After the Fall: The Complete Collection (Taboo Erotica)

by Anya Merchant

  “This isn’t a game!” yelled Jack. “There is no winning or losing, anymore, you fucking psycho!”

  The fierceness that came out in his own voice surprised him. Jack kept moving even as he spoke, using the survival knife to unbind Molly and then shifting her over his shoulders.

  “It is a game, and I’ve been enjoying every second of it.” Dimitri laughed. “My latest spoils have been so much fun to play with.”

  Hot rage boiled inside of Jack’s chest. He gritted his teeth and slowly stood up with Molly.

  “You bastard.” The words came out as a whisper, and Jack raised his voice as he continued. “Where is she? Where is my mother? If you touch her, or kill her, I’ll-“

  “You’ll what?” Another gunshot went off, blasting through the shelter at a lower angle this time. “There’s nothing you can do, Jack. Besides, I quite like her. She has a great figure, and so much feistiness.”

  I can’t let his words get to me. I need to stay calm.

  Jack thought of his mother, thought of what she would say about the current situation, and steeled himself for what he knew he needed to do. Another gunshot went off, and this time, Jack launched forward, running out of the shelter as fast as he could with Molly on his back.

  It takes time for him to reload.

  “You coward!” Dimitri’s voice was clearly frustrated. “Stay and fight! You know what’s going to happen if you don’t? Your mom does…”

  I can’t let myself fall for it. This was a trap, and for her sake, I have to stay level-headed.

  Dimitri’s laughter rang out on the air as Jack reached the first set of trees. Another gunshot went off, but it missed him, and then he was into cover.

  “Oh Jack, you just made a very big mistake,” he called. “And unfortunately, your mom is going to pay for it, with her big lips, and her hot cunt. She’s fine, Jack, so very fine.”

  Jack could taste bile in the back of his throat, but he didn’t stop running. Molly was, thankfully, very light. He was able to carry her through the forest at a surprising speed.

  He didn’t stop when he reached the river, making sure to hold her well above the water as he walked through it. He kept going through the rest of the forest, the sun pushing forward in the sky. He only stopped when the two of them had finally reached their camp.

  “Goddamnit…” whispered Jack. He set Molly down on top of the sleeping bag in the lean-to, double checking to make sure that her condition hadn’t gotten worse.

  “God fucking damn it…”

  CHAPTER 27

  Jack had to work hard to keep himself distracted from his thoughts back at the camp. He built several more spears, added leaves and extra branches to the lean-to, and kept himself on high alert for any unusual noises or sightings.

  There are too many trees around our camp. If he wanted to kill me here, he’d have to get in close.

  He made Molly into the core object of his concern, using a strip of wet cloth to dab her forehead, and making sure her breathing was regular and even. There was no visible sign of injury on her, but a strange looking stain on her chin made Jack think that Dimitri had given her something to induce her current state.

  I saved her, and I can save my mom. But I have to do it soon.

  He tried not to think of the threats Dimitri had made against her during the encounter. It wasn’t fair. After everything that they’d been through, everything they’d lost, it just wasn’t fair. The thought of the lunatic having his way with the woman that Jack had always counted on and looked up to was almost enough to make him lose his mind.

  Instead of sitting still and letting his emotions get the best of him, Jack worked and foraged. He found berries and fruit, gathering them into the pot and setting them in the lean-to for when Molly woke up. He built more spears, and fashioned a simple cloth shoulder strap that he could use to hang them from on his back.

  This time, I’ll be ready. I know how long his gun takes to reload.

  He briefly considered heading off into the forest in search of the mysterious woman. Whatever had happened between her and Dimitri had been enough to feed the fire of the man’s paranoia. Her help would be invaluable, even if only for its psychological effect.

  In the end, he decided that leaving Molly alone would be too much of a risk to take. So he made spears, sharpening them much more effectively with the survival knife than he ever could have with the primitive, stone ax.

