literature

Fortune City

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Literature Text

        Once upon a time there was a girl who lived in a city filled with dust. It entered through the cracks in the floorboard and covered her world in a dull coat of grime. Small footsteps lay in the dust beside two fallen bodies. The howling wind erases the girl's whimpering; like two motherly banshees it fingers at her dirty blonde curls and coos reassurances into her tiny ears...

        Lucas falls to the ground snorting, "Your ears are NOT tiny!"

        Olivia stands up and throws her journal at him. It hits his head with a satisfying crack but does nothing to deter the obnoxious laughter exploding from his throat.

       "Oh shut it, you were not suppose to read that!"

        He lifts his hands into the air and backs up slowly. "Hey, that's what happens when you leave your back unprotected. I was practically breathing down your neck and you didn't notice. If anything, you should be thanking me. I could have been some crazy psycho with a chainsaw."

        "First of all, a 'crazy psycho' is redundant as hell and secondly, I would have heard a chainsaw."

        She crosses her arms in defiance and raises her eyebrows until they almost touch the top of her hairline. Lucas shrugs and begins packing up what little they carry with them. He studies her through the long black hair that partially shields his eyes. She is sitting with her back to him dusting off the crudely bound journal she insists on lugging around. Grime covers the book's fabric, making it appear to be the color of mud, but he can see that at one time the cover was a brilliant green; the same shade as her eyes.

       Her back stiffens under his gaze and he looks away quickly, busying himself with the lighter in his pocket. She looks over at him then quickly goes back to storing her belongings for the trip ahead. He would never figure out whether she possessed actual psychic abilities or if intuitiveness is just an innate ability belonging only to women. Not that he would know what the majority of women are like, since his accident she's the only woman he's ever known.
   
        "I wish you wouldn't do that," she said. Her eyes flash in the fading light of the setting sun. Lucas enjoys the brief instances he gets to see her gold-flecked eyes, even when they glare at him reproachfully. She sees him staring and quickly smashes the dirty goggles over her head and turns away.
"It's just a habit." He flicks the lighter on one last time then shoves it in his dirt filled pocket. The memory of the flame leaves a dancing imprint just behind his eyelids. He wonders what the fire would look like reflected in the depths of Olivia's eyes. She turns towards him and scowls.

       "Could you stop daydreaming and help me."

       "You hardly need any help." He lets his eyes roll over to her small backpack and gives her a snide look.

       "Then just go and guard the truck."
Lucas mutters something under his breath about the dangers of girls with balls then asks, "Where'd you put the shotgun?'
        
       Olivia grunts and nods her head toward the truck.

       "In the pack beside the sex toys." She waggles her grease-stained butt at him and snorts.

       "Ha ha, you're quite the comedian."

       She lifts her goggles and winks. "Hey, all's fair in love and war."

       Lucas takes the lighter from his pocket and flicks it on. The image of Olivia wavers behind the flame.

       He sighs, "Nah, only in war."

       Her face falls slightly and the past shadows her eyes like roiling thunderclouds. Her full lips harden into a thin line as she once again shuts her self off from him and hunches over her journal. He can see her knuckles turn white as she grips her memories tight against her chest. Lucas knows that she will hold back tears until her eyes resemble an unsteady ocean ebbing against her eyelashes. He decides that guarding the truck sounds much better than drowning in the contrasting emotions radiating from her stone-like countenance. She will get it under control sooner or later and when she does he'd be there to lightly punch her shoulder, ruffle her hair, and say, you're doing good kid. He chuckles to himself and imagines her face boiling red with rage at being called a kid.

       The truck stands just outside the warehouse they are currently calling home. Lucas unties the rope of cans he used as an alarm and throws them in the trunk along with his ratty backpack. They'd have to stop by a shopping center and get new provisions sooner or later. He hopes the raiders haven't destroyed everything within a ten-mile radius. He doesn't hate the raiders, if anything he envies their ability to not care about anything or anyone. They tear through the wasteland like the whole world is just one big video game and they would re-spawn in a better place when they died, but reality has a way of screwing everything up. Lucas knows that from experience. The raiders took him in when he was just a little boy of eight. He remembers the leader standing in a doorway; the sun formed a ring of fire around his outline while the rest of him was black with shadows.

