The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Pete Reiley yawned and stretched, reaching over to shut off his alarm. The warm female body next to him stirred, but did not awaken. Grinning, he slipped out of bed, slipping on his bathrobe, and made his way into the bathroom.

Relieving his bladder, he switched on the shower, whistling softly as he did. Mmmmm. Looks like it’s going to be another beautiful morning. It’s amazing how much a good night’s sleep and waking up in comfortable surroundings can improve your mood. Stepping underneath the water, he sighed in contentment. Damn. That... is... niiiiiicce! It’s so much better living here in an off-campus apartment than staying in that cramped, dirty, run-down dorm room. For one thing, I don’t have to worry about the hot water being all used up when I go to take a shower. He reached for the soap, lathering his small thin frame up before stepping back under the shower once more.

Heh. Kind of an interesting experience now, showering alone. After a entire month of pampering, it feels a little strange to be alone for a change. Still, it’s better to let Janet keep sleeping a while longer; of all of the girls I’ve ‘liberated’ thus far, she was probably the most sexually repressed. If she helped scrub my back, this quick shower would last an hour and a half, and we’d both end up sweatier and stickier than before the shower!

Lathering his hair with shampoo, he grinned again. At least I know for sure that that rumor about Catholic girls is all too true.

A sudden soft touch on his shoulder made him to scream, nearly causing him to slip and fall. “Pete, Master, relax, it’s, like, just me,” Janet cooed softly, stroking his chest. “You must have been really deep in thought if you didn’t even hear be step into the shower with you.” She wiped the shampoo from his eyes so he could see. “I’m sorry, Pete. I should have woken up the instant you left the bed, but I was having the most... mmmmmm... sexy dream.” She wiggled slightly, causing her breasts to jiggle enticingly. “So... want me to scrub your back?”

“NO! No, no, no, no, no! N-O.” Pete dunked his head under the stream, then shook his head, briskly. “No scrubbing my back today! The last time you did that I missed two classes and was 20 minutes late for the third one! I have a test in Physics today, and it’s bad enough that you kept me up half the night having sex instead of studying for it!”

“Ahhh, you’re so smart you don’t even need to study,” Janet pouted, sliding slim fingers along Pete’s thin flat chest. “You always pass your exams anyway. C’mon... let me scrub your back for you,” she said seductively, sliding her hands lower, smiling as his manhood began to stir. “You KNOW you want me to.”

Pete swallowed, breathing hard. True, he DID want to. Despite having fucked all four girls extensively over the past four weeks, he hadn’t grown the least bit jaded or bored. If anything, his appetite for sex had grown. He wanted to add more women to his growing ‘harem’, to add a little more variety to the mix, but other mundane concerns kept interrupting his ‘extra-curricular activities’. Moreover, he needed to be careful, to move slowly but surely, else he risked attracting attention and exposing himself to scrutiny.

Considering all the work I put into making sure we all keep a low profile, that no one notices the girls or me acting strangely, it would be a shame to blow it all by getting kicked out of college for failing.

With an effort, he pushed her hands away. “Janet,” he said firmly, “enough. Be a good girl now, and let me finish my shower.”

With a sigh, Janet stepped back out of the shower. “Yes, sir,” she said, dejected. Her clit jumped lightly, a trained response from obeying one of Pete’s commands, but the pleasure she felt was offset by the fact that he had just rejected her. She knew deep down that it wasn’t personal, that he hadn’t rejected her per sae, more that he needed to focus and prepare for class. On the one hand, he had created her persona, and shaped her psyche into becoming the most desirable sex slut she could possibly be for him. By design, she was supposed to be a distraction for him.

Yet on the other hand, she had to obey his wishes, in all matters. She was supposed to do what was best for him, in every circumstance, whether she personally agreed with the decision or not. And he is right. He DOES need to study sometime. Even though I want to fuck all the time now, I know, realistically, that I can’t. Grrrr! It’s so... frustrating, sometimes! It wouldn’t be so bad if it was still the weekend, but my turn in the rotation is over, and it’ll be four more weeks before I get the chance to stay spend the weekend with him again.