  The sun was just beginning to set on the horizon when he heard a moan come from the lean-to. Jack hurried over and slipped inside of it. Molly had pushed herself up on one elbow and was rubbing her head and wincing.

  “My god…” she whispered. “How much of that really happened?”

  “Hey.” Jack smiled at her. “I almost thought that I’d lost you, for a second.”

  “Ohhhh… My head hurts.”

  Jack opened a water bottle and gingerly held it up to her lips. Molly drank from it in big gulps, a couple of drops spilling from the corners of her mouth.

  “Thanks,” she said. “Phew. That was just insane.”

  She shook her head and swallowed hard. Jack had never seen her look so uneasy before, not scared, but rather, vulnerable.

  “What happened?” he asked. “What did that bastard do to you?”

  “A lot of things, Jack,” she whispered. “It’s hard to think about, let alone say out loud.”

  The lean-to was silent for several long seconds. Jack felt a little guilty about wanting to press the point, but his curiosity and concern for his mother were even harder to ignore.

  “Molly…” His voice was as soft and gentle as he could make it. “He still has my mom. I need to know everything.”

  Molly sighed, and then slowly nodded her head.

  “After what happened at the camp, Dimitri started leading us through the forest. He was acting like he thought you were still alive, but I’m not sure if he really thought so or not. I think he wanted us to think that you were alive so he could use it as a threat, that he’d go back and finish you off.”

  Jack nodded. Molly took another sip of the water and then continued.

  “He’s crazy, Jack. Most of what he said was nonsense, ramblings about god’s plan, and how he was the chosen one. I wanted to try something to catch him off guard, but he kept the rifle against Rebecca’s back the entire time. The thought of getting your mom killed and having to live with it was… it was enough.”

  “You did the right thing,” said Jack. “We’re in a better position now than we were before.”

  But at what cost? He could be doing anything to my mom right now…

  Molly cleared her throat and continued.

  “The first night was probably the worst. He had us in that tiny shelter that you saw. He made both me and your mom… he made us strip naked, and dance around for him.”

  Jack dug his fingernails into his palms as his hands formed into fists.

  “Did he…?”

  “He didn’t touch us,” whispered Molly. “But the things he said… it was almost worst. He kept trying to get into our heads, Jack. He talked about how there was nobody left, and how we’d come to love him eventually, and Jesus, it was so fucked up.”

  Molly shook her head, and Jack pulled her into a soft hug.

  “Jack…” she whispered. “Your mom was strong, at first. But he kept talking about you, how she couldn’t protect you, how she’d failed as a mother. I think it was just… too much for her.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Jack. “What happened?”

  Molly bit her lower happened.

  “It wasn’t anything that had happened, just the way that she looked. Like that bastard had kicked her while she was down, and it was just a little too hard.”

  Jack took several deep breaths that were meant to be calming. All he could think about was grabbing his spears and his knife and running out into the jungle.

  “He made us sleep in the same bed with him, Jack,” said Molly. “We didn’t actually have sex, b
ut he, well, he touched himself, and felt our bodies. It was disgusting. I wish I could wipe my mind clean of it.”

  “How did he knock you out?” asked Jack.

  “It must have been something in the food. The next morning, he brought us breakfast, cooked rabbit along these bowls filled with fruit juice. I was starving, but your mom wouldn’t touch hers. She tried to warn me… I should have listened.”

  “It’s okay,” whispered Jack. “You’re alright now.”

  “I’m not alright!” Molly shouted, and Jack flinched back. “The last, I don’t even know how many hours, have been a fucking nightmare. I’ve been hallucinating, seeing things, and losing my fucking mind. I can still feel it in my head, Jack! I’m scared even to close my eyes.”

  “Hey, hey, shh,” Jack whispered, pulling her into a tighter hug. “I’m right here. It’s just some stupid forest drug. It will wear off eventually.”

  Molly was silent, and he felt her body relax against his. The rage that Jack felt was hot and almost overwhelming.

  I’m going to torture him before I kill him.

