Author's Note: This takes place twelve years after the original story line. So Sherry's 24, Lott's 23 and Lilly's 18. Also, Lott and Sherry are married.
Crazy Horse
By Sammie Spitz
Chapter 1
iDiary of Sheryl Dawn (Birkin) Klein
June 16th, 2010
We arrived in Thunder Bay, Ontario late last night. Since it was so late, we were pretty worn out. But, I might have been more so than the others. I fell asleep on the taxi and Lott woke me up when we go to the hotel. We have some unpacking to do today. We almost went to bed in our clothes.
Lately, I've been a lot more tired than usual. Claire says its the stress of the mission. It always happens to her. But, I keep getting this feeling its something else.-/i
"Um, Sherry?" Lott asked, interrupting her writing. She closed the diary and turned around in her chair to face him. Lott was done unpacking, but was preoccupied looking for something else. He was wearing a red, sleeveless shirt with a worn-looking white cresent moon on the front and faded blue jeans. He was fairly muscular, but built more like a runner and stood about 5'9". His sleeveless shirt exposed a tatoo of a howling wolf silouette. His redish brown hair was above his shoulders but still somewhat long. Lott was a good soldier for the S.T.A.R.S. Echo Team, along with some hacking skills.
Lilly was laying on her stomach on the bed next to him. She was wearing black jeans and a blue, camoflauge t-shirt. She grew to about 5'6" and was pretty light weight. Her red hair was tied back in a braid. She was a rookie to the Echo Team, but showed promise.
Sherry was wearing a light blue, polo shirt with a collar and blue jeans. She was about 5'7" and had a pretty good resemblence to her mother, since her hair was about the same length. She was very good at hacking and information and was considered the 'brains' of the trio. She was a formidable soldier, but she tended to get nervous under pressure.
"Yes?" Sherry asked.
"I can't find my blasted wallet." Lott half-muttetered, "Did you happen to see it anywhere?"
"I take it you checked the bags already."
"First thing."
"How about the bathroom? You tend to leave things in there."
"Yes, but I didn't go in their at all, until I started looking for it." Lott stood up and continued looking around the room, "Where the hell could it be? It didn't just sprout legs and walk out the door last night."
As Lott turned his back to her, she happened to notice that his right pocket had some kind of lump in it. She smiled to herself. Even as a scientist, this was also one of her father's old vices. 'Men will be men, I guess.'
Sherry struggled to control her giggling and managed, "Did you try your back pocket yet?"
Lott was a little surprised by the suggestion, but took her adivce anyway. He felt his pockets and was surprised to produce his wallet. He blushed a bit, grinned and said, "Umm, thanks dear."
"Don't mention it. My dad used to do that."
Lott looked at his sister, realising she probably saw it half an hour ago and asked, "Why didn't you say something sooner?"
Lilly just smirked and said, "I wanted to see how long it would take you to figure it out."
Lott rolled his eyes. Something told him it was going to be a long mission.
At about eight at night, after they got back from dinner, Lott took out the mission plans and said, "Well, we have a few days, but we'd better get started now."
Umbrella was brought down when they were kids and they had all hoped they'd never have to hear about them or their viruses again. But, it seemed to be too much to ask for. Only two weeks ago, they learned, from an annonymous tip-off, that Umbrella had a sort of back-up plan for just such an occasion. They had sent samples of the viruses to their partner, Lunar Harness, located in the wilderness of Ontario. Lunar Harness was performing secret genetic experiments but used its electronics wing as a cover-up. After getting the viruses, they used it as part of their genetics experiments. And, while they used a good variety of animals, there was one animal that seemed to be a favorite.
Sherry looked at her husband, wide-eyed and asked, "Horses?!"
Lott nodded, "That's what it says. I can't be sure though. He didn't give a lot of information. Just this and a bunch of photos. He wanted to meet us at the Green Deer Tavern a few hours before the mission."
Lilly got a curious look on her face, "A tavern? You two are going to be drinking?"
