Author’s Note ;this is not a political statement on any countries politics or foreign policy. It could be set in Syria today (though certain details make that highly unlikely) or set in the future in the States where citizens are defending themselves against a draconian government’s attempt to ban guns (that was a joke), it is a statement about the general futility and brutality of war but more than that it is about grabbing the chance of beauty in an ugly world. And some of this story is brutal and futile. Be warned.



The thunder rumbled down through the bedrock, dust motes and small rocks fell from the roof whenever the bombardment got closer or a particularly large munition was detonated on the mountainside. The tunnel was dim, a few battery or wind up torches lighting the black and green streaked granite; it was also cold, so very cold. The figures gathered together in groups of two and three barely acknowledging the vibrations from above trying to force them out. Every few hours one of the animal-skin clad fighters would pass out rations. The bombardment varied in intensity as the enemy tried to harry them to reveal their positions. it was a test of resolve between the opposing forces; one had the might of a world power behind them, the other the entire chain of mountains riddled with natural and not-so natural caves.

The two sat beside each other in a small recess to one side of the main tunnel, chatting quietly during the lulls in the attack in case the various array of electronic tools in the enemies’ arsenal was seeking them out. Beneath much of their clothing they all wore foil blankets in this seemingly endless battle of wits, keeping them warm and shielding their heat signatures. They had known each other since the onset of winter two months before; he knew her reputation as a good fighter and from what he had seen since it was well deserved. When they had time they would often seek each other out and talk about their past lives; they had lived a bare twenty kilometres from each other and discussed those mutual acquaintances and friends who were still alive.

They never talked of the dead.

Sometimes they would wonder about the point of fighting on, but they both felt to give up would be to dishonour those who had fallen before. Still, the strangers tried to rule their land. They had not agreed with many of their own leaders, but they were their own; and as far as they could tell most of the horrors perpetrated had been by the strangers trying to twist and turn or blast and burn what they did not understand.

The cave shook violently as a blast landed directly above them on the mountain; a large rock dislodged from the ceiling and he grabbed his fellow warrior, rolling her further into the recess as it crashed to the uneven floor. She lay beside him, his arms wrapped tightly around her as she looked closely at the dirty face in front of her; their noses almost touching. One of the others called quietly asking if they were alright; she answered that they were fine, her eyes never leaving his. They pulled themselves up, gathering their weapons and sitting tight together side by side. The tunnel was much darker now, many of the torches smashed in the rock fall.

She pulled a pouch from inside her garments, carefully opening it to extract a faded and much worn photograph, handing it to the man. In the dim light he was able to make out a wedding couple standing in the bright sunshine smiling at the crowd of children gathered around them.

“My sister...” she whispered moving her mouth close to his ear, “from before the war... I don’t know if she is alive or dead...” he turned to look at her and watched as a tear slowly ran down her cheek cleaning a line on her grimy flesh. He dug into his pockets and eventually found the cleanest piece of rag. He wet the corner with his tongue and slowly, gently began to wipe the dirt from her face. Gradually her flesh was exposed and a small smile formed on her lips. When he had wiped the last of the filth from her forehead she reached up, taking the rag from his hand, and began to wipe his face clean, too. The thick stubble around his mouth proved stubborn against her ministrations but she persevered 'til, for the first time, they both looked properly at each others' faces.

He slowly leaned forward and his dry split lips lightly touched upon hers. Her right hand dropped the rag as she moved it to his matted hair, feeling his rough beard scratch the flesh around her mouth. Her tongue flicked out to moisten his lips then pulled back as she felt his do likewise. When she moved her tongue forward once more she felt his; the tips met and slowly, tentatively slid over one another. His hand moved up under her arms to rest upon her shoulders, their lips sealed together and their tongues slipping deeper. She became aware of an eerie whine growing from further up the tunnel.

The entire mountain shook as a bright white light flooded the tunnel, searing the silhouette of the side of his face through her eyelids onto her retina. She pulled him down tight to the floor, hard against the wall as the still air of the tunnel suddenly became an instant hurricane. The wind rushed past them into the fading light, now turning an angry red, as first empty cans, and then guns, and then people were dragged quicker towards the heart of the fuel-air explosive that had detonated almost at the mouth of the cave. Their lips clamped tightly together as they felt the oxygen rush away into the fiery centre as air from other entrances struggled to fill the vacuum left behind. Rocks fell and bounced up in the wake of the maelstrom, a few pounding the man’s back till the wind slowed and the chill winter air once more filled the tunnel. The red light faded to a dull glow and then almost vanished as the ceiling collapsed further up the tunnel.

He raised himself of her body, quickly realising that the rest of his comrades were no more; he made to stand up when he felt her hand clasp his upper arm urgently.

