by K. A Knight
Fucking cannibal.
I look to the ground below us, which is at least a fifty-foot drop. We won’t survive it, so it’s time to dethrone this king. I kick and kick, but he avoids it. I scream as my hand slips farther, almost to the end of the broken railing. I hear my men trying to get to me, but they are fighting their own battles. I need to save myself. With renewed vigour, I slam my foot down and connect with his face. Time seems to freeze as his hand loses its grip and he starts to fall. I watch, hanging there as he hits the ground with a sickening crunch, blood blossoming around him.
“Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker,” I call.
Turning back, I reach up, trying to pull myself up the railing. It’s slow going, and I slip a few times before I near the cracked, crumbling edge of the balcony and grab it with my other hand. I start to pull myself up when suddenly there is a hand before me. I look up into Evan’s terrified eyes and release the railing. I swallow my nerves as I hang from one hand for a moment before, with a grunt, I swing my other aching arm up and grab his hand. He tightens his hold and then yanks me over the edge and into his arms. His hands run down my body as I pant and shake from adrenaline, his eyes flickering between mine in fear.
“Are you okay?” he rushes out.
“Awesome,” I croak out.
“Good! Find us a way out, Princess!” Archel yells, and I look over to see the cannibals jumping through the opening, right on top of my men. They are winning, but there are too many, and they are starting to become overwhelmed.
Shit.
Time to go.
I leap to my feet, as does Evan, while my mind whirls, trying to find us an exit. Spinning around, I spot a door in the corner. My heart leaps as I look back at my men and grin, grab my crossbow, and start to fire into the horde while backing up at the same time.
“Got the exit! Let’s go, boys, dinner is over!”
We rush down the stairs, firing into the throng of cannibals who are chasing us. Loading another bolt, I shoot and almost trip before righting myself and reaching the door. We smash through it and come out on the other side. Carts had been placed in front of it, which was why we probably didn’t see it before. We step out next to the elevators in the entryway.
Fuck.
I rush to the front, slinging my crossbow over my shoulder as I tug on the chains. I ignore the snarls and shouts, trying to find us a way out. It’s locked up tight, though, and without a key or a fucking chainsaw, we’re trapped.
I glance over my shoulder to see my men backing towards me. They’re still fighting, but the tide of cannibals is getting stronger. We are trapped. Licking my lips, I look around, but this is it, there’s no other way out. We’re out of time and options.
Apart from one.
Fight.
We’re strong, but there are a lot of them. We have no choice but to defeat them, however, because this is not where my men and I die. We have a puppy to get back to and lots of sex to have. Swinging my crossbow around, I start firing into the masses.
“We are trapped. Fighting it is, boys!” I call.
I hear them swear, and with renewed vigour, they begin to attack. I hear Evan hiss in pain, and then Archel is up on a barrel, fighting and swinging while laughing crazily. Jago rips through them, as feral as they are. Evan holds his own, helping Clay toss bombs and taking out as many as they can.
It still won’t be enough, so I draw my sword and rush in. Spinning and slicing, I listen to Worth’s voice in my head, and I let my movements flow. I block out everything apart from my instincts, ducking and weaving, avoiding snapping jaws, teeth, and weapons as I take out as many as I can.
The surge increases, pushing us back. We are losing, but that can’t fucking happen. We are not the damned, we are the damners. We won’t die here, we will die of old age together on the road—or maybe from too much sex, I’m good with either.
“Not today, bitches,” I snarl in one of their faces before I stab them through the heart, spinning to pull my blade free. I quickly look around as a plan comes to mind, a crazy plan. It’s totally insane, utterly batshit…and it might just work.
“Trust me!” I scream as I rush towards Clay. I grab one of his three sticks and grin at him. “Get that elevator door open.” He frowns, but without question, he fights his way to the elevators while I hold the cannibals back.
“Elevator!” I yell at the others. “Now!”
