Vigiladies was their code name; vigilante females who had made it their mission in life to clean up the streets of their city.
The females had silent-stepping down to an art form. Vehicles were scarce, controlled by the few highest in power, so for the rest of those trying to survive on the streets, it was horseback or foot. And horses were almost as rare as cars.
Eva’s mother had often spoken about the world before the downturn, when animals had existed alongside humans. Tracey Walten had been a vet. She’d had to stop when the cruelty became too much for her. Most of the animals in this state were either eaten or destroyed, now extinction threatened every breed. Eva hoped in other parts of the world they protected their precious creatures, but she doubted it.
As they continued heading toward downtown, the sparseness of the area faded into a more urban landscape. It was still derelict, though, and massive shells of skyscrapers now formed the basis of the city.
“This anything like where you come from?”
The question came from the stocky brunette marching along beside her. Eva flicked her eyes across, just briefly, before resuming her diligent observance of the landscape around them. Janice, who was in her mid-twenties, was a collector of information, pushing and shoving her overly large nose into places it was not welcome.
Kata asked none of them about their past. All she cared about was their plans for the future. Their plans to clean up the streets of New York.
Janice, on the other hand, wanted personal information. She started subtle, but Eva was reaching the point where she was ready to use Mortem to shut Janice’s mouth.
“No,” she answered, just to quiet the female.
Sometimes her answers were truthful, others flat out lies. It really didn’t matter. She only held one secret that was worth anything, and that was not one she would ever reveal.
“No tags? No rubble? You can’t be from the city then; you from another country?”
More questions, Janice’s tone acting uninterested, but Eva could sense that she desperately wanted to know.
“No.” Eva reached back and rubbed the hilt of her sword, taking comfort in the fact that if Janice didn’t shut up soon, she could remove her head in one swift movement.
The reality was that she was from the country, upstate New York. Her life had been green rolling hills, trickling streams, small weatherboard houses. No high-rises, no gangs, no violence.
Until that one day.
One moment could change everything. Take everything. Now, though, Eva had no more vulnerabilities. It was nice to know that there was nothing else for her to lose. It allowed her to fight without fear.
Their group had split into two. One half went toward Central Park, the massive expanse of dead grass and shelled out structures which was all that remained of a once beautiful nature reserve. The Central Park vigiladies were going to infiltrate a stronghold rumored to be operating on the eastern side of the park.
Eva was in the other group, the one going to intercept a shipment of smuggled humans. Trafficking was out of control. None of the humans who were taken were ever seen again, and no one had any idea where they ended up. All they knew was it was sure to be a sucktastic life. Kata in particular had a hate-on for this crime, and she focused much of the vigiladies attention on it.
From the moment they split, there was no way for the two groups to communicate. All of the females knew the plan, and Kata expected that they would carry it out to the best of their ability. Rendezvous was scheduled for nightfall, which was about twelve hours from now. Any that were absent would be left behind. It might seem harsh, but if one fell there was no point in all of them meeting the same fate.
The ten in Eva’s group were silent, stepping along the desolate streets, sticking to the shadows, using the rubble to hide their movements. Eva knew better than to relax her guard, despite the clear lack of human life in the area. If it was quiet, then generally the gangers had cleared the streets, and that was never a good thing.
They had just crossed through what was once the humming hub of the city; all that was left now were the broken shells of technology. Shattered glass which used to flash advertisements: perfume, lingerie, blockbuster movies. The glitter of lights had enticed humans to spend their hard-earned money on stupid luxuries. Things they believed they needed for happiness and fulfilment. Ironic, when they already had everything they truly needed: food, water, and clean air.
Eva stepped lightly, her scuffed boots so worn in they barely made a sound. Sensing eyes on them, she decided it was time to tap into her abilities. Never hurt to keep an extra “eye” out.
It took no effort to lift the barrier she’d learned to keep tightly encased over her mind. Her sight flashed once and then twice, before settling down. A stream of mist caught her attention, the whiteness partially obscured by an upended dumpster.