Chapter 3 - Cave of
wonder, Cave of fright
The beach was quiet early in the morning
on Manniquo island save for a few seabirds bobbing up and down on the waves.
A few crabs slowly crawled back into the surf while long strands of seaweed
could be seen as far as the end of the beach. Walking alone just on the
edge of the incoming tide was a very tall red haired woman carrying an umbrella
and other beach necessities on her left shoulder. Although the bundle
looked like it was quite heavy, the heroine known simply as Fairchild was treating
like it was nothing.
" Ahh...a deserted beach...no
idiot guys offering to put suntan lotion on me or showing off their muscles
by lifting weights or whatever they have nearby. I can just kick back
and soak up this delicious sun with just a few native birds to keep me company.."
the heroine said out loud as she put her burden down on the beach.
Fairchild dug out a brightly colored
beach blanket from her bundle and stretched it out on the warm sand. The
buxom heroine then slowly sat down on the blanket and stretched out her long
legs as she gazed at the sun slowly rising in the sky. She leaned back
and dug out a bright yellow tube of suntan lotion from a basket next to her.
Setting the tube next to her, Fairchild unhooked the top part of her silver
bikini temporarily while she lathered lotion over her arms, stomach and chest
( taking particular care to rub liberal amounts over her size 38 breasts). After
rubbing in large amounts over her legs, she turned over and laid down on her
chest basking in the warmth of the South American climate.
The red haired beauty had only laid
down for what seemed like a very short amount of time before she felt a shadow
fall across her back. Fairchild opened her eyes and saw the swarthy figure
of Carlo, staring out onto the water in the same stern look that he always seemed
to have.
" Ummm...is there something I
can do for you, Carlo ? " Fairchild said with a noticeable
tone of disgruntlement evident in her voice.
" Sorry to disturb you, Miss
Fairchild, but your presence is requested back at the hotel for the start of
the photo taking as well as some other details Quiero wishes to discuss with
you. " Carlo said not even bothering to glance at the semi-nude
heroine.
Fairchild nodded as she sat up and slowly
put her bikini top back on blushing slightly in fear of exposing herself to
the security head standing nearby. She then stood up and started folding
up her blanket while looking at the stoic Carlo, who continued to stare straight
ahead. " Is it always quiet on this beach in the early mornings,
Carlo ? Things are so peaceful around here... " she asked the hotel
security chief, who didn't have a trace of sweat visible on him anywhere.
Carlo looked down at the statuesque heroine's
feet and moved his gaze quickly up her incredible body till her met her eyes
with his. " Ordinarily, this beach is full of the hotel guests basking
in the warm sun while stretching out on the warm beach sand but, of course,
this is the off season for us which is you ladies have the use of the hotel
and beach to yourselves. However, the lack of seagulls in the area is
a puzzling sight which I will look into once we are back at the hotel. " the
security chief said while glancing around before he started back towards the
hotel with Fairchild just starting to follow him.
Carlo walked about twenty feet or so before
stopping and looking at the tall heroine following him. " Of course,
the guests who visit the beach and look as attractive as you do, Miss Fairchild,
wear considerably less than you do when sunning themselves. I'll be at
the hotel if you need me at any time over the next few days. Good Day
! " Carlo said before turning and jogged briskly towards the hotel
leaving a flabbergasted Fairchild at a loss of words.
One hour later......
The runway was brightly lit with floodlights
illuminating both it and the stage area behind it. Entering onto the area
closest to the curtains was Lauren Mason, known to the general population as
the heroine Yankee Girl. Dressed in a white corset, red satin panties
and garters with blue high heel shoes, the buxom heroine seemed far more at
ease in the surroundings than the other heroines who agreed to participate.
" Hmmm..this stuff looks pretty good
on me...I wonder if they'll give me some free samples to...OOOFF!!! "
Lauren thought to herself before she tripped on a slight bump in the carpet
and fell flat on her face. She opened her eyes to see some of her fellow
heroines looking in her direction with looks of bemusement. With her face
turning red in embarrassment, Lauren stood up and, holding her right hand to
her waist, slowly walked back to the area behind the stage.
For two people witnessing the fall, the scene
that had just occurred was one of far less amusement. " I hope this
isn't a bad omen of the show itself is going to go. Who would have thought
that heroines who could move mountains and face down the most vile creatures
in the world can't do a simple fashion show ? Sigh.... " Valerie
muttered as she looked at the workers busily attaching cables to camera equipment
and setting up numerous computer monitors.