"No, we're just going to talk to him. Why in bloody hell would we drink right before a mission?"
"Oh, you're no fun."
Lott eyed her. "I take it this has to do with more than just us drinking, right?"
"Well, the last time I heard about you drinking was on your honeymoon. And, you and Sherry-"
Lott quickly covered her mouth. There wasn't really anyone else in the room who didn't already know about it, but he didn't want to hear about it again. They spent the first night of their honeymoon in their home in Colt River, Montana. He and Sherry went out to a local pub. They were a little out of it, but they couldn't have been too drunk. They both remembered everything. He especially remembered Leon, who was basiclly his father-in-law, taking it upon himself to call them at half past one in the morning when they were in the middle of...it.
"Do you REALLY need to mention that, damnit?!" Lott asked.
"Well, take it as a warning not to drink. We don't need you getting any urges in the middle of a fight."
Lott let out a frustrated sigh. He took out a brown envelope, which contained the photos. He took them out, about ten in all, as he said, "Now, I haven't seen these yet. But, I have a feeling they're pretty gruesome."
He flipped through the pictures. As he was, his face started to go white, then green, and he got a shocked and sick look on his face. He finally muttered, "Holy shit."
Sherry leaned in a bit and asked, "That bad?"
"You don't know the half of it. Are you sure you want to see these?"
"We probably don't have a choice. Besides, I was just a kid back in Raccoon and I think I did well enough. I think I can handle it."
Reluctanly, Lott handed the girls some of the picutres and told them that there was some information about the animals pictured written on the back. Sherry thought she would be able to handle it. After all, she had to hide out in the RPD with zombies, lickers and who-knows-what everywhere. But, it was worse than she thought it was going to be.
The information on the back said it was a picture of a horse named Sue, who had been exposed to just the virus to test it's effects on equines. She turned the picture over and revealed the zombified horse. She looked like She might have been white with black spots at one point, but those days were obviously long gone. Her mane, tail and spotted coat were a mess, making her almost look dark gray. Her eyes had the same murderous look as the zombie dogs back in Raccoon. And, she looked like she was in less then perfect condition, easy to see since the horse apparently tried to throw herself through a chain-link fence to try and get at the photographer, giving him a good oppurtunity for a close-up. Sherry couldn't have felt much worse. This evidence even gave names to these creatures. She put the picture back down on the table, turning it over to the information was up. This gesture was half out of respect and half out of the fact she couldn't take looking at it anymore. She thought, 'Poor Sue! I just hope they had a shred of mercy on her and put her out of her misery by now.'
She had one other photo. She was afraid to look at it, but felt she had to. She read the description, which said it was a picture of another horse named Doc, who had been exposed to parts of the virus and was also spliced with spider DNA. She reluctantly turned the picture over. It was what had once been a Clydesdale horse. Except, not only had it been turned into a mess, it also had eight legs and spider-like fangs profruding from the side of it's face near it's mouth. It's coat, which might have been a red chesnut color before, was now dark brown and slightly rotted, but not nearly as bad as Sue. It's muzzle seemed to be covered it blood and right in front of it-
Sherry couldn't take anymore. She was going to be sick. She tried to get up and rush for the bathroom, but she fell on her chair. Lott rushed over to her and helped her up, asking franticlly, "Sherry?! Sherry, are you alright?!"
Sherry stumbled to her feet with his help. Lilly got out of her seat and went over to try and help. Sherry got her to her feet, groaning and finally managed, "Lott, I think I'm gonna be sick!"
"Do you need any help getting to the bathroom?" He asked, still pretty scared. He was already leading her to the bathroom, which she seemed to appreciate. The bathroom was actually pretty close. When they got to it, he let her go in and listened next to the door. A look of worry and pity came across his face as he listened to her throw up. 'Maybe I shouldn't have shown her those pictures...'
"I take it I shouldn't show her mine." Lilly asked.
Lott shook her head. "I hope she's going to be alright."
