"Come here," he says, making room beneath his covers. "You must be cold."
I am not, not in the slightest, yet eagerly shuffle in beside him. "Thanks. I'm freezing."
I snuggle in close, sniff his sheets as he piles them over me. He smells so good.
"How are you feeling?" He asks. He shuffles away, rests his back against the wall.
"Much better. I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to ..." I want to say 'scare you' but chew back the words.
"It's fine," he says. I roll in his covers, turn to face him. His smile is broad, so handsome. "I'm glad you're feeling happier." He seems distracted, fidgeting awkwardly. "Rose, there's something I need to tell you."
"Oh?" I say. I try to sound positive. "What is it?"
"Last night, when you were sleeping, I used the scanner." He almost sounds ashamed.
"What?!" I say, slightly more abrupt than intended. "After what happened? What the hell were you thinking?"
"It worked," he says excitedly. "I found out where it is?"
"Where what is?" I drop the angry tone for intrigue. This is the first communications device to produce results in over a decade. I want to know more.
"The safe zone," he says. The excitement in his voice is building. "A place where solars will never find us. It's what we came so far north to find."
I am stunned. I have never heard such nonsense.
"There's no such place, Ry," I say. I sit up, shake my head softly. I feel my hair sway loosely over my shoulders. I watch him stare, mesmerised by the motion. "Ry?"
"Oh, uh ... sorry." His eyes shift, all brooding and serious. "It's north of here. A castle town. High walls, dark skies. Solars can't survive up there."
I want to believe him, I really do. It all sounds too good to be true. My smile fades, I feel my eyes moisten. "Don't play games with me," I utter softly.
He leaps from the mattress, determination in his eyes. He rummages through his bedside unit.
"What are you looking for?" I ask.
"This," he says, holding a map in my face. "You see this point." He's right, a castle town, north, high up on the mountain roads. "This is the location the scanner told me. This is where we need to go."
I do not know what to say. He has never lied to me before. I do not assume he would start now, given certain current events.
"You swear you're not lying?" I ask.
"Cross my heart," he says, his finger following his voices command.
My eyes drop, as does my mood. "I still won't be safe. Solars aren't the only monsters who come for me."
He holds his palm to my cheek. I lean in to his touch. "I won't let him hurt you," he says.
"You can't stop him." I pull away, throw my head to one side. "None of you can. He'll never stop. He-"
"He will," he yells. He holds my face, pulls it to meet his gaze. "He will, I promise you." His voice has softened. "Tell your dad, let him know what's been going on. My dad may be a big fucker, but he can't take us both."
I allow a slight giggle, wiping away the stray tears that now streak my cheeks.
"My mum saw the bruises," I say. The revelation takes him aback.
"That's good," he says finally. His hand instinctively drops from my face to my neck. The wounds are still tender, but he is so gentle as his fingers run over them. It hurts, but closer to pleasure than pain. "If they know, then my dad would be a fool to try it again."
Or he may just kill them. Who knows?
"Does your dad know where the castle is?" I ask.
"Yeah, I told him earlier." Regret laces his dulcet voice as he turns away. "We need him, Rose. We still don't know what's out there. What that thing was last night."
"How do you feel about him?" I do not want to ask it, but need to know.
"Part of me wants to tear his head off, but he's still my dad, Rose." I can see the conflict of which he speaks. The anger. The urge to hate a man that has raised him, protected him. I know better than most: love is stronger than hate.
The lights flicker. The generator has been running low for days, and all of his candles have burned away to nothing. The lamps cut out for a short time. As the room relights, Ryan is facing me once more. I blush when I realise his area of focus, far below my neckline.
"Ahem," I say playfully. He starts. Now he is the one who is blushing.
"I'm sorry," he blurts. "I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay," I say. My broad smile returns in a blink. "You can look if you want to." I shuffle close, really close. I can feel his breath on my cheek. I take his hands in mine and place them on my breasts. "You can do more than look if you want to."
He has the look of a hare in headlights. He gulps, his cheeks are flushed. It is cute how shy he has become all of the sudden.
