After the Bombs

We stopped by the communal kitchen on our way to meet Zeke and the other leaders the next morning. "These were just baked this morning," Ren said, handing me an oat bar in my hand. "Our kitchen crew really knows their stuff."

I thanked one of the woman behind the counter and nibbled the warm bar, while Ren gave me a quick tour through New Hope.

As we walked, I took in the mismatched brickwork of the five permanent structures,

"Wow, this place is incredible," I said, genuinely in awe.

Ren smiled, clearly pleased by my reaction, he pointed out the apartment blocks, each two stories tall. "Obviously you know that's where I live, there's eighty rooms between the two of them. They've been here since before the bombs."

"Where does everyone else live?"

"The communal hall. This way." I walked beside him as he continued, "It was actually a warehouse. It's meant for temporary housing, unfortunately many people have been in there way over a year."

He pushed open a side door.

The immense room beyond was crowded and chaotic, filled with makeshift bunk beds and scattered belongings that lined the walls.

The place was buzzing with life, residents greeting us with smiles and nods as we passed by.

The residents had ingeniously partitioned off private areas using rails, boxes, and sheets, creating a maze of personal spaces within the larger room. Despite its hodgepodge appearance, everyone seemed content and at ease in their makeshift homes.

We left though another door, as Ren continued, "Housing has been secondary to food production. Things have been good recently though, so housing is at the top of the list."

As we stepped out to the courtyard, the towering front gate loomed overhead, casting a cool shadow on a small, but busy market below. The air was filled with chatter and the sounds of trading as vendors set up stalls and displayed their goods. I caught snippets of conversation as two women haggled over the price of a intricately knitted blanket.

Finally we were back at the wide, squat building that housed the kitchen. As I opened my mouth to ask what we were doing back here, Ren said, "You already know this building houses the kitchens and communal showers. But it's Also the infirmary, food store, and gun store," Ren explained. "There's also a meeting room the leaders use. It's mostly a school. That's where we're meeting the others."

Just as we entered the doors, he pointed off into the distance to a large glass structure, its surfaces reflecting the morning light. "That's our greenhouse," he said with pride. "I'll show you that later."

Ren had spent the last 20 minutes catching Zeke, Kellen, and Lily up on where they'd been. He'd just finished explaining how they'd met Elijah and Aria and how Salvation had attacked them, sliced his leg, and taken them all prisoner when Akeem walked into the room.

"Sorry! I overslept," Akeem said, giving me a wink.

"That's fine. Ren's catching us up. You've been through a lot," Zeke said, patting his brother on the back.

It took another few hours of the three of us filling in the gaps and answering their questions. Kellen reached over the small table and shook my hand.

"Sounds like we all owe you a debt, Noah," Kellen said, his voice warm with gratitude.

"You've taken me in. I owe you," I replied, feeling the weight of gratitude in my words.

Zeke smiled, a look of relief crossing his face. "I'm glad you feel that way, because we're in need of someone to take on the role of doctor. We have a few people able to do simple tasks, but we need someone to lead and train them."

I hesitated for a moment. "I'd be happy to help. Just so you know, I don't know everything. I only learned what my mum could teach me."

"From what I've heard, you know more than enough," Zeke reassured. "We don't expect you to be perfect, just to share what you do know."

"Well, I'll certainly do my best," I said, feeling a sense of purpose.

Zeke nodded. "That's the spirit New Hope," He smiled around the room, "Well, it was scary there for a minute. But you're all safe, and we have some new citizens." He stood up and hugged his brother. "You can all have today and tonight to relax and get settled in, then we'll get you settled into your new or old roles.

"Noah, maybe I can show you next door so you know the lay of the land before tomorrow?" Asked Lily as we stood to leave,

I nodded enthusiastically, "Yes please. I'll find you after?" I asked Ren and Akeem who both nodded, before turning back to their conversation about the crops. Lily smiled warmly and motioned for me to follow her.

Lily led me next door to the infirmary, where she showed me around the well-stocked cupboard filled with supplies and medicines. My eyes lit up as I spotted several machines that I had never seen before, and I couldn't wait to learn how they worked.

Inside, I was greeted by two young faces - Erin and Arthur - who had been doing their best to serve as medical staff. They seemed relieved to have someone with more experience to support them. As we continued our tour, Lily informed me that with my arrival, along with Aria and Elijah, New Hope's population had grown to 294. It was clear that everyone knew Lily by name; she was like a mother figure to the entire town. Coming from Salvation, with its population of almost 5000, it felt overwhelming yet comforting to be in such a close-knit community.

Akeem waved me over as we neared the front gate again on our second loop of the compound, and Lily took her leave.

He slung an arm around me. "Making connections, I see. Listen, I know you already know this, but I just want to say once more how grateful I am for everything you did for us. If there's ever anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

"I'll keep that in mind. But honestly, I'm thrilled to be here.

could scream, laugh, and cry I'm so happy." He pulled me into a tight hug, which I reciprocated. As he looked at me, I felt a surge of attraction for the guy.

