Eden Reset

Dan did feel slightly guilty about taking things but it didn't matter now, there was no one alive in any of the vehicles. There had to be over a hundred of them out there, too. It made him feel sick inside.

Back at the cavern entrance, the two women had quite a pile of firewood gathered and stacked. Normally Dan would have knocked the stack down and scattered it, it might mark his position.

But there was no need, he just left it. The three of them went inside, worked their way down to the cavern. Dan fixed a meal from some of the provisions he had gathered. There were some canned vegetables, a sack of snack crackers. The rest he had left outside, he hadn't bothered to hide the ATV.

"What did you find out there?" Mary finally broke the silence.

"Everyone is gone, there are a lot of them. I think the cloud overtook them."

He looked up at Mary in the dim light, she had tears in her eyes.

"There is no radio, no telephone, nothing. The packs all still work, the vehicles all work too. There are lots of provisions and gear, but I found no one alive at all."

"What are we going to do?" She asked.

"I don't know, just try to stay alive I guess."

A week later they moved down to the oasis in the lower canyon. With three of them, they just could not stay in the cavern. It took several days to complete the move, Dan took Mary with him to retrieve a second vehicle and gather things they would need. They had to move the bodies out, that was hard. There was still no sign of decay, no sign of wild animals or birds working the carcasses. There were several animals dead, too. He even found a Parrot still in it's cage, also dead.

Then he found a small little fish tank in the back of one vehicle, it had two tropical fish of some kind. Both were alive and swimming around. There was a little box of fish food, he trickled a bit into the tank and they ate happily. He took the fish with him, somehow that almost seemed like....hope?

He selected an ATV similar to his, then they went back and got a lighter machine for Sara. Neither one of them mentioned to her what they were finding out there, but Dan figured she had a pretty good idea.

Dan put up a shelter, and over the next few weeks he improved on it. He built a rock stove, a flat trunk lid off one of the vehicles made a perfect stove top. There were trees and brush in the canyon, and plenty of water. There were also fish, the ones in this section were not blind and they were much more wary of being caught. He had to make a few trips back up to the cavern to get enough, those were easy to catch.

A couple of months went by, Dan and Mary made several trips, gathering provisions. He had found some shovels and dug shallow graves for each person they pulled out. There was never any sign of decay at all, it was like everyone had just dried out and died.

Dan was actually grateful for that. Each time he stood quietly as Mary tipped her head and said a few words.

One of the vehicles was larger, the entire top of it was a solar panel. Dan decided to take it and try a run to the town about 60 miles away. He left the two women, who by now were able to fend for themselves pretty well.

Starting at daybreak, he was on the highway in just an hour. The going was slow, there were more vehicles on the main road. They were parked in all directions, it was like they all had come to a halt at once. Several times he had to get off his rig and move them out of the way.

He did pass one huge transport truck, stopped and checked it's cargo. It was all canned goods, about everything a person could imagine. Dan removed the large man that was behind the wheel, started the engine. It roared to life, it was a government diesel powered machine. He drove it back to the turnoff to the canyon and parked it. Then he took another small car that was nearby, and drove that back to his own vehicle.

It was early afternoon by the time he got to the city limits. There was no change, vehicles were everywhere, there was no sign of life at all. There wasn't much point in staying long, but Dan did go into a store and get some blankets and tarps. He also found some new clothing for the women, plus some new jeans for himself. There were some heavy work shirts, so he grabbed a half dozen of those. In the shoe section, he found some heavy boots. He got several pairs, guessing at the women's sizes.

All of the goods were new, Dan felt better about that than bringing back anything used.

He was loading the vehicle when he realized something he hadn't thought of. He went back inside, found the woman's section and got several packages of feminine products. He took his time on the way back, moving several of the vehicles off the roadway. That would speed up any future trips, and he knew they would have to make many more of them.

Arriving back at the camp, Dan found Mary all excited.

"I saw a Rabbit, a live one!" She told him. Then she took him over and showed him where she had seen it, it was far up the canyon near where the river flowed back under the rocks. Sure enough, the tracks were obvious.

