On the other side of the cutting were more metal walls, and Nyx could make out the leaves of date palms just visible above the wall. She guessed that was their farm.
The food was good. It was the usual mix of cooked meat, insects mixed with stone baked bread, and some fruit, in this case, dates.
It was good and served up by a group of smiling women. As much as she was pleased to eat, and to see the camp’s female contingent at last, the fact they had been relegated to traditional, stereotypical female roles tied her stomach up in knots.
But what could she do?
She’d eaten her fill, but was now keen to give what she’d not eaten to Runt. Nero sat on a table just behind her with Kat and Cryptus. She’d been sitting with them for most of the time, but had wanted to stretch her legs a bit.
She turned to the table. “I’m gonna go take some food to Runt, alright?”
“Sure,” Nero said. “You want me to come with you?”
She smiled. She appreciated the offer, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to be seen as someone who needed a man to be with her in a place such as this. Of course, she was sure Nero didn’t see it like that. He just saw the potential threat here and wanted to make sure she was safe.
She liked that. She loved this chivalrous side to Nero; it felt good and showed her that he cared, but she wanted to show that she didn’t need him to escort her everywhere.
“No, I’m good,” Nyx said.
“Here, give this to him,” Cryptus said, and moved some food from his plate to Nyx’s.
“Take this, too,” Kat added, adding more to her plate. “I’m done anyway.”
“Sorry, I ate all mine,” Nero apologized.
“Guts!” Nyx needled him. “You’ll get fat.”
“Change would be a fine thing,” he answered her, sitting back in his seat and putting his hands behind his head. “Think I’ll sit here and let my food go down for a bit.”
“You do that,” Nyx smiled. “Catch you later.”
Nyx walked back into the warehouse, past their shacks, and up to the first door where the guard sat, looking board. He smiled at her as she approached.
“What can I do for ya, babe?”
Nyx blinked and purposely moved her eyes to the door and back to him. “Um, you can open the door.”
“Right-o,” he said and got up, eyeing her. He opened the door and very obviously watched her, not looking at her face at all. As she walked up the corridor, she could feel his gaze on her back. Or rather, her ass, as she approached the next door and knocked on it. It opened, and the guard let her through.
“You alright there, darlin’?” the man asked.
“I’m fine, thanks,” she answered, begrudging that she felt like she needed to thank him as she walked off and approached the Charger and truck.
Reaching up, she rapped on the door with her knuckles and waited. There was movement in the truck, and a moment later, the door opened to reveal Runt’s deformed face peering down at her.
“Friend Nyx? Runt is pleased to see you.”
“Brought you some food,” Nyx said and offered the plate to him. She could see his hands were black with grease and he seemed to have been working on something. Maybe the gun he was making Nero?
“Thank you. Thank you, friend Nyx. Runt is very happy, yes?”
“I hope so,” she answered him.
“Yes…” he started to say, and then his face began to fall as he looked past her.
Nyx turned to see a couple of guys, probably residents of the settlement, if she had to guess, sauntering over towards them, whispering with each other and laughing.
Nyx got the feeling they were laughing at them.
They noticed her looking over. “Oooh, looks like the bitch isn’t happy with us,” one of them said.
“I know what would make her happy,” the other answered, grabbing his crotch.
“Fuck off,” Nyx said and turned back towards Runt, dismissing them.
“Oi, don’t you turn your back on me and tell me to fuck off, you dirty bitch.”
She peered over her shoulder at him as he stormed over towards her. She sighed. She really didn’t want to have to deal with this, but the men here were really pushing her today.
“Turn around and face me, you cunt,” he continued from just behind her.
Nyx looked up at Runt as the man placed his hand on her shoulder, and Nyx saw red. The rage within her boiled over, and she reacted on instinct more than anything else as she turned and smashed her fist into the man’s face.
He stumbled back, struggling to stay on two feet and fell into his friend, who did his best to keep the man upright. They flailed around for a few seconds before they both got their balance again, and the man she’d punched looked over at her with fury in his eyes.
“Fucker,” he spat and went for her.
Nyx dodged his clumsy hit and gut punched him. The other man lunged forward, but there was a blur of movement from above, and the man was knocked back as Runt landed on him.
Nyx knocked her attackers’ arms back and hit him again in his face, breaking the skin on his cheek before she brought her knee up into his groin as hard as she could.
The man wailed and fell to the floor on all fours as Runt bit the neck of the man he’d jumped onto the back of.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!”
Nyx looked up to see Thunder Boi, flanked by a small squad of armed guards, stood watching them. Nyx straightened up, her fists clenched breathing hard as she gave Thunder Boi a daggers stare.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he continued as Runt dropped off the back of the other man, who staggered out towards his leader and dropped to his knees.
Nyx chose not to answer him as Runt backed off and retreated behind her.
Thunder Boi frowned, looked down at the two men— were they guards?— before looking back up at her and striding forward. “I said, what the shitting fuck do you think you’re fucking doing, bitch?”
He stepped right up to her, invading her personal space and prodding her chest with his finger. “Answer me!”
