“What do you think?” he asked them.
“I’ll stay here another night,” Nyx answered.
“Me, too,” Kat joined in.
“You can have the leader’s room for the night, too, if you like?” Grok suggested.
“Really? They get it?” Lesley commented.
“It’s one night; get a grip, Lesley,” Grok spat.
“Ugh, fine,” Lesley grumbled.
“Alright, deal. We’ll stay the night,” Nero confirmed.
“Excellent,” Grok said with a smile.
Nearby, Nero noticed Cryptus roll the monster truck into the compound finally, letting the vehicles behind him out as well. The vast majority of them left the camp right away, and the fetishists let them go. Nero wasn’t sure if that was a good idea, tactically speaking, but if they detained them, would they be any better than the Whisperer’s servants? He guessed not.
Nero turned to the girls. “I’m going to sort out Diesel and Sable. Why don’t you go and find this room we’re staying in?” he suggested.
Nyx smiled. “Are you sure you don’t want help?”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll deal with these idiots; you girls go and relax,” he suggested.
“Sounds good to me,” Kat answered.
“Alright,” Nyx agreed.
Nero nodded and wandered over towards the monster truck and Cryptus, who was just climbing down from the cab.
“Good job,” he said as he turned to Nero.
“Thanks,” Nero answered. “Did Diesel give you any trouble?”
“No, he’s been quiet. His lady friend, though, is a little more vocal,” he said with a smile.
Nero nodded. “Alright then…”
“Hey, Nero,” Cryptus said, getting his attention. “Look, are we okay? You’ve been… a little cold with me recently. I mean, colder than usual. Is everything alright?”
Nero eyed him, just barely catching a glimpse of the man’s eye’s deep in his hood, while the rest of his face was covered with his ever-present mask. Nero knew he’d been cold with Cryptus recently. Keeping the true purpose of their quest to find the Whisperer to himself had probably made him keep his distance from Cryptus whenever possible. It just seemed safer that way. Less chance of something incriminating slipping out.
He still wasn’t sure why he was keeping the idea of them going to rescue Dani, Nyx’s mother, from the Whisperer secret, but it did feel like the right thing to do. Nero just didn’t trust Cryptus fully. Not yet, at least.
“Everything’s fine, honestly. I just have a lot on my mind at the moment, that’s all.”
Cryptus nodded. “If you’re sure.”
Nero nodded. Clearly, Cryptus had noticed that he was keeping his distance, which was not ideal. He didn’t want to create suspicion in the group, but couldn’t bring himself to be the man’s best friend, either.
“Okay, good,” Cryptus replied, sounding slightly relieved, but still, Nero felt he wasn’t entirely convinced. “So, I take it you and Nyx have been getting close to Kat, given she didn’t stay in the same shack as me last night.”
Nero smiled. “Yeah, sorry about that. I probably should have said she wouldn’t be with you, but it came as something of a surprise to me, too.”
“That’s fine. It’s not for me to pass judgement on what you and the girls do. I just got slightly concerned when Kat didn’t turn up.”
“Noted,” Nero answered with a smile.
Cryptus didn’t talk about Nero’s relationship with the girls any more after that, though, which Nero appreciated. It was, after all, not really any of his business. Between them and Runt, they brought Diesel and Sable down from the truck and secured them both to the axel and shocks of the monster truck, which seemed like as good a place as any to keep them. Runt soon disappeared, on the hunt for more scrap and parts for whatever he was building now.
“I didn’t have a choice, you know,” Diesel blurted out as Nero checked back on them before he went in search of the girls.
“Of course, you had a choice. Everyone has a choice. But I get it. I guess the Whisperer made you do it?”
“Work for me or die was the basic deal. And, well, I like life,” he explained.
“You and I both,” Nero answered. “But you still worked for a Night Lord, so, forgive me if I’m not totally convinced by your argument. You guys lie, it’s what you do.”
“That’s fair enough,” Diesel answered. Beside him, Sable sighed and shook her head.
