Tales of the Wastelander Ch. 05

"Mellany, why are you crying?" Lawrie asked, walking up to comfort his sister.

"They... they got him!" she said, pointing at Ylva and Ben. Lawrie's gaze snapped over to them and the couple stood there, confused. The mutant man's eyes widened before he started laughing joyously. Tears streamed down his face as he laughed and he fell to his knees, pure bliss written across his face.

"Lawrie? What is it?" Tasya called out meekly. Lawrie pointed and Tasya looked, her face soon taking the same expression that his did. She laughed, and cried tears of happiness as she embraced him, hugging him close.

Ben and Ylva watched the display for several minutes, utterly stumped at what had them crying, but letting them do their thing. They wept and laughed for several minutes more, before the three of them collected themselves and stood back up. Tasya went with Mellany while Lawrie ambled up to the couple.

"Ummm... mind if I ask what that was all about?" Ben wondered.

"The man you took this from, he was a big one?" Lawrie asked.

"Yeah. Bigger than any of us here, and a sturdy son of a bitch to boot! Nearly split Ylva's head open, and it took me a while to bring the bastard down," Ben replied.

"Did he have a scar going from the top of his head down to his jaw?" Lawrie asked, indicating the left side of his face.

"Yes. He did. You knew him?" Ylva queried, her eyes narrowing.

"Unfortunately, yes. His name was Unktar, the Bloodthirster. He's ruined many lives over the years, including mine and Mel's," Lawrie explained.

"And you were asking about him because..." Ben asked.

"That axe you're holding, Ylva. It belonged to him. I'd recognize that foul weapon anywhere," the big man said with a growl.

"Sounds like you had a history with that bastard. I wouldn't fuss too much about how he died. Ylva made sure the fucker suffered," Ben commented idly.

"Really? What did you do to him?" Lawrie asked, curious about the matter.

"Well, it was Ben who hurt him bad before I could do anything. Broke his face, cut his knees and shoulders, so he couldn't move," Ylva replied while ruffling Ben's hair.

"You did that? But you're so... small!" Lawrie said in disbelief.

"Just because someone is small, doesn't mean they can't hurt you. The bastard learned that lesson the hard way," Ben said with a smirk.

"How? How could you have hurt someone so big?"

Ben scoffed before he launched into a complex kata, landing a successive flurry of mock blows on Lawrie before he had time to react. It amazed him at how fast Ben moved, barely able to track each blow as it sailed at him! It lasted all of several moments, but in that time, Lawrie had felt at least two dozen mock blows hit him before Ben stopped.

"OK. I... see. You could hit him as you had me? Putting full force behind each blow?" Lawrie asked.

"Yeah. Even though this Unktar was strong and built like a tank, his one glaring weakness was that he was slow. He couldn't move fast enough to stop my attacks, much less intercept them. But if you're looking for someone to thank for killing him, thank Ylva. She was the one who castrated the fucker before she slit his throat," Ben told him.

"Cas... trate?" Lawrie asked, unfamiliar with the word.

"It means she cut off his balls," Ben clarified. Shock flitted across Lawrie's face, then a vindictive smile found its way on his face.

"You made him suffer?" Lawrie wondered.

"For... hurting me," Ylva growled, her grip on the axe haft tightening.

"Good. He deserved the pain you gave him and worse," Lawrie stated.

"What did he do to you?" Ben asked. The moment the question left his mouth, he wished he could take it back. He almost did when Lawrie answered him.

"We used to have two older brothers, Mel and I," Lawrie started. "We lived with our parents on a homestead, many miles from here. We didn't have much, but it was ours and we were happy. Until Unktar showed up one day."

"Lawrie, you don't have to..." Ben started.

"You asked, so you will know. Unktar and his gang of slavers came to our homestead, demanding food, supplies and whatever women we had. Our father and brothers refused and told them to get off our land. Unktar drew his axe and cut them down, like they were nothing. Like insects under his boots."

"Mellany and I were told to get into the root cellar and hide there, while our mother prepared to fight them. We heard a scuffle and slapping, along with our mother screaming and then... moaning," Lawrie sniffled. "While they were occupied, Mel and I snuck out and got away. When we tried to go back, we saw that our home was on fire and our crops were taken or destroyed."

