Love at the End of the World

by Christiana Miller

  Infinity rose to her knees. “Try it this way.”

  There was some difficulty at first, but when Greyson leaned a bit back he found her warm, ready opening and plunged a little at a time. Infinity was right to think his pointer, or happy monitor, was larger than she’d ever experienced. Her insides widened with each thrust. There was an uncertain moment of pain until he kissed her neck. She gasped. His tongue trailed over her flesh, giving her shivers. The next kiss was firmer and lingered longer.

  “Greyson, that was so much more pleasurable than any kiss I’ve had. I’ve never been kissed on my mouth, only my forehead. Do it again.”

  “You must kiss me too. I want to know what it feels like. Although kissing you is pleasurable. Isn’t that strange? Touching and tasting you makes all of me happy.”

  Tentatively, she nuzzled his shoulder. Her lips touched him. He tasted of salt and some other flavor. It was pleasing. She had never given pleasure to another. The idea was strange...and wonderful. She gave as she took and gripped him harder. She’d experienced orgasms before, but this time was powerful and meaningful. You could put love in a touch, not only words.

  His strong arms were around her, holding her as though she were his prisoner. The idea was frightening in a pleasing way, and she shook her head as she wondered at the emotion of fear being sensual. When he roared and tossed his head back she was suddenly afraid of him, and for him. He was gasping and limply fell to his side.

  “Greyson, did I kill you?” she cried out.

  “I think so, and it was amazing. Infinity, I’ve never been so pleasured.”

  The words were disturbing and pleasing. Tired of her emotions having two feelings for the same thing, she curled close to him and slept.

  Chapter 5

  “I’m tired of bugs,” Infinity whined.

  “There are no restaurant pads. We can’t do anything about it. Eat some bugs if you’re hungry or your belly will talk. At least your throat has shut the hell up. Its stupid, strange noise was irritating the fuck out of me.”

  He stopped talking when she gasped at his words. But he didn’t care if she was offended. When he offered to pleasure her that morning she told him no thank you. His feelings were hurt. The pod never told him no. She was supposed to be taking care of him. Greyson lumbered on, ignoring her muttering about how much she despised bugs: bugs were ew, bugs were too squishy or too hard, and so forth.

  Ahead was rustling, a low bawl, and then silence except for eating sounds. He put his hand up to stop Infinity from mumbling, and she crept up beside him. There was a strange urge in him to tell her to keep back, and he wondered why he thought it. She had as much right to see what was ahead as he did. Still, there was something that continued to nag that this time it was best if a male went first. Well, it’s about time I did. Greyson pushed ahead of her.

  Greyson was mortified when he came upon the tiger face-first in the opened, bloody belly of a cow. For a second the scene didn’t, or couldn’t, register. There was so much blood. Blood pooled on the ground, blood covered the fallen beast. It was dead. He found his legs, raced over, and shoved at the great cat.

  “How could you?” he screamed. “How could you destroy such an innocent beast?”

  The cat’s muzzle dripped blood, and the male made whining noises as it paced. Greyson could see the ribs of the beast poking out. He then gazed at the fat cow. There were other cows in the distance. There was only one tiger, and he and Infinity, but many cows. He had seen the cows and other animals grazing on all kinds of vegetation. Greyson had tried to eat the grass, but it was so unpalatable. Both he and Infinity were starving.

  His gaze traveled back to the dead cow. Could this be food he and Infinity could eat? He was skeptical. The cows ate grass and they couldn’t. Maybe the tiger could eat this meat and they couldn’t. But they should at least try. Greyson pulled out the rock he had made sharp to cut wood and began sawing into the animal. He heard Infinity retch behind him.

  Warm blood oozed between his rapidly working fingers. He sawed pieces into four large chunks and placed them in his travel basket he had woven from reeds. At least the Superiors had taught them something useful when they were children. He then went to the cat and gazed into its deep eyes.

  “I was wrong, my friend. You have saved not only your life but perhaps ours as well. Eat your meal. It’s not fair we starve while others have full, content bellies, is it?” Greyson wasn’t certain who he was trying to convince. Infinity was watching him with a wary expression.

