Learning The Ropes

If you happen to have played the game “Rage” then just imagine the setting as such. Imagine this as an awesome post-apocalypse sort of thing. 

—

  “Rise and shine, kid.” 
I heard the voice repeat this a couple times before I felt a hard punch in the arm. I sat up instantly.
 
“Ow! What was that fo- for ..” The man who looked back at me was not someone I knew. He had short, finely trimmed greying hair and a thick face with a lot of scars.  He stared at me, then took a step back. He was expecting me to get up. 

I slowly slid my feet onto the cold floor. I was wearing a hospital gown. So this place was a hospital..?
 The walls looked rather worn. The ceiling was low. The only light was that of a dangling bulb here and there, and it was pretty dark anyway. I couldn’t even see to the other side of the room. 

“Get a move on. I’ve been assigned to show you around.” He grunted, fishing a cigarette from out of his pocket. 

“You don’t sound so excited,” I muttered. 

“Why should I be excited to show you pups around? I could be out there shooting those damn Lizards!” He hefted a large gun in his hands and laughed. I looked away meekly. 

“Okay. Well then, who are you? And what are the lizards you’re talking about?” 
 The man sighed, lit his cigarette, and once he had visibly relaxed he spoke. 

“My name is Sergeant Wilson, and you, at the moment, are Unknown. But for now, I’m going to call you Pup. As for the lizards.. you’ll find out soon enough.”

 How could I have forgotten my name? It also didn’t help that the ominous message about the “lizards” made me uncomfortable.  
  The Sergeant leaned over and picked up something from beside the bed I had been asleep on. 
“There you go, Pup. Get dressed and meet me out here once you’re finished. We have work to do.” He pushed a pile of folded clothes into my hands and wandered off, leaving a trail of cigarette smoke behind him.

Once I had dressed in a simple black tee, camouflage pants and boots, I looked at myself in a tall mirror. I had medium-length caramel-colored hair that waved over my forehead handsomely. My eyes were a gentle green, and my face was angular. My skin was a rather pale white. My body was skinny – a sort of sickly skinny, actually. I looked half starved. Kind of pathetic for a guy, really..

“You done yet?!” Wilson yelled from somewhere outside. 

“Yeah!” I called back.

“What was that?” He returned, sounding annoyed. 

“I said yeah!” I tried to find my way out of the room. I walked through the doorway, around a corner, and bumped into the sergeant. “Oh, I’m-“

“You will adress anyone you meet here as ‘sir or ma’am, got it?” He growled, his eyes boring into mine. I nodded fervently. 

He then led me further into this mysterious compound. It was very dimly lit, and I could only see a little detail. The place was shabby and worse-for-wear: but definitely sturdy. It was almost like everything had been built from scraps. The walls, the ceiling, even the floor. Papers and pieces of trash were crammed into corners, even a few laying about on the floor. The whole place smelled like smoke and filth. I didn’t like it. 

We finally reached a large room, where there were some other people. A small shaft of natural light came down in a beam from the far corner. But otherwise, there still wasn’t much light. There were a few tables and makeshift chairs at the other side. A bar with a counter was just in front of us. 

“Heeey, Wilson! Is this the new guy?” The person tending the bar waved. The sergeant grinned and removed the cigarette from his mouth.

“Yep, that’s him.” 
 The guy looked me over. “He’ll need some work,” Wilson admitted. “But they let him come here for a reason.” The man smiled and nodded in agreement. He seemed nicer than Wilson. 

A couple of the people who were there glanced at my entrance but didn’t say anything. What was this place? And why was I here? I was awfully confused, and Wilson wasn’t helping in the slightest. As I was about to speak,  Wilson whistled and snapped for a guy’s attention and he came over. “Snake-eye, this is Pup. Introduce him a bit, won’t you?” 

Snake-eye extended his hand, and I shook it. His eye interested me (just the one, the other was concealed by an eyepatch). It was a startling blue. His pupil seemed a little thinner than usual. It gave a sort of reptilian feeling. 
  “Hey! How’re you feeling? You just got out of the Medic Area. I heard about you when you first got here. Did you know you were asleep for five days? They thought you wouldn’t wake up. But I did.” 
 He smiled proudly at me. 
 
