Chapter 4: Holdout Part 2

Theron’s eyes opened. The sound of the crashing waves could be heard all around him. Yet, in front of him was a partially lit hallway. It was nothing but darkness, besides a faint light that was next to him.

“Hello?...” Theron called out. His voice echoed outward.

No response ... the man looked at himself, seeing that he was only wearing a pair of blue and red underwear, a rather odd and perplexing piece of clothing. When he turned to look back, he saw the same type of hallway leading in the opposite direction.

“Anybody?” He called out again.

The same echo, and only the sound of the distant crashing waves could be heard. The man felt a small sense of dread. The only thing he felt inclined to do was head toward the moving water.

He began to make his trek. The light seemed to follow him, allowing him to see what was ahead of him. The path felt smooth and metallic underneath his toes. Meanwhile, the walls had a marble white finish.

As Theron continued moving forward, the crashing water grew louder. The sense of comfort could be felt. However, a question remained firmly in his mind.

Who am I and what am I doing here?

A deep alarm began to echo in the hallway. It partially startled Theron, but it wasn’t meant to do so. The sound was brief, but booming. As the man continued to move forward, the alarm would pulse on and off, keeping a steady rhythm.

Finally, Theron ran. Something was driving him. A combination of apprehension and curiosity drove his senses. The sounds of his bare feet slapping against the metal could be heard. The hallway seemed almost endless, with the crashing waves and alarm constantly audible, growing in volume.

In less than a few seconds, the hallway completely opened up. The alarm suddenly stopped. Theron did his best to look. Was he in a vast room or an open environment? He didn’t know. However, the crashing waves in the distance were louder than ever before.

“Is anybody here?” the man called out again.

For a brief moment, he felt that there was something here, but it vanished again. As he listened in, a new sound began to fill the void beyond.

It was rain, a thunderous rain. Water droplets were striking all around him, missing his body. The light seemed to protect him somehow.

But anything past it wasn’t ... the falling liquid was all but eager to reach him, almost as if it were a monster searching for him.

Finally, the sounds of screaming could be heard all around him. Men, women, children, all of them. It was numerous, the sounds of suffering, almost like being burned alive. As Theron continued to move forward, a new sound could be heard. His feet were touching something. Looking down, the man could see red liquid. It splashed against his toes.

Blood?

The screaming persisted. The crashing waves and rainstorm beyond only grew louder.

The man grunted. “Make it stop...,” he called out. He wanted to turn around, but he couldn’t. Death was all around him.

Then, a new feeling washed over him. The sounds of screaming death subsided and disappeared along with the rain around him. Theron felt something new beneath his feet again. This time, the red liquid had stopped. His wet feet felt like they were stumbling and shifting, yet it was soft and comforting to tread upon.

It was sand, more specifically, beach sand. As Theron lifted his head, the crashing waves were subsiding. He was supposed to be near it. However, something wasn’t what it appeared to be.

There was water ... an ocean ahead of him, but something was wrong. The sounds of gurgling, fetid liquid were near. It wasn’t waves anymore. The smell was horrific, like rotting flesh ... no ... it was fish.

Theron knew that he was standing on a dark beach. Only the light around him offered enough illumination to see that a good several meters ahead of him was the ocean. However, the content of the water was different. It consisted of an orange-like fluid so thick that it was like molasses. It was everywhere ahead of him. The fluid would occasionally bubble as the motion forced air to be trapped and to shift along the surface.

A great fear resided. Everything was telling Theron to keep his distance. It was nothing but raw death in its purest form. The ocean had been transformed and altered. He wasn’t meant to see it, but now he knew it was the truth. It wasn’t meant to be this way. Fish bones stuck above a portion closest to him.

Theron backed up. He wanted to get away, but there was no avoiding it.

“I don’t want to be here...,” he said.

The light around him slowly began to fade away. Raw darkness had become prevalent. All the sounds remained. The man buckled. As the light had disappeared, he could no longer see. Paralyzed with fear of the unknown, he only felt comfort in the sand upon which he stood. Eventually, all he could see was nothing, with only the hint of the bubbling brew of rot and stench ahead of him.

