A side story based on my up coming novel Dead Ringers.
Chapter 1
Welcome to Saturn. Torrid Town Year 3412.
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“Yo! Lady! What’s taking so long for our food to come out! I feel like I’ve been in this shit hole for over an hour!”
I internally grunt to myself as I hurriedly walk by a table full of loud drunk Hoppers. It was yet another late night of work as a waitress at the bar and eating establishment called Broiler’s Nest. Metaphorically speaking, Broilers Nest was sunken into the pit that is the hot desert city of Torrid Town. This was a town full of outlaws who lived here or passed through on there way somewhere else. Unfortunately for me, it was also the place I called home for my entire life.
“Damn baby, how you just gonna walk pass me swinging a tail that’s just asking to be slapped!” Shouts another Hopper across the room at one of the other waitresses who was walking by him. I shake my head and continue my stride but get stopped by what I heard next.
SMACK!
I heard the loud sound of her ass being palmed. Not even a second later I then hear another smack which was her hand to his face. The entire place full of Hoppers erupts in loud laughter as she huffs off. I shake my head and roll my eyes as I continue my walk.
Maybe if the owner didn’t make us wear such revealing outfits, we wouldn’t get harassed on almost a daily basis by these Hopper idiots. Short shorts and a tight tube top shirt with the restaurant name glowing in yellow across our tits. We were basically hot cooked ham’s in a den of Hyena’s. Maybe if the owner at least hired a security guard or something to keep these men in line it wouldn’t be as miserable for the women here.
I was a brown skinned black woman with long natural black hair that went pass my shoulders and a curvy body. I considered myself decent looking but matched with this outfit it left these men drooling. This place didn’t use to be based on sex appeal, but somewhere along the way it became most of the advertisement. There were other Broiler Nest waitresses who were much more stacked than I was, and I felt bad for them. I got my share of harassment by Hoppers, but not as much as some of these other girls. Half of the reason why male Hoppers and even regular men came here was for the women alone.
Hoppers were humans or sometimes Robots called Ringers who illegally provide the same services as The Marco Vital Force corporation. Sense not every human can afford to go through Marco Vital for there needs, they rely on Hoppers.
Marco Vital is a technically advanced company that invented the ability to turn humans into robot versions of themselves after they die. As the Marco Vital ad’s love to say. “Hair that flows, skin so real. Nobody can tell the difference between a Ringer and a Human! Get your SOS chip implant today for a bright future tomorrow!” What a load of crap, what kind of insane person wants to be in this world longer than they need to be? Hm, I guess people who have something to live for I suppose.
The closest Marco Vital Force building was over four hours away in North Burlow Heights which is the biggest city in the world. With that being said, business in Torrid was obviously booming. Torrid was a small city, but it was the best place to get underground work done or purchase black market items. It was like this place was invisible on the map. People didn’t even drive through here, they went around us.
I finally walk to the back where all the sweaty cooks are baking and sizzling up a storm of food as other waitresses rush out past me holding plates. As technically advanced as Saturn has gotten, Broilers Nest still cooked like we were living in the early 2000’s on Earth. In a way, it’s what the place is known for around here.
“God those Hoppers are annoying.” I say under my breath as I fan myself while walking pass the line of cooks and towards the employee bathroom. This place didn’t even have electronic sliding doors like the rest of the universe. I had to turn a handle to open the door then close it behind me, If I’m lucky the thing actually locks sometimes.
I turn the knob of the sink then splash my face with cold water as I take a breather. Broilers Nest was only hot for the simple fact there was the heat of the grills mixed with the body heat of half these jackass’s here tonight. Sense Broilers Nest was built to look like a literal nest they skipped out on windows. The only fresh air we got was at the top of the tall ceiling which had a purposely built hole. Heavy smoke and scents of cooked food escaped out the top which is what always attracted people here. Out of a scale to ten, the food was a six at best. At the end of the day who really cares when you’re hungry though.
“BAM BAM BAM.” The loud knock on the door of the bathroom should have startled me but it didn’t. I was use to being tracked down every second of my life while on the clock.
“Dakota!” Shouts the muffled female voice at me on the other side of the door. “Table seven wants some refills. I’m too busy to get it so its all yours sense you have time for a bathroom break!” I huff and roll my eyes as I turn off the faucet.
Two hours later I’m wrapped up tight in my jacket walking home in the cold night air. The blackness of the sky spread over the near empty land as the stars were sprinkled in the galaxy like glitter. The light from Saturn’s pretty bright gold rings wrapped the sky as I walked under the occasional floating street lamp. Compared to being inside of the hot Broiler’s Nest it was so cold I could see my breath as I walked. The desert was always ironically freezing at night yet as hot as the sun during the day. To put it bluntly, Torrid Town weather was majorly bipolar.
