******
Kaylee's travel took her into the mostly-empty residential area. The red-brown stains of old dried blood remained in the locations that once held Citizen soldier bodies. Kaylee briefly wondered where they moved them to, but upon consideration decided that she didn't really want to know.
Within the residential area where Kaylee now walked, the buildings were separated by a few feet, barely enough for a person to walk between. The buildings were very tall, apartment-style structures that housed hundreds of people and families. Houses, due to limited space since the isolationism, were fairly rare. Only a few remained, and only for those who were wealthy or stubborn enough to avoid replacement by more economical living arrangements.
Kaylee walked on a broken sidewalk, weeds running rampant and bursting through the cracks. A few people must have remained in the area, as there were a couple of working street lamps to keep a little bit of light. Kaylee didn't know which of the houses or flats were home to refugees, criminals, or anything else, and she preferred to keep it that way. It always seemed safer not to meet anyone.
Which was why she dove behind a set of steps leading up to a tall brick housing complex upon seeing two figures moving toward her. She scraped herself on the dried husks of shrubbery, swearing under her breath as the people approached. She poked her head over the edge, watching as they neared. She ducked back down, held her breath, and listened to their hushed tones.
"…not a clue where this man is supposed to be. How in the hell are we supposed to find him if all they give us is a general location? Sergei is out of his mind!" a loud female voice sounded with a prominent accent.
Sergei? Kaylee had heard this name before. He was another faction leader. A small-time Russian underboss, a couple of generations removed from his parent country. The criminal organization to which he belonged was gutted when the call for lower level Citizenship came, losing a significant amount of their members. Long before that, they were a thriving organization, still clinging to some ideals of their old nationalism. This, in turn, attracted more members to immigrate to the city from other areas, before Lange took over and shut down any movement to or from the outside. In terms of their organized criminal activities, they remained very mild, mostly dabbling in black market activities and running their own acquisitions when they could. From what Kaylee had heard, Sergei was actually a good leader who worked hard to keep his people alive. She also heard he was a little bit crazy.
The other person, a man, chuckled. His accent was less obvious. "Take it easy Tanya; he has the right idea by going and trying to make contact. If the bastard Citizens are going to be sending people to kill us instead of just kidnapping, then something has to be done."
"Yes, I understand that!" she snapped back. "Why don't we deal with it ourselves instead of trying to find this phantom man?"
The man sighed. "Our organization is nothing like what it was. You know this. We don't have enough people left to fight the Citizens ourselves. Besides, you saw the bodies; they say that this Elijah lured them down here into an ambush. We need such a man; he could help us."
She remained indignant. "You are a mewling pup Eugene! If we showed strength instead of behaving like weak little sheep, the Citizenship and fools like the Silver Fox would run and cower!"
The footfalls stopped about ten feet away from the stairs behind which Kaylee hid. She could hear the sounds of small scuffling. She watched as the man grabbed the woman by both shoulders. She struggled to shake him off.
"Listen to me. Listen!" He shook her; she stopped resisting long enough to shoot him a deadly glare. "The time for strength will come, but we cannot manage it by ourselves! We have to make alliances with proper people. This Elijah is one of the few people who has taken on the Citizens and won!"
Tanya rolled her eyes. "Fine. Just remember: we don't- hey, who's there?!" She shouted, spotting Kaylee's hiding place.
Oh shit. Kaylee jumped up from her hiding place, pulling the small black .22 out of the waistband of her jeans. She held it in front of her, yelling, "Don't move!"
The girl, Tanya, had already yanked a huge combat knife from an ankle sheath, brandishing in front of her in overhand fashion. She half-crouched, poised to strike, baring her teeth in a wild grin.
Eugene grabbed her by the shoulder, pulling her backward. "Wait a-" Instead of listening, she threw a quick elbow to his stomach. Not expecting it, he let out a blast of air and a loud, "Aaaauwf!" as he went down on one knee, clutching his midsection.