However, at its worst moment, there was an inevitable event that occurred ahead of Theron. A small, tiny light appeared far ahead of the man. It was a little speck, glowing and hovering over the ocean. It wasn’t enough to illuminate the area, but it was enough that it easily stood out in the dark scenery.

It almost appeared as a firefly. It gave off a yellowish glow that moved towards the man. If it were an insect, it would be unfazed by its surroundings. Occasionally, it would dip a little in its flight path, heading downward and revealing enough of the sickening muck below.

“Hello?” Theron addressed it.

There was no response. However, the man felt nothing malign with the thing’s appearance. It moved in a mostly slow pattern, ensuring that it wasn’t trying to hunt or give the impression of hostility. Eventually, it reached the edge of the shore and moved over the beach sand, making a few slight waves in its pattern.

Being around 15 feet away from him, Theron lifted his hands, knowing that the firefly-like entity was right next to him. Instinctively, he cupped his hands and held them close to his chest. There was no fear or apprehension, only calm.

Theron watched as it reached near his open hands. The light it emitted was enough to illuminate his chest, head, and arms.

He could only look at it with curiosity. It would hover in place, providing a sense of warmth and care, despite all the death around him. Even with the raw destruction of the environment, it remained there to keep him at ease.

The ball of light would begin to pulsate, altering its glow while remaining mostly still. Theron did everything he could to note the appearance, but the light was still too bright to see into it.

Finally, everything went dark...

“Ack!” Theron grunted.

He was jolted awake. The man was regaining his senses. The odd, yet disturbing dream echoed in his thoughts. Theron’s only course of action was to reorient himself with his environment. Reality slowly began to hammer itself in.

A few lights remained on in the living room of the house. He sat on the chair to see Cecil was completely asleep on the couch. The hint of trash from the empty cans and bottled water sat on the table.

What time was it? The man looked at the clock. Electricity was still flowing through the neighborhood. Despite the muck’s growing presence, the fact that power and the internet remained active at least gave the hint that society was trying to continue forth.

It was a little past 11 o’clock at night. Theron shifted on his chair. The old movie he and the kids had been watching had long since ended, replaced by a screensaver on the TV.

When Theron turned to look out the single window, he saw it was dark outside. The hint of a streetlight provided any illumination on the road. However, when he turned to look back at the living room, he noted that Gemma was not present.

It provoked the man to get up. The house wasn’t big, so she couldn’t have gone far. However, Theron still felt a trace of apprehension. He had to make sure she was alright.

When he reached the hallway, he noted that the front and back doors were closed and still locked. He turned his head and stepped around the bedroom door, noting that it was mostly closed. When he lightly pressed against the wooden frame, it creaked up a little bit more.

Upon peaking in, he could see that the main bed, or the only bed of the house, was occupied. Gemma was wearing a thin shirt and skirt, her only version of a nightgown, along with a blanket strapped over her. She was clearly asleep but had left the light on. The adult-sized bed easily swallowed up her small frame.

Theron stayed quiet as he reached over and tapped the light button. It made a loud click, shutting off the illumination in the room. There was a shifting from the bed as the man left the room and began to head down the hallway.

This being his first night in the house had given it an ominous feel. He felt like he didn’t belong there, that he should be housed in some emergency shelter. What if another group of owners came to the house and demanded that he leave?

No ... there was no turning back from that. More and more refugees would flood the central areas of North America, at least those that survived. Rapid City would become heavily congested, just like countless other cities in the US. How long before others would come to the neighborhood? Would they begin to fight the others to have shelter?

The gun had become a sense of safety for Theron. The others were right. Things were only going to get worse, and the need for the right tools was prevalent. This was about survival. He and the children would have to come first and foremost, for they were the future of mankind’s folly.

Outside the house felt dangerous, especially at night. At least Theron felt like he could count on his blessings. Instead, he felt that now would be the best time.