I was walking on the same cracked sidewalk up the same mountain that I’ve walked my entire life. It was leading from the town area over to the individual spread out metal house huts in the sand on the other side. Unfortunately, walking towards me was a group of Hoppers heading towards town.
Hoppers were so easy to spot just by how they carried themselves. It was like they thought they owned whatever ground their feet landed on and talked to you with little respect. Also, a more obvious way to highlight them among others were by the kinds of clothes they wore. Out here they all had the same kind of style. Wearing colored coordinated clothes that made them blend in with the red and orange desert.
While outside, all Torrid Town citizens dressed in layers to protect ourselves from the beaming sun and cold weather, but Hoppers dressed as if they needed to hide under the sand or blend with the mountains at any given moment. Clothes in general made it easy to spot someone who isn't from around here sense most outsiders didn’t dress like we did. Torrid citizens didn’t like outsiders, but it was mostly Hoppers didn't take too kindly to the curious and wondering travelers.
“Great.” I say under my breath sarcastically as agitation grew in my stomach. Maybe if I hold my breath and shut my eyes, these assholes won’t see me.
I roll my eyes at my own thought as me and the four Hoppers began approaching one another. One of the Hoppers shoves the other one telling him to just keep going as if he already knew he was going to be up to no good. The two others laugh and snicker while the one who got shoved eyeballs me with a gross smile on his face.
We pass each other without incident and I finally let out a breath of relief. At least I thought it was without incident.
“Fuck this I’m out of here, I’m starving.” Says one of the Hoppers from behind me. “Hey sexy! How about you stop and give me a minute of your time.”
I glance over my shoulder to find the Hopper who got shoved strolling behind me while the Hopper who shoved him kept walking towards town. The other two Hoppers were walking behind the Hopper who was shouting out to me. I looked back forward and picked up my walking speed.
“I so don’t want to deal with this crap tonight.” I say under my breath. Hands in my coat pockets I gripped my mini collapsing police taser stick that I bought off a Hopper years ago. It wouldn’t be the first time I had to use it on a Hopper and it wouldn’t be the last.
“Aw Come on, how about you stop and give me a little attention honey. No need to be such a stuck-up bitch I just want to have a little talk.”
“Well I don’t want to talk to you so keep it pushing!” I shout out to him as I continued my picked up pace.
“Don’t be like that, I’m known as the big boss stallion to the ladies. Let me show you why, come here. If you make me chase you, you’ll piss me off. You don’t want to see that do you?”
I then finally stop in my tracks and grip my taser stick so hard I thought my knuckles were going to crack. I turn to face him with gritted teeth.
“There we go sexy, now was following directions so hard?”
For a moment I silently look at him before speaking.“ I told you, I’m not interested. There are plenty of women happily selling what you’re looking for in town, so be on your way.”
The Hopper shakes his head as he steps up to me.“ I don’t pay for pussy. I just take it.”
He then grabs my arm and in that same moment I pull out my taser stick and collapse it out. It makes a loud electrified noise that made the Hopper nearly jump back just from the sound alone. The Hopper mean mugs me then begins to slowly back away.
“ Whatever, fuck you bitch.” He says before turning and walking off while the other two Hoppers laughed at him. As he passed them he shoves one of them which makes them mad so the other Hopper shoves him back. Next thing I know they’re fist fighting while the third Hopper continued laughing. I roll my eyes and then turn and continue walking. The only Hoppers that bothered me were the newer ones who moved here. The ones who grew up here like me usually left me alone as long as I minded my business, but even they sometimes were Assholes.
Fifteen minutes later I approach the front door of my hut and lift my right wrist signaling the door to slide open. My wrist blinks and so does the reader as the door opens immediately letting out the scent of a home cooked meal.
Everyone in the universe had a tiny disk called a Reo installed in their wrist and behind there ear. Its basically what replaced cellphones with a lot of added technology like locking and unlocking sliding doors among other things.
“I’m home!” I shout out to my dad who I knew would still be up. It was 1am in the morning and he always made sure to stay up until I got off work. Not only that, but he always began cooking dinner at that time so he could eat with me.
My dad whose name is Preston use to be an independent explorer of Torrid Towns mountains up until a few years ago. He use to be dedicated to discovering the hidden cave of Galaxy stones which are worth more than anything you can think of. Jewelry businesses always set off in space for weeks just to find some floating around. One minute the Galaxy Stones looked like black Crystals, then the next moment as if a chameleon, the surface fades to what looks like a white pearl. If you ever see anyone with Galaxy stone jewelry, that means whoever that person is has some major bank. Other than the Queen of Saturn and a few flashy celebrities in photos or on TV, I’ve never seen one in person. As to why my dad stopped his search for that rumored Galaxy stone cave, he never really said. All he ever told me was that his body was just tired but I’ve always felt it was all BS. That last day that he came home from his travels, he looked as white as a ghost. I never really pushed the question sense I’ve always felt that if he lied to me, he had his reasons.
