THE SON OF ELI

CHAPTER 20: TENDER NIGHT, SAD DAWN

Eli spent a minute flipping through a new book Dr John had found and given to Nancy. It was a voluminous collection of twenty stories for children.

He put it aside, sat at the foot of the bed, and began narrating the ninth story which Nancy wanted to hear first.

Jo's heart was heavy with dread as she left them and went to take a bath. With water supply on the low, they had all decided to bath once in the day. Those who could go without a bath were encouraged to do so for as long as possible. She put two small pans of water into a metal bucket and took it to the bathroom to clean herself.

And when she began to dry herself later, the tears seeped slowly beneath her eyelids.

How had this happened?

She had always been principled, and before Eli came into her life, she would have frowned on any elderly woman getting involved with someone as young as Eli, and as innocent too. She would have been so disgusted and thought the older lady was just taking advantage of the boy.

But, far from that!

What she felt for him, in this brief period, was as powerful as her heart would allow. Suddenly, the prospect of him being taken away from her life brought a void that left her breathless.

And she knew that no matter how Mike had sounded, and no matter how good his intentions were, he had it in badly for Eli. There was no doubt about that, and each time Mike had looked at Eli, there had been hatred in his eyes.

She had no doubts in her mind that if they left the complex, Mike would not allow Eli to come back. That was why she wanted to find an alternative to his plans to find the CHS.

Maybe, it would be best to go back to the book he had read to find the coordinates for the Utility Team. Yes, that was a good idea, and it would stop Mike from getting his grips into Eli.

She towelled herself dry and was on her way to the bedroom when she met him at the door. He was naked and had been creeping to the bathroom to surprise her. She felt that rush of desire when he stopped and looked at her with a bashful look on his face. Jo closed the space between them and slipped her arms around his neck.

She kissed him deeply and tenderly, gasping as his hands slid deliciously across her silky body. He lifted her up and continued kissing her. She was shocked because none of the two men she had been close to had been able to lift her that easily. Pat, slight of build, had never dared because Jo was a well-built woman and was heavy as a result.

Mike, big and tall, had been able to lift her, but just for a minute or so. And he had always strained under her weight and had once toppled her rather painfully on the floor.

But Eli held her up high and with a firm grip, and stood there kissing her. She marvelled then, because evidently, he had immense strength, and was not even aware of that.

After a while, he put her gently on the bed and stretched above her. Jo closed her thighs, and it was the hardest thing she had ever done. He reared up above her with a pained expression on his face.

"Don't you want to?" he asked softly. "You don't like making love to me?"

Tears came to her eyes with his frantic query for reassurance.

She slipped her arms around his neck and smiled lovingly into his eyes.

"You make me feel like I've never felt, Eli, love," she said tenderly and was happy with the look of profound joy and pride on his face. "But, there is something you must know first, my love."

He lay beside her and took her in his arms, and she spoke gently as she told him of what had happened, from his passing out Dr John's theory and the attack by Mike.

He looked down at her with an unhappy look on his face.

"Oh, so we can't make love?"

She pushed him on his back and looked down at his face with love.

"We can, but just not often, because it makes you weak, you know. It drains blood from your brain into your veins down there, and you pass out. So, we have to find a way to make you less excited, maybe, or make love on weekend nights. It is so painful for me, but for your sake, we have to control ourselves."

He sighed deeply.

"I understand, but I so much want to!"

"I want it more, darling," she whispered and kissed him tenderly, running her hand down to cup his erection, which once again was throbbing wildly with a maze of giant veins on it. "But I don't want you to pass out. I'm tempted to make love to you so that you pass out, and in the morning, they wouldn't be able to take you away! I don't trust Mike, you know!"

"But we need more food, water, and resources here, darling," he whispered. "I need to help. I will keep away from him, and with Ebo with us, I don't think he will try anything bad. Maybe he was just jealous that morning, and is okay now."

"No, I don't believe that, although I want to. I'm scared. Maybe I should go with you."

"No, love. Please, don't worry. Everything would be okay. I'll just keep close to Ebo. He seems to be a good guy, and I like him."

"He is a good man," Jo said. "Alright, I'll make him promise to look after you."

As she kissed him, she throbbed in her arousal.

He tried to come between her thighs, and she moaned weakly.

"No, my love, we shouldn't!" she moaned.

"Maybe it wouldn't happen again," he said in a guttural voice, his desire driving him into a mild frenzy. "Maybe I spent too many years inside the globule and lacked energy. I'm much stronger now. Let's make love, and if it happens again, I'll know for sure."

"What if it causes irreparable damage?" she asked weakly as his lips claimed her n****e.

"My body repairs itself, you know," he insisted, making her weaker and weaker.

And when he drew her on top of him, it happened naturally. She straddled him, lost in her bliss, and soon she was moaning again as he hit her core, sending her whole sensitive organs within her body screaming with a pleasure that she could not control.

She gasped as her body exploded in waves of pleasure, and he began to gasp as he hit too, filling her with a bucket of his essence, and she held him hard and kissed him in a frenzy.

