Alone at the End of the World Ch. 02

"If you're too tired, you can sleep. I don't need the story right away." Thad took two of the cans and stepped out of the trailer. Jonah rested on the bed with the legal pad and a pen in his resiny hands.

---

When Thad came back, Jonah jumped a little. He was a nervous wreck, and he had just been drifting off to sleep. His story of after the crazies had taken over covered a page and a half of the legal pad in small neat handwriting. He smiled shyly at Thad, and ducked his head. Thad had the two cans, he had roasted their contents in their own cans, and he had wrapped them both with thin strips of towel to protect their hands.

Jonah took the wrapped can, feeling the heat baking up through the rough strips of cloth. The can was full of clam chowder, the kind where you didn't need to add water. Thad handed him a spoon, and Jonah started to eat slowly.

He was so hungry, but he knew that he would be sick if he ate too fast. He took one bite, and closed his eyes as his stomach wailed and growled at the torment. Thad ate faster, and started to read the legal pad while spooning beef stew into his mouth.

Jonah took the opportunity to just look at him. To fill his eyes. Thad was very handsome. He looked strong and fierce, but his eyes were gentle. He didn't have any of the distant insanity that had always been in Mark's eyes. Jonah looked at those strong hands with the elegant tapered fingers. The skin under those shiny fingernails was a dusky pink. His palms were creamy and lined.

About a third of the way down the first page, Thad gave him an unreadable look. Jonah had written that he had run with four young men for a while, but they had beaten him up and left him by the side of the road as they sped away in their truck. They hadn't beaten him severely, but he had been on his own. They had gotten rid of him because he had foolishly said that he was gay.

Thad had just read that line, but instead of confirming if he was homophobic or not, he just gave Jonah that unreadable look and continued to read. Jonah looked down at his soup. He started to eat faster, the soup was hot, and had burned bits in it, but he was so uncomfortable that he had to do something.

Jonah hadn't written all of it. He could barely think, barely comprehend what Mark had done to him, much less write it out for a stranger. He had written about the farm, and how the brothers from the south had taken over, but nothing about the increasing level of abuse from Mark.

Thad finished reading it, and read the last paragraph again, confused. Jonah watched him with those big pale blue eyes.

"You wrote that you were doing well. You had plenty of food, a good leader, a Doctor. Why did you leave? You said that most of them weren't prejudiced towards you anyway."

Thad was looking steadily at him. Jonah felt like his insides were squirming, and he didn't want to lie to the man who had saved his life. The one thing that he didn't want to do just as badly was tell him the truth. Jonah compromised.

"C-Can I t-t-tell you later? I'm so tired."

Thad looked disturbed, even frightened. "Jonah, are you bitten?"

Jonah was confused for a moment, and then he saw. Thad was afraid that he had been kicked out of the idyllic little community because of infection. Jonah could see his fears. Jonah started to strip out of his t-shirt, knowing that Thad would want to see him, make sure he wasn't infected.

---

The boy was stripping, and Thad could feel some kind of emotion that was deep and primal, less of an emotion, and more of an urge. An urge like intense thirst. A hot intense throbbing in his groin. Something about the way those thin arms moved, the knowledge of how weak and small this boy was. Knowing that he was gay, an insidious voice that told Thad that the boy wouldn't mind. The boy wouldn't mind, and it had been so long since he had fucked someone.

This was wrong, his every primal urge was screaming at him to tear that shirt from the Jonah's frail torso and turn him over on the bed. He couldn't do that! He couldn't, what was he thinking?

With an anguished frown on his face, Thad reached and pulled the hem of that shirt back down, smoothing the dirty cloth.

"I trust you Jonah." He said in a quiet strained voice. Jonah looked up at him timidly. There was attraction there, attraction and yearning. Thad wouldn't have to force himself on this young man, just wait, he just had to wait.

Jonah lay back, and Thad tucked the blankets in around his lean battered body. He felt safe. For the first time since Mark and David had arrived, he felt safe and calm. He knew that Thad wouldn't hurt him, or throw him out. The airstream went dark as Thad blew out the candle. Jonah rested his feverish face on the cool pillow, and he felt those dark tapered fingers on his cheek, warm and callused.

For one terrible second, Jonah thought that he would hear the metallic growl of a zipper, that Thad would force his head down on the pillow, and that the big man would hold him down. Jonah had been so badly cowed by Mark, that he flinched now, suddenly terrified that he would soon be hearing his own muffled sobs of pain. All of the good feelings had evaporated.

