Unprecedented Events Ch. 04

Three or four minutes passed. It felt like an eternity. Time slowed to a stand still. Everything was in slow motion. Jimmie continuously begged for mercy. Methodically and without a sound I made my way to the cabin. I moved in the shadows of the fire so not to be seen.

"Jimmie, you fucked up!" I said. I was closer than he thought.

Jess looked up. She knew my voice. She never said a word. Her face was badly bruised, swollen and bloody. They had beaten her very badly.

"How many of you are there, Jimmie?" I asked, even closer this time.

He looked around but couldn't see me.

"Pfffttt."

The bullet entered and blew a whole through his foot.

"Motherfucker this isn't a game. Answer me now dammit!" I said without hesitation in my voice.

"Aaahhhhh! Please, please, it's just us. No one else. Mama and Daddy died in the ash. It's just us."

"Pffft"

The bullet struck his shoulder causing him to spin off the steps and fall to the ground facing me.

My mind raced;

"If there were more, he would be screaming for help. Kill him. Let him know it's you."

I stood up and he saw me.

"Jimmie," I stepped on his hand. "Your going to die slow. Just like Steph did. Painfully as possible. If there is anyone else, you tell them that this is just just a taste of what we can do. We will kill you all." I was trying to bluff him.

"I swear fore God it's just us. Did you kill Justin too? It was his idea." He was sobbing, begging for his life.

"Pffftt"

The last shot went into the right side of his rib cage causing him to spout blood from his mouth.

"Bye, mother fucker!"

He lay there, gurgling, trying to speak. Watching as I went to Jess.

The ropes holding Jess' hands were so tight, they cut into her wrists and caused her fingers to turn blue. Her shirt was ripped off and she had bite marks on her breasts and neck. Welts covered her back. She had been beat with something that cut and busted the skin on her back. She shook all over from the shock and cold.

"Jess we gotta go."

I grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye and shook her.

"We gotta go!"

"No, wait." She turned and looked at Jimmie.

She walked to him and spat in his face. She kicked the heal of her boot down into the wound through his chest. Bone crunched and Jimmie gasped for air. His eyes got big and life left his body. He died with a pained look on his face.

She was still in shock. She covered herself with an old Army field coat we found in their cabin. She winced in pain from the coat touching the cuts and welts on her back and arms. I slung the rifle on one shoulder, wrapped my arm around her waist to support her and began our trek back home. She was strong. Her will unrelenting, she pushed on.

She wanted the comfort of her mother. It had been daylight for nearly an hour. We moved carefully staying out if plain view. Our cabin was empty, the Johnson's cellar was empty.

We were in sight of our cellar door and I could see someone laying on the ground at the entrance.

"Stay put. I'll check it out."

Shots rang out from the cellar and I could hear Mama:

"YOU AINT COMING IN HERE ASSHOLE!"

"FUCK, MAMA! ITS US." My heart nearly beat out of my chest.

We never heard the shots that were fired from our cellar. The sound must have been muffled, coming from inside. The man on the ground was a neighbor of the Smith boys. Ralph Jones was his name and he was just as much bad news as the Smith boys. We will never know if he was up to no good or needed help.

"OH GOD RUSTY!" Mama was sobbing.

Mama, Aunt Linda and Beck came running out. Aunt Linda took one look at Jess and collapsed to her knees. She turned and looked at me with tears streaming down her face.

"You killed them. Tell me you kill the bastards that did this to my babies!"

I just stared back and nodded. Mama came to me:

"You look like Robert." She was soft spoken.

Becky held on to me. I was numb.

"Baby, you need to eat. We will get you cleaned up. You need to eat and drink water."

Becky and Mama talked while they tended to me.

"Becky, he has the same state that Robert had when he came home." Mama was worried.

"He will be ok, mama. He just needs rest and food. He hasn't eaten in a day now."

Mama talked to Jess;

"What happened baby?" She asked Jess wanting to know the whole story.

I faded out. For a bit.

"He saved my life. I'm sure they were going to rape me. They were waiting on someone to come back. A guy named Ralph. Rusty saved me. They beat me with an extension cord and bit me. One guy hit me in the face when I wouldn't tell him where we live. He just kept hitting me. Rusty...Rusty saved me."

I slept for 16 hours.

The next morning was rough, I was sore and tired. Jess was still asleep. Mama was cuddled by me lightly snoring. Aunt Linda and Becky were cooking breakfast. Fried SPAM, eggs, and hash browns. Coffee. The pungent aroma of brewing coffee. I took a deep breath and inhaled the wonderful smells.

October, 2017

We cleaned out the Smith Cabin. I watched for several days as three buzzards, blow flies and maggots ate the bodies of the last two Smith brothers. Buzzards nasty creatures. The Smiths got what they deserved. Hatred for them filled me when I looked at their camp. Steph didn't deserve the life she had to live. She was a sweet caring person who helped anyone in need. Jess was tough. Her injuries healed with just a scar on her lip, from what I could see. It kind of gave her character but she hated it. There were scars on her back from the extension cord ripping her skin as it struck her. Aunt Linda cried at times but was extremely attentive to me and Jess.

At most we figured that Becky was two and a half to three months pregnant. The baby would come sometime in April or early May. She had that pregnant glow that I heard my brother talk about when he talked about his wife, Linda, before she lost their baby to a miscarriage. No matter how they tried they couldn't have children.

Becky did glow. She would look at me and smile. That's all she had to do to melt me and bring me back to normal. I spent many recent evenings with my head on her belly listening and rubbing.

