“What do you want for that?” She pointed to the carburettor. The heavyset man smiled grimly.
“Sixty litres of fuel and thirty kilograms of food.” He told her. She grimaced. A high price. It would leave her with next to nothing. They really were thieves here.
“Forget it.” She told him nonchalantly. “I only wanted it for a spare.” She turned to leave, hoping her bluff would reduce the price. She found herself face to face with a tall, dark haired man leaning casually against the doorframe.
“The carburettor is a necessity, not a spare.” He told her. He was a Wastelander, but by Wastelander standards, he was well dressed and clean. He was probably forty years old and had ruggedly handsome features. She opened her mouth to retort, but he held up his hand. “Save it Red. I heard you drive through the gate. I used to be a mechanic before the war and we both know you’ll be lucky to last three more days before it fails completely.”
“Who the hell are you?” She fumed.
“Name’s Lucas.” He replied, holding out his hand. “Founder of Hope Town and Proprietor of this establishment.”
“Maxine.” She told him, grudgingly shaking his hand.
“Let’s not get off on the wrong foot here.” Lucas grinned. “How about we sit down in my office like civilised people and we can see if we can come to an agreement on a fair price.” He gestured to a door through to a room at the back. Maxine eyed the door warily before turning back to Lucas.
“Any funny business and you’ll have an arrow through your right eye.” She warned. He laughed warmly.
“Fair enough.” He opened the door and ushered her through.
Lucas sat behind a desk and reached for a jug of water, pouring both of them a glass. She took the glass from him, surprised at how clear the water was. It was even cold. She sipped it, enjoying the luxury of cold, clean water.
“Thanks.” She smiled, warming to Lucas. “Nice set up you have here.”
“Kind of you to say.” He replied, leaning back in his leather chair and swinging his booted feet up on the desk. “I know there’s better settlements out there in the wilderness, but I’m proud of it all the same. What we lack in looks we make up for in amenities. The wind turbine out there provides us with power. We also have a well, so we have fresh, clean water, which means we can irrigate our crops and have plenty of drinking water. I actually have a shower back there in my room.” He nodded to the door behind him. “Would you like to use it?” She eyed him suspiciously, but the thought of a proper shower, to be completely clean for the first time in months was quite a temptation. “No obligation.” He reassured her. “We can talk about the carburettor once you’ve finished. You can take your crossbow with you if you like.”
“That’s a very kind offer.” She smiled. “I’d like that very much.”
Maxine closed the bedroom door and locked it. A shower cubicle was built into the corner of the room. She approached it and quickly stripped off, throwing her clothes on the bed, climbed into the shower and switched it on. The pipes creaked and then a jet of water emerged from the shower head. She ducked her head under the flow of the water and let it cascade down her body. The water was clean and hot. Steam rose up around her and she laughed with glee. Alarmed, she stopped immediately, the sound seeming alien to her. She never laughed, not any more. She reached up, running her fingers through her matted greasy hair. She looked down at her feet and was disgusted by the murky water running into the plughole as months of filth were washed off her skin. She scrubbed herself with a bar of soap, washing the lather off with the spray of hot water. She closed her eyes, tilted her head up and allowed the spray to wash her face. Just for a moment, she felt like she was back years ago, enjoying a shower in her luxurious apartment. She heard the creak of a door and her reverie was halted immediately. In one fluid movement, she swung open the door, grabbed her crossbow and fired a bolt. The arrow splintered the door frame inches from Lucas’s head.
“Nice shot Red.” He smiled, holding his hands up. “Sorry to interrupt. I just wondered if you wanted me to scrub your back?”
“Get the fuck out!” She told him indignantly, but couldn’t help but smile.
“Okay, okay.” He said, taking a step backwards. “You can’t blame a guy for trying. The women here are generally toothless old hags. Nice to see a beautiful body once in a while.” His gaze dropped from her face, slowly taking in her whole naked body. She made no attempt to cover herself, finding herself strangely excited by his lecherous gaze.
