Part 1 : Mythic
#2 of The Downedest Day
(This is my first foray into the gay category. I am straight myself, and being a straight furry means that I am in the minority. It's a real switch, but I became used to it so easily. And on top of that, I'm totally cool with it. Not only can I enjoy media meant for a gay furry audience, I'm trying to write some. Considering that the KKK Grand Dragon used to live right down the road from the high school I graduated from, this wouldn't be a "kosher" thing to be into.
At the time that I'm writing this, I have never met another furry fan face-to-face or even chatted with one on the internet, but I'm under the impression that we're accepting of just about everybody. Being an ultra-geek is really embarrassing, but I don't think that having limitless tolerance is anything to be ashamed of.)
By the way, this story which features anthropomorphic animal characters and homoerotic content is dedicated to the KKK Grand Dragon who used to live down the road from my high school. So there... glad you moved.
The Downedest Day
Part 1: Mythic
I used to know people. I had friends and neighbors, parents and grandparents. But now, what is this? How can I live? I just wish that I knew what has happened to my life. It's like the classic trick; I'm the dollar bill on the string being fiddled with and then dragged along. But just like the gag, there is only one dollar on the end. And in the end, it's just me.
It has been a few months since whatever happened decided to happen. I come back to the first day often when my mind wanders. It's like I'm trying to find a clue, but nothing new ever turns up. It must have been quick and deadly, whatever it was.
I'm staring at myself in the mirror of the medicine cabinet again. I do that a lot for some reason. I can look at my own face for up to an hour. It isn't vanity, I just want watch something breathe and move to remind me that I'm still alive. I assure myself by going over what I know about my life.
My name is Rob Clark. I am a feline and my fur is completely black. I am eighteen years old and a single child. I have green eyes and I loved playing hide and seek with my friends when I was little. They could never find me if it was dark enough, but that was only if I kept my eyes shut.
I live in the mountains of West Virginia. Some people may make a quick judgment about that. I always tell those people that we are just like everyone else. We have cable, running water, and indoor bathrooms. The only difference is that the street I live on is long, twisted, and gravel and that we have a steep driveway. Oh, and the water pressure is a little weak since it has to be pumped uphill.
I have always loved books and movies about survivalists and war heroes, even if they were fiction. My favorite stories of all time are Papillion and The Dogs of War. I read The Dogs of War when I was sixteen. My parents almost passed out during dinner when I told them that I wanted to become a mercenary when I grew up.
They made me change my mind easily enough. I had always read quite a bit about the world wars, so my parents persuaded me to become a historian or teacher. I thought that maybe I could be a college professor and write adventure novels in my spare time.
That all seems so silly now. I blinked and studied my face some more. My whiskers, ears, nose... yeah... still breathing. I revisited that first day again. I saw myself watching the news in the morning while eating some cereal. Nothing gave me any clues. Maybe that missing tanker in the Atlantic? Did that have something to do with it?
I saw myself turn off the television and eat the rest of my breakfast. I was home alone in our furnished basement. My parents were on an anniversary vacation in Niagara Falls. I went upstairs to get dressed. I took a detour on the way to the bathroom and wandered into my parent's bedroom.
I opened up the drawer of their nightstand. After moving the .40 caliber pistol aside, I grabbed the blue tube of "Sexy Slide". I walked back to the bathroom and shut the door. Jerking off with my parent's lube was a rare treat. I've probably only ever done it three times and I only go for it when I'm totally alone.
I think that there should be unspoken rules concerning masturbation:
Rule # 1: Don't even think about it if someone is on the same floor as you (as in 1st floor, 2nd floor)
Rule #2: It can start in any room, but it must end in a bathroom.
Rule #3: The shower is ideal. Everything washes away and as long as you don't dally, no one will be the wiser.
Since there were two less people in the house, I decided to take an extra long time in the shower. I usually don't make a sound or do anything out of the usual in order to avoid detection. Since I was in the shower and home alone, I did it all, and it was good.
I stepped out of the shower and gleefully put on my clothes. I was going to have a great day. I brushed my teeth and returned the lube to the nightstand making sure that every detail was exactly as I found it.
Being clean and very relaxed, I thought it would be a good time to study for my final exams. They were in one week and after that, I'd be a free man. No more high school for me!
I didn't know how right I was.
I looked back into my green eyes reflected in the mirror. "How long has it been?" I asked myself. I make sure to talk out loud from time to time. I remembered stories of people not talking for years because they were by themselves. Eventually they forget how. I closed my eyes and thought back to that day.
That was pretty much all that happened. That was it. There were no sirens, or gunshots, or screaming. During the meltdown of western civilization, I was in the shower playing with myself.
The next day, the power was off. The phone didn't work. My cell phone had some service, so I called my parents. No one answered. I paced for a few minutes while I decided what to do.
I ran downhill to the Goodreau's house. No one came to the door. I ran back uphill to Mrs. Kisha's house. She wasn't home. What the hell? The old widow, who never left her home and thirsted for conversation, wasn't there. She doesn't drive. Where the hell could she be?
As I was walking back to my house, I noticed a weird noise. It was actually a lack of noise. We lived next to one of the major freeways in West Virginia. There were no cars. I have never heard anything so quite in my whole life.
I was so scared... I ran straight into my parent's bedroom and nabbed the .40 caliber pistol from the nightstand. I made sure that the safety was on before I stuck it in my pants. I had no idea what to do. I could start trying to salvage the food from the refrigerator, but where would I put it? I ran to my bedroom and opened an old drawer.
I loved the boy scouts when I was little. I had made it well on my way to an Eagle Scout before our pack leader died. I shuffled through the drawer and pulled out an old project.
It was a bright yellow radio. I had made it from a kit for an electronics badge. It was the only one in the house that ran on batteries. I flipped the switch, but nothing happened. I checked the battery compartment, and the old batteries were corroded. I popped them out and threw in the batteries from a remote control.
There was static on the radio. That's okay. It doesn't pick up much anyway. I tuned it to all of the popular AM and FM music and news stations, but there was nothing. I angrily started to spin the dial hoping to hear anything. I caught a bit of what sounded like a woman's voice. I quickly switched back to that frequency.
