Hungry Planet

by Michelle Marquis

  "You have a nice touch,” she said, sinking slightly in the water as he massaged her scalp.

  He leaned down close to her ear. “I've only just begun touching you."

  Beth dunked her head underwater and rinsed her hair. When she came up, he leaned down and gave her a carnal kiss that left nothing to the imagination. She yielded to his kiss, relaxing under its ravenous insistence.

  Standing up, he peeled off his shirt and pants. He walked over to the edge of the tub, his erection proud and ready for some long and hard lovemaking. His desire was so hot, he felt feverish from it. He wanted her more now than he could remember wanting any woman.

  She watched him like a cat with light fear and intelligent curiosity. Those green eyes moved down the length of his body like a caress.

  Gripping the edge, he stepped carefully into the tub and maneuvered over her luscious body. She opened her legs for him, letting him nestle his hips there, his erection lightly pressing on the threshold of her pussy. Her hands, lathered and soapy, moved down his back and over his buttocks, sending warm pleasure throughout his body.

  He touched his lips to the side of her mouth. “I take it you're not too upset about our little arrangement?"

  She lightly bit his lip, trailing her mouth along his cheek. “No,” she said, her voice clouded by lust. “I don't think I mind it at all."

  Sucking her earlobe, he pressed the head of his cock against her hot center. She shifted and moved her hips up to allow him easier access. That simple action of surrender almost made him come right there. You're so hot, my sweet little bitch.

  Pushing hard, he entered her and heard her groan. His cock was so hard he plowed into her as if she was warm butter. Her hot cunt sheathed him, cradling him in its wet, yielding center.

  "Yes,” she whispered. “Oh, yes, please...” Her tongue darted out, licking his cheek. Her hands gripped his buttocks, pushing him deeper. Their bodies moved in unison until he felt the gentle quiver of her vaginal walls, milking his pounding cock dry.

  * * * *

  His body was pure pleasure and she was insatiable. They had been in the bathhouse two hours now and she was still orgasming. Beth smiled as he plunged deep inside her again. She loved the way he felt against her body. He drove into her pussy like a hungry animal, pounding his lust out in long, demanding strokes. The ecstasy of it made her womb tremble with delight. How could he make me feel this way?

  She moaned and it came out louder than she'd intended. He let out a perverse chuckle and covered her mouth with his own, kissing her breathless. Her next orgasm came unexpectedly, driving a thrashing trail of pleasure all through her body. She bucked up to him, begging, pleading, hoping he'd never stop. A few moments later, he emptied his load into her sore and aching pussy. She'd never felt so deliciously used, and she was growing to like it.

  Chapter 7

  They returned to the room about an hour later, exhausted and somewhat clean. Sitting on the bed, she threw a fresh t-shirt and some underwear on. She lay back and watched him, absently rubbing her feet on the bedspread.

  Digging through his trench coat, he pulled out his papers and some tobacco. He rolled a cigarette, stuck in between his lips, and squinted out the window. He radiated danger and savagery. Without thinking, she said, “I think you, Magnus Stone, are exactly where you should be."

  He turned around and stared at her. A muscle twitched by his eye. “And you? Are you exactly where you should be? After all, you are a murderess. Some people would call you the worst kind—the kind that would kill her own child because he became inconvenient."

  Her jaw felt like it dropped to the floor. How could he say such a horrible thing to me? “That's a lie! I never killed my son because he was inconvenient. He was dying—dying slowly—and there was no hope for him. I know; I tried everything. I found the best experts; I did all the research; I bought all the experimental drugs, but nothing worked. Can't you understand that?” She lowered her head to her chest and fought back the tears that threatened to come.

  Magnus watched her and plucked the unlit cigarette from his mouth. He licked his lips. “Why didn't you wait to see the outcome? Suppose he hadn't died? Suppose something wonderful had happened? But you'll never know that, will you, Beth, because you snuffed him before he even had a chance to turn around."

