The Big Waste (After-Skirmish Book 1)

by C. W. Ashley

  The Nomad’s sorrowful apology was cut deathly short when his torso was severed violently from his shoulder at a crude diagonal angle. The amount of blood was unbelievable, spraying in all directions not too different from the Bloodtoad that Iggy himself had killed. As the mutilated corpse gargled its death rattle, the blood-soaked killer Sil rose to her feet picking up a chunk of Novak’s flesh to chew on as she walked over to a shocked Iggy.

  “Sil, he was surrendered, he wasn’t going to fight us…why?” he asked solemnly.

  Sil looked at Iggy confused. Her beastly battle expression replaced with her innocent wonder. She was now the curious drifter who was fascinated by the car.

  “All threaten life…all lose life...even metal human…and must eat too yes?”

  Sil held the chunk of Novak’s half-eaten flesh to Iggy’s face with a charitable expression expecting him to take a bite.

  “Hey! What the fuck you doing Sil! That’s a person! I’m not eating that; you shouldn’t have fucking killed him any way you animal!”

  Iggy wretched and jerked back, instinctively backhanding the meat from her grasp. Sil raised an eyebrow before slapping him with a dismissive snarl sending him flying a full 5 feet backward effortlessly.

  Every fiber in Iggy’s body told him to immediately regret calling Sil that word and he was half expecting it to be the last thing he ever said. But sure enough, Sil stayed fairly calm and retrieved the chunk of bloody meat from the floor before popping it into her mouth with a neutral expression.

  “Clear-wet save leg, but won’t save hunger. Should eat, Nishin.”

  Sil’s voice was back to being a low growl of mild indifference. She turned towards the pond immediately and jumped in. No doubt to drink and wash after a very dirty fight. As Iggy watched his new companion splash around in the water like a proud but happy tiger, he began to contemplate the state of his life.

  So, she’s really a killer, I don’t know how much further I can travel with her. She isn’t going to fit in with any Shell society, definitely not a Citadel. Not that I could go anywhere with this fucking bounty on me. Why the hell didn’t I pick something a little safer? Why did it have to be Waste Cargo-runs, Ignition? I still can’t believe that Clive called me Randall, even paps stopped calling me that…

  After a few more minutes of introspection Iggy finally pulled himself back to his feet and began the nasty chore of scavenging the torn-up trio for any supplies and items.

  My leg does feel better though…

  Chapter 6: Finding Your Way

  Holding his breath to block the smell of drying blood, Iggy’s shoulders hung weakly as he walked between the pile of bodies and his car. After dropping the last bit of scavenged loot in his trunk he took stock of the items he collected. The nomads had some basic tools along with a decent amount of food for their trip. The recently collected purified water and the two makeshift spear weapons with a folding function made them easy to store in the trunk. Mainly out of curiosity, he also salvaged a few parts from the decimated Tin Man too. He took the shock prod arm attachment and a fairly intact component inside the burst chest that looked a little like a palm-sized version of a car engine, which had Iggy’s interest immediately.

  After packing everything up, he opened his car door just in time to see Sil emerge from the pond. Her dusty silver hair was now a much cleaner shimmer of brightness, and her previously blood and sand stained poncho was now closer to its original beige color. Her skin was still moist from the water; clear and smooth looking, with some noticeable bristles of fine light-colored hair on all of her limbs. Once again Iggy was in absolute awe of her appearance.

  Any sensible thoughts of getting as far away as possible from this murderous creature left Iggy’s mind as swiftly as the fresh sand being carried by the wind. As she walked past him to climb into the car, she glanced at him with the same indifference as before but now with a hint of added curiosity. He cleared his throat and tried to sound focused.

  “We better get moving, it’s nearly dark and even I know how deadly the waste is when the sunsets. Luckily, all outposts and settlements will turn their signal lights on, so as soon as one becomes visible, we will drive towards it.”

  Sil made herself comfortable in the passenger seat of the Blockgain before responding, her voice was so relaxed she sounded more human than ever, if not a little gruff.

  “Move home to light...yes okay...take it there Nishin.”

