A Small Sacrifice

Michelle sighed, leaning against the wall outside her home. Her niece Andrea sat beside her in silence. The whole family spent the whole day searching for Andrea's twin, Claudio, but it'd been no use and they had to assume he'd been taken by the soldiers. The times were strange, the world in a small sense of chaos. Their family had all moved in into one large home as required by the military. Michelle dug the heel of her big black boots into the dirt, trying to hold back tears. Time were such a mess now, the war that had broken the world into factions, the morals that used to exist long gone. People would go to sleep one night and the next, it was like they never existed at all. Michelle had grown used to it over the five years but one rumor held her attention anytime it was mentioned.

Stories of a man in all black on a motorcycle, coming and killing families in the dead of night. Many people, including her own family, thought people had made it up to explain the government taking people as they saw fit but others swore it was the truth. Michelle didn't care, she just wanted the war to end so she could go back to how things had been before. She'd been lucky her family had money before the wars and they were given enough rations to support everyone and a home to live in. There were still times when she didn't think it was enough and as her cousin Fernando slid down beside them she sighed, pushing it all from her head.

"How much you want to bet the Henderson's start telling Carolina the man in black took him?"

"All the pot in your pocket."

Fernando laughed, pulling it out and packed it into a small pipe. She hadn't smoked pot before the war. She'd been too busy with school to give it a moment thought. But now, with education ceased and nothing to do after working in the fields and running errands, she was happy to have something to pass the time, especially with Claudio being gone without a reason.

Andrea took in a deep puff, sighing softy, "You know, he'd totally want the first hit."

They all laughed softly, Michelle taking the next puff. "Oh yeah, he'd be mad if he didn't." She handed her cousin the pipe and unbuttoned the black vest she had on, letting her stomach enjoy some freedom. Her white V-neck T-Shirt had a small stain on the bottom from her mascara as she'd been crying earlier and Andrea's head rested on her shoulder.

"Maybe, you know, they took him to the schools. That's not a bad thing, he gets to study and they give him some good shit to eat I hear." Fernando passed the pipe to Michelle who took a quick hit before handing it to Andrea.

"Dude, they didn't take you," Michelle said, taking a deep breath.

"They didn't take you."

"Eh"

They were quiet long enough to hear the leader of their territory over the radio and her cousin, Andrea's mother Carolina, swear loudly over the noise, "Those men sold their souls for power and we get our children taken away so they can live in a world of sin."

"You think that's true?" Andrea asked, lighting up the bowl.

"I have NO idea. I guess that would give the "Man in Black" rumors some merit."

"I feel like we stepped into some awful sci-fi movie and it sucks."

Fernando laughed, coughing a little after a hit, "See the thing is it would explain so much. Families can sometimes just vanish. Look at the Johnson's on North Ave."

"Oh man, yeah them. I used to have a thing for Eric," Michelle said sentimentally.

Andrea and Fernando couldn't help but laugh, "Oh you had more than a THING."

They all laughed as they heard a motorcycle pull up to the house. Fernando instantly blew out his pipe, stuffing it into his pocket and they came up around the house to the front to see a black motorcycle parked on their yard. She could hear her family yelling and screaming and brushing off the dirt from her jean shorts, the three raced into the house. The man was tall, head shaved, pale skin and light blue eyes, almost as blue as the sky on a good day. He was grabbing her cousin's husband Ricky by the neck. Carolina had been on the brink and was screaming, backing up into the corner as she watched her husband's face grow pale from the lack of air.

"Daddy!" Andrea screamed, running to the man's back but Fernando grabbed her quickly. Michelle, however, proved harder to catch and she looked around for something, anything to throw. She saw a large rock of salt, something given to them in the weekly provisions. She didn't know what else to do and instantly threw it at the man with all her force.

Almost instantly, when the ball touched his bare chest, as he was only wearing leather pants, it seemed to burn him. He groaned, stepping back a couple paces and let go of Ricky. When he'd regained some balance he shot a deadly look at Michelle and without thinking she grabbed the bowl the rock had been sitting in and threw all the salt grains it held at his face. The man screamed instantly, grabbing onto his face. Then the scream turned into a small laugh.

