by Leela Ash
Jessa followed the tracks quickly and it was soon nightfall and she was stuck in the woods alone. There was no shelter around and it was getting too dark to see the imprints in the ground. The weather was taking a turn for the worst and she could hear the skies rumbling above her. Jessa had to go on, sure that the rain was going to wash away all of the prints and she was going to never be able to find Shane again. It had been one scare after another and she didn’t even know if he was still alive. There was no one to help her. She let out a shuddering sigh. She really needed Mike.
She was frantically running through the woods on a path that had been used more than once. There was light up ahead of her from a fire in a barrel and then she saw several people standing around it, cooking something. It wasn’t the smell of food that pulled her from her cover, but the need to find Shane. She was sure that this was where her son was and it didn’t matter that she was supposed to be seeing what was going on first. There was no stopping her from moving towards the group. All she had was a knife tucked in her hand, ready to use it if she had to.
Several surprised faces looked at her until finally an older woman stood up and stared at her.
“Where is my son? I know you took him!” Jessa cried.
Malinda shook her head. “We have not taken him, but brought him with us to feed him. You had been gone some time and we were afraid that you weren’t coming back. The city has been full of danger lately.”
Jessa wasn’t really listening, her eyes searching the small village for her son. “Where is he?”
“In there, by the fire getting warm. That little place he was in was getting quite cold.”
Jessa went from nervous to feeling judged, and she marched over to the small makeshift structure. Her heart sank back into her chest when she spotted him. “Mommy, there you are. I thought you were going to be home before dark?”
She put her arms around him and started to feel the drizzle going down her eyes that she could not stop. “I was home baby, but you were not there.”
“I went with them because they had something to eat. They said I could stay here until you got back.”
Jessa nodded, still not sure if she liked the whole idea of it. She didn’t like the idea of her son leaving without her, but she knew that he had to eat. He hadn’t been in a situation without her there before, and she felt guilty that she hadn’t been there. Shane seemed better. His blue eyes were not so hollow looking. It had been more than food that they had given him. When she asked about it, the old woman named Melinda told her that she had given him a tonic to revitalize him. The ingredients were much of what she would have used, if she had taken all of her herbs and supplies with her.
“Well I don’t know how to thank you Melinda. I was so worried when I saw him gone. It is more likely to run into bad, instead of good.”
Melinda nodded and her brown eyes closed for a few minutes, remembering something in her own past that made Jessa’s words true. There were far more bad people in the world. They were the ones that survived and as the bombs had hit and the years of struggle went on, it was always the ruthless that made it through another long winter. It was not because they were stronger or better, just merely more willing to take and kill to get what they wanted.
“If you really want to help us, there is something that we could really use some help with…”
Jessa nervously listened to what they needed. She wanted to help them, but what they asked was too much, too strange. They had fed and cared for her child and there was nothing more worthy of her help than that. Shane chimed in that they were real nice and needed her. “You should help them mom.”
Jessa knew that he had no idea what he was talking about and she just nodded and smiled at him.
6
The office building where Milo and Mike had hunkered down in was not good coverage at all, especially not for a storm that seemed to be bringing more and more rain down on them. It was not coming from above, but seemed to be riding in on burst of air that found them. The horizontal rain soaked them both and Michael worried about the tracks being washed away. He knew they were close though and no one was traveling in that kind of weather, so they would not be too far away in the morning.
“Are you sure you don’t want to just go? It doesn’t look like there is going to be any sleep here tonight.”
Michael knew he was right, but going out in it was not that advisable. The rain was like the landscape, foreign. “No, let’s go further back, there has to be a warm place in here somewhere.” Moving towards the back rooms of the building, there were several places where the roof had given in and they could see the dark clouds illuminated by cracks of lightning. It was almost beautiful, if it wasn’t coming down on top of them.
There was one room that had the door pushed in, but it was a noticeable difference. When the door was shut again, the wind was no longer as loud and there was finally peace. “That’s better.” Michael pulled off his jacket and hung it over the side of an old refrigerator. He had learned long ago to not open them and resisted the urge. He wasn’t that hungry and there wouldn’t be anything edible. Perishable foods had done just what they were supposed to do.
“What are we going to do when we find them?”
Michael still wasn’t sure. He had been asking himself the same question and still hadn't come up with an answer. More or less, he was really just going to confirm Billy's death. There would be only a couple of reasons that a group of people would drag someone off into the woods. None of the reasons were that far from each other and none of them were good. Billy was already going to meet his death, Michael was sure of it, but he had to make sure utility had been done. Even though it wouldn’t be by his hands, it would be done and that was good enough.
“We are going to watch and wait.”
He didn’t think they would actually have to wait at all. Billy would not make it through the night. Michael was sure of it and the idea of it made him sleep a little better with the storm raging outside. He tried to look on the bright side. At least they didn’t have to worry about water the next day. They had some collecting while they slept, ready for the next day.