"She'll be fine, don't worry." Then, Sherry stumbled out of the bathroom. She still looked sick, but she seemed better off.
"Feeling better?" Lott asked.
"I think so. A little anyway." She answered. Lott put the back of his hand against her cheek and then against her forehead.
"You have a fever. Small one, though. Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm still a little nauseous. But, I think I'll be alright."
"Maybe you need some fresh air. How about we go for a little walk, alirght?"
Sherry just nodded. As they walked to the door, Lott said, "We're going out for a bit. Watch the fort."
Lilly just nodded and put the mission plan away. She took one last look at all the picutres. She now knew all of these victims by name. And, if push came to shove, they might actully have to shoot them, knowing who they were.
"Well, at least the poor chaps will finally have some peace to look foward to." She sighed, taking one last look at a picture of two Border Collies, Ricki and Troy.
Lott and Sherry walked slowly through the park. He had an arm around her waist as she half-leaned against him, her arm around his shoulders. He enjoyed moments like this, when they had a few moments to spend together without anyone or anything to interrupt or spoil the mood. One thing or another kept them from doing this half the time. It was nice to have an excuse. It was chilly out that night, so he was a little cold in his sleevelss shirt, but he didn't mind it too much with his wife with him. Besides, he didn't want her to be out alone at night in a forguine country. Not that he had a problem with Canadians, he was sure they were just as nice and respectable as any other nationality. But, he'd never been in Canada before and he wasn't about to let Sherry go out alone, at night, when she was even a little sick. The last thing he wanted to learn was that, because he wasn't there to watch over her, she'd been mugged, hurt, raped or even killed. Of course, the same went for any other country.
"Lott?" Sherry asked. He shook his head a bit, his thoughts interrupted and looked at her. "Why don't we sit down for a minute? There's a bench right over there."
Lott nodded and the couple sat down. They settled down, still having an arm around each other. Sherry leaned against him. Then, she lifted her head and looked at him. He looked at her and smiled.
"Feeling better now?" Lott asked.
"Much better. My stomach's still a little off, but I think I'm alright now."
"Good to hear." Lott thought about the next thing he was going to say. He was wondering if Sherry should go on the mission. As much as he wanted her to be at his side like she was most of the time, it would be ridiculous for her to come if she wouldn't be able to handle it. For one, she lost it just looking at picutres of the animals. What would happen when she actually had to meet them? Also, she had been actig sick lately. He didn't want her on the battlefield if she was too sick to fight.
He took a deep breath, not sure what she would say. "Listen, Sherry...If you don't want to go on the mission or you don't think you can handle it, you don't have to come. Me and Lilly can go or I can do it myself."
Sherry realised what was bothering him. They were really close, almost closer than other couples they knew, and he was always worried about something happening to her on a mission. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Lott, I'm fine. Besides, after going with you so many times, I don't know if I can take sitting on the sidelines, worrying about wether you're gonna come back alive or not."
Lott smiled. It was then that Sherry noticed something else. "Lott, your shivering."
"Oh, it's nothing. Just a bit of a chill, that's all."
Sherry was quiet for a minute, thinking about something. The, she just broke down. She buried herself into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and started to cry a little. Lott wrapped his arms around her in a hug. He stroked her back and kept asking, quietly, "What's wrong?"
"Lott, I'm sorry."
"What for? You didn't do anything wrong."
"For being so much trouble. I mean, you're gonna catch a cold or something out here because of me."
"It isn't any trouble at all. Besides, I needed a break from the mission anyway." Lott wasn't going to mention looking at those pictures. He didn't want to risk upsetting her again. She doesn't need to throw up more than once in one day. They stared at each other for a while, then started passionately kissing. At the rate they were going, Lott was starting to think a police officer- or a mountie, he couldn't be sure- was going to find them and break it up. But, what DID interrupt them was last thing he thought would.
Lott suddenly noticed some kind of red light. They broke their kiss and Sherry asked, "Is something wrong?"
