RABs Ch. 01

"Jerry, do you know what I want," she whispered in my ear between bites. "I want you to fuck me and cum in me until neither one of us can move. When I'm exhausted, I want you to keep fucking me and..."

"Talk less," I said.

"Fuck more," she finished.

* * * * * *

Dana

I woke up the next morning tingling all over. I was warm and I just felt like I was in Heaven. Jerry's snores buzzed lightly in my ear. Each buzzing little exhalation caused my neck to tingle. He had one arm thrown protectively around me. That hand was clamped gently over my left breast. His left leg was also thrown over my legs. Although, in his sleep, he protected me and kept me warm. It was as if even his subconscious mind recognized me as the most precious thing in his world.

Just thinking about it made me smile all over again. I yawned and tried to stretch a bit without awakening him. I could have stayed there in his arms for the entire day. But Jerry wasn't like me. As soon as his eyes opened, he'd be ready to begin the day's adventures.

I loved him so much, it was crazy. I actually regret having lied to him the night before. I had almost told him what I'd been thinking about lately, but I'd lied instead. We had enough on our plates already just trying to survive without worrying about things that might never happen.

I had started out by saying, "Jerry, you know what I want," while we were having sex. I'd been just about to tell him that I wanted a baby. But I backed down. Since the time of the RABs, there have been very few children actually born. If you count all of the women that I've run into over the years, I only know two that were ever pregnant.

I guess it's a selfish thing but some of the older women in the community tell me that it's the way it used to be before all of this bullshit happened. It was the most natural thing in the world for a woman who was crazy in love with a man to want to have his baby. But maybe we can go back to the way things used to be. I mean we've already started. Five years ago most of these older women and some of the older men in our community would have been long dead. With almost no ability to fight and protect themselves, they'd have been bitten or dead.

But now, in our community, each person lends his or her skills. Some of us are protectors, and others do other things. Besides just wanting a child for myself, I guess, I'd love the status it would give me. The only reason why I don't have to work as a cook, or a cleaner, or a gofer, or just as a general laborer right now, is Jerry. Since Jerry is so valuable to the community, for his ability to locate supplies and his tactical abilities, no one ever questions what I do or don't do. I guess I'd like some kind of status for myself.

Having a baby and being a fertile woman, would give me that kind of notice. But even as I took a deep breath on pondering it, Jerry's eyes popped open.

"Come on, Dana," he said instantly. "We've got things to do today."

"We always have things to do," I told him. "I'm staying right here in this bed."

"Okay, Honey," he said. "I'll see you when I get back." In a flash, he was out of the bed and heading for our bathroom. We were very fortunate. There are only six or seven houses in the compound that actually have running water. We're one of them. I think Sven has something to do with that. I also think that Sven sees Jerry running the community when he's too old to do it anymore.

The icy water of the shower cascades down on him. I gingerly get into the shower pushing myself against him for warmth.

"I thought you were staying in bed all day?" he asked.

"Where you go, I go," I grumbled.

We went over to the cooking area and waved to several of the older women who were cooking. We saw that woman from the night before. Even as she tried to cook, there were at least three men smiling at her. When she saw us, she smiled and waved, mostly at Jerry. I waved back at her, but I guess my hands weren't working well that morning because only my middle finger was up when I waved.

After we finished eating, we headed for the car. There seemed to be some kind of trouble at the gate. Jessie Flint, one of the huge guys who guarded the gate seemed to be yelling down to someone.

Jerry ran over to the gate and climbed the ladder up to the walkway near the top. He spoke to someone down there as I sat on his car. I saw him gesture for the gate to be opened. As the gate was opening he jumped down off of the wall along with Jessie and his partner Fred.

A giant of a man walked into the gate. The guy had to be at least six foot six. He was easily over two hundred and fifty pounds. He had long shiny dark hair and his skin was very tan. He smiled at me and I noticed his very white teeth. He looked like that old time movie star Antonio Banderas. He carried a very long spear that appeared to be really heavy.

Jessie started talking to him. Jessie was also huge. He was about the same size as the newcomer but not nearly as sexy. My poor Jerry seemed like a hobbit next to those two.

