TOMB HUNTER

The Adventures of Larra Court

Episode 8

Larra and the Aryan Nightmare

Chapter 1 Sturm

Cairo, September 1940.

Larra studied the glowing blue gem in her hand. She wondered about the limits of the huge sapphire’s power. That it could heal, she understood very well. But what else could it do? She sighed. Well, it wasn’t up to her to find out. Reluctantly she placed it in the specially constructed box provided by the British Foreign Service. “It’s all yours, Lord Hamilton,” she said to the middle-aged civil servant who waited on the other side of the carved teak table. It seemed strange to be giving up an artifact of such power to someone she had only just met. But her job was over. She had found what she had been sent to find and much more as well. She had unforgettable memories of the exotic lost Nubian civilizations she had stumbled upon. Not all of them pleasant. She and her companions had suffered a great deal to obtain the mystic gem known as the Eye of Thoth. To simply give it away did not seen right somehow, but it was what she had been sent to do, and if it would help defeat Hitler and Mussolini then it would all be worthwhile. At least she thought it would be worthwhile. Some of the memories of her Saharan adventure would remain as nightmares for some time to come.

She pushed back her chair and got to her feet. “Well, I will be going now. My companions are waiting for me back at the hotel.” The Eye of Thoth would go with Lord Hamilton. She and her companions would be returning to England overland, first to Khartoum and them by plane to West Africa. From there they would take ship to England. There was no safe direct route. The Italian navy and air force blockaded the Mediterranean, and Ethiopia cut off the Horn of Africa. Eventually they would make it home, but it would be a drawn out process. “Good luck, Lord Hamilton,” Larra said. “I will meet you in London.”

Hamilton bowed. He made no attempt to encourage her to stay longer. Already his eyes were drawn to the strange glowing gem. “And goodbye to you Miss Court. It has been my pleasure. May you have a safe journey.”

“I’m sure I will,” Larra replied.

Larra stepped into the street outside the British Foreign Office. Lord Hamilton had offered to provide a car, but she had decided to walk. The evening was pleasantly warm, not particularly surprising for Cairo, and due to the curfew the streets were deserted. Beside her a young officer walked as escort. He wasn’t really necessary, but it would be awkward to walk the streets during wartime without someone to deal with the patrols. She and the officer chatted as they walked. Innocent conversation about home and children. Neither of them noticed the four men who came out of the shadows until it was too late.

Katie looked at the note that had arrived just minutes ago. Amy stared over her shoulder. “Looks like Larra’s writing,” said the redhead.

“Seems like a strange time to be taking us to the airport,” observed Katie. “It’s two hours away from midnight. Couldn’t they wait until morning?”

“Who knows how the military mind works?” replied Amy. “Most of the time it doesn’t work. It just gives orders. We better get cracking. We only have an hour before we are picked up.”

“I’ll wake Jia Li and Melissa,” Katie said as she headed toward the door.

It did not take the four women long to pack. They had very little in the way of possessions; just a change of clothing and a few personal effects. They trooped downstairs and waited for the car that was to pick them up. To their annoyance, the car was late and when it did arrive they found to their surprise that it was not a car but a van. The back door of the vehicle opened and a soldier stepped out. “Sorry lydies,” he said in a heavy Australian accent. “It’s the bloody war you know.”

He held the door open for the women to enter. Inside the back of the van it was pitch dark and Katie, who went first had to feel her way to the bench. Can’t you shine a light in here?” she asked.

“Sorry mum,” replied the soldier. “It’s the blackout. Don’t want to show the Eye-ties where we are. I’ll turn on the interior lights as soon as the door is closed.”

“Oh well,” Katie thought. “At least it will be a short ride. Then we’ll be at the airport.” She fumbled her way to the end of the bench and sat down.

The last of the women got in. It was only as the door slammed shut that Katie and the others realized something was wrong. “What the hell?” Melissa exclaimed. “We’re the only ones in here!”

