“Jesus,” whispered his mom. Jack turned towards her and saw a blank, vulnerable expression on her face. She was shaking her head back and forth, and when Jack followed her gaze, he saw exactly why.
There were other people, bodies, in the cave with them. The two hadn’t seen any up until that point, the strength of the destruction having been enough to destroy any trace. The forms were unmistakably human, though heavily charred, and lacking any clothing or skin to speak of.
To make it even worse, there were three of them, the larger ones on either side hugging and protecting a burnt smaller one in the middle.
It’s a father, a mother, and a child. The cave must have sheltered them… but it wasn’t enough.
Jack’s heart sank, but what he felt didn’t even compare to what he saw on his mother’s face. She was strong, and continued to be strong even in the face of the horrible scene, but Jack knew how sensitive she was to this type of thing.
This is mom’s worst nightmare. And… we’ve already lost dad.
He walked over and pulled his mother into a tight hug. She set her hand on his head, as though she was trying to pull him in, and protect him.
“It’s okay mom,” he whispered. “We’re still alive, and we aren’t giving up.”
“I know, honey.”
Jack glanced back towards the cave’s entrance. The clouds were still in the sky, but the rain had let up a little.
“Come on,” he said. “We can’t stay here.”
“Okay…” Rebecca’s voice was a whisper, and she repeated herself with more force. “Okay. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 15
The next few hours of traveling were some of the hardest that Jack and his mother had experienced on the entire trip. The rain had dropped down to little more than a light mist, but it was still enough to muddy the ash, making for horrible traction, every step sinking in slightly.
Worse, still, were the larger cracks in the ground, like the one that Jack had fallen into before. With all of the ash turned to mush, it became impossibly hard to differentiate between solid land and the openings. His childhood fear of quicksand began to bubble up in the back of his awareness, and he had to force it down.
There is no time for us to waste. This isn’t about me, this is about Molly.
They didn’t slow down, and eventually, the weather began to let up. A rainbow formed on the horizon to the west of them, arching over the setting sun in the distance.
“It’s beautiful,” said Rebecca. “Or at least, it should be. It’s almost like a joke, against this kind of backdrop.”
“It doesn’t have to be a joke.” Jack smiled at her, a real smile. “This isn’t the world we recognize, but that doesn’t mean we have to give up on everything in it.”
His mom didn’t say anything. She’d had the map out for the last hour of their journey, and every couple of minutes she would glance back down at it and sigh. Jack had a general idea of where they were, and he suspected she did as well, but getting to the exact location of the landing site was proving to be more of a challenge than they’d expected.
I can’t doubt myself now. This is the plan we came up with. It has to work.
“Here,” said Rebecca. “We’re close. Within a few miles, at least.”
She traced something on the map, and then pointed in front of them. The ground ahead had a long strip that was slightly discolored, darker than the scorched earth around it.
“This used to be a highway,” said his mom. “And Molly’s going to be coming down near it. We just need to travel north a little further along it.”
“Alright.”
Out of all the fears and worries he’d had during the trip, none of them compared to the anxiety that began to take hold of Jack as they closed in on their destination. There were so many things that could go wrong, all of which he’d dismissed as trivial problems during the creation of the plan.
She might not even make it off the space station. Or what if she had to come down early and we’re waiting for nothing? There’s a chance that the landing capsule won’t even be landable with just one pilot, and then she’d…
“Hey.” His mom’s arms wrapped around him from behind, and he felt a soft kiss on his cheek. “It’s going to be okay.”
Jack nodded.
“Yeah, you’re right,” he said. “Come on, let’s keep moving.”
After another hour of hiking, made easier on top of the former highway, the two of them slowed to a stop. It was impossible to pinpoint the exact location that they’d agree on with the imperfections of the map and the changed landscape, but had they reached a spot that was about as close as they could get.
Jack sat down on the ground and stared up at the setting sun. Thoughts flowed like waves through his mind, pulling him into introspection.
“I almost feel like we’re right back where we started.” Jack looked over at his mom, who was still standing, and smiled. “I’m outside, looking up at the sky, trying to see a shooting star.”
“This time it’s a shooting star that we can make a wish on, instead of being cursed by.” Rebecca set her hands on his shoulder and brushed more ash out of his hair before leaning in and planting a kiss on his head.
Another minute went by, followed by another, and then she appeared. It looked as though one of the stars had decided to come out early, growing brighter and moving across the sky. Jack stood to his feet and felt his heart begin to pound wildly.
“She’s over there!” He yelled. “To the east!”
Molly’s capsule grew bright, and then suddenly slowed down. A white parachute expanded out behind it, and Jack was a little surprised and unnerved by how fast the craft was going.
“No!” he yelled. “She needs to slow down more!”
He slipped off his pack and began sprinting off in the direction of the falling capsule. It closed in on the ground before he could reach the landing site, bouncing several times as it was carried forward by its horizontal momentum. The sound of it reminded Jack of a car crash, and he felt his heart sink.