Jessie told the guy that he'd have to give up his weapons and submit to a bite inspection before he could be allowed to visit.

The newcomer started trying to charm Jessie. He talked about wanting to find a home and how skilled a fighter he was. I could tell that Jerry was getting bored. I was too. The new guy should have just let them check him. We all had to do it. It was necessary for safety. RAB sometimes struck immediately and other times you had up to eighteen hours before you started foaming at the mouth like a maddened pit bull.

The new guy was still trying to bullshit his way out of turning over his weapons. He was telling Jessie how great a fighter he was and how lucky we were to have him. "Okay, I'm bored. If you can't obey the rules," said Jerry yawning. "You can't come in."

"What if I prove to you that I'm a great fighter," said the new guy.

"We don't care," yawned Jerry. "We've got lots of good fighters. We really need electricians and techs. If I could find a fucking plumber, I'd give the bastard anything he wants just to stay here. Fighters are a dime a gross. Everyone has to fight. That's the good thing about being here with us. You don't have to fight to survive."

"But I'm not good," said the new guy. "I'm God damned spectacular."

Jerry just snorted. "I'll bet," he said.

"I'll give you a demo," said the new guy. "I'll have a little match with your big friend here, just to show you."

"Fuck that," said Jerry. "No matter how that shapes up, I lose."

"How?" asked the new guy. I noticed that Sven had made it to the gate. He hadn't said anything yet, even though it was his decision. I think he wanted to see how Jerry would handle it.

"Well, if you are some legendary fighter, like you claim, which again we don't really need," said Jerry. "And you beat Jessie up. Then I can't go on my expedition today because I have to replace him on the wall. On the other hand, if Jessie kicks your ass, then he'll spend the rest of the day bragging about it, which again isn't good for my security. I'll tell you what...since I lose no matter what happens. You can just fight me."

"Huh?" asked the new guy. He looked down at Jerry. My Jerry, with his short brown hair and amazing blue eyes is only about five foot eight inches. He only weighs about a hundred and eighty pounds but it's all muscle. I didn't like the idea of Jerry fighting that guy, but I could tell he wanted to do it.

Then the guy looked at me. "I won't hurt him too badly, mamacita," he sneered at me. Jerry looked at me as if I'd done something. While Jerry's head was turned, the big guy moved. It was a cheap shot. He swung the spear in an arc intending to sweep Jerry's feet out from under him. Jerry quickly leaped over the end of the spear, just in time to have the big man swing the other end around in a higher arc.

But it was as if Jerry had expected the low-high trick. Even as he'd leapt over the low swing he'd ducked at the same time so the high swing passed over his head. The big guy had committed himself and the higher swing put him in a vulnerable position. Jerry kicked out with his legs as soon as he landed on the ground and knocked the big guy's legs out from under him. He brought the tip of his mace down and just tapped the big guy's forehead.

"Well, legendary fighter," he said. "That's how the legend ends."

"You caught me by surprise," lied the new guy. Everyone there laughed. We'd all seen how he'd attacked Jerry while Jerry was looking at me. "Two out of three?" he whined.

"Okay," sighed Jerry. He hadn't unsheathed the sword on his back yet. He looked as if he was thinking about it, when the big guy swung his spear in a quick thrust. Jerry dodged the thrust, but the big guy had expected him to. He immediately swung the spear in a big arc that was too high to leap over and just low enough that ducking under it would have left Jerry vulnerable.

Jerry turned as if he were trying to stay parallel with the spear's arc. He turned into it and caught the initial impact on the handle of his mace. He grabbed the spear in both hands and continued turning with it. When he stopped turning, he'd snatched the spear out of the big guy's hands and had the point of the weapon at the confused man's throat.

"Whoah!" said the guy in confusion. "You've got some moves." Jerry just sighed and dropped the spear. The big guy picked the spear up. "Three out of five," he yelled, swinging the spear at Jerry. This time the result was different. Jerry looked up just in time to block the spear with his mace. "Good block," yelled the guy. Jerry pulled downwards, hooking the spear with the flanges of his mace. He pressed downwards until the tip of the spear touched the ground. Then he raised his left leg and stomped downwards on the spear, snapping the shaft. At the same time that his foot hit the ground, he flipped the heavy mace to his left hand and drew his sword with his right hand. He brought the flat of the razor sharp Katana down onto the man's shoulder. The keen edge was facing towards the big man's neck. One quick flick of Jerry's wrist would result in a legendary beheading.

