“Jesus,” whispered his mom. Jack turned towards her and saw a blank, vulnerable expression on her face. She was shaking her head back and forth, and when Jack followed her gaze, he saw exactly why.
There were other people, bodies, in the cave with them. The two hadn’t seen any up until that point, the strength of the destruction having been enough to destroy any trace. The forms were unmistakably human, though heavily charred, and lacking any clothing or skin to speak of.
To make it even worse, there were three of them, the larger ones on either side hugging and protecting a burnt smaller one in the middle.
It’s a father, a mother, and a child. The cave must have sheltered them… but it wasn’t enough.
Jack’s heart sank, but what he felt didn’t even compare to what he saw on his mother’s face. She was strong, and continued to be strong even in the face of the horrible scene, but Jack knew how sensitive she was to this type of thing.
This is mom’s worst nightmare. And… we’ve already lost dad.
He walked over and pulled his mother into a tight hug. She set her hand on his head, as though she was trying to pull him in, and protect him.
“It’s okay mom,” he whispered. “We’re still alive, and we aren’t giving up.”
“I know, honey.”
Jack glanced back towards the cave’s entrance. The clouds were still in the sky, but the rain had let up a little.
“Come on,” he said. “We can’t stay here.”
“Okay…” Rebecca’s voice was a whisper, and she repeated herself with more force. “Okay. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 15
The next few hours of traveling were some of the hardest that Jack and his mother had experienced on the entire trip. The rain had dropped down to little more than a light mist, but it was still enough to muddy the ash, making for horrible traction, every step sinking in slightly.
Worse, still, were the larger cracks in the ground, like the one that Jack had fallen into before. With all of the ash turned to mush, it became impossibly hard to differentiate between solid land and the openings. His childhood fear of quicksand began to bubble up in the back of his awareness, and he had to force it down.
There is no time for us to waste. This isn’t about me, this is about Molly.
They didn’t slow down, and eventually, the weather began to let up. A rainbow formed on the horizon to the west of them, arching over the setting sun in the distance.
“It’s beautiful,” said Rebecca. “Or at least, it should be. It’s almost like a joke, against this kind of backdrop.”
“It doesn’t have to be a joke.” Jack smiled at her, a real smile. “This isn’t the world we recognize, but that doesn’t mean we have to give up on everything in it.”
His mom didn’t say anything. She’d had the map out for the last hour of their journey, and every couple of minutes she would glance back down at it and sigh. Jack had a general idea of where they were, and he suspected she did as well, but getting to the exact location of the landing site was proving to be more of a challenge than they’d expected.
I can’t doubt myself now. This is the plan we came up with. It has to work.
“Here,” said Rebecca. “We’re close. Within a few miles, at least.”
She traced something on the map, and then pointed in front of them. The ground ahead had a long strip that was slightly discolored, darker than the scorched earth around it.
“This used to be a highway,” said his mom. “And Molly’s going to be coming down near it. We just need to travel north a little further along it.”
“Alright.”
Out of all the fears and worries he’d had during the trip, none of them compared to the anxiety that began to take hold of Jack as they closed in on their destination. There were so many things that could go wrong, all of which he’d dismissed as trivial problems during the creation of the plan.
She might not even make it off the space station. Or what if she had to come down early and we’re waiting for nothing? There’s a chance that the landing capsule won’t even be landable with just one pilot, and then she’d…
“Hey.” His mom’s arms wrapped around him from behind, and he felt a soft kiss on his cheek. “It’s going to be okay.”
Jack nodded.
“Yeah, you’re right,” he said. “Come on, let’s keep moving.”
After another hour of hiking, made easier on top of the former highway, the two of them slowed to a stop. It was impossible to pinpoint the exact location that they’d agree on with the imperfections of the map and the changed landscape, but had they reached a spot that was about as close as they could get.
Jack sat down on the ground and stared up at the setting sun. Thoughts flowed like waves through his mind, pulling him into introspection.
“I almost feel like we’re right back where we started.” Jack looked over at his mom, who was still standing, and smiled. “I’m outside, looking up at the sky, trying to see a shooting star.”
“This time it’s a shooting star that we can make a wish on, instead of being cursed by.” Rebecca set her hands on his shoulder and brushed more ash out of his hair before leaning in and planting a kiss on his head.
Another minute went by, followed by another, and then she appeared. It looked as though one of the stars had decided to come out early, growing brighter and moving across the sky. Jack stood to his feet and felt his heart begin to pound wildly.
“She’s over there!” He yelled. “To the east!”
Molly’s capsule grew bright, and then suddenly slowed down. A white parachute expanded out behind it, and Jack was a little surprised and unnerved by how fast the craft was going.
“No!” he yelled. “She needs to slow down more!”
He slipped off his pack and began sprinting off in the direction of the falling capsule. It closed in on the ground before he could reach the landing site, bouncing several times as it was carried forward by its horizontal momentum. The sound of it reminded Jack of a car crash, and he felt his heart sink.
“Hold on, Jack!” yelled his mom. “Wait for me!”
