HARMAGEDDON CITY

“When the bombs first dropped, nobody knew what hit us. The city that rose from the ashes is Harmageddon City, where the law of the land is the fight, and things…would never be the same.”

-THREE YEARS AGO-

Underneath a cold, ashen sky around the corner of a nearby building, Tiva, Zi’uhnn and Dikome observe one of Harmageddon City’s countless street fights. It is the leader of the Lady Shivs fighting against some other gang they have never heard of before. The fight is about to come to a close.

“You have this right? You know last time you…” Zi’uhnn’s words trail looking at Dikome for some recognition of the gravity of the situation. Tiva interjects:

“Oh, come on Z” she hesitates, observing the intensity of the brawl in the distance “He’ll be just fine.”

The leader of the rival gang knocks his counterpart to the ground, causing his side to erupt with praise, as the three begin to silently make their way towards the crowd encircling its contenders.

Lightly scuffed from the cement floor, the Lady Shiv rises quickly to her feet with the intensity of a feral predator, as she faces her now boisterous opponent. She is sharper now, dodging a volley of punches meant to end the fight. She sets him up with a blow to the solar plexus, then knocks him out with a right hook to the chin, sending him to the ground.

“Now!” Zi’uhnn whispers.

The Lady Shivs are ecstatic with praise as our trio begin to make their move. Carefully slipping into the back of the cheering crowd, Tiva and Zi’uhnn feint excitement as Dikome backs up behind the pair. He turns, making his way to the prize of the fight in the back of the alley. Lifting its cloth cover, his eyes widen at enough food to feed a family for a month. He begins to fervently toss as much food as he can fit into the bag draped over his small frame.

Zi’uhnn glances back at him, checking to see if his partner is finished with his theft, when Dikome gives him the signal. The two "actors" make their way to the back of the alley, joining Dikome, but, just as they are almost in the clear, a Lady Shiv notices: “The FOOD!”

Hearts beat out of chests, shins ache, and sweat streams like water down backs as the three runs through the maze that is the city. They turn a corner to an empty street, save for an elderly woman sweeping the street just outside of a cellar. She notices them running towards her, and to the escapee’s surprise, beckons for them to come in. Tiva and Zi’uhnn look at each other, unsure of whether to trust the helpful stranger when Dikome, now passing the two, runs straight in. Without any other options, Zi’uhnn and Tiva join him.

The room that they find themselves in is surprisingly well furnished in comparison to the rest of the cities make-shift shelters. To the left of the protruded wall they sit against, there is a couch with a rugged ottoman beside it and a glass table in front of it with a tiled kitchen adjacent. On the opposite side of the room the woman who saved their lives sits on a stool in front of an elevated table next to a door, mumbling something unintelligible and scribbling on something that looks like a diagram. Suddenly, the door to the cellar turns as the descent of footsteps can be heard entering the room.

Tiva snatches the bag of food from Dikome’s shoulder to his irritation and puts it behind the couch as two girls who look to be around the teenager’s age enter.

“Mom Alyse, who are these people?” The younger one says motioning to our anxious antagonists, her elder looking at them with a fire in her eyes. The girl repeats herself: “Mom Alyse?”

Making her way to Mom Alyse who is entranced in her work, she touches her on her upper back, startling her out of her “work.”

“Oh, dear, is there something that I can help you with?” The woman says, looking up at her daughter.

This saddens the girl, who lightens her touch. “Mom Alyse, it’s me, Alicia.” She holds this line, hoping that it will bring a clarity that never comes. “Let’s go Mom, I think it’s time for you to get some rest.” She motions to the second girl who stayed back watching the unwelcomed guest, to take Mom Alyse into her bedroom.

-MOMENTS LATER-

The four are sitting in the living room, eating food that was offered to them by Alicia who sits on the ottoman across from them on the couch. She watches them eat as if they have not been fed in days, then, with a comforting smiles on her face, begins to speak. “So, your friends huh? Do you stay around here?”

Dikome continues eating as Tiva and Zi’uhnn look at each other, unsure of what to say. “You don’t have to be afraid. I know it’s…hard, to open up to anybody around her. Trust me, me and my sister Vida know. But, despite her condition, Mom Alyse wouldn’t let just anybody in here, so the three of you have to be ok. What gang do you belong to?