“Oh. No, I didn’t.. uh.. sir. I’m still not very clear on this whole thing..” I returned his smile, sheepishly. He looked as though it were the most shocking thing he’d ever heard. 

“Nah, you don’t need to call me sir! Anyways then, Pup, I officially and formally welcome you to the Sub!” 

Just the “Sub”? As if he could read my mind, Snake-eye quickly added, “..there’s more, but I forgot. We just call it the Sub. Now, why you’re here.. 

“From what I know, humanity as we knew it was pretty much destroyed by the escape of military-brand weaponized mutants. They were like bacteria – two turned to four, four to eight. They were infectious.
 Now, the last few remaining humans that were judged helpful to humanity were frozen in cryogenic chambers until the right time. You and I, and everyone here was one of them. They found you last, and here you are!” He announced this grandly. 

That sounded like something straight from an action movie. I had no recollection of this ever happening. Of course, I had literally no memory of anything. But if this was true, then maybe I’d completely lost the life I had before. I took a little time to adjust.
 Snake-eye looked at me, waiting for me to reply to his story. 

 “Oh. I see.” I even sounded crushed. Snake-eye looked sympathetically at me.

“Why don’t I show you around? Come on.” 
He took me by the shoulder and guided me to the tables, pointing out the people and explaining them in whispers. First he showed me a pretty thin girl who was leaning against the bar counter, talking casually with the bartender.

 “That’s Night Bird. She used to be a messenger before we discovered her talent with a knife. She’s chill all the time, man. She can lie, cheat, and force her way out of any situation. Watch out,” Snake-eye smirked at his words.

 I just watched her. She had long, straight, smooth black hair. Her skin was light brown, and her features reminded me of someone of Native American descent. She was young, maybe my age, and gorgorus. She was slim, also like me, yet muscled. Her butt was easily defined from the pants she was wearing. I couldn’t help but notice. She turned around and looked me in the eye. I swear my heart stopped for a second before she rolled her eyes and paid attention to her drink.

An amused Snake-eye guided me onwards, past the shaft of light, and into a doorway. This new room was brighter than the Medic Area. Yellow buttons blinked in a corner. Red dots blipped softly on a digitalized map. Weird computers lined the walkway. The whole room was a strange azure color.

“Charlie, check it out. The new guy woke up!” Snake-eye announced to the general area. I looked around awkwardly, expecting someone to come forward. Someone tapped the back of my knee. I turned, startled, to see a short little man staring up at me.

“Hello there! I’m Charlie, nice to meet ya!” He spoke. I shook his hand. Charlie was as tall as my waist. He had bandages on his fingers and burn marks on his arms. A mess of dark hair was on his head, but the hair on his eyebrows was slightly singed. “Welcome to the Lab, er..”
 
“Pup. Pup, this is Charlie. He’s our pyrotechnics engineer.” Snake-eye said. Well that was fairly obvious.

“I apologize, but I’d best be off! I have new incendiary mice to experiment with!” Charlie gave a unnecesarily formal bow and disappeared into the machinery. 

“Why does everyone else have a nickname except him?” I asked.  It seemed to me like they all had animalistic ones too. Including me.

 “Oh, he does. We just don’t call him that in front of him, or he might be offended,” Snake-eye answered simply. “Usually we get nicknames from an …interesting experience or trait you have. Trust me, you won’t be called ‘Pup’ forever. I used to be Bigfoot.” He rolled his eyes comically then winked.

“Yeah, I guess we’ll see. Maybe we should get back with the others,” I suggested. Snake-eye shrugged and we headed back to the cafeteria area.

Once we’d arrived and Snake-eye had ordered us both a few shots of alcohol (which was the first I’ve ever had) and a sandwich, a couple terrified shouts rang out from somewhere else in the Sub. The few people by the bar quieted.

“Lizards reported by sector 002, sir.” A man in a clean uniform said matter-of-factly. 

Sergeant Wilson flicked his cigarette away and growled “When?”

“Three minutes ago. No casualties yet, but they need assistance,” the man replied.