  As they left, the cat went back to his meal. Greyson wondered if one day the same cat would hunt him. He hoped not. A tiger wasn’t something to have as an enemy. They returned to their pod, which Infinity called a cave.

  “I can’t eat that,” Infinity said.

  “You can, and you will. You have to take care of me, so you can’t die. I have to take care of you, so I am feeding us both. Look at it this way—it’s not bugs.”

  “There’s too much blood, and it stinks. I keep remembering that poor, hurt man.”

  “I’m trying to wring the blood out.” Greyson took a tentative bite and spat it out. It was warm and slimy, and chewy.

  “See. Yuck.”

  The last time he heard her say yuck they had been watching a rhino poop. A Superior had reprimanded her because all animals poop. This time she didn’t even bother to look contrite. She was glaring at the oozy mess. How can you hate food? Greyson sighed.

  He watched the fire crackle for a moment. Something in his mind was trying to click. An idea that was elusive and making him angry. This meat looked different than the meat he ate. The texture was wrong. There was something missing.

  “Maybe our fire would like it. It seems to enjoy many things. It shouldn’t go to waste,” Greyson said.

  He tossed a chunk in, and it popped and sizzled, making both he and Infinity jump up.

  “Maybe that’s too much too fast. I think you made it sick,” Infinity said.

  Greyson poked a chunk of raw meat onto the end of a stick to feed the fire. The meat dripped blood into the flames, but it seemed to work better. He watched the raw mess sizzle until he noted the color changed. Soon the meat resembled the steak he was given at the restaurant pads. Greyson sat up straighter and pulled it back. He sniffed it. The smell was the same as a steak. Tentatively, he took a bite. He grinned. It was almost the same. Only certain seasonings were missing. He shoved a piece at Infinity. All the while chewing and swallowing and trying to get more meat onto more sticks to cook.

  Infinity took a bite and began to shove as much of hers as she could into her mouth. They chewed open-mouthed while laughing. Forgetting how they had come across the cow and the fact that they partook of its flesh. Neither knew it but survival had kicked in.

  “We can get more of this later. As long as the tiger lets us. I think it was confused when I shoved it away, but I’m pretty certain it snarled at me. Imagine, a tiger that snarls. I wonder why.”

  “I think the word is stealing. Maybe he thought we were stealing. You didn’t ask, you just took.”

  “True. I’ll ask him next time. But if he doesn’t want to share, we’re going to need to catch our own.”

  “Do you think you can kill something so innocent?”

  Her sad gaze delved into his, and for a moment he wanted to gag at the sight of the blood on her lips. Lips that had touched him so tenderly the night before were now covered in shame. No, he corrected himself, they were covered in survival. They needed to eat or they would starve. They depended on each other. They must never lose each other.

  Greyson picked up the sharp rock he’d crafted to cut up bugs and wood to feed their flames. “I will kill because I have to. I won’t like it, and neither will you, but we must. Do you remember the Superiors told us wolves wore winter coats to protect them from the elements? We have no coats or bedding. What if we take the coats of the animals we kill?”

  Infinity seemed to ponder the idea. “Sounds intelligent, though barbaric. It
will be hard to wear someone else’s coat. All the slime attached to it will be ew.”

  “Maybe we can scrape it off.”

  “Yes, we can try. I’m tired of a bed that crinkles and sticks to me. I’m cold when I sleep. Why didn’t the Superiors teach us any of this? Why would they make us so helpless and then go away? It’s cruel. It’s almost as if they…” She stopped and ducked her head.

  Greyson knew exactly what she was thinking, because he had pondered the same thing himself. The Superiors had made them rely on them and then went away. But perhaps they hadn’t counted on them learning. Or had they? Were they watching them like animals? Or was it something far worse?

  Chapter 6

  “Look what I found,” Greyson said with excitement as he raced into the cave. “There are a bunch of chickens running around, and they were laying them everywhere.”

