Asymptomatic: Breeders on the Run (closed for Poprockz)

[bestkeptsecret678]

Once again, unable to sleep, Travis wrestled his legs out from under the blanket, the silent flow of air from the ceiling fan cooling his sweaty legs. He had stayed out on the couch this night thinking, more like hoping, that he could drown himself in the repetitive news cycles of the prior day's pandemic report and pass out from sheer boredom, or exhaustion perhaps.

No such luck.

Here he was again; 2AM, thrashing about, his anxiety filled mind racing with the same questions but mostly fear. Why had he been spared the devastating affects like others? What would happen to him if anyone found out he was among the few healthy men?

Travis had remained glued to the online and TV news in the early days of the outbreak. He knew the facts of the worldwide situation so well that he could recite them like a polished science reporter.

A previously unidentified contagion, presumably an airborne virus based on the speed with which it spread, had infected a group of Spanish tourists on holida tourin Africa and the Middle East. The group had visited more than a dozen sites from Morocco to Lebanon, but did not show symptoms until after their return, which allowed the disease to spread throughout the country and Europe in a matter of weeks, then across the globe after only a few months.

Since the world had already win the battle with one pandemic in the form of Covid-19, the public was largely nonchalant about this global medical event. People were confident that with the smart work of modern medical research, all would soon be solved. That no one was critically hospitalized or died from it further lured governments, health officials and the general populace into a false sense of security, including Travis.

That was a year ago at the start of this mess. Now, the world was in a panic, realizing that the fate of the human species was now at great risk.

The symptoms of this new and dangerous condition, unofficially and politely referred to as Deficiency, were the real problem. Summed up, after a short, 24 hours of flu-like symptoms, it resulted in the affected person, both men and women, becoming infertile. For men, it also resulted in the inability to hold an erection. Physicians and researchers were collectively baffled. Each week a new, and usually outlandish idea would make the rounds as the world scrambled to find a cause and more importantly a solution. Infection rates in the countries that had reliable reporting available were above 90%, which meant that nearly the entire world population was affected.

There were, however, medically documented exceptions. And Travis was amon these few.

Researchers had concluded that, for an undetermined reason, approximately 0.02% of men, and 0.1% of women who had experienced the initial symptoms following infection, did not suffer any of the downstream affects. Conspiracy theorists from both the left and right had a hey day with this monumental fact, and the ensuing social media frenzy created personal risks for those men and women lucky enough to escape the full affects. Some individuals were injured and even killed in violent attacks. There had been kidnappings and the emergence of a black market for "breeders" as these individuals had been labeled. As a consequence, most had gone into hiding.

It suddenly occurred to him late one night, his erection enclosed within his left hand, that he was among the lucky few men who were asymptomatic.

In a panic, Travis had taken refuge at his ex-girlfriend's house four months prior. He had dumped her unceremoniously almost two years before, and figured hers was one place no one would suspect he might be.

Caroline was not among the world’s still fertile women, but she was happy to have him and his fully functioning penis back in her life. The world was about to implode it seemed, and Travis’ presence was a spark of light, and welcome sex, in her otherwise mundane life.

More importantly for Travis, she embraced the need for secrecy regarding Travis’ health status and his location. There was credible speculation about whether the federal authorities would mandate nationwide testing, then deploy the national guard to round up the men and women who could still copulate and reproduce. After all, the fate of our species was at risk. Polls indicated near nationwide support for the concept, with some left leaning sections of the country as the small exception.

Addictively brooding over the news, Travis understood more each day that the world was really pissed off at him; and every man like him. He had done the math, and it was terrifying.

He was one of thirty thousand or so men in the country with a hard-on. And everybody wanted to get their hands on it.

 

[Poprockz]

With the light rumble of a shopping cart on the smooth flooring, a young brunette woman passed by what used to be the feminine hygiene products aisle. It was merely given a glance before she headed for the dental health aisle. Of course there were incontinence pads, but unless you were older it would put you under suspicion to purchase such things.

If the situation weren't so unsettling she might almost find it amusing. In a room of 200 people split evenly between the genders, two of those men and ten of those women would be able to reproduce. At least, that was what the current numbers were. Who knew whether that was accurate, seeing as a lot of people weren't particularly eager to reveal their status (and for good reason in her opinion).

There had been several debates about the statistics of it all, and there were differing opinions about whether this split made sense evolutionarily speaking. Some said that the difference in numbers was due to the fact that a man could impregnate a woman every day while a woman could only get pregnant once every 9-12 months. Others argued that this wasn't good for genetic diversity and that the split wasn't advantageous. This argument usually earned the retort that in all likelihood that the new children would be immune to the disease and the diversity would bounce back.

Frankly, she didn't care about any of that. All she cared about was not being discovered.

While asymptomatic men were very easy to expose, women were a bit more tricky: only the ones who were still functional would get periods. This meant that in order to figure out whether a woman was able to bear children, one had to either catch her during this time or wait up to 30 days to get definitive results. This also meant that they didn't have to try as hard to stay hidden. A badly-timed boner wouldn't see her put on a government list, but she still had to be careful. That was why pads were out of the question.

It was frustrating... 25 days out of the month, it was like she was just another woman, but for those 5 days she had to exercise the utmost secrecy. In her house, she had a secret stash of emergency tampons for when she was invited to pool parties and such. Otherwise, she had to use black hand-towels in her underwear, as they were washable and wouldn't show the stains.

There were any number of things that could happen if one was discovered. One of the most horrific things she had heard whispers of were black-market "dairy farms," places where men were hooked up to machines and milked until they ran dry, then milked more once their supply was replenished. Women were kept there too, tied-down and inseminated every day turkey-baster style. She wasn't sure if any of that was true, but people liked to gossip about the existence of such things.

