Scavengers

Edya had known this day would come for a long time. Back against an alley wall, scavengers looted her pockets for precious metals. It had been a long time since anyone had been safe from these pirates, and even longer since they had been safe at all.

The entire mess had started a few years earlier, as the global war effort was ramping up. There had been a minor shortage of precious metals for what seemed like decades, but it was only recently that anyone really felt the true effects of this loss. Many believed that it was the munitions factories to blame, but of course, no one could actually say that out loud.

The government eventually initiated a “Give Back” program where anyone in possession of gold or silver could exchange this for breaks on their taxes. It worked for a time, until it didn’t. That’s when the real exploitation began. That is, exploitation that grew beyond government walls and into the hands of the people. Edya was now being subjected to the consequences of that exploitation.

Costly enough was mandatory civil service, but as soon as the surrender of metals became a way out, scavengers were made commonplace in every city. They would loot homes and rob individuals for any chance of getting off service. In other cases, they sold metals for more than double their value. The longer the war, the greater the death toll, the more desperate people became. That was precisely how Edya had wound up where she was now, praying they missed the gold locket around her neck; a heart-shaped time capsule of her life before the war. A life she barely remembered.

She could only wait as the men searched for her last reminder of personhood. It was mere seconds before one of the men caught a glimpse of the shining gold beneath her dark hair. Looking into each other's eyes for a few seconds, Edya could have almost sworn he was going to let her go. But his eyes only softened for a few seconds before he reached down and grabbed the locket himself.

She studied his face closely as he stood back, trying to memorize it in the little time she had. He looked so familiar yet unrecognizable, though it wouldn’t be the first time a scavenger had come face-to-face with someone from their past life. Her mind flipped back and forth between fear and wonder as she waited for the raid to be over. It ran with images of her home and family, school, friends, now long gone since the beginning of the war.

“Let’s go,” he said, barely hesitating as he stepped back. The rest of the scavengers scurried out of the alleyway like rats as their apparent leader trailed behind. One more look behind told Edya all she needed to know.

Red-grey clouds rolled by overhead, parting slightly to allow the sunlight to fall on her. Edya sunk down against the wall as the heat of the sun bore down on her unusually. She looked down at her emergency HELP button, smashed into the pavement. It was supposed to protect her in situations like these, but of course, it rarely works out like that. It doesn’t help that they’re as fragile as glass, which is, of course, blamed on the shortage.

The illusion began to fall away as she looked up at the clouds swirling around the sun. Seconds later, she was fully shaken from her sleep as a crash echoed through her apartment.

Suddenly lucid, she rummaged through the back of her nightstand safe to claim her prize: the locket. Normally, she would never take it out, lest she be attacked or arrested; however, now was not the time for caution. The thud of approaching footsteps rang across the floors, paining her in their closeness.

Edya skittered across the room, her heart thumping in her ears as she held her breath. Trembling, she climbed through her open window, teetering back and forth between her room and the far street below. The footsteps were getting closer. In a leap of faith and fear, she slid out onto the ledge, just enough to be out of view. It was dangerous, but she wouldn’t live without this locket, not without this last piece of meaning in her life.

Merging with the chaos in the streets below, sounds of destruction continued to erupt from inside her home for what felt like hours to her racing heart. Dishes smashed, furniture toppled, belongings were ripped from their places. Until suddenly, it all stopped. She shimmied across the ledge and peered into the window. Too late did she realize she was not, in fact, alone.

A familiar face came rampaging across the room. She hurried sideways, but the crackling concrete beneath her feet prevented her from moving quickly enough as a hand extended from the window towards her. It pulled off balance, forcing her to throw herself towards the window to hold on. There she stood, teeter-tottering between life and death.

The man glared down at her closed fist. The locket flashed a golden glow through her fingers. He knew there was a prize to be had.

“The gold or your life.”

It’s all or nothing, Edya thought to herself. Breaking the delicate clasp, she laid the open locket in his hand.

The image of his face stared back at him from inside. Horror flashed in his eyes for just a second before he recovered his mask.

She raised her eyebrows, as if to say goodbye, and then pushed off the ledge. Those on the street did not even stop to see if she was alive. Carrying on with their day, they stepped over her quickly, pressed for HELP, and moved on.