“Hold on, Jack!” yelled his mom. “Wait for me!”
He could feel the heat coming from the capsule even before he’d slid to a stop next to it. It had tipped on its side, with the parachute extending behind it like the useless cape of a defeated superhero.
“Molly!” yelled Jack. “Molly, can you hear me!”
She’s inside of it! I need to get her out!
A loud bang came from the capsule. The large, rectangular door on the side of it looked as though it was trying to pop open. Unfortunately, it was a little to banged up by the crash to get more than an inch out from its frame.
I can’t let anyone else die!
It took every ounce of determination that he had, but Jack moved in closer, feeling the intense heat doing everything it could to push him back. He reached his hands toward the tiny crack in between the door and capsule and instantly recoiled back.
“Damn it!” His fingers burned from the heat. He bit his lip and ignored the pain, dipping his hands down to the ground in coating them in as much ash as he could.
“Stop, Jack!” His mother was still a ways off behind him. He turned back and gave it another try.
Jack could still feel the heat, still feel his hands burning as he grabbed onto the door again, but the ash gave him just enough of a cushion to keep going. He let out an animalistic yell and pulled with all his strength.
The door popped open. Behind it, strapped into a complicated looking harness and wearing a white, glass faced helmet, was Molly. Jack wasted no time, climbing into the capsule and undoing her restraints.
“Molly!” He yelled and tapped on her helmet, but she didn’t respond. “Molly!”
Jack began pulling her towards the door, crouching low and singing the back of his neck hairs on the hot outer shell.
“Wait…” Molly’s voice was quiet and muffled, but unmistakable. “I’m… I’m okay.”
Jack continued pulling her, even after they w
ere out of the craft. He pulled her another ten feet away and then collapsed on his butt beside her.
“Molly…” It suddenly felt unbelievable to have her there, alive, in person, right next to him. The young female astronaut clumsily detached gloves from her suit and then twisted her helmet off.
“You did it,” she whispered. “You found me.”
“I didn’t really have a choice,” said Jack. Rebecca made her way up behind him and crouched next to the two.
“Of course you did. You took a risk coming all the way out here, all the way through this.”
Jack smiled.
“It was a risk worth taking. After all, you represent a third of the known human population.”
His mom sighed, and Molly rolled her eyes. Jack couldn’t resist smiling at his own, stupid joke.
Everything is going to be okay…
Their reunion was a happy one, but tinged with the bitter sweet reality of the situation. It was getting dark, and Jack had to set up the tent. Blisters and burns had formed on his palms and fingers, making it hard for him to push the poles onto the canopy.
“You’re as stupid as you are brave,” whispered Rebecca as she sat him down and pulled out the first aid kit. “Don’t ever try anything like that again.”
Jack nodded. He was looking over his mom’s shoulder at Molly. She was standing just around the corner of the capsule, and slowly stripping off her space suit. Underneath it, she’d been wearing thermal insulated long underwear, and she didn’t hesitate before beginning to take it off.
She’s here on the ground now, where I can touch her, and she can touch me.
“We’ll have to stay the night here,” said Rebecca. “Molly and I will sleep in the tent. We can set up a bed for you inside the downed transport capsule, Jack.”
Jack wasn’t listening. Molly was slowly wiggling her butt and thighs as she pulled off the one piece. She was facing away from him, but her naked body gleamed in the moonlight, covered with a thin layer of sweat. It was an erotic sight, enough to make his cock harden, which given how close his mother was to him, was a little embarrassing.
I’m going to have to get used to this sort of thing, traveling with the two of them.
“If we’re lucky, we can make it back to the emergency shelter by the day after tomorrow,” said Rebecca.
Molly’s ears perked up at her comment. She turned around, holding one arm over her breasts and the other against her crotch, and walked over to them. Jack’s jaw dropped open, and he had to force himself to look away.
“Let me get you some clothes, Molly, “said Rebecca. “Otherwise, I think it might end up being too much stimulation for my son.”
Molly nodded, but looked as though she was far away in her thoughts.
“We aren’t headed back to your emergency shelter, not yet,” she said softly. “I saw something, on the way down.”
Jack turned back around, doing his best to keep from ogling Molly as he raised his eyebrow at her statement.
“What?”
Molly licked her lips and then grinned broadly.
“I saw green,” she said. “A small little patch of it, to the east of here.”
“That’s…” Rebecca walked over, passing Molly a baggy t-shirt. “How is that possible? We saw the Earth from the camera in the space station.”
“It was too small to stand out until I’d begun the descent.” Molly pulled the shirt over her head, her big, pink dotted breasts entering Jack’s field of view for a split second. “I don’t know how it survived or what’s there, what it could mean…”
Jack nodded.
“We’ll head out first thing in the morning,” he said. “This is good news.”
His mom glanced at both of them and then turned her attention back to Jack’s hands, dabbing at them with an antiseptic pad that stung like the devil.
“It’s not the end,” she whispered. “We’re all here, we’re all together, and we have hope.”
