“Damn, I’m unfit. I need to start jogging, if this running-for-our-lives thing continues.” Lucy puffed hard.
“Told you escaping the compound was useful. I’m always running for my life.”
We moved along the alley. When we reached the red dumpster, I paused.
“We should move this away from the bricks, get in behind it.” I threw my pack down beside the wall.
Lucy dropped hers too. “Abbs, I’m wearing Vuitton runners. One doesn’t move bins in Vuittons.”
They were bright purple runners, with large yellow stars on each side.
I shook my head. “Luce, you have two seconds to start moving this dumpster or I am dropping you back to Olden.”
Sighing, she moved at a snail’s pace around to the side.
I ducked to the front. As I braced my hands to push, I paused, sensing a disturbance behind me.
I spun and cursed.
We were in trouble.
Three men stood in the alley entrance, blocking the exit.
Dark-blue facial tattoos were evident against their lighter skin tones. Tribal in design, the minor members’ were simple, the higher up’s, more intricate, identifying them as Brawler Gangers.
“Abby.” Lucy whined from behind the dumpster. “Are you helping? What the hell? Ouch! Broke a nail ... I’m okay; don’t panic.”
“Uh, Luce, you might want to step out here.”
She appeared next to me, cradling her right hand. Noticing the looming men, she sighed. “This is bad, right?”
The shortest of the three stepped forward: someone of such average appearance, he’d go unnoticed in regular society. I noted his dirty blond hair, short weedy build and small angry eyes. Before the war – he would definitely have been part of the stimulating field of accountancy. It’s always the ones with short-man syndrome.
“Look what we have here, brothers, two delicious morsels ducking into this little out-of-the-way alley.” He had a distinctive New York accent, clipping off the ends of the words.
The man on his right was darker and more solidly built. His tattoos less prominent, he sat somewhere in the middle of the gang totem pole.
“Ya, Jass, they have conveniently wandered themselves into our territory. Now what should we do with them?”
“Is it our territory? Wasn’t youse just saying yesterday that the Kleps had this one?” With biceps the size of mini trucks, the third was the epitome of brawn over brains.
“Shut it.” Jass spat out the command.
They fell silent.
“So, Abbs, I’m starting to think there’s an excellent chance these are the last faces we’ll ever see?” Lucy was creeping back; we had about ten feet to the wall.
“Fate could not be that cruel. Shouldn’t it be beauty at the end, not ‘thing one, two and three’?”
My words confused them. Guess Dr Seuss wasn’t on their reading list at gang school.
“We’re going to fight, right, Abby?” Lucy breathed the statement.
I nodded. “I’m going all eye-of-the-tiger, pose-like-a-crane on their asses.” I smiled – never let them see you sweat – it’s the principle.
“Crane? Seriously? At least choose dragon or spider, you know, something that might actually scare them.” She smiled tightly.
The men advanced toward us, their expressions smug and satisfied.
“I’m pretty sure they’ve been studying menacing behavior in A Morons’ Guide to Gang Member.” Lucy had decided taunting them into submission was the way to go. She shook her head. “Stop me, Abbs. You know when I’m nervous my mouth runs away.”
“Jass, did you hears what the short one said, Jass? She called us morons. Let me have her. C’mon, Jass.”
Jass didn’t even glance his way. His fist simply swung out and smashed straight into Stupid’s face. Which barely moved.
Great – his face is made of rock.
“There goes our hope they’d beat each other to death,” I snorted at Lucy. Focus, Abby.
Flexing my wrists, I stepped back to settle into my favorite fighting stance.
Lucy smiled. “Calling ‘plastic surgeon’ to the ring.” She turned to the men. “Hope you aren’t planning on keeping your noses in their current shape.” She shrugged. “I guess anything would be an improvement.”
Despite her continued taunting, Lucy was ready too, bouncing lightly.
A cruel smile crossed Jass’s face. I knew then he would not be taking me alive. Rape and torture awaited us, their anger filling the space like thunder rolling in over the plains.
“We will teach you respect before this day is done. Trust me on that.” Jass spoke, but the others nodded.
“Okay, I’m about ready to panic now.” Lucy’s word-vomit continued.