“There’s something that I wanted to show you,” said Maggie. “I found it yesterday on my way back from the lake.”
Cyrus nodded.
“Is it nearby?” he asked.
“Not really,” she said. “It’s a bit of a walk. But it’s not like we don’t have time.”
Time isn’t what worries me, at the moment.
Cyrus walked over to where he’d left his torch club from the night before and hefted it up. He thought for a moment, and then held it up in the air, drawing the attention of the girls.
“If you find any sticks around this size and thickness, don’t work them into the fence,” he said. “Set them aside. They’ll be useful to us as weapons.”
Kyoko, Aiden, and Amy nodded. Amy glanced between him and Maggie and set her hands on her hips.
“Are the two of you planning on going somewhere?” she asked. The accusation in her tone was clear enough.
“Yes,” he said, simply. “You’ll welcome to come with, if you’d like.”
“No thanks. There’s work to be done here.”
Cyrus flashed a smile at the rest of them and then joined up with Maggie. There were a few clouds in the sky overhead and a gentle breeze on the air. It was a beautiful day, and outside of the terror of the night before, he could almost make himself think that they’d made it to Fiji, and were enjoying a rugged, tropical vacation.
“Come on,” said Maggie. “We’re going to have to cut through the jungle to get there.”
She didn’t sound scared or worried, but somehow, Cyrus knew that she was.
CHAPTER 17
The two of them stopped by the lake to grab a quick drink. Maggie collected some of the berries they’d munched on for dinner last night, taking half of them from the ones already fallen loose to the ground. Cyrus approved of that, knowing that the easy pickings on the island were limited to what grew naturally, and would eventually run out.
He found himself wishing that he had some kind of knife or machete as they headed deeper into the jungle. The underbrush and foliage was dense enough to pose a challenge even at a slow pace. Cyrus had to pass Maggie his torch club so he could pull vines loose and break branches as they went, and it took time for them to cover even short distances.
“Left or right from here,” he asked, as they approached the massive rock mound at the island’s center.
“Straight,” said Maggie.
Cyrus shrugged and pushed onward. The jungle began to give way, larger trees and plants being the first to disappear as the texture of the ground changed. Black rock took the place of worn dirt and sand, much of it looking fresh, as though it had only flowed into place in recent years.
The two of them had to climb over a small ledge made of black igneous rock to make it the last few feet. The rock was warm from the sun’s light, and it made Cyrus feel uneasy to touch at first, especially after looking back toward the rock mound and seeing that the thin plume of smoke originating from its center had returned.
“Are you going to tell me what you wanted to show me now?” asked Cyrus.
Maggie smiled at him and clasped her hands behind her back.
“Maybe,” she said. “I kind of like watching you squirm.”
Cyrus rolled his eyes at her, and Maggie let out a giggle that sounded happy and genuine.
“The rock mound,” she said, continuing. “Or the volcanic mound, we should really be calling it. I found a section of its base that’s pretty easy to scale.”
“And why would we want to scale it?”
“Because of how high it is,” she said.
Cyrus frowned at her uncomprehendingly. Maggie immediately began gesturing with her hands.
“You know how ships used to all have crow’s nests, right?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I guess I never really thought about it.”
“The higher up you get, the further out your horizon becomes,” said Maggie. “It makes a really big deal when you’re at sea. And, given that this is a volcanic island, it could be one of a long chain, all of them following an undersea fault line, each one just outside the regular horizon of the next.”
“Do you think it’s likely?”
Maggie shrugged.
“I mean, there’s a chance,” she said. “And the only way we’re going to know for sure is for one of us, for me, to get up there and look around.”
She took a step toward the rock mound. The rocks at the base of the section that she’d led them too were folded and layered, almost like a large, uneven stack of misshapen pancakes.
“Wait,” said Cyrus. “I’ll do it.”
“What? No, I only brought you so that I wouldn’t be chastised for not using the buddy system.”
Cyrus shook his head.
“I’m taller than you are,” he said.
“By like, three inches.”
“And stronger.” He smiled and stepped past her. “If I see anything worth seeing up there, I’ll call down so you can follow up.”
Maggie frowned, but didn’t pout. She let him start up the rock face and remained where she was.
The handholds were blessedly huge, turning what should have been a steep climb, given the rock mound’s height, into more of a mixture between hiking and occasionally scaling up a ledge. The biggest issue for Cyrus wasn’t the risk of falling, but the temperature of the rocks.
They were hotter than they should have been, considering how early it was in the day and how hot the sun was for that time of year. Cyrus took to testing each new handhold with the back of his knuckles, only committing his hands to grabbing once he was sure the heat was something he could endure.
The air also took on an active, smoky scent as he made it further up. The smoke plume was smaller than it had been on the day of the crash, but any smoke was, in his mind, a bad sign. Cyrus tried not to think about what would happen if the volcano started rumbling, about how easily it could explode and shower him with hot, molten death.
It was a decent climb, but the section Maggie had led him to made it a breeze. He was at the last ledge within minutes, hesitating before leaning to look over it and into the central volcanic crater.
