The Rooster (Erotic Apocalyptic Thriller)

by Richard Peters

  I don’t know. Maybe it was the reinvigorating shower or just the absurdity of the situation, but I felt ten feet tall. She must have seen the fight in my eyes, because she brought the gun up quick… but not fast enough. Spending a couple weeks dodging zombies really hones your reflexes. Whereas these people obviously spent too much time in their cozy compound.

  Somehow I lost my footing on the slick tiles though when I pried the gun from her wrist and kneed her in the stomach. We both went down, but I rolled on top, pinning her to the ground. I whipped the handgun up and covered her blonde friend. “Hold it! Enough with this pyscho crap. Drop your weapon and I’m going to walk right out-ugh!”

  The woman I straddled snatched my naked balls in an iron grip. Serves me right for taking my eyes off of her. She squeezed so hard I couldn’t even choke out anything to say. I shakingly aimed the pistol at her face, hoping she’d get the message. The pressure eased a bit, but she never let go. She just grinned savagely. Victory in her eyes. The craziest shit.

  That’s when her other hand wrapped around my, I’m sorry to say, fully erect manhood. Daniella stroked me slowly. “What the hell’s wrong with you? Just… ah… stop…” Most women don’t have a clue how to jerk a man off. They grab and yank like pumping up a bicycle tire. Her gentle and steady twisting motions demonstrated a mastery of the craft. The whole time she laughed at me.

  I tried to seize her hand, but she squeezed hard on my nuts with the other. The blonde took advantage of my distraction to put her pistol against my head. The girl under me finally stopped laughing. “No Silvy. You know what to do. I got this.” She hiked up her soaking wet camo T-shirt. Despite myself, I was mildly surprised to see a lacy pink bra underneath, rather than something more utilitarian. The thin fabric was soaked through with water, leaving little to the imagination.

  I shoved the pistol’s barrel an inch from her face and stared her grinning blonde friend down. “Enough with this shit. You shoot me, I’ll shoot her. Drop your piece and I’ll walk away. You’ll never see me-” Again my nutty “prisoner” surprised me. While I shifted my weight to look at the other guard, she slid her body a couple feet down. So that I was practically in her face. In one smooth move she took the tip of me in her mouth. When I tried to jump away, I felt her bite down a tad. Believe me, it doesn’t take much pressure in such a scenario to freeze a guy in his tracks. I froze in terror, while she went back to sucking.

  Hovering over her, I couldn’t help but make eye contact. I stared like a deer in the headlights into her gloating eyes. Her free hand reached behind me and pushed my buttocks down. God help me, but I played along. We quickly settled into a rhythm. I’d thrust while she bobbed forward. All the way down without the slightest hint of gagging. It infuriated me, I admit. Instead of trying to squirm away, well, nature took over. I grabbed the back of her head and held her in place. Pushing myself as far in as physically possible. If she wanted to play with me, I’d call her bluff.

  Instead of freaking out, she freaked me the hell out. Despite the deep-throating, her tongue darted out and tickled my balls. When she somehow managed to get that slippery thing all the way around one… I lost control. She finally released her vacuum grip, but I was drained. Could barely roll away. For the first time, she said something. “Please stop!”

  What the hell? I looked up to see her accomplice turn a camera off. Why in God’s name would she film that but not shoot me?! The half-naked women below kneed me in the crotch, even while wiping her mouth. She had the gun back in her hand in a second.

  “Well, aren’t you off to a bad start? Listen, the boss is going to ask you questions. If you answer how I say, then that video stays a secret. You get any cute ideas… well, how much patience do you think she has for some wild rapist?”

  I dressed meekly, without glancing at anyone, but that didn’t stop them. They kept going on and on about some lies they needed me to tell. Seemed like a lot of effort blackmailing me for such a little tale.

  New World Order

  When they finally prodded me into the Dragon Lady’s lair, I was a little shocked. The evil grandmother I pictured couldn’t have been more than 35. Nor was she some ten foot tall Amazon chieftain. The petite beauty leaning against the desk was the last thing I expected to control the largest survivor band I’d ever heard of. Judging by her frown while inspecting me like a hunk of meat, I wasn’t what she was hoping for either.

