One Wife, Two Husbands

We were exhausted... literally on our last legs!

We had managed to survive the previous 2 years, scavenging and moving on, making and losing small alliances with the few others who had survived the apocalypse and managing to avoid the bands of brigands and robbers.

'We', was myself Mark, my wife Rebecca or Becca to me, and our 7 year old son Kyle. I was worried about Becca being able to carry on for much longer. Her previously curvy figure was now wafer thin, her pretty green eyes looking gaunt and her blonde hair now matted and dull, she was in a constant state of fatigue. I doubted I looked much better; we were low on water and desperately in need of food and shelter. But my greatest concern was Kyle who clung to his mother listlessly.

We had spotted the compound days ago and noted it was well guarded. As we drew closer the size seemed overwhelming. It was actually a large village which they had completely encircled with a 6 metre barrier, made up with all kinds of shipping containers and fencing.

As we approached a plume of dust arose from the compound, two jeeps materialising from the haze. They approached quickly and then stopped before us, an array of masks and guns. They queried who we were, what we wanted and who we were with, looking suspiciously to the horizon.

My answer was as succinct as it was desperate, "We need sanctuary!"

That seemed to ease some of the tension with rifles barrels lowered; a mumbled radio conversation presumably back to the compound ensued.

Finally, the guy on the radio confirmed, "Ok, we can offer you some food, water, and shelter."

I nodded with thanks and prayed they were decent people; the reality was we had little or no choice. We staggered into the second jeep and were soon headed back toward the village.

Once through the barricades it was totally different, so... civil! It was the closest thing to normal society we had seen since the breakdown. There was a village street, small plots of veg and children playing happily. Becca let out a long sigh of relief. The jeep pulled up at a village hall and we followed inside, it was almost a step back in time, fully furnished with heating and lighting.

A tall and powerful man introduced himself as Adam Stonebridge, "Welcome to New Haven, you both look as if you need food and a rest. You're welcome to stay and share what we have."

Becca almost cried in relief as we were guided to what appeared to be a canteen within the hall. Their guide explaining food and meals were shared to get the most from what they had. The food was other worldly, hot broth with fresh bread; we were careful not to over feed too quickly, especially with Kyle. We made use of the community showers, which actually had hot water and were given fresh clothing. Then we were shown to a small house which had both a roaring log burner and beds... with mattresses and duvets! It was only 5pm but we fell into the bed and slept.

We actually slept 17 hours before Kyle woke us up; we had never felt so rested in years. A marvellous breakfast in the canteen was followed by another meeting with Adam, whilst a kindly woman offered to look after Kyle nearby.

"Well you two certainly look healthier."

"We can't thank you enough."

Adam shook his head, "You are very welcome, you're also welcome to stay for the week, get yourselves recovered and we can give you a few limited supplies. When you do leave don't go North or East, there are some really hostile groups roaming those territories, they wouldn't think twice about robbing or killing you or worse where your wife is concerned.

"What about West?"

"We are still exploring it, we've been about one hundred miles out, South is safest."

"That's where we just came from and we nearly starved, it was desolate."

"Yeah it's pretty barren, especially on foot. Do you have particular skills?"

"I was an engineer and also a pretty good hunter. Becca was a teacher; we can turn out hands to most things."

Adam nodded, "Those are certainly skills we can use and Mrs Holding has started up a rough school room. There might be an option of staying if that's what you wanted, you'd be more than welcome to stay for longer, but you would need to conform to the camp laws and be able to contribute to the community."

"What does that involve?"

"Most of it is common sense, work for the communal good, share all food and resources and work in teams. There is a sticking point for couples and families though!"

"Go on."

"There is pretty much a 3 to 1 ratio of men to women here, the law states each woman must have at least 2 partners."

"Jesus... really!"

