My Wasteland Angel Bk. 01

Gabriela then slowly shifts her pointing hand across to a collapsed and crumpled truck trailer sitting at the side of the road, not even twenty yards from the remains. A hole about three foot in diameter torn out from the corner of it is where she was pointing. Squinting I look closer. I now notice huge rat droppings here and there along with smaller pellets as well. This was the home of the giant gore rat.

My eyes scan across. The whole gave the rat a perfect sight line and beeline on the area I needed to get to. I was happy to realize the wind was with us, we were down wind so it couldn't smell us. We had approached quietly. I was confident we had the element of surprise.

I start to formulate a plan. The smaller rats could be a problem in groups but I wasn't too concerned about them, it was all about the big one. I knew what I wanted to do...but I hesitate. I didn't want to put Gabby in harm's way. And yet...Gah! She made everything so much more difficult!

I look at her as she looks at me. She is waiting, ready to follow my lead. Trusting that I knew what to do. That trust weighed on me yet somehow also bolstered me.

I did know what to do. Looking at my mousy little companion I remember how she had healed that brutal wound on her shoulder without even a scar left behind. She looked fragile but she really wasn't. I realize that if we were going to survive I couldn't second guess myself like this. She had to be my partner, not my dependent.

In my concern for her, without realizing it, I had reached out stroked her head. My face must have given away my worries because she smiles up at me and silently mouths the words. "I'm okay."

I smile back and nod. Pointing at her I indicate that I want her to move out toward the area she'd been attacked the day before. I point at myself and make a finger walk motion to show I was going to approach the trailer. I point back at her and give her the stop motion. Through my non-verbal communication I get across to her that she is to wait until I give the signal. She gives me a thumbs up. I could tell she was nervous, but I trusted that she'd play her role.

Going extra slow I creep up on the opening to the giant gore rat's nest. My senses on full alert. The dark asphalt was warm on my bare soles. I could smell the oily fur and scat of the nest. I hear the skittering of small feet tap, tap, tap across metal inside the trailer. The smaller rats were moving about. I fervently hoped I could get in position before getting into place. I hear the shifting of a much larger creature, then a scuffling movement. Shit. I hurry stealthily the last few steps and come up right beside the hole, my spear held high and at the ready. Knowing time was short before I'd be sensed I immediately give Gabby the signal.

She nods, takes a big deep breath, and walks boldly out toward where she'd dropped her stuff the day before. Her knife was at the ready but I hoped she wouldn't have to use it. She begins humming a bit and rustling some of the crinkly cellophane wrap with her foot. Perfect! In an instant I hear hurried movement inside the trailer, a number of the smaller rats stream out of the opening first but my focus is on the sounds of the larger one as it rushes along the other side of the trailer's thin wall.

Anticlimactically it is over in an instant. The huge hunched shoulders of the gray-brown gore rat had barely exited the hole when my spear came down right through the brain of the thing with a crunchy splat. It's filthy yellow rimmed crimson eyes bulge as its body bucks and quivers in its death throes. It's bulbous slick furred midsection fills the hole as it had only gotten half way through before its end. I keep the spear firmly embedded until the thrashing stops. I then retract it with a sickening squelch.

The smaller rats were going mad, nipping at my bare feet, before the smell of their larger brethren's blood and brains hits the air. At that moment the smaller rodents turn en masse and proceed to swarm and begin to devour their giant former nestmate. I back away with my spear ready to squish any of the creatures that approached, but they were far too busy now to bother with something that could put up a fight. Finding a bit rotted cardboard I wipe the gore from my spear as best I could then return to my companion.

She was smiling from ear to ear. "Wow! You did that so easy!" She marvels.

I shrug. "Just rat."

She shakes her head. "Just rat?" She scoffs. "Just rat almost ate me yesterday. I can see having you around will be very handy." We share a brief laugh. She plants her fists on her hips and looks down at her haul from yesterday. "Well, we've got supper now. Thank goodness those things only eat meat."

As she gathers up the goods I walk over to the remains and give them a good look over what was there.

Fucking jackpot!

Lying there at the back, against the slope of the hill, was a 9mm H&K MP5 submachine gun. An extra clip lay among the shredded clothing the raider had worn. There was also a 9mm Glock, a sturdy combat knife, and of course the boots. There was some bite marks around the upper edges but the tough leather had held up. I suspect the smaller rats simply crawled inside and pulled the feet out bit by bit. I shake them out and a few bloody bones hit the ground. I'd give them a quick wash before I wore them. I tie the laces together and hang them around my neck.

