7 comments/ 66326 views/ 35 favorites Quetzalcoatl By: DetectiveSpecialist This story was edited by Ein ashan bli aish, and I thank her for all of her hard work. The world didn't end in December of 2012 as the Mayan, the Hopi, and the Aztec's foretold. Quetzalcoatl didn't come to destroy man, but something else did. In one of the old Soviet Satellite nations, a fundamentalist group, bent on terrorism, broke into a biological warfare lab, which had been abandoned for years, and stole a biological agent. At least that's the story that most of the world's governments released. The group released the agent in the west, in Germany to be precise, to punish the infidels at Christmas. Ironically it didn't only punish the infidels, but the whole world, and at Passover and Ramadan too. It was only a bird influenza strain, but it was genetically enhanced by the Soviets. It infected humans at an amazing rate. There was a 95% infection rate and a 70% mortality rate. The bug soon became known as the Quetzalcoatl (or Q) flu. Within three months of being released, Europe was decimated. The world's governments responded by quarantining the continent, but people forgot that it was bird flu. Birds were infected at about the same rate as humans, but with a lower mortality rate. Of course you can't quarantine birds, and the infection spread to Asia and Africa. The genie was out of the bottle. It couldn't be stopped after that. There was no turning back. It was a catastrophe of global proportions. North America was okay for a while. All travel was prohibited, and the first outbreaks in New York, D.C. and Los Angeles were quarantined. But in the end it was all futile. We got it too, and at the same rate as the rest of the world. We had just delayed the inevitable. Next to fall was South America and then Oceania. It was like the hand of God had swept another mistake clean. The disease was particularly virulent in women. There was some kind of link with estrogen and the disease. No one could figure it out, and it wasn't known if the Soviets actually intended such results, but women in their childbearing years (roughly 13 to 45) were severely hit. The infection rate in women of this age group was roughly 99% and the mortality rate was closer to 85%. By June, nearly all of the young women of the world were dead. Testosterone, to a lesser degree, had the opposite effect. Most of the world's young men were infected, but they were less likely to die, although they died in mass numbers too. The world's population, after Quetzalcoatl, was made up of young men and older women, with a sprinkling of mostly prepubescent girls. I didn't get very sick, but my wife and father came down with it right away. My mother who was close to fifty also got sick, but only after she and I vainly took care of my father and my wife Jennifer. My wife died right away. My father held on for a week before he succumbed. That's when Mom got sick. She was too sick to get out of bed when I buried them in the back yard. There were no funerals, no wakes, people in the cities where being buried in mass graves. When more than three-quarters of the population die, the rules tend to change. It's not like I didn't try. I walked into town, and got to the front door of the funeral parlor, before I noticed that it was closed. It was a hot day in early June. When I got home again I considered digging the two graves where the swing set used to be. I had seen other people digging in their back yards over the last few days. It took me longer to agree to such indignities for my wife and father. First I went to check on my mom, and I noticed that her fever had gotten worse. The temporal thermometer read 105. She was burning up and unconscious. I couldn't get any medicine in her, but I needed to bring her fever down. There was another more bothersome result of being infected by the Q-flu. Men tended to recover from the disease with a heightened libido. Or at least that was the rumor on the Internet. I myself noticed that I had been masturbating more. Whether it had the same effect on women was not known, since there weren't enough of them left for comparison. I ran a bath of cold water and stripped my mom out of her bedclothes. As the water started to rise, I carried her into the bathroom and slipped her into the cold water. I sat on the toilet as the water rose up and over her body. I was physically and mentally exhausted and half crazy with grief, but as the water rose over her body, I started to notice it. She was wearing a t-shirt and cotton panties, but it was if she was naked in the water. The cotton shirt lay like a second skin over her. Her nipples were red and erect, and her breasts were full and pouty. My eyes ran along her waist down her torso to her panties. They too were wet and see-through. I could see her pubic mound and then her labia. It was so wrong, but I couldn't take my eyes off her. It was as if I was possessed, and my cock grew hard in my pants. I had never realized how alluring my mother's body was. It wasn't as if she had kept it hidden. She was always fashionably dressed, which included tight jeans. I guess, until now, I had never noticed. Well, I was noticing now. I half thought about jerking off, but then I came to my senses once more. Besides, I had to take care of her. I got out the thermometer again and put it to her forehead. It was 102. Better, but still not down enough. I ran into the kitchen and got out the ice tray. I was lucky, we had only lost the electricity the day before, and the ice still hadn't melted. Drastic times call for drastic measure. I poured the ice into the water. Half an hour later her temperature was below 100. That was enough. I didn't want to get her temperature down too much, only to have her die of hypothermia. I spread some towels on her bed, carried her there and stripped off the rest of her clothes. Now I had to dry the parts of her body that I had been lusting for before. I tried to control my desire as I dried her breasts, her ribs and stomach, her legs and ultimately between her legs. Thinking clearly, I laid a wet sheet over her and got to work in the back yard. Mom was the pampered, rich wife of a corporate lawyer. He had been a partner in the firm, and they had met when mom was working as a paralegal one summer. Dad was thirteen years her senior, but he became instantly smitten with her. "She was the most beautiful woman I had ever met," he had often told me. Being of Middle Eastern decent, she had dark hair and dark eyes, with an hourglass figure, round hips and long legs. She was a little taller than most women. She didn't appear to be very ethnic, and if you didn't hear her distinct Middle Eastern accent, you would think that she was a classy, cosmopolitan New York woman. She had come to America as a young woman, and she'd seen the law, and New York City, as a way of getting ahead. She might have been born the daughter of a restaurateur in the Middle East, but she had quickly adjusted to the new lifestyle, and been living in the upper class Long Island town of Garden City when she married my father. I came along a few years later. That's were we lived. I knew we were well off, but I never thought of us as rich. No matter how much you have, there is always someone else who has more. All of my friends were well off too, even when I went to college. Now on a hot, humid, summer day on Long Island, I didn't feel so fortunate, especially as I dug the two graves for my wife and father. I was covered in dirt and perspiration, and I was in tears half of the time. It was well into the evening when I got done. My progress was slowed because I had to keep checking on my mother. I then got two old blankets out of the attic and wrapped the bodies in them. I used duct tape to seal them in their make shift shrouds. By midnight I had both bodies in the ground, and covered with earth. I had nothing to mark their graves. I wanted to get something, but I was falling asleep standing up. I hosed myself off and fell asleep on the floor next to my mother's bed. It was at this time that I was most despondent. I was awoken the next morning by a low voice. "Ed. Ed where are you?" It was my mother. I got up on my knees so that she could see me. "I'm right here, Mom." She was gaunt and frail, but still very beautiful. "Why are you sleeping on the floor? And where is your father?" I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Eventually I succumbed to the latter. I gave her plenty of soup when she could keep something down. At first she didn't want to eat, but eventually she became ravenous. I too, realizing that I hadn't eaten in two days, was insatiable. I started to wonder if we had enough food in the house. I would have to make a run into town later. "Ed, why am I naked?" my mother said to me after I brought her lunch. "Mom, you had a fever of 105," I said ashamed. I remembered, guiltily, how I had lusted over her naked body. "I had to get your temperature down somehow." My mother gave me a quizzical look. "I had to immerse you in an ice bath." I added. "You poor child," she said motherly. "You really took care of me, but you had to see a little more of your mom than you would have preferred." "I would have lost you if I didn't get that temperature of yours down," I rationalized. "How did you know that? You have no medical training." "Amazingly, we still had the internet until a couple of days ago when the electricity went out. I got a lot of information from there. There were web sites on how to combat the disease." "How many people are left in the country?" "Not many. There are no official reports, but if there was only a 30% survival rate, then there is less than 100 million people left out of population of 320 mil. And of that 100 million, most of them are men. The disease targeted mostly young women for some reason." "My God, they're all dead?" "Yeah mom. We are lucky to be alive." "Maybe, maybe not," she said as she finished her lunch. After lunch I got her some clothes and then I got ready to go downtown. "Be careful," my mother warned as I left her room. "Mom I'm only going down town to get some groceries." "How are you going to get there?" "I'll have to walk. The roads are still clogged with abandoned cars." "You better get your father's gun." "Mom this is Garden City. Not New York City." "I lived in Lebanon during the civil war. Good people get crazy when there are food shortages." "Mom this isn't Beirut." "I would feel better if you had your father's gun. And bring a lot of cash. Something tells me that the price of bread has gone up." I got my dad's Sig Sauer .380 out of his library desk, and took the last five hundred dollars he had in his wallet. I thought it was overkill, but what the hell. If there were less people in the world, then we would have too much food, or so I thought. The streets were still empty as I made my way downtown. Once in a while I would see a figure or two in the distance, but they never stayed in the open for too long. These were the streets of my boyhood. I knew them like the back of my hand. I also knew a few short cuts through people's back yards if needed. Having no reason to fear, I stuck to the sidewalks. I felt foolish carrying a gun through the peaceful streets of my town. I had never known of even one act of violence committed here. When I got downtown my view started to change. I noticed that in front of the super market there were two men armed with rifles. They both seemed to be Hispanic. I didn't know them, but this was a fairly large town, and I wasn't familiar with everyone. I thought that they must have been guarding the store. They watched me the whole time I came down the street. "What do you want?" the shortest of the two bellowed to me as I got near. "I came to buy some food," I said, innocently enough. "There's no food for sale here. Go away," he shouted to me although I wasn't shouting distance away. "I'm not here to steal," I said confused by the situation. "I've got money to pay." "Your money's no good here, kid. Now go away before you get hurt," he said as he levelled the rifle at me. It was then that I realized that these men weren't protecting the store from looters. These men were the looters. Instinctively, I put my hands up in the air, and started to back away. When I was far enough away, I turned and ran, scared out of my mind. I had never had a gun pointed at me before. It was amazing how intimidating the barrel of a gun could be. About a block later I finally stopped to catch my breath. I was still downtown, but in a more residential neighborhood of apartment buildings. "Hey buddy are you there?" came a voice from somewhere out of a window above me. "Yeah. Who's that?" I held my father's gun in my pants pocket. "A friend. Listen, were you down by the supermarket?" "Yeah." I tried to see who it was, but I couldn't even figure out which floor the voice was coming from. "Are those guys with guns still outside?" "Yeah they chased me away." "I think they are a drug gang from out of town. They've been there since yesterday morning. Every once in a while a van comes and they fill it with food." "Where are the cops?" I didn't think that they were drug dealers. "Out manned and out gunned. They have too much on their plates. The National Guard is down in Manhattan trying to keep order. It's pandemonium." "How are we going to get any food?" "Hey pal," he said patiently. " Three quarters of the town is dead. Just do what I did. Find a house that's vacant, and search it for food." "Yeah?" I said uncertain. "They are easy to find. They are the ones that smell of death." "Okay." I still wasn't sure. "Well good luck." And I heard a window shut. When I got home, my mother didn't seem to be too surprised by the story. "I told you things are going to get bad. How much food do we have?" She asked as I sat by her bed. "We have a bunch of canned goods and boxed goods, like pasta and rice, but we don't have any fresh meat." "There isn't going to be any fresh meat again for a some time." She seemed pessimistic but determined. "We have to stock up." "I ran into a guy who said that he had been raiding peoples houses for food." "That's just what I was thinking," she said forlornly. I watched her as she thought about it. She was really a beautiful woman. It didn't hurt that my dad made a good salary. She was well taken care for. We had a maid that came in several times a week, and a nanny when I was young. She also had the benefit of modern surgery. Two years ago, when Jen and I announced our engagement, Mom went on a little vacation to California. "For a nip and a tuck," my father teased. When she came back she looked at least ten years younger, maybe twenty. She had always been an alluring woman, but now she just looked even more so. She was sitting up in bed now, and she was wearing a Henley t-shirt that fit her tightly. She was braless, and I tried not to stare at the outline of her breasts in the material, or her nipples sticking out of it. The shirt had a string of tiny snaps running down the middle, and most of them were undone exposing a fair amount of cleavage. When I got up to kiss her goodbye I could see everything but her nipples. I kissed her on the top of her head so that she couldn't see my eyes and where they were looking. I took a good long look, not being able to take my eyes off of them. "Ed," my mother broke me out of my spell. "Yeah what?" "What about old man Cooper?" He was the older divorcé who lived next door. He had lived there all of my life, and his wife had left him a number of years ago. "What about him?" I asked knowing what her meaning was. She looked up at me, and I made a conscious effort to look her in the eyes. "Have you seen him around lately?" "No." "Maybe you should go and see if he's okay." But that was not her intent. "Now?" "Baby, this has to be done. Whoever survives this is going to be the ones who did what was necessary." She could see my hesitation. I was not used to burglarizing someone's home. "It's not stealing, honey. He's probably dead anyhow, and we are just acquiring what we need to live." "Okay mom," I said as I headed for the door. "See if he has any guns too. I seem to remember that he used to hunt." She yelled to me as I walked down the hall. It was early evening when I slipped out of the back door of our house, snuck through the bushes, and over the chain link fence between our houses. Ours was a Georgian style house but Mr. Cooper's house was more a Dutch colonial. It was one of the oldest houses in town. When I got to the back door I smelled something. It was a sickening sweet smell that I had, until recently, never known. I opened the screen door and then the old wood door. As soon as the door opened, the smell hit me like a brick. Oh my God, I thought, something is definitely dead in here. I had been initiated to the smell of death when I had buried my wife and father. The smell is what finally convinced me that I had to bury them in the backyard. Now the odor was ten times stronger than what I had smelled before. I walked through the kitchen, into the hall and then into the living room. All the time I was shouting for Mr. Cooper, as if he could possible be still alive. I got to the stairs and the smell was even stronger there. I started up the stairs, not knowing what I would find. When I hit the top of the stairs, I had to put my shirt up over my face and breathe through my mouth. Not that that helped any. I moved on down the hall, passing long vacant rooms and a bathroom. Finally I came upon what appeared to be the master bedroom. Inside, still in his bed, was Mr. Cooper. There were flies everywhere. He was black and red and green and bloated and I could see something moving under his skin. I didn't get any closer, but I knew it was maggots eating the corpse. I ran into the bathroom and vomited into the toilet. I stood up and got another whiff and vomited again. I quickly moved out of the bathroom, down the hall and then down the stairs. By the time I reached the kitchen I was back in control of myself. Still I had to get out of that house. I walked out of the door and stood on the back stoop trying to get some fresh air. I could still sense the smell of death in my nostrils. The sky was starting to darken, and the sun was going down. I knew that I had to go back in before I lost the light. When I went in the second time the smell didn't seem so bad. Maybe it was because I was more intent on what I had to do. First, I tried the refrigerator. We had only lost electricity two days ago, and already everything in the refrigerator was spoiled. The smell told me right away. The freezer proved to yield better results. There were all kinds of meat that had just started to defrost. I closed the door quickly, because I wasn't ready to start taking things yet. The cabinets were a treasure trove of canned and dry goods. I would need boxes or plastic bags to start taking all of this stuff. The meat was the most important. We had a gas stove so I could cook it all up tonight. It would keep better cooked. I had remembered seeing a cabinet in one of the downstairs rooms that reminded me of a gun cabinet. I made a beeline for it. Sure enough there was a wooden cabinet with a glass door. In it were three rifles, and boxes of ammo on its floor. I checked the door, but it was locked. There was a small brass cylinder lock under the handle. I looked around for a key, but there was none to be found. The sun was going down and I didn't have all night to look for the key. The cabinet, with its glass door, was a vestige of a different era. It was made when a person wouldn't even think of breaking the glass. It didn't take me but a minute of looking before I picked up a brass figurine that was on display on a nearby desk. Quetzalcoatl Ch. 02 When I awoke the next morning, Mom was still asleep. I slipped out of bed without waking her and went downstairs to the kitchen. I figured out a way to make coffee without the coffeemaker. I took out the filter holder, and while I held it in my hand, I poured the hot water through it. I had a cup, black, and then headed over to Mr. Cooper's house. I had read on the Internet that if you put Vick's Vapor rub in your nostrils, it would block out any odors, even the smell of dead bodies. We didn't have any, but Mr. Cooper had some in one of his medicine chests. I was good to go. I rummaged through the entire house and started to amass a great deal in the kitchen. Everything my mother instructed me to take: canned and dry goods, paper goods, batteries, vitamins, water, and even some ammo I had missed on my first go around. I was in one of the upstairs bedrooms that face towards the front of the house when I saw a strange sight outside. It was Mrs. Baumann, our neighbor down the street, in her front yard. She wasn't just outside, which was strange because I hadn't seen anyone outside in my neighborhood in weeks, but she was gardening. With all that was going on, she was wasting her time weeding. I guess Quetzalcoatl didn't affect the weeds, and they continued to grow. It was the same for the birds (although it was a bird flu), they still were singing, and the squirrels were still jumping from tree to tree. Nature went on its merry way, even though the earth's dominant creature was flat on its back. It was then that I noticed something that gave me a chill. It was only a man walking down the street. He was in his thirties with matted, black curly hair, a navy blue jacket and jeans. He was unkempt and his clothes looked soiled. He looked like a day laborer that had just finished a particularly dirty job. In normal times, this would be a normal occurrence, but this wasn't normal times. He didn't make any furtive movements. He just walked down the street, but his eyes never left Mrs. Bauman. Mrs. Bauman was older than my mother by some twenty years, and she was a rotund woman on her best day, so the stranger wasn't watching her because he thought she was a looker. Maybe he thought it was weird that someone would be gardening at such a time, but it was unsettling. I watched him walk down the block and turn the corner, and then I went back to my rummaging. It was probably only my imagination, but I still didn't feel right about it. I got everything back to our house and started to pile it up in the living room. We needed to work in the kitchen, so the living room seemed the logical place. Then my mother started me filling water jugs. "The water towers are probably fed by electric pumps, so when the towers are empty then that's it for any fresh water." My mother lectured me while I filled every available container in our and Mr. Cooper's house. I didn't tell my mom about Mrs. Bauman, because I didn't want to worry her. I wondered where Mr. Bauman was. He was older than his wife. Maybe he was dead. I soon forgot about her since we had too much to do. We sat around after dinner to plan the trip. We would have to get some sort of four-wheel vehicle that could make it when we had to get around any clog in the roads. "That guy down the block," I thought out loud. " I forget his name. He has a Humvee. That thing could go through a brick wall." "First thing in the morning," my mother said as if she was requisitioning one. "Go down the block and see if those people are around. If not, see if you can find the keys." "Why not now?" I asked sarcastically. "Because it's already dark." I looked out the window and noticed that it in fact it was already dark. That's when I heard the loud bangs. "What the hell was that?" I jumped. "Gunshots." "How can you tell its gunshots? It could be fireworks." "Who the hell would be shooting off fireworks?" I didn't have an answer for that, and then I remembered Mrs. Bauman. I immediately got to my feet and headed out the back door. "Where are you going?" My mother screamed at me. "I think someone is attacking Mrs. Bauman," I yelled back as the screen door slammed behind me. I jumped over Mr. Cooper's fence and headed out to the front of the house. When I got to the street I noticed two men in front of the Bauman house holding lanterns. There were other figures on the ground, and I heard someone screaming and another person moaning in pain. "Shut up," I heard one of the figures shout, and then he turned around and I heard another gunshot. My knees went weak, and I found myself squatting down by a parked car. I had found cover without even thinking about it. The moaning stopped, but not the screams. "What the fuck are you doing?" I heard the other figure scold. "He was already dead. Don't you think she's already making too much noise? Besides, you're wasting ammo." "Come on Benny. It's my turn." I heard the first figure say. He was talking to someone on the ground. I then realized that there were two figures together on the ground, and I knew what Benny was doing. He was raping Mrs. Bauman. He was raping her right on the front lawn. They must have killed Mr. Bauman, and were now having their way with his wife. Another thought hit me; one of these guys must have been the stranger walking down the block while Mrs. Bauman was out weeding. He had come back and brought his buddies. I was incensed. These three guys just murdered my neighbor just so they could rape his 75-year-old wife. I wanted to do something about it, but what? There were three of them and only me. They had guns, and I didn't. It was then that I realized that I had to be armed anywhere I went from now on. I also realized that they would go that far out of their way, and commit murder, to have sex with an elderly woman. What then would they do to my mother and me? My mom was twenty or thirty years younger, and looked even younger than that. I snuck back as fast and as quietly as I could. When I got in the house I immediately grabbed the pistol and headed back to the door. "What happened?" My mother was half hysterical as she ran into the kitchen. "Where are you going?" "They killed Mr. Bauman, and now they are raping Mrs. Bauman." "Who is?" My mother said as she headed me off at the door. "Three men." There was no time to get into what happened this afternoon. "And what do you think you are going to do?" "Help her." I said frustrated. "There are three of them with guns. You are only going to get killed." "MOM!" "I know that you want to help, but they will kill you as fast as they killed Mr. Bauman. And then what happens to me? Who will help me when they come to rape me?" I looked at my mom with tears in my eyes. She was right, but I couldn't let them keep doing that to poor Mrs. Bauman. I didn't know what to do. "Baby, we will be lucky if this is the worst that we see." The look in my mom's eyes was calculating. I sat down at the kitchen table exhausted. I looked up at her, looking for guidance. "Why do you think your grandfather sent me to America when I was eighteen? I just shook my head. "Five years into the civil war, they killed my uncle and cousin, and raped and killed all of the women in the house because they were Christians. Almost all of the Christians in my hometown fled. We were Christians in a Muslim country." I just hung my head, too tired to cry. "I have seen what people, who used to be your neighbors, can do. I have seen violence perpetuated on innocent people for no apparent reason." My mother's voice changed to a mocking, judgmental one. "There are practically no more women in the world. Okay lets rape what few are left." I looked back up at her. She was right. I had to be there to protect her. Not only because she was my mom, but also because she was one of the few women left in the world. "You better show me how to use that semi automatic rifle," I said with new resolve. That night as I lay next to my mom in bed was the hottest yet that summer. I couldn't sleep. Between the heat and what had happened that night, I just tossed and turned in bed. Mom seemed to be unaffected by it, as I heard the quiet rhythmic breathing of her sleep. I shouldn't judge, I thought. She had worked twice as hard as I had that day. She was exhausted. She had also grown up differently than I had thought. She had always delighted me with tales of growing up in Lebanon. Obviously her paradise had turned into a hell. I rolled over again, now facing my mom. The candle was still lit on the brass plate on the end table. The sheet that was originally covering her was now pushed down to her thighs. Last night she had been wearing a t-shirt and a pair of my gym shorts, but tonight she was only wearing a tank top and panties. The panties were electric pink, and one of her cheeks was showing because the panties were riding up the crack of her ass. My eyes concentrated on the roundness of her bun. It was disturbing. I had jerked off quietly that afternoon, and here I was checking out my mother's ass. My cock grew hard in my shorts. She had really nice wide hips, a thin waist, and her legs were flawless. It was like a drug. The more I saw, the more I wanted to see. I felt like a sixteen-year-old boy thumbing through his mother's Victoria Secret catalog. My hand, almost on its own, moved to the bulge in my shorts. I kneaded my erection first, and then my hand entered my waistband. I was jerking off. I was jerking off while I stared at my mother's ass. It was strange, but it seemed more satisfying than having sex with my wife. She rolled over a bit so that she was more on her stomach, but still facing away from me. I could see the fullness of her ass, the curve of her spine. Her raven black hair flowing down her back. She shifted her hips to one side. I just thought, man I would love to be riding her right now, my cock inside of her pussy as I held on to those hips. Pounding into her again and again as she grunted to my penetrations. I was close to coming. What was I going to come in? I was too old to explain a wet dream. Quickly I ripped off my shirt, and stuffed it down my shorts, just as I started to come. The semen just kept pouring out of me. Oh God, there really is something wrong with me, I thought, as I threw my shirt into the corner of the room, and fell asleep disgusted with myself. I awoke the next morning alone in bed. I threw on a new t-shirt and went down stairs. My mother was at the kitchen table drinking coffee, and fooling with the semi auto. "Good, you're up," she said with a smile. "I want you to go down to that house and see if you can get the keys to the Humvee." I went to get a cup of coffee out of the thermos, but she stopped me cold. "Have your coffee after you see about the Humvee," she lectured me. "It's getting late, and I want you to do it before the whole world wakes up." I just nodded my head and headed out the back door. The whole world, I thought, not much left of the whole world. "Ed," she called to me before I got out the door. "I know that you think this whole Delaware trip is a wild goose chase." Her tone changed. "Your grandmother is probably gone, but I have to know." "I know, Mom." "Besides, I think that it is best if we get off of Long Island. There are too many people here. I think that we need to go somewhere more rural." "Abandon the House?" "It's a different world now honey. We have to start thinking differently. We'll probably need to become farmers to survive." "Okay, Mom," I said as I left. It was then that it hit me. Our old way of life was not coming back. I didn't know just yet how much it was to change. The day was overcast, and there was a light mist falling this early in the morning. It wasn't anything significant, but it was just enough to make a humid day even more miserable. I was over old man Cooper's fence and then through a few more backyards. I took a few minutes to look through a side yard and across the street to the Bauman house. There was nothing there; no bodies, nothing on the front lawn to show that it was the scene of a rape and murder. I didn't waste any time, and scurried over fences and through bushes until I was directly across from the Humvee house. After I checked to see if the coast was clear, I made a mad dash across the street to the SUV. I immediately checked the vehicle for keys, but it was locked and I couldn't get in. Next I made my way to the back of the house and started checking the windows. There was no sign of life, and all of the windows were locked. The back sliding door too was locked up tight. I knelt by the slider in the rain for a while to think about what to do. After a few minutes, and still no sign of life, I took a big rock out of the garden and broke one of the back windows next to the slider. It made a fairly loud noise, but no one came running and so I reached in and flipped the lock to the slider. I slid the door open and made my way in. No smell of death. No sounds. No nothing. A quick perusal of the house showed it to be abandoned. In fact it looked as though it had been abandoned for some time. The house had been stripped of any usable items including food. It didn't look to be ransacked. The people took their time and didn't leave a mess. The owners had probably emptied the house and got out before the area got hot. It was a completely sensible idea except for the fact that about a million other people were trying to leave Long Island at the same time. I didn't know where they thought they were going, the whole world had the Q-flu. Maybe they left months ago. But why didn't they take the Humvee, I wondered? Fuel was the immediate answer. A Humvee can go over a mountain, but it takes a hundred gallons of gas to do it. I figured that I better check it for gas once I found the keys. And that clear tubing I saw in Mr. Cooper's basement; I needed that for siphoning. Just one more thing I needed to take on our trip. The keys to the vehicle were easy enough to find on a kitchen hook. I headed out the back slider knowing that there was little to salvage out of this house. I got out front, opened the SUV, and got in. I turned the key in the ignition, but was afraid to start it. I didn't want to make any noise. What the hell I thought. I had to know if it would start. I turned the ignition all of the way and the truck roared to life showing at least a half tank of gas. I smiled at my good luck and quickly shut it down. That's when I saw him through the raindrops on the windshield. The same guy that was walking the street in front of Mrs. Bauman's house yesterday was back, and he was down at my end of my block. I could tell it was the same guy, because he was still wearing that same soiled navy blue jacket and jeans. I thought it was unusual for anyone to wear such heavy clothes on such a hot, humid day. I saw him go around the back of one house and then come back to the street a few minutes later. Then he headed for my house. He didn't bother with the front door, but went straight for the back. I slipped out of the Humvee, but he had already disappeared into our backyard. It only took me a couple of minutes to cover the distance to my house, and then I slipped around the house to the back. I hadn't locked the back door, so my mother was in danger. I had the .380 in my hand as I approached the door. It was wide open and I could hear a commotion inside. I burst through the door with my heart pounding. He couldn't have been in the house more than two minutes, but he already had my mom by the back of the neck. He had her pinned face down on the kitchen table, her arms flailing, and was pulling her shorts and panties down her leg. He was laughing so hard, and my mom was screaming so loud, that he didn't hear me enter the house. That was to my advantage, but I wasted the opportunity. "Hey!" I shouted as I grabbed at him futilely, the pistol at my side. I was under the assumption that he would see the gun and give up immediately. I had watched too much television in my youth. My feeble attempts to halt him were met with a sharp elbow to the face. Everything went blank for a second and I found myself on the floor, the gun no longer in my hand. I saw the flash of something shiny in his hand as he spun away from my mom and towards me. Time stood still for a second. I felt like a spectator in my own life. The one thing that I detected first was his smell. It was worse than foul. It was a combination of sweat, dirt and excrement. The thought of being close to this man was nauseating. "He's got a knife," my mom shouted as she fled from her attacker and tried to pull up her shorts. The oddest thing was that of all things I noticed the fact that my mother was clean-shaven around her pussy and had only a slight patch of black hair over her pubic mound. He was on me in a second, the knife perilously close to my face. "I'll kill you," he shouted. I was lucky that he didn't see the gun after all, because he didn't concern himself much with me on the floor. His interest was more to the fact that my mother was escaping him. That was his mistake, and this time I didn't waste the opportunity. I found the .380, which was actually under my butt, brought it to bear on him as he looked back to the room for my mother, and I fired two shots quickly in succession. Its funny, I had always figured that the bullets would leave these huge holes in his shirt, but all I noticed were two small, black, almost imperceptible holes. They were midway up his torso, just below his rib cage. I thought for a second that I had missed him. He turned to look at his stomach, and with a look of utter astonishment, he then turned to me. "You shot me?" He said amazed, holding his stomach. I quickly got to my feet, keeping the gun trained on him, because I too was amazed that he was still standing there. "I'll shoot you again." I threatened. I couldn't believe that he was not on the ground writhing in pain. He looked more like he was going to die of bewilderment than of a gunshot. My mother and I just looked at each other and I mouthed, "What the fuck?" But then something happened. His face went ashen and he dropped to one knee. The look of amazement became no look at all, and he slumped to the floor. He was dead. I had just killed a man. "Is he dead?" My mother asked running toward me. "I think so," I said in disbelief. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know how to feel. He was in the process of raping my mom, and he probably would have eventually killed me, but I was still remorseful. My mom ran to me and put her arms around me. "Are you okay?" "Yeah," I said in a daze. "He didn't cut you, did he?" "No, he didn't even try. I don't think that I concerned him enough." "I was sitting at the table," she said. "And at first I thought it was you coming in the door." My mom said, practically in tears. "The next thing I know he had me down on the table and he was taking my clothes off." It was then that she started to cry. "Oh Eddy, Eddy, I was so scared. I thought that he was going to rape me and then kill me." I just held her, consoling her. I didn't know what to say. "I don't know what I would have done if you didn't come back. You saved my life." We just held each other for a while as she cried. After a few minutes she calmed down and I was able to get her to sit at the table. My mom is a strong woman, but you could tell she was shook up. "Who is he?" She asked after she sat down. "I think that he was one of the men that attacked the Baumans." My mother froze. "Ed, he was alone, wasn't he?" "I think so. I didn't see anyone else on the street." "But he had two friends last night?" Quetzalcoatl Ch. 02 "I'm pretty sure he was one of those guys." "Then we have to get out of here tonight," my mother commanded. "What do you mean?" "Ed, his two friends will come to find him; maybe not today, but soon. We don't want to be here when they find him." It made sense. He was here alone during the day and the three of them were here last night. Maybe they go solo during the day, and team up at night if they find something. Also this one didn't have a gun. Maybe they had only one gun, or maybe they only bring it out at night when they need it. "I don't understand this," my mom continued. "They rape Mrs. Bauman last night, and now he tries to rape me today." "I know. He didn't seem to care about me at all. He was solely concentrated on you." "I don't know what to think?" Mom said, perplexed. "You know the Internet was all a buzz with some crap about men who recovered from the Q-flu that showed marked increases in libido. You don't think that some individuals became almost sex craved zombies." "Zombies?" "Well not zombies, but maybe it changed their personality enough that their need for sex overrode their normal inhibitions." "Great. Even more things to be scared about," she said exasperated. "We need to get a move on, if we are going to get out of here tonight." "What should I do about the body?" "Hide it in the basement. We will be long gone before it starts to decompose." I guess we really are never coming back, I thought, as I dragged the body down the stairs. The rest of the day was spent on preparing for the trip. I wasn't sure how much the Humvee would hold so I arranged all of our gear in priority order starting with the guns. I figured when it got dark I would drive the SUV between our and our neighbor's house. There were only a few bushes between our two houses, so I could run over them and park in the back yard. Then, under cover of night, and away from any prying eyes, I could load up and be ready to go. My mom figured to get a couple of hours sleep, and leave at about four in the morning. Most everybody would be asleep then, and the ten-mile trip to Freeport shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. Next we would load up the boat at dawn and be out on the Great South Bay before anyone knew. I finished late in the afternoon, and then had something to eat. It would be hours before the sun came down, so I decided to take a little nap. It had been a stressful day, to say the least, and I was exhausted so sacking out sounded great. "You go ahead, dear," was my mother's answer when I told her I was taking a nap. "I have a few more loose ends to tie up, and I'll see you later." I trudged upstairs, and I was full of sweat as I fell asleep in that king sized bed. I awoke a few hours later to twilight outside. I figured I had about an hour before the sun went down. That's when I noticed my mom sleeping next to me. I hadn't even heard her get into bed. She was on her side facing away from me. She wasn't wearing her normal sleepwear. In fact she wasn't wearing the tank top and panties that she had been wearing the previous night. She had on a sports bra, like she used to wear for her yoga class, and white lace panties. The lace was so sparse that it hardly covered anything. I could see the crack of her ass as if she were naked. I could feel the lust swell inside of me, and I could feel my cock swell in my shorts. I tried to close my eyes and not look, but I couldn't keep away. I had to look. Nothing was ever so erotic. I was filled with desire and it was forcing me to submit. Mom stirred in bed and wiggled her ass. The whiteness of the lace contrasted beautifully with her dark skin. Oh God, I thought. I wanted to jump on top of her and fuck her. I had lost all sense of reasoning. I had told myself that I wouldn't jerk off again with her in bed, but I couldn't stop myself and found my hand entering the waistband of my shorts. Next I was grabbing at my cock and feeling how good it felt to stroke it, as I looked at my mom in those lacy white panties. I wanted to see more, not just her ass; I wanted to see tits and pussy. God help me. As if on cue, she started shifting in bed, and rolled first onto her back and then on her side facing me. My hand froze in my shorts. I was afraid that she was waking, but her eyes were still closed and her breathing was slow and rhythmic. Her bra was pulled tight against her breasts, and I could see the outline of them, but what I really could see was her nipples poking through long and hard. Also, her panties were tantalizingly see-through, all the way down to her labia. There they got too lacy and they obscured my view, but it was enough that I could see the outline of her lips through the material. I started stroking myself hard to my new view. My shorts and boxers were inhibiting me, so I eased them down to my thighs. This way I could stroke myself with ease. Like I said the lust had completely taken over me. I was jerking off while I looked at my mother's pussy lips; my hard cock just feet away from my mother's face. I was insane with lust. I looked at mom's tits through the material and then her pussy lips, and then back to my mom's tits and then back to her pussy lips. I was getting close to coming when I looked up to see my mom's eyes wide open. "Oh shit!!" I yelled as I tried to pull up my shorts. "Mom, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Oh God, what have I done." My mom grabbed my arm. "Ed it's okay." "I'm sorry, Mom." "It's okay. It's okay." "I'm so sorry, Mom." "Ed, I'm okay with it. Stop. It's okay." "What?" "It's okay. I'm okay with it. I don't know what happened to us after we got sick. But for some reason it seems okay. It seems necessary. I might be one of the only women left in the world, and you might be the only man who's not a homicidal rapist." "Mom, I don't know what...." I let the sentence trail off. I didn't know what to say. She then did something insane. She tried to put her hand down my shorts. "Here let me help you." "MOM!!" I shouted, as I tried to pull away, but she had a hold of my shorts. "Relax," she said as she pulled me back towards her and slid her hand in my shorts. She had a hold of my cock. "Ah shit, you lost it." My cock was as flaccid as a popped balloon. "This should help." She started squeezing the head of my cock, softly. It felt wonderful, and soon I was hard again, "That's better." My cock was as hard as a rock, and she began to stroke it. My pelvis instinctively rocked toward her. "That feels good, right?! Pull your shorts down, they're hurting my hand." I obediently complied and pulled them down to my knees. "Good. That's easier," she said as she started to stroke me harder. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh; it felt so good. But I couldn't keep my eyes closed for long. I wanted to see her. I looked at her tits and then her pussy. "You like what you see?" I nodded yes. "Do you want to see more?" I nodded yes again. She didn't miss a stroke, but with her free hand she pulled her bra up to expose her tits. They were large and beautiful. The lust overtook me in a giant wave. But she didn't stop there, to my amazement; she started to push her panties down. I saw the top of her bush and then the outline of her labia and finally her pussy lips. "Am I pretty, Ed?" "Yes." "Am I sexy?" She asked as she stroked my cock. "Mom, you are so sexy." "Are you going to come?" "Yes," I panted, as my breathing became deep. The sex and lust completely filled me and I thought of nothing but climaxing. "Mom, I'm going to come on you." It wasn't a warning. I wanted to come all over her. "No, you're not. Just let me know when you are close." "I'm close now, Mom." She slid down my body and took me in her mouth. She was sucking my cock and it was incredible. I was fucking my mom's face. I didn't last too long after that. I came in her mouth, and with every throb of my cock I continued to orgasm and ejaculate more semen into her mouth. She rolled over onto her back still swallowing the last of my come and I rolled over on my back taking in what had just happened and gasping for air. She just lay there for a few minutes with her hand on my thigh and I just lay there staring at the ceiling. One part of me felt weird about what happened and another part of me wanted to roll over and fuck her. She then got up on an elbow, and as she straightened out her clothes, she kissed me on the cheek and got out of bed. "Are you okay?" She looked concerned. "Yeah, I guess." I was evasive. "Obviously we have to talk," she said as she put on her shorts and t-shirt. "But it's getting dark, and you have to get that Jeep so that we can pack it." I looked out the window and saw that, in fact, it was sunset. I quickly pulled up my shorts, slipped on my sneakers, and sped out of the bedroom. My head was a quandary of thoughts as I slipped out the back door, making sure it was locked, and slipped over Cooper's fence. My mother had just given me a blowjob. It was hard to concentrate on what I had to do. I got to the Humvee and slipped behind the wheel. Starting the vehicle produced a low throaty roar, but then it settled down to a quiet idle. The rain was still on the windshield, but I could see clearly up and down the street in that June twilight. I put it in drive and slowly headed out of the driveway and out in the street. I didn't go too fast, as I was trying to keep the motor sounds to a minimum. I passed my house and proceeded up my neighbor's drive, between the two houses and into the backyard. I did a jug handle turn through his garden and headed for my backyard, looking for the least amount of bushes to crash through. I needn't have bothered, because the big machine easily rode over whatever shrub was in my way. I guess if it had no trouble in Afghanistan, it wouldn't have any trouble in Garden City. Next I backed it up to the house as my mother opened up the back door to let me in. I could see her figure up against the black of the darkened interior. She looked really pretty. Stop it, I thought, isn't it bad enough that she just gave you a blowjob?! The rest of the night we loaded up the SUV. I had the guns loaded and sitting toward the front, with the shotgun right in the passenger compartment. With my mother's help, I first loaded food, then gas, followed by clothes, candles, flashlights, extra batteries, and so on until the back was full. We got about three quarters of our stuff, which was good, because I doubted we would get in all of the stuff my mother had packed. I was happy with all that we had been able to pack, but my mom was less so. She was able to get in a few more items, but nothing of consequence. We finished packing around midnight, and were sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee. I had found an old percolator in Cooper's basement, and that had replaced my jury rig. "How long do you think it will take us to get to Freeport?" She asked after taking her first sip. "Not sure. I figure it's only about ten miles, but I don't know how bad the roads are clogged. I want to try and use the Meadowbrook Parkway. I figure that we can use the large grassy areas to get around the cars. We have to avoid any downtown areas. We don't want to run into any roadblocks." "Roadblocks?" "I don't know, Mom. The military or the police may have put up roadblocks to control the crowds. Or gangs may have put some up since, to prey on unsuspecting travelers. We might only get a couple of miles and have to turn back." "We're not coming back here. I'm not coming back to those sexual deviants." "Mom we might run into sexual deviants anywhere." "We're not coming back here! Remember, we have a dead body in the basement." The term sexual deviant reminded me of what happened this evening, and I soon became embarrassed. My mother must have picked up on it, because she looked me right in the eye. "Are you okay with what happened today?" She asked. "I don't know." I lowered my eyes. "How do you feel?" I just shook my head. It was typical of a female to want to get to the bottom of our feelings. "Well you must feel something. We had sex this evening." Oh God, I thought, horrified, but she kept looking to me for an answer. She looked so pretty in the candlelight, I couldn't get mad at her. "If you must know, I liked it. Okay?" I just looked at her, but she didn't seem shocked. "I'm sorry that I did that to you. It wont happen again." I was ashamed. She just kept looking at me. I could tell she was thinking of what to say. "I don't know why you think that you're the one to blame. I initiated it." "I know Mom, but..." "Didn't you think it was unusual that I wore lacy, see-through panties to bed with you?" "Yeah." I did now. "I was awake last night when you... well you know." She didn't wait for my response. "Despite what one would think, I wasn't upset by it. I think that flu changed you. I think that it changed all of the men. You're my son, and I want you to be happy and satisfied, no matter what." I didn't know what to think. I just sat there. "I don't want you to think that you were to blame. I initiated everything. I was happy to do it for you. Okay?" "Okay." I said unconvinced. Something else was up. My mom went up to bed a little while later, but I just sat in the living room staring out of the window. I don't know if it was the impending trip, or the fact that I wasn't tired, but I couldn't sleep. I certainly wasn't going back in that bed with my mother. I couldn't trust myself; or her. Quetzalcoatl Ch. 03 ***Authors note: I'm sorry about the delay in releasing this chapter, but my editor had personal commitments to attend to. I wish her all the best. But I was able to find another editor, HMEdits, that was able to assist me. So far it's a good fit. I have at least 3 more chapters written and I hope to have them to you soon. Thanks. Det. Sp.*** * By two A.M. mom came downstairs all dressed. "Do you want to go?" "Yeah, might as well. We don't know how long it will take us." We closed and locked the door on the way out, but I don't know why. We weren't ever coming back, I was sure of that. We got in the Humvee and it made its usual growl when I started it. "Makes a lot of noise, doesn't it?" Mom commented. "Yeah, but we'll be out of here soon enough." I headed out the way I came in earlier; over the bushes, through the neighbor's side yard and down to the street. Unsurprisingly there was no one on the street, but I was thinking that maybe we would see the "sexual deviants" looking for their friend. I made our way through the side streets. Only once did I have to go up on a lawn to get around some cars. As I made my way down one of the primary streets in town I saw a strange glow in the sky coming from downtown. "What's that?" Asked my mom. "I don't know, and I'm not going to wait to find out." I made a left and went through some more side streets to get away from town. Again the streets were not as cluttered as I had expected. Maybe it was the down town streets that were the bad ones. I got back on another primary street, but this one was heading out of town. As we rode along I did a steady twenty miles an hour. Anything faster and the Humvee would make too much noise. When I reached the town limits I noticed that something was in the road. It was a man walking in the middle of the road. I was trying to keep the Humvee under a steady roar, but even so the guy should have heard us. If he did, he didn't look around at us until I was about thirty yards away. When he did finally turn around, I noticed from the glint of the headlights that he was wearing a badge. He was a Nassau County Cop, or at least he was dressed like a cop. He had a gun belt on too, so I assumed he was armed, but I couldn't see a gun yet in the dark. As we got close to him, he waved us down. I slid the .380 under my thigh as I opened up the window. I wasn't taking any chances. "How are you people doing tonight?" He sounded all right. "Fine Officer, and you?" It sounded almost commonplace. "Very Good. You people headed on a journey?" "We are gong to try and find my grandmother." Almost like we were out for a joy ride. "I see you have a pretty young lady in the car," he continued. "They are kind of rare these days. Be very careful. You might even think of keeping her hidden. There are a lot of dangerous men around." "I understand Officer." "I'm hunting for some psychos now." "Psychos, Officer?" "Some men became different after Quetzalcoatl. They become psychotic and very dangerous." "I think that we ran into one this morning." "Are you okay?" "Yes we are fine Officer." "Then I guess he's dead." I didn't say anything. I wasn't going to admit to murder to a Police Officer, even under the current situation. "No matter. You had to do what you had to do. I summarily execute them myself." "I guess you know what you are doing." "In better times we would round them all up and lock them away. These are not better times. I think there are only a few hundred cops left in Nassau. Most of them are at home trying to protect their own families. I don't have any family left, so I come out at night and hunt psychos." "You be careful, yourself, Officer." I was starting to worry about his psychological well-being. "Thanks. And if you see any men who are dressed far too warmly for the weather; be wary. They don't seem to feel the heat. I had one last week, it was ninety degrees out and he was wearing a winter parka.. Besides, they stink to high heaven. You'll see, they stick out like a sore thumb." "Okay, Officer." "You have a young lady with you. Remember this if you remember anything; you cannot reason with these men. They will not stop, and they are as vicious and as fearless as a man possessed. "Thanks Officer." I was worried that my mother was getting scared. "You bet, and be careful," he said as I pressed down on the accelerator and drove away. "What did he mean by summarily execute them?" Mom asked as we drove towards the parkway. "Summarily means without benefit of trial. He shoots them on sight." "I'm not too sure about that Policeman." "Well, let's be happy that his hostilities are aimed at the psychos." I approached the Meadowbrook Parkway with apprehension. I was afraid that it would be a nightmare of jammed and backed up cars, but as I eased down the ramp I saw a clear path running each way north or south. Someone, whether it was the military or the county government, drove a bulldozer down the middle of the highway and cleared a path. There was a clear lane going the other way on the highway also. It had to be someone official. Even the on and off ramps were free. What that meant was I could do highway speed, although I felt a little trapped by all of the cars piled in the right lane, and our trip to Freeport would be minutes instead of hours. I probably could do seventy if I had wanted to, but I was worried about roadblocks. I opted for Sunrise Highway instead of going through downtown Freeport. The roads there were narrow and I was hoping someone had "plowed" Sunrise like they did the Parkway. My hopes came true; someone had indeed cleared Sunrise also. From there it was clear sailing. Even the side roads were navigable, though I did have to go over people's lawns and bushes a few times. When we got to the street where Uncle Tom's boat was docked, it was a different story. Several cars had the street blocked. It was touch and go running over people's lawns and squeezing between cars. I even had to run over a chain link fence. I made sure that I knocked down the support post. I didn't want to get hung up half way over. Uncle Tom's boat was docked in a canal behind someone's house. Most of the south shore of Long Island was laced with canals, and most people who lived on those canals rented a slot or two behind their house. Tom's boat was behind number sixty-two. I parked in the middle of the street right in front of the house. Someone might have been living there, but no one was awake. Our vulnerable time would be when we were packing the gear in the boat. We would have to make numerous trips; our hands would be full and our heads would be down. We opted for just me loading the boat and my mom would stand guard with the shotgun. "Hide in the bushes Ma," I said as I opened the side door of the Humvee and started to unload. "If someone approaches, they will think it's only me." She slipped in behind an evergreen tree and she was so well hidden that even I couldn't see her unless I was right on top of her. Even with her there standing guard, I was still nervous as I hurried from car to boat and back again. I was about half way through with my task when out of the dark; a man quickly approached me from out of the bushes. "What do you think you are doing?" He totally startled me, I was nervous to start with, and I yelled in surprise. He came from the waterside instead of the street, right between the houses. I couldn't see his face in the dark, but he seemed fidgety. "Oh Jesus you scared me," I said to calm down. "I'm packing my boat." . "That's not your boat." The man insisted in the dark. Now, I knew the owner of the house where the boat was docked very well. I had used this boat many times with Jen. So much so, that my uncle even gave me my own set of keys, and this man wasn't the owner. "Not that it's any of your business, but this is my Uncle's boat." "You ain't taking this boat, son." Was his only comment. "What?" I said, not understanding. "Are you deaf? You're not taking this boat." "I have permission to use this boat and I'm going to take it." I was hoping that Ma had heard the confrontation because I wasn't quite sure what I was dealing with. "These are my boats, and no one is taking one of my boats." He insisted. Holy shit, I thought. Is everyone a fucking psycho these days? "Listen buddy, I don't know what you are talking about. I've been using this boat for years." He approached me closer and I could see the outline of his face. "No one is taking my boats." He said with some insistence. That's when I saw my mom. I hadn't even noticed that she had left her hiding spot in the bushes. She had the shotgun in her hands, and she approached so quietly that no one would have heard her even if we weren't making so much commotion. I didn't know what she had in mind, but I knew that I had to keep his attention. "I'm taking this boat, man." I didn't know what else to say, but I knew I was much bigger than him, and unless he had a weapon, I should be able to take him. "And I'm saying you're not." My mom was about three feet from him and before I knew it she rammed the butt of the rifle up against the back of his head like she was some kind of Lebanese militiaman. The guy never knew what hit him and he went down to the ground with not so much as a whimper. We both stood there looking at him, wondering if he was going to get back up, but he didn't stir. "Where the hell did you learn to do that?" I was flabbergasted. "Just get back to what you were doing before someone else shows up," was all she said. God help them if they did, I thought. I unpacked the rest of the Humvee without incident. I left it in the middle of the street with the keys in it, and signaled to my mother "let's go" as I carried the last of the gear past her through the backyard. I just threw the stuff in the hold when I got on board. There will be plenty of time to stow it later. I put the key in and started the small outboard motor and let it idle while I untied the bow and stern lines. I sat in the stern nervously and my mother sat inside the boat as we maneuvered down the canal and out to the bay. But no one came after us and no one was watching us. It was almost anticlimactic as I motored up to one of the islands that dot the bay. I put the motor into neutral and then turned off the engine. "What are you doing?" My mom asked as I stared up at the mast and the boat slowly drifted in the channel. "There's no wind." "What?" she heard what I said, but she needed it repeated. "There's no wind. At the top of the mast is a streamer that will wave in the slightest breeze. It's totally flat." "So, keep on going." "We need to save our gas, and besides the wind will pick up soon enough." "When?" "Probably at sunrise." "What do we do 'til then?" "Just wait it out. We have a long trip. No one is chasing us. We have to be patient." I could see her nod her head in the dark. "See if you can find the thermos of coffee. I think I left it on the stove in the galley." It was about four-thirty in the morning. We had about an hour before sunrise, and I could see a silver glow in the eastern horizon. It was mostly clear with just a few clouds in the sky. . It looked as though it was going to be a nice day, although it was a hot and humid June. A thunderstorm could blow through at any time without notice. I had to be wary. There would be no weather bulletins. My mom came out of the galley with the thermos and two plastic mugs. She looked very pretty in the predawn light. I remembered again how pretty she was. Quetzalcoatl had changed me, but to what degree? Mom poured the coffee and sat next to me on deck. "What's that?" She asked as she took a sip of coffee. I had been mostly looking at the sky and the shoreline. I hadn't noticed, but there was a boat drifting unmanned in the channel about two hundred yards to the west. "A boat of some sorts. Not too big. Maybe a twenty foot Boston Whaler." "Why would it be out here?" "Don't know." "Could we waste a little gas and check it out? It might have something we could use." "Like what?" "Gas, or fishing poles. I can't be sure, but I don't think fish can catch the flu." "You're going to fish?" I said as I looked at her well-manicured hands. "I was fishing way before you were a gleam in your daddy's eyes. It would be nice to have some fresh fish." "Okay Ma," it was a good idea, but I doubted that it would have any poles. I figured that the boat probably got loose from its moorings and floated out here. No fisherman would leave expensive poles in a boat. I started up the motor and made our way towards the whaler. We got about thirty feet from it when I smelled that distinctive smell. I immediately idled the engine. "What are you doing?" She looked at me funny. "I'm not sure that we want to get any further," I said cryptically. "What are you talking about?" She looked at me irritated. "I think that there is someone dead in that boat." "How do you know?" "Do you smell that smell?" "Yeah, isn't that just the tide?" "No." "Well if he's dead than he certainly isn't going to hurt us." "I know that Ma," I said annoyed. "It might be a little funky. We are fairly far away for it to smell this strong." "I can take it if you can." "Alright?" I intoned as I pushed the gearshift into forward. Sure enough, it was bad when we got there, about on the level of Mr. Cooper back in Garden City. The boat was a center console with just a Bimini top. Mom didn't miss a beat though. I gagged a little when I jumped over to the Whaler, but mom held the two boats together and the dead body was right there on the deck. We hit the jackpot though. Along with three fishing rods and various lures and tackle, there was a an almost full portable gas tank, a powerful flashlight, a flare gun, a fillet knife and a portable radio. I hadn't thought about bringing a radio. Who would be on it? This was a sophisticated one with all different bands widths besides AM and FM. But the prize, and I didn't know it at the time, was a portable GPS device. I didn't want to look at the dead body, but for some reason it caught my eye. Something was not right with it,... and then I realized that it was missing half of the skull. I'm no detective, but I figured that it was blown off from a gunshot...most likely a shotgun. There wasn't much of a mess. If someone had their head blown off then it would create a splatter of blood and tissue. Maybe the blast took it all overboard. There really isn't much room to these center console boats. "What are you looking at?" She said with her head cocked to one side. "I think this guy was murdered." "How do you know that?" "Because he's missing half of his face." "Oh." "Who would murder a fisherman? Could he have done it himself?" "Maybe, but I think that it is a shotgun wound, and there isn't one on board." "Maybe it fell over when he shot himself." Maybe, but I don't know. All I know is that there has been a lot of unnecessary violence in the last few days. It seems that everyone is off kilter." I handed my mom all of the gear and then jumped back on to the sailboat. It took some doing, but I was able to get the two boats stern to stern and then I pushed the Whaler off with my foot. I had turned off our engine and didn't want to start it again. Within a couple of minutes the two boats were sufficiently removed from each other. I looked up at the mast and the streamer was starting to float in the breeze. The sun was rising and we had enough wind to get underway. I got to the mast and raised the jib. The wind was offshore, which was good. It would be easy to just let out the big jib and let the south blowing wind take us out to the inlet. It wouldn't be very fast, but it was a basic maneuver, and I wanted to just ease into sailing. I hadn't been on the boat since last September. I tied down the ropes and took my place behind the wheel. It was a slack tide too, so I didn't have to fight an incoming tide or a following sea. The sun was coming up and it looked like a nice day. Things were, at least for the moment, going our way. My mom was sitting right next to me and she appeared to be enjoying the ride. The slight breeze was blowing her dark hair about and I could see the early morning sun on her face. She was bra-less and I could see her nipples just a bit darker under her faded yellow t-shirt. She was wearing blue jean shorts and the frayed bottoms were only a couple of inches from her crotch. Again, I never recalled her wearing such tight, short shorts, or going bra-less. I could feel my cock swelling in my shorts. She looked at me and smiled. She looked so beautiful and sexy. "You seem to know what you are doing." I wondered to myself if she did too. "This is easy, but we can't go too fast." I said loud enough for her to hear me against the flapping of the sail. "Why can't we go faster?" "The wind is behind us. You actually go faster when you are facing into the wind." "When will that be?" "When either we or the wind change directions." "How long will it take to get to Delaware?" "Well, with luck we can do about a hundred to one hundred and fifty miles a day. Depending on the wind and tides. It's roughly about three hundred and fifty miles to Delaware. I don't know, about three to four days." She seemed shocked, and gave me a quizzical look. "This isn't a speed boat, Ma. You can't give it the gas and do fifty miles an hour. It's built for cruising not speed. But we will never be looking for a gas station." We followed the wind south under the Loop Parkway and straight through the Jones Beach Inlet off of Point Lookout. There was actually an old black man fishing off of the Point, and he waved to us. We waved back, happy to see a friendly face, but also happy that there was fifty yards of water between us. We had gotten to the point that we trusted very few people, if any at all. I kept a southerly course for about an hour or so to make sure we got away from the main run into New York harbor. It was just habit I guess, because there was little chance that a freighter would be out here heading into Newark or Bayonne. I then shifted to the southwest. My aim was to hit the Jersey shore and follow the coast down. It wasn't the straightest route, but I figured if we ran in to a storm we could get into a harbor somewhere. The truth was that there was little access into the bay until you get to Barnegat Light half way down the Jersey shore. About ten thirty or eleven in the morning we got to the Jersey shore. The wind had shifted to out of the East and the June sun was beating down on me. I had a baseball cap and sunglasses, but I took off my shirt to get some sun. It felt good to get outside in the sunshine, since we had been cooped up in the house for the last week or so. Mom must have seen me out on deck without my shirt, because she came up from below holding a bottle of sunscreen. "Let me get some on you before you burn up," she said as she unscrewed the cap. She was wearing a gold halter-top bikini. She looked luxurious in it, and also very sexy. It was an elegant suit, not too revealing, but definitely hot. "Not much chance of that with this Lebanese skin you gave me." "You'd be surprised," she said as she got behind me and started to lather on sunscreen on my back and shoulders. "Remember your dad was northern European." Having your mother in a bikini, touching you, shouldn't feel this good. I had an instant erection as she moved to my arms. She then got around from behind me, and knelt down in front of me while my hands were on the wheel. She got a handful of lotion and started to rub my chest with it. With my sunglasses on I could look right down to her breasts and cleavage with impunity. I could see the firmness of her stomach and the bump that was her pubic mound. Quetzalcoatl Ch. 03 She then turned around to fetch the plastic bottle of lotion bending over on all fours in front of me. She had to know what she was doing with that perfect round ass beckoning to me. In my mind I would get down on my knees slip down those gold panties and slide my cock right into her. SNAP OUT OF IT! I thought to myself. "Ma it's okay. I've got enough lotion on." "What about your legs?" The thought of her rubbing my legs was too much to bear. "I'm okay Ma." "Suit yourself," she said in a huff. "I' going to lay in the front and get some sun." She got up and I watched that exquisite ass walk the front. I was still breathing hard and I needed a drink. By late in the afternoon the wind started to die down. It was just as well, since we had been running since the time we left the inlet. Besides, it had been twenty-four hours since I had gotten any sleep. I needed to take a break. I got up from the cockpit and started to take down the sheets. "What's going on?" Mom said from her sunbathing. "The wind has died and I need to get some sleep." "What are we going to do about the boat?" "Don't worry, it's not going anywhere. While I sleep for a few hours it can drift. We are a mile off shore and the sky is still clear. We're fine." "Okay," she said. "Go down and get some sleep. I'll see you in a little while." Oh shit, I thought, is she coming to sleep with me today? This relationship was still bothering me. As much as my primeval brain wanted it, it was wrong. A sailing ship might be big from stem to stern, but inside the cabin is fairly cramped. It is a little more than a small galley or kitchen, a head or bathroom and two small sleeping areas. When I got down below there was only one place to go. Mom had used the stern bunk for all of the gear. That only left the forward bunk and it was large enough for two people. I felt like my appetites were being tempted. But I was much too tired to protest. I practically ran to the forward bunk and fell asleep. I couldn't stay awake for more than two seconds. When I awoke, mom was sleeping next to me again. It felt like I was trapped, but I also didn't want to escape the trap. This time she was facing me, and she was wearing a t-shirt and those gold bikini bottoms. "You're awake?" She started the conversation. "What time is it?" "About