"Breathe, Ry," I say. "You don't have to be nervous, not with me."
He seems to relax with that, massaging my breasts with a rounded motion. He leans in, kisses me as his hands move beneath my vest.
"Are you sure?" He whispers in my ear. I quiver at the feel of his breath.
"Yes," I say. I finally let loose, allowing my hands to explore his heavenly body. "Never been more sure."
He pulls my knickers aside. I gasp at his touch.
"Is that okay?" he asks. How can he not tell? I am soaked.
I gyrate my hips, forcing him to rub harder. From the bulge in his shorts, I can tell he is eager for more. I tug at them. It does not take much to wrestled them free. My eyes bulge as I take him in hand. I can barely get my fingers around it. I guess he is his father's son after all.
With his free hand, he pulls my vest up over my breasts. His lips are on them in seconds, sucking, licking, paying equal attention to each. His manhood pulses. I think I will finish him rather quickly. Good thing, really. I am not going to last long, either.
I bite my lip, let out a low groan. I am so close. He is throbbing, swelling in my hand. This is not right. This is not how I want this to end.
I let go of him, pull his hand away from me. He gives me an unsure look. Cute. He thinks I have had a change of heart. Quite the opposite.
I lay back, pull him on top. He smiles. My god, he will finish me in seconds if he flashes that smile again.
I hook a hand behind his neck. He offers little resistance as I pull. His kisses are so soft, so gentle. I have never been touched like this before. He is so caring, so attentive. I want more.
I pull him in tightly. He slides inside me with minimal effort. No wonder, we are both so wet.
"Are you-" My finger is at his lips before he can finish.
"Stop asking," I whisper, staring deeply into his eyes. "Just fuck me."
He starts slow. I think he wants to last as long as possible, maybe to impress me or something. I am not impressed, just frustrated.
It is not long before he picks up the pace. He locks eyes on me, hands groping and caressing all the right places. A warm tingle spreads through my inner thighs. The same feeling hits my stomach, but warmer, far more intense.
I pant heavily, as does he. I can feel him swell inside me.
"Keep going," I say. I flatten my hands as to stop my nails from digging into his back. "I'm almost there."
He grunts with pleasure. The sound puts me on the brink. The feeling in my stomach heads south, spreading like wildfire.
I moan uncontrollably, my body tenses in preparation.
"I'm so close," I say between moans, gasping for breath as he thrusts deeper. "Oh, fuck. That's it. That's it!"
As I say it, his body goes rigid. He falls to the bed beside me. At first I feel cheated, angry. But then I see the blood trickling from his ear.
I look up and immediately want to scream, all good feelings long gone.
"Sorry, Little Bud." He cracks his blood-soaked knuckles, stares menacingly at my half-naked body. "Looks like I need to teach my son a lesson."
JOHN
Sunday, 11:14
"What the hell?" Cait says. I heard it, too. A scream, raised voices.
/> I am out of the bed in an instant, robe hastily slung around me. I ignore the cold of the concrete stinging my toes. I run to our bedroom door, throw it open. Another scream. Rose's scream. But why did it come from Ryan's room?
"What's going on?" Cait asks, following close behind me.
I do not stop to answer. My daughter does not scream without reason. She is in distress. She needs me.
I run to Ryan's door. It swings open as I reach it, missing my face by an inch. Ryan bundles out of the opening, naked, bleeding, his eye black and swollen.
"What's going on, Ry?" I ask.
"Stay out of this, John!" David stands in the doorway, near filling it. His fists are clenched, raised, poised to attack. "This is between me and my boy."
I stand between them. "What the fuck are you doing, David?"
"Teaching my son not to fuck your daughter," he says, pacing towards his cowering son. His eyes are that of a demon's, evil incarnate. "Any objections?"
Rose appears in the doorway, barely dressed, adjusting her underwear. I hesitate when I see her, only for a second. I do not like the idea of Ryan bedding my sweet girl. It is a thing no father would want to dwell upon. But Ryan is a good lad, kind, honourable.
