The Fringe | A flash fiction story
14 of 💯
Crash screamed and begged as they dragged her out by her feet. She flailed and yelled, tried to hold on to something, to kick them away. All useless. They stomped forward, boots on concrete, and threw her over the edge and onto the dirt. They walked back inside the massive walls, the doors closing behind them.
She got to her feet and ran back after them. She banged a metallic hand against the transparent doors.
"Please, let me in," she cried, cheeks covered in wet mascara.
She banged once and twice and only stopped when a blinding red light came down over her. A gentle voice announced, "Aggressive behavior detected. Please, step away from the red area or we will open fire."
A number of spotlights painted a large area around her in red light. The voice repeated the warning in the same gentle tone.
The sea of red went just as far as the edge of the concrete, all the area surrounding the walls covered in vivid scarlet light. When the voice started the sentence for the third time, she ran.
She dove over the edge and landed on the dirt just as the gunshots started — a storm of ricocheting bullets. The storm stopped a moment later, and instead of bullets, she was covered in hands.
They grabbed her hair and her clothes and clawed things away from her. They took her boots and her jacket, ripped the pants out of her. Someone grabbed her mechanical arm and yanked it away from her body.
Crash closed her eyes, screaming and crying. When she was sure she was going to die, the sound of an explosion cut the air, soundwaves traveling through her bones. A yell followed. "Shoo! Fuck off, all of you! Stay away from her!"
There was a sound of people scurrying away. She opened her eyes and saw Maya holding a shotgun.
"Fucking vultures," Maya said and extended a hand to Crash. "Are you okay?"
Crash shook her head no.
Maya nodded. "Welcome to the Fringe."
< The Green Sea | The Fringe | Layman >
This entry to the 100 Story Challenge was suggested by The Perusing Muse on Twitter. Thanks!