So, in order to protect her freedom and autonomy, Valentine was trying to be very careful.

At the moment she was shopping for her friend's birthday and picking up a few other items at the same time. When she finally made her way to the till, she had toothpaste, hand soap, salad, some chocolates, and a good-quality hair-curler. She had wanted to get a cucumber to slice up into her salad but... unfortunately the cucumbers had been running quite low lately, as had the bananas.

Now it was time to head back to her house. Her friend Amy had been invited over for a quiet birthday dinner, after which they intended to watch a movie, eat snacks, and chat. If she was going to get the pasta done by the time she was set to arrive, she figured she ought to start soon.

 

[bestkeptsecret678]

Travis woke to the feel of a hand caressing his inner thighs. "Ugh... not now, Caroline." He thought quietly.

Since she had agreed to take him in, the sex had been great; and increasingly more frequent. It seemed that the absence of eager males and stiff cocks had lifted her libido dramatically. When they had previously dated, their sex life had eventually ground to a halt, although mostly as a reflection of thier fading relationship at the time.

But now, under the current circumstances, she was constantly all over him. Travis, ever nervous about the world outside her door and valuing his safe haven , readily accepted her advances, and did whatever was asked of him to meet her sexual expectations.

Nonetheless, he was starting to feel uneasy about their arrangement as of late. Caroline's demeanor had become less friendlike and more like a landlord; albeit with rent payment expected in the form of sex. At times, he felt trapped, almost exploited.

Recently, she had listened with eager interest, too much interest he felt, as Travis recounted a story he had found online about a fertile man who had been sold for a significant amount of money.

While the story chilled Travis to the bone, Caroline seemed indifferent to the man’s plight.

Waking up, he contemplated how he might redirect her sexual advances this time, but thought better of it, smiling and offering a soft “mmm” of approval as her hand slid up and inside his boxers.

 

[Poprockz]

Ding Dong!

Her doorbell rang, signaling the arrival her friend. By then, the pasta and asparagus had been prepared, and a wine bottle had been placed on the table for them to indulge in. Just because they wanted it to be a low-key celebration didn't mean that she wasn't going to make sure that it was a nice one. This was her friend of ten years, after all.

The dinner went great, the two of them laughing and chatting over their noodles. She gave her the presents (hair-curler and chocolates) and received a heartfelt thanks.

As the night went on and the wine flowed, another bottle was opened and they watched a movie. It was during a birthing scene that her friend started quietly, and then not so quietly sobbing.

"You want to talk about it?" Valentine asked with concern, pausing the movie and rubbing her friend's back in a comforting manner.

"I-I just... Michael and I always wanted to have kids but we kept putting it off because he wanted a more stable position at his job, and I wanted to finish college, and we thought we should buy a house first. But now it's too fucking late..." A sob wracked Amy's body before she was able to continue. "He can't get hard like everybody else, and I'm not getting my period either."

"I'm sorry..." The brunette sighed. "But, maybe there'll be adoptions or something, right? That could be a possibility?"

Her friend looked at her sideways and huffed, "I mean, even if they do that, do you really think we could get one? They'll probably have lists you can be put on, but I bet it's worse than trying to get an organ. Who knows when we could even have a family?! Every time I see Susie, I just want to punch her in her smug fucking face!"

Susie was Amy's sister-in-law who became pregnant before the virus took hold. Those who were pregnant didn't have any complications with the baby, but the jury was out on whether they would be able to get pregnant again afterwards. It was unfortunate that women like that got a lot of hate these days from the anguish and jealousy of others.

More sobs followed this response, and Valentine looked on sympathetically. She wasn't wrong- the probability of her getting a child to raise was rather low. Personally, she herself didn't want children for a multitude of reasons. She wasn't married or dating anyone at the moment, raising a kid on your own sounded difficult and expensive, and she wasn't a fan of some of the changes that could come with pregnancy either. There were more, but those were some of the main ones. On the whole, she would rather not. In some ways it was a cruel joke that she was one of the few who still retained the ability to reproduce.

If there was an opportunity for her to be a surrogate for her friend, she would accept due to the circumstances. Well, that is if it could then remain a secret that she was the one who had the kid. That wasn't a possibility though. As soon as they appeared with a baby people would start to ask questions, and those questions would lead straight to Valentine.

 

[bestkeptsecret678]

The next morning, Caroline left late for work, after their morning romp had concluded. Later, Travis heard the doorbell. Like always, he ignored it. Anyone ringing it would be looking for her anyway. More importantly, even to a stranger, he had no intention of revealing his location. Nonetheless, Whoever it was, they sure were persistent.

Finally, after several minutes of ringing they appeared to give up, judging by the silence. Then, moments later, he heard a loud, forceful banging on the back door, and voices, at least two, it sounded like.

Panicked, Travis scampered to the spare bedroom, where a window would give him visibility. He thought, “Who the hell is knocking, why are they so determined to trespass into the back yard.

He could make out their words at the same time he recognized who it was. “Travis! We know you're here! Open the door, We want to talk to you!”

He slumped his shoulders and looked down. It was his parents along with his older sister, Meg. Somehow they'd found him.

Travis unlocked the door and let them into the kitchen, where his mother and sister sandwich hugged him. “Oh Travis...We've been so worried about you. We were so scared something had happened!”

His dad stood silently, two steps back, allowing the women their moment.

“How did you find out I was here?” Travis asked, deflecting thier affection.

“Your landlord called us, trying to collect your back rent. That's when we knew something was wrong.”

“The landlord wouldn't know where I'd gone mom. How did you find me?”

“We called everyone we could think of. It was Meg's idea to call Caroline. She tried to hide it, but eventually admitted that you'd come here.”

“When did you talk to her?”

