After the Bombs

The pickup truck bounced violently over the cracked earth, the aftershock of our escape still pulsating through me. My heart hammered as I clutched the rusted metal rails of the truck bed. The air was thick with dust, and each jolt sent more into the air, creating a grey haze. Already, I could barely distinguish the lights in Salvation from the wastes that surrounded it. We pulled onto an old road, which led to a raised motorway.

"Ren! They're following!" Akeem shouted; his voice strained as he squatted and braced himself as best he could, bringing the scope of his rifle to his eye.

I sat with my back against the cab, squinting my eyes, I could make out a squad of guards on motorbikes slicing through dark, their forms illuminated from their headlights, but distorted in the dust. Gunfire fractured the silence. A spray of bullets whizzing in our direction.

Ren, weaved heavily, avoiding the bullets, but throwing us across the bed of the truck. "Hold on!" he called over the roar of motorcycle engines. I grasped tighter to the rails as we lurched forward, the were gaining on us, the solar jeep not competing with the speed of their petrol engines.

Aria, leaned out the passenger side door, "Akeem, don't waste your bullets," she shouted, "We need them for when they get closer."

Akeem nodded, taking a deep breath. He lined up his sights, waiting for the silhouettes to get closer in the haze of dust and pulled the trigger, one, two, three times. Each time, the sharp crack of sound echoed in my ears, and I watched as one of the guards careened off their bike, swallowed by the darkness.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins. Suddenly, I felt a sickening lurch beneath us as the old road we were skimming over began to tremble ominously. Huge slaps of the concrete breaking away as passed it, plunging into the darkness, punctuated by broken, twisted steel. One bike and its rider followed the concrete down. The other's slammed on their brakes. One swerved, trying to avoid the chasm. His bike shot out from beneath, it's head light spinning off to one side.

"We've lost them!" Shouted Akeem, falling to his arse beside me, followed by Elijah. Ren wove in and out of burnt-out cars determined to get us off the overpass.

Now that we were out of immediate danger, my stomach lurched. I crawled to the back of the jeep and leaned over the side to vomit. Clutching the cold metal as the jeep jostled from side to side. Once I had emptied my stomach, I collapsed onto my back, gazing up at the stars. Akeem's silhouette briefly blocked my view as he sat beside me, gently lifting my head into his lap. My limbs began to shake, and I knew I was going into shock. But we had escaped.

I came to, almost seated. Stretching, I turned my head and realized I was leaning against Akeem's broad chest. His arm was wrapped around me, a blanket covered us both.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, raising his voice over the noise of the jeep.

"Better, just exhausted," I replied.

Elijah was squatting near the back of the jeep, scanning the distance with binoculars. He turned, moved towards me, and gripped my shoulder. "Ren, we're all clear. Pull over," he shouted.

Ren pulled over to the edge of the dirt track. He and Aria climbed out of the cab and into the bed of the truck. I pulled myself up to a sitting position as Ren enveloped me in a tight hug.

"We're not on the common road," I observed.

"No point," Akeem answered from behind me. "It didn't keep us safe last time. Don't worry, though. You've been asleep for about an hour, and Ren has doubled back a few times just in case they tried to follow our tracks."

"They'll likely be gone by morning anyway, but I'm taking no risks."

"I'm telling you; they won't waste more resources coming after us," Aria said.

"Grant might, to get Noah."

"No, he won't," I said passively.

"But you were convinced he would?" Ren questioned.

"He's dead."

"Are you okay?" Elijah asked, placing a hand on my knee.

"I know it sounds terrible, but yeah. Seriously. He would have killed all of us."

Ren leaned forward and kissed me as Elijah spoke. "Honestly, Noah, you saved all of us. You're a hero, man."

Akeem then chimed in, "I'm gonna drive without lights for a few miles, just in case any ravers saw us. Don't worry, I'll go slow." He took the wheel, and Elijah offered to use the maps and compass to direct him. Aria joined them in the front of the cab, leaving me alone with Ren. Ren used our bags to create a softer backrest, adjusting himself into a seated position and opening his legs for me to sit between, making his chest my backrest. The night wasn't particularly cold, but I laid the blanket over our legs anyway.

We sat in silence for a long while, watching the stars flow past overhead. Eventually, Ren lowered his head to my ear and whispered, "I can't wait to show you my home. It's the place you deserve to be."

