The bombs were still falling when I saw her. She was stumbling along with the other refugees headed out of the cities, dirty, tired and looking like a good wind would blow her down. Which it probably would, if a bomb landed close enough. The force and pressure would wipe out these pitiful dregs of humanity in a nanosecond.
But there was something about this girl that made me want to break my promise to let the unprepared get their just rewards. Let God sort ‘em out, I always said. They’d gotten too dependent on the government teat to feed, house and clothe them and their welfare babies, so they should get taken out when things fell apart. Leave the prepared to rebuild it better.
I waited in the woods while the group straggled down the road towards the small town they hoped would take them in. I knew that wasn’t going to work. There was a line of armed men—and not a few women—prepared to keep their homes and families safe from the marauding zombie hordes. Unprepared sheeple with their hands out had no hope but to keep moving. Maybe FEMA would show up with tents and soup kitchens before it was too late.
The woman had fallen behind the rest of the group to help an older man who was barely on his feet. She put a hand around his body and took some of his weight so he could keep moving. A kind heart to go with that smokin’ hot body. Her actions matched her face, which even dirty and drawn looked like an angel’s. That’s when I decided I had to offer her a place in my bunker. The trick was to approach her and make the offer without the rest of the refugees overhearing and mobbing me.
I knew the route the townspeople would direct the group to take, a long, winding country road that would get them on the other side of the town and back on the main road to whatever salvation they might find. I had a shortcut that would get me there quicker and easier, so I headed out to meet my destiny.
It took more than a day for the refugees to make it, and what a sorry bunch they were by that time. At least half their number was gone, dead by the side of the road from hunger and radiation poisoning. Reports on the ham radio in the bunker had told about how dirty the bombs were. Whoever had sent them hadn’t cared about having anything survive. The USA had made a big, bad enemy, and most of the citizens would pay the price for it.
The girl was trailing along behind the main part of the group, head down. She was barely moving by this point, exhausted, hungry and chilled in the remnants of the tee and jeans that barely covered her modesty. I couldn’t see her face behind the tangled strands of hair that fell across her shoulders, but I knew she had once been considered a beauty.
As the main herd of refugees drifted around a bend in the road, I slipped out of the forest and fell into step beside the girl. Close up I could tell she was a little older than I’d first thought, maybe in her early thirties. I was a little disappointed, but my dick wasn’t. She was still pretty enough to show that she’d clean up well, if she had enough self-preservation to take me up on my offer of a home and safety. It wasn’t a free ride, but we could work out the details as we went along.
“Hey, you thirsty?” I handed her a water bottle by way of introducing myself.
She jumped a little and gave me a startled look, eyes like a doe’s in her white, drawn face. Now that I was walking beside her, I could see she was a lot prettier than she’d looked. She was tall, slender, and there were lighter streaks in her dark hair.
“Where’d you come from?”
Her voice was weak, but the suspicion that flared in her eyes wasn’t. Still, she reached out and took the bottle, unscrewing the cap and taking a drink quickly, as if she feared I’d snatch it back. When she tried to hand it back I gestured for her to keep it.
“You can keep it. I have more.” I was casual, as if it didn’t matter to me. Reel her in slow, I figured. Give her a chance to take in that I had enough water to hand a stranger a whole bottle of it and not be worried. Make her wonder what else I had. It was all part of the plan to convince her to leave her compatriots and throw her lot in with me.
We were walking slower now, the rest of the group further away, around another bend in the road now. It was just the two of us, walking along a country road heading to nowhere. I didn’t say anything else, just ambled along at her snail’s pace. She mostly kept her eyes on the rough asphalt, though I could tell she was sneaking looks at me.
I wasn’t hard on the eyes, though I’d never have graced the cover of one of those fancy magazines. I was tall, muscular from years of hard work, some of it for other people. My hair was still thick, though some silver had begun to show up in with the brown. I had all my teeth, two years of community college, and a deep distrust of anybody that said they had my best interests at heart.
Which was why I was lounging back in the comfort of a nuclear-proof shelter when the rest of the world started going to shit. I had enough food and supplies to last a family of ten for twenty years. Stuff to start farming after things settled down. Some goats and chickens, cats to catch vermin, and the love of a good dog.
What I didn’t have was a woman to share it all with. I hoped that would change shortly, before we either caught up with the refugees or ran up on someone less inclined to be neighborly.
“So, what’s your name? Where are you heading away from?”
My questions seemed to break her from a fog of exhaustion. She turned to look at me, never stopping the shuffle of her feet on the pavement. I know she was wondering what I was after, but I didn’t know any way of reassuring her that wouldn’t come off as creepy. My showing up beside her out of nowhere was stalkerish enough.
“Marta,” she said at last. She had to take another swallow of water before she could choke out any more. “I’m from Nashville. Or what was Nashville.”
I nodded. Nashville had taken an almost-direct hit, and the radio reports I could get from the area told a horrible story of a city flattened by the nuke. Anybody that hadn’t left before the bomb was nothing but scattered atoms now. Those with some sense of preservation had hit the roads once the other cities had taken hits, the more immediate targets that went down first.
