“You really need to try those on. Now let’s see.” The woman began tugging on Molly’s coveralls making them tight around the hips clucking her tongue when she had the coveralls tight to Molly’s hips. Molly felt even more scandalized by this manhandling so she stood still hoping the woman would stop tugging at her clothes.
“Sugar you’re hiding a hot figure under these horrid coveralls. If I looked like you I’d be flaunting it all over the place.” The woman let out a tinkling belly laugh that caused Molly’s heart to squeeze inside her chest. Had she ever laughed like that with so much joy? She didn’t think so it made her realize that she’d never been happy a day in her life. She understood finally why her life in the Slums had never been enough, which was kinda sad. The woman began to usher her to the back were a small dressing room was curtained off as she went she was grabbing several pairs of pants. When they reached the dressing room she thrust the pants into her arms. “Here try on these jeans then come out and let me see so we can find the right fit.” She jerked the curtain door closed. Molly stood a little surprised to find herself in the little room holding several pair of pants no jeans. She turned setting them down on the small bench behind her. She was about to pull the coveralls off when the curtain was jerked back open. Molly spun to look at the blue haired woman as she held out another stack of clothes.
“Sorry almost forgot these. Now try them on and don’t forget to let me see. Okay?”
“Umm…Okay”
“Great.” The curtain was snapped close a second time. Molly noticed a full body length mirror in the corner hung on a post stuck in the ground near the bench that she hadn’t noticed at first. She removed her coveralls and pulled on a pair of the jeans they were comfortable. She then picked up a bold red shirt from the other pile putting it on too. She stood for several minutes staring at herself in the mirror. She couldn’t believe it was her own reflection staring back at her from the mirror. The jeans were loose around her waist, but not baggy like the coveralls. The shirt fit her well it wasn’t tight like the blue haired woman’s was, and it flowed nicely showing a hint of her small breasts but not clinging to them. The color with her black hair made her look like she was glowing instead of pale and colorless.
“You got something on yet Doll?”
“Um..Yes.” The woman snapped the curtain open again staring at Molly with a slight frown.
“Humm… the shirts fine, but the jeans are not right.” She pulled another pair of jeans from the pile handing them to Molly. “Here these are the size you need put those on with the shirt.” The curtain was closed again. Leaving Molly slightly bewildered. She looked really good in these jeans what did the woman mean these were the wrong size? She stood in front of the mirror for a few more minutes staring before she took them off and pulled on the pair the woman had suggested. They felt less baggy and her reflection revealed that these were definitely much tighter Molly thought with dismay. She was getting the first pair not these. As she had this thought, the curtain was opened by the blue haired woman who cooed “Ooo yes, those are perfect.”
Molly looked down thinking perhaps the mirror wasn’t working, but saw that it was working just fine. These jeans made her look like she was a whore. She looked up at the woman ready to tell her so when she saw a huge man step into the stall. He was massive with tattoos covering his left arm with the words Lisa’s old man in thick black ink. His arms and leg were big as tree trunks with wide shoulders and hips. His hair was shaggy and long and he had a shaggy beard that was a sandy brown color. He wore a leather vest with patches, a white tank under it, and jeans with leather chaps at the bottom. Molly stood frozen as the woman was rattling on about her needing several pairs as well as a few shirts. The man reached forward grabbing the woman on the butt. Right in front of her as if this wasn’t scandalizing. Molly stepped back cowering slightly in the small dressing room.
“You’d sure better be Slim or you’re a dead man.” She looked over her shoulder smiling at the man.
“Ha. You think I’d let a man get close enough to touch your ass baby?” The man who must be Slim leaned over his mouth kissing down the woman’s neck. That was when Molly realized that this man was the reason the woman looked truly happy. It was in her eyes when she turned them up to his. Slim’s hands had slid around her waist to pull her back into his arms possessively. The woman eyes met Molly’s noting her cowering in the dressing room she began to pull his hands away while dodging the mouth still trying to kiss her neck.
