Rektor watched as Alexis waded out into the bay by the coast. They had traveled for hours after the battle. They didn’t speak of the events; in fact, they didn’t speak at all. Alexis went about cleaning the blood off her hands, arms, face from the killings she had committed in the name of hope and chance. Rektor did the same but two thoughts kept going in his head running along like a winded marathon runner. The man who was eaten alive by the gig and Alexis losing control and becoming a force of nature.
Rektor was on his own for five years when he saw the storm. He traveled often in the early years of his banishment. From his readings, he knew that he had seen the Atlantic and Pacific. He had seen clans from across the land which was formally known as the United States of America. To Rektor the travel made the pain of being banished more bearable. Hethought of a place known as Texas before growth and the storm. He had seen storms and how the woman handled storms. The biggest would lie down but for the most part not a concern was paid to it. The largest would be damped, nothing more, it was if they didn’t fear nature.
He was observing a woman clan which had the most 60 footers he had ever seen. They didn’t notice him, Rektor had worked on his stealth and by this time he had developed his rule number 8 and was always looking for a free meal. He watched them and was in awe of their strength, the biggest of trees and rocks were picked up by these women. They were stronger than any woman he had seen before (this changed obviously when he met his love) and their muscles were tone and sexy. They pick up boulders the size of hills to Rektor and their biceps would expand and become the length of Rektor himself. As they picked up the massive over their heads to place it upon the wall they were building Rektor saw their mid-section. Every abdominal muscle was defined. Whereas Alexis had abdominals but they were covered by a sexy layer of skin these women were all muscle to a point that veins were seen pulsing as they went about their work. Rektor at the time wondered at the time watching these Amazons go about their work what force on Earth could stop them? Three days later he had his answer.
That day started much like any other day. Rektor would sneak around and grab some leftovers of food to keep himself fed. Then he would admire the muscular woman from a distance and pick up on their culture. Like all women clans the largest were always in charge. The difference about today was the clouds in the distance and the feeling in the air. Rektor never understood it but he guessed it had something to do with being a leaper but he could always tell if a storm was coming. If your life depended on being able to jump large distances in the air you would want to know if the wind was going to give you help during the leap. It was a feeling but he followed rule #1 and had an escape route if he needed one.
The hours went by and the storm got closer and closer but the woman didn’t give it a second thought until it had arrived. Rektor and the woman alike watched in horror as the clouds started to spin, yes spin. They descended whirling and contacted the ground causing it to explode. The woman tried to run but it was too late. The wind picked up the boulder which the woman strained to pick up. The wind did this with ease hurling the granite into woman. They were powerless to stop the environment. Some of the woman decide they couldn’t survive and tried to run for it but Mother Nature had a different plan. Like a Mountain Lion chasing a rabbit the twister turned and chased the escaping Amazons. One by one they were sucked up only to be dropped dead by the cyclone.
As quickly as the storm appeared it vanished leaving miles of destruction that Rektor had never seen. He walked the path and found that he was the only survivor. The strength that he had admired so much in the woman paled in comparison to this force of nature. It was almost like Mother Nature had decided to send a warning, reminder, memo to the world. There is never a force stronger than Nature when she decides to lose control.
Rektor watched as Alexis cleaned the blood from herself. He thought back to the Amazon which ate the man. Alexis was 30 feet taller but she would never do that to him, but she could if she wanted. He remembered how Alexis had lost control when she decreed they didn’t deserve mercy. How the neck was effortlessly snapped by Alexis in one swift kick of her foot. How she grabbed two of the 45-foot woman and picked them up by their necks. Alexis let out a slow grunt and with as much force as she needed swung their heads together. As the foreheads made contact they couldn’t withstand the force which Alexis could apply. They gave and as Alexis dropped the lifeless bodies to the ground where there was once a face only a smear remained.
A force of nature is what Alexis could be if she lost control. Only the tornado had been more destructive than Alexis Rektor thought. The smallest kind of woman are 30 feet. They are normally spared from battle but they are exceptional at recon. A few of them have even tracked Rektor. However, when the one 30 foot was grabbed by Alexis her pleas of mercy were ignored. For if she survived she would tell her clan and the possibilities described by Sarah would be exterminated. Rektor watched as Alexis grabbed onto the ankle and swung her mighty arm up towards the sky. As the 30 foot was vertical and Alexis’s arm was fully extended the muscles contracted and bulged and all the force Alexis could muster was put into the downward swing. The whistle of the air as the body reached maximum velocity just before it hit the ground, the high pitch scream from the woman all echoed in the air. The sound of bones breaking along with the thud of the impact was too reminiscent to the tornado for Rektor’s liking. A force of nature.