"Yeah, the community nearly failed initially, we had gangs of young men harassing women, it went as far as rape and then revenge. We had to hang a couple of the perpetrators, after that introducing polyandry helped a lot. Once some of the younger guys were partnered it broke up the groups. Generally it works well, it also means that when you are out scavenging or in your case hunting, you have someone here protecting your family. You would have to agree in principle by the end of the week and then would have roughly a month to decide who. After that the council would proclaim the partnership. I know this is a lot to take in and it's not for everyone. If it's not for you, there are no obligations, we'd give you some supplies and let you go on your way."

We left bemused, the idea of Becca taking on another man made me feel sick to my stomach but the thought of taking Kyle back out into the country again was equally horrific. The village really was a safe sanctuary, with food and shelter. Kyle had already started to look like a child again rather than a shadow. We watched how other couples interacted and it seemed to work amicably enough, it was funny that we hadn't noticed initially. You would often see a woman walking about with a guy on either arm and some even had more than two husbands.

Becca and I shared the same concerns but I knew she didn't want to leave, neither did I to be honest. She emphasised her love for me and said we would find a way to manage it. In the end, it didn't seem like much of a choice, we let Adam know that we'd like to stay on.

"Are you sure you can handle this Mark, you wouldn't be the first husband to lose it and be thrown in the jail."

"I honestly don't know."

He stood behind Becca, "So what if I put my hands under her top like this and helped myself to a good handful."

I knew it was test, but felt the anger building. Under her bulky coat and jumper, I couldn't tell if he just held her around the waist or was groping her tits.

"Are you both sure, can you really cope with this."

I stepped forward, "That's not on Adam, you're not her partner."

I saw Adam whisper something to her, before he pulled his hand away, "True but sharing her fully is going to feel much worse, you need to be able to accept that. It's best to view it as a sacrifice she is willing to make to keep you and your family safe. You have three weeks to make a decision on who the additional partner or partners will be."

"It will be just the one, and how do we choose?"

"There is a list of single men, you might want to thin it down based on age or criteria. I am sure you will get to meet everyone at the socials. Other than that we'll get Becca involved in the school room and you involved in the engineering and out hunting."

As we left, I asked Becca what Adam had whispered to her, "Just that he was sorry and that it was a test."

Adam wasn't joking about meeting everyone, it seemed like a steady stream of guys introduced themselves to Becca, there were all sorts of shapes and sizes and a wide variety of ages and looks. The combination of a 60 year old and a 16 year old trying to chat her up got us looking at setting an age range. We disagreed about it, Becca was adamant she didn't want someone too similar to me and that a younger guy might be easier to manage, so we settled on 25 to 35, compared to our 40 years; at least it thinned down the crowd.

Over the next two weeks we managed to narrow it down to two candidates, they both seemed like decent guys and were having longs chats with Becca. Then Adam asked Becca to consider him as an option. I didn't like how much control he had and the test episode still wrangled with me; but Becca thought he was the strongest ally and put us in the best position to survive. That was it, the decision was made. All through the three weeks, Becca emphasised how much she loved me and that she would be able to cope. We sat down to talk through expectations with Adam before announcing the choice.

Adam thought it would be easier if Becca split her time between our two houses rather than living together like some thruples did. I had to admit, it sounded better and might ease daily tensions, I didn't want to see Becca going off to bed with him. He said all the right things about being respectful and how much he appreciated Becca considering him. I tried to argue for spending more time with Becca due to having Kyle, but reluctantly accepted the point that any unfairness would likely cause problems. Adam said he was fine with Kyle coming over to his home if I was ok with that. When I wasn't in camp, he assured us that he would be responsible for all of their safety. That did actually make me feel slightly better, I hated the idea of leaving Becca and Kyle alone, anything which kept them safer was a relief.

The ceremony was arranged for the following Saturday, I had to watch my wife prepare as a bride, she looked stunning in a flowing white dress. I hadn't seen her made up and with her hair done in years, she had recovered some of her weight loss, now looking slim but healthy. A friend had even managed to colour her hair back to the vibrant blonde I remembered from first meeting her.