“Brawler,” Jago shouts in warning and fights to my side. I hear a whistle and glance back to see Clay has it open. Thank fuck the actual elevator is still there, though a bit dirty. He tugs Evan in, and Archel stands at the entrance, fighting off those who have noticed. I light the match and toss the explosives at the front door.
Jago groans, grabs me, and tosses me over his shoulder as he barges through the cannibals. Some rush at the bomb, others try to keep pace with us, but Jago is too fast. He throws us into the elevator, and Archel rushes in after us. Clay slams the metal doors just as the explosion rocks through the room.
We hear crashing as screams and chunks of cannibals hit the door. Panting, I sit up and look around.
Clay grins. “That was incredible, Pascha.”
Evan glares. “It was insane, Pip. What the hell?”
I shrug and get to my feet, looking them over. They have a few wounds, nothing too serious. We wait another minute before I nod, and then Jago and Clay pry open the doors and we look out. Some are still alive, hurt but alive. Some are missing limbs, and some are completely blown to smithereens. There is blood and gore everywhere.
The front doors are also blown open, and there are black scorch marks all over. Fuck, it worked. I can’t believe it.
Jago and Archel step out and start finishing off those who are still alive. I help, and within ten minutes, all of the cannibals are dead. We are left standing in the massacre, panting, exhausted, and covered in blood and parts of people we don’t think too hard about.
Evan joins me, and I look him over. “You okay?” I ask.
“Peachy,” he mutters as he gazes around and pales. “Fuck, I feel sick.”
“Really? I’m hungry,” I remark.
He turns to me, his eyes widening in disbelief. “You can’t be serious, Pip!” he hollers as the others join us.
“I am! It’s like when we used to watch those zombie films, it made me hungry.” I grin.
He gags and spins away. “Jesus, you’re a sick bitch.”
“Yup.” I lean in and kiss his cheek. “And you’re stuck with me.”
“Fucking hell, let’s get those supplies and get out of here,” Jago grumbles, and I nod.
“Stay alert, there could be more. We go together, in and out,” Archel adds.
“Let’s do it! Let’s go, Power Rangers!” I yell, and when I see their blank expressions, I sigh, realising they have probably never watched TV. “I have so much to teach you, padawan.”
Archel was right—we find some cannibals hiding. They react like animals when we spot them, attacking on sight and foaming at the mouth. We kill them easily, and together, we follow Evan’s lead. We search the wards, but there isn’t much left. However, Evan finds a stockroom and locked medicine cart we manage to get open, filling our bags.
We also hit the pharmacy. Some of it is gone and parts are trashed, but we find some gems. We could spend the next year searching the hospital, but we don’t want to be here that long, especially in case more cannibals show up. We do manage to get some equipment for Evan and supplies for the pregnant women and kids though, which is good.
We double-check as much as we can before we leave. Once back outside, I suck in a deep breath. The sun is starting to rise—it’s a new day.
“Well, fuck.” I sigh, rubbing my face. “That was fun. I wonder what the rest of our missions will be like.”
They laugh. It’s either that or break down.
Who said they needed an adventure?
Oh, right, my dumb ass. I guess almost being eaten counts, though it was not in the way I would wa
nt to be eaten. “Let’s get Beast Jr. and hit the road. I want to put some miles between us and here.”
Tired, bloody, and sweaty, we quickly move back to the apartment building. I head straight upstairs and check on Beast Jr., who is snoring away softly. I pick him up while the others pack our stuff, and then we head back to our bikes, getting out of here as fast as we can. Jago sighs and holds out his hand. “I’ll take him,” he mutters, and I grin before handing the sleeping pup over.
“Aww, you’re like beast bros now,” I tease as I climb onto my bike. He flips me off, so I blow him a kiss as I rev the engine and pull down my goggles. “Let’s get away from here and find a place to camp where we can shower and rest.”
Archel nods and takes the lead. I drive after Archel, with Evan, Clay, and Jago following behind, watching our backs as the sand sprays from our bikes. We gun it from the cannibal hospital. I’ll need to make sure to mark it for Worth so that we never go there again without a shit load of reinforcements.