He looked back into her eyes to see hope shine from within. For a moment he hesitated before leaning down to kiss her again. Her mouth opened willingly drawing his tongue inside as her arms embraced him. He move his right hand into her long knotted hair as tenderly as he could, supporting his weight on his left forearm. The only remaining working torch rolled away as he surrendered himself to the almost forgotten sensations of long ago.

As their kiss grew more passionate, her hands began to press through the layers of his clothing, growing more insistent as they searched for a way through. He pressed his lap to hers as he felt himself stiffen; feeling her urgency; pressing rhythmically against her as one of her legs slid behind his, pulling him to her. She pulled up his jerkin and scratched her way through the foil beneath; dragging his woolen sweater away and eventually finding his flesh as she tore through the cotton shirt beneath. He moved his hand down to her chest and squeezed her breast through the rough clothing as he felt her rough nails scratch at his lower back. Still their tongues writhed over each other as the world around them shrank away.

She pushed her hand down inside his trousers, squeezing his thin ass as her left hand wormed its way in and up his back. He roughly pulled her top down from her neck and his mouth separated from hers to suck on the dirty sweaty flesh of her collar bone. She groaned as she pressed her crotch up against the lump of his cock. She began to tear and rip the layers of clothing away from his hips, her left hand moved to her own clothing pulling at the belt around her waist. Pulling harder at her top he exposed her small breast, an angry nipple atop of it immediately sucked into his mouth as he shifted his left hand to help in removing the constraining layers between them.

Her hand slipped around his body to grab his swollen member as she pushed her left hand beneath her unwashed panties to slide a finger rapidly between her wet lips. She swore as her finger delved deep into her quim; the ball of her hand pressing firmly against her engorged clit as he groaned into her breast. His teeth nipped her sensitive nipple as she jerked his manhood rapidly. She felt her slit quiver around her finger as she rubbed her thumb over the tip of his cock, smearing the precum around his circumcised glans.

Pulling her hands away she concentrated on pushing his trousers down to his thighs exposing his hardness to the air and then quickly repeating the action on her own clothing. The cold air struck her wet slit like an electric shock; her clit physically throbbed as she grabbed his cock and rubbed the head up and down her slit. He bit the nipple between his teeth as he felt the warmth and wetness beneath him. She screamed and arched her back; rubbing the back of her head over the rough rock floor as she felt her nipples, cunt and clit connect as a small orgasm networked through her body.

She pressed the head of his cock to her soaking wet entrance and then grabbed his buttocks; digging her nails into his flesh as she pulled him hard into herself. He filled her completely as he lifted his head away from her nipple; thrusting his hips and arching his back driving her against the hard unforgiving floor. She screamed at him to fuck her as they both lost themselves in simple animalistic unity. He slammed hard into her three times before wrapping his hand behind her and pulling her over and on top of him.

She sat up astride his lap as her hands slid beneath his top and scratched the sweaty flesh beneath drawing blood from eight parallel lines. He bounced his hips up to meet her downward thrust as he reached up and tore her top; grabbing her exposed breasts he felt her pussy constrict around him.

Her cunt tightened savagely around his impaling cock as she was slammed into oblivion by an orgasm of a ferocity she had never felt before. The cave echoed to her screams as she felt his cock vibrate and pulse within her. His hands moved quickly to her hips as his seed shot deep within her; the head of his cock banging against the neck of her twitching womb. They thrust against each other oblivious to the scrapes they suffered on the rough cave floor as they both surrendered to the euphoria of their orgasms.

Gradually their breathing slowed as she collapsed down onto his chest. His arms wrapped around her as their hearts beat in unison. He smiled as it occurred to him that he didn’t know her last name. He wondered if he had ever told her his. A few pebbles quietly shifted somewhere further up the tunnel.

He slowly rolled her onto her back and lifted himself up on his hands to look over the rock that had fallen from the ceiling minutes before. She watched as she saw his pupils constrict in the faint light from the torch lying beside their hips. His softening cock gave a quiver within her as his face was lit from further up the tunnel for a moment. He watched the small grey tube come to rest a few metres up the tunnel.

A flickering wave seemed to pass above her as she watched his eyes, the flesh from his face and neck dissolving into a red mist. The tendons on his neck and the white bone of his forehead appearing momentarily before he gently fell to his right; his still semi-hard cock slipping from her moist pussy.

The thought that it must have been a flechette type grenade of some sort occurred to her as she pulled her clothing up. She found a badly damaged rifle that might still be functioning in the shadows beside her and knelt beside the slowing cooling corpse to peer over the rock. Her hearing was still echoing to the sound of the grenade as she spied shadows further up the tunnel trying stealthily to advance.

A single tear ran down her cheek as she at last went to find peace.

The End