Chapter 1.
"She could be a Wife," I didn't know what a wife was, but amongst my sisters it seemed synonymous for a death sentence. The Citadel's War Boys had always collected fresh livestock for all the settlement and when Aunty had sent word of a full life female they had arrived with 10 Gallons of water. She had described me to the Imperator as strong willed and quick witted, but when the man reached out to caress my cheek and I bit into the flesh of his hand he threatened to muzzle me. A threat he kept.
My name was Soot, not shiny or chrome or wife, terms all the War Boys had used to address me since I'd been brought aboard their truck. My legs had long since succumbed to fatigue as I hung lax against the chains around my arms, gently swaying with each turn. The cattle truck pulled to a sudden stop but I couldn't be bothered to lift my head and meet the curious gazes of my guardian War Boys.
The roller door lifted and a wave of cool air washed over my clammy skin. The war Boys dismounted the rig, leaving me to explore the bustling markets of Gas Town. A gnawing feeling filled my gut at the thought of being gifted to the People Eater. I'd lost many of my sister's to the piggish warlord's insatiable appetite. Perhaps I was a gift for The Bullet Farmer. Now I raised my head to glare at the War Boy still present.
"Imperator says to guard you against the gas town boys," His voice was almost hesitant. I lent forward inviting him closer, my eyes focusing on the water pouch in his hand. I clenched the chains behind me until I was sure my knuckles turned white. The sweltering heat of the truck added to my insatiable thirst as he edged closer to me.
"S'kay," I smiled half heatedly beckoning him, "I'm parched." I parted my lips slightly and ran my tongue over the cracked flesh. When he turned to shut the roller door I slipped my aching wrist from the thick metal cuff, clenching my teeth as my raw flesh throbbed with pain. He approached me with broad shoulders but the shake of his hands as they lifted the pouch to my lips was enough to set my mind at ease. He was as scared as I was.
It was hard to swallow with my head craned back as he poured the water through my muzzle but I guzzled down the warm liquid as best I could. As he began tying the pouch back to his belt I lunged forward with my freed arm scruffing the flesh on the back of his neck tightly and smashing his face into the metal of my muzzle. I grit my teeth against the pain as he got his second wind as his fist slammed into my stomach, "STOP!" I grunted against the force and slumped to the ground, "They won't want me damaged." He stood above me with a dark look, spitting blood onto the ground beside me, "I won't do it again I swear."
He shook his head muttering, "Kamicrazy bitch." I grasped his arm as he hoisted me up so he could reattach my chains. As quickly as he turned his back I hooked the chain under his chin and pulled back, cutting off his air way. He reared forward in a blind panic, scratching at his throat. I circled around him quickly as he tried to pin me, tugging on the chain harshly until he fell to his knees with a resounding thud.
His lips were blue and his eyes bulged from their sockets as I pressed my foot into his throat still pulling tightly on the chain. Blood splattered onto my linen skirts as I crushed his neck beneath my heel. I stilled for a moment my heart thrumming hard in my ears with the steady rush of adrenaline still coursing through my veins.
I almost felt pity for the War Boy lying dead on the ground. He was still wet behind the ears, lacking the myriad of scars other War Boys paraded proudly. I found myself crouching beside him with my hands pressed into the clay covered skin of his chest. Still warm. I rummaged through his pockets only finding a dried lizard and a slender plastic cylinder with a spike of flattened metal on the end.
I chewed on the lizzard while I pried open the roller door only to see a band of War Boys strutting towards the truck. The leader of the group stopped the others and pointed towards me, "The Immortan's Wife is escaping!" His voice was roared about the noise of the busy street as more men advanced towards the truck.
I slammed the roller door shut as hard as I could and backed towards the far wall of the truck. The Immortan's Wife, I was going to be the Immortan's Wife.
