The Last Love Of Arthur Morgan

The Devil is Everywhere

As he turned away from the house and relit his cigar, Sadie clenched her fists. He was watching Lorna!

It all made sense as to why he practically relocated to the shack out behind the plantation. And the funny thing is, no one ever questioned it. 

She shook her head and left in a hurry, not wanting to stick around and get caught. Though she wouldn't mind putting a knife to his throat, she'd wait and give Arthur that pleasure.

...

Lorna was on laundry duty with Tilly, while Karen decided to drink herself into a drunken stupor at eleven in the morning. Mary-Beth was off writing, waiting for second shift and Mrs. Grimshaw was sipping her coffee, ready to bite if anyone got out of line. 

With Sean and Kieran gone now, the camp felt different. Empty almost. If it wasn't Sean's big mouth early in the morning or Kieran's sweet, gentle one, they fell short. The gang needed a Sean and Kieran to even it out. 

After Lorna wrung out one of Arthur's shirts, she stood up and stretched her back. She needed more water to continue the wash, so she picked up the soap filled bucket and carried it to the swamp out back. They boiled the water before use, because it'd be senseless if they didn't. 

Since Lily was taking a nap upstairs Lorna kept an ear out. Although Lorna knew she needed it, she still worried being so far away from her. There were plenty of ways to easily access the house and the front entrance was just one way. But she had to trust that she would be ok away from her or nothing would ever get accomplished.

She knelt down beside the water, keeping a keen eye on her surroundings as she filled the bucket. She didn't need a gator or snake sneaking up behind her. 

Arthur would be coming home tonight, Lorna mused. It was a hard enough night without him, and she didn't want to spend another night alone.

Her heart swelled with the thought of hugging him, feeling his arms tighten around her waist, his breath against her neck-

A twig crunched behind her and thinking it was a gator, she bounded to her feet and spun around, her hand reaching for her pistol. But whatever it was must've run off. Her heart was drumming in her ears and at the moment, it was all she could hear. 

The next thing she knew, a hand clamped over her mouth and strong arms were pulling her over the narrow half sunken bridge. The bucket was long forgotten on shore. 

The alligators hissed as they watched Lorna's unknown assailant drag her squirming body away. She hoped that would frighten him, but he was obviously well acquainted with them.

Panicked, she dug her finger nails into his arms, but his grip only tightened around her.

Fearing that she would die, she began to writhe around, trying to break free, but to no avail. She began slapping his face - she knew this was a man because he felt masculine.

He gripped her wrists and threw her to the ground like a sack of potatoes. She yelped, falling with a hard thud, smacking the corner of her head on a tree root. The man loomed over her as she lay there, trying to get her vision to clear. 

He pulled out a knife and the glint of steal reflected in the sunlight. Lorna somehow managed to reclaim her vision and jammed her leg in between his legs.

This time he yelled and fell to the ground. She scrambled for his knife and just as she reached for it, a hand wrapped around her ankle. 

"Lorna!" Arthur's voice bellowed.

"ARTHUR!" She screamed, kicking the assailant in the face with her boot. 

This gave her enough time to crawl to the knife, but her unknown assailant reached for her legs again and tugged her back.