Into the Light

[DM2015]

Peter considered Eva's offer for a moment. He was certain that in a few days, when he'd fully regained his strength, he could reach the cabin on his own. But it might also be good to have her come along. It would reassure her that he was, in fact, planning on coming back. Of course, he could just want to lure her to the woods, rape her, kill her, then come back to kill the neighbor and take the farm. He chuckled, thinking to himself, Like raising a couple'a kids alone is worth some non-con tail.

He looked to Eva and caught her expression at his laugh. "Sorry. Wasn't laughing at you. Gus's tail keeps smacking my toe."

He leaned forward to pat the dog, then stood and walked to the edge of the porch. He stared out on the moonlit farm for a long moment, then turned to face Eva. "Territory to the east is mean. Mean landscape ... mean people. I'll need my gun. But ... if you feel more comfortable with it, you can carry it until I need it."

 

[heartofcourage]

Eva listened to his explanation and stared off into the darkness. She knew that it was dangerous the further that they got away from the city. Never once could someone forget just how the world had changed. To do that would mean almost certain death. In fact, it was something that she strove to teach Charlie and Millie, instilling that they shouldn't be so trusting of everyone that came their way. That was a luxury that they couldn't afford.

"Making that trek without a weapon would be suicide." Eva said softly as he mentioned needing his gun. "And having me carry it would be beside the point. You need to be armed and ready for anything that comes your way."

A long sigh left her lips as she thought about what they were heading into. "I can talk to Evan tomorrow and see when he can come here to the farm to watch the kids. It shouldn't take us more than three or four days to get there and get back."

She stood from her seat, Gus raising his head from where he was sleeping to watch as she made her way towards the door. Pausing, Eva looked over her shoulder to Peter. He was illuminated in the moonlight, his features sharp against the darkness. He was a handsome man, she thought to herself. Perhaps one day they might get closer, but for the moment there was too much on her mind.

"I've never had anyone come to this farm that wanted to say very long before. It'll take some time to get use to, but you're welcome to stay for however long you want." She finally told him, struggling to bridge the gap that was there between them.

 

[DM2015]

Peter watched in silence as Eva headed into the house, then -- to himself, since she was likely out of ear shot already -- said softly, "Thank you." Peter had already concluded that he wanted to stay here for, as Eva had said, however long he wanted. He wasn't sure whether the reason for staying was to have the beauty as a lover, to feel part of something larger than what he'd had before coming here, or a combination of the two.

Peter had never been one to easily determine his role in new things. He'd been in the Navy for almost two years before he'd been able to tell himself for certain that he belonged there. He'd felt the same after becoming a SEAL sniper and medic, always wondering whether there was somewhere else he should be. But after his first Black Ops mission -- after working with his team in a way he'd never worked with anyone before -- he knew it was where he was supposed to be.

That dark day in Afghanistan had changed all that, of course. Suddenly, he no longer belonged. And since that day so many years earlier, he'd never again had that feeling of belonging. He'd spent years alone, hiding in the mountains even before the End came. Could he suddenly become a part of this? Could he be a farmer and rancher? Could he be a faithful partner to Eva, assuming she gave him that chance, of course? Could he be a friend and pseudo-father to those two brave children, again assuming that they would accept him as such?

Peter didn't know the answers to those questions, but he did know that he wanted to at least try. If he failed, he could always slip away into the darkness again, as he'd done so many times before.



It was five days later before they were able to coordinate their departure with the neighbor, Evan. Peter was feeling good, physically and mentally both. He'd been doing more chores, primarily for the exercise it provided; and he'd taken to running a course about the property that included rises, rough terrain, obstacles, and more. He hadn't felt this good in a long time, even before getting sick.

Eva had done as she'd assured Peter and returned his gun to him. He stripped it down, cleaned it, then headed out toward the edge of the property to test fire it. Suddenly, he realized he wasn't alone and turned to see both Charlie and Millie running up behind him excitedly.

"Whoa, hold on kids," Peter said, certain that Eva wouldn't want the young ones any where near him when he was doing something like this. They immediately began pleading to come with Peter, and as he refused them, he looked up toward the porch and saw Eva standing there. He studied her for a long moment, then looked to Charlie. "Go ask Eva. This is her farm. She takes care of you. This is her decision."

The pair immediately spun and ran back toward the house. Peter just stood there, waiting to see what her reaction would be.

 

[heartofcourage]

It was amazing to watch the two children that she had grown so close to over the last three years. They seemed to have no problem accepting Peter into their lives. She wished that she could have had that kind of trusting nature about her. It was hard to let men into the little life that she had created. Hell, it was hard to let anyone into that little life. Peter, however, just seemed to fit so completely and without disruption. It was like he was meant to be there. She had to be careful.

Eva was working on getting things ready for their trek to his cabin. She was rolling clothes and bedrolls to accompany them on their journey when she saw the kids running from the house as Peter walked towards the edge of the property. He had his rifle back and it seemed that he was going out to test it. It wasn't really a place for children to be, even though she had taught Charlie the basics of gun safety a while back since he was old enough to know.