He could feel the heat coming from the capsule even before he’d slid to a stop next to it. It had tipped on its side, with the parachute extending behind it like the useless cape of a defeated superhero.
“Molly!” yelled Jack. “Molly, can you hear me!”
She’s inside of it! I need to get her out!
A loud bang came from the capsule. The large, rectangular door on the side of it looked as though it was trying to pop open. Unfortunately, it was a little to banged up by the crash to get more than an inch out from its frame.
I can’t let anyone else die!
It took every ounce of determination that he had, but Jack moved in closer, feeling the intense heat doing everything it could to push him back. He reached his hands toward the tiny crack in between the door and capsule and instantly recoiled back.
“Damn it!” His fingers burned from the heat. He bit his lip and ignored the pain, dipping his hands down to the ground in coating them in as much ash as he could.
“Stop, Jack!” His mother was still a ways off behind him. He turned back and gave it another try.
Jack could still feel the heat, still feel his hands burning as he grabbed onto the door again, but the ash gave him just enough of a cushion to keep going. He let out an animalistic yell and pulled with all his strength.
The door popped open. Behind it, strapped into a complicated looking harness and wearing a white, glass faced helmet, was Molly. Jack wasted no time, climbing into the capsule and undoing her restraints.
“Molly!” He yelled and tapped on her helmet, but she didn’t respond. “Molly!”
Jack began pulling her towards the door, crouching low and singing the back of his neck hairs on the hot outer shell.
“Wait…” Molly’s voice was quiet and muffled, but unmistakable. “I’m… I’m okay.”
Jack continued pulling her, even after they w
ere out of the craft. He pulled her another ten feet away and then collapsed on his butt beside her.
“Molly…” It suddenly felt unbelievable to have her there, alive, in person, right next to him. The young female astronaut clumsily detached gloves from her suit and then twisted her helmet off.
“You did it,” she whispered. “You found me.”
“I didn’t really have a choice,” said Jack. Rebecca made her way up behind him and crouched next to the two.
“Of course you did. You took a risk coming all the way out here, all the way through this.”
Jack smiled.
“It was a risk worth taking. After all, you represent a third of the known human population.”
His mom sighed, and Molly rolled her eyes. Jack couldn’t resist smiling at his own, stupid joke.
Everything is going to be okay…
Their reunion was a happy one, but tinged with the bittersweet reality of the situation. It was getting dark, and Jack had to set up the tent. Blisters and burns had formed on his palms and fingers, making it hard for him to push the poles onto the canopy.
“You’re as stupid as you are brave,” whispered Rebecca as she sat him down and pulled out the first aid kit. “Don’t ever try anything like that again.”
Jack nodded. He was looking over his mom’s shoulder at Molly. She was standing just around the corner of the capsule, and slowly stripping off her space suit. Underneath it, she’d been wearing thermal insulated long underwear, and she didn’t hesitate before beginning to take it off.
She’s here on the ground now, where I can touch her, and she can touch me.
“We’ll have to stay the night here,” said Rebecca. “Molly and I will sleep in the tent. We can set up a bed for you inside the downed transport capsule, Jack.”
Jack wasn’t listening. Molly was slowly wiggling her butt and thighs as she pulled off the one piece. She was facing away from him, but her naked body gleamed in the moonlight, covered with a thin layer of sweat. It was an erotic sight, enough to make his cock harden, which given how close his mother was to him, was a little embarrassing.
I’m going to have to get used to this sort of thing, traveling with the two of them.
“If we’re lucky, we can make it back to the emergency shelter by the day after tomorrow,” said Rebecca.
Molly’s ears perked up at her comment. She turned around, holding one arm over her breasts and the other against her crotch, and walked over to them. Jack’s jaw dropped open, and he had to force himself to look away.
“Let me get you some clothes, Molly, “said Rebecca. “Otherwise, I think it might end up being too much stimulation for my son.”
Molly nodded, but looked as though she was far away in her thoughts.
“We aren’t headed back to your emergency shelter, not yet,” she said softly. “I saw something, on the way down.”
Jack turned back around, doing his best to keep from ogling Molly as he raised his eyebrow at her statement.
“What?”
Molly licked her lips and then grinned broadly.
“I saw green,” she said. “A small little patch of it, to the east of here.”
“That’s…” Rebecca walked over, passing Molly a baggy t-shirt. “How is that possible? We saw the Earth from the camera in the space station.”
“It was too small to stand out until I’d begun the descent.” Molly pulled the shirt over her head, her big, pink dotted breasts entering Jack’s field of view for a split second. “I don’t know how it survived or what’s there, what it could mean…”
Jack nodded.
“We’ll head out first thing in the morning,” he said. “This is good news.”
His mom glanced at both of them and then turned her attention back to Jack’s hands, dabbing at them with an antiseptic pad that stung like the devil.
“It’s not the end,” she whispered. “We’re all here, we’re all together, and we have hope.”
“Exactly.” Jack looked up at the moon, bright and full against the night sky. “It’s only the beginning.”
