Scavenging trips [part I] (written for rsk110)
Title: Scavenging trips
Rating: NC-17 (because of Sex but also violence)
Genre: post-apocalyptic
Side Pairings: Juntoshi, Sakumiya, OT5
Beta: otpseverywhere (thank you you’re a lifesaver)
Summary: 97% of the population was wiped from the planet. Six years have passed. The remaining people try to survive.
Length:13k+
Warnings: this story is post-apocalyptic, so there’s a lot of death (but not our boys), a lot of destruction and a dose of Action.
Notes: It’s Stephen King’s fault that this came out this way. This is for one of my fa-vorite writers in the fandom, I hope you like it Rae xD tho it might be weird :S. Also see some notes at the end of the story for references.
Chapter I
The military bases were the first ones to be looted. But if one cared enough to look for less obvious things, there were still some things that could be looted. Especially since they had Kazunari on their team.
Today's target seemed mostly rusted, the protective fence had been breached a long time ago and weeds seemed to have reclaimed the space between the wires. Sho geared the truck to get it over the same spot that had been trespassed before. Jun's hand went directly to the butt of the gun he usually carried in a holster, but right now it was on his knees.
The place seemed totally forgotten and deserted, however they had been wrong before and it had almost cost Satoshi his left eye and Kazunari his foot. Jun was the one who had beat-en himself the most, it had been his plan after all. Masaki held his rifle in a way that enabled him to easily start shooting if it came to that. Other than a scar on his temple, Satoshi had no other traces of the wound. Kazunari on the other hand had a slight limp that aggravated with cold weather. The fracture would have healed better if they had been able to find a doctor sooner. Now they were all 200% more careful when they looted abandoned sites.
Sho came to a stop in front of the main building. The other four looked out the windows for a minute to make sure they didn't see movement. They climbed down through the same side. Sho stayed behind as usual to guard the vehicle. He was armed with a shotgun, an AK-47 and the truck they had been using, they called it Sherpa with some respect, like another member of the team. It was equipped with a machinegun on the roof.
They stood in the formation Jun had taught them for another minute before proceeding to the door, still forming a line. The door had been forced inward with force. Masaki wasn't feeling really optimistic on what they could find there, by now. The emergency lights had been shot or just broken, so they couldn't know if the building had the electric generator that they were looking for.
On the slab that once had been a reception desk, the bones of someone lay there. It was as though someone had put the corpse there once the person had died and decided to leave it there. The door that led into the facility had also been forced open. Masaki left the for-mation after Jun had nodded to him lightly. He looked behind the skeleton, towards where the pieces of the computer were. There was a plaque that he cleaned with his forearm and could see several names and numbers. He smiled, because even if offices weren't the right place to find ammo, generators, food or other necessities, they sometimes held liquor, to-bacco or other luxury items they could trade.
One by one, Jun and Kazunari searched the offices while Satoshi and Masaki were on lookout. They had tried other combinations in the past, but Masaki tended to get distracted with pa-pers and personal mementos while Satoshi just overlooked things. That was why now only Jun and Kazunari were allowed to register premises.
Their loot as they approached the top floor, was 14 bottles of either vodka, whiskey or bourbon in different states of consumption. Three boxes of cigars, 18 packs of cigarettes, 4 boxes of matches that may or not work, three disposable lighters and 4 zippo lighters. A can of zippo liquid that wasn’t evaporated, a dozen notebooks and a packet of new pencils that weren't eaten by rats or mold. Kazunari also found something that Jun was very pleased with: three pairs of glasses. As time passed, it became apparent that the place was com-pletely abandoned.
There was a ladder that led to the roof, through a trapdoor. Masaki climbed it, he'd be the only one who could say if there was a generator and if it was able to run at all. He felt the hot air hit his face when he opened the trapdoor. He stepped onto the roof and found at least the remains of at least 5 people lying there. When Sho and him started to hop places in hopes of finding different things that helped them survive, the discovery of corpses always shocked him. But after six years, the corpses were more alike to bones and less like grinded beef, and the shock lessened.
Even after so long, he still felt uncomfortable stepping on the traces of clothes that still lay pooling on the skeletons or over the remains themselves. So he waded to avoid them. Still clutching his rifle, he saw the generator a couple of meters in front. It was damaged, some-one had shot it several times. That wouldn't do. Further behind the generator there was a tiny shed that he felt obliged to search.
This was one of the few doors that hadn't been forced open, it was tightly closed with some-thing that looked like a complicated lock. He came back to the hatch and called for Kazunari.
With a few complaints and grumbles, Kazunari climbed up to the roof. Masaki patted his bum before guiding him to the shed. Masaki took the chance to take a sip of water from his canteen while he watched Kazunari work the lock open.
"Have you drank any water since we set off this morning?" Masaki asked casually trying to stay in the shade of the busted generator.
"What?" Kazunari mustered, like he hadn't heard what the other said.
Masaki sighed and stepped closer to him before repeating his question.
"No, don't start--let me do my job! For Christ's sake!" Kazunari pleaded, trying to ignore the concerned look on Masaki's face.
Something clicked and Kazunari cheered under his breath, pulling his lock picking tools into his backpack. Masaki had his flashlight ready to point it inside the shed.
It was a gas tank and it read 300 gallons in its label. Masaki stretched out to see the dial that marked how full it was.
"It's almost full!" Masaki exclaimed with a smile.
"We hit jackpot" Kazunari smiled back, "I'll go tell Jun."
"Kazu… Sit down," Masaki guided him to the shade and Kazunari obeyed with a pout, "Drink some water, please. I'll go tell Jun."
Looking at it, Jun quickly calculated that they didn't have enough cans to bring it all down, and that they couldn't lower the tank down the stairs. Good thing the last town they traded with gave them some good rope.
Kazunari was un-equipping the machine from the roof of the Sherpa while the other four lowered the tank with a complex system of ropes and hoists that Jun had always carried around, but no one else knew how they worked. Once or twice Kazunari had tried to make him get rid of those to get more stuff into the truck.
Three hours later, the sun was starting to climb down from its zenith. They were drenched with sweat but the tank was resting against the top of the Sherpa they just needed to strap it good. It was a big gamble, transporting it all the way to their place. But it was a gamble they had to take. They couldn't afford not having this gas tank.
They sat inside the Sherpa to have lunch. They still had two buildings left to explore, one seemed to be a barracks and the other a large warehouse. Since they had been alone so far, they decided that Masaki and Sho would stay behind to tie up the tank and start placing the loot in the trunk. Jun, Kazunari and Satoshi would proceed to the barracks first.
They thoroughly searched the big rooms, the bunks, the nightstands. They didn't find any blankets, or sleeping bags. Jun was starting to think they were wasting their time when they came across a laundry room. Most of the sheets and blankets were messed up, slept in. Some corpses lay on them too. But there were some that weren't rotten. These linens had been packed in plastic bags. Masaki’s guess was that either the package just came in when the disaster happened or they were getting ready to ship them elsewhere. Whatever it was, now they had been decommissioned by their scavenger team. It wasn't more than half a dozen, but it was better than nothing. They also found another can of zippo fluid and a set of stones.
