Aftermath Law

3

It was a month later that a similar storm caught Aithran out scavenging as it had once before when he had been with Iona. This time he was alone, because the tower community didn't have the women out scavenging at all - the men had to go out alone.

He had a heavy load on his back again, with some items that were not worth dropping to make it home. If he wanted to keep them, he would have to find somewhere to spend the night.

He'd been out all day, and cursed himself for not heading back earlier. With the snow coming down in sheets again, there would be no way to get back, and with visibility cut to almost nothing, he would be in danger of getting lost and then freezing to death.

The thunder and lightning ruptured the sky as he searched for a stable building to call home for the night. It saddened him, because it reminded him of that final night with his sweet Iona, and the intense feelings he had experienced with her that could not be replicated with anyone else.

Four weeks of constant contact with Sarah was not unpleasant, but they both treated it as a kind of duty. Although they enjoyed it and shared much tender affection, it really wasn't quite the same as what he'd had with Iona. After a couple of weeks, he had started seeing Iona in his dreams, his unconscious mind imagining him to be in her arms to make him feel so incredibly happy – until he awoke and the loss hit him all over again. As the snow began to fall heavily, he really missed the sweet smile of that perfect girl he'd grown up with.

Then he had a strange sense of déjà vu. He saw houses he'd seen before, streets that seemed familiar. A few minutes of this, and he was almost certain he had been there some time in the past. Had he wondered so far that he was in the scavenging area of his first village?

He knew, of course, where to go from here. He thought he might as well go the whole hog and sleep in a place he knew well wouldn't let him down. Sure enough, he didn't find much of a problem locating that little street, clambering over the piles of snow covered rubble to find that open doorway and the marble interior of the exclusive apartment building.

Sad he may have been that he was there without her, but he knew that the two of them had been safe in there as they had made love until sunrise, and that was what he needed. It wasn't long before he was back toasting his hands on front of a blazing fire, sitting on the mattress absorbing the wonderful warmth.

It wasn't the same without her. The ghosts in the place began to get to him after a while, it was too empty a place, and the sound of the crackling fire was not sufficient to block the eerie howling wind outside. His mind had nothing to do but wander, meandering through all kinds of questions. How was she? Was she happy with her new partner? Had she forgotten him? Was she already pregnant with another man's child?

But then, as he was finally beginning to drift off to sleep, a pair of arms reached underneath his and he jumped, startled.

"I can't believe you're here!" she whispered into his ear. He thought at first he must have gone insane – snow madness, if that was possible. But he turned and she was just too real, too solid and touchable.

"Am I dreaming?" he asked as she ran her hands over his head and kissed his cheek over and over again.

"No, my love. I was caught in the storm so I came here – I knew it would be safe. It looks like you had the same idea."

"I cannot believe it's you. I haven't stopped thinking about you in weeks."

"Then stop thinking and kiss me," she said, and he rolled over to lie on top of her, his mouth joining passionately with hers.

They tangled for what seemed like hours, just holding each other, stroking each other and kissing. Their hands roamed all over their bodies, seeking to move under clothing, but not going so far as to remove any garments. Their breathing deepened and their heart rates quickened, and they drowned in each other's wonderful presence.

After a long while, he moved down her soft, white neck, and with each kiss she let out a quiet moan. She was so responsive to every touch, every kiss, her back arching up against him as he got to the top of her breasts. He felt the swell of her chest through her shirt, so firm and soft but with nipples that pushed hard against the material.

Fumbling with her buttons, he unfastened her shirt and continued kissing her down to her soft breasts, and he felt her body began to quiver from the sensations she was feeling. He pulled off her entire shirt, exposing her beautiful breasts, then dove in and started kissing them and sucking furiously, lashing her with his tongue.

"Oh..." she gasped, starting to tremble uncontrollably. Just as she was ready to soar over the edge, he slipped a hand down her front and into her sodden panties, and massaged the area under the top of her underwear. Her skin was hot and smooth, and this time she pressed herself up against his hand. His hand dropped down further, travelling through a soft patch of wispy hairs that were already drenched with her juices.

