Chapter Nine

It was dinner time the next evening before the group made it home. They were all exhausted to the point of falling down and had even had to take the eggs away from Kat for fear that she’d fall or drop the pack and break them. She’d been put in charge of the berries instead, which were now almost gone save for enough to keep for seeds.

Most of the community had come out to greet them when they’d heard of their return. Mother Rani made her way to the front of the crowd and clasped her son around the shoulders.

“It looks like you had a good haul,” she commented with a serene smile.

“Yeah, not bad,” he answered, almost breathlessly. “I think you need to start sending out larger parties, though. These packs were about to kill us.”

“Nonsense,” Rani said with a chuckle. “If we sent more people, we’d simply send more packs too.”

Gaylen glared at her and then laughed when she gave him a mischievous smile.

“Did you find any water?” she asked.

He gave her a sideways grin and handed her some of the storage containers. “We found a whole stream.”

“That’s wonderful,” she said and patted him on the arm. “How were the greenhorns?” she asked.

He shook his head. His mother had many euphemisms that he had no idea the meaning of. Still, he knew she was talking about Esteban and Kat. “They were fine. Kat’s still really good at finding eggs. Esteban found a nest but also found a snake.”

Rani laughed, a deep, gravelly noise that sounded more like snoring than laughing. “I’m glad they were with you,” she added with a gentle pat on his arm.

For some reason, it wasn’t reassuring. The way she’d said it made him think that she knew something he didn’t, like he’d be needing them even more soon. He didn’t question her about it, though, knowing that the old woman liked her privacy and her mysteriousness. He rejoined the fanfare and helped make sure that the supplies got to the community house without being ruined or disappearing into overanxious mouths. Then he caught back up with Esteban who was sitting in a chair, away from the others, asleep sitting up.

“I don’t know how you can sleep through all this ruckus,” Gaylen teased, waking him with a start.

Esteban’s head popped off his chest and he glanced around. “Hmm?”

“Come on,” Gaylen snorted and grabbed his hand. “How about we find a real bed?”

The next day, the two of them slept in. When they finally rolled out of bed and got down to the community house, there was already a small group of people working on the fruits and vegetables they’d brought in. Potatoes were being canned in water or stored in cool, dark bins, strawberries were cut and laid out in the sun to dry, and some of the food they’d brought was being cooked up first, either for meals that day or to be canned later.

“Wow,” Esteban commented at the proficiency of the operation. “I thought it would be just us.”

“Nah,” Gaylen replied, having recovered his laid back attitude after the long trek. “Everyone knows how important it is to get this done quickly so we don’t lose any of the food. They’re even pickling some of the eggs over there,” he added, pointing to a pot that was heating up on a fire and giving off an unpleasant aroma. He took Esteban around the different tables, showing him the different processes and then the two of them joined in.

It took all day to sort through and prepare the food they’d brought back, and it would be another day or two after that before it would all be preserved, dried, or canned. Esteban felt good to be part of the process, and in the back of his mind, there was a growing excitement that they’d be doing this with their own crops soon. He knew Gaylen would be anxious to check on the plants next, even though they now had a whole group of people looking after the greenhouse. They were tired again by the time they were through but they both felt good to be doing something important.

Esteban managed to convince Gaylen to wait until the next morning before checking the greenhouse. They wouldn’t be able to see anything in the dark anyway, and he had other things on his mind, despite the exhaustion.

In the few weeks since they’d met, Esteban’s nervousness had lessened greatly. Gaylen’s gentle, caring way, quickly made him feel comfortable in their relationship and in his own body. They’d found that neither of them were particularly interested in penetration, making their sex life one of creativity, and sometimes a lot of laughter.

They could have simply rushed to the bedroom and thrown off their clothes, but Esteban wanted to see Gaylen. For him, exploring his lover’s body was just as pleasurable as the act itself and Gaylen was content to let him do so. So, Esteban stopped and used a match to light an oil lamp first. Matches were a precious resource in the community, and normally they’d try to get everything done before dark.

“Look at you, so luxurious,” Gaylen teased.

When Esteban turned to glare at him, the man was wearing that smile that was so bright he felt like he might not need the lamp after all. It also made blood suddenly rush to his cock and he felt himself straining against his clothes. He abandoned his plan to go to the bedroom and set the lamp down on the kitchen bar. He moved to his lover and pulled him into a kiss. It was awkward at first as he was trying to be romantic and Gaylen was busy laughing into the kiss.

