Survivors

Survivors

The war, however brief, was the most devastating conflict in human history. Even so, after only one year from the launch of the first nuclear weapon, humanity was already clawing its way back from the brink of collapse with small pockets of civilization reemerging in numerous places across the planet.

The cataclysm began with a series of nuclear air blasts designed to create strong electromagnetic pulses - EMPs. Those EMPs had instantly fried nearly all computer circuits and electric grids. Anything that used computer chips - computers, cell phones, cars, trucks, airplanes, trains, even such things as farming equipment and household appliances - were rendered useless. Next came the nuclear warheads aimed at military installations, industrial centers, and key infrastructure targets. Not satisfied with that level of destruction, the warring powers (which ultimately included all the nuclear nations) aimed their missiles at population centers. In all, nearly two thousand nuclear warheads were detonated worldwide. The destructive power of the bombs and the subsequent radiation exposure killed over half of humanity within the first few weeks. The next five months brought famine that killed hundreds of millions more. Then came the waves of diseases - illnesses that had once been controlled by modern medicine. In all, over ninety percent of humanity perished in the conflict.

Only a precious few who were either very lucky or very well prepared had managed to survive. Kristen and Paul Sinclair were both - very lucky, as well as being the beneficiaries of Kristen's well prepared father, a long-time prepper, whose compulsions had made him the butt of jokes by family and friends alike. The couple just happened to be enjoying an intimate weekend at Kristen's father's getaway, a two hundred acre spread in central Texas, when the war began. They spent the better part of two months in a small underground bomb shelter before finally venturing outside. Upon emerging from the shelter, they discovered that they were living in a very different world, one made much less unforgiving by the compulsions of Kristen's father.

The Sinclair property was remote and difficult to find even if you knew the location, but had everything one needed to survive for an extended period. The house was stocked with enough freeze dried food to last the couple over three years, much longer when augmented by the large garden they had managed to create. There was an artesian spring that provided some of the purest drinking water on the planet - water filtered through thousands of feet of limestone that was better than any bottled water that had once been sold in large quantities across the globe. The spring fed a modest sized but well stocked pond that would provide plenty of fresh fish for years to come if managed properly. The property also came equipped with two huge propane tanks for cooking, and a one hundred gallon tank filled with gasoline. The latter they used to fuel a generator for very brief periods once per week in order to run a radio in a mostly vain attempt to pick up any newscasts, which nearly always warned of lawless, violent behavior being displayed by the remaining few, desperate survivors. In addition to the supplies and fuel, Kristen's father maintained an arsenal locked away in a huge safe in the master bedroom closet. The isolation, supplies, and weapons provided the couple with a most incredible opportunity for long term survival in a very changed and hostile world.

Kristen and Paul were a childless couple, in their early forties. For most of their marriage the couple struggled with their inability to conceive; however, after the war they had both begun to consider being childless a small blessing. Neither could imagine raising children in such harsh times. Married for nearly twenty years, the two still enjoyed one another's company, and found themselves laughing a lot despite the unimaginable horror the world had so recently seen. While both had succumbed to a bit of middle-aged spread in the years prior to the war, those few extra pounds had melted away with the hard work and lower calorie intake that happened in the months post-apocalypse. In fact, after only a couple of months, both Kristen and Paul looked and felt healthier than they had in years.

Kristen was a very attractive, buxom blond with toned legs and a marvelous ass - what Paul referred to as her most eye-catching physical asset. Paul, handsome, dark-haired and just under six feet, was a former middle distance runner in high school and college who had allowed himself to go to pot. Now after months of hard work he had nearly regained the physical condition he once enjoyed in college, some twenty years earlier.

Late one afternoon almost a full year after the last bomb had fallen, Kristen and Paul were sitting on their front porch watching a beautiful flaming red sunset settle over the scrub oaks that populated the property - vivid sunsets being one of the only positive side effects of nuclear war. That was when they both heard what sounded like a vehicle struggling to come up the long, winding, hilly road to their property. No vehicle had traveled that rough road since before the beginning of the war. In fact, they had not seen even one other person over the course of the last year. The couple immediately went on high alert. Paul raced back into the house and grabbed a twelve gauge shotgun and a lever action 30-30. He handed the shotgun to his wife, and the two stood shoeless on the front porch looking for all the world like a scene right out of the Beverly Hillbillies.

