Men and Angels (Seraphs book 1)

Chapter fourteen

Stewart blinked a few times, sat up slowly and took a look around him. He'd half expected to find himself back in the first room he'd found himself in. But although he was no longer in the corridor, the room he was in wasn't that one. It contained no furniture, not even a bed. It was also somewhat larger than that one, and he wasn't the only one in there. Stewart stared over at the man sitting on the floor a little way from him. Stewart thought he looked like Hazel. But was it him. Sophia had told him all his friends were dead, and he had seen Ricky's apparently dead body. So was this Hazel or just an elusion created by the controllers of this ship. Looking at him as he sat silent and unmoving, it was hard to tell. Stewart thought it would have been easier if he'd still been able to communicate telepathically. But as he couldn't, all he could do was sit and wait to see what the thing that looked like Hazel would do.
Hazel sat staring at Stewart, or, he thought, the thing that looked like Stewart. although he hadn't been able to sense any of their minds, he'd had a feeling he was very close to finding one of his companions ever since he found that flower lying in the corridor. But all through the long lonely time he'd spent searching this vast empty craft he hadn't been able to make mental contact with any of them. Hazel took the small dry flower out of his pocket and looked at it. He knew it was a flower off one of Loran's plants. Although he had no idea which of his companions had left it in the corridor. Hazel looked over at him. May be it had been Stewart. Presuming the thing sitting on the other side of the room was Stewart. He couldn't be sure of that, especially as he hadn't been able to speak telepathically to him. Hazel pulled himself to his feet,. He'd never find out if he was really Stewart if he didn't go over to him.
As soon as he saw Hazel stand up, Stewart did the same. So they were near the middle of the room when they met. Holding out the flower on the palm of his hand, Hazel looked over at Stewart. "Did you drop this in the corridor?" he asked.
Moving closer, Stewart stared down at the tiny white flower. "Yes I did," he said. Stewart paused some time. "Will you let me kiss you?"
Hazel stood staring at Stewart. So many strange things had happened recently he still wasn't sure if he was who he appeared to be. But Hazel thought kissing him might be one way of finding out the truth. Slipping the flower back in to his pocket, he stepped closer and allowed Stewart to gather him in to his arms.
Hazel didn't try and stop him when Stewart pushed his tongue deep in to his mouth. Moving even closer and pulling Stewart closer, he curled his tongue around Stewart's. When Hazel felt Stewart's hand go down inside the back of his trousers, he gave a little shiver, but didn't pull away. Nor did he do anything to stop him when Stewart thrust two of his fingers up in to his anus. All he did was close his eyes and go on kissing him. Only when Stewart removed his hand and thrust his fingers under Hazel's nose did Hazel release him and step back. "I really wish you wouldn't do that, Stewart," he said a little petulantly. "You know I don't like having my own smell thrust in to my face like that."
Stewart took out a tissue and wiped his fingers. "Yes, I know that, Hazel," he said putting the tissue away. "But at least now I'm fairly sure you are who you appear to be."
"Was that why you did that?" Hazel asked. "Couldn't you have just spoken telepathically to me? Then you'd have been sure I am who I appear to be."
Stewart shook his head. "if I could have Hazel, I would have done that," he said a little sadly. "But I seem to have lost the ability to communicate telepathically."
"Does that mean you've also lost your ability to know where in time you are?" Hazel asked, looking rather worried, and remembering how important such a thing was for a time traveller.
"Yes it does," Stewart said. Stewart paused and stood looking at Hazel. "Can you still communicate telepathically?" he asked.
"I think so," Hazel said. "Although so far I haven't been able to contact any of the others. Before I came in to this room and found you lying here, I was beginning to think that you and they were all dead."
Stewart thought about this. "Although I don't think there's anything I can do to get my telepathic powers back, you might be able to do something to get them back for me, Hazel,. I have a feeling there's some kind of barrier stopping me reaching them. A barrier you might be able to get through."
"If I can, I will," Hazel said, "what would you like me to do?"
"I'd like you to look deep in to my eyes," Stewart said. "Although it may not do any good, at present I can't think what else we can do. I won't object to looking at you, Hazel, my love."
"Hazel blushed a little and stared down at the floor. Moving closer to Stewart and putting his hands on his shoulders, he looked deep in to Stewart's eyes.
At first all he was aware of was Stewart's soft regular breathing. All he could see were Stewart's dark brown eyes. Then as he relaxed and concentrated on the black pupils of the eyes, everything changed.
Hazel stared around him, wondering where he was. Not that there was much to see. He was in almost total darkness. Although there was very little light in this strange place, there was some. He saw it was all coming from narrow gaps around a near by door. Beyond that door it wasn't just not dark. Considering how much light was pouring out through the tiny gaps between the door and its frame, it must be very brightly lit in there. Hazel went over to the door. Taking hold of the handle, he tried to pull it open. But although he could get the handle to turn, he couldn't make the door move. Letting go of the handle, Hazel stood looking at the door. Although he didn't know why, he knew he had to get this door open. Taking hold of the handle again, he turned it and gave the door another hard pull. Hazel let go of the handle again. That hadn't achieved anything. Hazel stood thinking. Perhaps he was doing it all wrong. Taking hold of the handle for a third time, he turned it again. This time he didn't pull the door, instead he gave it a very firm push.
The door came open much easier than Hazel had expected it to. Stumbling forward, he fell rather than walked in to the room beyond it. For a while he lay on the floor. Then pulling himself up, he sat looking around him. Staring around him, he wondered what this place was. It was certainly a very peculiar place. It was impossible to say how large this room was. Sometimes it seemed to be very small. Then when he turned his head a little it seemed to grow till he was not even sure if he was inside a room. Then there were the images that flickered around him. Some of them were very strange. All of them seemed to shift and change as he looked at them. One thing he was fairly sure about was that he'd find Stewart somewhere in this chaos. Getting to his feet a little unsteadily, he went looking for him. Hazel found walking in this strange place where nothing stayed the same for more than an instant very difficult. More than once he found himself walking in to things that hadn't been there a moment before, or going down stairs that vanished when he was half way down them. When he eventually found him, Stewart was lying on the ground,. When Hazel crouched down to take a look at him, he saw his hands were tied behind his back and there was a bag over his head.
Hazel knelt down on the floor,. After taking a look at the rope around Stewart's arms, he began to untie it. Not that doing this was very easy. What Stewart's arms were bound with was a snake not a rope. He soon found if he didn't keep a firm hold of it, it knotted itself back around Stewart's arms. Eventually he managed to pull it off. Raising it above his head, he flung it away from him. Taking hold of the bag that covered Stewart's head, he pulled it off and dropped it on the floor before turning Stewart over and helping him to sit up. "Are you alright, Stewart?" he asked, taking hold of Stewart's hands and looking closely at him.
"Yes, I'm fine now, Hazel," Stewart said.
Hazel blinked and looked around him. He was back in the space ship. More importantly, Stewart had spoken telepathically to him. Hazel flung his arms around Stewart and hugged him. "it's wonderful to be able to speak telepathically to you again," he said, speaking silently. "Now I know for sure you're real and not just another elusion."
Stewart kissed Hazel and smiled at him. "Now," he said, still speaking telepathically, "I think we should go and find the others."
"Do you know where they are?" Hazel silently asked.
"yes, I do," Stewart silently said. "Although I have a feeling those controlling this ship are going to make finding them as hard as possible."