by R. A. Rock
“Get out of here, you bastards,” a handsome man in his thirties yelled at the crazies. He fired several rounds into their midst, eliciting more screams. Everyone on the motorbikes laughed. They were wearing clothes made from animal skins that had been neatly sewn.
But the group of sick creatures did move more quickly away from us and eventually disappeared from view. That’s because the prairies give the illusion of being flat, but they’re not really. Once you go far enough away, you disappear into one of the dips in the land.
“Well, what have we got here?” the man said to us and I didn’t like the way he looked at us — as if we were meat. But a different kind of meat than the crazies had wanted.
“Who are you?” I said, letting go of Chad’s hand.
“I’m Kyle,” he said. “We just saved you.”
“Thank you,” Chad said, though I could sense his wariness. “What are those creatures?”
“Those guys?” he said. “They’re people infected by the plague. It’s what killed most everyone in the city after the solar flare.”
“The plague?”
“That’s what people called it. Some virus or another. It spread like wildfire. You didn’t touch them, did you?”
“God, no,” Chad said, in revulsion.
“Good,” Kyle said. “Let me see your eyes.”
He got off his bike and checked both our eyes.
“Nah, you didn’t touch them. If you had, I’d already be able to see your eyes bruising. And if you had touched them, then we would leave you for them. We don’t go anywhere near those with the plague.”
“I can see why you wouldn’t,” I said. “How do they survive?”
“They kill anything that walks and eat it raw,” he said, an expression of disgust on his face. “That’s partly why The Wastelands are the way they are. Because of the Plague Carriers.”
Everyone was silent for a long moment.
“They would have torn you to pieces,” he added as an afterthought. I didn’t want to contemplate what would have happened after that. He frowned. “Why didn’t they attack you?”
Chad and I glanced at each other.
“We sang. They seemed to like it.”
“No way,” Kyle said, looking amused. “I’ll have to remember that.”
“Thanks for your help,” Chad said in a firm tone of voice. “We appreciate it. Can you point us in the direction of the city? We got kind of turned around when we were running from them.”
Kyle grinned at us like Chad was funny.
“Oh no,” he said. “We don’t help people for nothing. You’re ours now. Get on. You’re coming with us.”
I glanced at Chad.
Should we fight them?
“Or,” Kyle added casually. “We shoot you and leave you for the Plague Carriers. They can smell blood from about five kilometres away.”
In that case…
We got on the motorbikes.
Out of the Frying Pan
Yumi
They tied blindfolds over our eyes and we drove for about ten minutes. Was it my imagination or were the toxic fumes lessening? Then I was helped off the bike and there was the sound of sand scraping on wood. And a creak.
My hands were tied in front and then someone led me down a set of stairs until we were clearly in some sort of cave or basement that smelled a little musty and was very dark after the bright desert sunset.
I tried not to be anxious but I didn’t like being blindfolded. I didn’t like being tied up. I didn’t like not knowing where I was. Or where Chad was. Or what the hell was going on.
But at least we weren’t dead.
That was a good thing, wasn’t it?
A few minutes later, I wasn’t so sure.
I was shoved roughly in a small room that almost looked like a closet and someone untied my hands. The same person pushed some clothes into my hands.
“Put these on and wait,” the voice said. “You can take off the blindfold now.”
Then the door shut.
I ripped off the blindfold and rubbed my wrists where the rope had chafed a bit.
I looked at the handful of clothes and wondered what the hell was going on. But I remembered Kyle’s threat of shooting us and leaving us to the Plague Carriers. I knew an idle threat when I heard one and that threat was not idle at all. He meant it.
I quickly stripped and put on the clothes. It was a black sports bra, underwear, and black short shorts. It was way too cool for the outfit wherever we were underground. I paced while I waited for someone to come get me and tried to plan what to do.
But my mind was blank.
Soon a woman opened the door again.
“Come on,” she said.
“What’s going on?” I said, hoping for some sort of clue.
She didn’t answer, only led me down a hallway that was like a tunnel and out into a large cave that looked like it was a grand hall/cafeteria sort of room.
It was full of rowdy men and women who were dressed the same as Kyle and the others in animal skin clothes. The woman gave me a push into the small open space in the middle and I stumbled crashing into Chad. He was wearing only a pair of jeans — his chest bare.
“Shield,” I whispered before I stepped away and he gave a tiny nod. He had a grave expression on his face and I saw a muscle jump in his jaw.
Oh boy. That rescue had definitely been out of The Wastelands and into… hell.
***
Yumi
“As you all know, here in Survivor,” Kyle said after he had quieted the crowd. “We value marriage and we respect the vows as one of the most solemn oaths a person can make. We marry for life. There is no divorce and no adultery. It is what makes us strong!”
There was a loud roaring cheer and some men grabbed their women and kissed them soundly.
“But as you all know, due to the infertility issues, we have very little population growth, and so we also value any addition to our community.”