She was right, the soldier should have gotten in with them. Instead, he had slammed the rear door shut. With a feeling of dismay and disbelief the women heard the lock click into place. They were trapped in the van.

“Hey, hey!” shouted Melissa pounding on the side of the van. The only reply was the sound of the vehicle starting up and the changing of gears as it gained speed. “Shit, we’re trapped,” exclaimed the Canadian girl.”

The other women did not answer. What was happening to them had to be a mistake, but it had an all too familiar feeling to it. It was then that Amy found Larra.

She couldn’t tell that it was Larra until she removed the gag. In the dark she couldn’t even see her friend and mentor. She had blundered into her by chance while feeling her way around the front of the van. She had encountered a tightly bound body and by touch had determined that it was alive and female. Further fumbling enabled her to find the gag and untie it. There was a coughing sound as the bound woman spat out the rest of the material that had been stuffed into her throat.

“Thanks,” Larra gasped. She had been lying in the van for over an hour. The assault in the streets of Cairo had taken her completely by surprise. There had been a light noise and then as she had turned something hard had come down on her head. She was not unconscious long, but when she came to she was being loaded into the back of the van. She was so tightly bound that she could hardly move a muscle. Her hands had been tied behind her back and then a length of rope had been wound about her body from ankle to neck. She could only lie in the van and wait to see what transpired.

“What’s going on?” asked Amy as she began to work on the rest of Larra’s bonds.

“I think that should be obvious,” replied Melissa. “We’ve been kidnapped, and I suspect we’ve met the kidnapper before.”

“Featherstone?” asked Amy anxiously.

“Featherstone and that asshole Sturm, I’m betting,” Melissa replied.

“I’m afraid you may be right,” Larra said, as her hands were freed. “Check the ceiling. There may be an air vent or something we can push out.”

“Nothing,” came the report, in Melissa’s voice. It’s going to be damned stuffy in here if where we are going lasts any length of time.”

“Keep looking,” said Larra. “There might be a hatch in the floor or one of the walls.” But there wasn’t. The van was a tightly closed steel box. The five women could only sit on the benches and hold tight as the vehicle swayed through the streets of Cairo.

Larra’s body was soaked in sweat. She had unbuttoned her shirt to just below her breasts, but the perspiration still streamed from her body. From the luminous dial of her wristwatch she knew that it she and her companions had been trapped in the van for over twelve hours. In all that time the door had not been opened even once. It was now well past noon and the desert sun had heated the van like an oven. They had not been entirely right about there not being an opening in the van. There was a tiny hole in the roof through which a one inch pipe had been inserted. It brought in some air and a little light. Not enough air to relieve the terrible heat and not enough light to allow them to really see, but enough air that they did not suffocate and enough light that they could make out one another’s dim forms.

“Water,” thought Larra. “We’ve got to have water. How much longer do they think we can survive these conditions?” She slumped down on the floor. She had long since lost the strength to sit on the bench. Her companions, with perhaps the exception of Jia Li, were in even worse shape. Amy was sprawled on the floor. She appeared unconscious. Only the slight rise and fall of her breasts showed that she still lived. Katie and Melissa were not in much better shape. The two women were awake, but they were completely listless, all the life burned out of them.

With a squealing of brakes the van unexpectedly lurched to a halt. Outside there was the sound of voices. They were speaking German. Suddenly the back door of the van was flung open. Fresh air wafted into the van along with the blinding glare of the desert sun. Larra staggered to her feet.

“Gott in Himmel! What a stink!” The speaker was the “Áustralian” who had trapped them in the van. He spoke perfect German. “Raus! Raus!” he shouted. “Get out you whores.”

Larra stumbled into the blinding light. Half blind, she could only vaguely make out the forms of the soldiers who surrounded her. There seemed to be at least a dozen of them. “I think these cunts need a bath.”

“I agree,” said a somewhat familiar voice. “But let’s walk them a bit first. They can bathe later.”

