Truth in the Ruins (closed for heartofcourage)

Marcus Stone moved along through the city in the wasteland in what once was part of New Mexico. The city had a simple wall protecting it and some local muscle hired on by the local 'mayor' one bastard of an individual named Erico Palez. Freshwater was the name of the down though sometimes Marcus felt a more apt name was Dirtwater.

The place was a dusty combination of houses, a few shops and a main open air sort of theater hall area with a large overhang to beat back the sun. The theater area was his main goal. He'd been in the town about a week now and so far had not been able to find his main objective. The doc had send him out again looking for pure humans. He'd heard from a guard in this morning that one of the slaver groups operating in the area had come back so he did what he always did and looked at the new arrivals. It didn't fill Marcus with any great sense of purpose to buy other humans but he wasn't here to fight slavers. He was here looking something in particular, someone to be more precise.

Marcus Stone
Caucasian
Dark blue eyes
short cut black hair
6'2 lean and muscular

She wasn’t really sure how long she had been held by the slavers. Days and nights just sort of blurred together. They had taken her from her home, stolen in the night like so many others were. They kept her hidden most of the time, saying that she was too special for just anyone.

Dylan knew that she had grown ill in her time in captivity. Her once curvy figure had dwilded away to skin and bones. She was lucky if they gave their slaves a cup of rice in the morning and some hard bread at night. Pneumonia had set in recently and she spent much of her days laying in the hot sun of the little town, tethered to a chain that kept her anchored to a post by a collar around her neck.

Coughing as dust blew across her face, she sighed, her dark brown eyes opening as she saw a tall man walk towards the slavers hut. He was handsome, she thought as her eyes flickered close and she fell into oblivion yet again.


Dylan Espinoza
Spanish heritage
Dark Brown Eyes
Long Dark Brown Hair
5’6 curvy frame with ample breasts

Marcus took a seat amongst the other buyers and the slaves were prepared. The attendants at the theater watched and cleaned and scrubbed all of their bodies and then put the chain back around their neck. Dylan was paid special attention too given they had found no imperfections on her body when they looked over it.

Marcus looked out across the slaves that were sent out. Most of them would end up laborers and a few well they'd have better lives in some regards but it would not be pleasant for a time he knew. Sitting on the weathered stone benches he wore a dirty ragged tan jacket well worn from travel over light armor that looked somewhat sleek compared to most gear out there in the wastes. Goggles hung around his neck to repel the sun and a revolver lay at the side of his hips covered in worn and faded blue jeans with knee guards finished out by black boots.

A blonde was wheeled out and sold as a bed slave. The woman sobbed as she was taken off the stage and then the announcer wearing a silver and steel necklace announced the next one slave.

The twenty four year old kept his expression calm and cool as he watched two guards pull out the next slave.

Dylan moaned as she felt an arm wrap around her upper arm and pull her to her feet. She was held upright as the chain around her collar was detached and then she was pushed towards the bathing area. She was shivering as her ragged clothes were stripped from her feverish body, cold water splashing over her tanned skin. She shivered more as her skin pebbled at the coolness of the water. Her hair was brushed and style to perfection, a new sheer gown placed over her body and her collar locked back around her neck.

She was sat next to the others, sweat beading on her upper lip and forehead as a dry wracking cough shook her body. She wanted to sleep, to rest until she felt better. She wanted a full belly. She wanted everything that these men weren’t giving her.

She could hear sobbing on the other side of the curtain as women were auctioned off one at a time. She wondered what would happen to her when she went out there. Would anyone be interested? Why was she worried about that, she wondered.

Then, it was her turn, and she was lifted to her feet again and brought out onto the stage. She turned her feverish eyes around the area, taking in the men and women that were gathered. She felt fear well in her chest, wondering what would happen now.

Marcus' eyes coldly explored Dylan's body as she was brought out. It was hard to tell but it appeared that she might be sick, wasn't too odd. It wasn't like slavers to take much care of the people so long as they survived to get to market. But his cold hard eyes dug deeper and looked over her skin, her face, her arms or legs. He felt a small note of excitement as the bidding started.

The bidding was at fifteen caps, a reasonable price for a bed slave in training. But she was worth much more. If she could live past the cold if she had any. "Fifty caps." He said in a cold hard tone and didn't even bother to look over at the other bidders. He had more than enough to go higher but he didn't want to arouse suspicion with too high a bid. But no one else said anything though he noticed one men with goggles and green clothes peal off and he smelled trouble.