Thad just tucked a strand of his messy dark hair behind his ear. It was a gentle gesture, one that calmed Jonah, and left him feeling safe again. He rested his bruised face against the pillow, and closed his eyes.

He was so tired, he needed to sleep.

---

Jonah slept for almost ten hours. Thad couldn't sleep for more then three hours at a time. He catnapped, but was reluctant to leave the trailer, leave his new partner. Jonah was such a beautiful boy, but so fragile-looking.

Thad felt Jonah's forehead while the boy slept. Feverish, but dry. If he was infected, he would be pouring sweat from every part of his body. While glad that his little waif wasn't infected, the fever was nothing to be happy about. Thad frowned. Jonah's face was so hot, it was like a stone that had been left out in the sun.

Jonah sighed in his sleep and turned over. Thad saw the dried blood that almost completely filled the cup of Jonah's left ear. The ear itself was swollen to nearly twice it's size, the skin a dull reddish purple. Thad felt his stomach lurch slightly, he hadn't been prepared.

Thad very carefully swept the dark hair aside to better look at the deep extensive bruise. It was nearly black in places.

The t-shirt Jonah was wearing was too big for him, and one of his delicate shoulders was nearly poking out of the neck-hole. When Jonah rolled over, it revealed a ring of dark bruises around the base of his slender neck.

Jonah was lying. Not outright, but covering the truth. He had not been safe, no matter how idyllic his last home had been. Someone had hurt him, maybe tried to kill him. The boy whimpered in his sleep and curled up. Thad felt his heart throb painfully. It was impossible to feel any sort of anger or frustration toward's Jonah, he was just too badly hurt.

Thad pulled up the blankets to cover the Jonah up to his chin.

---

Jonah opened his eyes, and his head was buzzing dully. It was dark, except for a little bit of soft sunlight that leaked in through the edges of the blanket covering the window. He could see dim shadows in the trailer, but he couldn't make out Thad.

"Thad?" He whispered. His voice sounded very soft, hoarse, afraid. He didn't want to be alone again, not so soon after finding someone! He flinched when he saw movement, but he was smiling. "Good morning." He whispered.

"Morning, did you sleep okay?" Thad's voice was garbled and quiet, only heard through one ear. Jonah hated how vulnerable he felt with only half of his hearing and sense of balance.

"Yeah. Can I p-please have a drink?"

"Sure Jonah, one minute." Thad moved surely through the dark trailer, over to the water jugs. He brought Jonah a cupful of water and it tasted flat, but the wetness was soothing on his raw throat. When he was done with the cup, Thad handed him a can that was half-filled with fruit cocktail.

"Breakfast." He whispered hoarsely.

"Th-Thank you." Jonah stammered back. He gulped the fruit hungrily. The soft fruit and sweet syrup was soothing on his bruised throat.

"Is... Is there any way I can c-clean up?" Jonah's stutter was already better. He looked more relaxed already. Thad nodded in the dark.

"We have to be careful, but I can bring you outside. look through your bag and grab any clothes you want to change into."

"'Kay." Jonah whispered, slowly getting up. He fell as he tried to get off the bed and his legs tangled in the covers. Thad caught him, helping him to untangle. Jonah was engulfed in Thad's arms, surrounded by his masculine smell. For a moment, every instinct in his bruised body told him to writhe out of his grip, get away. He felt so trapped, so constricted in the man's loose grip.

But Thad was so warm, and his hands were so gentle. After a single moment where his lean body was hard and resisting, Thad was about to let him go, when suddenly his body went yielding and limp. Thad couldn't let him go, or he would fall. Jonah's face was against his chest, his arms clinging to him loosely, his breathing suddenly relaxed and slow. He felt safe. He felt safe and protected in this man's arms.

Thad gently helped him up. "C'mon Jonah, your okay. I'm not gonna drop you."

"I know." Jonah whispered. But too soft for him to hear.

---

It was cool outside. Jonah walked after Thad, moving slowly because of how unbalanced he was. Thad moved slowly, looking around sharply, alertly. Jonah wasn't nearly as alert. He had a terrible headache that came in waves. It felt like an icicle being driven into his tear ducts and into the soft meat of his brain. Jonah hugged the folded clothes in his arms, and glanced to the left with terrified eyes. He felt heavy on his left side. He felt very vulnerable, and had to look often to compensate.