"I'm glad. Listen," he said, keeping his arm draped over me as we walked.

"I said to some of the guys we'd go meet them for a few drinks."

"Sounds great, can you show me the greenhouse first?" I asked, "We can out of time this morning."

"Of course!"

We walked side by side, Akeem explaining we were taking a shortcut to the back of the greenhouse. "I hope you don't mind," he started tentatively, "but Ren told me about Grant. I just wanted to know if you were okay. The things we do to survive can mess with us."

I exhaled slowly, contemplating my response. "I mean, I'm doing okay. As psychotic as it sounds, I'm glad he's dead. He was the one who forced me to watch as they killed my mum. I feel disgusted with myself. I just shut down after that, let him use me because I was a coward and didn't fight back--" My words lodged in my throat.

Akeem reached out, taking my hand in his. "You, are not the coward in this story, Noah."

"That's nice of you, but I can't help but wish I'd done something sooner."

"You're not the type to defend yourself easily. I'd wager a big part of your reaction was because you wanted to get us out of Salvation."

"You might be right," I conceded.

He led me through the trees, his pace leisurely. "I think you're going to love the greenhouse. I think it's one of the most impressive parts of New Hope."

As we approached, I saw the structure. "Wow," I breathed, taking in the sheer size of it. "This is incredible."

Akeem smiled, clearly pleased by my reaction. "Yeah, it took a lot of work. We scavenged hundreds of windows from miles around to create this."

I ran my hand along the glass, feeling the warmth it trapped inside. "How long did it take?"

"Over a year," Akeem replied. "We had to gather materials bit by bit."

He pulled the door open as we stepped inside. "This is amazing," I said in awe. "Do you grow everything in here?"

"We did, at one point. We still grow a lot inside, but we also have small fields of corn, potatoes, and wheat behind the compound."

"I'm so impressed. I just can't believe you made this from old windows."

"Thanks. It took a lot of work. We grow almost double double the food we use for us and the livestock, which means we're able to trade with other blocks."

"What do you trade for?" I asked, looking at the bright red tomatoes growing alongside ripening peppers. The greenhouse stretched at least 200 yards back and was around 50 yards wide.

Akeem twisted a tomato from a vine and passed it to me. "Try it. It's good."

I sank my teeth into it, causing juice to run down my chin. He swiped his thumb across my chin, catching the juice. "Depends. Mostly technology equipment, sometimes weapons or bullets. We're providing a block two days southeast of here with wheat every month for a year in exchange for a third jeep."

"Aren't you worried they'll figure out where New Hope is and try to take it?"

"We're careful who we trade with, and only ever with the smaller blocks. But rest assured, we may be small, but we're well protected."

"I see that. When did you decide you could trust me enough to bring me here? And Aria, and Elijah?"

"Usually when I go into blocks, I spend a lot of time just watching. I notice the ones who are kind to others. Sometimes I spend a full day watching someone. Then I talk to them, find out how they feel about their block, what they wish they could change, and every now and then I invite them here. Sometimes people stumble up to the front gate; those are treated case by case." I nodded as he continued. "You, on the other hand, saved Ren's life and helped us escape. We'd have brought you here kicking and screaming if we had to." He winked at me, nudging my shoulder with his own.

His fingers laced between mine as we walked down the rows of vegetables. I found myself being drawn to him--his natural calm confidence, tall frame, smooth dark skin, large expressive eyes, and full lips.

"You know," he smiled, "if you want to kiss me again, all you need to do is ask. Hell, you don't even need to ask." We had stopped walking, and he was now standing in front of me. I felt myself blush as we closed the gap between our mouths. His 6'3" frame meant that for our lips to meet, I had to stand on tiptoes, and he had to stoop slightly. One of his large hands cupped the back of my head, while the other held the small of my back, pressing me against his body. He pulled back from the kiss, planting a gentle peck on my now slightly swollen lips. "We'd better head back, or they'll send out a search party."

As we joined the group, they were sitting outside in a circle, passing a bottle back and forth. We sat and joined them joining in with the conversations for a while.

"So..." said Ren, "where'd the two of you sneak off to earlier?"

Akeem climbed from the floor and sat on the other side of Ren, teasing, "Just a little stroll. Why, did you miss us?"

"Obviously," he replied, leaning in and kissing Akeem passionately. Watching the two of them kiss made my throat feel dry. I found myself leaning forward, making sure I got the best possible angle to watch these two beautiful men kiss. Ren then broke the kiss. "Don't worry, you've not been forgotten." He grabbed me and kissed me just as passionately before encouraging me to kiss Akeem. "Let's head back to my room."

"Does that mean I'm not going to be forced to sleep alone tonight?" asked Akeem with a wink.

"Did the two of you usually sleep in the same bed then?" I asked.

Ren shrugged as he extinguished the fire. "Some of the time, unless he found someone else's bed he preferred for the night."

I felt guilty. "Oh no, I can stay in the warehouse. I don't mind."

Akeem rolled his eyes and smiled. "Don't be silly. But I do want to know something."

"What?"

"When do I get to fuck you?"

