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Tales from New Bethlehem: A ride worth dying for...

Some things are better left unsaid...

By jamie kenePublished 3 years ago 17 min read
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Tales from New Bethlehem: A ride worth dying for...
Photo by Lexi Anderson on Unsplash

It was mid-winter on the streets of New Bethlehem. This time of the year the wind swept through the city cutting a swath like a scythe through all the grime and decay. It's denizens scurried about like rats in their lairs, eager to finish their illegal clandestine activity, after which they would find shelter from the bitter biting cold. Amazingly for all the comforts that mankind's dogged technological efficiency now offered, the elements of nature still held their sway over the souls of most men.

In the deepest darkest corners of the city homeless drifters, drug addicts, and other types of  derelicts huddled in grey, brown, and black filthy moth-eaten masses. Feeding off one another's rancid scents and general misery. They would light huge bonfires then sit on dilapidated pieces of cardboard or any other discarded refuse suitable and sturdy enough to be converted into a makeshift throne. Once they had acquired a sustainable level of warmth and drunkenness; they would then spin the most grandiose exaggerated tales of days long gone by. Stories of old; A time before the world around them had become such a grotesque nightmarish parody of itself. They would speak about a time before the androids and artificial intelligence. When city life meant going outside and not worrying about stray plasma bursts from rival street gangs engaged in a turf war. When wealthy people lived amongst the general population and not high above in skyscrapers hundreds of feet in the air. A time when people still got sick from terrestrial diseases and most doctors were still human. Yes the hapless drunks, drug addicts, and rampants gathered holding sheepish council. Reminiscing on earlier times in their rat infested alleyways. Even though most were far too young to even have lived during those ages they spoke about. Still they would sip long droughts of cheap sour liquor and munch on stale moldy scraps of food, while taking turns spinning stories about the "good old days". These gatherings would go on until late in the morning. Usually until the Municipal police force showed up and violently put an end to their "meetings". Those that weren't beaten up too badly; along with  those that hadn't been carted off in large caravans to jail cells that morning; would hurry off to find another dark and sullen corner of the city to once again sit and dwell in ritualistic squalor. There they would resume their stories and every now and then pour out large quantities of alcohol for their "fallen" comrades not able to join in their musings due to the night's earlier events.

The cold did little to dissuade the flow of criminal activity in this sprawling metropolis of steel, computer circuits, and neon lights. In fact in some ways it actually seemed to increase it; as most gangs including the big four doubled up on their efforts because of the increased demand for their goods and services. The chill made people feel fearful, vulnerable, insecure, and depressed. It reminded them that no matter what they did with their tiny little mortal lives, God was still in control...still running the show. When people felt this way they indulged in vices more readily.

Case in point check out this rather interesting fellow right here. His name is Arwen Aderly.

He lives at 2356 Pogue Street in a rundown rat and cockroach infested building in the old financial district. Well.... in days gone by it used to be the financial district. A fast paced playing field for movers and shakers; business people, the power brokers of the city's elite. Time was this place was ground zero for legal hustling. The kind that wouldn't get your head blown off or your throat slit in some dark back alley.  The men and women who played here knew how to make money almost as fast as they lost it. Something like a high stakes gambling table they would cut multi million dollar deals casually over sushi and moscato, while the skillful buying and selling of corporate shares turned men into millionaires overnight.

Arwen was too young to even remotely remember a glimpse of those times. All he ever knew it to be was the dirty stinking cesspool of vice and villainy that it had become over the years.

It's alright though....

He wouldn't have preferred it any other way. As he flagged down a cab with his right hand, he felt a blast of the freezing night air sting him in the face. The cold seemed to penetrate right down to his very bones causing him to shudder. In an attempt to stay warm he reached into his dilapidated trench coat pocket and pulled out a small mechanical device. It was a tiny little plastic thing called a "gripper". Most denizens of the street knew full well what they were and more importantly what they were used for.

You see Arwen was a "junker". That's street slang for someone who is heavy substance abuse...a drug addict. Yeah he had a decent enough job I guess...he was a systems operator for the Municipal

Power agency called MAPP. He basically just sat behind a computer screen all day typing numbers into pre-set data fields. Something that any android or A.I could have done much more efficiently; but for some reason the city still felt it needed a viable human component included within its predominantly automated workforce. The job paid good money, over 70,000cc a year with full benefits plus a pension. That was more than enough money for  Arwen to live off of because he wasn't married nor did he have any children.

He was 46, single, and when not diluting his loneliness in multiple glasses of bottom shelf liquor at bars and strip clubs, he was out perusing for prostitutes and drugs in his neighborhood. He was a smart man so he made it a point to never ever venture out too far from his home when looking for "candy".

Arwen was always very cautious with himself...he had to be....after all he had been robbed and beaten several times. He wasn't much of a fighter and he knew it. His short shrewish stature boasted  a flabby mass of soft undeveloped musculature overplayed by pasty white pock marked skin. The obvious result of years spent indulging in sin with too little physical exercise. He always carried a Fekz .345amp EMP pocket pistol wherever he went and his trench coat was reinforced with rubber insulation and steel mesh wiring.