“Sturm,” thought Larra. Somehow the brutal SS officer had found them. Why he would have gone to all the trouble to kidnap them she had no idea.

Something was pushed into her. Larra saw that it was a bucket of water. She felt like upending the bucket over herself, but there were others to see to first. Fighting back her raging thirst, she turned and handed the bucket to Katie. “Drink,” she whispered. Her parched throat would not allow her to speak any louder. Katie did not argue. She lifted the bucket to her lips and drank deeply. Then she handed it back to Larra.

“Now you,” the blonde said.

“In a minute,” Larra said. She went to Amy next. The girl had exited the van last, barely able to stand. Larra held the bucket and helped her drink. Without a sound Amy gulped the water down until Larra took the bucket away. Too much water too quickly would not be good for her. She then took the bucket to Melissa and Jia Li. Only when every one of her companions had drunk did Larra take any water for herself.

“Very noble, Miss Court,” sneered Sturm. “It is exactly what I would expect of you.”

“Nobility is a concept that I doubt you have any understanding of,” retorted Larra. “What do you want of us?”

“A little bit of revenge, first. You ruined our plans to get the Eye of Thoth. Now I have orders to put you on a plane and fly you to Austria. What we want of you when we get there I’ll let you find out on your own. It will be a little surprise.”

“If you just want me, then why kidnap my companions? Let them go and I will give you my full cooperation.”

Sturm laughed. “I was ordered to bring the entire tribe. Damned if I know why. I’d just as soon leave you and the Chinese bitch in the desert. After having a bit of fun with you,” he added as an afterthought.

While Larra and Sturm exchanged pleasantries the rest of her companions were getting a second drink. They soon emptied the bucket and were handed another. Eventually they drank their fill. Somewhat revived, and allowed to attend to their bodily functions, the women were lined up by the Germans. There were, as Larra had first estimated, about a dozen of them. Not too many for the women to handle if they had not been exhausted from their ordeal in the van. And not too many if the guards had not all been armed with Schmeiser submachine guns.

The women expected to be loaded back into the van, but Sturm had other ideas. “I think,” he said with a smirk,” that it might be nice for you to go for a little walk.”

“Walk?” thought Larra. “Is the man mad? He must be joking.”

But Sturm was not joking. They had stopped at a small grove of trees. Tethered nearby were two dozen camels. Sturm gestured toward the animals. “You walk, we ride.” Larra looked out into the desert. Already the barren landscape was distorted with eat waves. It was going to be a most unpleasant ordeal.

“Uunnh!” The blow from Sturm’s riding crop knocked Larra to her knees. Exhausted and dehydrated she could no longer maintain her balance under the brutal Nazi’s repeated blows. She and her companions had been on the march for five days, and every day had been a grueling nightmare. Sturm made a point of riding along the column of tethered women and bringing the crop down on their shoulders. He had picked Larra as his favourite target. She bore the abuse without comment; responding to Sturm’s cowardly assaults would simply give him greater satisfaction.

“On your feet, mongrel bitch,” Sturm ordered. He reined in his camel and hovered over her while Larra struggled to her feet. Her arms were bound behind her back and she was tethered to Melissa who was right behind her. Breathing heavily, she regained her footing.

“Enjoying the walk, Miss Court?” Sturm taunted. “Do not worry, it is almost over. Then we can find something more interesting to occupy our time.”

He laughed, leaving Larra and the other exhausted women to wonder what he had planned for them. It didn’t take too much imagination to figure out that whatever it was would be brutal at best. The way Sturm and his men had looked at them during the march left little doubt as to their probable intentions. Thoughts of further rape and degradation weighed heavily on the minds of each woman. So far other than minor acts of cruelty the Germans had left them alone. Sturm seemed to be in some sort of hurry; too much of a hurry to abuse his victims any more than they already were. Sturm said as much. “What a charming bunch you are. Every one of you would be a soldier’s dream, but we have no time to make use of your services. Perhaps when we reach out destination there will be some time for us to get to know one another better.”