Watching them as Peter said something and they came scurrying back towards her, asking in excited voices if they could go to. With a long sigh, Eva looked between the both of them, her hands placed on her hips. Charlie looked excited and Millie seemed to be there for the adventure of the moment.

"Charlie, you go on ahead." Eva said, Millie's little face looking so crestfallen in that single instant. "We'll do something fun here instead, Millie."

Charlie bolted from the porch without another word. It had been good for him to have another guy around the house. It gave her time to focus on Millie and her needs, even if it meant breaking her heart from time to time. In a perfect world, Millie would never have to hold a gun or know how to use it. Eva knew that the time to teach her was fast approaching, but she wanted to keep her as much a little girl as she possibly could.

"But I wanna go too." Millie said, her clear eyes brimming with tears.

"I know, sweetheart, but Charlie needs some alone time with Peter. Think of all those girly things we make him do. It's good for him to go." Eva tried to explain as Millie watched her brother running to catch up with Peter.

 

[DM2015]

(OOC FYI: The pic of the rifle is just a stock picture. Peter's weapon is obviously well used, though also well maintained; and the sound suppressor in the picture is not present in the scene below.)

As Peter watched Charlie rushing back to him with an excited expression filling his face, he realized that he wasn't surprised at Eva's allowing him to return. In this day and age, people needed to know how to handle a rifle. Peter had been younger than Charlie when he'd learned how to shoot. Of course, there had never been any thought in the mind of Roger -- Peter's father -- that his son would ever use a firearm to kill another human being; and yet today, Peter knew that the odds of Charlie doing so some time in his life were likely fifty-fifty.

"She said I could shoot! She said I could shoot!" Charlie began even when he was still far enough away that Peter could barely hear him. When he finally reached Peter, his chest was heaving with deep breaths, and in between them, he repeated, "She said I could shoot!"

"Okay," Peter told him calmly. He looked back toward the house to Eva, who was just heading inside but still eying him from the great distance. As he gestured Charlie to follow him, he continued, "But first you have a few things to learn."



It was more than a half hour later before the first explosion of gunfire sounded, followed by the sound echoing across the landscape of the valley. It was followed by another shot a long moment later, and another low echo. Over the next several minutes, a dozen more rounds were fired, each accompanied by an eerie, Earth roaming echo. It might have seemed to anyone listening that the two were done, but after a long pause, there was a single shot, a booming echo, then the rapid fire use of the weapon on full auto that was followed by the eeriest of echoing sounds that swept across the land once, twice, then thrice.



Ten minutes later, the two men stepped up onto the porch, each carrying a piece of the cardboard box that Peter had taken out with him to serve as a target. Charlie -- who had the SCAR slung over his shoulder, with the barrel nearly touching the ground at his side -- beamed when he caught sight of Eva looking at him. He held up the cardboard flap. An oval shape drawn in permanent marker -- somewhere between the circle and man shapes commonly used for target practice -- was pierced by a few hitsbut, at the same time, surrounded by twice as many misses, too. "Look! I hit it! Three times!"

Peter was thankful that Charlie had used the word it and not him as he retrieved his weapon and said, "Charlie's a hellu-- a heck of a shot. A natural. He'll be quite a hunter one day soon."

The boy launched into a recitation of what Peter had taught him, about safety and aiming and breathing and cleaning your weapon. He announced one of his newly learned facts, "It's a rifle! Not a gun!" Suddenly, he was gone, hollering for Millie and waving his target before him.

Peter watched him depart, then looked to Eva, his excitement about twenty levels below the boy's. He removed the SCAR's magazine, stuffed it into one of the pouches in his uniform, then cleared the chamber and stuffed that round into his breast pocket before leaning the weapon against the wall. "He did very well, Eva. Thank you for that."

He was going to make a comment about her actions showing a great deal of trust in him but didn't. Right now as he stood before her, amped up on once again having his rifle in his hand and the smell of gun powder in his nostrils, Peter's cock was hard as rock for Eva. Thinking of her trusting him only made him want to ask Do you trust me enough to get naked with me yet?

Peter hadn't been able to get out of his mind the fact that starting tomorrow, the pair of them would be alone on the road together. His desire for Eva had been growing day by day, and yesterday afternoon, for the first time since arriving here, he'd slipped off for a private moment in the woods and masturbated to the fantasy of taking Eva in the hot spring on the ridge above his little mountain cabin.

"I didn't do so bad, I guess," he continued, turning his own cardboard target around for Eva to see. It, too had the less than man-shaped outline drawn on it, but the holes in it were definitely and intentionally grouped in two distinct areas which, if the target had been of a man, would have been head and heart shots. "Like riding a bike."

