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Kid needed it to be a simple case. In and out as they always did, a pattern that stayed true and that would never be revealed. Pretty boy and Tank went first, like always. They stayed in the town a couple extra weeks and monitored and made reports back when they had a chance. Sometimes bringing someone new for dinner.
Normally Pretty boy was the most popular with bringing people by, boys and girls followed him easily wanting a taste of rebellion dressed in freedom’s skin. Little did they realized until it was to late, that it was simply different chains made of satin on a table to prepare them for the feast. However not to deny, Tank still brought his own type, mostly men or disfigured people that found comfort in a secret night where they were promised acceptance. They were still accepted, just for dinner and not for what they wanted.
Kid grew used to it over the years, grown from her teenage twig figure now filled with more human meat than she was willing to admit. Her frame still stood small compared to her companions often drawing in older men that possessed more fiendish freakish kinks that made Kid feel disgusting, though they repaid the debt soon after meeting her guardians. Wolf and Dolly made sure they screamed the loudest while being roasted.
Though she could appreciate the sentiment still hearing their cattle scream human words begging for humanity’s mercy, made her stomach queezy, more often than not. Which caused her to stand watch further from the warmth of the fire, focused more on keeping her tummy from turning while the spit rotated.
However this night Kid couldn’t help but wish for another, just one. They hadn’t had anyone over for dinner in so long. Kid felt her stomach squeeze, glancing at their bags of meat. Just a small piece, she tried to reason but she knew that meat was no good, days old and maggot infested. She glanced to her keepers, Dolly kept her eye on the skyline cleaning her gun in a rhythm she only did to distract herself. Wolf sat against the Jeep’s tire, shaded from the sun as he napped to pass the day away.
Kid glanced back at the bags, only two bags of rotting meat to speak of after a weak lying in wait, Kid didn’t like to feel hungry she had barely ever had to be so hungry but when it sneaked upon her it was only a reminder that she’s had a pretty filling life. So she leaned back into the sand of the wasteland and attempted to ignore the feeling just the same.
Later, after the sun finally got lost over the horizon, She sat in there makeshift campsite, leaning against a rock formation, eyes on the distant dessert scenery as she found herself dreaming of her next meal from the smell of Pretty Boy’s recent lure. A girl, younger than herself and already half undressed when the rest appeared behind her. She let her head hang back while Pretty Boy massaged her chest which provided access to Wolf to grab a fistful of her hair. She let out a startled shout, which quickly died when Kid traced her neck with her rusted knife. Pretty boy laid back letting the blood coat him as her weight dropped limp.
Once they had her skinned and roasting Dolly took Pretty Boy to get cleaned up while Wolf watched over the fire and Kid left to take watch in the mean time, knowing if she stayed to close, the smell would probably have her jumping for the fire. Kid sighed bored from the never changing scenery, stretching as she took a bite of the inside of her cheek. It was never going to be filling but the sense of having meat in her mouth was enough to satiate her hunger. She stood there for however long, continuously monitoring as blood swelled in her mouth from her nibbling the small sharp pangs of pain keeping her awake and alert.
Then suddenly without warning a hand gripped her hair and Kid stiffened, a sudden fear that a different group had found them, more sharks or just scavengers, but the sudden knife at her throat, unpracticed and nervous told her it was a kid. Kid tried to look back but again her hair was yanked causing her head to snap up.
“Where the fuck is my sister?” The voice sounded, a young male perhaps, maybe he followed Pretty Boy when he first left. Shit.
“Sister?” Kid asked doing her best to sound confused, to make herself look small. The boy obviously didn’t like that as he took the knife handle and whacked her his grip tight but his aim unfixed cause his wrist to hit her collarbone.
“Don’t fucking play dumb sweetheart, I know your boy brought my sister with him, now where the fuck is she?” He hissed in a hush tone that only held venom. Kid let her fear show, as tears started running down her face. She hated whenever she got caught, it was a reminder of her time before the group.
“I don’t know,” she choked out, pushing tears out to sell it, “I don’t know what your talking about!”
“Shut the fuck up, bitch!” He ordered as he tugged on her hair again, not falling for her performance. Kid hissed from the sharp pain, tears stopping, leaving her cheeks puffy and tear streaked. Her hand slipped into the back of her pants unnoticed and grabbed the handle hidden there.