Larra now understood the decision to use the camels rather than continue by van. There was not enough fuel to go on so long a journey and using camels would throw off any pursuit. No doubt the British army was looking for her and her companions. But tracking them into the desert would be almost impossible. Not once in the past five days had Larra seen any signs of pursuit.

And now their trek was coming to and end. A few hours later they reached an isolated oasis deep in the desert. Here the Germans had built an airbase or perhaps airstrip would be a better word. They had simply cleared a strip of desert of rock sufficiently for aircraft to land and take off. It was the airstrip that the Germans had been so anxious to reach.

They were herded under the wing of the plane and then surrounded by the guards. “Untie them,” Sturm ordered. One of the soldiers carried out his command. “Alright ladies,” Sturm continued from outside the ring of soldiers, “remove your desert robes.”

That was one thing the Germans had provided. Forcing the women to walk without proper protection would have killed them all, and Sturm did not want that. He had other plans for them, although exactly what he never let on.

“Coward,” thought Larra. “He hasn’t the guts to issue that order and stand next to us. Even beaten down as we are.” However, faced by a circle of submachine gun muzzles, she did as she was instructed, dropping the robe that had protected her on the desert march. The five women stood there naked as the desert sun beat down on them.

Sturm kept them there for two hours while the soldiers and crew at the landing strip busied themselves with the plane. Every second of that time was an ordeal, as parched and weakened from the forced march, the helpless women were fully exposed to the blazing desert sun. Finally, whether out of boredom or because preparations were finally at an end, Sturm gave the order. “Put the bitches on the plane. But be careful with them.” He pointed to Jia Li. “Start with the Asian mongrel.”

Jia Li’s hands were bound behind her and she was marched up the gangway. Amy went next until finally only Larra was left. “Take this one forward,” Sturm ordered. “I have special plans for her.”

Larra kept her face calm. She was sure that Sturm was going to rape her, but she was helpless to prevent it. Not only was she completely surrounded by armed men, but the two hours in the sun had taken most of the fight out of her. All she wanted was a place in the shade and a drink of water. As soon as her hands were tied, she was marched up the gangway.

Inside the aircraft were Larra’s four companions. The plane was nothing more than a military transport with a long bench running along one side of it. The women were seated on the bench, a length of chain around each of their necks and waists. Locked to the fuselage, the chain held them securely in place. Sturm followed Larra past the captive women. “It’s first class for you, Miss Court,” Sturm sneered. He pushed her toward the front of the plane.

The remaining four women watched Sturm push Larra into the forward compartment. “Oh God, Larra,” thought Melissa. “Be brave.” The other women were thinking the same.

So called “first class” turned out to be nothing more than a forward cargo bay. The only seats in the aircraft were those occupied by the other women and their guards. Her wrists still tied behind her back, Larra was prodded toward the forward bulkhead. Here Sturm turned her so that she was facing him. Producing a short length of rope he pushed her against the bulkhead and tied the rope around her neck and through a convenient hole in one of the support struts.

The way the rope secured her did not allow her to stand upright, and she was forced to bend her knees. “The plane is about to take off,” Sturm said. “I would not wish for you to be injured, therefore it is important that you be secured properly.”

Turning his attention to her legs, Sturm looped a coil of rope about each ankle and pulled her legs wide, securing them to adjoining bulkheads so that she was forced to stand with her legs spread apart. Then he attended to her arms. Wary, however, of Larra’s talents he did not untie her wrists until he was sure she would remain under control. He first tied her left arm above the elbow to the support strut behind her and then he untied her wrists. He pulled her free right arm out to the side and bound it to the same strut her right ankle was tied to. He then untied her left arm and repeated the operation leaving Larra’s body splayed wide.

Sturm stood back to review his handiwork. Larra Court stood bound and helpless before him. The woman who had defeated so many of his kinsmen was now his to do with as he wished. “Make yourself comfortable Miss Court. The plane will take of within minutes. I think you will be safe enough the way you are. Once we are airborne we can get down to business.”

