Runners, Chapter 4

[04.Damned.If.You.Do]

Eve was still holding onto her small silver gun very tightly. It made Colin nervous, but what really disturbed him was that he didn't see any bullet holes in the first man she'd killed. The gun, then, was a last resort; Colin shuddered at the thought of what a hundred-pound prostitute could do to frighten three gun-toting men twice her size. Eve saw his look of wonder, and smiled weakly.
“You know how many people try to rough you up when you're in my line of work? At least half, usually more. A girl has to know how to defend herself. They make you learn, so they're not losing out on their investment. Me, I pull in good money, so they're not just gonna let some asshole cut me up, you know?”
“Or do something crazy like try to leave the City,” Colin replied, eyes still fixed on her pistol.
“Well, yeah. Its not something they'd approve of. Of course, they don't know about that; all they know is I'm not working for them anymore and they're not gonna let go.”
“So they try to kill you?”
“They're not shooting to kill. They know I'm too smart to get shot so easily. Of course, if they do end up offing me, at least I went out on their terms. Its all a power game, the hooker business. And I happen to be the best they've got.”

Colin massaged his temples.
“Okay, so you actually want to leave? I don't get it.”
“Of course not. Its not the type of thing that would occur to more than one person in a generation. We've spent so long in this city its not worth thinking that there might be anything else out there. I just happen to be that .01% that actually thinks about that sort of shit.”
He cocked his head. It was so mind-bendingly revolutionary a concept he couldn't even wrap his head around it. The city was the only thing in the world; it was commonly known that the outside was gone, but it was as much a subconscious knowledge as anything. It was the unmentioned backdrop to the setting of their lives, and while he could conceivably understand thinking about what there used to be outside, it was unthinkable under any circumstance that anyone would think about leaving. After all, there was nothing out there.

“Eve, there's nothing out there. Where exactly do you plan to go?”
“Dunno. Its not that kind of thought-out plan. One day it just hit me; I was gonna get out. Don't know where I'm goin', don't know how I'm gettin' there, but its happening. Now I have to run. You really don't have to follow me this time, I'll be oka-”
Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she dove to the right as shots rang out, bullets ricocheting off of the metal siding of the building she'd been leaning against. Colin yelled and fell back as Eve started firing. Four bullets exploded from the barrel of her slim silver pistol, past Colin and into another alley. Colin, sitting now, backed up frantically and covered his head. A whole lot of good he was. Eve ran ahead and took cover on the opposite wall, cool and calm. Just another third Sector gunfight.

“Colin!” Eve yelled, rounding the corner and firing a few more rounds before taking cover once more, “there's only one but he's going to bring friends! You have to get out of here!”
Colin, however, was frozen with fear. He was still reeling from the revelation of Eve's plan, and he was seeing firsthand just how difficult it was going to be. How could she do it? How could she defy the basest facet of their existence and risk her life to wander into nothingness? He couldn't understand it. He was snapped out of his stupor by Eve's voice crying out in pain. He looked up to see her leg bleeding, and her stumbling back.

A man rounded the corner, gun pointed at Eve, back to Colin. He had an earpiece, and he spoke into it:
“I found her, boys. Got her in the leg but we can graft over it. Now get over here before she gets going!”
Colin shook uncontrollably. If he got up to run, he would probably get shot. If he stayed, his fate was no better. This was really it. He'd kept pushing this thing, kept following this girl, and now he was going to die.

Its a strange thing, what happens when one's faced with one's own mortality. Colin's life was never one of great security; Sector Three wasn't renowned for its residents' quality of life. But he lived in a nice neighborhood, he delivered contraband medicine to the clinics, he did what he could to stay out of trouble. Crime was common, disease was everywhere, but thus far he'd managed to live a life much less colorful than the average person who lived there. And now here he was, an inevitable death before him. He could take his chances and run, sure, but statistically it was a futile plan. So it was that in the final moments of his life Colin was able to look at his situation with a surprising amount of detachment and clarity. His predicament was literally that of being about to die, but he realized it represented his life on a larger level as well. The place he living in, he was going to die this kind of death eventually. The only thing he could run to was the fourth Sector, which would be an even surer death in an even more dilapidated part of the city. It wasn't until he met Eve that another option presented itself.

So he dove. He dove forward and tackled the gunman, who shot one final round that hit inches from Eve's head. She jerked to the side, but seeing the man down pointed her gun and shot one last time. Colin's face was to the ground, but the sound was enough to make his stomach turn. But there wasn't time for that; Colin had made his decision. He bolted up and ran to Eve, hoisting her up and beginning to run, giving her seconds to adjust and keep pace with him. She winced, and Colin was a little short to be supporting her, but they managed to go relatively fast. Ducking into several more alleys at random, they finally stopped.

Colin let Eve down against the wall, and reached into his bag. He didn't have much left from his supply run, but he disinfected the wound and began to wrap it. The wound didn't look too bad, but it was bleeding pretty heavily and there were still gun-toting men after them.
“Damn it kid, no matter how many times I tell you to run away you keep going in the wrong direction,” Eve muttered as she tried to concentrate on getting past the pain.
“Yeah, well chances were I was gonna die anyway. And I've never seen this many people go after a rogue prostitute before, I guess I can't let it go.”
He was telling the truth. But he knew there was more to it than that. The thing inside of him kept forcing him into action, wouldn't let him leave Eve's side when he knew she was in trouble. Honestly, he couldn't tell whether or not his actions were based on morals or instinct anymore. Either way, it didn't matter now.
“Man, of all the hits to take. Not that I thought I'd just walk out, but now I'm injured and they're mad. Its gonna be a hell of a trip. Thanks, Colin. I really do appreciate it, but I have to get going. You get closer and closer to being shot each time they find me so get out of here, I can't be responsible for you.”
“Who's the one with one good leg here? Looks like I'm gonna have to be responsible for you from now on,” Colin said, smiling, as he helped Eve up.
“No. No way, you're not-”
“Its too late. I made my choice. I'm coming with you. We're gonna get out of this city together.”