[Only read if you came from Chapter 11]
It's 9 pm and the hallway to Benny's room is as silent as the wastes themselves. There's only the buzzing of the dim lights above and the quiet metallic clang of the knife along her thigh.
Before she knows it, Benny's holding the door open for her. He's still in his pressed checkered suit but there's a dead rose in his right coat pocket.
"Hey, baby."
She steps in and her cold eyes move over everything. His room's real fancy. There's a mini bar off to the right, and after locking the door behind him, Benny goes over to pour her a drink.
"Here." He hands it over, "Loosen up. You're as stiff as a board." He winks, "Shouldn't that be my job?"
She doesn't take the drink, just laughs dryly. "Funny."
He'd be stiff in a way he didn't expect. Cold and stiff.
Benny zones in on her like a shark, grips her hips, kisses her neck and sets her cup aside on the bar while rocking forward. "So." He whispers, "We made a deal."
Her eyes narrow, but she lets him keep going.
He stops for a moment and looks up at her, "Baby, I've got all the caps in the world I could ever want..." He spins her and walks her over to the king sized bed that's been fixed and tended and waiting. "But isn't it funny? I just want you now."
He smells like hookers, cigarettes, and all sorts of alcohol, leans her down on the bed and undresses down to his boxers, then starts feeling for her dress zipper. When the zipper's down he works on peeling the dress off real slow, so he can admire every new bit revealed.
"Ohh, you're a real fine broad, aren't you? I'd like to see more."
Suddenly she grabs his collar.
"Oh," He chuckles, kisses her neck, and smiles gleefully, "You want it rough, don't you?" But his smile quickly fades when he feels the cold blade pressed against his neck.
"Yeah. I like it rough."
Her knees lock around his neck and press him back into the blankets. She pins his wrists down. Her eyes are ice.
"You're going to let me off this payment. Hear me?" She lets the edge of the blade press further in.
He struggles with his voice for a moment. "Y-yeah."
There's the quiet clicking of a lock, and the door swings open.
Fox runs in with a revolver in one hand, a bobby pin in the other, and a rabbit's foot hanging from his neck.
He sees her with the knife and instantly lowers his gun. "Holy shit...I thought I was too late..."
She lifts the knife in his direction, "What're you doing here?"
He carefully puts his revolver away and lifts his hands, "I'm friendly. I heard about your deal. I didn't like what he was doing, so I came to get you out of it, but it seems you've taken care of the situation already."
Benny takes quick breaths, "How'd you guys get these weapons in?!"
The woman grips his shoulders and points the tip of the knife at his face. "Shut up." Then she turns to Fox and smiles, "Oh, thanks." She hops off Benny, "Could you watch him while I get dressed?"
Fox carefully draws his revolver, "Alright."
She hurriedly slips back into the dress and tries zipping the back by herself. The zipper was stuck, but she enjoyed the delay. It gave her more time to admire those muscles. They got her all flustered, but in that nice way. Fox glances back and sees her problem, then zips it for her and helps her off the bed.
She smiles and can't stop staring into his eyes. It takes her a moment to speak, "So, should we get outta here before he calls for help?"
"Is that your plan?" He asks.
She holds up her skirt and slides the knife into the holster on her thigh. "Yeah. I don't wanna stay here any hour longer."
"You got stuff you need to pick up?"
"Yeah."
"Alright." They run and from a distance they hear Benny yell for his guards.
"What room?" He asks.
"Five."
He finds it in an instant and she rushes in. She packs her things so quick it was as if a tornado came in and swept everything away. She runs out with her pack, breathing quick, "I have other weapons too. Lots."
Fox ponders a moment. "I think I have an idea of where they're stored—"
"Hand me a bobby pin." She says.
"What?"
She holds out an open palm, "Bobby pin."
He quickly rifles through his pockets and hands her three.
She takes them and sprints off.
"Wait- where're you going?"
He can't find her anywhere until he sees her nonchalantly walk out from behind a desk in the casino plaza with an overstuffed pack. The tip of a mini nuke sticks out from the top.
Dozens of chairmen come sprinting in with their pistols at the ready. "That's them!" They yell.
Fox sees the woman crack a smile and pull a plasma pistol from her pack. Gamblers scream and scatter. That smile—something you'd only see on a real professional who knew the joys of a good gunfight.
They get alongside each other.
"You ready to leave?" He asks.
"You sure as hell I am." She snickers and they sprint out the casino doors as bullets zing past their heads and chip the walls.
Oh man, this woman.
To continue your story, go to Chapter 26