Of course, I've never killed someone with a bike, Peter thought as he set the target aside. I've killed someone ON a bike, but... He let the thought go as he asked helpfully, "Is there anything I can do to help you prepare for the trip?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Eva had never seen Charlie as excited as he was when he returned back to the house with Peter. He was nearly breathless to show off all that he had learned in the short time that they had been away. Eva had convinced Millie to sit in the living room and watch an old VHS tape that she had lying around. A Disney movie. The six year old seemed content to do just that, taking time off from her chores as her brother was out with Peter.

Eva had gone back to packing her hiking bag as Charlie ran into the house to show his sister the target while Peter started to show her his own. She glanced up, taking in the tight grouping that had shown up on the piece of cardboard. Peter knew his way around a gun. That much was very apparent. What she wasn't prepared for was the look in his eyes that almost wanted her to comment.

"Riding a bike isn't nearly so loud or dangerous." Eva mentioned softly as she packed another piece of clothing into her pack.

"You'll need to make sure your pack is ready to go. I have an extra duffle bag that I can carry for the time being until we get to your cabin. Once we're there, we can fill it with whatever you think you want to bring back with you." She talked in straightforward terms, almost as if she didn't have time to dwell on the fact that they were growing comfortable with each other.

 

[DM2015]

"Riding a bike isn't nearly so loud or dangerous," Eva told Peter. His instinctive thought -- which he kept to himself -- was Dangerous for the guy I'm aiming at, maybe.

When she finished her suggestion about completing his packing, Peter informed her, "I'm packed." When she looked to him, he just shrugged. "I'm always packed. It's, um ... habit. You never know when you'll need to bug out in a hurry."

Bug out was a term Peter had learned from his grandfather. Daddy Pete as he'd always called him had, of course, been the source of Peter's given name. The Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate had served on a river boat for nearly the entirety of the US's involvement in Viet Nam, from even before we were officially there to long after we were officially out. It was Daddy Pete's tales that had led Peter to join the Navy as a Boatswain's Mate in the first place. Or, perhaps, it had been the long standing feud and lack of understanding between the beloved uncle Daddy Pete and the less favored father Roger, with whom Peter had simply never been able to get along.



He was up before dawn to check his gear and -- despite knowing that Eva had already provisioned them -- raid the kitchen for a couple of pockets full of dried fruits and nuts, as well as some freshly baked rolled and cut vegies. It had always been Peter's habit to never leave a well furnished location -- be it his own base of operations or a home he was pillaging -- with an empty pocket.

When he had a chance, he pulled aside Evan and chatted with him for a few minutes. The man seemed very capable, and his love and concern for Eva and the children was obvious. He was a good man to pick to watch over the youngsters, Peter knew, not just from his own assessment but also because he knew Eva would never leave the children with someone she didn't fully trust.

"I left something on the top shelf of my bedroom closet for you," Peter said after looking about to ensure they were out of ear shot of the others, who were by now up and around preparing for the departure in their own ways. He handed him a key to a small suitcase he'd found out in one of the barns a couple of days earlier. "I'm sure you have every thing well under control, but ... it never hurts to be careful."

They shook hands, and as Peter crossed to join Eva at the foot of the porch steps, he wondered whether the woman would have stopped him from leaving behind a grenade and a 9mm with a pair of fully loaded 24 round clips. It was a lot of fire power for what had, so far, seemed a pretty safe and sound location. But Peter had learned the hard way -- several times -- that it was better to be over prepared than under prepared. The scars on his left leg, resultant from an attack that left him dead for almost three minutes years earlier, was proof to that.

"Ready?" he asked.

They four of them said their goodbyes, and Eva dealt with the children as needed. And then they were gone. The path Peter took wasn't based upon his memory of coming here so many days earlier, of course. He'd barely been able to walk then, let alone remember where he'd walked. But Eva had had some maps from before The End, and a combination of reviewing them and routing his daily jogging to the high points surrounding the ranch had allowed Peter to select a route.



They'd marched for nearly eight hours with only quick water and snack stops before Peter finally stopped them for the day. They were at the base of a trail that led into the mountains which, near the top, Peter's cabin was located.

"We should camp here," he said, indicating a slight rise that was sheltered by the steep mountains behind them and hidden from view by underbrush but which would also allow them to see the valley below them. He'd been trying to hide the pain that had been sneaking up on him over the last couple of hours, but the look on Eva's face told Peter that she'd noticed his tightened face. He chuckled and answered her unspoken question, "I'm fine. I'll make it."

 

[heartofcourage]

Evan had arrived the night before, eager to help them with whatever they needed done. Evan and Eva had known each other for years. He was a good friend, dependable, and he was extremely good for the children. Charlie and Millie looked to him like he was an uncle and he doted on them whenever he was around. Evan was a camper, one of those men who never really stayed in one place very long but he always seemed to make it back to Eva's farm time and time again. He was usually found on the banks of the creek that ran on her eastern most border and he seemed content with life out there.

After Eva had fed the children, her hugged them both and promised that they would be back in a few days. Millie had the hardest time letting her go, the little girl's eyes full of fear and apprehension as Eva pulled on her hiking pack while Peter talked to Evan inside.