For the briefest of moments she felt a flicker of jealousy towards the other girls, but the feeling passed, squashed out of existence by the mental programming swirling through her mind. No. I can’t begrudge Sam, Mindy and Sandy their time with Pete either. They’ve all been waiting patiently for their turn to come without complaining about it, so I guess I can as well. Damn...if only I wasn’t so damned horny all the time!

Moments later, Pete stepped out of the shower. Janet responded instantly, snatching up a fresh clean towel, gently patting him dry. “Mmm. Thank you, Janet. You can go ahead and shower yourself now, if you want. I left you plenty of hot water. Just make sure you’re dressed and downstairs in half an hour.”

“Wouldn’t you rather I go out and make breakfast for you while you dress?” she asked, dropping the used towel into the clothes hamper.

Pete shook his head. “No thanks. I’m just going to warm up some of the pizza from last night. Go ahead and shower.” He slapped her lightly on the ass as she turned, making her gasp then moan softly. “And no jilling off in the shower,” he added with a smirk. “I’m serious about you being downstairs and ready to go back on campus in a half hour!”

Janet’s eyes widened. “You mean I can’t... while I’m in the shower? But... I’m soooo fucking horny right now!”

Pete rolled his eyes. “Oh, for Pete’s sake! We only fucked last night for three hours til you passed out cold. I’m surprised either of us can even walk let along think about sex.” Shaking his head, he touched her lightly on the nose. “Pixie dust,” he said softly, watching in satisfaction as Janet’s eyes widened, then drooped to half mast, glazing over.

“Guess I really overdid it when I upped your sexual responsiveness,” he mused, caressing her slack emotionless face. “You were already a sexual dynamo before I removed all your sexual inhibitions, we just didn’t know it. Well, we’ll have to fix that so you can function a bit better. Janet, can you hear me?”

“Yes, Master,” came the flat monotone reply.

“Good. I need you to visualize the dial within your mind again... the dial that controls your sex drive. On the scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest, what is it set to now?”

“Eight.”

“Alright. I am now turning the dial back down, visualize the needle slowly turning back, going back down, stopping at six. You are still my deeply devoted sex slave, and all of the other changes I have made stay the same. My touch still excites and arouses you, and you will still cum on my command, but now your need and desire for sex had diminished to a point where it is no longer all-consuming. Do you understand, Janet?”

“Yes Master.”

“Good. When I touch your nose again, you will awaken fully, not remembering what was said while you were tranced, but following my instructions perfectly nonetheless.” He touched her nose gently, and Janet blinked, shaking her head. “Did you say something, Pete, sweetie?” she asked, frowning slightly.

“I said, hurry and get cleaned up. I’ll see you downstairs.”

“Oh. Okay.” Slipping into the shower, she sighed as the water slid gently over her bare flesh. MMmmm. This feels nice. Really relaxing, too. It’s really taking the edge off. I’d still really like to make my pussy cream really bad... but it’s not driving me crazy now. I think I can make it til after class.

Taking her lufa and the soap, she began working up a thick lather. Of course, I have to GET to class first before I can get through it. I’d better hurry. The sooner we get back to school, the sooner we can get back OUT of school, and fuck one last time before I head back to my own apartment.

“Well, sweetheart, this was a nice surprise, meeting me here for lunch.”

Eugene merely shrugged, placing the picnic basket on the ground, spreading out a blanket. “Well, it’s a nice enough day. And Katie Ann was telling Jimmy in the car how much she missed her momma, so I figured, why not? We’re close enough to the campus anyway, and knowing your schedule by heart, I knew you’d be free.”

The two children in question were running through the grass just a few feet away. Lacie smiled, feeling her heart swell with pride and joy at something so simple as children at play. “Well, love, remind me to thank Katie Ann later. You have no idea how much I needed a break right now.”

