Session #4
After Ezra showed the guard his “passport”, he holstered his pistol, and casually strolled into the city entrance. It wasn’t as familiar as he hoped it would be, but after 15 years of being away, he did anticipate some change.
The streets were way busier than they used to be. People flooded the street markets, buying and selling food, services, and spare parts they had laying around. With the additional foot traffic also came additional noise. People were becoming more abundant as they were rising from their beds and beginning their day. Advertisements were shouted and proclaimed from the stores, and conversations rose from a dull roar to a loud scream. It may be louder, but to Ezra, it was still home.
“Baird,” Ezra whispered to himself. “Gotta find Baird.”
Baird had a tendency to stay reclusive, and typically not male himself known to too many people. Ezra didn’t know if it wad because he was anti-social, or just awkward. Baird had always been a good friend, and a nice guy, so Ezra just assumed he didn’t like people. Baird did always have trouble with girls, too, but that’s besides the point.
The city was definitely a little different than what he remembered, so the first thing he decided to do was ask for directions. Baird said he would be in the New Manhattan area, but with everything being different from when he left, he needed to find out if New Manhattan still existed. Ezra walked over to a shop he recognized, and hailed the current clerk, Peter, a young man he actually knew.
“Hey, Peter!” Ezra waved. “Been a long time, man.”
“Ezra? Ezra Kane?” Peter scratched his head in wonder. “That can’t be you, can it?”
“Of course it is, Peter!” Ezra said. “God, man, last time I saw you you were barely at my waist!”
“You don’t look any different than before,” Peter noted, looking Ezra up and down. “Like, at all.”
“Mother Nature likes me, I guess,” Ezra said. “I mean, she must, after that glorious night we had together.”
“Uh huh,” Peter humored Ezra.
“How have you been?”
“Well, I’m fine, I suppose. Things jut started picking themselves back up around here, so folks are trying to live their lives again.”
“Picking back up?” Ezra looked around the market. “What do you mean? What happened?”
“People have been pretty…worried. Lately, resistance groups have been popping up around the city. Folks have been lining up around the block to get involved, but parents have been holding up their kids, practically tying them to a tree to get them to stay home.”
“What’s got them so worried? Who’re they resisting?” Ezra asked.
Peter’s face went blank, and he looked around slowly. “It’s not really a good idea to mention it right now. Come by later, I’ll explain more.”
Ezra didn’t fully understand Peter’s caution, but he respected him enough where he didn’t press
the issue. “Alright, Peter, I’ll come by later. Oh! I almost forgot. The city is different than I remember, is New Manhattan still around?”
“Yeah, it is,” Peter said. “Hold on, I’ll get you a map.”
Ezra couldn’t have looked more like a tourist. His face was twisted in a look of confusion and more confusion, and he was constantly tilting the map in every direction. Not only were Peter’s handwritten notes messy, Ezra recognized nothing, so using landmarks to gain a current location was pointless. Regardless, he pressed on, hoping to eventually find his bearings, and maybe Baird while he was at it. It was beginning To get darker out, and Ezra had no place to stay. He figured he should double-time it to where Baird’s place might be, so he eeny-meeny-miny-moed which street to take.
Ezra’s face was still stuck in the map when he started down the narrow street, but his ears perked at the sound of a woman yelling. He wrenched his eyes to see a young brunette woman being hassled by three men in uniforms.
“Get the hell off of me! Do I look like a fricken’ hooker, man?” she yelled.
“I don’t care if that’s not your job in the day. Tonight, you do what we say.”
“Fuck you! I’m not doing anything with you guys! Get OFF!”
The girl pushed the soldier away, and swung her right arm into a hook, catching him right on the jaw, flooring him. The others weren’t as impressed at her finesse as Ezra, and after helping their friend up, they grabbed the girl and were struggling to subdue her.
Ezra sighed, annoyed at his own soft spot for women. He folded the map up carefully and put it into his coat pocket.
“I think you better leave that little lady alone,” Ezra said loudly. “She seems pretty adamant in her position of you not violating her.”
The three soldiers turned and faced Ezra.
“Can’t imagine why though, ugly mugs like yours.”
“Hey, screw you and stay out of it, punk!” one of them shouted back. “Or you’re next!”
“I’m next? So, and orgy now, is it? I’m not so sure I swing that way, pal.”
The closest one started walking rapidly towards Ezra. “Did you not hear me, asshole?”
“Looks like we’re skipping the foreplay, then,” Ezra sighed. He grabbed the soldier and flipped him over his head, making a loud grunt and thud behind him. He ran at the other two soldiers and punched one in the cheek, practically shoving him with his fist at high velocity away from the girl. Still in stride, Ezra grabbed and pinned the third man to the ground with his knee, and in half a flash he pulled out his black pistol and aimed it at one of the potential prowlers.
“None of you know how to please a woman, do you?” he tisked.
“What the fuck, man?” the first soldier groaned, getting back up.
“Look, it might be the alcohol in me, but I’ll give you guys one shot to get the hell out of here,” Ezra said, waving his gun towards the exit.
“Hey, screw you, man!”
Ezra rapidly pulled the trigger on his pistol, dropping the two in front of him. He twirled the gun on his index finger for a moment.
“You know what I just remembered?” he asked the soldier under his knee.
“What?” he gasped.
He pushed the gun against the soldier’s temple.
“I haven’t had anything to drink today.”
Bang.
Ezra put his pistol away, and offered his hand to the girl, who was siting against the wall. She took Ezra’s hand, and stood.
She was very beautiful, so Ezra saw the soldier’s reasoning for their pursuit of her. Her brown hair was undone, probably in the scuffle, and her green eyes seemed to glow in the dwindling light. She had a sturdy body, not being very dainty like other women Ezra has met.
“Thank you,” she said, brushing herself off. “You saved me a great deal of ass-kicking.”
“Anytime,” Ezra smiled.
“I’m lucky you came when you did. Another minute or so, and…”
“You’re lucky I came down here when I did. I randomly picked this road to walk through.”
“You’re not from around here, I take it?” she asked.
“Well, ah ha, no. I’ve been here before, it’s just different than when I remember.”
“Well, since you saved me, I could offer you directions,” she petitioned.
“You could offer me your name, first,” Ezra laughed.
“Faye.”
“Ah. Well, Faye, you wouldn’t happen to know where a man by the name of Baird lives, do you?”
Faye’s smile vanished, and her tone was very serious.
“As a matter of fact,” she peeked around the corner. “I do.”