“I want all teams by 002. Snake-eye, make sure Charlie preps the missiles. ALL TEAMS means you too, Pup!” Wilson roared.

My friend winced sympathetically to me and sprinted over to the Lab. The others quickly divided into groups of three or four, grabbed their weapons and ran for the nearest door. I could now hear the sounds of gunfire. I looked around, trying to find a weapon I could use.

Wilson marched up to me and I cringed mentally. Instead of yelling some more, he shoved something into my hands. It was definitely a sort of rifle.

“Uh.. Thank you, sir!” I said cautiously. The sergeant nodded once.

“Watch yourself out there Pup. No wait. I can’t trust you with that yet. Kitty, get over here!” Wilson beckoned a woman over with his hand. I sighed inwardly.

She walked up to my, eyeing me over with sharp blue eyes.    Her blonde hair was tied into a messy bun. She looked about ten years older than me, and a lot more wise. However, her most distinguishing feature was what she was wearing. It looked almost like metal, but by the way it shifted when she moved it was like leather. It only wrapped around her shoulders and just under her breasts. The armor she wore as pants covered everything down to her boots. Too bad.. I’d have liked to see those thighs. 

“Kitty, mind watching Pup out there? This is his first fight, wouldn’t want him to get an injury.” While Wilson’s words meant good, his voice was irritatingly sarcastic.

Kitty didn’t respond directly to the question. “Look, Pup, if your little brain even tries to think about me in that way again, I’ll beat you with that weapon you’re not even holding correctly,” she snapped in a heavy Russian accent. 
She stormed off while I, slightly horrified, tried to fix my hold of the gun. How did she know…?
 

Wilson snickered. “No, Kitty can’t read minds, in case you were wondering. She’s just good like that.” 
 I mumbled, which made him laugh even more.

“HURRY UP!” Kitty called, and it didn’t take me long to follow her. 

—-

The lights in the Sub had turned red and a distant beeping told me that the situation had already turned critical. Kitty and I made our way through the endless hallways of Sub. The farther we got, the more it looked trashier and messy. It was darker, too.

“We are almost to the entrance gate,” Kitty told me flatly. “If something happens and you are separated from me, use this. Try to find each other’s location. Got it?” She handed me a smal, thin  square. It had a little screen on it and a red button next to it. I pressed the button and something in her pocket beeped.

I nodded silently. Soon enough we reached the point where gunfire made my ears ring and the occasional loud snarl made me flinch.  Then everything went silent for a moment. Kitty froze, and put a finger to her lips to signal for me to be quiet. She looked around. When we had our backs turned, something shifted in the corner. When she shone a light on it I almost dropped my gun right then and there.

It was pretty big; large enough to swallow an entire dog easily. It had hideous brown and green scales all across a thin, sort serpentine body. It had four main legs and a few more, smaller, deformed legs curled against its sides. It’s head was larger than the body so it drooped slightly. But when the light shone in its four eyes it made a raspy hissing sound and bared yellow teeth at us. Blood dripped from its mouth as it did so.

Kitty, seemingly unaffected, carefully aimed at its head. The first shot deflected off of its teeth as it wailed, possibly for help. Kitty cursed as it used its hind legs to rise up, intending to slip through a hole in the top of the hallway. My brain finally clicked. I raised my gun and pulled the trigger. The very first shot went right through its throat, through its brain and didn’t exit. 

The creature, presumably a ‘Lizard’, collapsed and lay still.

“.. Good shot.” Kitty said hesitantly. I smiled, still a bit shocked. “That one was already injured. It must have crawled over here to die. Let’s find the others.”

I sort of felt bad for killing the Lizard. It obviously wasn’t a normal animal – hence the extra limbs – and it seemed mutated, somehow. Maybe that had something to do with the reason the Sub had been established.

“I hope you’re making the connections already,” Kitty said quietly. I blinked. Well damn, she must be a mind reader. 

“Yeah, I suppose so,” I answered. She grunted. 

“Right, well, we have arrived. Right through this door is hell. Ready yourself.”

I braced myself for dead bodies, blood, desperate cries of sweaty, blood-covered men and women and those hellish monsters swarming around the Sub.