“NO! You big lug. I know better. But you need to go play with the boys your scaring the customers.” Laughing she playfully batted at his hand which tried to grab her hips as she pushed him backwards out of the stall. “Okay, Baby. You don’t have to abuse me. I’m sure the mouse is just timid not scared. Although those people from the wall are scared of everything out here.” He chuckled and took a step back every few seconds to allow the woman to push him from the stall. Almost at the entrance he stopped not allowing her to push him any further and held her hips gently bending down till he met her eyes.
“I only came in to tell you I have to head back for some club biz. I’m taking Trick with me, but Pretty boy and Tanner are staying to help you pack up in a few hours. DO NOT leave without them, and make them help. No doing it by yourself baby. I mean it, Lisa.” The look Slim gave her was intense. The woman, Lisa’s, face was turned slightly with the way there bodies had shifted when she was pushing him from the stall so Molly saw the way it softened. She pulled his hand to her stomach holding it there. “Slim, I’ll be okay. Promise.” She said softly planting a kiss on his chin. Slim squeezed her gently the grinned widely. Which Molly found frankly scary and smacked Lisa’s ass harder this time. Her hands flew to her butt to rub the sting away.
“You’d better be, Woman.” Slim turned and walked out of the stall letting out a yell to a group of men standing a few feet away leaning on some poles. “Let’s Ride.” One man moved away meeting him and they walked away together. As they moved away she saw that they had a patch on the back of the leather vests that said Red Devils MC with a little red man with pointy ears, a forked tail and holding a flaming pitchfork. Molly realized that the man who made Lisa so happy was part of a biker gang. Lisa watched Slim walk away letting out a sigh when he was swallowed by the crowd. She shook her head turning back to Molly with a smile lingering on her face. “Sorry Doll. That man fries my brain with his hotness. Now what were we doing? Oh right getting your clothes.” She began to stack clothes by the register. Molly watched as the pile grew her eyes widening. She could not afford all of the clothes Lisa was stacking up. She was dismayed to realize she would have to take the coveralls with her. She was only able to get one pair of jeans, a few pairs of underwear, and shirt. She’d started shopping with forty credits. Now she only had ten.
“Wait I can’t buy all this I’ll just take one pair of jeans, some underwear, and a shirt.”
Lisa looked at her with a puzzled expression. “You can’t travel with just one set of clothing sweetie what if it rains?”
“I will take my coveralls too. How many credits will it be?”
“Oh no, Doll you will not be taking those coveralls. I plan to put those poor things out of their misery tonight in a fire. Now today’s a special event everything is buy one get three free. Isn’t that Lucky.” Lisa beamed. She gathered several things from the stack she’d been building. “Now two jeans, Three shirts, five pairs of underwear,” She looked at Molly’s feet. “A pair of hiking shoes and four pair of socks that will total out to be five credits.”
Although she was grateful that Lisa was trying to help her she couldn’t allow her to do give her all these clothes. She had gathered from the byplay between Slim and Lisa that she was pregnant and families needed money. “I can’t allow you to just give me all this stuff. You have a family and you need to eat.”
“Oh Doll, aren’t you sweet. That’s not something you have to worry about my man can take care of me just fine. Heck, if he doesn’t his br
others would take care of me. Besides I like to charge the uppity ones from the city twice as much.” She laughed loudly drawing the attention of the men who stood near the stall. The one smoking smiled in their direction. Molly also saw that the guard from the prison was walking towards the tent. What a jerk that guy was she thought angrily. “If you get the chance you should charge that guy double for sure.” Molly’s hand point out at the guard then clapped over her mouth when she realized that what she’d said was very vindictive. She worried that Lisa would be mad that she was saying bad things about a city guard. Lisa only laughed that deep belly laugh again.
“So noted,” She nodded solemnly. “I really like you.”
