walked with a limp as she approached.
“They’re so funny, how they always send out a girl if it’s a girl, and a guy if it’s a guy,” Lucy heard from the tower. “Like it fucking matters. They eat people, and they care who comes out to greet them? I can never get over how messed up they are.”
The girl was now in front of Lucy, holding out the bundle. Her large, almond-shaped eyes were only a little cloudy, and set far apart on her round face. She must’ve been very pretty, with a voluptuous, young body, and a bright, innocent face. But now she just looked forlorn and stupid, gazing over Lucy’s shoulder with her mouth slightly open, swaying there among the broken-down buildings. Lucy took the clothes from her and nodded slightly. She got no response before the girl turned to shuffle back the way she had come.
“The hot cheerleader’s limping worse,” Lucy heard one guard say. “We’re gonna have to put her down.”
“But she’s so fucking hot,” another one said. “I love watching her walk around. And it’s not like with real girls: you can stare all day and no one cares, no one tells you to stop. You can just sit back and enjoy the show all day long.”
Some chuckles and catcalls. “You’re sick. How can you say shit like that?”
“Hey—what’s wrong with looking? They’re perfect for that. It’s not like they mind. I don’t see any problem.”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t. It’s just gross. And besides, she hasn’t been on patrol in weeks. We’re gonna get written up if the inspectors come by. You know the rules.”
“All right. Don’t get all scared of the city council like a bunch of girls. I’ll take care of it.” Lucy heard a metallic click, and then someone shouted, “Hey!”
The girl stopped walking and turned back around. Her big brown eyes were looking right at Lucy, who shut her eye against the inevitable. She only flinched a little when the shot came a second later.
That was another thing about living people, besides their sickening smell: they were always so damned loud, with all their crashes and explosions, gunshots and screaming. Why couldn’t they ever just shut up and be still?
Lucy opened her eye, and took a step forward. The body looked peaceful in the grass there, the eyes looking up at the sky; it had been as quick an end as one could hope for, so there was no logical reason for how much rage Lucy felt at that moment. But if anything, that only increased its intensity. She dug her fingers into the bundle she held and clenched her jaw till it hurt and her ears rang.
“Hey, new meat!” Lucy heard from the tower. She relaxed slightly as she turned toward them, readying herself for whatever new indignity or violence they intended.
“Put the uniform on,” the guard said. “Rules.”
Yeah, they always liked that word—”rules.” Covered all sorts of ugliness that they loved so much. Lucy unfolded the stiff shirt and frowned at it. It smelled good, like dead people, but she still felt funny putting on such a weird piece of clothing. After a moment, she began to pull it on anyway.
“No,” she heard when the shirt was over her head. “Take off what you got on first.”
There were groans and laughter from the other men: “Not that again, you sick fuck! Oh, you can’t be serious! You’re one sick bastard!”
“Hey—you made me shoot my other piece of eye candy! This one’s fine as hell too!” The one man pointed at Lucy. “Hey, honey! When you’re done with that, put something over that mess on your face. I don’t want to see that when you’re sashaying around here. Ruins everything.”
It was extremely difficult and slow, trying to get her dress off without Truman’s help, but Lucy eventually got the buttons undone in the back. She stared at the girl’s body as she worked, at the way the breeze now moved the grass around the corpse; it gave her something to focus on, something to distract from the shame.
Lucy let the dress drop to the
“They’re so funny, how they always send out a girl if it’s a girl, and a guy if it’s a guy,” Lucy heard from the tower. “Like it fucking matters. They eat people, and they care who comes out to greet them? I can never get over how messed up they are.”
The girl was now in front of Lucy, holding out the bundle. Her large, almond-shaped eyes were only a little cloudy, and set far apart on her round face. She must’ve been very pretty, with a voluptuous, young body, and a bright, innocent face. But now she just looked forlorn and stupid, gazing over Lucy’s shoulder with her mouth slightly open, swaying there among the broken-down buildings. Lucy took the clothes from her and nodded slightly. She got no response before the girl turned to shuffle back the way she had come.
“The hot cheerleader’s limping worse,” Lucy heard one guard say. “We’re gonna have to put her down.”
“But she’s so fucking hot,” another one said. “I love watching her walk around. And it’s not like with real girls: you can stare all day and no one cares, no one tells you to stop. You can just sit back and enjoy the show all day long.”
Some chuckles and catcalls. “You’re sick. How can you say shit like that?”
“Hey—what’s wrong with looking? They’re perfect for that. It’s not like they mind. I don’t see any problem.”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t. It’s just gross. And besides, she hasn’t been on patrol in weeks. We’re gonna get written up if the inspectors come by. You know the rules.”
“All right. Don’t get all scared of the city council like a bunch of girls. I’ll take care of it.” Lucy heard a metallic click, and then someone shouted, “Hey!”
The girl stopped walking and turned back around. Her big brown eyes were looking right at Lucy, who shut her eye against the inevitable. She only flinched a little when the shot came a second later.
That was another thing about living people, besides their sickening smell: they were always so damned loud, with all their crashes and explosions, gunshots and screaming. Why couldn’t they ever just shut up and be still?
Lucy opened her eye, and took a step forward. The body looked peaceful in the grass there, the eyes looking up at the sky; it had been as quick an end as one could hope for, so there was no logical reason for how much rage Lucy felt at that moment. But if anything, that only increased its intensity. She dug her fingers into the bundle she held and clenched her jaw till it hurt and her ears rang.
“Hey, new meat!” Lucy heard from the tower. She relaxed slightly as she turned toward them, readying herself for whatever new indignity or violence they intended.
“Put the uniform on,” the guard said. “Rules.”
Yeah, they always liked that word—”rules.” Covered all sorts of ugliness that they loved so much. Lucy unfolded the stiff shirt and frowned at it. It smelled good, like dead people, but she still felt funny putting on such a weird piece of clothing. After a moment, she began to pull it on anyway.
“No,” she heard when the shirt was over her head. “Take off what you got on first.”
There were groans and laughter from the other men: “Not that again, you sick fuck! Oh, you can’t be serious! You’re one sick bastard!”
“Hey—you made me shoot my other piece of eye candy! This one’s fine as hell too!” The one man pointed at Lucy. “Hey, honey! When you’re done with that, put something over that mess on your face. I don’t want to see that when you’re sashaying around here. Ruins everything.”
It was extremely difficult and slow, trying to get her dress off without Truman’s help, but Lucy eventually got the buttons undone in the back. She stared at the girl’s body as she worked, at the way the breeze now moved the grass around the corpse; it gave her something to focus on, something to distract from the shame.
Lucy let the dress drop to the
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