The crater was about a hundred feet across in diameter, the edges sloping downward into a volcanic vent at the center. Even through the thick, constant discharge of smoke, Cyrus could see the glow of magma at the bottom. The heat was unreal, making the air within the crater quiver and warp.
“Do you see anything?” called Maggie.
Cyrus opened his mouth to describe the bottom of the crater, and then realized that she was talking about finding islands on his expanded horizon. He directed his focus outward, toward the ocean, slowly turning in a complete circle.
There was nothing in sight other than the open ocean, disappointing and empty. A few clouds lingered in the sky above, but Cyrus doubted they had much of an effect on his visibility. He sighed and looked back down toward Maggie.
“No,” he called. “There’s nothing here. Just a semi-active volcano that could explode at any time. It’s weird, you’d think that an island of this size would get more attention from… Uh, Maggie?”
She was clearly trying to contain her laughter, and doing a poor job of it. She waved a hand at him and turned around, chuckling to herself. Cyrus started climbing down, moving faster than he had on the climb up and barely using his hands.
“What’s so funny?” He crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.
Maggie reached out a finger and ran it across his forehead, showing him how it had completely blackened the tip.
“Oh,” said Cyrus. “I swear; I don’t find blackface funny. It must just be from the smoke.”
Maggie grinned at him and took his hand.
“Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
CHAPTER 18
The two of them made their way back to the lake along the same path they’d taken out. Cyrus resolved to do what he could to make a wide path from the lake to the beach camp, knowing that all of the survivor
s would be traversing that stretch regularly
“Alright, go ahead,” said Maggie. “Wash up.”
Cyrus frowned at her.
“I’m not sure if it’s the best idea for us to be using our drinking water to wash ourselves off,” he said.
“Just do your face,” said Maggie. “It’s pretty bad. You’ll see what I mean once you get a look at your reflection.”
Cyrus almost didn’t recognize the person he saw staring back at him in the water. The soot had caked itself onto his face, making him look similar to a coal miner, fresh out of a deep hole. He scooped up some water and began scrubbing, to not much effect.
“Hmmm…” Maggie frowned as she looked at him. “You’re going to need an actual bath, I think. And you’re right. Given how dirty you are, it probably wouldn’t be appropriate to dip you into the lake.”
“Exactly,” said Cyrus. “I’ll make do. It’s not really that big of a deal.”
“Nope,” said Maggie. “You’re coming with me.”
She led him a short distance back along the path down the camp, turning before they reached the trail’s head and heading off to the side. The two of them exited the jungle onto a section of beach on the far side of the island. Cyrus frowned as he looked around, expecting to see something that wasn’t there.
“All of the bodies,” he said. “Other than, well, Darius and Maggie… The rest of the corpses who washed up were just hanging out on the beach.”
Maggie nodded slowly, seeing what he was saying.
“It was probably those creatures,” she said. “I can’t imagine they just ignored all of that free meat. In a way, they kind of did us a service.”
Cyrus agreed with her, but was a little surprised by her frankness.
I mentioned Darius, and she didn’t react this time. Maybe she’s coping better than I am…
“Well, come on,” said Maggie. “We don’t have to worry about you getting the ocean dirty.”
Without any hesitation, she reached down to the bottom hem of her sundress and pulled it up and over her head. Cyrus felt his mouth drop open as she tossed it aside, standing in front of him wearing nothing more than a matching set of white lace bra and panties.
“Maggie…” he said, finding it hard to be cogent. “You’re going to…”
“I’m going to make sure you actually end up getting clean,” she said, skipping off toward the water. “Come on, hurry up, already.”
Cyrus pulled his shirt off and slipped out of his cargo shorts. He jogged after, unable to keep himself from staring at her perfect butt and the pale, flawless skin of her naked back. Maggie flinched back slightly as she made it up to her knees in the water, a shiver running through her.
“It’s really cold!” she said.
Cyrus grinned as he followed after her, dipping his hands under and flicking water in her direction. Maggie let out a surprised gasp and glared at him. She immediately retaliated, and Cyrus laughed as the two of them waded further out, splashing each other as they went.
They were up to their waist, and Cyrus managed to land a splash that hit Maggie square in the chest, soaking her white bra and doing the expected to it. The fabric turned nearly sheer, and Cyrus could see an illicit hint of pink nipple underneath it.
“You brat!” yelled Maggie. She jumped forward, tackling him and knocking them both completely into the water.
Cyrus was hard as a rock, and having Maggie against him only fed the flames of his desire. He pulled her into a wrestling hug as the two of them broke the surface. Maggie wrapped her legs around him, ostensibly trying to twist him back into the water, but putting their bodies into direct, erotic contact.
“I’m going to teach you your lesson, mister!” laughed Maggie.
Cyrus groped at her butt, his hips thrusting into her as his slid up along her crotch and stomach.
“You couldn’t if you tried,” he said, twisting as though moving to dunk her again. Maggie laughed and buried her face into his neck. Her breasts were soft and magical against Cyrus’s chest. He ground into her a little more obviously, wishing that the both of them were naked so that things could happen by accident.