      
       The figure brought a cigar to his face and lit it; the embers cast a dim light on the identity of the man behind the smoke. He had a huge scar that ran from the corner of his mouth, splitting it into a lopsided grin. The unmarred corner held the cigar firmly in place. When he spoke the scar split and smoke billowed out through the opening.

       "Are you lost and alone?" Lucas remembers nodding slowly. The leader rasped a few short laughs.

       "Typical. The world doesn't care anything about you boy, but I do. You can have all your little heart desires if you join me."

       Lucas croaked, "What do I have to do?"

       The raiders all started laughing and glanced slyly at their boss who held up one meaty hand to silence them.

       "I can see that you're a smart lad. That's good. We're in need of smarts around here because we are sorely lacking." His smile reached too close to his gleaming eyes but the young Lucas didn't notice, he just bobbed his small head up and down, in rapt attention to the powerful man in front of him.

       The leader knelt down and said, "All you have to do is hold this lighter for me until I say otherwise." On his palm lay the lighter he had used to light his cigar. It was black and ingrained to look like a howling wolf. Lucas lifted it in his small hands and flicked up the wolf's head, severing it from the body. Flame shot up from the gaping neck and danced elegantly in the wind.


       
       Lucas pauses from his daydream and fingers the lighter in his pocket. It is still there and will stay there until he finds the leader of the raiders who left him to die in the wasteland almost ten years ago.
"Hey what are you just standing around for? We've got to get moving." Olivia bounds up beside him and playfully punches his shoulder. He forces a smile and buries his clenched fist deep within the pocket of his cargo pants. When he feels the charred lighter beneath his knuckles he relaxes slightly and follows her to the front of the truck. She's never asked why he carries the lighter with him everywhere or why she had found him outside a burning building, and he pretends he doesn't remember anything before the accident. It's just easier that way. She doesn't let on about her past either.  

       He can't see her eyes behind the opaque goggle lens, but he feels her worried look, so he starts a conversation to deter her curiosity.

       "How long do you think it'll take for us to get to Fortune City?" She sighs and scrunches her nose in contemplation.

       "Um…maybe another day or two, I'm not exactly sure."

       He grunts an acknowledgment and turns to look out at the wasteland. Skeletons of skyscrapers lay scattered throughout the barren land as far as the eye can see and the remnants of the fallen giants lay everywhere else. They are mountainous and hard to maneuver, but Olivia sails around them like a pro. Of course, the truck wouldn't last forever; gas is hard to come by, so soon they'd have to continue on foot. Until that happened Lucas would lay back in his seat, put his hands behind his head, and close his eyes. The last sound he hears before sleep pulls him under is Olivia's steady breathing.

       
       He stood alone in an isolated room that smelled odd. Half of the floor was missing and when he peered over the edge he could see all the way to the bottom floor, seven stories below. He backed up into a corner and clutched the lighter to his chest. 'The boss-man said he'd be back at three to pick me up and that I should light the lighter so that he can find me in the dark. I have a very important job.' His breath came out in a cloud of fog; he wrapped the over-sized coat around his bony shoulders and shivered. Soon the water from the air soaked through the coat and trickled down his back. He thought about turning on the lighter for just a miniature amount of warmth but he refrained. The boss-man had clearly stated that he should not, under any circumstances, flick the lighter open until exactly three o'clock. He could hear voices floating up from the first story of the building. 'The raiders said they were our enemies and not to be trusted.' He looked at his watch…only five more minutes. The seconds ticked in perfect rhythm with his heartbeat until they were almost resting on the three. He shakily took the lighter from his pocket and flicked it on. The room around him exploded in a fireball that propelled him out of the window. He skidded along the mound of debris that lay outside of the building and rolled to a stop in the charred grass. His consciousness wavered. Black boots…deep voice…cigar smoke… 'Ah shit. I thought the lighter would make it'…laughter… 'What should we do with him'…black boots receding… 'Leave him. We have bigger fish to fry'… 'Good one boss.'    
       