“Exactly.” Jack looked up at the moon, bright and full against the night sky. “It’s only the beginning.”
END
If you enjoyed this story, please leave a review! It takes a lot of effort to sit down and write something like this. I do it out of love and because it gives me a sense of catharsis, and if reading this gave you any amount of pleasure, I want to know!
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Thanks for reading!
Anya Merchant
For other stories by the same author, check out
Off-Limits MILF Mega Collection (Taboo Erotica Collection)
Illicit Inheritance (Taboo Erotica)
Temptation Island (Taboo Erotica)
Forbidden Fire (Taboo Erotica)
EI: Erotic Intelligence (Taboo Erotica)
Hotel Desire (Taboo Erotica)
Depths of Desire (Taboo Erotica)
The Ritual (Taboo Erotica)
Last Man Alive: Complete And Uncut (Taboo Erotica)
Taboo MILF Mega Collection (Taboo Erotica Collection)
Woman of the House (Taboo Erotica Collection)
FREE EXCERPT FROM EI: EROTIC INTELLIGENCE
CHAPTER 1
The sun was out, the birds were chirping, and Dan had the distinct feeling that he’d overslept. He slowly sat up in his bed, wiping his tired eyes and letting one last yawn escape into the air, and then reached for his phone.
Dan had planned on meeting his friend Pete for an early morning game of racquetball at the gym. He felt his frustration build slightly as his phone sat unresponsive in his hand, refusing to turn on.
“Damn it,” he said. Dan willed his legs out of his covers and onto the floor, feeling the cool air on his skin. “I’m sure my phone was charged when I set the alarm last night…”
He sighed, and then walked over to the charger connected to the outlet in the corner of his room and plugged it in. The smart phone remained unresponsive, and showed no signs of life. Dan took a deep breath, focused on keeping his emotions under control, and walked over to his dresser.
It was the first Saturday in April, and he’d been looking forward to taking advantage of the nice weather by spending most of the day outside. As a modern day high school senior, it was a pleasure that he shared with few to none of his classmates now that VR headsets were becoming ubiquitous in even the lowest income households.
Dan pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He again reached over to his phone, and was a little taken aback to still find it acting as though it was dead. He sighed, and then walked over to the touch monitor on the wall, the one that he used almost exclusively for watching movies from his bed in the midst of the night, and tapped on it. Just like his phone, it remained inanimate, not even offering so much as a flicker.
“Weird,” muttered Dan. He pulled on a pair of socks, and figured he’d figure out what time it was, and just how late he was, by heading downstairs and asking Lana.
Dan had never known his birth mother, and the woman he considered to be his “real mom”, Lana, had stepped in to fill the void before he’d finished teething. Dan’s dad was a kind, albeit distant man, and traveled almost to the exclusion of ever being around, leaving Lana as the sole physical parent when it came to raising him.
“Hey mom, is something going on with the power?” Dan asked as he walked down into the living room.
Lana was a petite woman, with the type of body that could make any man do a double take. Dan had wondered, on occasion, about how his dad had managed to end up with a bombshell like her, but the thoughts would quickly lead him into uncomfortable territory, if he let them.
She was wearing a small pink t-shirt and a pair of tight black leggings. She had surprisingly large natural breasts for her frame, well-formed and buoyant, as if they belonged on a woman of 25 instead of 35. Her butt was toned, but it curved outward just far enough to
catch the eye without being unwieldy.
“It seems like it, sweetie,” she said. “I haven’t been able to get anything except the lights working since early this morning.”
She was in the middle of a yoga pose, but still turned her gaze towards Dan as he walked into the room, smiling at him. There was something about his mom’s smile that had always made him feel a little excited, as though she had a secret hidden behind it, one that called to him from somewhere off limits.
Dan was a teenage male, and as such, it was hard for him to avoid sneaking a glance at Lana’s body on occasion. No matter how many times he told himself that she was off limits, and not someone that he should objectify like that, his body and especially his cock were unwilling to recognize her as anything other than the gorgeous sex goddess she was.
“Yeah, my phone and my touch screen are both down,” he said. Dan tried to push his indecent thoughts out of his head, but he could feel blood rushing to his dick as his mom shifted into a new pose, one that arched her back up and caused her breasts to push forward into the air. He felt embarrassed, and more than a little ashamed.
“If you’re headed out, would you mind stopping over at the telecom office?” asked Lana. “The electricity is still turned on, it’s as though only the stuff connected to the internet is affected.”
She shifted again, and now her butt was poking up into the air, as though she was a female cat in heat, begging for release. Dan blushed, and decided that he should try to get out of the house before he had a visible hard on.
“All the VR headset junkies in the town must be freaking out right now,” said Lana. “I bet it’s pretty jarring for a simulation to just cut off in midstream.”
Dan was just turning to leave, but something about his mom’s comment had struck a chord with him.
After the Fall: Close and Confined (Taboo Erotica) (Eden Harem Book 1) Page 11
