Adventures of the Aviatrix Read online

  “Which way?” He asks, his eyes wide as the whole passage quakes around you.

  Throw yourself down the narrow passage

  Continue upwards

  “I don’t like the look of that.” You tell Noah, shining the flashlight down the tiny passage. “That way could lead back down to the lagoon for all we know.” He nods and you both continue up the winding passageway, the tremors seeming to grow stronger with each passing moment.

  “We must be nearly to the top.” Noah pants as you both struggle onwards. You nod, clutching a stitch at your side. As you round a corner, you both stop, staring ahead in disbelief.

  “Oh no.” You murmur. The cave ahead has collapsed in on itself, completely blocking your way.

  “Quickly, back the way we came!” Noah shouts, turning on his heels. As you do, the ground trembles violently, the cave roof cracking overhead. You both cry out in terror as the whole passageway collapses down on top of you, instantly crushing the life from you both.

  THE END

  Go back a few moments and rethink your actions

  “I guess it makes sense that the captain would want to keep the most valuable of artifacts close.” You reply. “Let’s try his cabin.” You both step towards the timber door, the iron rivet heads brown with rust. Noah winces as he turns the door handle, perhaps fearing some devious trap. The door creaks on its ancient hinges and swings open, but there are no dastardly devices of death to contend with. Noah glances at you and shrugs as you both step inside, shining your flashlights around the cabin. There is a bed and a desk, both caked with dust while the dull glow of the reflected sunlight shines through the small grimy glass panels of the stern window at the back of the room.

  “I’m starting to get the feeling that all we’ve found is an old sailing ship.” You tell Noah as you glance around the all but bare cabin.

  “Perhaps there’s more here than meets the eye.” Noah murmurs. “Let’s take a closer look.”

  Check beneath the bed

  Check the desk

  “Lift the bed.” You tell Noah. “Let’s see if there’s anything hidden underneath.”

  “I don’t think the feared captain of the Nemesis would be in the habit of hiding his loot under his mattress like some old-timer with a pile of dollar bills.” He grumbles, hooking his fingers beneath the bed frame and grunting as he lifts it. You cough as he disturbs the thick layer of dust, but as it settles you kneel and peer beneath, shining the flashlight beam back and forth.

  “Nothing but dust.” You sigh.

  “There’s nothing here.” Noah groans, dropping the bed back down with a thump.

  Check the desk

  Go take a look below decks

  “Let’s try the desk.” You suggest, moving towards it and dragging a chair out of the way. Noah nods and sweeps a thick layer of dust off the surface with his arm while you begin to pull open the drawers, rifling through each one.

  “What’s that?” Noah asks as you pull out a thick, leather-bound volume. You blow the dust off the cover and open it.

  “Looks like the ship’s log.” You murmur, leafing through the pages of immaculately handwritten text. Much of it is rather dull, with course headings, dates of visits to various Caribbean ports, lists of supplies taken aboard and the occasional mention of ships boarded and lists of what was plundered from them.

  “Any mention of the Alcaraz?” Noah murmurs, peering over your shoulder. “According to Anne Bonny’s journal, that’s the name of the ship the captain acquired the compass from.”

  “Alcaraz?” You echo, turning the pages before your gaze falls on that name. “Yes,” You begin reading: “Twentieth of April, boarded the Spanish vessel Alcaraz. Minimal resistance. Her captain had the good sense to surrender his sword before further bloodshed. Within her hold, we discovered three chests of gold bullion and one other curious item: A strange compass unlike any I had seen before. The captain seemed particularly reluctant to part with it, but a savage gut punch from Anne Bonny quickly persuaded him otherwise. Redheads truly have a fiery temperament. I have secreted the item in the hold and have placed it within a small and rather ordinary looking timber chest to try to keep it from the pilfering clutches of my crew.”

  “That’s it!” Noah grins. “That must be where the compass is!”

  “That’s where it was more than two hundred years ago.” You remind him. “A lot could have happened since this log was recorded.”

  “It’s still there, I’m sure of it!” He insists.