  “Jack, there’s something else!” Molly grabbed his arm with sudden urgency, her fingernails digging into it slightly. “I… I thought that I might have just been hallucinating, but I’m pretty sure I wasn’t…”

  “What is it?”

  “Jack… He wants to burn it down.” Molly’s voice was hollow. “He wants to burn Eden down. He said it was the only way to get rid of the witch.”

  Jack felt his heart skip a beat. He glanced out of the hut. There was still the tiniest scattering of sunlight on the horizon, but darkness was falling quickly.

  “Molly, where is he? Does he have a second camp, a secret hiding spot? Where would he go?”

  “I… I don’t know,” whispered Molly. “I don’t think so. He doesn’t care about being found, he cares about finding you, and the woman.”

  Jack nodded, feeling an idea formulate in his head.

  “Then I’ll let him find me,” he said. “This time, it’s my turn to set a trap.”

  Molly was silent. She looked at him with serious eyes.

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “No. You can barely walk.”

  “I can’t just stay here!” she shouted. “Jack, what if he sees through it? He knows where our camp is, he could decide to come here instead.”

  “I know where to hide you,” he said. “It’s not exactly a fun place to hang out, but it will be safe.”

  Jack found the rope in what was left of their scattered supplies, and made his way over to the sinkhole. The memory of his ordeal underground flashed through his awareness as he began to set up his plan.

  He tied the rope around the trunk of a nearby tree and then using dirt, leaves, and mud from the river, he concealed it all the way over to the edge of the hole. The other end of it dangled just far enough down to allow someone to climb back out and up to the camp.

  “It’s almost like the emergency shelter that me and my mom survived in,” said Jack. “The execution is a little different, but the premise is the same.”

  Molly rolled her eyes at him. Jack tried not to let his emotions, the intense worry and concern he had for his mother, overwhelm him.

  “Don’t get yourself killed, Jack,” whispered Molly. “We need you. I… need you.”

  Jack leaned in and kissed her, feeling her lips move against his weakly. Her jumpsuit was stained with ash and dirt, but she looked more beautiful and vulnerable than he’d ever seen her before.

  “I’ll come back,” he said. “Don’t worry.”

  He waited until Molly had successfully lowered herself down into the sinkhole before making his move. Jack strapped the spears to his back, slipped his survival knife onto his belt loop, and then began gathering what he would need to set the trap.

  CHAPTER 28

  By the time he’d found everything he needed, the night was in full force. Jack had taken his shirt to use for materials, cutting it into one long strip.

  Hopefully, the extra shirts are still in the supply bag that Dimitri stole. And hopefully, this plan works, and I can get them back.

  He used the cloth strip to bind together as many dry sticks and logs as he could feasibly carry. Jack stuffed his pockets with dry grass and found a relatively dry stick that would serve the purpose. Without the fire starting kit that he had relied on for the past few days, he was going to have to make due with more basic methods.

  I don’t expect that it will be easy, but I don’t have any other choice.

  With everything assembled, Jack lifted the stick bundle and started towards the cliff wall. There was a section of it to the north of them, in the direction of Dimitri’s camp, that he had noticed and made note of on the way back. The boulders there were large and easily climbable, all the way up to the surface level above.

  He was tired, but he forced himself to start the climb as soon as he reached the spot. The stick bundle made it difficult for him to use more than one of his hands at a time, but he made do, using every ounce of balance that his body contained.

  It was slow going, but he kept at it. His thoughts didn’t meander from his goal, and he reviewed every detail of his plan as he went.

  The fire will draw him out, and I’ll just wait. He won’t be able to see me in the dark, and that means his gun will be useless.

  When Jack reached the rim of the gorge, he pushed the sticks over first and then pulled himself up. He could feel the chalky ash under his fingers as he set his hands down. The smell of the burnt wasteland was subtle, but easily identifiable, and it brought back memories of the impact and their voyage across the surface.

