Dust in a Mask

Shit for Pay

     I've been a scavenger for the better part of a year. I've been a place or two. I've seen some shit. Maybe the "seeing some shit" part is because the drugs, I guess a reason for me to get off it, but I love me some Garnet.
     I had just arrived in the town of Festerville(or as I like to call it shit hole 12). I walked through the streets attempting to avoid the locals that smell like shit(so all of them). My path was greeted by smelly, drunk, high and dirty people, all of em giving me dirty looks. I walked the streets till I found The Shit Shop(that's the shop's actual name; I'm not making this up).
Maurice, the shop keeper, growled when he saw me.
"Ash." He said, "what the fuck do you want?"
"Nice to see you too shit stain." I started, "I want money."
"Don't we all?" I rummage through my bags till I find the conductor he asked me for and I slam it on his counter.
"Ahh about damn time."
"Shut up and pay me!"
"Damn you have claws!"
"Just pay me!" Maurice went through a drawer till he found a bag of bolts.
"Here, 500 bolts." He said as he handed the bag. I opened it up to make sure I was getting what I came for.
"That's it then." I said, "I'm out."
"See ya next time."
"Yeah whatever!"
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Less than an hour later I'm in a back ally meeting up with a scraggly bad smelling man. He held up a bag and I threw the bag of bolts at him. He handed me the bag and inside it was my salvation, a shit ton of Garnet.
I took one of the small red sweet smelling stones from the bag and put it on my tongue. The taste was sweet. Then it did it's job what felt like a cold breeze blew through my face and into my sinuses, making my throat cool and making me breath out easier. That my friend is a real high.
"Same time next week?" He asked.
"Probably." I said as I turned and walked away. I walked toward the bar, I needed a damn drink.
     I approached the door, the sun was starting to go down, I'd have to find a place to stay the night, that was gonna cause some problems. Night time round here isn't the best time to be on the road.
     I walked into the bar and found a stool. A stuff faced and gravely voice women came over to me.
     "What can I get'cha Sugertits?" She said.
     "Whiskey..."
     "You got it honey." She reached under the bar counter and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. She uncorked it and slid it over to me. I took a drink, breathing out.
     "Rough day toots?"
     "As always."
     "Well nothin' better ta end off a rough day than a good ol'drink."
     "You said that right."
     "Well I'm goin' in back, if ya need somethin' just holler." The women went in the back leaving me alone.
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     20 minutes and 8 drinks later, I was laying on the bar counter, pretty hammered. The bar keeper lady came back over, "need anythin' else babycakes?" I tried to sit up and it took me a whole 30 seconds to be successful.
     "N...na...no..." I slurred.
     "Well honey your tab comes out as 100 bolts."
     "Hmm...oh...ok..." I reached into the pouch of my jacket and pulled out a bag of bolts and dropped it on the counter.
     "Thanks sweet-cheeks." I slowly stood myself up from the bar stool and stumbled out of the bar. The sky was pitch black. The streets were lit only by the moonlight and a dim lantern that glowed with a florescent green. I stumbled down the street looking for a hotel or something. I finally found it, The Sleeping Rat, this town's hotel place.
     I walked in and stumbled toward the counter. There was a lady with fair skin at the front desk. She smiled at me, "what can I do for you tonight?"
     "I need...uh...I need a...a room." She looked through some papers, then she frowned.
     "I'm sorry, we're all packed."
     "Wha...what?!" She frowned again,
     "The merchant caravans came through yesterday, it's caravan season."
     "Wha...what the fuck!"
     "I'm sorry maybe..."
     "No! I need a god damn room!" I shouted. Suddenly I felt a hand touch my shoulder, I turned around quickly, "what the fuh..." I stopped when I saw that the hand that had grabbed my shoulder belonged to a sexy women with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a red dress that was so short she might as well have been naked.
     "Hey handsome, heard you needed a room." My head cleared slightly.
     "Ye...yeah..." I said.
     "Well, I'm Cherry, they call me the wild cherry, and I might be willing to give you a room and a good time, but it'll cost ya..." my mouth started watering, I looked down then back up in one quick movement.
     "H...how much..?" I said. She smiled,
     "We'll talk about that later." She started walking toward one of the halls then she turned for a second, "come on baby, follow me." I quickly crushed another Garnet in my mouth to clear my senses, then I followed.
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Cherry led me to a room. The one with the big bed and gestured for me to go inside, I obeyed. She came in a closed the door.
"Time to get started..." she said. She took off her silky red dress to reveal her pink under garments, which probably didn't even need to be there she was practically naked already. I reached for my belt but she bolted across the room and pushed me against the wall, "I'll do this part." She said as she violently tore off my jacket and tossed it into oblivion. She ripped off my shirt and unbuckled my belt.
I pushed her away and onto he bed, and I began to attack her neck. She seemed to be enjoying it. She kicked me in the stomach to push me up then she tore off my pants.
"There! Now we're even!" Cheery said.
"What do you say we get started, like really started?" I asked her as I pushed her against the wall. She retaliated by gut punching me and pushing me onto the bed.
"Me first." She said as she straddled me.
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I opened my eyes and my head spun.
"Ow!" I shouted. I looked around, "where the hell am I?" Then I spotted Cherry laying on top of me naked, "oh yeah..."
She opened her eyes and looked up at me. She paused for a moment then said, "oh yeah..." she cuddled up to me, "good morning..." she said. I just sat there in silence for a minute, then I remembered,
"Oh shit!" I said, "how much do I owe ya? Ya know for the room and stuff." She smiled,
"For you, and for last night, nothing, except maybe one more go." She sat up and laid on top of me, "what do ya say."
"Hell Yeah, babe!"
10 minutes later I stood outside the hotel fully dressed and with my bags all packed and everything. Cherry came out of the hotel dressed (mostly). She came up to me and kissed me,
"Come back a visit me when you get the chance." I smiled and kissed her back,
"You got it babe." I said as I hit the road. Well I'm never seeing that whore again! But goddamn they call her wild cherry for a good reason!
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I had been walking for a while trying to find a place where I could scrap some stuff, when a man in a fancy suit came running down the other side of the road, with Couges(a dog like creature but with venomous saliva and no fur, just deformed skin) chasing close behind him.
"Help!" He shouted out, "please! Help!" I growled, I didn't wanna have go deal with those Couges later either way. I pulled out my pistol and shot them dead. The man stopped for a minute to catch his breath than he came over to me, "you saved my life!" I then pointed my pistol at his head, "what are you doing?" He shrieked.
"Give me your fucking money or I'll blow your head off!"
"No! Wait! I don't have any money on me right now! I swear!"
"No money even more reason to kill you!"
"Wait wait wait!" He cried, "are you a junker?"
"Yeah, what's it to you?"
"I might have a job that you'd be interested in!"
"Probably not!" I said as I pushed my gun against his head.
"50,000 bolts!" He shrieked with terror. I lightened up on my pistol a bit,
"...what..?" He smiled,
"I'll give you 50,000 bolts for the job." I stood there for a second.
"Fuck!" I said as I put my gun away