Nero looked at the woman, who was purposefully not looking at him. “You don’t think he should be helping us, do you.”
She glanced up at him with contempt. “Piss off,” she muttered.
“So, what are you going to do?” Diesel asked.
Nero looked back to the man and considered his words. “Honestly, I’m not sure, but we’ll be heading to the Crossroad’s Outpost tomorrow, and you’re coming with us.”
Diesel nodded. “I sympathise, you know,” he said, while Sable sighed again. Diesel ignored her. “I’d actually love to see the Whisperer dead, too. I don’t agree with what he does, but it’s how things are now. If we don’t work for him, then we’ll end up working for one of the others. The Urth is covered with these Night Lords.”
“We’ll have to see what we can do about that, won’t we?”
“Seriously? You want to fight a Night Lord?”
“These daemons have been unchallenged for too long, it’s time we fight back.”
“Good luck with that,” Diesel muttered, looking as if he thought Nero was insane. Nero also noticed Sable looking up at him, her expression slightly more curious now, and less dismissive. As his eyes met hers, they narrowed as she looked up at him, and then turned away.
“Thanks,” Nero said. Satisfied that the pair of them were secure, he walked away, making his way over to where he saw Grok up on the platform. He soon reached him and leant against the railing.
“So, now what are you going to do now you’ve liberated this place? You know the guys at the northern end won’t take this lying down.”
“We know,” Grok answered. “They’re our next target.”
Nero nodded. “I wish I could help you out, but our mission takes us south.”
“I know. That’s why I didn’t ask you. Shouldn’t be a problem, though. We’ve got this.”
“I hope so.”
“If you can find and take out the Whisperer, it should all fall apart anyway. You’ll let us know if you manage it, won’t you?”
“Word will spread, that’s for sure,” Nero answered. “People need to know these things can be killed.”
“Are you sure you can kill him?”
Nero nodded. “Trust me, we’ve got this. So, hey, where’s the leader’s quarters, by the way?”
“In there,” Grok waved towards the nearby door. “Go to the top floor; you’ll find it.”
Nero thanked him and wandered inside, making his way through the complex to the stairs and then up. As it turned out, the leader’s living area was the entire top floor. It wasn’t huge and was not too much different than the rest of this fabricated building, with it’s rusted metal walls. The main difference was that some old fabric sheets were hung around the place to try and disguise the decay. Amongst the other items of mismatched furniture, there was also a less-stained than usual bed in here that looked very inviting right now.
Walking through the space, Nero heard running water and immediately felt thirsty. He followed the noise and found what looked like a shower compartment, and he could see that it looked like Kat was already in there.
“Found us, then?”
Nero turned to see Nyx sat on a threadbare sofa. It looked dirty and worn, as everything always did, but to Nero, it seemed like the height of comfort.
“I did,” Nero answered Nyx.
“I wanted to wait for you, but Kat couldn’t resist for much longer. She’s not been in the shower long.”
Nero nodded in understanding. Showers were so rare the
se days that they were usually prized possessions. So, Nero could understand that Kat was keen to get in there and get cleaned off.
“That’s fine,” Nero answered as Nyx got up and walked over to him. Putting her arms around his waist, she pulled him in close. She adjusted his jacket and hugged him while Nero wrapped his arms around her as well.
“You alright?” he asked.
“I’m… I’m fine,” she said.
“You’re sure?”
Nyx took a breath and looked up at him. “What if she doesn’t recognise me? What if she doesn’t remember me?” she said.
Nero nodded in understanding. “Try not to worry about this, okay? She’s your mother, and I’m sure she will want to see you. Although, I guess we really should be ready for the worst.”
“The worst?”
It was Nero’s turn to breathe deeply as he considered his next words. He didn’t want to upset her, but she needed to be ready, just in case.
“Who knows what the daemon has done to her? I mean, she might be mutilated, or brainwashed…”
“I guess,” Nyx squeaked.
“Look, whatever the case happens to be, we’ll deal with it, okay? I’m right beside you. We’ll find her, we’ll save her, and we’ll make sure that the Whisperer pays for what he’s done.”