Thad noticed, and he felt a pang of anger for whatever sick bastard had hurt him like this. He was moving slowly, timidly, scanning the forest over his left shoulder with desperate anxiety. Whoever had hurt him, they had crippled him for life.

Jonah looked worn out and pale in the weak sunlight. He winced when his headache gave an extra-powerful throb. Despite his restful sleep, his anxiety made him look older, and weak. Thad waited for him to catch up, and he offered his hand. Jonah took it gratefully. Thad led him through the small trail to the river. Thad's hand steadied him, and gave him a little desperately-needed confidence.

They reached a soft sandy bank of the river, and Thad stood guard. "Try to be quick." He muttered. "They usually aren't very active this early, but I don't want to take chances."

Jonah moved quickly and stripped. Thad felt a shadow of that same uncontrollable lust for the frail boy, but it wasn't as strong. Jonah was very badly bruised. He had a welt across his lower back, another bruise on his skinny little ass. Jonah was hesitant to turn around, and after that he was submerged in cool water. When he turned, Thad saw old marks on his chest and ribs, and a newer darker bruise on his stomach. He had been beaten more then once.

Thad gave him a bar of soap, and Jonah used it on his body under the water. At times his face was a grimace of hurt. Other times, he looked anxiously to his left. He looked so pale. That thin wet back was inviting and vulnerable. Thad forced himself to look around and away, scouring the trees for any sign of the monsters.

Jonah soaped his tender ear. He whimpered once with the pain of it, and the suds between his fingers were pink with the dissolving blood. A clot of blood came out after he worked it hard enough, and after that it hurt too much to keep trying. He stepped out of the water, his eyes swollen from tears.

Thad could see him. A tuft of dark dripping pubic hair surrounding a pale soft little cock that swung gently between those thin bruised thighs...

Wait. The bruises. Thad looked openly at those tender bruises. Jonah saw him looking and snatched his shirt to cover himself demurely. His thin cheeks were flushed with shame and his big pale eyes were wide and afraid.

Dark bruises on the inner thighs, on the neck, upper arms. The blow to the head. It all made a sick maddening kind of sense. Thaddeus Weaver was still a policeman, and he had seen diagrams of this kind of bruising countless times. He had seen them in real life in the hospital, and on a murder victim during her autopsy.

Thad realized what he was doing. His face was contorted with anger, and he was staring at this naked frightened boy. Jonah was looking at him with something just short of terror. Thad looked away, his dark face hot with blood. He was so furious, he wanted to run, to punch something, just to blow off some of the steam. He felt like there was an animal in his rib cage, a hot and writhing bundle of furious energy.

"Thad?" That voice was timid, and small. Like a little kid who knew he had done something wrong. "Thad? A-Are y-you okay?" He was just standing there, standing there, holding the shirt over his groin, and covered in bruises that some animal had beaten into his skin.

Thaddeus could feel his trembling fists unclench and go limp. It was hard, to let that vicious anger go, but Jonah was so afraid already. He couldn't be angry around the timid little teenager, couldn't make him more scared then he already was.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong Jonah. Besides the usual, I mean." He gestured to the woods around them with a sweep of his left arm. "I just feel a little jumpy in the woods. Do you need some help getting your clothes on?"

Jonah looked less afraid. He shook his dripping head solemnly and dried off with his dirty T-shirt. Thad looked around, keeping his eyes on the trees, where the real danger lurked. He couldn't help seeing that frail bruised body out of the corners of his eyes.

---

For lunch they had some stale crackers and prunes and water. It was the last of his dried goods. All of their food consisted of sixteen cans of soup and chili, four cans of fruit, and three cans of tuna. Thad kept glancing at the little stack of cans on the counter, as if hoping they would multiply. There was nothing to do but wait.

That had been his plan all along, try and outlast the crazies, who weakened and died so quickly, but not quickly enough. Jonah had brought eight cans to his stash, but now he had two mouths to feed.

In the darkness of the trailer, Jonah sat curled up on the bed, and Thad was reading in the light of one candle, bent close to the light to make out the words. He had to read, to try and get his mind off of the food situation, and Jonah, and how badly the poor boy had been hurt. Jonah hadn't told him. He wanted to wait until Jonah felt safe enough to tell him.