A few creatures survived but not near the wild life we had before. I was able to trap and occasional rabbit or raccoon. Deer were scarce but there were a few. There had been no volcanic storms for quite some time. The fall and winter jet stream were about to change that when the jet stream dips into the south, bringing in the arctic air. We were prepared. The rabbits and chickens we saved had multiplied and we were able to have an occasional rooster or rabbit. Females and a couple of males were saved for eggs and reproduction. Corn, beans, and odd volunteer crops from GMO produced grains had let us build a supply of dried goods that would hold us comfortably over the now, long winter.

"It's hard to believe the leaves are totally gone isn't it." Mama was making small talk while we worked to cook and grind peanuts into peanut butter.

This served two purposes. The peanut butter was high in protein and the oils from the peanuts was used for cooking.

"Yeah Mom. I can't believe how cold it is already. The quarters from the deer Jess got the other day, are frozen solid still. It's cool though. The meat will last longer." I meant it. We didn't need to waste energy when we didn't have to.

"Hey we are going to pull more plants from the field across the road. Be back in a couple of hours." Jess let us know when and where. If someone didn't come back everyone went looking.

"Ok! Take the shotgun. Three shots or more for trouble!" We used the hunters universal code for trouble. I was insistent.

"Hahaha gotcha!" Mama was laughing as she smeared peanut butter on my face.

She bolted.

"Oh it's on now. You're in trouble!" I was quickly after her

"Hey you're quick for an old broad!" I knew that would slow her down.

As she turned to see where I was, I wrapped her up around her waist and we tumbled to the ground laughing.

"Hey hey no fair, I shoulda got a head start...stop STOPPP! IM GONNA PEE ON YOU!" She was serious but I didn't care.

I held her down and tickled her a little longer. Before she just gave up and threw her arms out to the side.

We were in a precarious position. She was squeezing my waist with her legs and I had a grip just above her hips in that tender spot where nearly everyone is ticklish. She rolled me.

"Dang it Mama! I was gonna let you up!" I tried to sound defeated.

"Too bad too sad sport. Now give!" She wasn't easy.

She was straddled above me when I felt it. My cock sprang to life.

My mind whirred;

"No no no. I know what they said. I can't do this." My thoughts going back to Becky saying it was ok to have sexual thoughts and actions with my mother..our mother.

She looked at me puzzled;

"What's the matter? Playin possum?" She hadn't sat back on me...yet.

I didn't fight to try and avoid the situation. Instead she leaned over me and laid her head on my chest. We were both breathing heavily. I relaxed my grip and she relaxed on me. That's when she felt me.

"Hey! Umm. Does that mean you win or do I win?" She was trying to make light and test the waters.

I stared back with mixed emotion. She could obviously see it on my face. She then leaned over and kissed me lightly on the lips. Not open mouth and not a peck. A caring kiss. One of understanding. Oh it was so sweet and tender, I got goose bumps. My stomach fluttered from nerves.

"It's ok Rusty. I understand". She knew what my mind was doing to me physically and emotionally. She stood up and stretched, sat beside me and leaned her head on me.

"You know, Mom. I don't want to let you down. I know you...well you know." I was lost for words

"Ha ha ha, you know what? That I'm still young and ain't dead yet. No baby I'm just kidding I know. It isn't like either of us is forced to do anything we don't want to do. I just want you to know that I am here for you and I will be until the day I die." She was so soft spoken sometimes. I made my heart flip.

"Are we talking about the same thing?" I was used to getting to the point.

"Ok, well let me rephrase my statement, politely. We, you and I, do not have to consummate a sexual relationship if you don't want to." She was polite. Blunt but polite.

"Heh heh. Well shit Mom. I know that. I mean it's not like you're not hot. I mean we used to peek at you in the shower.."

"Who used to watch me!" She sounded surprised.

"Me and Robert. I even caught Michael looking before when he would stay over with us." I said without hesitation.

She looked at me feigning shock.

"Well I mean it's not like your not hot or.." Shit I said my mom is hot.

She waved her hand at her face pretending to cool off.

"Well, I have been checked out and does thine eyes approve?" She batted her eyes at me.

"You don't have to answer." With that she leaned over and kissed me again.

I reached for her and just hugged her. Held her close like a son. Like she was able to release the weight of the world. She just rubbed my back as I held on.

"Mama we just haven't talked. I didn't know how you felt when you found out about me and Becky, or me and Steph." I was almost stammering I spit it out so fast.

"Well baby, the way I see it it is no big deal. I mean, you love each other. We are all alone. Emotions run high so something was bound to happen. I have feelings too. What if we are only a part of a handful of people left? What if the rest are like those guys that killed Steph?"

"Yeah but what we've been taught all our lives. I mean I feel guilty about breaking that barrier with Becky.." I tried to cut her off but she cut back in.

"Ok. So if things hadn't turned out like they did, would you and Becky still have become an item?" She had a point.

"Yeah well I looked at her and Leslie too!" I said laughing.

"Dawgs, see men are all dawgs! So did you think they were, how did you put it, hot?" She was picking now.

"Ha. It was decent." I tried to play cool.

"Decent my ass. You better rephrase that." She was watching my reaction.

"Yeah, your ass is decent." I almost cracked when I said it.

She jumped up and spun with her rear in my face, pulled her pants tight and shook it at me. I swear beads of sweat burst out on my forehead. She got to me and she could've broke me right there but she didn't. She faced me and cradled my face with one hand and smiled. She paused briefly and looked in my as eyes as if she could read my mind. She knew. She had to know that I had secretly wanted my mother for years. It is every boys fantasy at some point, sure, but she knew!

"Hey we're back!" Yelled Becky.

"And with a big load too!" Jess was almost to her old self.

Mama and Aunt Linda talked all evening, never more than a whisper. I was afraid to bother Jess much. I didn't know everything she had been through and didn't want to. I didn't need those demons haunting me.

Jess would just hug me at times. She didn't say anything. It would be strange if for any other reason than what she had been through.