Chapter Four: The Boy Name Jimmy
It was nearly noon when I woke up the next day. I dragged myself out of my uncomfortable bed and went of to the window. It was another gloomy, cloudy, cold day and I sighed, boy, I love these days. I walked over to the bathroom, pasting the other bed where Matt was sleeping, to get dress and get ready for today.
What I like about Thursdays is that it's my day off and a chance for me to walk around the town and to steal food since I couldn't buy anything. Once in a while ,a few poor people help me or Matt out, but other times even they didn't have enough food to eat for themselves.
I brushed my short, thick hair out and put on some clothing which was a black shirt that had the band named "Slipknot" on it and black baggy torn up pants. God, I looked awful in front of the broken mirror from the bruises on my arm and the dark circles under my eyes from the lack of food, stress and the little sleep I get every week.
I left the room without even bothering waking up Matt; he needed sleep and I wanted some time alone. After being greeted in a rude way by the Snubs, I exited out of the hotel and started walking around the town.
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"You see anyone with valuables" A young man asked his friend.
The other young man that looked like he was about nineteen or twenty peeked behind a building and examine the people walking around.
"Not really, but that's what you get with the poor people" he said
"Jimmy, we're looking for anyone who lives in the hotels" the other guy said "look for old people"
"Will you shut up, Alex, I'm looking"
The one named Jimmy looked around again, watching people walking around, sitting, sleeping or selling things for food or money. Yet, no one seems to have any thing worth stealing.
"I don't see anything to steal" Jimmy said
"Let's see, old people aren't the only one with valuables, those who go out for supplies might have something"
"How should I know who goes out for supples, beside those guys are tough, they can easily kill me if I come near them."
"You won't, we'll just do the trick like we normally do" Alex said
Jimmy rolled his eyes and continued looking, suddenly he spotted a girl, wearing nothing but black clothes, who was walking around the food stands. What caught his eyes was the thing twinkling on her middle finger.
"I think we found our victim" Jimmy grinned
"Who is it?" Alex asked, peaking around the building.
"The girl wearing all black there's something shiny on her finger" Jimmy said "and what does girls' wear that is shiny on their fingers"
"Jewelry, let's just hope it isn't fake"
"Fake or not, it will still get us a couple of twenties"
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I frowned when all the foods I see was either spam or can vegetables. I can't remember the last time I ate a piece of meat or some kinda dairy product that wasn't moldy. My stomach growled again and I sighed knowing I won't have any money til later on today.
"Here you go, Miss"
I looked up to see a woman handing me a cup of Ramen noodles. "Take it" she said smiling
"I shouldn't, I don't have any money" I said
She smiled again "please, if it wasn't for you, my family would be starvingso take it as a thanks"
I took the cup and smile weakly "I'll pay you back whenever I get any money" I said
She nodded "come back with your friend and I'll give him a cup too" she said
I nodded and went on my way, the smell of food made my stomach growl so hard it started to hurt. As I picked up the fork and ready to eat someone bumped into me.
"Out of the way, girl" the boy said and pushed me before he ran off again.
I fell on my butt with the cup of noodles spilling on the floor next to me. My heart sank as I stared at the only food I might get for the whole day. (That fucking bastard will pay for this)
"You ok"
I looked up to see another boy who looked about my age. He was very tall, short brown hair, tanned skin with very dark brown eyes. He was wearing baggy blue jeans with a Chargers football jersey.
"Sorry about my friend Miss, he can be a bastard sometimes" he said, holding out his hand.
I grabbed it and he helped me up, "try working with a bitch who has a sick obsession with fashion" I said, brushing the dirt off of my clothes. "You wouldn't believe what I have to go through with her when we go out looking for supplies"
"Oh, so you're one of the Supply Gatherers" he asked
I nodded and he laughed "that's hard to believe, you look too young to do that"
"I'm nineteen years old and I have team members that are even younger then me"
It looked like something had hit him "You must be that girl name Bianca, a lot of people talk about you around here on how you give out food"
"I don't really care, I just do what's right and sometimes it pays off" I looked at the spilled bowl of noddles "and it sometimes doesn't"
He smiled "Well, I better get going and catch up with my friend"
"Can you tell me his name?"
"Why?" he asked
"So I can find him and beat the living shit out of him for ruining my only meal for today"
"Sorry again, I'll do that when I see him" he said, walking off and waving good bye "see ya" then ran off and disappeared into the crowd. I wondered why he was in a hurry as I looked at my shirt to see if any of the juice from the noddle bowl had spilled on me. Then I stopped and was stunned when I noticed my ring was gone.