She nodded, looked up at him, and smiled. “I love you so much,” she said and pulled him in for a deep kiss.
“Mind if I get in on that action?” said Kat.
Nero pulled back from Nyx and turned to see a naked Kat standing in the doorway to the shower with a naughty grin on her face.
“Don’t let me stop you,” Nero replied as Kat wandered over to Nyx and leaned in for a kiss. Nyx kissed her back and grabbed her butt as she did so.
Nero could feel himself stiffening in arousal, and, as if sensing this, Kat turned to look at Nero and reached out to touch his crotch, stroking him through his trousers.
“Care to join me in the shower?” Kat asked.
“I thought you were never going to ask,” Nyx replied and began stripping off as quick as she could. Nero started to get undressed as well, but he took his time, and when Nyx was fully naked, he enjoyed watching her join Kat in the shower.
The girls kissed and caressed each other as the water sluiced over them, soaking them and making their bodies gleam in the light. Finally, fully nude, Nero wandered over, his erection standing proud, and moved into the shower.
The water was surprisingly warm, and not at all unpleasant, he noted as the girls pulled him between them and pressed into him. Kat knelt down before him and took him in her mouth while Nyx kissed him. The sensation was wonderful, and he felt like he was in heaven as he slid in and out of Kat’s mouth.
Before long, he knew couldn’t wait any longer. Pulling Nyx in closer, he withdrew from Kat’s oral delights and pushed himself into Nyx, who started to move up and down him, taking him inside of herself.
Kat used her hands to caress him and kissed Nyx as well until Nero reached his climax and jerked against Nyx’s body as he released inside of her.
They kissed for a while before he withdrew, and they moved onto cleaning each other. Eventually, Nero felt like he wanted to get out, and left the girls alone in there. As he dried himself, he heard things getting a little frantic in the shower as they pleasured each other. Half dressed, Nero collapsed onto the sofa and marvelled what how his life had changed these past few weeks.
Before he’d met Nyx, he wondered if he’d ever be happy again, and yet, here he was, sharing a room with two beautiful women who were as much into each other as they were into him, and he felt amazingly happy and content.
Crazy man, crazy, he thought while Nyx moaned in the shower as Kat brought her to an orgasm of her own.
Chapter 13
Nyx
Nyx rose up from the depths of her slumber and opened her eyes. She laid in the middle of the bed with Nero to her right, sleeping soundly, and Kat to her left, who was wide awake and watching her.
“Hi there,” Kat said with a smile.
Nyx yawned. “Hey,” she answered and propped herself up on her elbows. “Is it early?”
“Fairly. I can’t hear much movement in the camp.”
Nyx nodded.
“Did you sleep okay?” Kat asked.
“Like a log. I do love it when we get to sleep on a bed.”
Kat nodded.
“You?”
“Off an on. I get nightmares still. You know, about Latrix and my sister, and those damned dogs.”
Nyx nodded. “I know what that’s like. I used to get them all the time after I left the Watchtower. I knew Rex was dead, but part of me expected him to come back and find me, you know? Like some kind of zombie.”
“Do you still get them?”
“Sometimes. Not as often as I used to, though. I used to get them bad. Like, wake up screaming in the middle of the night bad.”
“I’m glad it got better for you.”
“It will for you, too, as you move further away from it. Each day will be easier.”
“I don’t want to forget her, though. I don’t want to forget Tan.”
“You won’t. She’ll always be there for you; in here,” Nyx said, touching her chest where her heart was.
Kat nodded. “Are you scared?”
“Scared?” Nyx asked.
“Of meeting your mother? Of what you might find?”
Nyx nodded in understanding. “I guess. Yes, I am. I keep wondering if she’ll recognise me or not, you know?”
Kat nodded. “She’ll be thrilled to see you again. I know she will.”
“Thanks.”
“When will you tell Cryptus about her?”
“I… Don’t know. Nero really doesn’t trust him, and I think I know where he’s coming from. Cryptus is a bit of a closed book, and he seems to be into some strange things.”