“We stayed in the east wing, we were amongst the last group to exit the shelter last year,” Tiva starts. “By the time we got out, the territories had already started to form so the three of us made a promise to stick together, no matter what. Me and Zi’uhnn have known each other since before the bombs dropped, and the little one over there is Dikome…he owes his life to Zi'uhnn.

Sitting up now, Alicia responds with a skeptical smirk “You mean to tell me that you’ve been in Harmageddon city for almost a year now and still haven’t joined a gang?” This press agitates the anxious Zi’uhnn.

“Look, we don’t “run with any cliques” and while we enjoyed your hospitality” getting up from his seat now, “I think it’s about time for us to go.”

Tiva looks at Zi’uhnn sharply, with disapproval of the outburst as Alicia’s warm expression is momentarily replaced with a more serious one. Her eyes focus on Zi’uhnn, noticing his physique. “So, you’re the fighter of the group, huh?”

“I do what I can to protect the only people I’ve got.” Zi’uhnn says, meeting her stare dead on.

Alicia looks down, chuckles, then back up at Zi’uhnn. “Come on, lighten up tough guy…besides” the door to Mom Alyse’s room begins to turn as Alicia’s face turns serious again “My sister and I already know that you’re the ones who took the food.”

Upon this revelation, the group freezes in terror as Zi’uhnn’s boldness begins to shift. The doorknob to the room behind Alicia opens as Vida exits, closing the door slowly, as not to wake Mom Alyse. Dikome looks up at Tiva and Zi’uhnn for direction with a worried expression. Their gaze follows Vida in the background as she paces to a drawer in the kitchen. From a cabinet drawer above the sink, she removes a long blade sitting next to a heart shaped locket, that obviously was not made to hold such a weapon. Following this, drawing the frightened trio’s expression back on herself, Alicia removes a smaller, but just as deadly blade that was hidden on her pant leg.

“You try to leave, you die. She wakes up, you die.” Alicia says this while holding the blade in one hand and extending her other. “Where is the food.”

Zi’uhnn, hesitates, trying to plan a way of escape so as not to risk losing the prize they planned so long to take. This hesitation agitates Vida who is now standing next to her sister, ready to pounce on the three at any moment.

“Z, give her the food!” Tiva exclaims, frustrated at his indecision. His lack of compliance goes on for too long however, as Alicia makes her move.

“Ok then,” Alicia says, quickly grabbing Tiva and putting the knife to her throat, “The food, NOW!”

Zi’uhnn, seeing his best friend in distress starts to give her the food when Dikome suddenly jumps toward Alicia to the defense of his friend: “Tiva!"

Vida intercepts this, putting Dokime on the ground with a blow to the stomach, then kneels on his chest, pinning him to the ground as he wheezes in pain. Taking advantage of the distraction, Tiva does a maneuver which frees herself, only to have Alicia reverse it, putting her in a position that is even more cumbersome. This creates an opening for Zi’uhnn to knock the blade out of Vida’s hand, taking it for his own and pointing it at Alicia. Alicia looks at him unflinchingly with a serious demeanor and when he does not immediately do anything, she taunts him.

“Go ahead, do it tough guy” She moves her neck even closer to the blade.

Zi’uhnn, does his best to keep his hand steady, to convince his would be attackers that he’ll do anything to save his friends. But he can’t. He is not a killer. His hand begins to shake, and after locking eyes with the young Dikome and Tiva who tells him he is going too far, he drops the blade.

Quickly, Vida grabs it from the floor with revenge for Zi’uhnn being her only intent now, when Alicia does a hand movement that signals for her to stop. Alicia slowly walks up to Zi’uhnn as Vida looks on in frustrated curiosity. With little room between the two now, she speaks:

“You know what tough guy. We can use that.” This catches him off guard. “Your gonna help us take over the Northern Territory.”

This shocks all in attendance. After a brief pause, Alicia turns to Mom Alyse’s room while giving instruction to Vida. “Let them go, we have work to do in the morning.” With a grunt, Vida, complies. “And you,” she says to Zi’uhnn, stopping her trek, looking back at him over her shoulder, “catch.” She tosses him the blade, which he barely catches. “Your gonna need it.” Vida joins her, then passes her after locking eyes with her sister, who simply continues to stare back at Zi’uhnn. Vida then looks back at the group, and enters the room, followed by Alicia who slowly breaks her gaze and enters as well. Our three leads are left in the room puzzled as to what just happened, looking at each other as if to say, “What have we just gotten ourselves into?”