"I can't wait. Ren?" I replied.

"Yeah?"

"My arse is sore."

He laughed, "Sorry stud. You can have mine next time." My mind reeled at the thought of it. "Although, you're going to have a hard time keeping Akeem away." He laughed.

"Who says I want to?"

"Noah, you really are perfect."

We slept in the bed of the truck, with Akeem insisting on keeping watch for the rest of the night. Despite the blankets, the cool metal beneath us didn't make for the most comfortable bed. But we were so exhausted that we all slept soundly until sunrise.

The next day we drove several hours, into the afternoon when we were forced to pull over because the battery was running low, Akeem understandably didn't want to risk letting it run out completely in case trouble came upon us. So, we sat and recounted our escape while waiting for the sun to charge the power cells.

This was the first time in my life, that I really got to see the greywastes, yeah, I'd seen it from the walls of Salvation from time to time, but I'd never been out in it. Everything around us was... grey. Literally everything. Heaps of rubble that only just resembled the buildings they once were. The land was dry and cracked, the few plants that did grow were withered and gnarled.

"So, tell me about the water source you have at New Hope?" I asked Akeem.

"Well, my brother Zeke and his friend Kellen were the ones who found it, so don't go telling them I'm taking credit." He laughed before continuing, "They found some old geological maps that predated the war, and they found an area that was being mined at the time. According to the maps there was a natural aquifer. So, they headed out there to look and honestly, they pretty much struck gold. It was a tiny town, barren and run down but it had plumbing, solar panels and wind turbines. They all needed fixing, but like I said our father taught us how, so that's what we did. Many of the buildings we had to take down. We took apart the most damaged and used the bricks, fittings and pipes to fix the other buildings and build a wall."

I was in awe as he spoke, "That's an insane amount of work. It must have taken you years."

"Well about 80 people from our old settlement came: it was overpopulated. But we were incredibly careful who we told about it, we only accepted people who could help us. But we started when I was twenty and it's been twelve years now. Ren's been with us for over eight."

I was seriously impressed, I was twenty-four and he'd help build and establish a new block, when he was four years younger than me. I was saying this when Ren dug through supplies and pulled out some dried meat and water, passing it around the circle. They then asked questions about my medical skills and were equally impressed, the subject then turned to my mother, and I felt myself getting choked up.

"She was killed when she couldn't save one of the guards. They blamed her and put a bullet in the back of her head, making me watch." Tears ran down my cheek as I relived the painful memory. Everyone on Earth now had a similar memory.

Ren squeezed my hand as Akeem stood and wrapped his arms tightly around me. "You'll have family again, Noah," he whispered, his voice filled with warmth. It was an odd sensation being around others who cared about my pain.

Elijah and Aria exchanged a glance before Elijah spoke up. "You know, Aria and I are siblings. We lost our parents to ravers many years ago," he said, his voice tinged with sadness.

Aria nodded, adding, "It's been just the two of us since then. But we've managed to get by."

Ren, who had been silent, finally spoke. "I don't have any family," he said simply, his eyes reflecting my sadness.

Akeem looked at Ren with a gentle smile. "You're my brother. Remember that." he said, correcting him softly.

Ren's eyes softened as he nodded. "Yeah, you're right. We're brothers."

Akeem then turned towards the group and continued, "I don't remember my mother, but my father is back at New Hope with my brother Zeke. He was integral in establishing it," he said, a hint of pride in his voice.

We let the power cells charge for a few hours before jumping back into the jeep. We were off road, bumping and bouncing over weathered, rock and dry earth, the sun was beginning to set, while we drove in the shadow of another raised road. Large sections were still intact, but most had collapsed from its own weight as the pillars that once bore it, had gradually eroded. We pulled the jeep behind a fallen pillar and decided to make camp for the night. Ren suggested lighting a small fire between the pillar and jeep so that the light would be hidden from any unwanted eyes. After we heated some food over the fire, it was extinguished before the sun had completely set. We then made three makeshift beds as Akeem, having slept during the day declared he would be on first watch. Aria and Elijah each settled into their own beds, me and Ren squeezed into one together. We talked a short while, but I at least, quickly succumbed to sleep.

Ren woke me up when he shifted in his sleep and pulled his arm away, only to quickly wrap it back around me and bring me closer. I snuggled into him and gave him a kiss on the lips. His lips felt fuller than before, so I couldn't resist sucking his bottom lip into my mouth. As the kiss ended, he whispered, "Well that was unexpected."

