Apocalypse Wow, Pt. 17

If you are new to this series, welcome. It's not necessary to have read the earlier parts to enjoy this story and I've added a brief intro to the series below, although starting at the beginning will certainly add significant context.

The basics:

An unknown biological catastrophe has killed off almost the entire population of the world, much of it in just a single day; The First Day. Initially, men, and only men, were transformed into feral, flesh hungry monsters known colloquially to survivors as 'red-eyes' before, apparently, dying off. On that First Day, many American cities were obliterated in nuclear blasts, launched in a vain attempt to contain the catastrophe.

Of those who survive, only a tiny fraction are men, only those possessed of an extremely rare genetic combination that protected them from infection. Parts 1 to 13 of this series took the form of one of those male survivors, Jim, giving an account of the initial months after the apocalypse some 35 years later to his daughter Dani, an oral historian, as what started with just him and Simone, a women he met on the First Day, developed into a community of survivors and a Network of such communities.

Parts 14 to 16 told the story of Servicing and were set at the time of Jim giving his account to Dani, 35 years after the First Day. They followed a resident of a different community of the Network, Haven, a young man named Luke, as he embarked on a career as a Servicer; one who takes responsibility for assisting with ensuring the survival of the human race by travelling round the Network to impregnate women, thus ensuring the genetic diversity of the still nascent new civilization.

Part 17 begins the story of Scouting, and the way the people of the Network seek to expand their understanding of their world, a new world. Our guide this time will be Penny, who we met in Luke's story as his one-time room mate and semi-regular bedfellow, as she nears the end of her training to become a Scout.

Like Luke, Penny will be on the road a little as she completes her training and we might even meet some familiar faces as we learn more about some of the other communities of the Network, past and, as it were, present.

Enjoy.

***

Part 17: Penny the Explorer - One

"And you will learn. And you will be better. And you will never be knocked down like this again."

***

"Fuck... jesus Pen... slow down... fuck!"

Jake's voice rasped and although Penny could see his eyes narrow and his face scrunch up in concentration, in desperation, she didn't care. Even as he grunted hard, his jaws clamping shut, nothing could make her stop. Not when she was so close.

Truth be told, this was all Luke's fault. Nobody could make her cum like him. Cum hard and cum often, that's what it was like with Luke, every time, guaranteed. And although he was very much in love with Bonnie and enjoying life in their new house, he still made time for his old room mate Penny often enough, when he was around anyway. It was eight weeks now he'd been gone on rotation, his second as a Servicer, circumnavigating the Network once more on his mission to share his genetic material.

As that time passed, Penny found her appetite increasing exponentially. There were plenty of people around Haven she liked to have fun with, but she knew things were getting out of hand. This was her eighth consecutive day to visit the Free House, the refuge of Haveners who wanted to have a little private time away from their house mates and room mates. The day before, she'd been twice. Even though her fellow Scouting trainee Sam had done a pretty decent job of getting her off, as soon as she'd gotten home and seen her room mate Jake at a loose end, she'd dragged him back down there.

And now, a day later, they were back, fucking feverishly yet again and still she wasn't satisfied. All Luke's fault, she thought again.

There were any number of qualities about Luke that she especially enjoyed in general but, sex-wise, his stamina had to be right up there, a virtue obviously honed by this extensive Servicing training. He could go and go and go, make her cum over and over. Sometimes Penny felt like it was as if he could choose when to cum, as if he kept going until he knew that she just couldn't take anymore, until one more orgasm might actually make her pass out. And he had so much control. Even when he did finally slide his perfect fucking cock out of her dripping pussy, he was never rushed or desperate, there was always plenty of time so she could take him in her mouth. Penny was generally indifferent to the taste of cum but for some reason she craved Luke's, couldn't get enough of it.

