The Permutation

Apex (Part 4) Michelle

Saturday, November 5th, 12:45 a.m.

It had taken Michelle and Perry hours to find their way out of the sprawling caverns below Lancet Falls. It reminded Michelle of the myth of Minos, the part of the Minotaur played by an enormous, mutated mama badger.

A weariness had settled over her limbs that her nap had done little to alleviate. Perry tried engaging in small talk to lighten the trip, and help distract them from the suffocating darkness, but Michelle wasn't in a talking mood. She was not accustomed to talking to someone after having sex, or even feeling emotions afterwards. She didn't like how easily Perry had puts cracks in the foundations of her carefully crafted fortress of emotional solitude.

Michelle Trick #6 - Feelings are a hindrance best left for the weak.

Whoops.

At some point in the journey, Perry's flashlight ran out of batteries, and they made the trek sans eyes. Michelle preferred it that way. She didn't have to look at his perfect face, or the vulnerability she painted all over his features. She had a feeling she had a matching one on hers, and the last thing she needed was anyone seeing that side of her. After this adventure, Michelle and Ron were going to put Lancet Falls in their rearview mirror. She could finish writing the story in Boise.

Every once and awhile, Michelle still felt the rumbling, but it was in the distance and posed no threat to either of them. She smiled when she thought of Ron, and how much he would love something like that. A one of a kind animal species that only two humans had ever seen. Boy was he going to be jealous.

But first, Ron had to get over being pissed. He had waited patiently in the opening to the tunnel, his water and food long since exhausted, "Jesus Meesh! When I said get a room, I didn't mean an underground cavern," Ron said, only half-joking, even when he was mad he had a hard time not lightening the mood with his sense of humor.

Michelle and Perry looked at their feet.

"Wait, you actually did it?" He asked, "I know it's been awhile Meesh, but it couldn't have waited until after we got out of the creepy tunnel?"

"You're just cranky because it's past your bedtime," Michelle said looking out at the inky blackness of the night's sky, "We can pick back up our investigation tomorrow."

Without Officer Durant.

"Excellent idea Miss Kim. I'm going to go see if Rachel's come home yet. If not, I'm going to file a missing person's report. It's a little early, but I want to get ahead of this. See ya'll tomorrow," he said with an exaggerated country twang and tipping his cap to Ron and Michelle.

"It's already tomorrow, you jackass," Ron muttered to himself, an edgy undertone to his normal good humor.

Perry had brought a rope and tied it to a fence post outside. He climbed out first and helped the others up to the top. Michelle resented the help, just because they'd slept together didn't mean she had to put up with his chauvinist crap.

I can take care of myself.

When she reached the top, he winked at her, but instead of slapping him, she felt the blood rush to her cheeks. Michelle hoped the darkness hid the flush in her cheeks.

The group bid each other farewell, but as Perry was shutting the door to his cruiser, a black truck hauled down the country road into the gravel entrance to the drive-in. That's when Michelle noticed a raging wind storm that seemed localized to the drive-in.

The wind where she, Ron, and Perry stood was no different than a normal, miserable Idaho night, but something different was happening at the drive-in. Against her better judgement, Michelle asked, "Should we go check that out?"