"At the tone, the time will be 12:45 pm *beep*... *tick* *tock* *tick* *tock*"
It's a recording! Damn it! Has the whole world been blown away? Did I miss the rapture or something? I haven't done anything too horrible in my life, and I doubt that I'm the only guy around here who's ever looked at vixen porn or jerked off with their parent's lube. I know "honor thy mother and thy father", but honor their "Sexy Slide"?
I forget what I did for the rest of the day. I think I puked, locked the front door, drank all of the milk in the fridge, and then crawled into bed and shivered.
When I woke up the next morning, I was hoping that things would all change. I would have been overjoyed to wake up to my father yelling at me for going into the nightstand or my mom politely asking where all of the milk went to. That didn't happen. I woke up alone, in the dark, with a gun in my hand.
My alarm clock has a battery back up, so it was still ticking. It was seven in the morning. I jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes. I was not scared anymore. I was just nervous. After making sure that the front door was locked, I locked all of the windows. I was all shut up in my house during the start of summer.
I felt so exposed. I was suddenly very aware of how much the house was made of glass. Too much, I decided. I barricaded all of the first floor windows with anything I could find. I thought that when mom and dad came home, they would laugh at how paranoid I had become without them. I felt a big pressure in my chest from their absence.
I locked myself in for several days. I did nothing but sleep and eat. I eventually had to throw out the food left in the fridge. Nearly everything had gone sour. Trash day had come and gone and they obviously weren't going to pick anything up. I made a short trip outside to heave all of the rotting food in a big pile.
In time, I ran out of dry food and cans. I needed more. I had become so jaded and dazed over the weeks. Having a problem brought my attention back to where it should have been all along.
I got some plastic store bags to load up with food and I unloaded my hiking backpack before putting it on. Deciding to raid my neighbor's house for food was an easy decision. The hardest part was figuring out how I should dress. Should I dress like normal, or get all gussied up in a more military fashion?
I was actually worried about what someone might think if I arrived at their door looking like some sort of soldier. I settled on a pair of cargo shorts which could hide my folding knife and the gun. I put on a plain green shirt and went downstairs.
I was so on edge. I had the gun out and I snuck my way over to our tool shed. I slipped in and took a crowbar before scuttling down the hill. I avoided the road so no one would see me. I don't know who it was that I was trying to avoid. Zombies? Soldiers?
I arrived at the Goodreau's sliding glass door. I decided not to knock. Everyone's power has been out for a while. The Goodreau family knew that I was home alone and would have been the first to knock on my door. I shattered their back door and stepped in.
I looked back into the mirror. Visions replayed themselves rapidly in my mind. I had spent the whole day going through their house. I must have hauled 200 pounds of food up the hill. When I was done with the food, I started to strip the place like I was some kind of burglar. Things went so well that I did the same to the seven other houses on the hill. I have enough food for about a year and a half if I'm careful. I also have loads of other useful stuff. My house is full of blankets, chemical glow sticks, road flares, batteries, seeds, tools, lumber; just about anything I deemed useful.
"I'm tired of looking at myself," I thought, "It's getting dark anyway."
I went down the stairs to take a look at everything I've managed to get. I came to the kitchen table and looked over my little arsenal. I was a bit underwhelmed at the firepower my neighbors had. I knew a lot about guns. I learned it all during my mercenary phase. My dad had even taken me shooting a few times.
I managed to find a few shotguns and dozens of slugs and buckshot shells. I even took the birdshot. Why not? I've never hunted, but I have gone trap shooting. I might really need that sort of thing in the future.
A friend of mine is a hunter, so I did manage to find his hunting rifle. He had plenty of ammo for it too. It's a well loved bolt-action with a meticulously zeroed scope. I would be hesitant to fire it because it's chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum. It could spin me like a weathervane. There is plenty of wear from it being pulled in and out of cases for so long.
I didn't find many handguns. I did find a cute little .22 caliber pistol. It's only a little smaller than my hand and I can hide it really easy. It was definitely meant for personal defense. I don't think that I'll have much use for it unless I run into... I don't know... bandits or something. I carry it everywhere.
One true stereotype about West Virginia is, if you're in the hills, everybody and their mother has a four-wheeler. I can't tell you how many kids I know who got one for their birthday. I picked out the nicest ATV I could find and parked it in the empty garage. Even though I have gallons of gas saved up from siphoning every tank I could find, I don't ride it at all.
For one thing, it would be a waste. Where would I go and why would I leave in the first place? I'm sitting pretty here. My house is all barricaded and I tore up my mom's decorative landscaping to plant an extensive garden. I'm well defended and I have enough food for a whole family. ATVs are real fun, but they're dangerous as hell. If I end up in a ditch all busted up and miles from home, I may as well just shoot myself.
While were on the subject of shooting myself, I think I've found my only problem. I have everything I could possibly need to live quite comfortably for the rest of my years, except for company. I did real well for the first few months, but now, I'm so lonely! I had no idea that it would be this bad. I don't even have any pets or anything.
I don't want to sound like a jerk, but at this point, I would gleefully take care of a retard. I would feed him ketchup and gumballs and let him pet my fur all day if it meant that I could enjoy the presence of another living being. I'm not trying to be mean, that's just the way it is. I'm that lonely. I am retard lonely.
Sometimes, I just cry. I don't know why, I just do. I curl up in all of my blankets in the basement and sob. I guess I'm just wishing that someone will knock on the door someday. I think about what would happen every night before I go to sleep.
They'll say, "Hey, Rob. Sorry for the scare. You poor boy! You've been up here all alone with no one to talk to."
And I'll say, "Thanks for coming to find me Uncle Paul and Aunt Marion. Where are my mom and dad?"
And they'll say, "Oh, I'm so sorry, you poor thing."
And then I fantasize about them informing me of some kind of terrorist attack, or viral outbreak, or an order to evacuate West Virginia that I didn't hear because I was in the shower engaging in self-abuse. I would do anything for a decent conversation. To take my mind off of it, I tend the garden. I grow loads of different vegetables and I preserve what I can't eat. I make sure to plant plenty of potatoes. I remember reading about how an Irish family could survive for a whole year off of only an acre of potatoes before the Potato Famine hit.