"We watched at a distance as they took our mother and walked away, laughing like they had a grand time. On that day, we swore vengeance on Unktar and his gang and we would have it. Since then, Mel and I have done everything we could to survive and get by. A lot of it was... unpleasant," Lawrie shuddered.

"We eventually learned that Unktar was a wanted man and there was a considerable bounty on his head. Many had gone after him, but every one of them turned up dead, killed by Unktar or his goons," Lawrie explained.

"They probably relied mostly on their size and strength to take down anyone who went after them. That bastard had a lot of power and his goons could throw a punch, but they weren't overly smart," Ben commented.

"But that is something that no one really knew about. Because of their reputation of being bloodthirsty monsters, with how brutal and ruthless they were known for being, no one dared go after them. You used your... fists to defeat him?" Lawrie asked.

"My fists and feet. Shotokan Karate is a brutal fighting style that emphasizes full contact sparring when practicing. No half assed mock combat, even during practice, as it would do little to prepare you for how brutal a fight could be," Ben replied.

"So, it was easy?" Lawrie asked.

"Easy enough, once I could telegraph his moves and what he'd do. I could see that he relied primarily on his strength to beat his opponents down. Once I took away his ability to hit me, hitting and hurting the man was easy. His lack of intelligence and inventiveness, coupled with my knowledge and practice of Shotokan, is what allowed me to beat him down," Ben stated.

"Still, to defeat and kill such a monster, is no small feat!" Lawrie breathed.

"Well, it wasn't me who ended him. It was Ylva, who used his own axe to do it!" Ben said, giving credit where credit was due.

"Because you two are the ones who killed him, you can claim the bounty that was on his head! Plus, you have proof of his death!" Lawrie said, indicating the axe that Ylva held.

"Bounty?" Ylva wondered, her eyes lighting up. "How big is the bounty?"

"One of the biggest I've ever heard of. Ten thousand gold hects," Lawrie replied. Ylva whistled, and her face betrayed the shock and awe she felt.

"Ten thousand gold hects?" Ben asked.

"Currency. We trade in brass, silver and gold coins, which we call hects. Brass is the most common, with twelve brass hects making one silver hect and twelve silver hects making one gold hect," Lawrie explained.

"So, ten thousand gold hects is a lot?" Ben questioned.

"Those carts I have, cost me three thousand silver hects, for both! Which would be two-hundred and fifty gold hects!" he said, giving Ben some idea at how much things cost.

"This bow would be how much?" he asked, showing it to Lawrie.

"May I see it?" Lawrie asked. Ben hesitated a moment, before handing it to the man, who looked it over and tested it in several ways, before handing it back to him.

"That bow would easily be worth as much as the house cart I bought!" Lawrie breathed.

"Ai! I better keep this thing close then!" Ben chuckled.

"That's probably wise. Out here, many people wouldn't be above stealing such a fine weapon. Such quality in weapons like that is rare and usually is only found with weapons from the Before," Lawrie stated. "But worry not, I would not be so stupid as to steal from someone so fierce. You also saved my life and the lives of my wife and sister. That would just be bad manners."

"Good to know! So, ten thousand gold hects for that bastard's head?" Ben asked, thinking about what he'd get with so much money.

"That was the bounty last time I checked," Lawrie reiterated. "But the peace of mind you have given me, and my family is worth more than the bounty."

"On that, I agree!" Mellany said as she rushed up and scooped Ben into a bone crunching hug. The big woman was brief with her hug, before she put Ben down and hugged Ylva, thanking them both for taking down the monster.

"You OK, Ben?" Ylva chuckled.

"Yeah. Just not used to being on the receiving end of a bone crunching hug," he groaned, while cracking his joints.

"We should celebrate this! I only wish I had some rabbit meat or something as fine, to make us all a proper meal," Mellany lamented. Ben glanced at Ylva, who stood there for a moment, before nodding.

"It turns out there is some rabbit meat handy. A couple hours ago, I brought one down and gutted the beast. We have it here in the cart," Ylva offered.

"You do?!?"

"Yes, and we're willing to share it" Ylva said as she walked over to the cart and fished the rabbit's carcass out of it. Hoisting it in both arms, she walked over to Mellany. The woman was goggle eyed at the size of the beast, as they rarely got so big.

"Will this do?" Ylva asked, showing the corpse off to her. Mellany inspected the animal, checking for any issues with it, but was all smiles.

