ISSUE #1 (April 2018)
Written by John Cheese Featuring: Dare
Margot
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Bludhaven – 2015
The young women vaulted over the fence and landed elegantly on the other side with a flourish. Both were dressed in yellow leotards and thigh high boots which, along with their red hair and piercing green eyes made them look like twins, or sisters at least. The only difference between them was height and hair length, with the shorter of the two wearing her hair in a long French braid. Hitting the road, just as a rolling wave of flame engulfed the fence the sisters leapt up the nearest building, jumping from roof top to roof top as their pursuers followed as quickly as they could. “Merde, these criminals really want what we stole Margot.” The sister with the braid stated as she jumped down a fire escape as the buildings ended. “Plus none of them are cute.” “Aliki, when will you realise that boys are not the be all and end all.” Margot sighed as the pair came to a dried storm drain, the chasers crashing through the back alleys towards them. “They’ll out run us on the flat ground.” She sighed as she took the silver case the pair had stolen from her sister. “Hey I stole that.” Aliki protested as she made a grab for it. “We’re not going to get out of this one alive.” Margot hissed as she pointed to the building on the other side of the drain. “Run, I will try and hold them off.” “We’re not fighters Margot, you can’t…” Aliki gasped only for her sister to push her down into the drain, her acrobatic skills being the only thing that prevented Aliki from breaking a leg or an arm. As she ran to the other side of the drain she saw Margot hold her arm out, just as the five figures chasing the pair caught up with them. “End of the road missy.” One of them, a man with a Texan accent, announced as Aliki saw Margot hit the ground hard. “Where’s the courier drive you stole?” He asked as Aliki shimmied up the other side of the drain and rolled over the top of the fence into the unkempt field of grass on the other side. “Not here.” Margot stated through gritted teeth. “The sister must have it.” Another man stated, this one having a strange Hispanic tint to it. “We’ll start combing the area for her.” “No need, it looks like she tossed something into the storm drain before we caught up with her.” A thuggish voice announced. “Still I’d like to know where the sister is before we leave, may as well keep the infamous Double Dare twins together after all.” “Leave my sister alone!” Margot yelled as Aliki saw one of the figures dressed in red and mounted on a motorcycle gun the engine and head back towards the bridge that crossed the storm drain. “Go in after what it was!” The thuggish man ordered, as two of the figures dropped down into the drain leaving him and a body dressed in reflective silver standing over Margot. Stirring slightly Aliki saw the motor cyclist appear on the bridge and come to a stop as he surveyed the area. Silently she picked the lock of the door and slipped inside but not before seeing her sister receive a vicious kick from one of her captors. Closing the door she heard a floorboard creak and turned round just in time to see a baseball bat swinging towards her face, the flow sending her thudding into the door with a solid blow. As she fought to stay conscious Aliki saw the faces of Margot and her attackers swim on a field of grey in front of her eyes, before everything faded into black. Coldstream Juvenile Detention Facility, Bludhaven – 2017 “Your effects.” The bored clerk dressed in a prison uniform stated as the young woman walked up to the window, the pair of guards flanking her looking equally amused as she was. Only the prisoner seemed eager to move this along, but she had learned quickly to move at the guards speed and to keep her mouth shut. “One leotard – yellow, one pair of thigh high boots – yellow, one domino mask, five hundred dollars in cash, one locket inscribed with the letters DD and containing a portrait, artwork – multiple pieces.” The clerk announced as she placed the items into a bag and slid the locket through the gap in the glass. “Thank you.” The prisoner stated, as she slipped the locket round her neck, her short hair looking almost identical to that of the woman pictured in the portrait. “Miss Marceau, the bus is departing soon.” One of the guards stated, if you would change out of your uniform, we will escort you out of the facility and onto the bus. Nodding Aliki followed them to a set of changing rooms and quickly slipped into her costume. Emerging she kept her head down as the guards led her past the yard, a number of the prisoners she had been incarcerated alongside stopping what they were doing to glare at her. “Hey freak go back to the circus where you belong!” “Nice costume ballerina Barbie!” “When I get out I’m making you my bitch!” Aliki ignored them all, quite honestly after the first month or two the others had largely left her alone. She had been afraid to be alone at first but in the end she realised it wouldn’t kill her and she adapted as best she could. Stepping onto the bus, she knew that life was about to become more difficult, her manager at the Cirque Sensational had made it clear over Skype that both she and Margot weren’t welcome in his outfit. Not that she thought Margot would worry about that, she hadn’t visited or written in her two-year incarceration, leaving Aliki to come to the conclusion that her sister was likely dead. She hadn’t cried when she came to this end, but when she got to somewhere private, somewhere outside the prison she planned to do just that. The ride into Bludhaven was boring, the city was just as wild and untamed as it had been two years earlier, although it appeared as if Blockbuster had moved north of the river into the territory vacated by the Penguin, leaving the south side open to a new crime boss. Disembarking at the train station, Aliki felt exposed, eyes were watching her with