Kaylee held the pistol in both hands, training it carefully on the woman who inched her way towards her, dancing back and forth. "Stop! I'll shoot!" she shouted.
The woman kept the grin on her face. "You couldn't hit me anyway," she said. "Look at you; you didn't even remove the safety."
Kaylee's eyes betrayed her. She realized her mistake as, the moment she diverted her glance to the pistol, Tanya juked to the side and sprang. Startled, Kaylee squeezed the trigger before lining up the shot. The unaimed bullet, missing Tanya by several inches. The small recoil snapped the pistol in her hands as her attacker raised the knife.
Tanya didn't arrive. Eugene, on the ground, grabbed her leg and yanked. Tanya sprawled face-first onto the ground, knife flying out of her hand. Kaylee took a few steps back and held the pistol in both hands again, wavering her aim back and forth between the two Russians. Eugene was holding his stomach, still breathing hard, as he stood up.
Tanya rolled over and screamed angrily. She maneuvered to a crouched position, baring her teeth before hurling herself directly into Eugene. His eyes went wide with surprise as she impacted his midsection, tackling him to the ground. Perching on top of him, she pounded Eugene with her fists, spewing insults and curses at him.
She was partway through calling him something Kaylee thought might have been "red-assed whore shit," when he threw her sideways, using the momentum to roll on top of her. He grabbed her wrists, yelling, "Calm down, damn you!" She continued yelling curses and struggling, but she eventually relaxed enough to just glare at him, fuming.
Kaylee watched the entire exchange with mouth agape. Finally, she realized that they were ignoring her. She tried to walk away, giving them wide berth and keeping the pistol aimed as she moved around them.
"Wait!" he yelled to Kaylee. At his brief distraction, Tanya struggled again, "Enough already!" The two scowled at each other for several moments.
The man called Eugene sighed and stood, grabbing Tanya's wrist and hauling her to her feet. The woman took a few steps away and glared at the two of them, breathing hard. She had dark blonde hair, slightly mussed from the activity. She was a little taller than Kaylee but quite scrawny.
Eugene hunched over, hands on his knees, speaking between deep breaths. "Please... everyone… relax…"
Kaylee raised an eyebrow at Tanya, who scowled and folded her arms. Kaylee kicked the fallen knife over. Tanya smirked, picked it up, and held it in one hand, twisting the point lightly into her fingertip. Eugene stood up and took one final deep breath.
"Okay. Now that we're all nice and calm, could you not point that at me?"
Kaylee looked down, almost surprised to notice that she still held the gun aimed at Eugene. She lowered it, thumbing the safety and replacing it again at the back of her jeans. "You're Sergei's people?"
They exchanged glances. "Yes, we are. Who do you work for?" asked Eugene.
"Oh, no one. I'm alone," Kaylee lied.
Eugene shook his head. "Really? Huh… well, what-"
Tanya cut him off. "What were you doing spying on us?"
"What? Oh! Sorry." Kaylee feigned an apologetic face. "I wasn't sure who you were. I saw you down the street, so I ducked behind the staircase. Can't be too careful," she said with a shrug.
Tanya eyed her warily. "I don't-"
Eugene rolled his eyes. "Tanya, be civil." He turned back to Kaylee. "Well, where do you usually stay, miss…?
"Kaylee. I wander around wherever I can scrounge up a little food.
I avoid the downtown area for the most part: too risky. Well, I guess I do stay in the Escape sometimes. Nice beds." Kaylee hoped she was playing her role carefully enough.
Eugene raised an eyebrow at Tanya, who continued to scowl.
Kaylee looked back and forth between the two. "What? What is it?"
"Well, you say you move around a lot. How much do you know about the area ahead?" He gestured down the street from where she had come.
"A little," Kaylee responded, "the arts district is that way. Past there, not too far, is the east wall. If you head south you'll find another residential area, like here." She made a sweeping motion around.
"All right. Are there any inhabitants near there?"
Kaylee raised an eyebrow. "Like who?"
