The Vortex: Killjoys, Book 1

Chapter One.

A bright flash whizzed by my ear as I barreled down Route Guano, nearly hitting one of my headphones.

Fuck.

It was all I could think to myself as I was being chased by a Trans-Am with a BLI logo on the side. No way I was outrunning that thing on my beat up crotch rocket that was on its last legs.

I turned around trying to aim my ray gun at their tire, it let out a piss poor flash before powering down.

Out of charge. Great.

I only had one option, kill these Dracs or face imminent death, and I wasn't ready to die. I was still being shot at, I'd have to do this quickly. I planted a quick kiss on the body of my bike and slowed down enough to be hit from behind by their car. I quickly jumped off and onto the car hood.

The car bounced up and down as it ran over what was once my bike.
Theres no turning back now.
The car started swerving immediately and I was holding onto the hood on my stomach for dear life. This was a mistake, one shot and I'm dead. Luckily, the swerving was disorienting the Dracs inside the car too. Enough time for me to crawl to the top. The second a Drac put their hand up with their gun to try and shoot I went for it. It didn't work. All I did was break his hand.

One sat outside of the window and met my eyes. He raised his gun to shoot me but I was able to grab it and move the barrel away from me. I moved my legs from under me to kick him in the face while I held the gun, he finally let go after a hard kick to the face. I immediately shot him and he slumped over the side of the back right car window, slowly sliding out and dropped dead to the side of the road after being dragged a ways. Gross.

Another from the opposite side came up and was immediately met with a laser to the eye after a few shots. I wasn't the best at aiming but I wasn't incapable of defending myself. The two in the back were dead, that left the one driving and the one with the broken hand in the passenger seat. That's when lasers started shooting out from the inside of the car. I slid down the side of the car and inside the back seat as fast as I could. Before the two understood what was going on I had put a laser in the backs of both of their heads. Another mistake.

Now they were all dead but there was dead weight on the gas and we were going faster and faster. Throwing the gun in the back seat, I took hold of the wheel while climbing over the dead Drac and pushing his leg back. I was finally slowing down. I opened the door enough to push the Drac out sitting in the driver's seat. It took a few tries, moving dead weight is no joke.

I took control finally and was able to slow down the car and park to the side of the road. I walked out to asses the damage, a few holes in the top, but nothing a patch couldn't fix, or even a new top. I opened the passenger side and pulled the Drac in the front seat out and slid the one in the back seat out from the window. I took both of their masks off.

Two men this time, maybe in their 50s. No doubt this wasn't their first choice in a job, I didn't take a ton of pleasure in killing but it did feel good to get out of places alive. I tossed the masks in the back seat of the Trans-Am. I'd take them to the box in a few days.

I pulled out my headphones, not that they were plugged in anymore after all of that, and shoved them into my jacket pocket. My cassette player was busted. Thankfully, I knew a place I could buy another.

I may have lost a bike but I gained a car. I'd miss that crotch rocket though, it was quieter and easier to sneak around with. At least this thing had a radio too.