"Sold." The seller shouted out and moved Dylan along. Marcus moved up from the bench and moved to a side door where he could properly inspect his purchase.

Let me be right. Please. Marcus thought as he entered into room. The slave seller held the chain attached to the band around Dylan's neck. Marcus's sharp cold eyes looked her over as paid the man.

Dylan’s head was spinning as she was sold. She was surprised to hear the bid had gone so high for her but she supposed that wasn’t surprising. She was being sold to warm a man’s bed and even though she loathed the idea, it was probably better than being dead.

She followed after the slaver as he jerked her forward by a leash, leading her to a side room where she would meet the man that just bought her. She was surprised to see that he looked so young. Probably not much older than her 22 years, she thought to herself as he took the leash that was offered and looked over her body.

She couldn’t help the cough that broke her lips, the sigh of acceptance and the shiver of uncertainty. This man held her fate now. She only hoped that he’d be kind.

The chain felt a bit heavy in his hands but his fingers went around it all the same. He looked over the girl in the sheer gown and requested that more suitable clothing be brought for her. The slave seller replied something about more money and Marcus gave him a hard stare and the man was off. The worm of a man came back with cargo pants, a tank top and some boots and socks for her and then Marcus told him to get lost.

Moving forward he removed the gown and then looked over her body in closer detail in the side room. His hand ran along her ample breasts looking for any imperfections. Safely alone he spoke to her.

"How long have you had the cough?" He asked and then quickly finished his initial check and then offered her the clothing that had been brought. He tried to recall how much medical supplies he had on hand at the inn he was lodged at.

“A week.” She mumbled as the man ran his hands all over her body, checking for any imperfection. She was surprised that he was concerned, but she supposed now that he owned her that it was his job to be concerned about her well being. “These assholes don’t care about us. As long as we stay alive for the auction, they don’t care what happens afterwards.”

Her words might have been harsh but they were incredibly honest. She had heard of many girls being sold to men only for something to go horribly wrong after the sale. She was just another sad tale of the greed of men.

Dylan took the clothing that was offered to her, slowly pulling it on. It felt strange to be so clothed after so long. Her feet felt heavy in the boots but as she looked towards the man that had bought her, she knew that she would be better to bite back her complaints. A girl that was happy and compliant usually lasted much longer.

“I’m Dylan.” She told him, wondering if he even cared what her name was. “Dylan Espinoza.”

"You can call me Stone." Marcus said in a grunt and then opened up the door with her chain in hand. "Come on. We need to see about that cough." He said as he started walking hoping she would keep up pace so he wouldn't have to drag her.

"Besides the cough is there anything else? We'll be traveling soon and I need to know for preparation and materials." He said keeping his tone curt and sharp. It was toned with a military hard edge as he walked her from the theater to the inn in the northern part of the town. It may have once been a actual hotel but now it only had two floors out of however many it may have supported once upon a time.

He took her inside his room, a simple affair with a bed, small bathroom with working sink and toilet. A small table might have once held a TV. Stowed away in a cabinent with a old dented metal lock he took out his a heavy rucksack. He unzipped it and dug through looking for something. "Take off your clothes." He grunted as he dug around for something as he knelt down.

“No, there’s nothing else.” She said as she followed after him, lagging behind a few times only to be jerked forward by that damned chain. “You can let me go. I won’t run.” She said in a soft voice. It was true! Where else did she have to go that the slavers wouldn’t find her again and capture her.

She followed, dragging her feet until they came to a hotel that had two stories. It looked unwelcoming, dirty, but there wasn’t much in this world that didn’t look like that any longer. The room that he took her too was typical with a bed, a table, a cabinet and a small bathroom. She could have killed for a warm shower to get the dirt and grime off her skin, but she kept her lips shut. It wouldn’t do to start begging this man now.

She turned her eyes towards him as he asked her to take her clothing off. At first she wanted to say something smart that would probably have gotten her bell rung, but she bit it back with bitter determination and took off the sheer garment that they had dressed her in. She stood in the middle of the room, still in her collar, as she waited for him to finish digging around for whatever he was looking for.

Marcus heard her wish for him to not drag her about but beyond making sure she didn't run him treating her no different then another slave was part of keeping up appearances.

Finally after looking through his bag for a few more moments he came up with a bottle with medical labels and a canteen. He placed too white pills into his head and then placed them into her hand softly but curtly.

"Take these. They should help with the cough." He said and kept the water bottle handy for her to be able to help swallow if required. His dark blue cold eyes couldn't help but linger over her generous curves and naked body. He did his best to ignore but though she was thin from the slaver's treatment she was still quite attractive.