“What?” he finally asked as he pulled away.

“I’ve just never seen you make so many moves,” Gaylen teased.

Esteban smiled sheepishly and then pushed up the bottom of his lover’s shirt. “You’ve taught me a lot.” He slowly pushed the shirt further, letting his hands glide along Gaylen’s taught stomach. His skin was smooth and warm, and beneath the stomach, he could see the bulge in the other man’s pants as well. It took his breath away and for a moment, he couldn’t tear his eyes away. Then, he slowly let a hand slide back down and he cupped the man’s cock through his pants.

Gaylen gasped, and smiled slyly as Esteban looked back up at him. Then he pulled him into another kiss, deepening it as he felt his lover’s hand rubbing. After a moment, he moaned into Esteban’s mouth and pushed him into the living room. From there, they quickly stripped down, Gaylen pulling off Esteban’s clothes and vice versa. They kissed, deep and hard, as hands explored and hips pressed together. They were breathless already by the time they pulled apart and got down on the floor. They got on their knees and kissed again before Gaylen pushed Esteban down even further and leaned over him. He slid down the man’s body in a tease, stopping above his short, thick cock.

Esteban gasped as he felt his lover’s mouth take in the tip of his cock. His head pressed back against the floor and his back arched as Gaylen’s mouth slid down his shaft, tight and wet. He was excruciatingly slow about it, taking his time to work him up. It was a pattern he was used to by now but it didn’t make it any less frustrating. He was putty in the man’s hand. He reached up for Gaylen’s head, hoping to convince him to speed up his pace, but the man was having none of it.

Gaylen smiled and then went back to slowly moving down the shaft of Esteban’s cock. He sucked hard as he came back up and then used his tongue to swirl around the tip. He felt Esteban’s hips buck up toward him as his lover cried out in pleasure. It made Gaylen even more excited than he already was so he balanced on one arm and reached back with the other to stroke his own cock, keeping pace with his mouth. As he moaned onto the man’s cock, he felt his lover’s hips buck again. He picked up his pace, overwhelmed by his own pleasure until he knew he couldn’t hold out much longer. He quickly pulled back, letting Esteban’s cock fall to his stomach and then slid down over him.

Esteban let out a small groan of disappointment but then smiled when he realized what Gaylen was doing. He wrapped his arms around the man’s shoulders and pulled him down on top of him. Then he let his hands slide down to his lover’s ass. He grabbed it firmly as Gaylen’s hips began to slide along his. He pulled at the man’s cheeks, willing him to thrust faster and rub harder. He threw his head back again, crying out his lover’s name as his hips bucked up to meet him.

“Oh God!” he cried, though it was more of a strangled whine, and he heard Gaylen yell the same. Then his muscles tensed and his hips lifted up. He would have knocked the other man off if they hadn’t been holding on to each other so tightly. He felt Gaylen thrust a few more times as his nails dug in to the man’s cheeks and then his orgasm exploded out, over and over. He could tell from the man’s cry that Gaylen had done the same, and the two of them continued to thrust until they were spent.

The next morning, the two of them were up earlier, mostly because they’d been startled awake by the sound of a dog barking. They groaned and dragged themselves out of bed and over to the window that overlooked the courtyard. They could make out the pots, which were slowly being filled with flowers that Kat found in nooks and crannies here and there. They couldn’t make out anything else, until a woman stepped back from the building and waved at them.

Esteban jumped back from the window, covering his nakedness, but Gaylen didn’t seem to care. When he turned, he laughed and shook his head at his partner.

“It’s not like she can see anything other than your chest. Are you afraid she’ll be horrified by your scar or something?”

Esteban glared and then threw a pillow at him.

“Come on. Let’s get dressed and see what she wants,” Gaylen said with a laugh.

It turned out that the barking had come from one of the hunting dogs. Most of them belonged to the community and were sort of raised by everyone, but a few people looked after them more than most. It was just one more job that kept the place going. The woman had brought a dog with her that clearly looked as if it had recently had a litter of pups, and to their surprised, she also had a basket with her that was moving. She gave them a smile and opened the lid on the picnic style basket. Then she reached down and produced a small, furry thing with a pink nose and black spots.

“We figured, since the two of you go out scouting so much, and since you do so much for the rest of us, that you should have your own,” the woman announced and held the puppy out to Esteban and Gaylen.