       
       The truck turns around a pile of debris so fast it's backend slides out of control. Lucas hits his head on the dashboard, jarring him out of the dream.

       "Ow! Damn it, what is going on?"

       "Raiders are tailing us, they have machine guns." She slides around another pile of debris, sending dust flying in all directions. He looks behind them and sees the raiders' grungy jeep fly out of the dust cloud. They jeer and crank up the machine guns. Bullets ricochet off of the truck. Olivia grabs the stunned Lucas by the back of his shirt and drags his body back into the truck.

       "Watch it! I don't want to clean your brains off the upholstery."

       "Shit, Olivia, they're really shooting at us!"

       She snorts and turns the steering wheel sharply around another curve, "Yea, I mentioned that."

       "No, you said…"

       "Ok, look wise ass, now is not the time to argue. Do you have any plans?"

       "Well…uh…" He absentmindedly produces the lighter from his pocket and starts flicking it on and off rapidly. Olivia reaches over the console and grabs the hand that grasps the lighter like a lifeline.

       "The lighter isn't going to help." He looks at her and snaps his fingers.

       "That's it! You're a genius…do you still have that bottle of whiskey in your backpack?" Her face turns scarlet and she glares reproachfully at him.

       "How do you know about that? It's just to help me sleep…"

       "Yea, sure, whatever; just tell me where it is." Bullets break through the back windshield. Olivia screams and swerves.

       "Uh…in the front pocket under my pillowcase! Whatever you're going to do make it quick, I'm running out of usable road."

       He tears off his shirt and stuffs it into the bottle's neck. Olivia gives him a sideways glance; he smiles cockily at her and produces a long match from the pocket his lighter doesn't occupy.
A smile pulls at the corners of her mouth and she exclaims, "Sweet! A Molotov cocktail… You are my hero." She presses her hand against her breast and flutters her eyelashes like a damsel in distress. Their laughter flies out the window along with the lit Molotov cocktail. It bounces once on the jeep's hood then explodes in the driver's lap. The jeep swerves off the road, flips several times, and then comes to a bone-jarring stop. Lucas can see some of the raiders crawling from the wreckage. He gives a nervous laugh and runs a hand through his dirty black hair.   

       Olivia yells in triumph and slaps him hard on the back. She looks like a modern day Amazon. Her curls whip around her face like lightening and the grease stains on her cheeks resemble war paint. Lucas marvels at the way her goggles catch the sun's glare and reflect it back at him like her eyes behind the lens are on fire. He smiles a little and props his feet on the dashboard, as if killing raiders is all in a day's work. He will not think about the possibility that the raiders he'd killed might be kids his age or younger. Kids that didn't have any other choice but to accept what life threw at them. He thinks that could have easily been me. He lets the dancing flame of the lighter chase away his rogue thoughts. It's dangerous to care too much about anyone but yourself, even Olivia. Love breeds insanity, only war makes sense now. Fortune city is just around the corner. Refugees from all around the world are gathered there; Olivia will be safe. He'd already decided a long time ago that their paths must split. An image of a lop-sided grin and cigar smoke clouds his visage. He takes the back of his hand and unsteadily wipes the sweat from his brow. The truck's backfire scatters his thoughts. It slowly rolls to a smoky stop. Olivia shrugs her shoulders and sighs.

       "Well it looks like we'll be walking from here on out." She snatches up her backpack from the backseat and kicks the truck door open.

       "It looks like there are some shops around the corner. Today is our lucky day. If you hurry your ass up maybe we'll be in Fortune City before nightfall." Lucas gives a half-laugh, half-grunt. He shoulders his backpack quickly and runs to catch up with Olivia's small frame.