It was midafternoon when they mobilized to the last building. The one that was further down the road. It looked more battered than the other ones. It probably contained nothing. They took the truck because if they didn't see something that caught their attention they would leave immediately. It was far more dangerous trying to make their way back to their haven when the sun had settled than making it when they still had time.
There was a safe and they loaded it into the back of the truck. They left the military base as soon as they could. They didn't know if it contained anything useful, but they didn't have time to waste. It was better if they were on their way and Jun was starting to get antsy. Ka-zunari could try to disarm the lock later in a safer place. They wrapped everything up and got into the truck. They had a potential bomb over their heads and it just wasn't convenient if they ran into pirates right now.
Chapter II
The candlelight was barely enough to illuminate anything so Masaki pulled the comic he had found a few weeks ago closer to the flame. The floor of the former office was cold and hard but Masaki had been collecting blankets and sheets in order to make a kind of nest where he could sleep or do other activities in. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth changing the candle to the other side, careful not to light the sheets. He was ready to give up when Sho walked into their room.
They felt so elated by the almost 300 gallons of gas and the lack of trouble bringing it back home that they had filled out the tub and washed. Sho had lost the game of rock, paper, scissors and he was the last one to bathe. Masaki had been waiting for him.
Sho stood over him, but Masaki didn’t turn around, he keept holding the comic, staring at it. Feeling Sho's feet at either side of his hips, he knew Sho wanted to celebrate, but Masaki wouldn't budge until he was asked nicely.
They stayed like that for a while. Masaki was more patient than Sho and knew that he would win in the end. Sho was the first one to make a move to kneel over Masaki´s legs, straddling them.
The feeling of his tongue tracing the birthmark on his left shoulder, reaching the edge and making a wet little trail towards the center of Masaki's back, made Masaki shiver. But he did not let go of the comic, he stayed very still.
He liked desperate Sho, desperate Sho was more creative. He was not afraid or embarrassed of doing the things he liked or to let his partner do whatever he liked. Desperate Sho was more aggressive in taking what he needed. Desperate Sho in short, was Masaki's favorite kind of Sho.
Sho's hands begun at Masaki's hips, pressing the soft skin with his fingers and his palms. They continued up to his sides, they were a bit ticklish and made Masaki stiffle a giggle. Sho reached his armpits soon, and continued to Masaki's shoulders and upper arms. He was coaxed into letting the comic go, he turned the candle off before Sho put his lips to Masaki's skin at the nape of his neck.
At first it's only a series of dry kisses. Masaki's hands were pinned to the nest’s blankets, and Sho progressed to sucking the skin behind his ear and jaw. Masaki moved his legs, just to do something. If he didn't start to take part of this, he would implode. His butt met Sho's crotch and he felt Sho's cock getting hard against one of his butt cheeks.
When Sho started to bite his neck, Masaki could feel himself and Sho become completely hard. By now, Masaki knew what made Sho tic, even if six years ago he barely remembered his name. Six years ago when they ended up together by chance. He was so glad it had hap-pened that way.
He erased the thoughts of those awful events from his mind turning his head to steal a kiss from the plump lips. Sho's teeth and tongue were very welcomed as his cock settled between Masaki's butt cheeks.
"Sho…" Masaki groaned, feeling Sho's teeth against his neck again, making a path of bites from one side of his neck to the other. He said something more but it was lost when he bur-ied his face on the soft blanket. Masaki's body was shivering uncontrollably, especially when Sho bit him harder. They grinded against each other.
"Let me go, Sho." He whispered rotating his hips again, to feel his cock against his crack and to have some friction against the "bed" where he lay.
Sho obediently sat up, letting go of Masaki's wrists. Masaki turned around to face his lover. He hadn't even finished turning around when Sho's thick lips were on his, possessing him, sticking his tongue as far down the other’s throat as it could go. Masaki gladly reciprocated.
Now that they were face to face and Masaki's hands weren't pinned down, he felt hungry, starved from the touch of Sho's skin. So his hands went to trace the muscles on his lover's back, going over the valleys and the dips he already knew well but wanted to sear into his brain.
The body between his arms was twitching and twisting as his lover tried to deepen the kiss even more. Masaki caressed Sho's sides and aimed his attention towards Sho's nipples. Sho arched his back and his head fell backwards, allowing Masaki to latch his mouth onto Sho's neck. Masaki wasn't as tender as the other had been, he was aiming to leave a mark on the thick muscular neck. His hands traveled once again down Sho's body, training on his buttocks, squeezing and kneading the flesh.
Sho shuddered, his hips pushed against Masaki. His cock poked Masaki in the stomach. With his index finger, Masaki teased his lover's hole, causing him to thrust his hips once more.
"Just prepare me already…" Sho whined pulling apart from Masaki.
Sho was the one face down on the nest’s blankets this time around. Masaki had found the bottle of lube they had salvaged from a house a couple of months ago. The preparation was slow, and Sho was begging to be fucked by the time Masaki started to think he might be ready for it.
Straddling Sho's prostrate form, Masaki directed his cock between the tight pair of ass cheeks and started to go inside him. It was so hot in there. It took all of his concentration not to come right then, with Sho writhing and moaning, pushing himself up to take more of Masaki's cock at the time.
Their pace was frantic once Sho had gotten used to having Masaki's cock inside. Sho sat up and it took some adjustment to fit Masaki's legs between his, and he was tucked on Masaki's chest.
This way, Masaki could easily reach to grab Sho's cock and start pumping it as they moved together to completion.
They fell asleep spooning. Tired. Satisfied.
Chapter III
Kazunari's alarm went off at exactly 7:00. Like it always did. He said that he couldn't re-program it without a full battery, but the other four suspected that he just didn't want to. It suited them anyway, since electricity was scarce, they should have better uses for it. So working during daylight was preferable.
After a light breakfast, they spent their morning unloading the Sherpa. Besides the gasoline tank, it wasn't that good of a loot. The back of the truck had maybe two dozen articles, and this wouldn't do. Sho kept the track of their "treasures" in a notebook.
Sho was staring at the paper with a frown when the rest of them entered the kitchen-eating area. They smelled because of the lifting and placing of the tank, unfortunately they couldn't risk wasting gas or water so they would just have to wait.
They sat at their usual places. Not that they ever talked about it. The seating arrangement was something that happened naturally as they had naturally fit with each other after they found each other.
"So?" asked Satoshi, in that dreamy voice of his.
Sho looked up from the notebook before answering, "Not good, we need some cans. We ei-ther give some of our gasoline to the townspeople or we go further to the next city and try to raid a supermarket. I also need oil and some stuff so I can give the Sherpa some mainte-nance."