We ride for a couple of hours and stop just before midday, not wanting to get heat stroke or sunburn. We find an old motorway service station and leave our bikes right outside before heading in. We don’t venture too far into the first destroyed shop. It’s almost pitch-black, the shutters are down, and the only light seeping in is from a few holes. It’s dirty as hell too, but it’s somewhere to rest for a while.
It looks like an old burger place with a counter at the back and smashed, overhead boards hanging down before a kitchen. The tables and chairs are scattered around, some broken, and the lights are smashed, so I lie down on one of the old-style booth tables. Jago places the puppy on my chest and wanders away as I close my eyes, my feet hanging off the edge as I wiggle my toes.
Knowing I need to move before I fall asleep, I sigh and sit up, empty the sand from my boots, strip off my jacket and shirt, and head to the water they hauled in. Archel helps scrub the blood and dirt off me, and Clay braids my hair, and then we all sit on the floor. Puppy runs between us as we share some food.
“If we push it, we should get back to The Ring in two days,” Archel murmurs.
“Good, I want a proper shower,” Evan mutters.
“Such a princess,” I tease, and he narrows his eyes on me, making me laugh. “But that sounds good. We’ll refuel, rest, and see where Worth wants us to go next.”
Clay grins. “I need to make more bombs.”
“Of course.” I nod as I eat.
“Why is this such a normal conversation?” Evan exclaims, exasperated. We all just blink at him, and he grumbles as he looks at Beast Jr. “They are all crazy, don’t let them fool you.”
“If we are all the same, and you are different, doesn’t that make you the crazy one?” Jago teases. Evan blinks and then swings his head to me.
“Look what you have created,” he complains.
I look Jago over and wink. “Something fine, if I do say so myself, Beast.”
“Fucking hell,” Evan mutters. “It’s always like a bad porno around here.”
“You love it,” I retort and pick up Beast Jr. as he runs by me. “Yes, he does, baby. Oh yes he does.”
“On that note, it’s time to get going.” Archel laughs and gets to his feet. “Come on, Princess and Beast Jr.”
Jago groans, and I laugh. Only a few hours ago, we could have been eaten, so fuck yeah I’m laughing. Let’s hope every day is this exciting.
Or maybe, erm…less people eating. That would be fine too.
The rest of the ride back to The Ring is uneventful, thank fuck. As soon as we arrive, I’m rushed away to Worth. Evan kisses me goodbye and leaves to check on the patients and expectant mothers, while Clay and Jago come with me. Archel seeks out Dray to tell him about the cannibals and probably bro out over it. I swear if those two didn’t meet Worth and me, they would have gotten married—probably would have killed each other in a bloody divorce, but married for sure.
She’s waiting for me in her rooms, and once I’m let in, I stand there awkwardly watching her polish her sword. Shit, why is this so hot? Don’t look, Piper, stop staring like a weirdo, I tell myself, but I can’t look away. Watching her long, slender hands rub the cloth up and down the shaft of the blade—
Fuck.
I need to think about anything else—Evan’s ass crack, Jago’s man balls. Anything! She looks up, her eyebrows arched, and of course I panic because I was staring at the way her hand gripped the sword, wondering if that’s what she did to her husbands, so I blurt the first thing that comes to mind. “Ass crack balls.”
She blinks before looking at the sword. “I see, and how was the mission?”
I slump, rubbing my head. Good one, Piper, call the queen of The Wastes an ass crack. One of these days, she is probably going to murder me, or not. I am quite funny, and I like to think I keep her entertained the way Beast Jr. does me. Speaking of, I look back through the open door to see Beast glaring down at the dog, which is jumping on his legs.
“One sec, Your Majesty,” I blurt, then turn back to him and narrow my eyes. “Pick up the fucking dog, or I swear I will never touch your dick again.”