"Yes, this will do perfectly!" Mellany replied, clapping her hands in delight.

"I do want something in return for sharing it, though," Ylva told the woman.

"Oh? What might that be?" Mellany wondered hesitantly.

"Teach me how to cook and to prepare things to cook them right. My own skills with that are... lacking," Ylva admitted.

"Oh, of course I'll teach you how to cook! Bring the beast and we'll start with some basic lessons!" Mellany replied jovially.

Ben went back to helping Lawrie with draining the Clacker blood from their corpses. Once he was done, he decapitated the creatures, taking their heads back to the cart and hanging them on hooks to dry them out. This was a strange new land that Ben had woken up in, but at least now, he had some idea of how things worked here. He knew he'd probably see a lot more strange things before it was all over, but he at least was now prepared for what was to come.

******************************

Samara was sweating by the time she finished with her workout. Though this place was a cryo facility, it also doubled as an underground bunker. It was well equipped with everything that was needed to survive a nuclear apocalypse. Hydroponics, living area, games room, which was filled with board games of all kinds, a weight room, the list was endless.

She had just finished back day and was riding a high from the exertion. It was one of the many things she did to keep her mind off Ben and her and Chelsea's impending escape. She did still dwell on the man she loved and often thought about him; where he was now, what he was doing and if he was well.

Samara kept these moments for when she was alone in her bed, where no one was watching her. Chelsea had been right, there were many people who were keeping their eyes on her, she could feel it. So, she had to make it appear as though she was getting past Ben and adapting to her new life here in the facility. Playing up her role as best as she could, Samara was certain that she was keeping any suspicions at bay.

She was just cleaning off the machines when a group of guys walked in. They were loud, a little obnoxious, and weren't shy about getting an eyeful of the women in the gym, especially Samara. A couple of them picked her out immediately and started advancing on her. She growled inwardly, but finished wiping down the machine, before walking right past them, heading for the women's change room.

"Hey girlie, where you goin'?" one of them asked, trying to sound sweet, but coming across as a dickhead.

"I'm sweaty, icky, and gross. I need a shower," she replied without turning her head.

"Aw come on, you don't stink to me," the guy chuckled as he followed her.

"I stink to me, so I'm getting a shower," she told him with disdain, before she reached the entryway to the women's change room. She then felt a grip of steel encircle her arm, keeping her from moving forward.

"You're staying here," the man said, his tone rough and unbending.

"The lady wants a shower, so let her go get one," an authoritative voice called out.

The man's head snapped towards the sound of the voice and sure enough, there was Jeremy. He stood there in his workout gear and Samara had to admit, he looked good in the outfit. He kept himself in good shape, and if it weren't for Chelsea's warning, she might have warmed up to the man.

She then felt the ironclad grip on her arm fall away and she was free to move. Samara saw the guy who grabbed her, and though he wasn't that bad looking, his attitude needed a serious readjusting. It was the look on his face that caught her off guard the most; deference mixed with fear. He quickly backed away and rejoined his friend at the bench press, avoiding Jeremy's gaze.

"Thank you," Samara told Jeremey with a grateful smile.

"No problem. Some of these guys need a lesson or two in manners, it seems," he told her with a grin.

Samara nodded and walked in the change room, happy that he intervened. She went to the locker where she had stored her towel and headed to the communal showers. Though it didn't afford total privacy, it was still something. She could at least clean herself up and feel like a human being again. As she walked into the large room, there were only a couple women there, but one of them was Chelsea.

"Chels! What are you doing here?" Samara asked her friend. The woman yelped for a moment, before realizing the woman speaking to her was Samara.

"Jesus Christ, Sambo! Don't you fucking scare me like that!" Chelsea groused.

"Oh shit! I'm sorry! I forgot that you like to Zen out in the middle of a shower!" Samara said by way of apology.

"Yeah, but anyway, how are you doing? You OK?" her friend asked.

"Getting there, day by day," Samara replied, playing up the role some more.

"Good. I also have some news for you. You have been assigned to help in hydroponics, so head there once you're all showered up here, OK?" Chelsea told her.

"All right. I hope my green thumb helps," Samara smirked, as she was always a miracle worker with plants. Her apartment back in the past was always festooned with multiple plants that she kept alive and thriving. Chelsea giggled at the remembrance of this fact and gave her friend a playful slap.