“Fuck you!” She spat, raising her hand quickly with her own knife gripped tight. She raised it behind herself feeling it sink into the fucker’s face. A loud scream of pain was sounded as he gripped her hair tighter and started flailing his own knife around. Kid managed to keep it from her face or chest but when she tried to pull away again, he took a chance and hit her right in the side of her belly. Kid screams joined his as she whirled around ignoring the pain as hair was pulled from her scalp and stabbed him in the heart.
As he fell, she followed him down with her knife still embedded then once they hit the ground, she raised her knife again and again and again until blood covered her from her top down to her waist. She felt a pulling force ripping her from the cadaver, fear spilled from her throat as she whipped around, but stilled when she came face to face with Dolly gazing at her with her familiar empty eyes. Kid slumped back letting the tension finally leave her. Fuck.
“Fuck,” she exhaled before finally getting up, A sudden rush from the hole in her side, told her that the knife had fallen out at some point and checked to see if Dolly could tell, though she made no clear sign that she could discern his blood from hers
Dolly wiped away the hair from Kid’s eyes while spreading the blood that still sat there.
“Fuck Kid,” a familiar deep chuckle sounded, Kid stiffened slightly at the sound but stayed encased inn Dolly’s arms, to exhausted to turn around.
“Didn’t leave anything didja?” Wolf asked from his place above the guy’s head softly kicking it to the side. Kid shot a side eye to she her carnage, then noticed where her first strike landed. Right in his eye which explained his blind stabbing. Wolf gave the guy a once over before giving the dead dude a wad of spit to the temple before stepping over him.
“Holly shit,” Kid heard Pretty Boy as he entered the scene as well taking a scan of the blood shed.
“You good, Kid?” He asked when he noticed the blood covering kid’s shivering frame. He walked over, pushing passed Wolf, hesitantly checking over Kid without standing to close.
“Yeah, ‘m fine,” Kid responded with a sniff as she attempted to wipe her eye to stop the tears. Pretty Boy took her hand though to stop her from spreading the blood to her eyes.
“Fuck kid you sure know how to make a mess,” She heard Wolf snarl, when she looked over he had moved closer but was still staring at the blood shed with that same predatory grin like he couldn’t take his eyes off of the scene.
“Fuck off, Wolf,” Pretty Boy grumbled at their leaders hungry rumble, before making his way back to the side of the body.
“Shit, I know this dude, fucking prick,” Pretty Boy revealed before kicking at the dude with clear annoyance.
“Oh yeah?” Wolf asked, turning towards Pretty Boy.
“The girl I brought in, this is her brother or sum shit. Run together normally but guess he did something that pissed her off enough to try and get me in her pants. Must’ve been jealous or sum,” He laughed mockingly. Kid and Dolly stood there for a second longer until the drying blood started getting itchy.
Kid moved where Dolly moved her to eventually ending up by the Jeep. She brought out their case of drinking water, the last one they had, and a rag before heading back to the fire to turn the spit, probably already burned. Kid held back the vomit that burned her throat at the thought.
Always to weak, she hissed to herself, as she furiously scrubbed at her skin with the dry rough rag. If she had been more aware, if she was stronger, if she knew, Kid couldn’t stop her mind. Soon the rough rag on her skin turn a brown-ish red with the still semi-wet blood. It spread rather than cleaned but kid refused to rinse it, they only had so much water, and this was just a little blood. The rag continued to scratch at her skin.
She wondered if she’d be stronger now if she was raised in the wastelands like the rest of the gang. If she would be rough and vicious too. But she had been a vault kid. Raised with food a plenty and a semi-stable life. She couldn’t compare herself to the others who have fought for everything. She could feel her skin start to burn as she continued to rub, moving to her neck.
She let out a wince as her wound reminded her of her short comings. She pressed the rag to her side, feeling the fat over her bones with a suppressed shudder. She never starved. Not really. She was raised with food, without knowing how to hunt, then when she grew up she found a group of hunters that gave her food without asking much in return. She’d always been a skinny kid but never from starvation and again she felt the bile rise.
Foot steps came closer and she looked up to see the other three taking by the fire. Pretty boy was throwing sand on the flames while Wolf took down the spit and Dolly collected their gear thrown about.
Kid got up doing her best not to wince, and made her way over, arms covering her belly to hide the fresh blood.
“What’s happening?” She asked as she got closer. Wolf was tearing apart the meat on the cattle and taking bites as he packed the rest up. Kid felt disgusted as her hunger squeezed her stomach.