  Check beneath the bed for any further clues

  Go below decks

  You wait on the ancient jetty, watching as Noah clambers up the side of the Nemesis before swiftly disappearing below decks. Growing increasingly impatient with each passing moment, you begin to pace up and down, the timbers creaking beneath your feet.

  “Goddamn it Noah, where are you?” You mutter to yourself. As if in answer to your question, you hear a mechanical clicking within the bowels of the old ship followed by a heavy thud and a muffled curse from Noah. Seconds later, he clambers from below, wild-eyed and hysterical.

  “Go, go!” He calls out, scrambling over the side and dropping back down onto the jetty. You hear the dull thud of explosions within the Nemesis and the whole deck is suddenly aflame. The remnants of the sails and rigging go up instantly, burning orange embers floating down around you. As Noah sprints past you, your instinct for self-preservation kicks in and you set off in his wake, running as hard as you can. There is a passage carved into the rock at the end of the jetty and Noah seems to be heading straight for it.

  “What the hell did you do?!” You shout after him.

  “I found a strong room.” He shouts back as he disappears into the dark passage. “Filled with a magnificent treasure. Gold, jewels, bullion. Priceless. Absolutely priceless.”

  “But booby-trapped.” You groan, running at his heels.

  “I found the compass, but when I picked it up... well, it must have been connected to a device which lit a fuse wire and...”

  “I get the picture.” You sigh, before flinching and glancing over your shoulder as another explosion rocks the disintegrating hull of the grand old pirate ship. Following Noah into the cave, your flashlight shines ahead of you as your footsteps echo around the narrow tunnel. Another huge explosion booms out, the ground trembling underfoot. You hear the rocks above you shift and crack and quicken your pace just as the tunnel collapses behind you, kicking up dust and debris. You choke, blinking the dust from your eyes as you run through it. Noah is still just ahead, occasionally glancing back at you. As you sprint around a bend in the tunnel, you see him skid to a halt, his flashlight shining first to the left and then to the right. Slowing, you follow his gaze. To one side, the cave winds upwards perhaps all the way to the top of the cliff while to the other side, a narrow passage leads steeply downwards.

  “Which way?” He asks, his eyes wide as the whole passage quakes around you.

  Throw yourself down the narrow passage

  Continue upwards

  “Let’s try this way.” You tell Noah. “This cave feels like it could collapse around us at any moment.”

  “If you say so.” He replies, glancing dubiously into the passage as you sit down on the edge of the steep incline leading into it.

  “Here goes nothing.” You murmur and push yourself into the hole. You yell as you plunge into the darkness, slipping and sliding down the slippery rocky tube. A few moments later, you hear Noah’s own cries echo behind you as he follows you down. As you tumble, you grit your teeth, wondering what awaits you at the end of this mysterious passage eroded through the rocks. Another chamber? The collapsing cavern lagoon you have just left? A blockage that will leave you both trapped and doomed to die? Or perhaps salvation? Your thoughts are abruptly interrupted as you reach the end, screaming as you free-fall for a moment before plunging into cool water. As you surface, Noah splashes down next to you. Beneath the surface of the water, you can see a glimmer of light in
the darkness.

  “There!” You tell Noah, sweeping your wet hair out of your face. Taking a deep breath, you duck beneath the surface and swim towards a distant light. Sunlight. It has to be! You swim hard, the water seeming to push back against you, but you seem to find some final reserves of strength and stamina. Swimming clear of the underwater passage, you burst through the waves, finding yourself in the sea just in front of the steep cliff face. You breathe a sigh of relief just as Noah emerges next to you, gasping for breath.

  As you both crawl wearily from the sea, you glance across at the cliff, knowing that a fortune in treasure is now buried somewhere behind it.

  “Goddamn it!” You sigh. “All that for nothing.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.” Noah grins triumphantly, reaching into his pocket and plucking out a flat circular silver case. He flicks up a cover and shows it to you. The compass! There’ll be some value in it. Hopefully at least enough to cover your thousand bucks’ fee. Quick as a flash, you swipe it from his grasp and slip it into your own pocket.