I also obsessively build things. I sit in the garage and just build stupid stuff I might not even end up using. I even made a simple bomb out of an egg timer and a few things I had lying around. I know it's dangerous, I don't care. It gives me something to do. I can make and fit dovetails like I'm some kind of freaking Buddhist monk. I guess that's not a bad skill to have since there is no electricity for power tools.
But, the seasons change. It's now late fall. Not much is growing in the garden. I have more and more time where I'm reading, working out, building things, or playing board games against myself. Playing a board game solo isn't so bad if you're desperate enough. It would work great with chess or checkers. Not so much with Trouble and Hungry Hungry Hippos.
I've covered up the guns on the kitchen table with a sheet. I was hesitant to do so. It seemed like I was admitting to myself that I had been having thoughts about suicide. I didn't want to do something that would somehow show that in the real world.
Man... I thought high school went by fast. It's now the start of winter and there is snow on everything. I sure am glad the house has a wood burning stove in the basement. It is positively freezing at night.
I've gotten over the whole suicide thing. I re-read I Am Legend. I think that helped. I'm not dealing with dust storms or vampires taking over the world, but it kind of spoke to me. It meant a lot more to me than when I read it before. I like the part where he finds the dog. Even though the dog freaks out and runs away, I think it was worth it in the end. I just wish that I find a dog or something like in the story.
Since I'm not able to garden anymore, I've put all I've got into exercise. I've gotten pretty buff. I am so glad that the basement has an area for exercise. There is a stationary bike and a weight machine. I hardly used them before, but now, I would probably be trying to find some equipment.
I don't sleep in my bed anymore. I moved my mattress down into the basement during the summer to keep cool. I would move it back up stairs, but the basement is just so damn cozy. I put it on the floor and pushed it up against the couch. I also put blankets everywhere. I can stare at the fire in the heater until I fall asleep. It's a nice setup and I end up sleeping a lot. I know that's a sign of depression, but for me, it's just something to do.
I look forward to my dreams. The main character of Papillion would partially suffocate himself and engage in fantasy to keep sane while he was in a prison colony. I don't do that sort of thing, but I can understand the attraction. Sometimes, if I'm really lucky, I'll have a wet dream about one of my ex-girlfriends. It used to be a real hassle to deal with in the morning before school.
In case you don't know how this one and only "guy problem" works, here's the lowdown. Your dream takes a really great turn. You start having sex or something approximating sex and... you basically wake up just as you cream your pants. When I was awake enough, I'd grab my dick really fast to keep myself from coming everywhere. It's pretty hysterical, because I imagine that I have a look on my face that says, "Ha, HA! Caught ya bitch!"
Nowadays, I just let it happen. It's great. I wake up and roll onto my back and say, "Oh yeah! Good morning USA!" I don't even care if it's all over my fur; I just take a bath later. I imagine that this is what being a bachelor is like.
A real blizzard started to pick up one night. I was getting ready to eat dinner, brush my teeth, and then head downstairs to sleep. I finished up my meal and decided that I deserved some dessert.
I was standing over the sink and eating what was probably going to be the last bit of pineapple to ever pass my lips when I heard some gunshots and yelling. I almost pissed myself. It was a mixture of excitement and horror. I was thrilled that there really were other people in the world, but terrified that they didn't seem very friendly.
They became closer and closer until it sounded like it was taking place in the woods behind my house. I threw the sheet off of the guns and grabbed a shotgun loaded with buckshot. I thought that they were going to shoot up my house and then break in. With my sensitive ears, I was able to catch a few things that they were saying over the howling wind.
"Come ---- here! Kill that ---! ---- ---- here you little bitch!"
Then I heard them start to break in. They were right at the kitchen door! I ran to the door and got ready to blast the first person I saw. Someone was pounding at the locked door as hard as they could. Maybe I can shoot through it? Then I heard them start to scream with a crying, pitiful voice.
"Let me in! Please open the door! Their gonna kill me! Please!"
I don't know why I opened the door; it could have been a trick. All I knew is that I threw the door open and someone crumpled onto the kitchen floor. I couldn't see anyone in the woods, so I aimed where I thought the voices were coming from and let off two loud rumbles from my shotgun.
The woods suddenly came to life as my ears reminded me of all of the frequencies I will never hear again. I saw two forms scramble away while another let off a shot before following them into the woods. The bullet must have hit the siding of the house, because it certainly didn't find its mark in me. I slammed the door shut against the frigid wind and bolted it.
I turned my attention to the person on the floor. He was a red fox. He was panting heavily and it looked like he had been running for a long time. He was covered with snow and his clothes were really ragged. His tail wasn't as "fresh" looking as it should have been. He must not have been eating very well. I decided to leave him there to recuperate while I propped a chair against the door.
I turned my attention back to the fox and I kept the shotgun ready. I didn't point it right at him, but I held it in way that meant business and certainly would go against the rules of any firing range. He continued to pant for another minute before he finally spoke.
"Oh, thank god. Thank you so much. They were gonna kill me. I can't thank you enough. Put that thing down, will you. It's like I'm staring down a stove pipe," he said in a tired voice.
I adjusted my hold on the gun in order to make him happy. He didn't have much in the way of clothing, so it was pretty obvious that he wasn't hiding any weapons. Besides, I wasn't going to kill the only person I've met in months within the first few minutes of meeting him.
"Alright," I said, "What was that all about? Why were they after you?"
"That's a fair question," said the fox, "I'll get up off the linoleum and tell you all about it. Just give me some water. It's going to be kind of long, do you mind?"
"I got nothing but time," I said.
I made sure that I had things right once I heard his story. His name is Calvin Marcus. He's from Memphis, Tennessee and he was in West Virginia visiting his grandparents. They lived in a nice little house down in a valley. He doesn't have any idea of what's going on either. All he knows is that he left his family at the house while he took a four-wheeler for a spin with his uncle and cousins. They spent the day together and decided to visit the old, reconstructed fort with all of the role-players that I went to half a dozen times for a field trip.