  Beth was on her feet in a moment, and a rush of shame and arousal burned a trail through his mind. She whirled on him and slapped him in the face. He snatched her wrist and pulled her against his chest, planting a scalding kiss on her lips.

  At first the shock of what he'd done froze her. She was so hurt and conflicted, the kiss lasted longer than she'd intended. If he thinks he's getting laid now, he can go fuck himself. She broke it and glared at him. Her fury was so intense her chest hurt. She broke his grip on her wrist and sank back onto the bed. “Is it fun to get a rise out of me?"

  "If you'll recall, you weren't very nice to me either. I don't know who you're used to dealing with, baby, but I'm not going to sit here like a good boy and take your shit."

  Beth gave him an evil look. “I didn't attack you personally."

  "Really? I think you did."

  "I'm done,” she said, throwing her hands up in surrender. “I really don't want to talk about this anymore."

  Magnus sat on the chair, lit his cigarette and propped his boots on the window sill. He took a deep drag and exhaled some smoke rings. “Whatever you want, baby. Just watch what you say to me. Got it?"

  "You're a real son of a bitch,” Beth said, closing her eyes to shut him out.

  "You want me to grudge fuck you to make you feel better?” he said, taking another deep drag. He blew smoke out his nose like a dragon.

  Beth scowled but didn't open her eyes. All she wanted was to get some sleep. “Go fuck yourself.” She drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 8

  Magnus woke her early and hustled her to the road outside. She was angry but she hid it well. The day was the warmest yet and the thin air was giving her a headache. She bore the grueling pace without complaint, without much talking at all. Beth ran through her mind trying to understand her true feelings for him.

  The cannibal band that had been following them was much closer now. They maintained a good forty or fifty feet distance, and she was certain they were planning to rush them soon. Worse still, she'd noticed they too had weapons. She guessed they hadn't started shooting yet because everyone here tried to save ammunition whenever possible.

  As the band drew closer, she was able to make out four men and one hard-looking woman. The leader, a dark-haired man in his early thirties with a deep nose scar, had a radio that he seemed to use to speak to the other cannibal tribes.

  Beth trotted up alongside Magnus. “Are you ever going to shoot them?"

  He glanced back at the band, judging distance. “They're too far away still. Don't worry, baby, they'll get closer. I need them to get bold enough to want to finish us off."

  "I don't understand that,” she said, feeling annoyed. Then as an afterthought, “Can you please call me by my name?"

  He seemed to ignore her last request. “If I start shooting at them too early, they'll return fire and we'll just end up getting pinned until they wear us out. Then they'll probably kill me and take you for some recreation, then kill you a few days later."

  Beth fell into a grim silence. God, she hated him. After a few minutes she asked, “How much farther is the clinic?"

  "Not much."

  Magnus stayed close to the rocky cliff base they had been following since the crash. It wasn't much, but it afforded them some shelter and cover. “Let's take a break.” He stopped at a crevice.

  Beth threw down her pack, thinking how good it would feel to punch him in the face. “Do you really think that's a good idea? I mean, they keep getting bolder and they're right on our ass."

  He took a seat on the ground and pulled out his automatic. He rested it on his lap, took out his canteen and took a long drink. “We could always break i
nto a run and hope we make it to the clinic before they catch us."

  Beth stared down at him coolly. “I don't think that's very funny."

  He patted the dirt next to him. “Come and sit,” he said. “Let's make up."

  "I don't want to sit next to you. I hate you."

  Magnus shrugged. “That's fair enough.” He shifted his penis in his pants. “But I sure like you, Beth."

  Beth ignored his comment and peered around the corner. The cannibals had broken into a slow jog and were getting closer. At this distance, she could smell their stale sweat. “They're almost on top of us,” she whispered. “Are you just planning to have them walk up and introduce themselves?"

  Magnus closed his eyes and judged their distance by smell. They weren't hard to track; they were all pretty ripe. “Take one more step, Bill, and I'll put a hole in your girlie there,” he yelled to his pursuers.