"It'll be alright, Millie. It's not forever." Eva said, cupping her little cheek as Millie clung to her side. "Besides, Evan will do all of the things I normally do and Charlie promised that he'll play cards with you every night if you want."

"I want you to stay." Millie mumbled as Eva knelt in front of her. "I don't want you to go."

"I know, sweetheart, but I have to. Peter needs help getting his things from his cabin. Don't you want me to make sure that he's safe?" Eva asked as Millie nodded quietly. "Good girl. I'll be back in less than 5 sleeps. I promise."

When Peter finally emerged, Millie was calmed down and Gus was racing around the barnyard at the prospect of a big adventure. The dog seemed to know that they would be hiking and he was ready for the challenge. The dog led the way as they hiked to the start of the mountain path, only stopping when Peter suggested that they camp for the night.

She had noticed over the past few hours how much his pack seemed to weigh on him and the tightening of his features. He was hurting but he was too stubborn to say anything. She made no comment, however, and soon she had placed her pack on the ground to relax and set up a small campfire.

"You'll make yourself sick again if you aren't careful." Was the only comment that she made as she collected dry kindling.

 

[DM2015]

"You'll make yourself sick again if you aren't careful."

"I'll take it easier," Peter said, smiling. He wouldn't, of course. He couldn't. They were about to begin a two day hike that would have them ascending on an almost constant basis. As they set their stuff down in the tiny, hidden clearing and Eva set to gathering firewood, Peter himself sat on a downed tree trunk and relaxed, promising, "I mean it."

As he looked out over the countryside below them, Peter reflected on the idea of not being at full health. He hated it. Every time he'd been injured in battle, he'd fought with the Doctors and Nurses to get him back into the field sooner than they wanted. He usually won, of course. He could be a really bad patient when he wanted.

Soon, Eva had a nice little fire going, over which they cooked some of the food she'd packed. Peter put some water in an aluminum container and steadied it between some stones in the fire. He pulled out a baggie and dumped its contents into the water, saying, "It might not be Starbucks, but its coffee. I think one of us should stand watch. You wanna sleep first or second?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"I know you will, because I'll make sure of it." Eva said simply as she got some food on to cook while he got a can of coffee going.

So many people had become industrious in many different ways after the end had come. They could make due without a lot and it was important to be able to think about things at a moment's notice. Eva had learned much about caring for someone who was ill without the help of doctors or nurses. She had taken books from a library, studying up on medicine to the best of her abilities. She had also taught herself about different herbs that would help someone who was ill.

"I suppose I could take the first watch. That gives you time to rest." She said as she offered him a plate of beans and dried beef.

 

[DM2015]

Peter awoke with a start, remembering quickly where he was, what he was doing, and with whom he was doing it. He lifted his head and found Eva right where she'd been when he closed his eyes to sleep. He smiled when he realized she was also doing the same thing she'd been doing at that time, too: observing him and his obviously slowed movements.

"I'm good," Peter said with a reassuring tone. "Feeling better out here."

He was being truthful, whether she believed him or not. He'd been living without most of the comforts that Eva's ranch offered for many years. Some how, sleeping on the ground in the wild suited Peter. He felt better now than he had in weeks.

"Get some rest," he said after they chatted for a couple of minutes. He poured some of the now thick and yet still delicious coffee into a mug and checked his weapon. He looked to Eva and wondered whether or not he should tell her about the little escapade he planned for once she was obviously asleep, but instead only told her, "I'm going to take a walk down to that creek we passed at some point, so ... don't panic if you wake up and don't see me. "

He smiled and winked, something he hadn't done to a woman in a decade. "Don't worry. I won't split. I like your cooking better than mine."

 

[heartofcourage]

Eva kept watch over the little camp that they had made through the early hours of the evening. Gus kept her company as Peter dozed, a book in her lap and her rifle by her side. It was quiet out in the middle of the wilderness that evening but she still found herself missing the children. The noise of two children had filled her life so much that it was almost too quiet out there for her. Perhaps she would find something to bring back to Millie and Charlie. A little souvenir of sorts.

When Peter woke, she watched him closely as he smiled and got up with slow movements. Gus raised his head, watching the man that he had quickly bonded with, his tail tapping against the hard ground. Traitor, she thought to herself as she glanced down at the dog and then back at Peter as he told her to get some sleep.

"You think you should be going to the creek on your own?" She asked him as she stood from her spot to get her bedroll unpacked and comfortable. "You said it yourself...this is a mean area."

She knew Gus would follow him. There was little she could do now to keep the dog at her side.

 

[DM2015]

"You think you should be going to the creek on your own?" Eva asked. "You said it yourself...this is a mean area."

"Yeah," he said, his lips widening in a knowing smile, "but it's my mean area."

Peter waited until he was certain that Eva was soundly asleep before he began preparing to slip away. He slung his rifle over his shoulder, stuffed a small pair of night goggles into a jacket pocket, and put a bottle of water in a belt pouch. Other than that, he left everything else in clear view of his traveling partner. He was desperate to reassure her that he was indeed planning on coming back.

