Chapter 12:

Ch. 12: the shopping district: part 1

Neo Discadia: Rise of the Sewer Rats


“damn Neo, what the hell happened in there? it’s like one minute you were all ‘whaaaaa’ and the next you were all ‘WHAM!’ kickin’ ass, takin’ names!” Johnny said

“Yeah! I haven’t seen you that fired up in a long time!” Erika said

“c’mon guys it wasn't that big of deal” Neo said

“it so too is a big deal! You're finally taking the weight of the world off your shoulders! You're finally letting yourself get into this! With that attitude, there's nothing that can stand in our way” Johnny said as he opened the door to their room.

“Wendy we're hoooome!” Johnny said

“welcome hooome!!!” Wendy said running straight towards them. As soon as Johnny was through the door, Wendy ambushed him “I was so scared! One minute we were all sleeping together and when I wake up you’re all gone!”

“haha… sorry about that… did you see us on TV? Neo went all out this time! it was a sight to behold!” Johnny said

“I did! I did! I cheered when you won! That meanie announcer guy was talking all that smack, saying how last time you won by a fluke. But I knew my siblings would show them up!”

“whoa, Wendy you seem more fired up then we were!” Johnny said watching Wendy blow steam out of her nostrils.

“Hey Wendy, I brought some more snacks for you!” Erika said pulling plastic bags out from under her shirt

Wendy’s eyes lit up “ahhhhhh thank you!!!!” she launched herself up to hug Erika

“so you saw the whole thing?” Neo said to Wendy now on Erika’s shoulders as they walked into the room.

“yeah! how could I look away! Neo, you were so awesome! Flying through the air and taking people out like it was nothing!”

“you didn't see before that?” Neo said

“oh! You’re right!” Wendy said hopping off of Erika “I’m sorry big sis, you must still be hurtn from that taser”

“oh, no, its nothing! Its not like carrying you is that much of a pain!”

that much?! what do you mean by that!” Wendy said

“she means you need to lay off the sweets” Johnny said teasing her

“I didn't eat any today! Stop being so mean!!!” Wendy said

Neo was confused, did they not air the footage from the fight in its entirety? If so, why? he must have caught a lucky break he thought. He let out a sigh of relief, he didn't want Wendy to see him in that way.

“you know,” Erika said wrenching him from his thoughts “today was a close call, we got lucky from sign up all the way to the end. Today could have been a lot worse…”

“Yeah” Neo said thinking back to the gruesome Taser tag execution. They strapped the poor woman up in the electric chair and coursed “500,000” volts at 12 amps through her body until her eyeballs melted off. Just recalling it made him squirm.

“c’mon guys lighten up! We won! Now let’s go spend some of that prize money!”

“hey, that's not a bad idea!” Erika said

“you go on ahead, I’m gonna give mine to Wendy for safe keeping” Neo said handing his wad of cash to Wendy

“safe keeping huh?” Erika said as she saw Wendy grab the money and put it in the glass jar she had on the kitchen counter “Wendy, shouldn't you put that away somewhere people won’t see?”

“where’s the fun in that?” she said “I want the whole world to see how awesome you guys are!”

What Wendy said both shocked and made Erika smile with a glint in her eye. She shrugged her shoulders “Welp, if you say so!”

“what are you guys still doing? C’mon guys! let’s go!” Johnny said already washed up and ready to shop till he drops. Erika Neo and Wendy all looked at each other, shrugged, and got ready to go. Even Neo, albeit reluctantly.

In the time they've spent in the city, all they've done is train and go to games, they haven’t had any time to see what the city has to offer. But as the old adage goes, all work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy. It was time to hit the town and hit it hard.

It’s true that 90% of the city’s economy circulated around the games, but the commission knew how important it was to not put all your eggs in one basket, so, it established funds and opportunities for small business owners to set up shop in the market district, as long as the commission received a cut of the profits of course. That's capitalism baby!

The gang had more than enough options to choose from. It felt like there were more shops then people almost. But that would undersell the hustle and bustle of the shopping district. Mostly because no one had the money to spend other than the fat cats, their spoiled brats littered the streets with their servants to do their shopping for them. some would even sit and have lunch and sent their servants to whatever stores within sight that struck their fancy. There were also other athletes as well looking for ways to dispose of their disposable income. I guess the sewer rats weren’t the only ones with the bright ideas. The four of them went into shop after shop trying on all different kinds of clothes from all different kinds of cultures. Being one of the few hotspots for civilization left, the cultural hodgepodge of people coming from all over the continent to make a living was evident in every facet of the city outside of the arenas. The arenas were so dominant and so prevalent in this society, that you’d be forgiven for forgetting there was an entire city surrounding them. You'd be forgiven for forgetting how all of this was paid for in blood. The sheer amount of people was astounding, it was much more than any of them expected. And way more than Wendy could handle.

She had never seen so many people in her entire life, let alone seeing them all at once squeezed together rushing and brushing through one another. She held onto Neo's hand for dear life hoping she wouldn't get brushed away by a passing mob. When suddenly, Neo grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up over his head and sitting her on his shoulders. She went from seeing mountains of people towering over her and overwhelming her, to catching a bird's eye few of them from above, and it was something truly astonishing for someone who’s lived most of her life in hiding.