The cold seemed to get worse and taxi after taxi floated by without stopping. Perhaps he should call one from the base he thought. This usually resulted in them overcharging you for the fare however. It was much better to flag one down on the street as you could negotiate the price with the driver.

He pressed the gripper to his nostrils and pressed down forcibly on the tiny two finger button located on the devices posterior. A plume of noxious inhalant gases roared up from inside of it, burning his nostrils and sending the vaporous mixture straight through his sinuses into his brain. The result was an explosion of color and sensation almost indescribable in words. The rush was so intense that he had to jerk his head back and close his eyes....it was pure ecstasy.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh"

This was what made it all worth it for him....this is why he risked his life...his job....his personal safety once or twice a week. Just for that  high man...that wonderful adrenaline rush coursing through his body and causing his heart to beat at a hurried rhythm. His entire body was now suddenly overtaken by a paroxysm of such wondrous upending satisfaction that one could scarcely believe it came from just administering one hit.

Suddenly the familiar yellow and green paint job of a city owned transportation vehicle pulled up in front of him. The vehicle sputtered and nayed like a goat. Signaling that it may have needed a major tune up. The right passenger side door slid open and Arwen observed that the cabbie was a nasty yellow skinned obese woman sporting a web of dark circuitry protruding out from her balding peeling scalp. She was augmented heavily. The boisterous bearish nature of her voice was only matched by the heavy labored sounds of her breathing. She glared at Arwen through the bullet proof transaction window.

"Where ya goin chief?"

Arwen didn't answer at first, he was still caught up in his high. Finally he came back down to reality enough to respond to her question.

"P...Pogue and Grammercy please. Just drop me off on the corner...I'm right there."

He made an attempt to sound as calm and collected as possible. He didn't want her to realize that he was high. Cabbies could set you up in a minute if they suspected that you were in anyway vulnerable.

"Ok Chief....that'll be 19cc."

Her voice was gruff and abrasive. Arwen couldn't see himself being attracted to her in the slightest sense of the word.

"Ok.No problem but take Glytenhaal Expressway I don't want you to go on any city back streets. Got it?"

He wanted her to utilize the Expressway because he felt it was safer than the city streets. If he  were to get set up he thought to himself. He would have a better chance of survival on the Expressway because there was more room for him to escape.

"No problem daddy. You got it Glytenhaal Expressway it is."

He got in the cab. His movements were overly dramatized and slow and the glassy look in his eyes was a dead give away of his mental state. The cab driver smiled and just pretended not to notice. Realizing his apprehension, she decided to play a hand at easing his tension.

"Nothing to worry about dearie. I runs an honest business here. Just trying to make a living for me self. How's about you dearie what type o work does ya do?"

Arwen sat glazed and expressionless for a moment before the delayed signal for a response finally reached his brain.

"I....I work for the city. Department of Power...you ever heard of MAPP?"

The cabbie chuckled at the question.

"Well of course I have dearie! They'd the ones take out 250cc every month from my account for my lights and generators. Shit they just limited their power cell rations to only two a month!"

Arwen laughed. She was referring to how citizens pay a fee every month for their electricity bills in order for the city to supply power to their residences. 250cc was the standard rate they charged for any one household. Your amount of power usage could vary however making your bill much higher. Most people didn't want this to happen so they supplemented their power use by buying "energy cells" otherwise known as "batteries" and electromagnetic power generators. At first these were bought on the private market and they proved to be so efficient that MAPP began to see people discontinuing their accounts. As business began to fall MAPP started offering their own batteries and generators as part of their service bundle for the same low monthly price of 250cc. People were ecstatic and they saw much sales growth. Years later as way to cut cost MAPP now limits the amount of power cells to two a month, an alpha and a beta charge. 

"Wow you've got a good job baby. You must be really smart. How does one get a job like that?"

The cabbie asked pretending to sound Coy. She was almost sure that Arwen was either heavily intoxicated or high as hell. She would have to hear more before making any further assessments.

"Nah not really....it's easy. I just push buttons all day. Then I print out my report and submit it to the central database. What I compile helps keep track of usage levels across the city. The "droids" and the "decks" do most of the hard complicated stuff. I'm really just a body in a chair....been that way for years. I'm 46 now...been working there since I was twenty. Started out in the mailroom but my boss likes me so much they kept booting me up until finally I got an office job."

Arwen said proudly....he was still blatantly high. So in his mind he had forgotten even the most basic of street rules. Like the one about not ever revealing all of your cards to a complete stranger. The more he spoke the more comfortable he got. The more comfortable he got the more he revealed about himself... to the cabbie's delight. He was playing right into her hands without even knowing it.

She egged him on...

"Wow. So you must make a lot of money then huh daddy?"

Arwen stupidly replied...

"Well I wouldn't say a lot of money...enough for me to survive. It pays the bills.....I'm happy. In this hell hole of a city you gotta take what you can get. You know what I'm saying? Can't look a gift horse in the mouth."

The cabbie wanted to know exactly how much but decided that asking would've been too forward. Worse it might snap him out of his comfort zone, so she adjusted her strategy completely.