  What he found surprising was the thin, insubstantial strip of grass that was pushing up on the edge of the cliff. Most of the shoots were covered in ash, but they looked determined to spread back out across the land.

  And that lunatic wants to burn it down. I won’t let him.

  Jack set the sticks from the bundle up in a pyramid formation, trying to get as much of it exposed to the air as possible. He wanted a big flame, big enough to be impossible for Dimitri to ignore. Once the foundation of the fire was in place, he took out his makeshift kindling kit and got to work.

  It was easier than he’d expected. The ash was bone dry, and a bit of it mixed in with the grass. He set a rock on either side of the bundle to hold everything in place and then started spinning the fire stick in the middle of it, running his hands down it as though he was trying to warm them up.

  After a couple of grueling minutes, real smoke began to float up from the kindling bundle. It was almost hard to smell against the charred backdrop, but Jack was sure of it. He brought the tiny packet of burning grass over to the sticks and branches and smiled as it began to spread.

  Here I am. Come and get me.

  There was no way for Jack to know what the fire looked like from within Eden, but from where he was, it was almost blinding. The sparks stretched upwards at the sky, as though trying to fly off and be reborn as stars.

  He waited just out of range of the fire’s light, which was further off than he’d anticipated. There was nothing for him to hide behind. He stayed flat on his stomach, holding his knife in one hand and a spear in the other.

  Minutes went by slowly. The fire burned on. Jack was beginning to worry that his quarry wouldn’t show, and that he was just wasting his time. And then, two tiny figures rustled out of the trees almost directly down below him.

  “This is bold, especially for a boy like you, Jack.” Dimitri’s voice had a long way to travel to reach him, but he heard it clearly. “What now? I still have a gun, and I still have your mom?”

  It was the first time that Jack had seen her since she’d been taken. Her tight t-shirt and jeans were speckled with dirt and mud, but beyond that, she looked no worse than wear. The only detail that felt out of place was her body language, which looked downcast and defeated.

  “I asked you a question!” Dimitri looked angry and brandished his gun up at th
e cliff. “Are you going to answer me?”

  He suddenly pushed Rebecca aside and leveled the rifle at the fire. Jack smiled as a bullet struck the cliff below it.

  I’ve already won, and he doesn’t even know it.

  “Are you fucking stupid?” Dimitri walked over to Rebecca and aimed the rifle down at her. “I have a hostage! I’ll kill her if that’s what it takes to get you to show yourself.”

  Rebecca was shaking her head from side to side. Jack felt his heart sink. He wasn’t sure if Dimitri was bluffing.

  “I’ll come out.” He shouted the words down and saw Dimitri’s face light up, and his mom’s melt into worry. “Under one condition.”

  “Finally! I was beginning to feel like I was talking to myself.” Dimitri laughed. “What’s your condition, boy?”

  “We settle this like men.” Jack watched Dimitri’s reaction as he spoke. “You let me climb down, and then we fight it out. No weapons.”

  “Of course, of course,” said Dimitri. “If those are your terms, then I accept.”

  He’s lying, but this is going to be my only chance.

  Jack pushed his spears to the side, keeping his knife hidden in its sheath underneath his shirt. He stood up, watching Dimitri’s reaction as he came into view.

  “I’m coming down now,” said Jack. He lowered himself from the edge of the cliff, watching the lunatic on the ground carefully.

  I’m up too high for him to be able to hit me accurately. By the time I come into range, it will be too late for him…

  “See, isn’t this a better way of doing things?” called Dimitri. “We’re communicating. We’re working this out together, right?”

  Jack dropped down onto one of the larger boulders. He took another step forward, and could see from the man’s tense body language that he’d moved into range.

  “Jack!” screamed Rebecca. Dimitri lifted the rifle and took aim. Jack moved with speed that he didn’t know that he had, ducking behind the boulder that his entire plan hinged around.

  A gunshot went off. Jack grabbed the spear he’d hidden on the way up and started leaping from rock to rock, taking dangerous liberty in his path down.