“Hmmm? Something wrong, hon?”

Lacie sat down on a park bench, kicking off her heels. “No, nothing wrong per sae. It’s just been a very hectic week. Midterms are next week, and I have some concerns about a few of my students making the grade.” She shook her head and sighed. “I didn’t start out the school year with them, so I had no way of judging where everyone was with the preliminary work. Before, when I taught, I used to put in extra time in the beginning to make sure all my students had a firm grasp of the basics before I went forward. Nuclear physics isn’t that hard once you have the basic idea down, and everything that follows builds on what you learned in previous chapters. Most of the class is doing pretty well, but a few of them are just barely making the cut.”

Gene nodded, taking out the paper plates and plastic silverware. “And, of course, the idea of actually failing anyone is completely unthinkable for you... because you view it as you failing to teach them rather than the students failing to learn the material.”

She frowned. “When you put it like that, you make me sound neurotic.”

Gene laughed, handing her a plate. “Loveling, you ARE neurotic. And a perfectionist. And probably a little ADD as well. But I love you all the same. All your little quirks and foibles are what make you so adorable. And as to your students... don’t let yourself get worked up about it. Offer to help them, let them come by your office to talk about it, or see about arranging tutoring services. Do what you can, but don’t let it become something you lose sleep over. Not every student sitting in your classroom is going to ace every exam, and it doesnae reflect badly on you if they don’t.”

Shaking her head, Lacie chuckled. “You must have been talking to my dad again. Except for the occasional Scottish burr, that’s exactly what he would have said.”

Gene smirked. “Well... I did speak to him on the way over here, sure enough. I brought the fried chicken, he’ll be here in a moment with the potato salad.”

Sure enough, less than a minute later Professor Gilbertson walked up carrying a large covered bowl. “Good afternoon, pumpkin,” he said, leaning forward to kiss Lacie’s cheek. “I see you two didn’t wait around for me to start eating,” he said with a grin.

“Aye, but we saved you the biggest drumstick, as always, Sir,” Gene replied, handing him a plate. “How’s Madeline doing these days?”

“Just fine,” he replied, taking a bite. “MMMmmm. Not bad. A pity she had to work today, she would have loved to be here.” Turning to face Lacie, he added, “And she said to say ‘Hi’ to you too, sweetheart, and asked when you’re going to come to dinner at our house?”

“When hell freezes over,” Lacie mumbled softly, stuffing a spoonful of potato salad into her mouth.

“What was that, honey?” her dad asked. “I couldn’t understand you.”

Swallowing, forcing a smile onto her face, she said, “Sorry dad. I said, I just don’t know. I’m so busy, yanno? With school, and helping Gene take care of the house, and the kids... maybe once the semester winds down a bit more...”

“Spring break starts in two weeks,” Gene put in helpfully, drawing a black look from his wife.

“Yes, well, I’m afraid Madeline’s office has her working out of the Seattle office that week,” he said with a sigh. “She does love her job, and loves to travel, but honestly, sometimes I wish she’d just settle down and stay in one office, in one city.”

“Aye, I know what you mean. Back when Lacie and I were still dating, it used to drive her crazy having me commute back and forth from my office in Midas. Isn’t that right, honey?”

“Yeah,” Lacie said, noncommittally. Glancing around, she stood up. “I’d better go round up the kids so they can eat. It’s a public park, but I don’t want them running off too far.” Before anyone could respond, she left, heading off towards her children, playing at the sandbox.

Damn. And everything was going so well, too, she thought as she walked, fists clenched, towards the sandbox. I know it’s completely ridiculous, and totally irrational to STILL feel this way about Madeline, but I can’t help it. I mean... it’s not as if she’s trying to replace my REAL mom... all she’s ever tried to be is to be my friend... but every time I’m around her, and she hugs or kisses, or touches my dad’s hand, it just.... grrrr! And the worst part, I can’t tell Dad how I fell about it. It would just break his heart to know that I hate his girlfriend.