CHAPTER 16
Jack couldn’t sleep. The air felt hot, hotter than it had throughout most of the day, and the limited lack of open floor space in the fallen space capsule forced him to lie in a contorted pose
This was the only place left. I can’t sleep outside in the ash, and I definitely can’t sleep in the tent.
Jack turned and accidentally knocked one of his injured hands against a hanging seat restraint. The tiny little orbital return vehicle had been designed to be a tight fit even when astronauts were using it for its intended purpose. Still, Jack felt as though the same vehicle that safely carried Molly down to Earth from the space station should at least be capable of hosting him comfortably for a single night.
The young, female astronaut was sleeping in the two-person pop tent, along with Jack’s stepmom, Rebecca. Jack tried not to think of how comfortable they probably were, and how nice it would be to slip in between them, cramped as it might be. He glanced up and out through the open capsule door.
The ash outside has settled down. Hopefully, the weather holds, and we can travel tomorrow without obstruction.
Jack was in the middle of contemplating rolling from his back onto his stomach when he heard soft footsteps approaching the downed capsule. He froze, and let his breathing return to a slow, rhythmic pattern.
Someone slipped in through the entrance hatch. He felt their foot brush up against his as they did and thought about pretending to wake up.
It’s either Molly or my mom. When there isn’t anybody else left on the planet, at least getting robbed becomes a nonissue.
As tempted as Jack was to open his eyes and catch a glimpse of his visitor, he held back. He wanted to let them make the first move and show their hand.
There was so little room in the capsule that even just the action of the person kneeling down brought them into close contact with Jack’s body. He could feel a soft leg pushed up against his side as they dropped to their knees. A hand settled down on his chest, slowly beginning to run across it.
“Mmmm…” An almost imperceptible moan escaped Jack’s lips. He suddenly wasn’t sure if he was just playing at being asleep, or having a very realistic dream.
His visitor remained silent, instead just letting her hand drift lower, and lower. The hand came to the waistband of Jack’s boxer’s and slipped soft fingertips inside of it, slowly tracing the length in front and causing Jack’s cock to stiffen up on cue.
I need to see who it is…
Who it was made all the difference in the world to Jack. Ever since the very first night after the asteroid impact, after a celestial home run ended the world, the rules had never been the same. All that mattered in the new reality that the three found themselves in was survival, immediate and for the future of the human race.
Oh man, that feels good.
The hand slipped lower down, grazing across Jack’s cock and sending a surge of excitement through him. It could be either one of them, he realized. Molly had made a point of throwing the fact that he and his stepmom weren’t related by blood directly in the forefront of importance. She was the only mother he’d ever known in his 18 years of life, and suddenly the relationship between them was evolving in a forbidden, unrecognizable direction.
She’s still my mom, and I’m still her son.
That was something that had been made abundantly clear to Jack several times over in the past few days. Trapped in the emergency shelter, with only each other for company, they had played at normality. Traveling across the wasteland to find Molly’s landing location had been much the same, with Jack being grateful for her love and protectiveness, even if the latter felt unnecessary at times.
The hand wrapped itself around his cock, and Jack let out another moan. He’d already been a little excited even before his mystery visitor had arrived, teenage hormones taking control of his body during the night, spurring him on into sexy dreams.
This isn’t a dream. This feels real.
It was another part of the new reality that Jack was slowly but surely coming to terms with. Humanity now consisted of himself, Molly, his mother, and the elephant in the room, the fact that all of them had needs. He was there and as ready and capable of intimacy as any red-blooded, teenage male could be.
But it’s not as though I can just forget who she is, and who I am.
Jack felt his boxers being pulled down. As tempted as he was to take the moment as an excuse to wake up, to consciously join in the fun that was being had at his expense, he remained motionless. Part of him was a little afraid to discover which of the women was the one touching him. Part of him hoped it was Molly, and part of him hoped for someone else.
Something warm and wet moved across the skin of Jack’s shaft, sending an erotic chill through his crotch and into the rest of his body. It happened again, and again. He was being licked, and it felt incredible and a little accidental, as though whoever was doing had mistaken his hard on for a lollypop.
Soft lips pushed against the head of his cock, and he felt a tongue swirl against the tip as they pushed forward. The pleasure spread through him like wildfire, tightening his toes and making him wonder how long he could keep the ruse up.
“Ohhh…” He silently moaned. The mouth on his hard on bobbed up and down, and he felt himself drawing closer, and closer…
“What’s going on here?” A voice came from back outside of the capsule, Jack’s mother’s voice. Everything clicked into place as the mouth pulled off his penis and turned to answer.
“I was just… checking in on Jack,” said Molly. “I know from experience just how cramped it can be in this thing.”
Jack finally risked opening his eyes a sliver. It was dark inside the capsule, dark enough to hide what was really going on. The moon and stars were shining outside with all of their unobstructed glory, illuminating his mother in the darkness.
After the Fall: The Complete Collection (Taboo Erotica) Page 11