¶ Intro / Opening
This episode contains descriptions of violence and sex. It is not safe for work. For a full list of content warnings, please see the episode description. Please, Episode 1, a Tales After Dark Audio Drama, brought to you by the Tales of the Forgotten Fiction Network.
¶ A Fleeting Moment of Escape
Fuck me. The day had been long, tiring, and filled with too many reminders of things I couldn't seem to forget. I closed my eyes, narrowing my focus on the man behind me. I press my hands against the wall, pushing my ass back against him. I realized I didn't remember his name. But I also didn't care as his work calloused hands roughly covered my breast and screwed. Making the
The scratch of stubble on his chin made the sensation of his open mouth against my neck hotter. I shamelessly rubbed my ass against the bulge I could feel frustratingly confined in his jeans. Come on.
🎵 Music
But he kept making me wait. His teeth on my ear made me shiver. My moan was loud and sharp when he put his hand between my lips. Pressed his finger against my clock. I was wet and ready and he took advantage when he slid his He added another. Ow rocking against his hand. I was one of the rare lucky women with how sensitive I was. His fingers inside felt so good, and I wanted more. I need it. I wanted to be so swallowed up I could think about anything else.
I turned my head so I could catch his mouth, our kiss messy and heated, broken apart by the sounds I kept making as he fucked me with his fingers. I was close.
So close.
And when the heel of his palm pressed against my clit, I shattered and came hard. He didn't let me get my breath, and I liked it that way. It was the reason I picked him out of the others. He pulled his fingers out of me and put me where he wanted, turning me around and pushing me back onto the bed. I caught his gaze as I scooted back on the mattress and opened my body.
He finally, finally got his pants off in a hurry, his dark eyes raking over me as tangible as any touch. I closed my eyes in delight when I felt him slide inside. I wrapped my arms around him, gripping his back against a shirt he still wore. I like the feeling of him partially clothed while I was naked. He gave me what I wanted now. Fucking me hard, overwhelming me with sensations.
¶ Personal Trauma and Relentless Grief
I turned my head to one side, closing my eyes, and for a horrible, heartbreaking moment, memories interfered with the present. And it was Nick moving inside of me. said Nick's breath against my neck. Tasha? Took me a moment to come out of the memory, and when I did, I realized I could feel the cool wetness of tears on my cheek. Fuck. I couldn't look at him. Finish or get off. He was taken aback. I could feel the way he tensed above me, torn between the choices I had given him.
I felt bad for a moment, but I didn't have any more space for myself. Not today. The least I could do is give Finish or get off. At first he didn't move, then I felt his weight. He would finish if he I closed my eyes again, tried to refocus on the fact that he did feel good enough. This moment was lost. He wasn't Nick. And gods, fucking kill me already. Nick, my very dead husband, was all I wanted.
It didn't take him long. He rolled off when he was finished, and I got up immediately, walking into the bathroom to clean myself.
Tasha
I do something.
No. You were fine, thanks. Your payment is on the table downstairs. I always insisted on paying them for their time. What I wanted from them was not personal. It was an exchange. And even though I knew they enjoyed themselves too, I still made sure they took the payment. There wouldn't be a second time if they didn't. I waited until I heard the sound of his retreating footsteps before I turned on the shower, washed it.
Because who didn't enjoy a scalding hot shower when you were emotionally and mentally fucked up? When I finally did get out the shower, I wiped off the fog on the bathroom mirror and stared at my Streaks of grey here and there. I touched the ugly scar that started at the top of my right eyebrow and ran down my head. the scar I'd gotten trying to protect my son. Trying to protect my husband. I had failed at both.
I need to keep busy, keep moving, but there was no jobs tonight and since fucking was out of the question, there was nothing left for me to do but get drunk and I belted an old robe around myself and went downstairs. I grabbed a bottle of moonshine, Cody, from down the street made. I didn't bother with a glass. I just popped the top and took it into my son room. The night was warm. The sky was clear. Faintly I could hear the noise of the community.
Swig after swig, staring at nothing, trying to think of nothing. Instead, it got to be so bad. The peaceful sounds of the community became the desperate screams of my son and
HELB!
