by Ryan Horvath
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Simon was startled by Karen’s voice. He had been so taken with the house that he hadn’t noticed her approach him. Blaze was at her feet. He was also looking at the house, his tail hung still between his hind legs.
“Er- do what?” Simon stammered.
“Try that thing out,” she said, pointing to the Mossberg. “You’re right. I can’t wait any longer to do this.”
“You… You want to fire?” Simon blurted out.
“I think I’ll start with the hand gun at least,” Karen answered.
“Well, all right.” Simon smiled and pulled the Walther from his waistband. He handed the gun to Karen and she hesitantly accepted it.
The gun felt lighter than Karen had expected. Its grip attached to her palm as if with Velcro.
“Okay,” Simon started, “now keep your finger away from the trigger for the moment.” He moved in behind her. He showed her how to use the safety, how to stand and line up a target, and how to drop out and change the magazine. Then he explained the type of pressure she should exert to squeeze the trigger. He had her show him a few times with the safety on and then decided she was ready.
Karen felt flush when Simon stepped in behind her. When his hands enclosed hers and the weapon, she felt his strength. His broad chest spread across her back. His breath was warm in her ear and she could faintly smell the coffee he had been drinking mixed with his natural masculine smell, given that he had not showered since yesterday. Her heart sped up beneath her sternum.
“Okay, now take the safety off and let’s aim for…” Simon looked at the dreadful house. “How ‘bout that second floor window. The one that’s still intact?” To him it looked like an eye on the face of the house. “It’s a pretty big target so see if you can hit the upper right hand pane of glass.”
Karen clicked off the safety, took her stance and squeezed the trigger and an instant later the glass Simon had instructed her to shoot shattered.
Simon clapped and said, “Nicely done! You’re a natural. ‘Not ready,’ my ass.”
Karen was beaming; the gun was shaking in her hand. “It was easier than I thought it would be! I expected a lot more kickback.” Adrenaline was pumping through her veins. She’d never fired a gun and having done so, she found she wanted to do it again.
“Try something else!” Simon encouraged.
Karen aimed for the front door knob that had previously barred her entrance to the farmhouse. She pulled the trigger and the bullet plowed into the metal.
Simon applauded again and slapped her lightly on the back. “Bravo! Bravo! Let me try this one out.”
“Blaze, this is going to be loud!” Karen said.
Blaze barked that he was okay.
They walked a ways from the house and took position behind a small woodpile that was half full of dry ancient wood. Simon checked the shells, they lied down on their stomachs and he fired a shot at the house. The top hinge of the front door blew to smithereens.
“I’d say she works pretty darn well,” Simon reported. He fired again and the bottom hinge disintegrated. The front door fell inward. “Not bad at all.”
“Where’d you learn to shoot?” Karen questioned.
“I grew up in rural Pennsylvania. I learned young. My grandfather, father, uncles, and brothers were all hunters. Even though I’m a scientist, I couldn’t escape that. And I didn’t really want to either, I suppose,” Simon admitted.
“Well you’re a hell of a shot,” Karen told him.
“It’s hard to miss with something this big and that close,” he said modestly.
They were quiet again for a few minutes.
“I don’t like that house,” Simon said quietly.
“I don’t either. I was inside. It’s detestable.” Karen stared at the house that could have become her prison and then her tomb.
“C’mon,” Simon said and he left the woodpile and headed toward the rotting barn.
Karen and Blaze followed.
Inside the collapsing structure, Simon looked around. When Karen and Blaze joined him she asked, “What are you looking for?”
“Gas. Or kerosene or something. I want to burn this place down. No one should have to ever see it again. Outside or in,” he answered.
Karen looked at him, surprised. Then she looked through the decomposing barn wall at the house and decided to help him. They searched the barn for ten minutes but came up empty handed.
“Should we look inside the house?” Karen suggested.
“No!” Simon answered immediately. “We’re not going in there.”