"We will let them be, they have a struggle to live, too. The town has a lot of goods, we won't have any problem with food for a long time, I think." He told her.

Both Mary and Sara looked over the goods he had brought back, Mary smiled when she saw the feminine products. They exchanged a glance, Dan blushed. The two women busied themselves putting away everything while Dan made a meal.

Sitting at the table he had built, Mary asked him what they were going to do.

"I don't know, I really don't. Somewhere out there, there has to be someone else alive."

"Maybe, maybe not. But I think it's up to us now." She looked at him pointedly.

"Up to us to do what?"

"The human race, it's us. You know what I mean."

"Oh. You mean...children?"

"Yes, I mean children. Sara and I are no relation, that means that each of us can split the gene pool."

"I see. You mean that you and I.....?"

"Yes, Danny. We can live here, and be all right. And I am...fertile." She blushed at that.

Dan looked at Sara, she turned bright red.

"What do you think we should do, Sara?" Dan asked her, almost teasing.

"Mary and I talked. It's what we need to do. The world we knew is gone, so we have to start over and see if we can do better!" Her eyes were downcast, but she had a small smile on her lips. That was the most Dan had ever heard Sara say so far, and she had a determined tone in her voice.

"Well...I guess..." Was as far as he got.

"I have never had to try and talk a man into wanting me before." Mary grinned at him. Then she looked at Sara.

"Let's wash him up." Sara turned bright red but went and got some water and a washcloth.

She put a pot of water on the fire, then gathered up some of the soap Dan had come back with. Next she began to undo his clothing. Sara knelt down at his feet and tugged off his shoes. In short order they had Dan stripped, he sat there waiting since the two women seemed to have it all planned out.

"Well, at least it's going to feel good!" Mary giggled, using her hands to wash off Dan's now burgeoning erection. Dan had no idea at all what Mary's experience was, but he also knew that as men went, he was larger than the norm by quite a bit. He didn't protest as Mary and Sara made him stand up, washing him carefully from top to bottom. Sara seemed fascinated with his hard member after she got over the initial shyness, reaching out repeatedly to touch it.

"You have never seen one of these before, have you?" Dan grinned at her.

Sara blushed and quickly pulled her hands back. Dan just laughed. Then Mary stood up, reached out her hand, led Dan over to the bed he had made of soft grasses gathered down by the stream. Dan looked down, the new blankets were spread out.

The women really did have this planned out.

She pressed Dan down onto the blankets, he complied with no resistance. Mary then stood and tugged her top over her head, quickly stripped her new jeans down and off. He drank in her beauty, she was even more slender than when he had first seen her naked. She slid up onto the blankets and turned to him. Dan glanced over in time to see Sara step outside, leaving them alone.

"We can't have you both pregnant at the same time, one of you needs to be able to care for the other if need be." He told her.

"Shush! We already have that figured out." Her hands came down to fondle him. Dan slid up into position, Mary simply opened her legs. Dan had never really seen her quite like this, he looked at her closely for a few seconds. Then he reached out to touch her, and was rewarded with a shudder. Sliding higher, he got between her legs. Her hand came down to grip his shaft, steering him towards her opening. Dan felt her wetness as he slipped part way inside, then her hips thrust powerfully and he was all the way in.

He began a slow steady stroke, Mary's knees came up high as her hips thrust back at him. It didn't last very long, he felt her body let go seconds before he did.

They collapsed, already covered in sweat from the exertion. Dan leaned down to lick her big breasts, in the rush he had almost forgotten them.

She giggled at the tickling sensation. In a few minutes, Dan was fully hard again, and now he took his sweet time. Dan wasn't very experienced with women, he had spent most of his life as a loner. All of this was amazing to him.

Mary was unhappy when her period started, then again a month later it started again.

"We will just have to try again." Dan told her.

"We have been trying every night now. It's Sara's turn, maybe it will take with her?"

Dan just shrugged. The women were being insistent, Mary had reached for him every single night for weeks. He couldn't say he minded that, though. But Sara? She was much more shy, or at least he thought so.