seven." "Is the wind up?" I didn't want to loose time. "I don't think so," she said, her face only inches from mine. "Okay." "Go back to sleep." "No. The wind will pick up again and I need to catch it." "Why? You were right. We haven't moved much while you were sleeping. You've done enough for one day." "I don't want to be caught in the ocean if a storm kicks up." "It's beautiful out there. There aren't any storms." "Okay. You were great last night with that psycho." "As much as you don't want to admit it, we are a team. We have to be there for each other. You saved my ass, and I'm here to save yours." "I guess." "We are here to take care of each other." I could feel her breath on me. She must have started breathing hard. "Thanks Mom." She sidled up close to me. "Do you want...." She let the sentence drop. "What?" I already had an erection. I knew what she was taking about. "Don't make me ask." My upper brain said no, but my upper brain was not in control. "Yes." She got up and sat sidesaddle on the mattress. She took off her t-shirt and then her bikini bottoms. She lay back down and we were again facing each other. Her hand groped for my cock in my shorts. "Now it's your turn." My lust was like a fire that burned inside me, and the sight of her tits and pussy only fueled that fire to an incendiary degree. I stripped off my t-shirt and then I slipped off my shorts. Mom immediately grabbed for my cock. It was amazing how good she was with a cock. She was jerking me off two seconds after my shorts left my legs. God it felt so good. I couldn't help myself. "Eddie, do you want to touch me?" "Yes," I said under my breath as I nodded to her. "I want you to touch me." My hand immediately went to her breast, as she slowly jerked me off. I couldn't stop myself and I moved down her body taking her tit in my mouth. It was so full and ripe and her nipple felt so good on my tongue. I ran my right hand down her side, up over her round hip and down her thigh. I slipped my hand between her legs. She rolled over on her back and parted them for me. I looked up at her face as my finger found her wetness. Her eyes were closed and she was biting her lower lip. When I found her clit she tilted her head back and then arched her back a little. A sigh came to her lips. By moving down to suck on her tits, my cock was now out of her reach. I didn't care; I just wanted to lose myself in her body. She was now losing consciousness as I fingered her pussy. Her face got contorted and her breathing became heavy and deep as I worked her clit faster and faster. She grabbed at the pillow behind her head and rocked her hips to meet my touch. This wasn't about love and feelings; this was about desire and wantonness. This was a thirst that could only be quenched with one thing. And as rough as I was with her clit and pussy, the more she seemed to like it. She then grabbed her own tit and started to convulse with the ecstasy of her orgasm. If she had been masturbating me I would have probably come right then while I watched her. I had to fuck her. I was beside myself with lust. She wasn't even done with her orgasm when I rolled over on top of her. I slid my hands under her arms and grabbed her shoulders from the back. I had her pinned to the mattress. "What do you think you are doing?" "Mom I have to." My cock was right there, just resting on her pussy. "That's not happening." She squirmed to get free, but she was trapped. "Mom I need to fuck you." My hips positioned so that the head of my cock was right at her lips. "Eddie, No!" Her eyes and mouth were wide open with horror. "I'm sorry mom, but I have to." I slipped my cock into the lips of her pussy. "No Ed stop." She was panting. I jammed my cock all the way into her and she grunted from the force of it. The Quetzalcoatl lust had taken over my brain, and I wanted or could think of nothing else but fucking her, and fucking her hard until my semen bust into her. "Oh my God Ed, you're fucking me." I was raping her. I was raping my own mother and I could do nothing to stop it. But it wasn't just the lust. It felt better than any sex I had ever had. Even better than the first time with Jen. With each thrust into her it felt even better than the last. I got up on my hands and watched her tits undulate with the rhythm. I watched as my cock disappeared over and over again into her cunt. I looked at my mother's face expecting a look of horror or resignation, but instead her eyes were closed and she was panting and grunting from ecstasy. She was enjoying it. I did what I thought I couldn't do. I stopped. He eyes popped open wide. "Why are you stopping?" "I'm not raping you." "What?" "I'm not raping you. You want it?" She didn't say anything. She just looked down demurely. "You want it mom," I accused. "You want me to fuck you." "Yes," she said almost crying. "I want it. I've never wanted it so much in all my life. And God help me, I want you. I want you, my son, to fuck me." She wrapped her legs around me. "Please don't stop Eddie. Please fuck me. I know you want to." I pushed into her again. The thing was that I couldn't stop even if I tried, not for very long at least. I was fucking her hard again. It felt so good I didn't want it to stop, but it also felt so good that I wanted to come in her. Her tits were so wonderful and plumb, her belly so flat, her hips so alluringly wide, and my dick pounding into her pussy, I was close to coming. "Mom I'm going to come in you." "Oh God yes. Come in me." She was almost pleading. I felt the orgasm explode in my cock and then I started coming. I pumped and pumped into her as my dick throbbed and throbbed and the orgasm first ripped me open and then cast me aside. I was spent. "Uhhh. Uhhh. Uhhh," mom grunted with the last three thrusts of my cock. I collapsed next to her, both of us dripping with sweat. It was at that moment, when my lust had finally been sated, that I felt guilty beyond belief. What had I done? I had fucked my own mother! What kind of sick animal had I become? Was I becoming one of those sexually deviant psychos? Mom rolled on top of me, her head on my chest. "I know you hate me," she said as her hair tickled my chin. "I know you hate what has happened to us. I know that I hate myself. I've just seduced my own son." "I don't hate you Mom." I didn't. But for a brief moment I couldn't stand her touching me, but even that feeling didn't last long. "Then what?" She didn't look up. "Mom this is a compulsion. We can't stop it. We might as well try and stop the tides. I just hope that my compulsions don't progress." "What do you mean?" She got up on an elbow and looked at me. I made an effort to look her in the eye, but I could still see her naked breasts. "I hope that those poor sexual deviants didn't start like this." After a few minutes the lust came back to me. It was like I was sixteen again and I could get it up every ten minutes. If it weren't for the fact that mom got up and got dressed, I might have initiated another session. "Nonsense. I know that we both feel guilty about what we are doing, but that's not going to happen. Get some more sleep. I'll let you know if the wind picks up." I nodded my head and I hoped she was right, but I watched her ass all of the way as she left the cabin. I rolled over, stuck a pillow between my legs and fell asleep. Quetzalcoatl Ch. 04 4 I awoke to my mother banging around in the kitchen. "What's going on?" I asked still half asleep. "The wind is starting to pick up. I'll make some coffee. Maybe you should get up top." I found my clothes, got dressed and got out of bed. I had to squeeze past my mom in the small galley and it felt wonderful as our bodies pressed against each other. I hesitated for a moment, as my pelvis was up against her ass. She looked over her shoulder demurely at me. "You better go and catch that wind." I turned and went up the three steps to the deck. Sure enough, there was a light but steady wind out of the southwest, just enough to get under way. I went back downstairs and found the small flashlight and, with it in my mouth, I managed to raise the sails. Getting back into the cockpit, I was able to tack nicely into the wind. I didn't get too close to the wind. This way I wouldn't have to reverse tack out to sea too much. It wouldn't be as fast, but I didn't want to fool with the ropes or come around too much in the dark. Like I said, it wasn't a strong wind, but it was good and steady, and we could make good headway down the coast. At least while it held up. Mom came out of the galley holding the coffee pot and two cups. "Coffee?" "Yeah, thanks," I said as she poured the two cups. She set down the pot and I drank the warm bitter liquid thankfully. "We only have black." Referring to the fact that we had no milk. "It will have to do." She sat down next to me. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the GPS that was lying on the seat. "That's a GPS system." "Does it work?" I hadn't even thought about it working. I was so used to things not working anymore that I had assumed it didn't. "I don't know. Let's try it." Sure enough the little screen came to life and showed our position off the Jersey shore. What an idiot, I thought to myself, satellites don't get the flu. We had made good progress for the first day, but still we had a way to go. "We didn't get very far." My mother said frustrated. "Nonsense. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours. Remember we didn't go directly towards Delaware. I wanted to play it safe and hug the shore. We could have gotten farther if I had taken a more direct route, but we'd be far out to sea." "I'm sorry," Mom said. "You're doing fine. I'm just a little impatient to find your grandmother." The rest went unsaid, and the rest of the night went by uneventfully as I tacked back and forth in the dark. Sailing at night normally would be crazy, but I figured that there was no one else out here for me to run into. I used the moon to compass by, and with an occasional use of the ship's compass, I was able to take a mostly southern route. Mom got bored and went down below after a while. I sailed for hours until the wind died down. It was probably about two in the morning. Tired, I made the sails fast and headed down into the boat to get some sleep. As I made my way through the kitchen I saw my mother lying on the bunk. The sheet was partially over her, but in the candlelight I could tell she was naked. Oh God I thought, but my cock immediately grew hard in my shorts. I slid into bed next to her and felt the warmness of her skin next to mine. She lightly awoke as I settled in. "The wind die?" "Yes." "What time is it?" She rolled over on her side facing me, and I could feel her hot breath on my face. "About two." "My poor baby. You've been such a good sailor." She got up and straddled me immediately. Her breasts were right there in my face, as she started to rock her naked pussy against my erection. I couldn't help myself. I took one of her tits in my mouth and sucked on it greedily. Tonguing her nipple. She took that as a sign of consent, because she slid down out of my reach and pulled my shorts down my legs. She grabbed my cock and kissed it lightly a few times on the head. I wanted her to put it in her mouth, but she had other ideas. She slid back on top of me and, holding my cock firmly, she inserted it in her pussy. "Oh God!" I sighed as I entered her. It felt so good and tight. "That feels good honey?" I didn't answer. I just grabbed her round hips and pushed into her as far as I could go. "You like fucking me, don't you? It's not just me. You really like it?" "Yes Ma. I really like fucking you." "I really love it. God help me, I do." "I like when you suck my cock too Ma." "Baby you have such a handsome cock. I love sucking it for you. But I really love this." She rocked back and forth on top of me with eyes closed. I held a tit in each hand, thumbing her nipples. She rocked back and forth harder and harder, faster and faster bending my cock back as she did it. He body got real hot; her breaths became deeper and faster. She was starting to come. She didn't say anything, but her face started to convulse with pleasure. I wanted to come with her, but I wasn't ready yet. She fell off of me onto her back. "Roll over," I commanded. "You're not going to fuck me in the ass?" She said with a look of concern on her face as she rolled over on her stomach. "Not today, but soon." I just wanted to see that beautiful ass of hers as I fucked her. I got on top of her and slid between her legs. With her help I slid into her again. It felt so wonderful. I had to thank the Q-flu for one thing; it made sex so much more enjoyable. I watched her ass ripple up and down as I thrust into her. She was up on her elbows, arching her back and grunting every time I entered her. I felt like I had this huge dick, and she was reeling from the mass of it. "That feels good Mom?" "Oh baby it feels so good." "Next time I'm going to fuck you in the ass." "Not today baby. It feels too good. I don't want you to pull out of me." "I'm going to come in you." "I want you to honey. Come in your mama." Two more thrusts and I could feel the orgasm take me. I felt nothing but my orgasm. I was in heaven. Finished, I rolled over onto my back. This was it. This wasn't a one-time thing anymore. I could stick my dick in her any time I wanted. She wanted it so much. I knew that I would too, and I was ready to push the limits, but not tonight. Tonight I just wanted to sleep. In the morning I woke up and mom was gone. I got dressed and made my way up on deck. She was on deck dressed in a t-shirt and those gold bikini bottoms. She was fishing. "Oh you're up," she said smiling to me. "Yes." I said as I brushed the hair out of my eyes. "You need a haircut." "We'll stop at the next barber shop we see." "I'll cut it for you later. There's coffee," she said motioning to the thermos beside her. I walked over to her and, picking up the thermos and the extra cup, poured myself a cup. It was a beautiful morning, with just the occasional breeze. I noticed her nipples poking out against her shirt. "Any luck?" I said motioning to her fishing pole. "No. All we have is lures. I don't know how to fish with lures." "I think that you are supposed to troll." "I don't know how to do that." I laughed at the thought of it. "You have to pull the lures behind you as you are moving." "Oh." "We can tie a couple of poles to the rails and troll when the wind picks up." With that I noticed something off in the horizon coming towards us. It was a motorboat. "What is it?" She asked, noticing the concern on my face. "It's a boat coming this way. You better go below, and break out the guns." She got up immediately and did as I said. The boat wasn't going very fast. It took a while for it to come the mile or so to reach us. It was a small commercial fishing boat, maybe thirty feet in length. Any thought of raising the sails and trying to outrun it was dashed because there was little wind. Mom kept asking me over and over how far away it was. She was holding the semi-automatic, and I had the .380 under my seat cushion. The boat came from the bow on the port side. As it approached I could only see only one man aboard. He was a dark skinned man of average size. He killed the engine when he was about thirty five yards away and just let it drift towards us, but he never got much closer than 20 yards from us. "Hello," he shouted from his boat. He was dressed in dirty jeans and a faded navy blue t-shirt. His hair was black, bushy and unkempt, and he had a beard. He could have been anyone of those psychos, but he didn't have that far off look in his eyes. "Hey," I shouted back. "I tried to raise you on the marine radio." "I've got it turned off. I didn't think anyone would be on it." "There are some. Not many. You going for a sail?" "I'm on my way down south. I'm trying to find someone." "That's the trick, isn't it? Not many people left." "Yeah, well I'm not too optimistic." "You've been ashore." "I came out of Freeport, yesterday. You?" "No. I've been on this boat for months. Living off whatever I can catch." "So you've never had it?" "No." "Well I wouldn't get to close. If you catch it you've got less than a 50-50 chance of survival." "I know." "You got any fish on board now?" "Some." "Would you be willing to trade?" "I don't know. Do you have any young women on board?" I saw my mother out of the corner of my eye. "They're all dead "So I hear. I've got some nice stripers that I caught this morning. What have you got?" "I don't know what I have to offer you." "You have any pain relievers?" "Yeah, I've got a full bottle of ibuprofen." "How many tablets?" "500" "I'll trade the bottle for the two stripers." "How big?" "Well they're not keepers, but at least twenty inches each." "Sold." "How are we going to exchange them?" "Let me get the bottle," I said and I went down below. Mom already had them out of the medicine kit, and handed them to me. When I got back on deck I carefully placed them in the water overboard to see if it floated. "It should float if I toss it to you," I said as I threw it to him and it landed about ten feet off the side of his boat. He already had the two fish out and was tying them to a float. It was the kind of float that the lobstermen mark their traps with. He placed everything in the water and got out a net to fish out the plastic bottle of pills. "It was nice doing business with you. Turn your radio on. I could use someone to talk to." "Sounds good." "Hey, have you heard of the roving gangs of men who are attacking women?" "I've not only heard, but I witnessed three guys kill my neighbor just to rape his seventy-five year old wife." "What's it all about?" "I don't know, some sort of side effect of the Q-flu. It turns some men into psychos." "It's crazy. It's all over the radio. People are being killed. Whatever women are left are being attacked." "You wouldn't believe. The flu has changed all it has touched." I hesitated for a minute knowing that that included me. "What are you going to do?" "I don't know. It's strange. I'm imprisoned on a huge ocean, and if I go back I will always be in danger. I guess I'll always have it hanging over my head." "What do you do for fuel?" "I sneak into shore at night and siphon whatever gas I can find." "What's your name man?" "Damien. What's yours?" "Ed." "Well it was nice to meet you Ed. I'll be looking for you on the radio." With that he went back into the pilothouse of his boat and started it up. He roared away leaving the fish tied to the float. I fished them out and gave them to my mother. She seemed very happy to have some fresh fish to cook. The wind picked up and I made as much mileage as I could. I had never sailed like this. Even if we had a destination in mind we usually took our time getting there. The trip itself was supposed to be the enjoyable part. Entertainment took a back seat on this trip. I started to think about what Damien had said about the roving bands attacking women. If it was all over the radio, then what we encountered back home was not an isolated incident. I started thinking about the trip to grandma's house once we get ashore. My mother would be a big hindrance. My mom had filleted the fish and cooked them on the small camp stove in the galley. We had them for lunch with a little bottled lemon juice. They were fantastic. After lunch mom changed out of the t-shirt and switched back to the bikini bra. Her gold tits were resplendent in the afternoon sun as she sat next to me catching some rays. I was at the wheel taking a seaward tack. "Mom I'm starting to think about when we get to Delaware." "Yeah," she said with her eyes still closed to the sun. "I'm thinking that maybe I should make the trip alone." She opened her eyes and looked at me with concern. "Without me? Where would I go?" "I think that you should stay on board. You could motor out a couple of hundred yards and anchor. You would be safe there." "No way. I'm going with you." "Mom if you go I would always be afraid for your safety. You heard Damien, about the roving bands." "You're not leaving me on this boat alone." "You'd be safer on board, and I could go during the day. If you come, we would have to sneak there at night." "So, we go at night." "Mom you are being unreasonable. I can cover more ground without you." "Have I held you up yet? Did I hold you up when I had to whack that guy in Freeport? The discussion is over. I'm going." "No. No you're not." She stood up facing me with her back to the sun. Her hair was blowing in her face and she looked ravishing in that gold bikini. "You can leave me behind?" She asked. "I have to." She reached behind her with both hands and undid the hook of her bra top. She stripped off her bra and stood there topless in front of me. All I could see was her lovely red nipples. "You can leave these behind?" "Mom be reasonable," I said as I rolled my eyes, but I knew I couldn't win this argument. She sat down on top of me; straddling me, with her tits in my face. "Go ahead and tell me how you can leave these behind." "Mom you can't use sex to get your way." My cock was hard in my shorts as she ground her pussy into it. "Why not? It always worked with your dad." That was the first time she had mentioned dad since we started having sex. She then got down on her knees and started to pull my shorts off. I didn't resist and she got them down to my shins. My cock was red and angry in her face. "I know someone who doesn't want to leave me." She grabbed my cock and started to work it. "I know someone who wants to be in mommy right now." "Mom please." I pleaded. "Mom please what? Please leave me alone or please suck my cock?" I didn't answer, I just closed my eyes with pleasure as she stroked me. "That's what I thought, and we will have no more talk about leaving me alone." She took my cock in her mouth and started to suck me off. She stopped for a second. "Or would you rather I stopped doing what I'm doing, so we could talk?" I didn't answer. I just wanted her to take my cock in her mouth again. "I thought so." And, to my relief, she got down on my cock again. I sat back with the sun in my face and my cock disappearing over and over again between my mother's lips. I had one hand on the wheel and the other on the back of my mother's head jamming my cock as far down her throat as I could. I had a hold of her dark hair, and I could hear the muffled exclamations my mother made, every time I pushed her head down. I knew that taking her with me was a bad idea, but I wasn't thinking with my head. I was only thinking with my dick, and right at that point, I was only thinking about how deep and how fast I could get my dick into my mother's mouth. I couldn't see her tits, so I concentrated on the curve of her ass, as she worked me closer to orgasm. I watched as her cheeks moved back and forth while she was rocking on my cock. I felt the pleasure build in the head of my cock and then I came into her mouth. I shuddered as I ejaculated into her mouth and the orgasm made me loose consciousness. She sat back on her legs, her breasts bobbing with the motion of the boat. She smiled at me as I sat with a dopey contented look on my face. I then noticed that I had never reversed tack and I was taking us way out to sea. "Oh God Mom, I have to come around." "Okay honey," she said as she stood up and put her bra back on. I was sad to see her girls go away, but I was a little busy bringing the boat around, and watching the boom cross over. The rest of the trip went the same. We had good weather with only one cloudy day. Mom used the fish heads for bait and we caught some more fish. I don't know what kind it was, but it tasted good. We had sex at least once a day, sometimes twice a day. When the wind died I would listen to the radio. Like Damien said, there weren't many people broadcasting, but if you listened long enough you could get someone. I even got Damien on the air once. We passed Atlantic City and made our way around Cape May into Delaware Bay. Slaughter beach was just a direct westerly course from Cape May, but it took us all morning to cross the twenty-mile opening of the bay, with just a light following wind. I made my way through the inlet to the harbor up Cedar Creek. I let down the sails, and anchored the boat mid creek. We were a few hundred yards from where the boats were docked. It was still mid day, and we weren't ready to start our trip. I also didn't want to take the risk of someone seeing us pull up to the dock in the daylight. We could pack and get ready for the trip. I could also catch up on some much needed sleep. I got out the binoculars my uncle had on board and scanned the area. There was a road that ran along the creek, but I didn't see anyone on it. This part of Delaware was fairly rural. It was a beach community with one-story houses crammed together near the beach, but separated when you moved inland. We had often summered in Cape May, and it was only a short ferry ride to Lewes, Delaware. That's how my parents came upon the idea of buying Grandma a house there. It wasn't too far from Rehoboth Beach and, if they bought her a house there, they could also use it as a beach house. Grandma had other ideas about living on the beach. "That's okay in the summer," she said in her thick Lebanese accent, "but come winter it's much too cold." So Dad settled for a house a few miles inland. Grandma, who had lived her whole life in the desert, wasn't used to our northeastern winters. Delaware, although not the deep south, had shorter milder winters than Long Island, and was close enough for us to visit. So in a little town, called Anderson Crossroads, was where we spent our last ten summers. Since we had to go at night, I figured that I should get some shuteye. I wasn't long in the bunk when mom came down, stripped off her swimsuit and mounted me. In only a week, sex had become commonplace for us. I lay on my back as she fucked herself on me. She would orgasm and then I would, and then I would get a nice nap. I couldn't complain, but I knew that I wanted more. I awoke in the evening, got dressed and made my way on deck. I got out the binoculars again and scanned the area. There was still no movement; no sign of life. It was strange. I knew that the area wasn't as populated as Long Island, but still, I thought I should see somebody. Mom came up top and gave me a concerned look. "What's wrong?" "There's no sign of life. I haven't seen a soul." "This area is country, Honey." "Still Mom, you would think that you'd see someone, I'm going ashore to look around." "Do you want me to come with you?" "No. I can move quicker and quieter alone." I went down below, got out the .380 with an extra clip and put them, and my sneakers, in a black plastic bag. I then went to the stern of the boat and slipped into the water. Quetzalcoatl Ch. 04 My mother leaned on the rail as she watched me get in the water. "Be careful," she whispered as if someone could hear. The water was cool, but it felt good against my tanned skin. It was only a fifty-yard swim to shore. I swam to the dockside instead of the road, since we would be docking that night, and I wanted to scout out that area. As I had thought, the whole area was abandoned. I knew that no one would be out for a pleasure cruise, but how had no one thought of fishing for a living? It was perplexing. I wasn't sure if I was happy or concerned about it. On the one hand, I was happy that I didn't have any one to deal with, but I was also perplexed by the complete absence of people. It was somehow alarming. I stopped sneaking and walked directly to the dockyard office. The door was open, but there was little left to salvage. Even though the place was abandoned, someone had been here previously to pilfer from the place. I found some Ford car keys, and there was an F-250 parked outside with the name of the boatyard on it. It only took me two minutes to unlock the truck, start it up, and park it by an unused berth. It would be there when we docked the sailboat in a few hours. There was only a few boats docked in the area, and only one car parked about twenty yards away; a Toyota minivan. I checked out the minivan, but there was nothing in it. I ran along the creek until I reached our boat. Mom was there on the deck. I wished that she had stayed below. The area seemed abandoned, but if someone saw us come up the creek, they could easily spy on us from one of the buildings on shore. I took off my sneakers, put them back in the plastic bag, and I swam the fifty yards back to the boat. "Find anyone?" Mom asked as I climbed up the ladder. "No, but I was able to find keys to a pick-up truck." "Good, we can be at your grandmother's place in no time." "Mom, I wish that you would have stayed below. Anyone could see you on deck." "I only came up when I saw you running along the shore. I thought something was wrong." It was more like a jog than a run, but she probably had a point, so I let it go. The place was abandoned, I told myself. The sun was going down. We had a little to do before we docked the boat. Quetzalcoatl Ch. 05 ****AUTHORS NOTE**** I wasn't going to submit chapters 5 & 6 until May, but it seems my computer is on the fritz, and I want to upload them before it's too late. I also seem to be losing another editor (Hmedits) He was the best one to date. I keep finding good editors, but can't keep them. If anyone knows a good editor, tell him or her to e-mail me. Chapter 7 is written but not edited. It might have to be submitted that way. Thanks for all of your kind words, and please comment on my stories. I love to hear from you. D.S. * The sun was down, but it was still twilight when I started the outboard engine. It had been clouding up for the last few hours and now the wind had started to pick up. There was a storm coming. I had originally intended to dock at night, but with the place abandoned I didn't see the need, besides I wanted to get going before the rain started. We motored up to the boatyard and right up to the berth where I had parked the Ford. I used the last of the light to tie up the boat, as Mom started to gather the few things we were to take on the trip. We took the shotgun and the semi-auto, and I put them in the cab of the truck and then I started back to the boat. That's when I saw the doors of the minivan open up. I still wasn't alarmed, and my mom hadn't even noticed it yet, but then I saw the men emerge from the vehicle. In the growing darkness I glimpsed six in all, and all of them headed towards us in a dead run. What made the hair stand up on the back of my neck was that they were all overdressed for a hot, humid night. Psychos! "Mom!" I shouted Her head was still down. I dropped the gear that I had in my hands and reached for the .380 that I had stowed in one of the cargo pockets of my shorts. I had it out in a second as they closed the gap on us, and I did the math in my head. I had six rounds in the magazine and one in the barrel, and there were six of them. I immediately thought about shouting a warning to them, but the words of that Nassau County Cop came back to me. "Remember this if you remember anything; you cannot reason with these men." I fired three quick rounds in succession. CRACK-CRACK-CRACK as the little gun jumped in my hand. I was lucky that they came en masse, and not all spread out, because one went down immediately as I saw blood spew from the left side of his head. A second one took a few more steps and then hit the ground with an "Oomph!" "Mom, get the shotgun!" I screamed and she ran for the truck. I had four more and only four more shots before I had to reload, and they had already covered half of the distance to us. CRACK-CRACK the pistol sounded again, but this time I made sure that I held it firmer in my hand. The two shots found their mark, but both on the same guy who spun around like a ballerina when he got hit. There were now three more, and I had two more shots, and they were on me. I fired both rounds point blank at the lead guy. I couldn't miss and hit him square in the chest, but I had used the last of my ammo on him. The new lead guy hit me full force like a defensive back. I stumbled back about ten feet before I regained my balance. I don't know why I didn't go down. He certainly hit me with enough force. Maybe it was the High School Lacrosse and Football I played, or maybe it was the adrenaline pumping through my system. But whatever it was, it saved our lives, because if I had gone down, we were dead. One guy was headed for my mom, the one who hit me was coming at me again with what looked like a pipe, and one of the guys I had previously shot, and considered down, had gotten up and was running full blast at us again. Our only hope was if I got to the extra clip stashed in the cargo pocket on the left side of my shorts. But I didn't have time, because the one with the pipe was upon me. He came at me with a big old round to my head. If he connected, the pipe would have split my head open like a melon. It was like I had seen so many times in bad TV dramas; I just stuck out my left arm and blocked the blow at his forearm. The next move was as if I had been taught it as a child. I sent the heel of my hand to the center of his face. At least it would have been the heel of my hand if the gun weren't there. The flat of the gun butt landed full on the bridge of his nose and just crushed it; sending blood everywhere. He went down like a bag of rocks. By this time the one who headed for my mother had tackled her just near the truck and was on top of her. She was screaming my name to high heaven. The one I had shot previously didn't even look at me. He too was headed straight for my mother and that sealed their fate. I hit the release button on the gun, sending the original clip to the floor, and got the extra clip out of my shorts. Two seconds later I had a new clip in the gun and I worked the slide to chamber a fresh round. My mother was on the ground screaming, one of the psychos was on top of her trying to get her under control and the wounded one was standing there like he was waiting for his turn. When I ran up to them the 'previously shot psycho' turned around and grinned at me like it was all a big joke, but the joke was on him as I brought the gun to bear and blew his head off with two shots to his smile. The last one tried to get up off my mom, but it was too late for him. I stuck the gun in his face and fired two more shots that sent him and most of his being all over that parking lot. It was over, but I was still worried. I helped my mother get up off the ground. She was hysterical, but I quickly rushed her into the pick-up. I couldn't be sure that all of them were dead, or if there weren't more still to come. I just wanted to get out of there as fast as I could. I got her seated and ran around to the driver's side. I could see no one coming but I was still afraid. I quickly got in, started up the truck and floored it around the parking lot to the entrance. I'm not sure, but I think I ran over at least one of the bodies on the way out. I didn't slow down until I was at least two miles away. Only then did I stop and pull over. My mother was crying and I couldn't catch my breath. It took us both a full five minutes to calm down. "Are you okay?" I was finally able to get out. My mom didn't say anything, she was still sobbing, but she nodded to the affirmative. "I'm sorry mom, but I thought that I was going to pass out. I couldn't catch my breath, I was so scared." I felt guilty about not consoling her. "You were wonderful honey. You saved my life again." "I guess." I didn't know what to think. "Are you kidding? You took on five men, and they're all dead." "Six men, and I'm not sure I killed all of them." She started to gain her composure. "Five or six, we are still alive because of you." It started to seep in. It was over. It was amazing that in the heat of battle I kept my head, but after it was over I ran like a child. I tried to figure it out in my brain. They must have seen us come into the harbor, they must have seen mom on the boat and they must have seen me come ashore by myself. It wasn't until I brought mom ashore that they attacked. Even though they were insane, they were still smart and cunning. As much as my mom wanted to congratulate me on my actions, I knew that I was responsible for getting us in that situation. I was ignorant of our foe and I underestimated them. Their attack, although planned, was flawed. Still they almost had us. If that one guy had succeeded in knocking me over, or if they had all attacked me first, we would be at their mercy. Lastly, I had used all of our .380 ammunition. We would have to find more ammo or I would have to get more acquainted with our other guns. "Are you okay?" I asked. "I think that we should get on the road to grandma's." "Yes I'm okay. Let's go." I put the truck in gear, stepped on the gas and we started out through the lowlands of Delaware. Just then, the sky opened up, and it started to rain. Driving at night, in the rain, I had a hard time finding my grandmother's house. Twice I missed a turn and instead of it taking us a half hour, it took closer to an hour. We finally found the place and I pulled down the long driveway to her house. The lawn, like everyone's these days, was high and looked more like a meadow. I dreaded what we would find in the house. I pictured the worst. That and the fact that