The Last 0-Day

Chapter 1 - Erik

Erik Anders walked along the sweltering basal streets of District 19. The day's heat radiated in nauseating lines from piles of garbage filling the area like mortar. His department had orders to bring civility to the area known as 'The Pucker'.

"Show them you're on their side," Chief David had said.

"We can make change here," Luciana, his partner, had said with a smile.

Easier said than done, Erik thought.

Across the dusty street, near an alleyway, Luciana paused under the teal neons of a Taketa Corp sign.

Erik cycled the ENT-insert in his ear to her direct comm line. "How's it looking over there, Luci?"

"My OPTO-inserts are stuck on visible."

"You about to puke again?" Erik smiled, flicking his eyes and the glorified contacts resting on them.

His OPTO-inserts cycled from the visible spectrum range to infrared. The filthy Youth selling noodles on the corner became a rainbow of heat, his food cart burning white and hottest. Erik cycled back to visible light. The kid selling noodles furrowed his brow, crinkling his dirt unibrow.

"Luci?" Eric turned.

"Someone needs our help here." Luciana left their comm channel open, her breathing like she leaned over his shoulder.

"On my way."

Erik's OPTO-inserts zoomed in as he crossed the street. Luciana swung into an alleyway, the pavement near her feet lost to the wave of Wushan Corp Standard-Ration wrappers spilling out.

"My name is Officer Gutierrez," Luciana called into the alley. "Say something again, so I can find and help you."

A weak, "Help," came through their ENT-inserts.

Erik hit the end of the alley. Luciana knelt twenty paces deep, digging through detritus. A fallen drainage pipe pinned a pale, gaunt teenager. Blood dried on his scalp. Sweat ran through the grime on his skin like rivers through a muddy delta.

"Erik, I've one Youth, blunt force trauma to the head, possible contusions of the thorax."

"Roger that." Erik cycled their comms to the station. "Department Nineteen, we have a Youth for medical eval, send a rig."

"10-4, Officer Anders," Maus said from dispatch.

Locals shifted and moved along the block. The noodle selling Youth left his stall.

That's not right. Erik turned to Luciana as she shifted the pipe off the kid in the alley. He cycled his OPTO-inserts to infrared.

The trash-filled alleyway cycled from an empty junkyard to one full of burning figures hiding amongst the wreckage.

"Luci! Move! Ambush—"

Erik's side exploded in pain, blood filled his lungs. He fell to his knees, the world grayed. Luci, I...

Erik's OPTO and ENT-inserts recorded what he could no longer see and hear. The kid beneath Luciana stabbing a dark, cold blade underneath her body armor and into her bright, hot torso. Erik's own blood spraying white-hot from the bottom right frame as the machete was torn from his chest. Gunshots cracking concrete, gang members in animal masks sprinting from the ducts and passing both officers towards a two-stroke dirt bike getaway.

Erik collapsed to his back, spasms in his eyes cycling the inserts back to the visible spectrum. The sky bled pink as sirens rang out.

His ENT-insert recorded the last gurgling breath seconds after the machete pierced his heart.

Tires screeched as the ambulance arrived. Harried paramedics rushed to grab his hand, sticking his thumb into a scanner.

"Erik Anders, twenty-four, blood type..." The man shook his head. "Dead on arrival."

"No," Luciana rasped.

"We got another." The paramedics rushed out of view.

The pair carried Luciana by, her bloody hand reaching for Erik.

***

The full story is available on Amazon here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZK3KBZJ

I hope you enjoy :)