  Her eyes met his with new softness and sincerity. They hadn’t discussed the practicalities of her traveling together after finding the clear-wet, but she made the entire situation seem so casual that Iggy had nothing to protest. He nodded, jumped in his seat and gunned the engine.

  I guess I gotta get used to this, but for how much longer?

  She had her back reclined all the way into the pit of the seat with her well-toned legs high and across the dashboard. She was a little fidgety and couldn’t seem to find how she wanted to cross or tuck her legs in for the car journey. Leaving Iggy to force himself not to stare at her exposed lower region that was being pathetically covered by her loose and constantly shifting poncho. They had been driving for only 15 minutes or so and he was already hard as a rock. He said extremely little to her on the journey so far, mainly asking quickly if she could see any lights in the distance with her superior eyesight. But nothing came up yet.

  If Iggy had been on a street with other cars, he would have crashed multiple times by this point. He couldn’t focus on the road. Sil refused to sit in her seat like a regular human.

  Iggy shifted in his seat a few times to try and manage the uncomfortable nature of his fierce erection, but it failed to do more than make him look like a flustered, grunting mess. Sil suddenly stopped stirring and trained her bright eyes on Iggy in serious consideration. Iggy snapped his head to his side to glance at her before wiping his brow and re-focusing on the endless path of shadowed land in front of him.

  “What is it Sil? Another cactus?”

  Iggy pushed through a forced chuckle in an attempt to take the tension off, it didn’t work.

  “Nishin…is wanting to-”

  Sil leaned over to Iggy, brushing her skin firmly against his before pressing her face near the upper part of his leg. Iggy recoiled in shock and the Blockgain took a jerky turn, in response.

  “Sil...what the fuck?”

  Sil began to inhale softy, pulling her head up a little to now actively sniff around Iggy’s tented groin area.

  “Nishin...wants to...push?”

  What the…

  Iggy began to shake his head in a mix of disbelief, annoyance and slight fear. “Push? I don’t know what that is, something to do with the car...err home?”

  Sil stared at him for a moment with mild confusion and quickly rose to a seated position to remove her poncho. Exposing her previously obscured torso to reveal her medium-sized, shapely round breasts and dark grey nipples, which matched her ashen skin. Her stomach was a tight six-pack of solid muscle and her lower entrance was covered in a fair amount of black hair, but less than would be expected for a woman of the wild. Without any warning she climbed on to Iggy’s lap to face him, blocking his view of the front window.

  “Sil! I can’t see it! Wha…?”

  Iggy hit the brakes pretty hard but the sudden stop barely moved her, as if she was anchored to her new seat. She then pressed her chest against his face softly as her sharp fingers began to comb through Iggy’s coarse dark hair. Her voice was now a low, suggestive purr.

  “Nishin...push...push with Sil,” she said as she knotted her fingers in his hair.

  Her terminology became crystal clear as she timed her statement with a grinding stroke of her naked behind against Iggy’s pulsing member, almost teasing it with the hope of freedom from his cargo jeans. Her breath was like a furnace with the stench of blood still thick on her exhalation. Iggy ignored it, his body was telling him to make peace with his hang-ups about her actions and to give in to his instincts.

  I can�
��t think of a good reason not to anymore.

  The sky seemed to get darker, and Sil’s gleaming eyes blazed in the low light around them. Her tongue glanced past her white fangs and flickered around Iggy’s face as she pressed into his lap a little harder. Iggy’s hands went on auto-pilot, one finding itself on her back, the other frantically trying to loosen his belt with limited success. Sil purred aggressively as she took notice of his attempt and began to move up further close to him; pressing her breasts right against his face, and moving into a half squat over him. Iggy gave up trying to pull off his loosened pants with his now trapped arm and just focused on kissing her firm breasts, attempting to be sensual at first but quickly falling into a lusty lapping motion around her nipples with an occasional nip every few seconds excitedly.

  This is...amazing.

