Washing Laundry

Chapter 1

Heaving breaths racked out of lungs of a body which weaved around corners along with sneakers that skidded across the concrete. Jacky slipped cursing on her way down, her coveralls ripped at the knees as she scrambled on the ground until her body pulled back up.

Running is a tiring task. Moving one leg in front of the other as your arms move and you push harder and harder until a knife slithers up to your spine and settles deep between your ribs.

A gasp escaped her, though she headed on. That is until the screams of sirens alerted her ears to their presence as she adjusted the duffel bag and felt it shift against her back.

Straight ahead she saw a laundromat with a sign that read, "The Daily Bubble".

She didn't even think as she headed straight for it. Gone around the right side to an alleyway which she had  scrunched her nose in disgust at the smell coming from an open trash can.

A gag was her response to the sight of a diaper hanging out along the side of it. She had taken a step hearing a crunch sound.  She picked up her foot and figured out she stepped on a used syringe.

Jacky frowned and turned her head to the left and saw the back door. Grabbing the knob, she turned it. The door opened, and she spotted a table that was in the center of the room. She slung the bag over her shoulder as she set it on the table.

Her wrist brushed across the metal as she set it down, she grimaced at the cool sting.

"I see you did good."

Jacky looked up at the familiar voice and noticed Ping. She grinned.

Good would be an understatement, pulling off a heist like that and watching the others put the greenbacks into bags as the hostages screamed in terror at the monsters adding more to their hoard around them. Everything about it was perfect, even with the one small casualty.

"Fuck yeah we did!" She did a fist pump, then showcased the bag as if it was an item from the game show, "The Price Is Right".

"How much?" He asked.

"A hundred k." Jacky stated confidently.

She observed him, taking in his crow's feet, wrinkles on the side of his eyes, a greying beard, his hair that matched his hair albeit a bit thinner and receding. He looked like the average mentor guardian out of some fantasy book.

She laughed at the thought of him being a mentor. She quickly put her attention back on the bag as her fingers caught on the zipper. It opened as she moved it over to a washing machine. Dumping the money inside, she let the bag fall down to the floor.

Ping came around the table and walked toward the washing machine and let out a grunt once he saw the sight.

"We're doing more laundry?"

"Yeah."

He hummed at the reply and went over to a moving dolly and brought it over to the washing machine.

He looked at her. "C'mon we're moving this to the Load, might as well go next door to Aura too while we're at it." He nodded toward the door as he closed the lid of the washing machine backing it up the dolly.

She opened the door and watched as he moved through the alleyway until a truck came into view. He had let go of the dolly, and made his way to the bed of the truck. He shut the door down, his eyes wavered between Jacky and the washing machine.

"Think we'd be able to lift this ourselves? Or should I go and get Donnie?"

She narrowed her eyes as she clenched her hands, imagining the weight of the appliance in her hand.