One Year After

When he finished, he handed the paper to Marilyn. She saw tears in his eyes.

The letter began, "Dearest Randy", and Marilyn felt a lump growing in her chest as she read.

I hope you get this letter, because I'm afraid these words will be the last you hear from me. Daddy passed away yesterday, just ten days after you left, and today I have to go to the Forest Service building because I have the same thing. Doctor Hayes said everybody who is sick should go there so he can treat us better. Doctor Hayes doesn't know what killed Daddy, so there's not much he can do for any of us. I'm not ready to die yet, but it looks like that is what will happen unless there is a miracle of some sort.

The news on TV said it was some sort of bug that got started in all the big cities and infected the people. Those people spread the disease more by traveling. I think that's true because nobody in Challis got sick until the truck that fills up the gas pumps at the station came to town. The driver was coughing a lot. Two days after that, Jane Maxwell, the girl who was the cashier that day, started coughing and she died four days later. Both her husband and her little boy died a day after she did. People have been getting sick and dying since then.

I don't know if it was just something that happened or something else, but I don't think things will ever be the same again. The last news on TV before they stopped broadcasting was that almost all the people in the big cities are dead or sick and dying and it's moving outward from there. According to the police chief, Challis has already lost about eight hundred and the rest are sick.

Daddy said you could take care of yourself if you didn't get exposed to the disease, and I think believing that helped him when he went. It will help me to believe that too. Randy, if you're not sick, go back up into the mountains where you won't be around people. You'll be safer there. I'll believe you will and that you'll be safe there because I can't let myself think anything else.

Well, the school bus is here to take me to the Forest Service building so I have to stop writing. It doesn't seem like I've written enough for my last words, but I don't know what else to say except Daddy and I love you. Please take care of yourself and remember us.

Mom

Marilyn put down the letter and touched Randy on the shoulder.

"Randy, I'm so sorry."

Randy put his hand over Marilyn's and looked up with a smile.

"Don't be. You didn't have anything to do with it. I knew they were both probably gone. I just had to know for sure. Now that I do we need to be on our way. I just need to find Dad's radio."

"There won't be anything on it, will there? There's been nothing on mine."

"Dad's is about like yours except it receives short wave and ham radio bands too. We used to take it camping with us and listen to it at night. There has to be somebody out there who's still alive and broadcasting, even if it's in another country."

Half an hour later, Randy and Marilyn were driving up Idaho 70. When they reached the start of the valley they'd walked down, Randy turned the truck into the grass and drove until he reached a spot narrow enough the truck wouldn't pass through. He pulled it in between two big pine trees and shut off the engine.

"This will be our cache until we can haul everything up to the cabin. We're only about a day's walk from the cabin, and we're far enough up the valley nobody can see the truck from the road. Most people would probably stay on the road so our stuff should be safe. Let's get started with the food because it's lighter and we can make better time."

It took fifteen trips over five weeks to carry everything to the cabin. When they reached the cabin at the end of the last trip, Marilyn sat down on the small porch and shrugged off her pack, then laid on her back and stretched.

"I don't think my back will ever be the same after this. I'm glad it's over."

Randy dropped his pack and sat down beside her.

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about the winter. We'll have plenty to eat and I'll cut enough firewood that we'll stay warm. It's not too late to plant your garden, so we'll have some vegetables too. I saw you picking up seeds at the hardware store. Think they'll all grow?"

"I hope so. It would be nice to have more than just potatoes and carrots to eat. Do you like beets? I got some seeds for them. Onions and cabbage too. With the salt and vinegar we got, I can make the cabbage into sauerkraut that will last all winter long. If the cucumbers will grow, I can make pickles too. The package of squash seeds says they'll keep over the winter, so I hope they'll grow as well. Do you like squash?"

Randy didn't answer because he was busy looking at Marilyn. The day had been warm, and carrying the packs had caused both of them to be too hot in their coats. They'd taken them off on the way to the cabin, and all Marilyn wore was a snug T-shirt. When she stretched, her breasts rose with her arms and pulled the T-shirt up enough to expose her flat belly. Below that pale skin, her jeans fit tightly around her round hips.