Her heart raced, her body thrashed in unimaginable pleasure, and she got lost in that jungle of sweet abandonment.

When her heartbeats quietened, and she finally raised her head, Eli was lying immobile beneath her, and his body was beginning to grow cold.

It had happened again!

Her heart beating with trepidation, she slid off him, cleaned him, and covered him with two blankets and a bedsheet. She slipped into her nightgown eventually and sat beside him looking at his still face, his handsome features softened and making him even more incredible.

And yet, he looked so… dead!

With a heart filled with pain, she lay beside him with dread and prayed that it would not be fatal. She could not sleep and fretted through the night, but sleep eventually stole her.

The moonlight filtering through the curtains played softly on them as they lay on the bed.

***

Jo woke up with a start and saw Nancy beside her, shaking her by the shoulder.

"Nancy, darling," she said sleepily.

"They're here," Nancy said softly. "Uncle Mike, Uncle Ebo, and others. But I didn't let them in. They want Eli. What's wrong, Mommy? Why do they want Eli?"

It dawned on Jo suddenly that they had not informed Nancy about Eli's decision to go in search of the mysterious CHS.

"Oh," Jo said and sat up straight, and when she looked at Eli, he was still out, and her heart filled with a glimmer of hope. Maybe, this was good, and he wouldn't have to go with Mike after all.

"What's going on, Mommy?" Nancy persisted, her voice concerned. "And Eli? It happened to him again?"

"He'll be fine, dear."

"But why does it keep happening to him?" Nancy asked, her voice exasperated. "Does it happen when he sleeps? Maybe he should sleep during the day and stay up at night! I don't like this happening to him!"

Jo was heading towards the door, and she spoke gently.

"He'll be fine, darling. Don't worry."

She pulled her gown tighter around her and tightened the sash. She smoothed her hair as best as she could and then opened the front door. She gasped with surprise when she saw Mike, Ebo and Dr John just outside, and beyond them was a sizeable crowd.

Mike and Ebo were dressed in military fatigues and were carrying rifles and holstered guns.

"They came to bid Eli safe adventure," Mike said with a crooked smile when he saw Jo's shock. "He's a crowd mover, ain't he?"

Jo ran her tongue across her lips and spoke quickly.

"Oh, I don't think he can make it," she said quickly. "He's… he's not been feeling well and, erm, well, he's unconscious right now!"

"Come on, Jo!" Mike said with a chuckle. "Please, don't do this! He's going to be fine!"

"He's unconscious!" Jo said sharply, and her stringent voice appalled even her for a moment.

Then he spoke behind her.

"Don't worry, Jo. I'm fine."

She turned around and saw him standing in the doorway. He was wearing black jeans and a pair of canvas shoes. He was holding a T-shirt he was trying to put on. Even that early in the morning, he looked really grand, and she almost sobbed.

"Eli!" she said in a tragic voice. "I… you went off again! When I was coming, you were unconscious again!"

He smiled.

"I was sleeping. Nancy woke me up. Everything is fine."

"Good to see you up and raring to find new pastures for us, Eli boy!" Mike said exuberantly. "Come on then, let's roll!"

Jo helped him put on his T-shirt, then she hugged him tightly as she tried to prevent her tears from spilling down her cheeks. Already, it felt like a goodbye, and it was tearing her heart apart.

Nancy also hugged him.

"Be careful, Eli," she said. "And come back safely."

"I will be," he replied with a warm smile.

When he stepped down, the crowd began to applaud softly, and their voices rang out. As Eli walked, they fell in beside him, and many touched his shoulders and shook his hand. Again, he was becoming their figure of hope, and a symbol of faith and Jo was not sure she liked it.

"You okay?" Ebo asked as he hesitated, his eyes boring into Jo's frantic face.

Jo stepped towards him and held his arms fiercely.

"Promise me, Ebo," she said frantically. "Promise me you will keep him safe."

"Hey, hey, Jo," he said with a nervous laugh. 'C'mon! Of course, he's safe."

"No, he isn't, and you know it!" Jo said fiercely. "I don't trust Mike! He made his choice, and now he's jealous Eli and I are… friends! I know how he can be!"

"C'mon!" Ebo said, exasperated. "Sure, Mike was pretty shaken up to see you two, well, like that. But he's no murderer, Jo, please. Eli is safe!"

Jo's fingers dug deeper into his arms.

"I need you to promise me, Ebo! Promise me you'll keep him safe!"

Ebo sighed and nodded.

"I promise. I promise to guard Eli with my life, yeah, I do!"

Still, Jo's haunted eyes roved over his face, and he could see the tears shimmering in her eyes even in the inadequate light of the lanterns and candles.

"Thank you, Ebo. I knew I could trust you!"

Ebo turned away with a troubled look briefly on his face.

He knew Jo was right; Mike would try to get rid of Eli, and here he was, giving his promise to Jo. Of course, Jo knew Ebo took his promises seriously, and that was why she had forced to elicit it.

Ebo knew it was going to be difficult when it came to keeping his promise by making sure Mike couldn't achieve his aim.

It was going to be really difficult, and he wished he had not decided to come along.