  Infinity gazed at the eggs in his shirt. She loved eggs and the many dishes that could be made from them. She took one and cracked it open. Guck oozed between her fingers. Clear, sticky slime dripped to the ground. The substance almost reminded her of the mess Greyson left inside her from his happy monitor. The pointers had never done that. She gazed at the mess. The only identifying part was the yolk. She loved her eggs sunny side up. Imagine eating sunshine. Normally, it was served on toasted, rustic bread with parmesan cheese and arugula.

  “This isn’t a real egg,” she declared.

  “But they look like eggs on the outside.”

  “Maybe they need to be cooked like the meat?”

  Greyson nodded. He took an egg and dropped it into one of the containers Infinity had found and washed. The water was hot. They sat and stared at it. Infinity poked at it with a stick to swirl it around in the water. The stick made a crack, and the ooze seemed to coagulate and turn a whiter color.

  “How long do we wait?” Greyson asked.

  “I don’t know.” They always seemed to be asking each other questions neither could answer. She wasn’t annoyed with him, she just wished she knew.

  “I hope it doesn’t hatch in there. I want the egg. I don’t think I can eat a baby chick.”

  “Me neither.”

  Minutes passed. Infinity removed the egg from the water and stuck it into cold water when the tips of her fingers began to burn. She pulled it out after a few moments. She cracked the outer shell and was pleased to see nothing oozed out. She held a hardboiled egg.

  They cooked the other eggs, smiling at one another. Some they took out earlier. Infinity wished she had some toast. A memory popped into her mind of her making bread with her great-grandmother a long time ago.

  * * * *

  As the days went by many more fowl lost their lives and their eggs to the couple. Trial and error were huge, but they were learning. Their fire gave them strength as well as hope and power. Their minds became engrossed with learning. Their thoughts changed, and they weren’t as self-centered. The pair still wanted their partner to care for them, but each wanted self-sufficiency as well. All their lives they had been dependent, but not anymore. They tested themselves and their thoughts. Each new learned emotion, thought process, or behavior was welcomed, feared, and appreciated.

  Eggs were a staple until the season ended for some birds, as they noted different types only lay eggs once. They were grateful the chickens still laid them. The circle of life was something the couple couldn’t comprehend. All their lives everything had been provided all year. Infinity learned babies from animals didn’t occur on a regular basis, and they were surprised by that. The calves grew, the wolves grew, and animal families grew up. This left a concept neither had thought of before. What of human families? They had been told that children of the Superiors were being grown. How? Could the couple have children of their own? How would it be possible?

  The idea was terrifying as a memory of a pregnant woman came to mind. It would be up to Infinity to grow a baby. They could hardly care for themselves. What if a baby suddenly appeared? How would they care for it? How would they feed it? Some animal babies were born blind, and some had no teeth. How do you feed a baby with no ability to chew? The concept was too frightening. Infinity tried to stop the images from gaining access to her mind. It was hard. But the thought was fearful. A baby was so tiny.

  As she expressed her fears to Greyson she was surprised each had memories of babies. A baby couldn’t speak. Or walk. A vulnerable human in an unforgiving world was too sad. The idea was better left unexplored.

  Months passed slowly as the couple took charge of their new home. They needed a table, so they made one. Logs were used as chairs. Greyson adapted weapons with trial and error. He had rows of spears of all sizes. Birds where they lived actually flew. The idea about a gun knocking one from the sky made him think. He had hit a duck with a rock but wanted many birds. He devised throw sticks and a bola to bring down more than one. Infinity and he learned to hunt together. They did everything together. Including sharing their pleasures.

  He smiled at Infinity when she came to him. He settled her back onto a wolf skin. They had cried when they killed a wolf the first time, but after it was easier. The wolf wasn’t palatable, even when they cooked it, but the fur was the warmest so far. Greyson met up with the tiger occasionally. Each shared their kills if they were large enough. Greyson always asked first, and in its way, so too did the tiger.

  “Will you lay on me?” Infinity asked. “You sink me into the fur, and it is so comfortable.”