"My ring!" I looked around the floor, literally dropping to my knees and running my fingers through the dirt to find it. "Where is it, where's my ring?"
"Unless" I said to myself. (That guy, when he picked me up, he grabbed the hand that had my ring on it.)
The image flashed before my eyes and I thought I felt something slipping off my finger but I ignored it. I grinded my teeth as my hands form into fists "THAT SON OF A BITCH!" I shouted causing people to stop and stare.
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Jimmy laughed as he tossed the ring with his right hand "sucker" he said
He walked over to where his friend Alex was to show him the prize he stole. Alex said he was going to do some target practicing after shoving the girl to the ground. It took him ten minutes to get there and saw him on a small tower that was just above the electric fence and shooting zombies that dare to come close.
Jimmy looked at the zombies. Some of them learned not to come near the fence while others think they can just march over without getting shocked. Alex was a guard of the fence, but he said it was a boring job.
Jimmy, on the other hand, spent his days stealing, target practicing with Alex, then sleeping in different spots of the town. The twenty-year-old didn't have a home at this place and the only thing he had to remember his family was the gold watch his father gave him for his birthday.
Even through hard times he'll never sell his watch for money. "So what did you steal from the girl" Alex asked.
"A golden ring, but I find it odd" Jimmy said as he walking up the small tower.
Alex aimed at a zombie who was walking around and moaning then shot it in the head before putting down the gun. "What" he asked
Jimmy showed him the ring "It's an engagement ring. Why would she wear something like that"
"Maybe she is getting married" Alex said and Jimmy shrugged
"Well, let's go pawn it and get some food" Alex said.
Jimmy continued to look at the ring "maybe later, she's probably looking for me. She did look like she had a temper"
"Sure, I guess, besides I have an hour left of practice"
Jimmy nodded and rested his arms on the edge of the tower watching the dead man's head being blown off.
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Matt nearly fell off the bed when I slammed the door behind me. After two hours of looking, I couldn't find that Asshole who stole my ring. Matt stood up and rubbed his head "what's wrong?" He yawned
"Why does everything always happen to me!" I shouted "I was just about to eat a nice meal, but no, instead I was pushed to the ground, my food spilled and I got robbed by a fuckin shithead!"
Matt just yawned again, fell back to bed and covered his head with a pillow "Bianca, it's too early"
"It's the almost three in the afternoon, Matt, now get up if you want to go the "Zombie's Games" I shouted
Matt groaned, rolled off the bed and fell to the floor. He dragged himself onto his knees and crawled over to the bathroom "Give me ten minutes" he said, entering the bathroom and closing the door. As I waited, I tried to remember what that boy looked like and how should I pay him back for stealing my ring.
After putting his black jeans and a black shirt with a band named "Him" on it. He took his time putting on his shoes "so, how did you get robbed" he asked
"I was walking around when someone bumped into me causing me to fall down. Then some other guy helped me up and when he did he took my ring and ran off. I swear he's going to pay"
"Do you even know who he is?" Matt asked
"No, but guys his age would be at the Zombie's Games this evening" I said
"Ok, just be careful if you're planning on fighting with him, you don't know if he might have back up"
"And you're saying you're not going to help me if I'm out numbered" I asked
"You know I got your back" he said
"Ok, hurry up before Mrs. Taylor sees us" I said
"We need to get some money if we want to make bets" he said
"Don't worry, the hag is still past out from those drinks not to mention the sleeping pills I snuck in, she'll be out cold til tomorrow" I grinned
After sneaking into the Hag's room and stole enough money so she wouldn't realizes some of it was gone, we rushed to the far in of the town to an old abandoned building. It was remodel for the survivors to a hang out, dance, and play horrible games to win money, food or lose it all including your lives. I was in some of those games like one where I was put in a cage with a zombie and have to kill it with nothing but my own two hands. Matt was in one game where he was food for zombies to fight over and see how long he can last til he was dead or one of the zombies was. He got messed up pretty badly, but we did win about two hundred dollars.
And of course my favorite is the one on one battle with another person to see how was the dominant one of this town. They're good ways to get respect even if you were beaten to a pulp. I was in every battle I can get in to and lost a lot and won a few but I got my respect. I love being in those games no matter how dangerous it is. Matt, on the other hand, just sits back and cheers me on with my other team members since after a few times playing a few of those "insane" games he thought being outside was safer.
"There it is Matt" I said as we looked at the building, hearing and feeling the music coming out of the building. The cheering of the crowds and older adults wobbling out of the building dead drunk.
"Kristine and Garret should be here already" Matt said
"Let's go in and remember the boy is wearing blue jeans and a Chargers jersey"
"I know" Matt said as we walked in.