  “Glad to hear it.” You tell him. “Once you get me my thousand bucks, you get it back.”

  “You have no idea just what that is.” Noah glowers at you.

  “I don’t care.” You shrug. “All I know is that it’s valuable to you. My fee is valuable to me. Get me the money and you get your trinket back, just as we agreed.” Noah’s eyes narrow and his lips tighten before finally his shoulders sag in resignation.

  “Fine.” He snaps. “I’ll get the money wired first thing tomorrow morning. Just... please... look after the compass. It might not look like much, but it’s extremely important to me.”

  “I’ll treat it with kid gloves.” You grin, turning and striding along the beach towards your plane.

  Noah doesn’t speak at all during the short return flight, choosing to stare sullenly out of the side window. He walks with you from the jetty to the Ocean View apartments where you’re a resident. It’s the only hotel in town if you don’t count the ones that rent by the hour, so it’s no surprise that he has a room there too.

  “Good evening, Miss Blake.” Noah stiffly doffs his hat before opening the door to his room and disappearing inside. You continue on along the wooden veranda to your own apartment and run a shower. It’s been a hell of a day and you could really do with one.

  Stepping out of the shower, you wrap a towel around your body and tuck it in at your chest. As you towel dry your damp hair, your gaze falls on the compass you had casually tossed onto a side table. You pick it up and examine it. It looks decent craftsmanship. Heavy and robust. You notice something odd about the needle. Damn thing’s off. The needle seems to be pointing east rather than north. Great. A busted compass as collateral. Just your luck. You glance at the clock hanging on the wall. It’s not too late. Time enough to go down to the bar and have a few drinks. God knows, you’ve earned it. Fighting back a yawn, you decide against it. No, an early night beckons. As you pull on your silk gown and prepare to go to bed, you hear a knock at the door. You open it a crack to find Noah waiting outside. His beige suit jacket is thrown casually over one shoulder while he holds a bottle of gin in his other hand.

  “I came to apologize.” He tells you flashing you a rueful smile. “I was a little off with you earlier and well... I feel just awful about it. Please allow me to make it up to you, Miss Blake.” He brandishes the bottle. “A nightcap perhaps?”

  Yes

  No

  “I thought I told you to call me Elyse.” You smile, swinging open the door and gesturing for him to enter. Noah grins and steps into your room. With a quick glance along the veranda to make sure no one is watching, you close the door behind him. Noah has already opened the bottle and is pouring a healthy measure into two glasses. He passes one to you.

  “Cheers.” He smiles, clinking his glass against yours. You both drink deeply before you gesture to a pair of cane backed chairs by the louvered window.

  “Sit down.” You tell him.

  “Thanks.” He nods, pulling the chair forward as he lowers himself into it.

  “So, what do you do when you’re not calling on lonesome women in the middle of the night and plying them with liquor?” You smile, joining him.

  “Nothing as exciting as today.” He admits. “I sit behind a desk in an office at the museum, leafing through dusty old books. I guess today is a day like any other for you, eh?”

  “Not quite.” You chuckle. “But I’m enjoying this life. I don’t think I could work a nine to five… no offence.”

  “None taken.” Noah replies, refilling both your glasses.

  You talk for the next couple of hours, the gin bottle all but empty. You’re somewhere between tipsy and drunk and Noah looks much the same. As the conversation dries up, he seems to shift uncomfortably in his chair. You allow yourself a wry smile, recognizing the signs as he steels himself to make his move. The gin has certainly relaxed you and perhaps you should help him out. You glance at the clock on your nightstand. It’s getting late, so maybe it would be better to send him on his way instead.

  Seduce him

  Send him away

  “This has been nice,” You announce, getting to your feet, “But it’s getting late. Perhaps we can pick this up again tomorrow once our business dealings have been concluded. A celebration if you will.”

  “Oh, err… yeah, sure.” Noah blinks, getting to his feet. “Uh, tomorrow then.” He walks a little unsteadily to the door and glances over his shoulder, his eyes gazing plaintively back at you.

