excellent machines coupled with professional guidance began to create noteworthy results. True, all of the lads were at an age where attention to their physiques and general physical health usually produces excellent results. Nevertheless, their success contributed to the other campers' morale, as well as their physical condition.

In answer to the Public Safety requests, small, irregularly scheduled patrols were established in the "core" sections of the Camp. It should also be noted that for the time being, the youngsters were not armed. Their function was more focused on observation and reporting than on protection. Also, new work detail post was created. Boys assigned this responsibility read the Public Safety summaries and duplicated them for Scottie and Hunter. As requested by Ted McCoy, they also carefully monitored the police radio and brought anything needing immediate attention to Scott's attention. The problems throughout the region - especially in New York State, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey - soured by the hour. Scott has also calendared discussions with Rob, Hunter Collins, and Chief McCoy

(The Winds of Change)

During his morning jog - perhaps two weeks after the teens' morale-building victory - Scott first noticed definite changes in the prevailing winds, as well as in the quality of the air. Scott was no meteorological expert, but it seemed to him that winds pushing toxic substances associated with the recent disaster off the coast and out to sea had measurably weakened. That night, as he sat laughing and joking with several of the guys on the porch of the lodge, Grant called his attention to strange lights in the sky. The long clouds of pastel green and red light, that reminded him of the Northern Lights, had them all wondering. To end the day on the same unsettling note with which it had begun, he had no more turned in than wolves at several elevations and from different compass points began a group howl. To say the least, it was eerie.

(To Be Continued)

REMINDER: There are surely times when a "group howl" is needed! PLEASE consider making a contribution to Nifty. The Archive supports all of us with important resources. We need to ensure that it remains free and capable of meeting the needs of our brothers and sisters in a fast changing culture.

Access to donation information is available on the Archive's first page. THANKS!