Assassination 2136

Chapter 5: Vices

After work, I told Dovima I had to meet Xyle in person for a contract. She cocked a brow at this, but nonetheless told me she would have dinner ready by the time I got home. Secretly, I think she was just keen to keep working on her project.

Stepping out of the subway station, I found myself amidst a crowd of protestors. In the middle of the throng, their voices boomed around me in solidarity and strength. Many held large plaques, and I weaved my way through quietly. Protests such as this happened often, arguing against the high tax rates, the lack of medical treatments available, the increasing levels of poverty throughout the city. People weren't happy in general, however I knew how these protests ended. I needed to hurry.

Xyle's place was down a shitty alleyway in the shadier part of our area. It wasn't too far from my apartment, so I decided to walk. The streets were still busy, and I had to weave my way through people, Trying not to step on toes of shove too much. People were tired, restless after work. In need of comfort. This is when the vices came out.

Bars opened pretty early daily. Around four in the afternoon they opened their doors to the full time workers who flocked to the dingy establishments. Drinking to forget, drinking to numb. I finished work at five and it wasn't even six yet, but as I walked past the bars and clubs I could see they were already booming. People were in a que to get in, talking loudly and excitedly. Music boomed from inside, making conversation impossible. Luckily, people weren't there for a nice chit chat. Occasionally I would see someone keeled over on the sidewalk, vomiting. Went too hard too soon.

As I got closer to Xyle's, the streets got worse. Prostitutes worked the corners, calling out to nearby cars and pedestrians, desperate for a cred or two. Despite the frigid night air, all they wore were short skirts and tube tops. They clutched their arms, rubbing them to try get rid of the goosebumps as their skinny knees knocked together.

I soon found myself in the bustling black market district. The road had been completely taken over by stalls and people, illegally blocking traffic from coming through. Here, you could buy anything you needed. Drugs, weapons, and some questionable apparel. The stalls were crammed together, a cluster fuck of colours and noises as horns blared, maracas shaken, and people called out. Anything to attract attention to their stall. I made my way through, keeping my head down. I only looked up to glance at the gun store, but they didn't have anything of interest to me so I pushed on.

"Hey, hey you!" A voice called out to me from a dark alleyway to the side. I stopped walking, turning to face whoever had yelled out to me. Out from the shadows stepped a small man with a large humped back. He was stooped over, and had a small cane in his right hand. I stood still, staring at him as he approached me. Out of all the people walking by, he had called directly out to me. No one else paid him any attention, as if this was a regular occurrence.

"Wanna buy a kidney?" He croaked. I rolled my eyes, holding a palm up to his face as I strode off. I never understood why Xyle insisted on staying here. He worked full time at the MASH factory, plus had this assassin contract side hustle. The man had money, yet he lived in the area of LA with the highest death rate. Although, I guess having easy access to the Black Market had its perks....

I finally got to the alleyway Xyle lived on. Homeless lined the alley, some with tents others just slumming it in bags. The smell of booze hit my nose. Despite having little money, they always found money for drugs and alcohol. They all watched me intently as I approached Xyle's home.

"Hey Sagi!" One of them called out to me. It was an older gentleman, crouched down scratching in the dirt with his finger.

"Hey Pop, how's it going?" I asked walking up to him. Before I had a place, Pop had been a father figure to me. He showed me the ropes, showed me how to gather a little extra coin together. Even put in a good word to Xyle for me so I could start the contracts. I tried to keep in touch with him, but Pop was an elusive fellow. With no legal name, no social security number, he was off the grid completely. Insisted the government was after him for.... Something.