Already my ear drums nearly popped from the loud volume of the music, playing songs by Usher, and it was crowed from one side of the buildings to the other. There was a dance floor, game booths like target practiced on zombies, tables to play poker or just to sit down and chat. In the back were private rooms for guys and... "ahem"...hookers. The main thing was a fighting ring that is caged up with bleachers surrounding them for people to watch others getting beaten up or use a bait for zombies' battles.
I looked over at the fighting ring to see two guys fighting with the crowd cheering them on. There was a lot of blood, swearing and punches and did I mention a lot of blood.
"Hey, I can see Marcie in the benchers gulping down popcorn" I said
"Where did she find popcorn?" Matt asked "I thought we couldn't find them anymore"
"Bitch probably saved it for herself while others ate Spam" I said, angrily then scoff "I hate spam, I hate this day"
Matt rolled his eyes "Come on, let's get something to eat, maybe that will calm you down"
"Fine, but we only have a twenty and you need to bet more than ten dollars for the games"
"Five dollars can buy us two drinks and maybe a hotdog" he said
We walked over to the food stands where I spotted Kristine and Garret. They spotted me and waved "There you guys are, what took you so long" Kristine asked
"I had a bad day and Matt wouldn't get out of bed" I said
"What happened?" Garret asked
"I was robbed. Some stupid bastard stole my ring" I said
"Oh, how sad, do you know what he looks like" Kristine asked
"Yes" I said as Matt handed me a soda "but I don't know what his name is or where he lives and I spent two hours looking for him with no damn luck"
"What was he wearing?" Garret asked
"A Chargers jersey, baggy blue jeans and he was very tall" I said, taking a drink of my soda
"Like that guy" Garret pointed to someone behind me.
I turned around and spat out my soda; it was that guy, he was at a food stand showing the guy my ring as if he was . . . selling it? I crushed my can and dropped it to the floor then stormed over to him.
"Bianca?" Kristine said
"Bianca, don't, remembered what the last person who pissed you off" Matt shouted
"So I got a black eye, and she got her teeth punched out then eaten up by the dead, big deal"
As I walked over to the boy I over heard him talking "Come on, this is a real 24kt ring, can I at least get an extra drink for it?" he asked
I tapped him on the shoulder, "Excuse me"
He turned his head and before he could say or respond I punched him right in the eye. He crashed into a couple of people then hit the floor. He pressed his hand on his eye and closed his other hand that had my ring in it. He looked up and his eyes widen "You stupid, mother fucking, bastard, give me back my ring NOW!" I screamed causing people to stare.
"Holy shit, it's you" he said, crawling away from me before quickly getting up and running off.
"GIVE ME BACK MY RING!" I screamed again and ran after him.
"Bianca! Wait up" Matt shouted
I ran after him and was glad it was so crowded because he couldn't run very fast. "Bastard!" I shouted as I tackled him to the ground. He holds his hand, which had my ring, away from me as I tried to reach it.
"Get off of me" he shouted
I jammed my elbow into his stomach hoping he would drop the ring."I said get off of me!" he shouted and pushed me off but not until I grabbed his watch and pulled it hard enough to break the chain. I got up and so did he and I showed him the watch "give me my ring, or I'll break the rest of this watch of yours" I said
"I'll toss this ring and you'll never find it" he said
As the crowd started forming we stared at each other in the eyes. Matt and the others were stunned, but the other people had other ideas. Next thing I knew the intercom came on "It looks like we found our new players for battle" he shouted
Next thing I knew I was shoved violently into the fighting arena by the other people while hearing Matt and my friends shouting "leave her alone." I fell to the floor then heard another large thump on the other side. I looked up only to see the cage's door was shut and lock.
"Thanks to the Supply Gatherer and the Stealer, a new game has been formed."
I sat up and saw that I was locked in the arena that was surrounded by a caged. The boy sat up as well and looked around to see the predicament he was in. Then I noticed the watch I stole was gone.
"Hey, let me out of here, I'm not fighting a girl" he shouted
"Yes you can, beat the living shit out of her" I heard Marcie laughing while spitting popcorn out of her mouth "this is the best day of my life"
"Shut up, Marcie" I shouted at her.
"If you're looking for the watch and the ring, we have it" the guy on the intercom said
Suddenly one of the doors open and my eyes widened when two people shoved a chained up zombie into the arena. The zombie was chained up by the feet and the hands. But something was different about this one.