"I don't think we can afford giving the gas to them." Jun sighed, leaning a little towards Satoshi, who sat in the other side of the table from him.
"That's what I said before we went to the military base." Kazunari pointed out crossing his arms over his chest.
"True but we didn't have enough gasoline to take the Sherpa longer than that." Masaki sighed, petting Sho's hand forcing him to relax a little.
"Yes. I think now we are in a position that will allow us to go there and back." Satoshi said, his hand closing around Jun's, "What do you think?"
"I don't like it. I don't want to run into the gangs." Jun answered looking at their joined hands with a pleasant smile.
"It's inevitable. Unless you want to stay here and starve to death… I don't think your garden will feed us soon." Kazunari intervened. He rolled his eyes leaning back, with his arms still tightly wrapped around himself.
"We have trained to do this, I think we should go for it." Masaki said pulling back from Sho. He was looking directly at Kazunari. But Kazunari kept his eyes fixed on the table in front of him, between himself and Masaki.
"The village that settled down in the east has saved a corn crop and an apple orchard." Sho informed matter-of-factly, pulling on a thread that had unraveled from the parka he was wearing. Everyone turned their heads to look at Sho, they looked worried and shocked. "Don't look at me like that. The last time we raided that gas station, when those guys jumped out of nowhere and we had to slither around to save our asses, I heard two of them talking, just before I cut their necks."
"I would love some fresh apples!" Masaki sing-sang, leaning towards Jun and resting his head on Jun's shoulder. "Let's do it, Jun… we can trade."
"I don't like that we are talking about murdering so lightly." Said Jun patting Masaki's thigh fondly with his free hand. .
"We could find some new clothes." Satoshi contributed, looking at Sho still fiddling with the thread. His hand still held Jun's refusing to let him go.
"I think we're doing this then…" Jun pouted pensively.
"We need to check if the gas masks still work well." Kazunari considered in a soft voice, slightly letting his arms loosen around his body.
"What for?" Sho asked finally breaking the thread from the fabric.
"Lonely houses mean moldy houses, plus decomposed corpses." Kazunari informed, "We’re better safe than sorry."
"Yeah all right." Satoshi nodded.
They stayed in silence for a while, probably making mental checklists about what they need-ed to do as preparation for their expedition.
"Who's supposed to cook today?" Sho asked lightly, he bumped his shoulder with Kazunari's playfully.
"Not you," Kazunari replied, "wouldn't like to be poisoned while still at home."
The rest sniggered, while Sho scowled.
"I cooked breakfast," Jun blurted out letting Satoshi's hand go, "Masaki did yesterday's lunch…"
"I'll cook us some chahan." Satoshi said before they could start a discussion over it, "Mean-while, why don't you take a look at Kazu's maps and figure out which city would be better to go to."
It wasn't an order, it was a suggestion, but everyone started to do as Satoshi said.
Chapter IV
Jun and Satoshi lay on the patio's floor. There was a blanket under them. The sun was slowly descending to the west. They had decided to take their afternoon nap outside despite Kazu-nari's objections. It wasn't that the long cement esplanade was exposed, the walls that guarded the building that was once a research facility, were high and a bit prison-like. Kazu-nari just didn't like to risk it.
Masaki didn't like to sleep in the afternoon, it made him feel weird and sleepy the rest of the day. He was in a lawn chair a few meters from where the other two lay. He was holding his comic book again, reading avidly.
Sho and Kazunari preferred to sleep inside. They were in Kazunari's room, probably rehash-ing what Masaki had done to Sho last evening, but it didn't bother him, it was only Kazunari after all.
Masaki turned the page of the comic book and started with the next panel. But before he could go to the second, Jun grunted, taking him out of his reading. He looked up and the first thing he did was look for a beetle that would be teasing them in their sleep. Masaki saw nothing. Then Jun tossed around in his sleep.
Jun's face was frowned, his eyes closed and another grunt fell off his lips. Masaki sighed and walked over the blanket. Jun sometimes got bad dreams. Masaki worried about him. The nightmares had become less often and less scary in the past few months. They didn't have to go and stay with him, distracting him by playing cards every other night.
He couldn't blame Jun. Sho and Masaki had been fortunate, they had found each other quickly after everyone else went down. They had already known each other since they were kids, they had strayed apart while they figured out what they wanted to do with their lives and then, the pandemic had brought them together again. It had been as if no time had passed between them. So they stuck together. That had been six years ago. Five years and a half ago they had driven their motorbike down the highway that led to their current location, the abandoned military research facility. Kazunari had been defending it against some peo-ple that were trying to enter it. He didn't really need help, but Sho stopped the bike and they pointed their rifles toward them and fired.
Kazunari was annoyed at first, but in the end he invited them in and they prepared a meal consisting of military issued canned food and some pasta Sho and Masaki had scavenged in the last town they had passed. Sho and Masaki stayed with Kazunari a few days. They just enjoyed being around each other. Kazunari mentioned after a week about the Renault Sher-pa the commanding officers kept in the underground parking lot of the facility.
It was Sho who wanted a ride the most. They took it to the next town and gathered some food in it, they filled its tank again and returned. The second time they found three families trying to keep their homes safe and they traded some flour and soap for the canned goods the guys had brought to have lunch. Before they noticed it, the salvaging then trading had become their life. They had also rescued some dogs and kitties, even children lost and alone and taken them to the small villages for the others to take care of.
That's how they ended up with Jun and Satoshi.
Chapter V
They spotted a convoy nearing their location, where they were having lunch. They had big trucks. There wasn’t enough time to get the Sherpa off the road and they could only get in-side it, picking up their weapons. This happened around the time Sho had started to go to Kazunari's bed. Which didn't bother Masaki, much to his surprise.
Kazunari looked out the window and through the mirror. They were nearing, now it was evi-dent that there were 3 pick-up trucks. How in earth did they manage to get that much gaso-line?
As the trucks passed, their occupants saluted. As though it were any other day before the outbreak and they were just driving by on a Sunday. They kept their weapons concealed, just in case.
Then the middle truck stopped and someone stepped out. Masaki's heart was beating like crazy inside his chest.
"Good evening, good sirs." The man said lifting his hands to show that he meant no harm. "We are just simple traders, maybe you'd be interested in our goods?"
"What kind of goods?" Sho asked cautiously eyeing the man.
"Come and see." The man said with a sympathetic gesture, still showing peace signs.
Sho nodded, and made a gesture to tell the man that he would be out in a second. He mut-tered to Masaki and Kazunari to be alert and to cover him up discretely. They knew what he wanted, Masaki stepped down but didn't move from the side of the Sherpa. Kazunari kept in it holding their most powerful rifle.
Sho walked towards the back of the third truck to see what they meant. In the truck there were around six people sitting on the box. Four of them were gagged, and hogtied. One of them couldn't be past 12 years old. Sho's heart fell to his stomach and a tight feeling of sick-ness pumped in his belly.
