Wasteland

Breathing steadily on the bed, Leona stared out the window at the cloudless sky slowing relenting more of it's blueness to the oranges and golds of evening. Through the door she could hear the clank of glasses and the quiet murmur of patrons that would grow to a dull roar before the night was through. She wondered why the pub was only open after the sun had passed it's zenith. There was no profitable reason she could imagine for the schedule. She was quite sure his was the only place in town that sold food and drink. Perhaps she would venture out and see the village beyond these walls tomorrow.

Jack's voice floated up to her ears above the din, laughing at some joke one of his customers had jauntily shouted for all to hear. He had left her to help Egor with opening preparations, such as counting caps. But before he had left, he lay beside her gazing down on her with his ghostly grey eyes and tracing his fingers over the groves of her body. Her own fingers marveling at the sculpted flesh of his manliness. If she was to stay here, she needed to know much more than she did about the man and about this village. With all the drunkards below, it would make it easier for her to garner information from the loosened tongues.

Eyes accustomed to the darkness of the room, she easily found her clothes that were scattered about the room, tossed to the whim of chance in his rush to remove them. Her panties were easiest to locate, clinging to one ankle as they had not been completely striped from her. The tank had caught by the strap on the post of the head board. Her jacket lay by the door, and her denims in a puddle on the faded rug atop her dirt encrusted boots. The pip boy was still securely on her arm and her goggles were trapped on her head by a tangle of hair. This she worked patiently with her fingers until the hair was released from it's unsightly bondage. Opting to leave the pip boy and her jacket in the dewar of the wardrobe, she did her best to smooth down her wild hair. She wanted to look less like a wanderer than she had upon her arrival. She wasn't sure why this mattered to her when she had never cared before. Producing the key from her pocket, she unlocked the door. The sounds and smells expected of a bar were immediately amplified without the door to muffle them. Mostly is smelled of dust and beer with an overall odor of cooked food and dirty bodies. Laughter and clinking glasses joined the clamor coming from the kitchen. She noticed Egor was at the bar and Jack in the far corner laughing with a portly, bald man. It prompted her to wonder who was cooking. Proceeding down the stairs, so far un-noticed, she decided she would answer the question for herself. Everyone was busy with other matters, and she had not yet been seen. There was no harm in peeking in where she felt welcome to go.

The metal door creaked open. The sound was hardly audible over the noise. Inside she saw the back of a blonde woman, tall and slender. At first she thought it was Lucy, but the movements were off. This woman didn't have the careless, I fucked the devil last night air about her. The nest of hair that made Lucy appear mildly insane was carefully combed and pulled back with a ragged length of colorless scrap fabric. Leona concluded that this woman must be Anne, Lucy's twin sister. She let the door close behind her and sat on the crate that occupied the space on the floor next to it. She waited quietly for a few moments to see if Anne would turn around. When she continued to keep her back to the door as she cooked the next order, Leona thought it might be best to speak up before the meal was ready to deliver and dropped on the floor when her presence startled the woman.

"Would ye be Anne?" She asked.

Anne didn't jump or turn around. In fact she continued working as if she hadn't heard a thing. The only sign she gave that told she had heard the question was to answer it.

"Yar." She replied simply.

Her voice was much softer and kinder than her sisters. Almost apologetic in it's inflection. It made Leona think of a wounded dog in a cage. But when Anne did turn around, the face was not afraid or sullen. There was a gentle smile on the whore's stained lips and a caring light in her dark eyes. Her skin was just as pale and smooth as her sister's, but her's lacked the bruises of rough business. She wore a thin blue dress with a white apron soiled with splatters of food. The breast barely contained within, seemed to beg to be caressed and kissed. Leona found herself wondering why Jack didn't keep Anne as his own instead of employing her.

"Is ther' somethin' I can get yer?" Anne asked softly.

"No, I was jus' wonderin' who was cookin' wit' Egor et the bar an' all." Leona answered.

"I see. Well, if yer hungry help yerself. Jack's done told me yer his doxy. Jus' don't get in the way. I've got a crowd t' feed."