“New blood, new blood, new blood, new blood!”
Someone started chanting and the whole room took it up. It took Kyle another two minutes to get them calmed down enough to speak again.
I swallowed hard.
That’s what we were?
New blood?
“And so we begin the bidding. Will those who are partnered move to the back and allow the singles to come close to the front so they may see better?”
I felt like I was on display. And I didn’t like it.
“The woman first. Of course, you may rename her whatever you like when she is yours.”
I was appalled at this but I kept my face expressionless.
I had been a slave before.
And I would never go back to that.
I would die first.
Apparently I was to be sold to the highest bidder.
This could not be happening.
But it was.
Chad’s face was like stone, his eyes hard.
Men started shouting and Kyle started taking bids.
“Sold,” Kyle shouted finally, pointing at a man in his forties with a round face and greasy hair.
“Wait,” Chad said.
He didn’t shout and he barely raised his voice but there was an authority in his tone that made Kyle look up.
Oh God, I hoped he had a plan to get us out of this.
“The auctionee wishes to speak?” Kyle said, taken aback. “This is highly irregular.”
“Nonetheless, you must listen to me,” Chad said, as if he were standing before them in a suit and tie in his role as diplomat, the way he had done many times in the future where we came from.
“I must?” Kyle said, taken aback. “Why?”
“Because you have just said that you value marriage as one of the most solemn oaths that anyone can make. Is that correct?”
“It is,” Kyle said, looking mystified.
“And breaking that oath is not allowed. There is no divorce, nor adultery. Correct?”
“That is correct.”
“And would you bring those things into your community?”
“Never,” Kyle said, looking outraged at the very thought. “Survivor was built on the idea that marriage is a solemn vow and people need to stay together in order to build a stronger future. We will not have divorce or cheating in our town.”
“Then this woman cannot marry that man. It would be to bring down adultery and divorce on your heads — the very thing you hold most dear would be destroyed.”
“What are you talking about?” Kyle said. “This man is not married. There will be no adultery.”
“Ah, but this woman would be committing adultery or worse… bigamy if you force her to marry him,” Chad said and I suddenly realized where he was going with this.
Holy shit. He was going to play the marriage card.
“Bigamy!” Kyle exclaimed in horror.
“Yes, she would then be married to two men.”
“And how do you know all of this?” Kyle demanded.
I held my breath.
He wasn’t going to say it, was he?
“I know…” Chad’s blue eyes met mine, looking dark and serious in the dim light of the cave.
“Because she’s my wife.”
Proof
Chad
After I announced that Yumi was my wife, there was a collective gasp from the crowd that would have been funny if I hadn’t been so worried about saving our asses.
This underground community was fucked up.
But they had their beliefs. And in a weird way I admired that they were trying to bring some sort of order to the madness of the world.
But I had found a loophole that might stop this crazy auction. And I would exploit it to the limit it if it meant that it would save Yumi and I.
“Is that true?” Kyle said to Yumi. “Are you married to this man that stands before me?”
She never took her eyes off me but she answered him.
“Yes. It’s true.”
“You haven’t been acting like a usual sort of couple,” Kyle pointed out. “I don’t know if I believe you. Maybe you’re trying to escape with a lie.”
“We aren’t the usual sort of couple, that’s why,” I said, hoping our word would be enough for him.
We didn’t even have our rings on because we couldn’t wear them at work and hadn’t had them on when we time travelled.
“Hm,” he stared at us, as if he was trying to see into our hearts. “Well, kiss her then.”
“Pardon me?” I said, not quite believing my ears.
“Kiss. Her.” He insisted. “We know what a proper kiss between a married couple looks like. You will be judged based on how you kiss.”
I looked at Yumi feeling shocked. Well, this hadn’t been part of the plan. But the more I looked at her, the more I wanted to kiss her. She was in that skimpy outfit and well, she always looks pretty to me.
And saying that she was my wife…
That had lit up something inside of me that hadn’t been turned on in a quite while.
I cleared my throat.
“Is this the only way to prove that we’re married?” I said, watching Yumi. I tried to figure out whether she thought this was a good idea or not. I mean, it didn’t matter. We had to do it. But I wanted a clue as to whether or not she would welcome my kiss or be repulsed by it.
“Of course,” he said, reasonably. “Unless you have your marriage certificate on you?”
He laughed at his own joke.
She had said she forgave me.
But that didn’t mean she wanted to lock lips with me.
“Step forward,” Kyle intoned. The entire hall was silent as if everyone was holding their breath.
Man, did this guy like drama.
I took a step toward Yumi, feeling as nervous as the first time we had kissed for real. Not because of the crowd. But because I wasn’t sure, just like the first time, if she wanted me to kiss her.
“Kiss her.”
My heart was pounding in my chest as if I had run ten miles and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Yumi. I wanted to get lost in her beautiful dark eyes.