And she'd yet to find a partner who could match Luke's staying power, though some weren't too bad. She'd made it her habit to have them cum in her mouth before she fucked them, reasoning they'd last a good deal longer and she'd therefore have a better chance of cumming with their cock in her pussy. It wasn't that they were total philistines, not by a long shot, and all of them knew their way around her pussy pretty well with their hands and their mouths by now, especially Jake here, but there was just something different, something indescribably more affecting for Penny about being overwhelmed by an orgasm while her pussy was full of cock.

It was that thought she reflected on, as she felt it approaching now, ignoring Jake's protests while she rode him mercilessly. His hands tried to hold her hips. She could feel the tightness of his grip trying to physically slow her down, but she knew he was no match for her strength and the effort to push through his hold barely registered. Even without the effects of her intense Scouting training, she'd always been pretty confident she could take Jake any time she wanted.

"Just... hang on Jake... fuck... I'm almost there!" she said, as she leaned forward and her hands reached to pull on his shoulders for extra leverage. She pressed her hips against him as hard as she could, grinding herself desperately.

Through experience, Jake had learned that it was just a physical impossibility for him to move Penny off him when she was in this position, not unless she wanted to be moved. And although his instincts made his body try, he knew he couldn't stop her. The only exception was when she came, that moment where she seemed to briefly lose control over her powerful body and, if he timed it just right, he could push her off him and pull his cock free of her pussy's vice-like grip before he exploded.

Still, it was never easy. His instinct to pull out, to not cum inside her no matter what, was a learned one, a core element of sex education across the entire Network, but it fought against millions of years of biological instincts that urged him to fill her pussy as much as he possibly could. He sometimes wondered if their positions were reversed, if he was the one on top of her, in control, drilling her relentlessly, would he be able to stop himself. Like his room mate, Jake had plenty of fairly regular partners but he'd yet to encounter any pussy that felt quite as hot and tight and wet as Penny's.

He was breathing hard and on the verge of giving in to what his body wanted, demanded, when he finally felt Penny shudder, heard that familiar long, loud groaning wail escape her lips. Not a fucking moment too soon, he thought. He mustered all his energy, everything he had left, and pushed hard, heaving her over onto her back, rolling with her as his arms held on to her and he sighed with relief as he looked down to see his cock pulse its forbidden load across her stomach, Penny's practiced hand moving quickly to stroke every last drop from him.

He loved Penny as much as anyone else in the world. They'd grown up together, shared a room together, been together through most of life's trials and tribulations together. Though they shared no blood, she was as close to him as he imagined any sibling could be or could ever have been, even the way families worked in the old world. So he tried to give her what she wanted, that was his instinct, and god knows he wanted to give it to her. She was beautiful, strong, funny, intensely loyal, generous to a fault and in reality, he didn't know if he'd ever be able to resist the call of her lithe, hard body, sculpted to perfection by her intense training, or the broad sultry grin on her eager mouth, or the incredible heat, the exquisite wet grip of her tightness. Still, he told himself as he lay next to her, gasping, this is getting out of hand.

"Good job Jake," Penny said through hard breaths. She moved her hands through her tight blond hair, feeling the sheen of sweat there from the exertion before she rested them against Jake's arms as they held him in place above her but she could see he was struggling and used her arms to encourage him to move.

"Fuck Penny... do you...?" Jake began, flopping over onto his back as Penny moved onto her side next to him, her arm draping across his chest. She recognized the look on his face instantly, knew it wasn't the look of happy release she'd just felt and a twinge of guilt, one she knew was becoming all too familiar, rose in her. "Do you have any idea how close that was?"

"Yeah..." she said, unable to meet his gaze, her eyes following her finger as it drew absent-minded circles amid the light, fluffy hair of his chest. "Sorry... sorry Jake, I, um..."

"I mean, do you have any idea what would happen to the two of us if you got pregnant without authorization?" he went on and Penny felt her face flinch. "I like it here Pen, it's my home. I don't have any particular desire to move to a whole new community. We have these rules for a reason, you know?"

"I... I know... I... I'm sorry..."

Though barely twenty, Penny was already well known around Haven for the force, the strength of her outgoing, fiercely positive personality but Jake knew her well enough to see that what he saw on her face now, in her eyes, was a genuine guilt, even regret and he could feel his instincts kick in again.

