Read Online Black Market by Donald E. Zlotnik - Free Book Online
Authors: Donald E. Zlotnik
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sitting
in a tar-paper shack.
Woods tried locating Warner on top of the bunker. He couldn’t see anything but black water striking his face. He knew Warner
was sitting only a few feet away.
Warner licked the water around his mouth and then bit his upper lip. He was scared. Three of the trip flares in front of their
bunker had gone off and he was sure that the Vietcong were using the storm as a cover to sneak up on them. He kept asking
himself what in the fuck was he doing there on a sandbag bunker in the middle of a fucking war. The collar of his poncho was
acting like a funnel, directing the water running down his face to his neck and then under the poncho to his dry clothes.
He could feel the water spreading out, soaking everything under the poncho. He didn’t care as long as the rubber garment kept
him warm.
Warner opened his mouth, tried taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, and nearly choked. He had never been in a storm as
severe as the one he was sitting through. Once he had been caught in a heavy thunderstorm driving back from their cabin in
his 427 AC Cobra. He had been more worried about wrecking the fifteen-thousand-dollar sports car than getting hurt himself.
Warner smiled to himself in the rain and felt the cool water wash his teeth. His thoughts went to the car he loved more than
just about any inanimate thing. He thought about how hard his dad had worked to surprise him with the car. They had a family
tradition that both his mother and father would each get the children a special birthday present and surprise the whole family.
The car had been built to Carroll Shelby’s specifications with a Ford 427 engine that could generate 500 horsepower. Only
200 of the sports cars were built. The first day he drove it to school, he drew the envy of every kid in the eleventh-grade
class at Cranbrook, and the private school’s parking lot was filled with exotic cars, even an occasional Camoradi Birdcage
Maserati that one of the auto executives would bring home and let their kids drive to school. The difference was that the
AC Cobra was
his
.
The memories of Cranbrook drew Warner’s thoughts to Lake Jonah, a large cement swimming pool designed to look like a lake
and occupying a prominent place on the campus behind the resident dorms. He had experienced sex for the first time on the
balcony that overlooked the lake. She had been a senior and he was just starting his freshman year. He had been expecting
more from the act and was disappointed; of course he had never admitted that to anyone, but there had been something missing.
She had done just about everything to him in the five minutes the whole thing had lasted, but there was something big missing
from it. He had figured out what it had been almost a year later when he had met a girl up north at their cabin, and after
going together for nearly the whole summer, they had sex. The difference was simple: sex without love really didn’t amount
to very much except a physical release and a lot of guilt.
“It looks like the storm is letting up.” Woods slid over the wet sandbags and joined Warner. The first rays of sunlight were
just breaking in the east. “Those clouds had blocked out everything. It’s nearly dawn.”
“Wow! That was some heavy stuff.” Warner felt the erection pressing against his soaked fatigue pants. His thoughts of home
had done more than entertain him during the storm.
“Drop down in the bunker and change into some dry clothes, and I’ll stay up here until you get back.” Woods nodded down at
the sealed trap door.
Warner felt the pressure of his love muscle and knew that it was going to take awhile for it to decide on going soft again.
It had been what seemed forever since he had gotten laid. “You go first.”
Woods shrugged his shoulders. “Fine with me!”
The dim morning light revealed a panorama of destruction. The whole base camp was a mess. Warner stood up and
in a tar-paper shack.
Woods tried locating Warner on top of the bunker. He couldn’t see anything but black water striking his face. He knew Warner
was sitting only a few feet away.
Warner licked the water around his mouth and then bit his upper lip. He was scared. Three of the trip flares in front of their
bunker had gone off and he was sure that the Vietcong were using the storm as a cover to sneak up on them. He kept asking
himself what in the fuck was he doing there on a sandbag bunker in the middle of a fucking war. The collar of his poncho was
acting like a funnel, directing the water running down his face to his neck and then under the poncho to his dry clothes.
He could feel the water spreading out, soaking everything under the poncho. He didn’t care as long as the rubber garment kept
him warm.
Warner opened his mouth, tried taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, and nearly choked. He had never been in a storm as
severe as the one he was sitting through. Once he had been caught in a heavy thunderstorm driving back from their cabin in
his 427 AC Cobra. He had been more worried about wrecking the fifteen-thousand-dollar sports car than getting hurt himself.
Warner smiled to himself in the rain and felt the cool water wash his teeth. His thoughts went to the car he loved more than
just about any inanimate thing. He thought about how hard his dad had worked to surprise him with the car. They had a family
tradition that both his mother and father would each get the children a special birthday present and surprise the whole family.
The car had been built to Carroll Shelby’s specifications with a Ford 427 engine that could generate 500 horsepower. Only
200 of the sports cars were built. The first day he drove it to school, he drew the envy of every kid in the eleventh-grade
class at Cranbrook, and the private school’s parking lot was filled with exotic cars, even an occasional Camoradi Birdcage
Maserati that one of the auto executives would bring home and let their kids drive to school. The difference was that the
AC Cobra was
his
.
The memories of Cranbrook drew Warner’s thoughts to Lake Jonah, a large cement swimming pool designed to look like a lake
and occupying a prominent place on the campus behind the resident dorms. He had experienced sex for the first time on the
balcony that overlooked the lake. She had been a senior and he was just starting his freshman year. He had been expecting
more from the act and was disappointed; of course he had never admitted that to anyone, but there had been something missing.
She had done just about everything to him in the five minutes the whole thing had lasted, but there was something big missing
from it. He had figured out what it had been almost a year later when he had met a girl up north at their cabin, and after
going together for nearly the whole summer, they had sex. The difference was simple: sex without love really didn’t amount
to very much except a physical release and a lot of guilt.
“It looks like the storm is letting up.” Woods slid over the wet sandbags and joined Warner. The first rays of sunlight were
just breaking in the east. “Those clouds had blocked out everything. It’s nearly dawn.”
“Wow! That was some heavy stuff.” Warner felt the erection pressing against his soaked fatigue pants. His thoughts of home
had done more than entertain him during the storm.
“Drop down in the bunker and change into some dry clothes, and I’ll stay up here until you get back.” Woods nodded down at
the sealed trap door.
Warner felt the pressure of his love muscle and knew that it was going to take awhile for it to decide on going soft again.
It had been what seemed forever since he had gotten laid. “You go first.”
Woods shrugged his shoulders. “Fine with me!”
The dim morning light revealed a panorama of destruction. The whole base camp was a mess. Warner stood up and
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