we just got attacked, made me worry about mom. The house was a two-story farmhouse with a wraparound porch. The farm was no longer there, sold off to developers long before my dad bought the house, but she still had a few acres. There was a large two-car garage in the side yard. My grandmother would normally have her garden planted between the house and the garage. I couldn't see in the dark, but I imagined that it was now overgrown with weeds. I pulled the truck in to the circular gravel driveway in front of the house and we got out. It was still raining, but not as hard, and it was only a few steps to the porch. I made sure that I had flashlights and the shotgun with me. I was getting accustomed to being armed. The front door was locked and it seemed to be vacant inside. "Break in," my mother commanded. "Ma, don't you want to see if the back door is locked?" "Just break in Eddie," she said irritated. I took the butt of the gun and broke out one of the glass panes in the door. I then took out all the shards with the gun butt before I slipped my hand in, and opened the door. As soon as I got in I felt a little relief. No smell of death. The place seemed abandoned. I turned on my flashlight and mom followed me inside. We searched the whole house and after a while we even separated to check all of the rooms. No one was there, and there was no sign of grandma. The refrigerator was full, but of course all of the food was spoiled. Even the pantry was full. There were no signs of struggle and the house hadn't been ransacked. It was strange, but everything was in order. I was relieved, but I think my mother was in more distress. "What do you think happened to her?" My mom asked. "I haven't a clue Mom. Maybe she got the flu early on and they took her to the hospital." "Wouldn't the hospital call us, and let us know she's there?" "In normal times, yes, but the hospitals must have been crazy." "Your poor grandmother. I hate to think of her all alone." "I'm sorry Mom," I could think of nothing to say. Besides, I thought, we all die alone. "Let's see if we can find some candles," mom said with her mind elsewhere. We searched the house and I came up with some scented candles, but my mother found some tea candles in the pantry. She put three or four on some plate, and spread them out throughout the house. "You hungry?" She asked as we both straddled the kitchen table bench facing each other The kitchen, although it had new appliances, was old. It smelled of old wood and vinegar. My grandmother cleaned everything with either vinegar or ammonia. The bathrooms smelled of ammonia and the rest of the house smell of vinegar. "No, but I am a little thirsty." "I think there's a bottle of your grandmother's wine in the pantry," she said as she got off the bench to fetch it. She was wearing those tight jean shorts and her ass also looked cute in the candlelight. "It's warm, but wet," she said as she produced a large bottle and two glasses. There was a double entendre there, but I didn't want to say it in front of mom. It was funny, I was fucking her, but I wouldn't talk dirty in front of her. Except when we were having sex, of course. "I don't know Ma. Grandma's wine is really strong," Grandma made her own wine, the old fashion way, like she had always done back in Lebanon. The alcohol content was twice that of store bought. "It's really good though. This is what I grew up on." She poured the two glasses, and when I took my first sip, the warmth came over me like I had just taken a sip of brandy. "Is there something wrong Ed? You've been a little distant." "I keep thinking about those psychos back at the boatyard." "What about them?" "We were lucky to get away unscathed." "It wasn't luck. You were wonderful." "I don't know. I keep thinking that I led us into a trap." "How could you have known that they would be there?" "I don't know, but from now on we have to be more careful. We have to think that they are everywhere. There are probably a lot more of them than we thought." "You're right." Mom finished her wine and poured us both another glass. "I also used up all of the pistol ammo." "How many rounds do we have for the automatic rifle?" Mom asked, and I smiled at her. "What?" She smiled back and tilted her head to one side. "Rounds?" "Why, isn't that the right phrase?" "Yeah, if you're a marine." "Bullets then. How many bullets do we have?" "With us, about two clips worth; twenty ROUNDS." I over emphasized the word. "You're an ass." She pinched me hard on the arm. It was a mix of playfulness and irritation. She always hated my sarcastic side. We were both starting to feel the effects of grandma's strong, homemade wine. "And how many more do we have on the boat?" "Two boxes. Maybe a hundred or so." "Tomorrow morning go back to the boat and get the rest of the ammo and whatever supplies we need. We can do some target practice when you get back." "You're not coming with me? I thought you were afraid to be alone. Her breasts seemed to look bigger than usual. Maybe it was the form fitting t-shirt she was wearing. "I'd rather not go back to the boat. There might be psychos there," she said with a look of concern on her face. "I'll be alright here." "Okay Ma," I said as she ran her fingers through my hair. "You remind me so much of your father," she fussed, but I didn't know why she would think that. Dad was tall and thin, with a northern European look. I, on the other hand, was stronger built and had my mother's Lebanese coloring. "I don't look anything like dad." "No, but you have his personality, his drive." She held my face in her hand. She looked dark and sultry in the candlelight. I felt the monster of lust rise up in me again. She pulled my face to her and kissed me lightly on the lips. I felt my breathing becoming deep. "It's hot in here," she said as she picked up and drained her wineglass. She laid the glass down on the table and then pulled her t-shirt up and over her head. Her raven hair was all disheveled and sexy. "Ma, what are you doing?" "Why?" She said innocently. "It's hot in here. Isn't it?" Her bra was strawberry in color and it pushed her tits up and together. "Is that a push up bra?" I could see the darkness of her skin down her cleavage. "Yes it is. Do you like it?" She was acting so demure. It was driving me nuts. She poured us two more drinks and downed half of hers right away. "Yes it's very pretty." The light red color of the lace looked wonderful against her skin. I could just imagine her nipples underneath. She sidled up next to me and draped her legs over mine. She was now straddling me. "Aren't you hot Ed? Why don't you take your shirt off?" She said and then she bit her lower lip. I crisscrossed my arms, took my shirt by the hem and pulled it up and over my head. Mom wasted no time in running her hands up and over my pecs. I lowered my head and nuzzled her neck, as I found it hard to breathe. "I win," she said with satisfaction. "Yes Mom you always win." I said as I kissed her neck. She reached behind her and undid her bra, and as I sat back she took it off showing off her girls to me. She then hiked herself on top of me and started to grind on me. I took a tit in my mouth as she started to get herself off on me. Her grinding was stimulating the underside of my cockhead. It felt wonderful and I ran my hands down her side and grabbed her hips. She smiled at me and wrapped her arms around my neck as she gave me a motherly lap dance. I wanted to be inside her so bad. "Get up," I commanded. She lifted herself up and slipped off the rest of her clothes as I got up and did the same. I straddled the bench again and as she looked me right in the eye, she straddled me again and slid my cock into her pussy. ""Uhhh," she grunted as my cock thrust deep inside of her. Once I was all of the way in, she started to rock back and forth on my member. I knew this motion wouldn't get me off, but it felt so good and she looked so sexy. I could have lasted forever. I drank her in: her raven black hair, her dark eyes her scarlet red nipples plump with excitement, her flat stomach and her round hips. I just watched my mother fuck herself on me, as I waited for her to orgasm. She must have been getting drunk, because she kissed me full on the lips and stuck her tongue in my mouth. We had fucked many times in the last week, but this was the first time we frenched. She stopped for a minute to pour another glass of wine. She took a long pull on it and then poured the last few drops on her tits. I eagerly licked them off and she proceeded to rock back and forth again as I ran my tongue up one of her tits, and down the other. We went back to kissing. I could taste the wine on her tongue. She then started sucking on my tongue. Her breathing got deeper and more pronounced. "Mmmm. Mmmm. Mmmm," she moaned as I could feel her coming to orgasm. It was only a matter of a few more strokes until she sat back on my cock, threw her head back, and gave out one long last exhale as she came. She was just barely done when I rousted her. "Get up." She staggered to her feet. I had to hold her so that she wouldn't fall down. I kicked the bench out of the way and bent her over the table. Her beautiful round ass sat in my face as she sprawled out on the table. I got between her legs and stuck my cock in mom's cunt as far as it would go. I just held onto those voluptuous hips of hers and rammed into her over and over. She was more than a little drunk so, as I got close to orgasm, I slipped my cock out of her pussy, and rammed it into her asshole. "Uhhhhh," she complained. "Eddy, you're in the wrong hole." "No I'm not Ma. I'm right were I want to be." "Oh God. Oh God," she protested as I fucked her up the ass. She grabbed a hold of the far edge of the table as I gave her no mercy. "Does it hurt Ma?" "Yes!" She responded, but her pain only made it more erotic. It only made me want to fuck her harder in the ass. I spread her cheeks, and watched as my dick slid in and out of her cute little bunghole. "Oh God Ma, I can't believe that I'm fucking you in the ass." "Ahhh Eddie, hurry up, it hurts." We grunted in unison, me with pleasure and her with pain, as I thrust for the last few times into her and shot my load deep inside her ass. The orgasm took me to heaven, and I just stood there throbbing into her. She pulled away from me as soon as she could, and just lay on the kitchen table. "Next time you do that," she said over her shoulder. "you better lube up first. I want to please you Eddie, but that really hurt." "I'm sorry Ma," I said guiltily. "No you're not. You loved it. I think, the more you hurt me, the more you loved it. You better have enjoyed it, because you're not doing that for a long time." She got up, put on her clothes, and trudged up to Grandma's room. I fell asleep in the spare bedroom that I used as a kid. That was the first time ma and I slept apart since she got over the flu. The sun woke me up early the next morning. I quickly got dressed and made it into the kitchen. I was relieved to find that mom was still not up yet. I had a bad feeling about grandma. Going out the kitchen door, I noticed that the sun was already drying last night's rain, but there was still a mist over the high grass in the distance. I stood on the back stoop and surveyed grandma's property. Not to my surprise, a couple of crows were on the ground about fifty yards behind the garage. Quetzalcoatl Ch. 05 I made my way towards them through the high grass and they took to flight as I got near. Sure enough, still dressed in her housedress, was grandma. Her mouth was agape and her skin was pulled tight against her bones from being out in the sun for who knows how long. There was something else. Something had been eating her, and it wasn't just the crows. Her eyes were missing out of her head. I went back to the garage and found an old plastic tarp, and a spade. I wrapped her small frail body in the tarp and placed it in the back of the pickup truck. I didn't want mom to see her like this, but I also didn't rush to do what I had to do. It would take me hours to dig a grave. As I dug the hole I thought about what I had done to my mother last night. Maybe it was the alcohol that made me act so cruelly, or maybe it was Quetzalcoatl. Whichever it was, digging this grave was definitely my penance. I could see the whole house from where I was and I could also see the driveway. About fifteen minutes into my punishment I saw something move up the drive. I knew it was an animal, but I didn't know what kind at first. Then I realized it was a dog. A pure white German Shepard. I wasn't alarmed. You could tell by the dog's demeanor that it wasn't vicious. It was looking for something, probably food, and it was paying strict attention to the house. It didn't notice me, so I gave a low whistle to alert it. It jumped at first, but then it just stood there looking at me. I didn't want to intimidate it, so I looked away and I started digging the hole again. I had always heard that dogs interpreted eye-to-eye contact as a threat, so I made sure to keep it in my peripheral vision. It circled around behind me and lay in the tall grass some twenty yards away. A while later mom came to the back stoop. This was what I had dreaded since we started on this trip. She waved to me and I waved back, but I kept digging. She slowly walked through the tall grass to where I was. "What are you doing Ed?" She asked as she got near. I stopped digging and just looked at her. "What? Why are you digging a hole Ed?" "Mom, come here." I had the blue plastic tarp in my sight. "What Ed? What's the matter? You're scaring me." "Ma, I found Grandma." "Oh my God. No Ed." She started to shake. "Where?" "Here. On the ground." "Oh no. Oh no. Oh no," she started to cry. I dropped the shovel and I walked over to her slowly. "Oh my god Ed. She's dead?" She was crying. "Yes Mom, she's gone." "Oh God no. Oh God no." She was shaking with grief. "She died all alone. Out here all alone?" I just held her in my arms and let her go on. "She died out here all alone, and I wasn't here for her. Oh my God Mom I'm so sorry." I felt a lump in my throat, and I started to cry. "Where is she Ed?" "I had nothing to wrap her in Mom. So I wrapped her in a tarp." "In this old tarp?" she said with horror. "Oh God no Ed." "It's just for now Ma, until we find something appropriate." "I want to see her Ed." She was half out of her mind. "No you don't Ma." "Yes I need to see her." She insisted, and she headed for the body in the blue tarp, but I held her tight. "Ma, she's not in any condition." "What does that mean Ed?" She stared up at me. "I mean she's not in any condition for you to see her." "Not in any condition for me to see? What does that mean?" She was incoherent. "She's been out here for a while Ma. I can't let you see her." With that she just broke down and cried. I had to carry her bodily back into the house. It was an hour before I got her under control. Later I went out the back door and started digging the grave again. The white dog was still out there in the grass and she watched me as I toiled. By noon the hole was about four foot. It's not the customary six-foot, but I was sick of digging graves. The dog never left my view. It had to be starving, although it didn't look very gaunt. I walked back to the house and she followed at a safe distance. I wouldn't look at her straight on, but just kept her in the corner of my eye. I went in and got a drink of water and then searched through the pantry for her. I found a big can of beef stew, opened it and came outside with the stew, two bowls and the jug of water. I put the stew in one bowl and some water in the other. I then put the bowls in the yard about twenty feet from the house. I sat on the wooden steps behind the house watching the dog. She could smell the food, but she wouldn't come in right away. Her snout kept sniffing at the air as she paced back and forth. Slowly, methodically, she came closer and closer as she felt safer. I didn't move except to take a drink from the water jug. She was still wary, but hunger finally won over caution, and she came in to eat. She was fantastic, pure white without the slightest blemish on her coat, and tremendous. She had to be at least a hundred pounds. She was bigger than most male Shepherds. Mom came to the back screen while the dog was eating. "What's this? A dog?" "Shhhhh," I scolded her. "I just got her to trust me." The dog didn't seem to be frightened of my mother. "Where did she come from?" "I don't know. She just appeared while I was digging." "Poor thing. She must have been hungry." "Yeah, but she doesn't look like she has missed too many meals." "No. She looks healthy." The dog finished the food and then just lay down in the grass. She didn't look directly at us, but you could tell she was watching us. "Well," my mother continued. "We now have a dog. What will we call it?" "Al Shabah." I said with pride. "The ghost! Perfect. It suits her." Mom said and walked back into the house. Mom and I said our prayers over grandma's body as best we could. Mom had made a shroud out of old linen tablecloths, and I was able to get her out of the tarp without mom having to see. We buried her as the sun was starting to go down, and we stayed until it was getting too dark to see. That night I sat on the porch alone, drinking more of grandma's wine. The dog sat in front of me in the grass, watching over the fields, and her ears picked up for the slightest of sounds. "You'll be a good watchdog, if you stay," I said to her softly. The dog looked at me as if she knew what I was saying. "I hope you do. I could use a friend." I finished another glass of wine, and then headed inside. Although I held the door open for the dog, it preferred to sleep outside. "Suit yourself," I said through the screen door. I closed the main door and locked it, before I headed for my bedroom on the first floor. Mom was already asleep upstairs. This was the first day that we didn't have sex. Quetzalcoatl Ch. 06 6 The next morning I woke up again with the sun. It was a partly sunny day and the sun peeked in and out of the clouds. I checked outside through the window, but the dog wasn't around. I made coffee, and then I went out for a better look. There she was, not too far away in the grass. She picked up her head when she heard me come out of the house, and she sniffed the air. I went back inside to the pantry and retrieved another can of stew. This time she came in fairly fast after I emptied the food into the bowl. She was starting to get used to me already. Or maybe she just liked our stew. When mom awoke I was outside drinking my coffee while the dog lay in the grass about ten feet away "She's getting used to you," Mom said from the door. "She's getting used to being fed." "She's a good dog. She'll come in useful around here." "Yes I hope she stays." "Oh she'll stay. Come in here, I want to talk to you." I left the dog outside, and sat down at the kitchen table "I want you to go back to the boatyard, and get as much gear out of the boat as you can." "We're abandoning the boat?" "For now. We always know where it is if we need it, but I think that we'd do better here. We can get your grandmother's garden in shape, and grow as much food as we can for the winter." "Okay Mom." It sounded as good as a plan as any. So I finished my coffee and packed the truck with some gear and the semi-auto. Outside the dog was looking at me like I was leaving it, but when I got in the truck without mom, who was watching me from the door, she settled down. I made my way down the drive and out on the road towards Slaughter beach. In the daylight the trip took half as much time. I drove through the vacant streets to the beach in just a half hour. When I got to the boatyard and to the boat I realized that someone had moved the bodies. At least five bodies should be laying on the gravel parking lot that bordered the creek. Not one corpse was evident. I parked the F-250 down by the boat, and after looking around for a bit, I got the needed supplies and stowed them in the cab. I started to get some crazy ideas. What if they weren't dead? Or maybe they came back to life. I kept the automatic slung over my shoulder. On one of my trips back to the truck I noticed that someone was standing on the stairs leading into the boatyard's office. He was older, maybe around fifty, and he was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. That was definitely a good sign. I emptied the last of the gear in the truck as he headed for me. I cradled the semi-auto in my arms as he slowly closed the one hundred foot distance between us. He had long gray hair and he was kind of on the fat side. "Hello," he yelled when he got within speaking range. "Hello," I answered back. "My names John McAllister. Can I talk to you?" He asked with a slight Delmarva accent. "Sure. My name is Ed King." "Are you the one who had the run in with those zombies?" He stopped when he got about ten yards away. "Zombies?" "Well, whatever you want to call those God forsaken bastards." "Yeah I guess that was me. I'm sorry if I caused you any problems." "Nonsense. They kind of had it coming to them, the way they attacked you. I guess we should have taken care of them ourselves, but they were our neighbors once." "We?" "Yeah me and my two buddies. They were a little scared to meet you. They figured that you were some kind of a crazed killer. They didn't see what happened the other night; I did." He turned around and yelled back to the office. "Come on out. It's okay." With that, an even older man and a young boy came out of the office. The boy couldn't have been more then seventeen. The man was about seventy. "What did you do with the bodies?" "We weren't digging any graves. We put them in an old boat that was docked down there," he pointed down to the row of docked boats. "We towed it out into the bay last night and set fire to them. Gave them a kind of Viking funeral." "What's the deal with these 'zombies?" I asked as the boy and the other man walked down to us. "I've heard on the radio that everyone has got 'em." John answered. "Are they always this dangerous?" "No, usually they're not, unless you get between them and some food or a woman. That was your mistake the other night. They must have spotted your woman." "Unless they're homos," the boy added. "Homos?" "Well, it appears that they still keep their sexual proclivities even after they become zombies." "Gay zombies?" "It's a brave new world Ed. But I heard that they don't live too long. It's hard to attempt a rape on a man and come away with your skull intact." He turned around and looked at the boy and the old man. "This here is Henry, and the boy's name is Luke. Guys, this is Ed." I nodded my head to Luke and shook Henry's hand. "That's a nice rifle you got there," Henry mentioned as he nodded to the gun. "Yeah, it's some kind of semi-automatic," I said sounding like I knew something about it. "Can I see it?" I was a little hesitant to hand the man my weapon, but if they were hostile, they would have attacked me already. "Sure," I said as I handed it to him. Henry took the rifle and aimed it in the air. "This is a Ruger ranch rifle. This is a great rifle." I shook my head to show that I didn't know what he was talking about. "It's what they call a Mini-14. Based on the M-14 that the military used back in Korea. What's it chambered for?" Again I shook my head. Henry pulled the clip out of the gun and slipped one of the bullets out of it. ".223. I should have known. That's the same round as they use in the M-16. Damn nice rifle." He put the bullet back in the clip, the clip back in the rifle, and handed them all to me. "You should have used it to deal with those zombies. You would have had less trouble." "He didn't have any trouble at all," John interjected. "He took care of all six of them by himself." "I don't understand about these ...zombies," I professed. "What is the deal with them?" "They are kind of like autistic people," said John. "You can talk to them, but there is nothing inside of them. And like autistic people there is different degrees of functionality." "Yeah," I said. "I once saw one walk right by a woman, and come back later to rape her with the help of others. Then the other night we were attacked as soon as they had a chance." "They tend to attack in groups." Luke added. "I think that they feel more secure in numbers." "Not all of them are totally whacked out. I've heard of one guy who is as normal as you or I, and he has kidnapped a lot of women." Henry looked me straight in the eye as he told me that. "I heard those stories too. They're just Boogey man stories. Who knows how true they are." John protested. "I heard he has a whole harem," Henry continued. "Does this Boogey man have a name?" I asked. "Pato Azul," Henry said with just a little drama. "Pato Azul?" I asked incredulously. "Yeah, he calls himself that. No one knows his real name." "He calls himself Pato Azul?" "Yeah why?" Henry asked a little spooked. "It's Spanish. It means blue duck." I responded. "That's a strange name." John interjected. "It's disturbing. Does he come around here?" "Well, mostly I hear stories about him from people up around Dover. You know, on the C.B. radio." "Let me know if he comes around here." "Yeah sure." Henry could see the determination in my eyes. "Listen Ed," John interrupted. "Do you have enough ammo for that gun?" I snapped out of my Blue Duck fixation, and thought about John's question. "I got about two boxes, but I guess I could always use more. Why?" "Well, there was a cop who lived close to here. He used to be a real gun buff. We could see if he had any ammo to fit that gun." "You mean Michael?" Henry chimed in. "Yeah I think I remember him having a mini-14. Let's go check." "It's not too far. You want to come with us?" John asked me. "Nah. If you don't mind, I still need to pack the rest of our stuff in the truck. And I need to get some gas." "Luke can get you some gas. We use hand pumps to get it out of the yard's gas tank. Normally this yard is pumping gas for dozens of boats on the weekend. Not many people are pleasure boating these days." So they went off in John's Escalade while I retrieved the gear from the sailboat. When they got back I had the pickup over by the boatyard's pumps, and Luke and I were hand pumping the gas. "I got you three boxes, with one hundred rounds in a box. That's three hundred rounds," Henry said to me proud of his scrounging. "Yeah," I said sarcastically. "That should last me." Henry and John both smiled. "Thanks again for all that you've done. I appreciate it," I added. "No need to thank us," John assured me. "We feel a little guilty about not taking care of those guys before they attacked you. You see, there aren't many women around, so we didn't have any problems with them." I nodded to him. "You let me know if you hear anymore about this Pato guy." "Okay," Henry agreed. "Thanks again," I said before I got in the truck and drove off. I stopped at a small grocery store on my way back to the house. It was a combination gas station and grocery that we had been to many times over the years. It was more than a little ransacked for food, but I was able to get a couple of big dog food bags, and some dog biscuits. We couldn't afford to keep feeding the dog people food. This should last her for at least a few months. When I got back to the house, I parked in back so that it would be easier to unpack. I didn't see the dog anywhere. I gave a few whistles, but to no avail. Ah shit, I thought, she must have left. My mother came to the back door after she heard me whistling. "What are you whistling for?" "I don't see the dog." "She's inside." "The dog's inside?" I said with some astonishment. I couldn't even get her to sit on the porch. "Yeah, she's watching me bake." "How did you get her to come in?" "I just opened the door. She must have smelled the cooking." Sure enough, when I went inside Al Shaba was underneath the kitchen table. She even wagged her tail at me. "What a freeloader." I admonished her. "Leave her alone, the poor thing, she's hungry, and she's been all alone until she found us." Mom looked great wearing those super-short jean shorts and a pink tank top, but she was wearing a bra. Her hair, pulled back in a ponytail, was all disheveled and powdered with flour. "She doesn't look too skinny," I said skeptically. "I'm not so sure that she's not playin' us." "Look at that sweet face," mom said as the dog lay on her side wagging her tail. "I think she's a trickster." "Well, you named her the ghost, and ghosts are apt to do that," mom said as she took a pie out of the oven. As she bent over, I walked up behind her and put my hands around her waist. "What are you doing?" "Just hugging you mom." "I'm busy," she said without looking at me. "Besides, I hope you don't think that you're getting any, after the way you treated me the other night. I'm still sore." "I'm just thanking you for baking for me," I said feigning remorse. "Bull shit," mom uncharacteristically cursed. "You have a hard on, and you're not sticking it in me." "Come on Mom, just a blow job?" I pleaded. She spun around in my arms, and she started to push me away. "Absolutely not. Now go and unpack the truck. We both have too much to do." I walked away demoralized and horny. My hard on was still uncomfortable in my pants. It took me at least an hour to unpack the truck. It seemed that we packed a year's worth of food, clothes and essentials in that boat. When I was done my mom was in cleaning mode, and I knew better than to interrupt my mom when she gets in one of those cleaning frenzies, so I took the mini-14 out to the field behind the house. The dog followed me, sensing that all of the cooking was over, and the food had been put away. I set up some old cans and bottles on a fence that bordered the woods and I knelt down in the grass some fifty paces back to the house. I brought the gun to my cheek, like I saw it done on TV, and tried to aim. The rear sight on the gun is a small cylinder that is canted with several holes in it. You can look through one of those holes down the barrel of the gun. I lined the hole up with my eye to a post that served as the front sight, and aimed at a large vegetable can. I released the safety, and pulled the trigger. The gun clanged in my ear with just the slightest of kicks. I had expected a much bigger kick and I expected the kick to hurt my shoulder, but neither occurred. I also expected a great bang from the gun firing, but all I heard was the clang of the bolt jumping to the rear of the gun. Wow, I thought, this is really easy. I fired the gun two more times, and the second bullet hit the can. This wasn't just easy it was fun! No wonder people get hooked on shooting guns. I fired some more, but I couldn't keep the sights on the targets for too long. No matter how hard I tried it was almost impossible to keep the front sight on the cans. I sat back on my back leg and leaned my elbow on my front knee. That was better. I could steady the gun much better, and I was able to knock down the rest of the cans without much effort. Before I knew it, both clips were empty and, since I didn't bring any more ammo, I got up and headed for the house. To my surprise Al Shaba was still sitting next to me in the grass. "You're not afraid of guns huh," I said to the dog, as she wagged her tail at me. "Your old master must have been a hunter." The dog just panted with her long red tongue out the side of her mouth. "That's good to know." I knelt down in the grass, and the dog came up to me and let me pet it for the first time. Her coat was thick and soft. She licked my hand and then I got up and walked back to the house. Mom was nowhere to be found when I entered the house. I kicked off my sneakers as I had a million times after one of mom's cleaning binges. I heard some commotion upstairs, and so I headed for the staircase. The dog found a cool spot back under the kitchen table When I got to second floor landing I heard something in the bathroom. The door was only slightly closed, and I eased my hand to the knob and pushed it open. The bathroom was large for so old a house and there was an old claw foot tub on the left and a pedestal sink on the far wall. Mom was in front of the sink, naked except for a pair of white thong panties, and she was soaking wet. She had a washcloth in her hand as she turned around to see me. It was full of soap, and she must have been lathering herself up. The first thing that I noticed was her ass. It was big and firm and luscious. Each cheek was round and separate. They were just barely parted by the triangle and then the string of her thong. The water on her skin reflected the afternoon light from the window. "Eddie, what are you doing here?" "Hi Mom." She saw that look in my eye. She grabbed a towel from the rack and hung it loosely in front of her as she turned to me. "You don't belong here. Please leave." "Ma, please don't be like that." "You scared and hurt me the other night. Maybe you're right. Maybe you are turning into one of those things." She hung the towel so haphazardly, that I saw most of her tits still damp with soap. If she was trying to cover herself, she was doing a bad job. "Ma, I would never hurt you again," I said as I slipped off my t-shirt, and approached her. "No Ed, it's not going to happen." I unbuttoned my shorts and let them drop to the floor as I came closer. She turned away from me still holding the towel loosely in front of her. I slipped my arms around her waist and pulled her close. My cock, which had broken free of my boxers, was nestled in the crack of her ass. I felt the wetness of the bathwater against me. "Please Ed no," she whimpered. She was saying no, but she wasn't resisting, or trying to free herself of me. My hands slid up her wet body and found her beautiful round tits under the towel. "Ed stop," she huffed as I kissed the nape of her neck and tasted the soapiness. My cock slid up and down the crack of her ass. "You're not fucking me, and you are certainly not fucking me there," she commanded, but she didn't fight me as I fingered her nipples. I didn't say a thing, but my right hand trailed a path down her torso, over her belly and down her pelvic area, but her right hand beat me to her pussy. She cupped it, and I cupped my hand over hers. "No," she moaned. Of course my hand was stronger, so I forced her fingers into the patch of cloth covering her, and stimulated her with her own fingers. My left hand left her breast and I started to push her thong down, but she dropped the towel and grabbed the string of her panties, pulling it back up. It became a tug of war for a while until I gave up. Instead I pushed her hand away from her pussy, crammed my hand into her thong, and forced my finger into her. "Oh God," she gasped, and in the mirror I could see her close her eyes. I went right for her clit, because I knew she liked that the best. She didn't disappoint. She started to moan softly under her breath. It got me so hot, watching her breasts heave and listening to the sound of her getting excited. Even though she loved my fingering her, she still grabbed at my hand to pull it away. But I was much too strong for her and, even though I was forcing her, I wasn't hurting her. The feel of my cock slipping between her soapy cheeks was ecstasy and I loved watching her fight me as she was in the throes of excitement. She didn't know what she wanted, and it was turning me on. "What do you want Mom? Do you want me to stop, or do you want me to fuck you?" "YES. No. I don't know." She vacillated, as I played with her clit and nipples, and I slid my cock up and down the crack of her ass. "Well what is it?" I mocked. "Fuck you Ed." "Fuck me? You want to fuck me?" "Just shut up, and don't stop doing what you are doing," she commanded as she came closer to coming. Finally she started to convulse as I could feel her body temperature rise, and her heartbeat quicken. She gasped one more time as she came to orgasm. She pulled away from me, turned around and kissed me full on the lips, taking my tongue deep in her mouth, and sucking on it. She was still breathing heavy from her orgasm, as she grabbed my cock and started to jerk me off. Oh God, I wanted her so bad right then. "Suck it Mom. Suck my cock," I said breathlessly as I pulled away from her kisses. "No, I don't want to." "Yes you do. You want to take my cock in your mouth." "No." "Well you are going to," I ordered her, as I forcibly pushed her down at the shoulders. She still kept jerking me off as I forced her to her knees, but she kept shaking her head no. "Suck it Mom. Suck my cock." She looked up at me, straight in the eyes and shook her head no. "Don't make me Ed." "Suck it Mom. Suck my cock," I said more forcefully. With that she parted her red lips, and took me in her mouth. The pleasure was indescribable, as she ran those red lips up and down my shaft. She might have said that she didn't want to, but she was taking me in like an old pro. My God, my mom could suck a mean cock. I watch as she bobbed up and down on my shaft, her breasts still shimmering from the bathwater, and I drove my hips into her as I fucked my mother's pretty face. "Mom you are so good at sucking cocks," I said and she gave me a stern look. I never wanted it to end. I wanted my cock in her forever. I wanted to fuck her face, her pussy, and her ass forever. Quetzalcoatl Ch. 06 She really started to work me, and I could feel that I was getting closer. I grabbed the back of her head, and forced myself upon her even more and faster than before. Just when I thought she couldn't take anymore, I blew my load in her mouth. I listened as she slurped my come and swallowed it as fast and furious as it came out. Spent, I backed away from her and sat back on the old cast iron radiator that was on the wall. Mom got off of her knees and curled up on me. Her head was under my chin. I could feel her warm wet skin upon mine. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Yeah, I'm fine." "You're not mad at me?" "Ed, I love doing things for you, and God help me, with you, but you scare me sometimes." "I'm sorry." "It's just that the last few times you've had such an anger in you. You seem to enjoy it more if I'm in pain, or if you force me." "I know. "Weren't you the one who worried about turning into a psycho?" "I know. Maybe we should stop for a while." "Okay," she said hesitantly. "But I don't want to stop." "I don't either." The feel of her tits on my chest felt so enticing, and I could see her in one of the mirrors, naked except for that thong. I wanted to fuck her. "Oh my God Ed, you're hard again!" "Yes," I said, as I picked her up, lifted her onto the sink, and as she pulled her panties aside, I entered her. She leaned her legs on my arms as I leaned my hands on the sink, and I fucked her slowly and lovingly. Later that night I sat in a rocking chair on the front porch drinking some of grandma's wine. The dog was sitting at my feet and we were watching a thunderstorm that had blown in from the west. I thought about how my life had changed in the last month. My father and wife were dead, along with most of the world. I either killed or had seen killed about a dozen people, and I was having a consensual incestuous affair with my mother. It wasn't a clichéd line to say that I didn't know who I was anymore. My God, I thought, I never go anywhere without carrying an assault weapon with me. Even now it was slung over the back of the rocking chair that I was sitting in. Our relationship was troubling and unnatural but, in a way, I counted myself lucky. What would the relationship be if I had these desires, and she didn't? Would I have still forced myself on her? Yes, I was lucky that she had these desires too. In fact, she seemed to have them even more than me. Her conflict wasn't whether to have sex, but whether the sex was changing me. Mom came out from cleaning up after dinner. "Wine?" I asked as she sat down next to me, Al Shaba wagged her tail at mom. "Sure," she said. I poured her a glass, and refilled mine. "That was a great cherry pie Mom. Where did you get the filling?" "I found a few cans in the pantry... Ed," she changed the subject. "We have to think about what we are going to do." "What do you mean?" "Well, we can stay here for the rest of the summer. We can get grandma's garden in shape. Maybe expand it some more and plant a crop of fall vegetables. I can preserve the extras to last us over the winter, but I think we should think about moving on when the seasons change." "Why?" "Well, for one thing, winter's coming, and it's going to get cold even down here in Delaware. Second, I think that we should go somewhere even more rural. Some place where there are even less people. I don't want to have to worry about being attacked by some psycho." "Move where?" "I don't know. Maybe we could find us a nice farm down by the Gulf of Mexico." "Okay." It made sense. "How would we get there? I mean by car or boat?" "We can carry more in the pickup truck than the boat, and we can tow a trailer too. I think it has a hitch on the back. We can siphon whatever gas we need from other cars or from gas stations along the way. Didn't you say that those men gave you a hand pump and hose to get gas from gas stations?" "Yeah." I thought about it. It made a lot of sense. I had even thought about how we were going to heat this house in the winter. It had a fireplace, but it relied mainly on an oil-fired burner to heat it. The fireplace was more for atmosphere. "What are we going to plant?" "I found your grandma's seed collection. We are lucky. They are all heirloom seeds." "What the hell does that mean?" "They are not hybrid seeds," she responded and I gave her a quizzical look. "It's basic genetics Ed. Didn't you take any science classes in college?" "I was a business major. I went to Fordham, not Joe's farming college." "Never mind," she said exasperated. "Mom?" "What?" "What kind of seeds do we need to plant to get a T-bone steak?" She just clicked her tongue at me, rolled her eyes and drank her wine. A few mornings later I got an answer to my T-bone problem. I was working in the garden, and Al Shaba was lying in the lawn like she is want to do. She started to growl, and when I looked up, the hair on her back was standing on edge. Not knowing what was up, I quickly grabbed for the mini that I had hanging on a fence post nearby. She was standing up and staring into the woods that were about one hundred yards away. At first I saw nothing, but then a head popped up from behind a bush. It was a deer. It was beautiful, all gray and black with just a little white. I was relieved to find that it wasn't anything to worry about. When the dog first sounded the alarm I thought, Ah shit what now, so I took a deep breath and enjoyed the sight. But the dog was not so amiable. She growled again, and then looked at me strangely. I didn't understand at first, but then I realized, she wanted me to shoot. I remembered how she was not in the least afraid of gunshots, and I put the pieces together. She must have been a hunting dog. She gave me the look again. The deer walked out from behind the bush, further into the meadow, and closer to us. As I slowly took one knee I thought, what the hell. I brought the mini up to bear and rest my left elbow on my left knee. Now, I knew little about hunting animals, but I did know that you had to hit them in the heart and hopefully the lungs too. So I fixed the front post of the rifle in the middle of the animal's body. It had its head down, eating, so I switched off the trigger safety and pulled the trigger. The animal stood up, spun around, and stamped its hoofs. The animal's body was facing me, but its head was turned to the side. I thought that I had missed it, and so I aimed to fire again, but then the deer spun around again, facing the sky, and collapsed on the ground. Al Shaba took off like a bat out of hell for it. I smiled with pride. I had actually hit it. We would have fresh meat again. Mom came racing to the back steps. "What the hell happened?" "A deer! I shot a deer!" I yelled back as I started off to where the deer lay. "Oh my God Ed, I thought we were being attacked again," she shouted back. "Sorry mom. I didn't have time to warn you," I said over my shoulder. I walked out to the dog and saw the deer lying in the grass. Only then did it occur to me, what the hell was I going to do with it? I had no idea how to butcher it. I had no idea at all what to do. Mom walked up just as I was pondering my situation. "Why, it's only a baby." "What? I killed a baby deer?" "It's only a yearling. It was probably only born last summer." "I didn't know." "It's okay Ed. The park rangers aren't around to arrest you. Besides, we have no way to keep too much meat." "What do we do now?" "I don't know, great hunter of baby deer. I'm not a butcher." "Ah shit!" "Stop worrying. We'll figure it out. One thing I do know is you have to gut it." "What?" "You have to slit open its belly and take all of the guts out." "I'm not doing that!" "Well, you better, and you have to dig a hole or the dog and all kinds of wild animals will get to it." "Ah shit." I'll get a knife. You get the shovel," she said as she started to walk back to the house. Cutting open the deer wasn't so bad, but pulling the internal organs out was disgusting. It took all I had not to barf. "Why am I doing this?" I asked while mom looked over my shoulder barking instructions. "We aren't going to eat this stuff, so why bring it back to the house? It'll be heavy enough carrying it without all of its intestines." "And then what do we do?" "Well, we'll tie it up in the garage, and skin it." "Great!" "You wanted that T-bone steak." "Yeah, but I didn't know it would be all of this work." "This is nothing. Wait to you slaughter your first pig. And next time, great hunter of baby deer, you are supposed to shoot the bucks. You know, the ones with the antlers." "Excuse me, but Bambi's mother didn't have antlers, and they shot her." "Bambi," she laughed at me. "That's your reference? A Disney cartoon?" "I'm sorry, but that's the closest I had ever been to a deer until I had to gut one." "In the old days, the hunters would eat the heart raw. That way they would take in the spirit of the animal," she mocked me. "Would you like me to show you which is the heart?" "No thanks," I said as I slurped more internal organs into a hole I had previously dug. I dragged the animal's carcass back to the garage, and was able to string it up by its hind legs. My mother instructed me on cutting a slit at the bottom of its legs and running a rope through to hold it up. That night, after I finished with the gardening I had so recklessly neglected, I watched my mother peal the skin off of the deer. She was wearing those jean shorts and a tank top with no bra. Somehow it was all very erotic as I watched her by the light of the camp lantern. "You are looking at me," she said without looking at me. "I'm watching what you are doing." "No you're not. You're watching me. I'm busy," she said demurely. "Well if you don't want me to watch you, then maybe you should wear a bra," I countered. She stopped what she was doing, and looked over her shoulder at me as she was still working on to the deer. "Maybe you should find something else to amuse you." "I can't think of anything that is as stimulating." "I'm busy. Go somewhere else." "Okay. Okay," I said, as I started out of the garage. "Ed." "Yeah?" "Maybe your friends back at the boatyard might know how to butcher." "Maybe. I'll go by tomorrow." "I'll go with you," she said still looking at me. "We need some stuff. And Ed." "What," I said looking back from the door. "I'll wear that bra for you later. Along with those thongs you like so much." Quetzalcoatl Ch. 07 The next morning at breakfast mom was starring off into space as she drank her coffee. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about what supplies we need." "You okay about going back to the boatyard?" "Why shouldn't I be? You said that there weren't any more psychos there." "No. Not that I know of." 'And those guys were nice, right?" "Very nice." "Then there is no problem." "Right," I said unconvinced. "On our way back we need to stop at a hardware store." "Okay." "Okay then, let's get going," she said as she headed upstairs. I waited by the truck for mom to get ready. She kept me waiting, and when she came out the back door I knew why. She had on a scoop neck tank top in a very pretty washed out pink color. It wasn't a midriff, but it barely reached the top of her skirt. The skirt itself was a white, ruffled, tiered miniskirt that looked way too sexy for mom to be wearing just to go to the boatyard. "You look very nice," I said as we got in the truck. "Thanks," she said casually. "What?" She asked as I kept looking at her. "What's with the outfit?" "Why? You said I looked nice." "Maybe too nice, given the current world situation." "I just wanted to look nice. You realize that I really haven't met anyone since I got sick." "If you're looking to impress John or Henry, then you are wasting your time. They are a couple of local fishermen with barely five teeth between them." "Just drive," she said with a sneer. "You do look nice though." Her legs were a distraction to me, but at least she was wearing a bra. I could just imagine what kind of panties she was wearing, and that was exactly what I was doing as we drove down the long driveway. The ride to the boatyard was spent mostly in silence. The day was very cloudy, and it got misty once or twice. Along the way I thought that I spotted a figure. It wouldn't normally be anything to worry about. There were still people living in the area, but they usually didn't show themselves, and I thought this guy was wearing a coat. I pretended that I didn't see anything though. I didn't want to scare mom. When we got to the boatyard Henry was out fishing along the docks. I didn't see John or Luke anywhere. We parked near him and mom and I got out and walked toward him. "Hey Ed," he called to me. "Hi Henry," I answered back. "This is..." "Jocasta," mom interrupted my introduction. Obviously she didn't want him to know the nature of our relationship. "Well it's nice to meet you," Henry gushed. It was obvious that he was taken with mom. "Jocasta, is it?" "That's right. It's Greek, but you can call me Josie. Everyone does." "Nice to meet you Josie," he said again as he tried to fix his hair with his hands. "John around?" I asked to change the subject. "Yeah, here he is now," Henry said and we all turned around to see John and Luke exiting the office. We started to walk up to the office to meet them half way. "John, Luke, this is Jocasta," I said to them when we got close enough. 'Josie," mom corrected. "I saw you the night you two got here, but it was dark and I couldn't see how beautiful you are," John said, trying to be very gallant, torn t-shirt and all. "If I had known you were this beautiful I would have had Ed bring you around sooner." "Thank you. You are very kind." Mom was used to men flattering her. "Hey Ed," John looked at me and changed the subject. "Are you two staying over at Anderson Crossroads?" "Why?" I deflected the question. "Because they've spotted a group of zombies over there," Luke blurted out. I cringed as soon as he said it, and I saw the look of fear on mom's face. John must have seen it too because he quickly snapped at the boy. "Luke, why don't you go and check on the boat?" "I already checked on the boat," Luke barked back. "Well check it again," Henry commanded him. Luke cursed underneath his breath and headed over to where the boats were docked. "I'm sorry Ed...Josie. Luke shouldn't have blurted that out." "It's okay, he didn't do anything wrong," mom said guiltily. "It's just that we've been attacked twice already and I'm a little nervous." "I can imagine," Henry tried to sound concerned, the dirty old man. "You said a group of zombies. How many in all?" I got back to the business at hand. "Three or four; from what Cassio said on the radio last night," John said. "Cassio lives in the area?" I asked. "No," Henry corrected. "Cassio doesn't live anywhere special. He's kind of a wanderer." "He says, why live in one house," John added. "When there's a whole world of beautiful houses lying empty." Mom smirked. "It makes sense," she concluded. "So this Cassio says he saw a group of three to four zombies over at Anderson Crossroads?" I got back to the subject again. "Yes." John answered. "That guy, what's his name, Pato Azul, wasn't one of them?" "No," Henry scoffed. "He's real alright, but he stays up in Dover. These might be his henchmen." "Henchmen?" I asked incredulously. "The story goes that he has groups of zombies scouring the countryside looking for women." "That's enough Henry," John butted in. "I'm sorry Josie." He realized that he was scaring her again. "I just figured that you should know," John put an end to the conversation. "Listen," this time I changed the subject. "Do you guys know anything about butchering a deer?" "Butchering. No." John answered, and Henry just shook his head. "Just cut it up into chunks for stewing, or roasts for pot roast. Venison is very lean. You have to braise it in water so that it isn't dry." "Thanks, we better get going." I said absentmindedly. "Yeah, we better go." Mom agreed. "I'm sorry about giving you such bad news." John apologized as he walked us back to our truck. "No it's best we know." I said annoyed. When we got into the truck mom gave me a look. "What?" I asked. "Did I detect a little attitude back there?" "You heard them. Why don't you take care of those zombies Ed? Like you did the last time." I started to drive out of the boatyard a little fast. "I didn't hear them say that," she seemed puzzled by my stance. "That's what they meant. Did they offer to go after these guys or help me? No." "I think that you took it the wrong way." "Well no matter how they meant it. These guys have to be dealt with, and it's up to me to deal with it." I said flustered. Mom didn't answer because she knew that I was right. We stopped at a local hardware store that was a little out of our way. Mom needed "supplies." I roamed about the store as mom went shopping. Now, the front door was broken open, but there really isn't much necessity for hardware these days, so the store was fairly undisturbed. I grabbed some things for the garden and I found a hunting knife display behind the counter. I took one that had a deer antler for a handle and, of course, a sheath too. Mom looked very sexy shopping for canning supplies. She bent over once and I got a glimpse of her panties. They were pure white string bikini panties, and I lately would be hard as a rock just getting a peek at them, but I had other things on my mind. In fact I grabbed whatever supplies I had and walked back to the truck by myself. It wasn't long until mom came out and sat in the cab next to me. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Nothing." I deflected the question. "Eddie?" "It's just that I'm not sure I can do what everybody wants me to do." Mom just sat there looking at me. "What happened before was necessary. You were being attacked." She nodded her head in agreement. "This is different. I don't know if I can hunt down these men and kill them in cold blood. I'm not a born killer." "Ed these aren't innocents. You know as well as I that these men would attack and rape me if they knew I was here. And it'll only be a matter of time before they know." "I know." "I love you Ed." "I know. I love you too Mom," I said sullenly. "And I would do anything for you." "Yeah," I said sarcastically. "You don't believe that I would do anything for you?" She smiled. "Yeah I do," I said conditionally. "You don't believe me. That does it," she said and got out of the truck. She still had that big smile on her face as she walked around the front. She stopped at the driver's side corner, bent over, and stripped off her panties under her skirt. The wind had picked up and it was blowing her hair and it blew her little miniskirt up. She opened up my door and threw the panties in my face. They fell to my chest, as she started to climb in the cab. "Not now Mom, I'm not in the mood," I said as I threw her panties onto the passenger seat. "Yeah I can tell," she answered back as she grabbed the erection in my pants. "That doesn't mean anything. I have an erection twenty-four hours a day," I exaggerated. "If that's true, then we aren't doing it nearly enough," she said as she straddled me. She then stripped off her shirt and threw that in the passenger seat. She was wearing that same strawberry push-up bra I had seen before. She pulled the cups down and showed her girls to me. "You like looking at me Ed, don't you?" "Yes." "I mean, I see you looking at me all of the time. Even when we are not doing it." "I am cursed with a sexy and beautiful mother." I said as she got on her knees, undid my shorts, and with my help, pulled them down my legs. "Cursed?" She asked as she started to kiss my face. "Why couldn't you be fat and ugly like all of the other mothers?" She kissed me once on the lips, took my face in her hands, and looked me in the eye. "Why would you want that?" "Because then this would only be about sex," I said as the rain, which had been threatening all day, started. The wind was beating it against the windshield in sheets. "And what is it now?" "I don't know. I think about doing it with you all of the time. I lust after you constantly. I even have sex dreams about you." She grabbed my cock and inserted it in her pussy as she sat back down on me. We both let out a moan of pleasure at the same time. We didn't fuck. She just sat there motionless on me, with my cock in her. "What are you saying?" "I don't know. I know we got passed the incest thing, but this is different." "I don't understand." "I don't either. All I know is that I want you more than I ever wanted Jen, and I was head over heels in love with my wife. I don't even think about her anymore." "Nonsense," she said as she started to grind her clit against my rock hard cock. It felt so wonderful, and she was so damn beautiful. I couldn't stand it. "I'm your mother." "And my lover," I countered, but she didn't hear me. She was in her own world. She started to grind herself intensely on me. I could see her face contort as she struggled to orgasm. I just looked at her tits undulate above her bra as she fucked me. I normally wouldn't come on bottom, but I couldn't help myself with her. She was so hot and sexy that her motion, which normally did nothing for me, was sending my cock into ecstasy. "Oh baby, Mama's gonna come!" She moaned. I slipped my hands under her skirt and grabbed her by the hips. I started to push into her as she ground against me. I couldn't get enough. I couldn't get deep enough inside her. I wanted to come with her. "OH BABY, PLEASE DON'T STOP!" She cried. She started to convulse from her own orgasm, and with that I started to come. "Oh God Mom, I love you." "I love you too baby," she whimpered. We just lay there exhausted, panting and sweaty for a while; with her still on top of me and me still inside of her. She couldn't move and I didn't want to. Finally she lifted up her head and gave me a soft kiss on the lips before she climbed off of me and into the passenger seat again. Much to my chagrin, she fixed her bra right away, found her panties underneath herself, and slipped them on. She started to put her blouse on too, but stopped to look at me. "It is just sex Eddie. Don't confuse it. It's just so intense that it feels like something different." She slipped her head into her blouse and pulled it on. "I love you Eddie, and I would do anything for you, but I'm your mother." I felt like a seventeen year old kid, who was told by the girl he just fucked, that she only wanted to be friends. I knew she was right. She was my mom, but I still felt hollow inside. I pulled up my pants, started the engine, and pulled the truck out through the driving storm. She knew I was hurt. It didn't take a rocket scientist to tell I was distant. So she changed the subject to equally serious subject "You know Ed, technically I could still get pregnant." "What?" "Well, I know you think I'm ancient, but I'm only fifty, and I haven't gone through the change yet." I didn't answer her. I just stared at her dumbfounded. "We have been going at it like two rabbits, and you come in me every time." "Do you want me to pull out?" "No." "Do you want to get pregnant?" She gave me a look that was pure bewilderment. "I don't know." The subject would have been verboten a few months ago. Now, it was not only broached, but also being considered. The strange thing was that the subject not only didn't nauseate me; it actually turned me on. I found the idea, of impregnating my mother, to be erotic. "What do we do?" I asked tentatively. "I don't know. I know that I don't want to stop. In fact, I want to do it more. And I don't want you to stop coming in me. That would ruin it." She paused and turned to look at me. "Do you want to stop? Given that I might get pregnant." "No." "Then God help us." Out of my daze I realized that this was the same spot that I had seen the strange figure on the way to the boatyard. We were coming up to an intersection where I had to make a left, and to the right, in the middle of the road, in the middle of the rain, were four men walking. "Get down," I yelled to my mother. "What's the matter?" She asked as she slumped down in the seat. "It's them." "It's who?" "It's the zombies Luke was talking us about." "Where?" She asked and started to get up to take a look. "GET DOWN!" I yelled annoyed. They were about fifty yards down the road. The first two were black, the third white, and the guy bringing up the rear was Hispanic. The first black guy turned around as our truck stopped at the intersection. "Where's the mini?" I asked mom. She pulled it out from the side of the center console and handed it to me. As I slipped the transmission into park and started to exit the vehicle, the first black guy made a run for it into the tall swamp grass on the side of the road. The second black guy and the white guy didn't run but followed him. The Hispanic guy turned around to face me. I leaned over the front of the truck, and with the rain teeming down and my two elbows on the hot hood I fired my first shot. I heard the clank of the bolt coming to the rear. I don't where the shot went, but it apparently didn't hit him. I fired two more shots as the two walkers made it to the tall grass. I hit the Hispanic guy with both of them and he spun around like a rag doll. The first three guys were in cover and I wasn't going to just spray the bushes hoping to hit something. I didn't have that much ammo. I got back in the truck and threw the rifle to mom. I gunned the throttle and sped down the road toward where I had lost sight of them. I jumped out of the vehicle again and ran for the heavy brush. I heard rustling, but I wasn't sure where it was coming from. I couldn't risk going after them and leaving mom alone. I had to settle for only getting one. I walked back to where the Hispanic guy had fallen and stood over him in the rain. He was a zombie all right. Even in the rain I could smell the mixture of feces and body odor that was so distinct to them. He was unkempt and he was dressed in long pants and two jackets over his flannel shirt. I dragged him by his ankle into the rain gully on the side of the road. That's where I left him before I jumped back into the truck, soaking wet. I turned around and headed back to the house, which was less than two miles away. My head was elsewhere; indignant. It was only then that I realized that my heart was pumping and I was short of breath. "You're mad?" My mother asked. "I let them get away. If I had concentrated on the two lead guys, they would have never gotten away. The last guy was a sitting duck. He was a decoy." "I don't understand you Ed. An hour ago you were agonizing over whether you could kill them, 'in cold blood,' remember. Now you are annoyed that you only killed one." I didn't answer. I was too pissed at myself. "Sitting duck," I thought about my own expression. You don't think that the first guy was Pato Azul? Nah, I thought to myself, Pato Azul is Hispanic. Isn't he? "What are you going to do now?" Mon broke me out of my spell. "I'm going to get Al Shaba and hunt them down." But the rain never stopped that day and thunderstorms came in that night. The thought of tramping through the Delmarva brush, in the dark and in a thunderstorm was not smart. I had to wait till morning. I refilled the mini's clip with bullets and attached my new hunting knife's sheath to my shorts. I had to find one of dad's old belts to hang it off of. I also grabbed my Uncle's binoculars. The rain came in handy though. I left a couple of buckets outside and I cut a hole in the center of an old garbage can lid. I left it inverted on top of one of the buckets, and within an hour I had quite a few gallons of rainwater. Water was a precious commodity now. I had to haul all of the water we needed, for the garden too, from one of the ponds near by. Grandma had a well, but the pump was electric, and of course there was none of that. Grandma had a, LP gas stove in the kitchen. You just had to light it yourself, because of no electricity. I put the rainwater in a big pot on the stove and soon the rainwater was now bathwater. Mom came in to the kitchen as I was soaping up my body. "That's a good idea," she said and started to strip off all of her clothes. In no time we were lathering each other up, and then my arms were around her. I could feel her breast warm and wet against my chest, and my dick slipped against her. I picked her up and set her on the kitchen counter. She stroked my cock using the warm soapy water. I didn't push it. I let her take her time, and finally I was rewarded as she inserted the head of my dick in her lips. It felt good to be wet and clean and soapy as I fucked her. Her legs were wrapped around my body as we dripped all over the floor. Her hair was wet and her kisses were wet. Her pussy was definitely wet As I was about to come, I thought about what she had said in the truck that afternoon. The thought of making her pregnant made me more excited. I wanted to fill her with life producing semen. "I'm going to come in you Mom," She looked into my eyes, and with what could only be described as yearning, she said. "I know." That night we went to bed wet and naked, entwined together on top of the blankets, while the rain fell outside in the hot, almost tropical night. That was the first time we slept together since we got to Delaware. The next morning I slipped out of bed, got dressed, and with Al Shaba, made our way out of the door, without waking mom. The sun wasn't up longer than fifteen minutes before we were racing down the road to where I had shot that Hispanic guy. He was still there on the side of the road, and he was still dead. I stood over him for a while. I wanted Al Shaba to get a good smell of him. She wouldn't come near him though; no matter how much I called her. Maybe it was the smell or maybe it was just that she wasn't a trained bloodhound. I probably expected too much of her. Anyway, she wouldn't smell the dead Hispanic zombie. Quetzalcoatl Ch. 07 I thought about going into the woods where I had seen them run from the road, but I had a better idea. The grocery store wasn't too far away and I figured that they would go there to find food. So we got back in the truck and I made for the store. Less than a quarter of a mile before I had to make the right to the grocery store I pulled the truck over and turned it off. The store was only a hundred yards around the turn up ahead, so I figured I could cut through some houses that backed the store and come in through the woods. Al Shaba danced out of the pickup. It was the first time that I took her for a ride and she must have thought we were going on a hunt. We were, but not for the type of game she was used to. I walked down the driveway of one house and then around to the back. I was so used to no one being around that I didn't even think about trespassing. I was well into the backyard when, for some reason, I looked back at the house, and there in one of the back windows were two small faces. A boy, maybe twelve years old and a little girl, maybe seven were staring back at me. They were African-American, and they looked normal and healthy The little girl even waved to me and automatically I waved back. Children. I hadn't even thought of children. I knew that small amounts of the population were still around, but these were the first kids I had seen. I wondered if they were all right, when a man, presumably their father, came to the window to see what they were looking at. When he saw me his eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost. The little girl looked up at him and I could read her lips, "He's got a dog daddy," she said. I knew the man was worried about me, and my intentions, and I didn't want to be viewed as a threat, so I smiled, waved once more and then I turned and headed for the woods. I disappeared into the brush without looking back. I saw a trail leading in the direction of the store, so I took it and hoped for the best. The trail looked as if it had been well traveled in days gone by. The woods were now just encroaching in on it. In another few years, there would be no trail left. Al Shaba was running to and fro; first in front of me and then off somewhere else trying to pick up a scent. I wondered who taught her this, because shepherds weren't your usual hunting dogs. I walked through the path for what seemed like too long, but the path must lead somewhere, I thought. Finally I could see the roof of the store above the trees and then, after a few more yards, I could see the whole store. I was off to one side so I could see the whole back and one side of the building. Behind it was a small lot, with a couple of picnic tables, that was fenced at the far end. The store was a combination grocery store, gas station and burger joint. In the summer this yard would be lit up at night and filled with tourists eating burgers and fries and drinking shakes. Now it was overgrown with grass growing through the gravel. I stayed at the edge of the woods and scanned the place with my binoculars. It seemed empty enough, but I took one knee and resolved to wait it out. They could be inside or they might return while I was there. Al Shaba sat down next to me in the grass. I didn't have to wait long, because two of the zombies walked out of the front and were standing on my side of the building. They were the two zombies who walked into the woods. The dog growled softly so that only I could hear. They didn't seem too alert and it seemed that they were fighting over some food. I quietly chambered a round into the rifle and slipped off the safety. But I didn't make any attempt to level the gun at them. I needed to see the black guy; the one who was the obvious leader of the group. But my wait was in vain and after a few minutes I started to worry that these two might get away, so I moved in a crouch to the nearest picnic table. I laid the rifle on the table for support and aimed for the one closest to the store. Al Shaba got up and stood next to me with her head down in the archetypal hunting stance. We were both intent on the prey. I stopped breathing for a moment, aimed dead center of his chest and fired two shots in succession. I heard the clang of the gun again, and my target blew backwards for a few steps until he hit the floor. My aim shifted to the next guy, who was starting to flee, and I fired another two shots. He was facing sideways to me and I still hit him at least once, because he spun around and came crashing to the ground. Al shaba took off for them barking all of the way. It was then that I heard the sounds to the right of me. Even though my ears were humming from the rifle reports I could still hear that someone was running through the gravel. I looked up to see the leader, on top of me, holding a wooden baseball bat in his hands. Before I could fully react, he swung the Louisville slugger for my head. I was able to move a bit, but he still caught me on the side, just behind the ear. The blow sent me reeling to the ground. Leaving the gun still on the table. I don't know why he didn't make an attempt for the gun. He could have grabbed it easily, but instead he elected to jump on me. He was only a slight man, but he pinned me down for a second and then he got to his knees to wield the bat and strike at my head again. I was able to shift my weight and elude the bat twice, but I knew it was only a matter of time before he connected. For some reason I remembered the hunting knife, and after his second blow, I ripped it out of its sheath and lunged at his stomach. I caught him in the side and he hollered and rolled off of me into the grass. We were both up on our feet at the same time; him holding the bat and me holding the knife. He had the reach, but I had the more deadly weapon; one that was already dripping with his blood. It was a standoff for a while and I could smell his stink deep in my nostrils, for he was only a yard away from me. But then he made his move. He curled his body like a slugger readying to hit one out of the ball field. I didn't wait for him to strike, I hit him with my shoulder with all of my might, and I struck him again in the torso with the knife. This time though I sent the blow in and then up. I lifted him up off the ground with my attack, and he fell backwards on to the ground. That blow obviously did some damage, because he wasn't so quick to get up this time. Al Shaba finally saw what was happening and was running back to us full tilt. We were again in a standoff, but Al Shaba attacked him from behind and he made a run for it. I immediately made for the mini, dropped the knife on the table, and brought the gun to bear on him. Two shots ripped the top of his head off before he could get twenty yards away. The dog didn't shrink from the gunfire and was standing over him if he made a move. Which was impossible of course. With the threat gone, I sunk to my knees, exhausted and with a massive headache, but still alive. The dog came over to me and licked my face. "Thanks," I said. "You showed up a little late to the party sister." The dog licked me again as if she knew what I was saying. I dragged the three bodies into the woods as far as I could. I wasn't digging any more graves and I wasn't giving them a Viking funeral. The scavengers can have at them for all I cared. I decided to go into the shop while I was here. On the way I noticed the can of food that the two zombies