“Pretty Boy says that twerp, the one you took down, was smarter than he looked probably had a partner waiting for him so were moving up the plan, figure we get them now before whoever he has waiting sounds the alarm. Pretty Boy will be heading out first to warn Tank then we’ll be close behind so start packing,” Wolf yipped with a harmless grin before handing her some packed meat.
Kid accepted it, her stomach still rolling from earlier, fighting with her hunger. She made her way to her shit, Dolly already depositing anything she had laying around back in her pile. She quickly took a spare shirt and wrapped it around her belly, holding the blood soaked rag on her wound. Another pang hit her now that she was one shirt down.
She cleaned her knife, holstered her gun with its few remaining bullets then put the rest of her shit back in her bag. She swung a zip up on to her shoulders to better hide the makeshift wrap then swung her pack up, fighting a wince before making her way to the jeep. Dolly was helping Wolf place the packed meat and the other’s stuff into the bags in the trunk while the raw meat bags sat to the side, probably going to be left for buzzards or wanderers to hungry to question where it came from.
Another wave of nausea squeezed her stomach. Another reminder that she has never known true hunger. Blood feels hot against her cool skin.
She hops into the Jeep, wary of her wound but with luck she shuffles into her corner without their eyes on her and applies pressure while Dolly and Wolf finish. She barely hears Pretty Boy wave his goodbyes and felt herself slip into a warm sleep as Wolf and Dolly shift the Jeep when they enter.
----
Kid isn’t sure if its been an hour or more when they finally reach close enough that Wolf has to shake her awake, she only observes with half open eyes that the sky has darkened. The rude wake up call only helps her headache make her life a living hell while the hunger naws at her stomach. Suddenly a stream of warm blood seeps out to meet the cold, already spread throughout her shirt. As she readjust herself, the movement brings along a reminder of her weakness. The memories of the past hour don’t help the migraine as her stomach screams with long sting of pain.
She chew on a bit of her cheek, eating the chewy flesh still healing. It doesn’t do shit of course but it at least distract her enough for her to sit up, reapplying pressure to her weakness. She gazes up through bleary eyes and spots the town, small fires gathered in one space to make it illuminate even from miles away. She has a small itch in her mind making her wonder if this was how cities used to be, maybe perhaps they were even brighter.
The thought distracts her from the present until she realizes Dolly and Wolf were trying to go over a plan of action with her. Her mind swims trying to recollect the information given to her but she still feels so tired and her mind hurts to much to try so she just nods hoping to get this over with.
Eventually she glances down at her weakness and wants to cry, both from the pain and the notion that she knew she was a causality now. She knew that she should tell them, that she should do something more to stop the blood like get another shirt to put over it or ask dolly to sew her up real quick, but as soon as the thought comes to her the fog of hunger and exhaustion only reminder that telling wouldn’t help it would just make this bad situation worse because then they would be disappointed in her.
They would pity her. Just like they always did, when they were reminded how weak she truly was and how much of a burden she turned out to be. It was in how they looked at her when she complained after not eating for a whole day, when they have gone weeks not eating before. It was in the looks they gave her when she is stuck following them around on missions cause she’s to dumb to go off on her own, to inexperienced with danger to handle herself. She can see it when they comment how the chores are uneven because Kid wasn’t taught how to cook, Kid wasn’t taught how to fight, Kid couldn’t stay up after her bed time because she’s never had to keep watch before, because Kid never had to fear for her life and it’s ALL DAD’S FAULT!
Be-because he raised her in that bunker filled with everything, and then left her, he left her with nothing!
No survival skills, No people skills, barely any food left and a fuckton nothing of water. She was useless. And they knew that.
But...they still kept her. Like a puppy still learning new tricks they praised her and corrected her, provided for her and protected her, but even now...even now all she could do was nothing. Except get fat on their provisions.
Kid felt tears run down her face as her eyes felt glassy. She laid her head back and drifted knowing she would need her strength soon.
---
The air was quiet, the sand was still, the wind was soft, and the flames of the dying fires didn’t even crackle. Wolf, Dolly and Kid, entered the town through a back door entrance that Pretty Boy and Tank found and led them through. Then under the cover of night they returned to their temperary house. It was small, rundown, and possibly close to collapse, but it was private which fit their needs for now.