He snarls but scoops Beast Jr. up, holding him against his chest and giving me an uncomfortable stare, even as the pup licks his chin and cheek. I wink at them. “Seeing you like this gets me all hot and bothered,” I purr.
“Piper,” Worth says on a sigh.
“Shit, yeah. Mission. Okay.” Kicking the door shut in a laughing Clay’s face, I stride across the room and take a seat opposite her, kicking my feet up onto the table. She doesn’t even look at them as she carries on rubbing her blade. Seriously, it’s like a blacksmith porno in here, no wonder she has so many men.
“It started off well. We raided a pharmacy—” An image of the cock ring flashes in my mind, and I cough and quickly carry on. “And reached the hospital in good time. We stayed the night near it to watch it, but, well, that’s where it all went to shit.”
“Explain,” she says, still stroking the sword. I am both turned on and terrified. As if at any moment, she might kill me with it, but I think I would probably thank her with it sticking from my chest, because it would be an honour to die at her hand. Okay, stop being weird Piper. Focus.
“Well, I was busy entertaining my vagina, because she is hella needy and Clay was looking good, and then I came back after the big horizontal mambo game to find Evan gone. So we tracked him to the hospital and had to break in. There was this creepy dude cutting up bodies in the morgue with Evan tied to the table like some big meat kebab.” I alternate between looking at her hands on the sword and her face. “Can you stop rubbing for one second? You are confusing my vagina. Anyway, as I was saying, we freed him and tried to get out, but those people eaters were smart. So we ended up fighting our way through the hospital—I almost fell off a balcony—and blowing ourselves up in an elevator before we killed them all. Then we found all the supplies and decided to get the fuck out of there.” I suck in a deep breath and slump back in the chair.
She frowns, watching me.
“That was a lot to unpack,” she comments, rubbing her head as she sits back in her chair, finally stopping that weirdly sexual rubbing. “Anything else?”
“Oh, I adopted a feral.” I shrug.
“Of course you did.” She laughs and then sighs. “Okay, first things first, are you all okay?”
“I mean, Evan’s pretty pissed he almost became a manwich, but yeah, we are fine. We got all the supplies as well.”
“That’s good, but I’m more concerned you are okay though. I’m sorry you had to go into that situation.” She shakes her head, smiling wanly. “Unfortunately, it’s part of being in The Wastes. You never know what you are walking into. Ferals, cannibals, people trying to steal you, sell you, kill you. It’s an occupational hazard, if you still want the job?”
“You bet I do,” I growl out. “I can handle it. I eat meat for fun, no cannibal is going to scare me off.”
We both stare at each and burst in
to laughter.
“That came out so wrong,” I mutter.
“It did. Okay, stay and rest for a few days. I have another situation that needs to be dealt with, but it can wait. Instead, why don’t you come for a walk with me in the morning?”
“With the mother lady?” I groan. “She’s fucking scary.”
“She is, but she’s also a good person. If you give her a chance, I think you’ll like her, and you’ll probably grow on her.”
“Yes! That’s me, like mould, I grow all over you.” I wince again. “Again, dirtier than I meant it to sound.”
Laughing, she jerks her head to the door. “Go on, get food and sleep. I mean it, Piper, rest.”
I stand as the door opens to reveal her husbands, all but Dray, who is currently fighting Archel in the corridor. Sighing, I look back at her. “Men.”
“Men,” she agrees, and as I turn to leave, she calls out, “Piper, I mean it. If at any time it becomes too much, let me know. Your position is important, but you are more important to me than the job, understood? Even if you decide one day it’s not for you, you will always be my right-hand woman.”
“Thank you,” I reply sincerely, and once in the hall, I narrow my eyes on Archel. “This is the way you are acting in front of your son?” I snap when I see Beast Jr. chasing after them, yipping and jumping at Dray’s legs to bite him. “You are not setting a good example.”
Archel freezes, looks at the dog, and grins. “Who’s a good boy?” he coos and picks him up as he yips, stroking his back. “Yes, you are! Don’t worry, we will make you a protection dog.”