"Bianca this one is fresh" Matt said from behind me. "Also, I placed a bet if you don't mind"
I gave him a sour looked as the intercom came on again "ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Bianca, the youngest leader of the Supply Gatherer and of course, Jimmy, who probably stole something from you from time to time" The crowd cheered and booed at us, but I kept my eye on the zombie. Yes, he was fresh and when they are, they're much stronger, much faster and much aggressive then the old ones.
"Whoever kills the zombie first wins both prizes" the guy on the intercom laughed.
Jimmy looked over at the guy and flicked him off. "You can't do this" he shouted
"Kill the zombie or fight the girl" he said
"I don't hit girls"
"This guy insane, I can't kill a fresh zombie" I said to Matt.
"Well, we can't do anything til one of you wins" Matt said "why do you think Kristine and Garret went to sit down at the bleachers."
I spotted them sitting with Marcie who was filing her nails. "That's it" I said "Matt, go up and get me Marcie's nail filer, I can use that to kill the zombie"
"Bianca, look out" Kristine shouted
I turned around as the zombie came after me, but I dodged to the left causing him to crash into the cage. Matt nearly lost his voice as he backed away.
"Just do it Matt" I shouted as I backed over to Jimmy "this is all your fault, you know that"
"My fault, I wasn't the one who attacked you out of nowhere" he said
The zombie came after us again, blood squinting out of his neck and dripping out of his mouth. I jumped away "you're the one who stole my ring" I shouted
"You broke my watch" he shouted
"Pay attention to the zombie Bianca" Garret shouted
The zombie came after me again but I dodged it again "I wouldn't have had if you didn't steal my ring" I shouted at him
Jimmy ran to the other side as the zombie chased him "you didn't have to punch me" he said
"You were selling it for a drink!" I shouted
I quickly looked up to see Matt and Marcie playing tug-a-war with the nail filer. Marcie was screaming for him to let it go. Even from this distance I can still hear that high pitch screaming and whining from her. Kristine and Garret helped Matt but Marcie still wouldn't give up without a fight. I snapped out of it when the zombie roared and came after me. I was about to get away when I slipped on some blood and collapse to the floor. The crowd gasped while others cheered.
My eyes widened when the zombie came after me again but the boy name Jimmy grabbed it by the hair to pull him back. "Get up!" he shouted. I nodded and tried to get up on my feet. The zombie quickly turned around and tackled Jimmy to the ground. They fell to the floor and Jimmy held the zombie by the neck. He was getting clawed and scratched by the dead hungry thing but he still held a tight grip.
"Bianca!" I heard Matt shouting. I looked up to see him running away from Marcie while holding on to the nail filer. Matt tossed it into the arena before being tackled by Marcie. The crowd continued to cheer as I ran over to fetch the small little weapon that has a tiny sharp point. Jimmy was still trying to get the zombie off of him but with no such luck.
"Hold on Jimmy" I said
"Like I have a choice" he said
I grabbed the nail filer hearing Marcie screaming at me to give it back. Damn her and her selfishness. The zombie was just about to bite him then I ran over there and stabbed it with the nail filer. It's funny how a small thing like that could stop it but it depends on where to stab it on the head. The zombie turned around and grabbed my shirt before tumbling over and all went silent. It stayed quiet for about a minute when someone stood up and shouted "holy shit, she killed a fresh zombie!"
Jimmy crawled away then stood up to wipe the blood off his face and arms. I stood very still as the zombie started twitch. Jimmy stepped on it's head as hard as he could, hearing the loud cracking noise then it let me go. Suddenly the crowd cheered till the intercom came on again "Well done guys but since it took ya'll forever to kill the thing, we sold your valuables to another person for a reasonable price." he said then started laughing .
"WHAT!" We both shouted
"That's fuck up, I nearly gotten killed and you sold my watch to someone else!" Jimmy shouted
I was about to say something when I heard the gate being unlocked and Matt ran it. "What happened to you" I asked noticing he was a little beat up.
"Marcie didn't want you to take away her nail filer since you already ruin her life" he said "but look at all the money we won" showing me ten twenty's dollar bills.
"My nail filer" Marcie shouted while running over to the dead zombie. She stopped from seeing the sight of blood and a flat head. "Bianca, get that thing out of its head that was my last one" she screamed.
I flinch from her screams, my head was already pounding and she didn't make it any better. I sighed since after all this my ring was still missing and I know it's going to take a long time to find the person who has it. Kristine and Garret walked it and stared at the cash as well and I thought my day and I noticed I still haven't eaten anything yet.. "Come on guys, food is on me" I said
My friends smile then we walked out of the arena but I quickly looked back and noticed Jimmy was gone. I have a feeling this isn't the last time I'll see him . . .
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Chapter Five: The Fatal Mission: An error run that goes horribly wrong.