Excerpt: Government Kit

Lisa grabbed the door-frame to support herself as Cammy giddily skipped around her. Lisa looked down at the ground – there was a pathway of white, rough stone underneath her, and on the sides of it were many strands of a flimsy green plant. She took a deep breath, and coughed. The air was nowhere near as clean as it was up in the plaza, but she should have known that. Even so, it did have a very distinct smell, a smell of something old, though perhaps rotting and decaying, but of something old nonetheless.
Strange, Lisa mused. It smells familiar…strangely familiar…
“Come on!” Cammy shouted, pulling Lisa after her. Nearly tripping over her feet, Lisa ran along, her shoes clomping hard against the concrete sidewalk. Lisa spun her head around to see the houses they had just passed. They looked like houses in the history books, they were so old. And the wear of hundreds of years could certainly be seen on them – windows were broken or boarded up, doors were falling off their hinges, but Lisa could see lights on inside, indicating at least some sort of residence.
“Where are we?” Lisa said, her feet moving forward jauntily. “I’ve never heard of this. It’s a wasteland, it’s not a crime haven – sure, it’s pretty pitiful and falling apart, but…”
A gunshot rang out, and Cammy dove behind one of the houses. Lisa collapsed in fear. She heard a shout, followed by a loud screeching, and then silence.
“That wasn’t that close,” Cammy said, nudging Lisa with her foot. “Come on, get up, we’re not there yet.”
Lisa got up and turned around, her head snapping back and forth.
“No,” she said, “We’re going home. We almost got shot. I can’t believe you talked me into this.”
“Oh, come on,” Cammy said in an exaggerated tone. “There’s a greater chance of you dying from a heart attack from eating all that horrible food you do than being shot down here. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. And if anyone tries to shoot you, just shoot at them back.”
Cammy handed her friend a blaster.
Lisa’s eyes’ widened, her hand twitching as Cammy dropped the gun into it. “Is this legal?”
Cammy burst out laughing, the corners of her mouth curving up joyously. “I’m only joking, Lisa.” She took the fake blaster out of her friend’s hand. “But I’ve got one, just in case, and it’s perfectly legal. I’m certified, don’t worry.”
Lisa looked at her friend condescendingly. “Why did you just do that?”
“You should have seen the look on your face,” Cammy giggled. “But come on, let’s go! We’ve got to get to the store before the rush.”
“Rush?” Lisa asked, but was swept up by her friend before she could get an answer. They passed blocks and blocks of houses, each one looking more gloomy and destitute than the previous. Lisa found herself skipping a step to make sure she didn’t trip over a piece of refuse, and she assured herself that her skipping was not in joy. She didn’t want to be here, she didn’t she absolutely hated it and the first chance she would get to convince Cammy to leave, she would, and…
“We’re here!” Cammy announced as they approached a strip of stores. Lisa looked back, noticing that they had passed many strips of stores; though she had been too busy trying to dodge the obstacle course of trash on the sidewalk to notice them. Judging by the quality of their signs, and by the amount of trash in front of them, Lisa judged that they were not of high standing. The stores in front of her were only slightly better – the signs were fully in-tact, and there was little garbage on the street.
Lisa looked up at the store they were standing directly in front of. It’s glowing red sign radiated the name for all passer-bys to see, though Lisa saw hardly any passer-bys. There was one man walking away from the strips of shops carrying a small brown paper bag, and a family of four solemnly entering a shop that Lisa had already passed. But despite the lack of other human beings, Cammy was as giddy as ever, wrenching open the door to Bixby’s and thrusting herself inside.
When Lisa stepped into the store, she felt as if she had been thrust into a whole new world. The icky smell and trashy appearance of the Fringe outside was gone, all replaced with a beautiful aroma of fresh fabrics. A smile burst onto her face.
“I told you so!” Cammy said, running down an aisle. Shirts and pants and dresses and suits hung on hangers; they made a mass of clothes so dense that Lisa felt confident that even if a man came in with a gun to shoot her, the bullet would never penetrate these thick walls of clothes. She felt safe.
“You’re it!” Cammy said, continuing to run. Lisa stood, somewhat confused.
“You’re it!” Cammy shouted again. “Come on, chase after me!”
Oh…thought Lisa, and her smile grew wider. She took off in pursuit of her friend, weaving through the aisles of fabric. The spicy, unique smells filled her nostrils. It smelled like nothing from the planet, like nothing she had smelled before, and yet, as smelled the air outside, strangely familiar…
A shout echoed through the store, and Lisa stopped. She heard Cammy’s shoes stop as well, and half expected to start hearing gunfire. She crouched down and shoved herself between the dresses, breathing as softly and as infrequently as possible.
“Whossh there?” a drunken voice bellowed. “Whaatre you doin’ in maashop?”
“Oh, it’ just me, Mr. Garfinkle,” Cammy shouted. “And I brought my friend along. Her name is Lisa. She’s just over here; let me show her to you.”
IDIOT! Lisa mentally shouted. You have no idea who I am, do you, Cammy? You have no idea what could happen if I’m found here, do you? Especially by a drunk who probably has a gun.
“I’m not fucking here,” Lisa whispered urgently into her hand, hoping that her coarse language would alert Cammy that she was no longer joking, that she was no longer playing the game.
“Oh, did I say Lisa?” Lisa heard Cammy’s voice float across the rows of clothes. “I meant I have my Visa, did I show you?” Cammy pulled a plastic card out of her pocket. “And I’m going to buy a nice shirt, do you hear that? A nice shirt! Good seeing you.”
Lisa heard a hard laugh force its way out of the man’s mouth. It was more of a humorous belch than a laugh, not even funny by the most basic standard.s A chill ran up and down her spine, tap-dancing to a horrific beat.
That’s a bad voice, Lisa thought. It sounds like my mom’s friends, well, the bad ones, at least - the ones who are all corrupt and evil. I hope Cammy can handle herself if the drunk get’s violent. She did say she had a gun.
“Arright, mah pretty,” Lisa heard the footsteps clomp away. A chair scratched across the floor and Lisa heard a large body collapse in it. Seconds of silence followed, and then the body began to snore. Lisa breathed a sigh of relief.