“Rektor, are you ok?” Alexis could tell that he was deep in thought. She didn’t know exactly what but a guess would be her and the battle. Truth be told she didn’t believe what she had down either until she wiped the dried blood from her body. As a girl, she was taught combat but only against the men. This was as far as what was considered acceptable in her old clan. But what was the alternative? Let Rektor and the others die just so she can keep with the old rules made by people who died long before she took her first breath.
“I’m just thinking.” Alexis didn’t have to be a mind reader to know the two things Rektor was thinking about. How the one woman ate the man bones and all and the actions of Alexis in the battle. Alexis was sickened by the actions of that woman who ate that man. It kept replaying within her head.
“Rektor” Alexis slowly walked back to the shore of the bay and sat on the beach. She wrapped her massive fingers around Rektor’s torso and brought him up to eye level. This was still a new sensation for both but Alexis has worked on her strength control and Rektor has learned to suppress his mind from screaming rule number one have an escape plan. “I love you Rektor.”
“I love you too” was replied by Rektor as he hugged Alexis thumb which was one of the few things on Alexis body that he could wrap his arms around. Alexis slowly lowered her lower onto his knee and gathered her thoughts. It was Rektor who said that he learned from reading the old books that good couples never go to bed without saying what they need to say. Alexis was feeling sleepy so to be that good couple the book talked about she needed to say what she felt.
“Babe” the books always had lovers call each other babe, Alexis wanted to try. “When I saw that woman pick up that poor man and eat him.” Alexis stopped and looked away. Rektor seeing her struggle to say what she needed to jumped from her knee where she had placed him after their hug and landed on her shoulder. He slowly caressed her neck to make her more comfortable. “I could only picture that it was you she had eaten. The man was taller than you and had broader shoulders but she, she didn’t see him as a person. It was nothing more than a cruel way of killing something she saw as less.” Tears, gallon size tears started to form slowly rolling down her cheek. They reached her chin and gravity took over as they were pulled to the ground slowly forming a puddle. “I love you Rektor and I think I can learn to love Sarah and the rest. I don’t want to lose you or anyone I care about ever again.” Rektor tried his best to look Alexis in the eye but she had turned her head almost in embarrassment for letting her emotions out. For being a force of nature hours earlier she was at this moment at her weakest emotionally Rektor thought.
“Alexis, look at me please.” As he slides down her arm because she wouldn’t be able to see him a top her shoulder. Alexis instantly opened her palm to allow Rektor to stand on her hand. Alexis slowly turned her head and her big beautiful eyes ended up gazing into Rektor’s. He cleared his throat and thought of the words he would need to use to reassure her but to also make sure he got his thoughts across. He knew it was foolish to think of Alexis eating him but still it was a thought.
“Alexis, I have thought of you and the power you have. I have only one thing to compare it to and it was nature and you’re a close second. I love you but when you lost control I can tell I can’t stop you. Sometimes we are going to need you to lose control if you are serious about helping Sarah. I know you will never hurt me but I would be lying if I said I didn’t worry about being eaten by a woman and today just reaffirmed that I must be careful.” The second Rektor said it he knew he made a mistake and his words weren’t chosen wisely. Rektor thought if people before growth had misspoken to their wives like he just did. “What I mean babe is, I know you will always protect me and never hurt me but when you’re not around I must remember my limitations in life.” Rektor saw a slow nod coming from Alexis.
Both exchanged an I love you and realized that starting the relationship was the easy part it is maintaining it which was hard. As they continued their journey a few surprises about the other became apparent and refreshing after the battle. For Rektor it was just how determined Alexis was not just from the battle but from her resolve to learn how to read and soak up as much information she could from before growth. For Alexis, it was just how resourceful Rektor was in life. He was always able to find new books and even found glass he called it or lenses which could magnify the books so he could teach her to read. They never went hungry as he could track his own food and was adept at using ropes and nets to go fishing. The two gained a new respect for each other as they talked and shared stories of their past. Truth be told they started using the conversation to distract from the beeper they could use to notify Sarah but it became much more than filler, it brought them closer together like the couples which were talked about in the books.