Randy had tried not to think about much of anything over the past several weeks except how to cope with the situation. The sight of Marilyn's body, even though she was covered, stirred some other thoughts in his mind, thoughts he knew were normal but thoughts he wished he didn't have. Marilyn was a very sensuous and desirable woman. He found himself wishing she was fat, sloppy and ugly, because if she was, he wouldn't be attracted to her.

Because he was so quiet, Marilyn raised her head to look at him.

"You're being quiet again. You never do that unless you're worried about something."

"It's nothing. I'm just tired, that's all. I'll go get a bucket of water from the stream. I could use a cup of coffee about now. How about you?"

As Randy walked away from the cabin, Marilyn smiled. She knew what was bothering Randy. She'd known when she saw him staring at her breasts and then felt the cooler air on her exposed tummy. It made her feel good to know she'd stirred something inside him. Maybe over time, he'd start to want her enough to tell her. If he didn't and she thought she was ready, she'd find a way to tell him.

It was probably better that he hadn't tried anything yet. One of her fears about being without Joe was that another man would find her. She and Joe had stopped having sex after the second year on he mountain. Joe had understood the change in their relationship and had accepted it. He didn't try to force himself on her. Another man might not be the same.

Randy could have easily taken her anytime he wanted, but he hadn't. At first she'd thought maybe it was her, but the times when she'd gotten close to him, he always found a reason to move away. Several of those times, especially if she touched him somehow, she'd seen a slight bulge in the front of his jeans when he stood up. He found her exciting, that she knew. He was just too much of a gentleman to do anything to her.

That night, Randy cranked his father's radio until static poured from the speaker and then began slowly tuning across the short wave frequencies. He found nothing. Marilyn asked if that meant everything was gone. Randy's response made her feel a little better.

"Not necessarily. Most short wave stations don't broadcast all day long. It's better to listen for European broadcasts later at night. We'll try to pick up something from Asia tomorrow morning. It might be hard to find anything even then. We'll just have to keep trying."

As Randy lay in his sleeping bag that night, he wasn't as confident as he'd been with Marilyn. The strongest signals on the short wave bands were from stations run by religious groups, and they were on the air most of the day. The fact he hadn't been able to tune in even one probably meant there was nobody to run them. The stations were located in several different states, and if none of them were broadcasting, that probably meant most of what had been wasn't anymore.

When the weather warmed up enough, Randy helped Marilyn plant her garden and then set about fixing the cabin in preparation for winter. He filled all the gaps between the logs with mud from the stream bank mixed with dried grass. That would keep out the drafts. Once that was done, he replaced a few shakes in the roof with fresh ones split from cedar logs. The hammer and the nails they'd brought from the hardware store in town made short work of securing them.

Next on his list was a bear-proof meat cache. Joe had not built one, probably because he hunted all year long and just hung the meat from a tree a hundred yards from the cabin. Randy intended to start hunting deer and elk in the fall when they were fattened up for the winter, and keep hunting until he had enough meat to last until spring. At that time of year, the days would be cold enough the meat wouldn't spoil and they wouldn't have to risk not getting back to the cabin during the coldest months of the winter.

His meat cache was like a small cabin in some respects, except it was built on top of four cedar posts and stood twelve feet off the ground. The floor of cedar logs sat on top of four logs notched into and nailed to these posts. The walls were of cedar logs about six inches in diameter, and were about ten feet on a side. Six feet from the floor Randy built a peaked roof with smaller logs for purlins and covered by split cedar shakes like the cabin. A canvass door flap tied at the sides served to keep out any birds that might fly up there. A ladder made of smaller pine tree trunks allowed them to reach the cache and could be taken down when not in use.

It took Randy and Marilyn the month of July to finish the cache, and then they started on what he called their "refrigerator". It was a small cabin-like structure dug into a low hill beside the cabin and lined with cedar logs. More cedar logs formed a flat roof which Randy covered with stones from the stream and then a thick layer of dirt. A door made of cedar saplings closed the entrance tight enough to keep out small animals like foxes and skunks, but it was really not necessary. Once the weather got cold enough, bears and most of the other animals would go into hibernation. He and Marilyn would move some of their meat and other food to that place for easier access then.

