Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 22:39:22 -0700 (PDT)
From: Zane Green <ZaneG7@excite.com>
Subject: FIRES-8

Copyright Notice: the author copyrights this story and the author retains
all rights. Expressly prohibited is placing this story at a for pay site. It
is a fantasy, and is not about anyone real. It has minor characters, and is
intended only for a mature audience. None of the characters are based on
real people. They all grew up in my imagination. Comments are very welcome
(please) and appreciated at ZaneG7@excite.com

Fires  by: Zane Hunter-Green Part 8


We made our way back to the road. At first I didn't see my SUV, I thought it
was an illusion, and it had to be parked on the other side of the bay tree.
I instantly had that helpless feeling when searching for a car in a crowded
parking lot, and knowing that you are at the right spot, but it isn't there.
I had busted out of the car so fast on my rampage after Noah that I never
took umbrage of its location.  I had jumped out so fast I had left the key
in the ignition. Oh stupid! What a monstrous situation. My Pathfinder was
probably halfway to the border. What a dismal prospect to be stranded with
Noah, who had his legs scared up from his escapade with the barbed wire. I
wasn't even sure if the dogs had snapped at him. How would I explain our
situation to a Highway patrol officer? I was now in deep deep shit!

With my heart beating erratically I checked Noah's legs and make sure that
he didn't have a dog bite. His legs were skinny; shapely at the same time
didn't seem to need immediate attention. They were all scratched and scraped
up but fortunately the dogs had not bitten him. He kept saying that he was
sorry, knowing that if he had not fled from the car we would still have it.
My first aid kit was in the glove compartment. I asked him if he ever had
tetanus shot as if that was the most serious crisis at the moment. It seemed
now that surely I would be doomed to jail. We would just have to wait for
some help. I couldn't even imagine how I would start explaining that I was
with this boy,

"What's a tetanus shot for?" Noah stammered.

"For rusty stuff like the gate." I told him

"Nah, I don't think so, what does tetanus do, is it like AIDS?"

"I had never even thought about AIDS, one more disaster on the horizon.
Could things get worse?

 He continued to talk. "I got tested for it by my Master."

"And, I held my breath."

"I was fine, that was why he could sell me, and he stopped renting me out
after the tests came back."

I shook my head at the horror of it all, but we could die of lack of water
quicker. I started to think about how many miles it was up the road to the
creek. Maybe we should just take our chances with the dogs, searching for a
farmhouse where we might be able to use a telephone. My cell-phone, like all
of our clothes was in the Pathfinder.

"It's not real fun being a prostitute Shane." He told me plainly.

"I know." I responded without thinking.

"How do you know?" He piped up.

"I was one too for a while Noah."

"No you weren't, I mean look at you, you act nothing like a a whore."

"But I was, I didn't have much say in it."

"I won't let you."

"Noah, you weren't even alive at the time." I was getting annoyed that he
rattled on about a topic that hardly helped our situation. I looked at his
lost brown eyes and thought, poor boy that is all he knows; this is all he
knows, major problems. Ah to be sitting at home watching my big screen TV.
Instead I was trying to take him to the ocean. And we were getting further
away as we drove closer.

"Tell me Shane about one of your nights and I'll tell you about mine." He
crossed his arms as if he needed to know. I bet you were beautiful when you
were a boy." He said.

"And I'm not beautiful now? You told me that I could be a movie star." I
said lightly to keep him from knowing my fears of our present predicament.

"You're even better now Shane, cause you're my man, and I'm your boy,
right?" He demanded to know.

"Yes, Noah." I sighed

"Will I still be your boy when I grow up?" He begged to know. "My Master
said I would only be valuable as a boy for no more than five years." He told
me without his usual animation.

I was listening so intently that I barely was aware of the traffic on the
road. We were still standing away from the road under the bay tree. It was
like I was listening to myself. This boy was so much like me it frightened
me. So I thought about the stunt work again to make myself stop thinking. "
It's like stunt work", I said to him." You usually only do that for five to
ten years too. Hank was an exception because he worked on hot sets."

"Hot as in sex."

"No Noah, hot as in the temperature from the heat from fires."

"Oh."

"Noh, I don't think I can talk about my past anymore, we have a real problem
now. Thankfully I still had my wallet, but that was the only good news. "We
are stranded in the middle of nowhere. I'm very worried."

"That's okay, because I'm with you. We can always hitch hike." He said with
some optimism

"That's dangerous these days Noah."

At that strong headlights were coming right at us. I grabbed Noah and leaped
back. There was a farm truck and it stopped on a dime. It was dusty but
immediately the smell of garlic was over whelming.

A man, who spelled old California, got out. "Hi folks it looks like you need
some help. I'm Jesse and I'm taking this load from Gilroy down to LA. I had
to go out of my way to visit an old friend. Come on get in, nasty cuts that
boy has I gotta first aid kit in the glove compartment. Beautiful boy you
got there. It's been ten years since my last young friend upped and grown,
put the lad through college though, and now I'm a Grand-pappy, can you
believe it. That's where I was just now, seeing my lovely little
granddaughter. Well hop in already. You can't stay here!"

"Well Noah, what shall it be?" I asked

"Let's do what he said, we can't stay here now can we Shane,"

"No, I have a place in LA, but I haven't been there in years, let's go." And
damn it if we just didn't get in that truck. Jesse had been sent by the
angels.