I stand fast, hold up my hands. "Easy now, David. Don't do anything you'll regret." He swats me out of the way as if I were an unruly child.
He claws a handful of Ryan's hair, pulls him to his knees. "Get up, boy," He hisses, slamming the back of his hand across Ryan's cheek. "You're big enough to fuck little girls, you're big enough to stand for a beating."
Another hand swings Ryan's way. He parries, takes the blow on his forearms.
"Enough!" I say. I step between them once more. "I think he's learnt his lesson."
I expect agreement from both sides. Neither backs down.
David takes a step forward. I bar him with a hand on his chest.
"Step aside, John," he grumbles. "This doesn't concern you."
"Like fuck it doesn't." I force him back with a shove. "You're in my house, remember? I won't stand for it, you hear?"
He slaps my hand from his chest, wraps his fingers around my throat. I choke as he lifts me off my feet, presses me against the wall.
"I don't want to hurt you, John." From the way he says it, you would think he means the opposite. "I don't tell you how to discipline your girl, so don't tell me how to school my boy."
He releases his grip, lets me slide to the floor, then takes another swing. Ryan parries, as he did last time, but David does not hold back his time. He clubs Ryan's hand into his own face. Blood spurts from his eye socket.
"Stop," Rose screams. "Leave him alone."
David ignores her plea. He throws his fist into Ryan's gut. Ryan doubles over, struggles to catch his breath. David's knee finds his face before he can recover. His nose erupts into a bloody mess. David raises his hand once more, fist tightly clenched. Before he can bring it down, Cait clasps her hand around his wrist.
"Stop it. He's your son," she says.
David stares into her glacial blue eyes. His arm drops slowly, falls to his side.
"Fine," he says. "If you want him on your girl like a stray dog on a bitch in heat, you can deal with it when it all comes to a head."
He begins to walk away, but stops as a fist connects with his chin. He turns. Ryan stands before him, fists up, a face of fury. Stupid boy.
Cait grabs David's arm again. It is too late. David sees red. The bull is loose. Only way to stop it is to kill it, or let it wear itself out.
He shrugs Cait off of him, knocks her flying my way. I catch her, hold her to me. She struggles, fights to free herself from my hold. "Don't," I say. "You can't sway him. Not now."
David prowls forwards. Ryan throws another punch. David takes it on the cheek like he is made of stone. Ryan keeps his fists at eye level. David takes a different route, leading with a foot to the abdomen. Ryan doubles over once more. As he does, he is met with a heavy uppercut. He falls hard against the wall. David is on him before he even has a chance to spit the blood from his mouth. He grabs his son by the hair, slams the other fist into his face.
Rose slides between them. "No, please," she says. She cradles Ryan like an injured cub. "I'll do anything. Just please, stop."
David tosses her aside with ease. She lands hard on the concrete. I let Cait go. She can do as she wishes. I have my own score to settle. No one hurts my little girl.
Cait kneels at Rose's side. She is crying, rubbing her grazed elbow.
I lunge at David, catch his hand before he can land yet another blow. I push him with all my might. He should have lost balance, rolled to the floor. He does not move in the slightest. He pushes me with what seems to be the lightest of touches. I tumble like a house of cards. He is much stronger than I thought.
Rose is up, rushing towards him. She latches onto his arm as he continues to throw it.
"Stop it," she screams repeatedly. David has no intention of doing so.
Ryan's head bobs like a balloon, involuntarily bouncing into David's fist each time. With each hit, he looks further gone. This is far beyond simple punishment.
"Stop it," Rose screams with a piercing pitch. "You're killing him."
I scramble to my feet. Cait works to remove Rose from David. I leap forwards, fists leading. I reach him quickly, strike hard, but I am too late. I hear it, an unmistakable sound that echoes around the scantily furnished room. The sound of breaking bones.
RYAN
Sunday, 17:58
I can hear them. They must be right outside my door. Her voice is music to my ears, but so sad, tainted by sobs and sniffles. I long for her, long to touch her, to hold her. That is something that will never happen again. Ever.