  “I suppose a decent catch, Daniella. We’ll have to double his rations. Get some muscle on those bones. I guess we can work with this. Is he circumcised at least?”

  Daniella was one hell of a good poker player. “I wouldn’t know. Your orders are clear, ma’am. He belongs to you.”

  The little boss finally smiled. “I wish I had a hundred more women like you. Most of those bitches out there try to undermine my authority just for the fun of it. Still, a finder’s fee is in order. I’ll even give you the whole night with him.”

  Daniella grinned. “Whatever you believe is appropriate, ma’am, but I always found more pleasure in the hunt. Besides, don’t you think the other girls are jealous enough? I don’t need any more enemies.”

  My wounded pride slowly overcame my cowardice. “Hello, I’m standing right fucking here. You people obviously want something from me, so let’s start the negotiations. Maybe we all can leave here happy.” I flexed my scrawny triceps and tried to look intimidating with the cuffs on.

  “Oh! You didn’t tell me he had a sense of humor. That’s so cute! Go ahead and cut him loose before he hurts himself. Let’s debrief him first.”

  The brunette menace stepped in front of me, back to her chef. While she cut the zip-ties, she bowed the inside of her cheek out with her tongue and winked at me. About the least erotic think I’ve ever imagined.

  “Take a seat. Daniella, you scare him for some reason. Go bring something hot to drink and let us have a minute.”

  The small woman gave me a heartwarming, but obviously fake smile. Her annoyance came through loud in clear with her tense body language. I crossed my legs and leaned forward too, trying to build rapport with shared posture. I think it only ticked her off further.

  “So, as far as you are concerned, my name is Ms. Espinoza. I don’t care what your name is.” She gave a genuine smile when fear flashed across my face. “Now, don’t you worry. Due to more luck than you deserve, you’ve just found the closest thing to paradise left on this planet.”

  The last of my bravado disappeared. What was this? Some type of cult?

  “You look even more confused. Take a peak out that window. Notice anything missing from the picture?” I complied and scanned the busy compound below. Even at night, dozens of people tinkered with equipment, stood guard or hustled from one chore to the next. Such organization was still hard for me to believe.

  I slumped back in my chair. “Impressive, sure.” She raised an eyebrow, so I hastened to add: “And not just because you have so many females as laborers and fighters. I’m not some type of chauvinist, if that’s what you… wait a second. You don’t have many men at all, do you?”

  She shook her head. “We have one now.”

  “No, that can’t be right!” I knew the plaque caught much faster in men than women, but I’ve never seen this bad a ratio. Every band we crossed paths with still had a few guys. “You’ve got hundreds of women here and really no men? What have you done with them?”

  Another genuine smile. “Ah, maybe you’re not quite as dumb as you look. I’ve got 212 girls out there. A few male babies, but they don’t count. We had about 50 fellas at one point, back before I was in charge. The macho fools went off to war with a rival compound over some salvaging turf.”

  Daniella came in and wordlessly dropped some coffee off. Over Ms. Espinoza’s shoulder, I couldn’t miss her wiggling those hips.

  “Yes, I insisted they needed every able bodied man and I’d watch over things while they were gone. Seeing as how I was the one woman they couldn’t touch, the captain, yes, a real military
man, had some respect and left me in charge. Been that way ever since. Long story short, maybe they won the battle, but they were trapped outside after dark. None came back.”

  I was dying to know more, but her impatience returned.

  “Enough with the reminiscing. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’ve got a large flock of lonely and stressed out hens. I need a rooster. Think you can handle the job?”

  “What job exactly?” I still played the idiot, fear tempering any excitement.

  “Dumb and scrawny. Well, beggars can’t be choosers. Your job is straightforward: Service the girls that I send you; make them happy. Those that have earned the right get rewarded with a baby. The only caveat is that you have no say in the matter. If I catch you sneaking off with some bitch at night, the deal’s over. We’ll put you back where we found you. In short, have fun, but remember your dick belongs to me.” There was no trace of humor in her voice. She waved her hand at my feeble protests.