When they got to the fort, nobody was there. They poked around for an hour or so anyway. Calvin got the creeps and said that the fort was boring and he wanted to head back. Everybody agreed, but they gave him a hard time anyway. When he got back to his grandma's house, no one was on the porch.
He got a little choked up when he came to this part in the story. I was able to figure out that he went inside first and found his mom and dad dead in the kitchen. They were all ripped up and torn to hell. How he described it, it didn't seem like it was possible. I asked him to be more specific, but he kept telling me that it was like they "exploded".
When his uncle and cousins checked out the rest of the house, they found Calvin's grandparents in the bathroom. I told him that I thought he must have been traumatized and had an exaggerated memory, but he assured me that it was as if something ate them alive and then smeared them all over the place.
They tried to call the police, but the phones were out along with the power. Calvin had his cell, just like me. It rang and rang, but no one picked up when he called 911. Together, Calvin and his relatives checked the neighboring houses, but they found the same scene in each one, people plastered to the walls. He also said that there were claw marks everywhere.
"Like, our claws?" I asked as I made my own stick out.
"No, not like our claws. Most of them were huge, like... big, monster claws," he said.
"Big, monster claws?" I tried not to sound incredulous, but failed.
Calvin was pissed. I saw his ears lower and he bared his teeth before saying, "Look, I'm just telling you what happened. I don't really believe it myself, but it's all I know. You weren't there, so if I tell you that I saw monster claws, you better damn well believe that I saw monster claws!"
"Alright, alright! Relax. I've seen some crazy stuff too. Everyone on this hill just disappeared."
Calvin was still a little angry with me. "What do you mean "disappeared"? he asked in a teasing voice.
"I mean gone. There's nobody left. Mrs. Kisha is gone and she hasn't left her house for two years. You're the first person I've seen since this whole thing went down," I said.
Calvin grunted and looked bored.
"Look. Just tell me the rest of your story, I won't doubt you anymore."
Calvin calmed down and continued.
After seeing that the whole neighborhood was torn to bits, the group decided to drive to the sheriff's office. As soon as they cut the engines on their ATVs, people started shooting at them from inside. They didn't stop shooting, even when they raised their hands or ran. Calvin was so scared that he fell down and played dead.
Once it was all over, the shooters came outside to check everything out. When they found Calvin, they could tell he was still breathing. They knocked him around a bit before handcuffing him up and dragging him inside.
Apparently some local teens that were always up to no good, banded together and formed a gang in the wake of the violence. They found the sheriffs office empty and took it over and made it into some kind of hideout. They drank heavily and smoked anything they could find. Calvin was stuck there for months and he was forced to do anything they wanted. He didn't go into detail, but I got the impression that he was never raped, just beat up and humiliated on a regular basis.
The thugs managed to capture a few girls later on. Neither Calvin nor the girls were fed very well. They were tortured every once in a while. Luckily, none of the thugs had any idea what they were doing. All they managed to do was make their captives hate them even more.
Calvin talked to the girls and got to know what happened to them. They both had similar stories. They developed a kind of camaraderie. One of the girls became sick, so Calvin gave her his share of food every once in a while. The other girl didn't help out and that created a kind of rift in the group. Once winter hit, they slept together to stay warm. They all really wanted to escape.
One night, one of the gang members got really drunk or high and fell asleep near the prisoners. The girls teamed up and managed to strangle him. Calvin didn't think it was necessary since the thug had overdosed and was completely unconscious, but he didn't feel too bad about it. They took his key and unlocked their handcuffs. They all took off in the middle of the night even though it was freezing.
By morning, they heard engines as the remaining thugs followed their tracks in the snow. Even though they dived into the woods, they were still followed. The thugs stayed just behind them to keep them running. Eventually, they must have gotten bored or tired because they started shooting at them.
Both of the girls were killed, but Calvin managed to escape. They ended up chasing him all the way to my doorstep. He saw smoke coming out of the chimney, so he figured someone was home.
"So that's what happened to you? Sounds like you've had a rough time, Calvin," I said.
"Yeah, I was delighted when you shot at those bastards. I just wish you would have killed one of them. Anyway, I think they'll keep their distance for now. I'm sorry that I brought this problem on you."
"You know... I don't really mind. It seems like they would have found me eventually, I may as well deal with it now," I said.
"I guess... but I still feel bad about it," he admitted.
"Do you know how to shoot?" I asked.
"Well, no. Guns sort of scare me. We never owned any."
"Alright. I'll teach you how. You can make up for barging in on me by helping me take them down if they come back. How does that sound?" I asked.
"Okay," Calvin seemed a little hesitant, "So, can I stay?"
"Well, yeah! You have to do your fair share of the work though. You know, once summer rolls around. C'mon, I'll set up a bed for you."
"Thanks! Could I get something to eat too?" he asked.
He certainly did need something to eat.
"Yeah, go ahead bring that tin of pineapple."
He grabbed the tin and followed me upstairs. He was impressed with how well defended I had made things. We got to my parents bedroom and I showed him in.
"Okay, Calvin. You can sleep in here. I'll heat up some water for you to take a bath in the morning. You can also change into a pair of my clothes tomorrow," I hesitated a little, but I said what I had to, "Now, don't freak out or anything, but I'm going to lock you in here for tonight."
"Why?" he asked.
"I don't know you. If you had the mind to, you could kill me in my sleep and let your buddies in."
Calvin became angry again, "I'm not with them! I would never hurt you! Don't you believe me?"
"I'd love to believe you. But in this day and age, it will take some time," I said.
Calvin seemed sad. I sighed a little and continued.
"It'll just be for tonight. Look, it's a bedroom door. I think it's made out of balsa wood and cardboard. If you really had to get out, you could be out in a few minutes. Okay?"
Calvin waited before meekly saying, "Okay."
"Good. Goodnight, Calvin."
Calvin jumped a little and said, "Wait. I don't know your name; I haven't heard what happened to you!"
"My name's Rob. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Now, get some sleep, you need it."