A scream sounded from a few feet away. Lacie turned, spying a man in a denim jacket sprinting across the grass, running full tilt, clutching a purse tightly in his hands. A woman lay sprawled on the ground behind him, screaming for help. “Purse snatcher! Help! Help! Someone stop him!”

Without thinking, Lacie moved, sprinting in her stocking feet, moving to intercept the fleeing mugger. Leaping high, she tackled him around the waist, catching him completely off guard. They hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop a few feet later. The impact shook Lacie up, and she gasped, realizing what she had just done. What... in the world... am I doing? Stopping a mugger? Am I crazy?

“Muther fucker!” the man roared, getting back to his feet. “Stupid bitch!” He pulled a knife from his pocket. “So, you wanna be a hero or something, hmm? Well? Do ya?”

Lacie, still on the ground, crab walked backwards, shaking her head. The mugger laughed. “Uh huh. Not so fucking brave now, are you bitch? Maybe I need to teach you a—”

“LACIE!”

“Shit!” the man growled, seeing a group of people approaching lead by a young man and an older man. Glancing one last time at her, and the dropped purse, he took off. “Damn bitch... I won’t forget this shit!” he yelled as he ran towards the other side of the park.

Lacie let out a shakily held breath once her father reached her. “Sweetheart? Are you okay? Lacie Ann, did he hurt you?”

“No... I’m f-f-fine,” she said, shuddering. “Just shaken up.” He looked around. “Katie? Jimmy? Oh my god, Dad, where are the kids? Are they safe?”

“I’ve got them, lass,” Gene said a moment later, holding both of their crying kids. “Shhh. It’s okay, little ones. Mommy’s alright. Aren’t ye, lass?”

“Ye... yeah, I’m okay. Mommy’s fine.” Taking Katie into her arms, she hugged her daughter tightly. “It’s alright sweetie, really. Don’t cry. I’m okay.”

Jimmy, still in Gene’s arms, sniffled. “Mommy... that bad guy didn’t hurt you none? He had a knife. I saw it! You musta been really brave to knock him down like that.”

“Aye, Jimmy,” Gene said, glaring at her. “Mommy’s very brave. Even so, I don’t think she’ll be trying to stop any more bad guys anytime soon.”

By then, the rest of the crowd of onlookers had arrived. “Oh my goodness.” “Is she alright?” “Someone needs to call the police!” “What a brave young woman.” “No way I would have done that.” “Too bad there aren’t more people around like her.”

“Alright, everyone, she’s just fine,” James Gilbertson said loudly, cutting over the crowd. “Please, just back away, give her a chance to recover. If anyone has a cell phone, you might want to call the police and tell them what happened here.” The crowd, seeing nothing more of interest happening began to disperse, going back to where they’d come from, but one woman continued to push her way through. “Excuse me, miss, but my daughter needs some space, if you wouldn’t mind...”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just wanted to get my purse back, and thank the young woman.”

Lacie nodded to her father, handing the purse to the woman. “No need to thank me, but you’re welcome anyway.”

The woman smiled. “It might not be a big deal for you, but it really is for me. All my money, my credit cards, my keys, my cell... heck, my entire life is in that purse. I really can’t thank you enough. She shook Lacie’s hand. “My name’s Sarah, by the way. Not many people I know would go after a mugger just to save some stranger’s purse. Thanks again.”

“Don’t mention it,” Lacie said idly as the woman departed. No need to really. I didn’t do it to save your purse... hell, I don’t even know WHY I did it at all!

Peter stared at the note taped to the classroom door. “Well. Guess this means I have a bit of spare time on my hands.”

“Yo, Petey, what’s up?” Nathan asked, coming up behind him. “The door’s closed and the lights are off.” Seeing the note, he read aloud. “’Class cancelled for the rest of the day. Study chapter eight, sections three, four, and five, and be prepared for a review on Wednesday.’ Sighed, Mrs. Frasier. Damn. Looks like she bailed on us today.”