"Oh he'll be happy when I tell him this."

The man is insane, she thought to herself.

"He'll want to come and see you, get you himself. I was here for all of you but now, one will do," the man bellowed and left almost instantly past all of them leaving them in shock.

~~~~

For some reason now, the rumors of a man in black felt far too real. The family had managed to calm down and now, Michelle alone was awake, sitting on the porch. Her family had sent out word of the odd reaction the man had to salt and Michelle sat with the ball in her hand, hoping it gave her some sort of protection.

Her cousin's words rang in her ears, that the leaders of the world had sold their souls to the devil for their own wants. Why else would now these demons be appearing to them, taking them away.

"You know what I love about your leaders? They made it possible for us to do our jobs out in the open."

He was wearing a black shirt and dark washed jeans, a long black coat on his frame. His large hat hid his face but even his black eyes shone from under it. She got up, throwing the rock almost instantly but all he had to do was lift his hand and it burnt into flames. He laughed dryly at the look that had formed on her small face. She was pretty... too pretty. His friend had been right. Her long hair, past her breasts which had to be at least Ds and those dark brown eyes that had a slight red tint to them. He could smell the fear on her, the pain she carried from childhood and loss, the confusion of what and who he was.

"What?"

"You have a choice girl, so listen carefully because I won't repeat myself. I was going to pick your family up for feeding. They would be tortured by the demons down in hell. Some even given to your leaders to do with them what they want. Your little niece would be a fine piece of ass for them."

"You bastard."

He laughed at her tone, "They would be devoured and die. This can be their fate or you come with me."

She shook her head, "This is a joke. Those rumors of a man in black, those are lies."

"You hoped they were lies child, but they weren't. Your cousin was right, your leaders gave up the world to hell a LONG time ago. So make up your mind."

She still couldn't believe his words, shaking her head and her mouth wide open. He let out a dry laugh, stepping forward and took off his hat slowly, "I can walk in there and take them girl. Each one would suffer more than you ever would. They will always want rest, food, salvation, and they will never get it. I would make sure you suffer worse than any of them. Want to know how? I'll let you stay and you'll know they are in hell and you are here. I will make sure you are rich beyond your dreams. Comfortable. You will die an old woman. Do you think you can live with that?"

"Why? If you are telling the truth...."

"Because it's what the demons want. You can give them your sacrifice or let them all suffer. I'm doing my job. Come with me or let them die. Your choice?"

He was right in front of her now, standing at the foot of the stairs that lead up to the porch as she stood before him, trying to guard her family. She thought of her family inside. She'd been on the porch because she couldn't sleep, the man's threats clear in her mind. She felt guilty in a way for doing anything although it'd been in an attempt to save her cousin-in-law's life. Now, she knew she had only one choice.

She didn't need to say a word because he knew and his smile scared her to her bones. He reached out, not touching her but towards her chest and she felt it instantly. The warmth from her body left her and exited her body by her chest in the form of a small white ball of light. The farther it escaped from her, the darker everything felt. She assumed next time she woke she'd be dead in hell, suffering. She imagined and hoped that her family wouldn't be too sad when they found her to be missing. She thought of her niece and best friend, how she'd miss her terribly. She could feel her body falling forward into his arms and then, nothing.

~~~~

She woke up cradled in arms, wind hitting her roughly against her cheek. Michelle groaned, realizing he was riding his motorcycle but she couldn't see from under his coat. He looked down for a minute, seeing she'd woken from her sleep and instantly pulled his coat harder around her. For 21, her body was small though after reading her thoughts he'd learned her father and mother hadn't been too tall either. He boots kept bouncing on his thigh and he imagined if he was still human it'd grow into a bruise eventually.

She was falling in and out of sleep he could tell, grabbing onto his shirt when she was sleeping and letting go when she was awake. Michelle sometimes tried to listen for a heartbeat but there was nothing, which sent cold chills down her spine.

He sighed, wondering if this one was the one as there had been others. She'd done the first part, sacrifice. But who knew if she would do the rest. For now, he had to keep her hidden. He had the power to spare her family in her old world but in this one, she was not safe. They'd gotten to others before. She could be just as weak. But deep inside he had a feeling she was different. Or a hope she was.