I opened my eyes in surprise, "Akeem?" I asked.

"That's right, stud. Sorry to disappoint, but Ren's on watch. That was quite a kiss though." He teased.

I chuckled and playfully hit his chest, but he caught my hand and pulled me closer for another kiss. My arousal stirred, but we were both too exhausted and vulnerable for anything more to happen. So, I nestled my head between his arm and chest and tried to fall back asleep, ignoring my erection straining against my clothing.

It couldn't have been long when Akeem was gently shaking me awake, "wha-" his hand pressed over my mouth as he brought his other hand to his mouth and gestured for me to be quiet. I felt confused until I heard rough gravelly voices talking in hushed tones. "I tells ya. I knows I saw light over 'ere. Where there's light. There's people."

"And I tells you," Came a second voice. "You be seeing things again."

Akeem had already climbed to his feet and as I rose to do the same, he shook his head for me to stay. I strained my eyes in the dark and saw Elijah leaning defensively over his sister.

Ren's voice then filled the quiet air. Clear, strong and confident, "Unless you want a bullet through your head, I suggest you keep moving, quickly."

There were shocked hisses in return. "Who's there?"

"Shows yourself. Coward."

Ren spoke again, "I give you five seconds to turn around before I fire my first bullet. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." There was a click and whistle as a bullet shot through a silencer. "Final warning." I heard scurrying and hissing as they hurried away from Ren with his bullets. My heart was in my throat and as Ren climbed over the pillar, I couldn't help but leap up and grab a hold of him. "Time to go." He said to the group, "Where there's one raver there's always more."

Elijah climbed into the cab with Aria, while the rest of us jumped into the bed of the jeep. He turned on the lights, and the jeep jostled along an old dirt road. Ren and Akeem flanked me, each holding a gun in one hand and a pair of binoculars in the other, scanning the landscape.

After 20 minutes of being tossed around, Akeem called out, "Elijah, lose the lights and keep going, slowly." The sun hadn't yet risen above the horizon, but a faint glow suggested it wouldn't be long.

Now that we'd slowed, I could finally make my voice heard. "Ren?" I asked in a hushed tone, "What do they look like? The ravers."

He turned to face me. "Human, for the most part, but they're thin and their skin is a translucent grey."

"What's wrong with them?"

"I don't know. Generations of malnutrition and inbreeding, maybe? I keep well clear because I know may of them pratice cannibalism."

I shuddered at the thought. "What happens if ravers turn up at New Hope?"

"Well, to the north and east there are mountains, and there's an ocean to the west, so we're naturally protected from those directions."

"Ocean?" I interjected in awe. "Will I be able to see it? I've read all about them."

He laughed. "Of course. It's a day's travel, but we can go one day. But to finish your first question, there's another settlement south of ours. We're on good terms with them and often trade with them. They also act as a barrier, preventing others from stumbling upon us by accident.

Overall, the rest of our travel went smoothly. At one point the jeep cut out, but Akeem who clearly knew his way around the power cells of the jeep had us moving again within an hour.

It was late in the afternoon on the third day when I finally saw New Hope. I was sat in the front seat between Ren and Akeem, Ren had a hand on my thigh and Akeem had an arm over my shoulders. I felt safe and comfortable; well as comfortable as I could while concealing my erection.

When Akeem shouted loud enough from Elijah and Aria in the back to hear, "Guys, welcome to New Hope." I squinted my eyes towards the horizon.

Ren scooted up closer, so that our line of sight was level, and he pointed, "Look at the base of the mountain, see the red line? That's the front wall." I saw it and felt my heart lurch, it really did exist.

Elijah let out a cheer, "We fucking made it!" Aria joined him and they began thumping on the jeep roof. We all cheered I pulled Ren into a hug and then Akeem, who struggled to keep steering, "Noah!" He Laughed. I didn't care. I couldn't contain my excitement.

As we got closer, we drove alongside the wall as Ren and Akeem waved at people on patrol. Like Salvation the entire area was surrounded by a ten-foot wall. Here though there seemed to be a guard post every 200 metres or so and most had an armed guard on, who recognised the jeep and waved. I saw a few speaking into radios, I assumed to announce our arrival.