"This one over here," the man signaled the one closer to Sho, and turned around so his face was showing. It was a young man, round face, burnt skin. Short. "I'll take one of the long weapons your friends have, for him." Then he turned the kid to show him to Sho. "This brat… I'll take that revolver you have in your pants if you want him." the man continued. Then pointed to a man, older than the other two, his hair was thinning around his temples and his face hinted that he had worked under the sun for too long. "This one, If you decide to take these two I'll throw him for free." The man laughed.
The fourth one, seemed taller and broader than the other three. He lay still and he almost seemed dead. The man didn't say anything about him, and as much Sho was repulsed by what the man was saying, he needed to know.
"And him?" His voice sounded too cool in his ears. So alien, like it was somebody else talking.
"That one's my premium merchandise and you couldn't possibly be able to afford it." The man sniggered. "…unless you're ready to pitch that tank in…" The man added hopefully
"I have to consult with my partners…" Sho muttered. His pensive face made the man nod and wave friendly towards the Sherpa.
Sho looked at the two men who were guarding the 'slaves'. Sho hated that word, it felt bitter on the back of his throat even if he hadn't uttered the word out loud. The men on the back of the truck were holding a couple of rifles. In the cabin there were two other guys. The ten paces that separated him from the Sherpa.
"They are slave traders" Sho whispered next to Kazunari's window. "They have a kid."
Both of them looked at Sho like he was crazy.
"I'm going to trade the gun for the kid." Sho continued, still in a small voice. "We can't leave him there."
Masaki just swallowed dry. Kazunari nodded and Sho had the feeling that their throats were as dry as his.
"Do you still have the tracing device?" He asked and Kazunari nodded in response. "Will it work?" another nod, "Pass it to me with the gun you have in your belt. Masaki, hand me some of the ammo for the revolver, just a handful."
They did as Sho told them, and Sho pocketed the semi-automatic along with the tracking de-vice. He unloaded the revolver and with a last look to his partners he took a big breath. Then he went back to the trader.
"I'll take the kid." Sho said with a voice that didn't portray any of the hatred, sickness or scorn he felt. He handed the revolver and then the ammo.
"It's yours." The man said after he took the revolver greedily and checked that it was in good shape. Sho put his hands to his pockets and held the device before leaning over the truck and sticking it above the tire. One of the guards put away his gun and pulled the kid by the armpits to lift him and hand him to Sho.
Sho grabbed the kid and he was sure something cracked in the little body, he helped him stand, but he seemed to be too weak to hold his own weight so Sho kept his arm around him.
The men exchanged goodbyes and the trader told Sho how to get in contact with him if he wanted another trade. It involved tying things to trees and stuff, but Sho didn't want to ever see those men alive again.
Masaki and Kazunari stepped down the Sherpa once the trucks were out of sight. The child started trembling all over.
"Don't be scared, we're not going to hurt you. But we need your help." Sho said offering him his own canteen, so he could drink some water. "What is your name?"
"Yuri." He said and his voice was broken, dry.
When night fell on them, Sho pulled his sniper rifle from the bag and assembled it on the hill. The three truck convoy had stopped about half a mile from where he was. They were staying by a building that once had been a mall, using it like a shield while the three vehicles were parked in a way that they seemed to be the other three walls in a room. They had a trashcan fire in the middle. Sho had used the scope to locate the other three slave-to-be. They were still on the cage of the truck. They were covered by a blanket. Some of the other men were setting up some sleeping bags while a couple stood defensively in the outer side of the made up room.
Sho waited for Kazunari's signal that he and Masaki were in position before aiming his rifle at one of the men who was already in the sleeping bag. He didn't seem to be talking, so oth-ers would not notice right away that he was dead. Sho held his breath and pulled the trigger twice. Waited. None of the others seemed to have noticed, even when dark spots began to form on the sleeping bag. Sho directed the sight of the rifle towards another one already asleep and repeated. By the time he had finished all he could do, without the other noticing, the convoy was four men down and still, eight men stood, three were surveying the night, holding shotguns and rifles. The other five were apparently drinking as they stood next to the fire.
"Go through left, less light and he's got a shotgun, I'm going to take him down." Sho said in a whisper.
"Roger" He heard Masaki say.
Sho was able to take the man on the left and the one opposite to the wall. These men had no training so they would be easy prey. They didn't have military training either, not Masaki and himself at least. But they were idiots with guns and that was always dangerous. After taking out the second lookout, Sho took a couple of deep breaths. He noticed something moving from the right and then saw both Kazunari and Masaki approaching. Sho waited until both his friends were covered and by the first lookout's body, before pointing and shooting straight to the head of the one who seemed to be the leader. The same one who cut the deal for the kid.
The man fell and the other still kept laughing for a couple of seconds before they under-stood what happened, even then they leaned over the corpse to see if the man was all right, this gave Sho the opportunity to shoot one more who fell on his face on top of the previous body.
Masaki and Kazunari promptly propped on the hood of the truck and started shooting, quickly taking two more of the guys around the fire. They didn't really have anywhere to hide, but one crouched behind the lit trashcan, and the other tried to dash for the truck but Masaki took him out without trouble. Sho couldn't see the third lookout but he fired at the man crouching by the trashcan.
He talked to the radio informing his friends that there was only one left.
Kazunari spoke calmly, "Hey you're the only one alive, what do you think about surrender-ing?" he waited for a reply before he kept speaking, "If you come here with your hands in the air, we won't harm yo--"
Kazunari's voice was muffled by the singing bullet that whistled over his head. However when the man came out of his hiding, Sho aimed at him and put him down before he could hurt his friends.
Even if it seemed all the men were dead or in the process of dying and asking for help. Ma-saki and Kazunari proceeded cautiously looking for someone they could have overlooked. When they decided that there was no-one else around, they put down their guns and called Sho through the radio so he moved the Sherpa closer.
They uncovered the people in the cage of the truck. There were four women lying there. By the looks of them, they were dehydrated and very thin. They hadn't seen any other slaves. In the back of the second truck they found some canned and dry food as well as some ammo and Sho's revolver. In the third were the men Sho had described. All of the prisoners were scared and trembling. They decided to take one of the trucks to transport everyone to a safe place.
Satoshi and Jun asked them to stay, to help. They were grateful for their freedom. At first, Kazunari didn't want them. Sho was wary but Masaki was the one who said yes immediately and neither of them could tell no to that bright smile.
Chapter VI
Masaki was shaken out of his memories by Jun moaning. He had never told them the extent of the torture he seemed to have received from the men who captured him and Satoshi, but Masaki just cared about helping him around it.
Satoshi said it wasn't that he was more resilient, it was that he was just captured that morn-ing. Jun had been with them for at least three weeks. He lost count.