Paul and Kristen shouldered their weapons as they watched an ancient, battered Ford pickup that had once been painted blue, roll to a halt a scant twenty yards from their position. A tall, nearly emaciated man, exited the vehicle with his hands raised in surrender, and sporting a wide, distinctive, crooked smile on his bearded face. Upon seeing that smile, Paul and Kristen realized that the driver was their friend of some two decades, Troy Sanders. While Troy had only been on the property once, years previously, he had somehow managed to find his way back.

They were astonished at Troy's appearance as he stepped from the truck and walked toward them. At six feet three inches, he had once weighed in at two hundred and twenty pounds, with the body of an athlete. Now, walking toward them, if it hadn't been for his award winning smile he would have been unrecognizable.

"Hey guys. I hope you don't mind a little company this weekend," Troy quipped as Paul and Kristen put down their weapons and rushed to greet their old friend.

After many hugs, kisses and tears, the three friends shared their stories of survival. Troy had been on the road far from home in his role as an industrial supply salesman when the bombing started. His SUV had been instantly disabled by the EMP air bursts. Troy told how he had survived the blasts in an underground garage, and found his way back home to Houston after three months of a nearly unimaginable ordeal, only to discover that all of his family had been killed. After nearly six more months of struggling to stay alive, and not knowing where else to go, he finally decided to try and find the Sinclair place that he remembered visiting nearly a decade previously. He was able to locate an old Ford pickup that did not have the modern electronic components which would have made it sensitive to an EMP. It took him almost three more months to get the dilapidated Ford in working order, but once he got it running he set out for central Texas.

After telling his story, Troy took Kristen and Paul to the pickup, and with a dramatic flourish, pulled back a tarp that covered a huge mound of supplies packed tightly in the bed. Inside were hundreds of cans of vegetables and fruit, three hundred pounds of rice and dried beans, thirty large containers of Folgers coffee, and seven cases of premium scotch - the latter causing Paul and Kristen to erupt in shouts of joy. The party was on.

Troy quickly settled in with his old friends and made himself indispensable in the tasks of daily living. The three friends spent nearly every waking hour working hard together - sweating, laughing and on a few occasions crying. Even though the work was difficult and the hours long, the three friends always seemed to enjoy one another's company. One night, a little over two months after Troy had joined them, Kristen and Paul were speaking in subdued tones after having made love, something they seemed to do more frequently than in the days prior to the war.

"I wonder how much Troy hears when we have sex," Kristen whispered in the silence of the darkened room, her head resting lightly on Paul's shoulder.

"Well, this place is solid and well insulated, but as quiet as it is out here I imagine he hears enough to know what we're doing. Does that bother you?"

"Not really; although, I do feel sort of bad that we have each other and he has nobody."

"I know," Paul whispered. "He probably hasn't had sex in over a year. From what he told us, the dead he saw between Houston and here outnumbered the living by a hundred to one, and he said the few who were still alive looked to be in really bad shape. Who knows if he'll ever even find another woman?"

Kristen hesitated a moment and then whispered, "I was a little too embarrassed to tell you about this when it happened, but last week I went out to the barn to get the rake for work I was doing in my herb garden. When I opened the door I spotted Troy lying on that old cot in the corner. He was...uh...well...he was masturbating."

Paul was quiet for a moment. "Did he see you?"

"No. At least I don't think so. I was pretty far away and I had only opened the door a crack when I saw him lying there. I feel a little guilty now, but I...uh...I watched him for a while. He was stroking his dick with his eyes closed. I...uh...I saw him cum before I slipped away."

While that was certainly true, the more complete truth was that Kristen had been mesmerized by the scene, and before deciding to turn away had actually contemplated walking over and helping Troy achieve release. In the interest of marital harmony, Kristen kept that particular fact to herself.

