*s.h.i.t, I'd take ya both. Wouldn' mind that. Wouldn' mind at all. Not a bit. Little varietya I'd screw ya one adda time, 'n both at once. Wouldn' mind that.'

But he kept on driving. Past a closed gas station, into the town's business district. All the stores were closed. Some kept their signs turned on, but most didn't. Every store had a light inside casting a dim, lonely glow onto the deserted sidewalks in front. The marquee of the movie theater near the end of town was dark. Its ticket booth was empty. Through the gla.s.s doors of the lobby, Marty could see a man in a purple coat talking with a uniformed girl at the snack counter.

*How come you didn't stop for that queen of t.i.ts at the Dairy Queen?' Marty finally asked. *Thought you wanteda'

*You'd of tried to get away.'

*No, I wouldn't. Not anymore. I've beena remembering. How it was the last time.' She rubbed his hand against her groin. *How good it felt.'

*You were screaming.'

*Just 'cause I was scared. But I loved how you felt. Inside me. I want you inside me. Just like before.'

*Liked it, huh?'

*It was the best ever. If we weren't in this d.a.m.n town, I'd make you pull off the road right now and f.u.c.k me.'

*We'll be outa here in a minute.'

*Hurry.' She stood the bottle on his leg. w.i.l.l.y took his hand away from her and lifted the bottle to his mouth. As he drank, Marty squeezed the front of his jeans. His p.e.n.i.s was hard. She felt it move under her hand.

The tires b.u.mped over railroad tracks at the end of town.

Pretty soon, Marty thought. Can't let the town get too far behind.

There were houses on both sides of the road. Then an open gas station, a cafe called Bab's Burgers, a motel with its big sign flashing Wayside Motor Inn.

*A motel!' Marty blurted. *Why don't we go in and get a room?' She gave him another gentle squeeze. *Think how nice it would be. We'd have a bed.'

They had already left the motel behind, but Marty didn't give up. *Come on, w.i.l.l.y. It'd be great. You oughta turn around. We'd have a big old bed. And a shower. We could take a shower together. Have you ever done it in the shower? We'd both be all slipperya'

*s.h.i.t!' w.i.l.l.y blurted. *Lookit her!' Marty saw her, and groaned.

It was a girl, probably no older than sixteen, slim and blonde and walking backward along the roadside, her arm out, her hand closed, her thumb pointing behind her. She wore a paisley dress skimpy enough to guarantee rides from men.

w.i.l.l.y's foot lifted off the gas pedal.

*Don't stop,' Marty whispered.

The girl took a wide stance, her dress drawing taut across her crotch.

*s.h.i.ti'w.i.l.l.y said.

Now the girl was behind them, and w.i.l.l.y's foot was lowering onto the brake pedal.

*Don't stop, honey. You have me.' Marty capped the bourbon bottle and set it on the floor. *You don't need anyone but me.'

*Need her.'

The car stopped. Marty looked over her shoulder. The girl, bathed in the eerie redness of the rear lights, was starting to jog forward.

So younga Too d.a.m.n young! Just a kid.

*Drive,' Marty said.

She jerked open w.i.l.l.y's belt, unb.u.t.toned his jeans and pulled the zipper down. He had no underwear on. His p.e.n.i.s was a thick, pale column tilting upward, its tip almost touching the steering wheel.

Marty heard footfalls in the gravel. In the side mirror, she saw the girl hurrying toward them.

Closer and closera Only a few strides awaya *Drive!' Marty said and dropped down toward w.i.l.l.y's lap and took him into her mouth and sucked.

w.i.l.l.y stepped on the gas.

*Hey!' the girl yelled.

w.i.l.l.y sped away from her.

Marty slid her mouth, licking and sucking.

*Uhhh, yeah,' w.i.l.l.y gasped. *Yeah. Oh, babe! Suck me off. Do it, do it! C'mon!'

She had saved the girl.

He might go back to her if I stop.

She kept on.

Gotta get him into the woods. Away from the car and Dan.

If Dan's even still in the trunk.

If Dan's even alive.

If she finished w.i.l.l.y with her mouth, he might not bother taking her into the woods. He might take her straight to the cabin.

Don't wanta go there.

She tried to take her mouth away, but w.i.l.l.y gripped the back of her head and held her down.

Pushed her down, ramming deep.

