An Angel For Bishop: Part 1

When two damaged souls collide can they find salvation.

In 4 parts, based on a post by BurntRedstone.
Listen to the
Podcast at Steamy Stories.

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Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, 2010

Chapter 1

The early
winter storm raged and thrashed across the mountain range. It seemed especially
angry with the narrow mountainside road Dan was cautiously driving his jeep on.
The fierce winds fought to push the jeep across the icy road into the deep
ravine below. If it wasn't for the heavy tire chains he'd installed at the base
of the mountain he'd already be tumbling down that cliff.

He hadn't
intended on being away from his cabin at all before the winter storms arrived.
He'd discovered that some of his med kit supplies had expired and needed
replacing before he was snowed in for the season. It was definitely a bad idea
to skimp on medical supplies when you had no access to a hospital, or doctors,
for up to four months. And since he was in town anyway he'd decided to stock up
on extra food as, you know, no grocery stores in his neighborhood. With the
sudden arrival of what was turning out to be a monster storm he was in danger
of not making it back to his neighborhood at all.

He knew
the road behind him was empty of cars as he'd been the last one through before
the highway patrol closed the gates to the mountain road. By now the road
behind would be completely impassable so there was no going back. Not that he
intended to. Not when he was almost at his turn off. From the curving mountain
road he'd be turning uphill, driving up a rough fire road for two miles then
into an even more rugged trail for another mile through the forest to his
house. If the storm picked up any more even his customized jeep with its extra
clearance wouldn't make it beyond the highway and he'd have to snowshoe in the
remaining distance. That was not something he was looking forward to.

Dan's
jeep ground its way along the snowy road getting closer and closer to the fire
road. A short time later he rounded the last bend and spotted the road marker
indicating his turn was just ahead. On his right side was a thin strip of trees
and beyond that nothing but sky. It was a scary section of road with minimal
guard rails. It paid to take extra care here.

He almost
missed spotting the body in the tree as he drove past. Dan's subconscious mind
latched onto the image and his foot was pressing carefully on the brake before
his conscious mind knew why. Once he stopped he looked back over his shoulder
to confirm what he'd seen. It wasn't just an odd shadow or a clump of branches.
He could clearly see a body leaning into the branches of one of the trees
dangling over the edge of the cliff. He put the jeep in park with the engine
still running, set the hazards on, and cranked the heat up to full. He pulled
his hood up and gloves on before he stepped out of the warm cabin of his jeep
into the wailing storm.

He made
his way to the back of the jeep and looked again at where the body was in the
tree. He'd have to climb up to get it and that was going to be risky. He pulled
his climbing rope out of the back hatch of the jeep and stepped into the
harness. Once secured, he tied the end of the rope to the trailer hitch and
quickly made his way over to the side of the road. He could see the short
section of guard rail had been slammed into, bent over, and broken off. It
rested precariously on the edge. There was very little evidence of skid marks
as the snow was blowing very hard by this point. He cautiously stepped forward
and looked over the edge. Not too far below, maybe 50 feet, he saw the remains
of one of those trike motorcycles. What kind of moron would be driving a
motorcycle this late in the season? Just to the left of the wrecked bike and
sprawled across a broken spruce tree stretching out over the abyss was the
moron. Dan could see his legs were bent at an unnatural angle. Hell, his torso
was bent wrong as well. Most likely his back was broken. The blizzard was
making it very difficult to see the man clearly but he thought he could make
out some kind of emblem on the ripped leather jacket. It could be a Blood
Brothers jacket but he wasn't sure. Christ, he hoped not. If he was from that
gang he was a LONG way from home.

Dan
called out to see if the man was still alive but either the storm was whipping
the sound of his voice away or the man was dead. He looked up at the body in
the tree and realized the helmet had moved to look in his direction so this one
was definitely still alive. From here he couldn't tell if it was a slim man or
a woman. The baggy leathers made it impossible to tell accurately. He took a
few more steps towards the tree and saw its roots were deeply entangled with
the rough cliff side. He judged it to be sturdy enough to support his weight if
he climbed up. Just as he prepared to step off onto the tree he heard the
unmistakable sound of a gunshot followed by a feminine cry. He looked up and saw
the right sleeve of the leather jacket was torn and there was blood dripping
from it. Dan looked down and saw the man below was holding a gun and was
struggling to hold it steady. When he saw it swing towards him he flung himself
back from the edge. A second shot rang out digging through the ground where
he'd just stood.

"What
the fuck are you doing?!?" Dan yelled over the edge. "I'm here to
rescue you!"

"The
bitch is mine! She dies with ME!" he heard the man reply. Another shot was
fired but this one hit a branch to the woman's left. The man was deranged! Dan
wouldn't be able to get to her before the maniac below hit something vital. And
if Dan tried to climb out there he would likely be the target of the next
bullet. He'd taken enough bullets in his life. He had to stop him. Quick!

He
frantically looked around for a weapon, something he could use to stop the
idiot with the gun. Another shot rang out and the woman's helmet snapped to the
side as the bullet grazed it. The only thing Dan saw was the broken section of
guard rail. He reached down and with a huge effort lifted it above his head. It
was damn heavy as chunks of two posts were still attached. Dan shuffled to the
cliff's edge just above where the man was. He heaved the metal beam and lumber
over the edge and watched as it fell.

The man
squealed in terror as the plummeting chunk of steel and lumber rushed down to
crash into his broken body. It tore him and most of the spruce tree from the
cliff face and they all fell hundreds of feet onto the rocks below. The crushed
trike, which had been braced by the tree, slowly slid off the small ledge and
tumbled after its owner.

Dan
quickly stepped out onto the tree and climbed up to the woman. He called out
but she was limp and leaning into the tree. He saw that one of the branches had
pierced her shoulder, pinning her in place. It probably saved her from falling
to her death. The branch hadn't gone all the way through. He strapped her to
his harness then he gently pulled her loose from the branch. Luck was on her
side again. There was very little blood so nothing major had been hit by the
branch.

She was
unexpectedly light. Dan got a good grip then descended the tree with her and
pulled her backwards onto the road. Once safely away from the cliff he untied
her and removed his harness. He scooped her up and carried her to the passenger
side of the jeep. Once the door was open he slid her limp body onto the seat
and pushed the seat back into its reclined position. Closing the door he raced
around the back of the jeep, dropped the rope and harness through the hatch and
got back into the driver's side. His face stung from the interior heat but
after a few seconds it started to feel really good.

Dan reached
into the back seat and grabbed one of the new packages of bandage wrap. He used
his belt knife to open the package and cut a section off. He did a quick field
dressing on both her arm and the puncture wound on her shoulder. He reached
under her helmet and pressed his fingers to her neck. Her pulse was a little
weak but it seemed steady. Her skin was so cold! Looking at the bandages he
realized it was all he could do for now. He really had to get her back to his
house if he was going to save her from freezing to death.

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