***
“Mike. Let’s go. It’s not raining and the sun is up.”
Squinting his eyes, Michael looked up at Milo. He was always up first, checking everything out in the wee hours of morning. Michael would have rather slept in a while longer and waited for the outside to heat up a bit. It was far too cold to be walking around. He never liked the chill in the air.
“Yeah, okay.” He had to get up though. His mind went to why and it helped propel him up.
“How does it look out there?”
“No tracks, but I know where they went. There is a fire burning not too far from here and I think that is where they are. It won’t take long to get there. Maybe they like to wake up late like you.”
Michael doubted it, but it was a nice idea and it did the trick to get him motivated. Whichever way it was going to end, they would be on their way back and he would be back to Jessa. It had been far too long without her. Milo looked eager to get back together with the group as well. Both groups were vulnerable without the other. “Well let’s get going then Milo. I want to be back to Jessa by nightfall.”
They made their way towards the burning fire that Milo had seen and smelled. As they got closer, it smelled like roasting meat and it smelled good, until they got close enough to see what was really going on. Billy was already gone, in a spiritual and physical way. He was half-eaten and every hair on the back of Michael’s neck was standing up. His hand came out and stopped Milo from taking another step. The young man had yet to see what stopped Michael in his tracks.
He started to back up slowly. He could see several people sleeping on the ground on mats, but there only had to be one awake to see them. It was not a place he wanted to be found in and the feeling from the night before was far worse. He had to get out of there. The sharp intake of breath beside him, told Michael that Milo had seen what
he had seen.
Every sense he had was on high alert and there was nothing more that could be done. When they were far enough away that Michael could finally breathe again, it was hard to take those images out of his head. He wished he had gone sooner, somehow stopped the man from that kind of torture. It was inconceivable to him and Michael felt guilty in a way.
“Let’s get the hell out of here Milo and go find the others. Billy won’t be bothering anyone again.”
Milo nodded and Michael was afraid that he was going to be sick. He touched his shoulder and asked him if he was okay. It was just too much for Milo, it seemed, and Michael started to worry about him. He was the one that always took everything as it came so easily. “Are you sure you are okay? We can stop for a while if you need to catch your breath.”
Milo’s shake of his head was even more animated. The last thing that anyone with any common sense would want was to stay where they were. Those men were there and he never wanted to see them again. People that ran into that group did not make it out of it alive, and both agreed that getting some distance between them and the cannibals could only be a good idea. Neither man said a word for over an hour, both trying to come to grips with what they had seen.
Stopping for a rest, Michael was happy to see that they were making good progress. He didn’t know when he would see Jessa next, but he was a lot closer than he had been in days. What he had needed to do was behind them and now he was ready to move on. Get her to the coast where she was convinced life was better. He wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe that he could forget what had kept him going for so long, that it could somehow be forgotten and Michael could remember how to be happy again.
7
Jessa couldn’t help but blush. She had never heard of such a request and though she understood it in some ways, she was starting to think that the people that saved her son were a bit mad. They wanted her to mate, their words, with one of their males. She apparently got to choose which one. The men had no women in their clan to carry on their lineage and wanted to spread it out in hopes of it attaching. The few women that were with them were unable to give birth and she had already refused the idea of joining them.
Shane had mixed feelings. He didn’t know about the requests, but he had overheard the idea of staying. He wanted to stay in some ways, but was more interested in finding and reuniting with Milo and Michael. When it was clear that she wouldn’t stay, they asked if she would consider mating with one of their own. It was a way to give them hope of their family’s survival, but it put Jessa in a very strange position. She felt like she owed them something, but what they wanted was just too much. There was no way that she could do that, right?
Shaking her head, one last time, she tried not to glance at the eager men that seemed more than willing to change her mind. It wouldn’t be hard, her body responding to the virile men. “I wish I could Melinda, believe me I do. But I am with someone now and I’m waiting for him to come back.”
“I can understand that. We don’t see many children here. The city is void of anything good anymore.”
Jessa wanted to ask them why they stayed in the city where everything was worse. Radiation played a part in why so many of the women were unable to give birth to healthy children anymore, but staying in the hot zones only made it worse.
“Sometimes I wish we could leave this place, but we were called here to do our work. We are here to help people and the sickness is a price that we have to pay.”
Jessa nodded, but was still under the impression that there may in fact be some screws loose. There was no way that she was staying, even if she was called to help. Her responsibilities were only for her son. The rest of the world could fend for themselves as far as she was concerned. Trying to give them the ration bars and dried food that she found, Melinda refused it. “We have everything we need here and will be provided for. Be safe on your journeys.”