Having Marilyn help him made the work easier for Randy, but it was also distracting. July and August in the mountains can be warm, and Marilyn dressed accordingly. Often during the day, she wore jeans cut off short enough most of her thighs were exposed, and her shirts were either tight T-shirts or tank tops that were cut low in both the front and back. Randy had to concentrate on not looking at her in order to get any work done, but that was often impossible.

It was also impossible to not look at the positions she got herself into while helping him lift a log or digging in her garden. Randy would look up to see what she was doing and find himself looking at a very feminine, very soft looking pair of hips, or staring down the front of the tank top that had fallen open enough he could see she wasn't wearing a bra. When the weather had been cool, the lack of a bra wasn't so noticeable. Now, when it was warm, those occasions required him to walk away for a while.

The nights had started getting cool when they picked up the first ham radio broadcast. The speaker seemed excited because he talked very fast and kept repeating the same message, but gave them some information that was both valuable and disturbing.

"To anyone out there who might be listening, I'm on a mountain in Montana and I haven't seen or heard from anybody in three months. My last radio contact was from a guy in Atlanta at the CDC. He said he's alive because they sealed up the building as soon as it looked like an epidemic was happening and isolated anyone who'd been outside in the last few weeks. Most of those died before they identified what it was. There are some other doctors there who are still alive, but they aren't coming out any time soon.

"He said the disease was called glanders and it was supposed to be extinct in most of the world so none of the hospitals tested for it. According to him, the CIA and FBI think it was terrorists from an unknown country who spread it, but that probably doesn't matter now. From what he said, there aren't many people left anywhere because by the time they figured out what it was, it was too late. They tried all sorts of antibiotics until they ran out of them, but none of them did much. If anybody survived the disease, they're just as dangerous because they're carriers, like Typhoid Mary was with typhoid fever.

"There's nobody left to track the carriers down and do something with them. The Army is pretty much gone and the Airforce too. There are a few Navy ships and subs out there where the people are probably OK, but they've been told to stay at sea until the government figures out what to do.

"Yes, there's still a government of sorts. We still have a president and some of congress is left, or at least that's what the guy said. Like I said, it's been three months and I haven't heard anything more from anybody, so I'm not sure. I don't think they could do much of anything anyway.

"So, folks, if you're listening, stay safe and don't let anybody get close. Maybe I'm just hoping, but I think it'll probably get better. I think it's gonna take a while though. If you can transmit, I'll be on this frequency until it does. I got my solar cells and battery bank working again yesterday and I have backups for both, so I can do that for at least a couple years if it lasts that long."

Marilyn puffed out her cheeks as she exhaled.

"It's as bad as you thought, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. We're going to be on this mountain for a long, long time."

"I think I need a hug after hearing all that."

Randy looked at Marilyn. She was smiling, but he could see her eyes were filled with tears.

"I didn't mean to make you feel that way."

"Well, I do. Can I get a hug, please."

Randy stood up and walked to where Marilyn sat on her bed.

"OK, here you go."

Randy wasn't prepared for Marilyn to put her arms around his neck and pull her body against his when he hugged her. He pulled back gently and looked into her eyes.

"What was that for?"

Marilyn smiled.

"I told you I needed a hug. I thought you could use one too."

Randy chuckled.

"This is more than a feel-good hug."

"I know. I need more than a feel-good hug right now. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Marilyn didn't wait for his answer. She pulled her breasts tighter into Randy's chest and kissed him.

Randy's body responded even though he willed it not to. He pushed Marilyn gently away.

"I don't think this is a good idea. I can't have you pregnant with no doctors around."

Marilyn smiled as she stroked his cheek.

"I can't get pregnant now, not until after I have another period."

"Are you really sure about this?"

