New York City, 2025: Everything is changed. The city that never sleeps
is now a land of death and decay. A rampant virus has taken over and
the survivors have become carriers, quarantined from the rest of the
world.
Twist and Dodger grew up in the streets, the sewers and
underground tunnels – their playground. They aren’t heroes. They just
like attention; and stealing meds from the rich and giving them to the
poor is their golden ticket.
On their latest raid, they
unknowingly steal a cure that puts them square between the ailing
Emperor of Manhattan and the war hungry Governor of Brooklyn and forces
them on a quest into the darkest shadows of their putrefying world.
Here's an interview with the main cast: Dodger and Twist!
Wilbert: Hi everyone, today I have a
special treat for you, flown in on a secret military chopper from the shadows
of New York City, are Twist and Dodger, better known as —
Dodger: Dodger and Twist.
Wilbert: Excuse me?
D: It’s Dodger and Twist.
Twist: Oh come on, really?
D: Well it just sounds better. Straight
from the shadows of New York City, Dodger and Twist, better known as the Gutter
Punks!
W: Ok, well… sorry about that.
T: It’s really not all that important—
D: We were promised a really attractive
female reporter, not a writer… What happened to her?
W: Well she couldn’t make it; she’s
conducting an interview with Gia.
T: Gia is getting interviewed too? Did she
say anything about me?
D: Here we go again, all you have to do is
mention Gia and he falls to pieces.
T: I don’t fall to pieces… I just wanted to
know if she mentioned me.
D: Yeah she mentioned what a dork you are. Am
I right Wilbert!?
W: Well, no, I’m sure she thinks very
highly of you—
T: Really?
W: Yeah, you’re a nice guy. You steal meds
from the rich and give them to the poor. I mean that’s what you guys are known
for right? Helping out those in need, trying to make New York a better place?
D: I do it for the women, really. I mean
not that I have problems in that area, but it’s a really good way to get into a
girl’s—
T: He’s lying! We do it to make a
difference. It isn’t right that all those rich tower babies get all the meds
and live in the safety of their towers, while the rest of us are forced to live
underground. We couldn’t, wouldn’t stand for it anymore. So we had to make a
difference!
D: Also the women love it, did I mention
how they drop their—
T: Oh, god, can we just get on with the
interview without you saying something offensive?
D: We can try, but I make no promises. You
know the longer I talk the easier it is for me to say something inappropriate.
T: Nice to meet you Wilbert, and thanks for
having us… did you have any questions?
W: I… um… yeah, we got a little off track
there, didn’t we?
T: Sorry that happens with us, we have the
gift of gab.
D: Oh would you let that go? Gia once told
him we have the gift of gab and he acts like she wants to date him or
something.
T: Let’s talk about something else.
W: Okay, why don’t you tell us how you guys
met?
D: That’s easy, I saved his life.
T: He didn’t really save my life—
D: He was a scrawny little orphaned street
rat with nowhere to go. If it hadn’t been for me protecting him from some
street kids and taking him under my wing, he’d be dead.
T: He tried to rob me, when he saw I didn’t
have anything he decided to help.
W: So wait, Dodger and a bunch of street
kids tried robbing you?
D: We wouldn’t put it like that… would we?
T: No what actually happened is the street
kids were robbing me, and then Dodger joined in!
D: I decided to help in the end though…
that counts for something.
T: Then we both got beat up.
D: Yeah, but after that I took you under my
wing, and taught you the laws of the street.
T: I will admit I learned a lot from Dodge.
D: See I saved his life!
W: Well… it actually looks like we are
running out of time, I guess one last question.
D: Okay, where is the hot interviewer I was
promised, the one with the huge—
T: I think he meant he has one last
question…
W: What do you guys have planned next?
T: We are going where no one has ever gone
before, beyond the quarantined zone.
W: That sounds frightening.
T: It is, we have no way of knowing what’s
out there. But it’s something we have to do. For all the people who look to us
for help, for a better tomorrow.
D: Oh god, really? Is that what you’re
closing with? Let’s just say we are about to save the world. And be done with
this interview.
W: Well thanks for your time, I think. I
look forward to hearing about your adventures. And um, good luck with
everything.
D: Whatever.
T: Thanks, sorry about him. I enjoyed
meeting you.
Cigar turned his head to the
side until his neck cracked, then again to the other side. He reached for one
of his guns. I knew my face went pale, my hands began to shake, and the
prospect of throwing myself through the glass window seemed more and more inviting.
He put the gun on the counter with a noticeable thud, taking care to aim the
muzzle at Dodger.
“Now, now, Fred, we’re all
friends here.”
“Name’s not Fred, and you’re
no friend of mine.”
“And here I invite you into
my place of business and offer you my liquor, thinking we shared the bond that
comes with supply and demand―”
“I’m beginning to wonder how
you came to own this place. Last I been here, the bartender was a lot older.”
Dodger slammed a cup down on
the counter. Prying the whiskey bottle from my frozen fingers, he poured a
drink and chugged it down. “Maybe you don’t want to find out.”
This made Cigar laugh, a slow
chuckle. “You got a set on you, huh? Now why don’t you tell me where this vault
is, and pray to God that there’s more value in it than in turning over a couple
of Gutter Punks!”
The game was over. He knew
who we were. Frankly, it wasn’t surprising. Dodger and I had made quite the
reputation for ourselves, but this, this wasn’t in our favor. And the threat
was on the table in the form of a shiny gun.
Dodger held up his hands in
mock surprise. “Ahh, you made us. Fine, maybe we can help each other. I tell
you where to find the vault, and you walk away?”
“I’ll decide on that when I
see fit.”
Dodger looked at me and
winked. I knew the look. It meant I had to stay on my toes. After taking a swig
of the whiskey, he went through his pockets and produced the lighter I stole at
the Empire. I sat on the tip of my stool as he held it out to Cigar, who smiled
in turn.
“Smart boy,” he said, holding
out his cigar in Dodger’s direction. Dodger opened the lid and flicked the
wheel, causing the flame to spark. As soon as Cigar leaned in close enough to
light his cigar, Dodger spit the whiskey at him, and the lighter’s flame
in-between ignited the flammable liquid, shooting a hail of fire into Cigar’s
face.
He yelled, clawing at the
flames. His beard caught on fire; the smell of burning hair was instant. I used
the distraction to my advantage and jumped for the gun before his wild hands
could find it, training the muzzle on him before he could regain composure.
Dodger and I tensed as he got up, brushing the last of his scorched beard from
his face.
“You
boys really made a mistake. What you fixing to do, huh? Shoot me? Look at you,
ain’t no man in you! Shaking like a leaf. What makes you think I think you have
the balls to shoot me? You got the fear of God in your eyes, but you know what,
boy? I ain’t God… I’m the Devil.”
Wilbert Stanton was born and raised in New York City. From an early
age, Wilbert decided he would either write books or take over the
world; everything else was just a precursor to his end game.
Along
the way, he has studied Psychology, English, and Computer Science. He’s
held jobs in a wide range of fields and met people from all walks
of life. Wilbert is constantly learning and growing as a person, in
order to solidify his dreams.
In the end world domination was a bit tedious, so he decided to focus on writing books.
His links
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