"Stay here," he told Gus in a whisper, gesturing toward the ground. He stood and began into the night, only to find the dog at his heels. Peter turned around, gesturing back toward Eva as he whispered, "Guard."

The dog gave him a disappointed look and dropped his haunches to the soft grass of the little meadow. Peter began down the hill again, turning only to jab his finger back toward the camp again, once more whispering, "Guard."

He made it to the bottom of the trail with no sign of the dog, but hesitated for a long moment anyway. He'd brought a short length of rope, just in case Gus refused to remain, but it appeared as if it wasn't going to be necessary after all. Peter checked to ensure there was a round in the chamber, then headed down the well known trail before him.



Two hours later, Peter crept stealthily up to a rock wall marking the property line of his destination. He peeked up over the three foot high wall, built very much in the fashion that the Scottish property owner's kin had back in the Isles centuries before, and swept the grounds with the goggles pressed to his face. The only movement he saw was that of stock animals roaming the grounds in their never ending quest to fill their bellies.

There was one animal here in particular for which Peter was keenly interested but couldn't find. He wetted his lips and gave a soft whistle. He waited a moment, then repeated the whistle, a bit longer and a bit louder. On the porch of the homestead, exactly where Peter had expected it to be and had the goggles trained, a big white Pyrenees popped its head upward. On the third whistle, the dog leaped to its feet and began running Peter's direction at full speed. It didn't bark. It had been trained not to do so until it found the target of its interest, thereby minimizing the chance that what it was after would get away before one of two things happened: the big dog got its sharp teeth deep into flesh or its owner -- back at the home or out on the grounds -- got a bead on the target and sent a bullet speeding that direction.

The dog was almost to the rock wall when Peter started talking to it, "Max! Max! It's me. Max, boy, good boy, it's me. C'm'ere, boy."

The dog slowed for a moment, trapped between its training to protect the property and the animals upon it and the familiarity with the voice and scent wafting directly toward it on a stiff breeze, thanks to Peter's intentional selection of an upwind locale to make his approach.

"Max!" Peter continued, rising to height from behind the wall. "C'm'ere boy."

The dog stopped dead in its tracks, then rushed forward with a totally different gait, its tongue hanging out to one side. It reached the wall and threw its front feet atop it. The Pyrenees was big, fully four feet high at the back, putting its face level with Peter's when the man leaned forward to allow the beast to lick excitedly at him.

"Good boy, Maxi baby, good boy," Peter went on, rubbing and scratching at the dog. When he was sure that the animal wasn't going to bark to give his presence away, Peter stepped over the wall and, with the dog running circles around him, whispered, "Let's go to the barn, Maxi boy. I need to borrow something."



The sun was just beginning to bathe the meadow when Gus picked up the mixed scent rushing up the hill. It was a combination of dog, human, and ... something unfamiliar, and it caused him to barked loudly and fly away from where Eva was being jolted awake and down the hill.

The barking continued as Gus returned up the hill, rushing up to Eva, then back into the brush, then back to Eva again. Afraid she would think it was danger, Peter called out with a bit of humor in his voice when he was still fifty yards downhill, "It's Peter! Don't shoot!"

When he finally broke through the trees, Peter was smiling broadly. He stopped, looking down to a very confused, very energized Gus, before gesturing to the dog's master, "Eva, meet Lois. Lois, meet Eva."

Peter's smile widened and he laughed. He continued into the camp further, pulling on the lead rope as he explained, "I thought we might be able to salvage more of my things if we had a llama to carry it."

 

[heartofcourage]

Sleep came easy that night as Eva settled onto her mat with her wool blanket pulled tightly around her. There was something about the fresh air that seemed to put her at ease. She had heard Peter rustling around, whispering to Gus before everything was quiet. Gus came back to her side and hunkered down, his large head resting on his paws. She remembered opening her eyes to look at him, brushing her fingers through his fur with a smile on her face before she went back to sleep.

The sound of frantic barking woke her up at dawn. Instantly, she was up, her hand on her rifle as Gus bolted from his spot. The dog was going insane as he bolted back through the brush towards her and then away again. Carefully, she brought the rifle to her shoulder and put it into place, ready to take her shot if she had to.

It was then that Peter's voice reached her and she lowered the weapon. "Gus! Cool it!" She called to the dog as she stood and looked on in confusion as Peter appeared with a llama close behind.

"Where the hell did you get a llama out here?" She asked him, the confusion written on her features just as much as it was on Gus's face. "Is this was you disappeared for?"

 

[DM2015]

Peter laughed as he led the animal into the little clearing, tugging at it lead rope a couple of times as it flinched back from the excited dog. He reassured Gus that all was well, but then the llama had to raise the excitement level by spitting in the direction of Peter's traveling mates.

"Sorry, they do that," he said, trying not to laugh again for a little bit of the thick goo hit both Eva and Gus, the latter of whom backed away and growled for a short moment. "In answer to your question, I wasn't entirely on my own out here all those years. I traded occasionally. There's a ranch down the trail I used to trade meat and furs to ... for food ... booze ... other stuff."