“Yeah, looks like,” Pete agreed.

“Oh well. Guess I’m off to play video games back at the dorm,” Nathan replied, slapping him on the back. Pete waited til the taller boy had gone farther down the hallway before rubbing his back lightly.

“Ow... dammit. Oh well, he did have a point. Guess I should use this free time in a way that’s most beneficial.”

Stepping into the university library, Pete made his way upstairs to the reference section on tax laws. Heh. Perfect. Deserted as usual. There are pretty much only two times you’ll even find students in this section of the library, and one of them is just before finals for all the law students. Moving carefully around the bookshelves, he made his way to the study rooms, smirking. Several of the rooms were empty, but a few were occupied, the shades pulled closed. A quick listen outside the doors informed him that very little study was going on inside.

Heh. And that would be the second reason, he mused, making his way down the line of study rooms. What better place to make out than in a virtually soundproof room with padded seats and a couch, and absolute privacy? Well, for those poor chumps that don’t have an off-campus apartment paid for by their rich deeply devoted sex slaves, I mean. Reaching the seventh room, he listened for a moment, then, knocking twice, opened the door and stepped inside.

“Oh shit!” Julie Gerring yelled, sitting up, pulling her discarded blouse up over herself, covering her nakedness. Her partner, Anne, jumped up as well, ducking down behind the couch, reaching frantically for her clothes.

Seconds passed, then Julie’s eyes narrowed as she realized who had walked in. “What th... Reiley! What the FUCK do you think you’re doing in here?”

“Hey, whoa, sorry!” Pete said quickly, taking a step back as Julie, still clutching her blouse, stormed towards him. “Calm down! I didn’t mean to disturb you! I just, I just wanted to—”

“GET THE FUCK OUT!” Julie screamed, throwing her history book at him. Pete swerved out of the way, wincing slightly as the heavy book grazed his leg in passing. Cursing softly, he rushed into the room, closing the door behind him before they could attract any more attention. He grabbed Julie and placed a hand over her mouth. The girl struggled back, her screams muffled behind his hand, and Pete knew he had seconds at most before the stronger girl overpowered him... and beat the shit out of him.

“Dammit, Anne, how about a little fucking help over here?!” he exclaimed as he felt Julie’s jaw open wider, signaling the beginning of a bite. “Fuck! Anne, say something now!”

“Julie, hon, calm down,” Anne said soothingly, walking around in front of them. She now wore a T-shirt, which hung down just enough to cover her hips. “This is all my fault. I asked Pete to drop later today to help me with a project. I just didn’t expect him to drop by so soon!”

Pete, removing his hand from Julie’s mouth, added, “Yeah, Julie, I’m really sorry! I didn’t know you two would be here... um... well, you know...” Seeing her blush, he chuckled to himself. But I had a pretty good idea. A good chance of seeing how she looks out of those baggy, shapeless clothes.

Julie, still angry, pushed him aside. “Even so, what the hell gives you the right to just walk in on an occupied room?” She slid her blouse over her, then bent down to retrieve her pants.

“Well, like I said, I didn’t know that you two would be... um... muff diving?” He smirked. “Besides, I did knock before I entered, you know?”

“As if that excuses it!” Julie snarled back. Luckily, Anne put a restraining hand on her shoulder.

“Sorry, Jules. It’s my fault for asking him to come by. If you wanna be angry at someone, be angry at me, okay?” Turning back to Pete, she asked, “So, did you get it?”

Pete nodded, taking a CD case from his pants pocket. “I sure did. Took a bit of doing, but I got it to work. I even brought my laptop with me in case you wanted to see for yourself.”

“I sure do! Fire it up!” Anne said eagerly, sliding on her panties before plopping down into a seat across from the study desk.