His father interjected, “A few days ago. She said she'd let you know we’re Concerned about you and to have you call us. Did she not tell you we called?”

“She didn't mention it,” Travis’ frustration mountin .

“Well that's not cool,” Meg then chimed in. “What? Does she think she can hide you here all to herself?”

His mom added, “Travis, we assumed you were one of those breeders, and we want to respect your privacy, but...”

Travis cut her off, “Do not call me that!”

“You’re right,” his father intervened. “We shouldn't call you that. We’re just worried about you and want to help however we can. Do you need money? We know you haven't been back to work. They called us too.”

“No Dad, I'm good. I have some savings and I'm not exactly spending anything anyway.”

They sat at the kitchen table as their conversation rambled for the next hour. It was clear to Travis that they really didn't have an objective in being there other than to find him and satisfy their concerns.

He went out of his way to convince them he was doing fine, and felt safe at Caroline’s house, although he could sense he was less than convincing given his real feelings at the moment.

As they prepared to leave, his father offered, “Son, if you want to, you can come stay with us. The remote location will help keep you off the grid for as long as you need, and I could use your help building out the new barn.” He paused. “It’s up to you.”

Moving to a new situation wasn't a terrible idea, but travis doubted his family’s capacity for maintaining secrecy.

“Thanks, Dad. I'll think about; and I'll talk to Caroline. She's really done a lot for me the past months. I'm not just going to run off without taking to her.”

As they left, Travis hugged his mom and sister as they went out the back door. As the two of them walked away, his dad lingered a few steps back, turned and looked at him. “I understand what you're going through, Travis.” Then he too turned and left.

Travis brooded the rest of the day, thinking about his situation, the offer from his parents and mostly the fact that Caroline had not told him that they had reached out.

 

[Poprockz]

The rest of the evening was spent comforting her friend as the two of them commiserated about the state of things. It wasn't until 11:47 pm that her husband came to pick her up, knocking on the door politely despite the presence of a doorbell. While Valentine could have checked her phone to see who it was through her door camera, they all knew who it was. Amy couldn't drive home on her own with how drunk she was, after all.

Her friend paused at the door on the way out, her gaze lingering on Valentine's as though searching for something. "How are you so calm about all of this?"

"I never wanted kids..." she replied with a sad smile, "now I don't really have a choice."

While her friend might have taken it to mean that she couldn't choose now if she wanted to, Valentine's words truly meant that she feared that someday her choice was going to be taken away from her whether she liked it or not.

She never would have suspected that such a thing would come to pass so soon.

That night, she wasn't aware that her laundry basket had been disturbed. What she had assumed was her friend going to use the restroom was actually an excuse to make sure that Valentine wasn't one of the breeders. Valentine was completely ignorant of the jealousy and rage that had overtaken Amy after she and her husband left, and was wholly unprepared for what came next.

...

The next day she was tidying up a bit when there was a harsh knock at the door. It made her jump at its suddenness and she quickly checked her phone to see who it was. There looked to be three large men on her doorstep in slacks and button-up shirts, though they gave off an aura of 'it's okay, you can trust me.' Rather suspicious if she said so herself.

Squirreling herself away into her room, she pulled out her phone and spoke into her camera microphone. "Hello? Can I help you?"

One of them (presumably the leader), looked up at the camera and smiled warmly, "yes! Is this the residence of Valentine Washburne? We're part of the local HOA committee and wanted to talk to you about joining."

Oh God, even if they were truly there for the purpose they claimed, she certainly didn't want to talk to them.

"Oh, well it is, but I just rent this place. If you want this house to be in the HOA, you're going to have to talk to the homeowner Carla. If you leave me your info I can pass it along to her," Valentine offered. She wasn't lying- this place truly was owned by Carla. Though it was also true that Carla was her aunt and had no love for HOA's either. More likely than not, they would simply be chewed out for an hour if they tried persuading her.

"Ah, okay." The man nodded, "Oh! but before I forget, you may not be the homeowner, but you're part of this community. We're doing a survey on different things that neighbors would want to have added to the park and it requires a signature. Would you be willing to give us your feedback?"

"You mean Canterbury park? I didn't know that was being built-on."

"That's the one! The survey shouldn't take more than ten minutes of your time." The men continued to smile in a friendly manner.

"Oh well..."

There was no Canterbury park.

Valentine's blood ran cold. What did they want with her? Should she call the police? She looked around nervously until her eye caught something: one of her black towels. It had been used, so it wasn't pretty, but the strange thing was that it had been deep in her hamper...

It was at that moment that she realized what was happening. Her heart dropped into her stomach and her skin went pale. Amy... Amy had sold her out. Why? How could her friend do that to her?

"Tell you what. I'm not at the house at the moment, but I should be back in about twenty minutes. If you're willing to wait a bit, I'd be happy to look over the surveys," she spoke through the microphone, trying to sound as unbothered as possible. Thankfully the trembling in her hands didn't translate to any trembling in her voice.

"Alrighty miss," the man grinned, "we'd be more than happy to wait. We want every neighbor's opinion if possible, and there may not be a better time."

Indeed there wasn't a better time. To run, that is.

She had very limited time, so she went into action immediately. Paranoid as she was, she always had a bug-out bag prepared, though she never thought she would have to use it. Not in these circumstances. What she might have expected was to need it for a large Earthquake or similar natural disaster, but being hunted down by the government or black-market traders was not on her list of things she had thought to use it for.

As quietly as she could manage, she opened her bedroom window at the back of the house, pausing every now and then to make sure no one had heard. Once fully open, she carefully removed the screen and lowered the bag down before climbing out herself. Her landing was rather heavy, so she froze in fear, heart pounding in her ears as she waited to see if the men on her front porch had noticed. They were on the other side of the house, but they might have caught wind of her if they were really paying attention.

