Welcome folks, grab some popcorn and gather round as we set the scene for your viewing pleasure. First, of course, we must introduce you to our protagonist, a young woman in her early 20s who … How about we let her tell you herself …
Lottie Schell had always considered herself to be different from those around her. While being different was a trend in this dystopia, she somehow understood that her difference made it hard for her to exist in the world at all. Other people worried about their futures, longed for love, searched for sex, for anything in their materialistically carnal world to occupy their time. Not that she did not feel the tug of these desires from time to time, but she found herself steadily building castles in the sky to live in. Daydreams and imaginings preoccupied the woman's time, making the world pale in comparison. Now, she didn't think that this difference was exclusive to herself, nor did she fancy herself special for the way she felt. She merely understood that she would always have somewhat of a disconnect with everything in general. She would usually end this explanation of self with a shrug and loud laughter. Little did she know that she was about to be tethered to a very visceral reality.
She had few physical connections and often did not seek any others, treasuring the people close to her. Her small amount of friends and family were very dear to her … dearer to her than her own life. Which, as we shall see, caused her quite a lot of trouble.
Now let us begin this grandiose misadventure (and what a better place to start than) at the opening of the tale…
"Lottie … Lottie … Lottie seriously are you even listening to me?"
Lottie stood staring out of the after-school program building's window with a broom loosely held in her right hand. As if awakening from a dream, she blinked her eyes and turned to look at her co-worker.
"Huh? What? Jeez Jess I'm sorry, I can't seem to focus today."
Jess looked at her with a mixture of irritation and understanding, "I mean it's just par for the course with you … but I understand what with your mom and all."
Lottie quickly looked away and began furiously sweeping, as if blocking out Jess would prevent her from dwelling on her current situation. Yet, she found her thoughts immediately replaying the disastrous events of the morning.
She had received a call from her sister almost immediately after she woke up. Lottie had been so happy to hear from her until she had told her their mother needed another surgery… She didn't remember most of the phone conversation after that point. Lottie had already moved, as had her father and younger sister, to find work to pay for her mother's previous surgery. She had uprooted herself to the city and found the cheapest, slimiest apartment in the worst area of town, had upsold her skills just to work in a partially abandoned after-school centre for below minimum wage, had contemplated doing almost unthinkable things for a larger income … and now her mother needed another surgery.
Lottie sighed as she swept the dirt into a dustpan and proceeded to empty the contents into the trash bin. She looked up at the clock and was simultaneously happy and nervous that her shift was over. She didn't know what she was going to do … exactly … but she fucking knew it was going to be drastic.
"Hey Jess my shift is over and I'm going to be heading out! I hope you have a nice evening!" She said chipperly.
"Yeah okay Lottie, can you just promise me you won't do anything too, you know, Lottie-ish."
"Lottie-ish?"
"Something so insanely drastic (the word echoed in Lottie's mind as she had just thought it) that others question if you're capable of controlling yourself."
"Bye Jess!" She called, closing the door behind her.
"I'm never going to see her again am I." Jess muttered to herself, running her hand through her long red hair, deciding that she too would be rather unfocused for the remainder of her shift.
… … …
Lottie, on a normal day, generally headed straight back to her apartment after work, made something (if she had something) for supper, and would then beg her next-door neighbour to watch movies with her (to which he usually agreed) as she couldn't afford a television. Today, though, was not a normal day. Lottie veered toward Largo street upon exiting the building, her mind (mostly) made up. You need a higher paying job Lottie, need to get mom that surgery, and that surgery will be done via the Largo family. Ergo, it makes perfect sense to enact a suicide mission and ask Rotti Largo himself for a job. You're good at lots of things Lottie! And exactly which of those things would benefit the Largo family? Yeah you're still working on that.