I stepped out of the room and shut the door. I avoided looking at Calvin. I didn't want to see if he was disappointed. I hope that he hasn't become upset. I really do believe him; it's just that I'm scared.
I went downstairs and made extra sure that everything was locked up tight. Before I went to bed, I threw some more wood on the fire and placed a few buckets of snow by the stove. The ice would melt by morning. I crawled into my big nest of blankets on my mattress in the basement. I had the shotgun with me, just in case. I couldn't wait until tomorrow.
As soon as I woke up, I ran upstairs to my parent's bedroom. I unlocked the door and opened it to see Calvin sitting on the bed. He seemed happy to see me.
"Thank god you're here," he said, "I really need to pee!"
"Oh, well, I made sort of an outhouse in the back, but it's pretty sick and really cold. Plus, those guys might still be out there if they're on meth or something. Just get in the bathtub and pee down the drain. I do that sometimes."
"Great! Thanks!"
The fox rushed past me and I heard the bathroom door close. I started to bring the buckets up the steps and set them down by the bathroom door. When I was about halfway done, I went into my room and picked out a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt for Calvin to wear.
He came out of the bathroom and looked at me.
"What's with the wooden box thing in the bathtub?" he asked.
"That's for the bath. I keep some big rocks in the heater. When I need to take a bath, I throw them in the box and then fill the tub with water. The rocks heat everything up."
"How did you figure that out?" asked Calvin.
"I don't know. I think that I watched a show about spas or something on TV once. Hey, help me out with the rest of the water," I said.
After carrying all of the buckets up the steps, I had Calvin start filling the tub while I fetched the rocks. They were molten hot from being in the fire overnight. I dropped them into the box and torrent of steam filled the bathroom.
"Sorry about that, they're usually not that hot. Just wait a bit for the steam to clear out. While you're taking your bath, I'll get started on breakfast. Since you've been starved, we'll start out slow. How about some oatmeal?" I offered.
"That would be great. Make a lot," said Calvin.
I made sure that the clothes were in the bathroom before closing the door. I went into the kitchen and got out a bag of oats. I went down into the basement where I already had a pot of water boiling on the heater.
It wasn't meant to cook on, but I made due. I cooked outside all during the summer and fall. I can't really get away with that now, so I use the heater. Once the oatmeal was done, I took it up to the kitchen.
I moved all of the guns and set the table. I even opened up a can of cheap orange juice for us to share. I gave Calvin an extra big portion and sat down to wait for my share to cool down. I heard some footsteps as Calvin came down the steps.
He walked into the kitchen and he was smiling. Calvin had even managed to get all of the filth off of his fur. His coat was now the rusty orange color that it should be. It was still a little patchy, but it would grow back.
Calvin barely talked while he ate the oatmeal. For a second, I thought he was going to give up using the spoon and start lapping it up. Once he was done eating, he drained his share of the sickly sweet juice.
"Man, that didn't take long," I said, "I think that after this, we should brush our teeth."
"I would love to brush my teeth. Do you have any mouthwash? I hope I don't have any cavities."
"You might," I admitted, "You'll have to take a close look in the mirror. Did it hurt to drink the orange juice?"
"No," said Calvin.
"Then you should be okay. Let's clean this up later."
I found a new tooth brush for Calvin and we went into the bathroom with a bucket of water. He flossed, brushed, and rinsed his mouth. I did the same. I didn't have to. I guess I just liked the company.
"Are you feeling better, Calvin?"
"Yeah, a lot better," he said, "Call me Cal, okay?"
"Sure thing, Cal"
We ran went down into the basement and I told my new friend all about what I've done and gone through. Cal is a great listener and whenever he did have a question, I didn't mind answering it at all. I was so happy to actually talk to someone. Once I was done with my story, we started speculating about what happened.
"It can't be some kind of disease or virus, those things spread. They don't lie dormant and then all go nuts at once," I said.
"Yeah, besides the old lady would still be alive since she was all alone. What about something that might have been sprayed in the air?" he asked.
"I don't know, I was inside all day, but you and your cousins were outside. You would've gotten it too," I said.
"This sounds stupid," started Cal, "but it seems more and more like zombies. I mean, it's a lot like the movies. It also explains the murders and mass disappearances."
"I know, I feel dumb for admitting it, but zombies seem the most likely. But that doesn't explain the big claw marks you found. Besides, I haven't seen any zombies, have you?"
"Well, no," said Cal, "but as far as we know there is some kind of monster on the loose."
"Yeah, that makes sense... I guess... there must be a whole bunch of them for everything to happen so fast. There are still a lot of loose ends though. Why haven't we seen any monsters? And with the exception of your uncle, why are so many of the survivors in their teens?"
"I couldn't tell you. We're already on monsters and I think that if we look any farther into this, we'll stop making sense completely. We'll just have to wait to see what turns up."
"I guess so," I said, "It must be about time for lunch. C'mon, help me whip something up."
After we ate a lunch of Cream of Wheat, Calvin posed a difficult question.
"So," he said, "what do you do for fun around here?"
"I read all the time," I said, "I went after the books as much as I did the food. I found a big stash of romance novels over at Mrs. Kisha's place. I mean big, like, an entire room. I haven't gotten desperate enough to crack those open yet, but, I'll admit, I did get into the erotica."
Cal laughed to the point where he almost cried.
"Oh my god! That stuff has horrible storylines," he said between gasps.
"What story? It's usually just an excuse to get people to have as much sex as possible! Seriously! A plot for an erotic novel is like, the girl has a bomb up her snatch and the only way she can deactivate it is to have sex three times a day," I joked.
Cal was practically rolling on the floor. I guess being pent up for so long gave me a lot of time to work on jokes.
"If you want to read a good story, read this."
I handed Calvin my copy of I Am Legend.
"Didn't they make this into a movie?" he asked.
"Yeah, but it's nothing like the short story. This is way better, trust me," I said.
He took the book with him into the basement and we both stayed down by the heater and read. I would peek out a window every once in a while. I was really nervous after that attack. While we were eating dinner, I asked him what he thought about the book.