“Well, you’ve had a good look. Now fuck off.”
“How about a business proposal.” He suggested, a smile spreading across his lips.
“I’m not a whore.” She told him angrily.
“No, nothing like that.” He protested. “I just want to watch you shower and that’s it.”
“The carburettor for twenty litres of fuel. No food.” Maxine told him. Lucas laughed.
“You’re a beautiful woman Red, but not that beautiful. How about just the fuel and you keep your food.” She shook her head.
“I really can’t go any cheaper.” He shrugged. She considered a moment. She did need the fuel, but if she was left with all her food and water, she could barter for some with that. She had to have that carburettor, so if she could reduce the price by appealing to Lucas’s baser instincts, she could live with it.
“Ok, sixty litres of fuel.” She told him.
“Sixty litres of fuel.” He confirmed, settling down on the bed. Maxine returned to the inside of the shower cubicle and resumed her showering, glancing at Lucas through the glass door. He watched her intently, a subtle smile on his lips as his eyes lingered on her naked form. As she began to work up a lather with the soap, rubbing it in to her body, she found she enjoyed Lucas's eyes on her. She hadn't felt sexy in a long time and she found that his attention excited her. She felt beautiful and desirable. She spent far more time than was necessary washing her breasts and thighs, her fingers teasing her nipples, which grew erect from the attention. She glanced towards Lucas, who was now slowly massaging a bulge through the front of his jeans. She smiled and turned her back to him, making a show of bending down to retrieve the soap. She began to massage the soap into her pert buttocks and smiled in satisfaction when Lucas groaned in pleasure. Still with her back to him, she parted her legs and reached between them, a delicious jolt of pleasure racing from her groin as she strummed a finger over her sensitive clit. She turned to face Lucas and found that he had pulled his cock out of his jeans and was now openly masturbating to her. She smiled to herself, her fingers working faster, aroused at the power she had over him. Her gaze dropped to Lucas's cock. It was long and thick and she had a burning desire to touch it.
"Let me have the carburettor for 30 litres of fuel and you can join me and I'll do that for you." Maxine suggested huskily. Lucas considered for a moment.
"Goddamn it Red. You drive a hard bargain." He smiled. "Okay, 30 litres." He quickly threw off his clothes and pulled open the shower door, stepping in under the spray with her. She reached for his hard cock, her right hand tightening around his shaft. He groaned in pleasure as she began to pump his cock with her hand. He leaned back against the side of the cubicle, a smile on his lips as she found a rhythm. She looked down at the slender fingers of her hand wrapped around his hard shaft, the bulbous head purple, the skin taut. She considered dropping to her knees and taking him into her mouth, but she had a greater craving for a release of her own. She took his hand and guided it between her legs. He took her lead, slipping his fingers into the hot wetness of her pussy. His fingers felt large, rough and clumsy against the velvety insides of her pussy and yet that roughness just aroused her further. She let out a moan of her own as he began to tease her clit with his thumb. He reached out with his free hand and caressed her breasts, gently teasing her nipples with his fingers. Maxine began to softly pant as his attentions began to bring her towards her climax. She gripped Lucas's cock harder, causing him to grunt. Maxine turned her back to him
and guided his cock to rest between her buttocks. She began to move up and down, his shaft sliding between her cheeks as she used them to stimulate him. Lucas grabbed her hips and pulled her back tight against him, trapping his cock between her buttocks and his abdomen. His right hand stretched further around her hips and he slipped his fingers back between her legs. His fingers, now at an easier angle for him, were no longer clumsy but precision instruments, teasing her clit and slipping inside her. Her mouth dropped open and she threw out her arms, bracing herself against the side of the shower cubicle as her whole body trembled as she came, soaking his fingers with her juices. He kissed her neck and withdrew his fingers from her sensitive pussy, grasping her hips and beginning to thrust his cock up between her arse cheeks. She could feel the tip of his cock sliding up into the small of her back.