“Wait, what is this all about, anyway?” Julie asked, frowning. On the one hand, she was a bit perturbed at her lover’s strange behavior; the fact that she’d invited the Uber-Nerd to their study room and had forgotten to mention it was weird enough, but the fact that she was apparently comfortable sitting around in front of him in just a T-shirt and panties was very out of character. One the other hand, she was extremely curious about what they could possibly be working on together so secretly that Anne hadn’t bothered to mention it to her.

“It’s nothing, really,” Anne said, shrugging. “Just a little project I needed help with for Dr. Thorne’s Advanced Psychology class.”

“Yeah,” Pete said, sliding the disc into the CD-ROM drive. “This little baby out to get you an ‘A’ for sure.” He waited a few seconds, then started the program. “Not to toot my own horn, or anything, but I have to admit, it’s my best work yet!”

Anne frowned, staring at the screen for a few moments before shaking her head. “Wow. I can... see what you mean. I don’t know if it actually works the way they say in the books, but it definitely has an effect.”

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Julie yelled, moving around to the other side of the desk. “What is it that has you two so... huh?” She frowned. “A spiral? A stupid little hypnotic spiral? That’s what all this fuss was about? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“No, really, hon,” Anne assured her. “I did my research on it. Spirals really do work. Take this one, for instance. It’s not just any old spiral, it’s one Pete read about online, called a ‘hyper-spiral’. See, the lines don’t just spiral inward, they float... they hover... they shift and oscillate. Can’t you see it?” She pointed just above center screen. “Watch the outmost line, just right there, and see... watch how it doesn’t just spin inwards, it bobs... and weaves... it almost... dances its way inward... moving, jiggling... dancing... seemingly randomly, and yet, ever inwards towards the center... towards the core...drawing everything... in...”

Julie blinked rapidly a few times, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over her. Now that Anne mentioned it, she DID notice the bobbing and weaving. It was subtle at first; at the outer rim, you could just barely notice it moving at all, could barely sense the oscillating, but as it went deeper towards the center, the effect increased dramatically. The lines seemed to almost pulse with energy... a pulsing that seemed to vibrate its way through the screen and into her head.

“You can just feel it, can’t you, Jules?” Anne whispered softly, standing beside her, staring deep into the spiral with her friend. “You can feel the way it... tugs at you... draws you in... makes you feel almost as if you’re... disconnected... from everything... just set adrift, while the entire world around you just spirals in... and in... more and more... sucking you in, drawing you in... everything... spinning... sinking... spinning and sinking... spinning and sinking...”

“Spinning... and sinking,” Julie repeated softly. Anne was so right; everything seemed to be sinking and spinning... twirling inward, into that spiral that seemed to fill her vision. It was like a black hole, sucking away everything in her universe, including her, into its infinite depths. A deep sigh escaped her lips, and her eyes widened even further, watching helplessly, ever drawn deeper into the spiral’s hypnotic folds.

Pete nodded simply, satisfied that the slight modifications he’d added to the program were working even better than expected. Unlike with the previous version used to subjugate Anne, this new spiral seemed to hold the subject’s attention much better. It had taken several repeat attempts to fully ensnare Anne’s mind, her free will breaking free each time just before she would cross the threshold. Had he not also taken the precaution of strapping her down to the chair beforehand, she might very well have escaped his grasp and warned Julie of what he was planning.

Which just goes to show you, a little paranoia can mean the difference between defeat and victory. No matter how clever I think I am, I can’t anticipate everything, he thought, rubbing the sore spot on his leg where Julie’s book had no doubt left a sizeable bruise. Damn. Hadn’t counted on her reacting so... violently. And Anne, my supposed helper, waited way too long to jump in and save the day. Mental note: punish them both for their impudence once I have them both fully under my sway.

“Now, girls,” he said softly, touching them both lightly on the shoulders, “the spiral has drained you... has pulled you both in very very deep. You are now in the center of that spiral... deep deep within... pulled in by its inescapable force... held there... slave to the power of that unyielding force... obedient to its whims... obedient... pliant... submissive... slave. Yes, you are both slaves to the power of the spiral... slaves, submissive to its power... obedient to its control. You are utterly helpless to resist it... you cannot resist.”

