Innocuous

Burning bright in the hazy red sky, the sun cast golden rays that seemed to touch onto the dirt floor of the cave. It was time to rise, and she wanted to lie in her nest for just another hour. The ray began creeping toward the mark in the floor, that denoted absolute latest one can rest before survival duties become compromised. The only exception to this rule she had ever experienced was before, when she still had her clan. Between the three of them, they could gather and hunt for one day then rest the next.

On the days they had rested, they had spent the time cleaning the cave, and making useful items for use in their temporary home. Baskets, herb amulets, sacks, all useful items. She had spent her time gathering a medicine sack for everyday ails, folded and slung around her waist at all times. The powerful herbs and remedies she kept in the amulet about her neck.

She spent hours training their german shepherd to help with chores, thankfully, because he was the only reason she was surviving so easily right now. The dog was a real help, although he was getting old now.

She was grateful for those long past days,especially being alone now, for they had furnished the cave to be fit for a caveking.

She never dwelt upon those days now, for it was just her, and she had to survive alone.

The rays were about ten minutes from the line and she hopped up, ready to get going. She had seen deer tracks yesterday, but had lost them at the stream. Lazy, as had infected her too many of these days lately, she gave up chase then, unwilling to risk a strong current. She managed to catch a fish, and several large insects, as well as gather a few berries.

What she was puzzled about today was the berries.

She always used the bushes to the north, succulent blackberries that came back each year. Each year, her clan of three ate generously, with plenty left for the other creatures of the area.

But this year, the blackberries were being consumed in a rather voracious manner, and she wondered if other survivors were near by.

When her clan had first settled in the cave valley, they had spent many afternoons exploring, miles and miles around. They had found several other caves, none as nice as theirs, but extremely inhabitable. One had a family of some smaller wild cat, maybe a family of lynx or bobcats, in it, and they were sure to avoid that entire sector. The idea of other survivors was plausible, and frankly exciting, in more than one way.

Not knowing what awaitied her , she set about her day armed and deadly.
******************************************

The clan had settled into the small cave late last month, after a year of journeying through the wastelands. The valley was slowly coming back to life, a bit of green here and there, herbs and berries, trees still half alive, or fully alive in patches. Fungi, moss. Wildlife, sparse, but plenty for a clan of six to survive on. It would be a long time before the place was discovered by any large groups of survivors, most had stopped in the villages springing up sporadically, trying to form society again. The clan just wanted to be left alone. Society had been a scary place to be in the days before apocalypse.

The six divided into groups of three, and occupied two small caves that were within shouting distance of each other. Once they were settled properly, they planned to do a complete and thorough reconassaince of the entire valley, and send for the others in the clan left behind in their last hiding place, a year away. They had avoided vehicles, and went on foot, and for the last five months of their foot journey they had seen not one other living soul. They often wondered if the apocalypse had really killed everyone else.

It had happened in a very innocuous manner. Innocuous is one of those double entendres in this case. It was the innoculations that caused the deaths, and the ones left, well, they were few and far in between.

The innoculations were to protect against a deadly virus released upon the planet by an asteroid that passed through the atmosphere years and years ago.

Unfortunately, the innocuous innoculation turned out to be a life saver, and that was what eventually, ironically killed them.

For when the second asteroid came through, even firther into the atmosphere, an even deadlier virus was left behind, and it had reacted to the dead virus in the innoculations.

The ones who had not been innoculated and who had survived the first virus, were 100 percent immune against the second one.

They were the only survivors.

What was also ironic, was that all the elite, the presidents and kings and rulers and rich had gotten innoculated, along with Hollywood stars, on National TV, to prove this was serious business. They got church leaders, the Vatican, and various high profile groups like the UN to all quickly innoculate over ninety five percent of the humans on the planet.

Even more ironic was the masses fought for their innoculations voluntarily, no martial law, no round ups, no Fema Camps. The scare from the Air had really caused group think, and the few and far in between who decided to allow Fate to do its business ,
the ones who were considered the nutjobs, were the only ones who survived.
(part one)

He stood before the five, elder and alpha male. His wife, his son, his brother, his sister in law and his grandson gathered around the campfire that evening, singing, and trying to catch a star or two through the ever so clearing skies. It would soon be a decade since the apocalypse, and with each passing moon, more and more stars could be seen. The youngest, the grandson, was in charge of sketching the changing sky, both day and night, so progress could be charted. They were noticing more and more bounty coming back into the land, and tonight was a night of celebration and song. They had made musical instruments, to accompany Elder's guitar, and he sang a song for the Earth.