       The "shops" turn out to be one huge abandoned department store. The inside looks like a war zone but fortunately, not all of the supplies have been taken or damaged beyond use.

       "We'll meet back here at six. Refrain from getting anything we don't need." She sticks her tongue out at him and walks away.

       He shouts at her back, "That includes bottles of whiskey!" She puts her middle finger high into the air and keeps walking. They'd decided to split up to gather supplies from separate parts of the store. Lucas took the shotgun and Olivia had her bowie knife.

       Products lay broken and forgotten on the tile floor. Most of the shelves are empty or knocked over. He walks over to a shelf that still stands and starts shifting through the clutter. Across the store a scream erupts, echoing loudly off the metal rafters. Lucas quickly runs towards the scream. Peaking slowly around the corner of a shelf he sees Olivia being held at knifepoint by a grungy rogue raider. The raider smiles wickedly, showing two rows of sharp yellow teeth. The knife presses on a spot just above her collarbone. Small lines of blood trickle beneath the blade and run down between her breasts. She hisses sharply as the raider surveys her exposed skin.

       "You'll do just fine." She spits at his feet and puts on her most defiant scowl.

       "I'd rather die!" His laughter reeks of alcohol.

       "That'll work too. I'd rather have you alive but dead is just as good. Women are hard to come by so I have no preferences." He cackles and begins to pull her roughly towards the door.  

       Lucas steps out of hiding and loads the shotgun.

       "Don't move!" The raider throws Olivia to the side and puts his hands in the air.

       "Hey, careful with that thing boy. I wasn't going to harm the girl…I-I-I was only teasing, yea? We're all human beings here, no need to get hasty."

       Lucas nods his head jerkily towards the door and says, "Leave."

       The raider takes off his hat and bows his head in a humble gesture. His crooked grin gleams in the sunlight filtering in through the dirty windows.

       "I can tell you're a smart kid." His eyes flash to the lighter that had fallen out of Lucas's pocket and he laughs knowingly. Before he can question him about what he knows the raider dashes through the door and is gone.

       Olivia walks up to him and places a hand on his shoulder, "Thanks, but I could've taken him." She smiles only a little then stoops to gather the supplies that had fallen from her backpack. Lucas pushes open the door and looks back at her.

       "Come on, let's get out of here."


       "Fortune City should be just over this hill." Olivia grabs Lucas's hand and drags him up to the top. She stops suddenly and falls to her knees.

       "No…" Lucas looks around her and sees a burnt city with freshly glowing embers. He takes her by the shoulders and pulls her up.

       "Let's go down and see if we can find out what happened. Maybe there are still some refugees down there." She nods slowly and sets off down the hill. Her back is as rigid and unyielding as stone.
The closer they get to the smoldering city the more they realize that there is no life left. All of the buildings are black and seem to suck in all of the surrounding colors until everything is a hazy black blob. Something crunches under his foot. He reels backward when he realizes he has stepped on the bones of a small human hand. He sucks his breath in with a groan. Beside the small skeleton is a lighter, in the shape of a wolf. Its neck is wide-open and leaking fluid that pools under his feet.

       "Hey, Lucas! There's someone behind you!"

       He wheels around and lifts the shotgun. A huge hand grips the barrel before he has a chance to fire and throws it across the wasteland, far behind them. Lucas's eyes widen and he stumbles backward. Olivia comes up from behind and steadies him. She glares reproachfully at the man in front of them.

       "Who the fuck are you and what do you want?"

       Lucas croaks, "I know who he is, I can deal with this. Just get behind me." Olivia gives him a confused look but doesn't question any further. She steps back slowly and crosses her arms.

       "It's brave of you to try and protect the girl. You know, if I really wanted her you couldn't stand in my way." His deep laugh echoes through the city.

       "Like you said before, I'm not stupid. You have no reason to take her or harm us so what are you doing here?"

       The boss chuckles, "Really, I thought you would have put two and two together… The boy's body that lays at your feet should give you that answer for me." Lucas struggles to keep his rage in check.