  She heard them stop walking and move for cover into the rocks. He knew these people? “I can't wait to kill and eat you, cocksucker,” the cannibal Bill said. “Why don't you come out of hiding and face me like a man?"

  "I just can't, Bill—you're much too scary for me. By the way, how's that nasty cock condition of yours working out?"

  "Fuck you, Stone!” Bill roared. “You probably got a lot of gifts that keep on giving yourself, you son of a bitch."

  Beth stared at Magnus and frowned. She sure hoped they were just trading insults.

  Magnus pushed off from the rock with his weapon in hand. He glanced around the corner and spotted Bill talking to one of his men. They were planning an attack.

  Beth watched as Magnus aimed carefully, and squeezed off a round. A bullet exploded into Bill's temple. Bill dropped like a fallen tree. His companions scurried around, unsure of what had just happened. One climbed the rock face to try and get a jump on Magnus. Beth, hearing the man's boots on the rocks above, pulled her gun and fired, shooting him in the leg.

  Magnus dodged around the corner and neatly dispatched the others as they scrambled for cover. It was all over in just a few minutes.

  When he came back over to Beth she was kneeling over the wounded man trying to stem the bleeding. He pushed her aside and pulled out a buck knife. Kneeling on the man's chest, he pushed the man's face to the side and cut his throat. Blood gushed from the wound, spilling onto the floor. Beth's stomach twisted and she gasped.

  "Ready to go?” he said, cleaning the blood off his hands and knife with sand.

  Beth ignored him for a few moments, then she said, “That was the most disgusting and barbaric thing I have ever seen. Stay the hell away from me."

  He pulled out some dried meat and held it out to her. “Come on, Beth, don't act so shocked. What were we going to do with a man-eating prisoner? Take him to the local hospital for care?"

  She knew he was right, but still...

  "Hungry?” he asked.

  "No, I'm not."

  Magnus glared off at the long, red desert. “Planning to get your dinner from the local supermarket?"

  "I really don't think you're very funny, Magnus."

  "I'm not trying to be funny, Beth. Listen.” He crouched down beside her. “You need to get one thing through your head. Food is scarce here, and meals can be few and far between. If you're going to survive you'll have to eat when I offer it to you. So get up, eat or don't, and let's get moving."

  Beth grabbed her pack and got up off the ground, dusting the sand from her pants. “I'm not going to eat when you order me to."

  "You'll eat when you're hungry enough,” he said, with an evil grin. “I can usually tell about people, and you, baby, you're not the type to lie down and die without a fight."

  Beth brooded for a long time. They walked on for what seemed like forever, until she began to stumble. Glancing back at her, he called for another rest. He sat next to her and gave her a gentle kiss. “You need to eat."

  She stared at the long, dry desert. “I'm not a murderess."

  "I know you're not, but we have no choice here. We have to do things we wouldn't normally do if we want to survive. You need to eat something now. If you're too hungry to walk, then we're stuck here until some more cannibals come along.” He held out a piece of dried meat for her. She ignored it and stared straight ahead.

  * * * *

  He knew she'd take it. He knew because he knew how the hunger worked on a person, driving them to do things without thought. She wanted to survive and, although she was having a hard time coping with the killing now, she would eat. He said nothing, only waited. After a few long minutes she took the dried meat and delicately gnawed at its edges. But as he waited and watched, the hunger took hold of her, overcoming her grief, and she tore into the meat, swallowing without really chewing.

  When she had eaten all she was willing to, she turned to him and said, “Has it always been easy for you? Killing other people, I mean."

  "Nothing has ever been easy for me. I hate this planet just as much as you do, but I have learned to accept that it's my home now. Someday you will too."

  "God.” Beth was horrified. She gathered up her things. “I hope not."

  Chapter 9

  Beth looked through her binoculars unable to believe her eyes. She turned and squinted at Magnus in disbelief. “It's an oasis station,” she said, trying to hide her shock. “I'd heard that they had them, but I was beginning to think it was just a cruel joke."