I give the weapons a quick but thorough once over. Mostly full clips and in good working order. The overhang of cement had even shielded them from the direct rain of the storm. There was some red tape wrapped round the butt and the clip of the submachine gun but these seemed to be more for aesthetics than actual repair. I could actually feel a small bit of tension that I'd been carrying and hadn't noticed until now slowly release as I feel the weight of the MP5 in my hands. This changed everything. I would have preferred a longer ranged and more powerful weapon, an assault rifle ideally, but this would do just fine. I tuck the sheathed knife into the waist of my shorts.

Walking over to Gabriela I hold out the Glock, offering it to her. She nods, without a word she takes it by the grip and looks it over. She makes sure the safety is on and pockets it. She handles it comfortably. I was fairly certain her battle experience was limited but she knew her way around a pistol. I had heard everyone in the colonies received some weapons training. It was a whole lot different out here than on a firing range, but it was good she knew how to use it.

She picks up the repackaged bundle and says in a chipper tone. "Not even noon and look at us! Food, weapons, and I'll get some more water once we get back. We're sitting pretty, at least for a little."

I grimace and try to force a smile. As I began to relax, as my mind accepts that it was mission accomplished, I feel my injuries reassert themselves. I feel as my body begins to succumb once more. I'd pushed myself hard, I had to get back and rest.

"Let's go." I grunt. I pick up my cane once more and hold the gun in my other hand.

She turns to me and gives me a smile that illuminates my tired soul. "Let's go home." She says. Her bundle held close to her in both arms Gabby once more leads the way as we retrace our steps back.

Part 17:

Being armed meant we didn't have to be quite so quiet on the way back. As we walk we chat in low voices. There was jovial, almost celebratory, feeling between us. Despite my flagging endurance there was a lightness to my heart. We had food, we had protection, we had shelter, and we had agreeable company. Truly a fine situation for a couple of...scroungers.

Ugh, that still didn't sit right with me. A scrounger. A skittering shit bug eating the refuse of the world. It was a label that felt beneath me. I was accustomed to being one of the apex predators of the Wastes, being a part of a wolf pack roaming and doing as we pleased. I had taken pride in it, even though I now realized it was nothing to be proud of. I wasn't a raider any longer though. As I watch Gabby clutch her hard earned bundle of scavenge to her body I realize I wasn't even a scrounger. I was a scrounger's patient and bodyguard.

She looks over to see me watching her and gives me a smile. Eh, maybe this wasn't so bad. "What's up?" She asks.

I just shrug my shoulders.

"Voice hurts, huh?"

I nod. Did it ever. My ankle too was now roaring with pain. I couldn't wait to get home again.

"Need to rest?" She asks, her face full of worry as she see's me starting to struggle.

I shake my head no.

She slows her pace. "Um...actually, I do. I'm feeling so tired. Can we stop for bit?" Without waiting for an answer she sets her bundle down on the edge of the partially exposed concrete foundation of some small building that had long since been decimated. It hadn't been a house, it was too little. She sits on the ledge created by the revealed foundation.

She was tired? She was so obviously lying that it was almost insulting. But she was doing it to save my pride. So that I might rest without having to admit my weakness. She had noticed me struggling to keep up. It was one of those well meaning little white lies I would expect a woman to say to a man. Is that how she saw me? As a man? I wasn't upset, though I wasn't exactly pleased at the deception either.

I call her out bluntly. "Liar." I grunt even as I sit down beside her. Ohhhh it felt good to get the weight off of my ankle and to let my body rest. Before she can take offense I then add. "Thanks."

I see her shoulders relax as she realized she wouldn't have to continue to try to deceive me to assuage my ego. She sidles up beside me and we sat hip to hip. I knew now that she always sat so close for insecurity reasons, but I fucking loved it. I loved having her so close to me. She plants her far hand on the edge of the ledge and swings her feet forward and back in a child like way. The back of her shoes going clap, clap as they bounce lightly off the side of the foundation. Her good spirit was expressing itself in her every motion. We sit and look out over the forest and a collapsed house that was just across the road from us.