He hadn't felt hope in a long time.

~~~~

She felt the motorcycle dying down when she opened her eyes and his hands effortlessly picking her up from under his coat and carrying her off the cycle and into what appeared to be an old farm home. The garage wasn't connected to the house so she could see fields behind the house, men and women laboring away. Michelle was thankful he was carrying her, she felt weak. Opening her eyes even felt like labor and as soon as he stepped onto the porch it was too hard to keep her eyes open. A deep voice came from inside the house, one she recognized.

"That you Mark?"

Mark, she thought to herself, That's his name.

"Yeah," he said, walking past the man sitting on the dirty sofa. She could hear the voice laugh, "You grabbed her huh? Weak?"

"No shit, took her life away. Going to be a bit until she gets any kick to her," he called out, walking up the stairs and soon she heard the other man's footsteps behind them. "Glen get me some drink out of the fridge."

"I forget they eat like we do."

"Just go."

Glen laughed and headed back down the stairs and soon she felt him use his hand to open a door and dropped her down on a soft bed.

"Michelle open your eyes."

She didn't want to but reluctantly she opened them as he propped her up against pillows. In the dark light of the room she could look him over and suddenly she couldn't help be a tad attracted to him. Tanned skin, dark eyes, long black hair. Muscles that seemed to go on for days though she'd learned that from riding in his arms. She began to feel a little sick and reminded herself he'd taken her life, there was no room to enjoy the situation.

Glen returned with a glass of what appeared to be orange juice and Mark instantly took it, bringing it to her lips, "Drink girl."

She hesitated and Mark sighed, pushing harder against her lip. "Don't make me open that mouth of yours and pour it in until you choke."

Michelle wanted to protest but had no energy to do it and opened her lips, letting the juice in. Almost instantly she felt much better, like when she was in college and needed a boost so drank a Red Bull. Same thing really. Soon she took the glass, drinking on her own and watched Mark take off his coat and hat, murmuring to Glen who smirked pulled off her boots and socks, leaving them on the floor, and left the room. As she studied the tattoos on his body, Mark was pulling off his clothing and her body began to come back to life with each drink of the juice. She was strong enough to realize what he was doing and looking around she knew this had to be his room. Without warning the light in the room vanished and a calloused hand was taking the cup from her. Michelle's mind began to race as she realized exactly what she'd signed up for.

"No."

"Oh darlin' you know there is no use saying that though I appreciate the effort."

"Please don't."

He chuckled, pulling down on her knees, bringing her body down flat on the bed. She didn't know it yet, but he was going to do her a favor, giving her a little kick back to feeling better.

On her side of things, her eyes were beginning to be able to see in the darkness and she was surprised how amazing his chest looked in the light of the moon. Even with the dogs barking outside and the yells coming from Glen at the people working, nothing could distract her. His hands worked at the buttons on her vest, pulling her arms through the arm holes and then off came her white T-Shirt. He couldn't help himself but stare at her breasts, perked up in the black bra that held them tightly on her chest.

He popped a nipple from the bra, squeezing it tightly in his fingers to see her reaction. She'd been hoping by biting down on her lip, she could stop any noise from escaping but it was a lost cause because her nipples had to be the most sensitive part of her and she couldn't stop the loud moan. He smiled at the noise, much like a dying animal and it turned him on even more. He reached behind her, which was tough and she was still too weak to move herself and the energy she did have she was using to attempt to push him away from her, making her back sink into the bed. Finally he found the clasp and undid it, pulling her bra off.

She didn't need the bra, he discovered, they were propped up on her chest without trying. Her hands tried to grab his wrists but he was too strong, pulling from their hold, "Damn it girl, you're too weak to fight me so stop trying. Save that strength for about 5 minutes huh?"

"Wait please, I don't want it."

"Oh but those pretty little moans of yours tell me otherwise," he answered and she cursed her nipples sensitivity. "Don't curse that Michelle, it's going to come in handy for me later on. You too so stop fidgeting."