  “You’re scared, fine, whatever. Don’t pretend you aren’t intrigued though. It’s this or go back to living in the ruins like a rat. All right. Now that you know the score, I have a question for you. In all your time in the wild, have you noticed any changes to the way the cannibals operate?”

  Gone was the annoyance. I don’t think I’d ever been scrutinized so carefully. My head was swimming and the non-stop adrenaline shocks of the last 24 hours wore me out. I had nearly forgotten about the lines Daniella blackmailed me with. Their silly politics was the last thing on my mind.

  “Not really. More brainless and zombie-like every day.”

  She slowly leaned back. “Are you sure? My own raiders say the same thing, but I’ve had a few reports from other refugees to the contrary. You know we need you, so regardless of what you say, you’re safe here. There is no wrong answer. Tell me the truth: are the cannibals showing any signs, no matter how small, of mimicking human behavior?”

  No hesitation. I just wanted this nonsense over with. “Are you kidding me? I’ve been in constant contact with these things for months. They’re dangerous only because there are so many of them. Individually, they’re slow, idiotic animals.” I almost forgot my last order. “Whoever said otherwise has been trying to spook you. Probably to make themselves appear more valuable. Look, throw me back or toss me in a cell, but please, can I get some sleep?”

  Espinoza was lost in her own train of thought. “Fair enough. It’s a rare treat having an impartial source of information. Yes, yes. Go get some rest. We’ve got a room set up for you.” She reached some private decision and gave me a genuine smile. “If you follow my orders and don’t start strutting around like the cock of the walk, that cock of yours will be quite busy. I think you’ll enjoy it here.”

  While I didn’t believe that for a second, there was a slight twitch down below. Fucking biology.

  It’s a Wonderful Life

  The first night I slept alone. Would’ve slept the whole day in that cozy bed, if something terrible hadn’t woken me up. When you lived on the run in a zombie wasteland for so long, a hand on your leg while you sleep is the scariest way to arise.

  “Ah!” I levitated out of bed, kicking and punching at the same time.

  A middle-aged woman tsked and threw some pants at me. “Down tiger. I’m not here for that.”

  Right. In pure decadence, I’d slept naked for the first time in months. My body was a little slow going from sleep to fight or flight to embarrassed, all in five seconds.

  “Lord, you look confused as hell. Get dressed and follow me. It’s time to get to work.” Yep, total confusion still on my face. “Real work, dummy. I’ll be damned if I’ll let you just lay on your ass and get all the ass you want. Everyone works, or no one eats. You aren’t about to change that policy.”

  I dressed in seconds. “Who the hell are you again? Miss..?”

  Her eyes twinkled. “The girls call me ‘little boss,’ but that game isn’t much fun with you. Call me Jessy. That’ll make some of them jealous. I’m in charge of the motor pool, and you’re my new wrench monkey.”

  Whatever. Honestly, I was just excited for the opportunity to get my hands occupied. Speaking of which, something stuck out of my pants pockets. I glanced over the quick note:

  If you’re willing to do a little side work for me, I know several girls on Espinoza’s blacklist with extra booze rations. We’ll split it 50/50. Don’t be her bitch forever. Go behind my back though and try to arrange appointments yourself and we’ll see how much use the boss has for a gelding! Shut your mouth. The walls have ears.

  The “lady” winked and just stepped out the door. “Let’s get to work.”

  In the weirdest way, things were looking up. People were now at least introducing themselves before blackmailing or pimping me out. So, I had that going for me.

  *

  My “work station” was in the modification wing of their sprawling parking lot. Not a junkyard, but a no-shit fleet. More than a working truck or two, like my band had. These folk had more vehicles, military and civilian, than they had drivers. Wild stuff. Unfortunately, the staff wasn’t as impressive. You could have heard a pin drop after Jessy introduced me to my new teammates.

  “Uh, hello ladies.” I smiled as wide as possible.

  Most glared at me. Some slinked away. A few leered at me, cat-like. “So, uh, yeah. I’m here to help.”