She gagged and struggled to pull away but w.i.l.l.y only forced her head down harder.

Bite him!

He'd kill me for sure.

But she was choking. It was blocking her throat. She tried to breathe through her nose, but couldn't.

Her hand reached up and found the steering wheel.

She grabbed the wheel and tugged.

w.i.l.l.y's hand leaped away from the back of her head.

Marty, still clutching the wheel, resisting w.i.l.l.y's efforts to turn it, shoved herself up until her mouth was empty.

She was still choking when the car swerved to the side of the road and skidded to a stop.

29.

*Coulda got us killed,' w.i.l.l.y said. *That's twicea'

*I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I couldn't breathe. I didn't mean to grab the wheel.' She leaned against him, kissed him, and lowered her hand onto his lap. She lightly wrapped her fingers around him. He was as big as before, wet and slick from her mouth. *Let's go in the woods now,' she whispered.

*Sure. Why the h.e.l.l not. Where's the bottle?'

Marty found it under the seat, and sat up with it. Shaking it, she heard sloshing sounds; some bourbon still remained in it.

w.i.l.l.y finished fastening his jeans. Then he shoved the car keys into his right front pocket. He climbed out, the revolver in his hand, and pushed its barrel down the front of his waistband. *Bring the bottle with ya,' he said.

Marty opened her door. The night air rushed in. It was cooler than before, but felt balmy after the chill of the air-conditioner. She climbed out and shut the door.

w.i.l.l.y came over to her side of the car. *Let's go this way,' he said. He draped an arm over her shoulders and she led him down a gra.s.sy embankment. At the bottom, the ground was springy and wet. Water pressed up between Marty's toes. But the ground was dry on the slope. She climbed higher. Just beyond the top of the ditch, the trees began.

*Don' wanna go far,' w.i.l.l.y said, pulling back at the edge of the forest.

Marty kissed him on the mouth. *We wanta get away from the road, don't we? Case somebody comes by?'

He answered by squeezing her breast. Then he said, *Gimme the bottle, honey.'

She handed it to him, then led him forward. They walked past three trunks, clumps of bushes, more trees, deeper and deeper into the woods, farther from the car. Farther from Dan in the trunk.

If he's in the trunk.

Finally, they came to a small, moonlit clearing. *How about here?' Marty asked.

w.i.l.l.y swung her around. She hugged him. One of his hands slipped under the back of her jersey and roamed her bare skin. The other, holding the bottle outside her jersey, pressed her tightly against him.

The revolver dug into her belly.

Get my hands on ita She lowered a hand, squeezed w.i.l.l.y's thigh, raised her hand to the hard bulge, squeezed and fondled him there as his mouth pressed her lips roughly and his tongue pushed between her teeth. Sneaking her hand sideways, she felt the steel barrel through his jeans.

*Wrong gun,' he gasped into her mouth.

She pulled his zipper down and reached into the open fly.

His hand was no longer under her jersey. It b.u.mped against her hand, and she wondered for a moment what he was up to.

As she slipped him out through his fly, he unfastened the front of her shorts.

That's what.

She raised her hand to his belt buckle.

Her knuckles brushed the wooden grip of the revolver.

Now! Do it now! Grab it!

But her hand wouldn't move. It stayed at the belt buckle, trembling.

w.i.l.l.y started tugging at her shorts. They were tight. He jerked and dragged at them until he got them down around her knees. They were loose there. When he let go of them, they dropped to her ankles.

He pushed his hand between her thighs.

Grab his gun!

A finger slipped into her.

With a gasp, she staggered backward. The shorts caught her ankles. Caught and held and tripped her.

w.i.l.l.y held on.

Held on and went down with her as she fell and smashed her hard against the ground.

The pistol b.u.t.t rammed into her belly.

The bottle under her back broke.

From the clink it made before bursting, Marty guessed it had struck a rock.

The back of her jersey was suddenly soaked with bourbon. And maybe blood. She felt gla.s.s in her skin.

*The bottle broke,' she said.

*Yeah?'w.i.l.l.y pulled his arm out from under her.

*I'm cut,' Marty said. *It's under my back. It's in pieces. It's cutting me. You've gotta get off.'

*Yeah?'

*Please.' There were pieces buried in her skin. She felt numb in places. Other places were starting to sting, and streams of blood were tickling along the arch of her back. *Just get off me for a second...