Kid kept herself from wheezing as they moved and ran hunched over at the back of the pack to keep the others from seeing her trail. She did her best to make sure the sand sweapt away all evidence as she kept her pace slow.
Finally, within the building she kept to the furthest corner in the shadows to keep her blood stained clothes from giving her away, leaning against a dust covered wall for support.
Wolf and Dolly explained the plan of attack to Pretty Boy and Tank, and Kid tried, she tried to listen to the plan, too know what to do but the cushion in her ears made it impossible to focus her ears on what was happening around her. Her eyes felt to heavy as well, it was taking everything in her not to collapse right now, but they needed her, they needed her here.
Despite her best efforts soon they were disbanded getting ready for the hunt, she followed suit. Getting out her gun and knife, and counting the bullets.
1,2,3,4...2,3...4,5...7...3?
Eventually she just put the thing together again and shoved it back in the holster again, her knife gripped in her hand with a deadly force.
Fuck this.
----
Some time later Kid was hustled close to Tank, on one side of the block. She was almost certain that Wolf kept with Pretty Boy and Dolly had left on her own. The normal set up for runs.
Kid continued to fight against the ground spinning, grabbing onto the back of Tank’s shirt to keep herself close and hidden behind him. She just had to get through this night. They were just down the block from the exit. She just had to stay up, her knife still in hand, was held close to her chest.
Just one person. Just for tonight.
Kid couldn’t feel her breath, she knew she was breathing. Was she moving? She was, Tank was moving.
The handle wrap felt rough in her hand, the knife was heavy.
She was leaving a trail, she could feel it. She needed to scatter the dust to hide it. But Tank kept moving.
Was she breathing?
Tank slowed down and Kid felt her grip tighten on his shit. They entered through the building and Tank gripped her hand and tossed her toward the room with a couch.
The couch, oh it was so soft, so cushion-y. Tank would be back soon, with the body, with the food. Tank would be back soon. The knife felt lighter? She patted her chest. Where was her knife?
Kid moaned as she sat up, her side killing her as she looked around. It was dark. She just needed to find her knife.
A crash sounded, bullets echoed, a loud bang sounded to close to her head at it ricocheted in her skull. Shit, where was her knife?
Loud sound of thunder sounded down the hall and Kid looked up just in time to see a form leaving through the front door. The slam it left behind echoed even louder.
Where’s Tank? Did he leave? Where’s he going? Did he leave?
“Tank?” Kid whispered, her voice sounding far and off.
She shuffled around the floor toward the door. A pain shot up her arm as she slipped on the knife on the ground.
“Fuck!” She exclaimed in pain before looking up, “Tank?” She called out.
Tank, where was Tank? Wolf? Dolly? Pretty Boy?
Where are they? Did they leave her? Did they finally get tired of her?
“Tank!” she called out, her voice breaking.
“Wolf! Dolly!”
“Come back! Tank!”
her voice felt tired, quiet. She didn’t know if she was yelling or not. The wood splintered into her cheek as she pressed against the floor.
“Ngh-ank! Ugh-ulf, Wolf!” Where were they? Why weren’t they coming?
She was alone in that house. They distant sound of fighting lit up the night just outside the door, and she was still here in the house, left behind...again.
Where was Dad? Why wasn’t he here? He said he’d be back soon.
They were running low on food. The shelves had never looked so empty to her, so bare. Barely enough food to last a month, he said. They had one shelf with cans left, they could’ve survived. They could’ve both last the month. Dad didn’t need to go he didn’t, or maybe he could have taken her with. She could have helped look for food. She could’ve helped carry the bags. She could have helped so he should have taken her with him.
But...but he couldn’t, he couldn’t. She didn’t know how to find food. She didn’t know how to make food, just how to open the cans. She didn’t know how to fight, how to scavenge, how to live anywhere outside of the bunker, she never knew. She never learned anything. She couldn’t do anything. She wasn’t anything.
Blood dripped, spilling onto the floor, painting her life in a red maroon that made her dizzy just looking at it. Maybe she just needed to close her eyes. Just for a little bit, until someone came and got her.
Where were they? Why aren’t they here? They’d be back soon.
They were running low on food, that right. They were low, they needed to go hunting. Kid just needed to stay here, wait for them. Kid just needed to stay still, someone would find her. They come back., they always come back.
Maybe she should take a nap, her eyes where tired.
She was so hungry.