She attempted to wipe her mind and focus on her surroundings but found herself repulsed by what she saw. The buildings that lined the narrow streets were a crass amalgamation of shapes tumbling over one another for prominence. They were crammed together and painted a uniformly imposing shade of industrial gray to, she thought, match the equally oppressive shade the sky perpetually occupied. Looking down at the ground was no better, the cracked concrete was littered with … well litter … including broken needles, forgotten prosthetics, and a disturbing amount of used condoms. She decided her best option would be to covertly look at the individuals that passed her. The City offered many a spectacle of humankind … people came here for plastic surgery and risqué fashion, it was no secret, and it produced an intriguing population. Lottie watched as a variety of individuals dashed past her in a myriad of revealing and gender neutral or gender bending outfits. She watched as an unearthly beautiful woman passed her, her white eyes spinning to zoom in on a sight in the distance (a neat upgrade popularized by Blind Mag), her large perky breasts visible through the sheer top she wore tucked into a mini skirt that revealed long Amazonian legs attired with black knee high boots. Lottie turned mesmerized, gazing as the woman's long flowing blonde hair bounced behind her and was rudely interrupted by the hard object she slammed into, causing her to fall.
"Shit! Oh man, I'm sorry I was very clearly not looking where I was going." Lottie said, as she looked up at the tall man in front of her.
The man's face quickly changed from one of shocked worry, to mild amusement as he bent over to help her up. "It's alright kid, just pay more attention next time."
Lottie openly laughed at the statement, gratefully grabbing the outstretched hand. "I can see how my appearance might confuse you, but I assure you I'm 24."
"I find that hard to believe." The stranger returned, as if he had heard this exclamation too often.
"That's fair, I do have a baby face but like this body screams weight gain after high school if you know what I mean." Lottie laughed out, motioning to her petite frame.
"Heh, if that's what you want to call it," the man stated appreciatively, giving her a once over.
"Anyways, sorry for forcing this fucked up exchange upon you! Have a nice day and hopefully you won't run into anymore crazies… although knowing this city…" Lottie smiled at the (she was flustered to realize) attractive, pale man's face.
"Actually, I think my business calls me in the direction you're going, mind if I join you?" The stranger smirked, stepping in line with Lottie.
Lottie momentarily paused, it would be pretty damn stupid to walk with a stranger through this city at this time of night considering you never knew who was doing what, for what, and for whom. She glanced sideways at the man, her heart fluttering at how attractive he was. It wasn't that he looked safe, in fact he looked far from safe. He looked cocky, dangerous, street smart, and as if he was most definitely involved in something illegal. Yet, he also looked kind, gentlemanly, and secure in himself. She ran the idea over in her mind, understanding that she was feeling very reckless due to her current predicament. Ah to hell with being the safe good girl for just a moment.
"That would be much appreciated, my name's Lottie by the by," She turned and resumed walking, motioning for the man to follow her with a wave of her hand.
"This girl is too fun," the man stated under his breath, rather eagerly following his new distraction. He appreciated the way her hips swung as she walked, and openly admired her ass in the high-rise shorts she was wearing. He followed her long, shapely legs clad in ripped fishnets to her black booty adorned feet. He reversed his sight to her torso which was outfitted with a black spaghetti strap top layered with a fishnet shirt. Both were tucked into her shorts and finished off with a studded black belt. He caught a glimpse of her ample cleavage (How could I have thought she was a kid?) as she twisted her body to look at him. She had a small face that was a mix of rounded edges. She had defined, high cheekbones, small pouty lips, an adorable button nose with a blue hoop pierced through the left nostril, and large almond shaped eyes of a piercing light blue behind obnoxiously large glasses. Her eyes were smoked out and she wore matching black lipstick. Her hair was styled in a turquoise bob and he watched as it bounced with each step. Overall, he thought, a very pretty picture indeed.
"So what business do you have in this direction?" She suddenly asked, pulling him out of his observations. "Or," she slightly faltered at the stony look on the man's face, "is that none of my business? I totally understand if you don't want to or can't answer the question, I can be pretty nosy."
"You seem pretty nervous Lottie, what are you up to?" He cheekily returned, smiling as she averted her gaze to the ground.
