It didn't hurt him, not one bit. In fact, nothing could hurt him since he survived such glorious burnt from that crush.
Slit growled in his throat as he pushed the dead body off him. The ambush had gone well, until one of the guerrillas got hit and fell down on Slit, making his back hit the back slammed hard on the truck. Then the car besides them exploded, sending heat wave and pieces of metal flying toward him. Great.
"Slit! Are you alright?!" Weef shouted from somewhere at the other side of the truck. Slit just grunted, sitting up.
"Still in one piece!" Slit shouted back. "How is the truck?!" He asked, pulling himself up on his feet again. Indistinct shouting was all around him. These was the chaos he knew. Slit smiled, savouring the moment of the battlefield as he checked the Walf's truck. It seemed to still be in one piece. Good.
They were at the Metal Factories, arriving in time to defend their ally. Slit proved his skill again by taking out three cars by himself. One difference between his old and his new unit was that; the guerrillas were calmer and more collective in the battlefield than War Boys. War Boys tended to go crazily and recklessly against their opponents, but his new squad attacked in pattern, more calm and effective pattern. Slit adapted quickly to their system. The weapons the guerrillas used were not much different from War Boys', but they just used more guns.
"On our left!" Walf shouted from the driver seat. His voice was hoarse, but excitement was still presented. Slit turned as he heard the shout. There was another car with a giant chainsaw on its side closing in.
"Shiny!" Slit shouted, grinning. He grabbed a bomb and threw it at the closing car, aiming for the driver. Weef joined him with a machine gun, shooting down on the window.
Another car rammed into their right side. Slit grunted, grabbing another bomb threw it. Weef threw him a gun and Slit did not hesitate to fire. He sent the car backing away as Weef took out the chainsaw with a bomb. He shouted in triumph before Walf rammed the truck into it, making the car span and crushed by the truck that followed.
"Yeah!" Walf shouted while they sped up to their next target. "Let's take all of this scum out of our road!"
Slit couldn't agree more. He grunted his approval and reload the clip. This hunt is going to be even crazier.
Slit is looking forward to that.
An hour later, they're done. The new War Lord was driven away from the Metal Factories. Most of his army was destroyed.
Slit sat on top of the truck, watching the desert and his comrades talking to each other. Most of his scarred face was hidden under the hood of his shirt, and the hood he created from his scarf. Weef and Walf were out to collect what they need for repairing the truck.
Unlike War Boys, the Guerrillas wore shirts. They did not prefer white clay to protect their skin. Also, more clothes provided them more places to hide weapons, and med-kit. Guerrillas, liked the rest of people pf Oasis, were all looking to live another day, while War Boys believed they must be ready to die at any time. Valhalla seemed to be the most beautiful place they could be in, but after seeing Oasis, Slit knew he was not going to find any place as heaven as this, not even in Valhalla.
So, it's true that Slit was looking forward to tomorrow, not how to die heroically on the fury road.
Then, thinking about his past made him thought of Nux again.
Slit grunted. He really felt like wanting nothing to do with Nux. That filth is a traitor. Well, right now he was a traitor himself, but only because he had seen the truth. He had seen that there was a better place than Valhalla. But Nux just turned his back on his comrades because those bitches, yeah, there was no other reason than those bitches. Nux always like something soft and cute. Of course his former driver kept his hobby as a secret, but Slit always saw him collecting soft fabric and something fluffy to keep in his car and the pocket in his pants. Those bitches are soft, fragile, and cute. Yeah, it didn't surprise him why Nux would like them.
The former War Boy grunted in displease before he shook the thought about Nux away. He didn't want Walf and Weef to see him preoccupied. They would ask questions. Slit was not the most talkative guys since when he was in the citadel, and being a new guy here with skills only attracted attentions from others.
"Hey!"
Walf called him, and Slit turned in time as his comrade threw a metal box at him. His comrades had been back, and they're carrying three boxes filled with engine parts. It looked heavy, but both Walf and Weef were alpha, so they had no problem carrying them at all.
"Repair the roof, it has taken some scratches." Walf said, a screw already in his hand. "Weef and I will work on the engines."
Slit grunted his acknowledgment before he started working.