"I thought I just saw a- SHERRY, LOOK OUT!"
Lott threw Sherry onto the grass just as a bullet hit the spot where she was sitting. She looked up in shock. If she hadn't moved, it would have hit her right in the chest. Lott pulled his handgun out of a holster he had hidden under his shirt. He didn't like to go out without for just such an occasion. He aimed it up toward where the thought the shot came from-
-and heard running footsteps. Whoever it was was no real soldier as far as Lott was concerned. The bastard took one crack shot and left when Lott was ready to shoot back. It looked like they were safe for the time being. He had other things to worry about. Sherry was still pretty shaken by the incident. Lott helpped her up and she immediatly flung her arms around him. She wasn't crying or anything, she just needed a few minutes to recover. Lott understood; he was ready to do the same thing. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her right between the shoulder blades. If he hadn't seen that laser sight or if he was a tad slower, he would have lost her.
When it looked like she was alright, he said, "We'd better get back to the hotel and get some sleep."
When they got to their hotel room, Lilly was sitting on her bed. She looked pretty worried, which was out of character for her. She got to her feet and went to them, asking, "I heard a gun shot outside! Are you alright?"
Lott still had an arm around his wife, who was feeling much better. He replied, "We're fine, but we almost weren't. There was a sniper in the park. He almost got Sherry, but I saw the laser sight. I went to get him with the Berretta, but he took off."
"So, you're both alirght?"
"As a famous spy once said," Lott made a kind of debonaire pose, one arm around Sherry's waist and the other positioned like he was holding a gun, "shaken but not stirred."
Lilly threw a pillow at them as she laughed, "Lott, you can be so damn corny sometimes."
"I'm British and so are you. I need to make at least one James Bond joke in my life." He yawned and continued, "Well, we'd better get to bed. We've had a loooong night."
As Lott settled into bed, he looked down at her. He liked her when she was asleep. She wasn't worrying or stressed; she was peaceful. He gave her a little kiss on the cheek and whispered, as he turned the light out, "I won't let them get you, Sheryl. I promise."
To Be Continued...
Crazy Horse
By Sammie Spitz
Chapter 1
iDiary of Sheryl Dawn (Birkin) Klein
June 16th, 2010
We arrived in Thunder Bay, Ontario late last night. Since it was so late, we were pretty worn out. But, I might have been more so than the others. I fell asleep on the taxi and Lott woke me up when we go to the hotel. We have some unpacking to do today. We almost went to bed in our clothes.
Lately, I've been a lot more tired than usual. Claire says its the stress of the mission. It always happens to her. But, I keep getting this feeling its something else.-/i
"Um, Sherry?" Lott asked, interrupting her writing. She closed the diary and turned around in her chair to face him. Lott was done unpacking, but was preoccupied looking for something else. He was wearing a red, sleeveless shirt with a worn-looking white cresent moon on the front and faded blue jeans. He was fairly muscular, but built more like a runner and stood about 5'9". His sleeveless shirt exposed a tatoo of a howling wolf silouette. His redish brown hair was above his shoulders but still somewhat long. Lott was a good soldier for the S.T.A.R.S. Echo Team, along with some hacking skills.
Lilly was laying on her stomach on the bed next to him. She was wearing black jeans and a blue, camoflauge t-shirt. She grew to about 5'6" and was pretty light weight. Her red hair was tied back in a braid. She was a rookie to the Echo Team, but showed promise.
Sherry was wearing a light blue, polo shirt with a collar and blue jeans. She was about 5'7" and had a pretty good resemblence to her mother, since her hair was about the same length. She was very good at hacking and information and was considered the 'brains' of the trio. She was a formidable soldier, but she tended to get nervous under pressure.
"Yes?" Sherry asked.
"I can't find my blasted wallet." Lott half-muttetered, "Did you happen to see it anywhere?"
"I take it you checked the bags already."
"First thing."
"How about the bathroom? You tend to leave things in there."