When nothing happened, she let out a silent breath and crept to the fence that led to a communal garden. Unfortunately for her though, it had slipped her mind that the thing squeaked like it was desperate for some WD40. The dogs in the neighborhood decided to alert everyone to this fact as well. She cringed and turned back to the house only to meet eyes with one of the men who had curiously ventured toward the noise. They both stood there for what seemed like ages, a backyard apart. There was a mutual understanding now: he knew that she was running and she knew that they were after her.

Valentine was the first to move, and she ran as hard as her legs would carry her. She knew where to go.

 

[bestkeptsecret678]

Over dinner, which Travis prepared as always when Caroline worked her 12 hour paramedic shifts, he broke the news to her that his parents had showed up unexpectedly that day. He didn’t even have to say that they had asked her to tell him. Her reaction portrayed her guilt.

At first she was furious, but also visibly embarrassed that she'd withheld the information. She stumbled through an assemblage of excuses which only served to illuminate her guilty conscious in Travis' opinion.

“They suggested that I move back with them to the farm. They think their location will help. I told them I'd think about it.”

With this additional revelation, an unbearable silence blanketed the room, constricting them like a rope, before Caroline's mood finally softened.

“I should have told you, Travis. I'm sorry. I was just... well... I don't know, i guess I was being too possessive of you.”

She continued, “If you want to move to their house, I understand. It’s your decision.”

Her reaction broke the tension, and Travis stood and embraced his benefactor, or girlfriend, or whatever she was; he wasn't sure. For the first time in weeks, he felt some sense of peace.

While Travis cleaned up after dinner, Caroline relaxed on the couch. By the time he finished and joined her, she had dozed off. This wasn't unusual, given her work. With the 12 hour shifts, she sometimes could scarcely make it through dinner.

Travis smiled and gently sat down beside her, their hips melding together.

As he settled in, he noticed her phone facing up on her lap, as a text message flashed a notification on the screen. His attention piqued as he noticed the incoming message.

<You can't let him get away. We need to do the deal tomorrow!!! >

Travis’ heart raced with uncertainty again. What was this about; and what was Caroline into?

As he stared at the screen, another message appeared.

<Make sure he doesn't make it to his parents’ place. Don't fuck this up!!>

With this, Travis’ next instinct was to carefully pick up the phone. He stared paralyzed for a moment at the two messages on the screen floating like perilous bubbles, then he held the phone in front of her face, the biometric security unlocking the device.

He went to the same text thread and scoured the rest of a lengthy communication with a contact called Will. What he read shocked and terrified him.

Weeks earlier From Caroline:
<Travis is a perfect breeding specimen>

<He's 25, and handsome! They'll def want him>

then a few days later from her:
<he's not going anywhere. He feels safe here>

Then last week From Will:
<The bidder has offered $70k We’re gonna make good money on this guy!>

And then more just that evening from Caroline:
<Bad news! his parents showed up and offered to take him to their farm place>
<hes thinking about going there!>

Then the two messages he'd first read. Travis locked the screen and gently put the phone back on her lap. He sat motionless, staring at the floor, paralyzed with fear.

He couldn't believe it. Caroline was planning, with someone named Will, to sell him off as a breeder.

While she slept, he spent the longest 10 minutes of his life putting a few things into a backpack, grabbing a coat and quietly exiting the house.

He had no idea where he was heading, but knew a minute longer would put him at risk.

 

[Poprockz]

It was quite the chase. Three fully-grown men and a woman with a large backpack. Despite her burden, she was terrified and thus flew with a quickness that only those terrified of something could muster. Their pursuit had the men weaving through backyards and then back alleys, and then suddenly she was gone.

Valentine could hear them swearing in frustration, trying to regroup near the abandoned house she was currently hiding in. Most people didn't like going near it, seeing as there were rumors that it was haunted. It certainly looked spooky enough to be seeing that it was completely boarded up with wood and nails. What most people didn't know was that one of the windows had boards that could be pushed aside to get in, and then fixed back into place so that no one else could move them easily. It was in that house that she hid, trying to calm her quivering breath as she strained her ears to eavesdrop on her would-be kidnappers.

"Now where the fuck did she go?!" Huffed one of them.

"How the fuck should I know? I was running after her, same as you!" Another retorted.

"Guys, calm down! Think about it- she's got to be around here somewhere, so let's split up and try to find her. She can't have gotten very far with that backpack of hers, so we still have a chance to find her." The third voice was calmer, if a bit out of breath. It was the man she had spoken with on her porch, likely the leader of the bunch.

"I swear, when we find that bleeder, I'm going to make her regret making me have to run after her." One of them grumbled.

"With what? It's not like your dick works anymore," one snorted in response. There was the sound of the guy being roughly smacked in the arm before the men split up.

Bleeder... what a disgusting term for a person. While personally she didn't find anything gross about periods, per se, she didn't like the term at all. It sounded derogatory and made her the same way she did when someone unwanted invaded her personal space.

So her friend really had sold her out. It was such a sobering realization that she hadn't yet had time to process. Now that everything had calmed down, she could feel her eyes welling up as she realized that her life as she knew it was effectively over.

 

[bestkeptsecret678]

The urban location of Caroline's house did not make for an unseen getaway on foot. He took off down the sidewalk, feeling as though every car that passed him was in pursuit. He tried zig zagging to avoid the areas lit by streetlights, but felt that ducking in and out of visibility would create even more suspicion.

He headed west, toward the edge of town, hoping to minimize the number of vehicles, with their headlights seemingly pointed at him. He was in an area of the city he was not familiar with, and was pleasantly surprised to come across the entrance to what appeared in the dark to be a heavily wooded park. He noted the name on the sign, Davidson Park, as he turned in.