I took out a plastic bag and started chewing on a piece of jerky. I didn’t offer her any. More bait.
“I guess you left early, then. Once it was clear the bombing wasn’t going to stop.” The jerky was so good I took another piece. I could hear her stomach growling.
“Yeah. Some of the news reports were saying to get out of the cities, away from the military bases and other places. I was trying to get to my brother’s place, in the northern part of Georgia. But the cars quit working, and I had to start walking. I didn’t have anything, no food and my water was gone.”
She stopped, turning her attention back to the road. She was moving even slower now, her feet barely lifting up as she walked. I waited her out, chewing on another piece of jerky. The smell of the meat was drifting around us like a fine perfume.
“Nobody will help us,” she went on. “We needed water, a place to rest. And nobody would give us anything.”
“Well, you can’t really blame them. Most don’t have enough for their own families, much less anything to share with strangers. It might be dangerous.”
I kept my tone quiet, reasonable. The last thing I wanted to do was spook her, make her think I was some crazed survivalist.
There was a couple of pieces of jerky left. I folded the bag and tucked it back in my pocket. If she wanted any, she could ask. Then I could make my proposition and see how strong her will to live was.
We walked on for a bit longer. I was keeping a watchful eye on the woods, looking for sign of deer. I had come out to hunt in the first place, not expecting to run up on anyone who looked like they might be a good companion. I hadn’t had any luck with finding a deer, but I’d sure hit the jackpot when I saw her. Marta. It was a pretty name, rolled off the tongue like melted butter.
I decided to play the line a little, see if she’d bite. “Of course, you might run up on a place where you could work for your keep.”
Marta snorted. “I guess you have a plac
e just like that”
Oh, there was still some fire left in this girl. I liked that. The last thing I wanted to spend my nuclear winter with was a timid, spiritless woman.
“I might. For the right kind of people.”
“The right kind of people being a woman?” Her chin had come up, and her step was firmer.
“Could be. I wouldn’t be against having female companionship. The end of the world turns out to be awfully lonely. But I’m looking for people that can form a community, too. Survive and thrive during these harsh times.”
I debated saying any more. People thought those of us who believed in preparing for disasters were nuts. If she got scared, she’d take off, probably alert the others. Though I was pretty sure I could evade city slickers. I knew these woods and they didn’t.
“Don’t you guys have, like, groups already? Seems odd you’d be out here alone, looking for members.” Marta laughed a little. She had a nice laugh, coming from deep in her chest. It made her breasts heave nicely under the tee shirt. A nice, round handful. I felt a twitch in my groin. Attraction wasn’t going to be a problem, not on my part, at least.
“I had some folks that were supposed to join me. They didn’t make it out of the cities. I don’t know what happened to the others, the ones who were out in the country. It’s been a little crazy since the bombs started.”
Marta laughed again, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “You don’t have to tell me. I only joined up with this group because it wasn’t safe to keep going by myself.” She stared up the road, though the others were out of sight. “Things are getting weird with them, though. Seems like society is breaking down. Maybe I’d be better off on my own again.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “Or you could come with me. I’ve got shelter, and a lot of work that needs doing. You could do worse.”
She was lost in thought for a while. I was getting ready to pull off and head back into the woods, see if I could find some rabbits or squirrels before heading back to the bunker. There were enough people on the roads I knew I’d have another chance to recruit suitable people, though I hated to writer Marta off.
“So what if I say yes. What would I have to do?” She wouldn’t look at me, just kept watching her feet inching along the road.
“Nothing you don’t want to. Except for the usual stuff required of surviving the end of the world. Plenty of chores to be done, no matter what.”
Marta shrugged. “Okay.”
It wasn’t the most enthusiastic response, but it would do.
“I’m Chad, by the way.”
She nodded as I took her hand and led her to a path that would take us back towards the bunker. I doubted the rest of the refugees ever noticed she was gone.
* * * *
On the way to the bunker I snagged some rabbits. Marta didn’t flinch much when I shot them with the bow. I showed her how to string them up, running a bit of cord through the tendons on their hind legs. The plump bunnies made a nice thump against my hip as I showed her how to look for animal signs, the best way to walk without scaring off any potential game.
We made it back while the sun was still up. The mountains and heavy forest hid any sign of mushroom clouds, but I knew that the sky was going to start showing signs of the coming winter, even though it was still technically early summer. I made sure no one was lurking about as we walked, and checked carefully to see that there hadn’t been any unwanted visitors before I showed her the entrance to the bunker.
Marta’s eyes got really wide when we went into what looked like an ordinary cave. I lit a match so we could see our way to the back, where there was a narrow channel that looked like nothing more than a big crack in the mountain. It was cleverly designed to show nothing to the casual observer, but once inside it was obvious that there was something more to this little hole.
It was a tight fit for me, but Marta was so thin she didn’t have to turn sideways to make her way past the dogleg. We stopped a few feet past that, and I held another match up so she could see the door. It was rough, like the cave walls, but that was just a skin over the surface, concealing a reinforced steel blast door. This was meant to be the emergency exit, but the government had blown the cave with the main entrance, where they’d brought in all the equipment and materials to make the shelter, so I made do with what I had.