He turned away from Eva to tie the llama's lead to a tree, not wanting her to see the expression that was suddenly filling his face. With his back to her, he said, "It's a hard trek up the hill. We should load as much as much as we can on Lois and get going. If nothing goes wrong, we can be there just after nightfall."

Peter kept his back to Eva until his emotions were in check. He may have lived alone in the mountains for a long time, but he remembered that women had a way of reading what a man's face was telling her, even if his lips weren't moving. And Peter wasn't eager to explain what -- or who -- he was referring to as other stuff, let alone how that other stuff had so tragically ceased to be a part of his life.

"So," he said, finally turning around, "let's get packed and out of here."

Just as he moved away from Lois, she spit again, hitting him smack in the back of his skull. His eyes went shut, his jaw clenched, and his throat growled. As he moved toward his things and wiped his hair and neck as clean as he could, he only growled, "I hate llama's."



They were packed and heading up the hill twenty minutes later. It was, as Peter had said, a strenuous hike. The trail often reached a 20 degrees incline or narrowed between cliff cuts that forced them to unpack Lois's wide load and pack it upon her on the other side. Other times it turned into loose, sharp gravel, only then to become wet soil and even mud when they reached a spot where an alpine spring reached the surface.

"We're not going to make it," Peter finally admitted, looking back over his shoulders at the sun that was just a few degrees above the distant horizon. He checked his location, knowing the area well, telling Eva, "another thirty minutes or so, there's a bit of an alcove in the rocks. Not really a cave, but the over hang will keep us dry if it rains..."

He looked off in the other direction to the thunderclouds that were dark and ominous. He'd been watching them for some time and didn't think they were coming this way, but up here, you just never knew. Either way, he finished his sentence pessimistically with, "...which is a good possibility."



It turned out to be almost an hour before they reached the alcove, darkness had arrived, and the winds were picking up. The moon was only occasionally showing a bit of its illumination from behind the clouds, and those clouds were ominous indeed.

"We're gonna get wet," Peter said with a dire tone.

They set about making a quick camp, knowing that they didn't have much with which to work, only their sleeping bags, one 10 by 10 foot plastic tarp reinforced with nylon string, and a couple of dozen feet of twine. Peter hadn't expected a storm such as this this time of the year, so when Eva had asked him down at the ranch if they had all they needed, he'd stupidly told her yes.

The best plan they had was a ground tent. They would lay the tarp on the ground of the cave, put the sleeping bags side by side, fold the tarp over them, and string the rope between strategically located tree roots and rock crevices to create a soft of web over them, holding everything in place. It would keep the two of them -- and Gus, too, of course, who could hide under the tarp with them -- dry and relatively warm during the course of the storm's worse.

Before they began their construction, though, Peter said with a tentative voice, "We, um ... we'd stay warmer if we zipped the two smaller bags into one larger one..."

He let the suggestion fade away before he embarrassed himself and used the words body heat or cuddle or -- God forbid -- spoon to further explain his reasoning.

 

[heartofcourage]

She hadn't been expecting him to tell her that there had been a place close by where he got supplies. It wasn't really surprising. There were outposts out there in the woods and wilderness that only locals would know. Still...a llama was incredibly odd. They were good pack animals, but her experience with them had been sparce. They were haughty animals that didn't seem to have the time of day for anyone.

That fact was made clear as the llama spit at the ground, her boots splattered with the goo as Gus started to growl deeply. His hackles were raised and she watched him closely to make sure he wouldn't attack the animal. Peter was tying the beast to a nearby tree with a low hanging branch, his casual conversation suddenly ending as he spoke about what he traded for at the place he had been that evening.

Did he think it bothered her that he had probably paid for sex? It didn't bother her in the least. Men and women did things for sex that they weren't proud of. She, herself, had never been with a man. It was too messy to get into a relationship with anyone. There was too much at stake in the new world that they had found themselves in.

She still said nothing as he turned to look at her, his features schooled and calm. They did need to get out there, she thought as the llama fired off another shot and hit Peter square in the back of the head. She simply laughed softly, her lips tilting upwards as she turned to get her things packed up.



The hike was long and hard. Eva was use to hard work on her farm, but as they climbed higher and higher, she felt herself tiring easily. The dark storm clouds in the distance worried her. She wondered if they farm was seeing rain or bad weather. Was Millie crying from the thunder and lightening? She knew that little girl hated storms and would cling to her all day until the worst had passed.

Those thoughts were broken as Peter told her that they would have to set up camp soon. She nodded in agreement, knowing that it would be dark soon. They got to work immediately as they found the alcove in the mountain. There was enough room for the two of them and Gus to get out of the rain. Wind was already trying to rip the canvas out of their hands as they struggled to get everything set up.

"It's not like we're going to be screwing each other out here." Eva said as he mentioned combining their sleeping bags into one. "You're more familiar with this terrain. If we'll be warmer then it's the best thing to do."