In the dark, he could make out green spaces criss-crossed by gravel pathways and surrounded by trees and uncleared woods. A few minutes into the park, with no idea what shelter might be available, he veered into the woods, selected an area behind a stand of low, brushy oaks, and sat down.

Defeated and stressed over his lack of a plan, Travis removed his backpack and laid back against it. He extracted his phone from his pocket and made note of the 25% battery level. He'd have to conserve it, for what purpose he wasn't sure, until he could recharge.

He did allow a search for his location, and determined that Davidson Park was maintained by the county, had a public restroom a short distance from him, but no overnight camping, facilities, which meant he had the place to himself for now.

He lay on the cold ground for what felt like hours, falling asleep at some point. He woke at early daylight to the sound of a male voice shouting at him.

“Hey, You!”

The voice was ragged, graveled...almost strained.

“Get the hell outta here! This ain't your place... it's mine! Did you hear me?! GET OUT!”

Travis jumped to his feet to see a grossly unkempt older man, layers of dirty clothes making his body seem huge, although the sunken eyes and sun damaged skin hinted at a measure of frailness. It was obvious that this homeless person had concluded that Travis was trespassing on his turf.

A silent standoff began as Travis contemplate what to say or do.

 

[Poprockz]

The night was spent tossing and turning amidst a troubled sleep. She had nightmares about being kidnapped and being filled with so much semen that she exploded. When she finally awoke, she was drenched in a cold sweat and her heart was beating rapidly.

It took her some time to calm down, but when she did, she sat and silently contemplated what her next steps were. Since she was discovered, she couldn’t go to work and that meant she couldn’t make money. At least not the normal way. The market for prostitution had turned on its head, now catering to more female-based clientele and those men who didn’t mind having their ass played with.

She supposed that wouldn’t be such a bad gig, as long as she did her job well. The irony of it was almost laughable though; being pregnant was one of the risks of prostitution and yet now she didn’t have to worry about it despite being one of the only people who could get knocked up.

If she pursued this, she would have to keep moving around so that she wasn’t discovered. A traveling whore. Most other “respectable” jobs required registration and ID and such, and she figured she was now on some sort of list. As soon as she applied, they would be on her like wasps on someone who stepped in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A new identity was a possibility, but that also put her at risk the same way buying incontinence pads would. It could be innocent, but it would raise questions she didn’t want being asked.

Well… in any case, she had a little bit of time to think of it. Having prepared for this eventuality, she had squirreled about two weeks worth of food into this place, so she could hide out for a while.

After having some canned peaches and a jerky stick, she peeked through the window crack to make sure that no one was around. When she was convinced that she was fine, she exited the place and made her way toward the park. She was wearing jeans and an oversized hoody, the hood pulled up to give her some anonymity.

She needed a couple burner phones to contact her family, and there was a dingy little shop near the park that sold them without asking questions.

 

[bestkeptsecret678]

It wasn't much of a standoff in the end. The homeless man, sensing that his initial outburst had failed to strike actionable fear into Travis , stepped slowly backward. Mumbling something that Travis couldn't make out, the man then turned and walked into the woods, disappearing quickly in the dim early morning light.

While that confrontation had been avoided, Travis concluded that his present situation, being out in the open In a public park, wasn't sustainable. He needed to come up with a plan to stay safe and out of sight.

He gathered his backpack, and followed the gravel path until he found the public restroom. Locking the door behind him, he peed, brushed his teeth, and noted the beleaguered image staring back at him from the aluminum mirror. He never could have predicted that having a hard-on would become such a liability.

He was seriously hungry and concluded that planning and finding permanent shelter would have to wait. He had left without much cash in his wallet but had an ample bank balance available.

He had no idea if he was known in a database, or a black market list or something so thought it best to create as little an electronic trail as possible. That said, he felt that gaining some financial liquidity through an ATM withdrawal was his least risky next step. The question now was where could he find one? He pulled out his phone, now at a terrifying 14% battery level, and searched for a nearby option.

Three blocks away was a corner store that advertised one those sketchy, yet serviceable cash machines. He slid his backpack over both shoulders and took off, resisting his ever persistent urge to just run.

Reaching the same main road as the prior night, he held back, lurking just off the sidewalk, watching for a lull in the morning rush hour stream of cars. Spotting a gap from a nearby traffic light, he started to cross.

Two steps off the curb, a car sprouted onto his side of the boulevard, turning right off a smaller cross street. He had to quickly stop to keep out of their way as the car zipped in front of him. While he was safely out of harms way, he recognized the car as Caroline's red compact sedan. As it sped by, he briefly locked eyes with her behind the wheel, her face a confused mashup of surprise and anger.

Travis was shocked yet again by her; the bitch was out hunting him. He doubled back and bolted into the park.

 

[Poprockz]

While she was at the shop, she got the phones as well as some candy and chips, and withdrew as much as the ATM would allow, which was $500.00 in this case. She had been careful to do so when only the owner's shady eye was on her, as she didn't want anyone else to know that she was walking around with a wad of cash in her bag. Of course this could trigger something with her bank if the government was keeping tabs on her, but it was no secret that she was still in the city so it was worth the risk.

Once she had everything she wanted, she walked out of the shop and trudged back toward her hideout. It was unlikely that anyone would recognize her with what she was wearing, but it still felt rather risky being in the public eye. What she really wanted was to be back in the haunted house where she could eat some snacks, call her parents, and mull over a plan of action.

Valentine glanced at the park and noticed a man booking it deeper into the trees. She slowed for a moment to watch him, but ultimately figured that it was none of her business. Whether he was running from the law or running toward something, she was in no position to intervene.