She did smile when at dinner that evening, Mary told her to go to Dan's bed that night. Mary said it in a matter of fact manner but her expression was one of mild upset. He could understand that. Society and all of that, no woman wants to give up her man because she can't breed normally.

But in the current situation, there was no society.

Sara came shyly to the bed that night. She stood there not sure of what to do, finally Dan told her to take off her clothes. Sara's breasts were small, capped with tiny button like nipples. The hairs on her groin had long since grown back, they formed a soft and silky down at the V between her legs.

Dan pulled her down on top of him, lifted her slight hips and set her over him. His big erection was jutting upwards. Sara lowered herself, he felt his penis slip partly inside. Her face went into an instant grimace of pain.

"Does that hurt?" Dan asked her.

"Uh huh. Let's....just...wait a second." She managed.

Dan felt her take several deep breaths, then she pressed again. He slid inside even more, her face once again grimaced and she stopped. Dan just waited, she began again in a few seconds.

"God! That is so...damned big...oh! It won't fit!" Then she pushed again, something inside of her let go and he slid in all the way. She came to a stop, then tentatively lifted up and pressed down again. Her eyelids fluttered, her hips moved up and back down a second time.

Then she was thrashing away at him and squealing at the top of her lungs. She was so loud that for a second Dan started to lose his erection, but he managed to blank his mind and let the sensations take over.

Sara went wild, her motions were insane. Dan felt her orgasm, then she did it again until it was one long continuous spasm. He managed to hang on as long as possible, but when he could not hold back any longer he let his body blast off. Sara threw her head back and her upper body stiffened. Her mouth came open and she let out a howl.

Then she collapsed, pressing her tiny breasts flat against him. Dan felt himself softening, Sara reached down, trying desperately to hold him inside her. But he slipped out anyway, drawing a sigh from her.

That was a wild session, Dan had not expected that. Sara slid off of him, then looked down.

Both of their lower bodies were covered in blood.

"Sara, were you...." Dan asked, his voice trailing off. He already knew. Sara jumped up, still naked, and ran outside to the stream, leaving Dan there wondering just what in the hell had happened.

Tiny little Sara, she had gone from painfully shy to a total animal, then right back to painfully shy again.

Mary came in, she saw the situation and just went and got some water and a cloth. She knelt down at his side and began to wash him. Sara came back in minutes later, she was fully dressed.

Their lives became one day after another, Dan found some fruit trees in town at one of the big outlet stores, they still showed signs of life. He found a larger pickup, used that to haul the trees and other gear back to their oasis. He also found some seed packs, he gathered all he could carry, then dug and planted a garden. That took some time, he must have made two dozen trips with the pickup loaded down with bags of soil. He moved all that the store had, and wished there was more since digging just inches into the ground around the oasis met solid rock.

He knew there was another city farther on down the road, but that would take more time than he wanted to be gone.

Sara skipped her period the second month, then she began to grow with child. A month before she was due, Mary returned to Dan's bed.

The day that Sara delivered was frantic, Dan had no experience at all. But Mary helped, the boy was healthy and loud. From the first day, young Marty and Sara were never more than a few feet apart, even as she lay once again in his bed the child was in his just feet away.

They called the next child Katey, it had taken months but finally Mary conceived. Both deliveries were easy, normal. Well, as easy as it is possible to be, and Dan was grateful for that. He headed off to the river to fish while all of that was going on, the women knew what to do.

They growled at him a little bit for that but soon realized it was for the best.

Things had changed, the leanto Dan had built had expanded into a fairly nice home. He had built the extra rooms from lumber he moved from the town. There was no end to resources, it seemed. He had even built a small dam at the upper end of the canyon, and ran some pipes down into the house. They had running water and even a flush toilet. He was installing battery packs to heat water, too, he had found a nice setup in a plumbing store in the town.

He also had the highway into town cleared by now, once on the pavement he ran at top speed all the way in and back. The big 4 wheel drive he had found would run at an easy 140 kilometers per hour, so he ran many trips wide open. That saved a lot of time.