She starts up her chatter, much to my approval. "You're big and strong." She starts. "When you're feeling better I think we'll check that house out. You can move some stuff that I can't." She points to a particular section. "The kitchen was there. If we can get into the pantry there might be some canned goods." And so she goes.

I listen to her talk as my eyes scan for any signs of danger. When I was sure all seemed safe I set down my gun at my side and slide an arm around my chatty companion. She doesn't miss a beat, seemingly completely comfortable by the gesture. If anything she shifts closer to me.

I had been listening to her but something particularly catches my ear as she goes. "At my wedding we had canned peaches and pears. They were so sweet!" She had this same excited tone when she had told me about the crawfish, Gabby sure loved good food. "You wouldn't believe it Willow. And the juice! Mmmm! They didn't even a hint of bitterness like the fresh fruit we find..."

I speak up before she rambles on into a new subject. "Wedding? Husband?" I rasp. She had mentioned before that she was married, or had been, and needless to say I was curious.

She looks up at me with a sudden vulnerability. She is quiet for a time. "Um...yeah. Um...ex-husband. When you are banished the marriage becomes null and void by law. And...when...when you're labeled as a...not pure..." She couldn't even bring herself to say the word mutant in this context. "...it is also becomes illegitimate...by the church. God can't bless a non-human union." She takes a long deep breath. "They made such a mistake, I wish they had seen that. I don't understand how they couldn't see what a mistake they made. God would never..." She trails off.

"Husband...come with...Gabby?" I ask.

She is staring down, her feet no longer swinging happily, she was now still. There is another long quiet moment, just the natural sounds of wind through branch filling the silence. I am about to move the obviously difficult conversation on when she finally says. "No, he didn't come with me Willow. No, he was the one who...reported me."

I rest my hand on her slender shoulder and pull her into my side. Holding her as she opened up.

"Um...when I heal um...at night, you see, um, even my uh...hymen heals. It's like the first time every time." Her voice was barely more than a whisper. "I...I didn't realize that when we married. I'd never been with anyone. He soon realized I wasn't normal." She lets out a shuddering breath. "I begged him not to tell. And he didn't, for a while. But...um..." She clears her throat, holding back the tears. "God, not again. I'm sorry Willow. I don't usually cry so much." She sniffles. "You must think me so weak."

I hold her tight and kiss her head. I whisper. "Gabby...strong." I meant those words from the bottom of my heart.

She rests her head on my breast. "So...we tried to have a baby, but... I guess I'm infertile or something." I feel her whole body tremble. She says in a hushed tearful voice. "I want a baby so bad Willow. I prayed...I prayed so hard." She clenches her fists and her tense body shakes. "I prayed with everything I had Willow. I went to church every single day. I prayed...Padre Diaz prayed...my mother prayed." I feel as she was willfully controlling her breathing, stopping herself from completely breaking down again. She clears her throat again. "Um...so anyways. Once I couldn't give him a baby. Um, I think...he just didn't want me anymore." She then says in a tiny soft voice. "I can't blame him."

I bring my good arm around and fully embrace her, holding her close.

"My parents asked him not to, offered him everything they had, but he reported me anyways. I tried to explain how it was all a mistake. How it was God's blessing." She goes quiet before she says. "Padre Diaz said God doesn't work that way. That miracles don't happen like that. That...that it was Satan's work...that I was... Whoo. Um, anyways, I thought he of all people would be there for me. That he would understand how I just couldn't be a mutant. I was so faithful. But Padre didn't seem to understand. It was like he couldn't even...see me anymore."

Betrayed by her husband and betrayed by her priest. Bad enough to be banished, but what a way to go.

"Parents?" I ask gently.

"They're still there. We cried. I tried to hug them but I wasn't allowed. They begged the council to allow me to stay. They pulled in every favor they had, nothing mattered. Justice is...swift in the colonies. They watched from the wall as I left. My last memory of my Mom was her begging the sniper not to shoot me." I had heard that once banished by a colony a person had to walk, without pause, until completely out of sight or be shot. "The last memory of my Dad was him weeping as he watched me go. I miss them." She whispers. She straightens up and wipes her eyes. "They gave me a bunch of stuff before I left. I had it all stolen within the first day."

She pats her bundle of goodies and shakes the bad feelings from her like a wet dog drying itself. "Okay, I'm done! I'm done! This is a good day! I'm done crying damn it! Gah!"