Anne turned back to the stove and grabbed a spatula. Moments latter the food was on a plate and she proceeded toward the door. She paused just before exiting, looking down at the pretty girl that sat on the crate. She offered a genuine smile before pushing the door open with her back to deliver the order. When she returned a few moments latter to find the girl still sitting on the crate, she was just as friendly and profusely more loquacious.

"I herd ya an' m' sista talkin' early-a." Anne mentioned casually as she prepared the next order. "She's right ya know. It's betta here than out there. Jack seems t' 'ave taken a shine t' ya. That's right special." Anne said encouragingly. "He's a betta man than most. He'll take car' of yens. If ya stay wit' 'em, ye'll find it's not such a bad life here."

"What 'bout what ya sister said concernin' the run aways?" Leona asked.

"She's a bit of a liar. Don't tell 'er I said so. She's always been a li'l rough 'round the edges. She hates ever'ne. I try to love ever'ne as mush as I can, even her. I think she's bitter 'cause Jack ne'er took a shine t' 'er like he did ye. Jack ne'er took t' nobody like he's taken t' ye." Anne practically giggled.

"Not even ye."

"Naw. 'Sides, Lucy wan't have none of it. She wanted t' be her or neither of us. But Jack's kind and let us stay. He alreada had the bar then. Had extra rooms an' no pleasurable com'ny to sell. So we took the room an' provide the entertainment." Anne said casually, flipping a patty of foul smelling meat on the stove.

"An' ya don't mind it?"

"I think she don' care one way or the other. May hap' she even likes the beatn's they pay fer. Me, I likes it when they're handsome. Any girl does."

Anne turned suddenly and got down on the floor in front of Leona. She put her hands on her knees and smiled at the girl, a light in her eyes that didn't seem sane.

"I like ya, so I'm gonna be frank. Jack's a handsome man, if ya don't already think so. I think ya do. Honestly, it's what they do in the bed I'm interested in. Now, I ne'er lain wit' Jack, an' don't 'tend t'." Anne assured her as if she cared. "But the quiet one, Egor, he might not have a tongue, but he make m' feel pleasure different than the johns do. We always do it wit' the lights off, on account of he's so damn ugly, but when he lies wit' me in the dark..." Anne trailed off, taking Leona's hands and placing them on her breasts. "It's like the whole awful world goes somewher' else and all I feel is warm and tickles, not t' mention the throbin' bit o..."

"Okay!" Leona interrupted suddenly. "I don't need t' be hearin' all that now."

"I'm sorry." Anne said, letting go of Leona's hands.

She smiled a little when Leona didn't take her palms immediately from the soft, warm flesh. Slowly Anne untied the apron and slipped her arms out of the sleeves of her dress, rolling the top half down and exposing the plumpness of her breasts.

"Do ye like 'em?" Anne almost whispered, caressing herself. "I'll let ya touch 'em any time, fer free even. 'Cause I likes ya. Ye make Jack happy."

Anne took Leona's hands once more and guided them over the swells of her breasts and her large, pink nipples. When she took her hands away, Leona's fingers slipped away from the smooth skin and settled in her lap.

"I've got t' work the kitchen." Anne said, putting her bosoms back in the dress and apron. "I'll miss ya if ye leave."

The whore tuned back to the stove and finished cooking the meal in silence. Leona decided it was a good time to leave the kitchen. She grabbed an apple off the counter and slipped out the door. Both twins, in her opinion, had a few stitches missing in the fabric of their sanity. She had no intention of ever taking Anne up on her offer. Her hesitancy had been more out of shock, and then to be polite than anything else. She felt in need of fresher air and headed for the door. Egor caught her eye on the way out. She would never look at him the same way again. He seemed to know that she knew because he gave her a wink and a strange grin as she passed the bar. The portly man was still in the corner, conversing with other villagers. She also noticed a few wastelanders sitting quietly alone at a table by the door. Jack was serving them their mugs of ale, collecting their caps as they tossed them on the table. He glanced over at her, locking eyes with her for a twinkling, before she opened the door and stepped outside.