“I was teaching these idiots some manners,” Nyx answered, her voice flat as she fought to keep her calm.
Thunder Boi let out a long, steady sigh, his face inches from hers. His breath was not terribly pleasant, to say the least. He stared at her for a few more moments. “Last warning for you and your friends. Any more trouble, and there will be consequences, got it?”
Nyx shrugged. “Tell your boys to stay away from me and my friends, and there won’t be any more trouble,” she answered him.
Thunder Boi narrowed his eyes at her. He did not look happy. But, to his credit, he then turned and walked away, kicking the man she’d beaten up as he went.
“Get up,” he said to him. “Go on, fuck off. Leave her alone, got it?”
The man slunk off and so did the others, some of them giving her dirty looks as they retreated. Nyx stood there and watched them go as she felt the adrenaline pumping through her.
“Thank you, friend Nyx, thank you. Runt is very grateful,” he said, climbing up the side of the truck to return to his work.
“No problem,” Nyx answered, breathing shakily from the encounter. “Stay in here, no more wandering around. We don’t want any more trouble,” she suggested.
Runt nodded and closed the door.
Nyx walked back towards the door that led to the other warehouse, taking several more long, deep breaths to calm her nerves as she went. As she approached the guard, she noticed his expression was no longer lecherous. Instead, he looked a little scared of her. He wasn’t far from the incident; he’d probably seen some of it. He let her through to the other side without a word. The second guard didn’t say anything, either, and she didn’t give him a chance to. She did feel his eyes on her ass, though, as she walked away.
Despite this, she felt exhilarated and powerful, like she could take on the world. She might have faced zombies and daemons and raiders, but there was someth
ing about the men in this settlement that cut right to the core of her, and the only thing she could think of was how they reminded her of Rex, her former captor. They had that same disdain for her, and for anyone they viewed as weak, and it really did just cut right to the core of her.
She walked back to their shacks, feeling full of energy and life and with a huge grin on her face as she wandered over to their home for the night, and spotted Kat in the hut she’d be sharing with Cryptus.
She stopped, and watched as Kat, kneeling down, sorted her stuff out. Nyx felt transfixed and found herself taking a few steps towards the partially open door.
Glancing left, she saw off in the distance, outside, Nero and Cryptus were still there.
Kat was alone. The thought sent a thrill of excitement through her.
Ever since she’d had that chat with Nero where he’d expressed an interested in bringing Kat into their bedroom activities, the thought of it had been in her mind, too. It had cropped up a few times as they’d travelled around, and Nyx couldn’t help but take a little more notice of Kat as well.
Was Nero watching her, too?
She had to admit, Kat was a good-looking girl, and part of her really was interested.
She loved Nero, of course. She was infatuated with him, even. He was her soul mate, her lover, her partner, her everything. And, with that said, her own tastes in what she was interested in, she had to admit, spread wider than just Nero.
Nero had stressed to her how dangerous and short-lived life could be here in the wastes, and the importance of grabbing it with both hands to make it what you wanted it to be was paramount.
Part of what she wanted was Nero. But it would be fun to sample some other parts of life, too.
She remembered the times she’d had with some of the girls at the Watchtower. They’d been great, those girls. They’d been there for her emotionally as well as physically, and got her through some tough times.
She didn’t need that crutch any more, though. She wasn’t being held against her will. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
Nero was encouraging her to try new things, to explore. To follow her needs and emotions and not to feel constrained by him and their relationship.
She loved this about him. She loved that, although they were together, they could still be their own person. If anything, he was more monogamous than she was at the moment.
Certainly, the way her thoughts were heading as she watched Kat lean forward, her butt lifting into the air for Nyx to see, suggested she would be the one to try something outside of her relationship with Nero.
She stood at the door, watching Kat, silently enjoying looking at her in a new way.
She looked over at Nero, sitting outside, chatting to Cryptus and a couple of other guys who had joined them, and she knew he’d be cool with it.
She was sure of it.
~She’s dangerous,~ the Whisperer said in her mind.
~You again?~
~You should kill her. She’s a wolf in sheep's clothing, and she will take Nero from you. Ruin your life, and condemn you to the wastes.~
~Fuck off,~ Nyx said, pushing the daemon’s presence away. ~You really don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. We’re coming for you at your northern retreat,~ she finished as she closed him off as best she could, wondering if her little lie might interest the daemon.
She shook her head. And then frowned as she wondered why the Whisperer would try to stop this from happening? Was he scared of it? Maybe he was. Maybe bringing another figure into their group was more of a threat to him.
Three opponents were more dangerous than two, after all.
Anyway, she’d dropped a hint about their direction. Just to see if it threw anything up.
She looked up at Kat again, and after a moment, Kat turned and looked up at her. Had she noticed that Nyx was not just innocently looking at her. That, there was more there?
“Hi, Nyx. Come in, don’t stand out there,” Kat suggested.
Nyx smiled, moved inside, and pushed the door quietly closed.
“Everything okay?” Kat asked.