Masaki got out of the chair and crawled beside Jun and held him. The frown in Jun's face disappeared, and the man snuggled against him.
part II
Rating: NC-17 (because of Sex but also violence)
Genre: post-apocalyptic
Side Pairings: Juntoshi, Sakumiya, OT5
Beta: otpseverywhere (thank you you’re a lifesaver)
Summary: 97% of the population was wiped from the planet. Six years have passed. The remaining people try to survive.
Length:13k+
Warnings: this story is post-apocalyptic, so there’s a lot of death (but not our boys), a lot of destruction and a dose of Action.
Notes: It’s Stephen King’s fault that this came out this way. This is for one of my fa-vorite writers in the fandom, I hope you like it Rae xD tho it might be weird :S. Also see some notes at the end of the story for references.
Chapter I
The military bases were the first ones to be looted. But if one cared enough to look for less obvious things, there were still some things that could be looted. Especially since they had Kazunari on their team.
Today's target seemed mostly rusted, the protective fence had been breached a long time ago and weeds seemed to have reclaimed the space between the wires. Sho geared the truck to get it over the same spot that had been trespassed before. Jun's hand went directly to the butt of the gun he usually carried in a holster, but right now it was on his knees.
The place seemed totally forgotten and deserted, however they had been wrong before and it had almost cost Satoshi his left eye and Kazunari his foot. Jun was the one who had beat-en himself the most, it had been his plan after all. Masaki held his rifle in a way that enabled him to easily start shooting if it came to that. Other than a scar on his temple, Satoshi had no other traces of the wound. Kazunari on the other hand had a slight limp that aggravated with cold weather. The fracture would have healed better if they had been able to find a doctor sooner. Now they were all 200% more careful when they looted abandoned sites.
Sho came to a stop in front of the main building. The other four looked out the windows for a minute to make sure they didn't see movement. They climbed down through the same side. Sho stayed behind as usual to guard the vehicle. He was armed with a shotgun, an AK-47 and the truck they had been using, they called it Sherpa with some respect, like another member of the team. It was equipped with a machinegun on the roof.
They stood in the formation Jun had taught them for another minute before proceeding to the door, still forming a line. The door had been forced inward with force. Masaki wasn't feeling really optimistic on what they could find there, by now. The emergency lights had been shot or just broken, so they couldn't know if the building had the electric generator that they were looking for.
On the slab that once had been a reception desk, the bones of someone lay there. It was as though someone had put the corpse there once the person had died and decided to leave it there. The door that led into the facility had also been forced open. Masaki left the for-mation after Jun had nodded to him lightly. He looked behind the skeleton, towards where the pieces of the computer were. There was a plaque that he cleaned with his forearm and could see several names and numbers. He smiled, because even if offices weren't the right place to find ammo, generators, food or other necessities, they sometimes held liquor, to-bacco or other luxury items they could trade.
One by one, Jun and Kazunari searched the offices while Satoshi and Masaki were on lookout. They had tried other combinations in the past, but Masaki tended to get distracted with pa-pers and personal mementos while Satoshi just overlooked things. That was why now only Jun and Kazunari were allowed to register premises.
Their loot as they approached the top floor, was 14 bottles of either vodka, whiskey or bourbon in different states of consumption. Three boxes of cigars, 18 packs of cigarettes, 4 boxes of matches that may or not work, three disposable lighters and 4 zippo lighters. A can of zippo liquid that wasn’t evaporated, a dozen notebooks and a packet of new pencils that weren't eaten by rats or mold. Kazunari also found something that Jun was very pleased with: three pairs of glasses. As time passed, it became apparent that the place was com-pletely abandoned.
There was a ladder that led to the roof, through a trapdoor. Masaki climbed it, he'd be the only one who could say if there was a generator and if it was able to run at all. He felt the hot air hit his face when he opened the trapdoor. He stepped onto the roof and found at least the remains of at least 5 people lying there. When Sho and him started to hop places in hopes of finding different things that helped them survive, the discovery of corpses always shocked him. But after six years, the corpses were more alike to bones and less like grinded beef, and the shock lessened.
Even after so long, he still felt uncomfortable stepping on the traces of clothes that still lay pooling on the skeletons or over the remains themselves. So he waded to avoid them. Still clutching his rifle, he saw the generator a couple of meters in front. It was damaged, some-one had shot it several times. That wouldn't do. Further behind the generator there was a tiny shed that he felt obliged to search.
This was one of the few doors that hadn't been forced open, it was tightly closed with some-thing that looked like a complicated lock. He came back to the hatch and called for Kazunari.
With a few complaints and grumbles, Kazunari climbed up to the roof. Masaki patted his bum before guiding him to the shed. Masaki took the chance to take a sip of water from his canteen while he watched Kazunari work the lock open.
"Have you drank any water since we set off this morning?" Masaki asked casually trying to stay in the shade of the busted generator.
"What?" Kazunari mustered, like he hadn't heard what the other said.
Masaki sighed and stepped closer to him before repeating his question.
"No, don't start--let me do my job! For Christ's sake!" Kazunari pleaded, trying to ignore the concerned look on Masaki's face.
Something clicked and Kazunari cheered under his breath, pulling his lock picking tools into his backpack. Masaki had his flashlight ready to point it inside the shed.
It was a gas tank and it read 300 gallons in its label. Masaki stretched out to see the dial that marked how full it was.
"It's almost full!" Masaki exclaimed with a smile.
"We hit jackpot" Kazunari smiled back, "I'll go tell Jun."
"Kazu… Sit down," Masaki guided him to the shade and Kazunari obeyed with a pout, "Drink some water, please. I'll go tell Jun."
Looking at it, Jun quickly calculated that they didn't have enough cans to bring it all down, and that they couldn't lower the tank down the stairs. Good thing the last town they traded with gave them some good rope.
Kazunari was un-equipping the machine from the roof of the Sherpa while the other four lowered the tank with a complex system of ropes and hoists that Jun had always carried around, but no one else knew how they worked. Once or twice Kazunari had tried to make him get rid of those to get more stuff into the truck.
Three hours later, the sun was starting to climb down from its zenith. They were drenched with sweat but the tank was resting against the top of the Sherpa they just needed to strap it good. It was a big gamble, transporting it all the way to their place. But it was a gamble they had to take. They couldn't afford not having this gas tank.
They sat inside the Sherpa to have lunch. They still had two buildings left to explore, one seemed to be a barracks and the other a large warehouse. Since they had been alone so far, they decided that Masaki and Sho would stay behind to tie up the tank and start placing the loot in the trunk. Jun, Kazunari and Satoshi would proceed to the barracks first.
They thoroughly searched the big rooms, the bunks, the nightstands. They didn't find any blankets, or sleeping bags. Jun was starting to think they were wasting their time when they came across a laundry room. Most of the sheets and blankets were messed up, slept in. Some corpses lay on them too. But there were some that weren't rotten. These linens had been packed in plastic bags. Masaki’s guess was that either the package just came in when the disaster happened or they were getting ready to ship them elsewhere. Whatever it was, now they had been decommissioned by their scavenger team. It wasn't more than half a dozen, but it was better than nothing. They also found another can of zippo fluid and a set of stones.