We share a soft laugh then a friendly hug. I nod my agreement. "Let's...go home." The short rest had done me a world of good and I was ready for the last stretch.

Gabriela, legs swinging once more, agrees. "I have some unlabeled cans. Who knows. Maybe one of them is peaches!"

Gabby grabs her stuff and hops down, eager to move on. I gingerly get to my feet, leaning heavily on my cane. After picking up my gun we are soon off toward home again.

Part 18:

By the time the pair of us were heading up the narrow winding path to our shelter our spirits were flying high. I take lead to enter into the clearing and look around. All was clear.

By now the heat of the day was cresting. Thankfully it wasn't as intense as yesterday, but still plenty hot. If I'd been at a hundred percent it wouldn't have bothered me. But now, after pushing myself through the morning, the heat was draining on my weary body. Leaning heavily on my cane I make my way into the shelter and collapse down to sit in the bed area. I found myself wishing for a proper bedroll. If we were going to be here a while a few creature comforts would not be unwelcome.

Gabby had followed right behind me. She sets down her bundle and begins to unwrap it. "You rest Willow. Just focus on healing. We'll pray later for your recovery, though you're already doing so good! I'll get us some water then change those bandages." She opens her bundle and starts setting her scavenged old world food along the side of the shelter in a neat line. Organizing the different types as she did. She had found enough food to keep us going for at least three or four days. Also in the bundle was a half burned sketch pad, a wooden pencil with the eraser broken off, another novel, this one was in really rough shape, a pair of gardening gloves, and a ratty porno magazine.

I chuckle as I see this last item. I could make out on the water damaged cover a buxom, her finger pressed her seemingly over inflated lips and her wide eyed expression had a "I'm so naughty" look to it.

I point at it. "Gabby like?"

She looks down then rolls her eyes. "You wish. No, I, um, I got that for you. When you, uh, need to take care of business. You seem to be interested in girls."

"Interested...in...Gabby." I croak.

She turns her head away from me, returning to organizing the food. But in that second before she turned I could see her face...a bashful smile! "He he." She giggles. "Stop that. We're both women. We can't even be married. Plus I'm a human, and you're a mutant. You are one silly Orc Willow. So silly. So silly." Her giggling continues.

We were back to this again? Before I could respond she is up. "I'll get you some water. That throat of yours sounds so bad." She grabs the plastic jug and the bottle and hurries off to whatever water supply she was drawing from. From the taste of the water, sort of dirty and plastic, I am thinking she had a rainwater collector set up somewhere close.

I watch her go then just rest against the back wall and close my eyes. I focus on my breathing and relaxing my muscles. The throb in my ankle was down to a dull pulse. I take my gun, which I had on my lap, and set it off to the side. In arm's reach just in case. I put the knife and boots off to the other side. Due to the heat I also peel off my tight tank top as well. It was only Gabby and I here, and she'd seen every inch of me at this point. A welcome warm wind wisps over my sweaty torso.

As I sit in the silence my eyes wander to the old magazine. That blonde on the cover...she looked so peculiar. Her waist too thin compared to her protruding ass. Her breasts too high, too perfectly round, too big compared to her frame. Her face, just, not right. The lips were like glossy red balloons, her eyebrows high and narrowly tapered. Her hair a bright blonde despite the fact she obviously wasn't one. To my eyes she looked like an artificial being, a rubber robot or something. The old world was weird.

I lean forward and grab the thing in my good hand. Resting it on my thigh I carefully open it up. The pages were crinkled and stiff from the water damage. Some of them stuck together so solidly I'd have to tear the fragile paper to see them. I didn't care much, I could see enough. The women on the inside of the magazine, and it was all women, didn't quite have the odd artificial look to the cover girl. Their smooth healthy bodies spoke to a safe and pampered time. The pictures were all suggestive, but always just short of actually anything happening. The women posed, sometimes bent over, sometimes legs splayed. They held their tits, fingers brushing their pussies, dildos held near their mouths but not actually in. What the hell was this shit? Quit fucking around and get to the point. Put the rubber cock in your pussy ya dumb bitch! Why dance around what the readers obviously wanted to see. I shake my head, maybe it was just the orc in me. I notice there is a short story section describing lewd scenes of various types. These were much more graphic than the hot but tame pictures. I couldn't read fast enough to really get into the flow of the scenes, having to stop too often to sound out the words. Gabby was a reader, she might enjoy these.