Dan had given up the long and impossible practice of burying each body he found, it didn't matter. They didn't decay, they simply became skeletons with what looked like gray hide over them. Dan had become almost immune to the sight of them.

Vehicles were no problem, there were thousands to choose from. He had made one twenty mile trip South, finding nothing but the same thing, vehicles everywhere, in the ditches, on the roads. He had also located two more of the huge transport trucks and moved one of them back closer to camp. It was loaded down with snack food, they all became snack food junkies for awhile until Mary put her foot down.

Back at the oasis, the trees now flowered in the Spring, the garden was doing well. Dan had made the long 200 mile run to a nearby major city, located a large garden supply center. He used one of the big diesel transports to move the soil and fertilizers he needed. There were several government fuel stations, all solar powered and he had no trouble figuring out how to get the pumps to work.

He left the big truck parked down in the desert after unloading everything.

Mary and Sara had talked with Dan about moving into the city, thinking it would be easier. But one trip with Sara had ended the idea of that, when she saw all of the remains of what had been a bustling community, she had simply freaked out, ending up with an Asthma attack so bad they thought they were going to lose her.

After that, they all remained content with being right where they were at.

Dan's trips into the city became less and less, they had all they really needed by now. But one day he realized he needed a few small tools. He hopped in the pickup to make the run to town.

On the highway, he passed the spot where he had left one of the big government transport rigs, he was a half mile past there when it hit him that it was gone. He pulled off to the side to turn around and go back to look when he saw a motion in the distance.

Dan shut off the machine and ducked down. A very large military machine went by at a high rate of speed, they didn't notice him since there were still vehicles pulled off the roadway everywhere.

Watching the machine move away, he saw two men sitting up high on it, one manning some kind of weapon. They were also hauling a huge trailer.

Not liking the looks of that, Dan waited until they were well out of sight. Then he left the pickup and took one of the nearby ATV's. There was no body in it, looking around he saw none in any other nearby machines.

He touched the button and the dash light came on, so he took off cross country towards his oasis.

Hiding the ATV, he went inside and told the women what he had seen.

"They won't hurt us, will they?" Sara asked.

"I don't know. But it is a matter of time before they find us. They have to know someone is around from our moving the vehicles and all."

Marty was now 6 years old but fast becoming big, little Katey was 4. Sara was heavy with child, Mary for some reason just did not conceive easily.

With people showing up, military, this had all of the makings of being a real mess.

It was just two days later when Dan spotted the trail of dust across the valley floor, headed their way. He went inside and picked up the pistol, then he just put it back. There was probably no chance at fighting, he knew that, besides, he had never fired a pistol anyway.

He told Mary and Sara to take the children inside the house, then he walked out to meet whoever was coming.

The big machine came to a stop, two men looked at Dan in surprise as he walked out. One of them stepped down, stood there for a moment, then walked over to him. He said something to the other man, it made no sense. Dan looked closely at the man, he was oriental.

"Hello." He said.

The man turned and barked an order to the other one that had a weapon trained on Dan, the man lowered the weapon.

"Survivor, I see? How did you make it?" He said in English.

"We got lucky, I guess."

"We"?

"Yes, my family."

"Family? How many?"

"Two, and two children."

"Children? You have...children?" The man suddenly got excited.

"Yes, one boy and one girl."

"That is wonderful! You are the first, that means...maybe there are more!"

"I don't understand."

"Everyone we have found so far is sterile."

"Who are you? Dan asked.

"People's Republic of China, we are searching for survivors."

"China?" That made Dan's head swim. Chinese in Nevada?

"You came all the way from...China?"

"Yes, when we found nothing there, six of us found a ship and traveled to America. We thought more might have survived here. We have one woman with us."

"Our Nation got hit hard. There are just a few that made it. Every Nation on Earth is...gone." The man got a sad look on his face.

Dan looked at him in shock.

"Every...Nation?"

"Yes. All we stopped at...so far. The gas rained down on every major city, it spread, began to encircle the entire planet. Governments realized too late that it was coming from the mid-east, one lunatic fringe group. They hit back first with Nuclear, then with those dirty bombs. The gas spread, it kills everything above ground, or above water."