Nyx leant against the wall and took her time answering, looking down at Kat and chewing her lip. “Yeah, I’m fine…” Nyx replied, knowing that her voice betrayed her thoughts, screaming at Kat that something was on her mind.
Kat stood up, the wraps she used as clothes dangling from her body. “You’re sure?”
Nyx looked up at her and bit her bottom lip again.
“There’s nothing on your mind?” Kat asked.
“Well, there might be something…” Nyx said, feeling sure her eyes were telling Kat everything she needed to know.
“Go on,” Kat said, stopping about a meter or two from her.
She took a steadying breath and tried to gather her thoughts, knowing this would sound clumsy however she addressed it.
“Do you like Nero and me?”
“Like you?”
“You’ve kissed us both.”
‘Oh…” Kat said, and looked Nyx up and down, and then she looked at the door and back to Nyx. “Oh!”
Nyx smiled.
“I see. Well, Yeah, I guess I do,” Kat replied.
Nyx stepped away from the wall and up to Kat. “How much?” Nyx asked, reaching up to trace her fingers down Kat’s arm as she got closer to her.
“Quite a lot,” Kat whispered. Nyx could feel Kat’s breath on her face they were so close.
“This much?” Nyx asked, feeling the heat from the young woman, and feeling like the best thing would be to just go for it. She leant in and kissed Kat, who let her do it, and started to kiss her back.
Nyx wrapped her arms around the slender girl and pulled her in, their kiss rising in its intensity and urgency as Nyx felt Kat’s hand reaching around her and running up her back and then down, over her ass.
Kat pawed at her flesh, gripping her and pulling her close as they pressed into one another. The thrill of the tryst was liberating and exciting, and it felt so good.
Kat started to kiss Nyx’s neck, and then pulled back slightly before she pushed Nyx against the wall where she stepped in and kissed her again.
Nyx felt Kat’s hand wander south, over her breast, stomach and down between her legs. The feel of her fingers pressing against her and rubbing over her sent a thrill through her as she spread her legs to let Kat reach her better. She gasped as Kat touched her, and wanted to throw her down onto the bed right then and there and just go at it.
But she wanted Nero there, too.
She wanted to share this moment with him. It was the right thing to do.
It took more effort than she had thought it might, but she reached up, took Kat by the arms and pushed her off.
Nyx caught her breath and looked into Kat’s confused eyes. “Not right now,” she explained, and saw a glimmer of hurt in Kat’s eyes. “I love it, don’t misunderstand me, but if we do this, we do it with Nero as well.”
“Oh, I see.”
“You’re sleeping with us tonight, okay?”
Kat smiled, and it was a naughty smile. “Okay.”
“Good,” she replied and moved back towards the door, checking her clothing to make sure nothing was out of place. “See you tonight,” Nyx said with a wink, stepped outside, and wandered away from the shack without any direction in mind as a silly grin spread over her face. That was fun, she thought as she planned ahead to later tonight and the fun they’d have as a threesome.
~Why bring Nero into this?~ the Whisperer suggested. ~You and Kat would make a great team, just you two.~
~Piss off,~ Nyx replied.
Chapter 9
Nero
The sun drew closer to the western horizon as the evening drew in. Nero had finished eating their evening meal a short time ago and sat towards the edge of the mess area with Cryptus. Nearby, Nyx and Kat were having a sparing session. Their swords swung back and forth, clanging as they hit.
Nero would be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying the show.
He also knew there were others sitting on these tables who were enjoying it, too.
He didn’t mind. Nyx was his girl, by her own choice, and that gave him a smug feeling inside.
He’d been talking with Cryptus throughout the day, discussing their next move and gathering what information they could from the locals about the tunnel. He still didn’t feel entirely comfortable with Cryptus on this quest with them and wondered if he had noticed anything. Nero was trying to be friendly, but felt sure his unease was all too noticeable.
The locals spoke happily about the tunnel, though. They said it was long and wide, four lanes wide, but it was unlit for the whole length. The power for the lights had failed years ago. They’d tried all kinds of things to get it reliably powered up, but in the end, there was nothing for it. You went in with your own lights or groped about in the darkness.
Driving through was easy enough, as the lights on the vehicle could be used.
It had apparently been a few days since it had been driven through, which meant they had indeed beaten the convoy and were still waiting for it to appear. Despite Cryptus’ assurances, however, Nero’s nerves were growing thin as the hours drew on.
And then the gates opened.
The first sign of something happening was when shouting sounded from the entrance area, followed by the throaty roar of powerful engines. And then, finally, the inner gates were opened. This was the first time these gates had been used today, but Nero could see through to the entrance area he had arrived in earlier today, and the gate that led outside to the wastes further back. It was still open as the convoy threaded its way in and rumbled down the ramp towards the tunnel entrance.
Nero grew concerned. Were they going to drive into the tunnel now?
A resident, a smallish man in rags, stood nearby. Nero had seen him helping out the women with the food. Nero had swapped pleasantries with him, but that was all. Maybe he’d know?
Wasteland Road Knights Trilogy Page 40