To take a shower...

The very idea seemed welcoming. The children were asleep. Theron knew that it had been well over a week since the last shower. He had become accustomed to the stench, but the fact remained that fresh water was becoming a premium. The central North American landscape had to be clean. It must be clean...

Theron wasn’t going to hesitate. He saw the small pump-action shotgun leaning by the rear door. The man picked it up, headed into the bathroom, and closed the door behind him.

The bathroom was simple in design, with rose-red floral wallpaper. It had a single used toilet, countertop, and bathtub.

Now was the best time. Theron reached the wall panel and tapped the button. Immediately, water from the showerhead gushed, splashing into the bathtub. The sound was ever-present as the water turned lukewarm.

But he was no fool. Theron had pulled out his tablet and activated its scanning device. He immediately brought the running water close to the sensor. Immediately, the application began to analyze it.

“0.002% 23-9 Contamination detected,” he said to himself. “It says that it’s safe enough to bathe in...”

He already knew that the water was safe enough to drink, at least for now. This might be the last chance that he could ever get a thorough bath.

Theron placed the tablet on the countertop and began taking off his clothes. The very thought of being able to shower felt welcoming. It didn’t take long for him to pull his shirt off, exposing his slightly hairy chest. He wasn’t a muscular-toned individual, but he wasn’t lanky either. Placing the shirt on the countertop, he reached over, clasped his pants, and unbuttoned them. With his shoes already off, it didn’t take long for him to disrobe. When he pulled his boxers off, his flaccid, circumcised penis hung freely, also exposing a small set of pubic hair above it. He wasn’t the most endowed individual, but there was no one else there to tell him otherwise.

Placing his clothes to the side, he already saw the towel hanging on the wall. Stepping into the tub, he already felt the warm water splash against his skin. It didn’t take long for him to pull the shower curtain to seal himself in the tub.

There was already the sense of paradise. The water felt welcoming. What was taken for granted a week ago had become rare. The man didn’t hold back. He closed his eyes and pressed his hand to himself, letting the running water get him wet.

The one chance to relax. Days of constant driving, close calls with the downtrodden, and having to dodge the dangerous elements had all taken their toll. The shower felt like it was washing it all away.

“God, I’m sorry if I’m wasting precious water,” Theron said to himself. “Please ... forgive me...”

Of course, he knew that the water came from the natural reserves. Nature could replace it easily, assuming it wasn’t compromised. If the story were true tomorrow, it was likely the reserves would be altered. The environment could only take so many hits, so much destruction before it finally gave out.

He felt so greedy as Theron grabbed the soap bar, most likely used by the previous occupant, to begin lathering himself. It wouldn’t take long before he started to wash every crevice of his body.

The soap bubbles were building as the running water continued to flush over him. If only the muck would stop its deadly advance. Maybe, somehow, humanity would be given a second chance to stay alive.

However, his hand finally reached down to his crotch. He began to lather up his genitals, feeling the two hanging orbs of his scrotum before he felt the wake of pleasure hit him.

There was a singular drive that hit him. The stimulation felt wonderful. How long has it been since he last released? Ah, yes, since the day before it happened.

Theron couldn’t ignore this feeling. Natural instinct was a powerful foe to fight against. He was stroking himself, feeling his erection grow hard. The man hated the idea that he was wasting water, but he couldn’t help himself.

The man thought about the woman he met. He thought about his past girlfriends and their naked bodies. It took less than ten seconds before he was rock hard, his erection poking upward toward the ceiling.

He made sure to keep his moans to himself. Instead, only the faint sound of breathing could be heard, carefully disguised by the rushing water.

No luck. Despite the incredible pleasure that he felt, he knew his orgasm would take too long to achieve. Reality had to face him that he needed to save that precious water. It could mean the difference between life and death.

A part of the man wished for it ... he truly desired that there would be a woman there to plunge deep into her. But ... he couldn’t ... it simply wouldn’t happen.