were fighting over. It was a can of dog food. That can't be good, I thought, they're starting to run out of food. In the grocery I noticed that in fact all of the canned goods were gone. The last time I was here there were still some left. I looked around to see if there was anything we could use. I picked up a couple of thing that we might be able to use and then I went around one aisle and found some fabrics presumably for people who like to sew. Amongst all of the needles and cloth was a roll of velvet ribbon. It was an inch and a half wide and the spool held six feet. My evil mind thought of a couple of uses for it. I immediately went for the first-aid aisle. I stocked up on bandages, antiseptics, and a particular water based lubricant. I was all set. When I got out I opened a can of dog food that I pilfered and fed Al Shaba. She hadn't eaten yet today. It was a beautiful morning and it was time to go home. Mom would be worried. I made my way back to the truck on the road. I didn't want to come through the guy's back yard again; unannounced. Al Shaba caught up to me as soon as she finished her breakfast. As I turned the corner of the road I could see my truck in the distance. There was also a man standing by the truck. I unslung the mini and made sure there was a round in the chamber. I slung it back over my shoulder and continued. I had an idea who the man was. When I got close enough I realized that I was right. It was the man who I had seen in the house with the children. He was standing in front of the truck kicking the dust on the road. "Hey," he said, as I got close. "Hey," I answered him back. Al Shaba stood off to my right. She didn't seem to be alarmed. "Are you Ed?" "Yeah. How did you know my name?" "I speak with Luke on the radio every night. He said that you might be out here hunting down those zombies." "Oh yeah. What else did he tell you?" "That you live around here with a beautiful woman." "Are those your kids?" I changed the subject. "Duane and Lorelei? Yeah, those are mine." "Those are the first kids that I have seen since Quetzalcoatl hit. I can't believe that they survived the flu?" "They didn't get the flu." "They didn't get it?" "No, and neither did I." "You're immune?" "Seems like it." "And you were all exposed?" "Yeah. We all tended to their mother before she died. We watched everyone around us die and I figured that we were next, but we never once got sick. It's kind of a relief to know that you aren't going to die in front of your kids." "Anyone else immune?" "No. It's kind of funny, but my folks and my sister died in a car crash two years ago. So you see, my family died before Quetzalcoatl even hit. But there are other kids around. As long as the girls didn't hit puberty before Quetzalcoatl, and the boys did, they had a chance. You know the disease is totally gone now. There hasn't been a reported case in weeks." I immediately thought of Damian and I wondered if he was still out on his boat. "Well that's good to hear. I better be going now. I have to get home." "Can I ask you a question first?" "What?" "Did you kill all of those zombies?" I took a couple of seconds before I answered him. "Yeah." "Then I need to thank you,. I don't know what those zombies would have done to my little girl if they found her." "They attack children?" "You hear all kinds of stories. They say Pato Azul will kill a little girl's family and take her away to his harem." We were silent for a few seconds. "That immunity you have, you don't think it's a race thing?" "You mean just black folk?" "Yeah." "Nah, I've seen just as many black folk die as anyone else. And Africa got hit just as hard as Europe. It would be ironic though, after all that has happened, for the black man to inherit the earth." "So the last shall be first," I recited as best I could. "And the first shall be last." We both smiled at each other. "I better get going," I said as I walked for my truck. "Hey," he yelled to me. "What?" "Did you know that you were bleeding? "No. Where?" "On the side of the head." I put my hand where the zombie hit me and sure enough there was some blood, but not much. "So I am," I said as I continued to the truck. Al Shaba jumped into the truck as soon as I opened the door. She was my dog now, although I think that she liked mom better. I threw my gear in and jumped in after it. I made a u-turn and left the man in the dust. You know, I thought, I didn't even ask his name. Quetzalcoatl Ch. 08 When I got home, mom was out back wearing a yellow sundress, and hanging laundry to dry. It was almost a bucolic scene. It belied the horror that I had just visited on three men. "Are you okay?" she asked after I got out of the truck and stood by the back door. "Yeah I'm fine," I answered nonchalantly as she passed me with her laundry basket on her way into the house. "What have you got there?" She said referring to the bag of supplies I had taken from the store. "Groceries." "Yeah, funny." She chuckled at my little joke, "Are you hungry?" "Yeah," I said and I realized that I was. "I'll make you some pancakes, but you'll have to settle for reheated coffee." "Okay," I said as I threw the grocery bag on the table and sat down. She busied herself in the kitchen and I watched her sashay around in that sundress. She gave me a cup of coffee and was waiting for the cast-iron pan to heat up, when she started to rustle through the bag. "What's this?" She asked holding up the velvet ribbon. "I don't know. I just started grabbing things." "And this?" she held up the K-Y. I just sat there looking guilty. "You don't give up." "I don't know what you mean." I tried to smile my way out of it. "I know what this is for," she said annoyed. "You're not fucking me in the ass again Eddie." She held the ribbon up in one hand and the K-Y in the other. "I guess you weren't even going to ask my permission, were you?" "Mom, I don't know. I just grabbed things." "I don't believe you. Being tied up and fucked in the ass might seem like fun to you, but not to me." She was really getting pissed, but then she stopped. "Is that blood on your hand?" "A little yeah." "You're bleeding?" Her mood went from anger to concern. "Not anymore." "What happened?" "One of them snuck up on me and hit me while I wasn't looking." "Hit you where?" She came around the table to see. "On the side." "On the side where?" "I'm okay Mom." I tried to pull away from her fussing. "Oh my God Ed. You are bleeding from the head." "I'm okay Mom." I repeated. "No you're not. You're bleeding from the head. Here I am yelling at you, and you almost got killed for me. What did he hit you with?" "A bat." "A bat! Oh my God. Let me clean it." She ran for a clean cloth and dampened it from the water jug we had by the sink. She came back and stuck her tits in my face as she cleaned the wound. I sat there reveling in her bosom, and I realized that she wasn't wearing a bra, because I could feel her nipples through the dress. I started to smell something and then I realized that she left the pan on the stove. "Mom, I think that you're burning down the house." "Oh shit, the stove," she said and ran and took the pan off the burner. She then turned around and just looked at me. "You weren't going to tell me you got hurt." "You didn't ask." She walked over to the table and sat on the edge. "Come here," she commanded. I got up and stood between her legs. I automatically put my hands on her thighs and hiked up her dress. "Did you get them all?" she asked as she slid her hands inside of my t-shirt. "Yes." My dick was getting hard as she withdrew her hands, put them behind her neck, untied the halter top of her dress and let it drop; exposing her girls to me. She then picked up the spool of velvet ribbon off the table, and handed it to me. "I've never been tied up before. How do you do it?" "Forget it Mom," I said dismissively. She looked up at me demurely, and said in her sexiest voice. "Do it Ed. Tie me up." I hesitated at first, but then I stripped the ribbon off the spool. "Hold out your hands." She did as I commanded, and I tied a knot around one of her wrists. I then wrapped the ribbon in a figure eight around both of her wrists a few times, and then tied it off again. The knot around her wrists was firm, but it wasn't hurting her. I pulled the ribbon over her head, and as she lay down on the table, I walked around it and tied the ribbon to a table leg on the other end. She was completely splayed out as I came back between her legs. Her breasts were heaving as she started to breathe heavy. I ran my hands back up her thighs, pushing her dress up as I went. When I got to her panties, I flipped her dress up and over. It only took a few seconds to reach in, grab her panties and strip them off; leaving her helpless and exposed. My eyes went from her pussy lips to her nipples, as they rose and fell with her hard breathing, to her beautiful face, red lips, and then finally to the knot that was binding her wrists. "You like this?" She said with her hands pulled tight above her head. Her breaths were deep and labored. "Yes." "You like that I'm so vulnerable?" "Yes," I said as I unbuttoned my shorts and dropped them and my boxers to the floor. She let out a gasp, as I grabbed her by the hips and pulled her closer to the end of the table. It pulled her arms even tighter, and she was ripe for the taking. Life fell into a pattern. Get up, work on the garden, and haul water; whatever needed to be done. Mom was right about the "heirloom" vegetables. They were not as pretty, but they were sturdier, more resistant to pests and weeds. I was able to save at least half of grandma's garden, and who knows how long those plants were neglected. I had to admit that I liked working with my hands. Farming was a hell of a lot more satisfying than negotiating some business deal. Mom found a couple of rabbit nests in the meadow and, before long; we had a pen full of them. I never ate rabbit before, and it was weird at first, but who could complain about free meat? Besides, you didn't have to kill a whole deer and have it go rancid before you had a chance to eat it all. Lack of refrigeration was definitely a hindrance. I had a system for hauling water from the pond. I found an old trailer in someone's garage and I loaded it with anything big that could hold water. I would go down to the pond in the early afternoon, because you don't mind working in the heat of the day when you are waist deep in cool water. It still had to be purified first to make it potable. So at night we filtered and then boiled water, until we went to bed. Mom kept complaining that there had to be a way to run the house's well, but I wasn't an electrician, so I was clueless. On rainy days I would forage through all of the abandoned houses in the area, not only for food, but also for tools and anything else that we could possibly use. On those trips I would keep an eye out for any zombies, but I didn't find any signs. We were making love at least once a day. Whenever we felt like it, and mom always felt like it. I tried to be as loving and gentle as possible, and mom would let me satisfy my darker appetites once in a while. It was a bucolic life, and I was actually happy. We even started to barter vegetables to John and Henry for fish. So we now had two sources of protein, but I was still looking for that T-bone. Late one morning, after the last zombie incident, I was working in the garden and I spotted a motorcycle racing along the road. I squatted down behind some vegetation to hide, but the motorcycle slowed down and turned into our driveway. The rider halted the bike after he got about a hundred feet up the drive and got off. I couldn't see the make, but it looked like an American made bike. He took off his jacket and placed it on the bike. He also took something off his hip, which I assumed to be a pistol, and placed it inside of his jacket. He then started the long walk up the driveway. I heard Al Shaba barking as she came back from wherever she was off to. I stood up, found the mini, which was slung over a fence post, made my way out of the garden and out to the front of the house. That's where we, Al Shaba and I, met him. He was a white man with long light brown hair. He must have been in his forties, and he was ruggedly good handsome. "Hello," he said as he got to the top of the drive. Al Shaba didn't approach him and I heard her growl under her breath. "Hello," I answered back. "You always meet guests armed with a rifle?" He said referring to the Ruger, which I had cradled in my arms. "When the "guest" is a stranger, who I saw take a gun off his hip, I do." "You are observant." "That's debatable," I said remembering the last two attacks. "Does your dog bite?" He said referring to Al Shaba. "I don't own Al Shaba. She's more of an accomplice." "Well, does your accomplice bite?" "She hasn't bitten me yet, but I feed her." "Are you always this confrontational?" "Excuse me, but I have little manners for strangers who come unannounced." "Luke didn't tell you that I was coming?" "No, but I haven't been on the radio for a few days." "I'm sorry, but I thought he told you I was coming. My name is Cassio. I am a friend of John and Henry." I lowered the muzzle of the mini. "John has mentioned you. He says you are a bit of a nomad." "That's me. I never let the grass grow too high under my feet. Luke told me about you. He told me that you killed all of those zombies." "Oh yeah? What else has he mentioned?" "That you live here with an incredibly beautiful woman. That's why I came. I haven't seen a young woman in a while, let alone an incredibly beautiful woman," he repeated the phrase. "He said that over the radio?" "Yeah, why?" "The thing about saying something over the air, as opposed to a phone, is that anybody can hear exactly what you are saying." A remorseful look came over his face. "You know we are on that thing so much, you tend to forget that it's not a private conversation." "The thing that bothers me is you're not the only one who has told me that Luke blabbered that over the air." We were at an impasse when I heard the front screen door open, and I turned around to see mom, dressed in that lovely yellow sundress, standing on the porch. "Ed, aren't you going to introduce me?" Oh fuck, I thought. "Oh shit!" I heard Cassio proclaim behind me. I turned around again to see Cassio thunderstruck, as if he had seen the sunset for the first time in his life. Ah shit, I thought to myself. "My name is Cassio, Miss," he spouted right off before I could collect my thoughts. "I was told there was a beautiful woman here," Cassio continued as he approached mom on the porch. "But beautiful does not do justice to the vision I see before me." Mom blushed. "You are very kind." She tossed her hair as she came down the stairs to greet him. She was smitten. They were both smitten. It was as obvious as the fact that mom put that yellow dress on and brushed her hair before she came out the door. She was in jeans and a t-shirt earlier. My heart sank. "I'm Jocasta; Josie for short." "That's funny, I'm Cassio, but my friends call me Cass." "What a coincidence," mom said as she flashed him a big smile. He was flirting with her, and my slut of a mom was flirting back, right in front of me. She was laughing at all of his jokes, and I swear, if she flipped her hair one more time I was going to barf. "I was just going to start lunch," she tilted her head and looked at him out of the corners of her eyes. "Why don't you stay?" "Alas if only I could. I could think of no better company, but I promised some people that I would help them move some stuff." "Are you sure?" Mom sounded disappointed. "Yeah, I'm already late now, maybe some other time." "How about tomorrow for dinner?" "That sounds wonderful. Well it was great to meet you," he said as he turned to shake my hand. "And it was a pleasure meeting you Josie," he said as he took her hand and they both smiled at each other. I actually thought that he was going to kiss her hand. He turned and headed down the drive towards his bike. "He rides a motorcycle too?" Mom said as he approached it. "Yes, he's wonderful isn't he?" "Yes..." mom said absentmindedly, and then noticing the tone of my voice, she looked at me. "What? He is very nice." "You were fawning over him so much it was nauseating." "I was not," she said with a sneer. I didn't answer. I just turned around and headed back to the garden. "I wasn't!" She yelled after me, but I just kept walking. The next day, late in the afternoon, I was coming back from the pond with a trailer full of water buckets, I saw Cassio pull up on his motorcycle. It was a nice day although still hot in the late afternoon. I backed the trailer up to the back of the house by the door as I usually do, and when I got out of the truck he was pulling a couple of bottles of wine out of his saddle bags. He was wearing jeans and cowboy boots, but he had a collared shirt on. "Hey," he yelled to me holding the bottles over his head in triumph. "I hope you people like Merlot?" "If it has alcohol in it, I like it," I answered back with the best smile I had. "I figured, get the one and a half liter bottles. Better to have too much than too little. Especially since they were on sale." I had to admit he was very likable, but he had a salesman-like personality that made me think it was all a show. I didn't trust him and I figured the only reason he was here was to get in my mother's pants. Unfortunately, I had a feeling that mom wanted to get in his pants also. We walked into the back door together and mom was busy in the kitchen making a feast. She was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and her hair was pulled up in a bun. "You're here already. Oh my God look at me. I'm not even ready," she gushed. "Josie, you look gorgeous," Cass gushed back. "Yeah, right." I had a gleam of hope that maybe she was seeing through his act. "You look very handsome Cass." But then my hopes were smashed. "I brought some wine," Cassio beamed. "Oh I'd love a glass of wine. Ed, sweetheart, get us a couple of glasses from the cabinet." Now I know a "couple" was just an expression, but it grated on me that she would put it that way. Almost like she only wanted two glasses and that I should get lost. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to make a scene, but I had to admit it, I was actually a little jealous. I got the glasses and a corkscrew and Cass poured all three of us a glass. "Why don't you guys go out on the porch and I'll go upstairs and get ready," mom said as she quickly finished her glass of wine. "Here," she handed me a platter full of food. "You can nosh on these." "Nosh?" Cassio asked. "It's a Jewish term." Mom answered. "You're Jewish?" "Lebanese, Greek Orthodox." Mom said proudly. "I don't get it?" Cassio said perplexed. "We're from Long Island," I explained. "On Long Island everyone speaks Jewish," I exaggerated. "Don't be a schmuck, have the pastrami." But Cassio still didn't get it. I led the way out to the porch and mom went upstairs. I thought I caught out of the corner of my eye Cass watching mom as she walked up the stairs. His lack of discretion annoyed me. The porch was heaven this time of the day. It was facing east so you were out of the afternoon sun. The light shone from behind you on to the meadows that used to be grandma's front lawn. Across the roadway was a young forest. The regular grass only got a couple of feet high, but off to the south was a spring where tall marsh grass and cattails grew. As I put the platter down on a wooden folding table that we had out on the porch, I looked up to see a red winged blackbird perching on a cattail. "It's really nice out here," Cassio said. "Yeah, I like to sit here after the day is done. I just wish that I had a cold beer." "You can still find plenty of beer around," Cass stated. "Yeah, but I have no way of getting it cold." "You don't have a refrigerator?" "No electricity." "You don't have a generator?" "No." "That's silly. I can get you one tomorrow." "Really?" "Yeah, the house I lived in last month, or maybe it was two months ago, had a nice one. I think it is about 6,000 watts. You'd a paid a thousand dollars for it a year ago." "It will power the fridge?" "And some. Let me ask you, is that why you were haulin' all of that water before, because you don't have electric to power the well?" "Yeah, but that's hard-wired in. It's not like you can plug that it to an outlet." "Oh I think that I can jury rig something. You might want to still haul water for your garden though. It takes a lot of gas to pump that much water. Still, you'll have enough water for you and Josie. And you can have a cold beer on the porch." With that, mom came out of the house. She looked stunning. She was wearing this outfit that I had seen on her last summer. It looked like she was wearing a tan colored strapless bustier over matching shorts, but it was really one piece. It was what women call a romper, and she looked elegant with her dark hair down. "My God Josie, you look even more gorgeous than before." Cassio looked stunned. "You look great Josie," I said. "Why thank you guys. What were you talking about while I was upstairs; me?" "No electricity," I said amused. "Electricity?" She asked as she placed her empty wine glass down for refilling. "Can you get us some Cass?" "Cassio thinks that he can get us a generator," I answered for him while he filled up mom's glass. "And we can have a refrigerator?" She asked. "And running water." Cassio stated proudly. "See Ed?" She turned to lecture me. "I told you it was possible." "I was a business lawyer, not an electrician." "You were a lawyer, Ed? You don't look like a lawyer." "I've been told that before, but most people lived to regret it." "I bet they have. You have a certain air about you Ed. I can tell that you are driven. Lord knows your reputation is already huge around here." "My reputation for what?" "Let's just say that no one would fuck with you." "You mean because of the zombies?" "Yeah." "I was only protecting Josie." "Don't take it wrong. A lot of people are indebted to you. You did what had to be done, and what they couldn't or wouldn't do." "Let's have some more wine guys and enjoy this beautiful evening." Mom changed the subject. "Right." Cassio understood and started to pour the wine. "So Josie, you are Lebanese?" "Yes." She smiled proud of her heritage. "And I assume, from your accent, that you were born there." "Yes I moved to the States when I was eighteen." "It's amazing how educated you are; how well spoken." Uh oh, I thought. He is treading on shaky ground. "What do you mean?" Mom said tersely. "It's just that you are an Arab." And there he did it. "Why, because the Arabs are a little people, a silly people? Greedy, barbarous and cruel?" "What?" Cassio said taken aback. "She's quoting from her favorite movie." I said, and Cassio shot me a quizzical look. "Lawrence of Arabia." I expanded. "Did you know Cassio," mom went on. "In the Arab city of Cordoba, there were two miles of public lighting in the streets, five hundred years before Columbus was born." "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. But isn't there a law against educating women?" "I'm not Muslim, Cass." Mom softened up. "I'm a Christian, and I was sent by my father to attend the American University in Beirut. My father believed in education; even for a woman." "Your father was a wise man." "My father was a character. He was a student of the Greeks." Mom laughed and put down her glass for another refill. "He thought because we were Greek Orthodox that somehow we had Greek heritage. That's where my name Jocasta comes from. It's Greek." Cassio filled her glass again and just sat back mesmerized by my mother. "He taught me, himself, when I was a young girl. I knew more about Greek culture and philosophy at twelve than most men know in a lifetime. And that includes Greek men." Quetzalcoatl Ch. 08 "He was right though," she continued. "They were the origin of Western civilization. But I'm preaching now, and I need to get dinner on the table. Ed, will you help me?" "Sure," I answered as I started for the door. "Can I help?" Cassio volunteered. "Yes," mom consented. "You can open that other bottle of wine." All through dinner, and then afterward, when I was assigned to go and clean up in the kitchen, it was if mom and Cassio were on a date. I was the third wheel. I could have gone up to bed and they would not have missed me. In fact they probably would have preferred it. All three of us had too much to drink so Cassio slept in my old room and mom and I slept upstairs. As soon as I got in to bed mom attacked me, but even though she was physically fucking me, I felt that she was fantasying about Cass. I woke up the next morning with a hard on and mom strewn across me. I kissed her lightly on the cheek and she rolled off of me so that she was facing away from me. She lay there naked with not even a sheet on her. I slid in behind her and spooned with her, my cock hard against the crack of her ass. I started to grind into her and my hand wrapped around her and went right for her pussy. She turned her head toward me and I took her tongue in my mouth as we kissed. It only took a few minutes of attention to her clit before she was wet and ready for me. She parted her legs and guided my very hard cock into her. I rolled her over onto her stomach and I fucked her from behind as the sun was peeking through the window. She lay there half asleep as I fucked her. It was weird but the vision of my wife Jennifer popped into my mind as I fucked mom. I loved to fuck Jen this way. She didn't have big tits, but her ass was astounding. And it was with that fantasy of Jen that I came. I hadn't thought of her in weeks and it was the first time in a long while that I thought of having sex with anybody else but mom. Finished, I got dressed and went downstairs, as mom went back to sleep. It was just after dawn and I made coffee, fed the dog and then I was out in the garden to do the morning watering. A while later, I heard the screen door slam and Cassio was standing on the back steps holding a cup of coffee. "I helped myself to some coffee. I had forgotten how great percolated coffee smells in the morning," he said from the steps. I was still watering and so I just nodded my head. He strolled into the garden and watched as I finished. "Where is your well? I should take a look at it." I pointed over behind the house where a steel pipe was jutting out of the ground. "Oh okay, I see it," he said and headed over to it as I put the watering cans by the truck. "Yeah it's a standard well. It probably has a submersible pump. It shouldn't be too hard to rig it up." He sounded like he knew what he was doing. "When do you want to get that generator?" I asked. "Might as well go now before it gets too hot. We can throw it on your trailer." "Let me just get another cup of coffee, and then we'll go. Is Josie up yet?" "I haven't seen her," he said as he shook his head. I got another cup, and went upstairs to see mom. She was still in bed and she rolled over as she woke up. "You coming back for seconds?" She smiled as she lazed across the bed like some artist's model. "I can't Cassio is waiting for me downstairs. We're going for that generator." Her breasts were full and plump and she opened her legs so that I could see her pussy. "You're looking at me that way. Are you sure we don't have the time?" I smiled, but just shook my head no. "I love you Ed," she said forlornly. "I love you too mom." "Maybe later when he leaves?" "Definitely." "You know Ed, I'm sorry that Luke opened his mouth on the air like that," Cassio said as we drove down the driveway in the truck. "It's just that I don't want to advertise the fact that there is a woman here, especially with Pato Azul running around." "You need to make a left here," Cassio said giving me directions. "It didn't help that he was going on about how beautiful Josie is. I talked to him and I think that should be the end of it." "I hope so. What do you think of that guy, Pato Azul? Do you think that he's a zombie?" "He's delusional, calling himself Pato Azul for one thing, but he's sane enough. That probably makes him even more dangerous." "I don't get these zombies." "The way I see it is that Quetzalcoatl must have destroyed their civilized brain and all they are left with is their reptilian brain. They are like some lowly creature. All they can think of is eating and sex." "That makes as much sense as any theory." "A guy like Pato Azul might have the heightened sex drive that some people have gotten after the disease, but he's a sociopath, and so he just does whatever he wants to satisfy his needs." Cassio continued. "Sociopath?" I mocked. "I know. It's all a bunch of psychobabble. But how else would you explain him? There are probably a bunch of criminals out there who are using this situation for their own good." "That's why Josie wants to move after the fall. She wants to go someplace more rural." "Make a right into this driveway," Cassio instructed. "I don't think that's necessary. Besides, you might leave here to run into another maniac somewhere else." I turned into the driveway between two stone gate pillars. I could see the house in the distance. It was an opulent house set on a small rise. It reminded me of the Cape Cod style houses we had on Long Island, but on steroids. It was sprawled out in kind of a Z shape, with little "dog ear" dormers everywhere. "This is where you used to live?" I asked. "I didn't buy it, Ed. I just sort of appropriated it." "Why would you move?" "I don't know. I can't really stay in one place too long. I guess that was why I was a trucker before the Q." As we pulled up, the driveway changed from gravel to brick. Cassio motioned me to drive around the house where the garage was. I stopped the truck in front of two overhead doors. "The generator is in the left garage," Cassio said as he got out of the vehicle. The house, being a luxury one, reminded me of Garden City and home. And home reminded me of Jennifer. Maybe it was because I was thrown out of my old life, or maybe it was the crazy relationship I had with mom, but I never really mourned for Jen. Standing in front of some stranger's house in Delmarva, for some reason, brought a tremendous wave of grief over me. I had to walk off, away from Cassio and the house, as I fought to stay in control and to wipe away the tears that were flowing down my cheeks. "Ed, it's over here," Cassio called to me, but I just waved him off. This was the first time that I cried for her since we left Long Island. I had often wondered where the tears were. Why I really hadn't cried for her. Now, a month later, it was all coming out. Something was different. "Are you okay?" Cassio asked as he started to walk towards me. "Yeah, I'm fine." "You seem upset?" "I'm okay. The thought of my wife just came to me. She died before we left Long Island." We just stood there for a few seconds and then I felt a little weird and embarrassed, so I started for the garage. "Come on, let's get that generator." We loaded it on the trailer and drove it back to the house. Mom had disinfected the refrigerator while we were gone and it wasn't long before we had it hooked up to the new generator. The condenser gave a rattle and then it hummed to life. By the next day it was full of beer, and we started to fill it up with food. Cassio got to work on the well, and that too was working by the next day. We now had refrigeration and running water. I was starting to wonder if Cassio wasn't right, and that we shouldn't leave here. Cassio wasn't leaving either. He stayed again that night and every night afterwards. Mom loved it. Her and Cass were becoming fast friends. They would spend the evenings talking out on the porch, and it wasn't long before I felt like a stranger in my own house. We were still having sex, but it was only after I had fallen asleep upstairs and she woke me coming to bed. She smelled of wine, and I felt that her mind was elsewhere as she rode me to orgasm. She used to say "I love you Ed," as she climaxed, but now it was only "I love you." I was no better. Most of the times I closed my eyes and pretended it was Jennifer on top of me instead of mom. Things were changing, not the least of all was my attitude toward mom. Two weeks after Cassio came to stay it all came to a head. Despite my irritation with Cassio, he never flinched from pitching in around the house. He would either find ways of making the house better or he helped me with the garden chores. He built a hutch for the rabbits, and even found us some chickens so that we now had eggs every day. Not to mention roast chicken as the flock grew larger. A hen house was next on his agenda. That was why I thought it weird that he didn't offer to help with the water-run to the pond. We had to unplug the refrigerator every time we used the well pump, so I often would go to the pond to supplement the garden's water. He made up some excuse for not coming and I drove the pickup down the driveway and down the road until it was out of sight from the house. I then backtracked through the woods to sneak up on the house. I didn't see anyone outside, so I walked silently on to the front porch and looked in the living room window. There were some curtains and sheers on the window, so I was mostly hidden. I heard their voices and laughter, but couldn't see anything. Then Cassio walked into the room backward. His hands were out in front of him as if he were warding something off. Next came my mother, and she had a devilish smile on her face. "Josie, you're going to get me in trouble," Cassio feebly protested. "Oh relax, he'll be gone for an hour or so." She backed him up to the couch, and he flopped down onto it when his knees hit. "Besides, he over exaggerates our relationship." She straddled him like she would often do to me. "I don't know, Josie." "Just kiss me," she commanded as I watched her grind herself on him. I should have burst in right there, but something stopped me. They were locked in an embrace, and then Cassio flipped mom over and now her he was on top of her. He ran his hands down her side and took her shirt and pushed it up and over her breasts. I saw one of her nipples for an instant and then his hands were all over them. "Oh Cass, I've wanted you so bad." "I'm going to fuck you Josie." "I want you to." They flipped over again, this time they landed on the floor, and she was on top. She pulled her shirt off and tossed it in the air. She then got down on all fours and attacked his pants, pulling them off with a fury. "Oh my God Cass, you're huge," she said as she hovered above it. Mom, that slut, had his cock in her hand and then in her mouth in one motion. "Uhhh," Cassio sighed as she took his member deep inside her. I knew his joy. Many a day mom had sucked my cock like that. She was really good with a cock, and mine was hard just watching her suck him off. In a show of flexibility, she sucked his cock as she undid her own shorts. Alternating her hand, she slipped the shorts off, and as she did, she didn't miss a beat on his cock. Cassio pulled her by the arms up to him, and as their lips locked together again, he rolled her over, found her pussy with his cock, and rammed into her. "Oh God Cass, take it easy. You're going to split me open." "I can't Josie. I want you too much." But he did slow up. "I want you too, but you're just too big. I need you to go easy at first." "Okay," he said. "Flip over," she commanded, and they rolled over again. With that, she started to hump him slow and easy. He took the opportunity to grab a tit in each hand. "See," she said after a couple of minutes. "I'm getting nice and wet for you." "I'm sorry if I hurt you." "It's okay," she said as she quickened the beat. "It's just that I never had anyone so big." "You like it now, right?" "Mmmm," she cooed as she started to build to orgasm. "I like it a lot." "You like having a big cock in you. Don't you? You're not going to want anything else but my big cock." "Oh God," she agreed as she rocked back and forth on him. I could see that beautiful round ass of hers working him. God help me, but I couldn't take my eyes off of them, as I watched mom fuck another man. It was like slow torture. He then rolled her over and started to fuck her as she pulled her knees up to her chest for him. By then I was so desolate that I walked back to the truck and went on the water run. When I got back home they both acted like nothing had happened. Cassio actually helped me unload the water buckets, and mom flashed me a big smile. I spied as they secretly flashed each other looks like secret lovers. I didn't know what to think of it. Of course I was despondent over it, and I was also freaked because watching them fuck turned me on. I knew that I already hated Cassio, but now I was starting to hate my mother also, and myself as well. Cassio might have gone along with it semi-willingly, but mom was the initiator and, to me, she bore most of the sin. I on the other hand, was just a weak willed douche bag who stood on the porch with my dick in my hand watching another man fuck my woman. I brooded the rest of the day and, when Cassio went off to the garage to feed the chickens and rabbits, mom confronted me. "What's going on? You've been moody all day, and you've been snippy to Cass too." "Maybe I just don't like him fucking you." There