"Yes, but I didn't go in their at all, until I started looking for it." Lott stood up and continued looking around the room, "Where the hell could it be? It didn't just sprout legs and walk out the door last night."
As Lott turned his back to her, she happened to notice that his right pocket had some kind of lump in it. She smiled to herself. Even as a scientist, this was also one of her father's old vices. 'Men will be men, I guess.'
Sherry struggled to control her giggling and managed, "Did you try your back pocket yet?"
Lott was a little surprised by the suggestion, but took her adivce anyway. He felt his pockets and was surprised to produce his wallet. He blushed a bit, grinned and said, "Umm, thanks dear."
"Don't mention it. My dad used to do that."
Lott looked at his sister, realising she probably saw it half an hour ago and asked, "Why didn't you say something sooner?"
Lilly just smirked and said, "I wanted to see how long it would take you to figure it out."
Lott rolled his eyes. Something told him it was going to be a long mission.
At about eight at night, after they got back from dinner, Lott took out the mission plans and said, "Well, we have a few days, but we'd better get started now."
Umbrella was brought down when they were kids and they had all hoped they'd never have to hear about them or their viruses again. But, it seemed to be too much to ask for. Only two weeks ago, they learned, from an annonymous tip-off, that Umbrella had a sort of back-up plan for just such an occasion. They had sent samples of the viruses to their partner, Lunar Harness, located in the wilderness of Ontario. Lunar Harness was performing secret genetic experiments but used its electronics wing as a cover-up. After getting the viruses, they used it as part of their genetics experiments. And, while they used a good variety of animals, there was one animal that seemed to be a favorite.
Sherry looked at her husband, wide-eyed and asked, "Horses?!"
Lott nodded, "That's what it says. I can't be sure though. He didn't give a lot of information. Just this and a bunch of photos. He wanted to meet us at the Green Deer Tavern a few hours before the mission."
Lilly got a curious look on her face, "A tavern? You two are going to be drinking?"
"No, we're just going to talk to him. Why in bloody hell would we drink right before a mission?"
"Oh, you're no fun."
Lott eyed her. "I take it this has to do with more than just us drinking, right?"
"Well, the last time I heard about you drinking was on your honeymoon. And, you and Sherry-"
Lott quickly covered her mouth. There wasn't really anyone else in the room who didn't already know about it, but he didn't want to hear about it again. They spent the first night of their honeymoon in their home in Colt River, Montana. He and Sherry went out to a local pub. They were a little out of it, but they couldn't have been too drunk. They both remembered everything. He especially remembered Leon, who was basiclly his father-in-law, taking it upon himself to call them at half past one in the morning when they were in the middle of...it.
"Do you REALLY need to mention that, damnit?!" Lott asked.
"Well, take it as a warning not to drink. We don't need you getting any urges in the middle of a fight."
Lott let out a frustrated sigh. He took out a brown envelope, which contained the photos. He took them out, about ten in all, as he said, "Now, I haven't seen these yet. But, I have a feeling they're pretty gruesome."
He flipped through the pictures. As he was, his face started to go white, then green, and he got a shocked and sick look on his face. He finally muttered, "Holy shit."
Sherry leaned in a bit and asked, "That bad?"
"You don't know the half of it. Are you sure you want to see these?"
"We probably don't have a choice. Besides, I was just a kid back in Raccoon and I think I did well enough. I think I can handle it."
Reluctanly, Lott handed the girls some of the picutres and told them that there was some information about the animals pictured written on the back. Sherry thought she would be able to handle it. After all, she had to hide out in the RPD with zombies, lickers and who-knows-what everywhere. But, it was worse than she thought it was going to be.
