Drop City

My alarm goes off, I groan grabbing my head sitting up to the smell of something foul. I cover my nose glancing down at the vomit on the floor. "Fuck, Lenny I told you to throw up in the trashcan you idiot!"

I grab my scanner off the coffee table pressing it to the barcode on my neck, It beeps sending my vitals to the Core. I stand up walking across my shity one bedroom apartment heading into the bathroom. Lenny is my landlord his wife kicks his ass out when he drinks to much.

I brush my teeth and take a shower I have to wait a few minutes to let the thick rust go down the drain before clear water comes out, The water in Drop is freezing cold but I've gotten used to it along with the slight scent of rust on my body everyday.

I get dressed in my everyday clothes a white dress shirt, grey vest, black tie, gloves, dress pants, and nice shoes. I trim my beard before leaving. I grab a red lollipop from my candy jar, then write a note instructing Lenny to clean up his mess before he leaves I slap it to his forehead.

He bursts awake guess he wasn't knocked out as much as I thought. "R-Ren hey I need the rent-"

I toss him a rag from my closet. "You spent the rent and threw it up on my floor, clean it up and go home you gotta scan in before the Saints come to see you."

He groans. "Lucy's gonna kill me!"

I open the door. "See you later Lenny."

My neighbor and his girl argue every night after getting piss drunk. I never learned their names so I call them Becky and Bert.

Becky opens the door locking up she has a bruise on her left eye she covers it with her free hand. "H-Hey Ren."

I sigh. "Did you guys get into another fist fight? he got you good."

She nods slightly. "Vodka and speed don't mix very well, he's still passed out from the frying pan. I scanned him in I have to do a shift can you tell Hector he won't be in today?"

I nod. "I'll pass it on, come here."

I grab her hand manipulating the blood in her body healing the wound on her eye and arm. She looks in the foggy mirror between our apartments. "Thank you so much Ren!"

She hugs me tight her boobs smush into my chest she leans in biting my neck softly. "I'll give you a private dance anytime you want!"

I smack her butt. "Get going before I take you up on the offer."

She giggles rushing off down the hall half naked. I walk out the back heading down the stairwell, groups of drug addicts and prostitutes hangout down here.

I think I'm an average American man I like sports, women, cars and most of all fighting. I'm a fighter in the underground colosseum in Drop, I step out onto the street the sky hasn't been clear in years a thick grey fog covers the sky all day long. The smell of dirt blood and oil fill the city maybe this is what hell is like?

I head to the car shop. "Hey Vinny, Bert's not coming in today he caught the sweet end of a frying pan from his old lady."

He slams his fist down on the desk. "Dammit! We have a race today, I told that bastard to keep the drugs to a minimum before race day! It's too late to find a replacement unless, ... Rhodes you ever drive?"

I walk over sitting in the chair. "Depends how much does it pay?"

He points at the leaderboard. "First place gets 50 thousand Dod."

I glance at his crew then back to him. "Is that with or without your cut?"

They smile. "Smart man we take half."

I laugh. "You take 25% and like it."

He draws his gun, I pull mine out pointing it at his head his men point their guns at me. He glares at me. "Half and I don't put a bullet in your head for disrespecting me in front of my boy's."

I stand up holstering my gun stepping closer to him till his gun touches my chest. "I like you Vinny, so I'm gonna give you a deal 27% and I don't burn this place to the ground with everyone in it. Before you answer i'd remind you of Packs old place?"

He looks me in the eyes holstering his weapon. "27% is fair."

I shake his hand never breaking eye contact. "Glad we could come to an agreement."

I step back looking at the crew. "Gentleman show me to my deathtrap."

We walk out to the garage. "A 1968 Ford Mustang GT with a supercharged engine you have plasma rockets, noss, a pulse hop under the car, and a mounted turret on top along with the spikes for defense."

I walk past it looking it over this thing is a legit deathtrap. "Why does it look beat all to shit? This thing couldn't survive one of Vinny's farts after taco Tuesday let alone a full on race through drop."

They laugh. "This is all we got, We have scavengers out getting better cars."

I sigh. "Doubtful, I'll raise your cut up to 30% but the cars mine."

Vinny smiles. "You got yourself a deal!"

I lay my hand on the car. "Time to wake up princess."

The car is restored to perfect condition with a fresh black and red coat of paint. The spikes are shortened into plasma spikes on the wheels, the armored grill and bumper have plasma edges to cut through cars and barricades she's a real beauty.

I walk over getting in sticking my head out the window. "That's better, place your bets boys daddy's bringing home the bacon!"

I take it for a spin around the practice track with my old rock music on blast and a lollipop in my mouth as I do donuts singing at the top of my lungs drumming on the steering wheel, life doesn't get better than this.

Later that afternoon is the race, I roll up at the starting line everyone cheers loudly as I step out of my car. I wave walking over to Skull Cracker grabbing his famous shades putting them on bolting back over jumping in my car.

He beats on the glass trying to open the door, i slowly push down the lock looking at him as he freaks. We have cams and mics in the cars so everyone can watch I look at mine smiling. "Hey skull Cracker want your shades back? you gotta survive the race i'll let you come get them after I win never know these could be my good luck charm i'll dedicate this win to you."

The crowd goes wild, he hits my window one last time heading back to his car. The timer starts to count down. "here we go."