“Thanks.” Molly saw that the guard was now heading towards Lisa’s stall grinning with malice at Molly as he did. She shivered she really didn’t like that guard he was very nasty. Seeing her face Lisa turned to look behind her seeing the guard heading their way she let out a sharp whistle the two men’s heads swung towards her and they came to attention. Lisa made a strange fisted hand motion nodding towards the guard coming closer and the men moved quickly between the entrance of the stall and the man. They acted causal standing there with an unconcerned air as if they hadn’t just almost run to the entrance of the stall. The guard tried to enter, but a hard arm on the bigger man swung out blocking him from entering.
“Sorry Mate. Only one customer in the stall at a time. Safety. You understand right?” the smaller man said as he stubbed his cigarette out with his boot after dropping it.
“That’s ridiculous. I just wanted to warn that woman about the Slumie. She’s just been thrown out of my city for theft. I’m sure she stolen things from her already.” He smiled gleefully at Molly over the man’s shoulder. A roaring sound started in Molly’s ears surely now Lisa and the two men would turn against her. Allowing the guard to harass her, and they would probably help him. Her eyes filled with tears she just barely held back. She wasn’t ready to give up the slight friendship she’d created with Lisa yet. Why did this keep happening to her? She wasn’t a bad person surely she didn’t deserve this. “Really? Well it’s a good thing you’re here then, huh,” The big one said not moving his arm from where it blocked the guard’s entrance. “Except the rules. Safety first and all that. Could be an accident with two people in there.”
Molly grabbed her backpack dug her money out giving Lisa all the credits she had left then gathered what she thought was worth ten credits and began to move away with a “Thanks and sorry for the trouble.”
“Doll this is way more than we agreed to. Take this back.” Lisa said shoving half the credits back into her hand, and scooping up what she’d left on the counter beside the register. “You also forgot these.”
Molly stared at her in disbelief “You heard what he said about me didn’t you?”
“Yes, but I’m a damned good judge of character, and I’d bet money on the case against you being a load of shit. Now, why don’t you head out the back while the boys detain him.” Lisa said as Molly shoved the money in the jeans pocket and the clothes in her backpack. “Thank you, Lisa” She hurried towards the back entrance to the stall that was covered by a curtain.
“Wait. If you ever need anything, and you see one of the boys tell them that you’re a friend of Lisa, Slims old lady and they should bring you to her. Okay.” Molly shook her head although she didn’t understand the old lady comment it made no since to her Lisa was only a few years older than Molly. As she exited she heard an angry shout “Hey, what are you doing take your hands off me.”
“Sorry again mate. You can’t enter an employee only area. Safety.” Molly smiled as she began walking faster. “Hey the Slumie went out that way.”
“Well I didn’t see her did you Pretty Boy?”
“Nope.” Came the flat reply before the voices faded in the distance as she hurried around another stall, and mixed with the crowds of people shopping a smile still attached to her lips.
Chapter 6
Her hand ran over her sweaty brow she’d been walking in the woods along the road for two days. She was hot and exhausted. The sun was beating down on her fiercely. She decided to take another rest, and sat down on the grass close to the road sign she’d just read. It said Lakeville Thirteen miles which put her about three hundred miles away from the Blue Bandits. Shoot. It was going to take weeks to get to their town. She’d only gone about thirty miles in the last two days. She sighed with disappointment. She really thought she’d gone farther than thirty miles.
She pulled the water out of her backpack with another defeated sigh, and drank a large gulp. Lying back in the grass she was grateful for the small breeze that cooled sweat on her skin cooling her down. She should really move away from the road it was never very long before a biker or car came by. She was still too fearful of the bikers to look at their leather vests to see if they were Blue Bandits when they roared by as she hid in the woods. The cars that passed could be filled with murders or thieves. She didn’t know who she could trust so she hid and trusted no one.