       "You blew up Fortune City."

       The boss takes a cigar out of his pocket and lights it. "That's right."

       Olivia shouts, "Why would you do something like that?" Lucas puts a hand out to stop her from charging. She loosens her grip on the bowie knife but doesn't back down.

       "Where did you find her Lucas? She's such a rare commodity these days…a feisty woman, but alas I do not have time to indulge." He winks at her and continues talking, "If you must know Fortune City would not pay their taxes and I had to relinquish the protection I had so graciously given them. I am not in control of what happened after that." His grin widens and he stoops to pick up the lighter beside the dead boy.

       "Unfortunately I'm running out these…" He tosses it in the air then pockets it. He pats the pocket satisfyingly.

       "I'm told your lighter still works…lucky you." His eyes roam around the edges of the pit that used to hold the city. Raiders appear all around the edges holding a vast array of loaded guns and hand grenades. Lucas decides there is no escape and turns to look once again at the boss. A smirk lights up the boss's face and he gently wipes smoldering ashes from the cuffs of his black suit. Olivia sniffs loudly and thumbs her nose, Lucas knows she's gauging the boss's size and is preparing to jump. He grabs her wrist and shakes his head slowly. She looks at him angrily, hunches her shoulders, and scowls at the ground. The boss clears his throat. It sounds like a gunshot resounding through the mourning wasteland.

       "Now since I'm such a nice guy I'm going let you and your little chick go. Head south and you eventually find yourself beyond my boundaries. That's the best chance you'll ever get in this life." He nods his head, flicks his stubby cigar at Lucas's feet, and strolls back up the hill. When he gets to the top he turns and looks back down.

       The wind carries his voice over the dead city, "You going to do great things, kid."

       When the wasteland is silent once more Lucas grabs Olivia by the hand and drags her away from the city. She jerks him around, forcing him to look at her.

       "What the hell just went on between you and him? How do you know him and what is up with that fucking lighter?"

       He just shakes his head and keeps moving forward. "Let's get on the road and then I'll tell you."

       "Yea well, you better, I'm tired of this shit." She punches him on the arm and then hugs him hard. A turmoil of emotions fights to take control of his body. He hugs her back quickly, takes the lighter out of his pocket once again and flicks it on. The wind bends the flame to the north. On the ground the raider's tire tracks are still fresh, and he can hear faint engine sounds in the distant. The boss's gruff laugh haunts the wasteland; head to the south…that's the best chance you will ever get…you're a smart lad. He grinds his teeth while his eyes dart to the north and the south. Olivia grips his chin and turns his head so that he is inches away from her face. She's taken her goggles off and her breath comes out in puffs of fog as the desert cold descends. The fog lingers around her eyes; they are an intense mixture of green and gold, an ancient forest on fire. The inferno within his heart simmers to a small blue flame. This emotion is not rage; it is an alien flame that does not burn and scar. Her eyes soften and she cocks one delicately dirty eyebrow. He coughs loudly, backs up, and pats her heartily on the back. She pulls her goggles back on rapidly and sweeps her arm around to gesture at the wasteland.
Her voice wavers as she says, "What's the plan?"

       Lucas turns to the north and clears his throat. His voice is rough and lower than normal, "We head to north. I have unfinished business."
   
       "We?" A smile threatens to lift the corners of her mouth. "So I'm stuck with you to go parading around the wasteland fighting evil and his machine gun wielding goons?"

       Still looking off to the north Lucas says, "Only if you want to be."

       Olivia shrugs and sighs. The red glow from the city behind them reflects wickedly off of her goggles.
"Count me in."
Here is my first completed first chapter/ short story based on my two post-apocalyptic characters, Olivia and Lucas.

I'd love LOTS of feedback please :D

:icondonotuseplz::iconmyartplz:
© 2010 - 2024 eden-paradox
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LiamLarrinaga's avatar
Wow, great story. I love the description of her eyes, they sound so beautiful