Nux laid still on his bed. After he got back from the tour with Kadaz, he kept sleeping, trying to forget about what Kadaz had said to him. Nux felt his heart drop every time he thought about himself won't be able to see his friends again. He thought of Capable and others before sighing. He really missed them.
Well, at least food shortage isn't a problem in Oasis. The former War Boy thought, trying to think about the bright side of this situation. They seem to treat everybody equally, or near equally. Omega makes aren't failure here. At least I will definitely have something to do. Nux sighed, deciding to get up as he didn't feel sleepy anymore.
The pavilion was so quiet, as Knox was dozing off at the other corner, and Patro out to get the herbs from the Herb House. But from the dimmed light from outside, Nux guessed the sun had already set. And he remembered Patro telling Knox to go help his grandmother with the dinner before the last of day was gone.
"Hey," Nux slowly got on his feet and moved to poke the boy at his side. "Hey… Knox! Wake up!"
"What?" Knox finally opened his eyes. The boy looked around, confused. "What? Is something wrong? Your wound bleed?"
"No, no." Nux shook his head. "I think your grandfather mentioned something about your grandmother before he went out."
"Oh…Oh!" Knox immediately shot up from the ground. "Shit… I should be helping her by now. Thank Nux!"
And with that, the beta sprinted out of the pavilion. Nux snickered and sighed, he was left alone with nothing to do again.
The former War Boy looked around. He saw some clothes and a cane. Well, maybe Knox and Patro wouldn't mind if he decided to take a walk around Oasis, right?
"Phew, I really want to go taking a long nice bath." Weef said as the truck slowly climbed into the cave. The sun had already set as they made it back to Oasis. Slit grunted from where he was sitting. The battle had had him felt so energetic, but after the repairing, right now he felt tired.
"Whoa, I've heard that today we're having a roast beef for dinner." Walf shouted from the driver seat. The alpha sounded so excited. "If we're late, there will be only bones left for us!"
"Yeah, bye-bye my dream." Weef chuckled before he stretched his arms. Slit just kept quiet as the truck slowed down into a stop. After that he jumped down, and waited for Weef to drop the weapons down. The truck still needed more repair, but that could be done tomorrow. Right now Slit felt like taking a bath and going to bed.
One thing that made Slit really like Oasis was that he had his own quarter. Unlike life at the citadel that War Boys would all sleep in a giant hall, Slit had been given a room for himself. It's not a very large one, but it gave him enough space to do some morning exercises without being interrupted.
After taking care of the weapons, Slit made his way out of the cave. He walked along the side of the mountain to his quarter, one of small caves built from digging into mountains. Woods and rocks were used to build the door and window, letting the light shone into the area inside. However, Slit still had the curtain, in case he wanted a privacy.
Slit walked into his quarter and closed the door. He lit the candle at the corner and stripped. The dirty clothes were thrown into a basket near the door. His bed was in the furthest corner of the cave, protected from view by curtain made from old clothes and animal skin. There was a small work shop at another corner, in case Slit wanted to tinker something or building/repairing his personal weapons.
There were barely any members of the any units to be given their own quarter. Most of them would have roommates of two to four. Weef and Walf lived together at the room next from Slit. Slit knew Jett wanted to have them keeping an eye on him, as Slit was one of the most skilful fighters they ever had. And because Jett knew Slit wasn't socialize, so he gave Slit his own quarter, a silent exchange to have Slit stay with them. An exchange which Slit silently accepted.
Most of the people of Oasis lived in pavilions that were around the area between the lake and mountains. People who lived in the manmade cave, like Slits, were those who were in guerrillas, scouts, assaults, black thumbs, and builders. However, Oasis still had two to three large caves that could fit all of them in case there was a storm. The cave was located below the area where Slit was staying. He had visited it twice, and still impressed by the supplied they had stocked.
Also, a privilege of living in the mountain was that they did not have to bath at the lake. There was a small pool in the cave inside the mountain, just a few yards away from the living area. Water fell from the top of the mountain, created a water fall and a pool that would gently travelled down the mountain to join the lake below.
The people of Oasis took advantage of it, building a bathhouse in the cave and pumped water to supply it. They did not build the bathhouse directly around the pool because they did not want the water to get contaminated before it join the rest of the water in the lake. The wasted water from the mountain bathhouse would be transferred through pipes and taps to the agriculture area instead. Well, it's easy to do that since Slit could see the endless green of the vegetable field right in front of his room. Yes, the mountain he stayed in was the one behind the agriculture area of Oasis.