Karen nodded. She hadn’t really wanted to go back in there either.
“Damn,” Simon said, scratching his head and staring at the house.
“Well, there’s gas in my car,” Karen said.
“I didn’t see any hoses. We can’t get it out,” Simon retorted.
“We don’t need to. Watch.” Karen walked over to her car. She slid the Walther in her waistband and climbed into the car.
Simon wasn’t sure what she had in mind but when she got in the car, started it, and backed it closer to the house, he saw what she must be thinking and thought she might be just a little bit crazy. He smiled as she backed the rear of her vehicle into the shambled wall of the front of the house. Satisfied the car was wedged into the structure enough, she shut the car off and stepped out.
“So now you’re going to show me how to use the shot gun,” Karen said smiling at him demurely.
“You’re insane,” Simon said through a grin.
“Not insane. Just taking your advice. This is survival. No use learning in baby steps. Now show me.” Karen put her hand out for the shot gun.
Simon handed her the Mossberg. He led her over to a different shooting point and instructed her on how to use the firearm. She aimed and fired once and took out the driver’s side window of her car. She fired again and the shot landed in between the driver’s and rear passenger’s doors.
Her third shot found the car’s fuel tank and it exploded angrily. Flames tore through the vehicle and the timeworn wood of the structure Karen had embedded the car into. They watched as flames devoured walls, floors, ceilings, and stairs. It didn’t take long before the flames danced their way over to the crumbling barn and began to eat that building too.
The structures were in such bad shape that before much time passed they were reduced to ashes. It took about ninety minutes and Karen and Simon watched the entire time while Blaze napped in the sun at their feet. No words were said until it was over.
“Nice,” Simon said. He stood up.
Karen stood too and put a hand on the side of Simon’s face that wasn’t bandaged. “Thanks for opening my eyes.”
He smiled at her. “It was my pleasure. C’mon, let’s get back. I’m getting hungry.”
65
IAN AND AMANDA
Amanda found Ian sitting on the edge of the deck that was attached to the back of the house. He had his lower legs hanging over the side and his toes trailing through the grass just below them. He was wearing jeans that rode low on his waist and a white T-shirt that was a little too small so Amanda could see the smooth flesh of his lower back. That was always an area on a man Amanda had liked to look at. It was something about the strength of the muscles there, supporting the entire upper body and connecting it with the lower. A small glimpse of the shadow of the crack of his rear told her he probably wasn’t wearing any underwear. Something in her stomach fluttered. She sat down next to him.
Ian saw who had joined him and he nearly gasped. His heart thundered in his chest. Jesus, I bet Jack-o can hear this one he thought.
“Uh… hi,” Ian said, trying but not succeeding in sounding too eager.
“Hi, Ian,” Amanda returned. “How are you today?”
“Uh,” he stammered. “Uh… I’m good.”
She smiled and Ian suddenly realized he should ask the same question of her. What am I? An amateur? He said to himself.
&n
bsp; “And you? How are you?” he blurted.
“I’m good,” she replied laughing a little. “Aren’t you cold in just a T-shirt?”
“Me? Gosh, no,” he said, stepping up his Minnesota accent. Amanda laughed at him harder and he continued in his normal voice. “Technically, summer just ended not even two weeks ago. This feels just fine to me.”
“Geez, even though I’ve been in Colorado for years, I’ve never gotten used to the cold,” Amanda told him.
“I guess it’s in my blood,” he said in response and offered her a smile.
They both looked off into the small forest that was behind the house.
“So, where do we go from here?” Amanda inquired.
“Huh? Excuse me?” Ian spat out and blushed.
“Here,” she said. “This place.”
Ian hoped she didn’t notice his red face but she did.
“What is it? What did you think I meant?” Amanda was amused. She already knew what he thought she meant. She thought he was adorable, trying to keep his composure around her. He was practically like a teenager. And if we were both ten years younger, he would be her mind said and it was her turn to blush.