"We weep for the violence from above.....

But tonight we rejoice and share love....

Mother Earth, begins to heal....

Provides us with our daily meal.....

Mother Earth returns Her Love...."

On through the night the clan celebrated, it was the first evening they had built a huge bonfire and sang.

It had taken a month for the berries to ferment, and the clan enjoyed generous libations of blackberry wine, made by Elder Ma.

It strenthened their bond, and they felt, for once in a very long time, hope and excitement for the future.

**********************************

She lay among a thicket of grass, on the hill overlooking the two caves, and the flat dell in the bottom of the valley. She listened to the laughter and the singing and the songs, and before she knew it, the entire night passed, and she found herself sniffling, with wet cheeks, and a runny nose.

It was the first time in four years she had thought of her clan.

**************************************

Grandson rose early, before the sun had barely made a peep above the horizon. He wandered off to relieve himself, and quietly grabbed his daybag. He decided since it was not unbearably hot this morning, to go and catch dinner for the clan. They had provisions, but he had noticed a creek full of fish just a few hours up the way, over the hill.. By the time he returned it would be dinner time, and he would be a hero, laden with fresh fish. He left a note in the sand next to Elders bed, the official message board of the cave, and he began his journey. He had no idea he would catch the prize he did that day, or he would have worn his better clothes. And bathed. And brushed his hair.

The journey to the creek began with a walk through a flat dell, and then an ascent to the top of the hill which rung the valley. He was following a well rutted path, rutted by a huge family of deer. That in and of itself was a wonderful sign that the asteroid had not done as much damage as they had first feared, and that Mother Earth bounced back relatively with ease. A decade or so to recover from the brushes with the asteroids was just the best possible scenerio. He longed for the day his brother would join him, hopefully with in a couple of years. What hurt, he mused as he continued up the hill towards the thicket, was the lack of communication.

The clan had equipment with them, and the ones left behind did too. But they had not been able to make any kind of communication connection, not with their clan but not with anyone else either.

Weekly they sent out a signal, and weekly they got zilch. Elders brother was an electronics GEEK and made certain the thing was working. Sadly, there were no operational towers anymore to carry the message. It made him wonder just how many people were left alive on the planet....

"HEY!"

He tripped over a screaming pile of what appeared to be GIRL HIS AGE, and his bag dumped all over the place.

He found himself, scruffy stinky dirty and now, scared, looking at the most beautiful, and angry woman he had ever laid eyes upon.

Oh, and she was pointing a gun right in his face.
(part two)

"Didn't you see me laying here, what the hell?" She was saying, huffing, but calming down. She refused to lower the gun, though.

"Why would I assume a beautiful goddess like yourself would be hiding to ambush me in a thicket?" He bravely replied, hoping his voice did not betray the loud thump of his heart. It was the first conversation he had with a girl since the apocalypse, and here they were, laying in a thicket, face to gun, and she had not killed him yet.

"You think you are alone here? haaa..." She threw her head back and laughed, loudly, and then stopped. "You have been watched since day one by my clan, and trust me, you better be glad it was me pulling watch duty and not my old man. He shoots first and asks questions later."

At that moment a large dog bounded up and began licking and trying to play with GrandSon. He froze, and then dissolved into laughter. A DOG! OMG, ten years since he had played with his lab Dude.

"Hey boy, how ya doing, chum? Getchy getchy Goo...."

Ka BLAM!!!

The dog howled ran like the dickens and Grandson jumped, stiffened and decided he was completely over this chick.

Of course, he was no where near over her.

***********************************

Elder rose, he knew that sound, it was a GUN! He jumped intp his clothes, grabbed his own gun, and met Brother with in a few minutes.

"Where is Grandson?" Elder asked, alarmed.

"Is he not with you, Elder? He spent the night with Elder Ma, go check. "

Elder's head was pounding, he had planned on sleeping off the festival this morning. He rushed inside, and it was then he noticed the message. He sighed. It was grandson's gun, and he was out hunting breakfast.

"No need for alarm, the gunshot was grandson."

"Elder, I have my gun, wife is readying Grandson's gun, and you hold yours. Whose gun is Son using?"

They both looked at each other, and realized with in that moment, they were NOT ALONE in the valley of caves.

They both grabbed their day bags, extra provisions, and immediately set off in the direction of the sound of the gunshot. It seemed to come from the hill.