The kiss at the end of the ceremony almost finished me off. The quick peck I had anticipated turned into a full out snog. The small crowd applauded; at least Becca had the decency to look embarrassed. Adam made a quick speech about being excited to be sharing his life with someone and exploring the future with her. Everything after than seemed to happen in a rush, there was small reception but in no time at all Becca was in front of me, reminding me she loved me and that she would see me again soon and then they left together.

Soon, was not quite as soon as I expected in the end. I hadn't realised they would spend the full first week together, but others confirmed it was a standard practice; I was gutted. I never saw her for a couple of days until spotting her walking along arm in arm with Adam, they were laughing and joking, it was 2 days later when I handed over Kyle to her. I felt abandoned and couldn't resist sarcastically thanking her for staying in touch which seemed to take her aback. The bit which hurt the most though was seeing them playing in the park with Kyle the following day. I was so upset I couldn't go over, even when Becca noticed me and beckoned me across I had to walk away.

I had an absolutely shit week, it was only reprieved by meeting and becoming friendly with James who was showing me the generators as part of my new 'job'. He introduced me to his wife Cass and her other husband Daniel. They were all friendly and supportive, especially as they had all been through the same thing. They assured me it would get easier; they had struggled at first but were now best friends and seemed to cope with the arrangement really well. I spend a lot of time with them, we all got on well without having to make much effort.

After the week ended I had expected Becca to come over first thing on the Saturday morning but it was midday before she arrived. Kyle went to play with a new found friend next door. Becca looked embarrassed as she walked in.

"I missed you... you didn't rush back?."

"I am sorry, I got delayed."

"He wanted a goodbye fuck then; isn't this supposed to be my day?"

Becca blushed, "Please don't be like that, I'm sorry it's all very new, I don't know if there are any rules about switch over days."

"But you didn't feel the need to rush back home to me. You enjoyed yourself on your second honey moon then?"

"It was hardly the same as ours in Bali; look Mark I don't want to start telling lies or sneaking around, so yes he made it much easier than I thought it would be. He is a good looking guy and I like him, you are going to have to get used to the fact we are having sex.But I am happy to be back here with you and I have really missed you."

She was right; picking at that scab was just going to make both of us hurt more. Thankfully comparing notes about Kyle, and realising how well he was now doing gave us some common and safe ground.

We made love that night but it felt odd... distant. I think we both felt it, Becca got upset.

"I love you more than anything, this isn't out of choice."

"Yeah I know, you just seemed to enjoy it more than I anticipated and you didn't stay in touch; I feel pretty excluded."

"I don't mean to do that, it's going to be difficult to balance everything. I thought it might be easier for you not to be in contact, especially after you walked away at the park. He surprised me by being so nice and I feel guilty about enjoying it. I would have never considered this in normal circumstances... just remember this keeps us safe."

"Yeah but the reality is you already seem to have feelings for him and are putting him first."

"I can't avoid having feelings for someone I am being intimate with, I'm not built that way but you will always be first."

My doubts worsened the next day when I found Adam sitting at their kitchen table talking to Becca, after I had dropped Kyle off at the makeshift school room. I didn't say a word, just looked them both in a way to show I was significantly pissed off.

"Sorry Mark, I couldn't resist seeing our wife again."

I wasn't impressed, "Maybe you should keep your distance unless invited, you had the whole week with her."

"Becca invited me!"

Before I had the chance to say anything more, Becca stepped in, "For God's sake you two, we need to get along, if we can't have a coffee together this is never going to work out."

He stayed a short while and we just about remained civil, but I was irked again when he cuddled and kissed Becca on the way out.

She turned toward me, "What?"

"Will I get an invite over to his place and get some kissing on his time."

"Fucking grow up Mark, you agreed to this, stop making me feel like shit all of the time!"

I stormed out slamming the door on the way, walking around to calm myself down. Don't get me wrong, she was right I had agreed and I accepted she needed to do it. But she was so off hand about it now, she was oblivious to my emotions and pain which was out of character for her. I started wondering if she thought this was my fault, I had let down and put her in this position. Or maybe she felt so guilty about enjoying it and it was easier to find fault with me than to justify her actions. I started wondering about leaving and heading east, but I couldn't take Kyle from safety; and the thought of being parted from him was inconceivable.