"I liked it," he said, "I think that it is sort of like what we're going through, you know, at the end. Vampires used to be myths until they took over. There were tails of how they would kill people while they slept. He did the same thing. The vampires took over and at the end; he becomes the myth that used to kill people while they slept. I guess, maybe, I think that we'll just be myths."
I was stunned. I have rarely heard the book explained so well. He even connected it to our current situation in a way I hadn't thought about. I nodded my head in approval.
"Wow," I said, "You pass the friendship test."
"What? You give this to everybody?" asked Cal.
"Well, just the people I know really well. I gave it to one of my girlfriends once. She said it was the dullest and geekiest thing she ever read. I dumped her right on the spot."
"Ha! I liked it. I love reading; I don't even think that I can begin to tell you the names of all of the books that I've read. I used to keep track of it all on a website, but you know how that goes..." said Cal.
"Yeah, I know the feeling. You know what, Cal? You're an alright guy. You can sleep in the basement next to the heater if you want."
Cal beamed with excitement. For a second, I thought that he was going to jump up and down in his chair.
"Really? It was freezing upstairs!" he said.
"Sorry about that. I was really freaked last night. We'll clean this up and then you can help me get that mattress down into the basement. What do you say?" I asked.
"Oh, absolutely!" said Cal.
After we did all of that and got dressed for bed, Cal and I were lying on our respective mattresses in the basement. It was getting really dark, but I could still see for the most part. We talked a while before we went to sleep.
The last thing I said was, "You know Cal... I think that I'm actually looking forward to the rest of the winter. We can just hang out and eat whatever. I'll teach you how to shoot and we can spend the days working out and reading. Does that sound so bad?"
"Not at all. I think that I'm going to like that very much. Goodnight, Rob."
"G'night, Cal"
That is exactly what we did for several weeks. It was in the deepest part of winter that I made my best friend ever. We got to know each other very well. Cal used to go on the internet a lot before it... I guess you could say, "ended". He was an avid video gamer and social networker. While cooking one night, I found out that he prefers the "wet" style of barbeque, my kind of guy. He's a really nice person, a real gentleman. He never made a mess, bathed all the time, and a curse hardly passed his lips.
It was kind of fun to work out with him too. I have more strength, but he has more endurance. I guess that maybe that's because he must have a higher pain tolerance. It takes a lot of work to tire him out.
I taught him all that I knew about how to use guns. He's not bad at cleaning them, which is important. The most interesting part was teaching Cal how to shoot. I set up a little indoor shooting range in the Goodreau's basement with some cans and bottles. Cal wouldn't touch a shotgun, and the .40 caliber pistol made him flinch like crazy. I became a little annoyed.
"Oh come on! You can't be the guy who brings a knife to a gunfight!"
"I'm sorry," said Cal, "I'm such a pantywaist!"
Cal's ears were down and he was softly whining. I found myself feeling kind of sorry for the guy. After removing my ear plugs, I pulled the .22 caliber pistol out of my pants and handed it to him.
"Here, this is the smallest round they make. You literally can't hit the broad side of a barn with this thing. It works well if you're just shooting across the room though. The ammo hardly weighs anything and you can find it anywhere. Give it a try."
Cal was glad to see the small pistol. I left out the part about finding it in Mrs. Kisha's handbag. I figured that he didn't need to know it was a chick gun.
He emptied the clip, making sure to aim every shot carefully. He managed to hit a couple of the bottles and cans even though we were twenty feet away. We pulled out our ear plugs when he was done.
"I liked that a lot better," he confessed.
"That's good. You're not bad with that thing. It kind of suits you. You probably wouldn't use it at this range though. I think it's supposed to be more of a gut-buster. If you ever have to shoot someone with that, point it right at their chest, empty it as fast as you can, and then run."
"O-okay," he said.
We headed back to the house and Cal suggested that we spend the rest of the day reading in the basement. I thought it was a good idea, until I realized that I had read every book in the house. So did Cal. We finally broke down and picked up some of Mrs. Kisha's romance novels.
It wasn't so bad. We kind of got into the ones that we picked out. We were finished by dinner. We ran up to the kitchen and talked about the stories that we read. I was surprised at how good they were. They weren't great, but most were at least passable.
We cleaned up and got ready for bed since the sun was going to set in an hour or so. It's best to be in bed by the time it's dark. I wouldn't want to break out one of the glow sticks I keep in my pants unless I absolutely had to.
Cal and I were sitting on the couch in the basement. We were talking like we usually do when he dropped a bombshell.
"Um... Rob? Can I tell you something really personal? I hope you don't mind or anything. We're really good friends and I just think that it's something you should know. It's really embarrassing though."
"What is it?"
Cal took a deep breath and said, "I went out for the track team once but, I didn't make it."
"That's it? C'mon! Don't do that! You really had me goin' for a second," I said.
Cal looked like he had just swallowed a bug.
"That wasn't it, was it?" I asked.
"Well, not really. It's pretty bad," he said.
"Look, Cal, whatever it is. I won't really care. After all that's happened to me, nothing fazes me anymore," I said.
"I'm gay."
I playfully looked around the room and paused for a second as if I was waiting for someone to freak out before I answered.
"See?" I said, "Nothing."
"Those guys, they got me to admit it once while they were beating me up. It got a lot worse after that. They called me just about everything they could think of. I'm just glad they didn't kill me or anything," said Cal.
"Well, I'm glad they didn't kill you either. I really like having you around. You're a real help around the house and you're easy to live with. I don't think I could hold something like that against you," I said.
I meant that too. Cal is an easy guy to live with. He really never caused me any trouble and we have yet to get into an argument. I had a few suspicions about him anyway. He was awfully mum on the subject of girlfriends.
"You know how you said that nothing fazes you anymore?" asked Cal tentatively.
"I did indeed say that," I assured him.
"Well, try this on for size. I think you're kind of cute."
This time I did have a reaction. I held my hands up and said, "Whoa!" over and over.
"I'm just sayin'!" interrupted Cal, "You're a good looking guy!"
I finally calmed down, but I couldn't stop laughing. This was all really funny.