Thus, she kept on walking, disappearing into an alleyway with a sour gummy worm in her mouth.

 

[bestkeptsecret678]

After sprinting a short distance back in, Travis hung a right and moved into the woods, aiming to get out of sight while keeping a vantage point to see whether he was followed. He layed down in a patch of tall weeds and watched.

It was not what he saw but What he heard that told him that what was coming.

Out on the street, where he'd just been, he heard car tires screech to a halt, and Caroline's voice shouting as feet scrambled on the gravel trail. “Go Will! Get in there before he gets away again! RUN!”

Travis held his breath as he watched the man named Will, a tall, muscular guy in a baseball cap, skid to a stop on the gravel, freezing, looking around and listening for any hint of where Travis had gone.

He turned to face Travis' direction, tilting his head and squinting, visually scouring the tall grass. The expression on Will’s face changed and Travis instantly knew he'd been spotted. Rather than wait to be sure, his instinct was to get the jump on the situation.

Rather than run, Travis uncharacteristically charged at him, which wasn't expected. Will took a step backward in surprise, and in the process, gave up all physical leverage. Travis lowered his head and plowed directly into his chin and chest, lifting him off his feet and backward.

Will landed with a breath clearing thud, Travis’ full body weight across him. He lay motionless.

Travis got up, then as he turned to run, looked toward the street to see the fury-filled face of Caroline, still behind the wheel. Running back into the woods, parallel to the street, he heard the tires screech again as she powered through a U-turn and drove in the same direction.

The woods were thick, and the going was slow, but it also concealed his position. He stopped to listen for Will, and heard nothing coming from behind. Travis felt a little pride at having put the guy out of commission. He did however hear a car, maybe Caroline's, periodically going past in either direction. He felt like a mouse in a cage with starved feline circling the outside.

After a few minutes of bushwhacking he could see ahead that he'd come to another paved street, maybe an alley, perpendicular to the road. He crept toward it, barely poking his head out enough to look right and left for any sign of his pursuer.

 

[Poprockz]

The sour gummy worm that she had just put at the edge of her lips fell to the ground as she saw them: two of the men she had seen previously. Could it have been the ATM that gave her away? How did they converge on her location so quickly? Her heart fluttered in panic, but she continued walking casually past the alleyway. She was supposed to turn into that place, but she couldn't do so with them making their way toward the shop she had went to. As soon as they went there and asked about her, they would know what she was wearing and would be able to pick her out, so she had to think quickly.

Perhaps she ought to-

"Hey, excuse me? Do you mind coming over here for a second? We're looking for a certain individual, and-" It was the leader guy's voice, his bald head shining as though someone had taken great care in polishing it. In some ways it was a thing of wonder, though she had no time to marvel at his reflective abilities.

To allow him closer would put her at risk, and running would give her away. The latter choice was the safer one in a no-win situation, so without more than a moments pause, she turned on her heel and booked it to the park's forest with a look of pure terror on her face. She tried to weave through the alley ways to throw them off, but the thudding of footsteps didn't abate. Valentine was luckily able to reach the forest, with a bit of a head start.

So caught up in the chase she was, that she hadn't seen Travis as she whizzed past the tree he was hiding behind. She didn't get far though. The forest was indeed very thick, and she wasn't used to such uneven terrain at such speeds. The woman soon stumbled and fell near a log. One fall could be the end, as it gave them too much time to catch up. Valentine looked around in fear, spotting the tree trunk, scrambling over, and squeezing herself against it as much as she could. She was on the ground, so hopefully laying up against it would allow them to run past her. With any luck they wouldn't look back at her.

It felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest as she heard a pair of footsteps approaching. Was this it? Was this where they dragged her off to god-knows-where?!

 

[bestkeptsecret678]

Travis watched with confusion as the woman, at least he thought it was a woman based on her size and physique, darted past him down the alley, then made a sharp turn into the woods a dozen yards past him.

Then, upon hearing more footsteps trailing behind her, he backed away from the edge, keeping low and slow to avoid attracting the attention of what he could tell was two men.

It was clear they were pursuing the other person, as he overheard them talking as they ran, “Shit! I bet she went into the trees!” Then the other voice, “I’m sure that’s her, did you see how she took off when we got close?. Let’s get that bleeder!”

Travis had become familiar with the term the man had used, a derogatory slang for a woman who was asymptomatic and therefore fertile, as evidenced by her still having monthly periods.

The easy choice would be to keep still and let them chase her down, but them tromping around in the woods would put him at risk of exposure. How would he explain why he was hiding in the forest with a backpack.

He crept back to the edge, peeked out into the alley and saw them also enter the forest, a hundred yards farther down. Luckily they’d overshot her entry point. Once they were out of sight, he entered the alley, and ran to the approximate point where the woman had entered.

He walked in quickly, dried grass and sticks crackling under his feet. A short distance in, out of view of the alley, he saw movement on the ground behind a fallen tree. Certain it was her, Travis approached carefully, and half whispered, half said, “Hey… Get up. They ran too far down, but they’ll circle back eventually and find us. Let’s get outta here.”

 

[Poprockz]

She had heard his footsteps getting closer, her heart beating a mile a minute. It was presumed that he was one of the guy's lackeys closing in on her, and thus her body was shaking in distress. The only reason she had moved was because she had noticed that her shoulder might having been poking up from behind the downed tree. The woman had prayed that he would move on and miss her, but her heart sank when she heard him tell her to get up.

Though the next moment she found herself confused and a bit taken aback by his words. Did he just say "us" as though he too was being pursued by those guys? Either way, the jig was up. It wasn't as though she could hide when he already knew where she was. There was a brief shuffling sound before Valentine stood up from her hiding place.