“Like what?”
“Well, he took us on a mission once to a derelict ship that was embedded in the wall of a chasm that had once been under water. It was strange. Filled with advanced technology and… I don’t know. I didn’t think it was from our world.”
“It was alien?”
“Maybe. We saw some security footage while we were in there that showed some people. They looked human. Two women: a blonde and a redhead. And I mean red, like, crimson red. There was a man, too. Their clothes looked, strange. Like something from a sci-fi film. The two women killed the man. It was bizarre, though. They were throwing bolts of lightning around and stuff. I don’t know, maybe it was Magic or super high technology or something?”
“And what did Cryptus do there?”
“No idea. Once we cleared the undead and daemon’s away, we left him there and went on our way. It was creepy as hell in there, though. I didn’t want to stay any longer than we had to.”
“So, that’s why you’re not telling him about your mother?”
“Until we know more about him and what he’s up to, I think we’ll remain tight-lipped about any sensitive material, yes.”
“Of course. I understand, and you can count on me. You’ve both done so much for me, including helping me deal with my loss. I know I was acting strange, but I think I was just messed up.”
“No problem,” Nyx said, a warm feeling growing in her chest knowing that Kat was on their side.
~You could leave with her, you know,~ the Whisperer suggested in her mind.
~I could, but I won’t,~ Nyx answered the daemon, wondering if he’d heard any of what they’d just talked about.
~Then do it. Go on. He’s asleep; he’ll never know. You could run for it now and ride the wastes with Kat.~
~Go away,~ Nyx answered him and closed her eyes, concentrating on pushing the presence of the Whisperer away and out of her mind.
“Are you alright?” Kat asked. “You looked like you were in pain there for a moment.”
An apt analogy, Nyx thought. “No, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” she answered.
; Beside her, Nero began to stir and wake up.
***
“So, your contact’s name is Bishop?” Nyx asked from where she sat in the front seat of the Charger. They’d left the southern tunnel camp and were heading south, racing across the hard-packed arid desert earth. Directly ahead, and across the entire southern horizon, the peaks of distant mountains began to rise into view as they followed the faint impression of a road off into the distance.
“That’s right,” Diesel explained. “I always meet him at the Crossroad’s camp. He’ll have a crew with him there. They’re a rough bunch. They take the rig off me and give me an empty one in return, which I take back to the Daemon Rig.”
“Not anymore,” Kat commented from where she sat beside their captive. His wrists were tied, and so were his feet. He wasn’t going anywhere without their say so.
Diesel looked solemn at Kat’s comment for a moment, before he looked up. “So, how are you gonna do this? You’ll be slaughtered if you walk in there,” Diesel warned them.
“I have an idea,” Nero said.
“We’re nothing if not resourceful,” Nyx added as the Charger continued through the wastes. Diesel warned them as they drew closer to the Crossroad’s Outpost, so before they could see it, Nero veered off to the left, into the foothills of the mountains as the road bore to the right. The going out here was slower, but Nyx was soon catching glimpses of the fortification off to their right in the distance. Nero drove the Charger skilfully, making their way up steep slopes and keeping to the opposite side of the hills so those in the Crossroad’s camp wouldn’t spot them.
It took them nearly two hours of driving over bumpy, rock-strewn ground to get to a suitable vantage point that was close to the camp itself.
Eventually, Nero parked the car a good distance from a ledge he’d spotted and had been heading for. Nyx climbed out with everyone else as Nero urged them to be careful and to keep down as they approached the ridge. As they neared the edge, Nyx copied Nero and dropped to her front, covering the last few meters in a crawl.
Nyx scrambled along the ground and soon reached the lip of the ledge, where she was able to look down and get a clear view of the Crossroad’s camp. There was a main central building and a few slightly smaller outbuildings surrounded by a fortified wall made from scrap metal and rusted vehicles. The diameter of the wall was huge, and with only a few smallish buildings in there, there was lots of room for cars, trucks, and a few rigs.
Wasteland Road Knights Trilogy Page 44
