Chapter 24: A Passionate Journey
"Rhys Parks?" After the two train conductors had left, the young woman sat back down, leaning elegantly against her chair as she lit a cigarette. "Staff Sergeant?"
"Yes," Rhys managed a slight smile and a nod, but said nothing more. Even in the presence of such a beautiful woman, he wasn't in the mood to talk. The sudden departure from his familiar barracks and his comrades had left him feeling emotionally unsettled.
Seeing that Rhys wasn't speaking and was just staring out the window, the young woman narrowed her eyes and began to study him closely.
Rhys knew the girl was watching him, but he didn't mind. He just felt mentally weary, and he gently closed his eyes.
***
'BOOM!' Dirt and debris flew everywhere. Several figures flickered in front of him, the bright gleam of their blades radiating a cold chill in the hazy fog.
A comrade was right in front of him, blocking the path of that cold light. Blood splattered across his face, so fresh he could still feel its warmth.
"NO—" Zhang Xiang let out a heart-wrenching roar and tried to stand, but the butt of a rifle slammed into his head. He felt a loud ringing in his ears.
'CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!'
The immense kinetic energy of the Desert Eagle in his hand struck the men surrounding him, sending them flying backward.
"Brother Xiang—" Suddenly, a panicked voice cried out from behind him.
When Zhang Xiang turned, he saw two tall figures raising their AK-47s, spitting fire at him.
'THUMP. THUMP. THUMP…'
The dull sound of bullets hitting a human body. A body went limp and fell into his arms—it was the comrade whose panicked voice he had just heard. Zhang Xiang drew his combat knife and lunged, the tip of the blade piercing the throat of one of the figures, who made a gurgling, gasping sound. The other man tried to raise his rifle, but Zhang Xiang pulled his knife free, flinging droplets of blood into the air.
'Spurt—' A short, desperate sound came from the man's throat, and he fell to the ground, convulsing.
"Surrender," a voice called from a distance in stilted Mandarin. "You are surrounded!" Hazy figures moved all around them. Zhang Xiang knelt, looking down at the comrade who had fallen, the one who had taken the bullets for him.
"Live… on…" the comrade's lips moved, the light slowly fading from his eyes.
"AHHH—" Zhang Xiang felt as if his chest were about to explode. He leaped to his feet, raised his pistol and his QBZ-95 assault rifle, and began to fire wildly.
The figures falling around him seemed like wooden logs.
'BOOM—' A few more explosions erupted around him. The massive shockwave threw him to the ground, his back slamming hard against the earth. And then he saw the dark, gaping muzzles of rifles, flashing continuously at him.
***
"NO—" Rhys's head shot up, and he looked around in a panic.
Soft lights. The rhythmic click-clack of the train.
"Did you have a nightmare?" a gentle voice asked from across the aisle.
"I'm sorry," Rhys said, giving the young woman an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you. My apologies."
The young woman smiled at him. "It's nothing." Then, she looked as if she wanted to say something more, but hesitated.
Rhys noticed her expression and smiled. "Is there something I can help you with, Miss?"
The young woman replied, "I'm just a little curious. Are you with the paratroopers at Fort Benning?"
"Well—how should I put it?" Rhys wasn't sure how to answer. "I'm not, at least not yet. But maybe one day I'll be a real paratrooper."
"Sir?" The young woman was clearly confused.
"I know it's a little hard to understand, but the truth is, I'm just a paratrooper-in-training who hasn't finished yet and hasn't earned his silver wings," Rhys explained honestly.
"I see," the young woman said, nodding with a smile. She then took out a newspaper, which had the photo of Rhys receiving his medal. She pointed at the picture. "This is you? Rhys Parks?"
"Yes, Miss," Rhys said with a slight cough.
"Virginia Grey," the young woman said, extending her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine," Rhys said, gently shaking her soft, fair hand. "I'm very happy to meet you, too. You're one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen."
Virginia Grey seemed to enjoy the compliment. Just then, a waiter came by, and Virginia snapped her fingers. "Two glasses of the 1896 Bordeaux."
The waiter quickly brought the wine. "Care for a glass? My treat," Virginia said with an elegant smile, lifting her glass and gesturing slightly toward Rhys.
"To what shall we drink?" Rhys asked, raising his own glass.
"To our first meeting," Virginia said with a small smile. "And to our next one."
***
Like many handsome men and beautiful women who meet by chance, a spark ignited the moment their glasses touched. Rhys felt a strong attraction to the lovely Miss Grey, and it seemed Miss Grey was intentionally cultivating a passionate atmosphere.
"Oh—God, God!" Virginia's pale, naked body writhed on the narrow bed. She was like an octopus, her white arms and long legs wrapped around Rhys's head and locked around his waist.
Virginia's gasps mingled with Rhys's low growls, the bed in the private train compartment creaking loudly, accompanied by the clatter of the tracks, as if they would never know fatigue.
"Ah—" Virginia's long legs, wrapped around Rhys's waist, suddenly straightened, like two pillars of soft, white jade. Her delicate toes curled tightly as a long, soulful cry of climax tore from the depths of her soul.
"Oh—" After a final, powerful thrust, Rhys held her soft body tight against his.
"That was amazing," Virginia whispered, her body still entwined with his. She was reluctant to separate herself from him, from this man whose powerful body had brought her such ecstasy.
Rhys chuckled, then patted her hip. "Are you heading to Washington?"
"Yes. It was just a coincidence that I was passing through Atlanta, and so we met," Virginia said, resting her face on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. "Perhaps we'll have a chance to meet again."
"Perhaps," Rhys nodded. After all, their destination was the same.
"I heard you're on your way to promote war bonds," Virginia said, suddenly looking up at him. "You're about to become a celebrity all across America. Don't you have any thoughts about that?"
Rhys shook his head. "No. It's just promoting bonds, that's all. I don't want to be a celebrity. I just want to go back to my company. That's all I want, Virginia. I want to fight alongside the brothers in my company."
"Is it that simple?" Virginia propped herself up, looking at him with disbelief. "Don't you think this might be an opportunity for you to achieve fame and success?"
Rhys thought for a moment, then shook his head firmly. "Honestly, I do want those things—fame, status, money. But everyone has different priorities. Maybe I'll need those things in the future, but right now, before the war is over, I just want to go back to my company, and then go to Europe with my brothers. That's where I'm needed."
It wasn't that Rhys didn't want the opportunity, but he knew that on this war bond tour, he was just a tool. Once the tour was over, it was unlikely he'd get another chance. Besides, he knew that many of the officers and soldiers who had become famous from previous war bond tours, despite their temporary glory, had mostly faded into obscurity in the end.
"You really are a good man," Virginia said, her voice losing some of its liveliness. The words even carried a hint of sarcasm. But Rhys didn't care. They were just two strangers putting on an act during a chance encounter. Both he and Virginia understood that. As for her talk of meeting again, that could wait. He was sure their paths would not cross often.
After that, they were like a pair of sweet lovers, sipping fine wine in the train's dining car and making love on the small bed in the sleeper compartment.
They were both so infatuated with each other's bodies that when the train finally arrived at the station in Washington, the journey felt all too short.
"We will meet again. I'm sure of it," Virginia said as she bid him farewell. She then joined several men in well-tailored suits, got into a black Ford sedan, and drove away.
Rhys shook his head and smiled. 'Meet again?' He didn't have much hope for that. And even if they did, what then? A fleeting pleasure between strangers couldn't last.
He stood on the station platform, took a deep breath of the city air, straightened his uniform, and picked up his bag.
*****
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