The growl of German sent a thrill of terror up Renegade's spine making her heart squeeze in fright. She was at moment hidden behind a door in the Fabulous Four's now pitch black diner.
She had been alone idly listening to some music on the Killjoy radio station when the lights had suddenly cut out. The power flickering out wasn't unusual, it was that in the sudden darkness she saw three figures out the front window. Instantly Renegade dropped to the ground (she was behind the counter) and crawled into the kitchen, freezing up when she heard footsteps coming towards her. Renegade started to hurriedly move backwards but the sound of the other footsteps heading towards her from behind, had her rushing on hands and knees blindly forward. She gasped when she ran straight into the person's knees and instantly scrambled to the left towards the storage room exclaiming
"Let go!"
The reason for this was that the intruder had caught hold of her purple sweater and pulled it further down her shoulders. She yanked herself out of their grasp and stumbled into the storage room, sidling around the door, her heart pounding crazily in her chest as she took shaky breaths.
The footsteps came closer, the soft clink of metal making her press her trembling lips together so that they could not hear her breathing. The person had just reached the doorway when a man's heavily accented voice called out
"Richard?" The man's accent distorted his words making Richard sound like Reesh-art. The man did not answer but she felt the warmth of his body as he moved to stand right beside her hiding place. She swallowed and held herself as still as possible though more than anything she wanted to take off running.
The door was flung back and petite Renegade was crushed in a bear hug against Richard's body to which she screamed and writhed. Immediately footsteps came running with a flashlight beam jumping crazily over the two. She felt hands brush her all over, checking her for weapons, which made her squirm and yell all the more though the bandanna that was roughly shoved into her mouth abruptly silenced her. Before Renegade could even think about spitting it out duct tape covered her lips, as her hands were bound together by another bandanna that was double knotted.
Their Stealers Renegade Star realized with horror as Richard threw her over his shoulder, and wrapped an arm around her knees to keep hold of her. Stealers were the people whose minds had rejected BL/ind's medicine and so were turned loose into the desert. They were the rapists and murderers of the Killjoy and BL/ind world, just another dangerous obstacle that Killjoys eliminated along their way.
She bounced on his shoulder as he jogged out the back and gave a noise of surprise when he slid her down his front and pulled her legs apart. She now sat astride his hips as he settled onto the motorcycle which already had a rider. Renegade's face burned with humiliation as she was forced to lean her back against the man's in front of her, shamed at how her legs were wrapped around Richard's hips. Richard wrapped his arms around the man in front of her, forming a cage around her, and hugged her to him their chests pressed together. The driver kicked the motorcycle into gear which gave a lurch as it took off. At this she could not help the noise of panic that escaped her as she hugged Richard's hips tighter, and clung to the driver's belt loops as much as she could with her bound hands. Both men laughed and Renegade squeezed her eyes shut when Richard placed a kiss on her left cheek right where her scattering of star tattoos were.
The night passed with the drone of motorcycles lulling her into a doze. When they stopped Richard did not throw her over his shoulder but shifted her to his right hip and kept his arm tightly around her waist, forcing her to lock her ankles together and so keep her legs around him. The two gazed at each other and she was surprised to find her captor was actually quite handsome though that did not change who he was.
Richard was a subtly muscular man with sun kissed skin, eyes smudged with eyeliner to protect them from the sun and ebony hair that was spiked up. The German in return studied his diminutive captive with her blonde and brown hair, the purple sweater that fit her delicate frame, the painted splattered jeans and the small scattering of stars tattooed on her left cheekbone. The tattoos reminded him of the war paint the Indians used to wear.
The girl whimpered as she gazed up at him with those lovely frightened sage green eyes. The man smirked and bucked her up so that she rested further up on his hip.
"You'll make a good toy." He stated giving her hip a squeeze as he headed towards the warehouse.
Renegade Star felt her throat constrict as Richard pushed open the door and revealed an interior structured much like a house with numerous rooms, a spacious kitchen and living room. To her relief Richard headed into the living room and not one of the bedrooms. Renegade's relief was short lived though for he set her down on the couch right next to a tall burly man with stubble on his jaw and bedroom eyes.
