Toxic City

Toxic City

 

The Widow pulled back the dusty silver curtains from the dirt crusted window and peered out into the dark street. Apart from torn newspapers and soiled scrap blowing about in the wind, nothing else moved.

“Close them” a voice said from the shadows of the room. A figure crept into view, leering shiny gold teeth at the woman. “Do you want us to be found?”. His heavy lidded eyes seemed to bore into The Widow’s own wide, pale blue ones.

She hurriedly closed the curtains and started pacing, clutching at the dark red shawl across her thin shoulders that covered most of her hair. The Crow stood at his spot, watching as The Widow circled the tiny room, pulling at the threads of her shawl, her hands shaking.

“Don’t worry, no one knows were here” he told her, crossing his thick arms to his chest, sneering slightly.

“Oh, how can you know for sure!” she cried, wringing her hands and starting to pace faster. “They could be outside this very door, waiting to get us!”.

The Crow strode to The Widow and clutched her wrists tightly, forcing her to face him. Her face was white and stricken, tears on the verge of falling from her eyes.

“Stop it!” he whispered fiercely. The Widow let one tear creep down her pale cheek, but didn’t make another sound. “I need you to trust me. No one, I mean it, no one has a clue that we are here”.

She nodded, her mouth trembling and went to sit on the over-turned box by the musty wall, her hands still visibly shaking. The Crow was just about to join her, when there was a sharp knock on the door. The Widow’s breath caught in her throat and she began to cry silently, plucking at her shawl. The Crow gave her a warning look and stepped towards the door, trying to keep his boots from creaking the floorboards.

“Who’s there?” he finally demanded in a hoarse voice.

“Edge”.

The Crow breathed out a sigh of relief and unbolted the door, before pulling it open. A man entered, dressed in a black trench coat, a cigarette visible between his lips.

“What are you doing here Edge?” The Crow asked, closing the door behind the man.

Edge blew out some smoke, eyeing The Widow with slight interest, before turning to The Crow.

“I’m here to put you away, for good”.

The door burst open and dozens of cops charged in at full-speed, yelling and brandishing revolvers.¸

“GET DOWN! DOWN NOW!”.

The Crow was bodily forced to the crusty floor and hand-cuffed in seconds. The Widow was also arrested, but unlike The Crow, she didn’t resist. Tears continued to leak from her eyes as they were both marched out of the building and into the back of a patrol car.

Edge stood on the sidewalk, flicking ashes into the sour wind, watching The Crow. The other man was glaring at Edge from the police car window, hatred and puzzlement readable in his cold gaze. The Widow, sitting on The Crow’s left side, had her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking. It was obvious that she was weeping. Edge threw the last of his cigarette to the ground and strolled off down the road, disappearing into the darkness of Toxic City.

 

*

 

6 months earlier

 

Lovee sat at the bar, sipping her vodka martini slowly. She’d tied up her wavy blonde locks into a high ponytail to keep the summer heat from getting to her. The bartender was seated on a stool by the cash register, reading a Hard Candy magazine, his eyes glazed over. It was a slow night for the Lust Tavern and it had been this way for weeks. Lovee remembered when the place had been packed every night, songs bursting out of the speakers to the bodies pulsing on the crowded dance floor.

But times had changed. Ever since the opening of the Dark Tiger in the Underground, all the other bars had dropped substantially in business. Everyone who could spare a few bucks on a beer could enter the Dark Tiger. There were no line-ups, no guest list, no prejudices. Everyone was admitted.

 

Reviews

[lori c]

i want more !!!! just as i get involved you cut me off. :o( or maybe this is all there is...this was captivating from the beginning. the images are awesome...the widow's form was clearly in my imagination, as well as the lust tavern. excellent

[D Patrick]

This could be the seed of a Gothic tale or a story set in a post-apocalyptic future. The first two scenes are chronological, then we go back six months to an unrelated scene that would be a separate chapter or subchapter. As it stands, it's a glimpse, a dream perhaps. A great kick off point to further explore the characters. I wonder if The Widow is as weak as portrayed here. Is The Crow as powerful as he comes across. Is she a widow because of something he did?

[[untitled]]

What? Where did it go? Bring it back, I need more....

Okay, the Sin City pic got me in here reading.. The story kept me here--right up to the point that it vanished without a trace. Are you going to finish this one? Continue it? I like the characters and the slightly sleazy feel that the story has, the ambiance is so good that you can almost smell the dust in the corners as you read.

Damned nice read, Hon. And I've reada lot of things that weren't worth commenting on, so I'm not just blowing smoke when I tell you that.

I'd like to see it continued, please!

[JC Fox]

I'm not sure if I reviewed this but I loved the title and I loved the story

[E. M. Murren]

This is an interesting work.. in a good way. It is like a slice of life. Fine work. Very open ended.

[moondust]

I'm asuming this is a part of a bigger work. You establish the desperation of The Widow in few lines which is hard to do I think. I think this is well written.