Accidentally fucking my brother’s girlfriend? What the hell is wrong with me?
He stopped wrestling with her, though his cock didn’t get any less hard. Maggie had her arms around his neck and hung where she was against him for a moment, Cyrus’s erection impossible for her not to feel given how it was prodding between her thighs.
Slowly, the two of them disentangled from one another. Maggie turned away from Cyrus and slicked her hair back into a single, wet lock. When she turned back to look at him, she was wearing a safe, sisterly smile.
“Alright,” she said. “Come on. You can sit in the shallow water and I’ll get the soot off your face and out of your hair.”
Cyrus nodded, meeting her eye and wanting nothing more than to strip her underwear off her and have his way with her. But he couldn’t, and he knew that neither could she. It was the way things had to be.
“Thanks, Maggie,” he said.
He lowered himself to a seated position in the water near the beach, where it was just deep enough to reach up to his chest without the waves splashing over his face. Maggie crouched behind him and ran her hands through his hair, cupping water and dumping it over his head.
“This stuff is so thick,” she said. “It’s really hard to get out.”
Cyrus winced slightly as she began to scrub. She moved from his hair to his face, coming around to his front and leaning herself over him. He was still aroused, and having her in such close proximity, her breasts dangling in her tiny bra like perfect, angelic orbs, made it hard for him to keep his thoughts off what he wanted to do to her.
Maggie slipped back behind him and moved onto his neck, scrubbing dust and soot off there as well. She did all of his back without saying a word, and then slowly moved her hands around to his chest, her breasts pressing against his shoulders as she ran her hands over his pecs, and then stomach.
“I just want to make sure that I get everything,” she whispered.
Her hand brushed over his crotch, touching his hard bulge and then pulling back as though she’d touched a hot stove.
Is she going to get that, too?
He couldn’t bring himself to ask the question, even though every ounce of him wanted to push things further. Maggie seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then miraculously, her hand touched his bulge a second time through his boxers. Cyrus felt his entire body tense up as her finger closed around his erection, and then began slipping his boxers down to let it snap loose.
He didn’t say anything, and neither did she. It was as though both of them still needed the pretense of washing off, a reason for her to touch and him to be touched. Cyrus took a slow breath as Maggie’s hand closed around his hard, naked cock. She was sitting with her legs on either side of him, and he set a hand down on her thigh.
With delicate, almost shy movements, Maggie began to stroke him off. It felt incredible, better than Cyrus could have dreamed. It was what he’d wanted for so long, since he’d first met her as a prepubescent preteen, and now it was reality.
Maggie let her thumb run over the head of his cock, tickling the sensitive tip of Cyrus’s hardness. Her breath was hot against his neck and ear, and Cyrus could still feel her breasts pressing into his back, her nipples hard from the cold water.
She was gentle, almost loving with her movements. It felt as though the anticipation that Cyrus had felt was reflected in the way Maggie stroked, her fingers and palm sizing his cock up as she pleasured him. It was heaven, it was better than any sexual thing Cyrus had done before. And it was utterly confusing, a mix of good sensations and guilty hang ups.
A noise came from the jungle beyond the beach. Maggie pulled back as though she’d been caught in the middle of a bank robbery, putting a half foot of space between herself and Cyrus in under a second. Both of them stared into the jungle, shame and fear intermingling on their faces
.
A small bird hopped out of the underbrush, looked at them quizzically, and then took to the air. Maggie let out a sigh of relief and then looked at Cyrus, the reality of what they’d been doing written all over her face.
“Cyrus,” she said. “I… I think you’re clean now.”
Cyrus stood up, his hard cock still out in the open, and took a step toward her. His cock hovered within inches of Maggie’s face. She looked up at him, blushing, eyes full of lust, and slowly licked her lips. He felt his hips sliding forward of their own volition, the tip of his erection close enough to Maggie’s sweet, hot mouth for him to feel the warmth of her breath.
Maggie closed her eyes. Her hands shot up in a blur, splashing water onto Cyrus’s stomach. He took the hint, crouching to grab his boxers and pull them back up. Maggie smiled mischievously at him and hopped back onto the beach, finding her dress and pulling it back over her head.
“Do you want to head back to the camp now?” she asked.
No, he thought.
“Yes,” he said.
CHAPTER 19
Amy, Kyoko, and Aiden had taken the idea of building a fence to protect against the night creatures very seriously. The basic framework of a fifty foot by fifty foot square sat on the relatively level sand surrounding the fire pit, with the area they’d staked out as their camp within it. Cyrus admired their work, whistling appreciatively.
Amy’s expression shifted when she saw Cyrus and Maggie walking down the beach, side by side. She stood up and brushed sand off her thighs, walking toward the two of them full of barely contained anger.
“Cyrus,” she said. “Maggie.”
“Amy,” he said. “How have things-”
“The two of you were out on your own for most of the day,” she said, cutting him off. “What were you guys doing out there?”
The tone in Amy’s voice was tense and hard for him to hear. Cyrus frowned and glanced over at Maggie, who seemed totally fine, and almost comfortable in the situation.
Survival Island: Last Man Standing Page 9