 

[DM2015]

Peter laughed at Eva's comment about screwing each other as if it had been the furthest thought from his mind, but down below, he was actually feeling a bit of tingle of excitement just at the possibility of being that close to the beauty. They finished laying out and securing the bed, and as Eva worked on convincing Gus to crawl under the tarp, Peter urged the reluctant llama to the ground in the thickness of the underbrush just beyond the opening of the shallow cave.

As the winds picked up and debris began filling the air, they got the last of the gear stuffed under the tarp. Peter shed his boots and hid them, then crawled into the doubled up bag. He joined Eva is calming Gus down, then -- without truly thinking about what he was doing -- reached down into the bag to loosen and shed his trousers and over shirt. It hadn't been meant as a prelude to anything intimate with Eva, of course. Peter had only been trying to get more comfortable.

 

[heartofcourage]

As the storm whipped up around them, Eva worked on getting Gus calmed down and beneath the tent. He whimpered and whined until she appeased him with some of the beef jerky that she had in her pack. It was a tight fit for the three of them, but it would protect them from the storm that was threatening to rage outside.

She had gotten into the cave first and settled against the wall. Her shoes were neatly arranged next to her pack, Gus settling in between her and Peter. She was comfortable enough as she stretched out and stared at the ceiling as the wind howled outside.

"Millie is probably terrified if this storm has reached the farm. She hates thunder and lightening." She said softly, confessing to him for the first time that she did care for the children deeply. "I think they got caught in a storm before I found them. Charlie mentioned it to me, but he won't tell me what happened. I don't think that even he wants to remember."

 

[DM2015]

"Evan is a good man," Peter reassured her unnecessarily. She knew the man far better than Peter did, of course, but even in their limited time together, Peter had gotten a sense that the neighbor would give his life to protect Eva's little ones while she was gone. He chuckled a bit, then confessed, "I'll be honest with you. I'm not much for storms myself."

He didn't explain to her why. It took a lot to get Peter to talk about the horrors he'd experienced during his tours abroad, and one of those great horrors had occurred during the worst thunder storm of his life.



As the night went on, Peter was in and out of sleep again and again. Each time he awoke, he instinctively checked his surroundings, sometimes even pulling the night vision goggles out from under the tarp to take a peak about the opening of the cave. He peeked Lois's way once, concerned about her, only to find the llama sitting in the high winds as comfortably as a spider in the middle of a web.

After one thankfully longer bit of rest, Peter awoke to something strange. Gus, who had begun the night between he and Eva, had crawled over him and was now on the outside of the doubled up sleeping bag ... putting Peter's semi-dressed body up against Eva. He thought that maybe he should correct the situation, either by urging the dog back between them or simply squishing the dog over to allow space between the not-this-familiar humans. But as that would have indicated that Peter thought this inappropriate, he didn't. After all, it had been Eva who'd commented on the lack of sex that would be occurring this night, so ... if she did wake and find him up next to her, what was the harm, right?

Peter became a little more concerned, though, when he suddenly realized that his cock was quickly rising to full stiffness. Carefully, he rolled to his side to put his back to Eva, not wanting her to accidentally roll and become acquainted with his erection or wake and see the tarp a little bit taller in the general vicinity of his groin.

 

[heartofcourage]

Eva glanced towards him in the darkness as he commented that he didn't like storms himself. She wondered what had happened in his life to make him afraid of something like a storm. Perhaps he had a bad experience while he was a soldier. She had seen that happen countless times in the past. It was sad that their service to their country had taken so much out of them.

"Well, I'm not holding you hand if the lightening scares you." She murmured her dry tone, but there was a little hint of teasing attached to it. She would have held his hand if he asked. It was simply in her nature to want to help other people.

Before she went to sleep that evening, Eva took off her plaid shirt, tucking it next to Gus to give him something familiar in the middle of the night. The dog still seemed so nervous and lightening lit up the sky around them and the wind ripped at the tarp. Hunkering down beneath the sleeping bag, she easily found sleep after such a long day.

Her slumber was interrupted as she felt Peter restlessly twisting and turning next to her. She had fallen asleep facing the entrance of the cave, one arm under the pillow beneath her head while her other hand was curled against her lips, pressing lightly against her skin. Her green eyes slowly opened, looking sleepily towards Peter's back. Gus had obviously moved in the middle of the night and she was now incredibly close to Peter.

"Go back to sleep." She murmured softly. "The storm isn't so bad anymore." She was trying to calm him down in case he was scared of the storm himself as he had hinted earlier.

 

[DM2015]

"The storm isn't so bad anymore."

Peter heard Eva's reassuring words but did not comment. He peeked out of the corner of his eye at yet another lightning strike, knowing it was further away than the last one had been. The storm was passing them, which eased his tension. He tried to do as his bed partner ordered, closing his eyes and wishing for sleep...



A shaft of harsh light woke Peter, shining through a gap in the limbs of the forest and striking him in the eyes. As had happened when he awoke to find Gus in a new spot, Peter knew immediately that something was different. He didn't immediately move, allowing his consciousness to fully return to him first.