"Okay," I finally said, "I'll take that complement my good man."
Calvin looked at me expectantly. I felt kind of funny. I didn't know what my deal was. I had never been attracted to another guy before, but I've never been this lonely. I really do care about Cal. He's a nice guy, and I guess that as far as guys go, he's not bad looking either. He certainly cleans up nice. This was a really embarrassing situation for me, but, there was no one else to see it.
I looked at the fox wearing my clothes. I wanted Cal to be safe and happy, and I wanted him by my side. In the end, that's what love is, isn't it? I felt my throat well up before I spoke again.
"You know what, Cal. I think... that you're kind of cute too. I think I kind of have a man-crush on you," I said. I motioned for him to come closer while saying, "C'mere."
Cal scooted over and threw an arm over my shoulder. He hugged me tight and playfully said, "Oh, Robby! You're the best!"
A funny thought hit me at of the sudden.
"So, Cal," I said, "You're gay, right?"
"I like boys... so... guilty."
"And you're a fox, right?"
Cal grabbed his ears and swished his thick tail.
"Isn't that obvious?" he asked.
"So... is it like a cultural thing or some kind of genetic predisposition?"
Calvin laughed and held me tight.
"I know," he said, "there are a lot of gay foxes. I don't know what the deal is, but I bet you've never heard any straight foxes complain."
"Nope," I admitted.
We snuggled on the couch for a little while. It was really nice. Cal was all gentlemanly about it too. He didn't move in for a kiss or anything like that.
He finally asked, "Wanna move the mattresses together? I promise not jump in your pants or anything."
"Alright," I said, "It'll be warmer like that anyway."
That was that. We moved the mattresses together and climbed into the blankets. Cal pressed his back up against my chest and I held him close. I didn't get a hard on or anything. It was really sweet, like we were little kids. I felt so content to finally be close to someone again.
I was so happy to listen to Cal breathe and feel his chest rise and fall. I rubbed my face against his back. He squirmed and little and sighed. We pulled the blankets tight around us and, for the first time, I fell asleep purring, without a single worrisome thought.
We didn't comment about the other night when we woke up. It was like it was understood that we both wanted to take things slow. I certainly did. I think that we were both just enjoying being close to someone again.
I once heard someone say, "We are the first generation of men to be raised by our mothers." That statement felt really true now. I just wanted my mom. I wanted to hug her and I wanted her to tell me that everything's okay. It doesn't have to be a mother. I would have taken that sort of thing from anyone. I found it in Cal. I think that both he and I missed that sort of connection.
For the next several days, we read, talked, and exercised. During the day we would hug on occasion, and at night we continued to sleep next to each other. We eventually stopped wearing shirts to bed. I was missing the warmth in my life and Cal helped me to find it again.
One night, I stopped Cal from rolling over. We were face to face and I could see the firelight flickering in his bright eyes. He was trying not to smile, but I could tell that he was secretly thrilled. I pulled him in close and kissed him. I couldn't help myself.
I thought that Cal was going to clap or something when I pulled away. He started to lick my face and, I let him. I didn't care anymore. I just wanted to be close to him.
We kissed and he nuzzled me for a few minutes. When I hugged him tight, he would place his muzzle by my neck. Sometimes he would put a hand on my chest to feel it rumble from my purring.
When I gripped him with a tight bear hug, I rubbed my thigh against his groin by accident. I could feel how aroused he was. It kind of turned me on. To tease him, I slipped a hand into his pants and grabbed his butt while grinding my leg against the front of his crotch causing Cal to gasp and shudder.
"Rob," he said in a desperate voice, "I can't sleep like this."
"I'll take care of that," I said.
WHAT!? Did I just say that!? Holy crap! Jumping Joseph on a pogo stick, I'm about to have sex with another guy! By Odin's raven!
"Are you sure about this?" he asked.
NO! No, I am not sure! This is insane! Crazy people think about this sort of thing!
"Sure I'm sure," I said casually.
"Really?" asked Cal.
By Strom Thurmond's ghost he's not making this easy! Look Cal, do you want me to give you oral sex or not? I'm about to lick and suck on your weird fox cock until you go "ker-sploogie" all over my face. All you have to do is SHUT UP!
"I've been giving it some thought," I said, "and I decided that, who would know how to please a man better than another man? Right?"
Cal smiled and smiled and said, "my thoughts exactly!"
"Great, can we do this before I lose my mojo?"
"By all means!" said Cal as he flipped onto his back.
I pulled on the drawstring of his pants and pulled them down. I could smell how aroused he was now. I pulled the pants completely off and left them on the bed. I could see all of Cal now. The white on his chest continued all the way down to the inside of his thighs. It made Cal's red penis stick out even more. It was completely out of his sheath and was glistening in the firelight.
I felt a reflexive lurch in my own as I leaned down. I could really smell him now. I'll admit, it was kind of hot. I think vixens epitomize sexy so, I could get used to this. I stuck my tongue out and licked the front of his cock from sheath to tip.
Cal bucked his hips and made a desperate, strangled gurgle. I was really alarmed. I had been in bed with a girl a few times but, did I screw this up already? I asked him what was wrong.
"It's... I mean... your tongue is so rough! It's like sexual sandpaper! I'm just not used to it. I've never had a cat as a boyfriend before, only another canine and a raccoon once," he said.
"Oh. Well... I guess that I can think of something else to do..." I said.
"NO!" barked Cal, "For the love of god, DON"T STOP! That was awesome!"
By this time, Cal's canine knot had started to swell up. I grabbed it with my right while holding down his hips with my left. Cal cried out and thrashed as I fervently licked his member. I could taste more fluids start to seep out as Cal began to lightly thrust his hips.
Being very mindful of my teeth, I placed some of Cal's cock in my mouth. Why not? I sure didn't want him to mess things up when he came. I loosened my hold on his hips and let him start to lightly thrust into my mouth while I licked him. Cal grabbed onto my wrist and I could feel him quivering.
After less than a minute, Cal had an orgasm and he started to rapidly pump semen into my mouth. I took two hard swallows and sucked hard, which brought Cal to new heights. I had no idea what I was doing, but I think I did pretty well.