Jonah had catnapped lightly, but he wasn't really tired. He was looking at Thad, trying to memorize the features of his face, the texture of his dark skin, and the way his face moved when he blinked or bit his full lower lip.

His body ached. His head hurt so bad that tears sprang to his eyes when he moved too fast. He was deeply attracted to Thaddeus. He would have been attracted before all of this mess, Thad was a tall handsome and intelligent man. But after all that had happened, Thad had also saved his life, given him food and water when he was dehydrated and hungry. Thad had kept him safe, and given him shelter, and was nursing him back to health.

If Thad had been an attractive choice of a partner before the sickness, he was just short of a god now. Thad had given him everything.

Jonah slid to the floor, and Thad looked up, unable to see him very well after leaning so close to the light. Jonah crawled across the carpet. Crawling was the only way he could move without having to hold on to something, or without feeling like he was going to fall. He crawled under the card table where Thad was reading, and rested his cheek against the knee of Thad's jeans.

He stayed there, leaning against him, for about a minute. Thad was so solid, so warm, so there. Jonah nuzzled against the warm fabric, and kissed Thad's inner thigh gently.

"Whatever you want." Jonah whispered, barely audible. His voice was soft, and he didn't stutter. He huddled under the table as Thad rested his hand on top of Jonah's wet hair, stroking gently.

Thad stared off into dark space. The last tiny bit of his lucid mind that was still functioning told him to save the candle, that he could do this easily in the dark. He blew out the candle and whispered to the boy crouching between his legs. His voice was hoarse with need.

"I think you know what I want Jonah... Come here baby."

He could feel the frail boy in the dark, feel those little hands caressing the crotch of his faded Levi's. His cock flushed with blood in record time, and he could feel Jonah nuzzle his cheek against the bulge, and kiss it.

He kept his hands down there, touching Jonah's wet hair, feeling those flushed cheeks. He could feel the sudden give, and the extra room as Jonah unbuttoned and unzipped his fly. He could feel Jonah kissing his cock through the soft stretchy fabric of his underwear. He said silent thanks that he had given himself a sponge bath while the boy was sleeping, and that the pair of underwear he was wearing was a pair that he had rinsed clean in the river.

"That's it baby... Thank you... Oh lord, it's been so long..." He hissed the next intake of air when Jonah put the fat tip of his turgid cock into his hot damp mouth, with the fabric of the underwear still separating the two. The friction of the cloth and the pressure of Jonah's hot and willing mouth sent a rush of blood to his throbbing groin.

Jonah knelt under the table as Thad shifted and pulled his pants and underwear down to his knees. It was so different. The sensation of the throbbing cock was pleasant, arousing. Thad's hands on his head were gentle, caressing. He whimpered and leaned in, gently licking Thad's exposed cock in the dark. Thad moaned and caressed his hair while he licked and fondled Thad's cock with his hands and tongue. He reached under and cradled the heavy warmth of Thad's testes.

Before this, Jonah had just struggled to keep his mouth open, and struggled not to gag as Mark viciously forced his head up and down on his cock. Now he got a chance to explore a man under his own power, and it restored his crushed sense of confidence and self-worth to do so. Thad's hands were gentle, caressing. He whispered to the boy between his legs, whispered advice and encouragement.

"Careful Jonah, your teeth...mmm...That's better... It's okay, go slow... Ahhh, that feels amazing Jonah."

Jonah tried to go down deep, and whimpered slightly when he choked. His throat was so sore. Thad reassured him.

"Shh... Don't try that, your neck... it probably hurts like a bitch... Just keep licking my head... There you go... Put your hand around the base, and spit on it...now rub...Jesus... that feels good."

Jonah rubbed, spreading his own spit around Thad's thick dark cock like lube. He sucked on the softness of the head, and burrowed the tip of his tongue into the slit at the tip, tasting drops of precome that oozed out.

Thad groaned softly, and his thighs trembled tautly. The boy between his legs was very good, and the combination of that sexy hot mouth and those skillful hands had him near the edge. He could feel sweat dripping down his shaven skull and beading at the small of his back.

"I'm close Baby." He whispered, mussing Jonah's damp hair. The air was hot and close in here, but in a good way. The natural smells of sweat and sex were filling the airstream trailer. He could hear the sounds of Jonah stroking his own cock, little wet slapping noises. Jonah whimpered softly, and sucked on the head of Thad's cock, stroking the dark shaft with his pale hand, barely able to see in the darkness.