That was when he realized that he was spooning Eva, his chest to her back, his arm over her side, the back of his thumb pressing solidly into the cleavage of her breasts. His eyes opened wide with panic as he imagined her waking and thinking he was putting the moves on her. He knew he should withdraw, but ... Oh God, she felt so good up against him. The fact that his groin -- and his again swelling cock -- weren't pressed into her butt cheeks was the only reason he decided to pretend to still be sleeping and see what happened...

 

[heartofcourage]

Eva was surprised with how soundly she slept during the midst of the storm. It was almost like a lullaby to her, washing away her tension and allowing her to simply relax. The next morning something felt incredibly different. Someone was holding her and their warm body was pressed against her back. Part of her wanted to leap out of her spot but she forced herself to relax. It was probably Peter.

Why was he holding her? Was he still asleep? Perhaps it was an honest mistake that had happened in the middle of the night. Suckingin a deep breath, she looked over her shoulder at him and saw him still deep in slumber.

"Peter?" She whispered quietly, watching as Gus raised his head beside then, his tail thumping against Peter's leg. "Peter, wake up."

 

[DM2015]

"Peter, wake up."

He'd never been much of an actor, but Peter did his best to appear as if he'd been deep in slumber, despite the energetic beating of Gus's tail against his thigh. He pulled his head back and blinked his eyes -- an actual effort to gain focus -- then took a moment to understand what he'd accidentally been doing.

"Oops," he whispered, playfully grimacing as he casually pulled back from Eva, chuckling softly. When Gus -- who had suddenly leaped from inside the bag and spun to face them -- slapped a wet tongue across Peter's face, he grimaced, then laughed. "Not exactly the kiss I would have expected, but..."

He only laughed some more as he also slid from the bag, still in his tee and boxers but quickly setting about to donning his trousers...

 

[heartofcourage]

"Trust me. He probably kisses a lot better than I do." Eva said again in that dry tone, a little bit of humor in her voice as she picked up her plaid shirt and pulled it back on.

Once she has finished buttoning the worn fabric, she grabbed her boots. Shaking out anything that might have crawled in there during the middle of the night, she soon had them laced back up. Her breakfast would be some of the beef jerky she had packed, a large piece going to Gus as she started to pack up her gear. When she was focused on a job, that was the only thing on her mind. She was anxious to get back to the farm as quickly as possible.

 

[DM2015]

"Trust me," Eva said. "He probably kisses a lot better than I do."

"Hmm," Peter said, his back to her but his volume intentionally high enough for her to hear, "Maybe we'll have to test that someday."

He only half glanced back to Eva -- a devilish smirk on his lips -- as he finished dressing and packing. Soon, Lois was packed as well, and they were heading up the trail with an excited Gus checking out the newness of the storm ravaged mountainside.



"Home sweet home," Peter said, eyeing the little cabin that sat in a clearing that measured a very small fifty feet across. "It's served me well for a long time, but to be honest with you, I'd just as soon never see it again."

The reason for his statement became pretty clear once they were inside. It was tiny, with the overhead beams barely two inches above Peter's hatless head and barely enough room for the two of them, the pole-built bed, the tree stump dinner table, and the open pit fire place. One look around would have told anyone that the two and half day trek to get her wasn't worth anything that might be held here.

"It's in the woods," Peter said with a smile, knowing what was going through Eva's mind. "I was always afraid someone would happen across the cabin, so ... everything of value is hidden in the root cellar."

He led Eva out back and through both some thick trees and a crevice in the rocks. They arrived at yet more underbrush, through which Peter pushed to arrive at a wave of indigenous ground cover that blocked the secret entrance to the cellar.

It was a combination of work by both man and nature. It had been a tiny cave to begin with, barely four feet deep and five feet high. But with some sweat and skinned knuckles, Peter had been able to pull loose some of the volcanic rocks and double its size until it was large enough to hide a full winters length of food and other needs.

He displayed those needs to Eva with a proud smile. "Sat' radio ... solar panel ... pair of hand helds..." He handed one of the radios to Eva, saying, "The satellite radio will keep us in touch with the outside world, but these are for us, for daily use. They'll come in handy."

He continued pulling gear out of the cave and handing it to her to spread out on the ground. Rifles, shotguns, pistols, and ammunition. A pair of grenades and a block of C-4. He lofted a small bag, then stuck it in his pocket saying, "Detonators. Kind of important to keep these two things separate."

There was more: first aid kits, binoculars, rolls of both conductive and non-conductive wire, and more. And they, finally, there was the food. It was mostly old Army rations as -- with the exception of drying meat for future use -- Peter hadn't had the ability to adequately preserve most of what he foraged, so he ate from Mother Nature just as fast as she provided.

Once the cave was emptied, Peter stepped out and stretched his bent back. He looked about the gear, then to Eva. With a proud smile, he asked, "So ... was it worth the trek?"