I just spit it out right away. Mom put her hand to her mouth, surprised to find that I knew the truth. But instead of being contrite, she turned the onus on me. "You spied on us?" "You're damn right I spied on you. I knew for days something was up." "I don't have to answer to you." "What," I said taken aback. "You don't have to answer to me?" "Ed I'm not your wife. I'm your mother. You seem to forget that these days." "Okay, so I see that you want us to go back to a mother son relationship." "I didn't say that. Just because Cass is in my life doesn't mean that I don't want to still sleep with you too. I love that part of our relationship." I stood there stunned. This was worse than I thought. "I'm not going to share you with him." "Well you are going to have to learn to, and he will have to accept our relationship too." "I'm not doing that. I don't believe that you're even asking me to do that. I'm out of here," I said as I headed for the door. "Ed, don't do this." "No you did this," I said furious. "You did this when you pushed him down on that couch and fucked him." And I stormed out of the door. I was beside myself with anger, but I knew it wasn't righteous. A week ago it wasn't just sex between us, at least not for me, but now I didn't know. Things were changing again. I was changing again and so was mom. I made for the truck with the mini slung over my shoulder. Cassio emerged from the garage as I was getting in the cab. "Hey Ed, where are you going?" He shouted to me with a puzzled look on his face. "Fuck off," I shouted back to him through the open window of the truck as I gunned the engine and made my way out to the street. Once on the road, I had no idea where I was going. All I knew was that I needed a stiff drink. I thought of going back to the boatyard and seeing John and Henry, but I didn't want to see anybody. I wanted to be alone. After a little driving I found myself on the road where weeks ago Cassio and I had gone to retrieve the generator. I remembered the driveway, and so I turned into it. I was driving up to that big house as the afternoon was turning into evening. The house was even nicer than I remembered it, as I got out of the truck and made my way inside. I never made it inside the last time I was there, and so I wasn't prepared for how lavish it was. The woman of the house was obviously into opulence. It was very showy and very pretentious. The furniture, the rugs and the drapery were gold and silver and if my father was still alive he would say that it looked like a New Orleans whorehouse. "It's not much," I said aloud. "But it's home." I quickly found the liquor cabinet and got very drunk. Quetzalcoatl Ch. 09 ***Author's note*** I really do appreciate the kind words in your emails and feedback about this story. I'm sorry that it is not exactly as some of you wish, but I must write what I feel. I have one more chapter after this, although it will be longer than the usual 10 pages, but it is still a work in progress. There is much going on in my life right now, and I can't always write when I want to. HMedits is my editor again for this chapter, and I want to thank him again for all of his help. I couldn't do it without you. Please keep the feedback coming. I, mostly enjoy them. DS Quetzalcoatl Ch. 09 Mom was sitting at the kitchen table when I came in. She looked up at me and smiled. At least she wasn't mad at me. "How do you feel, because you look good," she said sarcastically. "Like hell." "Coffee?" "Please," I said as I sat down at the table. Mom got up and poured me a cup, and then placed it in front of me while I had my face in my hands. "You were on a mission yesterday." "A mission to polish off a bottle of bourbon, you mean?" "You said something weird to me yesterday. Do you remember it?" "No what?" "You said that you were trying to wash the blood off you hands." "Oh yeah that. I was drunk and being overly dramatic." "I don't think so. Whose blood are you trying to wash off?" "Mom I was drunk," I said exasperated. "The zombies?" I closed my eyes and shook my head in frustration. "If you must know, I feel a little responsible for you getting kidnapped, but mostly for Cassio's death." "Ed if you were here you'd probably be dead too. We didn't hear them until they were in our room. Cassio used to sleep with a pistol under his pillow." "He was able to get two of them," I said. "Yeah, he almost chased them out of the house, but then the pistol only held six shots. He ran out of ammo and had to fight them hand to hand. There was just too many of them and eventually they overwhelmed him." Tears started to come to her eyes, and I moved over to her to console her. "The zombies held him down as that fuck Azul stabbed him over and over. I was screaming and trying to get them off of him, but he just kept stabbing him. I pleaded with Azul to let Cass go. I told him that I would go with him willingly and do whatever he wanted, but he only smiled at me and told me that I would anyhow." "What about Al Shaba? How did they get past the dog?" "She wasn't here," mom said puzzled. "You didn't take her?" "No?" "Ed I haven't seen her since you left. I thought she left with you." "That's strange," I though out loud. I sat with my arm around her for a few minutes, and then mom looked at me. "How did you know? How did you find me?" "This is a little strange, but Jen came to me in a dream and told me that you were in trouble." "Jennifer?" Mom asked, and I nodded to the affirmative. "In a dream?" "Yes." "I always loved that girl." "She loved you too mom." "So you came right away?" "Yes." "Was Cass alive when you got here?" She couldn't look at me when she asked. "Just barely. He told me what happened. Did you tell him that I was your son?" "He told you that?" She looked up quickly up at me. "He told me that he knew you were my mother." "No, I never told him, but I had a feeling that he knew. What else did he tell you?" "He told me that he was in love with you." "Oh God," she started to cry. She just sat with her head on my shoulder shaking. I wanted to ask her if she was in love with him too, but I realized that I didn't have to. I waited a few days until I knew mom was capable of being left alone, and then I went over to see John and Henry. They were sitting around drinking coffee in the office at the boatyard. "Don't you guys ever leave here?" I kidded them as I entered the door. "I own this place," John defended himself. It was a little bit of a shock to me, since I considered him and Henry to be just vagabonds, but then it made sense. "Really," I said surprised. "I didn't know that." "Ed, it's right there on the door you just walked in." And there I saw written in gold leaf on the pane of glass in the door "McAllister's Boatyard". It was old and weathered but still quite legible. I had forgotten that his name was McAllister. He only mentioned it in passing the first day we met, but now it made sense that he mentioned it at all. "I'm starting to wonder about you Ed," he said as we all laughed. "My dad started the business, and my brothers and I ran it until, well you know." "Next you'll be telling me that Henry is your uncle." "Almost, he was my dad's best friend. Luke's his grandson." "How is Luke?" I had heard during the funeral that Luke was taking Cassio's death badly. "Well, he's kind of depressed," Henry said. "He looked up to Cassio, and he feels that it was his fault that Azul killed him." I didn't say anything. I knew Luke was a young kid and didn't realize the consequences of his actions, but I did feel that he held some responsibility. "Listen," I said to change the subject. " I need to ask you guys a favor." "Yeah?" John asked. "I'm going to need somebody to watch over Josie while I'm gone." "You going somewhere?" John played innocent. "Yeah, I need to take care of some business." "Does that business have to do with Pato Azul?" "Yeah." I left it at that. "Do you think that's smart? Killing zombies is one thing. They're easy and it's necessary, but Azul is different. He's smart and he's ruthless." "That's just it. The way Josie describes that night, he could have let Cassio go, but it was almost like he got joy from killing him." "It's not almost," Henry chimed in. "He does get a thrill out of killing people. I hear it time and again over the radio. Anyone who has had a run-in with him tell stories of his cruelty." "You weren't there when they attacked?" John caught that little clue that I didn't even know that I had offered. "No." I didn't offer any details, and John was too much of a class act to ask, but you knew the questions where in his head. After an awkward pause I asked, "well, what do you think, can Josie stay with you guys?" "Sure," Henry offered. "She can stay with Anne. "Who's Anne?" I asked. "She's my girlfriend. You met her at the funeral. Josie and her hit it off real well." "I don't remember. I was a little drunk." "A little?" John teased. "It wasn't even dark when we put you to bed." "Yeah, I guess I got a little carried away. Cassio's death affected me too." "Well you missed a good party," Henry mocked me. "Sebastian brought his guitar, we made a barn fire, and he sang all night." "Who's Sebastian?" "The black guy with the two kids," John said incredulously. "Oh yeah." "That's it Ed," John said to me paternally. "No more bourbon for you." "I couldn't even think of having another drop," I said nauseated. They walked me out to the Jeep. "So it's set. Josie can stay with Anne?" "Well I'll have to ask Anne." Henry added. "But I don't see why she'd mind. I think she'd be thrilled. She hasn't stopped talking about Josie since the funeral." "New car,?" John asked. "Yeah I had to trade the truck to Azul for Josie. Holy shit," I realized. "That was your truck John! McAllister's Boatyard; I was driving it for weeks with the name on the side and I didn't even realize it." "And you say that you were a big-time lawyer back in New York?" John said puzzled. "And I'm usually good with details. Speaking of details, Henry were you able to get me any more bullets?" "For the Glock" Henry remembered. "Yes, I've got two boxes in the office. I was able to get you an extra magazine and a holster." "Magazine?" "That's the real name for what you call a clip. I'll go get them," he said and turned for the office. "I wish you would reconsider this vendetta, Ed," John said quietly as I got in the Jeep and he closed the door. "It's not just for Cassio," I rationalized. " Although that's a big part of it. How do I know that Azul won't come back again for Josie? I'm thinking that he will, and with more help." "You could run?" "Never been one to run from a fight." "This isn't a board room negotiation. Whoever loses this deal will be dead and, let's face it, he has more experience in this field than you." "I figure that he's not expecting me to come after him. So I have the element of surprise. That might be enough." "Maybe, but don't be fair about this. If you can take him out from far away; do it. Remember he had a gun, and chose to stab Cassio to death. That's the kind of man you're dealing with." "Good point," I said as Henry exited the office and gave me the boxes of ammo, the magazine and the holster. I thanked them one more time, and I told them I'd be back with Josie as soon as I could convince her to stay with them. That was going to be the hard part. When I got home, mom was just moping around the house. It was August and the garden was reaping big harvests. We needed to preserve as much as we could for the winter, but mom was in a depression. I understood, that she was probably in love with Cassio, as much as you can be in love with someone that you only knew for three weeks. I didn't belittle those feelings. I knew the first night with Jen that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. It's not love at first sight, that's just physical attraction and might not last once you get to know that person. Occasionally there is a certain synchronicity between two people who fall in love. Sometimes you just know. I gave her plenty of space and tried to pick up her end of the chores, but I wasn't her equal around the kitchen. And sex, wasn't even a thought. I didn't initiate anything and she certainly wasn't going to. It was just as well. I stopped thinking of mom as a sex object and back to being a mom. And, of course, mom only wanted Cassio back. She had to get over this, and I didn't have too much time if I wanted to catch Azul with his pants down. Two days after, I went to see John and Henry it was all thrust in my face. Again, Luke was the culprit. Mom and I were sitting on the porch one evening; I in a rocking chair and she on a bench. I was having a cold beer, and I thought of Cassio, like I do every time I have a cold beer these days. When a Camaro, which I didn't recognize, came down the road and turned up our drive. I instinctively looked for the mini, but I didn't fetch it since I started wearing the Glock on my hip. The mini was just inside the door if I needed it. Besides, I didn't think Azul would come after us this soon. The car pulled up in front and Luke got out. "Hello the house," he shouted up to us on the porch. "Hello Luke," I yelled back to him. Mom stayed quiet as was customary these days. "What brings you around?" He didn't answer me right away. He waited until he walked up on the porch to speak. I got the feeling that it was quite monumental. "I want to go with you when you go after Azul." I cringed as I heard the words come out of his mouth. Tact wasn't going to be Luke's forte. I didn't have to look, I could feel mom's stare on me. "I didn't say I was definitely going after him." Mom was still eying me. "That's not what my grandfather said. He said that you were already stocking up on guns and ammo." I took a deep breath, because I knew what was coming. "What the hell is wrong with you?" mom preached to me. "Don't you think that I'm hurting enough without you going off on some fool mission and probably getting killed yourself?" I didn't say anything. I knew that I had to weather the storm. "I don't believe you! Who do you think you are; some kind of cowboy? You think that you are some kind of macho asshole, risking your life like that? And you weren't going to tell me, were you?" I let her say her peace, and I just sat there with my arms folded in front of me, until I was ready to speak. "This is not an impulsive decision. I've thought about this for some time." "So you are going to ride out of here like you are some kind of John Wayne, and go after him?" "You yourself said that this wouldn't be over until Azul was dead." "That doesn't mean that you have to be the one to kill him. Did you ever think that maybe he might kill you first?" "What alternative do we have? Wait here like lambs for the slaughter until he shows up? And with how many zombies? Not me. I'm not going to wait. I'm going to ferret him out and exterminate him like the vermin he is." "Why, because of me, or because you have blood on your hands?" There it was. I hadn't known it before, but she too blamed me for Cassio's death. If I were here, her lover would still be alive. I was the great killer of zombies. "Yes, I have blood on my hands. I blame myself for Cassios's death, but I never realized that you also blame me. And you wouldn't care if I died, as long as your precious Cassio was still here to fuck you." I gave her a look of utter hatred, and she shot me one back of utter contempt. She then got out of her chair, walked into the house and upstairs to her bedroom. I just sat there on the porch shaking my head while Luke was still standing there, totally clueless, as to what had just happened. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to get you in any trouble. I'm still coming with you, right?" "You know Luke, I would let you come with me, and die a horrible death, but I think too highly of your grandfather." "What?" Was all that he came up with. "Just go home Luke. Haven't you done enough damage?" "I'm sorry." "Just go home Luke." Now, I had worked very hard that day on the house and garden, and after mom went to bed, and Luke finally went home, I drank a good amount of beer. I ended up falling asleep right there in that rocker. There, in that moonlit August night, while the mosquitoes were making a feast of me, Jen came to me in my sleep. It wasn't a sex dream, and I felt her more than saw her face. When I awoke, Al Shaba was licking my hand. I could still feel Jen's presence as I emerged from sleep and petted that big white head. "Where the fuck have you been?" She just tilted her head, which I could only construe as a look of puzzlement. With that I got up out of the rocker, and we both went into Cassio's room to sleep. Quetzalcoatl Ch. 10 Finale Quetzalcoatl Ch. 10 "Fifteen minutes heh," Luke chimed in. "Well, how much time do you need? You're not here for a prom," the greeter answered back sullenly, referring to Luke's age. "Can we see the women?" I asked. "No," the greeter answered curtly. He was obviously getting annoyed with our questions. "I have a rifle that I might want to trade. What would that get me?" The greeter looked at the doorman. "What kind of rifle?" The doorman asked. "Mini-14 semiautomatic." The greeter looked again at the doorman as he gave him a serious nod. "You can have an hour with a three star lady." The greeter answered. "More if you have any ammo to go with it," the doorman added. "Oh, I have plenty of ammo for you." "Okay, good. Just don't have any in the gun when you bring it in. We don't want any accidents," said the greeter. "No there won't be any accidents," I said and we headed out of the place. "They will be the first to die?" Dave asked as we quickly crossed the road. "No use in shooting up the zombies. They will start running as soon as the fun starts and I want as much of a surprise as possible," I answered as we got in the Jeep. "That was pretty smart mentioning the rifle," Luke observed. "Now they won't think it's weird that you are arriving with a gun." "Nothing gets by you Luke," I said sarcastically. That night I couldn't fall asleep, and, when I finally did, I dreamt of Jen. Of course she was naked. She had a dancer's body: all thin, muscular and limber. Her breasts were small but perfectly formed, her waist thin without being emaciated, and her ass was like two scoops of vanilla ice cream side by side. She loved it when I went down on her. I could still remember the way she moaned as I brought her to orgasm. She would tell me that I had been the only man to ever get her off that way. That was how she knew that I was the one, because she felt so comfortable with me between her legs. I dreamt of the last time we made love. She was sick and we both knew that she was going to die. I didn't want to do it, but she said that she wanted to feel me one last time. She was so weak and pale as I slipped between her legs... We were both crying as I hovered above her, trying not to hurt her. "I want you to marry again," she preached to me in my dream. "Don't say that. There will never be another like you." "I am just a memory. Life is too precious a gift to waste on a memory. We will be together soon enough and then, forever. But now you have to live the life God gave you." "I can't Jen." "You will meet her soon enough. You must let go of me and live your lives together." "I'm coming to you soon Jen." She just looked up at me as the dream started to fade into black. "Live your life Edward." The next morning it was raining hard when I got up. The rain was coming down in waves and the parking lot out back was filled with water. Dave was up already and he was working on his laptop. "You don't have any Internet, do you?" I asked. "No." He smiled. "But we're working on it. Coffee?" "Coffee, yes. What do you mean?" "It's on the counter. Cups are in the cupboard and milk is in the frig. It will be like back in the day. When the Internet was just a few computers hooked up together." "From little steps..." I said as I filled my cup up from the coffee maker, and then got the milk from the refrigerator. "It has to start somewhere," Dave continued. "Hopefully someone in California is starting one there and someday we will meet in the middle." I nodded my approval. "Where did you get the milk?" I asked as I took my first sip. "Friend of mine has a goat farm," he said without looking up. "Goat farm?" I asked, half spitting out the coffee. Dave looked up slyly from the laptop. "I dare you to tell me there is a difference. Except for the fact that it has more cream in it." "Goat milk?" "Oh relax. Don't be such a wimp. Besides he says they're easier to take care of than cows." I had to admit that it tasted pretty good. He was right about the creaminess. It tasted more like half and half. "Rain is coming down pretty good," I said looking out the window. "It'll be good for you." "Why?" "No moonlight. The moon was supposed to be almost full tonight." "Oh." "You are going tonight, right?" "That was my plan." "We have a few things to do." "Like what?" "Well, you should tape that light to your rifle and fill all of your magazines." "They're already full." "How many do you have?" "Two for each gun." "Giving you how many rounds?" "Twenty for each gun." "Is that enough?" "Don't know. But I'm going to take a bunch loose, so I can reload the mags as I go." "Sounds good. What's the plan?" "I drive around back. Take out the generator, and then come in the front door, hopefully to a lot of confusion." "Oh they will be confused. Azul sends for me when they have problems with the generator and they haven't sent for me in months. They won't know what to do. The elevator, which won't have any power, is down the hall to the left. The stairs are also on the left just past the elevator." "Thanks for all of your help." "I didn't do it for you, remember. I did it for the grandmas." We both smiled at that. Getting ready took me no more than an hour. I taped the maglight to the stock of the rifle, and took another light as a back up. The magazines were ready to go, and I had extra ammo in the cargo pockets of my shorts. .9 mm, pistol rounds in the left side, and .223 rifle rounds in the right side. I had the knife sheathed and attached to my belt along with the gun holster. I even took another look at the generator. Just to make sure. The rest of the day I sat on the couch and watched old movies with Luke. I couldn't even tell you what movies they were. All I thought about was Azul, and how the hell was I going to kill him. The rain didn't stop, and it looked like it would never stop as the day dragged on. By ten o'clock that night I was ready to go. It wasn't that late, but it was dark enough and it wasn't getting any darker. With all of the rain that night I figured that there wouldn't be too many patrons at Azul's. Which was a good thing, I didn't want too much collateral damage. Win or lose, I just wanted it to be over. So I said my goodbyes and Dave actually gave me a hug. I really liked this kid. "Remind me to get a goat when we get back Luke," I said as I exited the apartment. "I miss milk in my coffee." "Not to mention the goat meat," Dave chimed in. "Curry goat is very tasty." "You'll have to make me some." "It's a deal," Dave said skeptically as I headed for the Jeep in the rain. On the way to Azul's place the lack of sleep started to affect me. I couldn't see through the rain and the dark, and I felt an almost out of body experience as I strained to stay on the road. Finally I made it to the apartment building and, when I drove past, it almost seemed closed. I didn't see anyone in front of it at first, but then a man exited as I rounded the corner to go around back. That was a good sign. I think that I dreaded hurting an innocent more than I dreaded death. After last night's dream, I almost yearned for death. To be with my beautiful Jen again, and forever, seemed like heaven. I parked the Jeep and made a check of my gear. I knew I had the knife and pistol because they were sticking me in the back. The mini was on the passenger seat and the extra ammo was clinking in the cargo pockets of my shorts. Lastly was the extra flashlight, which I stuck in my back pocket as I exited the vehicle. It was still raining as I stood in the street looking up at Azul's building from the rear. Well, I thought as I headed across the street, let's go meet our maker. I wasn't sure which way to go at first, but then I started to recognize the buildings as I made my way into the alley between them. I then heard the hum of the generator, and I followed my ears to it. It was coming down in buckets and there was no one in sight as I neared the rectangular beast. I used the spare flashlight and only flashed it on once in a while as I made my way in the rain. I put the mini down on top of it and, as I squatted down next to it, opened the steel door. I didn't bother to put on the flashlight, but just traced the fill pipe down to the gas tank, and finally to the fuel line. I pulled the knife out of the sheath and, with about thirty seconds of work, I cut through it. As Dave predicted the generator didn't stop right away, but kept on humming. I put the knife away, got up and, as I grabbed the mini, I headed for the front of the building. About half way there the motor started to falter and, by the time I made it to the front of the building, it had stopped altogether. The commotion in the building started as soon as I opened up the door to the lobby. The doorman and the greeter were both there, but their attention was down the hall. People and zombies were milling about everywhere in the hall. Because of the chaos, I was able to sneak in the lobby unnoticed. By the time the doorman turned around and noticed me I was standing on top of him with the rifle in my hand. The maglight was still off, but I could see their outline in the dark. "What the fuck's going on?" He exclaimed as I stood there. He shone a flashlight on me. Shit, I thought, I hadn't accounted for him being prepared. "Remember me?" I asked. "I was here last night, and I told you I was bringing a rifle." The greeter was just turning around and noticing that I was there. "Yeah, I remember you. Is that thing loaded?" Somehow the doorman must have seen the magazine in the gun. "It wouldn't be worth a damn if it wasn't loaded." "Give me that gun mister." "Here take it," I said as I leveled the mini and shot from the hip. Two shots ripped through his torso, and a third one through his throat. He dropped the flashlight and both of his hands went for his throat. He made a sick gurgling sound as he tried to breathe with a shredded larynx. I turned towards the greeter, who I could see in the partial light of the flashlight that was still shinning on the floor. His eyes were wide open, and so was his mouth. His hands were up in a warding off position and I sensed that he didn't know whether or not to run. "He might have been the most dangerous," I said referring to the doorman. "But you are the most vile. Tonight you will know what it is like to pimp in hell." I brought the rifle up to eye level, catching the front sight in my peripheral vision, and I blew his head off with two shots. Five shots I thought. I removed the magazine, reloaded it, and then snapped the magazine back into place. I then turned on the maglight and I was good to go. I realized then, that the hallway was totally empty. I hadn't even noticed that they had all cleared out. Next I made for the stairs and as I got there two men were coming down. I shone the light on the first one's face. He couldn't see anything with the light in his eyes and they looked more scared than threatening. "Holy shit man. What the fuck is going on?" He screamed. "Do you guys work here?" I asked. "Work here? No man we just came here to get laid. Who are you?" "Can you find your way out?" I ignored the question. "I don't know. Which way is the lobby?" "Down the hall behind me. Go towards the light." Meaning the flashlight that I left on the floor. "Thanks man," he said as they made their way past me. "You better watch yourself," said the second man. "Someone is shooting the place up." And they ran for the door. The stairs were a series of three short landings that must have circled the elevator shaft up the building. I was up them in a bound. As I emerged out of the doorway I could see people in panic. There were women screaming and there was a lot of noise. I thought for a second about what to do. It would take me forever to sort out the johns from the zombies. I resolved to let them sort themselves out when a guy came running for the stairs. "You better get out of here man. The whores are killing the zombies," he said as he pushed past me and ran down the stairs in the dark. Well, good for the grandmas, I thought. That solved that, and so I made for the stairwell to the third floor. As I scaled the steps, three men came running past me and almost knocked me down the stairs. They said nothing, but I could tell they were scared to death. The bedlam was a Godsend. I was walking through the place like a ghost. That was, until I hit the third floor. At the top of the stairs in the doorway was a man and I could see from the maglight's that he had a gun. He couldn't see me, but he could see my light. "Who's that?" He yelled at me. He was turned sideways to me and he brought the gun up half way, but it was still pointing at the floor. I shouldered the mini and got him in my sights. "Better speak up or I'll shoot," he proclaimed. I hit him twice and one must have hit his arm that was holding the gun, because he dropped it, slammed against the far wall and slumped to the ground. I quickly bounded up the steps and grabbed his gun off the floor. "Who are you?" He pleaded as I shone the light in his face. "Quetzalcoatl," was all I said, and then I shot him in the face. It was cold, I know, but enemies, that I thought were out of the picture, had burned me before. If I had any chance of escaping this place, I couldn't show any mercy. They surely wouldn't show me any. I was riveted out of my trance by the sound of gunfire. I turned around to see about ten people cowering on the floor and one man running down the hall firing a pistol at me. I returned fire, missing badly, and ducked back in the stairwell. My return fire stopped him in his tracks and, since he had no light, he was just firing at the glow of the flashlight. I got on my knees at the edge of the door, pulled out the Glock and, as I extended my left arm with the rifle in it, I snuck around the corner with the pistol in my right hand. He fired twice at the rifle with the light on it and I returned fire three times with the Glock. Nothing happened at first, but then he slumped down, dropped the gun and fell to the floor. I looked up and down the hallway, but no one else stirred. I could hear some woman crying and that was it. I got to my feet and came around the corner into the hallway. I holstered the Glock and I shone the flashlight off the hallway's ceiling. It gave a low light to everyone in the hall. "Ladies," I started. "I'm sorry for the commotion, but you are all free to leave." No one moved. I waited for a few seconds. "Ladies this is no joke, and if you want to get out of here before your captors come back, I suggest that you leave now." That got them moving. Slowly they got to their feet and started for the stairs. "Are you serious," one older woman grabbed me. "We can leave?" "Yes, and I would make haste. I don't know how many guys are in this building, or if there are more coming." "What about us?" one of the men spoke up. "I don't know. Ladies what do you think? Can I let them go?" "I say we cut their balls off first," said one woman who was walking into the stairwell. "I'm sorry but I don't have the time or the inclination to do any castrations," I said tongue in cheek. "Okay then guys, you can go." As the men got up, a young woman approached me with the gun that the second guy dropped. She was young and beautiful with long straight auburn hair and she was only wearing a bra and panties. She had an incredible body on display, although I made every effort not to be too obvious about noticing it. My first thought was, why are you still alive? "There is still a guard hiding in the last apartment," she said to me as we locked eyes. "Ah shit. Okay I'll go get him." She put a hand on my chest. Her touch was electric. "No, let me," she said still holding the gun. "Are you sure?" I could sense a hatred and determination in her eyes. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life." "Okay," I conceded. "But hold on." I took the first guy's gun out and checked the magazine. It was full. "Use this gun. It has more bullets." We exchanged guns and I took the opportunity to fill my magazines while I watched her ass as she walked down the hall and into the apartment. I stood at the stairwell leading to the top floor and I waited for an outcome. I started to think that I shouldn't have let her go, but then I heard three shots and, a minute later, she walked out into the hallway. Good girl, I thought. I didn't wait any longer. I had already taken too much time. I turned off the maglight and started up the stairs. It was quiet upstairs. Whoever was up there had far too much time to prepare. I was at a disadvantage. I came around the corner of the stairs, and looked up the landing to the doorway. For some reason I turned on the maglight on that doorway and was greeted by two gunmen, one of whom had a shotgun. They immediately opened fire. I was quick enough to bounce back behind the stairway wall, but not before a few pellets stung my right leg. I slumped to the landing and listened for footsteps, but heard none. That was their mistake. I turned off the maglight again and with my arm fully extended to my right into the open stairway I held the mini. I estimated the direction to the doorway in the dark and emptied a whole magazine into the night. Ten rounds went screaming up the stairway, ripping into anything soft in their way. A peek around the corner, with the light back on, produced the results I needed. I could just see the heads of two men slumped at the top of the stairs. They were testaments to the damage that that rifle can inflict in as little as five seconds. As I got up the sting in my right leg became out-in-out pain. I needed to pull myself up the stairway by the railing. I figured that I got hit with at least three pellets. It was only buckshot and I was lucky that it wasn't anything more substantial, but it still hurt like hell. I quickly snapped the light on and then off again and saw nothing down the hallway. That was worse than being confronted. I would have to make my way down the hall and anyone could pop out of any one of the five apartments on the floor. I flicked on the light again and looked at the two men at the top of the stairs. The one with the shotgun was a zombie. He was way overdressed and he stunk. I wondered how people could live around such filth. I honed in on the first apartment door. It was down on my left about five feet away. I turned off the light and headed towards the door in the dark. I made my way down the hall using feel and hearing. I found the door jamb easy enough, but a try of the knob proved it to be locked. I flicked on the light, got my balance and sent the heel of my foot at the doorknob. The first try just dislodged the door a notch, but a second try slammed it open. A quick glance down the hall showed that no one was coming out of the other apartments, so I headed in. The apartment opened up to a small living room with a kitchen behind. Two doors to the left presumably led to bedrooms. Fuck, I thought, more doors. Anyone could be hiding anywhere. I just resigned myself to kicking in both doors, when the one on the left opened up. Slowly at first, but then a woman stuck her head out around the jamb. She was older, and she reminded me of Josie. She didn't have the same features, in fact she was light skinned with blond hair, but she was a beautiful older woman. She was also dressed in a bra and panties, but not as revealing as the ones the auburn haired girl wore. "Who are you?" She asked frightfully. "I'm here to set you free," I said calmly to settle her down. Quetzalcoatl Ch. 10 "What, are you fuckin' kidding me?" The question took me by surprise. "No. I just rescued everyone from the two lower floors and now I'm working on this floor." I said kind of professionally. "By yourself?" "Well, there was one woman downstairs who helped, but yeah, mostly by myself." "Who turned out the lights?" I started to think that this would take all night. "I did, but you need to go. I can't stand around here. I need to clear the rest of this floor and find Azul." "Okay," she answered dutifully. "Is there anyone else in here?" "No," she answered loudly, and nodded her head to the other bedroom. I nodded back to her. "I'll be leaving now," I said as I moved deeper into the living room, and then into the kitchen. He could be in one of two places. Either hiding behind something in the room, or splayed across the wall attached to the door. From hiding he could shoot me as I get in the doorway, but in the best place, along the wall, he could nail me from my blind side as I entered. I bet on the latter and, as I motioned for the woman to get near the front door, I peppered the wall with four shots. Sure enough, somewhere between the second and third shot I heard a man scream in pain and then the door opened and he came out shooting. But his motion and gun were to the right, and I was in the kitchen to his left. I answered his second shot with three of my own and he went crashing to the floor. His gun went flying across the room and, in the beam of the flashlight, the woman and I watched him die. "Oh fuck," he kept saying as he writhed around in agony. "Oh Jesus," the woman said with her hand over her mouth. "I always wanted him dead, but I can't watch." And yet she was lucid enough to pick up his gun. She just hid it behind her back, since she had nowhere else to put it. I kept an eye on her as I watched the guy eventually expire. When she thought I wasn't watching she snuck out the apartment door, but instead of heading toward the stairs, she headed deeper into the hall. "Where the fuck are you going?" I screamed at her. "I'm going to get my girls." "You 're going to get killed." "I don't care. I'm not going anywhere without my girls," and she headed down the hall. I followed her out the apartment and, for some reason, she skipped a door and went into the third apartment. I was frozen. I didn't want to have this door behind me, but I wanted to help the woman. Instead I didn't do anything. I didn't clear the apartment and I didn't go to the woman's aid. Five shots rang out and I closed my eyes thinking she was dead. Finally I broke from my spell and rushed through the door the woman just ran into. I was ready to kill whoever was in the beam of my flashlight, but instead the woman and two young girls standing over the body of another dead man greeted me. I halted in mid flight and flashed the light on the ceiling, bringing the barrel away from them. The girls, one black and one Hispanic, were no more than fourteen years old. They were also clad in their underwear. My heart went out to them. They were so young and scared, and I couldn't imagine the horrors and indignities they must have endured. They were a tinge on the skinny side, and their underwear was a little tattered, but they didn't look physically abused, although I couldn't attest for their mental state. "Are you okay?" I said breathlessly. "I am now," the woman said as she had her arms around the girls. Just then a figure emerged from one of the bedrooms. It was a man, a little older than I, with his hands in the air in the usual surrender pose. "Please don't kill me. I'm not one of them. I just came here for the first time tonight," he said obviously scared out of his wits. "Come here," I said motioning to him with the rifle. He passed the woman and the girls with his hands still in the air, and then I saw the woman release the girls and bring her hand up to the man's head. "NO!" I screamed, but it was too late. She fired just once, but it caught him right behind the ear. The girls cringed from the noise and the john went down without ever knowing what hit him. I could see the look in her eyes and knew what she was thinking. "Fuck him," she cursed. "You can't just shoot people," I lectured. "Fuck you. Why not?" "Okay, please stop shooting innocent people." "He wasn't innocent, and I'll shoot everyone I see." "Well you only have two bullets left and I'm not giving you anymore, so you better think about who you are shooting." She didn't say anything, and there was nothing she could say. I headed back out of the apartment, but stopped at the door. The woman and the two girls followed right behind me. "Why did you pass that door," I said motioning to the one I didn't clear behind us. "They only use that one for storage and only Azul has the key." "Okay then, I only have two more doors to clear," I said staring down the hall. "You only have one door to clear, if you give me more bullets," the woman said quietly. "I can take out the guard on that room on the right. You want Azul? Well he stays in that room on the left." "This is dangerous work. Are you sure?" "I still have two more girls in that room, and you'll just get the whole place shot up. It has to be done and I have to do it." With that, a figure came running down the hall to us. Immediately I recognized it as female, so I lowered my guard. It was the auburn haired girl, and she looked stunning. She was a major distraction to me and I immediately saw the absurdity in that. "Abbie," the auburn girl yelled to the woman. "Lauren. Oh my God girl, you are alive." "Thanks to your friend here." She grinned at me. "What are you doing here?" Abbie asked frantically. "I came to help," and then she looked at me. "But I need you to give me more bullets." "Of course you do," I grinned at her. "Yes give us all more bullets," Abbie said with glee. "Okay," I agreed. "But you have to promise me that you won't kill any more johns." "Who's killing johns?" Lauren asked. I didn't answer, but merely looked at Abbie. "Oh!" Lauren said understanding. "Okay?" I asked Abbie. "Okay," she agreed. "Alright, give me your magazines." Lauren went right for the magazine release, but Abbie had to watch her to see what she needed to do. I filled both of their magazines and they quickly put them back in their guns. Both of the girls looked comical, as women who have never held guns before are apt to do. "Okay," I said as soon as everyone seemed ready. "Abbie, how did you unlock that last door?" "The keys are hanging on a hook by the door. They're not worried about anyone getting in the rooms, they were only worried about one of the girls getting out." That made sense, I thought. "I'll wait until you guys get in the door before I hit that last room, and be careful." "You be careful," Abbie retorted. "That guard isn't expecting us to have guns. Azul is expecting you, and he's waiting for you." "Thanks," I said resigned to that fact. "Why don't you leave it be," Lauren spoke up. "You've hurt him enough. You've killed most of his men, and taken all of his girls." "Because this won't be over until he or I are dead." "Stupid macho bullshit," Abbie lambasted. I was starting to wonder if I liked her or not. Lauren, on the other hand, I was infatuated with already. "Okay Abbie," I said tersely. "It's your play." With that she headed for the door on the right, with Lauren quick behind her. The younger girls stayed back with me. Abbie grabbed the keys and she was in the door in no time. I waited two seconds and then I headed for my fate, leaving the young girls behind I got to the door and found the keys. It took me a few minutes to figure out which key worked the lock and in what position. I finally got the right key in the lock the right way and opened the door, but then I heard the door down the hall open up. It was the very same door that I hadn't cleared. Abbie's words quickly came back to me. "They only use that one for storage, and only Azul has the key." How could I have been so stupid? I had the mini in my left hand as I was unlocking the door, and the first shot hit me right in that forearm. The second shot hit me in the side just under my ribcage. I dropped the mini almost immediately, and I was able to stand for about two seconds before the pain overtook me and I slumped to the floor. I lay there helpless and looked down the hall. There, in the light from the flashlight, were two men. One of them was holding a gun, some kind of rifle, and the other was Azul, holding a knife. I figured that he was going to finish me off the way that he did to poor Cassio. They started to walk toward me with Azul laughing all of the way. "Ed the zombie hunter, you should never have come here. You can't kill me like some stupid zombie. And now you're going to regret what you have done." The beam of the flashlight caught a glimpse of his left hand and I could see a bandage on it. "Fuck you Azul," I said through the pain. I tried to reach for the mini, but I couldn't move. "We shall see. We shall see how brave you are when my men string you up on a light pole out front and I skin you alive for all to see." His smile turned to a sneer of contempt and I had no doubt that he would do what he threatened. A new bolt of pain shot through me as Azul and his man approached me. I struggled to remain conscious through the pain. At first I thought that I was hallucinating, but then I caught a glimpse of someone, and he was holding a gun in typical cop shooting pose. Three shots rang out down the hall, and Azul's man went down. Azul himself grimaced and crumbled to the floor. I could see Luke run to me as my vision and my being went blank and then returned again. I was fading in and out and I saw Luke kneeling beside me. I tried to warn him "Luke make sure Azul is dead," I warned. "Don't worry man, he's dead." With that Azul stood up holding himself. "I'm not dead yet motherfucker." He lunged at Luke with that huge knife and stabbed him in the kidneys from behind. Luke arched his back in pain and then slumped down on top of me. When I came to again Azul was standing over Luke with that knife in his hand, and Luke wasn't moving. Then Abbie and Lauren came out of the other apartment shooting. Azul was running down the hall dodging bullets and Abbie was running after him in her underwear. Lauren stayed with Luke and I. "Luke, Luke. Talk to me Luke," I screamed at him. "I'm still here Ed," he said faintly. "Ah fuck Luke, why did you even come? How did you even find me?" "That was easy." As he said it, I knew he was fading. "I just followed the death and destruction. Oh God Ed, I don't want to die." My breaths were fitful and exaggerated and I began to loose consciousness. As I started to black out, I held on to Luke as best I could, but we were both slipping away. When I awoke I was in a doctor's office. I was alone and I was totally naked except for a sheet over me. I was just glad that it wasn't over my face. I tried to get up, but I wasn't going anywhere. My left arm was in a cast; there were bandages on my left side and on my right leg. I could feel them, along with a hell of a lot of pain, but I was glad to be alive. It's funny, but when I entered the building I figured that I had no reasonable belief of surviving, but when I got to the top floor, I was feeling better about my chances. Then after I got shot I thought that I was dead and that I had failed everyone, especially mom. Now I was alive, but I still didn't know how it all came out. A woman, older that you'd expect, came in dressed in street clothes, and just walked past me, until she realized that I was awake and alive. "Oh, you are still with us, thank God." "Yes, I guess I am." "How are you feeling?" "In a lot of pain, but I guess I'm lucky to be alive." "I'd say you are," she said as she scurried around the room. "The doctor had to remove shotgun pellets from your leg and a bullet from your left arm." My God, I thought as she kept on going, this woman is a whirlwind. "It broke the bone, and that's why your arm's in a cast. The bullet that hit you on the side went in and out. Superficial damage really. The bullet in the arm bone gave us the most trouble. That, and for the fact that you lost a lot of blood; we didn't think you were gonna survive." "Doctor?" "Well he's really just a physician's assistant, but he is the best thing we got right now and we're lucky to have him. I'm not really a nurse, but I do what I can." "Am I here alone?" "Well you are right now honey, but there's a gaggle of women who come to see you every day. Women of that age are pretty rare. You are a lucky guy to have so many." "The one with the red hair was the one who donated all of that blood to you. At first we couldn't find a match. Doc figures you're a type B. That's kind of rare, you know. But she must be a type O. They can donate blood to anyone. They call them the universal donors. You learn a lot of shit when you play nurse." "You have anything for the pain?" "Oh God yes. Here I am going on and on, and you need a painkiller. We have something for you. I'll be right back and give it to you." And she walked right out of the room. I really had no idea what the fuck had just happened. I guess that I waited about twenty minutes, and each minute was worse than the one before, because of the pain. Finally she came in with a Vicodin, and I was able to go back to sleep. Thank God for Vicodin. I know that many people have had problems with the drug, but when I've had serious pain, only Vicodin gave me relief. When I awoke again Lauren was standing beside me. She had on a striped black and white t-shirt that was very loose at the neck that gave it an off the shoulder look. Her shoulder length auburn hair was a bit windblown and she looked incredible. She smiled at me with her eyes. "Hey you," she looked happy to see me alive. "Hey." "We didn't think you were going to make it." "They tell me that I have you to thank for that." "We all helped carry you out. Abbie threatened two johns with that gun you gave her and they carried you out to a car. You had to see her. She was very funny." "I heard you donated a few pints of blood to me." "Yeah, I guess a bit of me is flowing through your veins." "I can't think of a nicer thing than having you inside of me." "Are you flirting with me?" She started to blush. "I'm just trying to thank you." "Yeah right," she said as she looked away embarrassed. "Where are Abbie and the girls?" "Abbie is outside having a cigarette and the girls are back at the apartment." "You've settled into an apartment already?" "Well, you've been out for a couple of days and we had to sleep somewhere. I wouldn't say we were settled in." "What about Luke?" I knew the answer already, but I had to ask. Lauren just bit her lip and shook her head no. "We couldn't save both of you and Luke wasn't breathing. It was only us four girls at first. I'm sorry Ed." "No. You did everything you could. He was reckless, but I owe him my life, along with you girls." "And we owe you our freedom." With that Abbie came in the door and she smelled of cigarettes. "So how are we doing? You are pretty hard to kill." "I'm like a cat, but I think I'm on my seventh life." "Tell me about it. I think you have more of Lauren's blood in you than your own." "So I've been told." I smiled to Lauren and she smiled back. "What ever happened to Azul?" "Oh that bastard. I shot every bullet in that gun at him, and I hit him once too, but he got away. That bastard is hard to kill too." "Fuck," I swore. " I came all this way and I didn't finish him." "I wouldn't worry anymore about Azul," Abbie reassured me. " I don't think he's going to show his face around here again." "Especially when he finds out that you're still alive," Lauren added, and then she held my hand. Lauren, Abbie and the girls took me back to Anderson Crossroads when I was well enough to travel. Abbie drove, but Lauren stayed in the back seat with me. They were only going to stay for a couple of days, but mom fell in love with them, and so we convinced them all to stay. Everyone seemed quite surprised to see me again, including mom, and not very surprised that Azul got away. Henry was happy to see me. He was saddened, but not surprised, that Luke didn't return. "I thought the two of you were both being reckless, but I knew that I couldn't hold you back. Young men must do what young men must do, and women and old men must mourn them." Mom and Abbie became inseparable and they raised those young girls like they were their own. The girls learned to pitch in on the farm and they were a lot of help. Al Shaba was gone when I got home. Mom said that she woke up one morning and she was gone. Not long after that, while I was taking a nap on the couch, both Jennifer and Al Shaba came to me in a dream. I didn't understand it at first, because I couldn't differentiate between the two figures and no one said anything in the dream. I just got the feeling that they were saying goodbye. Summer ended with Lauren nursing me back to health. We spent the evenings talking on the porch as I fell deeply in love with her. It was easy to see why I fell for her, but with her being so beautiful, and the fact that she could have any man in the world, I wondered why me. Maybe it was that I had rescued her when so many other men had just taken advantage of her, I don't know. How do you ask someone, why is it that they love you. It should be enough that they do. It's now spring; time for the earth to renew itself. During the winter Lauren and I moved to a place of our own down the road. The farm was just too small for all of us, especially since Lauren is expecting in the fall. It's been a year since Quetzalcoatl hit. There have been no new cases reported and the disease has seemingly run its course. I guess that the human race is safe for now, or at least until we try to kill ourselves again. Azul is out there somewhere. No one has seen him, and there have been no reports of him over the radio, but I haven't let my guard down. I know that we still have unfinished business. Quetzalcoatl I put the figurine through the glass and then ran it around the edge to remove all of the shards of glass. The guns were there in the open. There weren't even trigger locks on any of them. The first one I picked up was a shotgun. I didn't know anything about guns, but I had seen enough movies. The next two rifles were some kind of hunting rifles. One had a scope on it and the other just had iron sights. The former had a bolt action and the other had some kind of steel handle instead. I took all three guns and as much ammo that I could hold back into the kitchen. I found some plastic bags in the cabinets and stuffed all of the semi-frozen meat into them. I was out the door, and over the fence as the sun started to set. I left the bags of meat on the kitchen table, but brought the rifles and ammo up to my mother's room. She smiled as I brought my trophies in and laid them on the floor. "You got three rifles. Well two rifles and a shotgun." She said with glee. I looked at my mom incredulously. "How do you know about guns?" I said shaking my head. "Your grandfather used to love to go hunting in the hills around our hometown. I would go with him when I was a girl." "You used to hunt and shoot rifles?" "There's a lot about me that you don't know." "Well what kind of a gun is this, then? I held up the rifle without the scope. "It's some kind of semiautomatic. You can tell by the handle on the side. It's certainly not a bolt action like the other one." I looked at her like she was some kind of alien or something. "What? Semi what?" "Semiautomatic. That means you don't have to work the action every time you shoot," she said patronizingly. Every time you shoot, the gun automatically loads another new bullet. As fast as you can pull the trigger, the gun will shoot." I still had a puzzled look on my face. "Were did you learn all of this?" "I told you. I used to go hunting with your grandfather. He had a friend who had an AK-47. Let me see it," she said holding out her hands. "It's a different gun, but the mechanism is still the same." I gave her the gun and she held it like some sort of terrorist. She pulled back on the handle and the gun opened up and locked open. She then removed a metal box from the bottom. "This is the clip or magazine. This is where you put the bullets, and they are fed into the gun from underneath. It's actually a fun gun to shoot. Your grandmother...OH MY GOD! Your grandmother. I forgot all about her. You haven't heard from her, have you Ed?" "Mom we haven't had phone or electricity for two days." "We'll just have to go and find her." "Mom, all the way to Delaware? You can't even get downtown because the roads are clogged. Getting through the city will be damn near impossible." "Your poor grandmother. What are we to do Ed?" I thought my mom was crazy. Most of the people in the world were dead, especially the old people. Her mother couldn't have survived, but my mother had to know, even if she had to travel through two states to find out. "Well we can't get through the city, but maybe we could bypass it." "What do you mean?" "What about Uncle Tommy's boat?" Uncle Tommy had a 27' sailboat. He used to take my dad and I out on it all of the time. My dad and Uncle Tom used to get drunk and they would leave it up to me to sail it. We would take it all kinds of places, like Connecticut and Atlantic City. "Could you sail it that far? You would know where to go? What to do?" "We went to Atlantic City two years ago, remember? Shit, A.C. is three quarters of the way to Milford. And I think there is a boat yard down by Slaughter Beach." My mother smiled at me. "Hell you know guns, but I know boats," I said with some pride. "We just have to figure out how to get to Freeport and get his boat." It was starting to get dark, and so I just nonchalantly turned on the battery powered camping light we had for blackouts. "You better not keep that on," my mother lectured me. "It's too bright. I think we have some small candles down in the kitchen." "What are you worried about?" "Ed, very soon whatever people are left are going to run out of food. There isn't any food coming into the supermarkets. Then they will come and take your food if you're not careful. It's better that people don't know that we are still alive." "Speaking of food, I better cook that meat that I left in the kitchen to defrost. We're going to have a late dinner tonight." Later after I cleaned up from dinner, I kissed my mom goodnight and headed for my room holding a candle. "You going to bed Baby?" "Yeah Ma, I'm exhausted." "You better sleep here with me." I just looked at her, tired and confused. "Your room is in the front of the house. Anyone going by will see the light in your room. This is a big King sized bed. There's plenty of room for both of us." "Mom, you're making too much of this," I said patiently. "Just humor me huh," she persisted, "Okay. Okay," I said frustrated. I was already only wearing a t-shirt and basketball shorts, so I slipped right into bed. "Goodnight dear." "Ma. You're not just a little scared, are you?!" I said teasingly. "Yes Ed," she said totally serious. "I'm more than a little scared." I walked into our house, and Jennifer was walking down the stairs. She had on a light blouse and a tight black miniskirt. All of her bags were packed and waiting for her by the front door. "What's going on? I asked, confused. "I'm leaving you, Eddie. I'm going," she said matter-of-factly. "What are you talking about?" "You can't stop me, Eddie. Get out of the way." I was infuriated with her. She wasn't ever going to leave me. I grabbed both her wrists and wrestled them behind her. "You're not going anywhere." "You're hurting me!" She cried. "I'll do more than that." I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder, fireman style. I headed up the stairs and to our room. She was kicking and screaming all of the way. When I got to our room, I kicked open the door and threw her on the bed. She shook her long brown hair out of her face. Her blouse, which was button front, was torn half open by my fireman's carry. Her small breasts were al but exposed to me. The hem of her skirt was hiked up so high that I could see her panties. They were white and innocent. "You can fuck me, but you can't hold me, Eddie." "It would be the best thing that ever happened to you." I yelled as I jumped on the bed, and her. "It's no use!" She screamed as she hit me close-fisted. She was quite petite, but a wildcat when she was angry. It took several minutes before I was able to grab her wrists and wrestle them behind her back again. With her hands pinned behind her, her back was arched exposing those cute little tits of hers. They were white from her tan lines, and her nipples were pink and erect. "Get off of me, Eddie," she commanded. I slipped between her legs and my erection, which started as soon as I knew what I was going to do to her, was rubbing against those pretty white panties. Although she was fighting me, the look on her face was loving and concerned. I reached up her skirt, and I pulled off her panties. They came off far too easily. I then opened my pants and pushed them down my thighs. My cock was right there, just inches from her. "You know I love you Eddie." I rocked my hips and pushed into her. "Ahh," she moaned. "You know that I loved making love to you." "Then why are you leaving me," I cried as I thrust into her over and over. "Don't leave me, Jen." Her face writhed with pleasure the way it did when she was about to orgasm. "I have to Eddie. I can't stay." "Then I want to come with you." "It's not your time," she said intently and then she grabbed my face and kissed me hard. "You have to promise me that you won't give up." "I can't." I said teary eyed as I watched her body rock to my thrusting. "Promise me Eddie. I love you so much. Don't give up." "Jen don't go! Jen!" "ED WAKE UP! ED!" It was my mother's voice coming out of Jen's mouth. "Jen." But she was gone, and I woke up to my mother shaking me. "It's okay. You were only dreaming. It's okay." "Oh God," I was crying, and my cock was still erect. My mother held me, and tried to console me. "It's okay. It's okay." But it wasn't okay and my mother was only inches away from my rock hard erection. "You were dreaming of Jennifer, weren't you?" She pulled me close, and she must have felt my erection. The feel of her warm body on it felt just too good, and I tried to pull away. "Don't pull away from me Ed. It's okay. I know you miss her." She had to feel it. It was right there against her. "I'm here for you," she said holding me close. I did nothing. My cock was hard and against her, but I was too afraid to do anything. It probably was right there between her legs, but I pretended to fall asleep, and soon I was asleep. Quetzalcoatl's Kiss I awoke from a dream that left the satin sheets clinging to my sweaty body, I wipe at the sweat on my forehead with my slightly shaky left hand. I sigh gently trying to figure out where I am, I look around the room: the décor being red and black velvet on the couch, the red and black satin sheets and pillows and the drapes around my four poster bed told me that I was in the master bedroom for the Prince of the City – some called him Master but to me he was Micheal. My name is Rachel but to the vampires I was known as the Ghost. I slide out of bed and onto the black shagpile carpet, I walked gently towards the bathroom my mind still swimming from the dream that even I can't really place anymore. I flick on the bathroom light squinting at the instant glare. I wash my face in the marble sink and as I am walking out I hear a small chuckle. "Good Evening Mon Cheri" the voice sweet and gently likes spring rain but it also held that ever so slight undertone of lust. "Good morning to you too" My voice gruff with sleep. I walk over to him almost soundlessly kissing him full on the lips feeling his fangs scrap my lower lip gently. "Did you sleep well my dear?" "Yes, thank you" "Good because there is someone that would love to meet you" He said with a completely blank face, I stared up at him because I am five foot three and he is five foot eleven. "Really?" "Yes his name is Shade he is quite an Entrepreneur when it comes to women apparently" "Oh and why does he want to meet with me?" "Because he wishes to see my servant" "Why? Is he shocked that The Ghost is your servant?" "I dunno he has expressed his interests and that is about all Mon Cheri" "Ok, so when do we meet him?" "It will only be you Mon Cheri but you know how to get in contact if you need me and I know full well that you can handle yourself my dear" "Oh thanks" I say sarcastically what I wanted to say was what you are going to let me meet this guy without you? But I knew better than to say that to him when he was whiter than me which meant that he hasn't fed yet. I went and had a shower letting the hot water lightly splatter my bruises from the night before activities. I applied the smallest amount of makeup and got dressed in the outfit that had already been laid out for me. I left the room but not before attaching my silver throwing knife to my thigh, just in case. I walked down the hallway passing vampires that would either nod to me or say hello. I reached Micheal's office and opened the door. There was a tall man with white hair, not white blond but white, his features sharp and his eyes were gold eyes very similar to serpents. He took my breath away for a second. I swallowed hard and a small smirk crossed his lips, there was a feeling about him it was purely sexual. I could feel it creep across my skin like someone raking cold nails. "Good evening, Shade, it is my pleasure to meet you" "And a good evening to you too ma petite" I smiled a little but there was something in his voice that felt like it was having sex with my ears, I could feel myself blushing and I couldn't stop myself. "I have asked for this meeting because I wish to..." he rolled is hand thinking it seemed as though he was looking for the right words. "Be one of your many consorts" I stared at time a little shocked and a lot surprised that he would be that blunt. I couldn't believe that someone with that much power would be asking me if I would consider having them as one of my many consorts even though I didn't really like that I did have five to count six if I said yes to him. "Wow, I have never had anyone be that blunt with me" My face held the shocked look for a moment before I went back to my neutral face. He smirked lightly at the look. "I can tell that ma petite, but my offer still stands." "Why? Why do you want to become my consort? What have I done to deserve this...pleasure?" "I think that you would benefit greatly from my offer and I also would like the alliance of not only you but your Master too" "Oh and where exactly do you hail from?" "I am originally from the old Mayan lands but that has become Central America now, I now reside here in Queensland" "Mayan? As in Mayan and the Aztecs?" "Yes, why do you ask?" I looked at him trying to disbelieve that he was over a million years old yet he looked like he was in his mid twenties. I smiled gently; I think that threw him off guard because the slight smirk had been replaced by a raised eyebrow. "I am curious how someone that came from the Mayan Lands is sitting here when I know that you are not a vampire because I can't feel you. May I ask what are you?" "Yes you may ma petite; I am a coautl the original. My true name is Quetzalcoatl" "What?" My jaw hung open until I remembered to close it. I swallowed hard. My skin felt as though it wanted to crawl off on its own. I felt a surge of power from him; I buckled under its weight gasping for air. "Oh my Lord" "Yes? I am sorry but I thought that it was necessary to show you the full extent of my powers, this is why I believe that you would be able to benefit from my offer" "I will have to have a talk with my...Master but if you wait here I am sure that I will be able to give you an answer soon" "As you wish ma petite" I bowed my head to him and walked out of the room. I walked back to the master bedroom and sat on the velvet covered couches, still in shock and awe of the powerful man. I shake my head lightly and reach out with my mind to my dearest, Micheal. Micheal, if you are not busy can you please come to our bedroom I have something that I would like to discuss with you. I wait silently before I remember that I have to breathe. I draw a breath and exhale slowly trying to calm my fluttering heart, the sudden knocking on the door did not help at all as I jump. "Enter," I call out to the closed door. The door creeps open, it is Shade; he walks in and up to me. He kneels before me as if I am a princess, it makes me blush a little but I do manage to hold it together. Brownie points for me. "My lady, I wish to show you how I would best serve you, as long as you too help my cause" "Firstly please don't call me your lady, I am no lady. Secondly what cause do you wish for me to help you with?" "I, personally, need your help because it have been so long since I have felt a woman's touch" "Pardon?" "I need you Rachel" "Why?" I said it above a whisper even though I thought that I had said it like you would normally. "Because seeing you like you are has built up my desires almost to breaking point, I need you and I want you." "Why me? There are many vampires here that would love the opportunity to please you" "Yes, they may want the opportunity to pleasure me but I want the opportunity to pleasure you. You are human and I can smell your desires" "Yes I may have a small amount to lust for you but other than that there is nothing." "I shall speak plainly for you. Either you willingly help my cause or I will help myself." I gulped audibly knowing full well what Shade meant. I stand and walk towards the door, trying to leave or call one of the vampires but he is standing there, he closes and locks the specially made lock to keep vampires out. I back up slowly my normally pale skin even paler. I reach into the split of my skirt putting my hand on the throwing knife. He advances towards me; I keep backing away until I hit the desk in the room, with a blink of my eyes he is standing over me. I slowly pull the knife out of its sheath; he grabs my hand throwing the knife to the ground. He pulls me over to the four poster bed by my hair and throws me bodily onto it. The last thing I really remember before I blank out is a fist hurtling towards me. I wake up what feels like moments later with one splitting head ache and sore jaw. I blink a couple of times to try and get my surrounds back, I look up at my hands and down at my ankles, which are tied to the posts of the bed. I try to speak but there is something in my mouth. I look around to see if Shade was in the room, I see him sitting as he was in the office. He moves as soon as he sees that I am wake, walking towards the bed. "Oh ma petite, I am glad that you are awake now we can begin. Oh and don't try to call your little vampire boyfriend either." He strips off his shirt letting me see his strawberry and cream nipples on his very pale chest, he undoes his pants slowly; like it was meant to turn me on. I was cold, tied up and very naked. He slips his pants off revealing his manhood to me and the fact that he was indeed very turnt on. He walked himself, on his knees, up between my legs. He leans over licking gently at my clit, then his kisses his way up my body to my fairly large breasts. He sucks on each nipple for a little and all I can really do is scream and no coherently. He worked his way down my body again, this time instead of kissing gently nipping at my skin, as he head towards my now gleaming mount he stopped nipping and starting kissing again. He leant down flicking my clit with his forked tongue; he was shifting on top of me. He became more snakelike in features covered in scales and feathers. The feathers were rainbow coloured and it was a wonderful sight to see, even in my situation. He kept licking my clit with his tongue, his serpentine body wrapping itself around my waist squeezing air out of me until I thought that I was going to pass out. I tried to wiggle my feet out of the bonds but it didn't work all that happened was red marks started to blossom on my pale skin. He shifts back with ease, showing me his full extent of his control; he continues to lick my clit and enterance of my pussy lovingly. I can feel the tears swelling in my eyes, not only because I hate the fact that I am enjoying myself but I can't do a damned thing to stop it. He kisses his way up my body again lining himself up, I can feel the full extent of his hardness pushing up against my now, very wet, pussy. He pushed his way inside me in one, long thrust from knob to sack, at my guess that would be all of 8 inches. I feel my spine buckle with pleasure and pain as he rams himself into my cervix and almost into my womb. He begins to thrust deep, hard and fast, I can feel an orgasm build in me and I regret every moment of it, I scream my pleasures into the make shift ball gag as one last thrust pushes me overboard. As he continues to pump his cock mercilessly into me I feel my own juices running down my buttcheeks and onto the bed making a small puddle of my juices. I feel another orgasm build deep inside me as he continues to fuck me without mercy, I am now crying tears streaming down the sides of my face. He half groans half hisses, his own pleasures. "Oh yes, you know that you are being very good by crying and submitting to me" I stop crying for a moment and try to glare at him but then I realize the horrible truth of his words. He continues to fuck my pussy harder and harder, I orgasm and feel another building instantly, I feel him shudder slightly knowing that he would be cumming too soon. I start rocking my hips to meet him half way; he looks down at me slightly surprised that I am enjoying myself. I rock harder and harder slamming him into the end of my pussy wanting him to spill his hot seed in me. I scream again my pleasures as I orgasm so hard that I see small black dots infront of my eyes. I feel him buck forward, deeper into me as he too orgasms, I feel his hot sperm rush deep into me. He pulls out and lays there ontop of me, I am slightly grossed out at the fact that I can feel a mixture of his sperm and my juices sliding down my buttcheecks and onto the sheets. I feel him untie me and remove the gag from my mouth. "Thank you ma petite for that wonderful experience of such a tight pussy." I look at him with lazy and loving eyes. "Your welcome Shade, by the way you are now my one of my consorts.