Chapter 53

Time: Thursday, February 14, 2019 9:35 PM

Madison found Tom in their large, multi-purpose room. They had both taken showers about an hour ago and dressed for bed, but had stayed up to unload the flare equipment from the elevator before turning in. “You still up?” Madison called out.

Tom looked at her and grinned. “Just about to turn in. I was looking at this flare rifle. The back wall of the breech has a very interesting reinforcement, some sort of thin clear coating, but it’s as hard as a diamond.”

“Uh huh. There’s a really neat thunderstorm going on right now. Want to watch it with me?”

Tom smiled happily and followed Madison to her windowed bedroom at the end of the sanctuary. A moment later they were sitting close together watching the storm’s fury. Madison sighed and leaned her head on Tom’s shoulder. “It’s funny, isn’t it? To see the rain lashing against the windows like that, but to hear absolutely nothing.”

Tom nodded. “Yeah, I know. It seems spooky. I wonder if Jada has gotten used to it.” Their team leader had the other windowed bedroom on the other side of the hall.

Madison didn’t reply. They sat again for a while in silence, leaning up against each other. Madison moved her arm and brushed the back of her hand against Tom’s pajamas near his knee. A moment later they were holding hands. Madison gave out a big sigh.

“It feels so different,” Tom whispered. “Tomorrow will be the start of a new month. It really drives the point home, how new and strange everything is.”

Madison nodded. “Yes, and yet, some things are still the same. I feel so fortunate I still have my brother and my two best friends. And now I have you too, if you want me.”

Tom gave a playful laugh. “Hey, you’re my girl. Of course I want you.”

Madison tilted her head up and kissed his cheek. “You saved my life today. I feel I owe you something.”

“Hmmm? Huh? No you don’t.”

“It’s what I feel though. Tom?”

Tom lightly returned her kiss before replying. “Yeah?”

“Your shot was incredible today. How did you do it?”

“Ah. I take it your target practice has been at a pistol range?”

“Yep.”

“Well, my dad has been taking me hunting since I was ... hell, I can’t even remember how young I was when I first fired a gun. But I’ve eaten lots of rabbits that I shot myself. It’s just a different skill, firing at a moving target. I’d love to teach you, but we don’t have the ammo for it.”

“Does Charles know how?”

“No. I think his experience is with pistol ranges too. He’s a pretty good shot though.” Tom’s hand came up and stroked Madison’s head, caressing her cheek and ear. “Ah, you’re so pretty, Madison,” he whispered and then he sniffed. “And you smell delightful!”

Madison giggled. “It’s just my shower soap. I found a new kind down here I really like.” She paused. “Do you really think I’m pretty? I have so many freckles...”

Tom stretched and switched on a nearby light and then offered eye contact. A moment later Madison gasped and turned away blushing. “My gosh Tom! I knew you liked me and all but ... My gosh!”

Tom chuckled. “You’re really surprised, aren’t you? Maddy, you’re so pretty, gorgeous in fact. Hasn’t anybody ever told you?”

“No! I’ve dated, but you’re the first one!” Madison gave him a fierce squeeze around his waist. “Oh, I wish we had lots of time, time to get excited and get sexy with each other. But if we start that now, there’ll be hell to pay tomorrow.”

Tom kissed her and sighed. “Agreed. We need our sleep. But I think I’ll dream of you.” Another sigh. “It’s so nice to be able to dream again. A month ago, everything was nightmares.”

“Don’t feel guilty. You did what you had to do to survive.”

“I was an incredible coward. I look back on it and I’m horrified.”

“Of what?”

“Of what I didn’t do, of what I almost became. I had no idea, how...” He shuddered and remained silent, never completing the thought. “Oh, I don’t know.”

“Hey mister!” Madison hissed. “Don’t think like that! You’re my hero! You are the person who saved my life. You are the person who thinks I’m super sexy! You are the person I’m thrilled to be dating! Tom?”

“Yeah?”

“Really, I am thrilled to have you as my boyfriend.”

“I know. I saw it in your eyes.”

“And I saw how you think of me. I hope I can live up to all your expectations. Your fantasies about me...”

He petted her for a while and then whispered playfully, “Uh oh. I didn’t realize I was letting that out.”

“Ah, but you were.” Madison gave a soft laugh. “And we really need our sleep now. But someday soon, I promise, we’ll have some free time together. Then we can play. Until then...”

Madison hugged him and tried to kiss him goodnight. But the kiss lingered, and their arms and hands drifted from hugging to caressing. It was done in great gentleness, at least at first, but then a warm hand cupped Madison’s breast through her soft pajamas and she whimpered for more. Her hand groped and found his penis, so stiff and erect. She popped it from his pajamas bottoms with one silky motion of her hand, and then her head dropped, engulfing his desire for her and sliding it to the back of her throat.

Tom cried out in his pleasure, his hips making small, jerky thrusts upward into the warmth and moisture of Madison’s mouth. Madison’s eyes were wide open in semi-shock at what she had just done, but she kept his erection inside her mouth, pulling back a bit in order to suckle and running her tongue along the shaft, trying to lick the penis inside her mouth. Madison felt Tom’s entire body tense up and she lifted her lips to his penis head just as he started to orgasm. Tom was shaking and moaning and thrusting his hips and Madison as she suckled and gulped felt overwhelmed with her own emotions.

And then it was over. Tom was lying quietly and taking deep breaths with Maddy’s head still in his lap, the softening penis pressing against her cheek. Maddy sniffed his penis and licked the glans and then swallowed the extra drop of semen she had caught on her tongue. She whispered, “Wow. That’s the first time I’ve ever done that with a boy ... Wow...”

“Maddy, I...”

“It’s okay, Tom. I know you love me. I love you too.”

The lightening storm was over. In the very dim room Tom reached for Maddy and held her in a loving embrace, sighing deeply over the softness and warmth of this most delightful creature in his arms.

Madison blinked as she started to drift. “Sleep! We won’t get it if we stay together. I’ll want to spend the night playing and talking with you.”

Tom nodded and kissed her. “Sometime soon though, we’ll create some private time to be together.”

“Oh, absolutely!” More brief kisses, and then with a groan Madison led Tom to her bedroom door and pushed him out. She surprised herself by falling asleep very soon afterwards.

Time: Friday, March 1, 2019 9:27 AM

The convoy of six kayaks reentered the central current and started the last leg of their journey to the island Tom and Mandy had spotted yesterday. It was a beautiful and warm day, already almost 20C on land Jada thought, as she remembered the toilet break they had just taken. But here in the middle of the very cool channel it felt at least 5C less, with the channel water itself registering 9C. In addition to helping drop off the flares last night, Brandi had also thoughtfully given them a water thermometer.

They had stopped at their old campsite and Jada had been somewhat surprised to see that the corpse of the Dinofelis was no longer there. The only evidence of their battle was faint traces of the cat’s bloodstains. The forest around them had been very quiet, and Jada was very glad when they were all back in the safety of the water, or at least, relatively safe. She hoped Dinofelis shared the modern cats’ aversion for swimming. It seemed a reasonable assumption. A cat who hunted as an assassin from trees would be totally exposed in the open water.

The time passed swiftly. Within the current, they were easily making 10 kph relative to the shoreline, and as 10 AM approached, the small island Tom and Mandy had spotted yesterday was directly in front of them. Mandy in the lead kayak was the first to notice its uniformity. “Look!” she called out. “It’s in the shape of a hexagon!”