Marcus felt himself go a little stiff in his jeans and he steeled himself given he still needed to check her for other imperfections soon. But so far everything looked promising. The cough was nothing to what couldn't affect her and that was where the true value laid.

Dylan took the white pills that he had given her, looking down at them with a frown before she popped them into her mouth and took the bottle that he offered her. She took a deep swig, the pills swallowed easily and she stopped herself from guzzling the entire bottle. She had been incredibly thirsty and even the little bit of the water had opened a need that was sharp.

“Thank you.” She said softly, sitting down on the edge of the bed with a deep sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m just so tired.” She admitted to the man before her, knowing that she was probably going to be punished for not following orders, but she was at the end of her rope.

For a moment Marcus just stood there. He was always a bit antsy about traveling with people and bring them back to New Haven. There was always the matter of how much to just treat them like cargo and how much to tell them. He hated slavery and disliked that to maintain the look he had to purchase a person but he knew little about her. She could have been anything before the infection set in.

He kept his hand on the chain lax as she settled down. His eyes blinked and he realized he was a bit tired himself. Placing the canteen on her lap he also brought back her clothes. "I..." He paused for a moment and looked away from her. There appeared to be no imperfections, she was free of mutations and infection as far as he was able to see. The doc could scan her later.

"I mean you should get dressed and get some sleep. We'll be leaving this stinkhole tomorrow morning." He said curtly as he stood there thoguh he couldn't help but let his eyes linger over her naked body. She was far and above anyone he had seen in Freshwater and many other cities even with the minor amount of cleaning from the slave sellers..

Dylan wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She took the canteen and drank the cool liquid as fast as she could, her thirst finally sated. With a sigh, she sat it back down in her lap and looked up at Stone for a moment as he told her to get dressed. She did want to sleep, she thought as she looked at the bed she was sitting on.

“Thank you.” She said softly as she pulled on her clothes, leaving off the shoes as she crawled beneath the covers and sighed. It was the first time in weeks that she had something soft to place her head upon and the first time in weeks that she finally felt safe. She continued to look at Stone, wondering what he was thinking or why he had bought her as her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

Stone looked at her as she fell asleep on his bed and after a moment let go a little grunt. Well now where am I supposed to sleep? He thought and then rolled his eyes in a bit of a inner debate. Clouds and night were gathering over them and he eventually laid down next to her though he kept a few inches between them. He had a knife at the ready and he had a very good reflex when it came to waking up when he felt something close to him.

He looked at the sleeping girl for a long time and then slowly closed his eyes while keeping a hand steady on his blade as he caught some shut eye. His search had gone on for a while and he deserved some rest.

Dylan woke a few hours later, her eyes gummy from sleep. She rubbed at them, looking around the dark room as she tried to figure out where she was for a moment. It was when she heard the soft breathing of a man next to her that she realized that she had been bought at the auction and the man beside her was her new owner.

She sighed and turned slightly to look at him in the darkness. He was certainly handsome, she thought. He’d also been kind to her so far. Perhaps her life wouldn’t be so bad, she thought as she went to get out of bed to use the restroom. After she’d taken a moment to freshen herself up, she poured herself a cool drink of water and downed it in a few gulps, her thirst still there despite the care that he’d given her.

She went to sit down on the bed again, prepared to sleep for a while longer when she noticed the knife that he held in his hand. Did he plan on killing her? No, it was probably for protection. Protection from what, she asked herself as she curled back up in her spot and tried to go back to sleep.

Marcus stirred slightly when she moved. His eyes watched her for a moment and then she settled down beside him again. It was slightly cold in the desert environment so the two were close but not rubbing at one another. A chill swept in through the window however and Marcus moved a little closer wrapping a hand around his charges stomach slowly as not to alarm her.

Her dark brown hair was close at hand as he held her and he tried to give her some room but it was hard to pull away. In his mind he thought about the fact that she was technically his property and that he could do what he wanted to her. He immediately mentally snapped at himself realizing how vile the thought was. Then there was a subtle movement and he felt her butt just brush up against him as his eyes had been closing again and he fell a small stiffening. Marcus' eyes closed again and he realized this was the closest he'd been to a woman for a long time.

Dylan was just starting to drift back to sleep when a cool breeze blew through the cracks in the window, making her shiver. She sighed as she felt a hand wrapping around her belly, his warmth pressing against her. It was incredibly welcome in the suddenly chilled air and Dylan tried to hold herself still. She wiggled her hips, arching slightly back towards him to get more of his warmth.