It was midafternoon when they mobilized to the last building. The one that was further down the road. It looked more battered than the other ones. It probably contained nothing. They took the truck because if they didn't see something that caught their attention they would leave immediately. It was far more dangerous trying to make their way back to their haven when the sun had settled than making it when they still had time.
There was a safe and they loaded it into the back of the truck. They left the military base as soon as they could. They didn't know if it contained anything useful, but they didn't have time to waste. It was better if they were on their way and Jun was starting to get antsy. Ka-zunari could try to disarm the lock later in a safer place. They wrapped everything up and got into the truck. They had a potential bomb over their heads and it just wasn't convenient if they ran into pirates right now.
Chapter II
The candlelight was barely enough to illuminate anything so Masaki pulled the comic he had found a few weeks ago closer to the flame. The floor of the former office was cold and hard but Masaki had been collecting blankets and sheets in order to make a kind of nest where he could sleep or do other activities in. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth changing the candle to the other side, careful not to light the sheets. He was ready to give up when Sho walked into their room.
They felt so elated by the almost 300 gallons of gas and the lack of trouble bringing it back home that they had filled out the tub and washed. Sho had lost the game of rock, paper, scissors and he was the last one to bathe. Masaki had been waiting for him.
Sho stood over him, but Masaki didn’t turn around, he keept holding the comic, staring at it. Feeling Sho's feet at either side of his hips, he knew Sho wanted to celebrate, but Masaki wouldn't budge until he was asked nicely.
They stayed like that for a while. Masaki was more patient than Sho and knew that he would win in the end. Sho was the first one to make a move to kneel over Masaki´s legs, straddling them.
The feeling of his tongue tracing the birthmark on his left shoulder, reaching the edge and making a wet little trail towards the center of Masaki's back, made Masaki shiver. But he did not let go of the comic, he stayed very still.
He liked desperate Sho, desperate Sho was more creative. He was not afraid or embarrassed of doing the things he liked or to let his partner do whatever he liked. Desperate Sho was more aggressive in taking what he needed. Desperate Sho in short, was Masaki's favorite kind of Sho.
Sho's hands begun at Masaki's hips, pressing the soft skin with his fingers and his palms. They continued up to his sides, they were a bit ticklish and made Masaki stiffle a giggle. Sho reached his armpits soon, and continued to Masaki's shoulders and upper arms. He was coaxed into letting the comic go, he turned the candle off before Sho put his lips to Masaki's skin at the nape of his neck.
At first it's only a series of dry kisses. Masaki's hands were pinned to the nest’s blankets, and Sho progressed to sucking the skin behind his ear and jaw. Masaki moved his legs, just to do something. If he didn't start to take part of this, he would implode. His butt met Sho's crotch and he felt Sho's cock getting hard against one of his butt cheeks.
When Sho started to bite his neck, Masaki could feel himself and Sho become completely hard. By now, Masaki knew what made Sho tic, even if six years ago he barely remembered his name. Six years ago when they ended up together by chance. He was so glad it had hap-pened that way.
He erased the thoughts of those awful events from his mind turning his head to steal a kiss from the plump lips. Sho's teeth and tongue were very welcomed as his cock settled between Masaki's butt cheeks.
"Sho…" Masaki groaned, feeling Sho's teeth against his neck again, making a path of bites from one side of his neck to the other. He said something more but it was lost when he bur-ied his face on the soft blanket. Masaki's body was shivering uncontrollably, especially when Sho bit him harder. They grinded against each other.
"Let me go, Sho." He whispered rotating his hips again, to feel his cock against his crack and to have some friction against the "bed" where he lay.
Sho obediently sat up, letting go of Masaki's wrists. Masaki turned around to face his lover. He hadn't even finished turning around when Sho's thick lips were on his, possessing him, sticking his tongue as far down the other’s throat as it could go. Masaki gladly reciprocated.
Now that they were face to face and Masaki's hands weren't pinned down, he felt hungry, starved from the touch of Sho's skin. So his hands went to trace the muscles on his lover's back, going over the valleys and the dips he already knew well but wanted to sear into his brain.
The body between his arms was twitching and twisting as his lover tried to deepen the kiss even more. Masaki caressed Sho's sides and aimed his attention towards Sho's nipples. Sho arched his back and his head fell backwards, allowing Masaki to latch his mouth onto Sho's neck. Masaki wasn't as tender as the other had been, he was aiming to leave a mark on the thick muscular neck. His hands traveled once again down Sho's body, training on his buttocks, squeezing and kneading the flesh.
Sho shuddered, his hips pushed against Masaki. His cock poked Masaki in the stomach. With his index finger, Masaki teased his lover's hole, causing him to thrust his hips once more.
"Just prepare me already…" Sho whined pulling apart from Masaki.
Sho was the one face down on the nest’s blankets this time around. Masaki had found the bottle of lube they had salvaged from a house a couple of months ago. The preparation was slow, and Sho was begging to be fucked by the time Masaki started to think he might be ready for it.
Straddling Sho's prostrate form, Masaki directed his cock between the tight pair of ass cheeks and started to go inside him. It was so hot in there. It took all of his concentration not to come right then, with Sho writhing and moaning, pushing himself up to take more of Masaki's cock at the time.
Their pace was frantic once Sho had gotten used to having Masaki's cock inside. Sho sat up and it took some adjustment to fit Masaki's legs between his, and he was tucked on Masaki's chest.
This way, Masaki could easily reach to grab Sho's cock and start pumping it as they moved together to completion.
They fell asleep spooning. Tired. Satisfied.
Chapter III
Kazunari's alarm went off at exactly 7:00. Like it always did. He said that he couldn't re-program it without a full battery, but the other four suspected that he just didn't want to. It suited them anyway, since electricity was scarce, they should have better uses for it. So working during daylight was preferable.
After a light breakfast, they spent their morning unloading the Sherpa. Besides the gasoline tank, it wasn't that good of a loot. The back of the truck had maybe two dozen articles, and this wouldn't do. Sho kept the track of their "treasures" in a notebook.
Sho was staring at the paper with a frown when the rest of them entered the kitchen-eating area. They smelled because of the lifting and placing of the tank, unfortunately they couldn't risk wasting gas or water so they would just have to wait.
They sat at their usual places. Not that they ever talked about it. The seating arrangement was something that happened naturally as they had naturally fit with each other after they found each other.
"So?" asked Satoshi, in that dreamy voice of his.
Sho looked up from the notebook before answering, "Not good, we need some cans. We ei-ther give some of our gasoline to the townspeople or we go further to the next city and try to raid a supermarket. I also need oil and some stuff so I can give the Sherpa some mainte-nance."