I take off my jacket and hang it at the side of the door before turning and walking into our small kitchen area. As I stated before, people in Torrid stayed in metal Huts so our home was a circular triangle. It was technically two floors with a spiral staircase that led up to my small bedroom. My dad on the other hand slept in what’s supposed to be the living room which had a large curtain that closed across when he wanted his privacy. It use to be where me and my older brother Vick slept, but now I sleep in my mom and dad’s old room.
My mom died when we were kids, and when we became adults my older brother left for the city of Burlow Heights. He made big promises of one day making us rich. Like father like son, he chased after pipe dreams. The day Vick left was four years ago and I only speak to him once a year on my birthday. He never shares much about what he’s doing no matter how many questions I ask. I’ve already concluded that he’s probably mixed up in Hopper bullshit. The thought that he’s become one of those creeps breaks my heart, but there’s not much I can do about it. As promised, he occasionally sends us a small chunk of money without even a mention. It simply arrives in me or my dad’s bank account out of the blue. My 24th birthday was in a few days, so my yearly Reo phone conversation with him was coming up too.
“Whatsup Kiddo how was work?” Says my dad as I walk into the kitchen just as the oven slides out a homemade chicken pot pie.
I scoff as I take a seat at our small hovering bench table. My dad shakes his head at my response.“ I already told you on plenty of occasions how much I despise you working there but you never listen to me.”
I shrug at him. “ That place pays more than any other place in town I don’t have a choice, we need the money.”
My dad grabs the pot pie and sets it in the center of the bench table as he prepares to serve me a plate. “ I was able to pick up some extra shifts for next week, who knows maybe I’ll be promoted soon. And if I am promoted you can quit the Broilers Nest and work at the store with me.”
I give my dad a look. “The End Of The World Store? You want me to work in that insane man’s store dad? The name of that place alone is crazy. Besides, Hoppers shop there for there equipment so my predicament would be no better.”
Yea, the place my dad works is literally called The End of The World Store. The man who owns the place is loud and boisterous. He’s also a bit touched in the head along with his conspiracy theorist friend.
After my dad gives us both a serving of the pot pie he sits across from me before again speaking. “That’s true but at least if you’re there you’ll be safe. He has a zero-tolerance policy for jackass foolishness from those Hoppers. You also won’t have to where this tiny little get up that you have on. You remember back when I saw you in it for the first time? I almost went down to that damn place with a shot gun to tear a hole into that Broilers Nest owner for having you wear it. On top of that you won’t even let me walk down there at the end of your shift so I can walk you home.”
I get a fork full of the pot pie and put it in my mouth as I savored the taste. My dad always made the best pot pies for as long as I remember. For about a month he use to in fact walk me home from the Broilers Nest but it became unnecessary after a while. What happened tonight with those Hoppers wasn’t something that happened to me frequently. Besides, with my taser stick I’ve managed just fine. Hoppers are more likely to pick on you when you’re with a man versus being alone. It was like they wanted to make a point of how tough they are or something. Last thing I wanted was for my dad to be hurt for such an idiotic reason. I’ve been working at Broilers Nest for about two years now so I’m use to walking home by myself. Before that I use to work at the front desk of the only Motel in town. It was an easy job, but the pay was absolute shit.
An hour later after eating and showering, I finally climbed up the twirled stairs for the last time of the night. Sense my room was at the top where the triangular cone shape of our hut met it wasn’t exactly spacious. A full-size bed with a pop out desk and closet was about all that could fit in the space. The room also had some wrap around shelves where a few plants and knickknacks sat with a single window above my pop out desk.
After changing into my pajama’s, I finally lay down in my bed. I surprisingly was never tired when I got home from work. My body was exhausted, but my mind was up and wired as usual. I always just laid in bed daydreaming about every and anything I could think of. Mostly daydreaming of an entirely new life far away from Torrid. Some nights I’m living in a skyscraper in Burlow Heights. Other nights I’m living among royalty in Rashidi The Golden City where the King, Queen, Prince and Princess of Saturn stayed. Princess Dakota or even Queen Dakota would be my title. Would I even want to be a ruler? I think I’d rather just live among them, maybe as a duchess.
Whatever, at the end of the day the only title to my name is waitress of Broilers Nest. Residing in the ever so lovely desert town of Torrid. The place where dreams are born and grow.
I huff at myself as I tap my Reo behind my ear starting my music. My imagination took me away once again from my creeping negative thoughts. The dreamy soft hip hop music made my head and feet bounce in unison. I took in the sound that matched with the worlds born in my head.
To be continued......
My full novel Dead Ringers takes Place in Burlow Heights City with two other main characters. But don’t worry, Dakota’s story will also continue on in this separate edition of Dead Ringer Universe. Thanks for reading!!