Ian was not so imperceptive himself and noticed Amanda’s cheeks grow rosy. “Ah,” he said. “You’re fucking with me. Thanks.” He smiled at Amanda and she laughed.
“But seriously, now,” Amanda started when her laughter had subsided. “What’s the plan? Are we going to just hang out here from now on?”
“No. At least, not likely. Kangaroo Jack… Sorry. It’s just a thing I do. He seemed to think this would just be a temporary place.” He stopped for a moment. “We could probably stay here for the winter but that’d take a lot of work over the next few weeks. It’ll probably be easier to go south.”
Amanda thought about this and said, “Where, do you think?”
“I don’t think Apple-Jacks knows. He felt this coming, you know?” Ian told her.
“Really?”
“Yeah. He didn’t see it like you and your sister have seen things. He just knew in his gut. We’d probably have died in the city if it hadn’t been for him.” Ian continued.
Amanda didn’t respond. She sensed he had more to say. It didn’t take him long to go on.
“Anyway, I think Cracker-Jack just feels things. His intuition’s always been great for as long as I’ve known him. He has hunches about things that end up being pretty accurate but…” He paused, searching for the right words. “But he doesn’t always feel the long term about things. He saw that we needed to get out of the city but he can’t see what we’re supposed to do for a long term solution to this crisis. And well, according to Simon, this crisis may not yet be over.” He stopped and searched Amanda’s face, hoping he hadn’t scared her. When he was confident he hadn’t, he continued. “It’s not his fault. It’s just how he’s wired. He’s aware of it even. He says it’s a Leo thing. It makes him a good leader in times of tragedy but maybe not so much in times of peace.”
Amanda nodded. “So what do you think then?”
“Well, I’ve got an idea. I think I’d like to look into it some more before I bring it up,” Ian said.
“Any hints?” Amanda said and gave him her best doe eyed expression.
“Nah… I don’t want to sound like an ass hat if I’m wrong,” Ian said, trying not to fall for her attempts to sway him. He decided to change the subject. “Your bruises look better today.”
“Thanks,” she said, touching her cheek. “They feel better.”
“Awesome. Awesome,” he replied. Ian felt really at ease with Amanda now. His earlier shyness seemed to be slipping away, allowing for his confidence to pool up again. “Amanda,” he started, “When you first came running toward this house, well, your fear, your vulnerability, your injuries, even your nudity,” he smiled a little and proceeded, “I saw past all that. I saw you. I saw you and it was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life and-”
But Amanda cut him off. She grabbed his chin, pulled him to her and pressed his lips to hers. He tensed at first but almost instantly relaxed. She tasted his lips, his teeth, his tongue and his stubble tickled her upper lip but it didn’t bother her. It only excited her more. She slid a hand around his back to the flesh she knew was exposed and pressed it there, savoring the tautness of his form.
Ian felt the warmth of her hand spreading throughout his back. He felt her slide her other hand up his thigh from his knee until she had hold of his penis, which he felt her squeeze through his jeans, making it throb in return as it rose in response to her. He gasped and pulled out of the kiss, but made no attempt to move Amanda’s hands from his body.
“I…I…I…,” he stammered.
“Shh…,” Amanda said and applied pressure to his shaft again, getting the favorable throb in return. “It’s okay. When I saw you on that barn floor, your neck wound from the bullet closing up, well, in spite of the fact that I’m ridiculously older than you, I knew there was something about you that, well,” it was her turn to search for the words, “that I needed as much as I wanted.” She felt a warmness spreading throughout her body that originated from her most private spot and she knew what she had just said was true. She leaned into his ear and said, “I want you. I need you.” She clenched down her grip on him for a third time.