"It's why I suggested that's where you be placed for facility duties. You have a way with plants. Anyway, I'm done with Zenning out, so I should get going," her friend told her, before giving her a slippery hug. Chelsea took the moment to whisper something in Samara's ear, which she heard loud and clear.

"In Hydroponics, wait for a redhead named Erica to say our codewords."

Chelsea then backed away and waved goodbye as she headed off to get changed. Samara knew her friend had taken a risk in telling this, but she knew that if she didn't act on it, they would be stuck here. She took her time, enjoying the hot needle spray of the water before washing herself up. Samara then finished her shower and left to get dressed, heading off to her new duties.

She left the change room and headed down the hallways, following the signs to Hydroponics. It didn't take her long to get there, as everything the facility was designed to be in proximity to one another. She walked into a large and cavernous room that was loaded with plants of all shapes and sizes. Each one was in some point of its fruit bearing phase, though few of them were ripe at this point.

A small group of people were just leaving as Samara arrived, the lot of them chattering like old friends. They probably were, with how they appeared to be, but Samara knew it was likely a show. She glanced around and saw that the room was well lit with multiple light sources everywhere. It wasn't sunlight, but specialized bulbs that mimicked the effect of sunlight.

Familiar with how Hydroponics worked, having had a few DIY setups in her old apartment, Samara got to work. She checked the water levels of each group of plants she checked on. She also took the time to check the alkaline content of the water, ensuring that it wasn't too high. Samara lost herself in the work, as caring for plants was soothing for the woman. She was so engrossed with her work, that she almost didn't notice the woman who had sidled up next to her.

"Pineapple."

Hearing the word, Samara used her peripheral vision to get a good look at the woman. She was beautiful in the way that classical paintings from the early era of the Renaissance were. She had pale, alabaster skin, blue eyes and super red hair. Seeing this made Samara believe she was Chelsea's contact, but had to be sure.

"Pizza," Samara replied, hoping the woman knew the next four words.

"With ham and bacon," the woman replied, finishing the code phrase.

"You must be the woman Chelsea knows," Samara replied.

"My name is Erica, and it's safe to talk here," she told Samara.

"Are you sure? Chelsea warned me about a lot of shit that's been going on around here," Samara replied.

"The people here in Hydroponics are my people. We are free to speak plainly here, and there are no microphones here. If there was any feedback from microphones, they could irreparably damage the plants and their ability to grow food," Erica explained.

"What about the cameras?" Samara asked.

"Chelsea knew she wouldn't get much time to say anything to you about it. But she told me to tell you that, 'I've got it covered.'" Erica explained. Samara snickered at this, knowing that Chelsea would likely be... entertaining... the camera guy.

"So, I heard that like Chelsea, you want to get out of here."

******************************

Chelsea deftly made her way to control room of the facility, knowing full well that Jeremy would not be there. She knew Ron would be, and that was exactly what she wanted. The woman knew that he had a thing for her, which she used to her and Samara's advantage. Though she wasn't a fan of doing so, it had to be done if they were to be free of this place. Sure, it had saved their lives, but it was also their prison and Chelsea would not be caged, not anymore.

Chelsea had been careful in making her way there, avoiding the patrols that kept people out. Once she had slipped past them, she arrived at the control room and carefully knocked on the door. She heard a shuffling sound and the door quickly opened, a male hand taking her by the shirt and dragging her in.

"Are you crazy?!? What the fuck are you doing here during the day? I told you it wasn't safe!" Ron scolded her.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Jeremy seems to be distracted today and right now, he's in the gym," Chelsea told him. Ron scoffed at this notion, but checked his camera feeds anyway and saw that she was right! Jeremy was busy working out his legs, which would take him the better part of two hours to complete.

"Any idea how long he's been in there?" Ron asked cautiously.

"Maybe fifteen minutes? If he's going to be in there for at least an hour, we have enough time," she told him, sliding her hands onto Ron's back and neck as she approached him from behind.

"Oooh! You do that and I'm likely to ravage your ass right here and now!" he told her.

"That's what I want! I have an itch that needs to be scratched and you and your thick dick can help scratch it," she purred into his ear. Ron then spun around, taking her in his arms, kissing the woman fervently.