Jessa and Shane left and walked back towards the cottage. She didn’t care if it was dark. She wanted to get her son out of there. They may have been nice, but they were wackier then she was used to. Some people couldn’t take the world as it was. They were stuck in the times when everything had been so much easier. Everyone was trying to find a reason to go on and many had turned to faith once more.
“Mommy. Do you believe that they are there for a reason?”
Jessa didn’t know how to answer. Her husband had always been good at explaining the hard stuff and she wasn’t so good with it. Her mind was too literal and Shane needed a rosy view that she found it hard to create. “Well baby. They think that they are there for a reason, so that is enough, don’t you think?”
He seemed to be pondering the question. There was still so much to teach him, she thought to herself, but right then, all Jessa was worried about was getting back to that cozy cottage and hopefully finding Michael and Milo already there waiting for her. There wasn’t too long of a walk, but Shane was getting tired, still weak from the week’s ordeal.
When she got back, she didn’t see any lights coming from the windows and her heart sank. They must not be there yet, she thought to herself. Opening the door, her heart leapt in her chest when she saw the sleeping men. Even Shane, who was too tired to walk the last mile, was energized in seeing them and started to run towards Michael.
Michael woke up with the sound of the small boy and his blue eyes met hers for a moment. They both had a long few days, but it all melted away when she saw him. Shane had lost interest with Michael, who wasn’t giving him all of his attention, and went to greet Milo. Jessa stepped forward and looked down at him smiling. “I’ve missed you Michael.”
“We have missed you too. I was worried when you weren’t here when we got here, but I just had a feeling you would be back...and here you are.”
Her eyes darkened a little and Michael couldn’t imagine what was going through her mind. Jessa was still thinking about the strange situation she had been in earlier. It had reminded her body that she had been without Michael for days and she wanted him, needed him suddenly so much that it took her breath away.
Standing up, he put his arms around her and she went to her tiptoes to kiss him. There was something in her kiss that pulled the feeling of desperation out of him. Michael had been more than worried when she wasn’t there. He didn’t see any tracks because of the storm. Milo had wanted to go, but something had told him to stay. Now that she was in his arms and kissing him, he never wanted to let her go.
It was only when Jessa pulled away, her eyes alight and the sound of disgust from her son had gotten finally to her ears. “It’s good to see you Michael.” Turning to Shane. “Now that you have said your hellos, I think it is time for someone to get some rest. I want to get out of here, as far as we can tomorrow. This place has too many strange people.”
Michael couldn’t have agreed more. All he wanted to do was leave, but it seemed like both of them had a reason to stay, at least for the night. They could make their way east the next day. Tonight, Michael had to be reminded that he was still alive. There was no better way than in the arms of the woman he had come to love in such a short amount of time. Watching her put her son to bed, Michael moved out to the porch, wanting to get some fresh air and a moment to think about everything that had happened.
Jessa came out a little later after Shane was asleep. “You okay?”
He wasn’t okay, but when she looked at him like that, it was as close as he was going to get. It was hard to not be okay when she was looking at him in such a way. “I am now.”
8
“Do you want to talk about what happened?”
Jessa shook her head, indicating that she didn’t. She didn’t know how he would react to what had happened there and didn’t want to tell him that she was so needy because of it. It was because of him in some ways, but Jessa could still remember the desired eyes on her from the men in the tribe she had met. There had been a moment, a second really, that she had thought about what would have happened if she had ju
st stayed the night. If she would have gotten to feel and see the need first hand from a few of them, what would it have been like?
She blushed with her thoughts and he took it as she was thinking of him. Jessa didn’t dispel his guess and when he leaned in to kiss her, she started to forget about everything else but him. She was sitting beside him on the porch and their knees touched as his tongue pushed through her lips. He had his own desires that were hard to ignore, fanning the flames of her own.
“Is everyone asleep?”
Jessa nodded and moved to touch his lips to her own. “Yes.”
“Why don’t we go in and find a quiet spot like last time?”
Shaking her head, Jessa moved to straddle his lap. Sitting down on him, she could feel his need. “Why don’t we just stay out here where there is a nice breeze? You know how hot and sweaty you get…”
Michael growled when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself up against his hard chest. Her hips ground down onto him and he made another desperate sound underneath her. She loved the sound of it and the hardness that she rubbed herself against. It made her go a little crazy. He just felt too good against her. If she kept moving her body like that, she wouldn’t even need to take her clothes off.
“What has you all riled up?” Michael wasn’t complaining, enjoying the way her teeth nibbled on his bottom lip and her body writhed against him, but it was hard not to notice that she seemed to have something else on her mind. While he would like to think that there was no other reason she was so hot and bothered, he had a feeling that it wasn’t all about him. His desire wasn’t all about her either, he reasoned, but rather the frailty of life. He had been feeling philosophical after finding Billy. It made him realize that if he died tomorrow, he wanted to be in her arms when he did. There was nowhere else he would rather be.
“I just need you to stop talking Michael. I need you now.”