Marilyn didn't answer. She kissed him again, a kiss that left him breathless and craving the touch of her body, then pulled the T-shirt over her head. Randy's cock lurched at the touch of Marilyn's hands as she unbuttoned his shirt, and when she pressed her naked breasts into his bare chest, he lost any reservations that still lingered in his mind.

Randy pulled free of Marilyn's embrace long enough to kick off his shoes and take off his pants and shirt. Marilyn did the same. He drank in the sight of her body in the flickering lamplight before pulling her into his embrace. When he kissed her, Marilyn held him tight and searched for his tongue with hers. Both felt the electric shocks shoot down their spines when that happened.

Marilyn eased gently away and hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties. She pulled them down her slender thighs, then stepped out of them, rolled onto the bed and held out her arms.

"Randy, it's been four years for me. Go easy, OK?"

Her breasts were firm to his touch and yet yielded to his soft squeezes by moving away. Her nipples were small, but grew taut and rigid at his touch. A soft kiss to the right nipple caused Marilyn to moan quietly.

She caught her breath when he slowly stroked down her firm, rounded belly, and caught it again when he cupped the mass of hair between her thighs. As Randy separated that hair to open her lips, he felt Marion's hand sliding down his side, then between them. Her fingers found his rigid cock and stroked it lightly. Marilyn giggled softly when Randy's hips jerked.

Randy was being as gentle as he knew how to be gentle. Once he'd separated the matted hairs, he lightly stroked the slit formed by Marilyn's lips. She sighed and opened her thighs wide. He heard a tiny little gasp when one fingertip slipped between her lips, and the fingertips on his cock began stroking.

Before he knew it, Madeline was wet enough his fingertip slipped inside her easily. She rocked her hips up a little, then again when he pulled the fingertip back out. He moved that fingertip up until he felt the small bump of her hidden clit and then rubbed gently. Marilyn moaned and she began pulling on his cock.

"Take me now", she whispered.

She was tight, as tight as any of the girls in college had been. Randy eased in his cock until he felt resistance, then pulled it back out. After several of these short strokes, he pushed a little firmer. He didn't want to hurt Marilyn, but he needn't have worried. His cock was half way in when she moaned and rocked her hips up. He slid in all the way and stopped only when her lips splayed out around the base of his cock.

After that, it was a matter of Randy trying to hold back against the moans and gasps Marilyn was making and the rocking of her hips. He'd never known a woman who was so active during sex. The young girls he'd dated usually just laid there while he pumped away. They always said they were satisfied, but he'd doubted it at the time. There was no question that Marilyn was becoming more aroused by the minute.

The slow rocking of her hips into his thrusts became faster and with more lift until she was meeting each stroke half way. Each stroke caused her to moan or to dig her nails into his back. Randy bent his head and slipped her left nipple into his mouth, then pinched gently. Marilyn lurched her body into his stroke and murmured, "Oh God Randy, please don't stop."

Three strokes later, Marilyn cried out and her body began writhing beneath Randy. He pushed his cock deep just as the first spurt raced from his loins and splattered inside Marilyn's pulsing passage. She cried out again when he pulled back and then thrust deep. Her hips were still moving up and down as he shot his last.

Marilyn pulled him down on top of her then and held him there with her arms around his back. She breathed hard for a couple of minutes, then he felt her hands stroking her back.

"Mmmm...That was great."

"It was great on this end too."

"I think I could get used to this."

"So could I. You're quite a woman."

Marilyn hugged him tight.

"Thank you. That's the first time any man ever said that to me."

Randy woke up with Marilyn snuggled against his chest and her soft thigh over his. The cabin felt cool and the fire was out, so he eased away from her and went to start the fire again. The flames were licking at the surface of the kindling when Marilyn sat up and stretched.

"It was a lot warmer with you in bed with me. I think I'm going to like that."

Randy chuckled.

"We'll need a bigger bed this summer though, or we'll both be too hot to sleep."

"I'll still want to be close to you. You make me feel safe and happy."

Randy put birch splits on top of the kindling and then walked back to the bed.

"It should warm up in here in a few minutes. Then you can get up and get dressed."