"We need to go," Caitlin says.
"Then go." She chokes on the words. "I'm not leaving him."
"It's not safe here," I hear John say.
"I don't care," she whines. Her voice sounds desperate. "I won't leave him alone."
"We're going for him," Caitlin says. "If we don't go, he'll-"
"I said go!" she shrieks. I have never heard her take that tone with her parents. "I'm staying."
Seconds pass in silence, that soon turn to minutes.
Finally, John says, "Okay, Rosebud. You can stay if you want to. I've locked David in his room, barred it from the outside. Still, make sure you lock the door behind you."
"Thank you, Daddy." Her desolate voice breaks my heart.
"We won't be long," Caitlin says. "Only a few hours."
I hear shuffling, the sound of bodies coming together. A brief hug before their separation. I tense, hold my breath, not that I can feel it. I cannot wait to lay eyes on her once more, but hate the thought of her seeing me like this.
My door clicks. A shred of light breaks the darkness like an axe through wood. Still, I stare. Nothing but ceiling. Flaking paint and mould spores. I smile for the first time since it happened. It is only when you slow right down, stop and look, truly take notice of your surroundings, that you realise what a shithole this place really is.
I can sense her as she enters, the change in air pressure, her wonderful scent. As she sits by my side, shuffles in close, I can see she is there. As she grabs my hand, pulls it to her tear-soaked cheek, I know she is right next to me. Yet, I feel nothing.
She kisses my palm. I hear her tears hit the sheets that cling to my clammy chest. I do not feel them. "I'm sorry," she whispers. "I'm so, so sorry."
"It's not your fault." My words are no comfort to her. I wait until her sobs settle before asking, "What did your mum say?"
Her eyes say it all. They are full, glassy. They seem to quiver in the dim light seeping in from the common room. She is so beautiful. She could make my heart skip a beat with a single look. Now, at this moment, I wish she could stop it entirely.
I close my eyes, clench them tightly. I hope that, when I open them, I will wake up and realise it was all just a bad dream. As my eyes open, I finally understand her sorrow. "It's
permanent, isn't it?"
"Yes," she utters softly. From the white of her knuckles, I can tell her grip on my hand has tightened. "At least that's what Mum thinks."
"Does she know for sure?" I ask. I am clutching at straws.
"She's pretty sure." I exhale, expelling the last of my hope along with it. "From what she can tell without x-rays, the damage is extensive. Tetraplegia, she called it." Her words linger on the tip of her tongue as if she does not wish them to be said. Maybe if she does not say it, it might not be true.
"What kind of damage?" I ask.
"Two shattered vertebrae, as far as Mum can tell." She sniffs as she pauses. She is holding back, trying to be strong for my sake. "Another has shifted out of alignment. That's what she thinks is causing ..." Her eyes well. I know it is hard for her to say.
"It's okay, Rose," I say. I wish I could squeeze her hand, wipe her tears from her cheek. "Just take your time. I'm not going anywhere."
She laughs through her sobs. I am glad I can still bring a smile to her pretty face. "She thinks it's abnormal position is pressing against your spinal cord."
"Can she fix it?" I know how stupid my question sounds the moment it leaves my lips.
The shake of her head confirms my own bleak conclusion. "I'm sorry. She's not a surgeon, Ry."
"Where have they gone?" I ask. It is all I can think to change the subject.
"For supplies." She lays down beside me, rests her head on my chest. "Things to make you more comfortable. Mum thinks she knows where to find a portable x-ray machine. A dentist's surgery on the far side of town, I think."
"Can she use it to help me?" Still desperately clutching at straws.
Yet again she shakes her head. "No, but it will help her understand what's wrong inside."
"What does it matter if she can't help me?" My words are spoken harsher than I had meant them to. She does not flinch away at my outburst. I suppose she realises that I am no threat to her. She simply cuddles in tighter, strokes my arm as she listens to my heart beat.
"You're still here," she says. "With me."
"I can't live like this, Rose." Her eyes snap to mine as she raises her head. "I don't want to live like this."
Solar: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller Page 10