Paul chuckled softly over her revelation. "I didn't realize that I had married a voyeur. Did you find that at all titillating, my love?"

The darkness hid Kristen's blush but the tone of her voice gave sufficient evidence to her embarrassment.             

"Well...to be honest...maybe a little. That was the night you said you were too tired to make love and I ignored you, sucked you until you were hard and then got on top."

"Uh huh. I remember that," Paul said, his smile lost in the near total darkness. "You had an intense orgasm in about ninety seconds. That surprised me since you always take a lot longer. I see why, now."

"Please understand sweetheart," Kristen replied. "I'm in love with you. In fact, I don't even find Troy attractive. He's tall and strong but not really handsome like you. Don't get me wrong. I like him a lot and consider him to be a really good friend. He's fun to be around, and so smart and considerate. We all get along so well. But I'm not at all attracted to him. Even so, watching him stroke himself, even from that distance....well...it was difficult to turn away from. I admit that I did find it a little titillating, but honestly, I found it to be more sad than anything."

Paul was quiet for a long moment weighing his next words carefully. "Troy has been really helpful around here the past few months. He's made some necessary repairs to the house and barn. He helped me double the size of the garden so now we have a little over an acre planted. He shot a deer and those two wild hogs, and helped me build the smokehouse. It's not really fair that he has no...uh...outlet other than his own hands."

"So what are you suggesting, sweetheart?"

"I'm not suggesting anything. Just making an observation," he added quickly. "It's not right that our friend no longer has anyone to enjoy sex with."

There was a moment of silence before Kristen finally asked in a slightly tremulous whisper, "Do you want me to take care of Troy? Is that what you're suggesting?"

There. It was said. Out in the open. Unable to be unheard.

"No. I'm not suggesting that at all," Paul was quick to say. Both were quiet for a long moment before he continued. "Is that...uh...something you would even consider doing?"

Kristen thought for a moment and finally replied, "Normally I would never ever consider such a thing, but these are crazy times. Since Troy's such a good friend to us both I think I might be willing to give it a try, but only if you were fully supportive. Clearly we would have to have some very strict rules. If we're not careful this could damage our friendship with Troy, or worse, damage our marriage."

For the next hour or so the two spoke in hushed tones discussing the pros and cons of such a radical solution. The next day at lunch they broached the subject with their friend.

"Uh...Troy," Kristen began hesitantly. "I have an admission I need to make."

"What's that?" Troy asked, as he finished off the last of his grilled catfish, a once per month treat the three allowed themselves.

Rather than beat around the bush, Kristen got right to the point. "Last week I opened the door to the barn and happened to see you while you were on the cot masturbating."

Troy almost choked on his last bite. "Oh, Kristen. I'm so sorry you saw that. I thought I was alone. I would never have done that if I knew you might see me. I'm no pervert," he added defensively. Troy looked first at Kristen and then Paul to gauge their reactions, expecting to see stern faces, and was bewildered when instead he saw only barely suppressed smiles.

"There's nothing wrong with you masturbating, dear. In fact...I'd be shocked if you didn't. Especially given the circumstances we find ourselves in. Everyone needs a sexual release now and again." Kristen stared at him for a long moment maintaining resolute eye contact. "The fact is, Paul and I discussed this last night and we both think it's unfair that you don't have a sexual outlet, and probably none for the foreseeable future. Honestly,...uh...we want to see if you would like to...uh...well to be frank...to...uh...have sex with me."

Troy appeared too stunned for words and after a brief silence could only manage to say, "Seriously?"

"There's no telling when you'll ever have sex with another woman unless it's with me," Kristen said softly, almost apologetically. "I realize that it's a strange thing to contemplate, but these are very strange times. So...is it something you'd like to try?"

"Like?" Troy replied. "You're beautiful and sexy. Of course I'd like to have sex with you. Who wouldn't? But I don't want to damage our friendship," he added, glancing over at Paul.