She froze when she felt what was obviously his erection beginning to press against the soft skin of her bottom. It had been a while since she’d been with a man, and Stone was certainly handsome enough, but it wouldn’t do for her to go throwing herself at him the first chance she got. No, she needed to play everything safe. She sighed deeply, relaxing her body as she felt him pull her closer.

Stone released his hand when he felt her freeze and pulled back. He lifted his body up off the bed somewhat and just looked at her for a second. "Dylan..." He said softly and then placed the knife back in it's sheath while running his free hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry that was. I didn't mean to." Stone said feeling somewhat embarrassed over his actions. But she had felt so warm to his body and had been hard to control himself. His eyes looked away from her for a second as he cursed his body and contemplated just lying on the floor.

So much for being the big tough guy idiot. He thought bitterly over his little comments.

Dylan rolled to her back and looked up at Stone in the dark room, frowning slightly when she heard his apology. She reached out and gently touched his arm, wondering why the man that had purchased her was saying he was sorry for touching her.

“I didn’t mind.” She said in a soft voice. “You bought me. You have the right to do whatever you want.”

He'd be lying if he said the little touch on his arm didn't fill him with a bit more lust. Slowly Stone looked back to her moving a bit closer. "Heh. I bought you because that's part of what I'm paid to do. Your an important rare jewel out here. I'm just supposed to protect you and get you there." Stone revealed even as he looked once more upon her body as he stood up.

"It's not about what I may what. You're not a slave you're a person." Stone said as his dark eyes looked at her in the dark room.

“You’re paid to buy slaves?” She asked him, a confused look crossing her face as he stared down at her. “A rare jewel? No, I was taken from my home. I’m not rare.” She had no idea what he was talking about and it suddenly made her nervous.

Then he started spouting philosophy about how she wasn’t a slave but a person. Stone was definitely a strange man, she thought as she lay back on her pillow and searched his face to see if this were a test.

“You bought me. I don’t know any other definition of slave then that.” She said, a frown still crossing her face as she wondered if he were crazy. “You kept the collar on me and lead me around by a leash. If I’m not a slave then what am I?”

Stone leaned over on her with a quick movement. His eyes were cold and unflinching and for just a moment there was anger in them. "I acquire things. People, technology, lost things. You are one of the few pure humans left. It makes you rare." He said almost in a low growl as he leaned over her on the bed.

He leaned in closer to her. "If I was just buying you as a slave you'd think I'd hesitate? You think I would apologize?" He said more amused than anything as leaned over her. He didn't like being thought of as a buyer and trader of slaves. He didn't free her because he needed to take her somewhere.

"I have no measure of you Dylan. The chain is for appearances. So people don't realize what you are." He said and then simply enough he moved forward and pressed the code into the lock and pulled the collar off.

“A pure human?” She asked him, shivering slightly as he leaned so close to her. “What does that mean?”

She wasn’t scared of Stone. No, far from it, but being so close to him was certainly something that she was sure she could deal with. He was trying to play tough with her. She could see through straight through his act. Other women might have caved to his gruff demeanor, but Dylan had grown up in a tough place with men far scarier than him.

“Why has no one bought me before then?” She asked him as he pressed in a code and the collar fell off. She reached up absently and rubbed her now bare throat, sighing at the pressure and weight that was now gone.

Stone smiled a sly smile at her questions. Her face didn't show much fear over the situation and he had to give in that she was braver than he'd figured earlier. But seeing her little shiver didn't help diminish the slight appetite he had at the moment.

His eyes looked over her and he inched a bit closer to her and ran a hand along her neck and over her chest slowly. "It mean there is no sign of the lingering infection in you. A lot of the survivors right now still have it, makes them very susceptible to a lot of other things." He said as his hand moved to the side of her as he lay over her.

"You may get a cold or a sniffle but it would never turn as life threatening as it would be to your average person." Stone said and it was partially the reason he had seen to medicating her so quickly. Stone wasn't a pureblood and was one of the susceptible people, even he couldn't take risks.

His shoulders raised in a little shrug at her second question. "Sometimes people can't see the signs. You have to know what to look for. It's more than just whats on the surface." He said though he didn't bother going into more detail. "But it's part of why outside you'll wear the collar. Other people might realize what you are here and other groups, well other groups won't be like me. And they prefer the cutting up approach in their scientific methods." Well that and some of other stuff that Stone didn't bother going into.

"Any more questions?" He asked as his eyes returned to her though inside he debated if he should put the collar back on before he tried to sleep a bit more.