He could smell her arousal now, that fresh, tangy, aroma wafting from her slick pussy as his fingers slid into it, his thumb locating her swollen clitoris. After only a few seconds of touching her there, her pussy tightened even more around his finger and she exploded, her whole body writhing from the overwhelming feelings her love was making her feel. Wave after wave of release swept over her body as he relaxed his fingers inside her.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Oh Aithran," she whispered, unable to speak without trembling. "I love you. I really do."

"You're so beautiful, Iona," he said, "will you let me look at you?"

She smiled, that expression that warmed him inside immensely, and allowed him to remove her clothes, pulling off her shirt and rolling down her wet panties, lifting her legs to pull them off her ankles. He looked down at her, completely nude before his gaze. A beautiful young girl, naked, her jet-black hair seeming to absorb the light of the flames, her pale skin glistening with sweat, her slender thighs slippery with her emissions.

"I wish I had grown up in a different village to you," he said. "Then we might have been together."

"But then we would have been together for only six months. At least this way we've been able to spend years together."

"But not…not fully." She looked at him with those big, blue, adoring eyes. She parted her thighs and he could see her pretty little pink pussy, puffed open, wet and very enticing. "You know we can meet up here? We just need to organise it."

"People will grow suspicious."

"It'll be worth it." She wiggled her hips a little, offering him her all.

He lowered his head between her legs and inhaled her scent. He kissed her slick thighs, then ran his mouth up to her mound to taste that succulent little pussy. She was delicious, so tangy and fresh. He ran his tongue all over her soft labia, flicking her clit, and darting into her vagina.

She held his head as he slid his tongue inside her, loving every second of it. Sarah had never been a big fan of this: she was an impatient girl, wanting him to get straight to the business at hand most of the time. But here with his sweet Iona, he could experience every aspect of her mouth-watering body. He could have continued all night, she was so sweet tasting and responsive to his slightest movement. But he wanted to feel her hot wetness engulf his rigid erection…

4

"Where were you?"

Sarah was angry when he got home.

"I was caught in the storm – I thought it better to shelter rather than risk freezing to death on my way home."

"All the other men made it back."

"Well I strayed further than anyone else."

"Aithran, you know I'm at my peak fertility at the moment," and that was the difference between what he had with Iona and what he had with this young redhead. He was just a sperm machine to this one. "Come on," she pulled him towards the bedroom. "We'll have to make up for lost time."

She was naked in record time, waiting for him with her fingers between her legs, getting wet for him so that he could penetrate her as soon as possible. This evening, however, only twelve hours or so after leaving Iona, he really didn't feel like bedding Sarah.

"Turn over," he told her as he removed his clothes and clambered onto the bed. She didn't even question him, rolling over onto her hands and knees to present her glistening pussy up to him with her pale behind pointed skywards. He had to stroke himself a little to harden up, and at the same time put a hand to her soft slit to make sure she was wet enough.

But when he slid his cock deep inside her, he imagined it was Iona to whom he was making love.

*

The next few months went by, and making love to Sarah slowly started to become a chore. Aithran would get home after a hard day's scavenging, and she would force him into bed every night. She did make an effort to keep him interested, that was certain, she kept herself immaculately clean and shaved, she would dress up in exotic clothing and even dance for him.

But much as the initial interest was there when she did something new, it didn't last very long, and the only sure-fire way for him to cope was by imagining it was Iona he was sleeping with. He got her to bleach her hair – not telling her why – so that she even resembled his sweet love.

As for Iona herself, they met up once a month without fail, during the day so that neither of them would be missed in the evening. Occasionally they managed to meet twice a month, but any more would have made people in their respective villages suspicious. And he looked forward to that time with Iona all month, as it was the most heavenly time.

Soon, however, the summer came and with it, the next Solstice. Aithran left Sarah childless, and moved on to another village with the men – this time a fairly ordinary settlement compared with the mighty tower – a little further away from his and Iona's meeting place.

