It took some doing, but I've finally got a story that I can put forward. The word count's around 992 words. Enjoy this prison jaunt.
She found herself in a corridor, draped in a sickly grey that felt cold and uneven beneath her palm. A low hum echoed from luminescent tubes that covered the distant ceiling. The stale potpourris of dirt, people, and blood filled her nostrils, and made her arms clutch her stomach. As far as the Solver could tell as she waked down the passage was that she was in a very bad place.
Stopping at a huge enclosure, she saw men and women in orange jumpsuits glowering at her like she was a communist. Seconds that felt like hours passed, and one of the people gestured her forward. Cautiously, Kim walked towards the mob, one arm on her net.
As she was in arms' length of the crowd, a few of their number moved to block the way she came. Then the mob walked and the Solver was shoved into following them. But that was the only hostility they showed. Several of them conversed with Kim as they walked down the corridors; they said they were prisoners who were wrongfully arrested and needed her help. The prisoners also said that for some reason their wardens were not as bloodthirsty as usual and wanted her to kill them before they acted.
"Our only crimes were speaking against the House." They said. After standing in thought, Kim agreed as long as they found someone for her.
A couple of the prisoners nodded and dispersed. One man tried to cop a feel off her; and she appropriately responded with a firm side kick to his midsection. The mob promptly blocked her and the perv and urged them to prevent any tension.
Time passed and she was eventually led to another large enclosure with another group of prisoners caught up in something. The two groups began to argue, and Kim was getting bored of their dispute. She took out one of her coins and threw it against the floor; she didn?t care what the result would be, but she needed the distraction. Many of the prisoners ducked as the smoke materialized while the Solver proceeded to jump over the prisoners to see the source of their squabble:
A woman. Of moderate age, and Chinese descent. But what were more obvious were the bruises and bloodstains, and a look of scorn on her face. Kim pitied her and wanted to resolve this peacefully.
"I understand you've suffered-"
The Solver?s sentence was snapped in two as the woman shoved her to the floor. Some of the mob helped her get back up as she tried to convince her, but the woman wouldn?t budge.
"Then please surrender."
Those were the only words that came out the woman's mouth, and the Solver's eyes closed shut at her only option. Kim was about to respond, but was stopped when she felt a coldness pricking her neck. Her eyes opened and saw the woman had a knife to her. Thinking quickly, she rolled away from the knife's path, while the one hand had brandished her truncheon while the other reached for her coins...
They weren?t there. Someone stole them. And that revelation was punctuated by a thunderous boom. All but forgetting the woman she was supposed to fight, she ran. Whatever came from the explosion was from her coins.
In front of her War broke out in the room; the prisoners armed with coin-made weapons fought and killed rifle-armed black soldiers bearing the clubs insignia. Lives were snuffed out from her coins. Without thinking, she tossed her coat at one of them and proceeded to give the man a solid whack in the stomach. The man keeled over while three more moved to surround Kim with knives in hand.
She had no hope in victory so she retreated in the corridor. What she didn't expect were two Clubs soldiers were pursuing her. If she wasn't as fast as she was, the chasers' guns would?ve crippled her. But in front of her was the woman she abandoned, still brandishing her knife with a look of conviction. Kim walked right into it, and without the protection of her coat her shoulder was bleeding further. Her arm instinctively moved to cover the new wound.
"What were you hoping to accomplish? You came here seeking justice. Was this it? You gave weapons to prisoners, and let them loose!" The woman said to her with words like bullets to her soul and Kim was fighting back tears. Despite her original intentions, the woman was right; she did more harm than good. With the prisoners using her coins, maybe it was better to stop...
"...No."
A look of confusion decorated the Chinese woman?s features. "No?"
"No... I must set things right. Either help me or kill me."
And no more words were said. The rest of the fight became a trance; the Solver used her nets to pin her opponent into submission, while the knife sought out her flesh. There was no clear victor as no-one held any advantage.
Then the soldier?s guns rang out again, and their threat was brought back into Kim's mind. She turned to see the hallway, and the black living silhouettes were staring right at her. She then turned back to her opponent and was unable to react against her knife; the Solver received a serious gash on her left cheek and was collapsed on the floor. The woman was right above her poised to make the killing blow. And the soldier saw her.
?No! Get back!-? But the words were too late. The gun's thunder struck, and the woman now lied before her, dead eyes staring out in anguish. A photo lied crumpled beside the body, and Kim saw to look at it. It was a picture of a little girl, and something dawned on her.