Eugene shrugged. "We're looking for a leader: someone named Elijah?" Kaylee tried to keep her face motionless.
Tanya jumped forward. "Hah! See! She clenches her jaw. She knows the name!"
"Wait, what? Hey!" Kaylee stumbled backward as Tanya seized her shirt.
"Tell us where he is!" She shook Kaylee.
"I don't know!" yelled Kaylee, trying to pry free of the woman's grip.
Eugene stepped in again, grabbing Tanya by the shoulders and shoving her away. "Enough!" He looked at Kaylee once more. "Please. If you have any information, tell us."
Kaylee pondered for a minute, pacing a little, making a show of it. "Well, I don't really know anything about him." She held her hands out in a helpless gesture. "I've heard the name before, and I think you guys might be on the right track. It's rumored there's a settlement around here somewhere, and that some guy named Elijah is the leader." She paused, considering again. "Oh!" She snapped her fingers. "Be careful though. I hear that he's really paranoid, shooting trespassers on sight without questioning it. Maybe you'll want to declare your intentions loudly and often from now on? Otherwise they might just kill you without you ever getting a word in."
Tanya poked her head over Eugene's shoulder. "How is it you are still breathing? You came from that way, and they did not shoot you! How do you know these things?"
Kaylee shrugged, internally worried she was giving too much information away. "Maybe they recognized me? Or maybe it was because I just passed through without stopping to snoop around? I don't really know why." She craned her neck, looking around in all directions. "Look, I'd rather not get caught standing in the middle of nowhere chatting, so if you don't mind…" She made as if to start walking again.
Eugene nodded. "Yes, of course. Thank you for your help, and my apologies for the trouble." He offered his hand, which Kaylee shook.
Tanya scowled, her arms folded. "Let's go, Eugene. Leave the silly girl." She started walking down the street.
Eugene smiled at Kaylee. "Good luck."
She smiled back. "You too."
Kaylee walked in the opposite direction; she hoped she was convincing enough without being too obvious. As she went, she searched her memory for anything about Sergei. She thought she remembered hearing a few things during the several years that she was alone.
Sergei had a decently high rank in the syndicate but had found himself to be near the top of authority when all others deserted, clambering to avoid being trapped in the darkness. The organization spiraled into chaos, dozens of men trying to fill the vacant leadership spot using various means.
Even though practically fearless, Sergei was smart, and he avoided an iron fist approach. He took several trusted individuals into hiding with him while the war for control raged outside. Eventually, clear winners were decided, but the new leadership soon discovered that the dark, abandoned city held no allure of profit.
Any who sought personal gain left when the Citizenship looked to fill out the ranks of their armed forces and Acquisition Squads. They were attracted by the compensation of good food and accommodations, as well as an unspoken promise of the capability to cause suffering. Numerous criminals flocked to the opportunity, finding an outlet for twisted desires.
Sergei had stepped back in, leading the remaining group and welcoming in many others. They had since survived but had faced a great deal of pressure from more aggressive leaders, like Miguel when he first took hold of his own organization. Sergei had been considered weak because he engaged in little hostile action and was concerned more with the safety of his remaining people than with ruling over them. However, Miguel soon learned caution when, one morning, his men found a basket full of severed fingers and toes: the only remains of a small force he had sent to procure food, supplies, and women from Sergei.
Kaylee gave a little glance backward, but she could no longer see the two in the darkness. She hoped for the best for them. She had wanted to give them more information, but she was unsure of how trustworthy they could be. Elijah's people made a point of doing everything possible for survival, and that meant no outsiders were allowed to know about locations like the Highland. Besides, Kaylee was working on more important things at the moment. Eugene and Tanya would have to make do with what little they were given. Hopefully they wouldn't get killed, as they appeared to represent exactly what Elijah was looking for: alliances.
Kaylee smiled to herself. I guess I wouldn't be too upset if Tanya got a little roughed up, she thought.
Uprising Page 20