"Fuck Red, I'm gonna come." He grunted in her ear. Maxine immediately pulled herself free of his cock and spun around, dropping to her knees in front of him. She offered her breasts to him. He smiled and let her position his cock between them. The water cascaded down her chest, leaving them glistening and shiny. She hugged his cock with her fleshy mounds, trapping his shaft between them. He began to thrust in and out, his straining cock head disappearing and reappearing between them with each thrust. She looked up at him, smiling, enjoying the blissful look on his face as he approached his own climax. She looked down at the cock emerging just below her face and swiped her tongue across the hot tip of his shaft before it disappeared out of reach momentarily. She repeatedly swiped her tongue over his tip each time he thrust upward and moments later, he let out a roar as he came. She pulled back, freeing his cock and squeezed her breasts together. He immediately took his shaft in his hand and aimed it at her cleavage just as the first rope of his creamy semen exploded from the tip. It splattered across her left breast, Lucas groaning in pleasure as a second and third round of come splattered across her cleavage and right breast. He grunted as he continued to cover her breasts in his warm seed. The shower water began to wash his come from her body as the last weaker volleys of his creamy semen dripped from his cock landing on her thighs. Lucas slumped back against the side of the shower cubicle, smiling broadly as he gently massaged his already wilting shaft.
“Well, I can sincerely say that it's been a pleasure doing business with you." He quipped. Maxine rolled her eyes, but smiled, watching as the last traces of his come washed away.
Chapter 3
Maxine walked across the dusty compound towards her Mustang, replacement carburettor in hand. If she had drawn some attention from the inhabitants on her way in, she certainly felt everyone’s eyes on her now she had showered the grime from herself. One gorilla of a man with an eye patch approached her, with a leery look in his remaining eye. She twitched the crossbow in his direction and he sank back into the crowd. She reached the car and rummaged around in the back, pulling out her toolkit. She lifted the bonnet and set to work. A small crowd gathered around to watch her. She kept the crossbow within reach at all times, ensuring they kept their distance.
“Nice wheels.” One remarked.
“Thanks.” She replied cautiously. There were many vehicles running in the wasteland, but most were held together with spit and prayers and very few could match the Mustang’s speed, so her vehicle was coveted at every settlement she found. She had been forced to kill to defend it on more than one occasion, but she knew that if she ever lost it, she would be stranded at a settlement with only her body to sell. She didn’t want to ever end up like the dead eyed wretches that formed the majority of the female population of each settlement.
“I haven’t seen one of those since before the war.” Said another in awe.
“The car or a beautiful woman?” someone quipped to a smattering of guffaws.
“How much for a ride?” Another asked. She grabbed the crossbow and swung around to face the man. His eyes widened and he threw his hands up apologetically. “To Rustville, the next settlement.” He hastily added.
“I’m not a taxi.” She told him, lowering the crossbow. “I won’t take any man anywhere.”
“What about a woman?” A quiet voice piped up. She looked for the source of the voice, finding a young, petite girl. She was probably in her early twenties, slim, long blonde hair and as caked in grime as she had been a few hours earlier, but her eyes seemed to sparkle with life, not the dull, dead eyes of most women in the wasteland. She reminded Maxine of herself during the early days when everything had gone to hell, living by her wits, foraging from house to house, sleeping in lofts, stretching out between rafters in her sleeping bag, lying there with one eye open in case one of the bands of wild men that rampaged through the streets broke in to the house she was hiding in.
“What have you got to trade?” Maxine asked her.
“Fifteen litres of fuel.” She replied. “More than enough to get us to Rustville. I’m from there, so you can have some food and water when we get there.”
“Fuel in advance.” Maxine told her. She nodded and disappeared into the crowd.
An hour later, Maxine slammed the bonnet down and tested the engine. She smiled in satisfaction at the healthy roar. There was a tap at the window and the girl had returned, brandishing a jerry can, a large rucksack on her back. She climbed out, checked the quality of the fuel and nodded, satisfied.