  “Goodnight Mr Wheatley.” You tell him gently but firmly.

  “Goodnight Miss Blake.” He nods, opening the door and slipping out into the night. You close the door behind him and sigh, glancing at the two empty gin glasses and wondering if you’ve made the right decision. It’s been a while since you’ve enjoyed the company of a man overnight after all.

  “Goddamn it.” You mutter before stripping off and switching off the lights. Crawling between the bed sheets, you lie there in the darkness. As your mind does somersaults, imagining what you might have been doing at this moment had to allowed events to continue, your right hand subconsciously inches downwards. You clench your hand into a fist, stopping yourself. Are you really going to do that?

  Go to sleep

  Touch yourself first

  Knowing you’ll probably toss and turn all night if you don’t satisfy your urges, you allow your hand to slip between your legs. A smile crosses your face as your fingertips glide down through the wiry curls of your pubic hair and brush over the little fleshy hood of your clitoris. You slide your fingers lower, dipping them inside your wet slit and lubricating them with your juices. Returning to your clit, you begin to gently rub at the sensitive little button, a low moan of pleasure escaping your lips. You slide your free hand up to your head, entwining your fingers in your hair as you trace circular patterns around the fleshy nub of your clit. In your mind’s eye, you imagine a mysterious man roughly pulling your legs apart and entering you, his muscular body bearing down on you as he takes you. His lips seek yours and you kiss him back, your tongues flicking urgently against each other’s.

  “Ohhh.” You moan, your hand sliding down to squeeze a breast as your fingers work feverishly at your clit. Your pulse races as you feel the heat building in your loins and all of a sudden the mystery man has a face. Noah, his expression serious as he holds you, his hips thrusting as he ravishes you.

  “Oh God.” You murmur, roughly pinching at your engorged nipples as you feel your orgasm rapidly building. As your fingers strum intently between your thighs, beads of sweat form on your skin. Your muscles tighten as your whole body stiffens. Your back arches and with a sharp cry of ecstasy, you reach your orgasm. Waves of pleasure radiate out from your pussy as you tremble in the darkness. You bite down on your lower lip, stifling your cries as you quake with each wonderful pulse. When your climax finally subsides, you exhale and slump back into the soft mattress.

  “Who needs a man?” Y
ou gasp as you pant for breath. Drawing your hand away, you smile broadly before closing your eyes and drifting off to a deep and dreamless sleep.

  You stir, your eyes flicking open as the rays of dawn sunlight shine through the gaps between the shutters. Groaning, you roll over, your gaze falling on the side table. It takes your sleep-addled mind a moment, but you suddenly sit bolt upright. The compass is gone!

  “Son of a bitch!” You curse, knowing that it can only be Noah. The slimy bastard must have picked the lock of your door after you’d gone to sleep and stolen it. Scrambling out of bed, you quickly pull on your clothes and swing open the door to your room. As you step out onto the veranda, you glare across at the door to Noah’s room.

  Check if he’s still in his room

  Try to catch him before he has a chance to leave the island

  “My leg’s cramping up something awful.” You grumble stretching out your left leg and resting your foot on Noah’s knee. “Say, you ever given a foot massage?”

  “Uh, er… no.” He blinks in surprise and gazes down at your bare foot.

  “Well, there’s nothing to it.” You smile. He nods and reaches down, tentatively taking your foot in his hand. Giggling, you snatch your foot away. “Goddamn it, that tickles!” As his eyes meet yours, you hold his gaze. “Be firm with me.” You put your foot back on his knee and he takes it in his hands again, pressing his thumbs into the sole and working them into the soft flesh.

  “That any better?” He asks, looking up. You nod, enjoying his more assured touch. His gaze drops back to your foot as he continues to massage it. Lifting your right leg, you rest it on his other knee. Noah glances up at you again and you smile and nod. He releases his grasp on your left foot and reaches for the right.

  “Mmm, yes.” You purr. “That feels good.” As he kneads the sole of your foot, you can feel your pulse racing with excitement. Your gaze drops to his groin and unless it is your imagination, you are not the only one getting a thrill.