" Well, I don't think we planned on Valkyrie
threatening to send a woman taking her measurements 'straight to Valhalla' or
that we'd lose a model due to commitments this late. On the plus side,
though, we've managed to generate huge amounts of press with a bunch of positive
reports by the major TV networks as well as press and internet articles." Debbie
said cheerfully as she looked at her organizer and checked off the schedule
for the day. Valerie was always bugging her to get a Palm Pilot or some
sort of electronic organizer but Debbie always felt more comfortable with hand
writing anything of importance.
" That reminds me...check with Carlo or Quiero
about what the status is weather wise for the next 48 hours. I've got
a media junket coming in by boat just before the start of the broadcast and
I don't want any last seconds foul-ups. I also want extra computer systems
set up for the media in case they..." Valerie started to say before being
interrupted by the angry shouts of a woman storming out of the back who was
gesturing angrily at Valerie.
" I can't believe you expect me to outfit these
uncouth muscle bound bimbos, Miss Brown. One of them, that Janet Van Dyne
woman, keeps trying to change the design of the very lingerie she's supposed
to wear. Another one, Helena Wayne, takes off without any notice at all
to me leaving me to move some of the designs to the other models to compensate.
If that wasn't enough, one of these hero women, Fairchild, is nowhere
to be found for her fittings. " the angry woman shouted at the stunned
Valerie.
" Calm down, calm down, I'm here....sorry for any
hassles I may have caused." Fairchild said while handing off her stuff
to a nearby worker, who took a step before collapsing to the floor under the
weight. The heroine walked towards the dressing room with a smile on her
face while a still fuming designer followed her snarling to anyone how impossible
the conditions she was forced to work in.
" Debbie, next time we hold a show for our products, we
don't bring anyone from the Western European division to work on it. " Valerie
said with a noticeable look of annoyance visible on her face. She was
about to issue more orders when there was a loud shriek from out back followed
shortly thereafter by the sight of the curtains to out back parting and the
designer being flung out of the dressing area back into the main room.
" It's one thing to be ordered to strip nude in the middle
of a packed dressing room area but when this prissy bitch tells me that I'll
have to tape down my breasts for the show because they'll interfere with the
look of the lingerie, that's all I'm going to take from her ! " Patsy Walker,
known to the general population as the heroine Hellcat, snarled at the woman
and everyone around her as she stood in the entrance way wearing white panties,
a frown and not much else.
The designer pulled herself to her feet and looked around
for a second in anger. " That's it ! I can't take it anymore ! I
quit !
These..these hussies can take care of themselves ! " the woman snapped
at everyone within earshot as she pulled herself to her feet and stormed out
of the room.
Valerie shook her head in frustration " What else can go
wrong today ? Lemme think..lemme think...Debbie, contact the bank and
stop payment on that prima donna's paycheck. After that, contact our lawyers
and have them start prelim work on suing the agency who contracted her to us.
Once you get that done, wait about an hour and give everybody the afternoon
off with the understanding that they'll be back tonight." she said as
she looking around the room obviously vexed by what she had seen in the last
twenty minutes or so.
Nodding in agreement, Debbie jotted everything down furiously
before looking up again at her boss. " Is there anything else you want
me to look after or check into ? " she asked in a helpful manner.
" Well...." Valerie started to say before there was another
loud CRASHH!! that echoed the room. The two women turned to see part of
the curtains for the stage backdrop had fallen down with an angry Valkyrie standing
behind it vowing to unleash Dragonfang ( whatever that was) on the next
person who tried to lay a hand on her.
Sighing audibly, the agency head closed her eyes for a few moments
as if she was trying to make all her problems go away quickly. " Wait
thirty minutes and then tell everybody to take the afternoon off. Maybe
after a few hours, everybody will be able to get their act together and we'll
pull this off successfully. " Valerie muttered before walking back to
the main hotel lobby throwing her hands up in the air as she went.
45 minutes later....
"....check that report again, Carlo, because if it's true, we
might have to make some quick adjustments. " Valerie muttered to the hotel
security chief, who hurried off to the computer room in the administration area.
The show boss headed back towards the main show room passing the heroine
Fairchild, who looked to be heading to the beach once again, and the blonde
haired heroine Fury, who was talking of working out in the gym for weightlifting.
Once getting to the room, she glanced around looking for her aide
and spotted her over in the far corner talking to the Black Widow. Debbie,
spotting her boss, quickly ended her chat and moved over to where her boss stood
clutching a paper in her right hand.
" Carlo just got a weather bulletin from the mainland that is calling
for a force 3 hurricane to hit this area within the next 12-16 hours. As
a precaution, the boat containing the press people will hold off on coming to
the island until it passes over the area. Although I tried to convince the authorities
otherwise, they refuse to let any boats go out to here at the present. " Valerie
muttered as she handed her assistant the piece of paper containing the information
in question.