I can't get the fucking door! Nick! Nick! Help me! Hang on, Sam! Hang on!
What the hell is going on?
The fucking door, Nick! Help me!
No, no, stop! Oh my god, don't Mom! Mom!
No! No, Sam! Hang on! Just baby! We're coming! I'm coming! I'm coming!
Oh my god. Oh my god. Tasha what the fuck? What the fuck is that? Move
Nick! Get out of the way!
Tosh! Oh my god!
🔇 Silence
Sam Sam, baby Baby wake up. Come on, baby. Come on, baby, wake up, I'm here. I'm here, I killed it. I killed him. Wake up, baby, please. Please wake up. Nick, you won't wake up Nick Nick, help me. God damn it Oh god Nick! Nick, get up! Not both of you! Not both of you!
¶ Finding Solace in the Crew
Oh, Tasha, come on, love, wake up. It's just a bad dream.
Fuck.
🔇 Silence
I buried my face in my hands. I could hear Evie's voice still coaxing me out of this recurring nightmare. She'd done it a few times before, and remembering the sound of her voice helped calm me down. I'd see her in the morning. Her, Seth, and Marie, My crew. I guess she said. They were strong and Really good at handling me after. I dropped my hands, looking down at the bottle on the floor. Marie would be so distressed I was handling or not handling Marie.
I thought about calling them literally all three of them. Of them seeing me. I picked up the near empty bottle and went about cleaning up the massive spilled liquid. Like a good girl. I didn't drink anymore. Went to bed and At least when I went to sleep this time? I didn't dream about my I dreamt about them instead.
🔇 Silence
¶ Hunters in a Dangerous World
What the fuck are these?
Bullshite. Soon to be dead bullshite.
It is very curious. I do not have a record of these particular creature types in the database.
Close the laptop, cutie. Need you to pay attention right now.
Yes, of course.
We were positioned around Jack's, which was the name of our Jeep, on our way to a distress call. If you lived in an area controlled by one of the corporations You got protection. You also were likely to believe that monsters, like the ones my crew and I were currently fighting, didn't exist. The corpse worked real hard to keep all that a secret. But monsters, and not the humankind, were real.
Every fucking thing we used to lie to our children and ourselves about, everything we watch on TV or read about in books was real and out here waiting to kill. And if you were one of the unlucky ones that lived in unclaimed territories, no corp wanted to protect, you were either fucked, learned to defend yourself. Or you call it people like us. The worst part? My family We used to live in a protected city. It hadn't helped. Sometimes Sometimes. Evil got in. And the corpse were a joke?
¶ Combat Against the Unknown
Seth, cover fire. Keep those two at bay. Marie, help Seth use a flamethrower. Evie, with me.
Love it when you boss me around, T. Let's go, cutie. Don't burn me. I'm too hot as is.
Hearing their banter made me warm inside and I would have smiled, but I had a monster to kill. There were three of these things. Two stubby legs, five arms, three on the left, two on the right, big hands. Three eyes, no nose, inverted ears, wide mouth. Muscle in weird places jutting out against brown, gooey looking skin. Tough skinned by the amount of gunfire these things were taking. Every time we fired at them, they lifted their
Arms, covering their ugly faces and torsos like a shield. Or they'd pivot around, giving us their backs, and raise two arms to cover the back of their heads. Our gunfire kept. But they were agitated and aggressive and it was clear they were looking for a way to get to us. Seth and I used armor-piercing rounds. Evie carried a sexy energy rifle and a good old-fashioned shotgun strapped to her back. These people
Their backs and arms were bleeding. A thick, viscous green blood that was seeping out from their wounds.
What's the plan, sexy?
Make it give you its back. I'm going to blow its face off.
Ha ha to that. And hey, be careful.
I spared a glance at her. She winked at me and started walking towards the five-armed thing. Its attention was torn between Seth and Marie, attacking its kin, and at us.
Hey, ugly. Come show me that pretty iris of yours.
It snapped its attention to Evie quickly. She pulled loose her shotgun, holding her ground fiercely as this thing roared and charged at her, crouching down and propelling itself over the dirt with its arms. I began shifting slowly to the left. Watching Evie let it get close enough to make me nervous. Then fired. It shrieked and jerked back, holding up its arms to protect itself. Evie advanced. Fired. It didn't like taking those shotgun rounds so close.
