Page 57 of In Darkness and Dank

Kittisak laughed, carefully rescuing the bottle from the pot so he could set it aside to cool off before he tried to open it up. He had no idea how Shu had managed to find it, but he was truly touched. He was also going to make sure he thanked Shu very thoroughly when he came back.

Well, maybe he’d thank him later tonight.

Kittisak’s damn ass needed a break.

Then again, there were other ways Kittisak could show his gratitude, and he licked his lips with a smirk as he got some very specific ideas involving his mouth, Shu’s dicks, and some of that delicious honey.

It wasn’t long before there was a sudden rustle from the trees behind Kittisak, but he didn’t bother to look up. He was busy peeling off the plastic seal from the bottle of hot sauce, and he expected the noise was Shu returning with fruit or whatever else he had left to gather.

“Hey, you!” Kittisak laughed. “While I can’t wait to thank you for this, you have got to tell me where in the fuck you found sriracha in the middle of the Amazon.”

“Kittisak?” a familiar voice croaked.

Kittisak’s heart stopped, and he slowly turned to see who had spoken.

Standing there, filthy and unshaven, was Professor Browning.

9

“Kittisak?” Browning stared in shock, clutching his chest. “Is that… is that really you?”

“Professor Browning?” Kittisak’s eyes widened, and he was very aware suddenly that he was naked. He grabbed one of the leaves he’d been planning to use as a plate to cover himself, clearing his throat. “Yes, hi. Hello.”

“Oh, my boy!” Browning rushed him, snatching him up into a bear hug. “You’re alive! You’re alive! We thought for sure that the monster had eaten you up!”

“Rife,” Kittisak corrected as his lungs were squeezed. “The monster? His people are called the Rife.” He patted Browning’s back, trying to urge him to ease up on the tight hug. “He’s okay. It’s not what you think!”

“No?” Browning finally let go, but he kept his hands on Kittisak’s shoulders. He frowned at the scars. “But these claw marks? They’re so deep—”

“An accident,” Kittisak insisted. “You see the gunshots too, yeah?”

“Oh, my.” Browning grimaced. “Denninger was so sure he’d wounded the monster.”

“The Rife.”

“What?”

“His name is Shu,” Kittisak said earnestly. “His people call themselves the Rife. He saved me. He’s the one who helped me after Denninger fucking shot me. I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for him.”

“Truly?”

“Yes!” Kittisak wanted to scream. “He’s my friend. Well, sort of maybe more than that, uh…” He didn’t know how much detail he wanted to go into, especially with how horrified Browning appeared right now. “He’s a very good friend, okay? He’s perfectly safe, I promise you.”

“Why are you naked?”

“Because…” Kittisak glanced down at the leaf over his crotch. “I don’t have any clothes.” He decided that was the easiest reply.

“Here.” Browning kneeled to take off his backpack, though the action nearly caused him to fall over.

“Whoa, hey! Easy now.” Kittisak got on one knee to help steady him. “Are you okay? Your leg?”

“Fine, fine,” Browning insisted. “Don’t you worry about me, my boy.” He smiled warmly and squeezed Kittisak’s shoulder. “I am so, so very happy that we found you.”

“Yeah.” Kittisak tried to smile, but his heart wasn’t in it. “Where’s, uh, everybody else?”

“Oh, well.” Browning frowned. “We’ve had a bit of trouble.”

“Trouble?”

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