Debbie nodded as she read over the bulletin handed to her. "
Should we shut down the show preparations and postpone the event until the weather
passes through the area ? I can have the appropriate message emailed to
the news and TV services in less than 15 minutes no problem. " she said
as she got out a pen ready to write down the announcement in question.
The agency head shook her head emphatically " Too late to
cancel this show now, Debbie. We've booked the internet times and everything
is synchronized to go ahead regardless of weather. Besides, the hotel
manager Quiero assures me that the hotel was built to withstand hurricanes up
to Level 5 in intensity so everyone here will be safe. Carlo is sending
any of the staff that want to leave back to the mainland via the hotel boat
in 15 minutes. Make sure all the heroines that we've brought in for the
show are aware of this pending nasty weather in case they have any suggestions
they might have concerning securing everything for it." Valerie said emphatically
.
Debbie scribbled down her bosses' words hurriedly " I'll
check with the maintenance staff to see how the staff is set for backup generators
in case we lose power. I'll also see if there is any possibilities that
the phone lines might be lost during the storm. I'm sure that this event
can be pulled off and gives us the pr boost we thought it would." she
said with an encouraging
smile.
" Well, we'll see though my belief in this has been shaken
quite bit, Debbie. Hopefully, this comes out fine in the end. Who knows....maybe
we can turn this storm into a positive thing....' Lingerie so hot that the lights
go out when worn !....'...or something like that... " the agency boss
muttered as she headed off to get an alcoholic drink of some sort that she felt
she needed at that point.
45 minutes later......
Storm clouds could clearly be seen on the horizon to everyone
in the hotel as well as anyone on the beach. At that moment, it was ,
like earlier, Fairchild walking down the beach wearing a red bikini that looked
to be barely covering her assets. Carlo was accompanying her though this
time it was not as his role as head of security. He had offered to give
the red haired woman a quick tour of the island which included the caves near
the far end of the beach.
" The legends are told that pirates which sailed these waters
in the 17th and 18th century often came ashore to bury their treasure either
on the beach or in the caves depending on how much time they had to hide their
loot. Since then, treasure hunters have come to this island on numerous
occasions looking for the treasure in numerous spots all over the island. In
fact, the caves that I'll be showing you today were rumored to be the home for
the treasure belonging to the legendary pirate Orangebeard, whose name was supposedly
derived from falling asleep in a load of carrots juice destined for the local
governor's palace." Carlo said gesturing towards the ocean and then the
island's interior.
" Is there any truth to these tales, Carlo ? Or is
it just a local myth that makes it look a great place for tourists to come and
spend time here ? " Fairchild said as she pulled down her sunglasses slightly
to look around.
" For the most part, it's all just stuff made up by
local peasants after one too many drinks of local moonshine. The only
thing I can tell you is that the caves here are unusual thought not because
some long dead pirate's gold is there." Carlo said while arching his right
eyebrow dramatically.
" Really ? Go on, tell me more about these caves... " Fairchild
said as the two turned inland and started walking towards the lush jungle undergrowth
that made up the interior of the island.
" Well, people who have visited the caves since the hotel was
constructed here three years ago have reported feeling much more energetic than
before with some of their friends and relatives swearing that they looked younger
and more vibrant than when they left to come here." Carlo said plainly
pushing aside some of the larger plants that were blocking the way.
" Are you saying there's something in the caves that acts
like a modern day fountain of youth ? I think I've only heard that story
about a hundred times or so...? " Fairchild said as she stepped over a
large tree root that looked to be covered in a swarm of fire ants.
" Well, I wouldn't go quite that far. It'll be like an experience
you've never had....URRKKK!!!! " Carlo started to say before letting
out a choking sound as a giant boa constrictor snake dropped from some overhanging
tree branches and wrapped itself around the security chief's neck in a viselike
grip.
Almost immediately, Carlo's face turned a bright red as he found
it impossible to breathe. The swarthy Brazilian slapped his right hand
onto the scabbard strapped to his right leg but found he didn't have the strength
to pull the long knife out. Red spots started to appear in Carlo's vision
and he thought for certain that he would slip into unconsciousness followed
by death within a matter of seconds.....
Suddenly, a powerful hand grabbed onto the snake that was
entangled around Carlo's neck and quickly pulled it free. As his vision
cleared, the security chief saw that the buxom heroine Fairchild was grappling
with the snake that had come so close to ending his life just a few seconds
ago. Carlo watched in horror as the boa constrictor coiled around the
heroine's tiny waist seeking to crush the woman to death.