It flipped around and I went running. I slid around its left side, it noticed, trying to smash me into the ground. But I was faster. My weapon pointed right towards his face. The first shot went into its neck. It got one arm up, locking the rest of my bullets. But my wild ass Evie jumped on its back, her wicked combat knife in hand, and began violently stabbing her blade into the top of its skull.
How much fucking HP does this thing have?
The multi-attack was too much. And while aggressive and dangerous, it wasn't smart. It didn't know who to swat at, what to do, and I took advantage. I used the butt of my rifle. That did it. It stopped screaming and flailing and collapsed to the ground. Only that much, apparently.
Woo! That's what I'm talking about.
I kicked the dead thing. More because I wanted to, less because I was making sure it was. Though Evie took care of that checked out.
Only way to be sure.
You're not wrong. Let's go kill the other two.
¶ Found Family, Shared Scars
Right behind you, love.
🔊 Radio
Uh the Phoenix group will be here shortly to collect the bodies. The lab on their airship is most important. They should be able to tell us many things about these creatures.
One day, Marie, we'll get you a lab like that.
I am very happy here with you.
Shit, maybe we should join up with them sometime. They're freelance. One of the good guys.
Hm, maybe. A lot of money goes into that kind of tech. Gotta come from somewhere.
Private investors is what I heard.
But it's a bit suspicious if you ask me.
True, but they do help. Can't dispute that.
Aye. But I'd rather take orders from Tasha than some jock who fancies himself a colonel.
Oh yeah! Maybe I should pick out a fancy title for myself then.
I speak for all. We'll call you whatever you want.
I bet.
Says right. Not just pretty, but smart too. Anytime, darling.
I think I will start tonight.
Please do.
Today we were victorious. Another monster that would have hurt someone gone. We healed a bit of the wounds we all carry. I fight with you all for my father all. I fight with you all for me. And failures. You are my family. You are more than that. I am eternally grateful you found me.
Hey, we're lucky to have you, darling. Don't you ever forget that.
Agreed. You're the heart of this team, Marie. Thank you for being here.
Oh please. I will blush.
Too late. Way too late.
I'll say. Alright. Today we killed another one of those bastards. Today I took back a piece of the something that I lost when my sister What my sister killed herself. She couldn't take what the world really was. I'll fight for her. I fight for all of you and I fight for myself. Keeping me grounded.
Who would look in my ass if you weren't here, Evie?
But your ours isn't the one I've been wanting to clap. She looked at me.
All of them were now looking at me. I could see it in their eyes. And not for the first time. The promise of something that warmed up parts of me that felt I didn't know what to do with what I could see. I cleared my throat and said instead You've saved my life more times than I can count. Thank you.
You never have to thank me for that love.
Oh, my turn, right? We put bad shit back in the ground. And every time I see their fucking corpses, I remember my brother. I remember my mom. I remember who helped us and who did. I fight for them, for myself. And for you all. Without you, I don't know where I'd be. But I wouldn't be standing tall. Fighting back.
You would be, sir. I don't think you would have ever stopped.
I had a lot of dark days, Tasha. You pulled me out of here.
And you pulled me out of mine. They were so sweet. And genuine. But I felt like they gave me too much credit.
I found it
at various points and we've been a crew. Tight knit like this for a little over a year. Evie came first. We met in a fight club, decided we needed someone to watch our backs, and stayed together. She'd seen me at my work. Months after Nick and Sam. We'd found Seth shortly after, in a nowhere town a hundred miles from here. I knew what drowning away in a bottle looked like. Better than me. That's where he'd been. You look so much better now. Healthier.
We'd rescued Marie six months after we found Seth. She and her father were trying to study these creatures so they could help people who didn't have protection. They'd gotten overrun, and by the time we arrived, It was too late for her. But we saved her. And when we camped together like this and her nightmares got to her, we took turns making sure she was all right. The same way they did for me.
Uh
Give me too much credit. And it's my turn now, so I stood up, wrapped both hands around my cup. Staring into it. Thinking about the past. I did that too much, I think. Now look at them. How lucky was I? Truly, to have this is To have them in a world gone so fucking bad.
