Sharp Shot: It's Called Living

The sun was high in the sky as it was the middle of July in the so called utopia. The cashier sighed and glanced at the rose gold watch that adorned her left wrist. It was only one o’clock and she had five more hours until her shift was over.
Jem examined her perfectly manicured nails as she leaned against the cosmetics counter in her shop. Well it wasn’t exactly her shop, she worked for the makeup artist Milly in the fashion district of Battery City. The salon was the only place that would hire her, since she had a degree in cosmetology.
The sound of the television caught her attention as she saw the news flash across the screen. A clean cut reporter smiled into the camera as he shuffled some papers together.
“Hello beautiful Battery City I’m Tom Ackerman here with the latest breaking news. Vermin have been spotted on the outskirts of our beloved home and citizens are cautioned to stay indoors and abide by the ten o’clock curfew that has been put into effect immediately.”
Jem’s eyebrow’s arched in surprise. If a curfew was being put into place that meant that there were vermin in the city, and the exterminators would be out looking for them.
“And as we all know that means the vermin have been spotted within our city walls, so stay safe and don’t forget your nightly dose of nirvana vitamins. And now to Jessica with the weather-“
Jem tuned out from the broadcast and looked down at the fashion magazine that lay on the glass counter. The phone rang and she picked it up
“Hello Jem? It’s Milly, I ordered some new hair dryers and it seems that the delivery man made a mistake and brought it to our south western location. Could you please pick them up for me?”
“Sure no problem, should I go now?” Jem asked in response
Milly paused for a moment as she thought “If it isn’t busy then yes, just close the salon for a bit it shouldn’t take you that long to get there.”
“Alright I’ll go now.” Jem began gathering her things together and putting them into her purse.
“Okay thanks again.” With that Milly hung up and Jem closed up the shop and headed towards the bus stop that would take her the other store. It was only a few blocks away.
Jem was surprised that there were no people walking around, usually there would be groups of people in the shops and just generally out and about on a Saturday afternoon as nice as it was. Perhaps it was because of the recent news that ever one was taking extra care not to be outside when they didn’t have to be.
Her high heels clicked along as she sauntered along the sidewalk, humming a tune even she couldn’t remember where she heard. Jem turned the corner when someone crashed into her and grabbed her purse.
“Hey!” she exclaimed as she was knocked off her feet and fell backwards. As her body made contact with the pavement Jem immediately rolled over and hopped back up, turning to run after the thief. She kicked off her stilettos and sprinted after them.
She could tell that they weren’t your average citizens as they were messily dressed in bright and garish clothing, nothing like the usual neutral tones of white grey and black that your average Battery City dweller would wear. She could see a shock of red hair from the one on the left that held her purse, and his accomplice had some sort of helmet on.
They twisted and turned down various streets and alleyways, getting closer and closer to the walls that separated Battery City from the desolate wasteland of the Zones. Jem could hear the sound of multiple footsteps behind her and when she looked over her shoulder she saw them. The exterminators.
Jem didn’t know what the feeling blooming inside her chest was. Maybe it was because she didn’t take her dose of nirvana vitamins this morning? Her heart felt like it would leap out of her chest and she just felt cold electricity run through her body as the exterminators chased after her.
And why were they after her? She was only trying to get back her purse! If she would just stop and explain what Jem could stop running and get back to her normal life.
But there was this feeling in her chest, and a voice in her head that told her to run as fast and as far as she could in the other direction of the exterminators. And so she did.
After going down more alleyways and backstreets Jem turned to look back and see if she lost the exterminators. He them collided with another body and landed-once again! On her backside.
“You know sugar that’s getting real fucking annoying. That being you crashing into me all the time.” The red haired man spoke. His yellow mask covered the top half of his face, but his hazel eyes and crooked smirk seemed to taunt her.
“Let’s just get outta here already man, we got what we need.” The one with the helmet that read “Good Luck” across the eye part said.
Jem gulped. She knew what they were. They were outlaws, renegades, degenerates and delinquents. They were rebels that sought to destroy all the good that Battery City was and stood for.
They were Killjoys.
Jem stood and leaned against the wall of the building to her right Her bare feet were cut and bruised from all the running and she was just realizing this.
“Just give me back my purse! Why’d you take it anyway?” She cried, grabbing her ribcage and panting. That run really took all her energy.
The red haired guy shrugged “It was reflex alright, nothing personal doll face but we gotta go before those dracs track us down and we end up dusted.”
There was the sound of a ray gun being fired and Jem felt a burst of air brush by her left shoulder. The ray from the gun just nearly missed her and hit a streetlamp.
The trio turned and saw the group of draculoid exterminators coming towards them.
“Shit!” The one in the helmet exclaimed “We gotta go now Party!”
The red haired one, Party as he was called glanced at Jem then at the approaching dracs.
Party drew his own gun and fired at the dracs, grabbed Jem’s hand and pulled her. “Run!” He yelled as he dragged her along.
The guy with the helmet was ahead of them, and they approached an odd looking vehicle. It looked old and worn out with stickers and graffiti all over it, he jumped in and revved the engine.
Party and Jem were only a few yards away when Jem turned and saw a drac pointing his gun right at Party’s turned back. Then everything seemed to go in slow motion. She saw the drac pull the trigger and she heard the resounding crack of the gun. She didn’t know why but she let go of the red haired man’s hand and moved behind him.
As a result she was hit instead of Party. Jem felt the air knocked out of her as well as some very important bodily fluids and tissues. Her torso felt like it was on fire as she hit the ground face first.
“Shit!” She heard Party exclaim and she heard a car door slam.
The guy with the helmet and Party began firing at the dwindling group of exterminators, taking them all out.
“We gotta take her with us Kobra,” Party said the his friend.
“Let’s go, we need to get her patched up before it’s too late.” The other replied.
Jem felt her body being moved as she was brought to the car with them and put in the back seat, Party climbing in with her. Kobra put it in drive and stepped on the gas, making the whole car shoot forward at a speed Jem never thought she would ever travel.
Her vision started to blur as the metallic scent of blood filled her nostrils. How could she die here of all places? In the car of two Killjoys.
Party took off his leather jacket and his t-shirt, ripping the second garment into strips for bandages. He hastily bound Jem’s torso and kept a wad of the ragged material against her wound to staunch the flow of blood.
Jem felt her head being to swim as the seconds ticked by.
“Don’t you dare die on me sugar,” was the last thing Jem heard before she gave in to the fatigue and let it wash over her.

Notes