I opened my mouth and let Cal's still erect dick fall out. I gently licked the tip whenever more fluid appeared, causing him to quiver and moan. He eventually stopped me and grabbed my head. He led me back up to his muzzle where he gave me a passionate kiss.
"That was the best, ever," he said.
"You're welcome."
That was crazy. Not only did I give a guy a kiss for the first time, I also gave him a B.J., and I kept the change.
Cal looked at me hesitantly for a second before he asked, "Do you think that you would..." The rest was lost in a flood of whispers and mumbles that only I could hear even though we were the only people in the whole house. I guess he must have been really embarrassed.
I considered his proposition for a moment before I asked, "Well... how clean is it?"
"Oh, not tonight!" he said, "I just mean, you know, sometime."
"Yeah, I'd do that. You know, if it'll make your day," I said.
Cal was beaming. He gave me a hug and put his pants back on. We shared a final kiss before we pulled the covers back up and fell asleep.
Mmmm. Keri. She was the cutest girl I ever dated. She was a mountain lion and she played lacrosse. Lacrosse is an expensive sport so I figured her family had some money. What a catch!
I was having a really nice dream about her. She was on the couch at her parent's house. They were gone for the day for some reason. I didn't care where they were because their daughter was naked except for her panties. Oh Keri, you sexy wench.
She pulled the panties off and tossed them away. I climbed onto the couch and she started to unbutton my pants. She didn't waste any time getting around to the main event. I was going to rub her clit for a while, but she wanted it now. She jumped on top and started to do me like it was her job, without a condom! Oh yeah. That's nice.
Wait a second... I know where this is going. In the real world, I'm going to splooge in about two seconds. Is Cal in the blast radius? Wait... will Cal even care? Is he into that sort of thing?
I looked down at where the magic was happening. I was waking up... but why? This is so good! C'mon underdeveloped reptilian part of my brain! Do I need to spell it out on a chalkboard for you? Sex good! Make sleepy!
The last thing I saw was... Cal?
What?
Omigod!
I woke up just as I was ejaculating into Cal's mouth. It felt spectacular, of course. I felt really peaceful and such. He lapped it all up and laid down next to me. He was laughing his head off. It didn't take long for me to piece together what had happened.
Cal must've seen that I had a case of "morning wood" and he thought it would be cute to wake me up by giving me head. I would have preferred to have had a say in the proceedings. I have to admit though, it's one hell of a way to wake up and it's not like he was going to break it.
"Now we're even. How was that?" he asked.
"I don't know," I mumbled "I was only awake for the last few seconds. I didn't really feel anything."
"That was fun, you have to admit. You're so cute when you sleep! You were purring and your ears were twitching. I couldn't help it! I bet that's never happened to you before!"
I was mostly awake now. "Well, actually... no. I've only ever had two girlfriends. Neither one of them wanted to do that. I guess they thought it was dirty or something."
Cal made a piteous face. "You poor guy! I owe you one. Any time today, just tell me, and you get to cash in. How does that sound?"
"Okay," I said.
We were raiding one of the neighbor's wood piles later on. I found a small trailer for the four-wheeler in someone's yard that we use to load up with wood. After we're done, we carefully drive back and unload it all into the garage.
I wasn't too worried about the gang that was after Cal anymore. I hadn't seen any of them skulking around. I think that it was a situation of "they know that we know that they know." We know that they know where we are, and they know that we know where they are. We were all waiting to see who would make their move first.
As I was handing a log to Cal, we both froze. I heard something in the woods. It was huge. I looked at Cal. His ears were pointing in the direction of the noise as well so he was hearing it too.
It wasn't an engine, or breathing, or anything at all hardly. It was just there. It was a mass of silent dread. It was almost as if I could hear its intent or hatred. It wasn't directed towards us, but it was coming our way.
I heard twigs start to snap and low lying branches break as it approached. I pulled out my .40 caliber pistol and I heard Cal take out his gun, whatever good that would do. I saw branches snap right in front of me. There isn't anywhere that this thing could be hiding! I should be able to see it!
It left the woods and was right in front of us. I was so scared. I held still. I would've shot, but I couldn't see it at all. All I was likely to do is piss it off. I didn't want to shoot it anyway. It wasn't after us; we would have been dead if it was. It was after something else.
Cal was by the ATV and I was closer to the house. The dread was between me and the house. I couldn't hear it breathing and there were no tracks being made in the snow. I thought that I smelled smoke or ozone, but I couldn't tell. My adrenaline rushed when I heard a horrid scraping noise.
I closed my eyes as a tear rolled down my face. It was like it pulled the tear out. I was in fight or flight mode and I had chosen the rarely used "stand still and prepare to get consumed by nothingness incarnate" option. I shivered as it passed by me. I felt as if there were ice in my veins until it was gone a few seconds later.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw what had caused the scraping sound. There were long and terrible marks in the siding of the house. They were all horizontal and very deep. The dread must have brushed up against the house to avoid touching me. That or it just stuck out a hand or paw and casually tore up the siding on a whim. Whatever the case, I was looking at "monster claws".
I was still scared and I was also really sad. I had a lump in my throat like I had just found out someone died. I don't know why I was sad. I guess that it was because this isn't how life works. That was what made me so depressed. Nothing is invisible; nothing can cause suffering like that. I was sad because I couldn't understand or even begin to understand what had just taken place. There was no book I could read or math problem I could solve to find the answer.
I looked at Cal. He was visibly shaking and I could hear him whining. He had started to cry too. I walked up to him even though my feet felt as if they were glued to the ground. We got within whispering distance and I started first. It seemed a sin to make any audible noise.
"Did you see that happen," I asked as my voice cracked.
Cal nodded his head yes.
"Are you scared?"
Another yes.
"Me too. I'm so scared Cal."
"What was that?" he whispered, "It was huge and really... it was bad. Just horrible, Rob."
I nodded and pointed at the marks on the building.
"Are those monster claws, Cal?"
"Yeah," he whispered "those are monster claws."
End of part 1. This story continues in part 2: Dread.