Again, it was his first pick at the new village, and he chose Maria, who wasn't the youngest girl there at nineteen summers in age, but was the most similar girl in appearance to Iona.

Maria was more experienced in bed, and when he was with her, he actually managed to put Iona out of his mind.

But once a month – and sometimes twice - he still busted a gut to get to that apartment block again for a rendezvous with the girl he loved.

5

Then, a few months later, Iona didn't appear. He waited for her all day, wondering if he'd got the wrong day. But he knew he hadn't. He waited in that apartment, warming himself by the flames of the fire, hoping that he would just be able to see her, if only for a moment.

It got so that it was too dark to safely go home. He would stumble and fall, breaking a limb or something worse. There was no storm to explain his disappearance to Maria when he got back, so he spent a while thinking up what he was going to say.

Some time late in the evening, he heard someone closing the apartment front door, and his heart lifted. When the bedroom door opened, he was up on his feet, ready to embrace his love and lift her off her feet.

But the door opened, and it wasn't Iona standing there before him.

"Hello, Aithran."

The girl was younger than Iona, with a short bell of mousy brown hair and a cluster of freckles on her little nose.

"Haley," he said, "what are you doing here?"

"Iona sent me," she said, "since I have no man yet to expect me home."

"What's happened?" he held her shoulders, imploring her to tell him quickly, to get it over soon.

"She's all right, don't worry," Haley said, looking deep into his eyes, "but she's pregnant now - it's official."

"Well that's – " he broke off, unsure of his feelings. "That's wonderful. She must be very happy."

"She is," Haley nodded, "but she said she'd rather be with you."

"She…" he looked at the girl, who would no doubt be coming of age at the next Solstice. Did she know what he had with Iona?

She answered his question as though she could read his mind. "I know about you two. Iona told me everything. You know, her current man can't get it up."

"What?"

"He can't get it up – he can't get his penis hard enough to put it in her. He has to give her his seed so she can fertilise herself."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. But when she takes his seed, she secretly wipes it off her hands, because she doesn't want a kid from a father that can't get it up."

"Her line would come to an end," he nodded.

"But she's pregnant," said Haley, "and you know what that means?"

"No?"

"You are the only one who could possibly have fathered her child."

The shock tore through his body. He felt hot all over, but also freezing cold at the same time. His vision went a little fizzy, as though he was going to pass out at any moment.

"I have to sit down," he said, and they both went to sit by the fire. "How many people know this?" he asked her.

"Only us three," said Haley, "And that's the way it can stay – no one need know about this." She seemed to be angling for something. Aithran didn't ask what she wanted to keep her silence. "I won't reveal anything, Aithran," she said to him, "but you have to do something for me."

"What?" he didn't like where this was going.

"You have to meet with me – instead of her – once every fortnight, so that you can get me pregnant."

"What?" he nearly shouted, "Haley, you're her friend!"

"I know," she was resolute, "but do you know how low the chances of pregnancy are around here? I could be childless my whole life. You're proven now."

"You're too young anyway."

"In a few months it'll be the winter Solstice and I'll be of age. Aithran, you don't think that women suddenly become biologically capable at the Solstice? I'm already able to conceive, you know."

"I won't do it," he said, "I've already affected the gene pool by conceiving in my home village. I'd be exiled if anyone knew – even worse, maybe. If they found out I'd been trying to get you pregnant too, I'd be surely put to death."

"No you wouldn't," she said, "no one would ever know. Do you think I'd be safe if anyone found out? No, the best way is that you meet me twice a month, without fail, and then I'll keep silent and everyone will be happy."

He shook his head, "you know, after the Solstice, I might have to move to a village that will be simply too far away from here."

She shrugged, "that's why we have to start now, make the most of the next few months."

And he had no answer for her.

While he sat in silence, unable to persuade her to leave him, she peeled off her clothes. She certainly was pretty – he couldn't deny that, and as she tossed her clothes to the side, his penis was hard between his thighs, but she did seem so very young. Her eyes were wide and seemed full of innocence, her skin had a youthful glow of visible naivety and inexperience, her breasts were so small and tender, her coltish legs and slender form hardly much more than a girl.