"Ha, fair enough. I mean it's not very cool if I ask you about yourself without telling you anything about me. But, you're not really interested in the story of some dumb girl you just met," she grinned as she said this, "or are you nosy like I am?"
"Maybe I am," He replied, returning the grin.
"I'll tell if you'll tell, tit for tat and all that." She purposefully looked into the man's eyes as she laid out the deal.
The man looked back into her eyes, feeling his heart skip at her accidental innuendo. He'd sure like to see those tits, "Sure L, let's do it."
"L is it?" She laughed loudly at the moniker, "You're already giving me a nickname whereas I still haven't been offered the name of the man I'm about to spill my major mission to."
"You can call me G.R. my dear." He purred, bowing. He was happy to notice the girl smiling at his tone of voice.
"G.R. it is! Well my new friend you will be glad to know that you've made a connection with an insane woman. You are joining her as she walks her desperate ass over to the Largo family home and begs them for a way to pay off her mother's surgery debts. Better than that though, this crazy bitch is going to submit herself to anything the Largos ask of her because she needs that money more than she needs anything." Lottie turned to look at G.R., and her mouth twitched into an almost apologetic smile as she saw the disappointment on his face.
"I'd appreciate a lack of judgement for now if that's cool? I understand what I'm doing is actually insane and that I'll be lucky to come out of the situation alive, my dignity and sense of self pushed aside, but I really don't have any other options aside from prostitution and let's be real I can get paid more to fuck the Largo men than any one else here."
The man was stunned, how had he managed to get himself into this situation? He would be the one to find the crazy, pretty girl launching herself into a life altering scenario. He knew only too well the pull of the Largo family and the need to enter the underground to get anywhere in this society. He was generally understanding as he found a new girl on the street, begging him for a hit of Z, opening their legs to the men in the gutter for a couple of dollars, sleeping under boxes for warmth. Nothing good ever lasted long here. It wasn't even as if the sight made him sad or made him sick, he knew that was the way the world worked. Your life was a shit show of give and take until you ended up in a wooden box in the fucking ground. But it was always a bittersweet moment to watch the grand transaction take place.
"Hey, you don't owe me anything L. No explanation, no excuses or whatever. You do what you've got to do." He watched as a look of relief passed over her face. He could already tell she was the kind of person who tried so hard to not do wrong.
"If it makes you feel better, I'm on my way to extract some zydrate from the corpses at cemetery L41 and then, most likely, sell it to Amber Sweet." He couldn't help but push her by making eye contact, daring her to accept the ugly reality she was about to become part of.
"I thought you seemed a little familiar. I've seen those shitty wanted posters around the city, they clearly have no fucking idea how hot you really are." Lottie stated, accepting the harsh reality he described. Yet, she quickly demurred, "Sorry that last part was a little uncalled for. I shouldn't be harassing you, can you accept the totally lame excuse of nerves?"
GraveRobber let out a deep, sensual chuckle. "You are an odd one L. I appreciate the apology, but I always find it flattering to be called attractive by a beautiful woman. Now, if you'd tried to force yourself on me that would have been another story."
"Oh god I would never do something like that! I'm sorry If I even made you feel that way!" She quickly stated, placing her hand gently on his arm. "As weird as this entire day has been and is going to be, thanks for listening to a random girl and opting to walk with her to her proverbial death," She concluded with a laugh.
GraveRobber realized that they had reached the edge of the Largo grounds. He quickly placed his hand over hers.
"Saying this is weird is a bit of an understatement L, but I really believe that I'll be seeing you again." He had no kind words of encouragement to offer her, they both knew the enormity of her decision.
"I really hope so G.R.. Have a nice night and thanks again." Lottie quickly stated, turning and jogging up the pathway to the front door of the Largo mansion.
GraveRobber looked after the retreating figure, hiding his presence behind a bush in the front yard. He watched until the small girl was ushered through the walkway and the doors closed with a resounding thud. He turned and continued on his way to the cemetery. Just another day in a post apocalyptic nightmare.