“Hey, turn away for a minute, okay?” I was pretty sure I could trust her, but I hadn’t made it this far by being foolish. If things didn’t work out between us, I didn’t want her knowing how to get back inside. Trust had to be earned.
When she had her back to me, I entered the code to open the door. She turned back around when she heard the door open, and I led her inside.
“What is this place?” Marta sounded awed. “You didn’t build this yourself, did you?”
I couldn’t help but notice how the cooler air inside the mountain made her nipples push against the thin fabric of her shirt. My belly tightened. It had been too long since I’d been with a woman, and the thought of screwing Marta was almost enough to make me come like an inexperienced boy.
I pulled my thoughts away from my cock and closed the door, making sure it was sealed and locked. A code was needed to get in or out, and I again made sure she didn’t see what I punched in. I might want to fuck her, but I wasn’t stupid.
“No, I didn’t build it. The government did, years ago.”
Marta followed me into the main complex, a large room set up with couches and chairs, with tables scattered around. There were lamps in a few places, and big overhead lights would make the room seem like a laboratory. I’d left just a few lights on, so the room was lit with a soft, warm glow. It looked homey, inviting.
I took her on a tour, showing her the kitchen, storage areas, a huge bathroom with multiple shower stalls, and the bedrooms. She took everything in, watching and listening as I explained how my grandfather had told me about the place when I was a kid, built by the government during the Cold War era when everybody thought the nukes were headed our way. And how ironic that was.
I told her how all of Grandpa’s stories hadn’t sunk in until I wised up and started prepping a few years ago.
“By then, Grandpa was losing his mind, and it took months to piece together how to find the place. He managed to give me the entry codes not long before he passed. It was his last normal conversation.”
I sank onto my favorite chair. “He warned me to get out, to come here and hole up, right before he died. Everybody else thought it was just more crazy talk, but I’d heard the radio in the background talking about how bad the situation was getting in the world. Grandpa might have thought he was fighting the Nazis still, but I knew the threat was real.”
Marta was sitting in a chair near by, and she reached out and touched my knee. She met my gaze and we stared at each other for a long time. I think she was deciding if she was willing to do whatever it took to stay here, and it was coming out in my favor. I was getting harder the longer her hand rested on my knee, wanting to take it to the next step but still afraid of scaring her off.
I knew what people thought of preppers, how we were looked at as a bunch of kooks who bought loads of weapons and prayed for the world to go boom. But we weren’t all like that. Most of us just wanted to be ready for anything, be it bad weather, economic hard times, or getting sick. My preps had saved my butt more than once when I was between jobs.
All I could do was show Marta how normal a guy I was. And it would all be the truth. I wasn’t some stalker, some guy who couldn’t get a date. I’d had plenty of girlfriends, and if the relationships hadn’t worked out, it wasn’t because there was anything wrong with me or them. I just hadn’t found a like-minded woman yet.
While I was trying to keep my dick under control, Marta had scooted forward and moved her hand up my thigh. She was stroking me gently, rubbing her hand up and getting closer to my crotch by the minute. She was watching the effect her touch had on me, licking her lips. I had to swallow hard, and fight to meet her eyes.
>
“I think we should see how we get along with each other,” Marta whispered at last. My heart started pounding. My dick surged against my jeans, and Marta felt it because by this point she was touching it. She pressed down, and I nearly jumped out of the chair.
“That sounds like a good idea,” I choked out the words. When she stood up and took my hand, I could barely get to my feet. Things were moving a lot faster than I could have dreamed. I thought I might have to wait days before we got to this point.
I wanted to get naked right there, but I figured Marta might like the comfort of a bed. I imagine sleeping out in the cold on the hard ground had gotten old enough that screwing on the thin carpet that covered the bunkers polished rock floor wouldn’t be very sexy.
I managed to fumble my way to the room I’d made my bedroom, with Marta clinging to my hand. She didn’t say anything, just stopped in the center of the room and waited. I stepped close and leaned in to kiss her, gently exploring her mouth. That led to tonguing the inside of her mouth, with her eager participation. My hands were roaming her body, kneading her ass before cupping her firm breasts while I rubbed her nipples through the fabric of her tee.
Marta pulled away and tugged her shirt over her head. When I moved to help her she shook her head and stepped back. She reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor to join her shirt. Her breasts were beautiful, round and pointed straight at me.
Slowly she unbuttoned her jeans, sliding the zipper down. When she finally stepped out of the worn pants, I realized she’d taken down her panties at the same time. Marta stood before me and let me look at her. She was gaunt, ribs showing how long she’d been getting by on little food. It had been a month since Nashville disappeared.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the bush that covered her mound. It was dark like the rest of her hair, thick and lush. I wanted to shove my fingers into it, to stroke the hidden folds, to tongue her there until she squirmed and begged for my cock to thrust inside.
This is How it Ended Page 7