"Hmmmm....so a handsome guy like yourself with a good job. You must be making some woman really happy. Shit I'm even jealous my damn self. I wish I could clone your ass!"

Buttering him up, she carefully gauged his response.

Arwen chuckled then laid out on the cabs plush black leather interior. Still feeling the effects of the high his muscles relaxed and his mind an open book. He glanced outside and saw that the vehicle had passed a sign that indicated that Pogue street would be coming up in approximately four and a quarter miles. He would be home safe and secure in no less than fifteen minutes.

Quite pleased with himself he decided that it wouldn't hurt divulging any further details about his life. So he took the cabbie up on her offer.

"Nah...I'm single baby. All I do is work and party. Not the marrying type....no sir. Hmmmpfh! You sound like my damn mother!"

Arwen's mother was over eighty years old but physically resembled a woman in her early fifties. She lived with her android companion in a duplex down on Condimore Avenue on the city's lower west side. She was always chastising Arwen about getting married and raising a family. Arwen's father had passed away several years ago and not wanting his mother to be alone. He secretly hired an elderly dark skinned android prostitute named "Ervin" to live with her. Arwen had known Ervin for years on the streets of New Bethlehem. He was a perpetually homeless gigolo with a soft spot and kind heart. Meaning he would never rob, defraud or mistreat any of his marks. Arwen approached him with the offer and paid the old bastard the sum of 10000cc for him to seduce, have sex with, and cohabit indefinitely with his mother. The plan worked and his mother could not have been happier. At least it kept her out of his personal life.

The cabbie now had extracted the type of information she had wanted all along. She had to know what Arwen's vices were...so that she could capitalize on them. Now that she knew exactly how to work him, she had no trouble whatsoever reading him like a book.

"Ahh Honey I hear you. All the good women don't live in the city! Marriage is a thing of the past anyway...you see I ain't never married myself! You said you like to party hun? What sort of partying do you do if I may ask?"

Arwen laughed again...all sense of danger and self preservation had left him. He was completely open off of the combination of drugs and conversation.

"Well shit baby...I can show you better than I can tell you. May I?"

He took the "gripper" out of his pocket. Brandishing it plainly in his hands so the cabbie could see it.

"This my baby right here. You don't mind do you?"

The cabbie flashed the wickedest smile. "BINGO!!!" She now had the info that she wanted. Now she could work her angle almost automatically. She eyed the device, knowing exactly what it was and what possession of it meant. She immediately deduced that her passenger was an avid drug user, he was single and without children so most of his disposable income probably went to support his habit. He probably had low self esteem when it came to women feeling unwanted and unattractive. This meant that he probably also frequented prostitutes. A double whammy as she now could use both of these vices to lure him in.

"Oh by all means my man go right ahead! Knock yourself out...here just let me open up my windows. You know those fumes and all....."

She tapped a button on the side of her steering wheel and all the windows of the cab slowly rolled down. She watched eagerly as Arwen clasped the device to his face and pressed down on the buttons. A second later and he relaxed even more all over her plush black leather interior. A second or two passed before he was able to speak again, but then he tapped on the transaction window and spoke...

"Say...I never even asked you your name. You're pretty cool...I've enjoyed our conversation. It's rare you meat a cabbie as friendly as you."

She smiled slyly then answered him...

"The name's penny....my friends call me lucky penny. I've been driving for years all over the city. Know it like the back of me hand I do! Used to work down at the docks, back when it was still honest work. When the gangs took over I had to find another hustle. Been driving ever since....I like it yet know. Like you said it pays the bills plus I get to meet nice people like you!"

Arwen  caught up in another drug induced orgy of bliss asked vehemently,

"Penny huh? I like that!....please to meet you my dear it's been a pleasure."

He reached over and swiped his cc card in the meter slot attached to transaction window. There wasn't anything like paper money any more, all business was conducted via cash credit account.

The cab hovered up to the corner. Arwen's building was right on the left side of the street. He fumbled for his key card scrambling around to make sure he didn't forget anything.

"Thank you dearie. You have a good night hear?"

Penny shouted as Arwen exited the cab. She waited for him to take several staggering steps before she hit him with it. She wanted to make sure he was still good and high.

"Say Dearie....you like to party huh? You've got some good stuff there I see...but what if I told you I know a place that has even better than that. Stuff so good you won't ever come down...ever."

She waited for him to take the bait. Sure enough he stopped in his tracks turned around with a sort of crazed intensity in his eyes.

"What? Stuff better than this right here? I thought this was the best there was...you know how much I paid for this? 500cc a rock...this shit ain't cheap!"

Penny laughed...

"You got ripped off dearie....the place I can take you they won't even charge you half of that! Hop in this rides free of charge! You just got to promise to hate a lil bit with ol' penny and we're good!"

"You got a deal girlfriend! Let's go!"

Arwen hopped back into the cab against his better instincts. The thought of having a high that lasted longer than a day thrilled his whole being. Nothing anyone or anything could have said or down would've persuaded him now. He was all hers now....like a fly caught in a spiders web.

fact or fiction
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About the Creator

jamie kene

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