And when the doors opened to a blindigly bright desert,  I knew I hadn’t prepared myself enough.

 The first sight I saw was a Lizard ravenously devouring the intestines of another man. He was splayed spread-eagle. His spin was between the beast’s jaws. I froze up while Kitty shot its forehead. “MOVE, PUP!” She shouted, leaping into the battle.

I followed behind, trying to find a good situation for me to help in. But they were everywhere. Some moved in a pack, taking down one person at a time. I fired into one of the packs. Two dropped dead onto the red sand and the others screeched and scattered. 

Satisfied, I turned my attention forward. Kitty ducked and I looked to see what from. An enormous Lizard, twice the size of the one in the Sub, was charging full speed at us. It was only using two legs, but still moving incredibly fast. My breath hitched in my throat, my legs turned to jelly. Kitty turned around in time to yank me to the ground before I got trampled.

However, only a few feet from our spot, Night Bird lept from the head of another Lizard into the back of the huge one. She wrapped her arms around its neck as it craned to see what was climbing along its back. She drove two daggers into the fragile soft flesh of its throat. As it made a final cry and slowed, I took Kitty’s wrist and tugged her out of the way as the Lizard collapsed where we had bee crouching just seconds ago.

“Are you two all right?” Night Bird asked, pausing momentarily to ask. She looked unimaginably sexy with the bloody blades in her hands, her hair messy, a bandage around her arm as the sand whirled around us all.  Kitty merely nodded. Night Bird quickly rejoined the fray, disappearing into the mass of human and beast.

I took a deep breath of the dry, hot air and prepared to fight again. I turned around to help Kitty up, but she’d gone. She was about ready to finish off a Lizard that was covered in its own blood. That was alright. I could manage on my own for a while.

—(later)—

When the dust cleared, we knew it was over. The last of the Lizards fled when they knew the battle could not be won. What was left was a ground littered with corpses, bathed in blood, and dotted with ash. (Charlie released a horde of incendiary mice that ran into packs of Lizards and exploded). 
ep 
Snake-eye, Night Bird, Sergeant Wilson and even the bartender were present, watching the Lizards fade into the mountains far away. The only person not in attendance was Kitty. 

I didn’t know what to do. Mourn, or keep looking? Hell, I’d barely known her for more than two hours and I was about to dissolve into tears. That was when I felt a buzz in my pocket. 
 I dropped the gun and pulled out the little square Kitty had given me, eagerly looking at the screen.

Within a moment Snake-eye and I tracked her down. She was unconscious, her tracker square in her hand, and the body of a fallen Lizard lying atop her legs, likely trapping her. With some help we moved the body and carried her to the already overflowing medical area. 

The bed where I’d been asleep was open so we lay her there. While others went to help find the dead and burn the Lizard bodies, I stayed with the unconscious Kitty as she received medical attention. 

“Nothing major,” they said. “Just bruises and cuts, and possibly a concussion. Watch after her until tomorrow.”

—

After fifteen minutes had passed of setting her down in her own bed in her room, she opened her eyes.

“What happened? Where’s Pup?” Was the first thing she asked. I’m glad Sergeant Wilson answered for me, because I was slightly embarrassed. Luckily the lights in here were turned off, and the only lights came from the outside window. It turned the room bluish-white. Actually the whole room was in nice condition, although slightly dreary.

“Pup’s right here. Don’t worry, he’s fine. You, however, got knocked out. Nothing serious. Get some rest, we’ve got more work to do tomorrow.” He nodded, obviously relieved. He turned to go.

“Casualties?” Kitty asked, getting back to business.

“No more than seventy. The damn Lizards lost a lot more though,” Wilson said with a hint of pride. Kitty took this in silently, staring at me. Sensing that she wanted to talk with me, he took the initiative.

“Get rest, Kitty.” He then closed the door and left me and Kitty alone.

Once he’d gone, I felt obliged to speak. “How are you feeling?” I moved a bit closer to the bed. She crossed her legs and sat up a bit more.

“Better without a Lizard crushing me,” she said, smiling faintly. I laughed.

“I’m glad I was able to find you. I thought that.. maybe..” 

