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Cyborg Cowboy Outlaw

A Doomsday Diary

By Tone SwingPublished 3 years ago 8 min read
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James Wilson

0137 hours, June 16th, 2145

This is it.

Here’s my chance at redemption.

The biggest job of my life so far is going according to plan. Bad Mouth Billy is offering $20 Million for Mayor McCullough’s daughter alive and unharmed. I’ll admit I roughed her up a bit while getting her on the ship but I swear the only real harm I did was to her feelings.

I think she finally cried herself to sleep. It’s been a few minutes since I heard her yell for daddy. Poor girl, not my problem though. Switching topics though, Suzie McCullough’s a pretty little thing. I definitely see what Bad Mouth Billy’s so interested in.

Blonde, blue-eyed, 5’3”, 100-115lbs depending on the season. 26” 24” 28” is my best guess. Nice figure regardless. She doesn’t necessarily look athletic but I can tell she pays attention to her body. Honestly she might be closer to 90lbs once her makeup washes off. Still pretty nonetheless. I don’t know if she’s $20 Million pretty but Bad Mouth Billy seems to think so. Whatever. It’s not my money. I’ll give her to him and collect my reward. I’ve got debts to clear my name on.

I don’t know how to phrase this but I’ve gotta get this off my chest. A small part of me wants to change my name and leave the country. As if that’ll make a difference. My cyborg legs give me away anywhere. The view won’t be any better either. Irradiated soil looks the same no matter which side of the Atlantic you’re on.

Back on topic though, I think it’s time for me to restock my ammunition. The raid to capture Suzie used way more than I anticipated. No biggie. I can definitely make it just fine on what I have now but that’s assuming nothing goes left. If I’ve only learned one lesson in this life, it’s that-

Excuse my brief interruption. Suzie just tried to eject herself through my trash chute. Silly blonde, good luck splattering all over the desert rocks from 50,000ft at 300mph. Resourceful though I’ve gotta admit. That’s why she was so quiet those past 20 minutes. Let’s see her try something now. Only someone as crafty as me can escape being tied up upside down.

But anyway like I was saying earlier, everything goes left at some point. You might even win your whole life but I guarantee you that it won’t end that way.

There are no happy endings. Either you’re happy or you’re ending.

JW

0057 hours, June 19th, 2145

I’m gonna choke this heifer.

I keep repeating three words to myself just to keep from doing so.

“Alive and unharmed”

I still haven’t figured out how she managed this but somehow Suzie drained my fuel tank. I had to stop at a very public refueling outpost to fill back up. I have enough prices on my head to make any mercenary wanna retire after killing me. Never mind all the news outlets and search parties scouring our beloved wasteland for the fat mayor’s cute daughter. It was inevitable that she’d try to escape so I didn’t let her out of my sight. I must admit I underestimated how crafty this rich blonde would be. Best believe I’ll only make that mistake once.

She definitely bought her dad and his police force some time, gotta hand it to her. I’ll be damned if something like this happens again though. I’m gonna have to watch her when she relieves herself from now on. Call me creepy, perverted, paranoid or whatever you want but you’re not gonna call me broke. I’m getting this $20 Million even if I have to sacrifice the few morals I have left. Put that on the Bible.

JW

2109 hours, June 20th, 2145

She’s sleeping in my rack now.

Suzie McCullough is not leaving my sight at any point in time.

I’m unsure if it’s my fatigue or the fact that I definitely had too much to drink earlier but goddamn she’s looking good right now. Something about her snore is cute to me. She’s gotta feel comfortable with me on some level. You don’t just fall asleep in front of somebody you don’t trust.

I’m drunk off my ass.

JW

0444 hours, June 30th, 2145

Suzie’s skin reminds me of a French croissant fresh out the oven. Soft, warm. I can’t believe myself.

Her lips are soft too.

Watching her shower was gonna get to me eventually. I intentionally stopped journaling for more than a week just because of all the crazy thoughts I was thinking.