She?s a mother. Kim could hold back the torrent no longer; she became an accessory to a mother's death. She grasped one of the mother's hands and cried.
Stopping at a huge enclosure, she saw men and women in orange jumpsuits glowering at her like she was a communist. Seconds that felt like hours passed, and one of the people gestured her forward. Cautiously, Kim walked towards the mob, one arm on her net.
As she was in arms' length of the crowd, a few of their number moved to block the way she came. Then the mob walked and the Solver was shoved into following them. But that was the only hostility they showed. Several of them conversed with Kim as they walked down the corridors; they said they were prisoners who were wrongfully arrested and needed her help. The prisoners also said that for some reason their wardens were not as bloodthirsty as usual and wanted her to kill them before they acted.
"Our only crimes were speaking against the House." They said. After standing in thought, Kim agreed as long as they found someone for her.
A couple of the prisoners nodded and dispersed. One man tried to cop a feel off her; and she appropriately responded with a firm side kick to his midsection. The mob promptly blocked her and the perv and urged them to prevent any tension.
Time passed and she was eventually led to another large enclosure with another group of prisoners caught up in something. The two groups began to argue, and Kim was getting bored of their dispute. She took out one of her coins and threw it against the floor; she didn?t care what the result would be, but she needed the distraction. Many of the prisoners ducked as the smoke materialized while the Solver proceeded to jump over the prisoners to see the source of their squabble:
A woman. Of moderate age, and Chinese descent. But what were more obvious were the bruises and bloodstains, and a look of scorn on her face. Kim pitied her and wanted to resolve this peacefully.
"I understand you've suffered-"
The Solver?s sentence was snapped in two as the woman shoved her to the floor. Some of the mob helped her get back up as she tried to convince her, but the woman wouldn?t budge.
"Then please surrender."
Those were the only words that came out the woman's mouth, and the Solver's eyes closed shut at her only option. Kim was about to respond, but was stopped when she felt a coldness pricking her neck. Her eyes opened and saw the woman had a knife to her. Thinking quickly, she rolled away from the knife's path, while the one hand had brandished her truncheon while the other reached for her coins...
They weren?t there. Someone stole them. And that revelation was punctuated by a thunderous boom. All but forgetting the woman she was supposed to fight, she ran. Whatever came from the explosion was from her coins.
In front of her War broke out in the room; the prisoners armed with coin-made weapons fought and killed rifle-armed black soldiers bearing the clubs insignia. Lives were snuffed out from her coins. Without thinking, she tossed her coat at one of them and proceeded to give the man a solid whack in the stomach. The man keeled over while three more moved to surround Kim with knives in hand.
She had no hope in victory so she retreated in the corridor. What she didn't expect were two Clubs soldiers were pursuing her. If she wasn't as fast as she was, the chasers' guns would?ve crippled her. But in front of her was the woman she abandoned, still brandishing her knife with a look of conviction. Kim walked right into it, and without the protection of her coat her shoulder was bleeding further. Her arm instinctively moved to cover the new wound.
"What were you hoping to accomplish? You came here seeking justice. Was this it? You gave weapons to prisoners, and let them loose!" The woman said to her with words like bullets to her soul and Kim was fighting back tears. Despite her original intentions, the woman was right; she did more harm than good. With the prisoners using her coins, maybe it was better to stop...
"...No."
A look of confusion decorated the Chinese woman?s features. "No?"
"No... I must set things right. Either help me or kill me."
And no more words were said. The rest of the fight became a trance; the Solver used her nets to pin her opponent into submission, while the knife sought out her flesh. There was no clear victor as no-one held any advantage.
Then the soldier?s guns rang out again, and their threat was brought back into Kim's mind. She turned to see the hallway, and the black living silhouettes were staring right at her. She then turned back to her opponent and was unable to react against her knife; the Solver received a serious gash on her left cheek and was collapsed on the floor. The woman was right above her poised to make the killing blow. And the soldier saw her.
?No! Get back!-? But the words were too late. The gun's thunder struck, and the woman now lied before her, dead eyes staring out in anguish. A photo lied crumpled beside the body, and Kim saw to look at it. It was a picture of a little girl, and something dawned on her.
She?s a mother. Kim could hold back the torrent no longer; she became an accessory to a mother's death. She grasped one of the mother's hands and cried.