“Get in.” She told her. The blonde smiled and climbed in to the passenger side. Maxine poured the jerry can into the tank and got in. She gunned the engine, dispersing the crowd and moved towards the main gate. The doors were swung open and she accelerated back into the wasteland.
“What’s your name?” Maxine asked the girl after a few minutes, the rusty walls of Hope Town already shrinking in the rear view mirror.
“Rebecca.” She replied.
“Maxine.” Maxine replied. “What were you doing in Hope Town?”
“Trading.” Rebecca replied. “I trade commodities from Rustville for water and produce from Hope Town.”
“You don’t seem to be taking much back with you?” Maxine nodded towards the rucksack.
“No.” Rebecca laughed. “I just broker the agreements. I carry the contracts back and forth and take a cut for myself. Others will follow with the goods.”
“Sounds like you’ve done well for yourself.” Maxine said. “Most women your age are nothing but commodities themselves in this world.”
“You’ve done well too.” Rebecca replied. “You never see any women on their own outside the settlements. You must be very brave.”
“Or very stupid.” Maxine smiled.
“Not at all.” Rebecca replied. “It’s quite inspirational to see a woman succeed in this world.” Maxine smiled, wondering if the younger woman would have been quite so complimentary if she had seen her in the shower with Lucas the day before.
They had been on the road for nearly an hour when Maxine noticed a small shape on the horizon in her rear view mirror. She kept an eye on it over the next couple of minutes and noticed it was getting bigger.
“I don’t suppose you’re expecting an escort?” Maxine asked.
“No.” Rebecca replied, twisting around to gaze through the rear window. “I always travel alone.” Maxine pressed the accelerator right to the floor, the V8 engine roaring as the revs increased and she felt herself pushed back into the seat. She looked in the rear view mirror. Their pursuer was still closing. Maxine felt a bead of sweat run down her brow. She had never encountered anything that could keep pace with her, let alone catch her. As the pursuer closed, she could make it out. It was a bike, speeding up behind her. Soon, he filled her rear view mirror. There was a second man riding pillion. She watched as he pulled a pistol from his jacket and took aim at the back of the car. She waited until he was just behind her and braked hard, hoping to catch them out. The biker was expecting it and swerved up along side, the second rider aiming his pistol directly at her through the window. She swerved hard across the road, the biker swerving off the road and kicking up dust from the fringe
s before swerving back on to the road behind them. The pillion rider again took aim and fired, the gunshot making her jump. She immediately knew he’d hit a tyre as the car swung sharply to the right, out of control. Maxine gritted her teeth and fought to stop them flipping over as the car spun wildly across the road and off into the dusty ground to the side. They came to a stop, the dust cloud they had kicked up obscuring her vision, but she could hear the roar of the bike as it approached them. Maxine opened her window and turned, fumbling for her crossbow on the back seat. It caught on the back of her seat and she glanced out of the window as she struggled to wrench it free. The bike had emerged through the dust cloud, skidding to a stop alongside. The crossbow finally came free and she pulled it around. It was too late. The pillion rider took aim with his pistol at point blank range. The two gunshots were deafening this close. Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion. The crossbow dropped from her fingers and her hands went instinctively to her chest, expecting to feel the searing pain as the bullets ripped through her flesh, to find bloody gunshot wounds as her lifeblood drained from her body. Her hands were dry. There were no wounds. She was uninjured. She looked up. Both the bikers slumped off the bike, collapsing to the ground. She looked around, finding Rebecca leaning over her with a smoking pistol in her hand. Rebecca’s lips were moving, concern etched on her face, but Maxine’s ears were ringing and she couldn’t hear a word. The ringing began to fade.
“Are you okay?” She finally made out. “Can you hear me?” Maxine nodded dumbly, shaken. “Sorry about that, but I had to fire. It looked like they were going to shoot first.”
Maxine of the Wasteland Page 2