"I don't think we can afford giving the gas to them." Jun sighed, leaning a little towards Satoshi, who sat in the other side of the table from him.
"That's what I said before we went to the military base." Kazunari pointed out crossing his arms over his chest.
"True but we didn't have enough gasoline to take the Sherpa longer than that." Masaki sighed, petting Sho's hand forcing him to relax a little.
"Yes. I think now we are in a position that will allow us to go there and back." Satoshi said, his hand closing around Jun's, "What do you think?"
"I don't like it. I don't want to run into the gangs." Jun answered looking at their joined hands with a pleasant smile.
"It's inevitable. Unless you want to stay here and starve to death… I don't think your garden will feed us soon." Kazunari intervened. He rolled his eyes leaning back, with his arms still tightly wrapped around himself.
"We have trained to do this, I think we should go for it." Masaki said pulling back from Sho. He was looking directly at Kazunari. But Kazunari kept his eyes fixed on the table in front of him, between himself and Masaki.
"The village that settled down in the east has saved a corn crop and an apple orchard." Sho informed matter-of-factly, pulling on a thread that had unraveled from the parka he was wearing. Everyone turned their heads to look at Sho, they looked worried and shocked. "Don't look at me like that. The last time we raided that gas station, when those guys jumped out of nowhere and we had to slither around to save our asses, I heard two of them talking, just before I cut their necks."
"I would love some fresh apples!" Masaki sing-sang, leaning towards Jun and resting his head on Jun's shoulder. "Let's do it, Jun… we can trade."
"I don't like that we are talking about murdering so lightly." Said Jun patting Masaki's thigh fondly with his free hand. .
"We could find some new clothes." Satoshi contributed, looking at Sho still fiddling with the thread. His hand still held Jun's refusing to let him go.
"I think we're doing this then…" Jun pouted pensively.
"We need to check if the gas masks still work well." Kazunari considered in a soft voice, slightly letting his arms loosen around his body.
"What for?" Sho asked finally breaking the thread from the fabric.
"Lonely houses mean moldy houses, plus decomposed corpses." Kazunari informed, "We’re better safe than sorry."
"Yeah all right." Satoshi nodded.
They stayed in silence for a while, probably making mental checklists about what they need-ed to do as preparation for their expedition.
"Who's supposed to cook today?" Sho asked lightly, he bumped his shoulder with Kazunari's playfully.
"Not you," Kazunari replied, "wouldn't like to be poisoned while still at home."
The rest sniggered, while Sho scowled.
"I cooked breakfast," Jun blurted out letting Satoshi's hand go, "Masaki did yesterday's lunch…"
"I'll cook us some chahan." Satoshi said before they could start a discussion over it, "Mean-while, why don't you take a look at Kazu's maps and figure out which city would be better to go to."
It wasn't an order, it was a suggestion, but everyone started to do as Satoshi said.
Chapter IV
Jun and Satoshi lay on the patio's floor. There was a blanket under them. The sun was slowly descending to the west. They had decided to take their afternoon nap outside despite Kazu-nari's objections. It wasn't that the long cement esplanade was exposed, the walls that guarded the building that was once a research facility, were high and a bit prison-like. Kazu-nari just didn't like to risk it.
Masaki didn't like to sleep in the afternoon, it made him feel weird and sleepy the rest of the day. He was in a lawn chair a few meters from where the other two lay. He was holding his comic book again, reading avidly.
Sho and Kazunari preferred to sleep inside. They were in Kazunari's room, probably rehash-ing what Masaki had done to Sho last evening, but it didn't bother him, it was only Kazunari after all.
Masaki turned the page of the comic book and started with the next panel. But before he could go to the second, Jun grunted, taking him out of his reading. He looked up and the first thing he did was look for a beetle that would be teasing them in their sleep. Masaki saw nothing. Then Jun tossed around in his sleep.
Jun's face was frowned, his eyes closed and another grunt fell off his lips. Masaki sighed and walked over the blanket. Jun sometimes got bad dreams. Masaki worried about him. The nightmares had become less often and less scary in the past few months. They didn't have to go and stay with him, distracting him by playing cards every other night.
He couldn't blame Jun. Sho and Masaki had been fortunate, they had found each other quickly after everyone else went down. They had already known each other since they were kids, they had strayed apart while they figured out what they wanted to do with their lives and then, the pandemic had brought them together again. It had been as if no time had passed between them. So they stuck together. That had been six years ago. Five years and a half ago they had driven their motorbike down the highway that led to their current location, the abandoned military research facility. Kazunari had been defending it against some peo-ple that were trying to enter it. He didn't really need help, but Sho stopped the bike and they pointed their rifles toward them and fired.
Kazunari was annoyed at first, but in the end he invited them in and they prepared a meal consisting of military issued canned food and some pasta Sho and Masaki had scavenged in the last town they had passed. Sho and Masaki stayed with Kazunari a few days. They just enjoyed being around each other. Kazunari mentioned after a week about the Renault Sher-pa the commanding officers kept in the underground parking lot of the facility.
It was Sho who wanted a ride the most. They took it to the next town and gathered some food in it, they filled its tank again and returned. The second time they found three families trying to keep their homes safe and they traded some flour and soap for the canned goods the guys had brought to have lunch. Before they noticed it, the salvaging then trading had become their life. They had also rescued some dogs and kitties, even children lost and alone and taken them to the small villages for the others to take care of.
That's how they ended up with Jun and Satoshi.
Chapter V
They spotted a convoy nearing their location, where they were having lunch. They had big trucks. There wasn’t enough time to get the Sherpa off the road and they could only get in-side it, picking up their weapons. This happened around the time Sho had started to go to Kazunari's bed. Which didn't bother Masaki, much to his surprise.
Kazunari looked out the window and through the mirror. They were nearing, now it was evi-dent that there were 3 pick-up trucks. How in earth did they manage to get that much gaso-line?
As the trucks passed, their occupants saluted. As though it were any other day before the outbreak and they were just driving by on a Sunday. They kept their weapons concealed, just in case.
Then the middle truck stopped and someone stepped out. Masaki's heart was beating like crazy inside his chest.
"Good evening, good sirs." The man said lifting his hands to show that he meant no harm. "We are just simple traders, maybe you'd be interested in our goods?"
"What kind of goods?" Sho asked cautiously eyeing the man.
"Come and see." The man said with a sympathetic gesture, still showing peace signs.
Sho nodded, and made a gesture to tell the man that he would be out in a second. He mut-tered to Masaki and Kazunari to be alert and to cover him up discretely. They knew what he wanted, Masaki stepped down but didn't move from the side of the Sherpa. Kazunari kept in it holding their most powerful rifle.
Sho walked towards the back of the third truck to see what they meant. In the truck there were around six people sitting on the box. Four of them were gagged, and hogtied. One of them couldn't be past 12 years old. Sho's heart fell to his stomach and a tight feeling of sick-ness pumped in his belly.