He grabbed at the buttons of her shorts, yanking them thong and all down her thighs. She had expected to feel cold as she had on the ride but now the room was so hot. Or maybe it was her. Her hair was sticking to her as she sweated from the heat. He smiled darkly, taking a deep breath in before reaching down for her wet sex, letting his rough fingers explore. He'd forgotten that feeling but this one felt new, her wetness not sticky but smooth and pushed against her swollen clit to watch her let out a small cry.

His hands felt rough and yet she couldn't help enjoying the feeling. She was too weak to protest his touch anymore and now she was left with wanting more. She started to wonder what exactly was in the tight jeans and as if he'd read her mind he stopped rubbing her, tasting his fingers before going for the buttons to his jeans.

"Impatient child, you were going to see it eventually you know." She felt dumb at once, realizing he could read her thoughts. "You sure do taste good. I'd get a little more but since you've asked for it." He pulled down the jeans, revealing he heavy large cock, standing at attention. She almost died, knowing he was far larger than any guy she'd been with before. "Oh it's going to hurt," he teased, bringing her legs apart. She expected her heart to be racing but oddly, she didn't feel her heart beating and it brought more sadness to her. She was shaking her head, trying to pull away but he had a firm grip on her.

"Wait Mark, really please I'm begging you not to."

He stopped for a second, taking in the sound of his name on her voice. It'd been a long time since he'd heard a female say his name and he couldn't help but love it.

Without warning her, he pushed against her sex with his cock, hearing her cry out into the dark. He grunted, feeling the tightness of her pussy his cock. She hadn't been ready and he knew from the soft cries as he began to pump heavily into her. With each push he got in deeper, her body giving into his and soon he had his body down on top of hers, feeling her bare skin against his, her hard nipples rubbing against his chest.

She was so small he would have worried about hurting her had they been alive. He'd been happy to discover how athletic her body was, strong and yet giving in. She was gaining strength and luckily, even with her new found power she didn't fight him, rather scratched and clawed at him with each pump.

He grabbed her under her knees, making room for him to enter her fully. He could feel her face press against his, her lips searching in the dark when he realized he hadn't tasted her bright red lips yet. He never did taste their lips.

Michelle didn't know why, but she wanted his lips on hers more than anything. They were shaking with anticipation of how he'd taste. She began to make small noises like that of a hungry child, and soon her hands reached for the sides of his face.

The noises were making him feel weak, a feeling he wasn't used to. None of them had ever even searched for his lips in the darkness of the room but she was and when he felt her small hands grab for his face he couldn't help be a little excited.

His lips finally reached hers, devouring every kiss she had to give him. She felt a small spark inside herself she'd never felt, not with any of her boyfriends. She'd kissed boys plenty of times but this was the first time she felt anything from a simple kiss. She was sure it had nothing to do with the cock pounding into her. Her body felt more alive than it had when she in fact had been living and the space that once housed her heart almost came alive.

Mark felt the same, and it scared him. That part of his body had been dead for so long the feeling inside was almost alien.

He could feel her walls beginning to shake and through her kisses he could sense her orgasm coming on. He was almost beating into her pussy, faster and faster and then her lips escaped long enough to grunt, "Fuck!"

She orgasmed, hard, shaking around his cock with a violent force. He couldn't hold it anymore, letting his seed spill into her body. He bit down on her lower lip, drawing a little bit of blood which he could taste. It was the closest he'd felt to being alive in a long time and took pleasure in it.

"You need to sleep," he told her, rolling to her side and pulled her into his arms. Another thing he never did was hold them but after feeling her lips on his, he wanted nothing more. He could sense her recovering, breathing roughly against his flesh. She wasn't reluctant, in fact her lips suddenly pressed against his one last time before passing out.

He tried to read her mind, though it was harder than when she was awake. She hadn't faked a thing, he discovered. She was feeling much better. She was shocked at how much she'd enjoyed it. She wanted to figure him out. She was still scared of what she'd just done, not only because she enjoyed it but because she'd never liked sex this much before. She wanted to wake up in his arms.

He sighed, breathing her in, still sensing the fear and pain inside her. This one had to be the one. He hadn't felt that way before.

Only time would tell.