It seemed a preciously short 3 days before Becca set off for Adam's again, things remained tense and our time together was restricted by now having to work on the generators. Then the following three days felt like an eternity until she returned. I was doing another work shift, when I had the idea of darting home to see Becca for lunch. As I was passing Adam's house, the windows were open and I heard the unmistakable sound of my wife having sex. I was furious, she wasn't supposed to be with him until the following Thursday. I stomped back to our place and had been there an hour when both Becca and Adam walked in laughing.

They were surprised to see me, "Had a nice afternoon to yourselves have you?"

Adam actually tried to apologise for jumping his turn, "I am sorry man, I just couldn't resist, she is so fucking hot to trot, we'll give you a go with her tonight."

"What the fuck, it's not up to you to decide when I have sex with my wife."

"Ok chill man, we're all good."

"We're not good; just fuck off Adam before I do something I might regret."

Adam looked like he was about to argue but a shake of the head by Becca changed his mind and he left without another word.

I looked at Becca, "This is turning into a nightmare, I hate the fact you picked that arrogant prick and you two suddenly seen closer than we are. It's only been two weeks and your more his wife than mine."

"You know as well as me our and our survival relies on alliances and Adam can be a very good ally, he's fit, strong and the camp leader. Anyway what did you want me to do, pick some old ugly guy so you would be less jealous?"

"No, but I didn't expect you to fuck him constantly and dump me."

"Don't be ridiculous, I haven't dumped you. I didn't realise his appetites would be so hard to meet, you can remember how younger guys can be."

"Thanks for that, but it's your appetites more than his that are the problem."

***

That night I wanted to reclaim her, fuck her hard and show her what she was missing. Her response was devastating, "Don't try to complete with him, I want you to make love to me."

My erection disappeared immediately and I stopped altogether, rolling away from her.

"What's wrong now?"

"Well you have just admitted he fucks you better than I do, try that for starters, he is fucking you on my time and now he is influencing how we have sex.

"Don't be an idiot, this is all in your mind, it's different with you and I want to make love to you."

"So what, you make love to me and fuck him; he fulfils those needs now!"

"To be honest I guess he does, look babe he is hung and just goes at it. If doesn't mean I love you less or don't want to make love to you, but I have to find a way to keep you both satisfied."

"Keep us both satisfied, you have to be joking! You're trading me in for a younger fitter guy either to maximise your chances of survival or just maybe its just your preference."

"He might help us both survive if we all work together. We would already be dead if it wasn't for you, with your experience and cunning; if we combine that with his strength and position; it will be the best of both worlds."

"We can or you can? You certainly are in terms of sex... having a wonderful time to yourself and couldn't give a shit about me."

"That's not true!"

"How many times have you had sex with me versus him since this started?"

I was pleased she didn't share the numbers she was adding up in her head, whatever it added up to seem to make the penny drop.

"It was a honeymoon and I am sorry for neglecting you, anyway, what's done is done. I'll admit he is a bit arrogant, but he's ok and not violent like some of the others, the fact he is horny is understandable. So yes, the reality is I have a young stud and he is going to fuck me a lot, we both need to find ways to deal with that. I'm still trying to work things out, how best to involve you and not lose you."

"His windows were left open, everyone is aware of just how hard you are trying."

"I didn't mean to embarrass you, but he is my husband now as well... he has rights."

"Have you heard yourself, he has rights, he's going to fuck you, he's your husband; what the fuck am I... an inconvenience."

***

I couldn't tell if she fancied him more than me or if he was just a better chance at survival, either way I was losing her. It was all the more bitter after everything we had been though and survived together.

I found myself spending more time with James, Cass and Daniel. The way they were together was in stark contrasts to my situation. Cass was a lovely woman and reminded me a lot of Becca before the world came to an end, attractive without trying, kind, considerate and funny.