We pulled up to the large steel gates, which began to slide back into the walls on either side. Ren and Akeem jumped down from the jeep, and Akeem, pulling me along, encouraged me to do the same.

The gates had barely opened a few feet when a man squeezed through and started running towards us. Akeem hadn't mentioned that his brother was his twin, but it was immediately obvious. They were mirror images of each other, except Akeem wore his hair in short braids while Zeke kept his tight afro-curls short. I watched as they hugged, listening to Zeke express how worried he'd been. Then he grabbed Ren and pulled him in for a hug as well. Other people emerged from the gate, hugging and patting them on the back, sharing their relief.

Zeke then turned to us. "I'm sorry. We've just been so worried about them. I'm Zeke." He extended his hand to Elijah, who introduced the three of us as he exchanged greetings. "Well, I'm sure there's quite a story here, but first let's get you fed, watered, and washed," Zeke said, beckoning us towards the gates. He then called out, "Tom, Marc, grab the jeep, please."

As we followed them, Zeke addressed the crowd, "Right, everyone, you'll have a chance to hear the stories and meet the newcomers later. Let them get settled in." Zeke exuded leader vibes, and it was clear within seconds that people respected him as such.

Ren walked beside me with a casual arm over my shoulder. "This place will feel like home before you know it" he said. I followed the group, taking in as much of my surroundings as possible. The compound itself was a stark contrast to the barren desert outside; I saw patches of green where makeshift gardens had been cultivated and even a large cluster of fruit trees.

Many of the buildings were a mix of scavenged materials -- old shipping containers and remnants of pre-apocalyptic structures. Smoke rose from a few chimneys, indicating some semblance of normalcy and community life. The air was filled with the sounds of machinery and distant voices.

We were taken to a wide squat building and entered a fairly wide corridor. "The communal showers are down here, and there will be clean clothes," Zeke explained.

We stripped in seconds, our clothes piling up on the floor. The showers were a large, tiled room with multiple showerheads lining the walls. Steam filled the air, as the five of us each stood beneath the spray of water.

Having a warm shower with actual soap and washing away grime of the greywastes made me feel better than ever. I watched in delighted disgust as the brown-grey water swirled down the drain. The sensation of cleanliness was almost overwhelming after so long without it.

Once the five of us were showered and dressed in our temporary clothing, we rejoined Zeke out front of the building. He was talking to a tall man who looked like he was in his early 30s. He had a tan, short blonde hair, and bright blue eyes framed by circular wire-framed glasses.

Zeke introduced us, saying, "This is Kellen. He won't admit it, but he helps me keep this place running, along with Keem and Ren, of course. Oh, and Lily--you'll meet her later. I'm sure you're exhausted, get a good night sleep and meet me for 7am. I need to know everything that's happened. Anything I need to know urgently?"

"Nah, it's all good." Replied Akeem, "Elijah, Aria, follow me and I'll help get you settled in."

"Let's go handsome," winked Ren, grabbing my hand and forcing me to skip back to the jeep. I wasn't used to people just being silly, it made me laugh and I found myself skipping along beside him as we both laughed at our childishness.

We grabbed our bags and headed to one of the low apartment buildings, as we went through the communal entrance and up the stairs Ren explained, "They're all single rooms with a bathroom, but they only have a toilet and sink. Everyone uses the showers we just came from." We passed a door which Ren pointed out as Akeem's room and then unlocked the door next to it.

We dropped our bags inside the door, and I turned to shut it behind us. The past few days had been tiring, and I was certain we'd be heading straight to bed. But as I turned back around, I saw Ren standing there naked, with a different plan in mind.

Our lips collided in a frenzy of passionate kisses as I struggled to get out of my shorts. I wrapped my arms around his rounded behind, squeezing the soft flesh as I guided him towards the bed. His legs grazed against the frame as he sat on the mattress and I straddled him, continuing to kiss him deeply. We wrestled for dominance, each trying to pleasure the other's member before ending up side by side, face to face with our crotches aligned. With equal enthusiasm, I licked, sucked, and playfully bit at his length while he did the same to me.

I rolled on top of him, and he remained under me. While I moved, he shifted his focus from my groin to my arse, and I felt his tongue glide over it as he started kissing my hole just like he had kissed my mouth only moments before. I pushed my hips towards his face, urging him on as I took his hairy balls into my mouth and gave them a lick before moving to the area behind them.