"Are we done with the fucking games?" Jerry hissed. I was shocked because Jerry almost never lost his temper. The entire crowd that had gathered to watch was silent. Jerry could have ended it there and no one would have said a word.

"I just wanted to see exactly how good you are," smiled the big guy.

"How good any of us is at fighting doesn't matter," said Jerry. "We only fight RABs. We support each other and work together. We don't fight each other and we don't bullshit or take cheap shots. We have to depend on each other for survival. If we can't trust each other, we're all less safe because sooner or later, we all need someone to watch our back." The big man stood there with a shit eating grin on his face. The people in the crowd all nodded at what Jerry had just said.

"Whether you go or stay isn't up to me," said Jerry. "You're pretty strong and we could use that strength. I've already told you that we're not really looking for fighters. And you don't seem to be as legendary as you claimed. Jessie probably would have mopped up the floor with you. If you'd tried those sneaky things on him, you'd probably be dead. It's Sven's decision whether or not you stay here. I don't care one way or another, but we do judge people more by their actions than their excuses. Since your spear is broken, I guess we don't have to worry about whether or not you turn it over anymore. Talk to the metal workers and see if they can make you one with a shaft made of aluminum. It might bend but it won't snap like the wooden one did."

"But I won't be as fast, with the extra weight of the metal shaft," said the man.

"You're not fast now," said Jerry. "But I'm sure you can get another wooden shaft if you'd prefer. Tell them that I owe you one."

I grabbed Jerry's hand and we headed for our car. Sven came over. "Where are you headed today?" he asked.

"There's a place on what used to be the east side that I wanted to check out," said Jerry. "It used to be a mail order store. Since they didn't sell guns or food, I'm pretty sure I might be able to find what I'm looking for. But I have a list of other items that we need. The small things I'll try to bring back with me. The bigger ones I'll mark on my map so we can send someone else after them." Sven nodded.

"Be careful," he said.

As we got into the car, I felt eyes on me. I turned and saw the big new guy staring at me. He smiled at me as we made eye contact. I had to admit that there was an attraction between us. I might even play it up a little bit to make Jerry jealous. Men needed to be kept on their toes a bit.

We drove for the first half hour or so in silence. I didn't turn on the music because I needed to watch the meter to determine how much charge we had left in the batteries. If possible we wanted to make the entire trip on batteries. Every bit of juice we used was important.

I could tell that Jerry was pissed. Seeing him fight always made me want to just fuck him wherever we were. I reached out for his hand and stroked his wrist. He pulled his hand away from me.

"What did I do?" I asked.

"It's not you," he snapped. "It's that bastard back at the camp. He's a real snake in the grass. He's fucking sneaky. I don't think we can trust him. I should have killed him."

"Jerry, he's still in survival mode," I said. I used the same words he'd told me about so many other people we'd allowed to join the community. And it was true. When a lot of people first came to us they were so accustomed to having to fight just for scraps of food or to have a warm place to sleep, that they had to adjust to living and sharing with others."

He quickly turned and looked at me. "You like him, don't you?" he asked.

"Well, he's a good looking guy," I said. And I shouldn't have. I saw it as soon as the words left my mouth. Jerry's thoughts and reactions, like his movements, are amazingly quick. He grabbed the E-brake and jerked the wheel to the side. The car quickly reversed itself and faced the opposite direction.

"Why the hell did you do that?" I asked.

"I'm going to take you back," he said. "I'm sure Sven will be charmed into letting that asshole stay. He's big on that whole "innocent until proven guilty" theory. Maybe you can help him settle in. The two of you were made for each other. You've both got that whole Latin thing going on. Who am I to stand in the way of true love?"

The thing about Jerry, and I'd learned this a long time ago, was that he was like some kind of wolf. Wolves can make great ad faithful pets, because they're really just stronger, more cunning dogs that haven't been civilized. The problem is that while once again they can be pets, you can't ever turn your back on them, because at the drop of a hat their teeth will be at your throat.

