Metrodome Tyran

XI. Unexpected Encounter

Melodie's feverish nightmare of foul smell and unbearable heat came to a sudden, abrupt end. Her stomach left her and she tensed her grip on the bags instinctively. Light flooded her senses and everything around her spun for a few moments, before she collided with something more substantial. She let out a scream and spun violently, hitting something soft—and then a harder surface, rolling, and finally coming to rest in something gloopy.

Her scream sank into an agonised moan. Unbearable pain from her leg flooded her brain, while both arms ached and her head was wet with what she could only guess was blood—or perhaps something less serious, yet more disgusting.

She lay for a moment, only noticing the din of the hover engines when they began to recede. She blinked, focusing on the lights of the garbage hopper as they shrank away into the night.

In the subsequent quiet, the only sound was her whimpering. That is, until she heard a voice. 'Over here. It came from over here.'

She stirred, trying to sit up, letting out an involuntary shriek of pain as she did so and her back felt like it had been stabbed between the shoulders.

'There! Look,' the voice said, closer now, a gruff-sounding man. Torchlight flashed over where she was. Then footsteps, and the sound of shifting scrap, approached from behind and Melodie made a futile effort to start crawling away from the sound. She let go of the bag in her hand and dragged herself forward on both elbows. Her legs were numb now and barely moved when she tried to use them.

She shrieked again as a strong grip seized the collar of her blouse and pulled her backward to sit up. She was turned around.

The hand and arm belonged to a tall and well-built man with a square face. 'Whoa. Are Citizens such assholes they even throw people in the garbage?' he said, though seemed to be half-joking. Melodie didn't find it funny.

Another man squatted at her other side and she shrank from him nervously. He was smaller, but still muscular, and carried a long thin metal pole with a twisted metal shard tied to one end. He laid it down as he looked her over. His face was more handsome, but still with that barbaric grimace.

'Hmm,' he said.

She went to speak, then coughed. 'I... please, help me. I'm trying to get out of the City.'

'Heh. See, Milo?' the tall one said. 'We the only crazy fuckers trying to get in.'

'Yeah.'

'And get that accent. She's a Citizen alright.'

The man called Milo nodded. 'Yup. She got ID?'

Melodie looked between their faces, her eyes wide. The tall, square-jawed one started to rife through the pockets of her janitorial overalls, pulled it open to check her blouse pocket, and pad the rest of her down like she was a dead body.

'Hey!' she yelled indignant, swatting her messed-up hair from her eyes and in the direction of the man's hands. 'What do you think you're doing!?'

The big man ignored her then reached for her necklace and yanked the ID pin to inspect it closely. 'Hey!!' she protested again, louder. As she pulled back he let it go, so that she fell back into the junk with a clatter.

'Yeah, looks like it,' the big man stood. 'Better take her to Lugen then.'

'No, please, I need to get to Garrakt...' Melodie pleaded, dragging herself slowly upright again. 'Do you know him?'

'Never heard of him,' Milo said.

'Wasn't he that guy Lugen was trying to find?' the other said to Milo, absently grabbing hold of Melodie and hoisting her up onto her feet.