"Pen... I... come here," he said, moving his arm around her back and pulling her against him as, reluctantly he thought, she angled her head to look at him although he could feel the eagerness with which she pressed her body against his. "I'm sorry, OK? I didn't mean to... you know I love you, right?"

He saw the sad set of her face ease just a little, the hint of a grin beginning to form on her mouth as she nodded gently.

"Right. And you know I'd do anything for you. And you know that, from my point of view, sex with you is... is so fucking awesome Penny, you're so... jesus, you're fucking incredible, you know that too right?"

"If you say so," she replied, still a little sheepish he thought, but Jake saw her grin widen just a touch and felt sure the slight flush he could see in her face was about more than just the effects of physical exertion.

"Well I do say so," he said, smiling himself now, using his other hand to bring her face to his so he could kiss her softly. "I'm just... I'm just saying, we should be a little more careful is all..."

"I... I know... you're right," Penny said and she felt a familiar wave of affection pass through her as she rested her head on Jake's chest and wrapped her arm around him to pull herself against him. She thought about how lucky she felt to have grown up with Jake, with everyone in Karen's house really, with people whose love for her was so unconditional, who made her feel accepted no matter what. She knew she probably wasn't the easiest person to live with sometimes, had the self-awareness to know that her lack of patience got the better of her a little too often, but still, even still, they embraced her, held her tight as one of their own, as Jake was doing now.

"You know I love you too, right?" she said finally, looking up to see Jake reflecting the warm smile she knew she wore right back to her.

"I do," he said softly, leaning down to kiss her briefly again. "You wanna go first or second for the shower?" he went on, after a comfortable silence.

"What's the rush?" Penny replied and she felt Jake release a long, slow sigh, felt his body relax into the bed as her own relaxed against him. She'd booked the room for two hours and there was plenty of time left and she wanted to draw out this feeling as long as she could.

In one sense, it felt a little odd to her that she was so comfortable just being held like this. She knew it didn't exactly match the image she presented of herself, one of strength, of complete independence, unshakable resilience. Whether or not a desire for this kind of closeness, this kind of affection was really a vulnerability, she knew she'd never have had the same desire to lie like this with Sam, much and all as she loved him as a comrade and a friend, much and all as he was a capable, competent and attentive lover. And it wasn't that she thought Sam would find it uncomfortable, she really didn't think he would, in fact she knew from talking to others that Sam enjoyed a post-sex cuddle just as much as anyone.

Like everyone else, she'd learned in school about how the people of Haven, of the entire Network, lived for each other. But, she recognized, they'd also been taught, and not just in school, that it was completely normal to feel something different, something special for some people more than others. And she recognized that now, in the attachment, the surprising, almost rejuvenating closeness she felt to Jake as she lay against him and it reminded her of Luke, of feeling just the same as he'd held her like this so many times. It reminded her of Lisa, her other room mate, how'd they'd held each other like this so often as they grew up together, when one or the other was sad or frightened or lonely; of Karen, the First of her house and the warmth and pride she saw so often in her eyes.

So with those thoughts running through her mind, it didn't feel at all odd when, after a long time of just laying contentedly together, she felt Jake's body shift slightly as he moved to lay over her, kissing her softly. She sighed contentedly as she kissed him back, recognizing how different this felt to the way she'd jumped him when they'd walked in the door. It was long and slow and, she recognized, filled with very deep affection; with love. Her breathing deepened and Jake's lips moved to her neck as she felt his cock harden where it lay against her skin and the movement to spread her legs wider, lifting her knees, was automatic. But unlike their previous bout, where she had essentially held Jake down and mounted him, there was no rush or haste. Their bodies simply moved together, slowly and languidly. Penny felt her breath deepen further as Jake's cock slid along her skin with their movement, feeling his precum wetting her hard abdomen. All it took was a slight shift in the angle of his hips for his cock to line itself up with her eager pussy, totally slick with renewed arousal. He broke their kiss and lifted his head, looking into her eyes as he eased his hard length forward, sliding slowly into her and it was an effort for Penny to keep her eyes open, to meet his loving gaze, and she let out a long, satisfied sigh as he filled her slowly.