  He took the binoculars from her and scanned the oasis. His face was hard and unreadable. Beth folded her arms across her chest. “I thought you'd be as pleased as I am. What's wrong?"

  "They're booby trapped,” he said darkly.

  Beth fought hard to control her anger. Everything he said to her lately pissed her off and she didn't know why. “Booby trapped? What the hell are you talking about?"

  "Once you walk up and get scanned, it opens but only allows you ten minutes to get all the food you can carry. If you're not out when your time is up, you get disintegrated by the laser sentries."

  Beth's face dropped. “So what do we do?"

  Magnus unfastened his guns and laid them at her feet. “We go in one at a time, and then we get twenty minutes of food. The only downside is you need to watch what you take. Don't get yourself weighed down too much. Don't forget we have a long way to go."

  Beth nodded, pretending to take in what he was saying. Maybe you like eating old beef jerky, Mr. Stone, but I don't. I'm going to take everything I possibly can. So what if we're a little late getting to the clinic?

  "I'll go first,” he said, studying the oasis as they approached it. He turned to lock eyes with her. “I mean it, Beth. Don't take too long in there. It's easy to get carried away by your greed and hunger. But if you lose track of time, you're dead."

  Magnus moved forward and a red laser scanner shone out of the watchtower. It flashed over him, scanning the barcode on his neck. A moment later, the chain link fence slid open and he disappeared inside the small bunker.

  Beth waited, and thought about how much she disliked him. He was everything she hated in a man—crude, arrogant, and bossy. Well, he wasn't going to bully her into doing what he wanted. She was going to survive here on her own terms. She didn't have to stoop to become an animal like him. Okay, so maybe she was trapped on this godforsaken rock until something here killed her, but that didn't mean she had to give up on her humanity like he did.

  Beth glanced at her watch and estimated he'd been in there about five minutes. He was right about one thing, ten minutes wasn't a lot of time. She'd have to try and be as efficient as possible. She hoped they didn't only have cans in there. That would make choosing very difficult. In some ways she envied him. Everything seemed so easy for him to decide. I need it, I take it. Who cares about anyone else?

  When her watch showed he'd been in for eight minutes, she grew concerned. Certainly she didn't dislike him enough to want him dead. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she really disliked him at all.

  At nine minutes, she moved nervously t
oward the gate, taking care to stay out of range of the watchtower scanner. Come on, Come on. Come out of there.

  A moment later, he emerged and quickly rushed out the gate carrying some cans and packages in his arms. He rushed over to her and dumped his arms out at her feet. Beth knelt beside him.

  Her mouth was watering uncontrollably. “This is great,” she said breathlessly.

  "Your turn, Beth,” he commanded. “Don't forget to keep an eye on the time."

  She nodded and walked over to within scanning distance of the watchtower. She closed her eyes as the red beam moved over her neck. She held her breath and listened to the metallic clink as the chain link fence pulled open.

  Without wasting a moment, she rushed inside and through the open door leading to the bunker. The only interior light was from outside. Food cans and packages were littering the floor and partially pulled from open boxes. Beth rushed to one and grabbed a bunch of dried fruit packages and stuffed them into her pants pockets. She tried not to think about the time and moved as quickly as she could. When she finally looked at her watch, eight minutes had gone by.

  Beth rushed for the door weighed down by the plastic packages stuffed into her clothes. Breaking into a jog, she dropped several packages scrambling to make the door before it sealed.

  No time. I don't have time to get more stuff. Magnus’ warnings echoed in her head and she rushed for the exit. All time seemed to slow down as she heard the one minute warning bell ring. It sounded like a death toll.

  Everything was conspiring to hamper her exit. Packages stuffed in her waistband kept falling down her pant legs and tripping her up. She could hear Magnus shouting to her as she struggled to keep her footing. Can't he see I'm busy here?

  Beth sprinted through the gate just as it was starting to close. She stumbled up to Magnus, triumphant. “I made it,” she rasped, trying to catch her breath.