Jerry, as much as I love him, is a killer. The big guy back at the camp is a fighter. There's a difference. Fighters fight. They train to have long matches and to punish their opponents until they can't continue. Jerry on the other hand is trained to and has no qualms about dealing death in seconds. Unlike the guy back at the camp, he doesn't try to batter his opponents or knock them down. His moves are designed to simply end lives.

Jerry loves me too. I know that, as well as I know my name. But in a split second, he'd decided that I had been given a choice between him and some guy whose name I didn't know, and somehow to him it seemed like I'd picked the other guy.

"Honey, please calm down," I said calmly. I was hoping that if I kept my voice calm, it would help to calm him down as well. "You're overreacting. For some reason, you've decided that you're angry. I get that you're pissed at that guy for taking a cheap shot at you. But it didn't matter, you won. But even after it's over, you're still angry. You've decided that you just don't like him. And since I told you the same thing you've told me about lots of other people, your anger has become jealousy and you're about to let your jealousy mess up the best thing that either one of us has in life." He sat there staring straight ahead as if he was thinking about it.

"Jerry, why are you jealous anyway?" I asked. "You're the only man I ever pay any attention to. Last night at the gate, Jessie talked about my ass right in front of you and you didn't even budge."

"I trust Jessie," he said.

"If anyone should be jealous," I said. "It's me. I haven't forgotten that little blond bitch that showed up at our house..."

"That's different," he said.

"How?" I asked. "She clearly more than likes you. All I did was to tell you that the new guy doesn't understand our ways yet."

"She's only that way because I saved her life and her mother's. She'll get over it. And please note that I have not once defended her to you. I also haven't made any moves towards her or even tried to speak to her," he spat. "So why are you defending that asshole?"

I couldn't think of a single reason why I had. Anything I said would have simply made Jerry more jealous. Most men simply don't understand that not everything has to be settled with a fight or a contest. If I'd told the truth and said that the guy was attractive. Jerry would have simply assumed that it meant that the guy was more attractive than he is; which isn't true. No matter what I said, it would have only got me into more trouble. So I changed the subject.

"We're wasting the batteries, Honey," I said. "Where did you plan on going anyway?"

"I've been looking at the maps a lot lately," he said. "I found the place I've been looking for."

"The museum store?" I asked. He just nodded. "I also found that electronics store and a couple of others." I looked at the map.

"We're pretty close," I said. "We could be there in an hour. It would probably only take us a half hour to an hour in each place. We could be home by lunch time. Why'd you tell Sven we'd be gone until evening?"

"Look at the sky," he said. It was getting cloudy. "We're probably going to have a couple of afternoon showers. I was going to stop off in the hills on our way back."

Even as he said it, my panties got wet. The first time that Jerry and I had sex had been in the hills. The great thing about it was that they were these huge mounds of grass and dirt that had grown over whatever used to be there. You could see anyone approaching for miles in any direction. We'd just laid out a blanket and spent the entire afternoon fucking. Doing it just after a spring shower, with the air fresh and cool and the sun not beating down on you would be heavenly.

There was also the fact that I am at heart a screamer. The hills were about twenty miles away from our camp so I could scream my fucking head off and just let go. I think Jerry had planned it all because of what I'd said the day before.

Even as my hand involuntarily slipped off of my leg to a more intimate position, Jerry's foot hit the accelerator.

"Jerry, we're going the wrong way," I said. "You're still heading back home."

"The Mustang isn't acting right," he said. "I'd better take her home just in case. I'll come back tomorrow if she checks out."

"You mean WE will, right?" I asked. Jerry didn't say a word. I knew then that he had a bug up his ass and we were in for a stormy time.

* * * * * *

Jerry

We got back home and I went through all of the motions of checking out my car. I'd known from the beginning that there was nothing wrong with her. But it wasn't like giving her a little bit of extra attention would hurt anything. Dana hung around trying to help me, but as I withdrew further and further inside of myself, she just told me that she'd wait for me in the house.

As I wiped down and polished my chrome rims, Henry came walking up behind me with that big asshole I'd fought before.