She blinked. “For God’s sake. You haven’t even known me for a day and you’re already freaking out over me?”

I grinned sheepishly. “I said the same thing to myself. But hey, it’s  not hard to freak out over you, Kitty.”

Kitty raised her brow and laughed, for the first time I’d heard her.
“Are you flirting with me, Pup?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer. I easily knew that Kitty would be the kind of person to skin me if I said the wrong answer. 

“Yes.” I said simply. She looked rather surprised at my reply, but said nothing. She uncrossed her legs and looked into my eyes, patting the spot next to her. I already had a feeling that I knew what she wanted, yet I doubted it at the same time. This was the same woman who was shrieking at me only hours ago for being an idiot. Now she was inviting me closer.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” I asked, though I sounded doubtful.

“Fuck that.” 

“I really don’t think..” I wanted this badly, but I was more concerned for her health.

“Pup, I know exactly what you’re thinking. Get over here.”

I sat down beside her. To try and make it less awkward, I asked if she needed a drink or anything. Instead she grabbed the sides of my face and brought her lips to mine. They were soft – insanely soft, and she tasted faintly like strawberries. Our tongues met.
 She ran her hands through my hair, and I honestly had no idea what I was supposed to do. I’d never kissed a woman before, I..

She took my hands and guided them to her waist, like she was teaching me how to properly make-out with someone. There was a tingling in my pants and I grew excited. Just as things got good she stopped.

I opened my eyes, wondering why, to see her taking off her top, revealing her lovely skin and bra. 

“Can I?” I whispered, my eyes growing round with awe. Amused, she nodded briefly. I leaned forward, embracing her, and went for the straps behind her back. 

Damn, I thought as I fumbled with the clasp. This is even harder than using that fricking gun..

Finally I managed to take off the stupid bra and unveil her breasts. They were larger than I had originally assumed, with pink  nipples and a slightly lighter areola. They were gorgeous. 
 
I took them in my hand, and Kitty let out a soft moan. Trying to please her further, I put my mouth on one of the nipples and licked them softly.

She squeaked, and I looked up at her curiously. Her eyes were shut in pleasure (I hoped) so I continued. My groin was now begging to be let free – it was hard now. I forced myself to break away from her breasts and I pulled off my shirt, then her pants. They were black, matching her bra. I was about to undo them and she stopped me.

“No, don’t. Not yet.” I was about to protest and she stopped me again. “It’s my turn.” 

She undid my zipper and pulled down my shorts a little. My cock sprang free, all seven inches pointing straight at her. She looked up at me, smiling.

“I didn’t expect us to be here two hours ago,” I said jokingly. She just winked and took the head of my cock in her mouth. It was my turn to groan softly. She was obviously an expert. Her tongue swirled along the head, making me tremble with complete pleasure. She grasped the base of my cock with her hand and pumped while she took the rest in her mouth. She did this for maybe thirty seconds.

The way her bun bobbed as she moved her head was funny, but for some reason it very nearly pushed me over the edge. 

“I’m going to cum, Kitty..” I warned, unsure of whether she’d swallow or not. She didn’t stop, only up until the very moment of it. That was the first time I’d ever gotten a blowjob, and I was sure it was going to be the best I’d ever had. Kitty was astounding. She swallowed it all, smiling at me as she did so. “That was amazing,” I thanked her. She tipped her head.

“What, do you think we’re done?” 

I blinked. Kitty rolled her eyes at my confusion. She lay on her back, spreading her legs. I got hard once more, already anticipating what I would do next. 

“Nowww you’ve got it,” she purred, opening her legs wider for me. I pulled her panties down her legs, to her ankles and then tossed it on the floor. She waited patiently, but I could tell she was as eager as I was. 

The skin was smooth and hairless around her entrance. It was already wet: her juice had already begun to flow down her thighs. My cock twitched. 

Unable to really hold myself back, I took her hips in my hands and positioned myself just at her pink slit. I looked at her and she nodded. With that, I entered her, slowly. 

She was definitely tight, but this wasn’t her first time. Once I had completely penetrated her I waited a second.