At the moment, her oversized hoodie and jeans were covered with dirt from the fall, and she could feel the stinging in her knees and palms that told her that she might either have scrapes or cuts. That could be dealt with later; the more immediate danger was being found out by the bald-guy and his cohort.

It was entirely possible that this was an unrelated guy who had simply heard them call her breeders, but that called into question what his goal was. He could want to get her to come with him so he could be the one to sell her, or perhaps he already had a Stiff (another derogatory term for asymptomatic men) in his basement and he wanted them to breed. After all, babies were going to be the hot new item on the black market in the future, selling to the highest bidder.

Wait... wasn't he the guy who was running into the park earlier as though the devil himself was nipping at his heels? He had a backpack on him too, she was noticing. Did that mean that he was running as well, or was he just really good at acting out his role as a plant?

Either way... she had to get out of here.

Making a decision in that split second, she quickly moved over to him and pulled off her oversized sweatshirt. "Put this on," she said, putting the sweatshirt into his hands without room for argument. She then pulled a hair tie out of her jean pocket and put her hair up into a quick bun. The shirt underneath the sweatshirt had been a soft pink t-shirt with little hearts on it. Any change to their appearances would help make them be picked out less easily. "Once you're ready, follow me."

 

[bestkeptsecret678]

Despite being confused by the instructions, from whom it came, and the entire situation, Travis did as he was told. Whoever this woman was, she seemed to have a plan, which he knew he sorely needed at this moment.

Now adorned in her hooded sweatshirt, he stood at near attention ready to follow whatever she said next. As she started to walk, he hesitated and stopped. She turned around.

The pair stared at one another.

Travis broke the silence. “Are they after you because … you’re…uh, healthy, uh, I mean… asymptomatic?” The woman’s blank stare in return offered him the answer, or at least he sensed that it did.

He a looked down at his shoes for a second, then his eyes rose to meet her stare. “Me too.”

As the words left his mouth, a rustle in the brush, out of sight and away from the pair of pursuers caught their attention. It seemed that the Will guy had recovered and was headed their way.

A new panic in his eyes, Travis pointed and said, “And that’s a guy, along with my ex, out looking for me.”

 

[Poprockz]

Her eyes had flicked down to his crotch and then back up to his eyes at his admission, though she felt a bit embarrassed when she realized she had just looked at his junk. Hopefully he didn't think she was a weird one or anything.

She wasn't sure if she believed him just yet, but she supposed she would take his word for it until they got to a place where they could have a more secure discussion. After all, perhaps he owed the guy and his ex some money, or they were all working together on some elaborate trap with the bald guy.

Walking back to him, she gently but firmly grabbed his wrist and spoke in a low, urgent voice. "I know we just met and all, but there'll be time for introductions and discussion later. Right now, we need to get out of her. Fast." With that, she started to pull him behind her, speed-walking.

If they ran too soon, it might attract more attention, so she merely continued to walk quickly as though they had places to be. At one point she heard rushing footsteps, so she looked around to see if there was anywhere they could hide. The only thing within sight was a large trash bin. As disgusting as it was, it would have to do. She let go of him and lifted the lid, climbing up and over until she was able to drop into it. Holding up the lid, she offered her hand to him in case he needed help getting in himself.

 

[bestkeptsecret678]

Lagging a step behind the woman as they briskly walked, he briefly looked down to check out her ass. Even in the most irrelevant situations, he had mastered the practice of discretely inspecting any woman, anywhere, any time. He wasn't thinking about her in a sexual way. It was an instinct. He approved of what he saw.

Travis heard footsteps, and was concerned they would be too exposed in the alley to escape detection. With two pursuing parties, things suddenly didn't look good.

Then the woman unexpectedly opened and climbed into a medium sized dumpster, clearly expecting him to do the same. "What the fuck?" he said outloud without thinking, consternation across his face. Then, understanding her plan, he followed suit, smacking her hand out of the way, which she'd offered as assistance. "What, do I look like some kind of child?" He thought.

Both inside, they together quietly closed the lid, smothering themselves in the putrid darkness. Their feet sunk a foot or more into all manner of garbage and refuse. Travis was glad it was dark. He didn't want to see what was under him and around his legs. The smell was overwhelming and he had to resist the urge to wretch.

They stood, half crouched, silently listening for signs of pursuers.

 

[Poprockz]

Though it couldn't be seen, she frowned in the darkness. Why had he smacked her hand away? It seemed a rather rude thing to do when she was simply offering to help. She had been considering taking him to her hideout to share her own place of refuge, but now she was wondering if she should just part ways when she got the chance.

Whatever. The smell was heinous in that can, and she too was struggling to keep down her food. Reaching into the small purse she kept slung around herself, she took out a peppermint chapstick and rubbed it under her nose. It helped a little, and she reached out in the darkness until she found his face. It wasn't as though she could ask if he wanted it, given that they were supposed to be hiding, so she simply rubbed it under his nose without further ado before putting her chapstick away.

There were footsteps outside and the sound of several people panting before a conversation played out near the dumpster.

"Have you seen a woman pass by here? She has brown hair and brown eyes, probably wearing a grey hoodie?"

"No, we haven't seen anyone like that yet, but have you seen a guy running through here?" The woman's voice gave a brief description of Travis. "That prick cheated on me with my sister and keeps dodging child support, so I'm trying to serve him papers."

"No, we haven't seen him either. The woman we're looking for is a dangerous fugitive, so please do not approach her if you see her. Here's a picture and my card. If you see her, give us a call and we can give you a hefty fee for assisting in her capture"

Valentine wanted to scoff at this. A dangerous fugitive, huh? So that's what they were going with. In all liklihood, neither party wanted to admit why they were actually searching for their quarry for obvious reasons. Well, that is if the guy trapped in the oversized garbage can with her was telling the truth. It was still possible that he was a cheating liar like she said, though she wasn't sold on that theory. If he was just dodging her for child support, it was unlikely that he would be carrying a large backpack with him as though he planned to disappear into the wilderness.