********************************************

By the time they reached the hill, there was no sign of a gun, GrandSon, german shepherd or girl. It was silent and standing on the hill, Elder took his time and scouted. A wisp of smoke coming from beyond the stream below betrayed the existance of the other survivors. Tense, they readied their weapos and went towards the wisp, not knowing what they would encounter.

They soon found out.

***********************************

Elder saw the cave, and they found refuge mere feet from the entrance, although to the side and back of the cave. They saw GrandSon, hog tied at the entrance, and a beautiful young woman tending a fire, full of delicious food, sitting cross legged out side. The girl was speaking, and Elder indicated they listen.
(part 3)

"Now you know my clan will be back in about two days, so you have til then to disclose how many there are of ya. I myself need no clan, I am a warrior on my own, as you can see."

"Yeah, I would respond to that, but I am all tied up at the moment."

"Well the clan is gonna return with a lot of food, because we have almost twenty, and most are young men, strong and well, angry some days."

"What are they going to do with me?" He asked, hoping the answer was not kill him, because he wanted to see this girl every minute of every day for the rest of life. Of course if he died, his wish would be fufilled.

"Oh no we are not mean, I dont THINK they will kill you, but I can only protect you if I know the truth about YOUR clan. I know!" She jumped up and ran to the boy, squatting beside him, a large grin on her dirty beautiful face. "I will tell them we fell in love, and they won't kill you! Not right away, I guess."

"How am I supposed to fall in love tied up like dinner?"

"I cannot have you killing me so I tied you up, and further, you might run away, so you stay tied up."

"Love in the Post Apocalyptic world." The boy sighed and looked down.

"What apocalypse? Look out at that valley, what do you see? Green has returned this spring, maybe just a little, but next year it will return twice or three times as full. And each year the bounty will multiply, and I predict in the next few years, we will be back to normal, our Earth is quite resilient."

"I guess falling in love while tied up is OK, kind of kinky sexy, too."

She ignored him and walked out by the fire, and looked up at the hazy reddish sky, to see a patch or two of bluish grey sky and sun shining through.

She marched back over to him, and knelt, taking his hand.

"Every night, " she began, "when I look up into the night sky...."

He finished for her.

"You see more and more stars."

Their eyes connected, and in that moment, they really did fall in love.

Unfortunately, it was that moment that Elder decided enough was enough.

*******************************************

She heard them before she saw them and in a flash she had her gun jammed and cocked to GrandSon's head.

The two men were both pointing their guns at her, but Elder, impressed with her skills, and suspecting a different story than she told, lowered his. Brother did too, but the Girl did not.

"Dad, Elder!! Don't hurt her!! She loves me!!" GrandSon blurted, to the Girl shoving him roughly with the gun.

"Who are you? How many more of you are there? I will kill him if you dont tell me!! I have to know before my clan returns, or there may be real trouble!!"

Elder stared at the girl, and could see why GrandSon was smitten. He decided to cut to the chase.

"I am Elder, and this is my brother. Our wives await back at the caves. GrandSon makes the last of our clan." His wise eyes swept her cave, very impressed with the craftmanship of the furniture and decorations, which when he looked closer, indicated much less than a clan of twenty lived here.

A growling dog suddenly jumped out from the bushes in front of her, and began to bark.

"Buddy, enough!!" The dog immediately submitted, but took a defensive spot at her feet.

"Um can you lower your gun, already? My Love?" Grandson squirmed, but she ignored him.

"So no more? When did you arrive? It had to be with in the last couple of months, I recon'd your caves two months ago and they were empty."

"Oh, your enormous clan sent only you to do recon on our caves, hours away?" Elder locked gazes with the girl. Fiesty one she was.

"Of course they did!! I am the best recon we have."

"Oh, is that so? Where does your clan of twenty angry strong young men sleep? I only see one bed."

The girl felt, for the first time since the second asteroid had hit, panic. But more than that she felt exhausted, tired, scared, alone, and defeated. Unexpectedly, she lowered the gun and fell to the ground, sobbing.

Elder stepped forward to comfort her and was surprised when he noticed GrandSon's arms already around her.

Elder looked at Brother, and they both sighed, then smiled.

It looked like they had a new member of the Clan, and maybe, Just maybe, there really WAS Hope for the Future, and maybe, being left alone was an idea ready to be reconsidered in this post apocalyptic world...

The End, or The beginning?

Thank you for reading, and critics welcome.

Great story. It reminds me a little of some of the old Indian creation stories, where there was some sort of cataclysm and humans went underground, in the caves, to wait it out and came back up when it was over. Thanks for posting this.

Thank YOU skid, for reading my stories tonight. I am glad you enjoyed them.