I took another step closer and rested my hands on her hips. She took a deep breath when my hands touched the bare skin of her waist. Her eyes got that look that I would know anywhere.
She wanted me.
And that was all I needed.
I bent down and claimed her lips.
She was my wife, after all.
***
Yumi
As soon as Chad kissed me, I melted into him, putting my hands on his face and pulling him close. Finally I was getting to kiss him with that damn sexy beard and it was definitely better than I had imagined — softer than I had expected with just the right amount of roughness against my skin. I was lost in the scent of him, the softness of his lips, the heat of his face beneath my hands.
I forgot about Kyle.
I forgot about the crowd.
I forgot we were broken up.
All I remembered was how good it felt to kiss him.
I never wanted to stop.
And, to be honest, it certainly went on far longer than it maybe should have. And it was possible that his roving hands might have cupped my butt cheeks in a way that wasn’t exactly appropriate for a kiss in front of hundreds of people, which was being done only to prove that we were married.
But finally, I pulled back, worried that unless I stopped now, I would never be able to.
The crowd roared with approval but I hardly noticed.
Our eyes were like magnets. I couldn’t pull mine away.
He was breathing hard, looking more handsome than I could ever remember.
When did he get so drop dead gorgeous?
My fingers itched to touch the hard planes of his chest. And I ached to press my lips to his again. His blue eyes were locked on mine and there was energy, like a palpable thing, flowing between us. Those unruly red curls had grown back and were mussed enough that I wanted to curl my fingers through the coils and make them lie down.
“Was it okay?” he said, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.
Of course Chad was doubting whether his knee-weakening, toe-curling, heart-stopping kiss was okay.
“Yes, Red,” I said, shaking my head at him with a smile. “It was more than okay.”
I pulled him down to me and kissed him again, simply because he was so damn cute. I couldn’t help myself. The crowd was cheering again but I didn’t care. I couldn’t get enough of him.
Finally, he pulled back.
“We have to stop,” he whispered, his chest rising and falling. “Or I’m going to spontaneously combust.”
“Me too,” I said, blinking. The loss of his heat left me feeling empty. I attempted to pull myself together. Not an easy task since he had kissed me so thoroughly that I had practically forgotten my name.
“That is enough,” Kyle intoned. “We are convinced.”
I smoothed back my hair and tried to compose myself. Chad was grinning a little.
“You may not join our community,” Kyle said. “But we will give you safe passage across The Wastelands. I haven’t seen a kiss like that in some time.”
He fanned himself.
“This meeting is adjourned, as I’m sure you all would like to express your love for each other physically, after the display of intense emotion that we just witnessed.”
I blushed, my cheeks heating so much I thought I’d melt.
Is that what they had seen?
A display of intense emotion?
It wasn’t only lust?
“No, Yumi,” Chad said, taking my arm rather possessively, I thought. “It wasn’t only lust.”
“But I thought we were broken up.”
And my husband’s gaze seared through me, burning me up inside.
“We are.”
Overnighting
Chad
After they had fed us a quick supper in the empty grand hall, we were escorted to a guest bedroom where we w
ere to stay the night. Kyle had said that we deserved better than the cell where they usually kept strangers. I had a feeling that the door would still be locked.
But I would rather have a guest bedroom than a cell.
“This is the guest bedroom Kyle was talking about?” I stopped in the hallway to speak to the woman who had shown us the way.
“Yes,” she smiled. “It’s the nicest one we have. You really made an impression on him. Speaking of which, he’s going to be getting impatient for me to get home.”
She winked at me, shooing me inside. Then she closed the door. As expected the lock clicked behind her, but I didn’t care. We were in a guest bedroom instead of a cell. I was going to love this room.
Or so I thought until I saw it.
The room was the most luxurious we had had since we had time travelled.
But there was only one double bed.
I swallowed hard.
I had thought I would go up in flames after kissing Yumi.
And now we would have to share a bed?
This was asking too much of me.
I glanced at Yumi in that outfit that was little more than underwear and before she crossed her arms over her chest, I saw her nipples standing out hard and round. I stifled a groan.
Fuck me.
This was going to be a long night.
***
Chad
There was a very nice bathroom adjacent to the bedroom with some sort of gravity fed running water - not much pressure but better than nothing. We both took turns cleaning up. Unfortunately, they hadn’t given us our own clothes back and I hadn’t thought to ask before the woman left.
So, I was stuck in the pants with no shirt and Yumi had only the sports bra and shorts. The room was warm, though, because of a small wood stove in one wall with a chimney running up into the rock. I wondered if there were little wood stoves in all the rooms. There must be.
But it didn’t matter, as long as Yumi wasn’t freezing.
The protectiveness factor I felt for her at all times had kicked up a notch since I had admitted, for the first time in a year, that she was my wife.
In fact, that little sentence was stirring a lot more than protectiveness inside me, though I knew that it was a bad idea to start anything — no matter what we had said to each other when we thought we were going to die.