a lecherous sparkle to them. Walking briskly, and keeping track of those watching her Aliki walked a block and a half before turning into a thrift store. She had no attention of being confused for a street walker or stripper, so any clothes within reason would do. Memory drew Aliki back to the location of her arrest, the house she had snuck into now listed as derelict, as was most of the street. Walking round the side to the edge of the storm drain, now flooded after the spring storm season, Aliki looked over to where she had last seen her sister and sat down, arms wrapped round her legs, tears running down her face. She had always entertained a slither of hope, some wild fantasy that Margot was still alive, holding out somewhere, but now she’d left Coldstream that slither had been quashed. And would Margot even recognise her now? Aliki had grown another two inches during her incarceration, she’d cropped her hair since her braid had become the favourite target of a number of inmates. On top of that Aliki wouldn’t have been seen dead in the beat-up sneakers, worn jeans and t-shirt branded with the logo of the 80s goth rock band ‘Black Siren’. Turning away from the storm drain Aliki walked up to the door she’d snuck through years ago and forced the tape open before slipping inside. Like most Bludhaven properties the house had seen better days, but it seemed sturdy enough despite what the tape had advertised. Camping out on the second floor Aliki pulled out the five rolls of paper the clerk had returned to her and unrolled them one by one. During her time in Coldstream, Aliki had tried her hand at sketching, and with a little tuition from Shawn Tsang, former art student who’d been incarcerated for tagging billboards, she’d become quite good at drawing faces. “So you five are the people who killed Margot.” Aliki told herself as she studied the faces she’d drawn from memory. Between the man with the crash helmet that looked like a demon, the insect faced figure in grey, the cowboy, the figure dressed in a stapled monster costume and the thuggish man with a burn on his right cheek they were a varied yet dangerous looking group. “You’re the five people I’m going to kill.” She whispered as she looked out the window at the opposite side of the storm drain. Over the next two days Aliki spent her time and her money getting herself set up in the abandoned house. She’d gone back to the thrift store and bought more clothes and a sleeping bag, scouted a number of restaurants that were more than frivolous about tossing out food and brought enough water to bathe with in the abandoned shower. She’d also spent the first night remaining absolutely silent when shouts had sounded a block to the west as the local drug pusher went about her business. Another meet was scheduled tonight, and Aliki was ready this time. During her incarceration she’d remained at the top of her game and was sure that she was faster than some stoned peddler. After a quick meal of table scraps, Aliki slipped into her old costume and climbed to the roof of the house before looking along the abandoned street. For a moment she was terrified, but then instinct took over and she leapt to the next building, her landing almost perfect and with a little flourish. She felt like she was back, almost felt like Margot would come vaulting off the opposite roof and embrace her. Pushing her sister’s memory to the forefront, Aliki let it turn her into an engine, one that sent her soaring from rooftop to rooftop with phenomenal speed, accuracy and style until she reached the street corner where she thought the dealer was meeting her client. Already there were two men waiting for their supplier, both skinny and twitchy and both armed if the bulging holsters on their belts were anything to go by. “How long until Miss Morphine said she would arrive?” One of the addicts asked as he scratched at his skin. “She didn’t, only that she’d turn up some time tonight.” The other stated before chewing one of his fingers. “She needs to get her scratch from her boss, it’s a chain man and we’re right on the end.” “Then perhaps we should go elsewhere, somewhere we can get respect.” The first addict grunted as Aliki leapt onto the streetlight above them before landing feet first on one of the men. “Who are…” The remaining addict gulped as he reached for his gun, only for Aliki to kick the weapon away onto the street before wrapping her legs round the man’s neck and driving him face first into his unconscious friend. Backflipping off him, Aliki pushed the men over the fence of the nearest house and scampered back onto the street lamp to wait for this so-called Miss Morphine to arrive. After an hour and a half of waiting a woman approached the corner, her caramel covered skin on display thanks to her short red skirt and crop top that covered very little of her body. Shaking the thick mane of dark hair she stood on the corner and put her hands on her hips as she looked round for her clients. Tottering on high heels to the place Aliki dumped the bodies of her unconscious victims, Miss Morphine placed her hands on her hips in disgust that her clients hadn’t been there to meet her. “You boys are going to regret standing me up.” Miss Morphine announced in a Merseyside accent just as Aliki descended behind her. “You’ve both been very naughty shooting up before I got here.” She added as she spun around and blocked the kick aimed at the back of her head. “How about you luv, you here to get crazy?” “I’m here to get even, and unfortunately that starts with you.” Aliki replied as she aimed another kick at Miss Morphine, only for her foe to grab her by the leg and force her back into the street lamp. “So you’ve been naughty too!” Miss Morphine purred as she extended hollow needle like claws from her fingers on her free hand. “Looks like you’re in need of some punishment, and Miss Morphine is just the lady to give it to you.” She added as she went to slash Aliki’s exposed cheek. |