Chapter Ten - Black Bliss

The headlines were truthful.  They said that the Judge had been murdered in his hotel room, naked.  They didn't mention our war proclamation yet.  We traveled along quickly; in a couple of days we had traveled through a checkpoint.  Raven said we were going to a new capital to hide until Basil gave us the okay.  When we arrived in the city, only days after the murder, we received a letter from Basil.

"What does it say?" I asked.  I bit my bottom lip.

"The Judges have gotten the letter and the Seventh City is in a state of panic.  Basil's troops are marching towards Seventh City and I'm to join them." Raven said.

I wanted to cry.  I wanted to scream.  This is not what was supposed to happen.  Raven isn't getting away from me.  But... "Don't go," I said, keeping in my tears.

"I have to."  Raven was solemn and understanding.

"You can't...die.  What am I going to do without you?  While you're fighting?  Where will I go?" I felt tears.

"I..."

"I'm coming with you."

"That's a 'hell no.'"

"Either you're not going, or you're letting me come with you." I said firmly as the tears attempted to break through.

"I have to.  You can stay with Basil until the war is over."

"And how long is that going to take?  Years?" I cried.

"Listen...I love you...Claire." Raven said gently.

This hit me like a bag of bricks.  I tried to stay casual.  "I know.  Ditto."  I laughed to keep from crying.

"Basil had more instructions in the letter.  We're to meet a man who is leading the resistance here."  Raven suddenly turned business-like.  "He's staying down the road from here."  We went to the place he was staying.  This city was extremely overpopulated before the cataclysm.  There's also a huge statue here.  It fell during the cataclysm, face down into the ground.  The city has built around it, however.  As I would soon learn, this city is characteristically shady.

We arrived where the informant was staying.  We had to pay a toll to enter.  I was shocked as I did so.  "Raven!  Is this a...brothel?"

"It seems like it." Raven said nonchalantly.  "Mind if I stay here after our business is done?"  Then he laughed. It was good to see his lightheartedness back, although that isn't something to joke about.  "He's upstairs."  We ascended some stairs and met him at the top.  (At least he was clothed.)

"So we're to head out towards Seventh City?  About time."  He took a swig of a drink I could only assume was alcoholic.  "We'll ready and out by the moonrise."

At this point we exited.  "That was faster than expected."  I said.  "Mm" was my reply.  Raven said we should head for the hotel.  By the time we arrived, it was already dark and the resistance was already heading out.  We laid in our beds preparing to sleep.  I thought about how he was leaving for the war...  This could be the last time...

I went over to his bed and got on top of him.  Slowly, silently, I started to unbutton his shirt.  His breathing slowed to a calm beat and he said "yes" sublimely.  His shirt came off and I felt the warmth of his bare muscles touch me.  It gave me a grim reminder of the man I had murdered, but I quickly shook it off.

I lowered down his body and started to slide off his pants.  When they were off, he was completely in his manhood.  Then it was his turn.  As he took off my shirt, I slid into a state I had never felt before and the world faded into a black bliss.