Her third grasp on his penis and Ian was near certain he was going to ejaculate in his jeans, and if he did, he seriously doubted he would have the slightest bit of trouble doing so again at the appropriate time. But he maintained control and resisted the orgasm for the time being. Amanda’s touch and what she had said to him made him all but certain that he would never be with another woman after this one. Not because he would die after being with her but because he wanted this woman and only this woman for the rest of his life. She was starting to kiss him again. The hand on his penis had moved into the front of his shirt and was lightly pinching his nipples. He pulled back from her again.
“Not here,” he said. He stood up and her hands slid from beneath his shirt. His skin felt empty without her touch. He took one of her hands and helped her stand. He led her into the house and took them on an uninterrupted path to the bedroom farthest from the living room and kitchen. Amanda entered the room first and Ian stepped in after her, turned and looked in the hall and quietly closed the door.
Amanda watched him close the door and she undid her pants and slid them down. He turned back to her and strode to her in two paces. While he did, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor. Amanda was delighted to see his smooth firm chest with broad pectorals and tight abdominal muscles. He stepped to her, encircled her in his arms, and pressed his lips to hers. Amanda felt his hands gently cup her breasts through her shirt and she reached around and grasped his backside. He moved his hands down and pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it almost exactly where his had landed.
Ian stepped back a step, taking in the image of the woman, wearing only panties, before him. She was far more mature than any woman he’d ever been with. She exuded a sexual energy from her he’d never sensed before. He stepped back to her and she reached for the clasp for his jeans while he hooked thumbs in the waist of her panties. He slid her panties down as she undid his jeans.
When Amanda opened Ian’s jeans, she confirmed her earlier thought that he was indeed going commando. His pants slid down to his ankles and he kicked out of them just as she stepped out of her panties. They rejoined, kissing and touching each other. Amanda felt the heat of his erection against her thigh and she took hold of it again, stroking him slowly with one hand and gently tugging his scrotum with the other.
Ian moaned softly as Amanda’s soft hand moved up and down his penis. He kissed her sharply on her neck, caressed her breasts, and nibbled her nipples in return which made her speed up her hand movements.
“Oh!” Amanda gasped as Ian swept her off her feet and into his arms. He carried her over to the bed and laid her gently down on her back on the edge of the bed. He gently part
ed her knees and knelt down by her vagina. Seconds later, Amanda felt his tongue on her clitoris. He hadn’t needed even the slightest guidance and had found it expertly. Hot flashes of pleasure radiated throughout her from her groin as he danced his tongue clockwise, then counterclockwise, then nibbling slightly with his lips over his teeth, before starting the process again. She was helpless to stop him and didn’t want to. A few more moments of his tongue dance on her and she had a powerful orgasm that shook her whole body.
When the waves of ecstasy subsided with the rhythm of Ian’s mouth, Ian looked up at Amanda from between her legs. “That was really nice,” he said with a wry grin.
Ian stood up between her legs and Amanda saw he was still at full attention. She reached down, grabbed his waist, and pulled him into her. He had prepared her well and he entered easily. Connected, she pulled and he thrust. They moved this way until she had three more orgasms and she could feel him speeding up his tempo for his release.
Ian’s orgasm ripped through him like none he had ever had before. He continued to move until the pumping in his groin stopped and he lay panting on top of Amanda. He could feel the warmth of her and the light touch of her hands on his back and buttocks. When he pulled out from her, he rolled on his back and held an arm around her.
Neither of them said anything. Neither had needed to. What happened was perfect.
Ian dozed off for a few minutes and Amanda listened to his breathing slowly return to normal.
Just then, Amanda couldn’t breathe. Not only that, she couldn’t see. There was something in her eyes. She threw herself up into a sitting position. She choked and coughed but all she could feel was stuff falling into her mouth and getting sucked up her nose. She started to thrash in the bed.
Ian was shaken awake by Amanda’s thrashing and choking sounds. He sat up fast and put his hands on her shoulders.
“Amanda! What is it? What’s wrong?” Ian couldn’t see what was wrong. Amanda appeared to be choking on something but Ian couldn’t see anything. Then she suddenly took a long deep clear breath and fell back down on the bed.