Shooting Medusa

Learning forgiveness and finding heroism in the must unlikely of people, a young girl comes upon the dealings of the illicit drug 'Medusa'. Only an angel can save her now.

The street lights ignite, shining so brightly I forget the time of day. Wind sweeps through the streets pass my cheekbones and through my pastel green hair. I feel my cheeks burning pink, resisting to the cold. I look up to see cars flying overhead; their lights remind me of shooting stars. I raise my camera and with a gentle tap of a button I capture a moment.

I turn on my heal when I meet the streets’ corner and take another snap. FLASH! Damn, I have it on automatic. The pedestrians glare at me as they rub their burnt eyes. A short Droid turns and flashes a light in my eyes; he snickers as he passes me. B*****d. My tears run down my face and pass over my red lipstick. I keep blinking until I can see clearly again. I flick the dial two notches to the left, the flash should be off now.

I’m reaching the older sector of town. The old buildings built around the 2000s have such a romantic look. I walk around turning and dancing as I go, taking in the architectural splendour.  The further I walk, the quieter it grows, the dimmer the lights glow. A terrible smell lingers in the air and a foreboding feeling reaches out and wraps around my heart. I feel it beating faster. I hear whispers echo in alley ways and grow ever more fearful.

I pivot slightly to head in the opposite direction, as I turn; I loose balance and stumble, almost landing on the concrete. My finger taps the button. A fatal mistake. With one trigger the flash flares and lights a dark corner. My eyes widen, in the few seconds of light I see three men holding a bag with the Medusa symbol. Dealers.

Medusa is the new goddess of the underworld; she was the new illicit craze. She took the lives of men and turned their souls to stone. I saw my own brother enchanted, if you will, by her charms. By the time I reached him… he was already gone. He broke my heart. Authorities fought to find evidence of Medusa’s dealings… evidence I now had. Suddenly I hear shouting and the frightening thud of shoes hitting the asphalt.

Run. I bolt down the street with tears filling my eyes. With every stride I push myself further. I can hear their rage growing closer, but I can’t move any quicker. I feel like I’m trapped in a nightmare, no matter how hard I try, I’m still frozen in one spot. The hope in my heart begins to fade; I could feel my time running out. I say my prayers and hope that heaven will take me.

I felt a hand wrap around mine, I gasped and felt time unwind. I truly believed it was the end. I was pulled around the streets corner and expected to see the devil. I saw an angel. A young man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes turned his head as we ran he yelled, “I’ve got you”. Hope found me again and suddenly I had wings in my heels.

The angel led me through a back street and we darted, turned, swerved and danced through the streets. The further we ran the louder our feet sounded, and the quieter theirs grew. We found ourselves amongst the crowded streets, and my angel disappeared. I looked left and right but not a trace was left behind. Busy neon suited men pushed passed me without a second thought and I found myself being knocked to a brick wall.

Adrenaline faded leaving me drenched with sweat and breathless. My bones ached and creaked. I leant my back against a wall and slid down. I rested for a moment. I tried to comprehend what had just happened. My camera still hung around my neck by its strap. I quickly pressed the preview button to find that incriminating photo. The angel. I saw him standing with the dealers. I had a moment’s hesitation. My shaking hand pressed ‘DELETE’. Perhaps, even an angels wings are

I looked up at the cars, their light reminded of shooting stars. I know you can’t make a wish on a hunk of flying metal, but I was hopeful. I made a wish for you.

 

Reviews

[Everett DeValle]

I love reading your story...I hope you are still writing. :)

[John A. Ayala]

This story has a very dystopian feel to it. 'Medusa' reminded me of Brave New World's 'Soma'. I particularly attended to the main character's struggle with the unreliable artifact that accidentally uncovered a highly sought after truth. This text would make a fine addition to an anthology of Dystopian stories.

[Ellen Randall]

(Apologies for my late reply)
Thank you so much! Oh I would love to publish stories like this one in an anthology.
My 'Desperate Writer" one was published in one but I enjoy writing sci-fi Dystopian stories far more
Thank you so much John xx