"I'm sorry, but I have to let you go."
Melanie struggled to take in what Junior had just said to her. It had been a month since her sister had died, and she was not taking it well, especially since today was her birthday. Junior had called her into his office to discuss matters on this cold December day, but she had no idea why. "I-I'm sorry what?" she stammered out.
"I'm letting you go, pack your bags and leave." Junior repeated himself, sounding annoyed.
Melanie blinked back tears and looked around. "But why?" she asked.
Junior sighed and looked down "Look, Mel…your job performance has declined sharply." He said, trying to sound remorseful.
"How?"
"Well for one, you're supposed to watch for intruders and protect me, not sit there with your head down on the counter and sob all day long." He continued
"Haven't you noticed that my sister is dead?" Melanie asked junior with anger in her voice
"Yeah, that also has to do with why I am letting you go."
"What do you mean?"
"I heard what you tried to do to blondie." Junior stared directly at Melanie as he said this "You tried to kill her." He continued
"So? Why does that matter? She destroyed the club and almost made you sterile."
"She is still a customer." Junior stated flatly
Melanie sniffed and looked around the room again, internally debating whether to lunge at junior. She then banged her fist on the table and yelled at Junior "Do you not care?! You pretty much adopted us and now that this is happening, you want to fire me?! I don't have anyone to go to after this! No family, no friends, not even a goddamn pet. And you want to screw me over because I harmed the slut that you are- "
Junior smacked Melanie across the face and leaned right up to her face "Get. The. Hell. Out." He said quietly, but nonetheless with rage in his voice.
Melanie stumbled out of Junior's office with a red mark on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks. She walked down to the elevator and tapped the up button. An elevator came down to meet her and she stepped inside. She then tapped the button taking her to the fourth floor of the rundown apartment complex above Junior's Nightclub.
The elevator crawled up the shaft to the floor and then the doors screeched open. Melanie stepped out, her heel blades making a click sound as they contacted the hallway floor. She walked down to the apartment she used to share with her twin, 419, and opened the black, wooden door with a pair of keys. The door creaked open to a small living room, with a couch of Mid Century design up against one of the walls facing a credenza that had a small CRT television on top, the twins being too poor to afford a holographic model. The room had a large window overlooking the Valean docks, which were relatively quiet since the Fall of Beacon.
Next to the living room was a small kitchen with a gas stove, sink, fridge, and a table with two chairs. One chair had red track pants and a running jacket folded on top, and Melanie started to cry softly when she saw them. Miltia was an avid runner, and she had folded that pair of clothes the night that the twins had launched their assault on Yang's cabin. Melanie recomposed herself and slowly walked to their room. The door to their bedroom was ajar, and the room was a mess. The bed had not been made in weeks, there was a pile of various clothes in the corner, and flies buzzed around two-day old food on a plate that sat on the nightstand by the bed.
She flipped on the lights as cockroaches scampered away from her and started to put some clothes into a backpack, even though she didn't feel like she needed them anyway. Melanie then grabbed a revolver off of the dresser and started to leave the room when she saw a frame out of the corner of her eye. It had a picture in it, of Junior with both Melanie and her sister on either side of him. Melanie grabbed the picture out of the frame and stuffed it into her pack, and then she proceeded to chuck the frame at the wall, where it shattered. She then marched out of the apartment and left the building.
Melanie walked down to a bike rack, and unlocked a slim, sky blue bicycle that she owned and hoisted herself onto the seat. She then pedaled it towards the docks, which were about a quarter of a mile away. The area where she lived, usually bustling with people that lived and worked near the docks, was almost dead silent. People had either moved to safe zones or fled Vale altogether after the fall. Although there was the occasional drifter, stray dog, or petty criminal roaming the streets, they were largely quiet. She kept pedaling on towards the docks, avoid the occasional glance of passerby. She stopped at the gate of the docks and propped her bike up against the wall of the empty guardhouse. She didn't care whether someone would steal it, for she herself stole it a few months prior.
Melanie walked towards the end of a pier and sat down on the ledge, staring at the cold slush that surrounded the docks that was a mix of liquid water and ice. The sky was a dreary gray, and the water reflected that. She set her bag down and pulled the pistol out.
"Well, I guess I'll join you up there Mil…" she looked up at the sky and loaded a round into the revolver and cocked the hammer back. She was about to press the gun up to her head and fire when she heard a loud yell. Melanie swiftly got up and pulled the gun away from her head, aiming it towards the source of the voice.
A man, standing at about six foot one and wearing a jacket and slacks that were both as black as freshly poured tar stepped out. He was also wearing red sunglasses and a baseball cap, with two slits in the cap where white rabbit ears stuck out. He looked at Melanie and slowly raised his hands up as his mouth opened.
"Put the gun down and come with me, we need to talk."