  It had its desired effect. Sil’s purrs were now mixed with resonant, jumping whimpers and she put her half crouching position to use. Using one of her feet she hooked her toes on the inside the waistline of Iggy’s pants and dragged them off by pushing her foot downwards.

  There was a slight scratching from her sharp toenails but the motion was so erotic the pain was unnoticeable. With his pants around his ankles and his underwear just below his knees, Iggy’s manhood pointed skywards. Itchingly hot and slick with sweat and early fluids of anticipation. Sil’s parts were just as wet but even hotter, roasting the inside of the car like a high-powered radiator. Her eyes were wide with hunger and unmoving primal confidence her tongue was lashing around his face like a whip. It was strange to Iggy, but it felt good. Gripping the driver’s seat firmly she began to find her way on top of Iggy’s pulsating tip. It was so erect she didn’t even need a hand to guide it.

  “Sil…Nishin…push...ahhhhh”

  She found the touch, then the prod and in one fairly quick motion she sank down around him, letting him slide almost to the hilt before exhaling with the first shock of pleasure that was in chorus with Iggy’s own with more volume. The soft heated caverns of Sil’s insides were an astonishing contrast with the strong surface of her body. Iggy’s jaw stretched open with a gasp, filling his mouth with even more of Sil’s firm breast. Her wild hips began plowing into Iggy’s lap powerfully, her wetness engulfing him completely and finding a smooth but exciting motion that had him bucking his pelvis in near-perfect rhythm with her.

  Iggy’s heart nearly jumped out of his neck; his body had not had this sensation in a long time. Drunken one-night stands with pit groupies after the demolition matches were barely as satisfying as masturbation, sometimes less so. This natural, dangerous, beautiful creature who basically saved his life twice was now locked in coitus with him; inside a vehicle that she seemed to love as much as he did. He did not understand her, he understood the situation even less, but at this moment he felt genuinely happy.

  “Sil, ahhh, slow down…damn,” Iggy heaved in slight discomfort.

  Sil’s impressively built body steadily increased in force and speed and didn’t seem to have an upper limit. Her inner walls were closing in on him ferociously and her grunts were becoming more animalistic. Iggy’s fear of coming to soon quickly morphed into fear of his physical safety. Her superhuman strength was being reined in by very little control.

  “Oww Sil…slow down...it hurts,” he pleaded.

  Sil said nothing, simply giving him a slightly confused half-smile before licking his face again; her hot tongue felt like a small steam-iron pressing his cheek. She placed one of her hands on his shoulders, and her mighty vice grip was apparent as Iggy felt the ligaments near his collarbone begin to give.

  Iggy’s was panicking; he could hear the suspension of his beloved Blockgain being tested by the impact of the powerful humping. Despite his mortal fear, he was still in too much carnal ecstasy to think straight, and could only beg for mercy with his wide-open eyes.

  “Push, push more, Nishin!” Sil demanded gutturally.

  His penis was a pillar of pure pleasure pumping sexual streams of energy to all corners of his body, but his bones felt like they could snap like toothpicks in the next minute. As his bruised pelvis throbbed like a punching bag, he realized that a regular non-upgraded man might not be durable enough to survive a round of passion with whatever Sil’s species was. Iggy wondered if she was even concerned for his safety anymore, or was she going to devour him after sex like a black widow arachnid? The unknown becoming less exciting and more terrifying by the second.

  Iggy, knowing he had to do something, took a gamble once again.

  “You want me to push, Sil? Okay!”

  Sil’s eyes flickered with wild anticipation and half-smile was now a full, almost villainous grin, clearly liking what she heard.

  Placing one hand on her back and another on her chest right above her breasts, he took a gulping breath and gave her the hardest shove he could muster. He knew he couldn’t push her off with her naturally perfect balance, but with any luck…

  “Ah...Nishin…mmmm.”

  Sil noticed the effort, and all of Iggy’s strength managed to budge her maybe an inch before she willingly gave into his momentum and let him push her back against the dashboard; where he was now the one leading the hip motions in top position. Her eyes widened with glee, she liked it. Switching to missionary saved his life.

