I Didn't Kill Them!

The underpass on the outskirts of Gen City was crumbling with age, the street riddled with cracks and the sidewalk littered with garbage. Faded World War III propaganda posters clung stubbornly to the walls, their colors long since leached by time. Near the entrance, Tamara stood waiting, her foot bouncing restlessly. She glanced at her watch—9:45 a.m. With a quick swipe of her hand, she wiped sweat from her brow.

From the shadowed depths of the underpass, an unmarked limousine emerged, sleek and unassuming. It rolled to a stop beside her, its door opening on its own. Taking a steadying breath, Tamara cleared her throat and stepped inside.

The car began moving as soon as the door shut behind her.

"What is it?" Tamara asked, her tone sharp.

Across from her sat Donna, legs crossed, her attention fixed on the screen of her smartwatch. She didn’t bother looking up as she replied, "No need to be rude, Tamara."

Tamara frowned. "If you needed to tell me something, I don’t understand why you couldn’t just message it. This is my only break from work."

Donna’s fingers paused over her watch. "And leave a digital footprint? You must think I’m stupid." She finally raised her eyes to meet Tamara’s. "How is the boy?"

Tamara stiffened. "Don’t worry, no one knows who he is."

"Really?" Donna tilted her head, her tone calm but probing. "I heard your brother moved in recently." When Tamara said nothing, Donna added, "I haven’t seen him since we were kids."

"You leave him out of this," Tamara snapped, her voice low and firm. "He had some trouble and needed a place to stay. It would have been weird if I said no."

Donna nodded faintly, as if considering this. "I understand. Family is important."

The limousine slowed to a stop, the door swinging open once again. Tamara glanced outside and realized they were back where they’d started. Donna’s voice turned colder as she said, "That child better stay hidden. I didn’t have to let you two live. Remember that. By the way, we had a raid the other night and some of the rebels got away. It was near some of our old stomping grounds."

"So? You're the one in charge."

Tamara glared at her, but Donna met her icy stare with one of her own, calm yet commanding. Powerful yet dignified.

Without a word, Tamara stepped out of the car. The door shut behind her, and the limousine sped away into the shadows. Left alone, Tamara stood still for a moment, seething. Then she spat on the ground and walked away.

***

In the dark void of Club Polarity, women's lipstick and brightly colored wigs stood out as the crowd went wild with every beat drop. Lights flashed behind the DJ, and holograms of animals flew through the air. Noa headed directly backstage.

The green room was filled with smoke billowing from tubes connected to large orbs. People laughed and drank, their eyes foggy and red. Fuyuhiro paced back and forth at the back of the room, speaking into a black earbud.

"Noa!" he exclaimed, clearly stressed. "Triple Matrix didn't show, did he?"" Nope," Noa replied." Do you have new music?" Fuyuhiro asked, a glimmer of hope in his voice. "Of course," Noa responded. Fuyuhiro spoke into the phone again, "How far is he?"" The closer has to start in 10 minutes, or we're fucked," Noa warned. Fuyuhiro rubbed his temples, looking overwhelmed. "Look, you lucked out. If you fuck this up, I don't want to see you here ever again, understand? In fact..."

He darted to the back for a moment, then returned with a blue mask shaped like a demon's face. "Wear this!" Onstage, Noa—now wearing the mask—stood behind the current DJ. A stagehand motioned for him to take over, and he nodded to the other DJ. They slowly transitioned to Noa's music, and the hologram signs changed to display his theme. The crowd loved his music, and as the countdown started, they counted along with it.

"Three... Two... One! Happy New Year!" Noa shouted. The roof shined: Happy 2100! He reached into his jacket and pulled out the flash drive, hesitating for only a moment before plugging it into the black box. The music switched over to the flash drive, mixed with a bass track. The crowd went wild, screaming at the top of their lungs. 

Something was off—they were screaming in pain!

The patrons covered their ears, and Noa looked around the crowd in confusion. Fuyuhiro was on his knees, scratching at the back of his neck. The patrons' save chips blinked rapidly, faster and faster, until they turned red. The screams turned into animalistic wails as they attacked one another.

A man smashed a bottle on the bar counter and shoved the shard into another man's neck. Blood squirted out of the wound.

"What the fuck?" Noa muttered, stunned by the chaos. From the bar, a voice yelled out, "The song! Turn the music off!" Noa reached for the flash drive, but Fuyuhiro tackled him, and they went rolling across the floor. Fuyuhiro bit Noa's shoulder, causing him to yelp in pain. It took all of Noa's strength to shove Fuyuhiro off him.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Noa shouted. Fuyuhiro growled and lunged for Noa again. Noa dodged, and Fuyuhiro fell into the pit of madness. A woman with high heels started stomping on him hard, and soon he was covered in bloody holes. Noa unplugged the flash drive, but the patrons didn't stop. They continued attacking, killing each other and the workers. Fearing for his life, Noa sprinted offstage, fleeing the horrifying scene. He rips off his blood covered mask.

***

Dex surveys the parade from a rooftop. He gets a call in his ear piece.

"Keeper Dex?" he says, "Yes sir, I'm still... what's happening? I'M ON MY WAY!"

***

In the bar area of Club Polarity, bartenders threw bottles at the crazed patrons in self-defense. The bottles shattered against them but seemed to have no effect. "What the fuck is happening?" Jill yelled. "I don't know, but somehow his music got worse!" Jack replied. The drunk from yesterday hopped behind the counter. Jill threw bottles at him, but he swatted them out of the air. Jack jumped at him from behind her, but the man punched him in the face and threw him over the counter. 

Jill slipped and fell on some spilled alcohol. The man loomed over her, and her eyes grew wide in fear. She put her hands up in defense.

"No! Please!" she cried. WHAM! A chair hit the man hard in the back of the head, and he fell to the ground. Noa stood over him, chair still in hand. The man tried to get up, but Noa beat him again and again and again until he stayed down. 

Blood stained Noa's clothes as he helped Jill to her feet.

"The exit! Go for the side door!" he shouted. Jill nodded and leaped over the counter. She sprinted to an emergency exit door and ran out. The patrons funneled out into the streets. Noa hopped back over the counter. Jack was on the ground being attacked. Noa kicked and punched the crowd off him and pulled Jack to his feet. Someone stabbed Noa in the arm, and he screamed in pain. Jack beat the man away, and they sprinted outside to safety.

Noa, Jill, and Jack burst out the doors of Club Polarity and into a scene of chaos. The patrons had taken to the streets, attacking everything and everyone indiscriminately. It had turned into a full-scale riot. Keepers had already descended onto the scene and, without hesitation, began shooting and killing the attacking patrons. Noa, Jill, and Jack, covered in blood, ran off into the night, fleeing from the horrifying scene.