Till, the name Richard called him, looked at her with curiosity. Till spoke in a gruff language, that suited his raspy bass voice and a language that Richard answered in. The two talked for a minute before Richard left leaving her alone with Till, hands still bound and mouth still sealed with duct tape. Renegade wriggled her wrists but found her bindings just as secure as before. To this Till chuckled, a low pleasant sound, before he began to comb her tangled hair with his fingers, gently working out the knots. She was tense beneath his fingers, terrified at the thought that she was utterly powerless against him. He must have noticed her unease for he soothingly stroked her hair and murmured words of comfort in his guttural mother tongue. When she relaxed a little beneath his touch this garnered an affectionate smile from him and it was this fatherly look that made Renegade Star realize Till was not the enemy. He was a Stealer but his lot was not in the violent part of them. Even if he...she shivered at the thought. She hoped he would at least be gentle if lust should over take him. The young lady gave a start when she felt something very warm and wet rub against her skin. When she focused on it she recognized it as a wash cloth and that he was cleaning her face. He concentrated especially upon the tape and gave her an apologetic look before he grasped her jaw and tore it off. This of course brought an exclamation of
"Ouch!"
When he finished with her face he moved to her neck, arms and hands. He made a rubbing motion across his stomach with the wash cloth before he pointed to her stomach and questioned
"Ja? Nein?" Renegade shook her head which he confirmed as "Nein." She smiled and nodded
"Nein." She repeated and this surprisingly brought a pleased smile to his face.
He gave her the one moment sign and went into the kitchen. She heard him rummaging around and after a minute he returned holding an apple, orange and banana in one large hand and a jug of water in the other. She was amazed at the two delicacies he held. Apples and bananas bruised and rotted too quickly especially in the heat to last more than a couple of days. It was a shock that he had them. He settled beside her and setting the orange and banana in his lap and held up the apple.
"Grün." He stated tapping the green apple. She gave him a puzzled look to which he repeated "Grün." She looked at the apple before she looked at him and uncertainly said
"Grün?" Till grinned and nodded
"Apfel." He told her and which she repeated. He picked up the orange next and getting her to repeat its color and name, unpeeled it and feed the orange to her, Renegade's reward for correctly pronouncing them. It felt oddly intimate to feel the brush of Till's fingertips against her lips but there was nothing Renegade could really do and she was hungry. When she finished he told her the word for water which was easy it was wasser. After he gave Renegade her drink he cradled her in his arms and went into one of the bedrooms. The young lady had to concentrate on not throwing up her orange and water as he set her down on the bed and proceeded to remove the vest he was wearing, that being the only piece of clothing on his upper body. He sang something that resembled a lullaby as he easily undid her bindings though only to tie her hands in front of her. He gave her a pointed look, conveying she was to be good and not run from him. Renegade Star closed her eyes as he tucked her into bed and kissed her star tattoo murmuring something to her in his mother tongue before he settled into the bed himself. The young lady didn't think she would fall asleep, not when she was in bed with a stranger. It didn't matter how fatherly he was. But amazingly exhaustion pulled her under.
It seemed only a moment later she was jerked from sleep by Till who was cradling her once again, this time nuzzling her hair and again singing a lullaby as he rocked her back and forth, back and forth. She was about to ask what was wrong but the shout of her name stole her words. The burly man hugged her closer as he muttered
"Nein."
But Till's protest did nothing to stop Raging Blade from kicking the door open raygun at the ready.
"Renegade!" He yelped instantly training his raygun at Till upon seeing the two.
"No!" Renegade shrieked throwing her bound hands over Till's head and encircling him with her arms. Both men gave her shocked expressions as she gazed at the man who held her.
"Please Till come with us you don't belong here." Renegade begged to which he gave a wistful smile as he shook his head making her heart sink in disappointment.
"Nein I stay to protect other girls." He explained as he stood and went to Raging Blade. Renegade Star gawked at him
"You speak English?"
Till chuckled in his low pleasing way as he reached behind his head and in a smooth motion undid her bindings.
"I always have princess." He answered kissing her tattooed cheek before he put her down on her feet.
"Come on Renegade we've gotta go now, the Fab Four can't last forever." Raging Blade urged lacing his fingers with hers. She nodded, stood on tip toes and pressing her fingertips to Till's right cheek, kissed his left cheek before she took off running looking back just once more when they reached the door leading outside. And in between Fun Ghoul and Party Poison's shoulders she saw her tall burly savior standing in the bedroom doorway.
He watched her with his woeful bedroom eyes, bare chested and so vulnerable in his sorrow.