MORTIS

Hot Pavement

I woke up at eight to the sound of gunfire in the the distance. Just another gang war. I got up and threw on a black trench coat, grabbed my apartment key and my phone, and stepped out through the front door. Like I said before, my world is fucked up. The government gave up, leaving society to rot. Every day that passes by, the old world dies bit by bit. Kids don't go to school, mainly because there is no federal funding.

There's no cops either. If someone needs justice, it's up to the people to deliver it. Vigilantism is an everyday occurrence. Me, I'm not a vigilante. I'm just trying to survive in a fucked up world. So is Eli. Another fucked up thing is that before the government went bust, Eli got drafted into the Army when he turned 18. I didn't know him then, but from what he's told me, he fought the Russians briefly, then got sent home from the mental trauma he suffered. As far as I understand, he was a lone survivor. He's still living with his abusive father, and he lets his dad beat him around still. Despite his training, he just can't stand up to his abuser.

When he got into fights at school over me, he'd always hold back. If he goes off the chain, he could kill someone. Eli's such a boy scout and I love him for it. He tries to do what is right, no matter what. It'll get him killed. As for me, my dad saw shit going downhill early. He taught me how to kill a man with sharp objects at a young age. His training saved me. When the government shut down, there was a huge riot in town. A group of men tried to gang rape me, and if I hadn't been carrying the bayonet, I would've been beaten and raped for hours. It was the first time I killed a man. I killed eight men, and it went by unnoticed because of the sheer violence all around me.

There was only gonna be more bloodshed in my life. I accepted this. I looked around at the other pedestrians. I could see their fears, their hopes, their dreams. Everyone was so terrified of there being no tomorrow. I heard a diesel pickup truck come roaring down the road, black plumes of smoke coming from the exhaust. I looked closer and saw that all the passengers were sticking their heads out, and the passengers in the back were crouched. They were all holding black objects. Oh fuck.

I ran and then dropped to the ground as the diesel slowed down and I heard the staccato roar of Uzis and Mac 10s zip through the air. I covered the back of my neck and pressed my face into the hot pavement as bullets were flying all around. I heard people screaming and dying and heard the impact of 9mm Parabellum hitting the pavement directly around me, dangerously close to spilling my blood. They sound of the truck and the whooping assholes in it grow distant, and I got up. I looked around and saw so many dead people. A mother and her child had huge holes in their bodies, and many more were seriously injured. The air had the heavy iron smell of blood, and I almost gagged.

There was nothing I could do, so I took off running. Had to get off the street. I ducked into an alleyway, and heard gunfire in the distance. It sound like it was almost two blocks up. Gang violence was common these days. I walked onto another street where I saw the pickup truck, I could see that it had pieces of metal welded to it, acting as some form of armor. The truck itself was a deep black, covered in white skulls. The men themselves were all wearing black hoodies and some form of skull mask, bandanna or a neck gaiter with a skull design on it. They were part of a gang called "The Reapers".

They were all out of the truck, looking at me.

The leader, wearing a golden skull mask said "Lookie here, we found that girl that ran off. We're gonna have us some fun!"

His men snickered and chortled, an ugly sound. The leader walked towards me, and I stepped back ever so slightly. He grabbed me by the shoulder, and pulled me in close. He was groping me. He grabbed me by the hips and started doing pelvic thrusts. I went along with it, and did a fake and cringy moan in his ear. There were five guys, including him.

I whispered in his ear "You're gonna die.."

I heard Gold Mask say "Ha...what?"

"I'm gonna kill you and everyone here. Get used to the smell of your buddies' shit before you croak." I rasped into his ear.

I reached to the small of my back, and grabbed the hilt of the bayonet. In a blink of an eye, I pulled it out and slashed it across his jugular vein. Blood spilled out of his throat, and I heard him choking on his blood. Time slowed down. I quickly rushed behind him as one of his friends pulled out an Uzi, spraying the whole magazine into his boss's chest. I shoved Gold Mask's body towards the man. The man shoved him aside, and was desperately trying to reload. I pulled out a throwing knife from my chest harness, and flicked it forward, watching it spin and stab right into the asshole's eye, killing him instantly. I ran towards the third Reaper. He tried to hit me, and I ducked underneath his arm, and stabbed the bayonet into his armpit. Blood sprayed all over me as I weaved behind him, and slit his throat. The last two Reapers unloaded their SMGs, but they either missed or hit their buddy. However, a stray round ricocheted off the pavement and hit me in the thigh, flooding me with pain. I stumbled and fell to the ground. One of the Reapers ran over to me and kicked me in the jaw, knocking me senseless.

He said "Oh, you're dead bitch. I'm gonna fuckin shoot you in the gut and fuck you while you bleed to death!"

I gritted my teeth and said "The only girls you get are dead or dying, asshole!"

I got backhanded, and I was knocked onto my back. The Reaper got on top of me and started to choke me out, my vision swimming with stars. I kneed him in the groin, and he let go. I headbutted him, and felt my skull explode with pain. I picked up my bayonet, and lunged at the stunned Reaper. I jammed the bayonet through his skull, and coldly watched as his eyes rolled up into his head and he spasmed. The last Reaper yelled "JOHNNY! NO!"

I looked in his direction, and he said "STAY AWAY YOU FREAK!"

He raised a Glock at me and pulled the trigger. A hollow click tore through the air. I smiled and yanked the M9 bayonet out of the dead man's skull. I slowly limped towards him, tossing a throwing knife at him. It went wide, and cut his fingers off, the pistol clattering to the ground. He screamed in horror and pain.

I tackled him, and got on top, raising the bayonet above my head. The Reaper was begging me.

"Please don't man, I'm sorry! I'll go the fuck away just please don't kill me!" he pleaded.

"You'll just get more buddies and try to kill me. You can't fucking lie to me!" I yelled.

" I swear I won't! " He screamed.

"A mother and her baby are dead because of you, you piece of shit. You killed a kid." I said coldly.

I stabbed the bayonet through the bottom of his jaw, driving it into the roof of his mouth. I stared coldly into his eyes as I watched the horror in his eyes slowly slip into a blank stare. Blood was all over my hands. I pulled the bayonet out, cleaned it off on my pants, then resheathed it. I recollected my throwing knives, and pulled out my cell phone and called Eli.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Eli, I need help... I'm hurt.." I said weakly.

"Tell me where you're at Riot, I'll come get you!" Eli said, his voice sharp with worry.

My vision swam, and I dropped the cell phone. I fell, and my consciousness slipped into darkness...