Slit went to the bathhouse after that. It was empty, as most of the people was already at the Mess hall. Slit smiled, he could get along with having to eat leftover, as long as he got a chance to bath alone. It's not that he got self-conscious about his body. Hell no, he was proud of it. But people always kept asking about his manmade scars, and the burnt scars. It annoyed him. So Slit preferred to bath alone.
After he scrubbed all of the dirt from the fight away, Slit taking a minute relaxing in the water before getting up as he heard people approaching. He immediately got dress and walked out of the bathhouse. He got back to his room quickly and decided that it's time his dirty clothes had to be cleaned.
Unlike most of the people of Oasis, guerrillas and scouts mostly preferred their clothes to be taken care off by the laundry unit. Their routine tasks always had them exhausted after work, so they did not want to fight for the area for washing clothes. Slit was not any exception.
The former War Boy made sure the room tag was on the basket as he carried it out of his quarter. The laundry usually got his clothes cleaned in a day or two, after that they will deliver it back to his room by the tag on the basket. There were very few people walking around as Slit went down from the mountain to the lake. Most of the people were still at the Mess hall, feeding and enjoying their dinner.
Well, Slit was hoping for a quick drink and some food. After that he would be back in his room. He wasn't a socialize type of people anyway.
There was no one around the laundry unit as Slit arrived. He placed his basket down in the receiving area. The laundry unit would start working from sunrise to sunset. Those who sent them the basket after the sun had set would have to wait until tomorrow. But Slit didn't care much by the way. He still had a lot of clothes to spare.
Slit made his way to the Mess hall after that. He still wore a hood even when he wasn't on the mission. Slit felt better being covered. It's not because he was scared, but because he was annoyed. People wouldn't stop talking and asking about his face. It just pissed Slit off.
The hall was so crowded when Slit arrived. People were everywhere, enjoying their dinner. Slit went to the drink first, snacking some water bottles before he went for the food.
There was still a table at the furthest end of the hall, also quiet enough for Slit liking. So he grabbed his share and immediately headed toward that table. There was a reason Slit preferred to dine alone. In his very first days here, Slit always received attention from others. He always got prying eyes, both from the people who see him as a friend, and those who see him as a threat. But after a while, they finally let him spent his time in peace.
The former War Boy let himself relaxed a bit and enjoyed his meal. He was half way through his dish when he spotted a red hair omega walking toward him. Kadaz.
Slit had never met an omega male before, until his time in Oasis. At first he had a hard time to believe there was really an omega male capable of working like beta and alpha males. Kadaz was one of the very first omegas to prove him wrong. They were strong, and clever. And they also proof that brains were important than muscles. It took Slit almost two weeks to feel less awkward working with them, having believed all his life that omega male was capable of nothing, not even breeding, since Immortan Joe had them all slaughtered since birth.
Of course Slit still had a difficult time being around omega males, but he found his solution quickly. All he had to do is to think that they were beta males. Yeah, that made his life a lot easier.
"Slit." The red hair omega walked until he was in front of Slit table. "May I sit with you? I have something to discuss." Kadaz said, gesturing to the empty chair in front of Slit. The alpha just shrugged and said nothing, just shoving the food into his mouth instead.
"I will take that as a yes." Kadaz said and sat down. Slit pretended to give him no attention. Walf had once or twice mentioned that he was courting Kadaz. Slit hadn't seen them together much, nor did he have any knowledge about courting, so he had nothing to say in this matter.
"I want to talk about that… new omega." Kadaz said after he sat down. Slit made no sound as he continued eating. Well, he was really instead, but he did not want Kadaz to know. He hadn't trust anyone here yet. "He seems to come from the same place as you, right?"
Slit nodded, still offering Kadaz no verbal answer. His mind was already thinking about Nux.
"He seems to be… missing his home too much." Kadaz said. This time Slit dropped his spoon and turned to look at Kadaz in the eyes. He knew that right now the omega was very careful with his words. Slit just wanted to make sure Kadaz wouldn't lie. "I just told him about the rules. He did not take it well." The omega continued and Slit wanted to make an awful laugh. Well, Nux was totally not the one to always follow the rules.