"How fast can we get back to yours?" I winked.

Akeem grabbed me round the middle and threw me over his shoulder taking off at a run, Ren keeping level with him laughing at my screams to be put down.

I was finally put down at the entrance to the apartment block, "Get that perfect arse up those stairs," commanded Akeem.

"You haven't even seen it yet Keem. It's fucking hairless."

Once in the room Akeem and Ren sat on the bed staring at me, "Take off your clothes Noah."

I blushed slightly at being ordered to strip while they remained fully clothed, but I obeyed. "Good boy," Akeem cooed as he watched me undress. "Now, turn around and show me that smooth hole." I turned my back to them and crouched on the floor, settling onto all fours, arching my back. "Holy shit," Akeem breathed out slowly.

"I told you it's perfect," whispered Ren, before adding, "Spread your cheeks wider for us, Noah."

I hesitated for a moment, my heart racing with a mixture of embarrassment and excitement. Then, slowly, I reached back and spread my cheeks, exposing myself fully to their hungry gazes. I heard a sharp intake of breath from behind me.

"Jesus, you weren't kidding," Akeem murmured. "It's like a work of art."

I shifted my body to get a better view of their actions and saw that they had both pulled out their dicks and were stroking them. I inched closer, keeping my back low and my butt raised, as if presenting myself to them. When I reached them, they both stood up and their erections stretched between them. With one hand on each, I began to squeeze and stroke their lengths, looking up at them with intent.

Then, I took Akeem's shaft into my mouth and sucked on it while using my free hand to stroke Ren's length.

I alternated between the two, ensuring that neither of them felt left out. Out of all of us, Akeem had the biggest and thickest penis, and I couldn't wait to have it inside me.

Akeem's hand moved down my neck, tracing a path along my spine and stopping at my buttocks. With a gentle touch, he pressed a finger against my entrance before pulling back. He then gathered saliva in his mouth to use as lubrication, drawing small circles as I moaned with pleasure while sucking Ren.

Without warning he moved and lifted me onto the bed rolling me over onto my back. The two of them made short work of removing the rest of their clothing, they dropped to their knees on either side of my legs, eagerly taking turns to lick and my leaking dick. Their tongues intertwining with each other, occasionally kissing with my dick caught in between. I groaned at the sight, "That's the hottest thing I've ever seen."

Akeem raised his head from my crotch smirking, wiping the spit from his mouth he crawled up the bed to kiss me briefly and then straddled my head to angled his thick dick towards my lips, I opened and accepted him happily as Ren continued to suck mine. I couldn't take him fully into my mouth, so I had to wrap my fist around the base while I worked my mouth up and down the top half. While I was doing this, I could feel Ren lifting my legs into the air, exposing my ass to him, which he quickly began to kiss and lick, my ass twitched as he blew cold air onto the wet skin and then ran a gentle finger over the puckered skin. I continued to suck Akeem's dick as Ren worked first one and then two fingers inside me, which had me writhing beneath the two of them. In what felt like no time at all, Ren began pushing the head of his dick inside me, which stretched my even wider than his fingers had before. I pulled my mouth off of Akeem's dick and gasped as Ren pushed his whole length inside me, pulled slowly out and then pushed all the way back inside again. Akeem then climbed off of me and repositioned himself so that he was able to suck my dick while Ren continued to fuck me faster and harder, after only a few minutes I was forced to push Akeem's head away, "Stop. Don't want to cum."

"Here, have mine." Said Ren as he pulled out of me and sank his dick immediately into Akeem's waiting mouth, "Oh, yeah. I knew you'd like that you kinky bastard. Taste his hole."

Akeem did as he was told and lifting my legs higher sank him mouth onto my hole and pushed his tongue inside, before moving his head out of the way so that Ren could push his dick back inside me a few times, before allowing Akeem to take it back into his mouth for a few seconds. This went on for a minute or two, before Akeem roughly pushed Ren out of the way,  "My turn. I hope you're ready for my big, black cock Noah."

"Oh yeah, give it," I gasped as Akeem's thick cock impaled me before finishing, "to me baby."

"Oh, I will." He thrust hard and fast into me, I exhaled in short, panting breaths as he held my hips tightly pulling me down to meet each inward thrust before pushing deeper then ever and groaning as he unloaded deep inside me. He knelt, still inside me stooping over to catch his breath for only a few seconds before Ren  pushed him out the way to fuck me again.

As Ren added his own load to Akeem's, I fisted my dick and shot rope after rope of cum across my chest.

It was several minutes before anyone moved, Akeem being the first to climb to his feet- grabbed a damp cloth from the sink proceeded to clean my stomach and chest. "Thanks Keem. Not sure I can move after that." I laughed.

"I'm not surprised, Ren's dick is like a kids compared to mine." He laughed.

Ren didn't actually reply, he just laughed and flipped him off.

We spent the rest of the afternoon, talking and laughing. Being around Akeem and Ren just made me feel lighter. I couldn't wait to begin integrating myself into New Hope, making friendships and helping build a place which kept all of us safe.