The information on the back said it was a picture of a horse named Sue, who had been exposed to just the virus to test it's effects on equines. She turned the picture over and revealed the zombified horse. She looked like She might have been white with black spots at one point, but those days were obviously long gone. Her mane, tail and spotted coat were a mess, making her almost look dark gray. Her eyes had the same murderous look as the zombie dogs back in Raccoon. And, she looked like she was in less then perfect condition, easy to see since the horse apparently tried to throw herself through a chain-link fence to try and get at the photographer, giving him a good oppurtunity for a close-up. Sherry couldn't have felt much worse. This evidence even gave names to these creatures. She put the picture back down on the table, turning it over to the information was up. This gesture was half out of respect and half out of the fact she couldn't take looking at it anymore. She thought, 'Poor Sue! I just hope they had a shred of mercy on her and put her out of her misery by now.'
She had one other photo. She was afraid to look at it, but felt she had to. She read the description, which said it was a picture of another horse named Doc, who had been exposed to parts of the virus and was also spliced with spider DNA. She reluctantly turned the picture over. It was what had once been a Clydesdale horse. Except, not only had it been turned into a mess, it also had eight legs and spider-like fangs profruding from the side of it's face near it's mouth. It's coat, which might have been a red chesnut color before, was now dark brown and slightly rotted, but not nearly as bad as Sue. It's muzzle seemed to be covered it blood and right in front of it-
Sherry couldn't take anymore. She was going to be sick. She tried to get up and rush for the bathroom, but she fell on her chair. Lott rushed over to her and helped her up, asking franticlly, "Sherry?! Sherry, are you alright?!"
Sherry stumbled to her feet with his help. Lilly got out of her seat and went over to try and help. Sherry got her to her feet, groaning and finally managed, "Lott, I think I'm gonna be sick!"
"Do you need any help getting to the bathroom?" He asked, still pretty scared. He was already leading her to the bathroom, which she seemed to appreciate. The bathroom was actually pretty close. When they got to it, he let her go in and listened next to the door. A look of worry and pity came across his face as he listened to her throw up. 'Maybe I shouldn't have shown her those pictures...'
"I take it I shouldn't show her mine." Lilly asked.
Lott shook her head. "I hope she's going to be alright."
"She'll be fine, don't worry." Then, Sherry stumbled out of the bathroom. She still looked sick, but she seemed better off.
"Feeling better?" Lott asked.
"I think so. A little anyway." She answered. Lott put the back of his hand against her cheek and then against her forehead.
"You have a fever. Small one, though. Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm still a little nauseous. But, I think I'll be alright."
"Maybe you need some fresh air. How about we go for a little walk, alirght?"
Sherry just nodded. As they walked to the door, Lott said, "We're going out for a bit. Watch the fort."
Lilly just nodded and put the mission plan away. She took one last look at all the picutres. She now knew all of these victims by name. And, if push came to shove, they might actully have to shoot them, knowing who they were.
"Well, at least the poor chaps will finally have some peace to look foward to." She sighed, taking one last look at a picture of two Border Collies, Ricki and Troy.
Lott and Sherry walked slowly through the park. He had an arm around her waist as she half-leaned against him, her arm around his shoulders. He enjoyed moments like this, when they had a few moments to spend together without anyone or anything to interrupt or spoil the mood. One thing or another kept them from doing this half the time. It was nice to have an excuse. It was chilly out that night, so he was a little cold in his sleevelss shirt, but he didn't mind it too much with his wife with him. Besides, he didn't want her to be out alone at night in a forguine country. Not that he had a problem with Canadians, he was sure they were just as nice and respectable as any other nationality. But, he'd never been in Canada before and he wasn't about to let Sherry go out alone, at night, when she was even a little sick. The last thing he wanted to learn was that, because he wasn't there to watch over her, she'd been mugged, hurt, raped or even killed. Of course, the same went for any other country.
"Lott?" Sherry asked. He shook his head a bit, his thoughts interrupted and looked at her. "Why don't we sit down for a minute? There's a bench right over there."
Lott nodded and the couple sat down. They settled down, still having an arm around each other. Sherry leaned against him. Then, she lifted her head and looked at him. He looked at her and smiled.
"Feeling better now?" Lott asked.
"Much better. My stomach's still a little off, but I think I'm alright now."