However, almost in the blink of an eye, the tables turned
in the struggle as Fairchild quickly pulled the snake from her and hurled it
into the sky where it disappeared from sight quickly. Seeing that her
bikini top had been jostled loose by the fight exposing her breasts, the heroine
quickly adjusted it automatically though she was aware that Carlo was used to
seeing half naked women at the beach.
" Thank you, Miss Fairchild, you are a life saver.
If you want to go back to the hotel, I'll understand...cough...cough... "
Carlo said while rubbing his right hand over his reddened neck area. He
glanced at the heroine and was amazed to see the woman was brushing herself
off and looking nonplused about what had just occurred.
" No, it's all right. If you're up to it, I certainly would
like continue on and see these mysterious caves that you mentioned. Believe
me, I've dealt with things a lot worse than big slimy snakes in my exploits."
Fairchild said with a slightly weary yet exuberant smile.
After thirty seconds or so, Carlo nodded in agreement and
turned to resume the trek inland with the red haired heroine following close
behind him. After about 1/4 of a mile, the jungle thinned out noticeably
and Fairchild found herself standing in an area that was relatively clear
of foliage. In the center of the area was a large cave opening that appeared
to have formed out of volcanic rock many years ago. Fairchild couldn't
see more than a few feet inside the cave but saw thin trails of what looked
like water vapor or steam emanating outwards.
" Where does that cave lead to, Carlo ? " Fairchild
inquired as they walked closer to the cave stepping over several large rocks
on the otherwise barren sand.
" Well, Seniorita Fairchild, the cave splits off about 40
meters inside to three different passageways leading to various places.
The ones on the left and right lead to areas that border on an active underground
volcano that lies deep beneath the island. Needless to say, those are
two areas that we are not going to be exploring today...unless you want your
tan to improve in a very short period of time." Carlo said with his mouth
almost turning into a smile for a brief second.
" Well, I don't mind heat that much. In fact, a couple
of weeks before arriving here, I fought a criminal who hurled blasts of fire
that were capable of melting the pavement beneath my feet. Luckily for
me, after a protracted battle that inflicted much damage to the surrounding
property, I was able to defeat the madman with the only side effect being that
most of my outfit was incinerated leaving me to talk to the media and police
in my bra and panties and little else." the buxom redhead said as she
stepped carefully into the cave entrance.
" I understand, Seniorita Fairchild. Fortunately, you will
not have to test your ability to withstand the heat today as the center passageway
leads to the area I want to show you. The passageway goes downward for
a short period of time before opening into the area I've described." Carlo
said as the two slowly walked forward stopping only to light one of the wooden
torches that lined the cave's interior.
The two walked slowly down the cobwebbed passageway stepping
around the odd skeleton of a small animal or avoiding spiders that were twice
the size of Fairchild's hands. After about twenty minutes or so of steady walking,
the passageway opened up into a large cavern that had formations of rock visible
throughout the area. Clouds of steam obscured much of the rest of the
cave though Fairchild could see what appeared to a large pool of water in the
center of the area.
" This is the cave I was telling you about, Seniorita Fairchild.
The steam that is in here interacts with the unique rock formations that have
formed over thousands of years and produces a unique essence in the air that
cleanses the poisons and dirt of modern society from person's body while rejuvenating
their energy and stamina...or so the legend goes." Carlo said with a slight
smile.
" We come all this way and you tell me I just stand around
here in a giant steam bath for a couple of hours ? Is there anything else
I should do ? " Fairchild inquired with a note of disappointment evident
in her voice.
" Well, the legends do speak of visitors that soak in the
pool and are able to withstand the scalding temperature of the water are able
to feel the effects much quicker. If you want to give that a try, I can
wait by the front of the cave until you're done." Carlo said as he mopped
his forehead with a handkerchief.
Fairchild smiled and nodded " Well, as I said, heat isn't
a big thing for me so I may as well give the pool a try. I promise I won't
be too long....... " she said coyly as she turned her back to her
guide and slowly let down the left strap on her bikini top.
" You know, if you're not too overwhelmed by heat, maybe you could
join me in the pool and we...... " the heroine started to say as she turned
around to face her guide cupping her loose bikini top so that it covered at
least part of her tits. To her surprise, Carlo was nowhere to be seen
in the cavern she was in.
Figuring that the security chief had headed outside to give her
privacy or contact the hotel about the approaching storm, the red haired heroine
quickly stripped off her bathing suit and gingerly lowered herself into the
steaming pool. Fairchild was surprised that the pool was deeper than she
anticipated as her feet failed to touch the bottom at all when she settled in.