The loud rumble started. Crap. She jumped up grabbing the pack from beside her and ran towards the trees about three feet away. She prayed that they wouldn’t see her before she got to the forest to hide. She was almost there the roar was much louder she ran faster. Her backpack bouncing around things clanking together she hoped nothing broke. Gritting her teeth sprinting into the forest at last she continued if they had seen her she needed to find somewhere to hide. She was searching in front of her for somewhere to hide when she heard what sounded like water. Running headlong over the thick brush she didn’t see the root until she was already falling. As she went down her ankle twisted moaning in pain at the horrible wretch she lay there stunned for several minutes. Her hands and knees stung, but her ankle was throbbing painfully by the time she was able to sit up. Thankfully she heard the roar beginning to fade away so she must not have been seen by any of the bikers.
Attempting to stand, she winced in pain as she tried to put weight on her ankle. Shit, that hurt. She sat down taking off her right shoe to find her ankle was already swelling. She lay back in the grass beneath her thinking that maybe she’d take a nap, and then try again. She closed her eyes propping her foot on the root that had caused the problem in the first place.
When she woke an hour later she looked at her ankle. The swelling had gotten much worse while she rested. Now her ankle was almost three sizes bigger than the other one. Great, Molly thought, as she again tried to put weight on her ankle. Crying out with pain she almost fell back down catching herself on a tree nearby. Shit, she needed to get the swelling down somehow. Hearing the water again, she looked towards the sound seeing the small creek a few feet away she knew it was her best chance.
There had to be something she could use as a crutch she searched the ground finding a long stick close by so she picked it up. She checked its strength, and when she didn’t break it by putting most of her weight on it she used it to head slowly toward the water. The trip took almost twenty minutes, and she stumbled into about ten trees, scrapping her hands even more than they already were. When she was at the water’s edge she rested her ankle in the stream. It wasn’t cold, but at least it was cool enough that it might help some. She watched as fish swam in the shallows it was a shame that the water was likely poisoned so she couldn’t catch them for dinner.
It would be nice to have something other than ration cubes to eat, but the storms that had raged sixty years ago hadn’t only taken half the world’s land mass with them into the ocean. It had also unleashed something they now referred to as water poison. It wasn’t really a poison so much as a parasite that killed very quickly. It traveled the blood stream to the heart causing massive heart attacks.
You had to drink the little buggers or they couldn’t get into the body in large enough quantities to harm a person. If the tiny things made it to their victim’s heart they were dead, for most people this was about forty-five minutes. Even sixty years later, they had only found a
way to kill them in the body if they hadn’t made it to their victim’s heart.
The cities now filtered all the water, which was pumped into buildings, and homes even in the Slums had fresh water. She knew that towns outside the wall had to filter their water too, because nobody wanted to die of water poisoning. Although the fish and some animals that hadn’t died out from drinking the water filled with poison had found a way to live in harmony with the parasite, no human had ever been known to survive it after the forty-five minute mark. It really was too bad she couldn’t eat them she sighed.
She lay back on the grass allowing the cool water to sooth her ankle staring up at the trees that swayed back and forth above her. She watched the shadows they cast for a long time before finally falling into a fitful sleep. Molly awakened to a bird screeching near the rock she was lying beside. It was only a foot away, and she observed it hopping on the rock while calling out to another bird somewhere in the forest who answered. It was red, and had what looked like a mohawk on its head with a bright orange beak. It was truly a fascinating site, birds were rare in the city they saw a few seagulls, but even those were not common. She lay watching until the bird took off flying away in a beautiful display of color.
Sitting up she checked on the swelling in her ankle she wasn’t sure, but felt that it had gone down a bit. Deciding that it hadn’t gone down enough for her to try walking yet she knew she’d have to stay here for the rest of the day. Maybe even the next day too she thought ruefully glaring at her ankle. She was really upset with herself for falling. If she’d only paid more attention sighing she opened her backpack, might as well eat some of the ration cubes, since she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
When she pulled out the cubes, she noticed that the bottom of her backpack was wet. Very wet. Oh no, she thought with growing distress, not the water please she begged. She pulled out everything finding two of the water bottles had been broken during her fall. She only had one left that was full, as well as the half empty one that she’d been drinking earlier.
Taming Lucca: Red Devils M.C. Page 4