  Increasing his grip on her helped him fully appreciate how solid her muscles were, it was like squeezing a palm tree. The only difference was her relatively soft skin that was covered in light amounts of hair instead of bark. He took care to moderate his hold as to not break his fingers.

  He was now thrusting at an angle that not only gave him plenty of pleasure but driving Sil to unmatched thrills since they started. Her voice was no longer a growl, purr, grunt or anything else remotely animalistic. Her full-throated cries of pleasure were very human and very female. Iggy had a brief illusion of power and dominance as he smashed his hips into his wild partner with full force, his body pulsing with the natural high of being alive.

  Sil’s cries of escalating pleasure put her deadly set of fangs on display, large jagged yellow-white molars with curved bladed canines almost like a saber-tooth. Iggy once again acknowledged the pure danger he was in being around this creature, let alone inside of her. She gave him an approving glance as to signal an approaching climax and wrapped her legs around his waist. The strength of her thighs clasping his midsection almost stole his breath but her simple sign of physical affection was all it took to push Iggy over the edge, he held on as long as he could.

  “Ahhhhhhrrrr!!”

  Iggy shouted powerfully from his chest as his orgasm exploded through him and his primed member blasted several rounds of his seed far inside of his undomesticated companion. Sil inhaled with a mix of pleasure and fascination with Iggy’s orgasm as she arrived at a milder peak herself, careening out a low hiss to go with it. Luckily for Iggy, she was content with the experience, and eventually released him after purring with the after-glow. He slumped back into his driver’s seat, feeling like an empty tube of toothpaste as if there was nothing left inside him to keep him together. Sil crawled across him, sitting in his lap with her arms over his shoulder and began licking his face once more.

  “How was it for you Sil?” Iggy asked with a weak chuckle.

  She paused her licking and looked at Iggy like a small pet, responding through a smile while stroking his sweat-soaked head.

  “Nishin so soft, Nishin push gentle…”

  Gentle!?

  Iggy rolled his eyes before kissing Sil, catching her lapping tongue with his own to try to guide her into a human kiss. She responded awkwardly by attempted to emulate before pulling away. Leaving his lap, she grabbed her poncho to pull it back on, glancing out of the window with a face of mild concern.

  “Nishin…sky gets dark”.

  Iggy pathetically raised his arms to the steering wheel as she made her way back to her passenger seat and began to drive. Still breathing heavy, he stepped on the gas and began to drive through the waste feeling a litt
le confused.

  Well, Ignition, what did you expect? A cuddle?

  After two near-death experiences and the hook-up of a lifetime Iggy had so many unanswered questions and this was the first moment since meeting that they had some peace. But she was no longer the naturally curious traveler with constant energy and comments. She was now still and silent, sitting almost like a human would in her seat looking out into the black night sky as if she was mesmerized. Her face was covered by her messy post-coitus hair that blocked Iggy’s line of sight but was certain she didn’t have her usual perky expression. He could take the silence no longer but didn’t feel bold enough to discuss the sex just yet.

  “Sil, where are you from? I don’t think you mentioned.”

  She didn’t move to respond and paused a moment before she did as if her mind was in a far more important place. “Sil was away from home…now I home, for now.”

  Although it was the most complete sentence she spoke since they met, it still made no sense. But Iggy knew that further questioning probably wouldn’t get him anywhere. “I’m from Athens, you know the Citadel?” She said nothing, but Iggy kept on talking to keep the silence at bay. “Athens is the only Citadel in zone 11, apart from my away derby tournaments I never really left it until today. Something about driving for a living but never leaving one area after an amount of time…”

  Iggy found himself slightly caught by self-reflection before finishing his thought.

  “It just felt like a trap, like driving in circles over and over again. Different names on the betting odds, different demolition maps, and different cars to smash. I went up in rank, but I never felt like I was going anywhere...”

  Iggy wiped a stream of sweat from his forehead as he refocused on the endless path in front of him and checked his half-empty fuel gage. He wondered if anything he said was making sense to Sil.

  I mean, I’m not even sure it makes sense to me. But I had to get out. I had to.

  “Nishin...is still home?”