  “Don’t be shy, cute thing. They don’t bite.” Jessy pushed me forward gently. Surprised, I stumbled a few feet. Well, it broke the ice, at least. I laughed nervously along with the crowd. My quasi-prisoner status still wasn’t clear, but I couldn’t help but notice everyone had a weapon nearby. Except for me.

  Some muscled-up, overall-clad woman, who on first glance screamed “lesbian,” came up from behind and slapped my ass. Hard. “You need a friend, baby? I’ll be your friend. Don’t be scared. I won’t let these bitches touch you.” That got a chorus of catcalls and cussing from the team.

  Naturally, I gave a witty, manly response. I ignored her and inspected some wrenches. Only one woman wasn’t snickering or whispering. She pushed her glasses up and dissected me worse than Espinoza had.

  “So what do you know about silencing diesel engines or up-armoring civilian vehicles?”

  I was so far out of my element I didn’t give a shit anymore. “I changed my own tire once back in the old world.”

  The team groaned, but at my homely-looking interviewer, not at me. “Oh God, Rachel. Shut up. Who cares? Nice to have a little eye candy around here.” The butch chick sat on a toolbox and stroked some torque wrench up and down. I’m not even sure it was conscious. “It’s a hot day, baby. Why don’t you take off that shirt while we work? Hmm?” She jumped up, wrench in hand, and swiped a rugged hand inside my shirt. She stopped as she brushed the top of my pubic hair. “Oh that won’t do. Honeybee needs a shave!”

  Jessy slapped her hand away while everyone balled over in laughter. “You know what the boss will do if she caught you fucking around with her new toy? You all know the price. 50 work credits for an hour, 200 for the night.”

  “What the fuck?!” They ignored me. I wasn’t sure what a work credit was, but it still shocked my ego to see the price so low.

  “What? That’s double the price of the last guy!”

  Jessy just shrugged. “That’s inflation, sugar.”

  “I think I see something inflating right now!” Yeah, I hadn’t blushed since I was a teeny, but my face was a little red now.

  The little boss finally stepped in. “All right, enough grab-assing. Rachel, find something for him to do.”

  Rachel shook her head. “Why me? I’ve got enough to do without mentoring some new guy.”

  “Because you aren’t strong enough to rape him and not attractive enough to seduce him. Nothing personal, but you know how it is.” Jessy waved a hand at all the thinner, tougher and not so flat-chested women around. “So, put him to work.”

  Someone cracked a half-hearted, “I bet she will!” but eve
ryone drifted off to one job or another. Rachel wiped her glasses on a sleeve and waved me over.

  “I guess I’m stuck with you then. Come on, it will at least be useful to have a strong back around here.”

  We worked for a few hours in practical silence. She ignored every question I had that didn’t have to do with the work at hand. Which wasn’t much. Mainly, she did everything herself while I’d stand around like an idiot waiting for an order. Usually just to hold something heavy. The whole situation was strangely comforting. Reminded me a lot of my last real relationship.

  She tighten the last bolt on a new turret ring and spun the assembly with one hand. I caught a muttered, “Hooah.”

  Finally a chance at some small talk. I poured on the charm. “Were you in the military?”

  Rachel gave me her standard glare. Even parts suspicion and curiosity. “Army.” She bit her lip and rolled her eyes in defeat. “Yeah, five years. Part-time mechanic in the guard, then an active duty hitch when they opened up the infantry to females. Did a tour in Afghanistan, which I guess is pretty lame nowadays. What about you? I assume you were SF or something, to survive so long out there alone.”

  Jackpot. A question. “Not really. I was drafted during those last few weeks. Before the politicians were all killed or ran off. Back when the government still thought they could contain things. When they got so desperate they started throwing us partially-trained recruits into battle, well, that was game over. I left to be with my family. Cannon fodder isn’t really my style. Me and a couple other guys snagged a Humvee and ran in the middle of the night. From what I heard, only hours before the crazies overran our forward operating base.”

  As is standard survivor etiquette, she didn’t ask if I made it to my family.

  “So, you deserted? Some hero you are.” Was that a tinge of respect behind the mockery?