  His grin deepened. His naked body settled onto her, and he brushed back her hair. “You take such good care of me,” he said.

  “That’s funny. I was thinking the opposite. You take care of me. I am warm and loved and safe. What else is there?”

  “As long as I have you I don’t need anything else. You provide the rest. When I tell you I love you I mean so much more. The words come from inside me. I want them to dance from my lips into your heart where you can keep them safe. My world has changed. It changed to you. You are everything to me,” he said.

  He leaned down and kissed her softly. She cupped the back of his neck and dragged him closer. She was getting stronger, as was he. Her body had become solid muscles, but she was sweetly rounded. She laughed when she told him he resembled a bull. At first he was annoyed until he saw the most massive, black bull he had ever seen. Its happy monitor was insanely huge. It was the most powerful creature of all. Even the tiger gave him a wide berth. What was more, the bull protected the cows.

  “Infinity, would you be angry if I protected you?”

  She stopped kissing him and cocked her head. “I don’t think I would be angry. But you would have to let me protect you too.”

  Greyson wanted to protect her. He wanted to love her forever. She must always be safe. If he wanted her to take care of him, then he would make certain she was protected. Greyson locked his lips onto hers. When their tongues met he grew rock hard. Infinity had a way of making his entire body move to be near her. She was wet and hot when he slipped inside of her.

  His hips rose as fast as they fell, slapping against her like the thunder she feared. But she didn’t fear the noise when he made it. She welcomed him. Her legs spread wide, and he was pleased when she wrapped them around his waist. Her taut breasts were squeezed with tenderness. When one found its way into his mouth she gasped. She stopped moving. Greyson tickled her bud with his tongue.

  “Greyson, that feels so wonderful. How did you know to do that?”

  He lifted his mouth from her. “It kept pushing up at me like it needed attention. My happy monitor wouldn’t do much for it, and by the way, it isn’t a pointer. My grandfather once told me to stop playing with my cock so much because I’d want to use it later. Grandmother was pissed at him.”

  “I thought a cock was a bird. You haven’t a single feather on you. I know because I’ve checked all of you out.”

  “It’s what he called it.”

  Greyson settled his mouth over her breast again. He suckled while she squirmed and began thrashing.
He knew she wasn’t trying to hurt him. Her pleasures made her wild, untamed. He loved that.

  Greyson released her and plunged deeper into her heat. Passion swelled over him, and when his juice squirted he roared his pleasure. Infinity cried out and slumped beneath him. Her breathing was ragged. Greyson let his head droop to the fur. He rolled to his side, keeping her with him.

  “I am so much in love with you it drives me crazy,” he said.

  “I’m glad, because I feel the same.”

  * * * *

  Later in the evening, sitting by the fire, Infinity turned a rabbit on a spit. She cried out when something struck her. She clutched her arm. When she looked down she saw that her palm was covered in blood. Greyson watched with horror as more rocks were thrown through the cave opening. He grabbed Infinity’s hand, and they raced outside into the darkness. Their light would get them killed; from the darkness the intruder could see them inside.

  “What do you want?” Greyson screamed as Infinity rocked, holding her injured arm.

  An intense fury overcame him. Something inside him wanted to hurt someone. A man rushed into the cave then he raced back out, carrying their rabbit and some skins. Greyson jumped up and followed him. He tackled the smaller man to the ground, and they fought. Greyson had never struck another except for the one time he’d slapped Infinity.

  The man smashed a fist into his face, and Greyson howled. This man hurt Infinity, he stole her blood from her flesh, this man was a thief. He didn’t ask, he just took. Now Greyson knew why the tiger had snarled.

  Greyson reached around and found a large stick and smashed the man over the head. He hit him again and again until the man stopped moving. He crept off the man’s inert form. Greyson’s first thought was to drop the club until he saw Infinity creep closer. She was wounded and afraid. If the man moved again, he’d smash him.

  “You killed him,” she whispered.

  “He hurt you, and he stole. But mostly he hurt you. You said I could protect you. He will never throw another rock at you.”