 

[bestkeptsecret678]

Travis’ stomach was churning as they listened to the conversation outside the dumpster. Both sets of pursuers were together, and now basically comparing notes.

Their arms touching, he sensed his new companion tense up when she heard them speak about he . He clearly heard them say she was a dangerous fugitive. While Travis was glad she had the foresight to shelter in the trash bin, he wondered why else she might be on the run, besides being a fertile breeder. Was he now in danger from her too?

This and his previous worries were now criss-crossing through his mind like a spider web. The urge to throw up felt like a furnace in his throat.

Then a familiar scent surrounded him, peppermint. As his mind immediately assumed an odor from below was wafting upward, he felt something touch above his lip, and connected it as the source. She was putting something on him. It took him a few seconds to put it together; she'd applied chapstick to him as her way of preventing him, and he supposed her as well, from vomiting.

The voices soon stopped, then footsteps signaled their departure, although in which direction was impossible to tell from inside. They held their positions for a few more minutes, until he heard her start to move. Then they raised to lid and scoured their surroundings, relieved to see no sign of either pair.

The woman fluidly bounced out and onto the pavement as Travis jostled for sufficient footing to follow. She initially extended her hand to help him then retracted it, stepping back to watch him. “What is she, some kind of gymnist?” Travis thought. He clumsily made it out finally.

No sooner than he’d exited, she turned to leave, clearly expecting him to follow. He did as implied, walking faster to catch up beside her.

As he hustled, he noticed again the peppermint odor filling his nostrils. While a small act in a moment of dire risk, keeping him from vomiting in the dumpster, she had planted the smallest grain of trust in his subconscious. And, unbeknownst to Travis in that moment, a foundation that would dictate the path of his future.

 

[Poprockz]

They hurried in the direction of her hideout until they were about a block away, at which point she pulled him into a shed that was used as a storage room for the city. The padlock hadn't been clicked into place, so she simply removed it and pulled him inside (she had noticed the shed on her way out toward the shop). Once they were inside, she turned to him and frowned.

"Alright... So. First off, thank you for not ratting me out when you found me in the woods." Annoyed at him as she was, he deserved to be thanked for his part in helping her avoid capture, and she was nothing if not honorable in that way.

“Secondly, this is where we part ways. As you heard, I'm asymptomatic. They weren't wrong when they said I was a dangerous fugitive too." She tried to stand up straighter and more confidently. While it was true that she was indeed a fugitive now, it was more of a bluff to say that she was dangerous. Perhaps if he thought that it was risky to be in her company he might not want to follow her and he might think better of taking advantage of her if that was his aim.

"Frankly, I don't know anything about you, and I don't know if you're really an asymptomatic person too. I can't take any chances..." Her lips pressed into a thin line and she avoided his eyes, hoping he understood.

 

[bestkeptsecret678]

The woman's words rolled across Travis like an ambush; she was thanking him, ditching him and doubting him all in rapid fire. Furthermore, underlying that was the undeniable feeling of security he'd instantly felt as he followed her, taking every action as she instructed. He tried to appear as poised and sure of himself as he could in the moment, but knew it probably wasn't working. More than anything, he knew that didn't want to part ways as she was mandating.

"I think its better to work as a team," he managed to blurt out.

Then another idea came to him. "I have plenty of money. Anyone on the run is going to need cash. My savings account is big enough for both of us for a while. We could stagger and scatter the ATM transactions as we need them."

He continued, "I can tell you know what you're doing, like... uh... a fugitive would.". He regretted that word as soon as it left his mouth. "I can help fund what we might need, if you let me stick around."

He waited for her response and wondered if his status as a breeder was really in doubt. After all, she didn't have anything to go on besides his word.

Then in a desperate show of good faith he said, "And look, I'll prove to you I'm really asymptomatic.” As he said this he unfastened his belt and unzipped his pants. Pulling down the front of his compression shorts, he took his flacid penis in his hand.

 

[Poprockz]

"What are you-" her eyes widened as she saw him whip out his dick, her cheeks instantly flushing as she whipped around so her back was to him. The image of it was seared into her memory and she couldn't help but think to herself that he had a rather handsome cock. No, no, this wasn't the time to think about anything like that.

He had a point about working as a team; it might actually help to have someone helping her that wasn't yet on a government list. While it might be easy for him to be exposed for what he was, he still hadn't been outed yet, unlike herself. The $500.00 in her smaller purse wasn't going to last forever, and it might be a good idea to withdraw more so they could pay their way out of the city.

Turning around again so that she was facing him, her hands were covering her eyes. "Okay, just- just show me when you're actually hard then."

 

[bestkeptsecret678]

Embarrassed at his impulsive decision to expose himself, Travis’ realized that his nervous tension was not going to help in this moment.

“Ok. Gimme a second,” he said, knowing that it would take some concentration to get hard in his current situation. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his head, his hand squeezing and massaging his dick.

A minute later, his mind still betraying him, he felt a rush of panic that he might fail the test and she decide to leave him in the dust.

He opened his eyes.

Luckily, the first thing he noticed was the woman’s ass. As when they’d first been on the move, he liked what he saw. Grabbing that thread of mental stimulation, he imagined her ass naked, the crease of her cheeks, the curve of her hips, his manhood nestled into the gap below.

The mental gymnastics worked. His cock lengthened and thickened, his circumcised head swelling as he stroked himself. When he reached his full erect proportions, he removed his hand. His arms at his sides, palms stupidly turned forward, as if presenting himself to her, he announced, “Ok. I’m ready, now.”