If I didn’t remember anything before waking up at the medic center, there was at least one thing that I did know how to do.

I drew back out, repositioned myself, and thrust in her harder this time. She let out a mewling sound. I almost wanted to smile, but that might be rude.

So that’s why she’s called Kitty.

I thrust harder and faster and she mewled only louder. She felt like heaven: warm, soft, wet. I could do this every day. Everything melted away but her and the bed. The Lizards, Wilson, the Sub, everything. Just her.

I took her legs and put them so they rested on my shoulder, then continued from there. One of her hands began to rub her clit (as I’d learn later), and the other a nipple. After a deep thrust I pulled back out and turned her so she was standing on her knees and hands. 

“I didn’t know you were so knowledgeable about this,” Kitty breathed. I laughed.

“I’m no good at shooting, but I can make love?” I teased. Before she could reply I entered her from behind, beginning a new round of the soft meowing noises. I reached out and cupped her breasts with my hands as we rocked gently back and forth.

It took no time at all for me to cum again. 

“Kitty-” I began, pulling out.

She spun around, opened her mouth, and I came right there on her face. I shot ropes of my cum that fell into her mouth and she  licked up whatever was around her lips, then cleaned me up gently. I did the same to her.

“You taste better than most men,” she commented afterwards. That boosted my self-confidence a bit. Of course, I tried not to think about how she’d know about “most men”. Might as well feel like I was the special one.

“Did you have an enjoyable night, Kitty?” I asked, laying down in the bed. She lay beside me, and I caressed her hair. 

“You aren’t as bad as I thought you might be,” she answered simply. I laughed. 

In a manner of minutes she was asleep, and soon after I drifted off as well.

—

A week later,  I walked into the “cafeteria” and a small round of applause met my entrance. 

“What’s the occasion?” I asked. Snake-eye sauntered up to me, a knowing grin on his face. I tried my best poker face but gave out quickly. “Who told you?” I asked meekly. I guess secrets don’t stay secrets for long.

“Oh, news travels around here really fast bud. Congratulations.” 

“Thanks, Snake-eye.” I rolled my eyes and smiled, trying to take it lightly. He stepped closer to whisper something to me.
 
“Wilson’s coming up behind you. Good luck!” He then retreated with a few other people at the tables to watch, including Kitty and Night Bird. 

I turned around, not really knowing to expect. At this point I always expected the worst. 

“Hey, Pup! Or, maybe I shouldn’t call you that now..” Wilson lit a cigarette, crossed his arms and grinned at me. 

“What are you talking about?” I asked, confused.

“Oh, don’t act like you don’t know. I left you with Kitty last night for a reason.” Behind me, the girls meowed and whispered congratulations to Kitty, who looked at my and blushed. The guys hooted. “Otherwise I would’ve had you mopping the floor.” 
His words were met with a chorus of laughter.

Even I grinned nervously. 

“So, yes, yes, congratulations. However, for your extreme participation in the fight yesterday and in helping to save Kitty, Snake-eye has convinced me that you are in need of a change of name.”

Snake-eye whooped. I smiled, my heart beating. It better not be something lame like Big Foot. Wilson waited until everyone was quiet before continuing.

“And so, Pup, today and for now on you will be referred to as.. Whisker.”

The laughter quickly fell into applause. My face turned a little red. Whisker? Really? Well.. I guess it made sense, since I was a “Pup” since yesterday. It was a little stupid, but I felt it fit me. For now.

After the crowd dissipated and I got a few amused congratulations, Snake-eye and I each got a glass of whiskey and caught up about stories of the fight, and how we honored the dead. 

Everything returned to a sort of normal, minus the burials and everything. That day, when we nearly finished the whiskey though, a sudden voice distracted me from our conversation. I looked over to see Night Bird leaning over the bar counter, as per usual. She was talking with the bartender.

My eyes wandered down from her straight raven-black hair, down her back, and to her ass again. Her hips wriggled as she laughed during the conversation. Just before I looked away, as to not attract attention, Night Bird turned around and looked me in the eye. Instead of ignoring me like usual, she smiled.

I offered a friendly smile back. Then she did something completely unexpected. 

She winked at me.

---