🎵 Music
When would I be able to just Step a little closer to the people I But I love. Today we won. Today we saved someone from living the nightmares we've lived. We got it right. I didn't take anything back. It never It never feels like that for me. But I did put another one of those fucking things in the ground. And thank you. For seeing something that makes you want to fight alone.
We're not just fighting alongside your love. We're living.
Three beautiful women and a loaded gun?
And you wind on much. How many wives did you have in your old? Tell the truth.
Now, why would you ask me such a personal question?
Just a little, you had more than one.
Ha ha ha.
Stop corrupting our innocent, you dirty bastard.
Corrupting her, she was the one checking me out when I was working out yesterday.
I it was most appealing.
¶ A Shocking Proposal
Hello? Do you copy?
Awww with the shite.
What is your location so we can assist you?
Hello? Oh thank the gods. We need help.
🔇 Silence
We approached an old RV park that was surprisingly well kept. A tall chain-link fence surrounded the perimeter. I could tell it was electrified from the way it was sparking. That kind of defense was enough to keep some creatures out and slow down bigger ones. It was better than most people out here had. A short woman waited for us about twenty feet from the gate, waving her arms to flag us.
They don't look in trouble.
Something smells fishy to me.
I silently agreed with them. The woman, moving towards the Jeep, was a little too well dressed for where we I stopped the car and rolled down the window. You the one that called?
Yes I am.
Some people gave off a bad vibe, like this woman. And I didn't like the way that she was looking at my crew either.
You're perfect.
Excuse me?
Don't worry, you'll be well paid. You see that trailer park there?
We're not blind, lady. You can't miss it.
We're going to use it to get data on a new type of creature.
No, madame, that is most dangerous. It is unethical.
None of that matters out here. All that matters is the data. Now that park has six families with children, seven couples.
My hands were tightening around the steering wheel.
I'm gonna cut you off right there because you're a twat waffle if I ever met one. We're not helping you do a damn thing.
God
Don't be foolish. Their defenses are inadequate. It's only a matter of time before they're overrun. What I propose is we observe the hunting patterns of the new creatures in the area to better protect the nearby cities. You can save the children. Though, I would like to study if these creatures make a distinction between children and adults as some do. Maybe leave a few so we can observe. I'll let that be your choice.
Marie was so angry she was leaning over Seth in the back seat, berating the woman, interchanging English and French. I was gripping the steering wheel so tightly my hands. I look through the windshield at the park. I could see people milling about. I saw a boy kicking a soccer ball around with his friends. His messy black hair reminded me of Sam's. I saw the boy laugh. But all I get here...
No, no, stop!
I pushed open the car door so fast the woman almost lost her footing backing up. As I got out, my hand was behind my back. My fingers closed around the handle of my gun. How many times have you done this? How many people have you gotten killed? She had the nerve to stare back at me indignantly. Like I was nothing. I couldn't challenge you. And then I saw a flash of recognition.
I know who you are. You used to live in one of the protected cities. I remembered what happened to your family. Yours and a few others died in the world. God. You of all people should know why something like this is necessary. We have to make sure what happened to you doesn't happen to anyone else in places that deserve protection.
I pulled out my gun before I realized it. In the background, I could hear Evie shouting, the sound of car doors opening. The woman backed up a step, but she still looked at me like I wouldn't do it. She had the fucking nerve to look mad that I was pulling a gun on her.
Tasha?Love?
You're not going to hurt anyone ever again.
🔇 Silence
We hope you enjoyed listening to episode one of Please. Please remember to subscribe, drop us a review, and share this story with your friends. For a full list of our audio dramas and tabletop shows, visit our website, tales of the forgotten.com. Written and directed by Crystal Storm. Sound design by Hannah Kardiac. Tasha is played by T Skye. Evie played by Crystal Storm. Marie, played by Bun Barrian. Seth, played by Gerald Ford. Nick, played by Joe Moyer.
Nam, played by Matt Harrow. Tasha's Lover, played by Rob Patrick. Rude Woman, played by Guama Harstanel. Come back next week for the finale of Plea.