“Filthy beast,” thought Larra. She had patiently waited for her chance while the German tied her to the bulkhead, but he had never once let down his guard. Now all she could do was wait and hope that he might betray himself through overconfidence.

Larra stood helplessly, her legs spread invitingly as Sturm ogled her naked body. Would he try to rape her now or wait until the plane took off?

Sturm frowned as the engines of the plane roared to life. He had the great heroine, Larra Court, right where he wanted her. A few more seconds and he would have been between those powerful thighs. “Regrettably Miss Court I will have to delay our assignation. However, once we are airborne we will have a few hours to kill, and I think it will be as most enjoyable flight – for me.”

He bent his head and gently kissed Larra’s left nipple. “Until later, Fraulein. Moving to the back of the compartment, he seated himself and strapped himself in. He smiled at the helpless adventuress as she glared at him, her violet eyes blazing hate. In a few minutes he would change that look.

Desperate for water, Larra would have fallen had she not been supported by the ropes that bound her wrists. Her magnificent bosom heaved, her heavy breasts swaying as Sturm pounded into her. It had been like this for the last five hours. The German officer seemed insatiable. He had raped her quickly the first time, ramming into her with a ferocity that rivaled anything she had ever experienced. It had been painful and humiliating, but mercifully brief. He left her gasping in pain, her nether region inflamed and throbbing. But only half an hour later he was back. The second time he was more thorough.

“You are to be congratulated, Fraulein Court,” he had sneered as he took her again. “You are the first woman who has ever survived a round with me without screaming. “But I intend to remedy that on this occasion.”

He had done his best. Sturm was remarkably well-endowed, and he used his phallus like an instrument of torture, driving into her hard and fast with the intention of creating the greatest amount of pain and discomfort. He succeeded all too well. Larra’s ravaged pleasure valley was ripped raw and she bled freely throughout the second rape, but to Sturm’s consternation he could not get her to scream. Even when he savagely bit each of her breasts, Larra only moaned and then, gritting her teeth fought back her urge to beg for mercy.

The third time she almost broke. Her vaginal canal was raw and bleeding. Every stroke of Sturm’s lance had her close to screaming, but somehow she found the strength and courage to deny him that pleasure. Whether she would have survived a fourth round she didn’t know. By this time Sturm had outdone himself. His mighty organ was too sore to continue.

“Oriental whore,” he said. “I should have known that you’d been fucked so many times that I could drive a truck into your cunt.” He slapped her face, slamming her head into the bulkhead and then slapped it back the other way.

Larra’s head lolled to one side. The force of the blows had almost knocked her unconscious. Blood dribbled from one corner of her mouth where one of her teeth had been driven through her lip. “Fucking bitch,” Sturm swore. He struck her again, this time using his fist. Larra blacked out and was spared the pain of the blow that slammed into her belly. Only the fact that he had been told not to harm the prisoners restrained Sturm. Muttering a curse he left her. There would be time enough to deal with her later. One way or the other he would teach the English bitch who was boss.

Sturm returned to his seat. The plane was descending. It would refuel and then fly on to Austria. Soon he would have the pleasure of visiting all of the women in prison. He visualized the pleasure he would have as he raped each of them. And even more, he pictured the frightened face of each of the helpless women as he forced them to submit. The English whore might resist him, but there was more than one way to get back at her. He was really looking forward to being in Europe again.

In single file the women trooped down the gangway. Melissa saw that they had arrived at an airport deep in the mountains. In front of them was a hanger and behind that a large concrete building. Lined up in front of them was an impressive-looking German escort. Whatever the reason they had been brought here, the Germans were taking no chance on their escaping.

As the women set foot on the tarmac the line of soldiers parted. From behind them a tall monocled man wearing a dark suit stepped forward.

“Featherstone,” Melissa said listlessly. Her heart fell. Once again fate had delivered her into the hands of her worst enemy.

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