Today I know for an honest fact that I went too far. Way too far. So far that there’s no going back. It’s whatever. She’ll only be my problem until I hand her over to Bad Mouth Billy. Then I get my $20 Million and he can do whatever he wants with her.

She did feel amazing though. I was wrong earlier by the way, she’s actually 28” 24” 30”.

I owe her dad a vote this fall.

JW

2055 hours, July 7th, 2145

It’s a gorgeous sunset tonight. Suzie’s fast asleep in my arms as I write to the little sunlight we have left.

Sounds romantic doesn’t it? Sure.

Hell no.

Don’t get the wrong idea. An irradiated vulture flew into my nav system and caused us to crash near a canyon. On top of that we just finished fighting off a pack of giant irradiated lizards. It was a great way to blow off steam. Definitely not something I ever want to do again. She’s a good shot though, gotta admit.

It felt nice being on the same side of something for once. She’s really warmed up to me recently. I’ll concede it might be early onset Stockholm syndrome but who the hell cares? She’s old enough to smoke, nothing else is a big deal. I really need blood to rush back into my left arm now.

JW

0623 hours, July 8th, 2145

I have a moment to myself before Suzie wakes up.

Sooner than later, one of three scenarios is gonna play out.

One. I stick to my initial plan and turn her over to Bad Mouth Billy thus earning my $20 Million. This allows me to clear my name in the crime underworld and hopefully never have to engage in this kind of activity again.

Two. We get caught by her dad and his police thus ending everything since my ammo is all but depleted.

Three. I follow my conscience and let her go. The only benefit I gain from this is looking myself in the mirror and being able to say I did the right thing. Whatever that means.

There is no right or wrong. There’s only priorities. My priorities have changed. First I only thought about myself but now… I hate to say it but I think I’ve gotten attached to Suzie. That’ll never work though. The best thing I can do for both of us is let her go free. I’m gonna tell her when she wakes up.

JW

0044 hours, July 9th, 2145

I can’t believe it.

I believe in myself again.

Goddamn.

I’ve never imagined telling anyone about my deepest darkest fears and insecurities but I did it.

I surrendered.

I showed my scars, I think I’m saying it right. I hope I’m making sense.

I told Suzie she was free to go but this is the part you will not believe. She not only refused to leave me, she even had an idea for how we’d make this thing work. There’s a way for us to win all the way around. I never saw it before but I see it now.

There’s a way for us to get the $20 Million and be together. You can bet your ass we’re gonna do it. I have a plan and it’s very simple.

Treat it like a routine drop off. Indifference is key. Everything is sales at the end of the day. If I come off the slightest bit too eager then Bad Mouth Billy will sniff it out and kill me on the spot. I have to do exactly what I’ve done thousands of times. Sell the drop off, Suzie causes a distraction, I get the upper hand on Bad Mouth Billy then me and Suzie walk away with $20 Million. I’m prepared to kill him if I have to. What’s another price on my head? Those guys are probably dead themselves by now knowing this business.

Of course a lot could go wrong. There’s so many variables I can’t possibly calculate or predict but I do know this, my years of experience have got to count for something. I’m gonna make them count for something. I refuse to let my life be a waste. I’m meant for this. My whole life has been leading up to this. I can do this. I believe in myself.

If nothing else, it at least feels good to have someone care about me. Suzie changed my life. One day at a time since I dragged her into my holding pen 3 weeks ago.

I love her.

Maybe I was wrong before. Maybe there are happy endings sometimes.

Here’s to a new life!

JW

1621 hours, August 15th, 2145

Dear James,

Not a day goes by that I don’t miss you. I still haven’t told papa about what we did, and I never will. Our secrets are safe with me. Safe inside this journal you left me. The only other piece of you I have left.

Papa had your cyborg legs melted in public but I requested a small piece of metal be forged into a heart-shaped locket. You’re my heart James. I miss you.

I miss you so much.

About what you always told me, “There are no happy endings. Either you’re happy or you’re ending.”

You were right.

And I’ll always be happy I met you.

I love you.

SM

fantasy
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About the Creator

Tone Swing

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