"So I want you to make sure he does not do something stupid." Kadaz said, finally getting to the point. "He also asked why you have a privilege of going out and getting back without getting kill. Maybe if you talk to him, he might calm down."
Slit finally made a verbal answer. He snored. Talking to that traitor?! He was not even sure if he could stop himself from killing Nux if they met face to face when the omega was still awake.
"Look," Kadaz said, sighing. "I really don't want to kill anyone, especially whom we just helped. The assaults hated to do this job too. So… can you help, please? No one wish to see him die. He seems to be the one with talents and potentials. Or…some alphas have already mentioned taking him as a mate, despite that he lost a part of his left leg, they are still confident he will be able to provide a healthy baby." The omega finished his sentence with another sigh and looked at Slit.
Slit still kept his eyes on Kadaz, and still not saying anything at all. But deep inside, Slit's inner minds were fighting each other. Half of him wanted to see Nux happy and well protected, and there was no way he was going to hand his former driver to any alpha wanting a healthy baby. He would be more than willing to fight them for Nux, if necessary. However, the other half just screaming 'traitor!' and growl, declaring that he wouldn't care about what might happen to Nux.
Slit felt like tearing his head apart. Half of him still cared for Nux, and the other half was angry. It was so frustrated. He was really not able to understand himself sometimes. However, Slit knew he could not keep being silent forever. Kadaz would be asking him, waiting for his answer, and probably follow him back to his room if he didn't say anything soon. And punching this omega in the face wouldn't make Walf happy. Despite showing no care toward others, Slit still not want Walf to be angry with him. Angry driver made the lancers' have to try harder in battles.
"I can't guarantee anything." Slit said, hoping it would shut Kadaz up. And yes, Kadaz nodded. Slit could see happiness in the omega's eyes. He could read that Kadz didn't like Nux, but the red hair omega was trying hard not to let it show, also trying hard to like Nux. Well, Slit wouldn't blame Kadaz. Nux wasn't the best companion anyway.
Kadaz disappeared after that, leaving Slit in peace after he told Slit to go to Patro's pavilion after breakfast. Slit just sighed as the omega finally disappeared. Inside him, turmoil was killing him slowly. He probably should solve it out before morning came. He really didn't want to be confused when he have to meet Nux.
Slit went out of the Mess Hall after he finished his meal. He felt tired, but not ready to go to bed yet. So the former War Boy ended up on trotting around the bank of the lake, watching the water swayed. Moonlight shone down from the sky far above. Stars were everywhere, illuminating the world with their strange lights.
Slit was about to go back to his quarter when he heard a shout, followed by an omega frightful scream for help. A male omega, and it also sounded like Nux.
Before he knew it, Slit found himself growling before his legs sprinted to where the voice came from. He was definitely not sure of what he was doing, what he was expecting. But he was not going to ignore such a call for help from Nux.
The former War Boy jumped up a rock and went deeper into the living area. There was nearly no one here, everyone was still enjoying their time in their Mess Hall. So there were only guards and some people who preferred solitude and peaceful time alone.
The source of the scream came from somewhere in the field. Slit grunted and kept walking. He sniffed the air and nearly choked at a thick sweet scent in the air. It was so Nux, with something sweeter, a lot sweeter. Yeah, Nux was really an omega.
It didn't take long for Slit to find Nux on the ground, trying to fight two alphas off. Slit remembered those alphas were the two of the night shift guards of the field. Well, they were clearly not watching over the field right now, as they're clearly trying to do something with Nux – who was on the ground with a crane several feet away from him, bared feet, and wearing only a long nightshirt and a thin coat.
One alpha had grabbed both of Nux's arms, forcing them down to the ground and also covered Nux's mouth, while the other alpha tried to grab Nux's kicking legs. The omega still kicked even with his very injured one.
Seeing that Nux was still a fighter, Slit felt slightly proud. Yeah, Nux wasn't suddenly all weak because he was an omega. But then Nux managed to give another cry as his garment was lift up. And that's enough to make Slit growled.
Both of the guards turned toward him, but it's too late, already very too late.
Slit bared his teeth and jumped at them.