"Hmmmm... Jake..." she whispered softly, her hands moving to cup his face. He leaned down and kissed her again, hard and deep, taking her breath away as he lowered his body completely onto her, burying himself in her and keeping it there. Her legs moved entirely of their own accord to wrap around him, pulling him into her as a mutual and unspoken grinding rhythm developed between them.

Penny felt a deep contentment as Jake ground his hips slowly against her, keeping his thick cock more or less entirely inside her. Though his was not how she would ever have described how she liked to be fucked, she knew quickly that she was going to cum and when she did she gripped Jake tightly, whispering his name again as her whole body rippled with a deep and satisfying pleasure. When, finally, her long, rolling climax began to subside, Jake held himself still above her, a warm, broad smile on his face and Penny felt tears in her eyes as she cupped his cheeks gently and kissed him softly.

They showered together after and, though Jake protested that it wasn't necessary, she insisted he rest against the wall while she sucked another load from him as the water cascaded over them and, ultimately, as they walked leisurely up the gentle slope of Haven towards home a little later, she was happy and, for the first time in weeks, fulfilled.

Conversation turned to more mundane things as they walked, sharing stories of their training, Jake's in the school where he was learning to be a teacher, although he ultimately hoped to be assigned to the History Team, and Penny's with the Scouts.

It was more than two years they'd both been apprentices now and, the closer they got to finally becoming fully-fledged members of the community, the more excitement about their futures dominated these casual conversations.

Even though she knew Jake was already well versed in it, not least from her constant talking about it, Penny felt herself drift again into explaining some basics of Scouting to him and, even though she recognized she was doing it, she was glad he didn't stop her.

She explained again the two basic divisions of Scouts; the Resource Team and the Exploration Team. Resource Scouts travelled within the region contained by the communities of the Network and that area just beyond them with a mandate to locate and gather useful materials and resources. Even more than thirty-five years after the First Day, it was sometimes surprising, even to the Scouts themselves, just how much they were still able to gather, although most major finds, like storage facilities, lumber yards, places that had huge caches of resources or materials, had more or less dried up.

But it was the Exploration Scouts that Penny desperately wanted to be a part of. She knew she'd need to serve her time as a Resourcer, to demonstrate her skills in the field first but, as she explained again to Jake on that walk home, she was confident.

Even by the notoriously high standard set for Scouting trainees, Penny was excelling. Not only did she enjoy the intensity and physicality of the training, at least most days, but she was good at it. Very good. Fellow trainees came to her for advice and guidance all the time and her instructors regularly used her to provide examples. On practice missions, Penny was always the one her Team chose to lead them.

"We're starting a new module tomorrow," she observed as they shared a late dinner back at the house. "'Early Scouting: Lessons for today'. Honestly, I have no idea what we can possibly learn from it. I mean, come on, you're a history buff, right? Those guys had no idea what the hell they were doing!"

Jake was indeed a history buff, of both the New World and the Old, and he smiled wryly at Penny's reference.

"Well I don't know about that Pen, I mean, it was the early Scouts that found the other communities, made the First Contacts. There wouldn't be a Network without 'those guys'."

"Yeah but, come on, that was just-"

"And they had a lot more obvious threats to deal with. No one's seen an actual red-eye in decades, but the early Scouts came across them all the time. And how long's it been since the Daughters of Destiny?"

"It's still dangerous," Penny protested. "The built environment of the Old World is constantly collapsing, we have no idea how hazardous it can be. And with Nature taking over, dangerous animals, wolves and bears..."

"I'm not saying it's not still dangerous Pen, of course it is. That's why you guys train so hard. I'm just saying, I think the early Scouts did a pretty good job considering the dangers they had to face, and without the benefit of three years of training derived from decades of experience."