"Troy...in normal times this is something neither Paul nor I would ever have considered. But given the circumstances, both of us are willing to give it a try," Kristen said with a hint of color beginning to rise in her cheeks as the suggestion seemed to be moving toward reality. "Our concept of morality may have to change with the times. Fidelity may have to be redefined. Of course any such arrangement must come with rules."

"Of course," Troy responded. "So...uh...what are the rules?"

"Well, first...I alone decide if and when we have sex. Second, there is to be no kissing. I am in love with my husband. Kissing on the lips seems somehow too...intimate if you will. That may sound silly, but what I would be doing with you is out of friendship not love. We're simply recognizing your biological needs. Every human requires intimacy. That's why I'm referring to it as having sex and not making love. Third, since you and I having sex by ourselves would make me feel like I was being unfaithful, Paul will have to be present...present anytime we have sex."

Troy appeared speechless over rule number three and took a long moment to respond. "So...Paul....you'd be watching me have sex with your wife. That's not going to bother you?"

"I've given it a good bit of thought," Paul replied, "and I believe I'll be okay with the arrangement. You're my best friend, and someone I trust implicitly. You're not trying to take Kristen from me. I understand her motivation - to simply provide you with a necessary sexual outlet. Our marriage is strong and I'm confident in her love for me. These are unusual times, Troy," he added seriously. "It calls for an unusual solution."

Troy's reaction was difficult to read. Confused? Surprised? Maybe more than a little excited over the prospects of intimacy with Kristen?

"Finally," Kristen began again, "I have the right to terminate this little experiment at any time, for any reason or no reason. If I do so, I expect you to be understanding and to promise that it won't interfere with our friendship. We can't allow emotions to creep in. We may need to be living together for years to come. Understand that this is something we're doing because of our friendship with you."

Troy was silent for a moment before saying, "Thank you so much. I agree to all of your terms. So uh...when do we...uh...when do we start?"

Kristen and Paul both laughed loudly which broke the tension that had begun to build. "You don't have to wait long, dear," Kristen responded sweetly. "It begins tonight. So everyone needs to make certain that they're clean. Baths are mandatory. Everyone has to pass the smell test," she added with a giggle. As Kristen rose to take her empty plate to the sink, she passed Troy, placed her left hand softly on his shoulder, and as she did so noted a distinct bulge that had risen in Troy's pants, one that certainly had not been there before they had sat down to eat.

That evening after consuming another round of freeze dried prepper fare, the three friends adjourned to the front porch to enjoy a small glass of scotch, a ritual of sorts that had developed over the course of the previous weeks. The early October air had cooled significantly after a brief rain that afternoon, and the skies were clearer than at nearly any point over the past year, adding to the already palpable sense of anticipation. The three friends sat together for almost an hour after dinner talking about the events of the day and reminiscing about old times. Once the drinks were consumed, Kristen glanced at Paul, his features barely visible in the dim light of a waning moon, one tinged orange like the sunsets. Paul nodded his head ever so slightly.

"Well boys," Kristen began a bit nervously, "are you two...uh...ready to take this into the bedroom?"

"You're not going to hear any objections from me," Troy said a little too quickly, already beginning to feel a lustful stirring in his loins.

"Then let's go and see if we can have some fun together," Kristen replied as she stood, took hold of both men's arms, and began to lead them back into the house. Crossing the threshold it occurred to her that she was already quite wet with anticipation.

Once in the master bedroom, Kristen lit two candles and placed them on the nightstands on either side of the bed. The flickering candlelight provided a warm glow to the room and sent shadows dancing sensuously across the wood-paneled walls. The men stood silently and expectantly at the foot of the bed in the spacious room while Kristen faced them, nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot, sporting a demure smile.

"Okay boys....let's...uh...take off our clothes," Kristen said, her voice quivering slightly in eagerness of what was to come.

"Me too?" Paul asked, uncertain of her expectations.

"Yes. You too, sweetheart. I don't want you to be the only one wearing clothes. I would feel more comfortable if you're naked as well."