She was standing directly in front of Esteban and practically shoved the small creature into his arms. For a moment, he only stared at it in a mixture of horror and confusion. Then he heard Gaylen trying to hide his giggling and he looked up at the bright, expectant face of the woman.

“Um, yeah, thanks,” he said and gingerly took the yawning creature from her hands. He’d expected it would be wiggling around more, but it seemed content to let itself be manhandled. Esteban held it up and away from him, not sure what the proper procedure for all of this was, but then it opened its eyes and looked at him. He smiled and had the sudden urge to hug it to his chest, not caring who saw or laughed in the process.

Gaylen casually threw an arm around his shoulders and leaned in for a better look. “I think he likes you,” he teased in Esteban’s ear. Then he kissed him on the cheek.

As he did so, a loud noise rent the air and seemed to reverberate through the ground and buildings. Then a cloud of dust filled the small courtyard.

“What’s going on?” Esteban screeched, almost dropping the puppy in surprise. He quickly moved to the front door, set the small creature down, and closed the door so he couldn’t get out.

“The Sanctuary,” Gaylen said through gritted teeth, while in the distance, people began to scream.

“A raid?” Esteban questioned, having moved close to him again.

“No, this is something different,” his boyfriend answered, pulling his small hunting knife from its sheath. As another loud boom went through the air, he yelled, “The square! Come on!”

The two of them ran from the narrow alley into the square beyond. People were running in every direction as dust and smoke filled the air. The remains of some kind of incendiary device was lying in a hole where some vendors had been putting up their table and the community house was on fire. Esteban grabbed Gaylen’s arm to point it out and they ran over to help. Luckily, it was the only building with any water stores, and a hand pump had been installed that let them quickly get it up to the fire. Half a dozen people with buckets began to fling water at the flames, keeping them at bay.

It took a moment for them to realize that the bombing had stopped. There were so many other noises around them that their ears were ringing. As soon as things started to quiet down, though, they heard something else instead. Neither of them had ever shot a firearm, Gaylen only having seen one in pictures or on Sanctuary forces during patrols and raids. He’d heard the shots before though, and glanced back out at the square as soon as he heard them firing.

“Those are guns, aren’t they?” Esteban asked. He’d seen them on Sanctuary security as well, but he’d never even heard one fired before.

“Yes,” Gaylen answered. “Yes, they are. They’ve rarely ever come in to the community.” He gave his boyfriend a sad smile. “We haven’t always lived in the square. Now and then we end up having to move everyone, whenever the patrols find us.”

Esteban opened his mouth in horror. As he tried to say something comforting though, his voice was drowned out by the sounds of more gunfire and screaming. Suddenly, Gaylen ran out into the square. For a moment, Esteban could only watch. His eyes widened and he felt like he would throw up. Then, almost as if in slow motion, he got to his feet and followed. People were still screaming and shots ringing out but he couldn’t hear any of it. He shouted his lover’s name, but he couldn’t hear that either. All he heard was his own blood, rushing through his ears. A red hot energy beam flew past him, and he covered his face as debris from the neighboring building broke off. He took a breath and ran after Gaylen again.

As he finally caught up, he grabbed the man’s arm and spun him around. “What are you doing!”

“We’ve got to help these people! We’ve got to clear the square!” As Gaylen shouted it, a barrage of energy bullets whizzed by. He yanked Esteban down and the two of them hit the ground hard. Gaylen heard a sizzling sound and looked down at his arm to see that one of the bullets had torn through his shirt, singeing his hair and the top layer of skin. He hit it with his other hand a few times, trying to make the burning stop.

The two of them stayed on the ground, crawling over to a toppled table. They knew it wouldn’t provide much cover but maybe they’d at least be out of sight. As they watched, a moment later, something strange happened. They saw more red streaks fly through the air, but this time, they were coming from the wrong direction, and they didn’t seem to be aiming for the people in the square.

“Those bullets are flying way too high,” Esteban commented.

“I know.” After a pause, a look of surprise and realization crossed Gaylen’s features. “They’re aiming for the Sanctuary forces.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. It’s not us,” Gaylen hissed. “We don’t have any weapons like that.” They watched for a few more minutes and then he added, “I think they’re advancing. They’re pushing the Sanctuary forces back.” By then, the square had emptied of people. A few were hiding like Gaylen and Esteban, watching as the bizarre scene unfolded.

Eventually, the shooting stopped, and they could hear the sound of feet running in heavy, plastic boots, quickly fading.

