Exton

Stoney quiets his thoughts and focuses on Alise. She is still quiet, the drugs still in her system, but losing their effectiveness. She tries to wake up but just cant quite get her body to listen and she slips back under. Stoney goes deep into her mind, listening, paying attention to the things around Alise that have escaped her attention. First he feels her pain, she is curled up on the cold stone floor, laying on her side so that her back doesnt touch anything or her side where one of the tails cut into her flesh just under a breast. Its a thin cut but bleeding and she has nothing to put on it. Going deeper he can hear things going on around her. Things that in her drugged state she cannot hear, but her subconscious is aware of.

A voice, male, whining, “I dont see why we get stuck in here all the damn time. None of these bitches are going anywhere. They cant even think straight as long as they keep drinking the water and thats all they get.”

Another voice, answering the first one, “I dont mind so much. Just wish we could be a little closer to town. Twenty miles is far enough for me.”

The voices fade away as do their footsteps....

Alise stirs when the owl starts to hoot and Stoney can hear the wind pick up, maybe a storm coming up.

Its not much, but something, twenty miles away, in the country. No sounds of cars either.....the water is drugged. Would it be kinder to tell her not to drink it or let her so she maybe doesnt feel as much?

Then Stoney hears another sound, a little distant, but distinct, a train. What train would that be and is there a way to find out its scheduled route? Another small piece, but one that may prove helpful.

The wolves start to howl and Stoney can feel Alises terror. She awakens suddenly and tries to crawl as far away from the sound as she can get. Putting her hands over her ears, she starts to cry. Stoney reaches for her mind, I am here bebe, dont cry, please dont cry. He shows her that he is holding her close. She quiets a little listening to Stoney. Go back to sleep Allie. Take a sip of water and go back to sleep. Be strong, Allie, mon amour, and I will find you.

Alise reaches for the mason jar and takes a couple of sips of the water. Stoney stays connected with her, comforting her until she sleeps again. As he starts to leave Alises mind something catches his attention again. The jar of water. Its a mason jar, didnt they use those on farms a long time ago?

Stoney stands and stretches, eager to talk to Ob and the others about what he has found out. He whispers to the shadows, “Merci, I cant thank you enough...”