As she leaned back, Fairchild found the pool's water was indeed
quite hot as Carlo had warned but she could tolerate it with just a little extra
effort. She felt a tingling sensation spreading over her nude body as
the water washed across her arms, legs and torso which suggested something in
the pool besides normal water. Putting a hand to her mouth, she detected
the odor of minerals in the water which would explain the feelings she was experiencing.
Figuring that this was part of the myth, Fairchild settled back and let herself
bask in the heated water as if she was sitting in a hot tub or jacuzzi.
After an unknown amount time, Fairchild stirred from the light
sleep she had fallen into and looked around as she got her bearings. The
cavern seemed to have even more steam present than it did before which probably
was due to outside weather conditions like that approaching storm she heard
about. Figuring that Carlo might be growing impatient, the heroine pulled
herself out of the water and looked around for her bikini. Much to her
chagrin, she didn't see it where she had left it near the pool and the steam
was making it difficult to look around the cavern.
" Carlo ? Carlo, if you can hear me, could you come
in here for a minute and give me a hand ? " Fairchild called out as she
groped her way through the murky cavern. She had managed to reach the
area where she thought the entrance to the cavern was when a pair of hands grabbed
her around the chest pinning her arms to her sides.
" Carlo...this isn't the time or place for this type of thing..."
Fairchild murmured as she felt her nipples rapidly stiffening under the person's
massaging her tits.
" Sorry, Fairchild, but this is the perfect time....! " the voice called out with
a maniacal laugh.
" WHAT THE ....?? " Fairchild cried out as she tried
to break free from the grasp of her unknown assailant but found her strength
rapidly draining away. She tried to move her feet to set herself to flip
whoever it was behind her but they seemed unresponsive for some reason as if
they were stuck to the floor. As the seconds ticked by, her struggles
slowly weakened and she found her mind slowly falling into a sea of peaceful
bliss charged with erotic tingling from the continued massaging she was receiving.
After a couple of minutes, she felt her arms and body being
released from the grip they were in but she felt no urgent need to move or fight.
Fairchild was dimly aware of a bra being fitted around her breasts followed
by a pair of panties that were tugged onto her still unresponsive legs.
Once that was done, she felt her left hand being placed in a position where
it was cupping her left breast while her right arm was left hanging straight
down. Fairchild then felt her head being positioned so that was looking
down and to her right.
Once all this was done, the assailant ( who Fairchild
still couldn't see) gently grasped her by the right shoulder. A second
or so later, the heroine felt a lethargy building into her body that was much
more pronounced than before. It was as if every cell of her body was growing
stffer..harder...unyielding...unmoving. The feeling quickly spread throughout
her entire body starting from her feet and and hands and moving up over her
limbs and torso.
Fairchild was unaware of it in her current frame of mind
but the hardening she was feeling was in fact the case as her flesh was rapidly
changing to stone. The transformation swept over her sex leaving fingers
of pubic hair stand out as daggers of rock protruding slightly from her petrified
state.
It was only when the change reached her neck did the truth
penetrate the layers of bliss and contentment and Fairchild realized what was
happening to her. Her eyes opened wide and her mouth parted in horror
that she never got to express as the transformation claimed her head in totality.
A granite statue dressed in a white bra and panties now stood where a vibrant
heroine once was.
" 2 down...." a voice said from the middle of the mist
before a low mocking laugh erupted from the same person.
Several hours later.....
The storm clouds were growing thick around the island and
the winds were already gusting at high levels causing several nearby trees to
sway back and forth. At the front of the hotel, Valerie stood looking
outside with a frown on her face with her aide Debbie standing nearby.
" Timing really sucks for this...well, I guess we make do
with what we have I guess..." Valerie muttered as heavy rain drops started
to splatter against the front doors of the hotel.
" I'm sure everything will work out great, Valerie.
By the way, remind me to ask Quiero where she found the statue to erect here
in the lobby. It looks so realistic and she even found the time to put
our lingerie on it. " Debbie said pointing to the statue that sat in the
middle of the lobby surrounded by a pool of water.
" Yes, its a very nice touch. It even reminds me a
bit of one of our models...which one though...hmmm..." Valerie said as
she sighed and headed back to the chaos that her show was...
" NO!....DON'T GO!!...IT'S ME, FAIRCHILD!...I'M THE
STATUE!!!....DON'T GO!!!!..... " Fairchild screamed mentally
as she stood in her granite state hoping someone would free her soon and that
no one else would fall victim to this kind of torture.
How wrong she would be.....
Continued with - A Bad Storm On The Rise