She slipped her panties down her thighs and he had to tell himself that she was only three months away from coming of age so he wouldn't lose it. She had hardly any hair at all above her clean little slit – some girls didn't develop as fast as others, though. She threw her underwear towards him, and he inhaled her aroma. Definite arousal there, that spicy muskiness in the cotton that was already damp. She couldn't have been this wet from just their meeting: she had been anticipating this meeting. She had known what she was going to make him do before she had even got here.

"What do you think?" she asked, taking a step forward towards him.

"You're a very attractive girl, Haley," he said, "but are sure you're ready for this?"

"Of course I am," she moved further forwards, "can't you see how wet I am for you?" Her young pussy was just a few inches from his face – he could smell the strong fragrance of her excitement. He placed his hands softly on her hips and looked at her tender slit with its sprinkling of brown on her subtle mound, then moved his eyes up her underdeveloped curves to her face.

"I can see that," he said, "but I'm just not sure if I should…"

"Aithran, you don't have the choice." She said, "I can tell everyone your secrets and then you'd be exiled." Her hands went to his head and gently she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him towards her pussy. He couldn't refuse, and found his face resting against her soft mound with its mottling of sparse down. "Come on," she said, "I'll be officially able to do this anyway in just three months."

"Well…" he ran out of argument. "If Iona finds out about this," he warned, "your life won't be worth living."

"Of course," she smiled, and stepped back, "now take off your clothes."

*

Then a few days before the Solstice, life changed again. For three months he'd been regularly seeing the young Haley to do his best to get her pregnant. She was quite fun to be with – and her young pussy was tighter than Maria's – but Haley was a constant reminder of Iona, a reminder that he could not see her, and that was very painful.

But that last time, when Haley was more excited than ever because in just seven days she would be getting a man to constantly attend to her fertilisation, he had stayed with her a little too long. Aithran knew that Maria was getting a little suspicious – he was far more exhausted than other men when he got back every so often, yet hadn't scavenged nearly as much.

So now if he was to be late, she would get really angry. So Aithran hurried as best as he could, but that haste meant he took less care, and he stumbled and slipped on some loose rubble. He fell: how far, he did not know, but when he landed, the pain was excruciating.

And when he tried to get up, he couldn't.

He thanked God that he had had this accident close to the village, for though he couldn't walk, eventually he was able to drag himself using his three usable limbs.

It was dark when he eventually reached the clutch of small huts that was his temporary home. He made it to the doorway of Maria's residence, and knocked as hard as he could. Three knocks and he collapsed, exhausted.

6

He woke up in a strange building that he had never seen before. Sparsely furnished, the place was spotlessly clean, with the bed that he lay on, a small wardrobe and a lone bedside table, on which rested three books. A dull throb wracked through his damaged leg, but when he reached down to try and scratch the irritated limb, he found it encased in hard plaster.

It was broken, then. Two days until the Solstice: he wouldn't be leaving with Gregan and the others, then. What would become of him? Would he join a new group of men?

The door opened, and into the room came a woman dressed from head to toe in white: hat, dress, shoes. Between twenty and twenty-five, he guessed, brown hair, green eyes: she was pretty, certainly, but quite a serious looking woman.

"How are you feeling?"

"Uh…" he said, "it aches."

"It will for a while – I have some medicine for you – it should take care of the pain."

"Where am I?"

"You're in the San, Aithran. The Sanatorium. My name's Sally – I'm the nurse here. You did well to make it back to the village with the state of your leg. Most men would have faded out there and never made it back. You're a determined person."

Determined, yes. Recalling the journey back to the village, he remembered that every inch of the way there had been the face of Iona burned into his retinas. Had he given up the ghost and lain down to die, he would never have seen her face again.

"I had my reasons."

"Yes, you must have." She poured a small glass with a strange-looking fluid – milky, but with a greenish tint. "You have strong genes, Aithran. If you ever reproduce, humanity will be all the better for it."