Sliding a hand down to the keyboard, he hit the ENTER key, then stepped away, activating the behavioral modification part of the program. If it worked as he hoped, it would subliminally interlace his specially prepared list of commands and directives into the spiral sequence, programming them both into his obedient sex slaves, just like the others. It was, however, completely untested; if it failed, both women would snap out of their trances, momentarily confused and disoriented, then awaken fully, angry and pissed off.

Then they would likely proceed to break every bone in his body. Twice.

Well, at least I took the precaution of putting in a few trigger phrases once I finally had Anne under. I didn’t have enough time to turn her completely into my slave, or to mess with her sexual orientation, but at the very least it should keep her from trying to beat me to a pulp if this doesn’t work out. He sighed, walking past the girls to lounge on the plush couch.

Guess the only thing left to do now is wait and see.

“Are ye daft woman?!?” Gene exploded once they were alone once again. Driving through traffic back towards home, he was unable to keep silent any longer. “What were ye thinking? Ye might have been seriously hurt, if not outright killed! For goodness sakes, he had a knife!”

“I didn’t know he had a knife!” Lacie protested. “And... I didn’t think at all!”

“Damned right you didn’t,” Gene fired back hotly.

Lacie sighed, trying again. “I mean, I didn’t mean on going after him. I just... when I saw him running towards me, I just... reacted. If I’d had time to stop and think about it, I would have run in the other direction!” She shook her head. “And I have no idea why.”

Gene thought for a moment. “Well... you were on your way to bring back the kids from the sandbox for lunch when the mugger came towards you. Maybe it was... a mother’s protective thing? Maternal instincts and such? Rather than take the chance that he might hurt the children, you went after him that way to keep the kids safe.”

Lacie nodded slowly. “Yeah. Maybe that was it.” It seemed the most logical explanation, the reason that made the most sense. But somehow, I don’t really think so. If it was just some kind of maternal instinct kicking in, I should have felt something... some kind of fear response or something... some sense that the kids were in danger. I felt none of that. I felt nothing at all. One minute I’m grumbling about my stepmom, heading over to bring Katie and Jimmy to lunch, the next thing I know I’m sitting up from the ground where I’d just flying tackled a thief.

Silence filled the car as they pulled to a stop across from a construction site. Finally, Gene said. “Alright then. Let’s not speak about this any more. Over and done with. Just promise me you won’t take any crazy risks like that ever again.” The flagman waved them through, and he started the car moving again. “You agree with me, right, love? Honey? Lacie?”

Lacie sat frozen, staring out the window at the crosswalk. A barrier had been set up in front of the construction worksite, complete with warning lights to warn people away. One of the barrier lights must have shorted out, however; the yellow light on the left side was completely dark, and the red light on the other side was blinking rapidly. It was the flashing red light that had captured her attention, and she stared deep into it, completely fascinated.

Mesmerized by it.

Red.

Red.

“Lacie, are ye alright?” Gene asked, worried now. He pulled over onto the side of the road, and turned to his spellbound wife. “Lacie, this isnae funny!” He waved a hand in front of her unblinking eyes. “Damn it, lass, say something!”

RED.

A million images flooded Lacie’s mind, memories, images, sights and sounds, all tinged in bright pulsing red. Suddenly she began to seize, shuddering violently, her back arching as a wave of tremors wracked her body. Her eyes rolled up into her head, and she twisted violently, held in place only by her seatbelt. Panicked, Gene grabbed her as best he could, trying to keep from her banging her head against the window. “Lacie! Oh merciful God in heaven! Honey! Wake up! Wake up!”

Gene quickly shut off the car. He managed to unbuckle her seatbelt, and pulled her into him. Scared, more frightened than he’d been in his life, even moreso than in the park hours before, he held tightly to her, praying that whatever was happening to her would be over soon...