“Are they retreating?” Esteban asked in disbelief. He didn’t know much about the battles that had raged on the surface over the years, but it still seemed strange to him, the idea of the guards from the Sanctuary backing down. He didn’t know whether to be proud or embarrassed.

“Come on,” Gaylen said, standing up and reaching for his hand. “Let’s find out who our saviors are.”

Esteban got to his feet, but hesitantly. “Are we sure that’s a good idea? What if they aren’t any better? What if it was simply an argument over who got the right to kill us?”

If the circumstances had been different, Gaylen would have snorted. As it was, he simply decided to take up his boyfriend’s caution. All around them, other people were getting to their feet as well. A few of them followed the two men but the rest ran inside. The community house continued to smolder behind them, though the flames were gone. Faces watched from the window frames as the small band of people walked out to meet their fate. As they rounded a corner, Gaylen stopped. A group of people could be seen in the distance, dressed in the same armor as Sanctuary forces.

“Maybe you were right,” Gaylen muttered to Esteban, who stood beside him.

Esteban gulped. The last time he’d seen people dressed like this, he’d been thrown out of the only home he’d ever known. Now that he’d found another, one he’d come to love and appreciate more than he ever had the Sanctuary, he couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea that he was about to lose it too.

As they watched, though, the numbers of the oncoming group began to grow. Behind the line of armored guards were other people, dressed in the same drab jumpsuits like the one Esteban had been wearing when Rani had found him. The line of people just kept multiplying, until they could make out as many people as the community already had.

“Who are these people?” Gaylen breathed.

“They’re...refugees,” Esteban enthused and suddenly moved forward to meet them.

“Esteban!” Gaylen cried after him. When the man didn’t stop, though, he sighed and went after him. He watched as the armored guards stopped, as hesitant as he was, and then someone broke ranks and moved ahead of them. It was a woman, with the same dark complexion and black hair as Esteban.

“Raquel!” Esteban yelled and grabbed her hands. “What are you doing here?” He turned as Gaylen caught up and said, “This is my friend, Raquel. Well, technically she’s my sister, but we weren’t raised together. You know all about the Sanctuary and kids,” he added, waving it away. “Raquel, this is Gaylen.” He blushed a bit and then put an arm around his boyfriend.

Raquel’s eyebrows shot up and she looked Gaylen over in surprise. “I see,” she said, a hint of mischievousness in her voice. Then she turned to Esteban and said, “You made quick work of making yourself at home.”

He laughed nervously and nodded. Then he looked at Gaylen and cocked his head toward his sister.

Gaylen cleared his throat and smiled. “Sorry. Yeah, hi. Nice to meet you.”

“Actually he has a sister who’s not really his sister, so I guess he can relate,” Esteban pointed out. He smiled and the two of them slowly looked over at him before bursting into laughter. With the air cleared, he repeated, “What are you doing here?”

“Well, it turns out your little rebellion wasn’t so little. After they exiled you, a lot of people got really angry, a lot of people who may not have been interested in revolution before.”

Esteban’s mouth fell open. “This is a revolt? You...revolted?”

“I know, crazy huh? I’ve never really cared about much other than myself,” she whispered to Gaylen like it was a revelation. Then she turned back to her brother and said, “We simply...walked out. These guards were even on your side. They just opened the door and we left.”

“The rebellion was supposed to change things in the Sanctuary, not...end it.” He watched as Raquel shrugged, secretly knowing that this was something the community had wanted for a long time. Unfortunately, it was a little bigger than they’d expected. As he started to mention it to Gaylen, a few more people from the square started trickling in, one of them being Rani.

“I seem to have started something,” Esteban admitted sheepishly.

“What are we going to do with all of these people?” Gaylen asked.

“Do you think the others will come back? Are we still safe here?” Esteban added.

Rani held up her hand. “We’ve made it this far and we’ll survive this new crisis as well.” Then she looked at Raquel and said, “We’ll do what we have to do. It’s what we’ve always done.”

Gaylen took a deep breath and nodded. “You may have to keep your own clothes for now. I’m afraid they aren’t good for much up here, but they’ll do in a pinch. As you can see,” he added with a sweep of his arm, “housing is plentiful, as is work. We have two greenhouses started. Until then, food might be a little scarce, but you won’t go hungry.”

A murmur went through the crowd and Raquel shook her head in disbelief. “You’re growing your own food up here?”

Esteban smiled and took her by the arm, he and Gaylen leading her and the others into the square. “I think we’re gonna need to have a long talk.”