"This one over here," the man signaled the one closer to Sho, and turned around so his face was showing. It was a young man, round face, burnt skin. Short. "I'll take one of the long weapons your friends have, for him." Then he turned the kid to show him to Sho. "This brat… I'll take that revolver you have in your pants if you want him." the man continued. Then pointed to a man, older than the other two, his hair was thinning around his temples and his face hinted that he had worked under the sun for too long. "This one, If you decide to take these two I'll throw him for free." The man laughed.
The fourth one, seemed taller and broader than the other three. He lay still and he almost seemed dead. The man didn't say anything about him, and as much Sho was repulsed by what the man was saying, he needed to know.
"And him?" His voice sounded too cool in his ears. So alien, like it was somebody else talking.
"That one's my premium merchandise and you couldn't possibly be able to afford it." The man sniggered. "…unless you're ready to pitch that tank in…" The man added hopefully
"I have to consult with my partners…" Sho muttered. His pensive face made the man nod and wave friendly towards the Sherpa.
Sho looked at the two men who were guarding the 'slaves'. Sho hated that word, it felt bitter on the back of his throat even if he hadn't uttered the word out loud. The men on the back of the truck were holding a couple of rifles. In the cabin there were two other guys. The ten paces that separated him from the Sherpa.
"They are slave traders" Sho whispered next to Kazunari's window. "They have a kid."
Both of them looked at Sho like he was crazy.
"I'm going to trade the gun for the kid." Sho continued, still in a small voice. "We can't leave him there."
Masaki just swallowed dry. Kazunari nodded and Sho had the feeling that their throats were as dry as his.
"Do you still have the tracing device?" He asked and Kazunari nodded in response. "Will it work?" another nod, "Pass it to me with the gun you have in your belt. Masaki, hand me some of the ammo for the revolver, just a handful."
They did as Sho told them, and Sho pocketed the semi-automatic along with the tracking de-vice. He unloaded the revolver and with a last look to his partners he took a big breath. Then he went back to the trader.
"I'll take the kid." Sho said with a voice that didn't portray any of the hatred, sickness or scorn he felt. He handed the revolver and then the ammo.
"It's yours." The man said after he took the revolver greedily and checked that it was in good shape. Sho put his hands to his pockets and held the device before leaning over the truck and sticking it above the tire. One of the guards put away his gun and pulled the kid by the armpits to lift him and hand him to Sho.
Sho grabbed the kid and he was sure something cracked in the little body, he helped him stand, but he seemed to be too weak to hold his own weight so Sho kept his arm around him.
The men exchanged goodbyes and the trader told Sho how to get in contact with him if he wanted another trade. It involved tying things to trees and stuff, but Sho didn't want to ever see those men alive again.
Masaki and Kazunari stepped down the Sherpa once the trucks were out of sight. The child started trembling all over.
"Don't be scared, we're not going to hurt you. But we need your help." Sho said offering him his own canteen, so he could drink some water. "What is your name?"
"Yuri." He said and his voice was broken, dry.
When night fell on them, Sho pulled his sniper rifle from the bag and assembled it on the hill. The three truck convoy had stopped about half a mile from where he was. They were staying by a building that once had been a mall, using it like a shield while the three vehicles were parked in a way that they seemed to be the other three walls in a room. They had a trashcan fire in the middle. Sho had used the scope to locate the other three slave-to-be. They were still on the cage of the truck. They were covered by a blanket. Some of the other men were setting up some sleeping bags while a couple stood defensively in the outer side of the made up room.
Sho waited for Kazunari's signal that he and Masaki were in position before aiming his rifle at one of the men who was already in the sleeping bag. He didn't seem to be talking, so oth-ers would not notice right away that he was dead. Sho held his breath and pulled the trigger twice. Waited. None of the others seemed to have noticed, even when dark spots began to form on the sleeping bag. Sho directed the sight of the rifle towards another one already asleep and repeated. By the time he had finished all he could do, without the other noticing, the convoy was four men down and still, eight men stood, three were surveying the night, holding shotguns and rifles. The other five were apparently drinking as they stood next to the fire.
"Go through left, less light and he's got a shotgun, I'm going to take him down." Sho said in a whisper.
"Roger" He heard Masaki say.
Sho was able to take the man on the left and the one opposite to the wall. These men had no training so they would be easy prey. They didn't have military training either, not Masaki and himself at least. But they were idiots with guns and that was always dangerous. After taking out the second lookout, Sho took a couple of deep breaths. He noticed something moving from the right and then saw both Kazunari and Masaki approaching. Sho waited until both his friends were covered and by the first lookout's body, before pointing and shooting straight to the head of the one who seemed to be the leader. The same one who cut the deal for the kid.
The man fell and the other still kept laughing for a couple of seconds before they under-stood what happened, even then they leaned over the corpse to see if the man was all right, this gave Sho the opportunity to shoot one more who fell on his face on top of the previous body.
Masaki and Kazunari promptly propped on the hood of the truck and started shooting, quickly taking two more of the guys around the fire. They didn't really have anywhere to hide, but one crouched behind the lit trashcan, and the other tried to dash for the truck but Masaki took him out without trouble. Sho couldn't see the third lookout but he fired at the man crouching by the trashcan.
He talked to the radio informing his friends that there was only one left.
Kazunari spoke calmly, "Hey you're the only one alive, what do you think about surrender-ing?" he waited for a reply before he kept speaking, "If you come here with your hands in the air, we won't harm yo--"
Kazunari's voice was muffled by the singing bullet that whistled over his head. However when the man came out of his hiding, Sho aimed at him and put him down before he could hurt his friends.
Even if it seemed all the men were dead or in the process of dying and asking for help. Ma-saki and Kazunari proceeded cautiously looking for someone they could have overlooked. When they decided that there was no-one else around, they put down their guns and called Sho through the radio so he moved the Sherpa closer.
They uncovered the people in the cage of the truck. There were four women lying there. By the looks of them, they were dehydrated and very thin. They hadn't seen any other slaves. In the back of the second truck they found some canned and dry food as well as some ammo and Sho's revolver. In the third were the men Sho had described. All of the prisoners were scared and trembling. They decided to take one of the trucks to transport everyone to a safe place.
Satoshi and Jun asked them to stay, to help. They were grateful for their freedom. At first, Kazunari didn't want them. Sho was wary but Masaki was the one who said yes immediately and neither of them could tell no to that bright smile.
Chapter VI
Masaki was shaken out of his memories by Jun moaning. He had never told them the extent of the torture he seemed to have received from the men who captured him and Satoshi, but Masaki just cared about helping him around it.
Satoshi said it wasn't that he was more resilient, it was that he was just captured that morn-ing. Jun had been with them for at least three weeks. He lost count.
Masaki got out of the chair and crawled beside Jun and held him. The frown in Jun's face disappeared, and the man snuggled against him.
part II