"Good to hear." Lott thought about the next thing he was going to say. He was wondering if Sherry should go on the mission. As much as he wanted her to be at his side like she was most of the time, it would be ridiculous for her to come if she wouldn't be able to handle it. For one, she lost it just looking at picutres of the animals. What would happen when she actually had to meet them? Also, she had been actig sick lately. He didn't want her on the battlefield if she was too sick to fight.
He took a deep breath, not sure what she would say. "Listen, Sherry...If you don't want to go on the mission or you don't think you can handle it, you don't have to come. Me and Lilly can go or I can do it myself."
Sherry realised what was bothering him. They were really close, almost closer than other couples they knew, and he was always worried about something happening to her on a mission. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Lott, I'm fine. Besides, after going with you so many times, I don't know if I can take sitting on the sidelines, worrying about wether you're gonna come back alive or not."
Lott smiled. It was then that Sherry noticed something else. "Lott, your shivering."
"Oh, it's nothing. Just a bit of a chill, that's all."
Sherry was quiet for a minute, thinking about something. The, she just broke down. She buried herself into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and started to cry a little. Lott wrapped his arms around her in a hug. He stroked her back and kept asking, quietly, "What's wrong?"
"Lott, I'm sorry."
"What for? You didn't do anything wrong."
"For being so much trouble. I mean, you're gonna catch a cold or something out here because of me."
"It isn't any trouble at all. Besides, I needed a break from the mission anyway." Lott wasn't going to mention looking at those pictures. He didn't want to risk upsetting her again. She doesn't need to throw up more than once in one day. They stared at each other for a while, then started passionately kissing. At the rate they were going, Lott was starting to think a police officer- or a mountie, he couldn't be sure- was going to find them and break it up. But, what DID interrupt them was last thing he thought would.
Lott suddenly noticed some kind of red light. They broke their kiss and Sherry asked, "Is something wrong?"
"I thought I just saw a- SHERRY, LOOK OUT!"
Lott threw Sherry onto the grass just as a bullet hit the spot where she was sitting. She looked up in shock. If she hadn't moved, it would have hit her right in the chest. Lott pulled his handgun out of a holster he had hidden under his shirt. He didn't like to go out without for just such an occasion. He aimed it up toward where the thought the shot came from-
-and heard running footsteps. Whoever it was was no real soldier as far as Lott was concerned. The bastard took one crack shot and left when Lott was ready to shoot back. It looked like they were safe for the time being. He had other things to worry about. Sherry was still pretty shaken by the incident. Lott helpped her up and she immediatly flung her arms around him. She wasn't crying or anything, she just needed a few minutes to recover. Lott understood; he was ready to do the same thing. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her right between the shoulder blades. If he hadn't seen that laser sight or if he was a tad slower, he would have lost her.
When it looked like she was alright, he said, "We'd better get back to the hotel and get some sleep."
When they got to their hotel room, Lilly was sitting on her bed. She looked pretty worried, which was out of character for her. She got to her feet and went to them, asking, "I heard a gun shot outside! Are you alright?"
Lott still had an arm around his wife, who was feeling much better. He replied, "We're fine, but we almost weren't. There was a sniper in the park. He almost got Sherry, but I saw the laser sight. I went to get him with the Berretta, but he took off."
"So, you're both alirght?"
"As a famous spy once said," Lott made a kind of debonaire pose, one arm around Sherry's waist and the other positioned like he was holding a gun, "shaken but not stirred."
Lilly threw a pillow at them as she laughed, "Lott, you can be so damn corny sometimes."
"I'm British and so are you. I need to make at least one James Bond joke in my life." He yawned and continued, "Well, we'd better get to bed. We've had a loooong night."
As Lott settled into bed, he looked down at her. He liked her when she was asleep. She wasn't worrying or stressed; she was peaceful. He gave her a little kiss on the cheek and whispered, as he turned the light out, "I won't let them get you, Sheryl. I promise."
To Be Continued...